Rice ball manufacutirng device and rice ball manufacturing method

Abstract

[Problem] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a rice ball manufacturing device and a rice ball manufacturing method capable of sufficiently enhancing workability when manufacturing a rice ball. [Solution] A rice ball manufacturing device A includes a cooked rice supply device 1, a receiving mold unit 2, a unit attachment part 3, and a receiving mold driving mechanism 4. The receiving mold unit 2 has a substantially disk-like outer shape and has formed into circular shapes in the upper portion thereof five molds which include a first rice mold 200a, a first rice mold 200b, a first rice mold 200c, a first rice mold 200d, and a first rice mold 200e that accommodate cooked rice. The receiving mold driving mechanism 4 rotationally drives the receiving mold unit 2 such that the receiving mold unit 2 attached to the unit attachment part 3 is located at a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply device 1. The cooked rice supply device 1 supplies cooked rice sequentially to the first rice mold 200a, etc. Furthermore, a pressing mold 22 overlaps, from above, the receiving mold unit 2 in which cooked rice is accommodated, engages with the receiving mold unit 2, and thereby forms a plurality of rice balls in a single operation.

Description

Rice ball manufacturing device and method for manufacturing rice ball

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice ball manufacturing device and a rice ball manufacturing method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a rice ball manufacturing device and a rice ball manufacturing method that can sufficiently improve the workability when manufacturing rice balls.

[0002] In recent years, rice balls sold in stores and the like have been mass-produced using rice ball manufacturing devices that form cooked rice into a desired shape.

[0003] Various types of rice ball manufacturing devices have been proposed, including, for example, a device that measures a desired weight of cooked rice, puts it into a mold, and shapes it into a desired shape.

[0004] As an example of a molding die, cooked rice is compressed using a hand-operated molding die to form it into the shape of a rice ball.

[0005] In this context, a rice ball manufacturing apparatus has been proposed that attempts to improve rice ball production efficiency (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Here, the rice ball manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to have a cooked rice supply unit that supplies cooked rice by dropping a predetermined amount of measured cooked rice, a cooked rice forming unit that is arranged to be able to move forward and backward relative to the position where the cooked rice falls and is equipped with a forming mold that forms the cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supply unit into a predetermined shape, a first sensor that detects when the forming mold has entered the drop position, and a control unit that controls the cooked rice supply unit to supply cooked rice to the forming mold when the forming mold is detected by the first sensor.

[0007] JP 2016-19492 A

[0008] However, in the rice ball manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1, only one rice forming section (forming mold) for shaping the rice is provided on the base, and multiple rice balls cannot be manufactured at once in a single operation.

[0009] In addition, it was necessary to retract the rice forming section that supplied the rice from the position where the rice would fall, and after forming the rice balls at the retracted position, remove the rice balls from the rice forming section and then re-advance the rice forming section to the position where the rice would fall.

[0010] In other words, the process of forming the next rice ball cannot begin until the formation of one rice ball has been completed, which makes the production efficiency insufficient for producing a large amount of rice balls.

[0011] The present invention has been devised in view of the above points, and aims to provide a rice ball manufacturing device and a rice ball manufacturing method that can sufficiently improve the workability when manufacturing rice balls.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the rice ball manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises a rice supply unit that supplies cooked rice, a receiving mold unit that is configured to be attachable and detachable to a predetermined position and that, when attached to the predetermined position, forms multiple first rice ball molds that can accommodate cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supply unit, and, when removed from the predetermined position, forms multiple rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball molds, and a receiving mold drive unit that, when the receiving mold unit is attached to the predetermined position, moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply unit.

[0013] Here, the cooked rice necessary to form a rice ball can be placed into the first rice ball mold using a cooked rice supply unit that supplies cooked rice and a receiving mold unit that is configured to be detachable at a predetermined position and has multiple first rice ball molds formed thereon that can accommodate the cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supply unit when attached to the predetermined position. Also, because multiple first rice ball molds are used, the amount of cooked rice necessary to form multiple rice balls in a single operation can be accommodated in one receiving mold unit.

[0014] Furthermore, with the receiving mold unit attached at a predetermined position, the receiving mold drive unit moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where rice can be supplied from the rice supply unit, thereby making it possible to automatically put rice into a plurality of first rice ball molds.

[0015] Furthermore, by forming multiple rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball mold with the receiving mold unit removed from its designated position, it becomes possible to form multiple rice balls at once with one receiving mold unit. In other words, the efficiency of producing rice balls can be sufficiently increased with a series of operations. Furthermore, because the rice balls are formed with the receiving mold unit removed from its designated position, the work of forming the rice balls can be performed independently of the driving of the cooked rice supply unit and the receiving mold drive unit.

[0016] Furthermore, if the first rice ball mold is formed in a concave shape and can be fitted into a receiving mold unit removed from a predetermined position, and the convex second rice ball mold that is inserted into the first rice ball mold to form rice balls from cooked rice has a plurality of press mold portions formed to correspond to the first rice ball mold, multiple rice balls can be formed by the simple task of pressing the press mold unit against the receiving mold unit containing cooked rice and fitting it together.Furthermore, by aligning the position of the convex second rice ball mold with the concave first rice ball mold and inserting the second rice ball mold into the first rice ball mold, multiple rice balls can be formed together and easily.

[0017] Furthermore, if a plurality of protrusions with different protrusion amounts are formed on either the surface of the receiving mold unit facing the press mold portion or the surface of the press mold portion facing the receiving mold unit, and a receiving portion that abuts one of the plurality of protrusions or a protrusion with the same protrusion amount is formed on the other surface of the receiving mold unit facing the press mold portion or the surface of the press mold portion facing the receiving mold unit when the press mold portion is fitted into the receiving mold unit, it is possible to easily vary the thickness of the rice balls to be formed by adjusting the position at which the protrusion and receiving portion abut. In other words, by selecting from a plurality of protrusions with different protrusion amounts and abutting this with the receiving portion, the insertion depth when the second rice ball mold is inserted into the first rice ball mold changes, and rice balls of a thickness corresponding to this can be formed.

[0018] Furthermore, when the receiving mold unit has the first rice ball molds arranged circumferentially and the receiving mold drive unit rotates the receiving mold unit, the movement of the receiving mold drive unit rotating the receiving mold unit makes it possible to move the first rice ball molds sequentially to the position where the cooked rice supply unit supplies cooked rice. Furthermore, compared to an embodiment in which multiple first rice ball molds are arranged in a straight line, the size of the receiving mold unit can be made relatively small, and the range in which the receiving mold unit moves can be kept within a small area.

[0019] Furthermore, if a weight measuring means is provided for measuring the weight of the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball mold, and a drive control unit is provided for controlling the supply of cooked rice from the cooked rice supply unit based on the measurement results of the weight measuring means, and for controlling the rotation of the receiving mold unit by the receiving mold drive unit, it becomes possible to more accurately put cooked rice into multiple first rice ball molds while knowing the weight of the cooked rice via the weight measuring means.

