JP2019112086A - Container feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To reliably take out a container from a lowermost part of stacked containers.SOLUTION: A container feeding device has: lower claws 14 movable to a supporting position supporting a first container t1 at the lowermost part of a container stacking body T at the underside of a flange, and to a retreated position retreated from the flange; upper claws 15 movable to an advancing position advancing into a space between the flange of the first container t1 and the flange of a second container t2 positioned right above the same, and to a separation position separated from the space; and holding guides 17 movable to a holding position holding a container t at a middle position of the container stacking body T, and to a non-holding position not holding the container t. By setting the lower claws 14 at the retreated position and the upper claws 15 at the advancing position, the first container t1 is taken out, and by setting the lower claws 14 at the supporting position and the upper claws 15 at the separation position, the container t newly positioned at the lowermost part is supported by the lower claws 14, and the upper claws 15 are retreated to the advancing position. When the upper claws 15 are at the advancing position, the holding guides 17 are moved from the holding position to the non-holding position and set again at the holding position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a container supply apparatus, and more particularly to a container supply apparatus that takes out one of a plurality of stacked and accommodated containers and supplies it to the next process.

  In a food factory or a store, a container supply device is used which supplies containers one by one from the container storage unit to the next process, and the container supplied from this container supply device is provided with cooked rice and side dishes Is done.

  Here, in the container feeding device, the claw (upper claw) supporting the plurality of containers stacked and stored in the container housing portion from below (the lower claw), and the claw (upper The containers are separated one by one by alternately inserting and removing the nails), and the separated lowermost container is taken out by adsorption or self-weight drop and automatically supplied.

  In addition, about taking-out of the container in a container supply apparatus, patent document 1 (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-308222), patent document 2 (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2010-001040), patent document 3 (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent 2015-000812), for example. The technique described in the publication is known.

JP 2002-308222 A JP, 2010-001040, A JP, 2015-000812, A

  In the container feeding device described above, the upper claw is inserted into and removed from the gap of the stacked containers and the lowermost container is taken out, but if the gap between the containers is sufficient (for example, about 4 mm or more), removal and insertion should be performed Can.

  However, due to the weight of the stacked containers, the deflection of the container becomes larger as it goes downward, so that the container gap may be narrowed or crushed at the lowermost part.

  Then, the upper claw can not be inserted and removed from the gap of the container, and the container can not be taken out.

  The present invention has been made from the above-mentioned technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a container supply apparatus capable of reliably removing a container from the lowermost part of the stacked containers.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the container supply device of the 1st mode of the present invention according to claim 1 comprises a container accommodating part for accommodating a container laminate composed of a plurality of laminated containers, and a lowermost part of the container laminate. A support member movable to a support position for supporting the first container on a lower surface of a flange formed on the first container, a support member movable to a retracted position retracted from the flange, and the first container An entry position movable into a gap between the flange and a flange formed in a second container located immediately above the first container, and an entry member movable to a disengagement position from the gap; A first holding member movable to a holding position holding the container at an intermediate position of the container stack and a non-holding position not holding the container, a takeout means for taking out the first container from below, the support Member, the entry member, The control means for controlling the operation of the first holding member and the take-out means, the control means setting the approach member to the approach position, the support member to the retreat position, and the take-off means The first container is taken out, and then the support member is brought to the support position, the approach member is put to the release position, and the container which is newly positioned at the lowermost part of the container stack is supported. The control for returning the approach member to the approach position after supporting by the member, and moving the first holding member from the holding position to the non-retention position when the approach member is in the approach position, and again It is characterized by performing 1st control comprised by the control made into a holding position.

  The container feeding apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention according to the first aspect, the tip end portion of the supporting member is inclined obliquely downward.

  In the container supply device of the present invention according to claim 3, in the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the support member, the approach member and the first holding member are at least at two places across the container. It is characterized in that it is arranged.

  The container supply apparatus of the present invention according to claim 4 is the container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container at a midway position higher than the first holding member in the container laminate. And a second holding member movable to a holding position holding the container and the non-holding position not holding the container, wherein the control means is arranged to hold the first holding member at a predetermined position. The second holding member is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position to bring the second holding member to the holding position again.

  The container supply apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the container supply apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the control means performs the ratio of one time after the extraction means performs the operation of taking out the first container a plurality of times. The second holding member is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position and returned to the holding position again.

  The container supply apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the second holding members are disposed at at least two opposing positions.

