JP7153982B2 - direction changer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a direction changing device.

A rice ball packaging device for packaging the shaped rice balls is disposed after the rice ball manufacturing device for shaping the cooked rice into a predetermined shape.

Here, as a kind of rice ball, a triangular rice ball with an ingredient exposed at one point on the top is known. When such rice balls are manufactured by a rice ball manufacturing apparatus, it is necessary to wrap the ingredients in a rice ball wrapping apparatus in a subsequent process so that portions other than the exposed top portion of the ingredients are wrapped with the wrapping material. Therefore, when conveying the rice ball from the rice ball manufacturing apparatus to the rice ball wrapping apparatus, the orientation of the rice ball becomes a problem.

Therefore, it may be necessary to change the direction of the rice ball manufactured by the rice ball manufacturing apparatus and then convey it to the rice ball packaging apparatus.

In order to change the direction of the rice ball in this way, there is a turning by means of a chuck with a rotating mechanism, turning by means of a dispensing die, or the like.

As a technique for changing the orientation of products such as rice balls, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-56275) is known.

JP-A-11-56275

However, in the technique of gripping the rice ball with a chuck and changing the direction, it is necessary to accurately stop the rice ball on the chucking stage. Also, in the case of soft rice balls, they may lose their shape when gripped with a zipper.

On the other hand, in the technique of changing the direction while surrounding the outer periphery of the rice ball with the dispensing mold, the direction is changed by rotating the dispensing mold on the table, which may cause variations in the degree of direction change.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a direction changing device capable of stably changing the direction of a rice ball without destroying the shape of the rice ball.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a direction changing device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a direction changing device for changing the direction of rice balls manufactured by a rice ball manufacturing apparatus when conveying the rice balls to the rice ball wrapping apparatus. A base having guide grooves formed thereon, and a turntable mounted on the base and intermittently rotating in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. The turntable rotates and revolves, and the projections move along with the rotation of the turntable. a top that travels in a groove and rotates in at least one of the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction, and the rice ball mounted on the top of the turntable at the loading position; , the turntable is rotated at different angles in the first and second rotation directions, and the direction is changed to reach the discharge position of the turntable.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a plurality of direction changing devices are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the turntable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direction changing device according to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the protrusions are arranged at three positions at a rotation angle of 120°.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direction changing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the top has a holding hole for holding the outer periphery of the mounted rice ball . elevating means for elevating the bottom plate of the holding hole at the loading position and the discharging position; loading means for mounting rice balls on the bottom plate raised at the loading position; and a discharging means for discharging the rice ball .

According to the present invention, the turntable rotates and revolves, and as the turntable rotates, the projection travels in the guide groove, and the rice ball is mounted on the top that rotates, and the top rotates (revolves and rotates). Since the direction of the rice ball is changed by , it is possible to stably change the direction without destroying the shape of the rice ball .

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a rice ball direction changing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3(a) to 3(c) are conceptual diagrams showing exploded constituent elements of the rice ball direction changing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of the guide groove formed in the base. (a) to (e) are conceptual diagrams successively showing the direction changing operation of the rice ball when the turntable is rotated in the first rotation direction (clockwise). FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a travel route of the projection with respect to the guide groove in the direction change operation of FIG. 4; (a) to (e) are conceptual diagrams successively showing the direction change operation of the rice ball when the turntable is rotated in the second rotation direction (counterclockwise). FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a travel route of the projection with respect to the guide groove in the direction change operation of FIG. 6; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rice ball is at the insertion position and the discharge position in the direction changing device of the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bottom plate of the direction changing device of the present embodiment is raised at the loading position and the discharging position; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which rice balls are thrown into the bottom plate at the insertion position and discharged from the bottom plate at the discharge position in the direction changing device of the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rice ball is inserted and discharged in the direction changing device of the present embodiment;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for describing the embodiments, in principle, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an apparatus for changing the direction of a rice ball according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. .

A rice ball direction changing apparatus (direction changing apparatus) 10 (hereinafter referred to as "direction changing apparatus") according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. and the rice ball wrapping device (hereinafter referred to as "wrapping device") arranged in the latter stage, and changes the direction by rotating the rice ball R conveyed from the manufacturing device by a predetermined rotation angle. and transported to the packaging machine.

