JP7464340B2 - Fried tofu opening mechanism and inari sushi making device using same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fried tofu opening mechanism and an inari sushi making device that uses the mechanism.

The inari sushi manufacturing device automatically produces inari sushi by mechanically forcing measured portions of sushi rice into the inside of fried tofu that has been simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce.

In the inari sushi manufacturing machine, when inserting the sushi rice, the top and bottom skins of the deep-fried tofu are gripped with a pair of upper and lower chucks on the cut side and pulled apart to open the cut side, and the sushi rice is then fed into the inside of the deep-fried tofu through the opening.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-075737 discloses a technique in which air is injected into the fried tofu to inflate it before inserting the sushi rice, creating a preliminary opening to ensure that the sushi rice can be inserted all the way to the back.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-075737

Now, when it comes to inari sushi, there is a wide variety of types of fried tofu, including the shape (square, triangle, etc.), size (regular size, mini size, etc.), softness, thickness, etc. Inari sushi production equipment uses these diverse types of fried tofu to produce inari sushi. For this reason, workers with specialized skills use tools to adjust the opening size of the cut edge of the fried tofu and the strength of the grip on the fried tofu in the inari sushi production equipment.

However, such adjustments are not easy to make, and in order to optimally handle the fried tofu, not only do you have to repeatedly check the operation of the device, which is time-consuming, but it can also result in frequent product losses due to damage to the fried tofu.

The present invention was made in light of the above technical background, and aims to provide a fried tofu opening mechanism that can easily realize handling operations according to the type of fried tofu, and an inari sushi making device that uses the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the fried tofu opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 1 is a fried tofu opening mechanism that opens a cut edge of fried tofu on a conveying means that has been conveyed to a sushi rice insertion position in front of a sushi rice receiving table, and includes a lower gripping means disposed below the conveying means at the sushi rice insertion position, an upper gripping means disposed in a position opposite the lower gripping means across the conveying means, a first lifting mechanism having a first lifting means for lifting and lowering the lower gripping means so that its tip appears and disappears above the conveying means, a second lifting mechanism having a second lifting means for lifting and lowering the upper gripping means toward the lower gripping means, an opening and closing mechanism having an opening and closing means for opening and closing the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, and a mechanism for opening and closing the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means by which the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means are held by the fried tofu. and a control means for executing control to drive the first lifting means and the second lifting means based on the setting contents for the fried tofu selected by the setting means to bring the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means closer to each other, drive the opening/closing means to grip the underskin side cut edge and the epidermis side cut edge of the fried tofu with the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, respectively, and then drive the second lifting means to raise the upper gripping means to hold the cut edge of the fried tofu in an open state.

The fried tofu opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 2 is the fried tofu opening mechanism described in claim 1, characterized in that the control means, after inserting sushi rice into the fried tofu, drives the opening and closing means to execute control to open the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means to release the cut end of the fried tofu that is being gripped, and the setting means is capable of setting the time until the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means release the cut end of the fried tofu after inserting sushi rice into the fried tofu.

The deep-frying opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 3 is the deep-frying opening mechanism described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means are provided with opening projection pieces that open the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means against a spring force, and the opening/closing mechanism includes an opening/closing plate that is driven by the opening/closing means to press the opening projection pieces to open and close the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means.

The frying opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 4 is the frying opening mechanism described in claim 3, characterized in that the opening and closing plate is capable of pressing the opening protrusion piece over the entire lifting area of the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means.

The deep-frying opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 5 is the deep-frying opening mechanism described in claim 4, characterized in that the opening projection piece is a roller with a horizontally oriented rotation axis that is freely rotatable.

The frying opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that in the frying opening mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the opening and closing mechanism is composed of a single opening and closing mechanism that simultaneously opens and closes the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, or two opening and closing mechanisms that open and close the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, respectively.

The fried fryer opening mechanism of the present invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that in the fried fryer opening mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 6, the setting means can be set to correspond to at least one of the type of sushi rice and the weight of the sushi rice.

To solve the above problem, the inari sushi manufacturing device of the present invention described in claim 8 is characterized by having a sushi rice supplying means for supplying sushi rice onto a sushi rice receiving stand, a transporting means for transporting fried tofu to a sushi rice insertion position in front of the sushi rice receiving stand, a fried tofu opening mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 7 for holding the cut end of the fried tofu transported to the sushi rice insertion position in an open state, and an inserting means for inserting sushi rice on the sushi rice receiving stand into the fried tofu with its cut end open by the fried tofu opening mechanism.

The inari sushi manufacturing device of the present invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the inari sushi manufacturing device described in claim 8, it further has a preliminary opening means that is arranged upstream of the sushi rice insertion position in the direction of conveyance of the fried tofu, and that injects air into the fried tofu prior to the insertion of the sushi rice by the insertion means to peel off the upper and lower skins inside the fried tofu.

In the present invention, depending on the type of fried tofu used in making inari sushi, at least one of the elevation positions of the lower gripping means and upper gripping means that open the cut end of the fried tofu, and the tip opening width of these means can be set to a desired level, and the control means controls the operation of the device accordingly.

