JP6170969B2 - Food direction change device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a food direction changing apparatus for changing the direction of food such as a sandwich.

  Conventionally, there has been a demand for cutting a desired portion of food more accurately in response to an improvement in product quality. Therefore, the food cutting position and the blade position are adjusted by changing the direction of the food or the direction of the blade for cutting the food. For example, in the food cutting apparatus shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the reciprocating cutter extending parallel to the food conveying surface is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction, so that the reciprocating cutter matches the planned cutting line. Yes. Then, the reciprocating cutter is reciprocated in parallel with the food conveyance surface to cut the food with the reciprocating cutter.

Japanese Patent No. 5468175 Japanese Patent No. 5496402

  In the food cutting apparatuses of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the reciprocating cutter extends in parallel with the conveyance surface and reciprocates in parallel with the conveyance surface to cut the food. For this reason, if the food is soft or has a laminated structure stacked in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface, the food tends to lose its shape due to cutting. As a result, the proportion of nonconforming products may increase and work efficiency may decrease.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable to prevent the food from being deformed by cutting by extending a blade for cutting food vertically to the conveyance surface and moving the blade perpendicular to the conveyance surface to cut the food. However, in this case, it is difficult to move a blade such as a band saw along the cutting position of the food.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to adjust the direction of the food instead of the direction of the blade of a reciprocating cutter or the like. For example, a turntable is provided in the middle of the conveyance path, and the direction of food is changed by the turntable. In this case, a process of transferring the food from the conveyance path to the turntable and returning the turned food to the conveyance path from the turntable is necessary. Moreover, it is necessary to provide a turntable separately from the conveyance path. For this reason, work efficiency decreases and product cost increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a food direction changing device that suppresses a decrease in cutting efficiency and an increase in product cost.

  A food direction changing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided adjacent to the first conveyor for moving a first conveying surface on which a part of the food is placed in a first direction, and the first conveyor, and A second conveyor that moves a second transport surface on which the other part of the food is placed in the first direction, and a control unit that controls the first conveyor and the second conveyor independently. And the control unit controls a relative amount of a movement amount of the first conveyance surface within a predetermined time and a movement amount of the second conveyance surface within a predetermined time so as to adjust the direction of the food. It is configured.

  In the food orientation changing apparatus, the control unit performs the first adjustment process of adjusting the direction of the food by controlling the relative amount while transporting the food in the forward direction. One of the second transport surfaces may be moved forward and the other may be moved backward to perform a second adjustment process for further adjusting the direction of the food.

  The food direction changing device is further disposed above the first transport surface and the second transport surface, and further includes a photographing unit that captures an image of the food, and the control unit is configured to perform the second operation based on the image. You may be comprised so that adjustment processing may be performed.

  The food direction changing device is parallel to the first transport surface and the second transport surface, and in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the first transport surface and the second transport A position adjustment unit for moving the surface may be further provided, and the control unit may be configured to control the position adjustment unit so as to adjust the position of the food in the second direction based on the image. .

  The present invention has the configuration described above, and provides an effect that it is possible to provide a food direction changing device that suppresses a decrease in cutting efficiency and an increase in product cost.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is the figure which looked at the direction change apparatus of the foodstuff concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention from the downstream (front side) of the conveyance direction of foodstuffs. It is the figure which looked at the direction change apparatus of the foodstuff of FIG. 1 from the right side. It is the figure which looked at each conveyor of FIG. 1 from the upper side. It is the figure which looked at the 1st conveyor and 2nd conveyor of FIG. 3 from the front side. It is the figure which looked at each conveyor of FIG. 1 from the upper side. It is the figure which looked at each conveyor of FIG. 5 from the right side. It is a perspective view which shows a part of food direction change apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
First, a food direction changing apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a food direction changing apparatus 10 as viewed from the downstream side (front side) in the food conveyance direction. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the food direction changing apparatus 10 as viewed from the right side of FIG. In the following description, in the food direction changing apparatus 10, the upstream side in the arrow direction (conveying direction) indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Moreover, the left-right direction is defined by looking at the food direction changing device 10 from the front side. The left-right direction is a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction (conveying direction) and the up-down direction.

  The food direction changing device 10 is a device that changes the direction of food in a transport unit on which food is placed. As this food, the sandwich 11 is exemplified in the following description, but it can be applied to foods other than the sandwich 11 such as cake.

  The food direction changing apparatus 10 includes a first conveyor 20, a second conveyor 30, and a control unit 40. Furthermore, the food direction changing apparatus 10 may include a housing 50, a supply conveyor 60, and a delivery conveyor 70. The housing 50 is provided with a supply port 51 that opens to the rear side surface and a delivery port 52 that opens to the front side surface. The first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 are disposed adjacent to each other in the housing 50. The supply conveyor 60 is arranged on the rear side of the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30, the front part of the supply conveyor 60 is provided in the housing 50, and the rear part of the supply conveyor 60 is the supply port 51. To the outside of the housing 50. The delivery conveyor 70 is disposed in front of the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30, the rear part of the delivery conveyor 70 is provided in the housing 50, and the front part of the delivery conveyor 70 is provided from the delivery port 52. Projecting outside the housing 50 is provided.

