GB2288139A - Improvements in the production of noodles - Google Patents

Abstract

Belt-shaped noodle stock 1 is converted into continuous noodle strips 4 by passage between noodle-making rollers 3. An oscillating hopper 5 whose lower portion oscillates about an upper portion fulcrum is continuously fed with the noodle strips 4 at the upper portion thereof and discharges the noodle strips from the lower end thereof to be folded by the oscillation of the hopper. The hopper 5 is oscillated by a drive unit in which the hopper 5 is urged by a spring 15 in the forward direction and retreats in the backward direction under an external force. The lower end of the hopper 5 is provided with a cutting blade 20 (Fig. 2, not shown) for cutting the noodle strips in co-operation with a back-up blade 21 (Fig. 2, not shown). A disactuatable stopper 16 is provided for blocking full oscillation of hopper 5 thus stopping the blade 20 engaging the back-up blade 21, allowing the uninterrupted noodle strips to be folded. <IMAGE>

Description

n Improvements in the Production of Noodles" In recent years, uncooked noodles have been packed in strip form usually folded into two. The present device relates to a method and apparatus for supplying folded strips of noodles and to equipment for packing the folded strips. The invention is also applicable to dried noodles.

Previously, in order to pack noodles having a required length into a bag of a certain size noodle strips have been packed folded into two. Conventionally, packing of noodle strips folded into two has been performed in such a manner that continuously made noodle strips are cut to a certain length, supported by a supporting rod and supplied onto a packing film for pillow-type packing.

In the case of the dried noodles, the noodle strips as folded into two have been supplied to a drying chamber dried, and then packed.

In the above method of allowing the supporting rod to support noodle strips, the structure of mechanical equipment for allowing noodle strips to be supported by the supporting rod was complex and the equipment itself was large in size. Also, the packing pattern allowing the noodles to be folded in two could not be altered in this respect. Where noodle strips are packed as folded into two, the external shape of packages has been limited depending on the length of noodles, so that noodles could not be packed into small bags. However, with the demand diversified, there have been needs that two or more bowl fulls of noodles are to be packed into one bag or that short-size bags are to be provided.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present device to provide method and equipment for supplying folded noodle strips which is relatively simple in structure so as to require a small space and can supply noodle strips with the folding pattern being changed from the one allowing folding in two to the one allowing folding in four and also other configurations.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for supplying folded noodle strips which converts belt-shaped noodle stock into continuous noodle strips lines by passing the stock between noodlemaking rollers and for supplying the noodle strips in the folded state to the next process wherein an oscillating hopper whose lower portion oscillates at a certain stroke with its upper portion acting as a fulcrum is continously fed with the noodle strips at the upper portion thereof and discharges the noodle strips in the folded state from the lower end thereof.

According to another aspect there is provided a method of manufacturing and packaging noodle strips from beltshaped stock which comprises the steps of converting the stock into the noodle strips and oscillating the formed strips moving downwardly so as to deposit them as a folded stack which is passed on for packaging.

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a front view partly schematic. of forming and packing equipment in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a front view showing a detailed embodiment of a noodle former for use in the equipment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the former of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an operational view showing in an operational sequence the noodle supply by an equipment for supplying folded noodle strip of the present device.

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing packing patterns of noodle strips packable by an equipment for supplying folded noodle strips of the present device.

Figure 1 is a view showing a schematic of the complete forming and packing equipment. Noodle stock 1 is formed as a relatively wide belt (see also Figure 3). Thickness is adjusted by the nip of rollers 2, 2. The belt is passed through the noodle-making rollers 3, 3 on which grooves have been engraved on the outer periphery thereof to produce side-by-side noodle strips.

The continuous noodle strips 4 discharged from the noodle-making rollers 3, 3 are supplied to the oscillating hopper 5 oscillating in the vertical plane with its upper portion mounted as a horizontal fulcrum then discharged from the lower end of the oscillating hopper 5. At a position relatively close to and under the oscillating hopper 5, there is arranged a conveyor 6 which is driven intermittently and onto which a packing film 7 for the pillow-type surround packing is supplied.