As a result, it becomes possible to easily perform handling operations according to the type of fried tofu, without the need for a skilled worker to adjust the device according to the type of fried tofu.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an inari sushi making apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the inari sushi making apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the inari sushi making apparatus of FIG. 1 in a cutaway view. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main part of the inari sushi making apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the essential parts of the inari sushi making apparatus shown in FIG. 4 with a portion of the apparatus removed. 1 is a perspective view showing a fried tofu opening mechanism installed in an inari sushi making apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fryer opening mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a state in which the zipper is closed, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing a state in which the zipper is open. 8 is a perspective view showing a chuck opening/closing section for opening and closing a lower chuck and an upper chuck constituting the fried frying opening mechanism of FIG. 7 . FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIG. 9 . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system for the deep-frying opening mechanism. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing operation settings of a chuck. 11 is a side view showing a lower chuck and an upper chuck in upper and lower standby positions. FIG. FIG. 14 is a front view of FIG. 13. 1 is a side view showing the lower chuck and the upper chuck raised and lowered to a position where they grip the cut edge of the fried tofu. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the lower chuck and the upper chuck holding the cut edge of the fried tofu. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the lower chuck and the upper chuck with the cut edge of the fried tofu open. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of an inari sushi making apparatus when the cut end of the fried tofu is opened. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the inari sushi making device when sushi rice is being inserted. 1 is a side view showing the lower chuck and the upper chuck in a state where the cut edge of the fried tofu has been released. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for explaining the embodiment, the same components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an inari sushi making device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of an inari sushi making device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the inari sushi making device of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a plan view of the main parts of the inari sushi making device of Figure 2 as seen from above, and Figure 5 is a plan view of the main parts of the inari sushi making device of Figure 4 with some of the components removed.

The inari sushi making device 1 of this embodiment is a device that automatically makes multiple inari sushi QR by mechanically inserting measured portions of sushi rice R (Figs. 18 and 19) into each of multiple pieces of fried tofu Q that have been previously boiled sweetly or sweet and spicy. As shown in Fig. 1, a turntable (conveying means) 2 is provided on a base 1a. Also, inside the device covered by a protective cover 1b, as shown in Fig. 2, a main body 3, a spare opening (spare opening means) 4, a detector 5 for detecting fried tofu, and a detector 6 for detecting inari sushi are provided. Furthermore, in Fig. 1, an operation unit 1c is provided on the upper right side of the inari sushi making device 1 as viewed from the front, which is composed of a touch panel type setting input unit (setting means) 1ca for setting the operation of the device and a start button 1cb that is pressed when the device starts operating.

In FIG. 2, the turntable 2 is provided in a state in which it can rotate intermittently by a motor (not shown), and transports fried tofu Q (flat fried tofu Q before sushi rice R is inserted) placed at regular intervals to the sushi rice insertion position in front of the main body 3. Therefore, the fried tofu Q is transported intermittently by the turntable 2.

The inari sushi making device 1 can be made smaller by using the turntable 2, but a belt conveyor that intermittently transports the fried tofu Q can also be used as the transport means.

A number of placement areas 2s are formed near the outer periphery of the top surface of the turntable 2 at preset intervals along the periphery. In each of these placement areas 2s, a deep-fried tofu Q is placed with a cut edge Qc of one side facing outward.

In addition, each of the placement areas 2s has a hole 2h that penetrates the top and bottom surfaces of the turntable 2. As shown in FIG. 3, this hole 2h is used to allow the tip of the lower chuck 7a, which will be described later, to appear and disappear above the turntable 2 when gripping the cut end Qc on the bottom skin side of the fried tofu Q, and is used to monitor the presence or absence of the fried tofu Q by the fried tofu detection detector 5, as shown in FIG. 2.

In Figures 2 and 3, the main body 3 measures and divides the sushi rice R and supplies it inside the fried tofu Q, and then transfers the completed inari sushi QR from the outer periphery to the center of the turntable 2. It is equipped with a sushi rice supply mechanism (sushi rice supply means) 8, a sushi rice receiving stand 9, a pair of upper and lower chucks (gripping means) 7, an insertion rod (insertion means) 11, a rear support member 12, and an air blowing mechanism 13.

The sushi rice supply mechanism 8 performs the operation of breaking down the sushi rice R, measuring and dividing it into portions of a preset size, shape and weight, and supplying it onto the sushi rice receiving tray 9. It is equipped with a sushi rice breaking section (not shown) and a measuring and dividing section 8a located below it.

The sushi rice breaking section is provided with a rotatable breaker, and the sushi rice R is broken up by the rotation of the breaker, and then sent to the weighing and dividing section 8a.

The weighing and dividing section 8a is provided with a pair of left and right rollers 8ra, 8ra located at the top, a pair of left and right rollers 8rb, 8rb located at the middle, a pair of left and right rollers 8rc, 8rc located at the bottom, and a dividing cutter 8c located below them. The pair of rollers 8rb, 8rb at the middle has a smaller diameter than the pair of rollers 8ra, 8ra at the top, and the distance between them is narrower. The pair of rollers 8rc, 8rc at the bottom has a smaller diameter than the pair of rollers 8rb, 8rb at the middle, and the distance between them is narrower. As a result, the sushi rice R sent to the weighing and dividing section 8a is compressed by the rollers 8ra, 8rb, 8rc while keeping the density of the rice grains constant, and is sent downward, and is divided by the cutter 8c at a timing when the rice reaches a preset size, shape, and weight, and is placed on the sushi rice receiving table 9.

