JP6990484B2 - Container supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container supply device, and more particularly to a container supply device that takes out one of a plurality of stacked containers and supplies the container to the next step.

In food factories and stores, a container supply device that supplies containers one by one from the container storage unit to the next process is used, and rice and side dishes are served on the containers supplied from this container supply device. Is done.

Here, in the container supply device, a claw (lower claw) that supports a plurality of containers stacked and accommodated in the container accommodating portion from below, and a claw (upper claw) that enters between the lowermost container and the container immediately above it. The containers are peeled off one by one by alternately inserting and removing the claws), and the peeled bottom container is taken out by suction or its own weight drop and automatically supplied.

Regarding the removal of the container in the container supply device, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-308222), Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-001040), and Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-000812). The techniques described in the publication) and the like are known.

JP-A-2002-308222A Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-001040 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-000812

In the container supply device described above, the upper claw is inserted and removed from the gap between the stacked containers to take out the bottom container, but if the gap between the containers is sufficient (for example, about 4 mm or more), the container should be inserted and removed. Can be done.

However, due to the weight of the stacked containers, the bending of the container increases toward the bottom, and as a result, the gap between the containers may become narrower or crushed at the bottom.

Then, the upper claw cannot be inserted and removed from the gap of the container, and the container cannot be taken out.

The present invention has been made from the above-mentioned technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a container supply device capable of reliably taking out a container from the bottom of the stacked containers.

In order to solve the above problems, the container supply device of the present invention according to claim 1 has a container accommodating portion for accommodating a container laminate composed of a plurality of laminated containers and a bottom portion of the container laminate. A support member that can be moved to a support position that supports the first container on the lower surface of the flange formed in the located first container and a retracted position retracted from the flange, and a support member that is formed in the first container. An approach member that can move to an approach position that enters the gap between the flange and the flange formed in the second container located directly above the first container, and a detachment position that separates from the gap, and the above. A first holding member that can be moved to a holding position that holds the container and a non-holding position that does not hold the container at an intermediate position of the container stack, a taking-out means for taking out the first container from below, and the support. It has a member, the approach member, the first holding member, and a control means for controlling the operation of the take-out means, and the control means puts the approach member in the entry position and the support member in the retracted position. Then, the first container is taken out by the taking-out means, after that, the support member is set to the support position, the entry member is set to the detachment position, and the container is newly located at the lowermost portion of the container laminate. Control to support the container with the support member and then return the entry member to the entry position, and to move the first holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position when the entry member is in the entry position. It is characterized in that the control of moving the container to the holding position and returning the container to the holding position is executed, and the first control composed of the control is executed.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the tip end portion of the support member is inclined diagonally downward.

In the container supply device of the present invention according to claim 3, in the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the support member, the entry member, and the first holding member are located at least in two places sandwiching the container. It is characterized by being arranged.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 4 is the container at an intermediate position higher than the first holding member in the container laminate in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3. It further has a second holding member that can be moved to a holding position that holds the container and a non-holding position that does not hold the container, and the control means has a predetermined timing when the first holding member is in the holding position. The second holding member is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position to return to the holding position.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4, wherein the control means once performs the operation of taking out the first container a plurality of times. The second holding member is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position and returned to the holding position again.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 4 or 5, the second holding member is arranged at least at two opposite positions.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control means controls the support member after executing the first control. The retracting position is set, the approaching member is set to the detaching position, the taking-out means is raised to lift the container laminate, the taking-out means is lowered to a predetermined position, and then the support member is set to the support position. The second control for supporting the first container by the support member is executed.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control means controls the support member after executing the first control. The retracting position is set, the approaching member is set to the detaching position, the taking-out means is raised to lift the container laminate, the support member is set to the support position, and then the taking-out means is lowered to the first position. It is characterized in that a third control for supporting the container of 1 with the support member is executed.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the taking-out means is provided so as to be expandable and contractible, and has a suction portion that adsorbs the bottom surface of the first container. The control unit includes a regulating unit that regulates the height of the first container adsorbed on the adsorption unit, and the control means raises the taking-out means in a state where the bottom surface of the first container is adsorbed by the adsorption unit. And to lower.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 10 further includes an air injection means for injecting air at a position where the entry member enters in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 9. It is characterized by that.