Therefore, the noodle strips discharged as a folded stack by the oscillating hopper are supplied onto the packing film 7.

As the stacked noodle strips on the packing film 7 are transported in the forward direction by the conveyor 6, the film is folded at its right/left ends to contain the noodle strips therein and sealed to form a tube by a centre sealing unit 8. At a position forward of the sealing unit 8 the tube is sealed transversely per each packing unit by transverse sealing jaws 9, 9 and divided to form a single separate bag to complete packing.

The oscillating hopper 5, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 is supported by an oscillating shaft 10 at its upper portion and oscillatingly driven by a drive rod 11 whose one end is pivotally supported at a portion of the oscillating hopper. That is, the other end of the drive rod 11 is pivotally supported by an arm 13 which is rotated by a drive shaft 12. The drive rod 11 is connected to a portion of the arm 13 which is distanced from the centre of rotation by a certain length thereby allowing the oscillating motion at a certain stroke of the oscillating hopper 5.Engagement of the arm 13 and the drive rod 11 is such that the above-mentioned other end of the drive rod 11 is supported at a required position of a slit provided in the arm 13 in such a manner that the distance between the end of the rod 11 and the centre of the drive shaft 12 can be changed, thereby allowing the stroke of oscillation to be adjusted. The composition of the drive rod 11 is such tht two drive rods lia, 11b are connected by an expansion joint 14, and the expanding spring 15 in the expansion joint 14 urges the rods lla, 11b outwardly and can thus be contracted under longitudinal forces.

In the forward oscillating direction of the oscillating hopper 5, there is provided the stopper unit 16. The stopper unit 16 is in operation in relation with the drive shaft 12 of said drive rod 13; a stopper 18 illustrated in the shape of a circular arc-form in the drawing is fixed to a stopper shaft 17 rotating at a revolution speed different from shaft 12. A hit fixture 19 is fixed to the oscillating shaft 10 of the oscillating hopper 5 and the oscillating locus of the hit fixture 19 meets and crosses the rotating locus of said stopper 18.

The stopper 18, as shown in Figure 3, is movable in the axial direction of the stopper shaft 17 to a position wherein the stopper meets and crosses the oscillating locus of the hit fixture 19 or a position outside this locus.

At the lower end of the side face (the left side face in Figure 2) facing in the backward oscillating direction of the oscillating hopper 5, there is provided the cutting blade 20 for cutting the noodle strips, while at a fixed position forward of the oscillating locus, there is provided the back-up blade 21. The cutting blade 20 is disengageable and easy to grind and the length of protrusion can be adjusted. The back-up blade 21 is disengageable like the cutting blade 20, and as shown in Figure 3, a blade base 24 supporting the back-up blade 21 can be lowered and raised by a rack 22 and a pinion 23 so that the position of the back-up blade relative to the cutting blade can be adjusted.

With reference to Figure 4, the operating sequence will be explained hereinafter. The equipment for supplying folded noodle strips shown in Figure 4 is constructed in such a manner that the rotation of the oscillating shaft 10 for oscillating the oscillating hopper is in relation with the rotation of the stopper shaft 17, and further the revolution speed of the oscillating shaft 10 is two times the revolution speed of the stopper shaft 17, so that every other oscillation of the oscillating hopper is blocked by the stopper.

As shown in Figure 4(a), when the oscillating hopper 5 oscillates backwardly from the forward oscillation end position the first layer of the noodle strips is discharged onto the packing film 7 as shown in Figure 4(b). Subsequently, when the oscillating hopper 5 oscillates forward, the noodle strips are folded, so that the second layer is supplied as shown in Figure 4(c).

At this point, the stopper 18 is abutted against the hit fixture 19 of the oscillating hopper 5, thereby preventing the oscillating hopper from oscillating to the forwardmost position (in the right direction in Figure 4). Accordingly, the noodle strips oscillate once more without being cut and the third layer of the noodle strips is supplied in the same manner as in Figure 4(b) and subsequently the hopper oscillates forward as shown in Figure 4(d), whereby the fourth layer is supplied.