The sushi rice receiving platform 9 is a platform on which the sushi rice R measured and divided by the sushi rice supply mechanism 8 is placed and which guides it into the deep-fried tofu Q, and is provided below the measuring and dividing section 8a. This sushi rice receiving platform 9 is provided in a state in which it can move forward toward the turntable 2 and away from the turntable 2, and when the sushi rice R is inserted into the deep-fried tofu Q, the tip of the platform 9 moves to a position where it enters the inside of the deep-fried tofu Q, and the insertion rod 11 guides the sushi rice R into the inside of the deep-fried tofu Q.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of chucks 7 grasp the cut edge Qc at the top and bottom of the fried tofu Q before inserting the sushi rice R into the fried tofu Q, holding the fried tofu Q in an open state. The pair of chucks 7 is made up of a lower chuck (lower gripping means) 7a located below the turntable 2 at the sushi rice insertion position, and an upper chuck (upper gripping means) 7b located opposite the lower chuck 7a across the turntable 2. Each chuck is also installed in a state where it can be raised and lowered independently in the vertical direction.

The lower chuck 7a moves upward to protrude from a hole 2h formed in the turntable 2, and is capable of gripping the cut end Qc on the underside of the fried tofu Q. The upper chuck 7b moves downward to grip the cut end Qc on the epidermis side of the fried tofu Q. Details of the fried tofu opening mechanism M, which is composed of the lower chuck 7a, the upper chuck 7b, etc., will be described later.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a deep-frying presser mechanism 15 is provided on the front side of the upper chuck 7b. This deep-frying presser mechanism 15 has a spring 15a and a presser 15b, and when the pair of upper and lower chucks 7 grip the deep-frying Q, the presser 15b presses the deep-frying Q with the biasing force of the spring 15a to stabilize it.

The insertion rod 11 is provided so that it can move forward and backward inside the deep-fried tofu Q, and as shown in FIG. 3, it pushes the sushi rice R on the sushi rice receiving platform 9 horizontally to insert it into the deep-fried tofu Q, and transfers the completed inari sushi QR to the center of the turntable 2. The insertion rod 11 is provided so that it can move forward along the top surface of the sushi rice receiving platform 9 toward the turntable 2 and enter the deep-fried tofu Q, and in the direction of retreating from the deep-fried tofu Q and moving away from the turntable 2.

The rear support member 12 holds down the rear end of the fried tofu Q when the sushi rice R is inserted into the fried tofu Q by the insertion rod 11, and also performs the operation of transferring the completed inari sushi QR to the center of the turntable 2. It is provided so that it can move along the top surface of the turntable 2 toward the center of the turntable 2 and away from the center of the turntable 2.

The rear pressing member 12 has a pressing part 12a and a support part 12b that supports it. The pressing part 12a is detachably attached to one end of the support part 12b.

The air blowing mechanism 13 blows air into the deep-fried tofu Q through the cut opening Qc opened by the pair of chucks 7 before the sushi rice R is inserted into the deep-fried tofu Q, expanding the inner depth of the deep-fried tofu Q. It has an air blowing pipe 13a that directs air to the sushi rice insertion position, and an air blowing port 13b provided at the tip of the air blowing pipe 13a on the side of the sushi rice insertion position.

The preliminary opening 4 is located near the outer periphery of the turntable 2, one step before the sushi rice insertion position, i.e., upstream in the conveying direction of the fried tofu Q. Prior to inserting the sushi rice R into the fried tofu Q with the insertion rod 11, this preliminary opening 4 inserts a nozzle 4a into the fried tofu Q and injects air into the interior to perform the operation of peeling off the top and bottom skins inside the fried tofu Q, and is provided above the placement area 2s of the turntable 2 so that it can be raised and lowered. Furthermore, by peeling off the top and bottom skins inside the fried tofu Q in advance with the preliminary opening 4, the process of spreading the fried tofu Q by the air blowing mechanism 13 can be performed easily and reliably in a short time when inserting the sushi rice R.

The deep-fried tofu detector 5 is a device that optically monitors whether deep-fried tofu Q is present in the loading area 2s immediately before the preliminary opening 4 on the turntable 2, and is provided at the loading area 2s located immediately before the preliminary opening 4 near the outer periphery of the turntable 2.

The inari sushi detector 6 is a device that optically monitors whether or not inari sushi QR is present at a preset position on the top surface of the turntable 2, closer to the center than the placement area 2s, and is installed in the same position as the deep-fried tofu detector 5 near the outer periphery of the turntable 2.

Next, the fried tofu opening mechanism M that opens the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q on the turntable 2 that has been transported to the sushi rice insertion position in front of the sushi rice receiving tray 9 will be explained using Figures 6 to 20.

6 is a perspective view showing the fried tofu opening mechanism when incorporated in the inari sushi manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the fried tofu opening mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 8(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the chuck opening and closing structure, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an extracted chuck opening and closing part that opens and closes the lower chuck and upper chuck that constitute the fried tofu opening mechanism of FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an enlarged portion of FIG. 9, FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the control system of the fried tofu opening mechanism, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation settings of the chuck, and FIG. 13 shows the lower chuck and upper chuck in the upper and lower standby positions. 14 is a front view of FIG. 13; FIG. 15 is a side view showing the lower chuck and upper chuck raised and lowered to a position where they grip the cut edge of the fried tofu; FIG. 16 is a side view showing the lower chuck and upper chuck gripping the cut edge of the fried tofu; FIG. 17 is a side view showing the lower chuck and upper chuck with the cut edge of the fried tofu open; FIG. 18 is a partially cutaway side view of the inari sushi making device when the cut edge of the fried tofu is open; FIG. 19 is a partially cutaway side view of the inari sushi making device when sushi rice is being inserted; and FIG. 20 is a side view showing the lower chuck and upper chuck when they have released the gripped cut edge of the fried tofu.