  In the container supply device of the present invention according to claim 7, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the control means performs the first control, and then executes the support member. After setting the entry member to the removal position and raising the take-out means to lift the container stack, the take-out means is lowered to a predetermined position, and then the support member is brought to the support position. And performing a second control of supporting the first container by the support member.

  The container supply apparatus of the present invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control means performs the first control and then executes the support member. In the retracted position, the entry member is in the removal position, and the takeout means is raised to lift the container stack, and then the support member is in the support position, and then the takeout means is lowered. A third control of causing one container to be supported by the support member is performed.

  In the container supply device of the present invention according to a ninth aspect, in the invention according to the seventh aspect or the eighth aspect, the takeout means is provided telescopically to adsorb the bottom surface of the first container, and And a control unit configured to control the height of the first container adsorbed by the adsorption unit, wherein the control unit elevates the takeout unit in a state where the bottom surface of the first container is adsorbed by the adsorption unit. And lowering.

  The container supply apparatus of the present invention according to claim 10 further comprises an air injection means for injecting air to the position where the approach member enters, according to the invention described in any one of the above-mentioned claims 1 to 9. It is characterized by

  The container supply apparatus of the present invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first container taken out by the taking out means is conveyed toward the next step. It further has the conveyance means to carry out.

  According to the present invention, since the container above the first holding member is held by the first holding member, the number of containers held by the support member is the number of containers below the first holding member. Since the number of containers held by the support member is equal to the number of containers held by the support member, the holding position of the containers by the first holding member can be set so that the number of containers does not bend due to the weight of the containers.

  Therefore, while the load of the container applied to the support member is largely reduced, the deflection of the container held by the support member is almost eliminated, and the gap between the flange of the first container and the flange of the second container becomes narrow. There will be no collapse.

  Thus, the entry member can be stably inserted into and removed from the entry position, and the container can be reliably removed from the lowermost part of the stacked containers.

It is a perspective view which shows the cooked-rice processing mechanism provided with the container supply apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the rice processing mechanism of FIG. (A) is a perspective view which shows an example of the container into which rice is thrown in, (b) is a top view of the container of (a). It is explanatory drawing which shows the container supply apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention which comprises the cooked-rice processing mechanism of FIG. 1, and a cooked-rice throwing-in apparatus from a side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the container supply apparatus of FIG. 4, and a boiled rice input apparatus from a plane. It is a perspective view which shows the handler provided in the container supply apparatus of this Embodiment. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which shows continuously the operation | movement at the time of making the front-end | tip part of the lower nail | claw provided in the container accommodating part incline diagonally downward. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the holding | maintenance guide provided in the container accommodating part, and an auxiliary | assistant holding | maintenance guide. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example of the holding guide provided in the container accommodating part, and an auxiliary holding guide. (A)-(g) is explanatory drawing which shows continuously the operation | movement by the 1st control performed by a control part in the container supply apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a perspective view showing a handler as a modification of this embodiment. (A)-(f) is explanatory drawing which shows continuously operation | movement of the lower nail | claw, upper nail | claw, and a handler by 2nd control performed by a control part in the container supply apparatus of this Embodiment. (A)-(f) is explanatory drawing which shows continuously operation | movement of the lower nail | claw, upper nail | claw, and a handler by the 3rd control performed by a control part in the container supply apparatus of this Embodiment. It is an explanatory view showing the state where the container is not adsorbed by the handler, and comparing the height of the container when one container is supported with the height of the lowermost container when multiple containers are supported is there. It is an explanatory view showing a state in which the container is adsorbed by the handler, and comparing the height of the container when one container is supported with the height of the lowermost container when multiple containers are supported is there.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that, in the drawings for describing the embodiments, the same components are denoted by the same reference symbols in principle, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooked rice processing mechanism provided with a container supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the cooked rice processing mechanism of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing from a side the container supply apparatus and the rice input apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention which constitutes the cooked rice processing mechanism of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a handler provided in the container supply device of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c) are provided in the container accommodation portion. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an example of the holding guide and the auxiliary holding guide provided in the container accommodating portion continuously, showing the operation in the case where the tip of the lower claw is inclined obliquely downward, FIG. Another Example of Holding Guide and Auxiliary Holding Guide Provided in Container Container It is an explanatory diagram showing.