Here, the rice ball R (FIGS. 4 to 11) whose direction is changed by the direction changing device 10 is, for example, a triangular rice ball with ingredients exposed at one point on the top. Such a rice ball R needs to be wrapped so that the portion other than the top Rt where the ingredients are exposed (hereinafter referred to as the "top of the ingredients") is wrapped with the packaging material. Directionality of the rice ball R is required. If the direction of the rice balls R when conveyed from the manufacturing apparatus is not the direction required by the packaging apparatus, the direction changing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment changes the direction of the rice balls R to match the packaging apparatus.

Specifically, for example, the rice ball R transported from the manufacturing apparatus has the ingredient top Rt facing backward in the transportation direction or facing the side in the transportation direction, and the packaging apparatus transports the ingredient top Rt. When the rice ball R must face forward, the direction changing device 10 of the present embodiment is used to change the direction of the rice ball R so that the ingredient top Rt faces forward in the conveying direction.

Such a direction changing device 10 includes, in FIG. It is arranged between the second transport conveyor C2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2(a) to (c), the direction changing device 10 is installed on a base 11 (FIGS. 1 and 2(a)) and intermittently rotated. A circular turntable 12 (Figs. 1 and 2(b)) and a top 13 (Figs. 1 and 2(c)) rotatably fitted into a circular top hole 12a formed in the turntable 12. It is configured. Also, the rice ball R is mounted on the top 13 . As shown in the figure, four hook holes 12a are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the turntable 12, and four circular links 13 are fitted into these link holes 12a. .

Incidentally, the numbers of the frame holes 12a and the frames 13 are not limited to those of this embodiment, and can be freely set from one. However, it is possible to efficiently change the direction of the rice ball R by providing a plurality of tops 13 .

Further, the shape of the top 13 is not limited to a circle, and may be a shape other than a circle such as a polygon. Therefore, the shape of the hook hole 12a is not limited to a circle either.

In FIG. 1, in order to load the rice balls R transported by the first transport conveyor C1 onto the tops 13, a loading mechanism (loading means) 15 is provided at the position where the rice balls R are loaded, which is the end of the first transport conveyor C1. is set up. In addition, in order to discharge the rice ball R from the frame 13 and transfer it to the second conveyor C2, a discharge mechanism (discharge means) 16 is installed at the discharge position of the rice ball R, which is the starting end of the second conveyor C2. It is In this embodiment, the loading position and the discharging position are provided at positions 180° apart from each other on the turntable 12, that is, at positions facing each other. However, the input position and the discharge position can be freely set, and are not limited to positions facing each other as in the present embodiment.

Here, in this embodiment, the turntable 12 intermittently rotates in two directions: a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto. In the present application, the first direction of rotation is clockwise and the second direction of rotation is counterclockwise. Note that the turntable 12 may rotate only in one of the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction.

As described above, the top 13 is fitted into the top hole 12a of the turntable 12 which rotates intermittently. Therefore, when the turntable 12 rotates, the top 13 rotates (revolves) along a circular orbit about the rotation axis P of the turntable 12 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the base 11 is formed with a guide groove 11a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2(c), on the back surface of the top 13, there is a protrusion 14 made of, for example, a pin or a roller, which travels along the guide groove 11a as the turntable 12 rotates. They are placed in three corners. The guide groove 11a has a groove shape in which the top 13 is rotated by the protrusion 14 traveling in the guide groove 11a.

Therefore, the top 13 that revolves with the rotation of the turntable 12 rotates (rotates) as the projection 14 travels along the guide groove 11a due to the rotation of the turntable 12 .

The direction of the rice ball R mounted on the top 13 of the turntable 12 at the insertion position is changed as the turntable 12 rotates, and the rice ball R reaches the discharge position of the turntable 12 .

As described above, in the present embodiment, the protrusions 14 are arranged at three positions with a rotation angle of 120°, but it is possible to rotate the top 13 to a predetermined angle by traveling along the guide groove 11a. As far as possible, the number and arrangement positions of the protrusions 14 can be freely set.

The top 13 is formed with a holding hole 13a for holding the outer periphery of the rice ball R mounted thereon, and a bottom plate 17 is installed in the holding hole 13a so as to be able to move up and down. At the input position (that is, the end of the first conveyor C1) and the discharge position (that is, the beginning of the second conveyor C2), a bottom plate is provided on the back surface of the bottom plate 17 and at the rotation center of the top 13. Elevating mechanisms (elevating means) 18 and 19 for engaging with the projections 17a and elevating the bottom plate 17 are provided (see FIGS. 8 to 11).