Note that in Figure 6, the turntable 2, the spare opening 4, the rear holding member 12, the air blowing mechanism 13, the frying holding mechanism 15, etc. are omitted from the illustration.

Now, in Figures 6 and 7, the deep-fried tofu opening mechanism M includes the above-mentioned lower chuck 7a and upper chuck 7b arranged in an upper and lower pair, a lower chuck lifting mechanism (first lifting mechanism) equipped with a lower chuck lifting motor (first lifting means) 21 that lifts and lowers the lower chuck 7a so that its tip appears and disappears on the turntable 2 through the hole 2h (Figure 3, etc.) as described above, an upper chuck lifting mechanism (second lifting mechanism) equipped with an upper chuck lifting motor (second lifting means) 22 that lifts and lowers the upper chuck 7b toward the lower chuck 7a, and a chuck opening and closing mechanism (opening and closing mechanism) equipped with a chuck opening and closing motor (opening and closing means) 23 that opens and closes the lower chuck 7a and upper chuck 7b to grip the cut edge Qc of the deep-fried tofu Q.

In this embodiment, servo motors are used for the lower chuck lifting motor 21, the upper chuck lifting motor 22, and the chuck opening and closing motor 23. However, other types of motors that can control the positioning of the motor, such as a stepping motor, can also be used. Furthermore, various actuators, such as cylinders using solenoid actuators, can be used instead of motors.

As shown in detail in the deep-frying opening mechanism M in FIG. 7, in the lower chuck lifting mechanism, the slider 24a, in which two cylindrical bodies 24a-1 and 24a-2 slide overlapping inside and outside, is arranged vertically, and the lower cylindrical body 24a-2 is fixed to the top plate 1aa of the base 1a described above. An arm 25a extending horizontally and having a lower chuck 7a fixed to its tip is attached to the upper end of the slider 24a (i.e., the upper end of the upper cylindrical body 24a-1). On the other hand, from the lower end of the slider 24a (i.e., the lower end of the lower cylindrical body 24a-2), a shaft hole 26aa is formed penetrating horizontally, and a rod 26a for sliding the upper cylindrical body 24a-1 up and down is provided so as to protrude vertically. And, below the slider 24a, the lower chuck lifting motor 21 described above is installed with its rotation shaft (not shown) facing horizontally.

A connecting rod 28a is provided between the crank 27a, which is fixed to the output shaft of the lower chuck lifting motor 21, and the rod 26a. Both ends of the connecting rod 28a are rotatably attached to the tip of the crank 27a and the shaft hole 26aa of the rod 26a.

In addition, in the lower chuck lifting mechanism, a regulating plate 29a having a long hole 29aa extending vertically along the rod 26a is attached to the lower cylindrical body 24a-2. Meanwhile, a regulating pin 26ab that fits into the long hole 29aa of the regulating plate 29a and moves back and forth is fixed to the rod 26a. As a result, when the rod 26a moves up and down, the regulating pin 26ab moves back and forth within the long hole 29aa, and as a result, the upper cylindrical body 24a-1 that constitutes the slider 24a slides upward or downward along the lower cylindrical body 24a-2, causing the slider 24a to expand and contract.

Therefore, when the crank 27a is rotated by the lower chuck lifting motor 21, a rotational force is transmitted to the connecting rod 28a attached to the crank 27a. As described above, one end of the connecting rod 28a is rotatably attached to the shaft hole 26aa of the rod 26a that expands and contracts the slider 24a, so that the rotational motion is converted into a reciprocating motion by the connecting rod 28a, causing the rod to move up and down and the upper cylindrical body 24a-1 to rise and fall, thereby expanding and contracting the slider 24a, and accordingly the lower chuck 7a attached to the slider 24a via the arm 25a to rise and fall.

In FIG. 7, the upper chuck lifting mechanism has a configuration similar to that of the lower chuck lifting mechanism. That is, it is provided with an arm 25b to the tip of which the upper chuck 7b is fixed, and this arm 25b is attached to the upper end of a slider 24b arranged in the vertical direction (the slider 24b in which the upper cylindrical body 24b-1 and the lower cylindrical body 24b-2 fixed to the top plate 1aa of the pedestal 1a overlap and slide inside and outside). The upper chuck 7b is positioned opposite the lower chuck 7a in the vertical direction.

In addition, in the upper chuck lifting mechanism, the upper chuck 7b is positioned at a higher position than the lower chuck 7a, and in order to make the lifting width of the upper chuck 7b larger than that of the lower chuck 7a, the length of the slider 24b is longer than the length of the slider 24a of the lower chuck lifting mechanism, and the length of the crank 27b of the lower chuck 7a is longer than the length of the crank 27a of the lower chuck 7a.

The configuration of the rod 26b that protrudes from the lower end of the slider 24b to be movable up and down, the axial hole 26ba formed in the rod 26b, the regulating pin 26bb provided in the rod 26b, the regulating plate 29b and the long hole 29ba formed in the regulating plate 29b, the crank 27b fixed to the output shaft of the upper chuck lifting motor 22, and the connecting rod 28b whose both ends are rotatably attached to the tip of the crank 27b and the axial hole 26ba of the rod 26b are the same as that of the lower chuck lifting mechanism.

Then, the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b are opened by the chuck opening/closing motor 23, and the lower chuck lifting motor 21 and the upper chuck lifting motor 22 are driven by the lifting mechanism described above to bring the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b closer to a predetermined distance, and the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b are closed by the chuck opening/closing motor 23, so that the underskin side cut edge Qc and the epidermis side cut edge Qc of the fried tofu Q can be gripped.