[0020] Furthermore, if the drive control unit has a drive gear that rotates via the driving force of the motor, the receiving mold unit has a driven gear that engages with the drive gear via a gear structure and is movable in one direction, and has a tooth groove width greater than the tooth thickness of the teeth of the drive gear, and the drive control unit stops the movement of the receiving mold unit when the first rice ball mold reaches a position where cooked rice can be supplied in the cooked rice supply unit, and moves the drive gear in the direction opposite to the one direction so that the teeth of the drive gear do not abut against the teeth of the driven gear, the weight measurement means can measure the weight of the cooked rice more accurately. In other words, when the receiving mold unit moves, the driven gear and the drive gear abut, and the drive gear moves. On the other hand, when the first rice ball mold reaches a position where cooked rice can be supplied in the cooked rice supply unit, the teeth of the drive gear move to a position where they do not interfere with the teeth of the driven gear, thereby reducing the impact on the measurement by the weight measurement means and achieving more accurate weight measurement.

[0021] In addition, the device is equipped with a mounting section on which a receiving mold unit can be placed and which is provided with a base positioning section that positions the moving receiving mold unit, and when a receiving mold unit is provided corresponding to each of the first rice ball molds and multiple receiving mold positioning sections that fit into the base positioning sections are formed, the position of the moving receiving mold unit can be positioned with high precision by fitting the base positioning sections into the receiving mold positioning sections.

[0022] Furthermore, if the receiving mold unit has a lower mold portion that forms the bottom of the receiving mold unit, and a rice-shaped portion that detachably fits with the lower mold portion to form the main body of the receiving mold unit and has a plurality of holes that penetrate the main body and have first through-holes that become the first rice-ball shape when fitted with the lower mold portion, then after forming the rice ball in the first rice-ball shape, the lower mold portion and the rice-shaped portion can be separated, making it easy to remove the formed rice ball. That is, for example, by separating the rice-shaped portion with the formed rice ball placed on the lower mold portion, it is possible to remove the rice ball from the lower mold portion. As a result, the shape of the formed rice ball can be prevented from being distorted.

[0023] Furthermore, if the lower mold portion has a concave receptacle portion formed at a position corresponding to the first through hole, after the rice ball is formed using the first rice ball mold, when the lower mold portion and the rice mold portion are separated, the formed rice ball can be stably positioned in the lower mold portion.

[0024] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the rice ball manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is configured to be detachable at a predetermined position, and when attached to the predetermined position, forms a plurality of first rice ball molds that can accommodate cooked rice supplied from a predetermined cooked rice supply unit, and when removed from the predetermined position, forms a plurality of rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball molds, and when the receiving mold unit is attached to the predetermined position, it is equipped with a receiving mold drive unit that moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply unit.

[0025] Here, the receiving mold unit is configured to be detachable at a predetermined position, and when attached to the predetermined position, is formed with a plurality of first rice ball molds that can accommodate cooked rice supplied from a predetermined cooked rice supply unit, and the cooked rice required to form the rice balls can be placed into the first rice ball molds. Also, because a plurality of first rice ball molds are used, the amount of cooked rice required to form a plurality of rice balls in a single operation can be stored in one receiving mold unit.

[0026] Furthermore, with the receiving mold unit attached at a predetermined position, the receiving mold drive unit moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where rice can be supplied from the rice supply unit, thereby making it possible to automatically put rice into a plurality of first rice ball molds.

[0027] Furthermore, by forming multiple rice balls at once from cooked rice contained in the first rice ball mold with the receiving mold unit removed from its designated position, it becomes possible to form multiple rice balls at once with one receiving mold unit. In other words, the efficiency of producing rice balls can be sufficiently increased with a series of operations. Furthermore, because the rice balls are formed with the receiving mold unit removed from its designated position, the work of forming the rice balls can be performed independently of the drive of the receiving mold drive unit.

[0028] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the rice ball manufacturing device of the present invention is configured to be detachable at a predetermined position, and is provided with a plurality of first rice ball molds that can hold cooked rice, a receiving mold unit that, when removed from the predetermined position, forms a plurality of rice balls at once from the cooked rice held in the first rice ball mold, a cooked rice supply unit that, when attached to the predetermined position, supplies cooked rice to the first rice ball mold, and a receiving mold drive unit that, when the receiving mold unit is attached to the predetermined position, moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply unit.

[0029] Here, the cooked rice supply unit is configured to be detachable in a predetermined position, and multiple first rice ball molds capable of containing cooked rice are formed, and when removed from the predetermined position, a receiving mold unit is attached to a predetermined position to supply cooked rice to the first rice ball mold, which forms multiple rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball mold.By supplying cooked rice to the first rice ball mold, the cooked rice required to form the rice balls can be placed in the first rice ball mold. Also, because multiple first rice ball molds are used, the amount of cooked rice required to form multiple rice balls in a single operation can be stored in one receiving mold unit.

[0030] Furthermore, with the receiving mold unit attached at a predetermined position, the receiving mold drive unit moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where rice can be supplied from the rice supply unit, thereby making it possible to automatically put rice into a plurality of first rice ball molds.

[0031] Furthermore, by using the receiving mold unit to form multiple rice balls at once from the cooked rice stored in the first rice ball mold, it is possible to form multiple rice balls at once using one receiving mold unit. In other words, the efficiency of producing rice balls can be sufficiently increased through a series of operations.

[0032] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the method for manufacturing rice balls of the present invention comprises a rice feed process in which a receiving mold unit having a plurality of rice ball shapes each capable of containing rice is attached to a predetermined position and rice is sequentially fed into the plurality of rice ball shapes, and a rice ball forming process in which the receiving mold unit is removed from the predetermined position and a plurality of rice balls are formed at once from the rice contained in the rice ball shapes.

[0033] Here, in the cooked rice supplying step, a receiving mold unit having a plurality of rice ball molds each capable of accommodating cooked rice is attached to a predetermined position, and cooked rice is sequentially supplied to the plurality of rice ball molds, so that the amount of cooked rice required to form a rice ball can be placed in each of the plurality of rice ball molds. Also, in a series of operations, the amount of cooked rice required to form a plurality of rice balls can be accommodated in one receiving mold unit.

[0034] Furthermore, in the rice ball forming process, by removing the receiving mold unit from its designated position and forming multiple rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the rice ball mold, it becomes possible to form multiple rice balls at once using one receiving mold unit. In other words, the efficiency of rice ball production can be sufficiently improved through a series of operations. Furthermore, because the rice balls are formed with the receiving mold unit removed from its designated position, the rice ball forming work can be performed independently of the cooked rice supply process.

