JP6355569B2 - Article filling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article filling apparatus that supplies articles such as dried noodle chunks conveyed by a conveyor from above so as to cover the containers, and then inverts the containers to fill the containers with the articles.

  Conventionally, the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as an apparatus for filling a cup with dried noodle chunks. In this apparatus, the cup is supplied from above to cover the noodle mass with respect to the noodle mass being conveyed by the reversing conveyor, and then the cup is reversed by moving along the outer periphery of the pulley at the end of the reversing conveyor, A noodle mass is filled into the cup. At the same time, the cup is transferred to the filling conveyor, and the ingredients and the like are filled into the cup while being conveyed by the filling conveyor, and then the opening of the cup is sealed with the cap.

  In order to inspect whether or not the weight of the contents of the cup noodle is appropriate, a weight abnormality detection device disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 2 is provided in the middle of such a cup noodle manufacturing process. This detection device is configured to measure the weight of the cup filled with the contents, and to remove the cup from the production line if the weight is excessive or insufficient.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-31409 JP-A-7-12630

  In the above-described conventional apparatus, when the weight of the contents is not appropriate, the filled cup is discarded together with the contents, and there is a problem that the cup is lost.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an article filling apparatus capable of checking the weight of contents without wasting containers such as cups.

  An article filling apparatus according to the present invention includes an article supply unit that supplies articles in multiple rows along a supply path, a measurement unit that measures the weight of an article in the supply path, and a weight of the article measured by the measurement unit. Judgment means for determining whether the value is appropriate, a transport conveyor that is located downstream from the supply path and that transports the articles supplied from the article supply means while maintaining a row, and a container for the articles on the transport conveyor A container supply means to be covered; a discharge means capable of individually discharging articles in the supply path from the supply path for each row; and a control means for controlling the operation of the container supply and discharge means. Based on the determination result by the determination means, the discharge means is operated to discharge the articles from the supply path, and the container supply means is controlled so as not to supply the containers to the places where there are no articles discharged by the discharge means on the conveyor. It is characterized in Rukoto.

  The article supply means includes, for example, a support member that supports the lower surface of the article, an article conveyance means that engages behind the article on the support member and conveys the article at a constant speed, and moves the measurement means along the supply path. A moving means that operates the moving means during the conveyance of the article by the article conveying means, and measures the weight of the article when released from the article conveying means. In this case, the moving unit may be configured to be released from the article conveying unit by moving the measuring unit at a higher speed than the article conveying unit. Further, the article filling apparatus may include an elevating unit that elevates and lowers the moving unit and the measuring unit. In this configuration, the moving unit moves the measuring unit while the article is lifted by the elevating unit and separated from the support member. Let

  Furthermore, the article filling apparatus may include a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of an article on the conveyor on the downstream side of the discharge unit. In this case, the control means controls the container supply means based on the detection signal of the detection means or based on the determination result of the determination means.

  The article discharged by the discharging means is preferably discharged below the supply path.

  According to the present invention, the weight of the contents can be checked without wasting the container.

1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an article filling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the state which a load cell unit measures a weight, conveying a noodle chunk. It is a top view which shows a supporting member and a mounting member. It is a side view which shows the load cell unit in 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an article filling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The article supply device (article supply means) 10 has a supply conveyor 12 which is an endless belt wound around a pulley 11, and in this embodiment, the supply conveyor 12 passes dry noodle mass (article) A along the supply path. Supply in multiple rows. That is, when the supply conveyor 12 is viewed from above, a plurality of rows of supply paths are formed in the supply conveyor 12. A support member 13 is provided on the supply path downstream of the pulley 11 of the supply conveyor 12 (left side in FIG. 1), and a transport device 14 is provided above the supply conveyor 12 and the support member 13. On the downstream side of the supply path, a transport conveyor 20 is provided for transporting the noodle block A supplied from the article supply apparatus 10 while maintaining the row. The noodle block A is transferred from the supply conveyor 12 to the support member 13 and from the support member 13 to the transfer conveyor 20 by the transfer device 14.