The container supply device of the present invention according to claim 11 conveys the first container taken out by the taking-out means toward the next step in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 10. It is characterized by further having a transporting means for carrying.

According to the present invention, since the container above the first holding member is held by the first holding member, the number of containers held by the support member is the number of containers below the first holding member. Since the number of containers is the same, the holding position of the container by the first holding member can be set so that the number of containers held by the support member is such that the number of containers is not bent by the weight of the container.

Therefore, the load of the container applied to the support member is significantly reduced, the bending of the container held by the support member is almost eliminated, and the gap between the flange of the first container and the flange of the second container is narrowed. It will not be crushed or crushed.

As a result, the entry member can be stably inserted and removed with respect to the entry position, and the container can be reliably taken out from the bottom of the stacked containers.

It is a perspective view which shows the cooked rice processing mechanism provided with the container supply apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the cooked rice processing mechanism of FIG. (A) is a perspective view showing an example of a container into which cooked rice is put, and (b) is a plan view of the container of (a). It is explanatory drawing which shows the container supply apparatus and the cooked rice input apparatus which are one Embodiment of this invention which constitutes the cooked rice processing mechanism of FIG. 1 from the side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the container supply device and the rice rice input device of FIG. 4 from the plane. It is a perspective view which shows the handler provided in the container supply apparatus of this embodiment. (A) to (c) are explanatory views continuously showing the operation when the tip portion of the lower claw provided in the container accommodating portion is tilted diagonally downward. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the holding guide and auxiliary holding guide provided in the container accommodating part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the holding guide and auxiliary holding guide provided in the container accommodating part. (A) to (g) are explanatory views continuously showing the operation by the first control executed by the control unit in the container supply apparatus of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the handler as a modification of this embodiment. (A) to (f) are explanatory views continuously showing the operation of the lower claw, the upper claw, and the handler by the second control executed by the control unit in the container supply device of the present embodiment. (A) to (f) are explanatory views continuously showing the operation of the lower claw, the upper claw, and the handler by the third control executed by the control unit in the container supply device of the present embodiment. It shows the state where the container is not adsorbed by the handler, and it is an explanatory diagram showing the height of the container when one container is supported and the height of the bottom container when many containers are supported. be. The state in which the container is adsorbed by the handler is shown, and the explanatory diagram showing the height of the container when one container is supported and the height of the bottom container when many containers are supported are compared. be.

Hereinafter, embodiments as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals in principle, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rice processing mechanism provided with a container supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the rice processing mechanism of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a container, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing from the side a container supply device and a rice rice input device according to an embodiment of the present invention constituting the rice rice processing mechanism of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a container of FIG. An explanatory view showing the supply device and the rice rice feeding device from a plan view, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a handler provided in the container supply device of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c) are provided in the container storage portion. An explanatory view showing continuously the operation when the tip of the lower claw is tilted diagonally downward, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an example of a holding guide and an auxiliary holding guide provided in the container accommodating portion, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory view. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example of the holding guide and auxiliary holding guide provided in the container accommodating part.

In FIG. 1, the rice processing mechanism of the present embodiment includes a container supply device M1 for supplying a container into which rice is charged, and a rice rice input device M2 for charging a predetermined weight of rice into a container supplied from the container supply device M1. In the next step (for example, the measuring distribution device M3 that measures and distributes the weight (total weight) of the container into which the rice is charged by the rice rice charging device M2, and the container that is distributed as having the total weight within a predetermined range). It is provided with a transport device M4 for transporting to the side dish serving process) and a discharge device M5 for discharging a container whose total weight is out of the predetermined range to the outside of the machine. Further, an input unit 1 for setting the operation of the cooked rice processing mechanism is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cooked rice processing mechanism of the present embodiment has a control unit (control means) S that controls the entire operation of the apparatus. A signal from the input unit 1 in which the operator sets the operation is input to the control unit S. Then, based on the signal from the input unit 1, the operations of the container supply device M1, the cooked rice feeding device M2, the measurement distribution device M3, and the like are controlled.