[0035] Furthermore, if multiple receiving mold units are used, with one receiving mold unit being used for the cooked rice supplying process and the other receiving mold units being used for the rice ball forming process, or being removed from their designated positions to place ingredients on the cooked rice contained in the rice ball molds, it is possible to further increase the efficiency of producing rice balls. In other words, while one receiving mold unit is putting cooked rice into the rice ball molds, another receiving mold unit can be used in parallel to form the rice balls and place ingredients, which can significantly improve work efficiency.

[0036] Furthermore, one receiving mold unit is provided with a first detectable portion that is detected by the sensor detection means, and the other receiving mold unit is provided with a second detectable portion that is detected by the sensor detection means and is distinguishable from the first detectable portion, and in the cooked rice supplying step, the first detectable portion or the second detectable portion is detected via the sensor detection means to distinguish one receiving mold unit from the other receiving mold unit, and when multiple rice ball molds within the same receiving mold unit are identified and cooked rice is supplied, the multiple receiving mold units can be distinguished and further each individual rice ball mold can be distinguished. In other words, it is possible to put cooked rice into each rice ball mold with a different amount of rice.

[0037] Furthermore, when a predetermined target amount of cooked rice is supplied to the receiving mold unit in two rice supply steps, the amount of cooked rice supplied in the first rice supply step is recorded, and in the second rice supply step, cooked rice is supplied so as to meet the predetermined target value based on the amount of cooked rice supplied in the first rice supply step. In this case, the cooked rice can be supplied in two separate steps to place the desired amount of cooked rice into the rice ball mold. That is, for example, after the first rice supply, the receiving mold unit can be removed from its predetermined position, ingredients can be placed in the partially filled cooked rice, and the second rice supply can be performed again to encase the ingredients in the cooked rice. Furthermore, rice balls made of the desired amount of cooked rice can be formed with the ingredients inside. Furthermore, the amount of cooked rice supplied in the first and second rice supply steps can be adjusted to appropriate amounts depending on the amount and type of ingredients to be added to the rice ball.

[0038] The rice ball manufacturing device according to the present invention is capable of sufficiently improving the workability when manufacturing rice balls. Also, the rice ball manufacturing method according to the present invention is a method that is capable of sufficiently improving the workability when manufacturing rice balls.

[0039] 8A is a schematic perspective view showing the overall appearance of a rice ball manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; (a) is a schematic side view of the rice ball manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow indicated by the symbol Y in FIG. 2A; (a) is a schematic plan view of a rice mold section; and (b) is a schematic perspective view of the rice mold section; (a) is a schematic plan view of a lower mold section; (b) is a schematic perspective view of the lower mold section; and (c) is a schematic side view of the lower mold section; and (b) is a schematic bottom view of the lower mold section; (a) is a schematic plan view of a press mold; (b) is a schematic perspective view of the press mold; and (c) is a schematic side view of the press mold; and (c) is a schematic bottom view of the press mold; (a) is a schematic side view of the rice ball manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow indicated by the symbol E in FIG. 8A; 9(a) is a schematic front view of the rice ball making apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow indicated by the symbol X in FIG. 9(a). FIG. 9(b) is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a part of the receiving mold drive mechanism is removed in the rice ball making apparatus. FIG. 9(c) is a schematic view showing a state in which the drive gear rotates the driven gear. FIG. 9(d) is a schematic view showing a state in which the teeth of the drive gear have moved to a position where they do not interfere with the teeth of the driven gear.

[0040] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is of an onigiri manufacturing apparatus A, which is an example of an onigiri manufacturing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be modified in design as appropriate.

[0041] In the following description, with reference to FIG. 2(a), the top of the figure will be referred to as the "top or upper side," and the bottom of the figure will be referred to as the "bottom or lower side." The direction connecting the top and bottom will be referred to as the "vertical direction." The direction perpendicular to the vertical direction will be referred to as the "horizontal direction."

[0042] Furthermore, based on FIG. 2(a), the right side in the figure is referred to as the "front or front side," and the left side in the figure is referred to as the "rear or rear side." The direction connecting the front and rear is referred to as the "front-to-rear direction." Based on FIG. 2(b), the left side in the figure is referred to as the "left or left side," and the right side in the figure is referred to as the "right or right side." The direction connecting the left and right is referred to as the "left-to-right direction." The front-to-rear direction and the left-to-right direction are directions that are included as part of the horizontal direction described above.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2(a) and 2(b), the rice ball making apparatus A has a cooked rice supplying device 1, a receiving mold unit 2, a unit mounting portion 3 and a receiving mold driving mechanism 4.

[0044] This rice ball manufacturing apparatus A is an apparatus for supplying a desired amount of cooked rice set from a cooked rice supplying apparatus 1 to a receiving mold unit 2, and forming a plurality of rice balls from the receiving mold unit 2 in a single forming process.

[0045] The cooked rice supplying device 1 is a supplying device for sequentially supplying a desired amount of cooked rice to a plurality of first rice molds 200a to 200e provided in a receiving mold unit 2, which will be described later. The cooked rice supplying device 1 referred to here is a member corresponding to the cooked rice supplying section in the claims of the present application.

[0046] Furthermore, as an example of the cooked rice supplying device 1, for example, the mechanism of the food serving device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-186748 can be adopted.

[0047] The receiving mold unit 2 is a mold member that stores the cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supplying device 1 and performs a shaping process on the stored cooked rice to form multiple rice balls in one shaping process. The receiving mold unit 2 here corresponds to the receiving mold unit in the claims of this application.

[0048] The unit mounting portion 3 is a base portion for mounting the receiving unit 2, in order to place the receiving unit 2 at a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply device 1. The position where the receiving unit 2 is mounted on the unit mounting portion 3 is the portion that corresponds to the predetermined position in the claims of the present application.

[0049] The receiving mold drive mechanism 4 is a drive mechanism for rotating the receiving mold unit 2 so that the receiving mold unit 2 attached to the unit mounting portion 3 is positioned at a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply device 1. The receiving mold drive mechanism 4 referred to here corresponds to the receiving mold drive section in the claims of the present application.

[0050] 1, 2(a) and 2(b), the cooked rice supplying device 1 has a housing 11 that constitutes the main body of the device, and a base part 12 that supports the housing 11. An operation panel 13 is provided on the front of the cooked rice supplying device 1. A lid 11a is attached to the top of the housing 11 in an openable and closable manner.

[0051] Furthermore, two loosening rollers 14a and 14b are provided along the front-to-rear direction inside the housing 11 below the operation panel 13 of the cooked rice supplying device 1. A supply port 15 is formed below the loosening rollers 14a and 14b.

[0052] Inside the housing 11, there are provided a hopper for feeding cooked rice, a stirring mechanism, and the like, which serve as a mechanism for efficiently supplying a set amount of cooked rice from the supply port 15. The supply operation of cooked rice from the supply port 15 is controlled via a control unit (not shown) provided inside the housing 11.