  The control unit 40 is configured by an arithmetic processing device such as a processor, and is disposed, for example, on the upper portion of the housing 50. The control unit 40 controls the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 independently so as to change the direction of the food. For example, the control unit 40 controls the relative amount of the movement amount of the first conveyor unit 21 of the first conveyor 20 within a predetermined time and the movement amount of the second conveyor 30 of the second conveyor unit 31 within a predetermined time. The direction of the food in each conveyance part 21 and 31 is adjusted.

  This relative amount is the difference between the distance that the first transport unit 21 moves in a predetermined time and the distance that the second transport unit 31 moves in a predetermined time. The difference in the movement distances of the respective conveyance units 21 and 31 within the predetermined time is generated by controlling the movement speed and / or movement time of each of the conveyance units 21 and 31. That is, when the moving speeds of the transport units 21 and 31 are equal, the control unit 40 controls the travel time of the transport units 21 and 31 within a predetermined time. Due to the difference in the movement time, the difference in the movement distance of each of the transport units 21 and 31 in a predetermined time is adjusted. On the other hand, in the latter case, when the moving times of the transport units 21 and 31 are equal within a predetermined time, the control unit 40 controls the moving speed of the transport units 21 and 31. The difference in the moving distances of the transport units 21 and 31 in a predetermined time is adjusted by the difference in the moving speed (relative speed).

  If the difference between the moving distances of the transport units 21 and 31 is not 0, the distance that the food moves on the first transport unit 21 side and the second transport unit 31 side is different due to the relative movement of the transport units 21 and 31. The food rotates and changes direction. On the other hand, when the difference in distance is 0, the food travels on the first transport unit 21 side and the second transport unit 31 side because the relative distance between the transport units 21 and 31 is the same. Without the direction of the food does not change. Details of this will be described later.

  Next, each part of the food direction changing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the conveyors 20, 30, 60, and 70 as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the conveyors 20, 30, 60, 70 as viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the conveyors 20, 60, 70 viewed from the right side.

  The first conveyor 20 is a conveyor that cooperates with the second conveyor 30 to convey the sandwich 11 and change the direction of the sandwich 11. The first conveyor 20 includes a first drive roller 22, a first driven roller 23, and a first belt 24. The first drive roller 22 is a roller driven by an electric motor 28 such as a stepping motor or a brushless motor. The first driven roller 23 is provided on the rear side of the first driving roller 22, for example. The first driving roller 22 and the first driven roller 23 are arranged so that the respective axis centers extend in the left-right direction and the respective upper end portions are located on the same horizontal plane. The first belt 24 is a sheet-like infinite circulation zone and is hung on each of the plurality of first driven rollers 23 and the first drive roller 22. A portion (first conveying portion) 21 of the first belt 24 that directly connects the first driving roller 22 and the first driven roller 23 extends horizontally and in the front-rear direction. The upper surface (first transport surface) of the first transport unit 21 is used as a surface on which the sandwich 11 is placed and transported. In order to convey and change the direction of the sandwich 11, friction is required between the sandwich 11 and the first conveyance unit 21. For this reason, the material and surface shape of the first belt 24 are appropriately determined in consideration of this frictional force. In this embodiment, the first belt 24 is formed of resin, and the first transport unit 21 is formed flat.

  The second conveyor 30 is a conveyor that cooperates with the first conveyor 20 to convey the sandwich 11 and change the direction of the sandwich 11. The second conveyor 30 has a second drive roller 32, a second driven roller 33, and a second belt 34. The second driving roller 32 is the same as the first driving roller 22, the second driven roller 33 is the same as the first driven roller 23, and the second belt 34 is the same as the first belt 24. Is omitted.

  The first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 are provided adjacent to each other. The first belt 24 and the second belt 34 are provided such that the direction in which the first transport unit 21 moves (first direction) and the direction in which the second transport unit 31 moves (first direction) are parallel to each other. Yes. Here, the first direction is set to the front-rear direction. The upper surface (first transport surface) of the first transport unit 21 and the upper surface (second transport surface) of the second transport unit 31 are provided so as to be located on the same horizontal plane at the same height. The first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 are arranged so that their axes are aligned on a straight line, and the first driven roller 23 and the second driven roller 33 are arranged so that their axes are aligned on a straight line. Is arranged. The 1st conveyance part 21 and the 2nd conveyance part 31 are arrange | positioned so that it may not overlap. The space between the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 may be vacant. However, if this gap is too wide, the sandwich 11 cannot be transported and changed in direction stably. For this reason, the one where the clearance gap between the 1st conveyance part 21 and the 2nd conveyance part 31 is narrow is preferable. The food conveyance reference line L is set so as to be parallel to the first direction and located on a center line that bisects the gap between the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31 in the left-right direction. The

