JP7842454B2 - Nori (seaweed) bundle manufacturing line - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a nori (seaweed) bundle manufacturing line. Specifically, it relates to a nori bundle manufacturing line used in the nori production process, capable of bundling, manufacturing, and handling both folded and flat nori bundles.

《Technical background》
In the nori (seaweed) production process, after preliminary processes such as harvesting, washing, papermaking, dehydration, and drying, the nori goes through subsequent processes such as turning, inspection, bundling, folding, and tying before being produced and shipped.
In other words, in the subsequent process, the inspected flat seaweed was counted and bundled into groups of, for example, 10 sheets, then folded in half, and finally bundled together as folded seaweed before being shipped.
In contrast to conventional example 1, conventional example 2, in which bundles of flat seaweed are not folded or tied together but are bundled and shipped as flat seaweed bundles, is also increasing due to market demand. Demand for conventional example 2, in which bundles of 50 or 100 sheets of flat seaweed are bundled and shipped, is also increasing.
In other words, the nori (seaweed) that is produced and shipped is often subjected to secondary processing such as secondary drying and then roasted nori or seasoned nori.
In the case of the conventional example 1, where the nori was bundled as folded sheets, the bundles were untied, the folds were straightened out, and the nori was subjected to secondary drying and processing as flat sheets. In contrast, to eliminate this straightening process, there is a growing trend towards conventional example 2, where the nori is bundled and shipped as flat sheets in their straightened state.

Conventional Technology
The conventional seaweed bundle manufacturing line in Example 1 is as follows:
As shown in Figure 3, the flat nori sheets a discharged from the drying device 1 pass through the inversion device 2 and inspection device 3 one by one, are counted and bundled into bundles of 10 or more sheets A by the bundling device 4, and then transported to the conveying device 5.
In the side-discharge type shown in Figure 3(1), the conveying device 5 was laid out with the conveying direction N facing the lateral intersection direction M with respect to the conventional linear line direction L. In the straight-discharge type shown in Figure 3(2), the conveying direction N was laid out facing forward in the same direction as the linear line direction L (the side-discharge type and straight-discharge type will be described later).
Then, the bundles A of flat seaweed a were transported to the folding device 6, where they were folded in half, and then bundled in a folding and bundling device 7 to form a bundle of folded seaweed B, which was then shipped out. In the diagram, 16 is the stacking device, and S is the boxing space.
In conventional technology, a dedicated seaweed bundle manufacturing line for conventional example 1, which involves folding, tying, and shipping the seaweed bundles as shown in conventional example 1, was widely used.

Examples of prior art relating to the above-mentioned Conventional Example 1 include those shown in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2. Furthermore, examples of prior art relating to Conventional Example 2, described below, include those shown in the following Patent Documents 3 and 4.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-122211 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-177720 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-101809 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-101810

《Problems》
By the way, the following problems have been pointed out regarding these conventional technologies.
For both the folded seaweed bundle B and the flat seaweed bundle C (see Figure 8), the challenge was developing a seaweed bundle manufacturing line that could handle bundling, manufacturing, and handling.
In other words, there are limits to the overall space available for the nori production process, and the building where the nori bundle manufacturing line is located also has limitations on the available space.
Therefore, there was a need to develop a nori bundle manufacturing line that could utilize the existing, widely used conventional example 1, that is, the nori bundle manufacturing line for folded nori bundle B, without significantly changing its layout, and that could also accommodate the rapidly increasing demand for conventional example 2, flat nori bundle C.

Incidentally, prior art such as the aforementioned Patent Documents 3 and 4 had been developed. Patent Document 3, which incorporates Patent Document 4, also aims to address Conventional Example 2 by utilizing the seaweed bundle manufacturing line of Conventional Example 1 shown in Figure 3.
In other words, Patent Document 3 has a configuration in which a device for changing the direction of discharge of bundles of flat seaweed (conveyor) is installed inside the bundling device, a bending device and a bending and bundling device are connected to one discharge side, and a flat seaweed bundle bundling device (flat bundling device) is connected to the other discharge side (see Figure 1).
However, this Patent Document 3 required a significant change in the layout of the existing conventional nori bundle manufacturing line in Example 1. It required a major renovation of the building. The installation of the flat nori bundle device required an extra long distance and wide installation space between the drying equipment and the manufacturing line.
Furthermore, in this Patent Document 3, since the folding and binding device and the flat binding device are positioned far apart, a large boxing space S is required for the boxing work for shipment. If a stacking device is provided for each, the respective retrieval points are far apart, resulting in poor work efficiency.
Therefore, the challenge was to develop a new seaweed bundle manufacturing line with a configuration that could handle both folded seaweed bundles B and flat seaweed bundles C.

About the present invention
In view of these circumstances, the seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention has been developed to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above.
The present invention aims to propose a nori (seaweed) bundle manufacturing line that, firstly, can be used to bundle, manufacture, and handle both folded and flat nori bundles; secondly, offers excellent layout, space efficiency, and workability; and thirdly, can be easily implemented.

