JP2022132462A - Device for pulling on object to be handled, device for flattening object to be handled, and device for leveling height of object to be handled - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device that can adjust a position of an object to be handled so that the position gets close to a center area, a device that can flatten the object to be handled toward a peripheral area of a position at which the object to be handled is supplied and a device that can level heights of an object to be handled.

SOLUTION: The device that pulls on an object to be handled comprises a claw part support body 10, a claw member 12, an opening/closing driving part 14, a lifting driving part 16, a rotary driving part 18 and a control part 20. The control part 20 is configured to execute a moving-down step, a closing step of changing a posture of the claw member 12 into a closed state, a moving-up step of moving up the claw member 12 in the closed state so that the member gets away from a position at which an object to be handled is supplied, and an opening step of changing the posture of the claw member 12 into an opened state in this order. The control part 20 further executes a rotating step in which the claw member 12 is rotated with respect to the position at which the object to be handled is supplied, by controlling the rotary driving part 18 at any time from when the closing step is started until when the opening step is finished.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6c

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides a device for pulling an object to be operated, a device for spreading the object to be operated, and a device for adjusting the height of the object to be operated, which can be used to arrange an object to be operated such as noodles in a desired position or posture. It relates to a leveling device.

Conventionally, noodles in a container have been sold as a kind of bento. For example, boiled spaghetti or other noodle blocks are covered with sauces and topped with ingredients, and are sold in a container.

Noodles in such a container, for example, after the noodle lumps are placed in a resin container conveyed by a belt conveyor, sauces are applied or ingredients are applied by a robot that interlocks with the conveying timing of the belt conveyor. is topped, or the container is covered with a corresponding container lid.

JP-A-4-262729

According to the findings of the present inventor, it is common practice to prevent sticking of noodle strings by adding oil or the like to boiled noodle blocks. There is a tendency for the noodle blocks to become entangled with each other, and when such noodle blocks are served in a container, the central portion of the noodle blocks tends to maintain a raised posture.

If sauces or toppings are put on the noodle block with the central portion raised, the sauces or toppings will adhere to the back of the container lid that is covered with the container in the subsequent process, and the appearance of the product will be poor. .

In addition, since there is variation in how the noodle strings of the noodle mass are entangled with each other, the noodle mass may be served at a position deviated from the center of the container. In that case, the position of the sauces and toppings is shifted from the desired position, and the appearance of the product is also deteriorated.

In order to avoid these problems, when handling boiled noodle lumps in particular, it was necessary for workers to manually loosen the noodle lumps and flatten the top surface of the noodle lumps.

However, in recent years, due to a shortage of human resources, promotion of unmanned production is being considered or practiced at various production sites.

Under such circumstances, Patent Document 1 proposes a noodle leveling device for leveling lumps of noodles. According to this noodle leveling device, the claws inserted into the central portion of the noodle mass are opened to the peripheral portion, so that the swelling of the central portion of the noodle mass can be eliminated to some extent.

However, according to the study of the inventor of the present invention, it is not possible to correct the entire position of the noodle block by using only the claw opening and closing mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1, so that the swell in the central portion of the noodle block can be eliminated. It cannot be said that the effect is sufficient.

The present invention was invented in view of the above background. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can be used to arrange an object to be manipulated, such as a lump of noodles (particularly a lump of boiled noodles), in a desired position or posture.

The inventors of the present invention conducted intensive studies under the above-mentioned purpose, and found that a process for arranging an object to be manipulated, such as a noodle mass (especially a noodle mass of boiled noodles), in a desired position or posture as follows. It has been found that it is effective to proceed with the study by dividing it into three steps. The three steps are (1) a step of correcting the position of the operated object by pulling the operated object provided at the operated object providing position to the central region of the operated object providing position; After correcting the position by pulling the object to be operated to the central area (after step (1) is performed), pushing the object to be operated back to the peripheral area of the object providing position; (3) A step of leveling the height of the object to be operated after the object to be operated is pushed and spread back (after step (2) is performed).

The inventor of the present invention has developed the following device as a device for effectively practicing step (1). That is, the present invention is a device for pulling an object to be operated provided at an object-providing position to a central region of the object-providing position, wherein the claw member is positioned above the object-providing position. a support, three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction in a plan view; an open/close driving unit for changing postures between a closed state in which the members are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end portions are farther from each other; a lifting drive unit that moves up and down with respect to a providing position; a rotation driving unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the object providing position; the opening/closing driving unit; and a control unit that controls the rotation drive unit, and the control unit controls the elevation drive unit to lower the claw member in the open state toward the object providing position. a closing step of controlling the open/close drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the closed state; and a closing step of controlling the elevation drive unit to move the claw member in the closed state to the object providing position. and an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state, in that order. Further, during any part of the time from the start of the closing process to the end of the opening process, the rotary drive unit is controlled to move the claw member to the object providing position. An apparatus characterized in that it is adapted to perform a rotation process of rotating.

According to the present invention, the claw member in the open state is lowered toward the object providing position by the lowering step, and the object to be operated (for example, the noodle mass) is moved to the center of the object to be provided position (for example, inside the container) by the closing step. After being drawn to the area, the object to be operated (for example, a lump of noodles) is released through the lifting process and then by the opening process, so that the position of the object to be operated can be corrected toward the central area. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is executed during any part of the time between the start of the closing process and the end of the opening process, thereby providing the object to be operated at the object providing position. An operation as if winding (wrapping) the object to be manipulated is realized, and the effect of correcting the position of the object to be manipulated toward the central region can be significantly enhanced.

As the object to be manipulated in the present invention, mainly noodles (cut into a predetermined length), especially boiled noodles, are assumed as foodstuffs. However, it is not limited to this. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be expected to be utilized in various technical fields and applications in which it is useful to correct the position of an object to be manipulated by a motion that winds up (wrapping) the object to be manipulated. For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and can be used when handling string-like waste.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the rotating step is performed simultaneously with the lifting step.

In this case, the action of raising (lifting) the object to be operated and the action of winding (rolling in) the object to be operated are combined to obtain the effect of pulling the object to the central region of the position for providing the object to be operated. can be enhanced.

