JPS633571B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention mainly relates to a machine for forming rice balls such as triangular rice balls. In recent years, it has been proposed that rice balls, such as so-called triangular rice balls, be formed using a mold rather than being made by hand, and molding machines for this purpose have appeared. Place the mold on a table and put rice into the mold hole, fit the molding upper mold into the mold hole and press-form the rice between it and the table surface, and then remove the main mold. There is a device that slides away from the table top and pulls out the molded rice in the mold hole downwards, but because of the sliding movement on the table, the rice tends to stick to the top of the table and remain behind. In particular, only molded rice with a flat bottom surface could be obtained, and molded rice with an appearance that looked like it had been made by hand could not be obtained. Moreover, since the main mold is rotated endlessly by a chain, it takes time and effort to remove and clean the sticky rice.

In view of the above, the present invention has been devised so that it is possible to mold nigiri rice that has a rounded bottom side and has an appearance as if it was actually made by hand. A plurality of molding main molds each having an appropriate number of mold holes having vertically penetrating openings are arranged at predetermined intervals and are provided so as to be able to be moved repeatedly in the arrangement direction by the intervals, and the molding main molds are A lower mold for molding, whose upper surface side is slightly concave with the peripheral edge left in the shape of a rounded curved surface, is fitted into the lower part of the mold hole of the mold so as to be able to slide up and down, and the lower mold can be moved up and down from the main mold. The mold is placed on a freely suspended support plate, and one stop position of the main mold, which moves intermittently, is used as a rice container for storing rice in the mold hole.
The lower surface side is slightly recessed above the mold hole of the molding main mold at the first stop position after this, leaving the peripheral edge in a rounded surface shape, and the molding mold enters the mold hole once every time the molding main mold stops. A molding upper mold is provided which presses the food in the mold hole by fitting down and pressing the food in the mold hole, and below the support plate at the stop position of the next molding main mold is a mold that pushes up the support plate when the molding main mold stops. A rice ball molding machine is provided with a push-up means for positioning the lower mold near the upper opening of the mold hole, and the molded rice is taken out from the upper part.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows the basic structure of the mold used in the present invention, and the embodiments shown in Figs. 2 to 12 show a nigiri rice molding machine in which ingredients are wrapped inside. The machine body has a built-in drive source and power transmission mechanism (not shown), 2 is a vertical rotating shaft that protrudes upward from the center of the table 3 on the top surface of the machine, and 4 is the rotating shaft 2 that rotates the table 3.
The base body 4 is supported at a slightly upper position and has a concave cross section, and the base body 4 is provided so as to rotate intermittently at a predetermined angle at a time together with the rotating shaft 2 by an appropriate power transmission mechanism. Six molding main molds 5 having the same shape are fixedly arranged radially around the base body 4 at equal angular intervals, that is, 60° intervals with respect to the rotation axis 2, and each molding main mold 5 is fixed to the rotation axis 2. 2 and the base 4 to rotate intermittently by a predetermined angle. The rotation angle is set to the angle at which the main molds 5 are arranged (60 degrees in the figure), and each main mold 5 is configured to always stop at a fixed position. As a fixing means for the main mold 5, in the figure, the dovetail-shaped end of the main mold 5 is fitted into a dovetail groove formed on the outer periphery of the base 4, and is screwed from the inside of the base 4 with bolts or the like. .

Each of the above-mentioned molding main molds 5 has vertical through-openings with the same cross-sectional shape corresponding to the planar shape of the rice ball to be molded, for example, a triangular shape with rounded corners in the case of triangular rice ball molding. A required number of mold holes 6 (three in the case of the figure) are provided, and a molding lower mold 7 having a predetermined shape is fitted and held in the lower part of each mold hole 6 so as to be slidable up and down. The upper surface side of the lower mold 7 is recessed with a peripheral edge 8 remaining so as to correspond to approximately the lower half of the rice ball to be molded, and the recessed portion 9
The peripheral edge is formed into a rounded curved surface. The lower molding mold 7 is mounted via a support shaft 11 on a support plate 10 which is vertically movably suspended from each molding main mold 5, and when the support plate 10 is at the lowest position, it is placed inside the mold hole 6. It is supported so as to be located at the bottom, and is configured to slide up and down within the mold hole 6 as the support plate 10 moves up and down. Various implementations are possible for the suspension structure in which the support plate 10 can be moved up and down, but in the illustrated embodiment, the upper part has a large diameter and the inside is installed at multiple locations outside the mold hole 6 in the main mold 5. Step 1 at the bottom of the circumference
A vertical through hole 12 having a diameter of 2' is provided,
A hanging rod 13 having a flange 13' at the upper end is inserted into the through hole 12 from above, and the step part 12' and the flange 1 are inserted into the through hole 12 from above.
The support plate 10 is fixed to the lower end of the hanging rod 13, which is held movable up and down by engagement with the hanging rod 3'.
The support plate 10 is suspended with a slight distance between it and the table 3, and rotates in a recessed manner together with the main mold 5.

