JP6647502B1 - Food orientation changing device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for changing the direction of food in which the accuracy of changing the direction is improved and the reduction in cutting efficiency is suppressed. A food orientation changing device (10) is provided adjacent to each other and moves a first mounting surface (26a) and a second mounting surface (26b) on which a sandwich (S) is laid, and a transport unit (20); A gripping portion 30 for gripping the sandwich S, a turning portion 50 for turning the gripping portion 30 around an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the first mounting surface 26a, the transporting portion 20, the gripping portion 30, and the A control unit 11 that controls the turning unit 50, wherein the control unit 11 moves the first mounting surface 26a in the transport direction when changing the direction of the food, while controlling the second mounting surface. 26b is stopped or moved in a direction opposite to the transport direction, and the gripping portion 30 is moved so that the first mounting surface 26a is the transport direction and the second mounting surface 26b is in the opposite direction. Turn around. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a food direction changing device that changes the direction of a food such as a sandwich.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a demand for more accurate cutting of a desired portion of food in response to improvement in product quality. For this purpose, the direction of the food is changed to adjust the cutting position of the food and the position of the blade.

  For example, the sliced food sorting apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a pair of conveyors having different unloading speeds, and a guide plate disposed on the conveyor side having a low unloading speed. The sliced food is brought to the side of the conveyor where the carry-out speed is slow, and is brought into contact with the guide plate to be aligned in a certain posture.

JP 2006-151583 A

  In the apparatus for arranging sliced foods of Patent Document 1, the direction of the food is changed by the food moving along the guide plate. Therefore, if the food is soft or has a laminated structure stacked in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface, the food is likely to be deformed by contact with the guide plate. As a result, the direction of the food cannot be changed with high accuracy, and the ratio of nonconforming products may increase, thereby lowering the work efficiency.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for changing the direction of food in which the accuracy of changing the direction is improved and a decrease in cutting efficiency is suppressed.

  An apparatus for changing the direction of food according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transport unit that is disposed adjacent to each other and moves a first mounting surface and a second mounting surface on which food is mounted straddling, and A gripper for gripping, a revolving unit for revolving the gripper around an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the first mounting surface, and a controller for controlling the transporting unit, the gripper, and the revolving unit; The control unit, when changing the direction of the food, stops the second mounting surface or moves in the opposite direction to the transport direction while moving the first mounting surface in the transport direction. Then, the grip portion is turned so that the first mounting surface side is the transport direction and the second mounting surface side is the opposite direction.

  According to this, the turning direction of the gripper for gripping the food and the moving direction of the mounting surface on which the food is mounted are aligned. Therefore, the food can be accurately turned while preventing deformation of the food. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the direction change and to suppress a decrease in the cutting efficiency.

  The food direction changing device may include a moving unit that moves the gripping unit in the transport direction at the same speed as the moving speed of the first mounting surface. According to this, the gripping part that grips the food by the moving part is moved at the same speed as the moving speed of the first mounting surface on which the food is mounted. Therefore, the food can be transported while preventing the food from being deformed.

  In the direction changing device for food, the grip may have a pair of holding portions for holding the food in a direction orthogonal to the orthogonal direction. According to this, by holding the food by the pair of holding portions, the position and the direction of the food can be adjusted and the food can be gripped.

  Further, the holding portion may include a pair of plate members parallel to the orthogonal direction and orthogonal to each other. According to this, the position and orientation of the food can be more reliably adjusted by the pair of plate members without deforming the food.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION This invention has the structure demonstrated above and produces the effect that the precision of a change of direction can be provided and the direction change apparatus of the foodstuff which suppressed the fall of cutting efficiency can be provided.

  The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be 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 device of the food concerning an embodiment of the invention from the left side. It is the figure which looked at a part of direction change device of the food of FIG. 1 from the back side. It is the figure which looked at the holding part of FIG. 1 from the upper side. It is the figure which looked at the turning part and the moving part of FIG. 1 from the upper side. It is the figure which looked at a part of direction change apparatus of the foodstuff of FIG. 1 from the left side. It is the figure which looked at the grip part of FIG. 1 from the back side. It is the figure which looked at the sandwiching part and sandwich of FIG. 1 from the lower side. It is the figure which looked at the pinching part of FIG. 1 from the side. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the food direction changing device in FIG. 1.

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

(Embodiment 1)
<Configuration of food direction changing device>
The food direction changing device 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, in the direction changing apparatus 10 for food, the upstream side in the direction of the arrow indicated by the one-dot chain line (conveying direction) in FIG. Further, the left-right direction is defined by looking at the food direction changing device 10 from the rear side. The left-right direction is a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (transport direction) and the up-down direction (perpendicular direction) perpendicular to the transport direction.