At this point, the stopper 18 is positioned at a position where it does not hit the hit fixture 19, so that the noodle strips 4 are cut by the cutting blade 20 and the back-up blade 21, whereby the noodle strips folded into four are supplied onto the packing film 7. Thereafter, the conveyor 6 is driven a predetermined distance and at the same time, the packing film is also extended by a length equivalent to one pack.

As shown in Figure 3, when the stopper 18 is moved along the stopper shaft 17 so that the rotating locus of the stopper 18 does not meet with the oscillating locus of the hit fixture 19, the noodle strips 4 are cut at each oscillation of the oscillating hopper 5, whereby the noodle strips folded in two are supplied. That is, in the present embodiment, the stopper 18 is caused to be moved along the stopper shaft so that the position where the stopper actuated or position where the stopper is not actuated is selected whereby the state of the noodle strips as folded in two or in four can be easily charged to each other.

Figure 5 shows an example of the packing pattern which can be performed by the equipment for supplying folded noodle strips of the present device, where Figure 5(a) shows an embodiment of folding into two and Figure 5(b) shows an embodiment in which one tier of the noodles folded into two is placed on another to provide two tiers. The two tiers shown in Figure 5(b) are provided by driving the conveyor 6 a distance of one package for every two oscillations of the oscillating hopper.

Figure 5(c) shows an embodiment of the packing pattern of one unit of noodles folded into four; Figure 5(d) that of two units of noodles folded into four; and Figure 5(e), that of three units of noodles folded into four. The packing pattern of Figures 5(d) and 5(e) can be realised in such a manner that after one unit of folded noodle lines is supplied, the conveyor 6 is moved by a small distance of one folding pitch P, and, in Figure 5(e) another small distance of the pitch P.

Subsequently, the conveyor is driven by a distance of one pack.

Although the present device is preferable mainly for packing of the uncooked noodles which are not suitable for the packing form allowing the noodles to be intertwined, the device, of course, can also be utilised for the packing pattern of dried noodles. In this case, the noodle strips supplied from the oscillating hopper in the folded state are not supplied onto the packing film, but supplied to the next process, i.e. the drying process.

Although in the above-described illustrated embodiment, the oscillating hopper 5 is driven by the drive rod 11, the oscillating hopper, for example may be oscillated with the oscillating shaft 10 used as a drive shaft rotating by a certain angle, and a spring for allowing the hopper to retreat may be provided between the oscillating shaft 10 acting as a drive shaft and the oscillating hopper 5. The stopper 18 may hit directly a portion of the oscillating hopper 5 not the hit fixture fixed to the oscillating shaft, or it may detect the motion of the oscillating hopper to perform electrically protruding/retracting action.

In equipment in accordance with the invention the noodle folding pattern readily changed from the fold state of two into the fold state of four, thereby accommodating for the needs of various package patterns. The present device allows noodle strips to be folded into four and thus to form a small package, in other words, allows noodles with a length as long as possible contained in a smaller package to be provided to consumers.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS:

1. Apparatus for supplying folded noodle strips which converts belt-shaped noodle stock into continuous noodle strips lines by passing the stock between noodlemaking rollers and for supplying the noodle strips in the folded state to the next process wherein: an oscillating hopper whose lower portion oscillates at a certain stroke with its upper portion acting as a fulcrum is continously fed with the noodle strips at the upper portion thereof and discharges the noodle strips in the folded state from the lower end thereof.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein hopper is oscillated by a drive unit in which the oscillating hopper is urged by a spring in the forward oscillating direction and is allowed to retreat in the backward direction under an external force.

3. Apparatus as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the lower end of the oscillating hopper is provided with a cutting blade which when positioned at the forward oscillation end place cuts the noodle strips in co-operation with a back-up blade located at the fixed position.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a disactuatable stopper for blocking the oscillation of the hopper to the forward oscillation end place to stop the blade at the backward position with respect to the back-up blade.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

6. A method of manufacturing and packaging noodle strips from belt-shaped stock which comprises the steps of converting the stock into the noodle strips and oscillating the formed strips moving downwardly so as to deposit them as a folded stack which is passed on for packaging.

7. A method as claimed in Claim 6 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.