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EP-4070661-B1 - FOOD DOUGH FORMING DEVICE

EP4070661B1EP 4070661 B1EP4070661 B1EP 4070661B1EP-4070661-B1

Inventors

  • NAKAYAMA ATSUO
  • NARABU MIKIO
  • KOMINATO SUSUMU

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20201130

Claims (9)

  1. A food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) for forming food dough (F) into a band-like food dough (F2) comprising: a main body frame (5), at least two rotatable rollers (31A, 31B; 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) arranged parallel to each other, two wall plates (53, 83, 95, 105; 51, 81, 94, 104) opposed to each other in an axial direction of the rotatable rollers (31A, 31B; 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN), and two support structure units (61, 91, 111; 54, 85, 85M, 85N) supporting the respective two wall plates (53, 83, 95, 105; 51, 81, 94, 104), wherein a dough forming flow path (65) is formed to be enclosed between the at least two rotatable rollers (31A, 31B; 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) and between the two wall plates (53, 83, 95, 105; 51, 81, 94, 104), wherein at least one of the at least two rotatable rollers is at least one long rotatable roller (31A, 31B) which is longer than the at least one remaining rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN), the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B) being fixed to a rotational shaft (37A, 37B, 77, 97A, 97B, 107) for the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B), and opposite ends of the rotational shaft (37A, 37B, 77, 97A, 97B, 107) being rotatably supported by the main body frame (5), wherein the at least one remaining rotatable roller is at least one short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) having the same length which is shorter than a length of the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B), the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) being detachably fitted onto a rotational shaft (38A, 38B, 39A, 39B, 79, 99, 108) for the short rotatable roller, and a far-side end of the rotational shaft (38A, 38B, 39A, 39B, 79, 99, 108) for the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) is cantilevered and rotatably supported by the main body frame (5) or a roller drive unit (35A, 35B) attached to the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B), wherein a far-side wall plate (53, 83, 95, 105) of the two wall plates has a fitting recess (53A, 53B) into which an arc portion of a periphery of the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B) is fitted, and a recessed cutout (53C, 53D, 53E, 53F) at the rotational shaft (38A, 38B, 39A, 39B, 79, 99, 108) for the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN), which recessed cutout (53C, 53D, 53E, 53F) is larger than a diameter of the rotational shaft (38A, 38B, 39A, 39B, 79, 99, 108) for the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) and smaller than an outer diameter of the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN), the far-side wall plate (53, 83, 95, 105) being supported via a far-side support structure unit (61, 91, 111) of the two support structure units by the main body frame (5), wherein the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) is fitted onto the rotational shaft (38A, 38B, 39A, 39B, 79, 99, 108) for the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) to abut the far-side wall plate (53, 83, 95, 105), wherein a near-side wall plate (51, 81, 94, 104) of the two wall plates has a fitting recess (51A, 51B) into which the arc portion of the periphery of the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B) is fitted, the near-side wall plate (51, 81, 94, 104) being disposed to abut the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN), and supported via a near-side support structure unit (54, 85, 85M, 85N) of the two support structure units by the main body frame (5), and wherein an axial movement of the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) is limited by the two wall plates (53, 83, 95, 105; 51, 81, 94, 104).
  2. The food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the far-side end of the rotational shaft (38A, 38B, 39A, 39B) for the short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) is cantilevered and rotatably supported by the roller drive unit (35A, 35B) attached to the long rotatable roller (31A, 31B).
  3. The food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the far-side wall plate (53, 83, 95, 105) is detachably supported by the far-side support structure unit (61, 91, 111) in a fitting way, and wherein the near-side wall plate (51, 81, 94, 104) is detachably supported by the near-side support structure unit (54, 85, 85M, 85N) in a fitting way.
  4. The food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the far-side support structure unit (61, 91, 111) includes a support shaft (62, 92) supported by the main body frame (5), and a holding pin (60, 60M, 60N) connecting the support shaft (62, 92) with the far-side wall plate (53, 83, 95, 105).
  5. The food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the near-side support structure unit (54, 85, 85M, 85N) includes a support structure (55, 86, 86N) detachably attached to the main body frame (5), and a holding pin (60, 60M, 60N) connecting the support structure (55, 86, 86N) with the near-side wall plate (51, 81, 94, 104) in a fitting way.
  6. The food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the short rotatable rollers (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) is allowed to be swung around one of the long rotatable rollers (31A, 31B).