It is desirable that the size of the holding hole 13a is large enough for the rice ball R. By doing so, it is possible to secure a margin for variations in the size of the rice ball R.

Next, the shape of the guide groove 11a will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the shape of the guide groove formed in the base.

In FIG. 3, the guide groove 11a includes an outermost annular outer peripheral groove 11a-1 (a portion indicated by a dashed line), an innermost annular inner peripheral groove 11a-2 (a portion indicated by a broken line), an inner Two guide grooves 11a-3a and 11a-3b (indicated by dashed lines) connecting one common point of the circumferential groove 11a-2 and two mutually different points of the outer circumferential groove 11a-1, respectively, and the outer circumferential groove 11a- 1 and an annular bottom plate projection running groove 11a-4 (the portion indicated by the two-dot chain line) located between the guide grooves 11a-3a and 11a-3b and partially shared with the guide grooves 11a-3a and 11a-3b. It is

The inner peripheral groove 11a-2 and the bottom plate projection running groove 11a-4 form concentric circles around the rotation axis P of the turntable, whereas the outer peripheral groove 11a-1 forms a half circumference (see FIG. 3). The lower half in FIG. 3) is a circle (semicircle), and the other half (upper half in FIG. 3) has a slightly outwardly bulging shape.

In the guide groove 11a having such a shape, the three protrusions 14 run in the outer peripheral groove 11a-1, the inner peripheral groove 11a-2 and the guide grooves 11a-3a and 11a-3b, and the bottom plate protrusion 17a runs in the bottom plate protrusion running groove. Run 11a-4.

Next, the direction changing operation of the rice ball R by the direction changing device 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. Here, FIGS. 4(a) to 4(e) are conceptual diagrams continuously showing the direction changing operation of the rice ball when the turntable is rotated in the first rotation direction (clockwise), and FIG. Explanatory diagrams showing the travel path of the projection with respect to the guide groove in the direction change operation, FIGS. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram continuously showing the operation, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the travel route of the protrusion with respect to the guide groove in the direction changing operation of FIG.

In the first rotation direction, the top portion Rt of the ingredients facing backward in the conveying direction is rotated by 180° so that the top portion Rt of the ingredients faces forward in the conveying direction. Further, in the second rotation direction, the rice ball R, in which the top portion Rt of the ingredient is directed to the side in the conveying direction (to the right side in the conveying direction), is rotated by 60° so that the top portion Rt of the ingredient is oriented forward in the conveying direction. is changed to

Now, in the first rotation direction, the rice ball R (Fig. 4(a)) in which the ingredient top Rt conveyed by the first conveyer C1 faces backward in the conveying direction, as shown in Fig. 4(b). , into the holding hole 13a formed in the top 13 of the turntable 12 whose rotation is stopped. At this time, as shown in the top 13 on the right side of FIG. 5, the projections 14a and 14b are fitted into the outer peripheral groove 11a-1 and the projection 14c is fitted into the inner peripheral groove 11a-2 at the insertion position. there is

Then, as shown in FIG. 4(c), when the turntable 12 is rotated clockwise, the top 13 only revolves without rotating on its axis. 5, when the turntable 12 is rotated clockwise, the protrusions 14a and 14b move in the semicircular region of the outer peripheral groove 11a-1, and the protrusion 14c This is because the top 13 is prevented from rotating because it travels in the circular inner peripheral groove 11a-2.

Then, when the turntable 12 rotates 180° and reaches the discharge position while the rotation of the top 13 is blocked, the rice ball R is rotated 180° as shown in FIG. By rotating, the ingredient top Rt faces forward in the conveying direction.

After arriving at the discharge position, as shown in FIG. 4(e), the rice ball R whose direction has been changed is transferred to the second conveyor C2. On the other hand, when the turntable 12 rotates further clockwise, as shown in the top 13 on the upper side of FIG. Then, the top 13 rotates counterclockwise, whereby the protrusion 14b enters the guide groove 11a-3a from the outer peripheral groove 11a-1 and is guided to the inner peripheral groove 11a-2, and the protrusion 14c is guided to the inner peripheral groove 11a-2. It enters the guide groove 11a-3b from the groove 11a-2 and is guided to the outer circumferential groove 11a-1. When the turntable 12 rotates once, the top 13 rotates counterclockwise by 60°, and the positions of the three protrusions 14a, 14b, and 14c shift by 60° counterclockwise from before rotation. position.