Among the stop positions of the main mold 5 that rotates intermittently, one stop position is set at the rice receptacle into the mold hole 6 of the main mold 5, and the other stop position after this is set at the mold hole 6. The press-forming part is equipped with a molding upper mold that can be freely fitted and lowered into the hole 6, and the next stop position is set as a part to take out the molded rice, forming the nigiri rice with ingredients wrapped inside. In the illustrated embodiment, among the six stopping positions around the main mold 5, the second stopping position following the first stopping position, which becomes the rice holder part A, is located in the recess for the rice in the mold hole 6. Hole forming part B, the third stop position is the part for inserting the rice into the recessed hole part C, the fourth stop position is the ingredient wrapping part D, and the next fifth stop position is press forming. The sixth stop position is set as the shaped rice take-out part, and each has the following configuration.

In the rice container part A (Figs. 4 to 6),
15 is a rice feeding hopper supported by a support arm 16 attached to the machine body 1; 17 is bendably connected to the bottom plate 15a of the hopper 15 by hinge structures 19, 19 through a chute 18; A rice supply plate installed above the mold 5, connected to the hopper 15 by the hinge structure and movable up and down in a horizontal state; in the case of the figure, the rice supply plate A rod 21 extending from a cylinder mechanism 20 such as an air cylinder is connected with a pin to the lower surface of the mold 17, and is moved up and down by the forward and backward movement of the rod 21 by the cylinder mechanism 20 corresponding to the intermittent rotational movement of the main mold 5. When the main mold 5 rotates, it is in an upper position, and it is configured so that it can be lowered onto the upper surface of the main mold 5 only when the rotation is stopped. The rice supply plate 17 is provided with an opening 22 that matches the mold hole 6 when placed on the upper surface of the main mold 5, and the rice in the hopper 15 is spread out onto the rice supply plate 17 by opening 22. It can be more easily fed into the mold hole 6. Incidentally, side plates 17' and 18' are provided upright at the side ends of the rice supply plate 17 and the chute 18 to prevent rice from spilling.

Further, in the rice holder part A, a table 3 is provided at a position below the support plate 10 at the stop position of the main mold 5.
A vertical push rod 23 is provided through which the upper end can protrude. This push-up rod 2
3 is moved up and down in response to the intermittent rotational movement of the main mold 5 by an appropriate means such as a cylinder mechanism, cam or rank mechanism in the machine body 1, and the main mold 5
When the rotation stops, the support plate 10 is pushed up to raise the molding lower mold 7 in the mold hole 6 above it, and the mold is lowered before the rotation starts after the rice filling operation is completed, and the molding The amount of rice that enters the mold hole 6 is determined by the raised height position of the lower mold 7. Then, when the support plate 10 reaches a certain height when the support plate 10 is pushed up, a hook 24 that engages with the edge of the support plate 10 is attached to the molding main mold 5 and The hooks 24 are installed mainly on the outer side where they do not get in the way of the rotating movement of the support plate 10, and the engaging action of the hooks 24 keeps the rising height of the lower mold 7 constant and allows a fixed amount of water to be poured into the mold hole 6. It is set up so that food can be supplied. The hook 24 is a member 24a fixed to the table 3.
It is mounted so that its position can be adjusted vertically using a long hole or the like in the vertical direction, so that the rising height position of the lower molding mold can be adjusted according to the rice to be molded.

When the push-up action is canceled due to the descent of the push-up rod 23, the lower mold 7 and support plate 10 may not descend under their own weight due to the viscosity of the rice adhering to the circumferential surface of the mold hole 6. To prevent this, The upper end of the push-up rod 23 is provided with an engaging protrusion 26 formed by a recessed groove communicating at least in the rotational direction, for example, the recessed groove 25 continuous in the circumferential direction as shown in the figure. A protrusion 27 having a hook-shaped engagement portion 27a that can be fitted into the groove 25 and engaged with the engagement protrusion 26 by intermittent rotation is provided, and the push-up rod 23 in the engaged state is provided. The support plate 10 and the lower mold 7 are forcibly lowered by the lowering action of the lower mold 7.