A cooked rice supply device (not shown) for supplying a cooked grain weighed to a predetermined weight is connected to the cooked grain processing mechanism M2 provided in the cooked rice processing mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 3, the container t into which the cooked rice R (FIGS. 4 and 5) is charged is, for example, a quadrangular tray formed by vacuum forming a thermoplastic resin sheet. This container t is divided into two areas by a partition wall, one of which is a rice serving area ta on which rice R is served, and the other is a side dish serving area tb on which side dishes are served. .. Further, on the peripheral edge of the container t, a flange tf protruding outward is formed over the entire circumference.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the container supply device M1 for supplying the container t having the above-mentioned shape is a tower-type container storage unit 10 for accommodating the container laminate T composed of a plurality of stacked containers t. It is equipped with. Further, the container supply device M1 is provided with a pair of container transfer conveyors (conveyor means) 11 extending from directly under the container storage unit 10 to the cooked rice charging device M2, which is the next step. A handler that sucks a container t (hereinafter, “first container t1”) located at the lowermost part of the container laminate T, takes it out from below, and places it on the container transfer conveyor 11 at the lower part of the container accommodating portion 10. (Removing means) 12 is installed so as to be able to move up and down between the pair of container transport conveyors 11. Further, a pushing portion 13 is provided which pushes the container t to which the container transport conveyor 11 is conveyed and pushes the rice rice feeding device M2 into a predetermined position.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the handler 12 is made of a pedestal portion 12a and a plurality of rubber-made bellows structures that are stretchably provided on the pedestal portion 12a and adsorb the bottom surface of the first container t1. It includes a pad (suction portion) 12b and an elevating stay 12c for raising and lowering the pedestal portion 12a by driving from a drive motor (not shown). The handler 12 of the present embodiment has a structure of sucking and taking out the first container t1 in this way, but other than the present embodiment, for example, a structure of gripping and taking out the first container t1. The structure of may be adopted.

By such a container supply device M1, the container laminate T accommodated in the container accommodating portion 10 is attracted to the handler 12 one by one in order from the lowermost container t and placed on the container transport conveyor 11. After being transported to the container transport conveyor 11, it is set in the rice rice feeding device M2 by the pushing unit 13.

The cooked rice charging device M2 is provided with a stage 20 in which the container t sent from the container supply device M1 is installed. Further, a charging plate 21 on which the cooked rice R sent from the cooked rice supply device (not shown) is placed is provided directly above the stage 20 at a distance from the stage 20. The loading plate 21 is formed of two plates arranged so as to face each other, which are in a closed position in a horizontal state and rotate downward around both ends to be a loading position.

Therefore, the rice R is placed on the rice R in the closed position of the charging plate 21, the container t is also installed on the stage 20, and the charging plate 21 is rotated downward to the open position from the closed position. When the rice is moved to, the cooked rice R on the charging plate 21 is dropped and thrown into the rice-filled region ta of the container t by its own weight.

As shown in these drawings, the container accommodating portion 10 of the container supply device M1 is provided with a plate-shaped lower claw (support member) 14 and a plate-shaped upper claw (entrance member) 15. Has been done. The lower claw 14 reciprocates linearly to a support position for supporting the first container t1 on the lower surface of the flange tf formed on the first container t1 and a retracted position retracted from the flange tf. It is movable. Further, the upper claw 15 provided directly above the lower claw 14 reciprocates linearly in the same manner, so that the flange tf formed in the first container t1 and the container located directly above the first container t1 are located. It is possible to move to an approach position that enters the gap with the flange tf formed in t (hereinafter, “second container t2”) and a detachment position that separates from this gap.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, one lower claw 14 and one upper claw 15 are provided on each side of the container t in the vertical direction. However, it is sufficient that the lower claw 14 and the upper claw 15 are arranged at least at two locations sandwiching the container t.

By the way, in the above-mentioned control unit S, the upper claw 15 is set to the approach position, the lower claw 14 is set to the retracted position, the first container t1 is taken out by the handler 12, the lower claw 14 is set to the support position, and the upper claw 15 is moved. Control to return the upper claw 15 to the entry position after supporting the container t (new first container t1) newly located at the lowermost part of the container laminate T with the lower claw 14 at the detachment position. (Control that forms part of the first control) is executed. The details of this control will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the tip portion of the lower claw 14 is inclined diagonally downward. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), when the first container t1 is held at an angle, it is in the retracted position as shown in FIGS. 7 (b) and 7 (c). Since the lower claw 14 moves to the support position while lifting the first container t1 by the inclination of the tip portion, the posture of the first container t1 can be corrected. However, the tip of the lower claw 14 may be straight without being inclined (see FIGS. 12 and 13).