  The food direction changing device 10 is a device that changes the direction of food. As the food, the sandwich S is exemplified in the following description, but the present invention is also applicable to food other than the sandwich S, such as cake.

  The food direction changing device 10 includes a transport unit 20 that transports the sandwich S, a grip unit 30 that grips the sandwich S, a turning unit 50 that rotates the grip unit 30, a moving unit 60 that moves the grip unit 30, and controls these components. A control unit 11 is provided. Further, the food direction changing apparatus 10 may include a housing 70, a supply conveyor 80, and a delivery conveyor 90.

  The housing 70 has a pair of side walls orthogonal to the front-rear direction. A supply port 72 is opened on a rear side wall 71 of the pair of side walls, and a delivery port 74 is opened on a front side wall 73. The supply port 72 and the delivery port 74 are arranged so as to face each other.

  The transport section 20 has a pair of conveyors (a first conveyor 21a and a second conveyor 21b), which are arranged in the housing 70. The first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction.

  The first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b have a transport drive roller 22, a transport driven roller 23, and a transport belt 24, respectively. The transport drive roller 22 of the first conveyor 21a is driven by a first transport electric motor 25a, and the transport drive roller 22 of the second conveyor 21b is driven by a second transport electric motor 25b.

  The transport driven roller 23 is provided, for example, on the rear side of the transport drive roller 22. The transport drive roller 22 and the transport driven roller 23 are arranged such that each axis extends in the left-right direction, and each upper end portion is located on the same horizontal plane.

  The transport belt 24 is a sheet-like infinite circulation zone, and is hung on each of the plurality of transport driven rollers 23 and the transport drive roller 22. The upper surface (the first mounting surface 26a of the first conveyor 21a and the second mounting surface 26b of the second conveyor 21b) of the portion of the transport belt 24 that directly connects the transport drive roller 22 and the transport driven roller 23 is It is horizontal and extends in the front-back direction. The sandwich S is mounted and transported on the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b. The transport belt 24 is formed of resin or the like, and the material and the shape of the surface of the transport belt 24 are appropriately determined in consideration of the frictional force of the mounting surfaces 26a and 26b.

  The first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b are located at the same height and on the same horizontal plane, and are arranged so as to extend in the transport direction (for example, the front-rear direction). The space between the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b may be empty. However, if the gap is too wide, it is not possible to stably carry and change the direction of the sandwich S. Therefore, it is preferable that the gap between the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b is narrow. Note that the transport reference line L of the sandwich S is set so as to be located on a center line that bisects this gap left and right.

  For example, the sensor 12 is disposed at or near the upstream end of the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b. The sensor 12 is configured by an infrared sensor or the like, and outputs a detection signal to the controller 11 when detecting the sandwich S carried into the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b.

  The supply conveyor 80 is a conveyor that carries the sandwich S from a work conveyor (not shown) for manufacturing the sandwich S to the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b. The supply conveyor 80 is disposed behind the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b. The front part of the supply conveyor 80 is provided in the housing 70, and the rear part of the supply conveyor 80 is provided to protrude from the supply port 72 to the outside of the housing 70.

  The supply conveyor 80 includes a supply drive roller 81, a supply driven roller 82, and a supply belt 83. The supply drive roller 81 is disposed so as to be close to the transport driven roller 23, have respective axes parallel to each other, and extend in the left-right direction.

  The upper surface (supply / transport surface) of the supply belt 83 is provided at the same height as the first placement surface 26a and the second placement surface 26b. A center line that bisects the supply / transport surface to the left and right extends on the transport reference line L of the sandwich S. Note that the supply drive roller 81 is the same as the transport drive roller 22, the supply driven roller 82 is the same as the transport driven roller 23, and the supply belt 83 is the same as the transport belt 24.

  The delivery conveyor 90 is a conveyor that carries out the sandwich S from the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b to a cutting device (not shown) or the like. The delivery conveyor 90 is arranged on the front side of the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b. A portion on the rear side of the delivery conveyor 90 is provided in the housing 70, and a portion on the front side of the delivery conveyor 90 is provided so as to protrude from the outlet 74 to the outside of the housing 70.

  The delivery conveyor 90 has a delivery drive roller 91, a delivery driven roller 92, and a delivery belt 93. The sending driven roller 92 is arranged close to the transport driving roller 22 so that its axes are parallel to each other and extend in the left-right direction.