Further, according to various experimental results by the inventors of the present invention, during the rotation process, the claw member rotates at an angular velocity of 180 degrees to 720 degrees per second with respect to the operation object providing position by 45 degrees to 45 degrees. Preferably, it is adapted to be rotated within 180 degrees.

When such rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of pulling the operated object to the central region of the operated object providing position can be obtained.

In addition, it is preferable that the claw members are raised within a range of 100 mm to 150 mm in the lifting step, particularly when noodles, which are foodstuffs, are handled as the objects to be operated.

In addition, the inventors of the present invention have developed the following device as a device for effectively implementing the aforementioned step (2). That is, the present invention is a device for spreading an object to be operated provided at an object-providing position to a peripheral area of the object-providing position, wherein the claw member is positioned above the object-providing position. a support, three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction in a plan view; an open/close driving unit for changing postures between a closed state in which the members are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end portions are farther from each other; a lifting drive unit that moves up and down with respect to a providing position; a rotation driving unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the object providing position; the opening/closing driving unit; and a control unit that controls the rotation drive unit, and the control unit controls the elevation drive unit to lower the claw member in the closed state toward the object providing position. an opening step of controlling the opening/closing driving section to change the posture of the claw member to the open state; and controlling the elevation driving section to move the claw member in the open state to the object providing position. and an ascending step of ascending away from the opening step, and the control unit further performs, in any part of the time between the start and end of the opening step, The apparatus is characterized in that the rotation drive section is controlled to perform a rotation step of rotating the claw member with respect to the object providing position.

According to the present invention, after the claw member in the closed state is lowered toward the object providing position (up to the inside of the object to be operated), the attitude of the claw member is changed to the open state by the opening process, The object to be operated can be pushed out to the surrounding area of the position to provide the object to be operated. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotating process is executed during any part of the time between the start and end of the opening process, so that the object to be manipulated can be expanded even while it is being pushed apart. It is possible to realize an operation of winding up (wrapping) an object, and to suppress the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the operated object from “protruding” from the desired position.

The object to be manipulated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be noodles (cut into a predetermined length), especially noodles in a boiled state, at least at the time of filing the present application. However, it is not limited to this. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention relates to various technical fields and applications in which it is useful to prevent the posture of an object from being excessively disturbed due to an action that rolls up the object while the object is being pushed open. can be expected to be used in For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and can be used when handling string-like waste.

According to various experimental results by the present inventor, during the rotation process, the claw member rotates 60 degrees to 120 degrees at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees to 720 degrees per second with respect to the operation object providing position. It is preferably adapted to be rotated within degrees.

When such a rotation speed and rotation range are employed, a sufficient effect of suppressing excessive disturbance of the attitude of the operated object can be obtained.

In addition, the inventor of the present invention has developed the following device as a device for effectively implementing the above step (3). That is, the present invention is a device for leveling the height of an object to be operated provided at a position for providing an object to be operated, which has a flat lower surface and supports a pin member positioned above the position for providing an object to be operated. a body, a plurality of cylindrical pin members protruding downward from the pin member support, an elevation driving unit for raising and lowering the pin member support with respect to the object providing position, and the pin member support. A rotation drive section that rotates a body in a circumferential direction with respect to the operation object providing position, and a control section that controls the elevation drive section and the rotation drive section, wherein the control section includes the elevation drive section a lowering step of lowering the pin member support toward the object providing position by controlling the rotation step of rotating the pin member support in a circumferential direction by controlling the rotation drive unit; and a lifting step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lift the pin member support so as to move away from the object providing position. .

According to the present invention, the height of the object to be operated can be leveled by lowering the pin member support having a flat lower surface toward the position to provide the object to be operated. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation step is performed while the pin member support is lowered (and/or while it is being lowered), thereby leveling the height of the object to be operated. , the operation to wind up (roll in) the object to be operated is realized, the height of the object to be operated can be leveled more uniformly (beautifully), and the posture of the object to be operated is excessively disturbed. can be suppressed (for example, it is possible to suppress the object to be operated from “protruding” from a desired position).

The object to be manipulated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be noodles (cut into a predetermined length), especially noodles in a boiled state, at least at the time of filing the present application. However, it is not limited to this. According to the present invention, the height of the object to be operated is made more uniform (more beautiful) and the height of the object to be operated is made more uniform (more beautiful) by the operation of rolling up (wrapping) the object to be operated while the height of the object to be operated is being made uniform. It can be expected to be utilized in various technical fields and applications where it is useful to suppress excessive disturbance of the posture of objects. For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and can be used when handling string-like waste.

According to various experimental results by the inventors of the present invention, during the rotation process, the pin member support is rotated 45 degrees to Preferably, it is adapted to be rotated within 120 degrees.

When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect can be obtained that the height of the object to be operated is evened out more uniformly (beautifully) and the posture of the object to be operated is prevented from being excessively disturbed. Obtainable.

Further, for example, the plurality of pin members may include three or more inner peripheral pin members arranged in a relatively small-diameter annular pattern at intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed in plan, and three or more pin members arranged in a relatively small diameter annular pattern in plan view three or more outer pin members spaced apart in a relatively large diameter annular pattern.

When a plurality of pin members are arranged in such a layout, the entire object to be operated can be rotated in a well-balanced manner. It is possible to enhance the effect of suppressing excessive disturbance of the posture of the operation article.

Each device of the present invention described above can be used, for example, in a method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container. For example, the present invention provides a method for arranging the position or posture of noodles in a container, wherein the noodles provided in the container are adjusted by using a device for hauling in an object to be operated having any of the features described above. drawing the noodles drawn into the central region within the container to the peripheral region of the container using a step of drawing the noodles to the central region within the container and using a device for spreading the manipulated object having any of the aforementioned features; and leveling the level of the noodles that have been spread back into the peripheral area of the container using an object leveling device having any of the aforementioned characteristics. A method comprising:

According to the apparatus for hauling in an object to be operated of the present invention, after the object to be operated is hauled to the central region of the object providing position by the closing process, the object to be operated is released by the opening process after going through the raising process. , the position of the operated object can be corrected toward the central region. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is executed during any part of the time between the start of the closing process and the end of the opening process, thereby providing the object to be operated at the object providing position. An operation as if winding (wrapping) the object to be manipulated is realized, and the effect of correcting the position of the object to be manipulated toward the central region can be significantly enhanced.