In the recessed hole molding part B (FIG. 7), which is the second stop position of the main mold 5, there is a taper whose lower end is tapered above and coaxially with each mold hole 6 at the stop position. The rod-shaped pressing mold 28, which is formed in the shape of a rod, descends into the mold hole 6 once every time the main mold 5 rotates intermittently to stop the rotation, thereby making it possible to dent the center part of the rice in the mold hole 6. It is set up like this. In the case of the figure,
The rod-shaped mold 28 is fixed and vertically mounted on a mounting board 30 that is connected to and suspended from a horizontal support arm 29, and the support arm 29 is connected to a column 31 that is erected at a corner of the fuselage 1.
A rod 33 is connected to the center of the support arm 29 and extends from a cylinder mechanism 32 such as an air cylinder arranged vertically below the support arm 29.
The support arm 2 is moved forward and backward by the movement of the rod 33.
A rod-shaped press die 28 moves up and down together with the mold 9, and is configured such that when the main mold 5 rotates, it is in an upper position, and when the main die 5 stops rotating, it descends once to a predetermined height suitable for concave hole molding, and then rises again. .

In addition, in the wrapping molding part 2 of the ingredient, which is the fourth stop position of the main mold 5 (FIGS. 8 and 9), above each mold hole 6 at the stop position, there is a planar shape that fits into the mold hole 6. A depression-shaped pressing mold 34, which has a large and concave shape with a slightly curved upward concave shape, is inserted into the mold hole 6 once every time the main mold 2 rotates intermittently. It is equipped so that it can be fitted and lowered to push the peripheral portion of the rice inside the mold hole 6 inward. In the case of the figure, similar to the case of the bar-shaped press die 28, the depressed-concave press die 34 is fixed downward to a mounting board 36 connected to a horizontal support arm 35, and the support arm 35 is erected at a corner of the body 1. The support arm 35 is loosely fitted into the support column 37 so as to be movable up and down.
A rod 39 of a cylinder mechanism 38 disposed below is connected to the center of the mold, and the movement of the rod 39 by the cylinder mechanism 38 moves the press mold 34 together with the support arm 35 to one position when the molding main mold 5 stops rotating. It is designed to descend several times and rise again. In addition, when the depression-shaped mold 34 is triangular and is recessed in the shape of a mortar, the shape is hollowed out at the sides of the triangle.

Furthermore, at the press molding part E, which is the fifth stop position of the main mold 5 (FIGS. 10 and 11), 40
is an upper mold for molding supported upwardly in each mold hole 6 at the stop position, and the upper mold for molding 40 is vertically symmetrical and identical to the lower mold for molding 7 in the mold hole 6, that is, the lower surface side should be molded. The peripheral edge 41 is recessed so as to correspond to approximately half of the nigiri rice, and the peripheral edge of the recessed portion 42 is formed in a rounded curved shape to prevent rotation of the main mold 5 that rotates intermittently. It is provided so that it can be fitted and lowered into the mold hole 6 once for each stop action to press-form the rice in the mold hole 6. In the case of the figure, the upper mold 40 for molding is fixed downward to a mounting board 44 connected to a horizontal support arm 43, and the support arm 43 is loosely fitted to a support 45 erected on the machine body 1 so as to be vertically movable. At the same time, a rod 47 of a cylinder mechanism 46 disposed below is connected to the center of the support arm 43, and the upper mold 40 is moved together with the support arm 43 by the movement of the rod 47 back and forth by the cylinder mechanism. 1 when rotation of 5 stops
It is designed to descend several times and rise again.

Furthermore, at the sixth stop position of the molding main mold 5, which is the take-out part of the molded rice, a vertical direction is formed that penetrates the table 3 below the support plate 10 at the stop position and allows the upper end to protrude. A push-up rod 48 is provided. This push-up rod 48
is moved up and down in response to the intermittent rotation of the main mold 5 by a suitable means similar to the push-up rod 23 of the rice holder A, and supports the support plate 10 when the main mold 5 stops rotating. Push up and place the lower mold 7 on top of it into the mold hole 6.
It is positioned near the upper opening of the shaft and is configured to descend before the rotation starts.