[0053] The base 12 is a support structure for placing the cooked rice supplying device 1 on a floor surface, etc. A part of the front side of the base 12 serves as the unit mounting portion 3.

[0054] 2(b), an electronic scale 16 is provided on the lower side of the unit mounting portion 3. This electronic scale 16 is a weight measuring means that measures the weight of cooked rice supplied to one of the first rice molds 200a, etc. of the receiving mold unit 2 when the first rice mold 200a, etc. is in a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the supply port 15.

[0055] The electronic scale 16 here corresponds to the weight measuring means in the claims of the present application.

[0056] The operation panel 13 is an operation unit provided with operation buttons and the like for selecting the amount of cooked rice to be supplied to the plurality of first rice molds 200a to 200e of the receiving mold unit 2.

[0057] The multiple operation buttons on this operation panel 13 can be set with different conditions such as the amount of cooked rice and the number of times it is supplied, and by pressing an operation button, cooked rice can be supplied from the supply port 15 under the set conditions.

[0058] The two loosening rollers 14a and 14b are members that rotate while coming into contact with the cooked rice that has moved downward inside the housing 11, thereby loosening clumps.

[0059] These loosening rollers 14a and 14b are arranged in parallel, and by rotating in the directions indicated by symbols C and C' in FIG. 1, cooked rice that falls between the loosening rollers 14a and 14b can be loosened and moved to the supply port 15.

[0060] Furthermore, in the cooked rice supplying device 1, the amount of cooked rice to be supplied is set in advance, and by pressing the assigned operation button, the desired amount of cooked rice can be supplied from the supply port 15.

[0061] For example, a fixed amount such as 50 g, 100 g, 150 g, 200 g, etc. can be set and supplied from the supply port.

[0062] Furthermore, the cooked rice supplying device 1 can also adjust the number of times cooked rice is supplied to the first rice mold 200a, etc. That is, it is possible to set it so that the target amount of cooked rice is supplied not only in one go, but also in two separate goes.

[0063] For example, in the first supply, about half the target amount of cooked rice is put into the receiving unit 2, the receiving unit 2 is removed from the unit mounting portion 3, and ingredients can be placed on top of the cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a, etc.

[0064] After that, the receiving unit 2 is attached to the unit mounting portion 3, and in the second supply, about half the target amount of cooked rice is added, so that the target amount of cooked rice including ingredients can be accommodated. By molding this, it becomes possible to easily form rice balls with ingredients wrapped in cooked rice.

[0065] Also, for example, two receiving units 2 can be prepared, and one receiving unit 2 can be attached to the unit mounting portion 3, and while the first batch of cooked rice is being supplied, the other receiving unit 2 that has received the first batch of cooked rice can be removed from the unit mounting portion 3 and the ingredients can be placed on it.

[0066] In this way, it is possible to efficiently form rice balls by using two receiving mold units 2. Furthermore, the supply of cooked rice by the cooked rice supplying device 1 is controlled via a control unit (not shown).

[0067] 1, 2(a) and 2(b), a receiving mold drive mechanism 4 is provided on the left side of the base part 12 of the cooked rice supplying device 1. Furthermore, a receiving mold unit 2 is detachably attached to the unit attachment part 3 at a position near the right side of this receiving mold drive mechanism 4.

[0068] As will be described later, the rice ball making apparatus A is provided with a plurality of receiving mold units 2, allowing the work of forming rice balls to proceed efficiently.

[0069] As shown in Figure 1, the receiving mold unit 2 has an approximately disk-shaped outer shape, and five first rice molds 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, and 200e are formed circumferentially on the upper part thereof to accommodate cooked rice.

[0070] That is, the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 rotates the receiving mold unit 2 arranged on the unit mounting portion 3, and aligns the position of the supply port 15 with the first rice mold 200a, etc., so that the desired amount of cooked rice can be sequentially placed into the first rice mold 200a, etc.

[0071] The first rice molds 200a to 200e referred to here correspond to the first rice ball molds in the claims of the present application.

[0072] Here, it is not necessary for the receiving mold unit 2 to have a substantially disc-shaped outer shape, and for the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 to rotate the receiving mold unit 2. In other words, it is sufficient if the receiving mold unit 2 has a structure in which multiple first rice molds 200a, etc. are formed and can be moved to a position corresponding to the supply port 15. For example, a structure in which multiple first rice molds are arranged in a line and the receiving mold unit is moved by sliding may be adopted. However, in order to reduce the range of movement of the receiving mold unit 2 and make the entire device compact, it is preferable to adopt a structure in which the receiving mold unit 2 has a substantially disc-shaped outer shape and the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 rotates the receiving mold unit 2.

[0073] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2( a ) and 2 ( b ), the unit mounting portion 3 has a receiving type mounting plate 30 that is detachably installed on the upper portion of the base portion 12 .

[0074] The receiving mold mounting plate 30 is formed with a recess (not shown) large enough to fit the receiving mold unit 2 therein, and the receiving mold unit 2 is configured to rotate within the range of this recess.

[0075] In addition to the receiving mold mounting plate 30, the rice ball making apparatus A also has a container guide plate 30a on which a container such as a rice bowl can be placed (see FIGS. 1, 2(a) and 2(b)). By placing the container guide plate 30a on the top of the base 12 instead of the receiving mold mounting plate 30, cooked rice can be supplied to a container such as a rice bowl.

[0076] When not in use, this container guide plate 30 a can be placed on the plate holder 120 provided on the left side of the base 12 .

[0077] [Receiving mold unit] Next, we will explain the detailed structure of the receiving mold unit 2. First, the receiving mold unit 2 is composed of a rice-shaped portion 20 (see Figures 3(a) and 3(b)), which is the main body of the receiving mold unit 2, and a lower mold portion 21 (see Figures 4(a) and 4(b)), which is arranged below the rice-shaped portion 20 and forms the bottom of the receiving mold unit 2.

[0078] In addition, the rice-shaped portion 20 is configured to be detachable above the lower mold portion 21, and by stacking and integrating the lower mold portion 21 and the rice-shaped portion 20, one receiving mold unit 2 is constructed.

[0079] 3(a) and 3(b), the rice-shaped portion 20 is formed in a substantially disk shape, and five through-holes 201a, 201b, 201c, 201d, and 201e are formed around the circumference. Each through-hole is a hole that penetrates the rice-shaped portion 20 in the vertical direction.

[0080] The five through holes 201a to 201e have a substantially triangular shape in a plan view, and these portions become spaces in which the supplied cooked rice is accommodated.

[0081] In other words, when the rice-shaped portion 20 is stacked on the lower mold portion 21 and integrated, a concave space with an open top is formed with the lower mold portion 21 as the bottom surface for the five through holes 201a to 201e, and this becomes the first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0082] The through holes 201a to 201e referred to here correspond to the first through holes in the claims of the present application.

