JP7413451B2 - A device for pulling objects to be operated, a device for pushing objects to be operated, and a device for leveling the height of objects to be operated. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for pulling an object to be operated, a device for pushing the object to be operated, and a device for adjusting the height of the object to be operated, which can be used to arrange an object to be operated, such as noodles, into a desired position or posture. It relates to a leveling device.

BACKGROUND ART Noodles in containers have traditionally been sold as a type of bento. For example, noodle blocks such as boiled spaghetti with sauce poured over them and toppings with other ingredients are sold in a container.

For noodles in such containers, for example, the noodle blocks are placed in a resin container that is transported by a belt conveyor, and then a robot that is linked to the timing of the conveyance of the belt conveyor is used to sprinkle sauces or add toppings. It is manufactured by topping the container with a container or by covering the container with a corresponding container lid.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-262729

According to the knowledge of the inventor of the present invention, it is common practice to mix boiled noodle blocks with oil or fat to prevent the noodle strings from sticking to each other; There is a tendency for the noodle blocks to become entangled with each other, and when such noodle blocks are placed in a container, the central part of the noodle blocks tends to maintain a raised position.

If you put sauces or toppings on a noodle block with a raised center, the sauces or toppings will stick to the back of the container lid that will be placed on the container in a subsequent process, making the product look bad. .

Furthermore, since there are variations in the way the noodle strands of the noodle blocks are intertwined with each other, the noodle blocks may be placed at a position offset from the center of the container. In that case, the positions of the sauces and toppings are shifted from the desired positions, resulting in a poor appearance of the product.

In order to avoid these problems, especially when handling boiled noodle blocks, it has been necessary for workers to manually loosen the noodle blocks and level the top surface of the noodle blocks.

However, in recent years, due to a shortage of human resources, promotion of unmanned production is being considered or put into practice at various production sites.

Under such a background, Patent Document 1 proposes a noodle leveling device for leveling noodle lumps. According to this noodle leveling device, the claws inserted into the center of the noodle mass open to the periphery, thereby making it possible to eliminate the bulge in the center of the noodle mass to some extent.

However, according to the study of the inventor of the present invention, since the overall position of the noodle mass cannot be corrected only by the claw opening/closing mechanism as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is not possible to correct the overall position of the noodle mass. It cannot be said that the effect is sufficient.

The present invention was created in view of the above background. An object of the present invention is to provide a device that can be used to adjust an object to be operated, such as a noodle block (particularly a noodle block of boiled noodles), to a desired position or posture.

The inventor of the present invention has conducted extensive studies with the above-mentioned purpose in mind, and has developed the following process for adjusting an object to be operated, such as a noodle block (particularly a noodle block of boiled noodles), to a desired position or posture. We have come to the conclusion that it is effective to proceed with the study in three steps. The three steps are (1) a step of correcting the position of the operated object by bringing the operated object provided to the operated object providing position into the central area of the operated object providing position; (2) After correcting the position by bringing the operated object to the central area (after performing step (1)), pushing the operated object back to the peripheral area of the operated object providing position, and (3) After the object to be operated is pushed back and spread out (after step (2) is performed), the height of the object to be operated is leveled.

The inventor of the present invention has developed the following device as a device for effectively practicing step (1). That is, the present invention provides a device for pulling an object to be operated, which is provided at an object providing position, to a central area of the object providing position, the claw member being positioned above the object providing position. a support, three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern at circumferential intervals in a plan view; and a lower end of the claw member. an opening/closing drive unit that changes the posture between a closed state in which the parts are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end parts are farther from each other; an elevating drive unit that moves up and down with respect to the providing position, a rotation drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position, the opening and closing drive unit, and the up and down drive unit. and a control section that controls the rotation drive section, the control section controlling the elevation drive section to lower the claw member in the open state toward the operated object providing position. a closing step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the closed state; and controlling the lifting drive unit to move the claw member in the closed state to the operated object providing position. and an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state, in this order, and the control unit Further, the rotation driving section is controlled to move the claw member toward the operated object providing position at some time between the start of the closing process and the end of the opening process. This device is characterized in that it performs a rotation step.

According to the present invention, the claw member in the open state is lowered toward the operated object providing position in the lowering step, and the operated object (e.g. noodle lump) is moved to the center of the operated object providing position (e.g. inside a container) in the closing step. After the object is brought into the area, the object to be operated (for example, a lump of noodle) is released by the opening process after passing through the raising process, thereby making it possible to correct the position of the object to be operated closer to the central area. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotating process is executed during any part of the time from the start of the closing process to the end of the opening process, thereby providing the object to be provided to the operated object providing position. An operation similar to winding up the operated object is realized, and the effect of correcting the position of the operated object toward the central region can be significantly enhanced.

The object to be operated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be noodles as a food ingredient (cut into predetermined lengths), especially boiled noodles, but at least as of the time of filing this application. However, it is not limited to this. The present invention can be expected to be utilized in various technical fields and applications where it is useful to correct the position of an object to be operated by an action such as winding up (winding up) the object. For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and it can also be used when handling string-like waste.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the rotation step is executed simultaneously while the lifting step is being executed.

In this case, the combination of the action of raising (lifting) the operated object and the action of winding (winding up) the operated object produces the effect of pulling the operated object into the central region of the operated object providing position. can be increased.

Further, according to various experimental results by the inventor of the present invention, during the rotation process, the claw member moves from 45 degrees to the operated object providing position at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees to 720 degrees per second. Preferably, it can be rotated within a range of 180 degrees.

When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of bringing the operated object to the central region of the operated object providing position can be obtained.

In addition, especially when handling noodles as a food material as an object to be operated, it is preferable that the claw member is raised within a range of 100 mm to 150 mm in the raising step.

Further, the inventor of the present invention has developed the following device as a device for effectively implementing the above-mentioned step (2). That is, the present invention provides a device for pushing and spreading an object to be operated, which is provided at an object to be operated position, to a peripheral area of the object to be operated object providing position, the claw member being positioned above the to-be-operated object providing position. a support, three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern at circumferential intervals in a plan view; and a lower end of the claw member. an opening/closing drive unit that changes the posture between a closed state in which the parts are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower end parts are farther from each other; an elevating drive unit that moves up and down with respect to the providing position, a rotation drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position, the opening and closing drive unit, and the up and down drive unit. and a control unit that controls the rotation drive unit, the control unit controlling the elevation drive unit to lower the claw member in the closed state toward the operated object providing position. an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state; and controlling the lifting drive unit to move the claw member in the open state to the operated object providing position. and a raising step in which the opening step is raised so as to move away from the opening step, and the control section further includes: The apparatus is characterized in that the rotation drive unit is controlled to execute a rotation step of rotating the claw member relative to the operated object providing position.