  The supply conveyor 60 is a conveyor that carries the sandwich 11 into the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 from a work conveyor (not shown) or the like that manufactures the sandwich 11. The supply conveyor 60 is disposed behind the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30. The supply conveyor 60 includes a supply driving roller 61, a supply driven roller 62, and a supply belt 63. The supply drive roller 61 is disposed adjacent to the first driven roller 23 and the second driven roller 33 so that the respective axes are parallel to each other. The supply conveyance unit 64 of the supply belt 63 is provided at the same height as the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31. A center line that bisects the supply conveyance unit 64 in the left-right direction extends on a food conveyance reference line L. The supply drive roller 61 is the same as the first drive roller 22, the supply driven roller 62 is the same as the first driven roller 23, and the supply belt 63 is the same as the first belt 24. .

  The delivery conveyor 70 is a conveyor that carries the sandwich 11 from the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 to a cutting device (not shown). The delivery conveyor 70 is disposed in front of the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30. The delivery conveyor 70 includes a delivery drive roller 71, a delivery driven roller 72, and a delivery belt 73. The delivery driven roller 72 is disposed adjacent to the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 so that the respective axes are parallel to each other. The delivery conveyance unit 74 of the delivery belt 73 is provided at the same height as the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31. A center line that bisects the delivery conveyance unit 74 in the left-right direction extends on a food conveyance reference line L. The delivery drive roller 71 is the same as the first drive roller 22, the delivery driven roller 72 is the same as the first driven roller 23, and the delivery belt 73 is the same as the first belt 24. .

  The sensor 12 is a sensor that detects the sandwich 11 carried into the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30, and is disposed at the upstream end of the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 or in the vicinity thereof. The sensor 12 is configured by an infrared sensor or the like, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 40 when the sandwich 11 is detected.

  Next, operation | movement of the direction change apparatus 10 of a foodstuff is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. Here, for example, in order to manufacture a sandwich 11 with a normal posture on a work conveyor and cut the sandwich 11 with a cutting device along its diagonal line, the orientation of the sandwich 11 is changed from a normal posture to an oblique posture in a food orientation changing device 10. The case of changing will be described. The normal posture is, for example, the orientation of the sandwich 11 in which one of the two opposite sides of the rectangular sandwich 11 is parallel or substantially parallel to the conveyance reference line L in a plan view as viewed from above. It is. Further, the oblique posture means, for example, the orientation of the sandwich 11 in which one of the two diagonal lines of the rectangular sandwich 11 is parallel or substantially parallel to the conveyance reference line L in a plan view seen from above. It is.

  Operation | movement of the direction change apparatus 10 of a foodstuff is performed, for example, when the control part 40 controls each rotation angle of the 1st drive roller 22 and the 2nd drive roller 32, a rotation direction, a starting, and a stop. For example, when stepping motors are used for the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32, the amount of movement of each of the transport units 21 and 31 is adjusted by controlling the number of pulses of each of the drive rollers 22 and 32. . That is, since the step angle is determined in advance for each of the drive rollers 22 and 32, the rotation amount (rotation angle) of each of the drive rollers 22 and 32 is set by designating the number of pulses. The moving distance (moving amount) of each of the conveyance units 21 and 31 is determined by this rotation amount. In addition, the control unit 40 controls the rotation direction of the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32, so that each of the transport units 21 and 31 is forward from the rear side to the front side and from the front side to the rear side. Move in the opposite direction. Each of the supply drive roller 61 and the delivery drive roller 71 is controlled to rotate in the forward direction at a predetermined rotation speed.

  First, prior to the operation of the food direction changing apparatus 10, an operation of assembling the sandwich 11 in a normal posture by stacking slice bread and ingredients on a work conveyor is performed. Since this operation is performed manually, the transport section of the work conveyor moves in the forward direction at a low speed. In this transport unit, the center or center of gravity of the sandwich 11 is positioned on the transport reference line L, and the sandwiches 11 are placed at a narrow interval. When the front end of the sandwich 11 reaches the rear end of the supply conveyor 60, the sandwich 11 is placed on the supply conveyance unit 64 from the conveyance unit of the work conveyor and is carried into the food direction changing device 10. At this time, the supply conveyance unit 64 moves in the forward direction at the predetermined speed, and the sandwich 11 is conveyed by the supply conveyance unit 64. Since the moving speed of the supply and transport unit 64 is faster than that of the work conveyor, the gap between the sandwich 11 on the supply and transport unit 64 and the sandwich 11 on the work conveyor is opened.