  A container supply device (container supply means) 30 is provided above the transport conveyor 20, and the container supply device 30 covers the noodle block A on the transport conveyor 20 with a cup (container) C. As known in the art, the cup C and the noodle block A are reversed by rotating along the outer peripheral edge of a pulley (not shown) on the downstream side of the transport conveyor 20, whereby the noodle block A drops and the cup C is filled. After that, ingredients and the like are put into the cup C, the opening of the cup C is sealed with a lid, and conveyed to the packaging process.

  The conveying device 14 is configured by attaching a conveying bar (article conveying means) 17 to an endless member 16 wound around a pulley 15 at regular intervals. The endless member 16 is provided from the vicinity of the downstream end of the supply conveyor 12 to above the pulley 21 on the upstream side of the transport conveyor 20, and a constant speed so that the lower part moves in the same direction as the supply conveyor 12. To rotate. That is, the transport bar 17 engages behind the noodle block A located at the downstream end of the supply conveyor 12, pushes the noodle block A forward at a constant speed, and delivers it onto the support member 13.

  The support member 13 is provided for each supply path row in the supply conveyor 12. Each support member 13 is provided from the downstream end portion of the supply conveyor 12 to the upstream end portion of the transport conveyor 20, and the middle portion is interrupted at two places, and the upstream portion is a load cell unit. (Measuring means) 40 is provided, and a discharge damper 50 is provided at a downstream interrupted portion. The load cell unit 40 includes a placement member 41 on which the noodle mass A is placed and a load cell 42 that measures the weight of the noodle mass A. The upper surface of the mounting member 41 is at the same height as the upper surface of the support member 13, and the mounting member 41 supports the lower surface of the noodle block A like the support member 13. The load cell unit 40 is driven by a drive mechanism (moving means) including a rail 43 and a servo motor (not shown), and moves along a supply path.

  The configuration of the support member 13 and the load cell unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. The support member 13 is two parallel rod-shaped members, and the mounting member 41 is three parallel rod-shaped members. Of the three placement members 41, the placement member 41 located in the center is located between the two support members 13, and the placement members 41 located on both sides are located outside the two support members 13. . When the load cell unit 40, that is, the mounting member 41 is guided by the rail 43 and is freely reciprocated, is controlled by a control unit 60 described later, and the noodle mass A is delivered from the upstream support member 13 to the mounting member 41. The mounting member 41 is biased toward the support member 13 on the upstream side. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the support member 13 and the placement member 41 are overlapped by a portion approximately equal to the diameter of the noodle block A so that the tip portions of the two support members 13 reach the vicinity of the center of the placement member 41. doing. In this state, the transport bar 17 pushes the rear surface of the noodle block A and transfers it to the mounting member 41 (see FIG. 2A).

  Simultaneously with the completion of this transfer operation, the load cell unit 40 is driven, and the placement member 41 and the load cell 42 move along the rail 43 toward the downstream side at a higher speed than the transfer bar 17. Accordingly, the noodle block A is released from the transport bar 17 as shown in FIG. That is, the total weight of the noodle mass A acts on the load cell 42, the weight of the noodle mass A is measured while moving along the supply path, and the measurement data is transmitted to the control unit 60. When the mounting member 41 is superimposed on the downstream support member 13 (the support member 13 located on the left side in FIG. 3), the load cell unit 40 stops. On the other hand, since the conveyance bar 17 always moves at a constant speed, the noodle block A is engaged with the conveyance bar 17 again and conveyed further downstream on the support member 13. During this time, the load cell unit 40 returns to the original position, that is, the position where it overlaps with the upstream support member 13.