According to the present invention, after the claw member in the closed state is lowered toward the operated object providing position (until it reaches the inside of the operated object), the posture of the claw member is changed to the open state by the opening step. The object to be operated can be spread out to the surrounding area of the object providing position. Furthermore, as a feature of the present invention, by performing the rotation process during any part of the time from the start to the end of the opening process, even when the object to be operated is being pushed apart, the An action similar to winding up (winding up) an object is realized, and it is possible to prevent the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the operated object from "protruding" from the desired position.

The object to be manipulated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be noodles (cut into predetermined lengths) as a food ingredient, particularly boiled noodles, but at least as of the time of filing this application. However, it is not limited to this. The present invention is applicable to various technical fields and applications where it is useful to suppress the posture of an operated object from being excessively disturbed due to an action such as winding up (engulfing) the operated object while the operated object is being pushed out. It can be expected to be used in For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and it can also be used when handling string-like waste.

According to various experimental results by the inventor of the present invention, during the rotation process, the claw member rotates at an angular velocity of 60 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the operated object providing position at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. Preferably, it is adapted to be rotated within a range of degrees.

When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of suppressing the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed can be obtained.

Further, the inventor of the present invention has developed the following device as a device for effectively implementing the above-mentioned step (3). That is, the present invention is an apparatus for leveling the height of an operated object provided at an operated object providing position, which includes a pin member support whose lower surface side is flat and positioned above the operated object providing position. a plurality of cylindrical pin members protruding downward from the pin member support, an elevation drive unit that raises and lowers the pin member support with respect to the operated object providing position, and the pin member support. a rotation drive unit that rotates the body in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position, and a control unit that controls the elevation drive unit and the rotation drive unit, the control unit including the elevation drive unit a lowering step of controlling the pin member support to lower the pin member support toward the operated object providing position; a rotation step of controlling the rotation drive unit to rotate the pin member support in a circumferential direction; The apparatus is characterized in that a raising step of controlling the raising/lowering drive unit to raise the pin member support body away from the operated object providing position is performed in the above order. .

According to the present invention, the height of the object to be operated can be made even by lowering the pin member support member having a flat lower surface toward the position for providing the object to be operated. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is performed while the pin member support is lowered (and/or during the lowering), so that the height of the operated object is evened out. Even in this case, a motion similar to winding up the operated object can be realized, and the height of the operated object can be made more uniform (more beautiful), and the posture of the operated object can be prevented from being excessively disturbed. (For example, it is possible to prevent the operated object from "protruding" from a desired position).

The object to be manipulated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be noodles (cut into predetermined lengths) as a food ingredient, particularly boiled noodles, but at least as of the time of filing this application. However, it is not limited to this. The present invention is capable of leveling the height of the operated object more uniformly (more beautifully) by winding up the operated object while the height of the operated object is being leveled. It can be expected to be used in various technical fields and applications where it is useful to suppress excessive disturbance of the posture of objects. For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and it can also be used when handling string-like waste.

According to various experimental results by the inventor of the present invention, during the rotation process, the pin member support body rotates at an angular velocity of 45 degrees to 720 degrees per second with respect to the operated object providing position. Preferably, the rotation is within a range of 120 degrees.

When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect can be achieved to level out the height of the operated object more uniformly (more beautifully) and to suppress the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed. Obtainable.

For example, the plurality of pin members may include three or more inner pin members arranged in an annular pattern with a relatively small diameter and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction in a plan view, and It is preferable to have three or more outer circumferential side pin members arranged in a relatively large-diameter annular pattern with an interval between them.

When multiple pin members are arranged in such a layout, the entire object to be operated can be rotated in a better balance, so the height of the object to be operated can be made more uniform (more beautiful) and the height of the object to be operated can be more evenly (more beautifully) and The effect of suppressing excessive disturbance in the posture of the operation object can be enhanced.

Each of the devices of the present invention described above can be used, for example, in a method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container. For example, the present invention provides a method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container, in which a device for picking up an object having any of the above-mentioned characteristics is used to adjust the noodles provided in the container as described above. A step of pulling the noodles into the central area of the container, and using a device to spread out the manipulated object having any of the above-mentioned characteristics, transfer the noodles gathered into the central area of the container to the peripheral area of the container. a step of pushing and spreading the noodles back; and a step of leveling the height of the noodles that have been pushed and spread back into the peripheral area within the container using a device for leveling the height of the manipulated object having any of the above-mentioned characteristics; This method is characterized by comprising:

According to the device for pulling an object to be operated according to the present invention, after the object to be operated is brought to the central area of the object providing position in the closing process, the object to be operated is released in the opening process after passing through the raising process. With this, the position of the operated object can be corrected closer to the central area. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotating process is executed during any part of the time from the start of the closing process to the end of the opening process, thereby providing the object to be provided to the operated object providing position. An operation similar to winding up the operated object is realized, and the effect of correcting the position of the operated object toward the central region can be significantly enhanced.

Further, according to the apparatus for pushing and spreading an object to be operated according to the present invention, after the claw member in the closed state is lowered toward the operated object providing position (up to the inside of the object to be operated), the claw member is opened in the opening process. By changing the posture to the open state, the operated object can be pushed out into the surrounding area of the operated object providing position. Furthermore, as a feature of the present invention, by performing the rotation process during any part of the time from the start to the end of the opening process, even when the object to be operated is being pushed apart, the An action similar to winding up (winding up) an object is realized, and it is possible to prevent the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the operated object from "protruding" from the desired position.

Further, according to the device for leveling the height of the operated object of the present invention, the height of the operated object is leveled by lowering the pin member support whose lower surface side is flat toward the operated object providing position. be able to. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is performed while the pin member support is lowered (and/or during the lowering), so that the height of the operated object is evened out. Even in this case, a motion similar to winding up the operated object is realized, which makes it possible to level out the height of the operated object more uniformly (more beautifully), and prevent the posture of the operated object from being excessively disturbed. (For example, it is possible to prevent the operated object from "protruding" from a desired position.)