Now, returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the container supply device M1 has a holding guide (first holding member) 17 for holding the container t at an intermediate position of the container laminate T, and an intermediate position higher than the holding guide 17. Auxiliary holding guides (second holding members) 18 for holding the container t of the container t are provided at four locations around the container laminated body T. In the holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18, the portion facing the container t has, for example, a sawtooth shape (see FIG. 8) or a corrugated shape along the vertical direction, or a brush shape (see FIG. 9) or an uneven surface. , A plurality of containers t at predetermined positions are sandwiched and held from both sides.

The holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18 are movable to a holding position for holding the container t at an intermediate position described above and a non-holding position for not holding the container t, respectively. Then, when the control unit S executes the above-mentioned control, the holding guide 17 is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position, the first container t1 is taken out by the handler 12, and then the upper claw 15 moves. Control to change from the non-holding position to the holding position again (control forming a part of the first control) is executed before the detached position is reached. Further, the auxiliary holding guide 18 is controlled to move from the holding position to the non-holding position at a predetermined timing when the holding guide 17 is in the holding position, and to return to the holding position (a part of the first control). Eggplant control) is executed. Details of these controls will also be described later.

It is sufficient that the holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18 are arranged at two facing locations, and may not be arranged at four locations around the container laminate T as in the present embodiment. Further, the shapes of the portions of the holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18 facing the container t are not limited to those described above, and the number of the holding guides t may be a plurality or one.

Next, in the container supply device of the present embodiment, the first control executed by the control unit S will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10A, in the standby state, the lower claw 14 supports the first container t1 on the lower surface of the flange tf formed on the first container t1 located at the lowermost part of the container laminate T. At the support position, the upper claw 15 is in an approach position that has entered the gap between the flange tf formed in the first container t1 and the flange tf formed in the second container t2 located immediately above the flange tf. .. Further, the handler 12 supports the bottom surface of the first container t1.

Further, the holding guide 17 is in a holding position for holding the container t in the middle position of the container laminate T from both sides, and the auxiliary holding guide 18 holds the container t in the middle position higher than the holding guide 17 on both sides. It is a holding position to hold by sandwiching from. Therefore, in the standby state, the container t laminated on the container laminated body T is a set of a predetermined number of containers t (five in the present embodiment) from the bottom by the holding guide 17 and the auxiliary holding guide 18, and above the container t. It is divided into three sets of a set of a predetermined number of containers t (11 in the present embodiment) and a set of the remaining containers t on the set. As a result, the number of containers t held by the lower claw 14 becomes the number of containers t below the holding guide 17.

From this standby state, as shown in FIG. 10B, the lower claw 14 moves to the retracted position retracted from the flange tf, and the handler 12 sucks the first container t1 and descends. Further, the holding guide 17 moves to a non-holding position where the container t is not held, and the set of containers t held by the holding guide 17 is dropped. When the handler 12 is lowered, the container t above the second container t2 is supported by the upper claw 15, so that the container t is not pulled out together with the first container t1.

After taking out the container, as shown in FIG. 10 (c), the lower claw 14 returns to the support position, and the holding guide 17 returns to the holding position again. On the other hand, although not shown, the first container t1 pulled out by further lowering the handler 12 is placed on the container transport conveyor 11 and transported to the cooked rice feeding device M2, which is the next step. ..

The timing at which the holding guide 17 returns to the holding position may be before the upper claw 15 described below moves to the detaching position, that is, when the upper claw 15 is in the approaching position, and the lower claw 14 may be returned. Does not have to be the same as the timing of returning to the support position.