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, as described above, the discharge damper (discharge means) 50 that can discharge the noodle block A from the supply path is provided on the downstream side of the load cell unit 40. The discharge damper 50 is normally maintained in a horizontal state and is set at the same height as the mounting member 41 and the support member 13, and the noodle mass A is engaged by the transport bar 17 and moves forward, and the transport conveyor 20 side. To the support member 13. When the weight of the noodle block A measured by the load cell unit 40 is not an appropriate value, the discharge damper 50 is inclined so that the downstream side is downward by the action of the control unit 60 described later, and the noodle block A is dropped and supplied. Drain down the path. A collection box 51 for receiving the discharged noodle block A is disposed below the discharge damper 50.

  The noodle block A transferred to the support member 13 on the conveyor 20 side is pushed by the conveyor bar 17 and further advanced, and is transferred to the support plate 22 on the conveyor 20. That is, a support plate 22 is provided at predetermined intervals on the transport conveyor 20, and a cup C is supplied by the container supply device 30 onto the support plate 22 to which the noodle mass A has been delivered. Covered by cup C.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the discharge damper 50, a sensor (detection means) 52 that detects whether the noodle block A is present on the transport conveyor 20 is provided above the pulley 21. As will be described later, when the determination circuit 61 determines that the weight of the noodle block A is not an appropriate value, the determination result is stored in the memory, and the container supply device 30 is placed on the corresponding support plate 22 based on the determination result. Although it is controlled not to supply the cup C, in this embodiment, it is confirmed by the sensor 52 that the noodle block A is discharged by the discharge damper 50 and does not exist on the support plate 22.

  The container supply device 30 basically has a conventionally known configuration. That is, it has a magazine 31 that holds a large number of cups C in a superposed state, and a supply arm 32 that sucks and takes out the cup C located at the bottom of the magazine 31. The supply arm 32 is configured to be movable up and down and rotatable, and is attracted to the bottom surface of the cup C and pulled downward, and rotated about 180 degrees so that the opening of the cup C faces downward, and on a predetermined support plate 22. To supply.

  The discharge damper 50 and the container supply device 30 are electrically connected to a control unit (control means) 60, and the operations of the discharge damper 50 and the container supply device 30 are controlled by the control unit 60. The control unit 60 is provided with a determination circuit (determination means) 61 that determines whether the weight of the noodle block A measured by the load cell unit 40 is an appropriate value. The weight determination result is stored in a memory provided in the determination circuit 61.

  When the determination circuit 61 determines that the weight of the noodle block A is not an appropriate value, the discharge damper 50 is inclined and discharges the noodle block A to the collection box 51. The container supply device 30 uses the determination result stored in the memory of the determination circuit 61 and the detection signal output from the sensor 52 and indicating that the noodle mass A does not exist on the support plate 22 corresponding to the noodle mass A. Based on this, it is controlled not to supply the cup C to the support plate 22.

  As described above, in this embodiment, while the transport bar 17 transports the noodle block A along the support member 13, the drive mechanism of the load cell unit 40 is operated to engage the transport bar 17 with respect to the noodle block A. The weight of the noodle block A is measured when the match is lost. That is, the weight of the noodle block A can be measured with a simple configuration, and it is not necessary to increase the size of the article filling device.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 60 operates the discharge damper 50 based on the determination result by the determination circuit 61 when the weight of the noodle block A is not an appropriate value, so that the noodle block A is removed from the supply path. Discharged. Also, the control unit 60 does not supply the cup C to the support plate 22 corresponding to the noodle block A based on the determination result stored in the memory of the determination circuit 61 and the detection signal output from the sensor 52. The container supply device 30 is controlled. Therefore, the cup C is always supplied on the support plate 22 where the noodle mass A is present, and the cup C is not wasted like the conventional apparatus.

  The sensor 52 may be omitted, and the container supply device 30 may be configured not to supply the cup C to the corresponding support plate 22 based only on the determination result by the determination circuit 61.

  FIG. 4 shows a load cell unit 70 in the second embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to members common to the first embodiment.