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a device for pulling an object to be operated (hand-pulling device), a device for pushing and spreading the object to be operated (push-spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated (height adjustment device). 1 is a schematic perspective view of a position and posture adjustment system for an operated object configured by a leveling device. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the hand-feeding device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the spreading device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the height leveling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lower surface of the pin member support of the height leveling device of FIG. 4 viewed from below. FIG. 5 is a side view of the pin member support of the height leveling device of FIG. 4; FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the claw member descending from the standby position and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the hand-feeding device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the claw member lowered to the first position and in the closed state and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the hand-feeding device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the state of the claw member raised to the raised position and in the closed state and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the hand-feeding device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing the claw member whose posture has been changed to the open state and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the hand-feeding device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing the claw member that has descended to the second position and is in the closed state in the pushing and spreading device of FIG. 1 and the state of the noodle mass in the container. FIG. 2 is a schematic central cross-sectional view showing the claw member rotating in the circumferential direction while changing its posture to the open state and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the pushing and spreading device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the claw member rising in the open state and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the pushing and spreading device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the state of the pin member support descending from the standby position and the noodle mass in the container in the leveling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the state of the pin member support lowered to the third position and rotating in the circumferential direction and the noodle mass in the container in the leveling device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic central sectional view showing the rising pin member support and the state of the noodle mass in the container in the leveling device of FIG. 1; According to the second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a device for pulling an object to be operated (hand-pulling device), a device for pushing and spreading the object to be operated (push-spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated (height adjustment device). 1 is a schematic perspective view of a position and posture adjustment system for an operated object configured by a leveling device.

(Whole system)
FIG. 1 shows a device for pulling an object to be operated (hand-pulling device), a device for pushing and spreading the object to be operated (push-spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object to be operated (height leveling device). 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of a position and posture adjustment system for an operated object configured by arranging the .
The position and posture adjustment system 1 of an object to be operated according to the present embodiment is designed to handle a boiled noodle block as an object to be operated and to equalize its position and posture. Therefore, hereinafter, the operated object position and posture adjustment system 1 of this embodiment will also be referred to as the noodle leveling system 1.
The noodle blocks A are provided on the upstream side of the hand-feeding device 4 into containers B that are sequentially conveyed on a belt conveyor 2 at appropriate intervals. As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom surface of the container B is circular with a diameter of 140 mm to 170 mm in this embodiment. Further, the upper opening of the container B is circular with a diameter of 180 mm to 230 mm.
Each of the hand-feeding device 4, the pushing and spreading device 6, and the height leveling device 8 grasps the conveyance state of each container B through, for example, a sensor or an image processing system (not shown), and executes a predetermined control program. By doing so, the accompaniment operation is performed over a predetermined stroke so as to be synchronized with the movement timing of each container B (the central axes C1 to C3 of each device, which will be described later, are maintained in a state where they coincide with the central axis of each container B). It has become. This makes it possible to operate each of the devices 4, 6, and 8 without interrupting the transportation of each container B.

After passing through the noodle leveling system 1, the belt conveyor 2 passes through a process downstream of the noodle leveling system 1, such as a process of adding sauces (not shown).

(Hand feeding device 4)
The manual feeding device 4 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the hand feeding device of the noodle leveling system of FIG. 1.
The hand-feeding device 4 is a device that collects noodle blocks (noodles) A provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container (operated object providing position) to a central region of a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. The hand feeding device 4 includes a claw member support 10 positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container so that the central axis C1 (described later) of the hand feeding device 4 and the central axis of the container B coincide; The claw member 12 hanging downward from the claw member support 10 and the claw member 12 are moved between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw members 12 are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends of the claw members 12 are further away from each other. an opening/closing drive section 14 that changes the posture of the container; a lifting drive section 16 that raises and lowers the claw member support 10 and the claw member 12 to predetermined positions on the bottom surface of the container; It includes a rotation drive section 18 that rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface, and a control section 20 that controls the opening/closing drive section 14, the elevation drive section 16, and the rotation drive section 18.

The claw member support 10 supports the claw member 12. The claw member support 10 is formed by a structure such as a robot arm.

The claw members 12 are three or more claw members arranged in an annular pattern at equal intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above. In the present embodiment, the five claw members 12 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a central axis (for example, the central axis of the hand feeding device 4 is indicated by C1).

The opening/closing drive unit 14 is configured as a pneumatic finger that changes the posture of the claw member 12 between a closed state and an open state using air pressure. Specifically, in the opening/closing drive unit 14, the claw member 12 is in the open state when relatively high air pressure acts on the inside, and the claw member 12 is in the closed state when relatively low air pressure (for example, atmospheric pressure) acts on the inside. It is formed so that An air pipe 22 is connected to the opening/closing drive unit 14 . The other end of the air pipe 22 is connected to a compressor 24. The compressor 24 is configured to compress and deliver air. However, the opening/closing drive unit 14 may be configured as a mechanical finger that changes the posture of the claw member 12 between a closed state and an open state using a mechanical power transmission structure such as a motor and a power transmission mechanism.

The elevating drive unit 16 is provided on the claw member support 10 or a structure that supports the claw member support 10. The lifting drive unit 16 lowers the tip of the claw member 12 from the standby position above the container B to a first position H1 (see FIG. 6b) where the noodle mass A placed on the container B can be brought up. It has a mechanism to For example, for an example of noodle mass A (dry noodle length 125 mm to 250 mm, dry noodle thickness 1.5 mm to 1.7 mm, boiling time 6 minutes to 9 minutes, boiled noodle weight 200 g to 350 g, etc.), the first position H1 is set at a height within the range of 15 mm to 35 mm from the bottom of the container B. Moreover, the elevating drive unit 16 has a mechanism for elevating the tip of the claw member 12 from the first position to a standby position or a raised position to be described later (see FIG. 6c or 6d). The elevating drive unit 16 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotated by electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The lift drive section 16 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control section 20 .

The rotation drive unit 18 is provided on the claw member support 10 or a structure that supports the claw member support 10. The rotation drive unit 18 has a mechanism that rotates the claw member support 10 and the claw member 12 circumferentially clockwise or counterclockwise about the central axis C1. The rotation drive unit 18 simultaneously moves the claw member 12 during the execution of the raising process, for example, at a rising speed within the range of 150 mm/s to 300 mm/s and within the range of 0.1 s to 0.5 s. At the same time during the execution of the lifting step of lifting with a rising time of , it is configured to rotate within a range of 45 degrees to 180 degrees at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. The rotational drive unit 18 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotationally driven by electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The rotation drive unit 18 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control unit 20 .

The control unit 20 has a built-in CPU, memory, etc. for controlling the opening/closing drive unit 14, the elevation drive unit 16, and the rotation drive unit 18. The control unit 20 sends activation signals to these devices and controls each device based on a control program executed on the CPU.

(Pushing and spreading device 6)
Next, the pushing and spreading device 6 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the spreading device of FIG. 1. FIG.
The pushing and spreading device 6 spreads the noodle mass A provided at a predetermined position (operated object providing position) on the bottom of the container (passed through the hand-pulling device 4 after being provided to the predetermined position) to a predetermined position on the bottom of the container. It is a device that expands into the peripheral area D (see Figure 7b).

The pushing and spreading device 6 includes a claw member support 11 positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom of the container so that the center axis C2 (described later) of the hand-feeding device 4 and the center axis of the container B coincide; The claw member 13 hanging downward from the claw member support 11 and the claw member 13 are moved between a closed state where the lower ends of the claw members 13 are closer to each other and an open state where the lower ends are further away from each other. an opening/closing drive section 15 that changes the posture of the container; a lifting drive section 17 that raises and lowers the claw member support 11 and the claw member 13 to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container; It includes a rotation drive section 19 that rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface, and a control section 21 that controls the opening/closing drive section 15, the elevation drive section 17, and the rotation drive section 19.

The claw member support 11 supports the claw member 13. The claw member support 11 is formed by a structure such as a robot arm. The claw member support 11 of the pushing and spreading device 6 is provided on a robot arm that is different from the robot arm on which the claw member support 10 of the hand-feeding device 4 is provided.

The claw members 13 are three or more claw members arranged in an annular pattern at equal intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the five claw members 13 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a central axis (for example, the central axis of the pushing and spreading device 6 is indicated by C2).

The opening/closing drive unit 15 is configured as a pneumatic finger that changes the posture of the claw member 13 between a closed state and an open state using air pressure. Specifically, in the opening/closing drive unit 15, the pawl member 13 is in the open state when relatively high air pressure acts on the inside, and the pawl member 13 is in the closed state when relatively low air pressure (for example, atmospheric pressure) acts on the inside. It is formed so that An air pipe 23 is connected to the opening/closing drive unit 15 . The other end of the air pipe 23 is connected to a compressor 25. The compressor 25 is configured to compress and deliver air. However, the opening/closing drive unit 15 may be configured as a mechanical finger that changes the posture of the claw member 13 between a closed state and an open state using a mechanical stress transmission structure such as a motor and a stress transmission mechanism.

The elevating drive unit 17 is provided on the claw member support 11 or a structure that supports the claw member support 11. The lifting drive unit 17 lowers the tip of the claw member 13 from the standby position above the container B to a second position H2 (see FIG. 7a) where the noodle mass A placed on the container B can be pushed out. It has a mechanism to For example, for the example of the noodle mass A described above, the second position H2 is set at a height within a range of 25 mm to 50 mm from the bottom surface of the container B. The second position H2 is at a higher height than the first position H1. Further, the elevating drive unit 17 has a mechanism for elevating the tip of the claw member 13 from the second position H2 to the standby position (see FIG. 7c). The lift drive unit 17 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotated by electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The lift drive section 17 is electrically connected to the control section 21 and controlled by the control section 21 .

The rotation drive unit 19 is provided on the claw member support 11 or a structure that supports the claw member support 11. The rotation drive unit 19 has a mechanism that rotates the claw member support 11 and the claw member 13 circumferentially clockwise or counterclockwise about the central axis C2. The rotation drive unit 19 simultaneously opens the claw member 13 at any timing during the opening process, for example, during the opening process of opening the claw member 13 at an opening speed within a range of 100 mm/s to 150 mm/s. It is configured to rotate within a range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. The rotational drive unit 19 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotationally driven by electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The rotation drive section 19 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control section 21 .

The control unit 21 has a built-in CPU, memory, etc. for controlling the opening/closing drive unit 15, the elevation drive unit 17, and the rotation drive unit 19. The control unit 21 sends operation signals to these devices and controls each device based on a control program executed on the CPU.

(Leveling device 8)
Next, the leveling device 8 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5.
4 is a schematic perspective view showing details of the height leveling device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5a is a plan view of the lower surface of the pin member support of the height leveling device of FIG. 4 viewed from below. , FIG. 5b is a side view of the pin member support of the leveling device of FIG. 4;
The leveling device 8 adjusts the height of the noodle mass A that is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom of the container (object providing position) (which passes through the hand-pulling device 4 and the pushing and spreading device 6 after being provided to the predetermined position). It is a device for leveling. The leveling device 8 includes a pin member support 26 whose lower surface side is flat and positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and a plurality of cylindrical pin members 28 that protrude downward from the pin member support 26. , an elevation drive section 27 that raises and lowers the pin member support 26 relative to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, and a rotation drive section that rotates the pin member support 26 in the circumferential direction relative to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. 29, and a control section 30 that controls the elevation drive section 27 and the rotation drive section 29.

The pin member support 26 has a flat bottom surface so that the upper part of the noodle mass A can be pressed down. The pin member support body 26 is formed of, for example, a circular flat plate. The upper part of the pin member support body 26 is connected to a drive shaft extending from a rotation drive section 29 . The pin member support 26 is formed into a circular shape having approximately the same size as the shape of the bottom surface of the container B, and has a diameter within a range of 140 mm to 170 mm. The diameter of the pin member support 26 is smaller than the diameter of the upper opening of the container B by a value within the range of 20 mm to 60 mm.

As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of pin members 28 are arranged in an annular pattern with a relatively small diameter (for example, a radius within a range of 30 mm to 40 mm from the center) at intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above. More than one (for example, four) inner peripheral side pin members 28a are arranged in an annular pattern with a relatively large diameter (for example, a radius within a range of 50 mm to 60 mm from the center) at intervals in the circumferential direction from each other in plan view. three or more (for example, four) outer peripheral side pin members 28b. Each of the inner pin members 28a is disposed at a position 45 degrees out of phase with respect to each of the outer pin members 28b when viewed from the center.

The elevating drive unit 27 is provided in a structure that supports the pin member support 26. The lift drive unit 27 moves the tip of the pin member 28 from the standby position above the container B to a third position H3 (FIG. 8b) where the height of the noodle mass A spread on the container B can be leveled. (see). For example, for the example of the noodle mass A described above, the third position H3 is set at a height within a range of 35 mm to 50 mm from the bottom of the container B. The third position H3 is at approximately the same height as the second position H2 or slightly lower than the second position H2.
Moreover, the elevating drive unit 27 has a mechanism for elevating the tip of the pin member 28 from the third position H3 to the standby position (see FIG. 8c). The elevating drive unit 27 is driven by a motor (not shown) that is rotated by electric power supplied from a power source (not shown). The lift drive section 27 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control section 30 .

The rotation drive unit 29 is configured to rotate the pin member support 26 within a range of 45 degrees to 120 degrees at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second during the rotation process.

The control unit 30 has a built-in CPU, memory, etc. for controlling the elevation drive unit 27 and the rotation drive unit 29. The control unit 30 sends operation signals to these devices and controls each device based on a control program executed on the CPU.

Next, the action (operation) of the noodle leveling system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6a to 8c.
As shown in FIG. 1, in an upstream serving step (not shown), a container B in which noodle blocks A are served is conveyed by a belt conveyor 2 to a position below a hand-feeding device 4. Thereafter, the step of gathering the noodle blocks A provided in the container B to the central area C in the container B is performed by the handling device 4.
As shown in FIG. 6a, first, the control unit 20 of the hand feeding device 4 controls the lifting drive unit 16 to move the claw member 12 in the open state from the standby position to the bottom surface of the container, as shown by arrow A1. A lowering step is performed to lower it toward a predetermined position. The elevating drive unit 16 lowers the tip of the claw member 12 to the first position H1. For example, the tip of the claw member 12 is inserted to a depth of more than half of the noodle mass A. The tip of the claw member 12 can easily grip the noodle mass A.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6b, the control section 20 controls the opening/closing drive section 14 to perform a closing step of changing the posture of the claw member 12 to the closed state, as shown by arrow A2. When the claw member 12 is in the closed state, at least a portion of the noodle mass A is gripped, and a force applied to the central region C acts on at least a portion of the noodle mass A. The central region C is a region on the center side of the bottom surface of the container B, for example, a region having a diameter that is about half the diameter of the bottom surface of the container B.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6c, the control unit 20 controls the lift drive unit 16 to raise the claw member 12 in the closed state away from the predetermined position on the bottom of the container, as shown by arrow A3. Execute the rising process. Since the claw member 12 rises while grasping at least a portion of the noodle mass A, the portions where the noodle mass A contacts each other or the container B are reduced, and the force applied to the central region C acts on the entire noodle mass A. It becomes easier to do.
In this raising step, the claw member 12 is raised to a raised position within a height range of 100 mm to 150 mm from the bottom of the container. This raised position is at the same height as the standby position, but may be set at a different height from the standby position. Particularly when handling the noodle mass A as a food material as an object to be operated, the claw member 12 is raised to such a height relative to the length of the noodle mass A, so that the noodle mass A can be raised to this height. It can be effectively brought to the central region C during the pulling time.

As shown in FIG. 6c, the control unit 20 further controls the rotation drive unit 18 simultaneously during the execution of the lifting process to move the claw member 12 to a predetermined position on the bottom of the container, as shown by arrow A4. A rotation process is performed in which the material is rotated in the circumferential direction. By executing the rotation step of rotating the claw member 12 in this manner, an operation of winding up (rolling in) at least a portion of the noodle mass A provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container is realized, and the operation of simply rolling up the noodle mass A is realized. It is possible to lift more of the noodle lumps A while adjusting the flow of the noodle lumps A than when lifting the noodle lumps A, and the effect of correcting the position of the noodle lumps A closer to the central region C can be significantly enhanced. In addition, by executing the rotation process at the same time as the raising process, the operation of raising (lifting) the noodle mass A and the operation of winding up (engulfing) the operated object are combined, and the noodle mass A It is possible to enhance the effect of bringing the material into the central region C at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container.

Further, under the control of the rotation drive unit 18 by the control unit 20, during the rotation process, the claw member 12 is rotated from 45 degrees to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. Rotated within 180 degrees. When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of pulling the noodle mass A to the central region of the operated object providing position can be obtained.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 6d, the control section 20 controls the opening/closing drive section 14 to perform an opening process of changing the attitude of the claw member 12 to the open state, as shown by arrow A5. When the claw member 12 is opened, the noodle mass A is released and dropped while being gathered to the central region C. Therefore, the position of the noodle mass A can be corrected closer to the central region C. In this way, the step of hand-pulling the noodle mass A into the central region C in the container B by the hand-pulling device 4 is completed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a container B carrying noodle blocks A that have been pulled closer to the central region C is conveyed from the pulling device 4 to below the spreading device 6 by the belt conveyor 2. Thereafter, the pushing and spreading device 6 executes a step of pushing and spreading the noodle mass A, which has been brought into the central area C in the container B, back to the peripheral area D in the container B.
As shown in FIG. 7a, first, the control unit 21 of the pushing and spreading device 6 controls the lifting drive unit 17 to direct the claw member 13 in the closed state to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, as shown by arrow A6. Execute the lowering process of lowering the The lift drive unit 17 lowers the tip of the claw member 13 to the second position H2. The tip of the claw member 13 is inserted from the top of the noodle mass A to a depth within a range of 20 mm to 40 mm. Therefore, the upper portion of the noodle mass A that is too high than expected can be effectively spread out and leveled.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7b, the control unit 21 controls the opening/closing drive unit 15 to perform an opening process of changing the posture of the claw member 13 to the open state, as shown by arrow A7. By changing the posture of the claw member 13 to the open state, the noodle mass A can be pushed out to the surrounding area D at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. The peripheral region D is a region outside the central region C of the bottom surface of the container B, for example, a region outside a diameter of about half the diameter of the bottom surface of the container B.