  Subsequently, when the front end of the sandwich 11 reaches the rear ends of the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30, the sandwich 11 is detected by the sensor 12. Upon receiving this detection, the control unit 40 controls the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller. Since the center or center of gravity of the sandwich 11 is placed on the transport reference line L, the right half of the sandwich 11 is placed on the first transport surface of the first transport unit 21 and the left half is the second transport of the second transport unit 31. On the surface.

  Here, the control unit 40 drives the first drive roller 22 in the forward direction with a predetermined first rotation amount, and drives the second drive roller 32 in the forward direction with a predetermined second rotation amount. The predetermined first rotation amount is set larger than the predetermined second rotation amount. For example, the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount are determined so that the movement distance of the first conveyance unit 21 within a predetermined time is 150 mm and the movement distance of the second conveyance unit 31 within a predetermined time is 50 mm. .

  In this case, each conveyance part 21 and 31 moves at the same moving speed until each conveyance part 21 and 31 moves 50 mm. When the movement distance of each conveyance part 21 and 31 reaches 50 mm, the 2nd conveyance part 31 will stop and the 1st conveyance part 21 will further move 100 mm, and will stop. The sandwich 11 on the second transport unit 31 moves longer than the sandwich 11 on the first transport unit 21 due to the difference (relative amount) of the travel distance within the predetermined time. For this reason, on the 1st conveyance part 21 and the 2nd conveyance part 31, it rotates to the left side (clockwise seeing from the upper side), and changes direction. In addition, the relationship between the difference (relative amount) between the first movement distance and the second movement distance within a predetermined time and the rotation angle of the sandwich 11 is acquired in advance by experiments or calculations. For this reason, when the movement and rotation of the sandwich 11 stops, the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount are determined so that one diagonal line of the sandwich 11 becomes the rotation angle of the sandwich 11 placed on the conveyance reference line L. Therefore, the sandwich 11 has an oblique posture with its diagonal line placed on the conveyance reference line L.

  Subsequently, the control unit 40 drives the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 in the forward direction by a predetermined rotation amount. The first rotation amount at a predetermined time at this time is set equal to the second rotation amount at the predetermined time. For this reason, the movement speed of the 1st conveyance part 21 and the movement speed of the 2nd conveyance part 31 correspond, and the sandwich 11 moves to the front side, without rotating in the left-right direction.

  When the front end of the sandwich 11 reaches the rear end of the delivery conveyor 70, the sandwich 11 moves from the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31 to the transmission conveyance unit 74. The sandwich 11 is conveyed forward by the delivery conveyance unit 74 and is delivered to, for example, a cutting device. The movement speed of the delivery conveyance section 74 is determined to be a value between the movement speeds of the first conveyance section 21 and the second conveyance section 31 and the movement speed of the conveyance section of the cutting device. Thereby, the sandwich 11 is smoothly carried out from the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31 to the conveyance unit of the cutting device via the transmission conveyance unit 74.

  According to the said structure, the control part 40 controls the difference (relative amount) of the movement distance within the predetermined time of the 1st conveyance part 21 and the movement distance within the predetermined time of the 2nd conveyance part 31, and foodstuffs. The direction is adjusted. Thereby, the direction of food can be changed in the 1st conveyance part 21 and the 2nd conveyance part 31 only by controlling each movement amount (movement distance) of the 1st conveyance part 21 and the 2nd conveyance part 31. As a result, the direction of the food can be adjusted so that the cutting position of the food becomes the position of the blade, so that the food can be cut evenly, the proportion of nonconforming products can be reduced, and the reduction in work efficiency can be suppressed. it can.

  In addition, the direction of the food is changed in the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31. Therefore, a device for changing the direction of the food such as a turntable is not required separately from the transport unit for transporting the food. Therefore, an increase in product cost can be suppressed. Moreover, it is not necessary to move food between a transport unit for transporting food and a device such as a turntable for changing the direction of the food. Therefore, the work process does not increase, and a reduction in work efficiency can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, by changing the amount of movement of the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 within a predetermined time and the relative amount to be greater than 0, the direction of the food can be changed continuously with the transport of the food. . On the other hand, by making the moving speed of the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 within a predetermined time larger than 0 and setting the relative amount to 0, the food can be transported without changing the direction. Thus, by changing the movement amount and the relative amount within a predetermined time, it is possible to change the direction and / or transport the food.

(Embodiment 2)
The food direction changing apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment includes a photographing unit 80 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6 in addition to the components of the food direction changing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. It has more. The imaging unit 80 is disposed above the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31 and captures an image of food. The photographing unit 80 includes a camera unit 81 and an image processing unit 82.

  The camera unit 81 captures the sandwich 11 placed on the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 and acquires an image thereof. For example, the photographing range is set to a range in which the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 are combined around the photographing reference point P. The photographing reference point P is set on the conveyance reference line L, for example, at the center of the range including the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31. The center is the center in the front-rear direction at the same distance from the rear end and the front end of the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31, and the right end of the first transport unit 21 and the left end of the second transport unit 31 Are located at the center in the left-right direction at equal distances from each other.