Further, according to the device for pushing out the object to be operated of the present invention, after the claw members in the closed state are lowered toward the object to be operated providing position (up to the inside of the object to be operated), the claw members are opened by the opening process. By changing the posture of the to the open state, it is possible to spread the operated object to the surrounding area of the operated object providing position. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotating process is executed during any part of the time between the start and end of the opening process, so that the object to be manipulated can be expanded even while it is being pushed apart. It is possible to realize an operation of winding up (wrapping) an object, and to suppress the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the operated object from “protruding” from the desired position.

Further, according to the apparatus for leveling the height of the object to be operated of the present invention, the height of the object to be operated is leveled by lowering the pin member support having a flat lower surface toward the position for providing the object to be operated. be able to. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation step is performed while the pin member support is lowered (and/or while it is being lowered), thereby leveling the height of the object to be operated. , the operation of winding (wrapping) the object to be operated is realized, the height of the object to be operated can be made more uniform (more beautiful), and the posture of the object to be operated can be prevented from being excessively disturbed. (For example, it is possible to prevent the object to be operated from "protruding" from the desired position).

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, a device for pulling an object to be operated (pulling device), a device for spreading the object to be operated (spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated (height 1 is a schematic perspective view of a position and attitude adjustment system for an object to be operated, which is configured by a leveling device). FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the hauling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the spreading device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the height leveling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lower surface of the pin member support of the height leveling device of FIG. 4 as viewed from below; Figure 5 is a side view of the pin member support of the leveling device of Figure 4; FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a claw member descending from a standby position and a state of noodle lumps in a container in the hauling device of FIG. 1 ; 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a claw member lowered to a first position and in a closed state and a noodle block in a container in the hauling device of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a pawl member raised to a raised position and in a closed state and a lump of noodles in a container in the hauling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a claw member changed to an open state and a noodle block in a container in the hauling device of FIG. 1 ; 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a pawl member lowered to a second position and in a closed state and a noodle block in a container in the spreading device of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a pawl member rotating in a circumferential direction while changing its posture to an open state and a noodle block in a container in the spreading device of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a pawl member rising in an open state and a lump of noodles in a container in the spreading device of FIG. 1 ; 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a pin member support descending from a standby position and noodle lumps in a container in the leveling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing a state of a pin member support that descends to a third position and rotates in the circumferential direction and a noodle block in a container in the leveling device of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing the rising pin member support and the state of noodle blocks in the container in the leveling device of FIG. 1; According to the second embodiment of the present invention, a device for pulling an object to be operated (pulling device), a device for spreading the object to be operated (spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated (height 1 is a schematic perspective view of a position and attitude adjustment system for an object to be operated, which is configured by a leveling device).

(whole system)
FIG. 1 shows a device for pulling in an object to be operated (drawing device), a device for pushing out the object to be operated (spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated (height leveling device). 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of a system for adjusting the position and orientation of an operated object constructed by juxtaposing the .
The position and orientation adjustment system 1 of the operated object of the present embodiment is intended to handle boiled noodle lumps as the operated object and level the position and orientation thereof. Therefore, hereinafter, the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the operated object of the present embodiment is also referred to as the noodle leveling system 1 .
The noodle lumps A are provided on the upstream side of the hauling device 4 in the container B which is successively conveyed on the belt conveyor 2 at appropriate intervals. As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom surface of container B is circular with a diameter of 140 mm to 170 mm in this embodiment. The upper opening of container B is circular with a diameter of 180 mm to 230 mm.
Each of the hauling device 4, spreading device 6, and leveling device 8 grasps the conveying state of each container B via, for example, a sensor (not shown) or an image processing system, and executes a predetermined control program. As a result, the moving movement of each container B is synchronized with the movement timing of each container B so as to perform an accompaniment movement over a predetermined stroke (to maintain a state in which the central axes C1 to C3 of each device, which will be described later, coincide with the central axis of each container B). It has become. As a result, each device 4, 6, 8 can be operated without interrupting the transportation of each container B. FIG.

After passing through the noodle leveling system 1, the belt conveyor 2 passes through processes downstream of the noodle leveling system 1, such as a sauce coating process (not shown).

(Hand-drawing device 4)
The hauling device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.
2 is a perspective view showing a hauling device of the noodle leveling system of FIG. 1. FIG.
The hauling device 4 is a device that hauls the noodle mass (noodles) A provided at a predetermined position (operated object providing position) on the bottom surface of the container to a central region of a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. The hauling device 4 includes a claw member support 10 positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container so that the center axis C1 (described later) of the hauling device 4 and the center axis of the container B are aligned; A pawl member 12 depending downwardly from a pawl member support 10 and a pawl member 12 between a closed state in which the lower ends of the pawl member 12 are closer together and an open state in which the lower ends are further from each other. an opening/closing drive unit 14 for changing the posture of the container, an elevation drive unit 16 for raising and lowering the claw member support 10 and the claw member 12 with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and the claw member support 10 and the claw member 12 for moving the container It has a rotation drive section 18 that rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface, and a control section 20 that controls the opening/closing drive section 14 , the elevation drive section 16 and the rotation drive section 18 .

A pawl member support 10 supports a pawl member 12 . The claw member support 10 is formed by a structure such as a robot arm.

The claw members 12 are three or more claw members arranged in an annular pattern at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in a plan view. Five claw members 12 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis (for example, the central axis of the hauling device 4 is indicated by C1) in this embodiment.

The open/close drive unit 14 is configured as a pneumatic finger that changes the posture of the claw member 12 between the closed state and the open state by air pressure. Specifically, the open/close drive unit 14 opens the claw member 12 when a relatively high air pressure acts on the inside, and closes the claw member 12 when a relatively low air pressure (for example, atmospheric pressure) acts on the inside. is formed to be An air pipe 22 is connected to the open/close drive unit 14 . The other end of air pipe 22 is connected to compressor 24 . Compressor 24 is configured to compress and deliver air. However, the opening/closing drive unit 14 may be configured as a mechanical finger that changes the attitude of the claw member 12 between the closed state and the open state by a mechanical power transmission structure such as a motor and a power transmission mechanism.