Next, the operation when molding rice balls using the above-mentioned molding machine will be explained. First, the first part of the main mold 5
When the main mold 5 stops at the rotation stop position, the rice supply plate 17 installed above the main mold 5 is lowered onto the upper surface of the main mold 5 and opens the opening 22 and the mold hole 6 therein. match, and in this state, the rice a in the rice supply hopper 15 is taken out so that it can be spread out on the rice supply plate 17, and is fed into the mold hole 6 through the opening 22 [FIG. 12A]. , molding main mold 5
The push-up rod 23 installed below rises simultaneously with the lowering and mounting action of the rice supply plate 17, and is pushed up to a position where the support plate 10 of the lower mold 7 engages with the hook 24. The upper lower mold 7 is the mold hole 6
Therefore, if the rice is fed all the way to the opening 22, an amount of rice a approximately equivalent to the mold hole space above the lower mold 7 will be filled. Therefore, a substantially fixed amount of rice a can be fed into each mold hole 6 without having to measure it. After the rice filling operation is completed, the push-up rod 23 returns to its original position, and the support plate 10 returns to the predetermined suspended state together with the lower mold 7 thereon, and at the same time The rice supply plate 17 is removed above the main mold 5. Therefore, the main mold 5 can be rotated without being hindered by the rice supply plate 17 and the push-up rod 23.

When the molding main mold 5 into which a predetermined amount of rice a has been fed as described above reaches the concave hole molding part B, which is the next stop position, each mold hole corresponds to the rotation stopping action of this molding main mold 5. After a rod-shaped press die 28 provided above the coaxial center of the mold hole 6 descends into the mold hole 6 and dents the center part of the metal a in the mold hole 6 [FIG. 12 b], that is, forms a recessed hole b.
By the time the molding main mold 6 starts rotating, it will return upward and
The main mold 5 rotates. Then, at the filling part C, which is the next stop position of the main mold 5, the main mold 5
While the rice is stopped, a pinch of ingredients c such as boiled kelp, dried bonito flakes, and dried plums are put into the hole b formed in the rice a in the mold hole 6 [Figure 12 C].

In this way, when the main mold 5 reaches the next fourth rotation stop position, which is the ingredient wrapping forming part ni, the main mold 5
In response to the rotation stopping action, a depression-shaped press mold 34 provided above the mold hole 6 is fitted into the mold hole 6 and lowered,
Due to this descending action, the peripheral part of the rice a is pressed into the mold 34.
It is pushed inward by the mortar shape, and the ingredient c in the concave hole b is wrapped inside the rice a [Figure 12 D]. Thereafter, by the time the main mold 5 starts rotating, the press mold 34 rises and comes out of the mold hole 6 and returns to its original position above, and the main mold 5 rotates.

In the press molding section E, which is the stopping position of the next fifth main mold 5, the upper mold 4 for molding is provided above the mold hole 6 in response to the rotation stopping action of the main mold 5.
0 fits into the mold hole 6 and lowers, and this lowering action presses the metal a in the mold hole 6, causing the upper mold 4
0 and the lower mold 7, and the opposing surfaces of the upper mold 40 and the lower mold 7, which are the molding surfaces, are concave with the peripheral edges 41 and 8 remaining as shown in the figure. and the peripheral edges of the recessed portions 42 and 9 are vertically symmetrical and the same shape is formed in the shape of a curved surface,
As a result, the clamped rice is formed into a shape with rounded upper and lower edges corresponding to the radius curved surface (FIG. 12E). Thereafter, by the time the main mold 5 starts rotating, the upper mold 40 rises and comes out of the mold hole 6 and returns to the previous position above, and the main mold 5 rotates.

Then, at the next stop position of the sixth main mold 5, the push-up rod 48 provided below the stop position rises in response to the rotation stopping action of the main mold 5, and the lower mold 7 for molding is moved upward. The support plate 10 is pushed up, and the lower molding mold 7 on it is pushed up together with the molding food A thereon to the vicinity of the upper opening of the mold hole 9, and along with this, the molding food A moves upward. It is in the extended state [shown by chain lines in FIG. Descend and return to the specified position.

In this way, each molding main mold 5 rotates from the rice container part A, which is the first stop position, to the molded rice take-out part, which is the stop position in FIG. 6, while repeating sequential rotation and stopping. During this time, the action of putting the rice into the mold hole 6, forming the rice in the mold hole 6 into the recessed hole, putting the filling into the recessed hole, wrapping the filling, molding by pressing from above and below, and taking out the molded rice are carried out in sequence. Molded rice A, such as triangular rice balls with ingredients wrapped inside the rice
In other words, so-called nigiri rice is formed one after another.