  The upper surface (delivery conveyance surface) of the delivery belt 93 is provided at the same height as the first placement surface 26a and the second placement surface 26b. A center line that bisects the delivery conveyance surface to the left and right extends on the conveyance reference line L of the sandwich S. Note that the delivery drive roller 91 is the same as the transport drive roller 22, the delivery driven roller 92 is the same as the transport driven roller 23, and the delivery belt 93 is the same as the transport belt 24, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The gripper 30 is a mechanism for gripping the sandwich S, and is disposed on the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b inside the housing 70. For example, the grip portion 30 has a pair of holding portions (a first holding portion 31a and a second holding portion 31b), a fixed portion, and a telescopic portion 40.

The holding portions 31a, 31b have a pair of plate members (a first plate member 32a and a second plate member 32b). For example, the plate members 32a and 32b are rectangular flat plates, and the first plate member 32a and the second plate member 32b have the same shape. The dimensions of the plate members 32a, 32b in the vertical direction are larger than the dimensions of the sandwich S, and the dimensions of the plate members 32a, 32b are smaller than the dimensions of the sandwich S in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.
The plate members 32a and 32b are provided with, for example, a pair of main surfaces (abutting surfaces 33a and 33b and mounting surfaces 34a and 34b) and two first round holes.

  The fixed portion has a support member 36, a connection member 37, and a first mounting member 38. The support member 36 has, for example, a flat plate shape, and has an upper surface, a lower surface, a plurality of side surfaces, and a concave portion 36c. The side surface is provided between the upper surface and the lower surface, and connects them. The plurality of side surfaces include a fixed side surface 36s, a side surface opposite to the fixed side surface 36s (opposite side surface 36p), and a pair of edge side surfaces 36e. For example, the fixed side surface 36s and the opposite side surface 36p are provided in parallel with each other. A fixing hole 36f is provided in the fixing side surface 36s. For example, a spiral groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole 36f.

  The concave portion 36c has a triangular shape, and is recessed from the opposite side surface 36p toward the fixed side surface 36s. The recess 36c forms a pair of edge side surfaces 36e on the support member 36. The edge side surfaces 36e are orthogonal to each other and arranged in an L shape. For example, the angle between one edge side 36e of the pair of edge side faces 36e and the fixed side face 36s is equal to the angle between the other edge side face 36e and the fixed side face 36s, and is 45 °.

  A notch 36n is provided between the pair of edge side surfaces 36e. The notch 36n has, for example, a column shape having a substantially circular cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction. The notch 36n is formed so as to be depressed on the fixed side surface 36s side from the concave portion 36c.

  The support member 36 is provided with two pairs of second round holes 36h. The pair of second round holes 36h are arranged at intervals along the edge side surface 36e. The second round hole 36h penetrates the support member 36 between the upper surface and the lower surface.

  The connection member 37 is, for example, an L-shaped fitting, and has a pair of surface portions (a first surface portion 37a and a second surface portion 37b). The first surface portion 37a and the second surface portion 37b are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other and bent in an L-shape.

  The first surface portion 37a has a flat plate shape and has a pair of first elongated holes 37h1. The pair of first elongated holes 37h1 are arranged at an interval from each other in the extending direction of the bent portion between the first surface portion 37a and the second surface portion 37b. The first elongated hole 37h1 extends in a direction in which the first surface portion 37a extends from the bent portion (for example, in the up-down direction) and in a direction orthogonal to the second surface portion 37b.

  The second surface portion 37b has a flat plate shape and has a pair of second elongated holes 37h2. The pair of second elongated holes 37h2 are arranged at an interval in the extending direction of the bent portion. The second elongated hole 37h2 extends in a direction in which the second surface portion 37b extends from the bent portion and is orthogonal to the first surface portion 37a. Therefore, the extending direction of the first elongated hole 37h1 and the extending direction of the second elongated hole 37h2 are orthogonal to each other.

  The bolt 35a is inserted into the first elongated hole 37h1 and the first round hole, and the bolt 35a is fastened by a nut. As a result, the first surface portion 37a abuts and is fixed to the mounting surfaces 34a, 34b of the plate members 32a, 32b. A bolt 35b is inserted into the second elongated hole 37h2 and the second round hole 36h, and the bolt 35b is fastened by a nut. As a result, the second surface portion 37b contacts the lower surface of the support member 36 and is fixed to the support member 36.

  Thus, the plate members 32a and 32b are fixed to the support member 36 by the connection member 37. At this time, the extending direction of the bent portion of the connection member 37 is arranged parallel to the edge side surface 36e of the support member 36. Thus, the plate-like members 32a and 32b are provided in the recess 36c of the support member 36 along the edge side surface 36e in parallel in the vertical direction. The pair of plate members 32a and 32b are arranged orthogonal to each other with the notch 36n interposed therebetween.

