Method for forming enclosed food

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a step for causing the central part (DC) of a thin outer skin material (D) having a filling (F) placed thereon to pass through an opening (44) in a placement plate (43) and supporting the same by a supporting device (29) disposed below the placement plate (43), to cause the rim (DD) around the central part of the outer skin material to erect upward from the placement plate and form the undersurface (PU) of a wrapped food product (P) at the central part of the outer skin material; and a step for causing a plurality of shutter pieces (45) disposed on the placement plate to undergo a closing operation and causing the entire rim of the outer skin material erected upward from the placement plate to be pressed against the filling by inner lateral surfaces (451) of the respective shutter pieces, to form the rest of the wrapped food product.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product (such as shumai) in which a filling material is enclosed in food dough pieces. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a forming device for shumai (encased food), which includes an extrusion device that extrudes filling material and a turntable located below the extrusion device, with the turntable having a pocket for receiving the filling material. The shumai skin, which serves as the outer shell material, is placed on the pocket and inserted into the pocket by a pipe of the extrusion device to form a cup shape. The filling material is then extruded through the pipe and filled into the inside of the cup-shaped outer shell material, forming an enclosed food product with a top portion from which the filling material is exposed. The formed enclosed food product is then removed from the turntable.

[0003] This molding device can only mold the wrapped food into a cylindrical shape. Also, since the peripheral edge of the shumai skin protrudes above the filling, the peripheral edge must be manually folded toward the filling to make it adhere tightly to the filling (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a forming device for encased foods such as shumai and baozi, which includes a plurality of skin collecting members that can be opened and closed to capture the shumai skin with the filling supplied from the side to form an encased food product with a top portion where the filling is exposed, and a plurality of shaping members that can be opened and closed to trim the top portion of the shumai skin of the encased food. This forming device is configured so that the opening and closing operations of the skin collecting members and the shaping members are linked via a link mechanism.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a forming device for encased foods such as steamed buns, which includes a shutter device that brings the peripheral edge of a flat outer cover material on which an inner material is placed together above the inner material and seals it in a protruding shape to form an encased food, and an extension prevention device that prevents the outer cover material of the encased food from extending outward, which is located below the shutter device. The shutter device includes multiple shutter pieces that can be opened and closed, and the extension prevention device includes multiple extension-preventing shutter pieces that can be opened and closed.

[0006] The shutter device forms the head of the enclosed food by gathering and sealing the peripheral edge of the outer skin material so as to cover the inner material. The stretch prevention device sets the tip of the stretch prevention shutter piece to a predetermined width when the inner material is supplied to the outer skin material, and receives the food dough piece so that the outer skin material that forms the body of the enclosed food does not stretch outward (Patent Document 3).

[0007] Patent Document 4 discloses a molding device for molding an encased food product such as an ama-pan (sweet bean bun), which includes a shutter device that seals the peripheral edge of a flat outer shell material on which an inner material is placed. The shutter device includes multiple shutter pieces that can be opened and closed. The side surfaces of the shutter pieces have a front edge that closes first when the shutter device is closed, and a rear edge that closes later than the front edge.

[0008] In its closing operation, the shutter device gathers and seals (closes) the peripheral edges of the food dough pieces so that the rear edges of the shutter pieces cover the inner material. The forming device forms the top of the enclosed food without the food dough pieces protruding above the shutter pieces, thus enveloping and forming the inner material with the outer skin material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-114996 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 56-021581 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-178687 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-052299 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-333979 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The molding devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 mold enclosed food products of a single size, and if the size of the enclosed food product is to be changed, the relevant components must be replaced, making them non-versatile.

[0011] The forming device described in Patent Document 2 is equipped with a shaping member that adjusts the top of the food dough piece of the enclosed food, but the shaping member cannot sufficiently adhere the food dough piece to the inner material, making it impossible to form it stably.

[0012] The forming device described in Patent Document 3 has a complex structure because it must be equipped with two devices, namely, a shutter device that forms the head of the enclosed food and an anti-stretch device that receives the body of the enclosed food.

[0013] The forming device described in Patent Document 4 is provided with a shutter device that forms the head of the enclosed food, but the shutter device does not come into contact with the body of the enclosed food.