  In FIG. 1, the cooked rice processing mechanism according to the present embodiment includes a container supply device M1 for supplying a container into which rice is put, and a cooked rice input device M2 for charging rice of a predetermined weight into a container supplied from the container supply device M1. And, the measuring and distributing apparatus M3 which measures and distributes the weight (total weight) of the container into which the cooked rice is introduced by the cooked rice input apparatus M2, and the container which is classified as the total weight within the predetermined range And a discharge device M5 for discharging the container, which is classified as having a total weight outside the predetermined range, to the outside of the machine. Furthermore, an input unit 1 is provided for setting the operation of the rice processing mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cooked rice processing mechanism of the present embodiment has a control unit (control means) S which controls the entire operation of the apparatus. The control unit S is configured to receive a signal from the input unit 1 that the operator performs operation setting. And based on the signal from the input part 1, operation | movements, such as a container supply apparatus M1, the rice bowl insertion apparatus M2, and the measurement distribution apparatus M3, are controlled.

  In addition, in the cooked rice processing mechanism, a cooked rice supply device (not shown) for supplying cooked rice measured to a predetermined weight is connected to the cooked rice input device M2 provided in the cooked rice processing mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the container t into which the cooked rice R (FIGS. 4 and 5) is charged is, for example, a rectangular tray-like one created by vacuum forming a thermoplastic resin sheet. The container t is divided into two regions by a partition wall, one of which is a rice-embedded area ta where the rice R is to be provided, and the other is a side-filling region tb where the side dishes are provided. . Further, on the periphery of the container t, a flange tf projecting outward is formed over the entire circumference.

  In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the container supply device M1 for supplying the container t having the shape as described above is a tower type container accommodation portion 10 for accommodating the container laminate T composed of a plurality of laminated containers t. Is equipped. Further, the container supply device M1 is provided with a pair of container conveyance conveyors (conveying means) 11 extending from immediately below the container storage unit 10 to the next step, the rice input device M2. A handler for adsorbing a container t (hereinafter, “first container t1”) located at the lowermost part of the container stack T at the lower part of the container housing portion 10 and taking it out from below and placing it on the container conveyance conveyor 11 (Ejecting means) 12 is installed to be able to move up and down between the pair of container transport conveyors 11. Furthermore, the pushing part 13 which pushes the container t which conveys the container conveyance conveyor 11 and pushes it to the predetermined position of the cooked-rice throwing-in apparatus M2 is provided.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the handler 12 is made of rubber which is provided on the pedestal portion 12a and on the pedestal portion 12a so as to be able to expand and contract to adsorb the bottom surface of the first container t1. A pad (suction part) 12b and an elevation stay 12c for raising and lowering the pedestal part 12a by driving from a drive motor (not shown) are provided. Although the handler 12 of the present embodiment is structured to adsorb and take out the first container t1 as described above, for example, a structure other than the present embodiment, such as a structure to hold and take out the first container t1. The structure of may be adopted.

  The container laminate T stored in the container storage unit 10 is adsorbed by the handler 12 one by one from the lowermost container t by the container supply device M1 and placed on the container conveyance conveyor 11. After being conveyed to the container conveyance conveyer 11, the pushing-in unit 13 sets the rice into the cooked-in device M2.

  The cooked rice input device M2 is provided with a stage 20 on which the container t sent from the container supply device M1 is installed. Moreover, the insertion board 21 in which the rice R sent from the rice supply apparatus which is not shown in figure is mounted is spaced apart from the stage 20, and is provided immediately above. The input plate 21 is in the closed position in the horizontal state, and is formed of two plates disposed opposite to each other and turned to the input position by pivoting downward on both ends as axes.

  Therefore, the loading plate 21 is in the closed position, and the cooked rice R is placed thereon, and the container t is installed on the stage 20, and the loading plate 21 is rotated downward to the open position from the closed position. Then, the rice R on the insertion plate 21 is dropped and introduced into the boiled rice deposit area ta of the container t by its own weight.

  Now, as shown in these drawings, the lower housing (supporting member) 14 of the plate-like body and the upper claw (advancing member) 15 of the same plate-like body are provided in the container accommodating portion 10 of the container supply device M1. It is done. The lower claw 14 linearly reciprocates to a supporting position at which the first container t1 is supported by the lower surface of the flange tf formed on the first container t1, and a retracted position retracted from the flange tf. It is movable. In addition, the upper claw 15 provided immediately above the lower claw 14 similarly reciprocates linearly, so that the flange tf formed on the first container t1 and the container positioned immediately above the first container t1 It can move to the approach position which enters into the crevice with flange tf formed in t (following, "the 2nd container t2"), and the separation position which separated from this crevice.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower claws 14 and the upper claws 15 are provided vertically one by one on each side of the container t. However, it is sufficient if the lower claw 14 and the upper claw 15 are disposed at least at two places across the container t.