At this time, the distance between the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b when they grip the cut edge Qc of the fried tofu Q is the gripping height of the fried tofu Q. Therefore, the gripping height of the fried tofu Q can be adjusted by how close the two are to each other.

After gripping, the upper chuck lifting motor 22 can be driven to raise the upper chuck 7b, thereby holding the cut edge Qc of the fried tofu Q in an open state.

At this time, the amount by which the upper chuck 7b is raised determines the opening amount of the cut portion Qc of the fried tofu Q. Therefore, the cut portion Qc of the fried tofu Q can be adjusted by how much the upper chuck 7b is raised.

Next, the structures of the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b will be described with reference to FIG. 8. Note that while the upper chuck 7b is shown in FIG. 8, the lower chuck 7a is attached upside down to the upper chuck 7b, and has the same structure except that the upper chuck 7b is attached to the arm 25b via the attachment block 7-1. Therefore, in FIG. 8, the upper chuck 7b and the lower chuck 7a are not differentiated from each other and will be described as chuck 7.

Now, in FIG. 8, the chuck 7 is equipped with a fixed claw 7-2 attached to the tip of the arm 25b, a swinging claw 7-3 swingably attached to the fixed claw 7-2 so that its tip can come into contact with and separate from the tip of the fixed claw 7-2, and a compression coil spring 7-4 fitted between the fixed claw 7-2 and the swinging claw 7-3 on the opposite side of the tip across the swing fulcrum F so that the tip of the swinging claw 7-3 is pressed against the tip of the fixed claw 7-2 by spring force (i.e., so that the chuck 7 closes). The compression coil spring 7-4 is passed through a retaining pin 7-5 attached to the fixed claw 7-2 to prevent it from falling off. In addition, a head 7-5a is formed at the tip of the retaining pin 7-5, which abuts against the notch 7-3a of the swinging claw 7-3 when the tip of the swinging claw 7-3 is pressed against the tip of the fixed claw 7-2.

The swing claw portion 7-3 of the chuck 7 has an opening knob (opening protrusion) 7-6 that protrudes to the side. This opening knob 7-6 is attached to the opposite side of the tip across the swing fulcrum F, and by pushing the compression coil spring 7-4 and moving the swing claw portion 7-3 against the spring force, the tip of the fixed claw portion 7-2 and the tip of the swing claw portion 7-3, which were in contact, are separated, and the chuck 7 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), when the opening knob 7-6 is not pressed, the spring force of the compression coil spring 7-4 keeps the chuck 7 in a closed position. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when the opening knob 7-6 is pressed in a direction against the spring force, the oscillating claw portion 7-3 oscillates to compress the compression coil spring 7-4, and the chuck 7 is in an open position. By adjusting the pressing force of the opening knob 7-6 to adjust the spring force acting on the oscillating claw portion 7-3, the chuck 7 can be opened to a desired width, making it possible to adjust the gripping width, or gripping strength, when gripping the fried tofu Q.

In this embodiment, the opening knob 7-6 is a roller with a horizontal axis that allows it to rotate freely. This is so that when pressed by the opening/closing plates 33a and 33b provided in the chuck opening/closing mechanism (described later), the opening knob 7-6 (the roller) rotates, allowing the chuck 7 to move up and down smoothly.

Next, the chuck opening/closing mechanism that opens and closes the pair of chucks 7 (lower chuck 7a and upper chuck 7b) having such a configuration will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 10.

In these drawings, the chuck opening and closing mechanism is equipped with a shaft 32 that extends in the vertical direction, with a vertically long plate 30 fixed to the tip and a spur gear 31 fixed to the bottom. Two opening and closing plates 33a, 33b are attached vertically to the plate 30, which press the opening knob 7-6 provided on the lower chuck 7a and the opening knob 7-6 provided on the upper chuck 7b by rotating the shaft 32 to open and close them. The vertical length of the lower opening and closing plate 33a is set to a length that allows it to press the opening knob 7-6 regardless of the position of the lower chuck 7a that is rising and falling, and the vertical length of the upper opening and closing plate 33b is similarly set to a length that allows it to press the opening knob 7-6 regardless of the position of the upper chuck 7b that is rising and falling.

The spur gear 31 mentioned above is fixed to the output shaft 23a of the chuck opening/closing motor 23 provided in the vertical direction and is geared with a spur gear 34 having a smaller diameter than the spur gear 31. Therefore, the rotational force of the chuck opening/closing motor 23 is transmitted to the shaft 32 via the two spur gears 34 and 31, and the plate 30 attached to the shaft 32 rotates in two directions, forward and reverse. The opening/closing plates 33a and 33b attached to the plate 30 press the opening knob 7-6 provided on the lower chuck 7a and the opening knob 7-6 provided on the upper chuck 7b, respectively, to open and close the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b.

At this time, by controlling the rotational position of the chuck opening/closing motor 23 to adjust the force of the opening knob 7-6 that presses the oscillating claw portions 7-3 of the pair of chucks 7, the spring force acting on the oscillating claw portions 7-3 can be adjusted to open the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b to the desired width as described above, thereby adjusting the gripping strength when gripping the cut edge portion Qc of the fried tofu Q.

In addition, a bearing 35 is provided between the plate 30 and the spur gear 31, through which the shaft 32 rotatably passes and which is fixed to the top plate 1aa of the base 1a described above.

In this embodiment, the chuck opening/closing mechanism is a single opening/closing mechanism that simultaneously opens and closes the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b, but it may be two opening/closing mechanisms, one for opening and closing the lower chuck 7a and one for opening and closing the upper chuck 7b.