  Further, by sliding the bolt 35a with respect to the first elongated hole 37h1, the position of the plate-like members 32a, 32b with respect to the support member 36 in the extending direction (for example, the vertical direction) of the first elongated hole 37h1 is changed. It can be adjusted according to the shape and size. Further, by sliding the bolt 35b with respect to the second long hole 37h2, the relative position of the pair of plate-like members 32a, 32b in the extending direction of the second long hole 37h2 is adjusted according to the shape and size of the sandwich S. can do. Accordingly, it is not necessary to use the sandwiching portions 31a and 31b according to the shape of the sandwich S, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the food direction changing device 10.

  The first mounting member 38 has, for example, a flat plate shape and extends in the up-down direction. On the upper part of the first mounting member 38, a rotation locking portion 38r is provided. A first through hole 38h is provided in a lower portion of the first mounting member 38. A bolt 35c is inserted into the first through hole 38h, and a tip of the bolt 35c is inserted into a fixing hole 36f of a fixing side surface 36s of the support member 36 and fastened. Thereby, the first mounting member 38 is fixed to the support member 36.

  The telescopic part 40 has, for example, a linear actuator (a first actuator 41a and a second actuator 41b) such as a pair of air cylinders. The first actuator 41a has a first cylinder 42a, a first piston and a first rod 43a, and the second actuator 41b has a second cylinder 42b, a second piston and a second rod 43b. Each piston is housed in a cylinder 42a, 42b, and rods 43a, 43b are connected to each piston and project outward from the cylinders 42a, 42b. The rods 43a and 43b expand and contract in their extending directions due to the reciprocating motion of each piston with respect to the cylinders 42a and 42b.

  The first actuator 41a and the second actuator 41b are arranged adjacent to each other such that the direction of expansion and contraction of the first rod 43a and the direction of expansion and contraction of the second rod 43b are parallel to each other. At this time, the direction in which the first rod 43a extends and the direction in which the second rod 43b extends are opposite to each other, and the direction in which the first rod 43a contracts and the direction in which the second rod 43b contracts are opposite to each other. A first cylinder 42a and a second cylinder 42b are arranged.

  The extendable portion 40 is disposed on the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b. The central portion 40c of the telescopic portion 40 in the horizontal direction when viewed from above is disposed on the transport reference line L. The first rod 43a and the second rod 43b expand and contract so that the length of the first rod 43a and the length of the second rod 43b from the central portion 40c are equal in the expansion and contraction direction.

  A second mounting member 44 is attached to the distal ends of the rods 43a and 43b. The second mounting member 44 has, for example, a flat plate shape and extends downward from the distal ends of the rods 43a and 43b. A second through hole 44h is provided in a lower portion of the second mounting member 44. The rotation locking portion 38r of the second mounting member 44 is inserted into the second through hole 44h. When the rotation locking portion 38r is rotated and locked to an edge around the second through hole 44h, the first mounting member 38 is mounted on the second mounting member 44.

  At this time, the first corner portion 32c1 between the first plate-shaped member 32a and the second plate-shaped member 32b in the first holding portion 31a, the central portion 40c of the expandable portion 40, and the first portion in the second holding portion 31b. The second corners 32c2 between the plate-like member 32a and the second plate-like member 32b are linearly arranged in this order.

  The first holding portion 31a and the second holding portion 31b are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central portion 40c. Accordingly, the first plate-like member 32a of the first holding portion 31a and the first plate-like member 32a of the second holding portion 31b are arranged in parallel, and their contact surfaces 33a and 33b face each other. The distance between the first plate-like member 32a of the first holding portion 31a and the central portion 40c is equal to the distance between the first plate-like member 32a of the second holding portion 31b and the central portion 40c.

  The second plate-like member 32b of the first holding portion 31a and the second plate-like member 32b of the second holding portion 31b are arranged in parallel, and their contact surfaces 33a and 33b face each other. The distance between the second plate-like member 32b of the first holding portion 31a and the central portion 40c is equal to the distance between the second plate-like member 32b of the second holding portion 31b and the central portion 40c.

  On the other hand, if the rotation locking portion 38r is rotated and is not locked to the edge around the second through hole 44h, the first mounting member 38 is removed from the second mounting member 44. Thus, the holding portions 31a and 31b are detachably attached to the extendable portion 40. Therefore, the holding portions 31a and 31b can be easily removed from the telescopic portion 40 to perform cleaning or the like.

  The turning portion 50 is a mechanism for changing the direction of the grip portion 30 and includes, for example, a rotating shaft 51, a bearing 52, a spur gear 53, a rack gear 54, and a first linear drive device 55. The rotating shaft 51 extends in the up-down direction, is inserted into the bearing 52, and a lower portion protruding downward from the bearing 52 is fixed to the central portion 40 c of the expandable portion 40. The bearing 52 is disposed above the telescopic portion 40 and is fixed to, for example, the housing 70. The upper part of the rotating shaft 51 projecting upward from the bearing 52 is fixed to the center of the spur gear 53. The spur gear 53 has teeth arranged so as to surround the rotation shaft 51.

  The rack gear 54 has a plurality of teeth arranged in the front-rear direction, and these teeth are arranged so as to mesh with the teeth of the spur gear 53. The first linear drive device 55 has the rack gear 54 fixed thereto, and drives the rack gear 54 in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the rack gear 54 moves linearly in the front-rear direction, and accordingly, the spur gear 53 and the rotating shaft 51 rotate. For this reason, the grip part 30 rotates around the rotation shaft 51 and changes the direction.

  The moving unit 60 is a mechanism that moves the grip unit 30 in the front-rear direction, and has, for example, a second linear drive device. The moving unit 60 is disposed in the housing 70 in parallel with the first linear driving device 55 with the turning unit 50 interposed between the moving unit 60 and the first linear driving device 55, for example.

  The moving unit 60 is fixed to the grip unit 30 and the turning unit 50, and reciprocates them in the front-rear direction. This moving speed is set, for example, according to the moving speed of the mounting surfaces 26a, 26b in the transport unit 20, and may be set to be the same as the constant moving speed of the first mounting surface 26a.

  The control unit 11 is configured by an arithmetic processing device such as a processor, and is disposed, for example, on an upper part of the housing 70. The control unit 11 independently controls the transport unit 20, the grip unit 30, the turning unit 50, and the like so as to change the direction of the sandwich S.

<Operations of gripping unit, moving unit, turning unit, and transport unit>
In the food direction changing device 10, for example, the sandwich S is turned while being transported along the three steps. In the first step, the sandwiching operation of the sandwich S by the holding unit 30 is performed, in the second step, the sandwiching operation of the sandwich S by the turning unit 50 is performed, and in the third step, the operation of releasing the sandwich S by the holding unit 30 is performed.

  First, the operation of the telescopic portion 40 of the grip 30 in each step will be described. As shown in FIG. 9A, at the start of the first step, the expandable portion 40 is in the expanded state in which it is most extended. In this expanded state, the interval between the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b attached to the elastic portion 40 is the longest.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the stretchable portion 40 shrinks in the first step, and at the end of the first step, it is in the most shrunk state. Thereby, the interval between the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b becomes the shortest, and the sandwich S is gripped.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9C, in the second step, the elastic portion 40 maintains the contracted state. For this reason, the sandwich S is held in a state of being gripped by the pair of sandwiching portions 31a and 31b.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9D, the expandable portion 40 extends in the third step, whereby the sandwich S gripped by the pair of holding portions 31a, 31b is released. Then, at the end of the third step, the state returns to the expanded state.

  Next, the operation of the turning unit 50 will be described. In FIG. 9, illustration of the turning unit 50 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, at the start of the first step, the turning unit 50 is set so that the grip unit 30 mounted on the turning unit 50 is in an inclined arrangement. In this inclined arrangement, the extendable portion 40 is arranged such that the extending directions of the rods 43a and 43b are inclined with respect to the front-back direction and the left-right direction. The angle between the stretching direction and the front-rear direction and the angle between the stretching direction and the left-right direction are, for example, 45 degrees.

  In the inclined arrangement, for example, the first holding portion 31a is located rearward of the second holding portion 31b in the front-rear direction and on the right side in the left-right direction. Further, the first plate-shaped member 32a and the second plate-shaped member 32b are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the central portion 40c of the expandable portion 40.

  For this reason, the first plate-like members 32a of the sandwiching portions 31a, 31b are arranged perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the second plate-like members 32b are arranged perpendicular to the left-right direction. Thus, the first plate-like member 32a and the second plate-like member 32b are arranged so as to be parallel to the up-down direction and orthogonal to each other.

  In the second step, the turning unit 50 rotates the rotating shaft 51. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9C, the gripper 30 mounted on the rotating shaft 51 rotates. At this time, the rotation shaft 51 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above. Therefore, the first holding portion 31a on the right side (the first mounting surface 26a side) of the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b moves forward, and the second holding portion 31a on the left side (the second mounting surface 26b side). The gripper 30 turns so that the portion 31b moves backward. As a result, for example, in the grip portion 30, the right portion of the rotating shaft 51 moves forward, and the left portion of the rotating shaft 51 moves backward.

  The rotation angle of the rotation shaft 51 in the second step is, for example, 45 degrees. As a result, the gripping portions 30 are arranged left and right. In the left-right arrangement, the extending directions of the rods 43a and 43b of the extendable portion 40 are in the left-right direction, the first holding portion 31a and the second holding portion 31b are arranged in the left-right direction, and the first corner portion 32c1 The 40c and the second corner 32c2 are arranged on a straight line extending in the left-right direction.

  Here, the first sandwiching portion 31a is arranged such that the contact surface 33a of the first plate-shaped member 32a faces the left front and the contact surface 33b of the second plate-shaped member 32b faces the left rear. The second sandwiching portion 31b is arranged such that the contact surface 33a of the first plate-like member 32a faces right rear and the contact surface 33b of the second plate-like member 32b faces right front.

  And in a 3rd process, as shown in FIG.9 (d), the left-right arrangement of the holding part 30 is maintained.

  Next, the operation of the transport unit 20 will be described. In all of the first to third steps, the first mounting surface 26a moves forward at a constant first predetermined speed as shown by arrows in FIG. 9, and the transfer speed and the movement direction do not change. On the other hand, the moving speed and the moving direction of the second mounting surface 26b change depending on the process.

  In the first step, as shown by arrows in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the second mounting surface 26b moves forward at the same first predetermined speed as the first mounting surface 26a. Therefore, the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b are parallel.

  In the second step, as shown by the arrow between FIGS. 9B and 9C, the second mounting surface 26b changes the moving direction to the rear and moves rearward at the second predetermined speed. The second predetermined speed of moving backward is less than or equal to the first predetermined speed.

  In the third step, the moving direction is changed forward again, as shown by the arrow between FIGS. 9C and 9D. Then, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 9D, the robot moves forward at a first predetermined speed.

  Next, the operation of the moving unit 60 will be described. The moving unit 60 moves forward at the same first predetermined speed as the first mounting surface 26a in all of the first to third steps. As a result, the gripper 30 mounted on the moving unit 60 moves on the first placement surface 26a together with the first placement surface 26a.

<Operation of the food orientation changing device>
As an example of the operation of the food direction changing device 10, here, a worker manufactures a sandwich S in a normal posture on a work conveyor, and cuts the sandwich S by a cutting device at its diagonal line. The case where the direction of the sandwich S is changed from the normal posture to the oblique posture at 10 will be described.

  The normal posture is, for example, the direction of the sandwich S in which one of two opposite sides of the rectangular sandwich S is parallel or almost parallel to the transport reference line L in plan view when viewed from above. It is. In addition, the oblique posture refers to, for example, the direction of the sandwich S in which one diagonal of two diagonals of the rectangular sandwich S is parallel or substantially parallel to the transport reference line L in a plan view seen from above. It is.

  First, a slice bread and ingredients are stacked on a work conveyor by a worker, and a sandwich S in a normal posture is assembled. The sandwich S is transferred from the transport section 20 of the work conveyor to the supply conveyor 80, and further carried into the food direction changing device 10.

  Subsequently, when the front end of the sandwich S reaches the rear ends of the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b, the sandwich S is detected by the sensor 12. In response to this detection, the control unit 11 starts controlling the first process for the gripping unit 30, the rotating unit, the moving unit 60, and the transporting unit 20. Since the sandwich S is placed on the transport reference line L, the right side portion of the sandwich S is placed on the first placement surface 26a, and the left side portion is placed on the second placement surface 26b.

  In the first step, the control unit 11 drives the transport driving roller 22 and the transport driving roller 22 in the forward direction at the same predetermined rotation speed. Thus, the sandwich S on the mounting surfaces 26a and 26b is transported forward at the first predetermined speed.

  At the start of the first step, the first holding portion 31a is disposed on the right side of the transport path of the sandwich S in the left-right direction. For example, the first holding portion 31a is arranged such that the left end of the first plate-shaped member 32a of the first holding portion 31a reaches the right end of the supply transfer surface on the supply transfer surface of the supply conveyor 80 behind the first conveyor 21a. Are located in

  As described above, since the first holding portion 31a is provided on the right side of the supply conveyor 80, the transport path of the sandwich S can be secured while suppressing an increase in the size of the first conveyor 21a. Then, the sandwich S passes on the left side of the left end of the first holding portion 31aa in the supply conveyor 80, and reaches the transport unit 20 from the supply conveyor 80.

  Further, the second holding portion 31b is arranged point-symmetrically with the first holding portion 31a with respect to the central portion 40c of the telescopic portion 40. For this reason, at the time of starting the transport, the second sandwiching portion 31b is disposed on the left side of the transport path of the sandwich S in the left-right direction. The second holding portion 31b is disposed on the second placement surface 26b such that the right end is the center line of the second placement surface 26b in the left-right direction or the left end thereof.

  In the first step, the pair of sandwiching portions 31a, 31b are moved forward by the moving portion 60 along with the movement of the sandwich S placed on the placing surfaces 26a, 26b, and from the expanded state to the contracted state by the elastic portion 40. Displace. At this time, the first plate-like members 32a and the second plate-like members 32b move toward the central portion 40c while the central portion 40c of the expandable portion 40 moves on the transport reference line L. Thereby, the interval between the pair of first plate members 32a and the interval between the pair of second plate members 32b are reduced. For this reason, the sandwich S is sandwiched between the pair of first plate members 32a in the left-right direction, and is sandwiched between the pair of second plate members 32b in the front-rear direction.

  Then, for example, when the central portion 40c reaches a predetermined turning position such as the midpoint of the transport reference line L in the front-rear direction, the elastic portion 40 is in a contracted state, and each interval is the smallest. At this time, the size surrounded by the pair of first plate members 32a and the pair of second plate members 32b is equal to the size of the sandwich S. Therefore, the contact surfaces 33a, 33b of the plate members 32a, 32b contact the sandwich S, and the sandwich S is formed by a pair of first plate members 32a facing each other and a pair of second plate members facing each other. 32b.

  In this manner, the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b are moved at the same moving speed as the transfer speed of the sandwich S by the transfer portion 20, and the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b are contracted. Thereby, the posture of the sandwich S can be adjusted while suppressing the deformation of the sandwich S in a state where the relative speed between the sandwiching portions 31a and 31b and the sandwich S on the mounting surface is set to 0.

  For example, the sandwich S is manually placed on a work conveyor, and then is conveyed to a first conveyor 21a and a second conveyor 21b via a supply conveyor 80. Therefore, in the first conveyor 21a and the second conveyor 21b, the position and the direction of the sandwich S on the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b may be deviated from the predetermined positions and the directions. Even in such a case, since the sandwich S is pushed from the front-back direction and the left-right direction by the plate members 32a and 32b, the sandwich S is adjusted to a predetermined position and orientation.

  For example, the stroke of the air cylinder in the telescopic portion 40 may cause an impact on the sandwich S at the end thereof. Thereby, the sandwich S can be adjusted more accurately according to the predetermined position and orientation.

  In the second step, for example, when the central portion 40c reaches a predetermined turning position, the control unit 11 rotates the turning unit 50 about the rotation shaft 51 and moves the second mounting surface 26b of the second conveyor 21b. Change direction. As a result, the first holding portion 31a moves forward above the first placement surface 26a while the first placement surface 26a moves forward at the first predetermined speed. Further, while the second mounting surface 26b moves rearward at the second predetermined speed, the second holding portion 31b moves rearward above the second mounting surface 26b.

  Then, for example, when the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 51 reaches 45 °, the control unit 11 stops the rotation of the turning unit 50. For this reason, the sandwich S is pushed by the plate members 32a and 32b on the mounting surfaces 26a and 26b, and is changed from the normal posture to the oblique posture.

  Thus, when the sandwich S is rotated by the holding portions 31a, 31b while being placed on the mounting surfaces 26a, 26b, the mounting surfaces 26a, 26b move in accordance with the rotation. Therefore, the difference in the amount of displacement between the sandwich S and the mounting surfaces 26a and 26b can be reduced, and the deformation and fall of the sandwich S to be turned can be reduced.

  As described above, the sandwich S can be rotated while being mounted on the mounting surfaces 26a and 26b by the rotation by the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b and the relative movement by the pair of mounting surfaces 26a and 26b. it can. Therefore, the pair of sandwiching portions 31a and 31b do not need to strongly sandwich the sandwich S, and can support the sandwich S, thereby preventing the sandwich S from being deformed or overturned.

  In the third step, the control unit 11 displaces the expandable portion 40 from the expanded state to the contracted state. As a result, the sandwich S held by the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b is released. After the sandwich S is released, the gripper 30 is returned to the start position of the first step by the moving unit 60.

  Further, along with the expansion of the expandable portion 40, the control unit 11 returns the moving direction of the second mounting surface 26b from the rear to the front, and moves the second mounting surface 26b at the same first predetermined speed as the first mounting surface 26a. Move. As a result, the sandwich S moves forward without rotating in the left and right directions on the mounting surfaces 26a and 26b.

  When the front end of the sandwich S reaches the rear end of the delivery conveyor 90, the sandwich S moves from the first placement surface 26a and the second placement surface 26b to the delivery conveyor 90. The sandwich S is conveyed forward by the sending conveyor 90 and sent to, for example, a cutting device. The moving speed of the delivery conveyor 90 is determined so as to be a value between the moving speed of each of the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b and the moving speed of the transport unit 20 of the cutting device. As a result, the sandwich S is smoothly carried out from the first placing surface 26a and the second placing surface 26b to the transporting section 20 of the cutting device via the delivery conveyor 90.

  According to the above configuration, in the food direction changing device 10, when changing the direction of the sandwich S, the control unit 11 moves the first mounting surface 26a in the transport direction (forward) while changing the second mounting surface. 26b is moved in the opposite direction (rearward) of the transport direction. Further, the gripper 30 is turned so that the first mounting surface 26a is in the transport direction and the second mounting surface 26b is in the opposite direction to the transport direction.

  This makes it possible to reliably change the orientation of the sandwich S to a predetermined direction while preventing the sandwich S from being deformed or falling. As a result, the orientation of the sandwich S can be adjusted with high accuracy so that the cutting position of the sandwich S is the blade position, so that the sandwich S can be cut evenly, the proportion of non-conforming products is reduced, and the work efficiency is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, the food direction changing device 10 includes a moving unit 60 that moves the grip unit 30 in the transport direction at the same speed (first predetermined speed) as the moving speed of the first placing surface 26a. Thereby, the holding portion 30 that holds the sandwich S and the first mounting surface 26a on which the sandwich S is mounted are parallel to each other, so that the sandwich S can be transported while preventing deformation, overturning, and the like.

  Further, in the food direction changing device 10, the gripper 30 has a pair of sandwiching portions 31a, 31b that sandwich the sandwich S in a direction (left-right direction, front-back direction) orthogonal to the orthogonal direction (up-down direction). . Thus, for example, the sandwich S can be gripped by the pair of holding portions 31a and 31b from the left and right directions and the front and rear directions. Further, by sandwiching the sandwich S between the pair of sandwiching portions 31a and 31b, the position and orientation of the sandwich S can be adjusted to predetermined positions and orientations.

  In the food direction changing device 10, the holding portions 31a and 31b have a pair of plate-like members 32a and 32b that are parallel to the orthogonal direction (vertical direction) and are orthogonal to each other. Thereby, in the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction, the position and orientation of the sandwich S can be easily adjusted to a predetermined position and orientation by the pair of plate members 32a and 32b orthogonal to each other.

  In the above configuration, when changing the orientation of the sandwich S, the control unit 11 moves the second placement surface 26b in the direction opposite to the transfer direction while moving the first placement surface 26a in the transfer direction. . However, when changing the direction of the sandwich S, the control unit 11 may stop the second mounting surface 26b while moving the first mounting surface 26a in the transport direction.

  Even in this case, the gripping unit 30 is turned by the turning unit 50 such that the first mounting surface 26a is in the transport direction and the second mounting surface 26b is in the opposite direction. For this reason, the relative movement direction of the first mounting surface 26a and the second mounting surface 26b matches the turning direction of the gripper 30. Thus, the food can be accurately turned while preventing the sandwich S from being deformed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the direction change and to suppress a decrease in the cutting efficiency.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The food direction changing device of the present invention is useful as a food direction changing device or the like in which the accuracy of the direction change is improved and a decrease in cutting efficiency is suppressed.

10: Direction changing device 11: Control unit 20: Transport unit 26a: First mounting surface 26b: Second mounting surface 30: Grip unit 31a: Nipping part 31a: First nipping part (Nipping part)
31b: 2nd clamping part (clamping part)
32a: first plate member (plate portion)
32b: second plate member (plate portion)
50: turning part 51: rotating shaft (axis)
60: Moving part S: Sandwich (food)

Claims (2)

A transport unit that moves the first placement surface and the second placement surface that are arranged adjacent to each other and on which food is placed straddling,
A first holding portion and a second holding portion, wherein the first holding portion disposed above the first mounting surface and the second holding portion disposed above the second mounting surface; a gripping portion for gripping by sandwiching the food,
A turning unit that turns the grip unit around an axis that extends in a direction orthogonal to the first mounting surface,
A control unit that controls the transport unit, the gripping unit, and the turning unit,
A moving unit that moves the gripping unit in the transport direction at the same speed as the moving speed of the first mounting surface ,
The control unit, when changing the direction of the food,
While moving the first mounting surface in the transport direction, the second mounting surface moving in the transport direction is stopped or moved in a direction opposite to the transport direction,
An apparatus for changing the direction of food, wherein the first holding portion is in the conveying direction and the gripping portion is turned so that the second holding portion is in the opposite direction. The first holding portion has a pair of plate members parallel to the orthogonal direction and orthogonal to each other ,
The food direction changing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second holding portion has a pair of plate-shaped members parallel to the orthogonal direction and orthogonal to each other .

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