That is, the upper claw 15 moves the holding guide 17 from the holding position shown in FIG. 10 (a) to the non-holding position shown in FIG. 10 (b) and returns to the holding position shown in FIG. 10 (c). The lower claw 14 may be in either the support position or the retracted position as long as it is in the approach position. Therefore, the timing at which the holding guide 17 moves to the non-holding position may not be the same as when the lower claw 14 moves to the retracted position, and may be before or after the lower claw 14 moves to the retracted position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, when the upper claw 15 moves to a detaching position away from the gap between the flange tf of the first container t1 and the flange tf of the second container t2, the holding guide 17 The lower container t (that is, the container t that is not held by the holding guide 17) has fallen, and the container t that is newly located at the bottom of the container laminate T (that is, the second container until then). The container t), which was t2, is supported by the lower claw 14. At this time, since the container t above the holding guide 17 is held by the holding guide 17, the number of containers t held by the lower claw 14 is the number of containers t below the holding guide 17 (= in the standby state). The number of sheets that was sometimes held).

After that, as shown in FIG. 10 (e), the upper claw 15 returns from the detached position to the approached position, and enters the above-mentioned standby state.

At this time, since the container t above the holding guide 17 is held by the holding guide 17, the number of containers t held by the lower claw 14 is not the number of the entire container laminate T, but the holding guide 17. It becomes the number of containers t below. Therefore, the holding position of the container t by the holding guide 17 can be set so that the number of the containers t held by the lower claw 14 is such that the number of the containers t is not bent by the weight of the container t.

As a result, the load on the container t applied to the lower claw 14 is significantly reduced, and the bending of the container t held by the lower claw 14 is almost eliminated. Then, since the gap between the flange tf of the first container t1 and the flange tf of the second container t2 immediately above it is not narrowed or crushed, the upper claw 15 is moved to the entry position (to the first container t1). It can be stably inserted and removed from the formed flange tf (the position where it has entered the gap between the formed flange tf and the flange tf formed in the second container t2 located immediately above it), and the bottom of the laminated container t. It becomes possible to reliably take out the container t (first container t1) from the container t.

Here, in a series of cycles by the lower claw 14, the upper claw 15, and the holding guide 17 shown in FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (e), the holding guide 17 is in the holding position as shown in FIG. 10 (f). At one time, the auxiliary holding guide 18 is moved from the holding position to the non-holding position where the container t is not held, and the plurality of containers t laminated and held on the auxiliary holding guide 18 are dropped, and then FIG. 10 (g). ), Return to the holding position again.

By doing so, the impact load due to the replenishment of the container t to the holding guide 17 and the load of the stacked containers t can be dispersed, and the load applied to the holding guide 17 and the claws 14 and 15 is always constant. Can be done.

The operation of moving the auxiliary holding guide 18 from the holding position to the non-holding position and returning it to the holding position can be performed at any predetermined timing as long as the holding guide 17 is in the holding position. That is, it may be performed every time the handler 12 takes out the first container t1. However, if this operation is performed each time, there is a concern that the lower claw 14, the upper claw 15, and the holding guide 17 will be loaded with the drop of the container t, and the movement of the lower claw 14 and the upper claw 15 will become unstable. Therefore, it is desirable that the handler 12 performs the operation of taking out the first container t1 a plurality of times (for example, 5 times) and then once.

By the way, when the first container t1 located at the lowermost part of the container laminate T is taken out from below by the handler 12, the lower claw 14 moved from the retracted position and the upper claw 15 moved from the detached position are in the original positions (that is,). It is conceivable that the container t cannot return to the support position (support position in the case of the lower claw 14 and the approach position in the case of the upper claw 15), and as a result, the container t does not enter the standby state shown in FIG. 10 (a).

Therefore, assuming such a case, the control unit S of the container supply device of the present embodiment performs the second control or the third control described below after executing the first control described above. After the execution, the next first control is executed.

Hereinafter, the second control and the third control will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15. In addition, in FIGS. 12 and 13, the tip portion of the lower claw 14 is straight without being inclined, but it is of course possible to incline diagonally downward.

Here, FIG. 11 is a handler 12 as a modification of the present embodiment used when executing the second control and the third control, and is a suction pad for the handler 12 shown in FIG. A regulating portion 12d that regulates the height of the first container t1 sucked on the 12b is provided on the pedestal portion 12a so as to surround the suction pad 12b.

As described above, the suction pad 12b is expandable and contractible. Therefore, by providing the regulating portion 12d, when the first container t1 is sucked and the suction pad 12b is shrunk, the bottom surface of the first container t1 is pressed against the flat surface of the regulating portion 12d. The height of the container t1 of 1 will be regulated. The handler 12 may adopt a structure other than that of the present embodiment, and the height of the first container t1 may be regulated by means other than adsorption, such as gripping.