The elevation drive unit 16 is provided on the claw member support 10 or a structure that supports the claw member support 10 . The up-and-down drive unit 16 lowers the tip of the claw member 12 from the standby position above the container B to the first position H1 (see FIG. 6b) where the noodle mass A piled up on the container B can be pulled up. It has a mechanism that allows For example, for an example of noodle block A (dried noodle length 125 mm to 250 mm, dried noodle thickness 1.5 mm to 1.7 mm, boiling time 6 to 9 minutes, boiled noodle weight 200 g to 350 g, etc.), the first position H1 is set to a height within the range of 15 mm to 35 mm from the bottom of the container B. In addition, the elevation driving section 16 has a mechanism for raising the distal end portion of the claw member 12 from the first position to a waiting position or a later-described raised position (see FIG. 6c or 6d). The elevation drive unit 16 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotationally driven by power supplied from a power source (not shown). The elevation driving section 16 is electrically connected to the control section 20 and controlled by the control section 20 .

The rotation drive unit 18 is provided on the pawl member support 10 or a structure that supports the pawl member support 10 . The rotation driving section 18 has a mechanism for rotating the claw member support 10 and the claw member 12 in the circumferential direction clockwise or counterclockwise about the central axis C1. The rotary drive unit 18 simultaneously moves the claw member 12 during the lifting process, for example, the claw member 12 at a rising speed within the range of 150 mm/s to 300 mm/s and within the range of 0.1 s to 0.5 s. Simultaneously with the execution of the lifting process of lifting with the rising time of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second, it is configured to rotate within the range of 45 degrees to 180 degrees. The rotary drive unit 18 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is driven to rotate by electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The rotation driving section 18 is electrically connected to the control section 20 and controlled by the control section 20 .

The control unit 20 incorporates a CPU for controlling the opening/closing driving unit 14, the lifting driving unit 16, and the rotation driving unit 18, a memory, and the like. The control unit 20 controls each device by sending an operation signal to these devices and the like based on a control program executed on the CPU.

(Spreading device 6)
Next, the spreading device 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG.
3 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the spreading device of FIG. 1; FIG.
The spreading device 6 spreads the noodle mass A provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container (position to provide the object to be operated) (which has passed through the drawing device 4 after being provided at the predetermined position) at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. A device for spreading out into the peripheral area D (see Fig. 7b).

The spreading device 6 includes a claw member support 11 positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container so that the central axis C2 (described later) of the hauling device 4 and the central axis of the container B are aligned, A pawl member 13 depending downward from a pawl member support 11 and a pawl member 13 between a closed state in which the lower ends of the pawl member 13 are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends are farther from each other. an opening/closing drive unit 15 for changing the posture of the container, an elevation drive unit 17 for raising and lowering the claw member support 11 and the claw member 13 with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and the claw member support 11 and the claw member 13 for moving the container It has a rotation drive section 19 that rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface, and a control section 21 that controls the opening/closing drive section 15 , the elevation drive section 17 and the rotation drive section 19 .

The pawl member support 11 supports the pawl member 13 . The claw member support 11 is formed by a structure such as a robot arm. The claw member support 11 of the spreading device 6 is provided on a robot arm different from the robot arm on which the claw member support 10 of the hauling device 4 is provided.

The claw members 13 are three or more claw members arranged in an annular pattern at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in plan view. Five claw members 13 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis (for example, the central axis of the spreading device 6 is indicated by C2) in this embodiment.

The opening/closing drive unit 15 is configured as a pneumatic finger that changes the posture of the claw member 13 between the closed state and the open state by air pressure. Specifically, the open/close drive unit 15 opens the claw member 13 when a relatively high air pressure acts on the inside, and closes the claw member 13 when a relatively low air pressure (for example, atmospheric pressure) acts on the inside. is formed to be An air pipe 23 is connected to the open/close drive unit 15 . The other end of air pipe 23 is connected to compressor 25 . Compressor 25 is configured to compress and deliver air. However, the opening/closing drive unit 15 may be configured as a mechanical finger that changes the attitude of the claw member 13 between the closed state and the open state by a mechanical stress transmission structure such as a motor and a stress transmission mechanism.

The elevation drive unit 17 is provided on the claw member support 11 or a structure that supports the claw member support 11 . The up-and-down drive unit 17 lowers the tip of the claw member 13 from the waiting position above the container B to the second position H2 (see FIG. 7a) where the noodle mass A piled up on the container B can be spread out. It has a mechanism that allows For example, the second position H2 is set at a height within the range of 25 mm to 50 mm from the bottom surface of the container B for the example of the noodle block A described above. The second position H2 is a height position higher than the first position H1. In addition, the elevation driving section 17 has a mechanism for raising the tip of the claw member 13 from the second position H2 to the standby position (see FIG. 7c). The elevation drive unit 17 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotationally driven by power supplied from a power supply (not shown). The elevation driving section 17 is electrically connected to the control section 21 and controlled by the control section 21 .

The rotation drive unit 19 is provided on the claw member support 11 or a structure that supports the claw member support 11 . The rotation drive unit 19 has a mechanism for rotating the claw member support 11 and the claw members 13 clockwise or counterclockwise in the circumferential direction about the central axis C2. The rotary drive unit 19 rotates the claw member 13 at any timing during the opening process, for example, simultaneously during the opening process in which the claw member 13 is opened at an opening speed within the range of 100 mm/s to 150 mm/s. It is configured to rotate within the range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. The rotary drive unit 19 is driven by a motor (not shown) that rotates with electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The rotation driving section 19 is electrically connected to the control section 21 and controlled by the control section 21 .

The control unit 21 incorporates a CPU for controlling the opening/closing driving unit 15, the lifting driving unit 17, and the rotation driving unit 19, a memory, and the like. The control unit 21 controls each device by sending an operation signal to these devices and the like based on a control program executed on the CPU.

(Smoothing device 8)
Next, the smoothing device 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. FIG.
4 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the height leveling device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5a is a plan view of the lower surface of the pin member support of the height leveling device of FIG. 4, viewed from below. 5b is a side view of the pin member support of the leveling device of FIG. 4; FIG.
The leveling device 8 is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container (the position where the object to be operated is provided) (after being provided at the predetermined position, the noodle mass A passes through the pulling device 4 and the spreading device 6). It is a device for leveling. The leveling device 8 includes a pin member support 26 having a flat lower surface and positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and a plurality of cylindrical pin members 28 protruding downward from the pin member support 26 . , a lifting drive unit 27 for lifting and lowering the pin member support 26 with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and a rotation drive unit for rotating the pin member support 26 in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. 29 , and a control unit 30 that controls the elevation driving unit 27 and the rotation driving unit 29 .