Next, the control system for the deep-frying opening mechanism M of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12.

As shown in FIG. 11, the control system of the frying opening mechanism M includes a setting input unit 1ca for setting the opening operation of the frying Q, and a control unit (control means) 36 for controlling the rotational positions of the lower chuck lifting motor 21, the upper chuck lifting motor 22, and the chuck opening and closing motor 23 based on the input contents of the setting input unit 1ca.

Then, under the control of the control unit 36, the lower chuck lifting motor 21 and the upper chuck lifting motor 22 are driven to bring the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b close to each other, and the chuck opening and closing motor 23 is driven to grip the cut edge Qc on the underskin side of the fried tofu Q with the lower chuck 7a and the cut edge Qc on the epidermis side of the fried tofu Q with the upper chuck 7b. Then, the upper chuck lifting motor 22 is driven to raise the upper chuck 7b to a predetermined height and hold the cut edge Qc of the fried tofu Q in an open state. Furthermore, once sushi rice has been inserted into the fried tofu Q in this state, the chuck opening and closing motor 23 is driven to open the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b, and the gripped cut edge Qc of the fried tofu Q is released.

The control unit 36 not only controls the operation of the deep-fried tofu opening mechanism M, but also controls the operation of the entire inari sushi manufacturing device (controlling the operation of the turntable 2, the preliminary opening 4, the rear holding member 12, the air blowing mechanism 13, the deep-fried tofu holding mechanism 15, etc.), but Figure 11 shows only the control system for the deep-fried tofu opening mechanism M.

As shown in FIG. 12, multiple types (12 types in this example) of operation contents can be preset as the operation to be executed by the control unit 36 to open the fried tofu Q. Therefore, when the operator selects any of the preset numbers 1 to 12, the control unit 36 controls the lower chuck lifting motor 21, the upper chuck lifting motor 22, and the chuck opening and closing motor 23 according to the setting conditions previously set for that number.

In this embodiment, three basic settings can be set: type of fried tofu (type of fried tofu Q: mini/regular/triangular mini), type of sushi rice (type of sushi rice inserted into the fried tofu Q: vinegared rice/mixed rice/sesame vinegared rice), and weight (weight of sushi rice inserted into the fried tofu Q).

Four adjustment settings can be made: the height of the gripping (the distance between the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b when gripping the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q), the amount of gripping opening (the amount by which the upper chuck 7b, gripping the cut end Qc on the cut surface side of the fried tofu Q, rises when the lower chuck 7a grips the cut end Qc on the cut surface side of the fried tofu Q), gripping strength (the opening width of the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b when gripping the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q), and the delay in releasing the gripping (the time from when the sushi rice is inserted into the fried tofu Q until the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b release the gripped fried tofu Q).

Here, the height of the grip is set according to the thickness of the fried tofu Q. For example, in the case of a fried tofu Q that is thick due to the material of the fried tofu Q or the amount of seasoning soaked into it, the gap between the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b is set wider when gripping the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q. The opening amount of the grip is set according to the type and shape of the fried tofu Q. For example, when the type of fried tofu Q is set to "mini", the opening amount is set to a level that allows the sushi rice to be inserted and does not tear the small cut end Qc. The grip strength is set according to the thickness and softness of the fried tofu Q. For example, in the case of a thick and soft fried tofu Q, the opening width between the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b when gripping the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q is set wider, i.e., weaker. The release delay is set according to the size and thickness of the fried tofu Q and the amount of sushi rice to be inserted. For example, in the case of a regular-sized and thick fried tofu Q, the delay time is set longer.

In the present invention, it is sufficient that the adjustment settings can be set to at least one of the following: the height at which the tofu is gripped, the opening amount at which the tofu is opened, and the strength at which the tofu is gripped. Also, it is not necessary to set the delay time for releasing the tofu. Furthermore, it is sufficient that these adjustment settings can be set in correspondence with at least one of the basic settings mentioned above (type of fried tofu Q, type of sushi rice, weight of sushi rice). The setting items shown here are only an example, and other items may be set.

Next, the operation of the fried tofu opening mechanism M having the above configuration will be explained using Figures 13 to 20. In the explanation here, it is assumed that preset number 1 is selected in Figure 12 and 30 g of vinegared rice is inserted into a regular-sized fried tofu Q.

The operation of the inari sushi making device 1 is roughly as follows. That is, in FIG. 2, the preliminary opening 4, the pair of chucks 7, the sushi rice receiving stand 9, the insertion rod 11, and the rear pressing member 12 are stopped at a preset standby position. Then, when the operation of the device starts, the preliminary opening 4 descends to perform a preliminary opening in which air is injected into the inside of the fried tofu Q. After that, the sushi rice R is weighed, and halfway through, the turntable 2 rotates to the next stage, the fried tofu Q is opened by the chuck 7, air is blown into the pre-opened fried tofu Q to spread it out, and the sushi rice R is inserted into the inside of the fried tofu Q by the insertion rod 11.

Once the preliminary opening of the fried tofu Q has been performed, the turntable 2 rotates and the fried tofu Q is transported to the sushi rice insertion position.

At this time, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the lower chuck 7a is in the lower limit position by the lower chuck lift motor 21, while the upper chuck 7b is in the upper limit position by the upper chuck lift motor 22, and they are waiting. Also, the opening and closing plates 33a, 33b attached to the plate 30 by the chuck opening and closing motor 23 press the opening knobs 7-6 on the lower chuck 7a and the opening knobs 7-6 on the upper chuck 7b, respectively, so that both of the pair of chucks 7 are in the open position.