[0014] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product, which can reliably press a food dough piece against an inner material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The present invention is a method for forming an enveloped food product, which includes the steps of: passing the central portion of a thin outer skin material on which an inner material is placed through an opening in a mounting member, causing the peripheral portion of the outer skin material to rise above the mounting member; and closing a shutter including multiple shutter pieces, using the inner surface of each shutter piece to press the peripheral portion of the outer skin material rising above the mounting member against the inner material.

[0016] For example, in the pressing process, the inner surface of the shutter piece includes a first inner surface extending upward from the bottom surface of the shutter piece and a second inner surface formed upward from the first inner surface and inclined inward from the first inner surface, and the first inner surface presses against the body portion of the enclosed food, while the second inner surface presses against the shoulder portion of the enclosed food.

[0017] For example, the shutter is closed so that the through-hole formed on the upper surface of the shutter and surrounded by the shutter pieces is not closed, and the head of the enclosed food protrudes above the upper surface of the shutter pieces.

[0018] For example, in the transferring step, a support device disposed below the placing member supports the center portion of the outer skin material.

[0019] For example, the central portion of the outer skin material is formed to be thicker than the remaining portions.

[0020] For example, an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product includes a mounting member having an opening in the center for mounting a thin outer skin material on which an inner material is placed, a shutter including a plurality of shutter pieces, and a drive device for opening and closing the shutter, each shutter piece including an inner surface that presses the peripheral edge of the outer skin material, which stands up from the mounting member, against the inner material.

[0021] For example, the inner surface of the shutter piece includes a first inner surface extending upward from the bottom surface of the shutter piece and a second inner surface formed upward from the first inner surface and inclined inward, and when the drive device closes the shutter, the first inner surface presses against the body portion of the enclosed food and the second inner surface presses against the shoulder portion of the enclosed food.

[0022] For example, the drive device may be configured to close the shutter so that a through hole formed on the upper surface of the shutter and surrounded by the shutter pieces is not closed.

[0023] For example, a support device for supporting the center portion of the wrapped food may be provided below the placing member and be movable up and down.

[0024] For example, the device may further include a skin material molding device for molding the skin material, the skin material molding device including a horizontal mold that surrounds the periphery of the skin material before molding, an upper mold that has a recess formed in the center of its underside and presses the skin material before molding from above, and an upper mold drive device that positions the horizontal mold so as to surround the periphery of the skin material before molding, and then drives the upper mold to press the skin material before molding from above.

[0025] For example, the horizontal mold may include a plurality of horizontal mold pieces moving toward and away from each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, by closing the shutter including the plurality of shutter pieces, the inner surfaces of the shutter pieces press the peripheral edge of the outer skin material rising upward from the mounting member against the inner material. Furthermore, during this pressing, the outer skin material, which is deformed into a wavy shape in a plan view, can be folded. Therefore, an enclosed food product can be formed in which the outer skin material is in close contact with the inner material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view showing an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic plan view showing an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic front view showing a main part of an outer shell material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic side view showing a main part of an outer shell material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic plan view showing the main parts of a shutter device provided in an enclosed food molding device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which a through hole formed by being surrounded by multiple shutter pieces is open. [Figure 6] This is a schematic plan view showing the main parts of the shutter device provided in the enclosed food molding device of the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the closed state so as not to block the through hole formed by being surrounded by multiple shutter pieces. [Figure 7A] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 7B] 1 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 8A] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 8B] 1 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 9A] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 9B] 1 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 10A]1 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 10B] 1 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an outer skin material by an outer skin material forming device provided in an apparatus for forming an enveloped food product according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 11A] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an enclosed food product by a covering device provided in an enclosed food product forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11B] 1 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an enveloped food product by a covering device provided in an enveloped food product forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12A] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an enclosed food product by a covering device provided in an enclosed food product forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12B] 1 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an enveloped food product by a covering device provided in an enveloped food product forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an apparatus for forming an enclosed food product according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15A] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an enclosed food product by a covering device provided in an enclosed food product forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15B] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an enclosed food product by a covering device provided in an enclosed food product forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16A] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a process of forming an enclosed food product by a covering device provided in an enclosed food product forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16B] 10 is a schematic front view showing a process of forming an enclosed food product by a covering device provided in an enclosed food product forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] 1 to 12, an enclosed food forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The forming apparatus 1 is for forming an enclosed food product P in which an inner material F is covered with an outer skin material D. For example, the outer skin material D is a shumai skin, and the inner material F is a filling. Below, the forming apparatus 1 for forming an enclosed food product P, i.e., a shumai, will be described. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the forming apparatus 1 includes an outer skin material forming device 2, an inner material supply device 3, and a covering device 5. Also provided upstream of the forming apparatus 1 are an opposed-roller type spreading device 95 that flattens the prepared dough ball DB into an outer skin material D, and an alignment device 97 that aligns the widthwise center of the outer skin material D with the subsequent outer skin material forming device 2.