  7. The food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one short rotatable roller (32A, 32B, 33A, 33B; 32AN, 32BN, 33AN, 33BN) is allowed to be moved close to and away from the at least one long rotatable roller (31A, 31B).
  8. A food dough dividing device (1) comprising: a hopper (7, 71) containing a mass of the food dough; a cutting device (9) disposed at a bottom opening of the hopper (7, 71) to cut the mass of the food dough (F) into a bar-like food dough (F1); and a food dough forming device (3, 73, 93, 101) according to any one of claims 1-7 to form the cut bar-like food dough (F1) into a band-like food dough (F2).
  9. The food dough dividing device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the cutting device (9) is a star-cutter-type cutting device (9).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a food dough forming device for forming food dough, such as bread dough, into band-like food dough, and a food dough dividing device including the food dough forming device. BACKGROUND ART A conventional food dough forming device includes a hopper, and a plurality of narrowing and pressing device which is disposed below the hopper and arranged in up-down direction in a multi-step way so that a distance between members opposed to each other in an upper narrowing and pressing device is large, while a distance between members opposed to each other in a lower narrowing and pressing device is small, and these distances are repeatedly enlarged and contracted. Further, the food dough forming device is configured so that the narrowing and pressing device can be extended in a direction diagonal to an opposed direction (see Patent Publication 1). In the food dough forming device described in the Patent Publication 1, since an axial length of the narrowing and pressing device including a plurality of rotatable rollers can be changed, and the food dough forming device further includes side wall plates arranged outside of and adjacent to the opposite ends of the rotatable rollers, the band-like food dough with a desired width can be made. To extend the axial lengths of the rotatable roller fixed to a rotational shaft, the Patent Publication 1 discloses an example in which supplementary roller members divided into semicircular sections are added onto the rotational shaft at the opposite ends of the rotatable roller. The Patent Publication 1 also discloses that cylindrical rollers are fitted onto the rotatable roller and moved in the axial direction of the rotatable shaft to obtain a required length of the rotatable roller. The Patent Publication 1 also discloses that rotatable rollers with variety of lengths are prepared, and rotatable rollers are replaced with different rotatable rollers with a different length. Another food dough forming device includes a hopper and a plurality set of rotatable rollers which are disposed below the hopper and configured to be opposed to each other so that a distance between the upper rotatable rollers opposed to each other is large, while a distance between the lower rotatable rollers opposed to each other is small, and the food dough forming device further includes two adjustment plates which are opposed to each other in an axial direction of the rotatable rollers and disposed between the rotatable rollers opposed to each other (see Patent Publication 2). In the food dough forming device disclosed in the Patent Publication 2, by adjusting a distance between the adjustment plates opposed to each other, the band-like food dough with a desired width can be made. Another food dough forming device includes at least two rotatable rollers opposed to each other, and two oscillating members which are disposed between the at least two rotatable rollers and which position can be adjusted in an axial direction of the rotatable rollers (see Patent Publication 3). In the food dough forming device disclosed in the Patent Publication 3, by oscillating or reciprocating the two oscillating members to be moved close to and away from each other at the adjusted position, the band-like food dough with a desired width can be made. From Patent Publication 5 a bread dough stretching apparatus is known that comprises a rotating member with a plurality of planetary rollers mounted on parallel shafts and moving along a circular path, and a conveying device with plurality of rollers. The rollers are arranged to stretch the bread dough such that a curved space having an upstream end and a downstream end is formed between the circular path formed by a portion of the planetary rollers and an arcuate path formed by a portion of the rollers of the conveying device. Patent Publication 6 discloses an apparatus for beating and rolling a fermented dough belt between rolling members to release surplus fermentation gas from the surface of a dough belt. The apparatus comprises a first rolling member with a plurality of rolling rollers each of which moves sequentially upstream from downstream and beats and rolls the dough belt being conveyed. A second rolling member conveys and rolls the dough belt between the first and second rolling members. In the food dough spreading device known from Patent Publication 7, which has a plurality of opposing spreading rollers, a vibration generating means is provided. PRIOR ART PUBLICATION Patent Publication 1: Japanese Patent No. 3056697Patent Publication 2: Japanese Examined Patent No. S36-018083Patent Publication 3: Japanese Patent No. 6076338Patent Publication 4: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-342160Patent Publication 5: European Patent No. 0740902 B1Patent Publication 6: Canadian Patent Application No. 2488742 A1Patent Publication 7: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003 061561 A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEM