JP6419483B2 - Confectionery alignment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning confectionery used mainly for aligning and transferring confectionery such as food (for example, bread, Japanese confectionery) on a transport tray.

  Conventionally, when the food fed from the upstream conveyor is transferred on the downstream conveyor while changing the alignment mode, the downstream conveyor is continuously driven at a constant speed without intermittent driving. There is already known a food transfer device that can be transferred by using a method (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, foods fed from the upstream conveyor are temporarily arranged on the intermediate conveyor, and then transferred from the intermediate conveyor to the downstream conveyor. Need. Therefore, without providing such an intermediate conveyor, an alignment transfer device that can directly align and transfer from the upstream conveyor to the downstream conveyor without stopping or intermittently driving the downstream conveyor. The applicant has previously proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  This apparatus arranges and transfers the object to be conveyed to the conveyor to convey the object to be conveyed from the alignment transfer belt conveyor extending in the width direction of the conveyor to the conveyor to convey the object to be conveyed. An alignment transfer device, wherein the support member that supports the alignment transfer belt conveyor and the support member is moved between a first position and a second position along a transfer direction of the transfer conveyor. First moving means, speed detecting means for detecting the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor, and a signal from the speed detecting means, and controlling the first moving means in response to the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor. And a control means for moving the support member from the first position to the second position in synchronization with the transport operation of the transport conveyor.

JP-A-8-133463 JP 2009-143634 A

  In recent years, there has been a demand to supply food trays (conveyance trays) to the conveyance conveyor instead of on the conveyance conveyor, and to arrange and transfer the objects to be conveyed on the food tray conveyed by the conveyance conveyor. There is also a demand to make the structure as compact as possible.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a confectionery aligning device that is compact in structure and can efficiently transfer and transfer objects to be conveyed with respect to a conveying tray (for example, a food tray).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a transfer start is started in which a transfer tray provided on the main body frame and placed on the main body frame is transferred in the first direction with respect to the first row of objects to be transferred to the transfer tray. A transport means for transporting from the position to a transport end position for transferring the last row of the objects to be transported to the transport tray, and a tray supply provided in the main body frame for sequentially supplying the transport tray to the transport means And an alignment transfer belt conveyor that extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and conveys the object to be conveyed, from the alignment transfer belt conveyor to the conveyance tray conveyed by the conveyance means An alignment transfer means for transferring an object to be transferred and aligning and transferring the object to be transferred in a plurality of rows on the transport tray, and each time the transfer of each row of the plurality of rows is completed First one In the said carrier tray toward the conveying end position a alignment device confectionery moving by a certain pitch by the conveying means, the tray supply means side of the carrier tray is provided at regular intervals in the vertical direction Left and right support brackets that can support the edge from below are provided, and the left and right support brackets move the empty transport tray from the bottom to the top by synchronous movement in a corresponding positional relationship on the left and right, thereby the transport tray In order to the conveyance start position , the alignment transfer means is provided above the tray supply means, and the object to be conveyed to the conveyance tray supplied to the conveyance means by the tray supply means It is the thing which performs the transfer of.

If it does in this way, the said tray supply means will convey the said conveyance tray in order from the bottom, and the said alignment transfer means will be the said conveyance tray supplied with respect to the said conveyance means by the said tray supply means The transfer object is transferred and the alignment transfer means and the tray supply means are arranged vertically, so that the length in the first direction can be shortened, and the tray supply means Is advantageous in shortening the length in the vertical direction by moving the transport tray from the bottom to the top and supplying the transport tray in order to the transport start position .

  Therefore, with a compact structure, the objects to be conveyed can be aligned and transferred while moving the conveyance tray (for example, the food tray) in the first direction. Because of its compact structure, it can be installed comfortably in a small space.

  In this case, as described in claim 2, the main body frame includes a base located on a lower side, and a gate-shaped upper frame provided on the base, and the base and the base The transport tray is transported toward the transport end position in the first direction through an opening formed between the upper frame and the tray supply means on the base side. It is desirable that the transport means and the alignment transfer means are provided respectively.

  In this case, since the tray supply means is provided on the base side and the transport means and the alignment transfer means are provided on the upper frame side, respectively, it is advantageous in achieving a compact structure. .

Further, as described in claim 3, wherein the conveying means, prior Symbol the carrier tray which is supplied to the conveying means by the tray supply unit, by a predetermined pitch toward the conveying end position in the first direction first and operations that moved, after the transfer completion, and performs a second operation extruding greatly, can be configured.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the transport means includes a first rotation shaft that is rotatably supported by the main body frame, a first arm member whose base end is fixed to the first rotation shaft, A second rotation shaft rotatably supported at the distal end portion of the first arm member; a second arm member whose base end portion is fixed to the second rotation shaft; and a distal end portion of the second arm member. A pressing member capable of contacting the transport tray, a first toothed pulley fixed to the first rotating shaft, a second toothed pulley fixed to the second rotating shaft, and the first and second A toothed belt wound around a toothed pulley, and rotating the first rotating shaft to rotate the second rotating shaft via the first and second toothed pulleys and the toothed belt. The second arm member is rotated by the rotation of the second rotation shaft, and the pressing member is It is also possible to employ a structure to push the carrier tray with a line move.

  If it does in this way, a compact conveyance means is realizable by using the 1st and 2nd arm members.

  In this case, as described in claim 5, the first arm member includes two plate members extending in parallel and a spacer member that regulates a distance between the two plate members. It is desirable that the first and second toothed pulleys are disposed between the base end portions of the second arm member and fixed to a protruding portion of the second rotating shaft protruding from the plate member.

  If it does in this way, the belt mechanism which consists of the 1st and 2nd toothed pulley and the toothed belt will be arranged without requiring a large space.

  In the present invention, the tray supply means conveys the conveyance trays from bottom to top in order, and the alignment transfer means transfers the object to be conveyed to the conveyance tray supplied to the conveyance hand by the tray supply means. Since it is set as the structure which performs mounting sequentially, a to-be-conveyed object can be aligned and transferred efficiently with respect to a conveyance tray (for example, food tray) with a compact structure. In addition, even a small space can be installed without difficulty.

It is a front view which shows one Embodiment of the alignment apparatus of the confectionery which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the alignment apparatus of the said confectionery. It is a side view of the said confectionery alignment apparatus. It is a side view of the modification of a conveyance means. (A) is the AA arrow directional view of FIG. 4, (b) is the B direction arrow directional view of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the said conveyance means.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a confectionery alignment apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the confectionery alignment apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the confectionery alignment apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the confectionery aligning apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 2, a tray supply unit 3, and an alignment transfer unit 4.

  The conveying means 2 is provided on the main body frame 5 and moves the conveying tray T placed on the main body frame 5 in the first direction S1 for the first row of objects to be conveyed (for example, food) to the conveying tray T. From the transfer start position where transfer is performed to the transfer end position where transfer of the last row of objects to be transferred to the transfer tray T is transferred at a fixed pitch.

  The tray supply unit 3 is provided in the main body frame 5 and sequentially supplies the transport tray T to the transport unit 2. That is, the transport tray T is supplied one by one from the bottom to the top at the transport start position where the transport means 2 starts transporting the transport tray T (or before the transport start position). Note that the supply of the transport tray T to the lower portion of the tray supply means 3 may be performed from the front side of the apparatus 1, may be performed from the rear side, or may be performed from either side. May be.

  The alignment transfer means 4 has an alignment transfer belt conveyor 6 that extends in a second direction S2 orthogonal to the first direction S1 and conveys the object to be conveyed. From the alignment transfer belt conveyor 6, the tray supply means 3 transfers the transfer means. The object to be transported is transferred to the transport tray T supplied to 2. Then, the objects to be transported are transferred to the transport tray T transported by the transport means 3, and the objects to be transported are transported on the transport tray T in a plurality of rows.

  Here, the main body frame 5 has a base 5A positioned on the lower side and a gate-shaped upper frame 5B provided on the base 5A, and the tray supply means 3 is provided on the base 5A side with the upper frame 5B. Conveying means 2 and alignment transfer means 4 are provided on the side. Therefore, the alignment transfer means 4 is provided above the tray supply means 3 (specifically, on the front side).

  An opening 5C is formed between the base 5A and the upper frame 5B, and the transport tray T is transported toward the transport end position in the first direction S1 through the opening 5C. At that time, every time the transfer of each of the plurality of rows is completed, in the first direction S1, the transfer tray T is moved by a predetermined pitch toward the transfer end position by the transfer means 2, and at the transfer end position. After the transfer is completed, the transport tray T is largely pushed forward by the transport means 2. It should be noted that the transport tray T after the end of the alignment transfer, which has been largely pushed out, is transported to a place where the next processing is performed by an operator or a transport conveyor (not shown). Further, when the transport tray T is supplied before the transport start position by the tray supply means 3, the transport tray T is moved to the transport start position by the transport means 2 prior to transfer.

  For this purpose, the transport unit 2 is disposed behind the transport start position at which the transport tray T is supplied by the tray supply unit 3 and performs a first operation of moving by a constant pitch in the front-rear direction. Have An air cylinder mechanism 12 is disposed alongside the belt feeding mechanism 11 to perform a second operation for largely pushing the transport tray T forward after the transfer is completed. The belt feeding mechanism 11 and the air cylinder mechanism 12 are provided suspended from the upper frame 5B.

  The belt feeding mechanism 11 includes a pressing member 11a, and a synchro belt 11b having the pressing member 11a fixed to the outer periphery thereof is wound around two pulleys 11c and 11d, and the synchronizing member 11a is rotated to rotate the pressing member 11a. In the first direction S1, the transport tray T is intermittently fed at a constant pitch corresponding to the arrangement interval of the objects to be transported. In the case where the transport tray T is supplied before the transport start position by the tray supply means 3, the belt feed mechanism 11 moves the transport tray T to the transport start position prior to transfer.

  The air cylinder mechanism 12 includes a first air cylinder 12a and a second air cylinder 12b. The first air cylinder 12a is provided at the tip of the piston rod, and has a tip member 12c that pushes the rear surface of the transport tray T by the advance of the piston rod. The second air cylinder 12b has a piston rod linked to the first air cylinder 12a, a lower operating position where the tip of the piston rod can press the end of the transport tray, and a piston. The tip of the rod moves between the upper standby position where the end of the transport tray cannot be pressed. When the first air cylinder 12a is at the upper standby position, the belt feeding mechanism 11 intermittently feeds the transport tray T.

  The first operation is performed by the belt feeding mechanism 11 that intermittently feeds the pressing member 11a by rotating the synchro belt 11b. The second operation is performed by the first air cylinder 12a and the first air cylinder 12a. This is performed by an air cylinder mechanism 12 having a second cylinder 12b that moves up and down in the vertical direction.

  Further, the tray supply means 3 has a chain 22 rotatably wound between the sprockets 21A and 21B arranged at the upper and lower sides at intervals corresponding to the width of the transport tray T. In addition, support brackets 23 that can support the side edge of the transport tray T from below are provided at regular intervals. The left and right support brackets 23 have a corresponding positional relationship on the left and right, and the left and right chains 22 rotate synchronously to move the transport tray T from the lower side to the upper side, thereby moving the transport tray T to the transport start position (or It is supplied up to (before the transfer start position). Moreover, it is also possible to store (standby) until it is used by supporting the conveyance tray T between the left and right support brackets 23.

  The supplied transport tray T is fed at a constant pitch in the first direction S1 by the pressing member 11a that abuts the end of the transport tray T. Transferred one by one. The alignment transfer belt conveyor 6 is configured to transfer the objects to be transferred one by one on the transfer tray T while the front end of the alignment transfer belt conveyor 6 is retracted in the second direction S2, and to transfer a predetermined number in a row. . After the completion of the predetermined number of transfers, the transport tray T is fed at a constant pitch, and the front end (tip member 6a) of the alignment transfer belt conveyor 6 is advanced and returned to the transfer start position of the next row. Similarly, the objects to be conveyed are sequentially transferred while moving backward by a predetermined number with respect to the next row. Such an operation is repeated, and the objects to be conveyed are arranged on the conveyance tray T by transferring, with each row being a predetermined number of objects to be conveyed, arranged in a plurality of rows.

  The alignment transfer belt conveyor 6 is supported by the upper frame 5B so that the tip of the belt conveyor 6 can move in the second direction S2 above the opening 31, and the base 5A and the upper frame 5B are It arrange | positions so that the opening part 31 may be formed between them, and they are fixed by fixed positional relationship. A control device 32 that controls the electrical control of the device 1 is provided above the upper frame 5B.

  In addition, a first guide rail 41 extending along the second direction S2 is provided above the opening 31 of the upper frame 5, and a slider 42 that is movably engaged with the first guide rail 41 is provided. The slider 42 is configured such that a movable member 43 that supports the tip member 6a moves. The movable member 43 is moved forward and backward (reciprocated) in the second direction S <b> 1 by the engagement relationship between the guide rail 41 and the slider 42 by an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control device 32. It has become.

  Further, a conveyor belt 6b having a narrow belt width is wound around the tip member 6a, and the tip member 6a is wound in the tray width direction (a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport tray T). Along the transport tray T, the front end of the belt conveyor 6 is reciprocated in the second direction S2. The tip member 6a is moved up and down by an actuator (not shown).

  Thereby, the to-be-conveyed object on the conveyor belt 6b is sequentially on the conveyance tray T by repeating the operation | movement in which the front-end | tip member 6a descend | falls and moves (retreats) between the width direction both ends of the conveyance tray T, They are transferred in a row in the second direction S2.

  A second guide rail 45 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the side frame 46, and a moving member 47 is engaged with the guide rail 46 so as to be movable in the vertical direction apart from the tip member 6a. The moving member 47 is moved downward in synchronization with the retreat of the tip member 6a, so that the bending of the conveyor belt 6b is absorbed.

  In this way, the alignment transfer belt conveyor 6 is formed with an extra length storage portion of the conveyor belt 6b next to the tray supply means 3. In other words, the extra length storage portion of the conveyor belt 6b is disposed in a space portion that is not related to tray supply or conveyance so that the entire device does not become too large.

  When the confectionery aligning device is used, first, various settings are made in the control device 32 in accordance with the size of the object to be conveyed and the size (width) of the conveyance tray T. If necessary, guide members for guiding both side portions of the transport tray T are attached.

  The control device 32 determines the transfer start position, the movement range, and the like of the front end portion of the alignment transfer belt conveyor 4 according to the number of transferred objects aligned on the transfer tray T and the number belonging to the lines. . Then, under the control of the control device 32, the transport tray T supplied from the tray supply unit 3 is moved by the pressing member 11 a to a position (transport start position) where the transported object can be transferred to the first row. In addition, when the transport tray T supplied from the tray supply unit 3 is the transport start position, the transport tray T is left as it is.

  Then, by the movement of the support member 43, the position of the tip end portion (tip member 4a) of the alignment transfer belt conveyor 4 moves in the second direction S2, and the objects to be conveyed are arranged one by one at a constant pitch. To be transferred. When the transfer for one row is completed, the transport tray T is sent by the pressing member 11 in the first direction S1 to a position where it can be transferred to the next row, and the tip is returned to the transfer start position during that time. . Then, the transfer is performed in the same manner for the next column.

  As described above, a predetermined number of objects to be transferred are transferred onto a predetermined number of rows on the transport tray T while repeating the transfer for each row. A plurality of objects to be conveyed are arranged at predetermined intervals on the conveyor belt 6b wound around the tip member 6a, and can be sequentially transferred.

  When the alignment transfer of the last row of the transport tray T is completed, the first cylinder 12a is lowered to the lower operation position by the second air cylinder 12b, the transport tray is pushed out by the tip of the piston rod, and the next process is started. Will move. At this time, the synchronizing belt 11b rotates and the pressing member 11a is returned to the initial position. In addition, after the pushing out of the first air cylinder 12a, the first air cylinder 12a is set to the upper standby position by the operation of the second cylinder 12b. At that position, the tip member 12c of the piston rod of the first air cylinder 12a is set to a position where it does not interfere with the next transport tray T.

  Then, the conveyance of the next conveyance tray T is started, and the alignment transfer is performed on the next conveyance tray T in the same manner. As described above, when the transport tray T is pushed out by the first air cylinder 12a, the pressing member 11a is returned to the initial position, so that there is almost no delay in the transport of the transport tray T.

  Also, the transport tray T that has been aligned and transferred and pushed out may be brought to a predetermined place by an operator, or may be transported to a predetermined place by another transport means. Good.

  Further, although the conveying means 2 is configured by using the belt feeding mechanism 11 and the air cylinder mechanism 12 together, it can be configured to perform the first and second operations with one actuator.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, it is possible to use a conveying means 2 </ b> A using an arm member mechanism.

  That is, the conveying means 2A includes a first rotating shaft 51, a first arm member 52, a second rotating shaft 53, a second arm member 54, a pressing roller 55 that functions as a pressing member, and a first toothed pulley. 56, a second toothed pulley 57, and a toothed belt 58 wound around the first and second toothed pulleys 56, 57.

  The first rotating shaft 51 is rotatably supported via bearings 61 and 61 so that the axis extends in the vertical direction on a support member 59 (consisting of a plurality of members 59a to 59c) fixed to the main body frame 5. . A base end portion of the first arm member 52 is fixed to the first rotating shaft 51, and a second rotating shaft 53 is rotatably supported at the distal end portion of the first arm member 52.

  A base end portion of a rectangular second arm member 54 that moves parallel to the first arm member 52 is fixed to the second rotating shaft 53, and the tip end portion of the second arm member 54 can contact the transport tray T. A certain pressing member 55 is provided.

  A first toothed pulley 56 is fixed to the first rotating shaft 51, and the first toothed pulley 56 rotates together with the first arm member 52 by the rotation of the first rotating shaft 51.

  A second toothed pulley 57 is fixed to the second rotating shaft 53, and the second toothed pulley 56 is wound around the first and second toothed pulleys 56, 57 by the rotation of the first toothed pulley 56. The toothed pulley 57 and the second rotating shaft 53 rotate together.

  The first arm member 52 includes two rectangular plate members 52A and 52B extending in parallel, and a spacer member 62 that regulates the interval between the two plate members 52A and 52B, and the interval between the plate members 52A and 52B is set. It is kept constant so that it is parallel. The first and second toothed pulleys 56 and 57 are disposed between the two plate members 52A and 52B, and the pressing roller 55 can rotate on the protruding portion 53a of the second rotating shaft 53 protruding from the lower plate member 52B. Is provided. Therefore, a belt mechanism including the first and second toothed pulleys 56 and 57 and the toothed belt 58 can be provided in the first arm member 52, and the belt mechanism is arranged without requiring a large space. It becomes possible. As shown in FIG. 4, the first rotating shaft 51 is provided with a first sprocket 64, and a second sprocket 66 fixed to the motor shaft of the motor 65 is linked to the first sprocket 64 by a chain 67. The first rotating shaft 51 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 65 that is driven and controlled by the control device 32.

  According to this conveying means 2A, the first arm member 52 and the first toothed pulley 56 are rotated by rotating the first rotating shaft 51. The rotation of the first toothed pulley 56 causes the second toothed pulley 57 to rotate via the toothed belt 58, and the second rotating shaft 53 integrated therewith rotates. As a result, the second arm member 54 fixed to the second rotation shaft 53 rotates around the second rotation shaft 53 and is displaced so as to form an angle with the first arm member 52. The angle formed by the second arm member 54 and the first arm member 52 changes stepwise according to the rotation angle of the first rotation shaft 51. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressing roller 55 can push and convey the end of the transport tray T while moving linearly.