Next, in the second rotation direction, the ingredients top Rt conveyed by the first conveyer C1 faces the conveying direction side (right side in the conveying direction) Rice ball R (Fig. 6 (a)) is put into the holding hole 13a formed in the top 13 of the turntable 12 whose rotation is stopped, as shown in FIG. 6(b). At this time, as shown in the top 13 on the right side of FIG. 7, the projections 14a and 14b are fitted into the outer peripheral groove 11a-1 and the projection 14c is fitted into the inner peripheral groove 11a-2 at the insertion position. there is

Then, as shown in FIG. 6(c), when the turntable 12 is rotated counterclockwise, the projecting portion 14b bulges slightly outside the outer peripheral groove 11a-1 as shown in the upper top 13 of FIG. enter the realm. Then, the top 13 rotates clockwise, whereby the protrusion 14a enters the guide groove 11a-3b from the outer peripheral groove 11a-1 and is guided to the inner peripheral groove 11a-2, and the protrusion 14c moves toward the inner peripheral groove. It enters the guide groove 11a-3a from 11a-2 and is guided to the outer circumferential groove 11a-1.

Then, when the turntable 12 rotates 180° and reaches the discharge position, the protrusions 14a and 14b are fitted in the outer peripheral grooves 11a-1 at the insertion position, whereas the top 13 on the left side in FIG. As shown, the protrusions 14b and 14c are fitted into the outer peripheral grooves 11a-1. In other words, the top 13 rotates clockwise by 60 degrees. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(d) and the top 13 on the left side of FIG. 7, the rice ball R is rotated by 60° and the ingredient top Rt faces forward in the conveying direction.

After reaching the discharge position, as shown in FIG. 6(e), the rice ball R whose direction has been changed is transferred to the second conveyor C2. On the other hand, when the turntable 12 further rotates counterclockwise, the protrusions 14b and 14c continue to travel in the semicircular region of the outer peripheral groove 11a-1, as shown in the top 13 on the lower side of FIG. 14a travels in the circular inner peripheral groove 11a-2 so that the rotation of the top 13 is prevented. Then, when the turntable 12 rotates once, the positions of the three projections 14a, 14b, and 14c shift clockwise by 60 degrees from before rotation.

In this embodiment, four tops 13 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and rice balls R are sequentially mounted on each top 13, so that the tops 13 intermittently rotate at a rotation angle of 90°.

Next, the insertion and ejection operations of the rice ball R at the insertion position and the ejection position in the direction changing device 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. FIG. Here, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rice ball is at the insertion position and the ejection position in the direction changing device of the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bottom plate is lifted; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rice ball is inserted and discharged in the direction changing device of the present embodiment;

As shown in FIG. 8, the first conveyor C1 conveys the rice ball R to the terminal end (that is, the input position), and when the rice ball R whose direction has been changed reaches the discharge position, the state shown in FIG. , the elevating mechanisms 18 and 19 engage with the bottom plate protrusions 17a provided on the back surface of the bottom plate 17 to lift the bottom plate 17 to the upper ends of the holding holes 13a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10 , at the loading position, the loading mechanism 15 slides to push the rice ball R and transfer it onto the bottom plate 17 . At the discharge position, the discharge mechanism 16 slides and pushes the rice ball R to transfer it from the bottom plate 17 to the second conveyor C2.

Finally, at the insertion position, the insertion mechanism 15 returns to the standby position, and the elevating mechanism 18 descends to move the bottom plate 17 on which the rice ball R is mounted to the lower end of the holding hole 13a. stored inside. At the ejection position, the ejection mechanism 16 returns to the standby position, and the elevating mechanism 19 descends to move the bottom plate 17 to the lower end of the holding hole 13a.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the turntable 12 rotates and revolves, and as the turntable 12 rotates, the projection 14 travels along the guide groove 11a, so that the top 13 rotates on its own axis. , and the direction of the rice ball R is changed by the rotation (revolution and rotation) of the top 13, so that the direction can be stably changed without destroying the shape of the rice ball R.

