JP5258546B2 - Method and apparatus for curving food dough - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a food dough curving method and apparatus for curving a long food dough into a U shape, a C shape, or an annular shape, and more specifically, a long food dough is formed into a U shape, C The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for bending a food dough that can be easily bent into various shapes such as a letter shape or an annular shape.

  For example, when a sheet-shaped food dough cut into a triangular shape is rolled up from the bottom side of the triangle, a straight and long food dough that is thicker at the center and thinner toward both ends is obtained. By curving both ends around the center of the food dough in the longitudinal direction and forming the overall shape into a U-shape, C-shape or ring shape, various shapes of croissants as food products can be obtained. is there.

There exists patent document 1 as a prior art which manufactures a croissant by curving the both ends side of the said linear long food dough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,697

  The structure of the food dough bending apparatus 201 described in Patent Document 1 is as shown in FIG. That is, the food dough bending apparatus 201 includes an endless inner conveyor belt 205 that is rotated by a motor M inside an outer endless outer conveyor belt 203, and an outer peripheral surface of the inner conveyor belt 205 A plurality of projecting pins 207 that can project upward from holes formed in the outer conveyor belt 203 are provided at equal intervals.

  In the above-described configuration, when the straight and long croissant food dough 209 is supplied onto the outer conveyor belt 203, the food dough 209 is in contact with the pair of presser rollers 211 and the pair of bending rollers 213. Furthermore, when the protruding pin 207 presses the central portion of the food dough 209 in the longitudinal direction, the presser roller 211 is retracted. When the food dough 209 is pressed by the protruding pins 207 and passes between the pair of bending rollers 213, both end sides of the food dough 209 are bent in a U shape along the protruding pins 207 (FIG. 6). (See (B) (a) and (b)).

  Thereafter, when the inner and outer conveyor belts 205 and 203 are integrally moved downstream, the one end side of the food dough 209 is further curved along the protruding pin 207 by the pressing roller 215 operated by the cam follower. And if it moves to the further downstream side, the other end side of the food dough 209 will be further curved along the protrusion pin 207 by the separate press roller 217 act | operated by a separate cam follower.

  Therefore, in the above configuration, it is necessary to properly adjust the movement speed of the protruding pin 207 and the timing of the bending speed by the pressing rollers 215 and 217, and it is extremely difficult to design a cam mechanism for operating the pressing rollers 215 and 217. There is a problem. Furthermore, when the thickness and length of the food dough 209 are different, or when the food dough 209 has a different curved shape, there is a problem that a corresponding cam mechanism is required.

  That is, in the conventional configuration, when the food dough 209 is bent into a U shape, a C shape, or an annular shape, there is a problem that the press rollers 215 and 217 are not versatile to operate corresponding to each forming shape. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems as described above. A food dough that is long in the direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction by the transport device or in the transport direction is centered on the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough. A method of bending both end sides, the step (a) of contacting a center pin provided at a position above the transport surface of the transport device so as to be movable up and down and a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough; and the transport device One end side of the food dough is moved along the center pin by a presser roller which is movable up and down to a position above the conveyance surface and movable in the Y and X directions which are perpendicular to the conveyance direction and the conveyance direction. And (b) a step of bending the other end side of the food dough along the center pin so as to correspond to the one end side by the presser roller. Features It is intended.

  Further, in the method for curving the food dough, a step of sandwiching the vicinity of both ends of the food dough by sandwiching means so as to approach each other near one end and the other end of the food dough curved along the center pin. It is characterized by having.

  A method of curving a food dough that is long in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction by the conveying device at both ends around the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough, above the conveying surface of the conveying device. (A) a step of contacting a center pin provided in a position so as to be movable up and down and a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough; and vertically movable in a position above the transport surface of the transport device and in the transport direction and transport direction (B) a step of curving one end side of the food dough along the center pin by a presser roller provided so as to be movable in the Y and X directions orthogonal to each other; and the other of the food dough by the presser roller And (c) a step of bending the end side along the center pin so that the end portion on the one end side and the end portion on the other end side overlap in the transport direction. Is.

  Further, the method for curving the food dough comprises a step of pressing the vicinity of one end of the food dough with a presser member provided to be movable up and down.

  Further, the method for curving the food dough comprises the step of pressing and binding the overlapping portions of both ends of the food dough in the direction of the center pin by a pressing member.

  Further, the method for curving the food dough comprises a step of pressing and holding the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough to the center pin by a pressing means.

  Further, a food dough bending apparatus for bending food dough that is long in the direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction by the conveying device or in the conveying direction, with the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough as a center, The conveying device that conveys a long food dough while being held in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction or in a long state in the conveying direction, and is provided at a position above the conveying surface of the conveying device so as to be movable up and down, and the food A center pin that can be contacted in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the dough, and the transport direction so as to move up and down to a position above the transport surface of the transport device and to bend the both ends of the food dough along the center pin. A pressing roller movable in the Y and X directions perpendicular to the conveying direction, an X-axis control actuator for moving the pressing roller in the X and Y directions, and a Y axis And control actuator, the X-axis control actuator, is characterized in that it and a control device for controlling the Y-axis control actuator.

  The food dough bending apparatus further includes a sandwiching means for sandwiching the vicinity of both ends of the food dough from both sides so that the vicinity of the one end and the vicinity of the other end of the curved food dough can approach each other. It is characterized by this.

  In addition, the food dough bending apparatus includes a presser member that can be moved up and down in order to press the vicinity of one end of the bent food dough.

  The food dough bending apparatus further includes a presser member that is movable in a direction approaching and moving away from the center pin in order to press and hold the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough to the center pin. It is characterized by that.

  Further, in the food dough bending apparatus, the sandwiching means also serves as a pressing member for pressing and binding both ends of the food dough overlapped with each other toward the center pin. Is.

  Further, in the food dough bending apparatus, the center pin, the presser roller, and the X-axis control are provided on a gantry frame that can be moved up and down above the transport surface of the transport device and reciprocally movable in the transport direction. An actuator and a Y-axis control actuator are provided.

  According to the present invention, when the center pin and the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough are in contact with each other, the one end side of the food dough is held by the presser roller that is movable up and down and movable in the X and Y directions. After curving along the center pin, the other end of the food dough can be curved along the center pin. Therefore, the bending operation corresponding to the thickness and length of the food dough is easy, and the bending operation corresponding to the shape of the food dough to be bent is easy, eliminating the conventional problems as described above. It is possible.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a food dough bending apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a U-shaped, C-shaped straight food dough 3 similar to the food dough 209 such as the croissant described above. Alternatively, a base frame that is circularly curved and is long in the Y direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1, the food dough 3 is conveyed from the left to the right in FIG. 1), which is the conveyance direction of the food dough 3. The base frame 5 is provided with a transport device 7 (see FIG. 2) for transporting the food dough 3. The transport device 7 is configured to include, for example, an endless conveyor belt 9 that is driven to run by driving a motor (not shown) such as a servomotor.

  A gantry frame 11 is placed on the base frame 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the gantry frame 11 has left and right ends of the upper frame 15 on top of the left and right support frames 13L and 13R in the form of portals arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt 9 in the width direction (X direction). And the left and right end portions of the front and rear tie rods 21 provided separately from each other in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) are integrally attached between the support frames 13L and 13R. A height adjusting mechanism 17 such as an adjusting bolt is provided on each of the front, rear, left and right legs of 13L and 13R. Therefore, the upper frame 15 is adjusted horizontally. Further, as understood from the above configuration, the gantry frame 11 is detachable from the base frame 5.

  Therefore, the gantry frame 11 and various components attached to and supported by the gantry frame 11 can be handled as a unit. In other words, it can be retrofitted to the belt conveyor, and the assembly process and the like can be facilitated.

  The food dough 3 is long and linearly held in the direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction by the conveyor belt 9 and conveyed. In order to curve the food dough 3 in a U shape, a C shape or an annular shape, a curve forming station 19 is provided above the conveying surface of the conveyor belt 9.

  More specifically, in order to detect that the food dough 3 has been conveyed by the conveyor belt 9, the gantry frame 11, that is, the tie rod 21, is located upstream from the curve forming station 19 (left side in FIG. 1). A detection sensor 23 for detecting the food dough 3 is provided.

  The detection sensor 23 is composed of a proximity sensor such as a laser sensor, for example. When the detection sensor 23 detects the food dough 3 on the conveyor belt 9, it is under the control of a control device (not shown). The food dough 3 is conveyed to the curving station 19 and stopped at a predetermined position. The curving and molding station 19 has a center pin 25 that can freely come into contact with the front surface (the right side surface of the food dough 3 in FIG. 1) of the food dough 3 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3. Is provided to move up and down.

  More specifically, a pipe member 27 is suspended from the upper frame 15 of the gantry frame 11 at the bending molding station 19, and an air cylinder or the like attached to the upper frame 15 is provided in the pipe member 27. An elevating rod 31 such as a piston rod that is moved up and down by an elevating actuator 29 is vertically penetrated.

  And the said center pin 25 is attached to the lower end part of this raising / lowering rod 31 so that attachment or detachment is possible. That is, the center pin 25 supports the inside of the food dough 3 to be curved, and the outer periphery is not necessarily limited to a circular shape. Various shapes can be used depending on the shape and size of the food dough 3 to be bent. It is to be replaced with a center pin. Therefore, the center pin 25 can also be referred to as a curved guide member when the food dough 3 is curved.

  By the way, in the said description, it demonstrated that the said center pin (curvature guide member) 25 contact | abutted with respect to the food dough 3 stopped by the curving molding station 19. FIG. However, the center pin 25 may be lowered in advance, and when the food dough 3 comes into contact with the center pin 25 in the lowered state, the conveyance of the food dough 3 may be stopped.

  As described above, when the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 is in contact with the center pin 25, the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 is placed in the center pin so as not to give a large deformation. A presser means 33 for pressing and holding to 25 is provided. More specifically, a bracket 35 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the pipe member 27, and the lower end of the pipe member 27 is in the transport direction of the food dough 3 and is lowered. An upper end portion of a pressing member 37 that is movable in a direction approaching and moving away from the center pin 25 is supported through a hinge pin 39 so as to be swingable. And, in order to swing the holding member 37 in the vertical direction in the direction approaching and separating from the center pin 25 around the hinge pin 39, the upper frame 15 in the gantry frame 11 can swing freely. An operating rod 43 provided on a reciprocating actuator 41 such as a supported air cylinder and the like, and the pressing member 37 are pivotally connected via a connecting rod 45.

  Accordingly, by actuating the reciprocating actuator 41, the lower end portion of the pressing member 37 can be moved (swinged) in a direction approaching and separating from the center pin 25 in the lowered state. Therefore, when the center part in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 is in contact with the center pin 25, the center part in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 can be pressed and held on the center pin 25 by the pressing member 37. It can be done.

  As described above, when the food dough 3 is pressed against the center pin 25 by the pressing member 37, the driving force of the reciprocating actuator 41 is supplied, for example, when the reciprocating actuator 41 is a fluid pressure cylinder such as an air cylinder. By controlling the pressure of the working fluid, the food dough 3 can be lightly pressed and held without being deformed. In addition, it is desirable to provide a pressing pad made of an elastic member on the surface where the pressing member 37 presses the food dough 3.

  Note that the pressing member 37 is not always necessary, and depending on the characteristics and properties of the food dough 3, the pressing and holding by the pressing member 37 may be omitted.

  Further, the curving station 19 is provided with a presser member (pressing member) 47 for pressing the vicinity of one end portion of the food dough 3 that is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 from above. It has been. More specifically, the pressing member (pressing member) 47 is disposed on the opposite side of the pressing member 37 with the pipe member 27 in between, and moves up and down in a vertical through hole formed in the bracket 35. Freely guided and supported.

  In order to move the pressing member 47 up and down, an intermediate portion of a swing lever 49 is supported at a middle height position of the pipe member 27 via a hinge pin so as to swing up and down. One end of the moving lever 49 and the upper end of the pressing member 47 are pivotally connected so that the pressing member 47 always moves up and down while maintaining a vertical state. In addition, as a configuration for the pressing member 47 to move vertically (linear motion) while maintaining a vertical state with respect to the swing lever 49 swinging up and down, for example, a length formed in the longitudinal direction of the swing lever 49 A cylindrical hinge pin provided in the pressing member 47 may be configured to be relatively rotatable in the hole and relatively movable along the long hole. Since this is a general configuration in a link mechanism or the like, further detailed description is omitted. A tip end of an operating rod 53 such as a piston rod provided in a reciprocating manner in an actuator 51 for reciprocating movement such as an air cylinder mounted on an upper frame 15 of the gantry frame 11 via a hinge pin so as to be swingable. The other end of the swing lever 49 is pivotally connected via a hinge pin so as to be swingable.

  Therefore, the pressing member 47 is moved up and down by operating the reciprocating actuator 51 to swing the swing lever 49 up and down. Therefore, the vicinity of one end of the food dough 3 that is curved and formed along the center pin 25 can be pressed from above by the pressing member 47. The pressing member 47 is not necessarily required, and may be omitted depending on the characteristics, properties, and shape of the curved shape of the food dough 3. Further, by controlling the operating force of the reciprocating actuator 51, the pressing force by the pressing member 47 can be appropriately adjusted in accordance with the characteristics and properties of the food dough 3. Further, the pressing member 47 may be directly moved up and down by the reciprocating actuator 51.

  Further, a guard ring 52 for preventing the curved dough 3 from adhering (adhering) to the center pin 25 and rising when the center pin 25 is raised is provided at the curve forming station 19. Is provided. The guard ring 52 is formed in a C shape or an annular shape, and is supported by lower ends of a plurality of support rods 52 </ b> R (see FIG. 2) suspended from the upper frame 15.

  When the food dough 3 tends to rise integrally when the center pin 25 is lifted after the food dough 3 is bent into, for example, a C shape along the outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 by the above configuration. Even so, the food dough 3 is dropped by the guard ring 52.

  As described above, when the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 is in contact with the center pin 25, one end side of the food dough 3 is curved along one outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25. At the same time, the other end of the food dough 3 is bent along the other outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 so that the food dough 3 is bent into a U shape, a C shape or an annular shape. A presser roller 53 is provided that is movable in the X and Y axis directions (front and rear, left and right directions) while pressing the center pin 25 against the center pin 25.

  More specifically, a slide mechanism in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) is provided on the lower surface of the upper frame 15 in the gantry frame 11. That is, a guide rail 55 A in the Y-axis direction is provided on the lower surface of the upper frame 15, and a slide guide 55 B supported movably on the guide rail 55 A is attached to the upper surface of the plate-like Y-axis slider 57. The Y-axis slider 57 is integrally attached with a nut holder 61 that protrudes upward through a long hole 59 in the Y-axis direction formed in the upper frame 15. A nut member (not shown) provided in the nut holder 61 is screwed with a screw rod 63 long in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction) so as to be relatively movable. The screw rod 63 is rotatably supported by a bearing 65 provided on the upper frame 15, and one end portion of the screw rod 63 has a Y-axis such as a Y-axis servo motor mounted on the upper frame 15. It is linked to a control actuator 67.

  Accordingly, the Y-axis slider 57 can be controlled to move in the Y-axis direction by controlling the rotation of the Y-axis control actuator 67 under the control of the control device. The configuration for moving the Y-axis slider 57 in the Y-axis direction is not limited to the screw mechanism as described above. For example, a configuration in which a timing belt that is long in the Y-axis direction and the Y-axis slider 57 are connected, The shaft slider 57 can also be configured to move in the Y-axis direction by a linear motor. That is, various configurations can be adopted as the configuration of the Y-axis direction driving means for reciprocating the Y-axis slider 57 in the Y-axis direction.

  The Y-axis slider 57 has a large hole (window) 68 through which the pipe member 27 and the like penetrate vertically. In other words, the Y-axis slider 57 is formed in an annular shape by forming the large window 68 in the X and Y directions.

  An X-axis slider 69 is provided on the lower surface of the Y-axis slider 57 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. More specifically, a slide guide 71A is attached to the lower surface of the Y-axis slider 57, and the upper surface of the X-axis slider 69 is slidably engaged with and supported by the slide guide 71A in the X-axis direction. A long guide rail 71B is integrally attached. In order to reciprocate the X-axis slider 69 in the X-axis direction, X-axis direction driving means is provided.

  More specifically, both end portions of the screw rod 73 long in the X-axis direction are rotatably supported by a bracket 75 suspended from the lower surface of the Y-axis slider 57, and one end portion of the screw rod 73 is An X-axis control actuator 77 such as an X-axis servo motor mounted on the bracket 75 is linked and connected. A nut member (not shown) provided in a nut holder 79 attached to the X-axis slider 69 is screwed to the screw rod 73 so as to be relatively movable in the X-axis direction.

  Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the X-axis control actuator 77 under the control of the control device, the movement position of the X-axis slider 69 relative to the Y-axis slider 57 in the X-axis direction can be controlled.

  In the X-axis slider 69, the pipe member 27 and the like penetrate vertically so that the X-axis slider 69 does not interfere with the pipe member 27 and the like even when the X-axis slider 69 moves in the X and Y axis directions. The hole (window) 81 is formed large in the X and Y directions. Therefore, by forming the window (hole) 81, the X-axis slider 69 is formed in a substantially annular shape.

  Then, in the window (hole) 81 of the X-axis slider 69, as viewed in the moving direction (Y-axis direction) of the food dough 3, the window 81 has a substantially central portion from the downstream side of the X-axis slider 69. A projecting arm 83 (see FIG. 3) having a tip projecting to the vicinity is provided. A vertically moving actuator 84 (see FIG. 1) such as an air cylinder is mounted on the lower surface of the tip of the projecting arm 83, such as a piston rod provided on the vertically moving actuator 84 so as to freely move up and down. The presser roller 53 is rotatably provided at the lower end portion of the vertical operating rod 85.

  As already understood, since the presser roller 53 can be controlled to move in the X and Y axis directions, it can be moved toward and away from the center pin 25 from both sides in the X axis direction, and in the Y axis direction (food In the movement direction of the dough 3, the food dough 3 can be approached and separated from the downstream side in the movement direction. In other words, the presser roller 53 can be moved toward and away from the center pin 25 from three directions excluding the upstream side when viewed in the moving direction of the food dough 3. That is, the presser roller 53 is movable around the center pin 25 so as to draw a U shape. The presser roller 53 can move up and down, so that the presser roller 53 can relatively pass above the food dough 3.

  Therefore, the one end side of the food dough 3 which is in the state where the center portion in the longitudinal direction is in contact with the center pin 25 and which is long in the X-axis direction is aligned with one outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 by the pressing roller 53. After pressing and curving, the food dough 3 is U-shaped or C-shaped by pressing and curving the other end side of the food dough 3 along the other outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 by the presser roller 53. It can be curved into a shape.

  As described above, the sandwiching means 87 is provided that can sandwich the vicinity of both ends of the food dough 3 in a state of being bent in a U shape or a C shape from both sides in the X-axis direction. The sandwiching means 87 is movable up and down on the downstream side in the Y-axis direction of the center pin 25 and movable in the Y-axis direction approaching and moving away from the center pin 25 when viewed in the moving direction of the food dough 3. Is provided.

  More specifically, an elevating member 89 that is long in the X-axis direction is disposed at a downstream position of the center pin 25, and both ends of the elevating member 89 in the X-axis direction (left-right direction) 11 is connected to and supported by a vertical operating rod 93 provided in a vertically moving actuator 91 such as a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on the left and right support frames 13L and 13R via brackets. A reciprocating device 95 such as a fluid pressure cylinder that operates in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) is attached to the longitudinal center of the elevating member 89, and the reciprocating device 95 can reciprocate freely. A support member 99 is horizontally attached to the tip of a reciprocating operation rod 97 such as a piston rod.

  On the facing surface where the support member 99 is opposed to the center pin 25, there is a pinching actuator 103 that operates in a direction in which the operating rods 101L and 101R such as piston rods protruding left and right are moved toward and away from each other in synchronization with each other. It is attached. The sandwiching actuator 103 can be configured, for example, by combining the directions of two fluid pressure cylinders reversed, or by arranging the racks to face each other with a positive rotation pinion in between.

  Brackets 105L and 105R are respectively attached to the front end portions of the left and right operating rods 101L and 101R, and left and right clamp members 107L and 107R facing the left and right direction (X-axis direction) are attached to the brackets 105L and 105R, respectively. Is provided. The left and right clamp members 107L and 107R can sandwich the vicinity of both ends of the curved dough 3 from the left and right sides. Further, when the distal end portion of the curved dough 3 is overlapped in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction), the clamp members 107L and 107R are held closed and moved toward the center pin 25. By moving, the overlapping portion of the food dough 3 can be pressed and bound to the center pin 25. That is, the clamp members 107L and 107R also serve as pressing members when binding the overlapping portions. The pinching means 87 is not always necessary, and depending on the characteristics and properties of the food dough 3, the pinching and pressing by the pinching means 87 may be omitted.

  As already understood, the sandwiching means 87 provided with the left and right clamp members 107L, 107R openable and closable in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) is movable up and down and is moved back and forth with respect to the center pin 25. It is movable in the (Y-axis direction).

  In the configuration as described above, when the center pin 25, the sandwiching means 87, etc. are in the initial state in which they are raised, a linear shape is formed at the center in the width direction of the conveyor belt 9 in the conveying device 7 as shown in FIG. When the food dough 3 is fed and placed so that the direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction (arrow direction) of the conveyor belt 9 is the longitudinal direction, the food dough 3 is downstream from the upstream side by the conveyor belt 9. It is conveyed from the left side to the right side in FIG.

  When the food dough 3 is detected by the detection sensor 23, the drive of the conveyor belt 9 is stopped so that the food dough 3 is located at a predetermined position of the curve forming station 19 under the control of the control device. Thereafter, the lifting / lowering actuator 29 is actuated to lower the center pin 25 so as to come close to or come into contact with the upper surface of the conveyor belt 9. When the center pin 25 is lowered as described above, the center pin 25 approaches or abuts on the downstream side portion of the central portion of the food dough 3 in the longitudinal direction.

  As described above, when the center pin 25 is lowered, the reciprocating actuator 41 is operated next, the presser member 37 is swung downward, and the food dough 3 comes into contact with the center pin 25. The side part opposite to the part is pressed and held to the center pin 25. Therefore, the food dough 3 is stably held when the protruding portion in the left-right direction of the food dough 3 is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25.

  As described above, when the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 is in contact with the center pin 25, the press roller 53 is controlled by controlling the X and Y axis control actuators 77 and 67 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, after positioning at a position close to the central portion in the longitudinal direction on the upstream side of the one end side 3A of the food dough 3, the presser roller 53 is lowered so as to be close to the upper surface of the conveyor belt 9. Thereafter, under the control of the control device, the rotation of the X and Y axis control actuators 77 and 67 is controlled to move the presser roller 53, and as shown in FIG. 3A is curved along one outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 in the X direction.

  When one end of the food dough 3 is curved along one outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 and then the reciprocating actuator 51 is actuated, the pressing member 47 descends and the end on one end of the food dough 3 is moved to the conveyor belt. Press to 9. Therefore, the end portion on one end side of the food dough 3 is held at a predetermined position in relation to the center pin 25. Thereafter, the presser roller 53 is raised and moved in the X and Y axis directions, and is located upstream of the other end side 3B of the food dough 3 and close to the longitudinal center (right side of FIG. 4B). And then descends.

  Then, the X and Y axis control actuators 77 and 67 are controlled to control the movement of the presser roller 53 so that the other end of the food dough 3 is curved along the other outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25 in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 4 (C), the food dough 3 is formed into a substantially circular curve. When the presser roller 53 is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4C, the end of the one end side 3A and the end of the other end 3B of the food dough 3 are in the front-rear direction (conveying direction of the food dough 3). Will overlap. At this time, in order to avoid interference between the pressing member 47 and the pressing roller 53, the pressing member 47 can be raised when the other end side 3B of the food dough 3 is curved.

  Thereafter, the presser member 37 and the presser member 47 are raised and returned to their original positions, the presser roller 53 is lifted and moved to a position away from the food dough 3, and then the sandwiching means 87 is lowered and the left and right clamp members When 107L and 107R are held in a closed state and the reciprocating device 95 is operated to move in a direction approaching the center pin 25, the end portion of the one end side 3A and the end portion of the other end side 3B of the food dough 3 The overlapping portion is pressed and bound to the center pin 25. Accordingly, the food dough 3 is formed into an annular shape as schematically shown in FIG.