As shown in FIG. 15, the lower chuck lifting motor 21 operates to raise the lower chuck 7a to a position where its tip protrudes upward from the hole 2h formed in the turntable 2, and the upper chuck lifting motor 22 operates to lower the upper chuck 7b according to preset number 1 so that the distance to the tip of the lower chuck 7a (age gripping height) is 3 mm. Also, as shown in the figure, at this time, the lower chuck 7a and the upper chuck 7b remain in the open position. In this state, the lower chuck 7a bites into the cut edge Qc on the skin side of the fried tofu Q on the turntable 2 that has been transported to the sushi rice insertion position, and the upper chuck 7b bites into the cut edge Qc on the skin side of the fried tofu Q.

In this embodiment, the pair of chucks 7 are each set to wait in the open position and then rise or fall in that state, but they may also wait in the closed position and then rise or fall to the open position, or they may wait in the closed position and then rise or fall to the open position.

In this embodiment, as described above, the opening knob 7-6 is a roller with a horizontal axis of rotation, so that the roller rolls on the opening and closing plates 33a, 33b, allowing the lower chuck 7a and upper chuck 7b to move up and down smoothly.

Next, the shaft 32 is rotated by the chuck opening/closing motor 23, and the opening/closing plates 33a, 33b are moved in a direction that weakens the pressing force on the opening knob 7-6 on the lower chuck 7a and the opening knob 7-6 on the upper chuck 7b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, the two chucks 7 are narrowed to a predetermined width by the spring force of the compression coil spring 7-4, and the lower chuck 7a grips the cut end Qc on the underskin side of the fried tofu Q, and the upper chuck 7b grips the cut end Qc on the epidermis side of the fried tofu Q. In this embodiment, the gripping strength of preset number 1 is "5", but this number is a conceptual number that represents the gripping strength on a scale of 1 to 10, and is not a number that indicates a dimension.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the upper chuck lifting motor 22 operates to raise the upper chuck 7b (40 mm because the preset number is 1), and together with the lower chuck 7a, opens the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q from above and below.

As described above, once the cut portion Qc of the fried tofu Q is opened, the sushi rice can be inserted immediately. In this embodiment, however, as shown in FIG. 18, air is blown into the fried tofu Q from the cut portion Qc by the air blowing mechanism 13. In other words, the air is blown into the deep interior of the fried tofu Q by the air blowing mechanism 13, so that the fried tofu Q is expanded to the deep interior.

Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the sushi rice R on the sushi rice tray 9 is inserted into the fried tofu Q by the insertion rod 11.

When adding the sushi rice R, first, while the cut ends Qc of the top and bottom skins of the fried tofu Q are gripped by a pair of chucks 7, the rear end of the fried tofu Q, which has been spread open by wind pressure, is pressed down by the rear pressing member 12, and the sushi rice R is moved to the tip of the sushi rice receiving stand 9 by the insertion rod 11. After that, as shown in the figure, the tip of the sushi rice receiving stand 9 is moved to the inside of the fried tofu Q, and the sushi rice R is then pushed by the insertion rod 11 and inserted into the inside of the fried tofu Q to produce inari sushi QR. When inserting the sushi rice R into the inside of the fried tofu Q, the amount of air blown (air volume per unit time) sent to the inside of the fried tofu Q by the air blowing mechanism 13 is gradually reduced.

After the sushi rice R is inserted into the fried tofu Q, the chuck opening/closing motor 23 rotates the shaft 32 to move the opening/closing plates 33a, 33b in a direction that increases the pressing force against the opening knob 7-6 on the lower chuck 7a and the opening knob 7-6 on the upper chuck 7b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, the two chucks 7 open against the spring force of the compression coil spring 7-4, and release the fried tofu Q. Here, the fried tofu release delay time for preset number 1 is 5 seconds, so 5 seconds after the sushi rice R is inserted into the fried tofu Q, the pair of chucks 7 release the fried tofu Q.

Then, the lower chuck lift motor 21 operates to lower the lower chuck 7a, and the upper chuck lift motor 22 operates to raise the upper chuck 7b, returning them to the standby position shown in Figures 13 and 14 described above.

To manufacture the inari sushi, the insertion rod 11 is then advanced further toward the center of the turntable 2 in sync with the pressing member 12 returning to the center of the turntable 2, and the inari sushi QR is moved to the center of the turntable 2 and placed there. The insertion rod 11 is then returned to the main body 3, and the rear pressing member 12 is returned further toward the center of the turntable 2, returning to the initial setting. The placement area for the inari sushi QR is located close to the sushi rice insertion position, in a position where the inari sushi QR can be detected by the detector 6.

This series of processes is carried out in order for each piece of fried tofu Q that is transported to the sushi rice insertion position of the main body 3 by the intermittent rotation of the turntable 2, and inari sushi QR is mass-produced.

As described above, in this embodiment, the elevation positions and tip opening widths of the lower chuck 7a and upper chuck 7b that open the cut end Qc of the fried tofu Q can be set to desired levels depending on the type of fried tofu Q, such as the shape, size, softness, and thickness of the fried tofu Q when making inari sushi, and the control unit 36 controls the operation of the device accordingly.

Therefore, it is possible to easily perform handling operations according to the type of fried tofu Q without the need for a skilled worker to adjust the device according to the type of fried tofu Q.