The control unit 21 further controls the rotation drive unit 19 to move the claw member 13 onto the bottom surface of the container, as shown by arrow A8, at some time between the start and end of the opening process. A rotation step is performed to rotate in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position. By executing the rotation process at some time from the start to the end of the opening process, the noodle block A can be rolled up (rolled up) even while the noodle block A is being pushed out. The movement is realized, and it is possible to suppress the posture of the noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the noodle mass A from "protruding" from the container B. Note that the control unit 21 can also be configured not to perform the rotation process during the opening process.

Further, under the control of the rotation drive unit 19 by the control unit 21, during the rotation process, the claw member 13 is rotated from 60 degrees to a predetermined position on the bottom of the container at an angular velocity within the range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. Rotated within 120 degrees. When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, a sufficient effect of suppressing the posture of the noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed can be obtained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7c, the control unit 21 controls the lift drive unit 17 to raise the claw member 13 in the open state away from the predetermined position on the bottom of the container, as shown by arrow A9. Execute the rising process. The claw member 13 is pulled up from the noodle mass A, and the process of spreading the noodle mass A is completed. Therefore, the step of pushing and spreading the noodle mass A back into the peripheral area D in the container B by the pushing and spreading device 6 is completed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the container B carrying the spread noodle blocks A is conveyed by the belt conveyor 2 from the spreading device 6 to below the leveling device 8. The leveling device 8 executes a step of leveling the height of the noodle mass A that has been pushed and spread back into the peripheral area D in the container B.

As shown in FIG. 8a, first, the control unit 30 of the leveling device 8 controls the lifting drive unit 27 to move the pin member support 26 from the standby position to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container, as shown by arrow A10. Execute the descending process to descend toward. The elevation drive unit 27 lowers the pin member support 26, which has a flat lower surface, toward a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container and presses the upper part of the noodle mass A, thereby making it possible to level the height of the noodle mass A. At this time, the elevating drive unit 27 lowers the tip of the pin member 28 to the third position H3. The tip of the pin member 28 is inserted slightly inside the noodle mass A, so that the height of the noodle mass A can be evened out more effectively. The plurality of pin members 28 are formed to have a length within a range of 10 mm to 30 mm. Therefore, the pin member 28 is inserted from the top of the noodle mass A to an appropriate depth for one or two servings of noodles, and the height of the noodle mass A can be made more uniform.

As shown in FIG. 8b, the control unit 30 of the leveling device 8 controls the rotation drive unit 29 to perform a rotation process of rotating the pin member support 26 in the circumferential direction as shown by arrow A11. By performing the rotation process while the pin member support 26 is lowered (and/or during its descent), the noodle mass A can be rolled up even while the height of the noodle mass A is being leveled. An action similar to (engaging) is realized. Therefore, the height of the noodle mass A can be leveled more uniformly (more beautifully), and the posture of the noodle mass A can be prevented from being excessively disturbed (for example, when the object to be operated is moved from the container B to the (can be prevented from protruding). In addition, in the process where the claw member 13 pushes and spreads the noodle mass A, even if traces of the noodle mass A are left on the top surface of the noodle mass A, the top surface of the noodle mass A can be made smoother and more flat. It can be leveled.

Further, under the control of the rotation drive unit 29 by the control unit 30, during the rotation process, the pin member support 26 is rotated at an angular velocity of 45 degrees with respect to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. It can be rotated within a range of 120 degrees to 120 degrees. When such a rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, it is possible to achieve a sufficient effect of leveling out the height of the noodle mass A more uniformly (more beautifully) and suppressing the posture of the noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed. Obtainable.

As shown in FIG. 8c, the control unit 30 of the leveling device 8 controls the lifting drive unit 27 to raise the pin member support 26 away from a predetermined position on the bottom of the container, as shown by arrow A12. Execute the rising process to When the pin member support 26 is pulled up from the noodle mass A, the step of leveling the height of the noodle mass A by the leveling device 8 is completed.
With the height of the noodle lumps A more uniform and the posture of the noodle lumps A suppressed from being excessively disturbed, the noodle lumps A on the container B are transferred from the leveling device 8 by the belt conveyor 2. It is further conveyed to a downstream process.

According to the hand-feeding device 4 of the operated object position and posture adjustment system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the claw member 12 in the open state is lowered toward the operated object providing position in the lowering step, and the claw member 12 in the open state is lowered in the closing step. After pulling the noodle mass A to the center area at a predetermined position on the bottom of the container, the noodle mass A is corrected to be closer to the center region C by going through the raising process and then releasing the noodle mass A by the opening process. be able to. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is performed at any time between the start of the closing process and the end of the opening process, so that the rotation process is performed at a predetermined position on the bottom of the container. An action similar to winding up (rolling up) the noodle mass A is realized, and the effect of correcting the position of the noodle mass A toward the central region can be significantly enhanced.

The object to be operated in the present invention is mainly assumed to be a noodle block (cut to a predetermined length) as a food ingredient, particularly a boiled noodle block A, but at least the present invention The application is not limited to this at the time of filing. The present invention can be expected to be utilized in various technical fields and applications where it is useful to correct the position of an object to be operated by an action such as winding up (winding up) the object. For example, it can be used when handling industrial products such as cables, and it can also be used when handling string-like waste.

Further, according to the hand raising device 4 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the rotation process is executed simultaneously with the execution of the raising process, the noodle mass A is raised. By combining the (lifting) action and the action of winding up (rolling up) the noodle mass A, the effect of pulling the noodle mass A into the central region C at a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container can be enhanced.

Further, according to the hand-feeding device 4 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the predetermined rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, the noodle mass A is placed on the bottom surface of the container. It is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of bringing the material into the central region C at a predetermined position.

Further, according to the hand raising device 4 of the operated object position and attitude adjustment system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the claw member 12 is raised within the range of 100 mm to 150 mm in the raising process. By doing so, noodles as a food ingredient can be handled as an object to be operated.

According to the pushing and spreading device 6 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the object to be operated according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the claw member 12 in the closed state is directed to a predetermined position on the bottom of the container (inside the noodle mass A). After lowering the noodle mass A to a predetermined position on the bottom of the container, the noodle mass A can be spread out by changing the posture of the claw member 12 to the open state in the opening step. Furthermore, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is executed in any part of the time from the start of the opening process to the end of the opening process, so that even when the noodle block A is being pushed out, the noodle block An action such as winding up (rolling up) A is realized, and it is possible to suppress the posture of noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed. More specifically, it is possible to prevent the noodle mass A from "protruding" from the container B.

Further, according to the pushing and spreading device 6 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the predetermined rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, the posture of the noodle mass A is excessively large. It is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of suppressing disturbance in the air.

According to the leveling device 8 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the pin member support 26 having a flat lower surface side can be lowered toward a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container. , the height of the noodle mass A can be made even. Further, as a feature of the present invention, the rotation process is performed while the pin member support 26 is lowered (and/or while it is lowered), so that the height of the noodle mass A is evened out. Even inside, an action like rolling up (rolling up) the noodle mass A is realized, and the height of the noodle mass A can be leveled more uniformly (more beautifully), and the posture of the noodle mass A is not excessively disturbed. (For example, it is possible to prevent the noodle mass A from "protruding out" from the container B.)

Further, according to the leveling device 8 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a predetermined rotation speed and rotation range are adopted, the height of the noodle mass A can be adjusted. A sufficient effect of leveling the noodle mass A more uniformly (more beautifully) and suppressing the posture of the noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed can be obtained.

Further, according to the leveling device 8 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the plurality of pin members 28 are arranged in a predetermined layout, the entire noodle mass A is Since the rotation can be performed with better balance, the height of the noodle mass A can be made more uniform (more beautiful), and the effect of suppressing the posture of the noodle mass A from being excessively disturbed can be enhanced.

In the first embodiment described above, the control unit 20 can change the timing at which the rotation process is executed. The control unit 20 may execute the rotation process, for example, at any time from the start of the closing process to the end of the closing process, or, for example, from the start of the opening process to the end of the opening process. The rotation process may be carried out during any part of the time period between 1 and 2. For example, the rotation process may be carried out during any part of the time between the start of the closing process and the end of the rising process. Alternatively, the rotation step may be carried out during any part of the time, for example from the start of the raising step to the end of the opening step, or for example from the start of the closing step to the end of the opening step. The rotation step may be performed at any portion of the time between.

Moreover, the tip of the claw member 12 can be changed into any shape. For example, the distal end of the claw member 12 may be formed of a rod-shaped member with a circular cross section and a diameter within the range of 5 mm to 6 mm so that it can be easily inserted between the noodle blocks A. Further, for example, the tip of the claw member 12 may be formed with a tapered structure having a triangular or square cross section so as to easily engage the noodle mass A.

Next, a noodle leveling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is an example in which the pulling device 4 and the pushing-spreading device 6 of the position and posture adjustment system 1 of the operated object according to the present invention are realized by a common device that is a pulling device and a pushing-spreading device.
FIG. 9 shows a device for pulling an object to be operated (hand-pulling device), a device for pushing and spreading the object to be operated (push-spreading device), and a device for leveling the height of the object, according to a second embodiment of the present invention. (Height Leveling Device) FIG.
The operated object position and attitude adjustment system 101 according to the second embodiment has almost the same structure as the operated object position and attitude adjustment system 1 according to the first embodiment described above. Only the points that are different from the first embodiment will be described, and similar parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings and their description will be omitted.

The position and posture adjustment system 101 of the operated object includes a common device 104 that is a hand-pulling device and a pushing-spreading device. The common device 104 and the leveling device 8 are arranged along the belt conveyor 2. The common device 104 can function as a hand raising device 4 according to the first embodiment and can function as a leveling device 8 according to the first embodiment.

The common device 104 includes a claw member support 110 that is positioned above a predetermined position on the bottom of the container so that the central axis (not shown) of the hand-feeding device 4 and the central axis of the container B coincide with each other, and a claw member support 110 that The claw member 112 hanging downward from the member support 110 and the claw member 112 are moved between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw members 112 are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends are further away from each other. An opening/closing drive section 114 that changes the posture; a lifting drive section 116 that raises and lowers the claw member support 110 and the claw member 112 to a predetermined position on the bottom surface of the container; It includes a rotation drive unit 118 that rotates in the circumferential direction with respect to a predetermined position on the top, and a control unit 120 that controls the opening/closing drive unit 114, the elevation drive unit 116, and the rotation drive unit 118.

The pawl member support 110 can function as the pawl member support 10 according to the first embodiment and can function as the pawl member support 11 according to the first embodiment. The pawl member 112 can function as the pawl member 12 according to the first embodiment and can function as the pawl member 13 according to the first embodiment. The opening/closing drive unit 114 can function as the opening/closing drive unit 14 according to the first embodiment, and can also function as the opening/closing drive unit 15 according to the first embodiment. The lift drive unit 116 can function as the lift drive unit 16 according to the first embodiment, and can also function as the lift drive unit 17 according to the first embodiment. The rotational drive unit 118 can function as the rotational drive unit 18 according to the first embodiment and can function as the rotational drive unit 19 according to the first embodiment. An air pipe 122 is connected to the opening/closing drive section 114. The other end of the air pipe 122 is connected to a compressor 124.
The control unit 120 corresponds to the opening/closing drive unit 114 corresponding to the opening/closing drive unit 14, the lifting drive unit 116 corresponding to the lifting drive unit 16, and the rotation drive unit 18, similar to the control in the control unit 20 of the hand feeding device 4. A hand-feeding device control program for controlling the rotary drive section 118 and a control program for the opening/closing drive section 114 corresponding to the opening/closing drive section 15 and the lifting/lowering drive section 17, similar to the control in the control section 21 of the pushing and spreading device 6. The control program for the spreading device is provided for controlling the lifting drive unit 116 and the rotation drive unit 118 corresponding to the rotation drive unit 19.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the upstream serving process (not shown), the container B in which the noodle blocks A are served is conveyed to the lower part of the common device 104 by the belt conveyor 2. First, the common device 104 executes a step of gathering the noodle mass A provided in the container B to the central region C in the container B. Next, the common device 104 executes a step of pushing and spreading the noodle mass A, which has been gathered into the central region C in the container B, back into the peripheral region D in the container B. Next, the leveling device 8 executes a step of leveling the height of the noodle mass A that has been pushed back into the peripheral area D within the container B. With the height of the noodle lumps A more uniform and the posture of the noodle lumps A suppressed from being excessively disturbed, the noodle lumps A on the container B are transferred from the leveling device 8 by the belt conveyor 2. It passes through a further downstream process.