Regarding each claim:
The technical means of the present invention for solving these problems are as described in the claims, as follows:
Claim 1 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line according to claim 1 is used in the nori production process and comprises: a bundling device capable of counting , bundling , stacking , and aligning flat nori so that it can be discharged as a bundle of flat nori; a conveying device capable of conveying the bundles of flat nori discharged from the bundling device in the direction of a bending device ; a stacking extrusion device attached to the middle of the conveying device ; a bending device capable of bending the incoming bundles of flat nori in half ; a bending and bundling device capable of bundling multiple bundles of flat nori bent by the bending device into a single bundle of folded nori ; and a bundle of flat nori extruded from the stacking extrusion device. The stacking and extruding device comprises a flat bundling device capable of bundling bundles of flat seaweed , and the stacking and extruding device has a stacking section and an extruding section, each of which has a plurality of stacking members arranged vertically, and each of the stacking members is capable of moving up and down, and each can hold one bundle of flat seaweed that has been transported by the transport device, and when stacking two or more bundles of flat seaweed is required, the stacking device is structured in such a manner that after a bundle of flat seaweed is placed on one stacking member, that stacking member rises and the next bundle of flat seaweed that has been transported is placed on another stacking member, thereby enabling the sequential stacking of multiple bundles of flat seaweed.
The extrusion section has a structure that allows one or more bundles of flat seaweed stacked on the stacking section to be pushed out in a certain direction by the flat bundling device.

Claim 2 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 2 is the same as in claim 1, wherein the stacking section comprises two rods arranged at intervals in the width direction, forming the stacking members, horizontal shafts, to which the base ends of the horizontal shafts are attached, and the same number of free slides as the number of stacking members, vertical shafts to which each of the free slides is slidably attached, a vertical conveyor arranged parallel to the vertical shafts, a drive slide attached to follow the vertical conveyor and slidably mounted along the vertical shafts, and a plurality of locking pieces suspended below the drive slides and provided to hook onto the free slides, wherein the drive slides move up and down in accordance with the movement of the vertical conveyor, and as the drive slides rise, the locking pieces rise, and the locking pieces hook onto the free slides and raise them, causing the horizontal shafts to rise in conjunction with them.
Claim 3 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 3 is the same as in claim 2 , wherein the extrusion unit comprises a rod-shaped vertical shaft protruding from the upper surface of the conveying device, a horizontal slide to which the lower end of the vertical shaft is attached, a horizontal shaft capable of guiding the horizontal slide, and a horizontal conveyor arranged parallel to the horizontal shaft and provided to allow the horizontal slide to move forward and backward, and the structure is such that the bundle of flat nori can be pushed out in a direction toward the flat bundling device by the forward movement of the vertical shaft in conjunction with the horizontal slide.

Claim 4 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 4 is the same as in any of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the bundling device discharges bundles of flat nori in a number selected from 10, 20, 25, 50, or 100 sheets, the bending device bends the incoming bundles of 10 sheets of flat nori, the bending and bundling device bundles 10 folded bundles of 10 sheets together as one bundle of folded nori, and the flat bundling device bundles the extruded bundles of 20, 25, or 50 sheets of flat nori into bundles of 50 or 100 sheets of flat nori.
Claim 5 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 5 is, in any of claims 1 to 3 , arranged in a lateral intersecting direction with respect to the linear line direction leading to the bundling device, and the bundles of flat nori are transported laterally to the conveying device without changing their orientation up to that point.

Claim 6 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 6, in any of claims 1 to 3 , is configured such that the conveying device is laid out in a linear direction leading to the bundling device and continues forward in the same direction, and the bundles of flat nori are directly delivered to the conveying device with their orientation changed by about 90 degrees.
Claim 7 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 7 further comprises, in any one of claims 1 to 3 , a stacking device for folded nori bundles provided downstream of the folding and binding device and capable of storing a plurality of bundled folded nori bundles, and a stacking device for flat nori bundles provided downstream of the flat binding device and capable of storing a plurality of bundled flat nori bundles , or further comprises both the stacking device for folded nori bundles and the stacking device for flat nori bundles.
Claim 8 is as follows:
The nori bundle manufacturing line of claim 8 further comprises, in the case of claim 7, a stacking and extrusion device for stacking , which is disposed between the flat bundling device and the stacking device and has a stacking section for stacking multiple bundles of flat nori from the flat bundling device and an extrusion section for pushing the stacked bundles of flat nori towards the stacking device.

Regarding the effects, etc.
Since the present invention consists of such means, it is as follows.
(1) In the nori bundle manufacturing line, bundles of flat nori are transported from the bundling device to the conveying device.
(2) Bundles of flat seaweed are transported by a conveying device, and can be stacked and extruded along the way by a stacking and extruding device.
(3) The bundles of flat seaweed that have passed through the stacking and extrusion device are folded in half by the folding device, then bundled together as folded seaweed bundles by the folding and bundling device and stored in the accumulation device.
(4) In contrast, the bundles of flat seaweed extruded by the stacking extrusion device are bundled together as flat seaweed bundles by the flat bundling device and stored in the accumulation device.
(5) The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is capable of bundling, manufacturing, and handling both types of seaweed bundles, namely folded seaweed bundles and flat seaweed bundles. Furthermore, it is characterized by a layout in which a stacking and extrusion device for flat bundling is attached to the conveying device.
(6) Thus, the seaweed bundle manufacturing line for folded seaweed bundles can be adapted for flat seaweed bundles without requiring a major change in layout or major renovation of the building.
(7) In other words, in the side-dispensing type, flat bundling devices, stacking devices, etc. are laid out in an intersecting direction from the middle of the conveying device which is laid out on the side.
(8) In the direct-discharge type, flat bundling devices, stacking devices, etc. are laid out in an intersecting direction from the middle of the conveying device which is laid out in front.
(9) Therefore, a large space is not required for the bundling and manufacturing of the additional flat seaweed bundles. Also, since the folding bundling device and stacking device and the flat bundling device and stacking device are located in close proximity, the packing of the two types of seaweed bundles, namely the folded seaweed bundles and the flat seaweed bundles, into shipping boxes is also easy.
(10) The present invention can be easily adapted to flat nori bundles by using an existing conventional nori bundle manufacturing line for folded nori bundles and adding equipment for flat nori bundles.

《First Effect》
Firstly, we can bundle, manufacture, and handle both folded and flattened nori bundles.
The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is characterized by a layout in which a stacking and extrusion device for a flat bundling device is attached to the conveying device between the bundling device and the bending device.
Therefore, it is possible to bundle and manufacture folded nori bundles using the bending device and bending and bundling device, and to bundle and manufacture flat nori bundles using the flat bundling device. In this way, it becomes possible to bundle two types of nori bundles in the same workplace.

《Second Effect》
Secondly, it excels in terms of placement, space requirements, and workability.
The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is characterized by a layout in which a stacking and extrusion device for a flat bundling device is attached to the conveying device.
Therefore, the existing seaweed bundle manufacturing line for folded seaweed bundles can be adapted for flat seaweed bundles without requiring significant changes to the layout or major building modifications. Furthermore, it does not require a large space between the drying equipment and the seaweed bundle manufacturing line.
Since the folding and flattening devices are positioned close together, the workspace and packing space do not need to be expanded when packing the two types of nori bundles for shipment. Even when separate stacking devices are provided, the retrieval points for the two types of nori bundles are also close together, resulting in excellent work efficiency.

The third effect
Thirdly, this can be easily achieved.
The nori bundle manufacturing line of the present invention utilizes an existing nori bundle manufacturing line for folded nori bundles, and by adding equipment for flat nori bundles to the layout, it can also be used for flat nori bundles. This nori bundle manufacturing line can be easily realized by adding components.
Thus, the effects of the present invention are remarkable and significant, as they solve all the problems that existed in this type of prior art.

The following is a side-dispensing type block diagram illustrating the nori bundle manufacturing line according to the present invention, for the purpose of explaining the embodiments for carrying out the invention. Figure (1) shows the binding of folded nori bundles, and Figure (2) shows the binding of flat nori bundles. The following are block diagrams illustrating the configuration of a direct-dispensing type for the purpose of explaining the embodiment for carrying out the invention. Figure (1) shows the binding of a folded nori bundle, and Figure (2) shows the binding of a flat nori bundle. This is a block diagram illustrating a conventional nori (seaweed) bundle manufacturing line. Figure (1) shows the bundling of a side-dispensing type of folded nori bundle, and Figure (2) shows the bundling of a straight-dispensing type of folded nori bundle. To illustrate embodiments for carrying out the invention, a bundling device, a conveying device, a stacking and extrusion device, etc., are shown. Figure (1) is a side view (front view in the case of a direct-dispensing type), and Figure (2) is a top view. A stacking extrusion apparatus is shown to illustrate the embodiments for carrying out the invention. Figure (1) is a front view (side view in the case of a direct-dispensing type), and Figure (2) is a side view (front view in the case of a direct-dispensing type). To illustrate embodiments for carrying out the invention, a stacking extrusion device and a stacking device are shown. Figure (1) is a plan view of the side-dispensing type, and Figure (2) is a plan view of the direct-dispensing type. A bundling device is shown to illustrate the embodiments for carrying out the invention. Figure (1) is a side view of the process of dropping bundles of flat seaweed (front view in the direct-dispensing type), and Figure (2) is a side view of the process of unloading bundles of flat seaweed (front view in the direct-dispensing type). The following are perspective views of nori (seaweed) for the purpose of explaining embodiments for carrying out the invention. Figure (1) shows a folded bundle of nori, Figure (2) shows a bundle of flat nori, and Figure (3) shows a bundle of flat nori with protective paper. To illustrate the embodiments for carrying out the invention, the first half of the stacking extrusion process using a stacking extrusion device is shown. Figures (1), (2), and (3) are side views (front views in the case of a direct-extrusion type) of the first half of the processes 1, 2, and 3. Figures (1'), (2'), and (3') are front views (side views in the case of a direct-extrusion type) of the first half of the processes 1, 2, and 3. To illustrate embodiments for carrying out the invention, the latter half of the stacking extrusion process using a stacking extrusion device is shown. Figures (1), (2), and (3) are side views (front views in the direct-extrusion type) of the latter half processes 1, 2, and 3. Figures (1'), (2'), and (3') are front views (side views in the direct-extrusion type) of the latter half processes 1, 2, and 3. To illustrate embodiments for carrying out the invention, other examples 1 and 2 of the latter half of the stacking extrusion process 3 using a stacking extrusion device are shown. Figures (1) and (1') show another example (part 1), and Figures (2) and (2') show another example (part 2). Figures (1) and (2) are side views (front views in the direct-extrusion type), and Figures (1') and (2') are front views (side views in the direct-extrusion type).

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
Summary of the present invention
The outline of this invention is as follows:
The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is used in the seaweed production process. It includes a bundling device 4, a conveying device 5, a stacking and extrusion device 8, a bending device 6, a bending and bundling device 7, a flat bundling device 9, and the like.
The bundling device 4 counts, bundles, stacks, and aligns the flat nori a, and then transports it to the conveying device 5 as a bundle A of flat nori a. The conveying device 5 transports the bundle A of flat nori a transported from the bundling device 4 toward the bending device 6.
The stacking and extrusion device 8 is attached to the conveying device 5 and includes a stacking section 10 that can stack bundles A of flat seaweed a along the way, and an extrusion section 11 that can push them out toward the flat bundling device 9.
The bending device 6 folds the bundles A of flat seaweed a, which have been brought in by the conveying device 5, in half. The bending and bundling device 7 bundles the multiple folded bundles together to form a single bundle of folded seaweed B.
The flat bundling device 9 bundles the flat nori a of bundle A, which has been extruded by the stacking extrusion device 8, into a single flat nori bundle C.
The outline of the present invention is as described above. The present invention will now be described in detail.

《Seaweed Bundle Manufacturing Line》
The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is used in the seaweed production process.
In the production process of nori (dried nori), the raw nori goes through preliminary processes such as harvesting, washing, papermaking, dehydration, and drying, followed by subsequent processes such as turning over, inspection and sorting, bundling, transport, (folding,) and binding, before the nori is produced, boxed, and shipped.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the nori production process, the flat nori sheets a discharged one by one from the drying device 1 in the preceding process are first inverted by the inversion device 2 and their direction is changed in a crossing direction so that they are oriented in a linear line direction L parallel to the drying device 1. Then, they are inspected for quality and sorted by the inspection device 3.

The nori production process then follows the nori bundle manufacturing line, where folded nori bundle B and flat nori bundle C are bundled and manufactured.
The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is used in such seaweed production processes and, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes a bundling device 4, a conveying device 5, a stacking and extrusion device 8, a bending device 6, a bending and bundling device 7, and a flat bundling device 9.
Furthermore, accumulation devices 16, 17 and an accumulation-type stacking extrusion device 18 are often provided.
The following describes this type of nori (seaweed) bundle manufacturing line.

《Focusing device 4》
In the nori bundle manufacturing line, the bundling device 4 counts, bundles, stacks, and aligns the flat nori a, and then delivers them as bundles A of flat nori a to the conveying device 5. Typically, bundles A of flat nori a with a number of sheets selected and set for each line from 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 sheets are delivered to the conveying device 5. Depending on the number of sheets, a multi-bundle stacking section for stacking bundles A of flat nori a is provided and used as needed.
As shown in Figure 7, the bundling device 4 includes a counting and bundling unit 12, a lifting plate 13, and an alignment unit 14. The counting and bundling unit 12 counts and bundles the flat nori a (10 sheets in the illustrated example) into bundle A and stacks them.
The lifting plate 13 loads and lowers bundles A of flat seaweed a from the upper counting and focusing section 12 to the lower alignment section 14. In the case of the side-dispensing type, it descends in a straight line, and in the case of the straight-dispensing type, it descends after rotating by about 90 degrees.
The alignment unit 14 aligns the bundles A of flat seaweed a from all four sides using an alignment plate, and then transports them to the conveying device 5 via the conveyor belt 15.
The integration device 4 is as described above.

Conveying device 5, side-dispensing type
The conveying device 5 uses a roller conveyor or the like to linearly convey the bundles A of flat seaweed a that have been discharged from the bundling device 4 toward the bending device 6.
From the perspective of reducing overall space, eliminating waste, and making the seaweed bundle manufacturing line more compact, there have conventionally been two types: the side-dispensing type shown in Figure 3(1) and the direct-dispensing type shown in Figure 3(2). In the present invention, Figure 1 is the side-dispensing type and Figure 2 is the direct-dispensing type.
First, let's explain the side-discharge type with reference to Figure 1. In the side-discharge type, the conveying device 5 is laid out in a lateral intersecting direction M with respect to the linear line direction L to the bundling device 4. Bundles A of flat seaweed a are discharged sideways to the conveying device 5 without changing their orientation up to that point.

In other words, in a horizontal-dispensing type nori bundle manufacturing line, the inspection device 3 and the bundling device 4 are laid out in the linear line direction L, but the conveying device 5 and the bending device 6 are laid out in a lateral intersection direction M with respect to the linear line direction L, and the conveying direction N is directed towards them.
Then, as mentioned above, the bundling device 4 has a lifting plate 13 that descends linearly without rotating. As a result, the bundles A of flat seaweed a that are being transported are carried by the transport device 5 without changing their orientation, with their shorter side aligned with the transport direction N as shown in the figure.
Then, the bundle A of flat seaweed a is transported to the bending device 6, where it is bent, and then bound together by the bending and binding device 7.
The above describes the side-discharge type.

Conveying device 5, direct output type
Next, with reference to Figure 2, the direct-dispensing type will be explained. In the direct-dispensing type nori bundle manufacturing line, the conveying device 5 is laid out in the same direction forward, following the linear line direction L up to the bundling device 4. The bundles A of flat nori a are conveyed directly to the conveying device 5 with their orientation changed by about 90 degrees from what it was up to that point.

In other words, in a direct-dispensing type nori bundle manufacturing line, not only the inspection device 3 and the bundling device 4, but also the conveying device 5 and the bending device 6 are laid out in the same direction as the linear line direction L. Of course, the conveying direction N of the conveying device 5 is also oriented in the same direction.
As described above, the bundling device 4 has a lifting plate 13 that rotates and descends. As a result, the bundle A of flat seaweed a that is being discharged changes its orientation by about 90 degrees and is transported by the transport device 5 with its shorter side aligned with the transport direction N, as shown in the figure.
Then, the bundle A of flat seaweed a is transported to the bending device 6, where it is bent, and then bound together by the bending and binding device 7.
The direct-discharge type is as described above.

《Bending device 6, bending and bundling device 7, stacking device 16》
Next, the bending device 6, the bending and bundling device 7, the stacking device 16, etc., will be explained with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
In a side-dispensing or direct-dispensing type nori bundle manufacturing line, the bending device 6 folds the bundle A of flat nori a that has been brought into the conveying device 5 in half. The bending and bundling device 7 bundles the multiple bundles that have been bent by the bending device 6 together as a single folded nori bundle B.
Furthermore, the nori bundle manufacturing line shown in the illustration includes a stacking device 16, which is located downstream of the folding and bundling device 7 and stores a large number of bundled folded nori bundles B.

These will be described in detail. The folding device 6 folds the bundle A of flat seaweed a that has been brought in into half by, for example, pressing a convex material between concave materials, as shown in Figure 1(1) and Figure 2(1). Typically, a bundle A of 10 sheets of flat seaweed a is folded.
The folding and bundling device 7 bundles multiple bundles A of folded flat nori a with a binding band D such as paper tape to form a single folded nori bundle B (see Figure 8(1)). Typically, 10 bundles of 10 folded sheets each are bundled together to form a single folded nori bundle B.
As the folding and bundling device 7, commercially available and known bundling and banding machines for bundling banknotes, sheet bundles, and other items are used. The stacking device 16 collects and stacks the numerous bundled folded seaweed bundles B for storage.
The bending device 6, bending and bundling device 7, and stacking device 16 are as described above.

Overview of the stacking extrusion device 8
Next, the stacking extrusion apparatus 8 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.
In this seaweed bundle manufacturing line, a stacking and extrusion device 8 is attached to the middle of the conveying device 5. It is equipped with a stacking section 10 that can stack bundles A of flat seaweed a, and an extrusion section 11 that can extrude them towards the flat bundling device 9 along the way.

In a typical example, the stacking extrusion device 8 is used as follows: For bundles A of 10, 20, 25, 50, or 100 sheets of flat seaweed a that have been delivered to the conveying device 5, the stacking extrusion device 8 functions as follows.
If a bundle A of 10 flat sheets a is selected, the stacking section 10 and extrusion section 11 of the stacking extrusion device 8 will not operate, and the bundle will be transported directly to the bending device 6 by the conveying device 5.
In contrast, if other bundles of flat seaweed a (A) are selected, the bundles of flat seaweed a (A) with 20, 25, or 50 sheets are stacked multiple times in the stacking section 10, and then pushed out towards the flat bundling device 9 by the extrusion section 11.
If a bundle of 100 sheets of flat nori (a) is selected, it will be extruded without being stacked. Similarly, if a bundle of 50 sheets is selected, it will be extruded in the same way.

Details of the stacking extrusion device 8
First, let's explain the stacking section 10 of the stacking extrusion device 8 shown in Figures 4 and 5. The stacking section 10 can stack multiple bundles A of flat seaweed a, which have been transported one bundle at a time by the conveying device 5, as needed, and can be raised and lowered, and stacked sequentially from the bottom.
A sensor 19 is attached to the stacking section 10, and the sensor 19 is positioned at the leading end in the direction in which the bundle A of flat seaweed a is being transported to the stacking section 10.
Therefore, in the case of a setting that requires stacking, the transport device 5 stops transporting based on the detection of the sensor 19, and the bundle A of flat seaweed a that has been transported stops at the top of the stack 10.

The stacking section 10 is equipped with multiple stacking members 20, and in the illustrated example, the stacking members 20 consist of two sets of horizontal shafts, two each for the upper and lower sections. Each of these members is capable of stacking and moving up and down the bundles A of flat seaweed a that are stopped.
In the illustrated example, the two sets of stacking members 20 allow the upper and middle bundles of flat seaweed A to be stacked sequentially while maintaining a gap between them, and then the gap between them can be eliminated afterward.
In other words, the stacking members 20 can be raised in stages by the height of one bundle of flat seaweed a plus α. By raising in stages, the bundles of flat seaweed a A that have been stacked can be stacked sequentially from the bottom up, while maintaining a gap between them (a vertical gap of α). (See Figures 9 and 10). Then, the stacking members 20 each descend by the gap between them (a vertical gap of α), eliminating the gap between them.
In the illustrated example, considering that three bundles—the first bundle (upper), the second bundle (middle), and the third bundle (lower)—are stacked, two stacking members 20 are used, one upper and one lower, for the upper and middle sections.

The stacking process of the illustrated stacking section 10 will be explained with reference to Figures 9 and 10.
First, when the first bundle of flat seaweed a A reaches the position of the sensor 19 and transport stops (Figures 9(1) and (1')), the upper stacking member 20 of the stacking section 10 rises from below the transport device 5, loads it onto, and raises the stacking section by one level (Figures 9(2) and (2')).
Then, when the second bundle of flat seaweed a (A) reaches the sensor 19 and transport stops (Figure 9, Figures (3) and (3')), the upper stacking member 20 raises the first bundle of flat seaweed a (A) that it has placed on top by another level.
At the same time, the second bundle of flat seaweed a, bundle A, is loaded onto the intermediate stacking member 20, which rises from below the conveying device 5, and raised by one level (Figures 9(3) and (3')).
Subsequently, when the third bundle of flat seaweed a (bundle A) reaches the sensor 19, the transport is stopped, and in the illustrated example, the three bundles of flat seaweed a (bundle A) are stacked with space between them (Figure 10 (1) and (1')).
Then, as the upper and lower stacking members 20 each descend slightly, the bundles A of the first and second bundles of flat seaweed a also descend slightly, eliminating the gap between them (Figure 10, Figures (2) and (2')).
In this way, in the example illustrating multiple bundles, three bundles of flat seaweed a (Bundle A) are stacked sequentially from the bottom up in multiple layers (Figure 10, Figures (2) and (2')). The first (upper) and second (middle) bundles of flat seaweed A are stacked on top of the third (lower) bundle A of flat seaweed via the stacking member 20.

Next, we will describe the extrusion section 11 of the stacking extrusion apparatus 8 shown in Figures 4 and 5.
The extrusion unit 11 can extrude bundles A of flat seaweed a, which are stacked on the stacking unit 10 in the illustrated example and have their spacing between them eliminated, in a direction G that intersects with the conveying direction N of the conveying device 5.
The extrusion unit 11 in the illustrated example consists of two vertical shafts and is capable of moving forward and backward in the intersecting direction G. The forward movement pushes the bundle A of flat nori a toward the flat bundling device 9 (Figures 10(3) and (3')).