  The image processing unit 82 is a unit that processes an image acquired by the camera unit 81, and includes a calculation unit and a storage unit. When the calculation unit executes according to the program stored in the storage unit, information (image information) such as the corner position of the sandwich 11 is acquired from the image obtained by the camera unit 81 and output to the control unit 40. .

  The control unit 40 controls each of the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 based on the image information from the imaging unit 80. For example, the control unit 40 controls the relative amount so as to adjust the direction of the food based on the image from the imaging unit 80. Note that the image processing unit 82 of the photographing unit 80 may be configured by a single processor together with the control unit 40.

  Further, the control unit 40 is configured to execute the second adjustment process after executing the first adjustment process. The first adjustment process is a process of adjusting the direction of the food by controlling the relative amount while conveying the food in one of the first directions (forward direction). In the second adjustment process, one of the first transport surface and the second transport surface is moved in the forward direction and the other is moved in the other direction of the first direction (rear direction) to further adjust the direction of the food. It is. In the second adjustment process, an image from the imaging unit 80 may be used.

  Next, operation | movement of the direction change apparatus 10 of a foodstuff is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. The sandwich 11 is carried from the work conveyor to the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 via the supply conveyor 60. Here, the control unit 40 drives the first drive roller 22 in the forward direction with a predetermined first rotation amount, and drives the second drive roller 32 in the forward direction with a predetermined second rotation amount. Thereby, the direction of the sandwich 11 is adjusted while the sandwich 11 is conveyed in the forward direction, and the first adjustment process is executed. When the orientation of the sandwich 11 is adjusted, the first rotation amount within the predetermined time is set to be larger than the second rotation amount within the predetermined time, so that the movement distance of the first transfer unit 21 within the predetermined time is changed to the second transfer. It becomes longer than the moving distance of the part 31 within a predetermined time. For this reason, the sandwich 11 rotates to the left on the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 and changes its direction.

  The rotation angle of the sandwich 11 is set so that one diagonal line of the sandwich 11 is along the conveyance reference line L and the sandwich 11 is in an oblique posture. However, since the rotation of the sandwich 11 includes uncertain elements, the sandwich 11 may not be in an oblique posture. The uncertain elements include, for example, the orientation of the sandwich 11 in the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 before rotation, and the frictional force between the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 and the sandwich 11. Individual differences such as are mentioned.

  Therefore, the orientation of the sandwich 11 is corrected based on the image of the sandwich 11 after rotation. Specifically, after a predetermined time, the control unit 40 stops the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32. At this time, the sandwich 11 comes below the camera unit 81. Here, the sandwich 11 is photographed by the camera unit 81, and the image of the sandwich 11 is processed by the image processing unit 82 to obtain the corner position of the sandwich 11. This image processing can employ any method. For example, the corners of the sandwich 11 are detected by identifying the color of the sandwich 11. Based on the photographing reference point P, the coordinate position of the corner of the sandwich 11 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is acquired. Here, the coordinate position of the first corner on the right front side of the sandwich 11 and the coordinate position of the second corner on the left rear side facing the first corner are acquired.

  Then, the orientation of the sandwich 11 is acquired. For example, the orientation of the sandwich 11 is an angle determined by a diagonal line of the sandwich 11 and an angle reference line (not shown). The angle reference line is parallel to the first direction and is set on the right side or the left side of the conveyance reference line L. Here, the angle reference line is set on the left side of the conveyance reference line L and on the left side of the left end of the sandwich 11. However, as long as the angular position of the sandwich 11 can be specified, the position of the angle reference line is not limited to this, and may be on the conveyance reference line L.

  Subsequently, a first interval between the first angle and the angle reference line in the left-right direction and a second interval between the second angle and the angle reference line in the left-right direction are calculated. The orientation of the sandwich 11 is acquired based on the first interval and the second interval. For example, if the first interval and the second interval are equal, it is determined that the diagonal line of the sandwich 11 connecting the first corner and the second corner is parallel to the angle reference line, and the sandwich 11 is in an oblique posture. be able to.

  On the other hand, if the first interval and the second interval are not equal, the sandwich 11 is not yet in an oblique posture, so the orientation of the sandwich 11 is corrected. For example, the difference (angle error) between the first interval and the second interval is calculated, and the first drive roller 22 and / or the second drive roller 32 are controlled so that the angle error becomes zero. Here, if the first interval is larger than the second interval, the actual rotation angle of the sandwich 11 is smaller than the predetermined rotation angle (that is, the rotation angle from the normal posture to the oblique posture). Therefore, the first drive roller 22 and / or the second drive roller 32 are driven so that the first interval becomes equal to the second interval. For example, the first drive roller 22 is driven in the forward direction without driving the second drive roller 32. Alternatively, the first drive roller 22 is not driven, and the second drive roller 32 is driven in the reverse direction. Alternatively, the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 are driven in the forward direction so that the first rotation amount within the predetermined time is larger than the second rotation amount within the predetermined time. For example, by driving the first drive roller 22 in the forward direction and driving the second drive roller 32 in the reverse direction, the first transport surface is moved forward and the second transport surface is moved backward. Thus, the second adjustment process is executed.