By the way, FIG. 12A shows a case where the first container t1 is tilted without being held by a part of the lower claws 14 as an example in which the container t is not in the standby state. Then, in the second control, with respect to the state where the first container t1 is tilted, as shown in FIG. 12B, the handler 12 is raised to lift the tilted first container t1 and the lower claw 14 is lifted. Is set to the retracted position, the upper claw 15 is set to the detached position, and the holding guide 17 is set to the non-holding position.

At this time, when the container t is not adsorbed by the handler 12, the height of the container t when one container t shown on the left side of FIG. 14 is supported and the container t shown on the right side of FIG. 14 are used. As shown in the comparison with the height of the bottom container t when a large number of sheets are supported, when the load differs depending on the number of stacked containers t, the height of the container t due to the elasticity of the rubber used for the suction pad 12b. Is not constant. On the other hand, when the container t is sucked by the suction pad 12b of the handler 12, the bottom surface of the container t is pressed against the surface of the regulating portion 12d, so that when one container t shown on the left side of FIG. 15 is supported. As shown in the comparison between the height of the container t and the height of the bottom container t when a large number of containers t shown on the right side of FIG. 15 are supported, the load differs depending on the number of stacked containers t. However, the height of the container t becomes constant.

Therefore, in the second control, the handler 12 is moved up and down while sucking the container t with the suction pad 12b. However, in the third control, it is not always necessary to adsorb and keep the height of the container t constant, so that the handler shown in FIG. 6 is not the handler 12 provided with the regulation unit 12d as shown in FIG. It may be 12 (handler without a regulatory unit). The reason will be described later.

The distance between the container t held by the holding guide 17 and the container t below the container t is wide, and even if the entire container t is lifted by the handler 12 as described below, the container t is held by the holding guide 17. If it does not collide with the container t, it is not necessary to set the holding guide 17 in the non-holding position.

Now, when the first container t1 tilted by the handler 12 is lifted, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), the handler 12 is further raised to lift the entire container t.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12 (d), the handler 12 is lowered and returned to the fixed position. The fixed position means that the height of the container t allows the lower claw 14 to support the first container t1 at the support position, and the upper claw 15 at the approach position to the flange tf of the first container t1 and the second container. It is a position where the height is such that the t2 can enter the gap with the flange tf.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12 (e), the lower claw 14 is moved from the retracted position to the support position to support the first container t1 located at the lowermost position, and finally, in FIG. 12 (f). As shown, the handler 12 is lowered and the upper claw 15 is moved from the detached position to the approached position. As a result, the container t can be restored to the standby state.

The second control may be terminated without lowering the handler 12 (that is, the bottom surface of the first container t1 is supported by the handler 12), and the process may shift to the first control described above.

Next, the third control will be described with reference to FIG.

In the third control, in the second control, the handler 12 is returned to the fixed position in FIG. 12 (d), and the lower claw 14 is moved to the support position in the next FIG. 12 (e) to move the first container. While t1 is supported, the corresponding operations are different from those in FIGS. 13 (d) and 13 (e). Since the other points are the same as those of the second control, duplicated description will be omitted.

In the third control, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the handler 12 is raised to lift the entire container t, and then the lower claw 14 is moved from the retracted position as shown in FIG. 13 (d). Move to the support position. Then, as shown in FIG. 13 (e), the handler 12 is lowered to support the first container t1 with the lower claw 14.

According to such a third control, unlike the second control, the first container t1 is clawed by simply lowering the handler 12 without lowering the handler 12 to return it to the exact fixed position. It can be supported by 14.

Therefore, since it is not necessary to accurately return the handler 12 to a fixed position and accurately position the height of the container t, it is not necessary to keep the height of the container t supported by the handler 12 constant regardless of the number of containers. .. Therefore, the handler 12 shown in FIG. 6 without the regulation unit 12d may be used for the third control.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are exemplary in all respects and are limited to the disclosed technology. is not it. That is, the technical scope of the present invention is not limitedly interpreted based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be interpreted in accordance with the description of the scope of claims, and the scope of claims. All changes are included as long as they do not deviate from the stated technology and the equivalent technology and the gist of the claims.