Other examples are possible, as follows:
By the way, in the illustrated examples (Figure 5(1), Figure 9, and Figure 10), an example of three bundles was explained, but for other examples of multiple bundles such as two, four, or five bundles, the process can be carried out in accordance with the illustrated examples by increasing or decreasing the number of stacking members 20 on the stacking section 10.
For example, in another example (part 1) shown in Figures 11(1) and (1'), one stacking member 20 is used, so that two bundles of flat nori a stacked on the stacking section 10 are pushed out by the extrusion section 11 as shown in the figure. For example, two bundles of A, each containing 25 sheets, are used, for a total of 50 sheets of flat nori a that are pushed out.
Furthermore, in another example (part 2) shown in Figures 11(2) and (2'), three sets of stacking members 20 are used, so that the four bundles of flat seaweed a stacked on the upper part 10 are pushed out by the extrusion section 11 as shown in the figure. For example, four bundles of A, each containing 25 sheets, are used, for a total of 100 sheets of flat seaweed a that are pushed out.
Thus, the stacking extrusion device 8 can be applied to various types of multiple bundles.

Regarding the drive mechanisms 21 and 22 of the stacking extrusion device 8:
Next, the drive mechanisms 21 and 22 of the stacking extrusion device 8 will be explained with reference to Figure 5(1). First, the drive mechanism 21 of the stacking section 10 is as follows.
The drive mechanism 21 of the stacking section 10 includes a vertical conveyor 23, a vertical shaft 24, an attachment drive slide 25, a free slide 26, and the like.
The drive slide 25 is attached to a parallel vertical conveyor 23 and is guided by a vertical shaft 24, and moves up and down. The free slide 26 is similarly guided by the vertical shaft 24 and moves up and down, largely following the drive slide 25.
The number of free slides 26 is provided in a number corresponding to the bundles A of flat seaweed a to be stacked (in the illustrated example where three bundles are stacked, there are two free slides for the first and second bundles), and the base of the stacking member 20 is attached to each of them. Both the drive slide 25 and the free slide 26 are attached to the guide vertical shaft 24 so as to be able to slide up and down.
Each free slide 26 is then placed on a locking piece 27 fixed beneath the drive slide 25. In other words, the free slides 26 are placed on and caught on the locking pieces 27 on the drive slide 25 side.

The driving process of the drive mechanism 21 is as follows:
The free slide 26 and the stacking member 20 are lifted by their locking pieces 27 when the drive slide 25 is raised on the vertical conveyor 23, and they move upward in response.
As previously mentioned, the bundles A of flat seaweed a are stacked on the stacking member 20 with a gap between them (Figures 10(1) and (1')).
- When the drive slide 25 starts to descend from this stacked state, the free slide 26 and the stacking member 20 also move in response and start to descend.
When the stacking member 20 comes into contact with the bundle A of flat seaweed a below it, the stacking member 20 and the free slide 26 stop descending.
This creates a small gap between the free slide 26 and the drive slide 25. Based on the detection by the attached sensor 28, the drive slide 25 and the vertical conveyor 23 also stop descending.
As a result, the bundles A of flat seaweed a, which are stacked as described above, have their spacing between them eliminated (Figures 10(2) and (2')).

Furthermore, the drive mechanism 22 of the extrusion unit 11 is as follows. The drive mechanism 22 of the extrusion unit 11 includes a horizontal conveyor 29, a horizontal shaft 30, a horizontal slide 31, etc.
The horizontal slide 31 is guided by the horizontal shaft 30 and can move forward and backward on the horizontal conveyor 29, and the lower end of the extrusion section 11 is attached to it.
The horizontal conveyor 29 and the horizontal shaft 30 are arranged in parallel and intersect with the transport direction N of the transport device 5 in a direction G.
Therefore, the forward movement of the lateral slide 31 and the extrusion unit 11 makes it possible to extrude the stacked bundles A of flat seaweed a in a direction G that intersects with the transport direction N. (Figures 10(3) and (3')).
The stacking extrusion device 8 is as described above.

Regarding the flat bundling device 9, the stacking device 17, and the stacking extrusion device 18:
Next, the flat bundling device 9, the stacking device 17, the stacking and extrusion device 18, etc., will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6.
In seaweed bundle manufacturing lines of the side-dispensing type or direct-dispensing type, the flat bundling device 9 bundles the flat seaweed a of bundle A extruded by the stacking extrusion device 8 into a single flat seaweed bundle C.
Furthermore, the nori bundle manufacturing line shown in the illustration also has a stacking device 17, which is located downstream of the flat bundling device 9 and stores multiple bundles of flat nori C that have been bundled together.

These will be described in more detail. As shown in Figure 1(2) and Figure 2(2), the flat bundling device 9 bundles the flat nori a of bundle A, which has been pushed out from the conveying device 5 by the stacking extrusion device 8, with a binding band D such as paper tape to form a single bundle of flat nori C (see Figures 8(2) and (3)).
In the typical example where the nori is bundled into a single bundle of 50 or 100 sheets (bundle C), the nori sheets a from multiple bundles of 20, 25, or 50 sheets are bundled together as one nori bundle C.
As with the aforementioned folded binding device 7, a commercially available, well-known binding machine or banding machine is used as the flat binding device 9. The binding is performed either directly, as shown in Figure 8(2), or via protective paper E, as shown in Figure 8(3).