[0029] 3 and 4, the skin material molding device 2 is a device that molds flattened, thin skin material D so that the center is thicker than the other parts. The skin material molding device 2 is equipped with a belt conveyor (loading device) 81 on which the thin skin material D is placed and transported, an upper mold 82 that can be raised and lowered, and a horizontal mold 87 that can also be raised and lowered, and the horizontal mold 87 has horizontal mold pieces 88 that move toward and away from each other.

[0030] Upper mold 82 is disk-shaped and has a lower surface and a circular recess 83 located in the center thereof. The diameter of upper mold 82 is, for example, 100 mm. The depth of recess 83 is preferably 1 to 2 mm, for example, in the case of shumai skin. The diameter of recess 83 is, for example, 60 mm, which is preferably approximately the same as the diameter of opening 44 of mounting member (mounting plate) 43 described below.

[0031] The upper mold 82 is connected to a slide rod of a first lifting device 85 such as an air cylinder, and is configured to be able to move up and down. Furthermore, the first lifting device 85 is attached to a vertical position adjustment device 86 for adjusting the position at which the upper mold 82 stops when it is lowered, and the vertical position adjustment device 86 is made up of a threaded rod and a slider that are screwed together. The vertical position adjustment device 86 is attached to the upper surface of the plate-shaped base plate 73 held by the platform frame 71.

[0032] Each of the pair of horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 of the horizontal mold 87 has semicircular inner peripheral surfaces 89, 89 (see FIG. 7) that surround the outer cover material D and define its periphery when the horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 approach each other. The horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 are connected to a pair of slide rods provided at both ends of a driving device 91 such as an air chuck, and are configured to move toward and away from each other in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the driving device 91 is connected to the slide rods of a second lifting device 93 such as an air cylinder in order to raise and lower the horizontal mold 87. The second lifting device 93 is attached to the base plate 73 via the mounting frame 75.

[0033] The inner material supply device 3 includes a belt conveyor 7 that conveys outer material D, which is formed into a thin flake shape and has a thicker center portion than the other portions, a discharge unit 9 that supplies inner material F to the top surface of the outer material D, and a supply device 11 that feeds inner material F to the discharge unit 9. The discharge unit 9 has a nozzle 15 that can be raised and lowered, and the nozzle 15 has a discharge port 17 at its lower end. The discharge unit 9 is configured to intermittently discharge a required amount of inner material F from the discharge port 17 (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0034] The covering device 5 includes a base 39, a plurality of devices attached to the base 39, namely, a supply conveyor 23, a shutter device 25, a support device 29, an unloading conveyor 31, and a control device 33 that controls each of these devices. The supply conveyor 23 is a belt conveyor for supplying the outer covering material D on which the inner material F is placed to the shutter device 25, and its tip 35 is configured to be able to reciprocate along the conveying direction R between an advancing position (not shown) and a standby position (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0035] 5 and 6, the shutter device 25 includes a base plate 41 detachably attached to the base 39, a hole plate 43 (mounting member, mounting plate), and a shutter 47. The hole plate 43 is configured so that the outer skin material D is placed thereon, and has a circular opening 44 at its center. The shutter 47 includes six shutter pieces 45 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction to surround the central opening 44. The hole plate 43 is detachably (replaceably) attached to the base plate 41, and the diameter of the opening 44 is selected depending on the size of the food product P to be wrapped.