[0083] Here, the through holes 201a to 201e do not necessarily have to have a substantially triangular shape in a plan view. In other words, the rice balls formed using the first rice ball molds 200a to 200e do not necessarily have to be substantially triangular. The shape of the rice balls to be formed may be a bale shape, a round shape, a disk shape, or the like, and the shapes of the first rice ball mold and the second rice ball mold can be formed accordingly.

[0084] In addition, a plurality of cutouts 202 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rice-shaped portion 20. The formation of these cutouts 202 reduces the weight of the rice-shaped portion 20. In addition, a plurality of convex wall surfaces 203 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rice-shaped portion 20.

[0085] The upper end surfaces of some of these multiple wall surfaces 203 abut against a part of the step portion 220 in the press mold 22 described later, and become the part that determines the insertion depth of the second rice mold 221a etc. corresponding to the first rice mold 200a etc.

[0086] The portion of the wall surface 203 that abuts against the step portion 220 corresponds to the receiving portion in the claims of the present application. The step portion 220 corresponds to the protruding portion in the claims of the present application.

[0087] In addition, an alignment section 204 is provided on the top surface of the rice mold section 20. This alignment section 204 is an indicator that aligns with one of the size indicators 222a to 222e on the press mold 22, which will be described later, and allows visual confirmation of the insertion depth of the second rice mold 221a etc. relative to the first rice mold 200a etc.

[0088] A first metal dog (not shown) is attached to the side of the rice-shaped portion 20. This first dog is a detectable member that is detected by a proximity sensor (not shown) provided on the base portion 12. The proximity sensor also detects the rotation angle of the rice-shaped portion 20 based on the length of the dog (the rotation angle is detected from pulses). Therefore, the proximity sensor can distinguish between multiple dogs depending on their lengths. Note that a mode in which the dog is identified by detecting the rotation time instead of the rotation angle can also be adopted.

[0089] For example, by using two receiving mold units, one with a first dog and the other with a second dog that is different in length from the first dog, each receiving mold unit 2 can be identified.

[0090] Furthermore, each of the first rice molds 200a to 200e in one receiving mold unit 2 is configured to be identifiable based on the position of the dog. That is, the five first rice molds 200a to 200e can be assigned an order based on the position of the dog, and each can be identified.

[0091] The first dog referred to here corresponds to the first detectable portion in the claims, the second dog referred to here corresponds to the second detectable portion in the claims, and the proximity sensor referred to here corresponds to the sensor detection means in the claims.

[0092] 4(a) to 4(c), the lower mold portion 21 has a disk-shaped flange portion 210. In addition, five receptacle portions 211a, 211b, 211c, 211d, and 211e are provided circumferentially on the upper surface of the flange portion 210.

[0093] Furthermore, five positioning through holes 212 are formed in the flange portion 210. Each through hole is a hole that passes through the flange portion 210 in the up-down direction.

[0094] Here, the flange portion 210 constitutes the main body of the lower mold portion 21 and is the part that overlaps with the lower end of the rice-shaped portion 20.

[0095] The five tray portions 211a to 211e are fitted into the five through holes 201a to 201e of the rice-shaped portion 20 to form the first rice molds 200a to 200e when the lower mold portion 21 and the rice-shaped portion 20 are integrated together. In other words, they form the bottom surfaces of the first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0096] The five tray portions 211a to 211e have a tray-like shape and protrude upward from the top surface of the flange portion 210. These five tray portions 211a to 211e are used to form rice balls from cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a, etc., and are used as the portions on which the formed rice balls are placed after the rice mold portion 20 is separated from the lower mold portion 21.

[0097] The tray portions 211a to 211e referred to here correspond to the concave tray portions in the claims of the present application.

[0098] In addition, the five positioning through holes 212 are fitted with positioning protrusions (not shown) formed in the recessed portion of the above-mentioned receiving mold mounting plate 30, and are parts that position the supply port 15 and one of the first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0099] The five positioning through-holes 212 are provided in a positional relationship corresponding to the five first rice molds 200a to 200e, respectively. When one of the first rice molds 200a, etc. moves to a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the supply port 15, one of the positioning through-holes 212 fits into the positioning protrusion, allowing accurate positioning.

[0100] The positioning through-hole 212 here corresponds to the receiving mold positioning portion in the claims of the present application, and the positioning protrusion here corresponds to the base positioning portion in the claims of the present application.

[0101] 4( a) and 4(b), the flange portion 210 has a lightening portion 213 formed in the center thereof, which penetrates the flange portion 210 in the vertical direction. The formation of this lightening portion 213 reduces the weight of the flange portion 210.

[0102] 4(c) and 5, a driven gear 214 is provided on the bottom side of the lower mold portion 21. This driven gear 214 is a gear member to which a driving force is transmitted via the receiving mold driving mechanism 4 described above.

[0103] The driven gear 214 here is a member that corresponds to the driven gear in the claims of the present application.

[0104] Next, we will explain the structure of the press mold 22, which cooperates with the receiving mold unit 2 to form rice balls from the supplied cooked rice. The press mold 22 is a mold member that is placed from above on the receiving mold unit 2 containing cooked rice to form multiple rice balls in one operation.

[0105] As shown in FIGS. 6( a ) and 6 ( b ), the pressing die 22 has a ring-shaped flange portion 224 and a substantially plate-shaped middle plate portion 225 provided inside the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 224 .

[0106] In addition, the press mold 22 has five second rice molds 221a, 221b, 221c, 221d, and 221e formed circumferentially around the middle plate portion 225 and a portion of the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 224.

[0107] The second rice molds 221a to 221e are formed to protrude downward from the bottom surfaces of the flange portion 224 and the middle plate portion 225. In addition, in a plan view, the second rice molds 221a to 221e are approximately triangular in shape, and their outer shape is formed to be slightly smaller than the first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0108] In other words, when the press molds 22 are stacked and pressed against the receiving mold unit 2 from above, the lower ends of the second rice molds 221a to 221e can be inserted into the corresponding first rice molds 200a to 200e and pressed against the cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a, etc., to form rice balls.

[0109] Here, the structure for forming the rice balls does not necessarily have to be a structure in which the press mold 22 is placed on the rice-shaped portion 20 to align them, and any structure that can form multiple rice balls in a series of operations can be used. For example, a structure in which multiple rice ball molds are formed on each of two foldable plate-like bodies, and the rice balls are formed when these are folded, can also be used.

[0110] 6(c) and 7, three step portions 220 are formed at equal circumferential positions on the bottom side of the flange portion 224. The step portions 220 are composed of four steps that protrude downward from the bottom surface of the flange portion 224 by different amounts.

[0111] This step portion 220 is a part that determines the insertion depth to which the lower ends of each of the second rice molds 221a to 221e are inserted into the corresponding first rice molds 200a to 200e when the press molds 22 are stacked and pressed from above against the receiving mold unit 2.