  The control unit S sets the upper claw 15 to the entry position, sets the lower claw 14 to the retracted position, takes out the first container t1 with the handler 12, and then sets the lower claw 14 to the support position, and sets the upper claw 15 to the support position. Control for causing the lower claw 14 to support the container t (new first container t1) newly positioned at the lowermost part of the container stack T in the release position and then returning the upper claw 15 to the entry position (Control that forms part of the first control) is executed. Details of this control will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the tip of the lower claw 14 is inclined obliquely downward. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), when the first container t1 is held obliquely, as shown in FIGS. 7 (b) and 7 (c), the first container t1 is in the retracted position. The lower claw 14 moves to the support position while lifting the first container t1 due to the inclination of the tip, so that the posture of the first container t1 can be corrected. However, the tip of the lower claw 14 may be straight without being inclined (see FIGS. 12 and 13).

  Now, returning to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the container feeding device M1 has a holding guide (first holding member) 17 for holding the container t at an intermediate position of the container stack T, and a middle position higher than the holding guide 17. The auxiliary holding guide (second holding member) 18 for holding the container t is provided at four places around the container stack T. The holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18 have, for example, a sawtooth shape (see FIG. 8) or a waveform along the vertical direction, or a brush shape (see FIG. 9) or an uneven surface. A plurality of containers t at predetermined positions are held from both sides.

  The holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18 are movable to a holding position for holding the container t at an intermediate position of the container stack T described above and a non-holding position for holding the container t. Then, when executing the control described above, the control unit S moves the holding guide 17 from the holding position to the non-holding position and takes out the first container t1 by the handler 12, and thereafter, the upper claw 15 A control (control that forms a part of the first control) is performed to shift from the non-holding position back to the holding position before the release position. In addition, with respect to the auxiliary holding guide 18, when the holding guide 17 is at the holding position, control to move from the holding position to the non-holding position at a predetermined timing to set the holding position again (a part of the first control Control). The details of these controls will also be described later.

  The holding guides 17 and the auxiliary holding guides 18 may be disposed at two opposing locations, and may not be disposed at four locations around the container stack T as in the present embodiment. Further, the shapes of the portions of the holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18 facing the container t are not limited to those described above, and the number of containers t to be held may be plural or one.

  Next, in the container supply apparatus of the present embodiment, the first control executed by the control unit S will be described using FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, in the standby state, the lower claw 14 supports the first container t1 with the lower surface of the flange tf formed on the first container t1 positioned at the lowermost portion of the container stack T. In the supporting position, the upper claw 15 is at an entering position where it has entered a gap between the flange tf formed on the first container t1 and the flange tf formed on the second container t2 located immediately above it. . Also, the handler 12 supports the bottom surface of the first container t1.

  Further, the holding guide 17 is a holding position for holding the container t at an intermediate position of the container stack T from both sides, and the auxiliary holding guide 18 has the container t at an intermediate position higher than the holding guide 17 on both sides. It is a holding position to hold from the side. Therefore, in the standby state, the containers t stacked in the container stack T are a collection of a predetermined number (five sheets in the present embodiment) of containers t from above by the holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18, and Of the predetermined number (11 in the present embodiment) of containers t and further divided into three sets of the remaining containers t on the set. Thus, the number of containers t held by the lower claw 14 is the number of containers t below the holding guide 17.

  From this standby state, as shown in FIG. 10B, the lower claw 14 moves to the retracted position retracted from the flange tf, and the handler 12 adsorbs the first container t1 and descends. Further, the holding guide 17 is moved to the non-holding position where the container t is not held, and the collection of the containers t held by the holding guide 17 is dropped. Note that when the handler 12 is lowered, the container t above the second container t2 is supported by the upper claw 15, so it is not pulled out together with the first container t1.

  After the container is taken out, as shown in FIG. 10C, the lower claw 14 returns to the support position, and the holding guide 17 returns to the holding position again. On the other hand, although the illustration is omitted, the first container t1 pulled out by further lowering the handler 12 is placed on the container conveyance conveyor 11, and is conveyed to the cooked rice input device M2 which is the next process .