The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and are not limited to the disclosed technology. In other words, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted restrictively based on the explanation in the above embodiments, but should be interpreted strictly according to the description of the claims, and includes technologies equivalent to the technologies described in the claims and all modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, a turntable is used as the conveying means, but this is not limited to this and various modifications are possible. For example, a linear or frame-shaped endless belt conveyor may be used.

The sushi rice packed in the inari sushi making device of the present invention is not limited to vinegared rice, but can be of various types.

1 Inari sushi manufacturing device 1a Pedestal 1aa Top plate 1c Operation unit 1ca Setting input unit (setting means)
2 Turntable (transport means)
2h hole 2s placement area 3 body portion 4 preliminary opening (preliminary opening means)
7 Chuck (gripping means)
7a Lower chuck (lower gripping means)
7b Upper chuck (upper gripping means)
7-1 Mounting block 7-2 Fixed claw 7-3 Swinging claw 7-3a Notch 7-4 Compression coil spring 7-5 Retaining pin 7-6 Opening knob (opening protrusion)
8 Sushi rice supply mechanism (sushi rice supply means)
9 Sushi rice tray 11 Insertion rod (insertion means)
12 Rear pressing member 12a Pressing portion 12b Support portion 13 Air blowing mechanism portion 13a Air blowing pipe 13b Air blowing port 15 Frying pressing mechanism 15a Spring 15b Pressing portion 21 Lower chuck lifting motor (first lifting means)
22 Upper chuck lifting motor (second lifting means)
23 Chuck opening/closing motor (opening/closing means)
23a Output shaft 24a, 24b Slider 24a-1, 24a-2, 24b-1, 24b-2 Cylindrical body 25a, 25b Arm 26a, 26b Rod 26aa, 26ba Shaft hole 26ab, 26bb Restriction pin 27a, 27b Crank 28a, 28b Connecting rod 29a, 29b Restriction plate 29aa, 29ba Long hole 30 Plate 30a Side piece 31 Spur gear 32 Shaft 33a, 33b Opening and closing plate 34 Spur gear 35 Bearing 36 Control unit (control means)
F Swinging fulcrum M Fried tofu opening mechanism Q Fried tofu QR Inari sushi Qc Cutting edge, epidermis side cutting edge, under skin side cutting edge R Sushi rice

Claims (9)

A fried tofu opening mechanism that opens a cut portion of the fried tofu on the conveying means that is conveyed to a sushi rice insertion position in front of the sushi rice receiving table,
A lower gripping means is disposed below the conveying means at the sushi rice insertion position;
an upper gripping means disposed at a position opposite to the lower gripping means with the conveying means interposed therebetween;
a first lifting mechanism including a first lifting means for lifting and lowering the lower gripping means so that a tip of the lower gripping means appears and disappears above the conveying means;
a second lifting mechanism including a second lifting means for lifting the upper gripping means toward the lower gripping means;
an opening/closing mechanism including an opening/closing means for opening and closing the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means;
a setting means for selectively setting a gripping height of the fried tofu, which is a distance between the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means when gripping the cut end of the fried tofu, an opening amount of the cut end of the fried tofu, and a gripping strength between the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means when gripping the fried tofu, for a plurality of types of fried tofu;
a control means for executing control for driving the first lifting means and the second lifting means based on the setting contents for the fried tofu selected by the setting means to bring the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means close to each other, driving the opening and closing means to grip the underskin side cut edge and the epidermis side cut edge of the fried tofu with the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, respectively, and then driving the second lifting means to lift the upper gripping means and hold the cut edge of the fried tofu in an open state;
A fried food opening mechanism comprising: the control means executes control to drive the opening and closing means to open the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means and release the cut edge of the gripped fried tofu after the sushi rice has been inserted into the fried tofu;
The setting means can set the time from when the sushi rice is inserted into the fried tofu until the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means release the cut end of the fried tofu.
2. The frying opening mechanism according to claim 1 . the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means are provided with opening protrusions for opening the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means against a spring force;
the opening/closing mechanism includes an opening/closing plate that is driven by the opening/closing means to press the opening protrusion piece to open and close the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means,
3. The fried food opening mechanism according to claim 1 or 2. The opening and closing plate is capable of pressing the opening protrusion piece over the entire lifting area of the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means.
4. The deep-frying opening mechanism according to claim 3. The opening projection piece is a roller having a horizontally oriented rotation axis and being rotatable.
5. The frying opening mechanism according to claim 4. The opening and closing mechanism is composed of a single opening and closing mechanism that simultaneously opens and closes the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, or two opening and closing mechanisms that open and close the lower gripping means and the upper gripping means, respectively.
The fried food opening mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The setting means can be set in accordance with at least one of the type of sushi rice and the weight of the sushi rice.
The fried food opening mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A sushi rice supplying means for supplying sushi rice onto the sushi rice receiving tray;
A conveying means for conveying fried tofu to a sushi rice insertion position in front of the sushi rice receiving tray;
The fried tofu opening mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which holds the cut end of the fried tofu transported to the sushi rice insertion position in an open state;
An insertion means for inserting sushi rice on the sushi rice tray into the inside of the fried tofu with the cut edge opened by the fried tofu opening mechanism;
An inari sushi manufacturing apparatus comprising: The device further includes a preliminary opening means that is disposed upstream of the sushi rice insertion position in the direction of conveyance of the fried tofu, and that injects air into the fried tofu prior to the insertion of the sushi rice by the insertion means to separate the upper and lower skins inside the fried tofu.
9. The inari sushi making apparatus according to claim 8.

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