[0036] Each shutter leaf 45 is rotatably supported on a pivot 49, connected to one another by a link mechanism 51, and configured to swing synchronously by an appropriate drive device. As shown in FIGS. 11B and 12B, the shutter leaf 45 is disposed on the common upper surface of the base plate 41 and the hole plate 43, and preferably disposed slightly spaced apart from the upper surface (illustrated in a state of contact in FIG. 11B etc.). Each shutter leaf 45 has an inner surface 451 facing the center (inside) of the opening 44 of the hole plate 43. The shutter 47 is configured to perform an opening and closing operation to expand or contract an area 61 surrounded by the inner surface 451 of each shutter leaf 45.

[0037] 11B and 12B, the inner surface 451 of the shutter piece 45 includes a first inner surface 451A that slopes slightly inward as it extends upward from the bottom surface 45U of the shutter piece 45 to form the body portion PA of the enclosed food P, a second inner surface 451B that slopes more inward than the first inner surface 451A as it extends continuously upward from the first inner surface 451A to form the shoulder portion PB of the enclosed food P, and a third inner surface 451C that extends from the second inner surface 451B to the top surface 45T of the shutter piece 45. The inner surfaces 451 of each shutter piece 45 collectively form a hole surrounded by the shutter piece 45, and this hole will be referred to as the through-hole 63 hereinafter.

[0038] The support device 29 is a belt conveyor located below the shutter device 25, and is configured to support the center portion DC of the outer covering material D that forms the bottom surface of the wrapped food P and to transport the wrapped food P to the discharge conveyor 31. The support device 29 has an endless conveyor belt 29A that is looped around multiple rollers and driven intermittently. The support device 29 is configured to be able to move up and down, and for this purpose is connected to a drive device such as a servo motor so that it moves in conjunction with the drive device. The upper and lower end positions and lifting speed of the support device 29, as well as the drive timing and drive speed of the conveyor belt 29A, are adjustable (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0039] The discharge conveyor 31 is a belt conveyor arranged adjacent to the downstream side of the support device 29, which has lowered to its lowest position. The discharge conveyor 31 is configured to receive the wrapped food P from the support device 29 and then carry it downstream (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0040] Next, the process for forming an enveloped food product P using the forming apparatus 1, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, will be described. A lump of food dough is divided into dough balls DB of a required weight, rounded, and supplied to a spreading device. The dough balls DB are spread by a spreading device 95 to form circular, flat outer shell materials D. The width W of the outer shell material D is measured by an alignment device 97, which is located between the spreading device 95 and the outer shell material forming device 2, and the outer shell material D is aligned so that its center in the width direction coincides with the center of the upper mold 82. The outer shell material D is then fed to the belt conveyor 81 of the outer shell material forming device 2. Based on a command from the control device 33, the belt conveyor 81 temporarily stops so that the center of the length L of the outer shell material D coincides with the center of the upper mold 82 (the outer shell material D placement process) (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0041] 7A and 7B, with the horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 separated, the second lifting device 93 is operated to lower the horizontal mold 87 to a position (lowering stop position) where the bottom surfaces of the horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 slightly contact the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 81. Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, by operating the drive device 91, the lowered horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 approach each other in the conveying direction R of the outer covering material D, and the horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 surround the periphery of the outer covering material D, and the outer shape of the outer covering material D is corrected (trimmed) into a circular shape by the inner peripheral surfaces 89, 89. Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the first lifting device 85 is operated to lower the upper mold 82 to a predetermined position. The outer skin material D is deformed to fit the space formed by the belt conveyor 81, the upper mold 82, and the horizontal mold 87, so that the outer skin material D is molded into a thin, approximately circular shape with a central portion DC that is thicker than the surrounding peripheral portion DD (molding process of the outer skin material D).

[0042] 10A and 10B, the first lifting device 85 is operated to lift the upper mold 82 and keep it waiting at the lift stop position. Then, the drive device 91 is operated to move the horizontal mold pieces 88, 88 away from each other, and the second lifting device 93 is operated to lift the horizontal mold 87 and keep it waiting at the lift stop position. The belt conveyor 81 is operated to transport the outer covering material D to the inner material supply device 3.