The stacking device 17 collects and stacks multiple bundles of flat seaweed C that have been tied together for storage. Figure 6(1) shows a side-dispensing type production line, and Figure 6(2) shows a direct-dispensing type production line.
In the illustrated example, a stacking and extrusion device 18 for stacking is installed between the flat bundling device 9 and the stacking device 17, along with a conveyor 32. The stacking and extrusion device 18 includes a stacking section 34 consisting of a stacking member 33 that stacks all of the multiple bundles of flat seaweed C from the flat bundling device 9, and an extrusion section 35 that pushes the stacked bundles of flat seaweed C towards the stacking device 17.
The configuration and function of the stacking section 34 and the extrusion section 35 of the stacking extrusion device 18 are the same as those described above for the stacking section 10 and the extrusion section 11 of the stacking extrusion device 8.
The flat bundling device 9, stacking device 17, stacking and extruding device 18, etc., are as described above.

《Effect, etc.》
The present invention is configured as described above. Therefore, it is as follows.
(1) In the seaweed bundle manufacturing line, flat seaweed a is counted, bundled, stacked, and aligned by the bundling device 4, and then transported to the conveying device 5 as bundle A of flat seaweed a (see Figures 1, 2, 4, 7, etc.).
In a typical example, bundles of flat nori (seaweed) a, numbered from 10, 20, 25, 50, or 100 sheets, are shipped out as bundle A.

(2) The bundles A of flat seaweed a that have been transported are transported by the transport device 5 and can be stacked and extruded along the way by the stacking and extrusion device 8 (see Figures 1 to 5, 9 to 11, etc.).
Representative examples are as follows: (a) In the case of a bundle A of 10 sheets of flat nori a, the setting is such that it is transported directly to the bending device 6. (b) In the case of a bundle A of 20, 25, or 50 sheets of flat nori a, multiple bundles are stacked the required number of times at the stacking section 10, and (c) In the case of a bundle A of 100 sheets of flat nori a, it is pushed out directly by the extrusion section 11 without being stacked.
(ii) In the case of 50 sheets, there are cases where the settings are the same as for 100 sheets, meaning they are pushed out without being stacked.

(3) Bundles A of flat seaweed a, which are transported by the conveying device 5 and set to pass through the stacking and extrusion device 8, and which in a typical example consist of 10 sheets, are brought into the folding device 6 and folded in half.
Then, the folded seaweed is bundled into a single bundle B by the folding and bundling device 7. The bundled bundles of folded seaweed B are often stored in the accumulation device 16 (see Figures 1, 2, and 8 (1)).

(4) Bundles A of flat nori a, which are stacked as needed in the stacking and extrusion device 8 and then extruded from the conveying device 5 to the flat bundling device 9, are bundled together as one bundle of flat nori C in the flat bundling device 9.
The bundles of flat seaweed C, which are tied together, are often stored in the stacking device 17 via the stacking and extrusion device 18 (see Figures 1, 2, 6, and 8 (2) and (3), etc.).
In a typical example, multiple bundles of flat nori (seaweed) sheets, each containing 20, 25, or 50 sheets, are bound together to form a single flat nori bundle C containing 100 sheets. However, there are also cases where a single flat nori bundle C contains 50 sheets.

(5) As described above, the nori bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is capable of bundling and manufacturing both types of nori bundles, namely, folded nori bundle B and flat nori bundle C.
Furthermore, the layout is characterized by the attachment of a stacking and extrusion device 8 to a flat bundling device 9 to the conveying device 5 between the bundling device 4 and the bending device 6 of the flat nori bundle A. This makes it possible to accommodate both the bent nori bundle B and the flat nori bundle C.

(6) Furthermore, the nori bundle manufacturing line of the present invention can also be used for flat nori bundles without requiring significant changes to the layout or major building modifications of the conventional nori bundle manufacturing line used for folded nori bundle B. Thus, it offers advantages in terms of space efficiency and workability.

(7) Specifically, the horizontal-dispensing type nori bundle manufacturing line shown in Figure 1 is as follows:
The conveying device 5, the bending device 6 for the folded seaweed bundle B, the bending and bundling device 7, the stacking device 16, etc. are the same as in the conventional example shown in Figure 3(1), and are similarly laid out in a lateral intersecting direction M with respect to the straight line direction L.
Furthermore, the flat bundling device 9 for the flat seaweed bundles C, the stacking and extrusion device 18 for accumulation, the accumulation device 17, etc., are laid out in a crossing direction G from the middle of the conveying device 5.

(8) In contrast, the direct-dispensing type nori bundle manufacturing line shown in Figure 2 is as follows:
The conveying device 5, the folding device 6 for the folded seaweed bundle B, the folding and bundling device 7, the stacking device 16, etc., are the same as in the conventional example shown in Figure 3(2), and are similarly laid out in front of the linear line direction L.
Furthermore, the flat bundling device 9 for the flat seaweed bundles C, the stacking and extrusion device 18 for accumulation, the accumulation device 17, etc., are laid out in a crossing direction G from the middle of the conveying device 5.

(9) Accordingly, the seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention does not require any more space than in the conventional example for bundling and manufacturing the flat seaweed bundles C. In particular, it does not require a long distance or a large space between the drying device 1 and the production line.
Furthermore, since the bending and binding device 7 and the flat binding device 9 are located in close proximity, the boxing space S (see Figures 1 to 3) does not need to be expanded when packing into boxes for shipment. A larger workspace is not required.
In particular, when accumulation devices 16 and 17 are provided, the extraction points for both are close together, simplifying the work.