  The timing at which the holding guide 17 returns to the holding position may be as long as it is before the upper claw 15 moves to the separated position described below, that is, when the upper claw 15 is at the entry position. Need not be the same as the timing of returning to the support position.

  That is, the holding guide 17 moves from the holding position shown in FIG. 10A to the non-holding position shown in FIG. 10B and the upper claw 15 moves back to the holding position shown in FIG. The lower claw 14 may be in any position of the support position or the retracted position as long as it is at the approach position. Therefore, the timing at which the holding guide 17 moves to the non-holding position may not be simultaneous with the movement of the lower claw 14 to the retracted position, and may be before or after moving to the retracted position.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), when the upper claw 15 moves from the gap between the flange tf of the first container t1 and the flange tf of the second container t2, the holding guide 17 is moved. The lower container t (that is, the container t which is not held by the holding guide 17) falls, and the container t which is to be newly positioned at the lowermost part of the container stack T (that is, the second container so far) The container t) which was t2 is supported by the lower claws 14. At this time, since the container t above the holding guide 17 is held by the holding guide 17, the number of containers t held by the lower claw 14 is the number of containers t below the holding guide 17 (= standby state) The number of sheets held when) will be.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10 (e), the upper claw 15 returns from the separated position to the approach position, and is in the above-mentioned standby state.

  At this time, since the container t above the holding guide 17 is held by the holding guide 17, the number of containers t held by the lower claw 14 is not the number of the entire container laminate T, but from the holding guide 17. The number of lower containers t is obtained. Therefore, the holding position of the container t by the holding guide 17 can be set so that the number of containers t held by the lower claws 14 is the number not causing deflection due to the weight of the container t.

  As a result, the load of the container t applied to the lower claw 14 is greatly reduced, and the deflection of the container t held by the lower claw 14 is almost eliminated. Then, the gap between the flange tf of the first container t1 and the flange tf of the second container t2 immediately thereabove does not narrow or collapse, so the upper claw 15 is moved to the entrance position (the first container t1 The bottom of the stacked container t can be stably inserted and removed with respect to the formed flange tf and the position entering the gap between the flange tf formed in the second container t2 located immediately above it. It is possible to take out the container t (first container t1) with certainty.

  Here, in a series of cycles by the lower claw 14, the upper claw 15, and the holding guide 17 shown in FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (e), as shown in FIG. 10 (f), the holding guide 17 is in the holding position. When the auxiliary holding guide 18 is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position which does not hold the container t, a plurality of containers t stacked and held by the auxiliary holding guide 18 are dropped, and then, FIG. Return to the holding position again as shown in).

  In this way, the impact load due to the replenishment of the container t to the holding guide 17 and the load on the stacked containers t can be dispersed, and the load applied to the holding guide 17 and the claws 14 and 15 can always be made constant. Can.

  The operation of moving the auxiliary holding guide 18 from the holding position to the non-holding position and returning it again to the holding position can be performed at any predetermined timing as long as the holding guide 17 is at the holding position. That is, it may be performed each time the handler 12 takes out the first container t1. However, if the operation is performed each time, there is a concern that the load accompanying the falling of the container t stacked on the lower claw 14, the upper claw 15, and the holding guide 17 is applied, and the movement of the lower claw 14 and the upper claw 15 becomes unstable. Therefore, it is desirable that the handler 12 performs the operation of taking out the first container t1 a plurality of times (for example, 5 times) at a rate of once.

  Now, when the first container t1 located at the lowermost part of the container stack T is taken out from below by the handler 12, the lower claw 14 moved from the retracted position and the upper claw 15 moved from the separated position are in their original positions (that is, It is possible that the container t can not return to the standby position shown in FIG. 10A as a result of not being able to return to the support position in the case of the lower claw 14 and the approach position in the case of the upper claw 15.

  Therefore, the control unit S of the container supply apparatus according to the present embodiment performs the second control or the third control described below after executing the above-described first control assuming such a case. After execution, the next first control is to be performed.

  Hereinafter, the second control and the third control will be described using FIGS. 11 to 15. In FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the tip end portion of the lower claw 14 is straight without being inclined, but it is needless to say that it may be inclined obliquely downward.

  Here, FIG. 11 shows a handler 12 as a modified example of the present embodiment used when executing the second control and the third control, and a suction pad is further added to the handler 12 shown in FIG. A restricting portion 12d for restricting the height of the first container t1 adsorbed to the 12b is provided on the pedestal 12a so as to surround the adsorption pad 12b.