[0112] More specifically, by varying the step in the step portion 220 that abuts against a portion of the multiple wall surfaces 203 in the rice-shaped portion 20 described above, the insertion depth of the lower end of the second rice-shaped portion 221a, etc. can be adjusted.

[0113] Furthermore, by positioning the step portion 220 so that it is inserted into the recessed portion 202 of the rice-shaped portion 20 (a position where it does not come into contact with the upper surface of the wall surface 203), the lower end of the second rice mold 221a, etc. can be inserted as deep as possible into the first rice mold 200a, etc.

[0114] In other words, by adjusting the position of the lower end of the step portion 220 that abuts against the rice-shaping portion 20, the thickness of the rice balls formed from the cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a, etc. can be varied.

[0115] Furthermore, when selecting the insertion depth from five levels, including the four steps of this step portion 220, size display portions 222a to 222e provided on the top surface of flange portion 224 can be used (see Figures 6(a) and 6(b)).

[0116] The five size indicators 222a, 222b, 222c, 222d, and 222e are marked with symbols S, M, L, LL, and XL, in order from smallest to largest, and triangular figures according to the thickness of the rice balls to be formed. Note that the symbols such as S on size indicators 222a to 222e may be replaced with other letters or figures (for example, dice) as long as they allow the difference in size to be recognized.

[0117] When the mold 22 is placed on the rice-shaped portion 20, the tip of a triangular figure such as the size display portion 222a is aligned with the position of the alignment portion 204, thereby determining the position where the step portion 220 abuts at the selected size.

[0118] For example, when the size display section 222a (size S) is aligned with the position of the alignment section 204, the step section 220 is inserted into the cutout section 202 of the rice-shaping section 20, and the bottom end of each of the second rice molds 221a to 221e is inserted deepest into the corresponding first rice mold 200a to 200e. As a result, the rice ball with the smallest thickness is formed from the cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a, etc.

[0119] Furthermore, for example, when the size display section 222b (size M) is aligned with the position of the alignment section 204, the lower end surface of the step with the smallest downward protrusion among the four steps of the stepped section 220 abuts against the upper surfaces of some of the multiple wall surfaces 203 of the rice-shaped section 20. This restricts the depth to which the lower ends of the second rice molds 221a to 221e can be inserted into the corresponding first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0120] In this way, by using the size display portion 222a of the mold 22 as a guide, it is possible to easily vary the thickness of multiple rice balls formed in the rice-shaping portion 20.

[0121] [Receiving Mold Drive Mechanism] Next, a detailed structure of the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 will be described. As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 has a cover case 40 and an adjustment screw 41. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(b), the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 has a bearing 42, a drive gear 43, and an output shaft 44.

[0122] The cover case 40 is a cover body that covers the bearing 42, the drive gear 43, and the upper part of the output shaft 44. The cover case 40 also serves as a base for mounting the adjustment screw 41.

[0123] The adjustment screw 41 is a screw member that fixes the vertical position of the drive gear 43 when the drive gear 43 is attached to the output shaft 44 via the bearing 42. The bearing 42 is a bearing member that is attached to the output shaft 44 and supports the drive gear 43 so that it can rotate freely.

[0124] The drive gear 43 is a power transmission member that rotates when the driving force of the output shaft 44 is transmitted to it. The gear of the drive gear 43 comes into contact with the gear of the driven gear 214 of the lower mold portion 21, and serves as a member that rotates the receiving mold unit 2. The drive gear 43 referred to here is a member that corresponds to the drive-side gear in the claims of the present application.

[0125] 9(b), the output shaft 44 is connected to a drive motor M1 via a drive shaft 45, a pulley 46, a pulley 47, and a belt 48. The drive force generated by the drive motor M1 is transmitted to the output shaft 44, which is rotatable.

[0126] The drive motor M1 is disposed inside the left side of the base 12. The drive motor M1 is a brushless motor, and is configured to be able to change its speed based on a speed command signal.

[0127] The drive of the drive motor M1 is controlled via a control unit provided inside the housing 11. The drive motor M1 here is a member that corresponds to the motor in the claims of the present application.

[0128] As shown in FIG. 10, the cover case 40, the adjustment screw 41, and the drive gear 43 are configured to be detachable from the base 12 (bearing 42), and can be removed from the base 12 when not in use.

[0129] In FIG. 10, an arrow marked with the symbol D virtually indicates the direction of movement when the cover case 40 and the like are attached to the base portion 12.

[0130] 11 and 12, a description will be given of a structure relating to the driving of the drive gear 43 and the driven gear 214. Figures 11 and 12 are schematic plan views of parts of the drive gear 43 and the driven gear 214.

[0131] 11 and 12, the width of the tooth gaps of the multiple teeth 214a constituting the driven gear 214 is larger than the tooth thickness of the multiple teeth 43a constituting the drive gear 43. Note that the width of the tooth gaps of the teeth 214a refers to the gap between one tooth 214a and the adjacent tooth 214a measured on a pitch circle connecting the pitch points where the teeth 214a and 43a contact each other on the driven gear 214. Also, the tooth thickness of the drive gear 43 refers to the thickness of one tooth 43a on the drive gear 43 measured on the pitch circle.

[0132] When the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 rotates the receiving mold unit 2, the drive motor M1 is driven and the drive gear 43 rotates (rotates in the direction of the arrow marked with symbol R1 in Figure 11), and some of the multiple teeth 43 abut against some of the teeth 214a of the driven gear 21 on the direction of travel, pushing the teeth 214a and causing the driven gear 214 to rotate (rotates in the direction of the arrow marked with symbol R2 in Figure 11).

[0133] The driven gear 214 also rotates, and one of the first rice molds 200a, etc., reaches a position where cooked rice can be supplied from the supply port 15. When this position is reached, the drive motor M1 is driven, and the drive gear 43 rotates slightly in the direction opposite to the direction in which the driven gear 214 rotates (rotation in the direction of the arrow marked with symbol R3 in FIG. 12).

[0134] The rotation of the drive gear 43 in the reverse direction is controlled so that the teeth 43a of the drive gear 43 are positioned within the width of the tooth groove of the teeth 214a of the driven gear 214, but do not come into contact with the teeth 214a (see the enlarged view in Figure 12).

[0135] By controlling the rotation of the drive gear 43 in this manner, the accuracy of weight measurement can be improved when the electronic scale 16 measures the weight of cooked rice supplied to the first rice mold 200a, etc.

[0136] More specifically, if the teeth 43a of the drive gear 43 remain in contact with the teeth 214a of the driven gear 214, this will have an effect of causing the measurement value of the electronic scale 16 to fluctuate. However, by positioning the teeth 43a so that they do not come into contact with the teeth 214a, the fluctuation in the measurement value can be prevented.

[0137] As a result, when forming rice balls in a desired amount, it is possible to form rice balls with a more accurate weight.

[0138] Next, a method for manufacturing rice balls using the rice ball manufacturing apparatus A will be described. That is, an example of a method for manufacturing rice balls to which the present invention is applied will be described.