[0043] Next, the belt conveyor 7 of the inner material supply device is stopped at a position where the center of the outer material D coincides with the center of the discharge port 17 of the nozzle 15, temporarily halting the conveyance of the outer material D. A required amount of inner material F is discharged from the discharge port 17 of the nozzle 15 onto the upper surface of the outer material D, and then the inner material F is separated from the nozzle 15 to place the inner material F on the outer material D (inner material placing process, or inner material placing process). The outer material D with the inner material F placed thereon is transported by the belt conveyor 7 to the supply conveyor 23 of the covering device 5 (see Figures 1 and 2). In a plan view, it is desirable that the diameter of the discharged inner material F be smaller than the diameter of the opening 44 of the hole plate 43.

[0044] The leading end 35 of the supply conveyor 23 moves to cover the upper part of the shutter 47 and stops at the extended position. Then, the outer covering material D is transported to a position where its center coincides with the center of the area 61 surrounded by the shutter 47, i.e., the center of the opening 44 of the hole plate 43, and is temporarily stopped there.

[0045] 11A and 11B, the tip 35 is quickly retracted to the standby position, and the outer cover material D placed on the tip 35 is dropped into the area 61 surrounded by the shutter 47 and transferred onto the hole plate (mounting member, mounting plate) 43 (transfer process). Specifically, the outer cover material D with the inner cover material F placed thereon is dropped into the through-hole 63, with the peripheral edge DD of the outer cover material D first landing on the hole plate 43. Next, the central portion DC of the outer cover material D with the inner cover material F placed thereon is passed through the opening 44 of the hole plate 43 and supported on the support device 29 waiting a required distance from the top surface of the hole plate 43. At this time, the portion of the peripheral edge DD of the outer cover material D near the central portion DC comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the opening 44, thereby bending the peripheral edge DD of the outer cover material D upward from the hole plate 43. In this way, the bottom surface PU of the enclosed food P is formed. Moreover, the peripheral edge portion DD is gathered in the center by standing up and is deformed into a wave shape in a plan view (standing up process).

[0046] The multiple shutter pieces 45 are synchronously rotated toward the center by the link mechanism 51 (the enclosed area 61 is narrowed). Referring to Figures 12A and 12B, when the shutter pieces 45 are closed to a required position where they do not close the through-holes 63 and are then temporarily stopped, the inner surfaces 451 of the shutter pieces 45 come into contact with the peripheral edge portion DD of the outer cover material D and press against the entire peripheral edge portion DD (temporarily stopping the closing operation). At this time, the corrugated peripheral edge portion DD is pressed inward by the inner surfaces 451 and folded, and the peripheral edge portion DD is brought into close contact with the inner material F, thereby forming the remainder of the enclosed food P and completing the enclosed food P (enveloping process).

[0047] More specifically, the body portion PA of the enclosed food P is pressed by the first inner surface 451A of the shutter piece 45, and at the same time, the shoulder portion PB of the enclosed food P is pressed by the second inner surface 451B. The head portion PC of the enclosed food P is not pressed by the third inner surface 451C of the shutter 47, and may or may not protrude upward through the through-hole 63. A wrinkled pattern due to creases can be seen in the pressed peripheral portion DD. The head portion PC of the enclosed food P is not covered by the outer cover material D, and the inner material F is exposed. In the first embodiment, the bottom surface PU of the enclosed food P is supported by the support device 29, and the body portion PA and shoulder portion PB are pressed by the shutter 47 (pressing process).

[0048] The shutter piece 45 is rotated in the opposite direction to release the wrapped food P, and the support device 29 carrying the wrapped food P is lowered to the lowering stop position. The wrapped food P is then transferred from the support device 29 onto the discharge conveyor 31 and further discharged to a secondary forming device, heat treatment device, or the like (discharge process).

[0049] Next, a forming apparatus 101 for forming an enclosed food product P according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 16. In the forming apparatus 101 according to the second embodiment, components similar to those of the forming apparatus 1 for forming an enclosed food product P according to the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals as those of the forming apparatus 1, and detailed description of the forming apparatus 101 will be omitted. The forming apparatus 101 includes an inner material supply device 103 and a covering device 5.