The pin member support 26 has a flat lower surface so that the upper portion of the noodle block A can be pressed. The pin member support 26 is formed of, for example, a circular flat plate. An upper portion of the pin member support 26 is connected to a drive shaft extending from the rotary drive portion 29 . The pin member support 26 is formed in a circular shape of approximately the same size corresponding to the shape of the bottom surface of the container B, and formed with a diameter within the range of 140 mm to 170 mm. The diameter of the pin member support 26 is smaller than the diameter of the upper opening of the container B by a value within the range of 20 mm to 60 mm.

As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of pin members 28 are circumferentially spaced apart from each other in a plan view in an annular pattern of relatively small diameter (for example, a radius within the range of 30 mm to 40 mm from the center). More than (for example, four) inner peripheral pin members 28a are arranged in an annular pattern with a relatively large diameter (for example, a radius within the range of 50 mm to 60 mm from the center) spaced apart in the circumferential direction in plan view. and three or more (for example, four) outer pin members 28b. Each of the inner peripheral pin members 28a is arranged at a position 45 degrees out of phase with respect to each of the outer peripheral pin members 28b when viewed from the center.

The elevation drive unit 27 is provided on a structure that supports the pin member support 26 . The up-and-down drive unit 27 moves the tip of the pin member 28 from the waiting position above the container B to the third position H3 (see FIG. reference). For example, for the noodle mass A described above, the third position H3 is set at a height within the range of 35 mm to 50 mm from the bottom surface of the container B. As shown in FIG. The third position H3 is at substantially the same height as the second position H2 or slightly lower than the second position H2.
In addition, the elevation driving section 27 has a mechanism for raising the tip of the pin member 28 from the third position H3 to the standby position (see FIG. 8c). The elevation drive unit 27 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotationally driven by power supplied from a power supply (not shown). The elevation driving section 27 is electrically connected to the control section 30 and controlled by the control section 30 .

The rotation drive 29 is configured to rotate the pin member support 26 within the range of 45 degrees to 120 degrees at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second during the rotation process.

The control unit 30 incorporates a CPU, a memory, and the like for controlling the elevation driving unit 27 and the rotation driving unit 29 . The control unit 30 controls each device by sending an operation signal to these devices and the like based on a control program executed on the CPU.

Next, the action (operation) of the noodle leveling system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6a to 8c.
As shown in FIG. 1, the container B with the noodle lumps A piled up thereon is conveyed below the hauling device 4 by the belt conveyor 2 in the piled up process (not shown) on the upstream side. Thereafter, a step of drawing the noodle mass A provided in the container B to the central region C in the container B is executed by the drawing device 4 .
As shown in FIG. 6a, first, the control section 20 of the hauling device 4 controls the elevation drive section 16 to move the claw member 12 in the open state from the waiting position to the bottom surface of the container as indicated by the arrow A1. A descent process is performed to lower the object to a predetermined position. The elevation drive unit 16 lowers the tip of the claw member 12 to the first position H1. For example, the tip of the claw member 12 is inserted into the noodle block A to a depth of more than half. The tip of the claw member 12 can easily grasp the noodle block A. - 特許庁

Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the control unit 20 controls the opening/closing driving unit 14 to perform a closing process of changing the position of the claw member 12 to the closed state as indicated by an arrow A2. At least part of the noodle block A is gripped by the claw member 12 being closed, and a force applied to the central region C acts on at least part of the noodle block A. The central region C is a region on the central side of the bottom surface of the container B, for example, a region up to about half the diameter of the bottom surface of the container B. As shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6c, the control unit 20 controls the elevation driving unit 16 to raise the claw member 12 in the closed state away from the predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container as indicated by the arrow A3. Carry out the ascent process. Since the claw member 12 rises while gripping at least part of the noodle mass A, the portion of the noodle mass A that contacts each other or the container B is reduced, and the force applied to the central region C acts on the entire noodle mass A. easier to do.
In this ascending step, the claw member 12 is raised to a raised position within a range of 100 mm to 150 mm from the bottom of the container. This elevated position is at the same height as the standby position, but may be set at a different height from the standby position. Especially when the noodle mass A as a food material is handled as an object to be operated, the claw member 12 is raised to such a height with respect to the length of the noodle mass A, so that the noodle mass A can be raised to this height. It can be effectively moved to the central region C during the lifting time.

As shown in FIG. 6c, the control unit 20 further controls the rotary drive unit 18 simultaneously during the lifting process to move the pawl member 12 to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container as indicated by an arrow A4. Then, a rotation step is performed to rotate it in the circumferential direction. By executing the rotation step of rotating the claw member 12 in this way, an operation of winding (rolling in) at least a part of the noodle mass A provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container is realized. More noodle lumps A can be lifted while arranging the flow of the noodle lumps A than when the noodle lumps A are lifted, and the action of correcting the position of the noodle lumps A toward the central region C can be significantly enhanced. Further, the rotation process is executed simultaneously with the execution of the lifting process, so that the operation of raising (lifting) the noodle mass A and the operation of winding (rolling in) the object to be operated are combined. It is possible to enhance the effect of pulling the .