[0139] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a target amount of cooked rice is fed in one feeding and rice balls are formed will be described.

[0140] First, the receiving unit 2 is attached to the unit attachment portion 3. Then, the operator presses the operation button corresponding to the desired amount from among the operation buttons on the operation panel 13. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the operation button for 150 g of cooked rice is selected.

[0141] Furthermore, as the drive motor M1 is driven and the drive gear 43 rotates, the driven gear 214 of the lower mold portion 21 rotates, and the receiving mold unit 2 rotates.

[0142] At this time, the proximity sensor detects the first dog, identifies the first rice mold 200a, etc., and the receiving mold unit 2 rotates so that cooked rice is supplied in the set order.

[0143] For example, if the setting is such that cooked rice is supplied in the order of the first rice molds 200a to 200e, the receiving mold unit 2 rotates until the first rice mold 200a reaches a position corresponding to the supply port 15.

[0144] Furthermore, the positioning through-hole 212 in the lower mold portion 21 corresponding to the first rice mold 200a fits into the positioning protrusion of the receiving mold plate 30, thereby positioning the receiving mold unit 2.

[0145] Also, when the first rice mold 200a reaches a position corresponding to the supply port, the drive gear 43 rotates slightly in the opposite direction to the direction in which the driven gear 214 rotates (see symbol R3 in Figure 12), and the teeth 43a of the drive gear 43 move to a position between the pitches of the teeth 214a of the driven gear 214 so that they do not abut the teeth 214a.

[0146] Next, inside the housing 11 of the cooked rice supply device 1, the cooked rice moves from the hopper into which it has been put via a stirring mechanism or the like, is loosened by loosening rollers 14a and 14b, and is supplied from the supply port 15.

[0147] Furthermore, when cooked rice is supplied to the first rice mold 200a, the weight of the supplied cooked rice is measured by the electronic scale 16. When the measured amount of cooked rice reaches 150 g, the supply of cooked rice from the supply port 15 is stopped, and the receiving mold unit 2 rotates until the next first rice mold 200b reaches a position corresponding to the supply port 15. After that, cooked rice is supplied in the same manner up to the first rice mold 200e.

[0148] Furthermore, when cooked rice has been supplied to all of the first rice molds 200a to 200e, the drive motor M1 of the receiving mold drive mechanism 4 stops. In this state, the receiving mold unit 2 can be removed from the unit mounting portion 3.

[0149] Next, the receiving mold unit 2 removed from the unit mounting portion 3 is subjected to a molding process for the cooked rice using the pressing mold 22.

[0150] When the press mold 22 is placed on top of the receiving mold unit 2 to align the mold, a desired size is selected from the size display parts 222a to 222e of the press mold 22 according to the thickness of the rice ball to be formed, and the press mold 22 is aligned with the alignment part 204 of the rice mold part 20.

[0151] Then, the selected size display section 222a, etc. is aligned with the alignment section 204, and the lower ends of the second rice molds 221a to 221e in the press mold 22 are pressed against the cooked rice contained in the corresponding first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0152] At this time, the step portion 220 corresponding to the selected size display portion 222a, etc. is inserted into the cutout portion 202 of the rice-shaped portion 20, or the lower end surfaces of some of the steps with different protrusion amounts abut against the upper surfaces of some of the multiple wall surfaces 203 of the rice-shaped portion 20, thereby regulating the insertion depth of the lower end of the second rice-shaped portion 221a, etc.

[0153] As a result, rice balls having the selected thickness are formed in the first rice molds 200a to 200e. After the rice balls have been formed, when the rice mold portion 20 is separated from the lower mold portion 21, the formed rice balls are placed on the tray portions 211a to 211e of the lower mold portion 21.

[0154] This allows the rice balls to be easily removed without losing their shape.

[0155] By following the above-described procedure, the rice ball manufacturing apparatus A can be used to form a plurality of rice balls from cooked rice at once through a series of operations.

[0156] As described above, the rice ball manufacturing apparatus A can also supply the target amount of cooked rice in two batches to form rice balls.

[0157] In this case, for example, the receiving mold unit 2 is attached to the unit attachment part 3, and the first supply of cooked rice is carried out. Here, the control part can record the amount of cooked rice supplied to each of the first rice molds 200a to 200e.

[0158] That is, for example, if the target amount is set to 200 g, and 105 g of cooked rice is supplied to the first rice mold 200a and 95 g of cooked rice is supplied to the first rice mold 200b in the first supply of cooked rice, the control unit will record each weight.

[0159] Next, the control unit controls the second supply amount based on the weight of the cooked rice supplied the first time. That is, the control unit controls the second supply amount so that 95 g of cooked rice is supplied to the first rice mold 200a and 105 g of cooked rice is supplied to the first rice mold 200b.

[0160] In this way, by controlling the amount of cooked rice supplied the second time based on the amount of cooked rice supplied the first time, rice balls made of the target amount of cooked rice can be formed with high precision.

[0161] Furthermore, when fillings are to be added to the rice balls to be formed, a method of supplying cooked rice in two batches can be used.

[0162] In this case, after the first supply of cooked rice, the receiving mold unit 2 is temporarily removed from the unit mounting portion 3, and ingredients are placed on top of the cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a, etc., and then a second supply is made using the cooked rice supply device 1, and the rice is shaped using the press mold 22.

[0163] Another method for placing ingredients in rice balls is to form the tip of the second rice mold 221a or the like into a convex shape, and to create holes in the cooked rice contained in the first rice mold 200a or the like through which the ingredients can be placed. After placing the ingredients, the formed rice ball can be wrapped in seaweed to make a rice ball with ingredients inside.

[0164] Furthermore, when using this second rice mold 221a, etc., it is also possible to adjust the size of the holes provided in the cooked rice stored therein by adjusting the size of its outer shape.

[0165] Furthermore, in the method for manufacturing rice balls using the rice ball manufacturing apparatus A, two receiving mold units 2 are used, making it possible to form a plurality of rice balls more efficiently.

[0166] In this case, for example, the cooked rice can be set to be supplied in two batches, and while the cooked rice is being supplied to one receiving mold unit 2, ingredients can be placed on the other receiving mold unit 2, or the cooked rice can be shaped using the press mold 22.

[0167] As described above, the rice ball manufacturing device according to the present invention is capable of sufficiently improving the workability when manufacturing rice balls. Also, the rice ball manufacturing method according to the present invention is capable of sufficiently improving the workability when manufacturing rice balls.