  As already understood, when the one end side 3A and the other end side 3B of the food dough 3 are curved along the outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25, the food dough 3 is controlled by appropriately controlling the movement trajectory of the presser roller 53. As shown in FIG. 5 (B), it can be curved and formed into a generally arcuate shape. Further, after the end of one end side 3A and the end of the other end side 3B of the food dough 3 are in contact with each other or slightly bent, the left and right clamp members 107L and 107R in the sandwiching means 87 When the vicinity of the end portion is sandwiched from the left-right direction, both ends of the food dough 3 can be bound to protrude outwardly as shown in FIG.

  As understood from the above description, when the one end side 3A and the other end side 3B of the food dough 3 are curved and formed by the pressing roller 53 along the outer peripheral surface of the center pin 25, the X and Y directions of the pressing roller 53 are used. Therefore, it is easy to freely change the curvature of the one end side 3A and the other end side 3B of the food dough 3, and can be formed into various shapes. It can be done.

  In addition, since the curve forming of the food dough 3 is performed at the position of the center pin 25, space saving can be achieved.

  By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be performed in other embodiments by making appropriate changes. For example, the base frame 5 is provided with a guide rail that is long in the Y-axis direction, and the gantry frame 11 is configured to reciprocate along the guide rail. The guide rail can be moved up and down or the legs of the gantry frame 11 can be moved up and down, and when the gantry frame 11 returns to the original position in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction), the guide rail is returned in a raised state. To do.

  That is, the food dough 3 is curved and molded while the movement of the conveyor belt 9 in the transport device 7 in the Y-axis direction and the movement of the gantry frame 11 in the Y-axis direction (forward direction) are synchronized. After the curve forming, the gantry frame 11 is returned to the original position (rearward position) at a high speed while the gantry frame 11 is raised, and then lowered to move the conveyor belt 9 and the gantry frame 11 again in the forward direction in synchronization. It repeats that. In this case, since the conveyor belt 9 can be continuously operated at a constant speed without being stopped, the food dough 3 can be continuously bent and mass production can be achieved.

  In the above description, the case where the food dough 3 is conveyed in one row has been described. However, the food dough 3 may be arranged in a plurality of rows on the conveyor belt 9 and simultaneously conveyed. In this case, a plurality of necessary components such as the center pin 25 and the pressing roller 53 may be provided.

  Moreover, it is also possible to have a configuration in which necessary components such as the center pin 25 and the presser roller 53 are provided in a plurality of rows in the direction in which the food dough 3 is conveyed. That is, the center pin 25 and the like can be provided with a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows. In this case, a plurality of food doughs 3 conveyed in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows can be simultaneously curved and mass-produced.

  As described above, even if the center pin 25 and the like are provided in a plurality of rows and columns, the X and Y axis screw rods 63 and 67 can be shared, and the configuration is simplified. Can be achieved.

  Moreover, in the said description, the case where it hold | maintains and conveys in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the food dough 3 with respect to the conveyance direction by the conveyor belt 9 was demonstrated. However, in the case where the food dough 3 is placed on the conveyor belt 9 after being formed into a long food dough 3 in advance, the food dough 3 is substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 9, that is, the food dough It is also possible to carry 3 in a state that is long in the carrying direction.

  In the case of the above configuration, the gantry frame 11 in the food dough bending apparatus 1 is rotated by 90 ° with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 9 (rotated by 90 ° and placed on the base frame 5). ). In this case, it is desirable that the gantry frame 11 in the food dough bending apparatus 1 is configured to be movable horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 9.