[0050] The internal material supply device 103 includes a supply device 11 arranged on the upper surface of the base 39 of the coating device 5. The nozzle 15 is arranged so that its center coincides with the center of the expanding and contracting area 61 of the shutter 47. The nozzle 15 is also connected to an elevating device 65 such as an air cylinder, and is configured to be able to move up and down to enter the area 61. The lowering stop position of the nozzle 15 is set above the upper surface of the hole plate (mounting member, mounting plate) 43.

[0051] Referring to Figures 15 and 16, the inner surface 451 of the shutter piece 45 includes a first inner surface 451A that slopes slightly inward as it extends upward from the bottom surface 45U of the shutter piece 45 to form the body portion PA of the enclosed food P, a second inner surface 451B that extends continuously upward from the first inner surface 451A to form the shoulder portion PB and head portion PC of the enclosed food P, and is formed by a concave curved surface that slopes more inward than the first inner surface 451A, and a third inner surface 451C that extends from the second inner surface 451B to the upper surface 45T of the shutter piece 45.

[0052] 15 and 16, the process of forming an enveloped food product P using a forming apparatus 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the outer skin material D is, for example, a thin shumai skin cut into a square with sides of 60 mm, and the inner material F is, for example, 35 g of bean paste. The outer skin material D covers the inner material F to form the enveloped food product P, namely, a shumai.

[0053] The outer covering material D is manually placed on the supply conveyor 23 of the coating device 5. The supply conveyor 23 is operated in the same manner as described in the first embodiment, and the outer covering material D is dropped into the area 61 surrounded by the shutter 47 and transferred onto the hole plate (mounting member, mounting plate) 43 (transferring step).

[0054] The lifting device 65 is operated to lower the nozzle 15 to the lowering stop position. The nozzle 15 stops above the outer skin 15, and then a required amount of inner material F is discharged from the discharge port 17 (inner material placement process or inner material placement process). As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, by discharging the inner material F into the center of the outer skin D, the central portion DC of the outer skin D is pushed through the openings 44 of the hole plate 43, and the central portion DC of the outer skin D is supported on the support device 29. At this time, the peripheral portion DD of the outer skin D is raised upward from the hole plate 43, as in the first embodiment. In this way, the bottom surface PU of the enclosed food P is formed. Furthermore, the peripheral portion DD is deformed into a wave shape in a plan view (raising process). The nozzle 15 is then raised to the raised stop position (see FIG. 15).

[0055] The multiple shutter pieces 45 are synchronously rotated toward the center by the link mechanism 51 (the enclosed area 61 is narrowed). Referring to Figures 16A and 16B, when the shutter pieces 45 are closed to a position where they close the through-holes 63 in a plan view and then temporarily stopped, the inner surface 451 contacts the peripheral edge DD of the outer cover material D and presses against the entire peripheral edge DD (temporarily stopping the closing operation). At this time, the corrugated peripheral edge DD is pressed inward by the inner surface 451 and folded, and the peripheral edge DD is brought into close contact with the inner material F, thereby forming the remainder of the enclosed food P and completing the enclosed food P (enveloping process).

[0056] More specifically, the body portion PA of the enclosed food P is pressed by the first inner surface 451A of the shutter piece 45, and the shoulder portion PB and head portion PC of the enclosed food P are pressed by the concave second inner surface 451B. The pressed peripheral portion DD has a wrinkled pattern due to creases. Furthermore, the head portion PC of the enclosed food P is not covered by the outer shell material D, and the inner material F is exposed. In the second embodiment, the enclosed food P is placed on the support device 29, and the bottom portion of the enclosed food P is surrounded by the opening 44 of the hole plate 43, and the portion of the enclosed food P above the top surface of the hole plate 43 is pressed by the inner surface 451 of the shutter 47. In other words, the enclosed food P is subjected to a pressing action over almost the entire circumference, and is shaped to fit the space formed by the components surrounding the enclosed food P (pressing process).

[0057] As can be understood from the above description, according to the present invention, by closing the shutter 47 including the multiple shutter pieces 45, the entire peripheral portion DD of the outer skin material D standing upright from the mounting member (mounting plate) 43 can be pressed against the inner material F by the inner surfaces 451 of the shutter pieces 45. Furthermore, during this pressing, the peripheral portion DD of the outer skin material D, which has been deformed into a wavy shape in a plan view, can be folded. Therefore, using a relatively simple structure, it is possible to form an enclosed food P in which the outer skin material D is tightly attached to the inner material F.