(10) The seaweed bundle manufacturing line of the present invention is realized by utilizing an existing conventional seaweed bundle manufacturing line for folded seaweed bundles B and adding equipment for flat seaweed bundles C.
By adding devices such as a stacking extrusion device 8, a flat bundling device 9, and further stacking extrusion devices 18 and accumulating devices 17 to the existing conveying device 5, it can be easily adapted for use with flat seaweed bundles C.
The effects and other details are as described above.

a Flat seaweed A Bundle of flat seaweed B Bundle of folded seaweed C Bundle of flat seaweed D Binding band E Protective paper N Conveying direction G Crossing direction L Linear direction M Crossing direction S Boxing space 1 Drying device 2 Inversion device 3 Inspection device 4 Bundling device 5 Conveying device 6 Bending device 7 Bending and bundling device 8 Stacking and extrusion device 9 Flat bundling device 10 Stacking section 11 Extrusion section 12 Counting and bundling section 13 Lifting plate 14 Alignment section 15 Conveyor 16 Accumulation device 17 Accumulation device 18 Accumulation stacking and extrusion device 19 Sensor 20 Stacking member 21 Drive mechanism 22 Drive mechanism 23 Vertical conveyor 24 Vertical shaft 25 Drive slide 26 Free slide 27 Locking piece 28 Sensor 29 Horizontal conveyor 30 Horizontal shaft 31 Horizontal slide 32 Conveyor 33 Stacking member 34 Stacking section 35 Extrusion section

Claims (8)

It is used in the production process of seaweed.
A bundling device that counts , gathers, stacks , and aligns flat seaweed, enabling it to be shipped out as bundles of flat seaweed ,
A conveying device capable of transporting bundles of flat seaweed discharged from the bundling device in the direction of the bending device ,
A stacking and extrusion device attached to the middle of the conveying device ,
A folding device capable of folding bundles of flat seaweed delivered in half ,
A folding and binding device capable of binding multiple bundles of flat nori folded by the folding device into a single bundle of folded nori ,
A flat bundling device capable of bundling bundles of flat seaweed extruded from the aforementioned stacking extrusion device into a single bundle of flat seaweed ,
Equipped with,
The stacking extrusion apparatus has a stacking section having a plurality of stacking members, each arranged vertically, and an extrusion section.
Each stacking member is capable of moving up and down, and each can hold one bundle of flat seaweed transported by the transport device. When stacking two or more bundles of flat seaweed is required, the stacking member rises after a bundle of flat seaweed is placed on it, and the next bundle of flat seaweed transported is placed on the other stacking member. In this manner, multiple bundles of flat seaweed can be stacked sequentially.
The extrusion section has a structure that allows one or more bundles of flat seaweed stacked on the stacking section to be pushed out in a certain direction by the flat bundling device.
Nori (seaweed) bundle manufacturing line. The stacking section comprises a pair of rods arranged at intervals in the width direction, forming the stacking members, horizontal shafts, to which the base ends of the horizontal shafts are attached, and the same number of free slides as the number of stacking members, vertical shafts to which each of the free slides is slidably attached, a vertical conveyor arranged parallel to the vertical shafts, a drive slide attached to follow the vertical conveyor and slidably mounted along the vertical shafts, and a plurality of locking pieces suspended below the drive slides and provided to hook onto the free slides.
The drive slide moves up and down in accordance with the movement of the vertical conveyor, and as the drive slide rises, the locking piece rises, which catches the free slide and raises it, causing the horizontal shaft to rise in conjunction with it.
The nori bundle manufacturing line according to claim 1 . The extrusion section comprises a rod-shaped vertical shaft protruding from the upper surface of the conveying device, a horizontal slide to which the lower end of the vertical shaft is attached, a horizontal shaft capable of guiding the horizontal slide, and a horizontal conveyor arranged parallel to the horizontal shaft and provided to allow the horizontal slide to move forward and backward. The structure is such that the forward movement of the vertical shaft, which is linked to the horizontal slide, pushes the bundles of flat seaweed in a direction toward the flat bundling device.
The nori bundle manufacturing line according to claim 2 . The aforementioned bundling device discharges bundles of flat seaweed in a number selected from 10, 20, 25, 50, or 100 sheets.
The aforementioned bending device is used to bend a bundle of 10 sheets of flat seaweed that has been brought in.
The aforementioned folding and bundling device bundles 10 sheets of folded seaweed together as one bundle of folded seaweed.
The flat bundling device bundles of 20, 25, or 50 sheets of flat seaweed that have been extruded into bundles of 50 or 100 sheets of flat seaweed.
A seaweed bundle manufacturing line according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The conveying device is laid out in a lateral direction intersecting the linear direction leading to the bundling device, and the bundles of flat seaweed are transported to the conveying device laterally without changing their orientation.
A seaweed bundle manufacturing line according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The conveying device is laid out in a linear direction leading to the bundling device and extends forward in the same direction, and the bundles of flat seaweed are directly transported to the conveying device with their orientation changed by approximately 90 degrees.
A seaweed bundle manufacturing line according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The system further comprises either a stacking device for folded seaweed bundles, provided downstream of the folding and binding device and capable of storing multiple bundled folded seaweed bundles, or a stacking device for flat seaweed bundles, provided downstream of the flat binding device and capable of storing multiple bundled flat seaweed bundles, or both of the stacking device for folded seaweed bundles and the stacking device for flat seaweed bundles.
A seaweed bundle manufacturing line according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The device further comprises a stacking and extrusion device for stacking , which is disposed between the flat bundling device and the stacking device , and has a stacking section for stacking multiple bundles of flat seaweed from the flat bundling device , and an extrusion section for pushing the stacked bundles of flat seaweed towards the stacking device.
The nori bundle manufacturing line according to claim 7 .