  In addition, you may correct | amend the relative amount in this case from the relationship between the relative amount at the time of rotating each drive roller 22 and 32 previously, the rotation angle of the sandwich 11, and an angle error. That is, if the rotation angle of the sandwich 11 is smaller than the predetermined rotation angle, the relative amount is increased from the previous relative amount. At this time, the larger the angle error, the larger the ratio for increasing the relative amount. Thereby, the direction of the sandwich 11 can be corrected in consideration of the influence on the rotation angle due to individual differences.

  Then, the sandwich 11 is photographed by the camera unit 81. This shooting may be, for example, after a predetermined time from the previous shooting by the camera unit 81, or after the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 are stopped. The image of the sandwich 11 is processed by the image processing unit 82, and the corner position of the sandwich 11 is acquired again. Then, the first drive roller 22 and / or the second drive roller 32 are driven until the first interval becomes equal to the second interval.

  Accordingly, if the first interval and the second interval are equal, it is determined that the sandwich 11 is in an oblique posture. Therefore, the control unit 40 drives the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 in the forward direction with a predetermined rotation amount and a relative amount of 0, respectively. Thereby, the sandwich 11 moves to the front side without rotating in the left-right direction. Then, the sandwich 11 moves from the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31 to the transmission conveyance unit 74 and is transmitted by the transmission conveyance unit 74 to a cutting device or the like.

  According to the above configuration, the control unit 40 executes the second adjustment process after executing the first adjustment process. As described above, the orientation of the sandwich 11 rotated by the first adjustment process is corrected by the second adjustment process. Thereby, the direction of the sandwich 11 can be adjusted to a desired direction, and a decrease in work efficiency can be suppressed.

  Further, the food orientation changing apparatus 10 is further provided with a photographing unit 80, which controls the relative amount based on the image obtained by the photographing unit 80 and adjusts the direction of the food. As a result, even when an uncertain element is included in the rotation of the sandwich 11, the orientation of the sandwich 11 is corrected based on the image of the sandwich 11, and further reduction in work efficiency can be further suppressed.

(Embodiment 3)
The food direction changing apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment further includes a position adjusting unit 90 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 in addition to the components of the food direction changing apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. The position adjustment unit 90 is a mechanism that moves the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The second direction is parallel to the first transport surface of the first transport unit 21 and the second transport surface of the second transport unit 31, and in this embodiment, is the left-right direction.

  The position adjustment unit 90 includes, for example, a drive motor 91, a drive rod 92, a holding unit 93, and a fixing unit 94. The drive motor 91 has an axis extending in the left-right direction, and can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise around the axis. The drive rod 92 is a rod-shaped member, and a helical thread is formed on the surface thereof. The drive rod 92 is connected to the drive motor 91 such that its axis extends in the left-right direction and coincides with the axis of the drive motor 91. Therefore, the drive rod 92 rotates according to the rotational movement of the drive motor 91.

  The holding part 93 is a cylindrical member, for example, and has a columnar space inside. A spiral groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holding portion 93, and the thread of the drive rod 92 fits into this groove. For this reason, the holding | maintenance part 93 can move to the left-right direction by the drive rod 92 rotating. The fixing part 94 is a member that supports the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 and fixes them to the holding part 93. In this embodiment, the fixing part 94 is composed of two rod-like members. The fixing portion 94 has a longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction, and is fixed to the holding portion 93. Therefore, as the holding portion 93 moves in the left-right direction, the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 can also move in the left-right direction via the fixing portion 94.

  The control unit 40 controls the position adjustment unit 90 to adjust the position of the food in the second direction (left-right direction) based on the image from the imaging unit 80. For example, the drive motor 91 is driven so that the diagonal line of the sandwich 11 is placed on the conveyance reference line L, and the position of the sandwich 11 placed on the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 is adjusted.

  Next, operation | movement of the direction change apparatus 10 of a foodstuff is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. The sandwich 11 is carried from the supply conveyor 60 to the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30. Here, the control unit 40 drives the first drive roller 22 in the forward direction with a predetermined first rotation amount, and drives the second drive roller 32 in the forward direction with a predetermined second rotation amount. By making the first rotation amount within the predetermined time larger than the second rotation amount within the predetermined time, the sandwich 11 rotates to the left on the first transport unit 21 and the second transport unit 31 and changes its direction.