[0058] The forming apparatus 1, 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been generally described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto and various modifications may be made within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the inner surface 451 of the shutter piece 45 is described as being formed by three inner surfaces. However, for example, the third inner surface 451C may be omitted, and such a configuration may be used to press the enclosed food P from the outside to tightly adhere the outer skin material D to the inner material F. Furthermore, since a long body portion PA can be formed by increasing the length (height) of the first inner surface 451A, shutter pieces of various shapes may be used depending on the shape of the enclosed food P.

[0059] Moreover, by controlling the closing operation of the shutter 47 to adjust the size of the region 61, it is possible to form various sizes of enclosed food products P.

[0060] Although the shapes of the outer skin material D have been described as being circular or square, the shape of the outer skin material D may be a polygon such as a regular hexagon or other shapes, and can be selected depending on the desired covering state of the outer skin material D at the head portion PC and shoulder portion PB of the enclosed food P. Furthermore, by selecting the volume of the inner material F and the size of the outer skin material D, an enclosed food P may be formed in which the inner material F is exposed at the head portion PC, or an enclosed food P in which the outer skin material D completely covers the inner material F.

[0061] In addition, in the above explanation, the outer skin material D is shumai skin, and the enclosed food P is shumai, but various enclosed foods may also be formed, for example, in which the outer skin material D is steamed bun dough or pie dough, and the inner material F is Chinese filling or fruit paste.

[0062] In the above explanation, the upper mold 82 and horizontal mold 87 of the skin material molding device 2 are used to form the central portion DC of the skin material D to be thick, but the skin material molding device 2 may be omitted to leave the skin material flat, or another configuration may be used to form the central portion DC of the skin material D to be thick. For example, when rolling a continuous strip of dough with opposing rolling rollers, rolling rollers with recesses formed on their circumferential surfaces may be used to form thicker portions of the dough at predetermined intervals in the strip of dough, and then pieces of dough may be cut out to form the skin material D. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 29 Support device 43 Hole plate, mounting plate 44 Aperture 45 shutter piece 45T top surface 45U bottom 451 Inner surface 451A 1st inner surface 451B 2nd inner surface D Outer skin material DC center DD Periphery F Inner material P Covered food PA body PB Shoulder PC head PU bottom

Claims

1. A method for forming an enclosed food product, comprising: a step of passing the central portion (DC) of the thin outer skin material (D) on which the inner material (F) is placed through an opening (44) of a mounting plate (43) and supporting it with a support device (29) arranged below the mounting plate (44), thereby causing a peripheral portion (DD) around the central portion (DC) of the outer skin material (D) to stand up from the mounting plate (43) and form a bottom surface (PU) of the enclosed food (P) at the central portion (DC) of the outer skin material (D); and closing a plurality of shutter pieces (45) arranged on the mounting plate (43), pressing the entire peripheral portion (DD) of the outer skin material (D) standing up from the mounting plate (43) against the inner material (F) with the inner surfaces (451) of the plurality of shutter pieces (45), and forming the remaining portion of the enclosed food.

2. The molding method of claim 1, wherein the inner surfaces (451) of the multiple shutter pieces (45) each include a first inner surface (451A) that slopes toward the center of the opening (44) as it extends upward from the bottom surface (45U) of the shutter piece (45), and a second inner surface (451B) that slopes more toward the center of the opening (44) than the first inner surface (451A) as it extends continuously upward from the first inner surface (451A), and the first inner surface (451A) forms the body portion (PA) of the enclosed food (P), and the second inner surface (451B) forms the remainder of the enclosed food (P).

3. 3. The molding method according to claim 2, wherein when the shutter pieces are closed, the upper surfaces of the shutter pieces are not closed.

4. 4. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein the central portion (DC) of the thin outer skin material (D) is formed to be thicker than the peripheral portion (DD) therearound.

5. 4. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein the inner material (F) is exposed at the head (PC) of the enclosed food (P).

Images