  As described above, by using the arm member mechanism using the first and second arm members 52 and 54, the transport means 2A is compact in the height direction, and the tray supply means 3 is provided and is restricted in space. It can be provided not in the lower part but in the upper part having a space.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made. For example, the width of the conveyor belt of the alignment transfer belt conveyor 4 is widened, and the objects to be transported are transported on the conveyor belt in a state where they are arranged in two or more rows. It is also possible to transfer on T at the same time.

T transport tray 1 confectionery aligning device 2, 2A transport means 3 tray supply means 4 align transfer means 5 main body frame 5A base 5B upper frame 6 align transfer belt conveyor 6a tip member 6b conveyor belt 11 belt feed mechanism 11a pressing Member 11b Synchro belt 11c, 11d Pulley 12 Air cylinder mechanism 12a First air cylinder 12b Second air cylinder 32 Controller 51 First rotating shaft 52 First arm members 52A, 52B Plate material 53 Second rotating shaft 53a Projecting portion 54 Second Arm member 55 Press roller (Press member)
56 First toothed pulley 57 Second toothed pulley 58 Toothed belt 59 Support member 61 Bearing 62 Spacer material

Claims (5)

A transport tray provided on the main body frame and placed on the main body frame is moved from the transport start position to transfer the first row of objects to be transported to the transport tray in the first direction to the transport tray. Transport means for transporting to the transport end position for transferring the last row of the transported objects,
Tray supply means provided on the main body frame for sequentially supplying the transport tray to the transport means;
The transfer object has an alignment transfer belt conveyor that extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and transfers the transfer object. The transfer object is transferred from the alignment transfer belt conveyor to the transfer tray that is transferred by the transfer means. And an alignment transfer means for aligning and transferring a plurality of the objects to be conveyed in a plurality of rows on the conveyance tray,
A confectionery aligning device that moves the transport tray by the transport means by a constant pitch toward the transport end position in the first direction every time the transfer of each of the plurality of rows is completed,
The tray supply means includes left and right support brackets provided at regular intervals in the vertical direction and capable of supporting the side edges of the transport tray from below, and the left and right support brackets move synchronously in a corresponding positional relationship on the left and right. By moving the empty transport tray from the bottom to the top, the transport tray is sequentially supplied to the transport start position .
The alignment transfer means is provided above the tray supply means, and transfers the objects to be transferred to the transfer tray supplied to the transfer means by the tray supply means. A confectionery alignment device. The main body frame includes a base located on the lower side and a gate-shaped upper frame provided on the base, and the conveyance is performed through an opening formed between the base and the upper frame. The tray is configured to be conveyed toward the conveyance end position in the first direction,
The confectionery aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray supply means is provided on the base side, and the transport means and the alignment transfer means are provided on the upper frame side. It said conveying means, said carrier tray supplied to said conveying means by the pre-SL tray supply unit, first the operation of moving by the predetermined pitch toward the conveying end position in the first direction, the transfer ends after, and performs a second operation extruding greatly, alignment apparatus confectionery according to claim 1 or 2 wherein. The conveying means is
A first rotating shaft rotatably supported by the main body frame;
A first arm member having a base end fixed to the first rotation shaft;
A second rotating shaft rotatably supported at the tip of the first arm member;
A second arm member having a base end fixed to the second rotation shaft;
A pressing member provided at a tip of the second arm member and capable of contacting the transport tray;
A first toothed pulley fixed to the first rotating shaft;
A second toothed pulley fixed to the second rotating shaft;
A toothed belt wound around the first and second toothed pulleys,
By rotating the first rotating shaft, the second rotating shaft is rotated via the first and second toothed pulleys and the toothed belt, and the second arm member is rotated by the rotation of the second rotating shaft. The apparatus for aligning confectionery according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressing member is configured to push the transport tray while linearly moving. The first arm member includes two plate members extending in parallel and a spacer material for regulating a distance between the two plate members, and the first and second toothed pulleys are disposed between the two plate members. Arranged,
The confectionery alignment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a base end portion of the second arm member is connected and fixed to a protruding portion of the second rotating shaft protruding from the plate material.

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