  And if the 1st space | interval and the 2nd space | interval are equal, the sandwich 11 will have the diagonal attitude | position where the one diagonal line followed the conveyance reference line L. FIG. However, if the first interval and the second interval are not equal, the sandwich 11 is not in an oblique posture, so the orientation of the sandwich 11 is corrected based on the image of the sandwich 11. As a result, if the first interval and the second interval are equal, it is determined that the sandwich 11 is in an oblique posture.

  Here, the diagonal line of the sandwich 11 is parallel to the conveyance reference line L, but may not be placed on the conveyance reference line L. For this reason, the control unit 40 determines whether or not the diagonal line matches the conveyance reference line L based on the first interval and the second interval.

  Specifically, the control unit 40 determines whether or not the first interval and the second interval are the interval (reference interval) between the conveyance reference line L and the angle reference line. If each interval is equal to the reference interval, the diagonal line coincides with the conveyance reference line L.

  On the other hand, if each interval is not equal to the reference interval, the diagonal line is deviated from the conveyance reference line L. Therefore, the control unit 40 controls the position adjustment unit 90 so that the difference (position error) between each interval and the reference interval becomes zero. Here, if each interval is larger than the reference interval, the diagonal line of the sandwich 11 is located on the right side of the conveyance reference line L. For this reason, the control unit 40 rotates the drive motor 91 so that the conveyors 20 and 30 move to the left by the position error. Thereby, the drive rod 92 rotates, the holding part 93 combined with the drive rod 92 moves to the left side, and the fixing part 94 fixed to the holding part 93 also moves to the left side. Accordingly, the conveyors 20 and 30 fixed by the fixing unit 94 move to the left side, and the sandwiches 11 placed on the transfer units 21 and 31 of the conveyors 20 and 30 are moved to the left.

  Then, the sandwich 11 is photographed by the camera unit 81. This shooting may be, for example, after a predetermined time from the previous shooting by the camera unit 81 or after the position adjustment unit 90 is stopped. The image of the sandwich 11 is processed by the image processing unit 82, and the corner position of the sandwich 11 is acquired again. Then, the drive motor 91 is driven until each interval becomes equal to the reference interval.

  If each interval becomes equal to the reference interval, it is determined that the diagonal line of the sandwich 11 matches the conveyance reference line L. For this reason, the control unit 40 drives the first drive roller 22 and the second drive roller 32 in the forward direction so that the relative amount becomes 0 at a predetermined rotation amount. Thereby, the sandwich 11 moves to the front side without rotating in the left-right direction. Then, the sandwich 11 moves from the first conveyance unit 21 and the second conveyance unit 31 to the transmission conveyance unit 74 and is transmitted by the transmission conveyance unit 74 to a cutting device or the like.

  According to the above configuration, the food orientation changing apparatus 10 further includes the position adjustment unit 90, and the control unit 40 controls the position adjustment unit 90 to adjust the position of the food in the second direction based on the image. ing. Thereby, the position of the sandwich 11 can be corrected based on the image of the sandwich 11, and the position of the sandwich 11 can be adjusted to a desired position. Therefore, the ratio of nonconforming product can be further reduced, and the reduction in work efficiency can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 4)
The food direction changing apparatus 10 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a bending mechanism shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in addition to the components of the food direction changing apparatus 10 according to all the above embodiments. . FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the first conveyor 20 folded by a folding mechanism.

  The bending mechanism is provided on the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 and is a mechanism for bending the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30 in the front-rear direction. The first conveyor 20 includes a first rear support portion 25, a first front support portion 26, and a first shaft portion 27 in addition to the first drive roller 22, the first driven roller 23, and the first belt 24. doing. The first rear support portion 25 and the first front support portion 26 are platforms that support the first belt 24 on the flat upper surface, and the first rear support portion 25 is located on the rear side of the first front support portion 26. positioned. The first shaft portion 27 has an axial center extending in the left-right direction, and is provided through the front portion of the first rear support portion 25.

  The second conveyor 30 includes a second rear support portion 35, a second front support portion 36, and a second shaft portion 37 in addition to the second drive roller 32, the second driven roller 33, and the second belt 34. doing. The second shaft portion 37 is the same as the first shaft portion 27, the second rear support portion 35 is the same as the first rear support portion 25, and the second front support portion 36 is the same as the first front support portion 26. Since these are the same, their description is omitted. The operation of the folding mechanism of the second conveyor 30 described below is the same as the operation of the folding mechanism of the first conveyor 20, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, during the operation of the food direction changing device 10, the upper surfaces of the first front support part 26 and the first rear support part 25 expand in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the first drive roller 22. In addition, each upper end portion of the first driven roller 23 is located on the same horizontal plane. Thereby, the 1st conveyance part 21 of the 1st belt 24 is supported by each upper surface of the 1st front side support part 26 and the 1st back side support part 25, and can move smoothly in the direction of order.