In addition, since the direction of the rice ball R is changed by rotating the top 13 on which the rice ball R is mounted, the direction of the rice ball R can be changed by directly rotating the rice ball R placed on the table. Since the salt sprinkled on the lower surface of the cake is not crushed by rotation, the good texture is not spoiled.

Further, the turntable 12 intermittently rotates in two directions, ie, a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction, and rotates the rice ball R at different rotation angles in each rotation direction to change the direction. ing. Therefore, two rotation angles can be set only by switching the rotation direction of the turntable 12 without exchanging parts.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and are limited to the disclosed technology. is not. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a restrictive manner based on the description of the above embodiments, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included as long as they do not deviate from the description technology and equivalent technology and the gist of the claims.

For example, in the direction changing device 10 of the present embodiment, the rice balls R facing in different directions The turntable 12 is rotated in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction, and the rice ball R facing (right side in the conveying direction) is rotated in the same direction (here, the ingredient top Rt is conveyed forward direction), but the change pattern is not limited to this. That is, the rice balls R facing the same direction may be changed to different directions, or the rice balls R facing different directions may be changed to different directions. The direction of the rice ball R at that time, that is, the rotation angle can be freely set.

Further, in the direction changing device 10 of the present embodiment, the rotation of the top 13 is prevented in the first rotation direction, and the top 13 rotates in the second rotation direction. The top 13 may rotate. In other words, when the turntable 12 rotates in two directions, the top 13 may rotate in at least one direction.

Further, the shape of the guide groove 11a formed in the base 11 and the number of projections 14 provided on the top 13 are not limited to those of this embodiment. The shape and number of grooves can be freely determined as long as it is possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, the top 13 is provided with a holding hole 13a for holding the outer periphery of the rice ball R, and the bottom plate 17 is provided so that it can move up and down. You may make it mount the rice ball R here.

Further, the rice ball direction changing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is installed between the rice ball manufacturing apparatus and the rice ball wrapping apparatus, but it may be integrated with the rice ball manufacturing apparatus or the rice ball wrapping apparatus.

The rice ball R does not have to be triangular, and can have various shapes such as a bale shape and a round shape.

In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to the direction changing device for changing the direction of the rice ball is shown, but the object to be processed to change the direction is not limited to the rice ball. . In other words, the objects to be processed include ingredients other than rice balls (for example, processed foods such as confectionery, bread, fried foods, vegetables and fruits), and it is necessary to change the direction when flowing from upstream to downstream in the manufacturing process. Various members can be considered.

10 rice ball direction changing device (direction changing device)
11 base 11a guide groove 11a-1 outer peripheral groove 11a-2 inner peripheral groove 11a-3a, 11a-3b guide groove 11a-4 bottom plate projection running groove 12 turntable 12a top hole 13 top 13a holding hole 14, 14a, 14b, 14c Protruding portion 15 Throwing mechanism (throwing means)
16 ejection mechanism (ejection means)
17 Bottom plate 17a Bottom plate protrusions 18, 19 Lifting mechanism (lifting means)
C1 First conveyer C2 Second conveyer P Rotating shaft R rice ball
Rt Ingredient top

Claims (4)

A direction changing device for changing the direction of rice balls manufactured by the rice ball manufacturing device when conveying the rice balls to the rice ball packaging device,
a base on which a guide groove is formed;
a turntable installed on the base and intermittently rotating in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction ;
A protrusion is provided on the back surface and is rotatably fitted into a pin hole formed in the turntable. As the turntable rotates and revolves, the protrusion moves along the guide groove as the turntable rotates. a top that travels and rotates in at least one of the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction ;
The rice ball mounted on the top of the turntable at the insertion position is rotated at different rotation angles in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction on the turntable, and the direction is changed. reaching the ejection position of the turntable;
A direction changing device characterized by: A plurality of the tops are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the turntable,
2. The direction changing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protrusions are arranged at three locations at a rotation angle of 120°,
3. The direction changing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A holding hole is formed in the top to hold the outer circumference of the mounted rice ball,
elevating means for elevating the bottom plate of the holding hole at the insertion position and the ejection position;
a loading means for mounting the rice ball on the raised bottom plate at the loading position;
and discharging means for discharging the rice ball mounted on the bottom plate raised at the discharging position,
The direction changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that:

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