Further, under the control of the rotation drive unit 18 by the control unit 20, the claw member 12 rotates at an angular velocity of 180 degrees to 720 degrees per second with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container during the rotation process. Rotated within 180 degrees. When such rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of pulling the noodle mass A to the central region of the object providing position can be obtained.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 6d, the control unit 20 controls the opening/closing driving unit 14 to perform an opening process of changing the posture of the claw member 12 to the open state as indicated by an arrow A5. When the pawl member 12 is opened, the noodle mass A is released and dropped while being gathered to the central region C.例文帳に追加Therefore, the position of the noodle mass A can be corrected toward the central region C. In this way, the process of drawing the noodle mass A to the central region C in the container B by the drawing device 4 is completed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a container B carrying noodle masses A drawn toward the central region C is conveyed from the drawing device 4 to below the spreading device 6 by the belt conveyor 2 . Thereafter, a step of spreading back the noodle mass A drawn to the central region C in the container B to the peripheral region D in the container B is executed by the spreading device 6 .
As shown in FIG. 7a, first, the control section 21 of the spreading device 6 controls the elevation driving section 17 so that the claw member 13 in the closed state is directed to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container as indicated by an arrow A6. Execute the descent process to descent. The elevation drive unit 17 lowers the tip of the claw member 13 to the second position H2. The tip of the claw member 13 is inserted from the top of the noodle block A to a depth of 20 mm to 40 mm. Therefore, the upper part of the noodle mass A, which is too high, can be leveled so as to be effectively pushed out.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the control section 21 controls the opening/closing drive section 15 to perform an opening step of changing the attitude of the claw member 13 to the open state as indicated by an arrow A7. By changing the posture of the claw member 13 to the open state, the noodle mass A can be pushed out to a peripheral area D at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. The peripheral region D is a region outside the central region C of the bottom surface of the container B, for example, a region outside a diameter of about half the diameter of the bottom surface of the container B.

Further, the control unit 21 controls the rotation driving unit 19 during any part of the time from the start of the opening process to the end of the opening process, so that the claw member 13 is moved above the bottom surface of the container as indicated by an arrow A8. A rotation step is performed to rotate in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position. By executing the rotation process in any part of the time from the start to the end of the opening process, the noodle mass A is rolled up (wrapped) even while the noodle mass A is being spread. The movement is realized, and the posture of the noodle mass A can be suppressed from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the noodle mass A from “protruding” from the container B. It should be noted that the control unit 21 can also prevent the rotation process from being performed during the opening process.

Further, under the control of the rotation drive unit 19 by the control unit 21, the claw member 13 rotates at an angular velocity of 180 degrees to 720 degrees per second with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container during the rotation process. Rotated within 120 degrees. When such rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of suppressing excessive disturbance of the posture of the noodle block A can be obtained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7c, the control unit 21 controls the elevation driving unit 17 to raise the claw member 13 in the open state away from the predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container as indicated by the arrow A9. Carry out the ascent process. The claw member 13 is pulled up from the noodle block A and the process of pushing out the noodle block A is completed. Accordingly, the process of spreading the noodle mass A back to the peripheral area D in the container B by the spreading device 6 is completed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the container B carrying the spread noodle mass A is conveyed from the spreading device 6 to below the leveling device 8 by the belt conveyor 2 . A leveling device 8 performs a step of leveling the height of the noodle mass A pushed back to the peripheral area D in the container B. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8a, first, the control section 30 of the leveling device 8 controls the elevation driving section 27 to move the pin member support 26 from the standby position to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container as indicated by an arrow A10. Execute a descent process for descent toward . The lifting drive unit 27 lowers the pin member support 26 having a flat lower surface toward a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and presses the upper part of the noodle block A, thereby leveling the height of the noodle block A. At this time, the elevation driving section 27 lowers the tip of the pin member 28 to the third position H3. The tip of the pin member 28 is slightly inserted from the top of the noodle block A to the inside, so that the height of the noodle block A can be evened out more effectively. The plurality of pin members 28 are formed with lengths within the range of 10 mm to 30 mm. Therefore, the pin member 28 is inserted to an appropriate depth from the top of the noodle block A for about one to two servings of noodles, and the height of the noodle block A can be made more uniform.

As shown in FIG. 8b, the control section 30 of the leveling device 8 controls the rotation drive section 29 to perform a rotation step of rotating the pin member support 26 in the circumferential direction as indicated by arrow A11. By executing the rotating process while the pin member supporting body 26 is lowered (and/or while it is being lowered), the noodle mass A is wound even while the height of the noodle mass A is being leveled. An operation such as (engaging) is realized. Therefore, the height of the noodle mass A can be leveled more uniformly (beautifully), and the posture of the noodle mass A can be prevented from being excessively disturbed (for example, the object to be operated can be removed from the container B by can be suppressed from protruding). In addition, even if the claw member 13 pushes out the noodle block A leaving traces of the expansion on the top surface of the noodle block A, the top surface of the noodle block A can be smoothed and flattened. can be averaged.

Further, under the control of the rotation drive section 29 by the control section 30, the pin member support 26 rotates at an angular velocity of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container 45 degrees per second during the rotation process. It is rotated within the range of degrees to 120 degrees. When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of leveling the height of the noodle mass A more uniformly (more beautifully) and suppressing excessive disturbance of the posture of the noodle mass A can be obtained. Obtainable.

As shown in FIG. 8c, the control section 30 of the leveling device 8 controls the elevation driving section 27 to lift the pin member support 26 away from the predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container as indicated by the arrow A12. Execute the ascending process to allow When the pin member support 26 is pulled up from the noodle mass A, the process of leveling the noodle mass A by the leveling device 8 is completed.
In a state in which the height of the noodle mass A is more evenly leveled and the posture of the noodle mass A is suppressed from being excessively disturbed, the noodle mass A on the container B is conveyed from the leveling device 8 by the belt conveyor 2. Further, it is conveyed to a process on the downstream side.

According to the hauling device 4 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 for the object to be operated according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the claw member 12 in the open state is lowered toward the position for providing the object to be operated by the descending process, and the closing process is performed. After the noodle mass A is drawn to a central region at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, the position of the noodle mass A is corrected toward the central region C by releasing the noodle mass A through an opening process after going through a lifting process. be able to. Furthermore, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is performed during any part of the time between the start of the closing process and the end of the opening process, so that the container is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. An operation as if rolling up (wrapping) the noodle mass A is realized, and the effect of correcting the position of the noodle mass A toward the central region can be significantly enhanced.

The object to be manipulated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be a noodle block (cut into a predetermined length) as a food material, especially a boiled noodle block A, but at least this case. It is not limited to this at the time of filing. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be expected to be utilized in various technical fields and applications in which it is useful to correct the position of an object to be manipulated by a motion that winds up (wrapping) the object to be manipulated. For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and can be used when handling string-like waste.

Further, according to the hauling device 4 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the rotation process is performed simultaneously with the lifting process, the noodle mass A is raised. By combining the action of (lifting) and the action of winding (rolling in) the noodle mass A, the effect of pulling the noodle mass A to the central region C at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container can be enhanced.