It is front explanatory drawing which showed notionally and schematically the whole structure of the food dough bending apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is side explanatory drawing which showed notionally and schematically the whole structure of the food dough bending apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is plane explanatory drawing which showed notionally and schematically the whole structure of the food dough bending apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of curve-molding food dough. It is explanatory drawing which shows the form of the food dough after curve-molding. It is explanatory drawing which shows the conventional structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Food dough bending apparatus 3 Food dough 3A One end side 3B The other end side 7 Conveyance apparatus 9 Conveyor belt 11 Mounting frame 15 Upper frame 19 Curve forming station 23 Detection sensor 25 Center pin 29 Lifting actuator 37 Pressing member 41 Reciprocating actuator 47 Pressing Member (holding member)
49 Oscillating lever 52 Guard ring 53 Presser roller 57 Y-axis slider 63, 73 Screw rod 67 Y-axis control actuator 69 X-axis slider 77 X-axis control actuator 83 Vertical movement actuator 87 Clamping means 91 Lifting operation device 95 Reciprocation operation device 103 Clamping actuator 107L, R Clamp member (pressing member)

Claims (12)

A food dough that is long in the direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction by the conveying device or in the conveying direction is a method of curving both end sides around the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough,
(a) a process of contacting a center pin provided at a position above the transport surface of the transport device so as to be movable up and down and a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough;
(b) One end side of the food dough by a presser roller which is movable up and down in a position above the conveying surface of the conveying device and movable in the Y and X directions which are perpendicular to the conveying direction and the conveying direction. Bending along the center pin,
(c) a step of bending the other end side of the food dough along the center pin so as to correspond to the one end side by the presser roller;
A method for curving food dough, comprising:   The method for curving food dough according to claim 1, wherein the food dough is bent by the sandwiching means so as to be close to one end and the other end of the food dough curved along the center pin. A method for curving food dough, comprising a step of sandwiching. A food dough that is long in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction by the conveying device is a method of bending both end sides around the center in the longitudinal direction of the food dough,
(a) a process of contacting a center pin provided at a position above the transport surface of the transport device so as to be movable up and down and a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough;
(b) One end side of the food dough by a presser roller which is movable up and down in a position above the conveying surface of the conveying device and movable in the Y and X directions which are perpendicular to the conveying direction and the conveying direction. Bending along the center pin,
(c) a step of bending the other end of the food dough by the presser roller along the center pin so that the end on the one end and the end on the other end overlap in the transport direction;
A method for curving food dough, comprising:   4. The method for bending a food dough according to claim 3, further comprising a step of pressing the vicinity of one end of the food dough with a presser member that is movable up and down.   5. The method for curving food dough according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a step of pressing and binding the overlapping portions of both ends of the food dough in the direction of the center pin by a pressing member. Curving method for food dough.   The food dough curving method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a step of pressing and holding a center portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough to the center pin by a pressing means. How the dough is curved. A food dough bending apparatus for bending a food dough that is long in a direction substantially perpendicular to a conveying direction by a conveying apparatus or in a conveying direction, with a center portion in a longitudinal direction of the food dough as a center,
The transport device for transporting a long food dough while maintaining a long state in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction or in the transport direction;
A center pin which is provided at a position above the conveying surface in the conveying device so as to be movable up and down, and which can be contacted in the vicinity of a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the food dough;
In the Y and X directions which are the direction perpendicular to the transport direction and the transport direction in order to be able to move up and down to a position above the transport surface of the transport device and to bend the both ends of the food dough along the center pin. A movable presser roller,
An X-axis control actuator and a Y-axis control actuator for moving the presser roller in the X and Y directions;
A control device for controlling the X-axis control actuator and the Y-axis control actuator;
A food dough bending apparatus characterized by comprising:   The food dough bending apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising sandwiching means for sandwiching the vicinity of both ends of the food dough from both sides so that the vicinity of one end and the vicinity of the other end of the curved food dough may be brought close to each other. A food dough bending apparatus comprising:   9. The food dough bending apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a presser member provided so as to be movable up and down in order to press the vicinity of one end of the bent food dough. Bending device.   10. The food dough bending apparatus according to claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the food dough bending device is movable in a direction approaching and moving away from the center pin in order to press and hold the central portion of the food dough in the longitudinal direction to the center pin. A food dough bending apparatus comprising a presser member provided.   9. The food dough bending apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sandwiching means also serves as a pressing member for pressing and binding both ends of the food dough overlapped with each other toward the center pin. A food dough bending device.   The food dough bending apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the center pin, the presser roller, and the X are provided on a gantry frame that is vertically movable and reciprocally movable in the conveying direction at a position above a conveying surface in the conveying device. A food dough bending apparatus comprising an axis control actuator and a Y-axis control actuator.

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