[0168] The terms and expressions used in the present specification and claims are merely for explanatory purposes and are not limiting in any way, and are not intended to exclude terms and expressions equivalent to the features described in the present specification and claims or portions thereof. It goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0169] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS A Rice ball manufacturing device 1 Cooked rice supply device 11 Housing 11a Lid 12 Base part 13 Operation panel 14a Loosening roller 14b Loosening roller 15 Supply port 16 Electronic scale 120 Plate clamping part 2 Receiving mold unit 200a First rice mold 200b First rice mold 200c First rice mold 200d First rice mold 200e First rice mold 201a Through hole 201b Through hole 201c Through hole 201d Through hole 201e Through hole 202 Hole 203 Wall surface 204 Alignment part 21 Lower mold part 210 Flange part 211a Receiving tray part 211b Receiving tray part 211c Receiving tray part 211d Receiving tray part 211e Receiving tray portion 212 Positioning through hole 213 Lightening portion 214 Driven gear 214a Teeth (of driven gear) 22 Pressing die 220 Step portion 221a Second rice mold 221b Second rice mold 221c Second rice mold 221d Second rice mold 221e Second rice mold 222a Size display portion 222b Size display portion 222c Size display portion 222d Size display portion 222e Size display portion 224 Flange portion 225 Middle plate portion 3 Unit mounting portion 30 Receiving mold mounting plate 30a Container guide plate 4 Receiving mold drive mechanism 40 Cover case 41 Adjusting screw 42 Bearing 43 Drive gear 43a Teeth (of drive gear) 44 Output shaft 45 Drive shaft 46 Pulley 47 Pulley 48 Belt M1 Drive motor

Claims

1. A rice ball manufacturing device comprising: a cooked rice supply unit that supplies cooked rice; a receiving mold unit that is configured to be attachable to a predetermined position and that, when attached to the predetermined position, forms a plurality of first rice ball molds that can accommodate cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supply unit, and, when removed from the predetermined position, forms a plurality of rice balls at once from the cooked rice accommodated in the first rice ball molds; and a receiving mold drive unit that, when the receiving mold unit is attached to the predetermined position, moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply unit.

2. The rice ball manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the first rice ball mold is formed in a concave shape and can be fitted into the receiving mold unit removed from the predetermined position, and a convex second rice ball mold that is inserted into the first rice ball mold to form rice balls from cooked rice has a plurality of press mold portions formed corresponding to the first rice ball mold.

3. A rice ball manufacturing device as described in claim 2, wherein a plurality of protrusions with different protrusion amounts are formed on one of the surface of the receiving mold unit facing the press mold portion or the surface of the press mold portion facing the receiving mold unit, and a receiving portion is formed on the other of the surface of the receiving mold unit facing the press mold portion or the surface of the press mold portion facing the receiving mold unit, which abuts against any of the plurality of protrusions or a protrusion with the same protrusion amount when the press mold portion is fitted into the receiving mold unit.

4. The rice ball manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving mold unit has the first rice ball molds arranged in a circumferential shape, and the receiving mold drive unit rotates the receiving mold unit.

5. A rice ball manufacturing device as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, comprising: a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of cooked rice placed in the first rice ball mold; and a drive control unit for controlling the supply of cooked rice from the cooked rice supply unit based on the measurement results of the weight measuring means and for controlling the rotation of the receiving mold unit by the receiving mold drive unit, wherein the drive control unit has a drive side gear that rotates via the driving force of a motor, and the receiving mold unit has a driven side gear that engages with the drive side gear using a gear structure and is movable in one direction and has a tooth groove width formed with a larger width than the tooth thickness of the teeth of the drive side gear, and the drive control unit stops the movement of the receiving mold unit when the first rice ball mold reaches a position where cooked rice can be supplied by the cooked rice supply unit, and moves the drive side gear in a direction opposite to the one direction so that the teeth of the drive side gear do not abut against the teeth of the driven side gear.

6. A rice ball manufacturing device as described in claim 4 or claim 5, comprising a mounting section on which the receiving mold unit can be placed and which is provided with a base positioning section that positions the moving receiving mold unit, the receiving mold units being provided corresponding to each of the first rice ball molds and having a plurality of receiving mold positioning sections that fit into the base positioning sections.

7. The rice ball manufacturing device according to claim 2, wherein the receiving mold unit has a lower mold portion that forms the bottom of the receiving mold unit, and a rice mold portion that fits detachably with the lower mold portion, forms the main body of the receiving mold unit, and has a plurality of holes that penetrate the main body and have first through holes that become the first rice ball shape when fitted into the lower mold portion.

8. The rice ball manufacturing device according to claim 7, wherein the lower mold portion has a recessed tray portion formed at a position corresponding to the first through hole.

9. A rice ball manufacturing device comprising: a receiving mold unit that is configured to be detachable at a predetermined position, and that, when attached to the predetermined position, forms a plurality of first rice ball molds that can accommodate cooked rice supplied from a predetermined cooked rice supply unit, and, when removed from the predetermined position, forms a plurality of rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball molds; and a receiving mold drive unit that, when the receiving mold unit is attached to the predetermined position, moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice supply unit.

10. A rice ball manufacturing device comprising: a rice feed unit configured to be detachable at a predetermined position, in which a plurality of first rice ball molds capable of containing cooked rice are formed, and a receiving mold unit that, when removed from the predetermined position, forms a plurality of rice balls at once from the cooked rice contained in the first rice ball molds; and a receiving mold drive unit that, when the receiving mold unit is attached to the predetermined position, moves the receiving mold unit so that the first rice ball molds are sequentially positioned at positions where cooked rice can be supplied from the cooked rice feed unit.

11. A method for manufacturing rice balls, comprising: a rice feed process in which a receiving mold unit having a plurality of rice ball molds each capable of accommodating rice is attached to a predetermined position, and rice is sequentially fed into the plurality of rice ball molds; and a rice ball forming process in which the receiving mold unit is removed from the predetermined position, and a plurality of rice balls are simultaneously formed from the rice accommodated in the rice ball molds.

12. A method for manufacturing rice balls as described in claim 11, using a plurality of receiving mold units, one of which is used in the cooked rice supplying process, and the other of which is used in the rice ball forming process or is removed from the predetermined position, and ingredients are placed on the cooked rice contained in the rice ball mold.

13. A method for manufacturing rice balls as described in claim 12, wherein one of the receiving mold units is provided with a first detectable portion that is detected by a sensor detection means, and another of the receiving mold units is provided with a second detectable portion that is detected by the sensor detection means and is distinguishable from the first detectable portion, and in the cooked rice supplying process, the first detectable portion or the second detectable portion is detected via the sensor detection means to distinguish one of the receiving mold units from the other of the receiving mold units, and to distinguish between multiple rice ball molds within the same receiving mold unit and supply cooked rice.

14. A method for producing rice balls as described in claim 11, wherein when a predetermined target amount of cooked rice is supplied to the receiving unit in two of the cooked rice supply processes, the amount of cooked rice supplied in the first of the same cooked rice supply processes is recorded, and in the second of the cooked rice supply processes, cooked rice is supplied so as to meet the predetermined target value based on the amount of cooked rice supplied in the first process.

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