In addition, in the above embodiment based on the figures, the case was explained in which a nigiri rice with seasoning ingredients wrapped inside was molded, but when molding nigiri rice without wrapping the toppings, the recessed hole molding section rotor of the above molding machine can also be used. The present invention can be carried out by mechanically omitting the filling part C and the ingredient wrapping forming part D, or by omitting the stopping position of these parts, and the molding part provided in the mold hole in the same manner as above. It can be molded into a predetermined shape using a lower mold and an upper mold.

However, in the present invention, as described above, the lower molding mold installed in the lower part of the mold hole of the main molding mold is mounted on a support plate suspended from the main molding mold so that it can move up and down. The lower molding mold can be moved together with the main molding mold in a suspended state, and this can be used to arrange a plurality of molding molds equipped with the lower molding molds at predetermined intervals as described above. Moreover, it is possible to easily configure the molding machine of the present invention by disposing the molding machine so as to move intermittently and repeatedly in the arrangement direction by the above-mentioned intervals. It is not necessary. Furthermore, both the lower molding mold, which is installed in the mold hole of the main mold so that it can move up and down, and the upper molding mold, which fits into the mold hole and can be lowered freely, have a peripheral edge on the opposing surface side that is the molding surface. Since the concave portion is recessed and the periphery of the concave portion is formed in a rounded curved shape, it is possible to obtain a molded rice with rounded peripheries on both the upper and lower sides, that is, on both sides in the thickness direction in the case of triangular rice balls, etc. By molding, it is possible to obtain suitable rice balls that look as if they were made by hand.

That is, according to the above-described molding machine of the present invention,
Each main mold moves from the stop position of the rice container to the take-out position of the formed rice while repeatedly moving and stopping in sequence, during which the rice is put into the mold hole, pressed and pressed, and the formed rice is taken out in sequence semi-automatically. In particular, at the take-out position of the molded rice, the support plate is pushed up by the push-up means and the lower die above it is positioned near the upper opening of the mold hole, thereby allowing the molded rice to be pulled out upward and easily taken out. This makes it possible to form and produce rice balls with uniform shape and good appearance with high efficiency. Furthermore, since there is no need to slide the rice over the table to take it out, and there is no need to use the table for forming the rice, there is no sticky residue left on the rice, making it extremely hygienic. It is also easy to clean.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the basic structure of the mold, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the entire molding machine, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts. Fig. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of part A of the food holder, Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the same from below, Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the same, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of part B of the concave hole molding part. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the wrapping notch molding part 2, Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the same, Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the press forming part E, Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the same, and Fig. 12 , b, ha, d,
E and F are sectional views of various parts showing the forming process from the rice container part A to the shaped rice take-out part, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of nigiri rice molded according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Body, 2... Rotating shaft, 3... Table, 4... Base, 5... Main mold, 6... Molding hole, 7... Lower mold for molding, 10... Support plate, 13... Hanging rod, 17... Rice Supply plate, 22... Opening, 23... Push-up rod, 28... Rod-shaped die, 34... Concave-shaped die, 40... Upper die for molding.
48... Push-up rod, A... Rice container part, B... Recessed hole forming part, C... Ingredients holding part, D... Enveloping forming part, E... Pressing forming part, F... Molded rice take-out part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A plurality of molding main molds each having a suitable number of mold holes having a predetermined cross-sectional shape and openings vertically through the molds are arranged at predetermined intervals and are arranged so that they can be moved repeatedly intermittently in the arrangement direction by the above-mentioned intervals. A lower mold for molding, the upper surface of which is slightly recessed with the peripheral edge left in the shape of a rounded curved surface, is fitted into the lower part of the mold hole of the main mold so as to be able to slide up and down, and the lower mold is fitted into the mold hole of the main mold. The stopping position of one of the main molds, which is placed on a support plate that is suspended vertically from the mold and moves intermittently, is used as a rice holder for putting rice into the mold hole, and the rest of the mold is At the stop position of the mold main mold, the mold hole is slightly recessed above the mold hole with the lower surface side leaving a peripheral edge in a rounded shape, and is fitted and lowered into the mold hole once every time the mold main mold is stopped. An upper mold for pressing the rice in the mold hole is provided, and a support plate is provided below the support plate at the stop position of the next main mold, and when the main mold stops, the support plate is pushed up and the lower mold above it is pressed. 1. A rice ball molding machine, characterized in that a push-up means is provided near the upper opening of the hole, and the molded rice is taken out from the upper part.