For example, an air injection means (not shown) for injecting air may be provided at a position where the upper claw 15 enters, that is, in a gap between the flange tf of the first container t1 and the flange tf of the second container t2. .. If the air injection means is provided, the first container t1 and the second container t2 can be easily separated, so that the certainty of taking out by the handler 12 is improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the lower claw 14 and the upper claw 15 reciprocate linearly so as to be able to move to the support position and the retracted position, or the approach position and the detachment position. It may be movable to a position.

In the container supply device described above, a tray-shaped container into which cooked rice is put is exemplified, but various containers such as a bowl-shaped container and a curry container can be applied. Further, the container is not limited to the container into which the cooked rice is put, and may be a container other than cooked rice such as a cup.

1 Input unit 10 Container storage unit 11 Container transport conveyor 12 Handler (removal means)
12a Pedestal part 12b Suction pad (suction part)
12c Elevating stay 12d Restriction part 13 Pushing part 14 Lower claw (support member)
15 Upper claw (entrance member)
17 Holding guide (first holding member)
18 Auxiliary holding guide (second holding member)
20 Stage 21 Input plate M1 Container supply device M2 Rice input device M3 Measurement distribution device M4 Conveyor device M5 Discharge device R Rice S Control unit (control means)
T container laminate t container t1 first container t2 second container ta rice rice filling area tb side dish filling area tf flange

Claims (11)

A container accommodating portion for accommodating a container laminate composed of a plurality of laminated containers,
A support member that can be moved to a support position that supports the first container on the lower surface of a flange formed in the first container located at the bottom of the container stack, and a retracted position that is retracted from the flange.
At the entry position entering the gap between the flange formed in the first container and the flange formed in the second container located directly above the first container, and the leaving position away from the gap. Movable entry members and
A first holding member that can be moved to a holding position for holding the container and a non-holding position for not holding the container at an intermediate position of the container laminate.
The taking-out means for taking out the first container from below, and
It has a support member, an approach member, a first holding member, and a control means for controlling the operation of the take-out means.
The control means is
The approach member is set to the approach position, the support member is set to the retracted position, the first container is taken out by the taking-out means, then the support member is set to the support position, and the entry member is set to the detachment position. Then, the container newly located at the lowermost part of the container laminate is supported by the support member, and then the entry member is returned to the entry position.
Control to move the first holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position and return to the holding position when the approaching member is in the approaching position.
Performs a first control consisting of,
A container supply device characterized by that. The tip of the support member is inclined diagonally downward.
The container supply device according to claim 1. The support member, the entry member, and the first holding member are arranged at least at two locations sandwiching the container.
The container supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container supply device is characterized by the above. Further having a second holding member that can be moved to a holding position for holding the container and a non-holding position for not holding the container at an intermediate position higher than the first holding member in the container laminate.
When the first holding member is in the holding position, the control means moves the second holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position at a predetermined timing to bring the second holding member back to the holding position.
The container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container supply device is characterized by the above. The control means moves the second holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position at a rate of once after the taking-out means performs the operation of taking out the first container a plurality of times, and again the holding position. Return to,
4. The container supply device according to claim 4. The second holding member is arranged at at least two facing positions.
The container supply device according to claim 4 or 5. The control means is
After executing the first control,
The support member is set to the retracted position, the approach member is set to the detached position, the take-out means is raised to lift the container laminate, and then the take-out means is lowered to a predetermined position before the support member is moved. A second control is executed in which the first container is supported by the support member at the support position.
The container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the container supply device is characterized by the above. The control means is
After executing the first control,
The support member is set to the retracted position, the approach member is set to the detached position, the take-out means is raised to lift the container laminate, the support member is set to the support position, and then the take-out means is lowered. A third control for causing the first container to be supported by the support member is executed.
The container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the container supply device is characterized by the above. The take-out means includes a suction portion that is extensible and adsorbs the bottom surface of the first container, and a regulation portion that regulates the height of the first container that is adsorbed by the suction portion.
The control means raises and lowers the take-out means in a state where the bottom surface of the first container is sucked by the suction portion.
The container supply device according to claim 7 or 8. Further having an air injection means for injecting air at a position where the approach member enters.
The container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the container supply device is characterized by the above. Further comprising a transport means for transporting the first container taken out by the take-out means toward the next step.
The container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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