  As described above, the suction pad 12b is expandable. Therefore, by providing the restricting portion 12d, when the first container t1 is adsorbed and the suction pad 12b is contracted, the bottom surface of the first container t1 is pressed against the surface of the restricting portion 12d which is flat. The height of one container t1 is to be regulated. The handler 12 may adopt a structure other than the present embodiment, and for example, the height of the first container t1 may be regulated by means other than adsorption such as gripping.

  Now, in FIG. 12A, as an example in which the container t is not in the standby state, a case where the first container t1 is not held by a part of the lower claw 14 but is inclined is shown. Then, in the second control, the handler 12 is raised to lift the inclined first container t1, as shown in FIG. 12B, with respect to the state in which the first container t1 is inclined, and the lower claw 14 In the retracted position, the upper claw 15 in the disengaging position, and the holding guide 17 in the non-holding position.

  At this time, when the container 12 is not adsorbed by the handler 12, the height of the container t when one container t shown on the left side of FIG. 14 is supported and the container t shown on the right side of FIG. As shown in comparison with the height of the lowermost container t when supporting a large number of sheets, if the load differs depending on the number of stacked containers t, the height of the container t is determined by the elasticity of the rubber used for the suction pad 12b. Is not constant. On the other hand, when the container t is adsorbed by the suction pad 12b of the handler 12, the bottom surface of the container t is pressed against the surface of the regulating portion 12d, so when one container t shown on the left side of FIG. The load differs depending on the number of stacked containers t, as shown by comparison of the height of the container t and the height of the lowermost container t when supporting a large number of the containers t shown on the right side of FIG. Also, the height of the container t becomes constant.

  Therefore, in the second control, the handler 12 is moved up and down while the container t is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 12b. However, in the third control, the height of the container t does not necessarily have to be fixed by adsorption, and hence the handler shown in FIG. 6 is not the handler 12 provided with the restricting portion 12 d as shown in FIG. It may be 12 (handler without restriction part). The reason will be described later.

  Note that the distance between the container t held by the holding guide 17 and the container t below it is wide, and the container 12 is held by the holding guide 17 even if the entire container t is lifted by the handler 12 as described below. If the container does not collide with the container t, the holding guide 17 does not have to be in the non-holding position.

  Now, when the inclined first container t1 is lifted by the handler 12, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), the handler 12 is further raised to lift the entire container t.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12 (d), the handler 12 is lowered and returned to the home position. In the fixed position, the height of the container t is such that the lower claw 14 can support the first container t1 at the support position, and the upper claw 15 at the entry position is the flange tf of the first container t1 and the second container This is a position where the height can be entered into the gap with the flange tf of t2.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12 (e), the lower claw 14 is moved from the retracted position to the support position to support the first container t1 located at the lowermost portion, and finally, in FIG. 12 (f). As shown, the handler 12 is lowered and the upper claw 15 is moved from the release position to the entry position. Thereby, the container t can be restored to the standby state.

  The second control may be ended without lowering the handler 12 (that is, while the bottom surface of the first container t1 is supported by the handler 12), and the process may shift to the first control described above.

  Next, the third control will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the third control, in the second control, the handler 12 is returned to the home position in FIG. 12 (d), and in the next FIG. 12 (e), the lower claw 14 is moved to the support position to move the first container While t1 is supported, in FIGS. 13 (d) and 13 (e) corresponding thereto, the operation is different from this. The other points are the same as those in the second control, and therefore redundant description will be omitted.

  Now, in the third control, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), after raising the handler 12 and lifting the whole container t, as shown in FIG. 13 (d), the lower claw 14 is moved from the retracted position. Move to support position. Then, as shown in FIG. 13E, the handler 12 is lowered and the lower claw 14 supports the first container t1.

  According to such a third control, as in the second control, it is possible to lower the first container t1 simply by lowering the handler 12 without lowering the handler 12 and accurately returning to the fixed position. 14 can be supported.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to make the height of the container t supported by the handler 12 constant regardless of the number of containers, because it is not necessary to accurately return the handler 12 to the fixed position and accurately position the height of the container t. . Therefore, for the third control, the handler 12 shown in FIG. 6 without the restricting portion 12 d may be used.

  Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are illustrative in all points and limited to the disclosed technology. is not. That is, the technical scope of the present invention is not to be interpreted restrictively based on the description in the above embodiment, and should be interpreted in accordance with the description of the claims only, and the claims It is intended to include all modifications without departing from the scope of the claims and the technical equivalents of the recited technology.

  For example, an air injection means (not shown) for injecting air may be provided at a position where the upper claw 15 enters, that is, in the gap between the flange tf of the first container t1 and the flange tf of the second container t2. . If the air injection means is provided, the first container t1 and the second container t2 can be easily separated, so that the certainty of extraction by the handler 12 is improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lower claw 14 and the upper claw 15 reciprocate linearly and can move between the support position and the retracted position, or the approach position and the separated position. It may be movable to a position.

  In the container supply apparatus of the above-mentioned description, although the tray-shaped container into which rice is thrown in is illustrated, various containers, such as a bowl-shaped container and a curry container, are applicable. Furthermore, it is not limited to the container into which rice is thrown, For example, containers other than rice, such as a cup, may be sufficient.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 input part 10 container accommodating part 11 container conveyance conveyor 12 handler (extraction means)
12a pedestal 12b suction pad (suction part)
12c Lifting stay 12d Regulating portion 13 Pushing portion 14 Lower claw (supporting member)
15 Upper claw (advancing member)
17 Holding guide (first holding member)
18 Auxiliary holding guide (second holding member)
20 stage 21 input plate M1 container supply device M2 cooked rice input device M3 measurement distribution device M4 transport device M5 discharge device R cooked rice S control unit (control means)
T container laminate t container t1 first container t2 second container ta cooked rice deposit area tb side dish deposit area tf flange

Claims (11)

A container storage unit for storing a container stack including a plurality of stacked containers;
A support member movable to a support position for supporting the first container on a lower surface of a flange formed on the first container located at the lowermost part of the container stack, and a retracted position retracted from the flange;
An approach position for entering a gap between the flange formed on the first container and a flange formed on a second container located immediately above the first container, and a separation position separated from the gap A movable entry member,
A first holding member movable to a holding position holding the container at an intermediate position of the container stack and a non-holding position not holding the container;
Takeout means for taking out the first container from below;
Control means for controlling the operation of the support member, the approach member, the first holding member, and the takeout means;
The control means
The entry member is at the entry position, the support member is at the retraction position, the first container is taken out by the takeout means, and then the support member is at the support position and the entry member is at the release position. Control of causing the support member to support the container newly positioned at the lowermost part of the container stack and then returning the approach member to the approach position;
Control to move the first holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position and back to the holding position when the entering member is in the entering position;
Execute a first control consisting of
A container supply device characterized by The tip of the support member is inclined obliquely downward,
The container supply apparatus according to claim 1, The support member, the approach member, and the first holding member are disposed at least at two places across the container.
The container supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The container stack further includes a second holding member movable to a holding position for holding the container at an intermediate position higher than the first holding member in the container stack and a non-holding position not holding the container.
The control means moves the second holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position at a predetermined timing when the first holding member is in the holding position, and sets the second holding member to the holding position again.
The container supply apparatus as described in any one of the Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The control means moves the second holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position at a rate of once after the taking-out means takes out the first container a plurality of times, and holds the holding position again. Back to
The container supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The second holding members are disposed at at least two opposing positions,
The container supply device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The control means
After executing the first control,
After the support member is in the retracted position, the approach member is in the removal position, and the take-out means is raised to lift the container stack, the take-out means is lowered to a predetermined position before the support member is taken up. Performing a second control of causing the first container to be supported by the support member in the support position;
The container supply apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The control means
After executing the first control,
After the support member is in the retracted position, the approach member is in the removal position, and the takeout means is raised to lift the container stack, the support member is in the support position and the takeout means is lowered. To execute a third control of causing the first container to be supported by the support member,
The container supply apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The takeout means includes an adsorbing unit which is provided so as to be expandable and adsorbs the bottom surface of the first container, and a restricting unit which restricts the height of the first container adsorbed by the adsorbing unit.
The control means raises and lowers the removal means in a state where the bottom surface of the first container is adsorbed by the adsorption section.
A container feeding apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: It further comprises an air injection means for injecting air at a position where the entry member enters.
The container supply apparatus as described in any one of the Claims 1-9 characterized by the above-mentioned. It further has a conveying means for conveying the first container taken out by the taking-out means to the next step,
The container supply apparatus as described in any one of the Claims 1-10 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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