  In the food direction changing apparatus 10, when removing the first belt 24, as shown in FIG. 7, the first driven roller 23 is moved to the upper front side. Accordingly, the first front support portion 26 is bent with respect to the first rear support portion 25 around the first shaft portion 27. For this reason, the first front support portion 26 expands in the vertical direction and the left-right direction, and the first driven roller 23 is positioned above the first front support portion 26. Therefore, the peripheral length between the first driving roller 22, the first driven roller 23, and the first shaft portion 27 after the bending is between the first driving roller 22 and the first driven roller 23 before the bending. It becomes shorter than the surrounding length. Accordingly, the first belt 24 is disengaged from the first drive roller 22 and the first driven roller 23.

  According to the said structure, it becomes easy to remove the 1st belt 24 and the 2nd belt 34 by providing a bending mechanism in the 1st conveyor 20 and the 2nd conveyor 30. FIG. Therefore, the first belt 24 and the second belt 34 can be cleaned and kept hygienic.

  Further, when the orientation of the sandwich 11 is changed, the first rotation amount within a predetermined time is set larger than the second rotation amount within the predetermined time, and the second rotation amount is set larger than zero. Thereby, the sandwich 11 can be moved to the front side and rotated. Therefore, by providing a bending mechanism in the first conveyor 20 and the second conveyor 30, the time for which the first conveying unit 21 and the second conveying unit 31 are conveyed by the respective conveying units 21 and 31 even when the first conveying unit 21 and the second conveying unit 31 become longer in the front-rear direction. Can be prevented from becoming longer. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in work efficiency due to a long movement distance.

(Other embodiments)
In all the embodiments described above, the control unit 40 controls the movement time of each of the conveyance units 21 and 31 within a predetermined time, so that the difference (relative amount) in the movement distance of each of the conveyance units 21 and 31 during the predetermined time. Adjusted. On the other hand, when the moving times of the transport units 21 and 31 are equal within a predetermined time, the control unit 40 controls the difference (relative speed) of the moving speeds of the transport units 21 and 31 to obtain a relative amount. May be adjusted.

  In all the above embodiments, when changing the direction of the sandwich 11, the first rotation amount within a predetermined time is set larger than the second rotation amount within the predetermined time, and the sandwich 11 is rotated to the left side. . On the other hand, the rotation direction of the sandwich 11 is not limited to this. Therefore, the sandwich 11 may be rotated to the right by setting the second rotation amount to be larger than the first rotation amount. In this case as well, the same effect as when rotated to the left is obtained.

  In all the above embodiments, when changing the orientation of the sandwich 11, the first rotation amount within a predetermined time is larger than the second rotation amount within the predetermined time, and this second rotation amount is set to be larger than zero. For this reason, the sandwich 11 was rotated while moving. On the other hand, the second rotation amount may be set to zero. As a result, the sandwich 11 rotates without moving in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the area of the 1st conveyance part 21 and the 2nd conveyance part 31 can be restrained to the range for the sandwich 11 to rotate, and size reduction of the food direction change apparatus 10 is achieved.

  In the second to third embodiments, the second adjustment process is executed based on the image from the imaging unit 80. However, the image is not limited to an image as long as it is a reference for the second adjustment processing. For example, the direction of the food may be adjusted based on the distance detected by the distance measuring sensor.

  Note that all the above embodiments may be combined with each other as long as they do not exclude each other. From the above description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention are obvious to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and / or function may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The food direction changing apparatus of the present invention is useful as a food direction changing apparatus or the like that suppresses a decrease in cutting efficiency and an increase in product cost.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Direction change apparatus 11 of foodstuffs: Sandwich 20: 1st conveyor 21: 1st conveyance part 30: 2nd conveyor 31: 2nd conveyance part 40: Control part 80: Image pick-up part 90: Position adjustment part

Claims (3)

A first conveyor for moving a first conveying surface on which a part of the food is placed in a first direction;
A second conveyor that is provided adjacent to the first conveyor and moves a second conveying surface on which another portion of the food is placed in the first direction;
A controller for independently controlling the first conveyor and the second conveyor,
The controller is
The relative amount of the movement amount of the first conveyance surface within a predetermined time and the movement amount of the second conveyance surface within a predetermined time is controlled to rotate the food while conveying the food in the forward direction. Execute direction change processing to change the direction of food,
After performing the orientation changing process, one of the first transport surface and the second transport surface is moved forward and the other is moved backward to control the relative amount, and the direction of the food Execute orientation correction processing to correct
A food direction change device configured to correct the relative amount in the direction correction process based on a relationship between the relative amount in the direction change process and the rotation angle of the food. The camera further includes a photographing unit that is disposed above the first transport surface and the second transport surface and captures an image of the food.
The food direction changing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform the direction correction processing based on the image. A position adjusting unit that moves the first transport surface and the second transport surface in a second direction that is parallel to the first transport surface and the second transport surface and orthogonal to the first direction. Further comprising
The food direction changing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the position adjusting unit to adjust the position of the food in the second direction based on the image.

Images