The claims as originally filed are as follows.
[Claim 1]
A device for bringing a manipulated object provided to a manipulated object providing position to a central area of the manipulated object providing position, the device comprising:
a claw member support positioned above the operated object providing position;
three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern at intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above;
an opening/closing drive unit that changes the posture of the claw member between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw members are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends are further away from each other;
an elevating drive unit that raises and lowers the claw member support and the claw member with respect to the operated object providing position;
a rotation drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing drive unit, the lifting drive unit, and the rotation drive unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
a lowering step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lower the claw member in the open state toward the operated object providing position;
a closing step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the closed state;
a raising step of controlling the raising/lowering drive unit to raise the claw member in the closed state so as to move away from the operated object providing position;
an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state;
are executed in that order,
The control unit further controls the rotation drive unit to move the claw member to the object to be operated at some time between the start of the closing process and the end of the opening process. An apparatus characterized in that it is adapted to perform a rotation process of rotating with respect to position.
[Claim 2]
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation step is carried out simultaneously during the execution of the raising step.
[Claim 3]
During the rotation step, the claw member is rotated within a range of 45 degrees to 180 degrees with respect to the operated object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that:
[Claim 4]
The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the raising step, the claw member is raised within a range of 100 mm to 150 mm.
[Claim 5]
A device for pushing an object provided at an object providing position to a peripheral area of the object providing position, the device comprising:
a claw member support positioned above the operated object providing position;
three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern at intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above;
an opening/closing drive unit that changes the posture of the claw member between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw members are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends are further away from each other;
an elevating drive unit that raises and lowers the claw member support and the claw member with respect to the operated object providing position;
a rotation drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing drive unit, the lifting drive unit, and the rotation drive unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
a lowering step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lower the claw member in the closed state toward the operated object providing position;
an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member to the open state;
a raising step of controlling the raising and lowering drive unit to raise the claw member in the open state so as to move away from the operated object providing position;
are executed in that order,
The control unit further controls the rotation drive unit to move the claw member toward the operated object providing position during some time from the start to the end of the opening process. A device characterized in that it is adapted to carry out a rotation process of rotating.
[Claim 6]
During the rotation step, the claw member is rotated within a range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the operated object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that:
[Claim 7]
A device for leveling the height of an operated object provided at an operated object providing position,
a pin member support whose lower surface side is flat and positioned above the operated object providing position;
a plurality of cylindrical pin members protruding downward from the pin member support;
a lifting drive unit that lifts and lowers the pin member support with respect to the operated object providing position;
a rotation drive unit that rotates the pin member support in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position;
a control unit that controls the lifting drive unit and the rotation drive unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
a lowering step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lower the pin member support toward the operated object providing position;
a rotation step of controlling the rotation drive unit to rotate the pin member support in a circumferential direction;
a raising step of controlling the raising/lowering drive unit to raise the pin member support body away from the operated object providing position;
An apparatus characterized in that the apparatus is configured to execute the following in said order.
[Claim 8]
During the rotation step, the pin member support is rotated within a range of 45 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the operated object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that:
[Claim 9]
The plurality of pin members are
three or more inner circumferential pin members arranged in an annular pattern with a relatively small diameter and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction in a plan view;
three or more outer circumferential pin members arranged in a relatively large-diameter annular pattern at intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above;
The device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it has a.
[Claim 10]
A method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container,
using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to bring the noodles provided in the container to a central area in the container;
Using the device according to any one of claims 5 to 6, pushing the noodles gathered into the central area of the container back into the peripheral area of the container;
using the device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, leveling the height of the noodles that have been pushed and spread back into the peripheral area within the container;
A method characterized by comprising:

1 System 2 Belt conveyor 4 Device 6 Device 8 Device 10 Claw member support 12 Claw member 14 Opening/closing drive unit 16 Lifting drive unit 18 Rotation drive unit 20 Control unit 26 Pin member support 28 Pin member 28a Inner circumferential pin member 28b Outer periphery Side pin member 30 Control unit 101 System 104 Common device A Noodle block B Container C Central area D Peripheral area

Claims (3)

A device for pushing an object provided at an object providing position to a peripheral area of the object providing position, the device comprising:
a claw member support positioned above the operated object providing position;
three or more claw members hanging downward from the claw member support and arranged in an annular pattern at intervals in the circumferential direction when viewed from above;
an opening/closing drive unit that changes the posture of the claw member between a closed state in which the lower ends of the claw members are closer to each other and an open state in which the lower ends are further away from each other;
an elevating drive unit that raises and lowers the claw member support and the claw member with respect to the operated object providing position;
a rotation drive unit that rotates the claw member support and the claw member in a circumferential direction with respect to the operated object providing position;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing drive unit, the lifting drive unit, and the rotation drive unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
a lowering step of controlling the lifting drive unit to lower the claw member in the closed state toward the operated object providing position;
an opening step of controlling the opening/closing drive unit to change the posture of the claw member in the closed state to the open state while maintaining a state in which the claw member does not hold the object to be operated ;
a raising step of controlling the raising and lowering drive unit to raise the claw member in the open state so as to move away from the operated object providing position;
are executed in that order,
The control unit further controls the rotation drive unit during any time period from the start to the end of the opening process in which the claw member does not hold the object to be operated. An apparatus characterized in that the device is configured to execute a rotation step of controlling the claw member to rotate the claw member relative to the operated object providing position. During the rotation step, the claw member is rotated within a range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees with respect to the operated object providing position at an angular velocity within a range of 180 degrees per second to 720 degrees per second. 2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A method for adjusting the position or posture of noodles in a container,
bringing the noodles provided in the container to a central area in the container;
using the device according to claim 1 or 2, pushing the noodles gathered into the central area of the container back into the peripheral area of the container;
a step of leveling the height of the noodles that have been pushed and spread back into the surrounding area within the container;
A method characterized by comprising:

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