  The major difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the mounting member 41 and the load cell 42 can be moved up and down. Ascending and descending range is from a height position where the upper surface of the mounting member 41 is below the support member 13 (see FIG. 4A), the upper surface of the mounting member 41 is above the upper surface of the support member 13. Up to the protruding height position (see FIG. 4B). That is, the noodle block A is transferred from the support member 13 onto the mounting member 41 when the mounting member 41 is raised. Therefore, the support member 13 does not need to be interrupted at the portion of the mounting member 41, and continues from the supply conveyor 12 side to the discharge damper 50.

  The mounting member 41 and the load cell 42 are driven up and down by an elevating device (elevating means) 71 such as a cylinder device, for example. The lifting device 71 is provided on the rail 43 and is controlled by the control unit 60. That is, the elevating device 71 rises when the noodle mass A is sent above the placement member 41, whereby the noodle mass A is separated from the support member 13 and transferred onto the placement member 41. At the same time, the placing member 41 and the load cell 42 move at a higher speed than the transport bar 17 along the rail 43 (FIG. 4B), and the weight of the noodle block A is increased in the same manner as in the first embodiment. It is measured. Other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, the noodle mass A is completely released from the support member 13 and placed on the placement member 41, so that the weight is measured without being affected by the support member 13. Other effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In addition, although 1st and 2nd embodiment was the example filled with the noodle lump A in the cup C, the articles | goods filled are not limited to the noodle lump A, and a container is not limited to the cup C either. Moreover, although the noodle block A is separately conveyed one by one, the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus for conveying a plurality of articles. Furthermore, the supply conveyor 12 and the conveyance conveyor 20 are not limited to the structure which conveys articles | goods continuously, You may be comprised so that it may convey by intermittent operation | movement.

  In the first and second embodiments, the noodle mass A is directly transferred from the support member 13 to the transport conveyor 20. Instead, the noodle mass A is received between the support member 13 and the transport conveyor 20. An intermediate conveyor for delivery may be provided.

10. Article supply device (article supply means)
17 Conveying bar (article conveying means)
20 Conveyor 30 Container supply device (container supply means)
40, 70 Load cell unit (measuring means)
50 Discharge damper (discharge means)
52 Sensor (detection means)
60 Control unit (control means)
61 Determination circuit (determination means)
A Noodle mass (article)

Claims (7)

Article supply means for supplying articles in multiple rows along the supply path;
Measuring means for measuring the weight of an article in the supply path;
Determining means for determining whether the weight of the article measured by the measuring means is an appropriate value;
A transport conveyor that is located downstream of the supply path and that transports the articles supplied from the article supply means while maintaining a row;
Container supply means for covering the articles on the conveyor with containers;
Discharging means capable of individually discharging articles in the supply path from the supply path for each row;
Control means for controlling the supply of the container and the operation of the discharge means,
The control means operates the discharge means based on the determination result by the determination means to discharge the article from the supply path, and places a container at a place where the article discharged by the discharge means on the transport conveyor is absent. An article filling apparatus, wherein the container supply means is controlled so as not to supply. The article supply means includes
A support member for supporting the lower surface of the article;
Article conveying means for engaging the rear of the article on the support member and conveying the article at a constant speed;
Moving means for moving the measuring means along the supply path,
The article filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit is operated during the conveyance of the article by the article conveyance unit, and the weight of the article is measured when the article is released from the article conveyance unit.   3. The article filling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving means is released from the article conveying means by moving the measuring means at a higher speed than the article conveying means.   The moving means and lifting means for moving the measuring means up and down are provided, and the moving means moves the measuring means in a state where the article is lifted by the lifting means and separated from the support member. Item filling device according to Item 3. A detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an article on the conveyor is provided downstream of the discharge means,
5. The article filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the container supply unit based on a detection signal of the detection unit.   The article filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the container supply unit based on a determination result of the determination unit.   The article filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article discharged by the discharging means is discharged below the supply path.

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