Further, according to the hauling device 4 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a predetermined rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, the noodle mass A is placed on the bottom surface of the container. It is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of pulling to the central region C of the predetermined position.

Further, according to the hauling device 4 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the object to be operated according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in the lifting process, the claw member 12 is lifted within the range of 100 mm to 150 mm. As a result, it is possible to handle noodles as a food material as an object to be operated.

According to the spreading device 6 of the position and attitude adjusting system 1 of the object to be operated according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the claw member 12 in the closed state is directed toward a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container (inside the noodle block A). ), the pawl member 12 is changed to the open state by the opening process, so that the noodle mass A can be pushed out to a peripheral area of a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is executed during any part of the time from the start to the end of the opening process, so that the noodle mass A can be spread even while the noodle mass A is being spread. An operation of rolling up (rolling in) A is realized, and excessive disturbance of the posture of the noodle mass A can be suppressed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the noodle mass A from “protruding” from the container B.

Further, according to the spreading device 6 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the predetermined rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, the attitude of the noodle mass A is excessively increased. It is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of suppressing the disturbance of the

According to the leveling device 8 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the object to be operated according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the pin member support 26 having a flat lower surface side is lowered toward a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. , the height of the noodle block A can be leveled. Furthermore, as a feature of the present invention, the height of the noodle block A is evened out to the maximum by executing the rotation process while the pin member support 26 is lowered (and/or while it is being lowered). Even in the inside, the action of winding (wrapping) the noodle mass A is realized, the height of the noodle mass A can be leveled more uniformly (beautifully), and the posture of the noodle mass A is excessively disturbed. (For example, it is possible to prevent the noodle mass A from “protruding” from the container B).

Further, according to the leveling device 8 of the position and attitude adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a predetermined rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, the height of the noodle mass A is It is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of more uniformly (more beautifully) leveling and suppressing excessive disturbance of the posture of the lump of noodles A.

Further, according to the leveling device 8 of the position and posture adjusting system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a plurality of pin members 28 are arranged in a predetermined layout, the entire noodle mass A can be Since it can be rotated in a better balance, the effect of leveling the height of the noodle mass A more uniformly (beautifully) and suppressing the posture of the noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed can be enhanced.

In the first embodiment described above, the controller 20 can change the timing of executing the rotation process. For example, the control unit 20 may execute the rotation process during any part of the time from the start of the closing process to the end of the closing process, or for example, from the start of the opening process to the end of the opening process. Also, for example, the rotation process may be performed at any part of the time between the start of the closing process and the end of the rising process. Also, the rotation process may be performed in any part of the time between, for example, the start of the lifting process and the end of the opening process, and for example, from the start of the closing process to the end of the opening process. The rotation step may be performed during any portion of the time between .

Also, the tip of the claw member 12 can be changed to any shape. For example, the tip of the claw member 12 may be formed of a rod-like member with a circular cross section having a diameter within the range of 5 mm to 6 mm so that it can be easily inserted between the noodle blocks A. Further, for example, the tip portion of the pawl member 12 may be formed with a tapered structure having a triangular cross section or a quadrangular cross section so as to be easily engaged with the noodle mass A.

Next, a noodle leveling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is an example in which the hauling device 4 and the spreading device 6 of the position and attitude adjusting system 1 of the object to be operated according to the present invention are realized by a common device that is a hauling device and spreading device.
FIG. 9 shows a device for pulling an object to be operated (drawing device), a device for spreading the object to be operated (spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated, according to the second embodiment of the present invention. (height leveling device), is a schematic perspective view of a position and attitude adjustment system for an object to be operated.
Since the position and orientation adjustment system 101 of the operated object according to the second embodiment has substantially the same structure as the position and orientation adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment described above, it is the second embodiment of the present invention. Only the points that are different from the first embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same parts in the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The position and orientation adjustment system 101 of the object to be operated has a common device 104 which is a pulling device and spreading device. A common device 104 and a leveling device 8 are arranged along the belt conveyor 2 . The common device 104 can function as the hauling device 4 according to the first embodiment and can function as the leveling device 8 according to the first embodiment.

The common device 104 includes a claw member support 110 positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container so that the central axis (not shown) of the hauling device 4 and the central axis of the container B are aligned, and a claw member support 110 . A pawl member 112 depending downwardly from a member support 110 and a pawl member 112 between a closed state in which the lower ends of the pawl member 112 are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends are further from each other. An opening/closing drive unit 114 for changing the posture, a lifting drive unit 116 for lifting and lowering the claw member support 110 and the claw member 112 with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and moving the claw member support 110 and the claw member 112 to the bottom surface of the container. It comprises a rotation drive section 118 that rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position above, and a control section 120 that controls the opening/closing drive section 114 , the elevation drive section 116 and the rotation drive section 118 .

The pawl member support 110 can function as the pawl member support 10 according to the first embodiment and can function as the pawl member support 11 according to the first embodiment. The pawl member 112 can function as the pawl member 12 according to the first embodiment and can function as the pawl member 13 according to the first embodiment. The opening/closing driving section 114 can function as the opening/closing driving section 14 according to the first embodiment and can function as the opening/closing driving section 15 according to the first embodiment. The elevation driving section 116 can function as the elevation driving section 16 according to the first embodiment and can function as the elevation driving section 17 according to the first embodiment. The rotary drive section 118 can function as the rotary drive section 18 according to the first embodiment and can function as the rotary drive section 19 according to the first embodiment. An air pipe 122 is connected to the open/close drive unit 114 . The other end of air pipe 122 is connected to compressor 124 .
The control unit 120 corresponds to the opening/closing driving unit 114 corresponding to the opening/closing driving unit 14, the lifting driving unit 116 corresponding to the lifting driving unit 16, and the rotation driving unit 18, similarly to the control performed by the control unit 20 of the hauling device 4. Similar to the control program for the hauling device for controlling the rotation driving unit 118 and the control in the control unit 21 of the spreader device 6, the opening/closing driving unit 114 corresponding to the opening/closing driving unit 15 and the lifting driving unit 17 correspond. A spreader device control program for controlling the rotation drive unit 118 corresponding to the elevation drive unit 116 and the rotation drive unit 19 .

