Patent ID: 11856977
Assignee: AJINOMOTO CO., INC.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A  B

Claim 17:
18. A mixing apparatus that mixes an additive with a food, the mixing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of hoppers, each hopper of the plurality of hoppers has a top, the top of each hopper of the plurality of hoppers being separate from another hopper, and each of the plurality of hoppers in an initial state being open at the top and capable of housing the food received from above;
a first hopper of the plurality of hoppers being pivotably supported to rotate about a first axis; the first hopper receiving the food in the initial state; when the first hopper rotates, the food previously received inside the first hopper falls from the top of the first hopper to directly outside the first hopper in a falling direction by a rotation of the first hopper about the axis of the first shaft;
a second hopper of the plurality of hoppers being pivotably supported to rotate about a second axis; the second hopper including a top that receives the food that has fallen out of the first hopper so that the food is located inside the second hopper, when the second hopper rotates after receiving the food that has fallen out of the first hopper, the food inside the second hopper falls from the top of the second hopper directly outside the second hopper in the falling direction by rotation of the second hopper about the second axis;
a supply device that supplies the additive to the food; and
wherein the first hopper is one of a plurality of first hoppers, the plurality of first hoppers being spaced apart in a width direction orthogonal to the falling direction, and each of the plurality of first hoppers provided in the width direction being rotatable, the second hopper being positioned directly below one of the plurality of first hoppers in the falling direction.