As shown in FIG. 9, the container B in which the noodle lumps A are piled up is conveyed below the common device 104 by the belt conveyor 2 in the upstream filling step (not shown). First, the common device 104 performs a step of drawing the noodle mass A provided in the container B to the central region C in the container B. As shown in FIG. Next, the common device 104 performs a step of pushing back the noodle mass A drawn into the central area C of the container B to the peripheral area D of the container B. As shown in FIG. Next, a leveling device 8 performs a step of leveling the height of the noodle mass A pushed back to the peripheral area D in the container B. As shown in FIG. In a state in which the height of the noodle mass A is more evenly leveled and the posture of the noodle mass A is suppressed from being excessively disturbed, the noodle mass A on the container B is conveyed from the leveling device 8 by the belt conveyor 2. Further, it passes through the process on the downstream side.

The claims as originally filed are as follows.
[Claim 1]
A device for pulling an object to be operated provided at an object-providing position to a central region of the object-providing position,
a claw member support positioned above the object providing position;
three or more claw members depending downwardly from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern circumferentially spaced apart from each other in plan view;
an open/close driving unit that changes the posture of the claw member between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw member are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end portions are farther from each other;
an elevation driving unit that raises and lowers the claw member support and the claw member with respect to the object providing position;
a rotary drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the object providing position;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing driving unit, the lifting driving unit, and the rotation driving unit;
with
The control unit
a lowering step of lowering the claw member in the open state toward the object providing position by controlling the elevation driving unit;
a closing step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the closed state;
a lifting step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lift the claw member in the closed state away from the object providing position;
an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state;
are executed in that order,
The control unit further controls the rotation driving unit during any part of the time from the start of the closing process to the end of the opening process to move the claw member to the object to be operated. Apparatus, characterized in that it is adapted to perform a rotation process of rotating with respect to position.
[Claim 2]
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotating step is adapted to be performed simultaneously with said raising step being performed.
[Claim 3]
During the rotating step, the claw member is rotated within a range of 45 degrees to 180 degrees with respect to the object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a
[Claim 4]
4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, in the raising step, the pawl member is raised within a range of 100 mm to 150 mm.
[Claim 5]
A device for spreading an object to be operated provided at an object providing position to a peripheral area of the object providing position,
a claw member support positioned above the object providing position;
three or more claw members depending downwardly from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern circumferentially spaced apart from each other in plan view;
an open/close driving unit that changes the posture of the claw member between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw member are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end portions are farther from each other;
an elevation driving unit that raises and lowers the claw member support and the claw member with respect to the object providing position;
a rotary drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the object providing position;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing driving unit, the lifting driving unit, and the rotation driving unit;
with
The control unit
a lowering step of lowering the claw member in the closed state toward the object providing position by controlling the elevation driving unit;
an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state;
a lifting step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lift the claw member in the open state away from the object providing position;
are executed in that order,
The control unit further controls the rotation driving unit to move the claw member to the object providing position during any part of the time between the start and end of the opening process. Apparatus, characterized in that it is adapted to perform a rotation process of rotating.
[Claim 6]
During the rotating step, the claw member is rotated within a range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that there is a
[Claim 7]
A device for leveling the height of an object to be operated provided at a position to provide the object to be operated,
a pin member support having a flat lower surface and positioned above the object providing position;
a plurality of cylindrical pin members projecting downward from the pin member support;
an elevation driving unit that raises and lowers the pin member support with respect to the object providing position;
a rotary drive unit that rotates the pin member support in a circumferential direction with respect to the object providing position;
a control unit that controls the elevation drive unit and the rotation drive unit;
with
The control unit
a lowering step of lowering the pin member support toward the object providing position by controlling the elevation driving unit;
a rotating step of controlling the rotation drive unit to rotate the pin member support in a circumferential direction;
a lifting step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lift the pin member support so as to move away from the object providing position;
in that order.
[Claim 8]
During the rotating step, the pin member support is rotated within a range of 45 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that:
[Claim 9]
The plurality of pin members are
three or more inner peripheral pin members arranged in a relatively small-diameter annular pattern spaced apart from each other in a plan view in the circumferential direction;
three or more outer pin members arranged in a relatively large-diameter annular pattern spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction in plan view;
9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it comprises:
[Claim 10]
A method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container,
drawing noodles provided in the container to a central region in the container using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
a step of pushing back the noodles drawn into the central region in the container to the peripheral region in the container using the device according to any one of claims 5 and 6;
Leveling the height of the noodles spread back to the peripheral area in the container using the device according to any one of claims 7 to 9;
A method comprising:

1 System 2 Belt Conveyor 4 Device 6 Device 8 Device 10 Claw Member Support 12 Claw Member 14 Opening/Closing Drive Unit 16 Elevation Drive Unit 18 Rotation Drive Unit 20 Control Unit 26 Pin Member Support 28 Pin Member 28a Inner Pin Member 28b Outer Periphery Side pin member 30 Control unit 101 System 104 Common device A Noodle block B Container C Central region D Peripheral region

Claims (3)

A device for spreading an object to be operated provided at an object providing position to a peripheral area of the object providing position,
a claw member support positioned above the object providing position;
three or more claw members depending downwardly from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern circumferentially spaced apart from each other in plan view;
an open/close driving unit that changes the posture of the claw member between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw member are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end portions are farther from each other;
an elevation driving unit that raises and lowers the claw member support and the claw member with respect to the object providing position;
a rotary drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the object providing position;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing driving unit, the lifting driving unit, and the rotation driving unit;
with
The control unit
a lowering step of lowering the claw member in the closed state toward the object providing position by controlling the elevation driving unit;
an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state;
a lifting step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lift the claw member in the open state away from the object providing position;
are executed in that order,
The control unit further controls the rotation driving unit to move the claw member to the object providing position during any part of the time between the start and end of the opening process. Apparatus, characterized in that it is adapted to perform a rotation process of rotating. During the rotating step, the claw member is rotated within a range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises: A method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container,
drawing noodles provided within the container to a central region within the container;
A step of using the device according to claim 1 or 2 to spread the noodles drawn into the central region in the container back to the peripheral region in the container;
leveling the height of the noodles pushed and spread back to the peripheral area in the container;
A method comprising:

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