JPH059291Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Field of application of the invention) This invention is designed to take out thin plastic trays (containers) used for packaging noodles, etc. one by one for supply to the packaging process. It is related to the device.

(Background of the invention) Conventionally, in packaging foods such as raw noodles and tofu, thin plastic trays (containers) with a brim on the top are often used.

In packaging using this tray, the entire stack of trays prepared as a group (aggregate) is placed in a magazine, etc., and each tray is taken out from the magazine using a vacuum suction cup, etc. Normally, the product is subjected to the packaging process.

However, in the conventional take-out device using the above-mentioned suction cup, suction errors may occur if the suction cup and the surface of the tray to be suctioned are not maintained in an appropriate parallel state.
This may lead to ejection errors. This tendency becomes particularly strong when the suction surface of the tray is not a smooth plane but has a waveform.

(Purpose of the invention) The present invention was made from the above point of view, and its purpose is to provide a take-out device that can mechanically take out trays one by one from a group of stacked trays. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tray take-out device that does not impede the above-mentioned take-out even if the surface of the tray is not necessarily flat or smooth.

(Summary of the invention) The tray take-out device according to the present invention, which has been developed to achieve the above object, is characterized by having a flat rectangular body that expands upward. A large number of easily deformable box-shaped trays made of thin plastic material having outwardly extending flanges formed on the four edges of the upper end of the body are stacked one above the other, and one tray is placed from the lower end of the group. This is a tray take-out device, in which the bottom surface of one opposing flange of the bottom tray of the stacked tray group is hooked and suspended by an L-shaped lifting arm, and the bottom tray must be taken out downward. At the same time, the lower portions of the stacked tray group are lightly pinched by engaging a pad with the tip of each of the other opposing flanges, which are orthogonal to the one opposing flange, and the lifting mechanism that releases the hook or suspension. a tray clamping pressure supporting mechanism that holds the tray under pressure and releases the clamping pressure support by separating the pads when the tray is not taken out; and a clamping pressure extraction mechanism that lightly engages with clamping pressure and pulls out the lowermost tray downward.

The tray in the present invention is used as a packaging container for foods such as fresh noodles, but in addition to having the box-shaped body and upper end flange described above, it may also have other structural parts as necessary. good.
The upper end flange of the tray also provides a heat-sealing surface for sealing with an appropriate heat-sealing device or the like after filling with the contents.

(Embodiments of the invention) The invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an inclined view showing the engagement relationship between a group of trays according to the present invention and an operating arm of a take-out device for holding the group and taking out one piece at a time. In this figure, 1 is a tray; Reference numeral 1a denotes the body of the tray, which is formed into an inclined shape so that the internal cavity, which is rectangular in plane, expands upward. 1b is the bottom of the tray, and 1c is an upper end flange extending outward from the upper four edges of the body of the tray. The tray 1 in this example is made of a thin plastic material, and has sufficient shape retention to maintain a box-like shape as a whole, and is easily deformable by external force. It is configured as.

A large number of these trays 1 are stacked as shown in the figure to form a group.

Reference numeral 11 designates L-shaped suspension arms, and two pairs of opposing L-shaped suspension arms are arranged with the horizontal legs 11a of the L-shaped suspension arms facing inward, and one pair of upper end flanges 1c of the lowest tray in the tray group. is hung by the legs 11a of the L-shaped suspension arm. This L-shaped suspension arm is fixed to the arm rotating shaft 12a. This rotating shaft 12a
is rotatably mounted and supported by a bearing 12b, and is connected to the air cylinder device 13 via a connecting member 12c at one end and a connecting arm 12d. This air cylinder device 13 is of the so-called torque actuator type and is of a rotational type. By the expansion/retraction/closing mechanism 12 having these configurations, the above-mentioned L
The mold suspension arm is provided so that it can be swung from the normal suspension position shown in FIG. 1 to the expanded release position to release the suspension. It goes without saying that the air cylinder device described above may be a motor-type drive device.

The above constitutes a suspension mechanism for a group of trays, and the arm expansion/retraction/closing mechanism 12 releases the suspension when a signal is input from a control circuit (not shown) via an air cylinder device 13. Let's do it.

Reference numeral 21 designates a clamping pressure supporting pad that frictionally holds the tray, and in this example, the upper end flange 1c with which the L-shaped suspension arm 11 engages is perpendicular to the other upper end flange 1d. Lightly press the tip of the tray (lightly clamping pressure from both sides) to hold the tray group with clamping pressure to prevent the tray group from falling even when the suspension by the L-shaped suspension arm 11 of the suspension mechanism is released. do. The pad 21 is connected to the connecting portion 22b of the rod 22a, the rod 22c, and then the connecting portion 23.
a, and the connecting portion 23a is rotated by a certain angle by the rotation of the air cylinder device 23. This rotational movement brings the pad 21 into contact with and away from the tray group.

The air cylinder device 23 is driven by a signal input from a control circuit (not shown) to apply these contact clamping pressures to the tray group.

The above constitutes the tray clamping pressure supporting mechanism.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a clamping force removal pad used to take out one tray from a group of trays, and in this example, it comes into contact with and engages with the outer surface of the trunk of the lowest tray at a position below the clamping pressure supporting pad. The lowermost tray is moved downward while lightly pinching the lowermost tray.

Reference numeral 32a denotes a rod connected to the clamping pad 31, and a connecting portion 32 extends from the rod 32a.
b, rod 32c, and plate 33a are successively connected to an air cylinder device 33, and the rotation of the air cylinder device 33 causes the pad 31 to perform the above-mentioned operation.
The vertical movement of the air cylinder device 3
The entire mechanism related to the air cylinder device 33 is moved up and down by the air cylinder device 33' for the vertical direction provided together with the air cylinder device 33. Note that, similarly to the above, the air cylinder device 33' performs such an operation upon receiving a signal input from a control circuit (not shown).

The above constitutes the tray clamping pressure extraction mechanism.

Figures 2a to 2c sequentially show the process of taking out the lowest tray by the operation of each mechanism described above. Normally, the tray group is mechanically hooked by the L-shaped lifting arm 11 of the lifting mechanism. In this state, the pad 21 for supporting clamping pressure and the pad 31 for removing clamping pressure are suspended.
is spaced from the tray (see Figure 2a).

When taking out the lowest tray, the clamping pressure supporting pad 21 and clamping pressure removing pad 31 are first brought into contact with the tray group, and a predetermined frictional holding condition is satisfied (see FIG. 2b). Then, the hanging suspension by the L-shaped suspension arm 11 of the suspension mechanism is released (see FIG. 2c).

In the above state, next the clamping pressure removal pad 31
By moving the tray downward, the lowest tray is taken out one by one and supplied to a suitable packaging process (see FIG. 2c).

After this, the device is returned to the initial state of FIG. 2a.

FIG. 3 shows a flow sheet for timing the operations of each of the three mechanisms described above, and it can be understood from this that trays are taken out one by one from a group of collected trays at predetermined time intervals.

(Effect of the invention) As described above, according to the tray take-out device of the invention, it is possible to easily deform the trays from a group of stacked trays made by stacking a large number of easily deformable box-shaped trays made of thin plastic material. To mechanically and accurately and reliably take out the lowest trays one by one while lightly pressing the body of the lowest tray while holding the flange tip, not the body of the container, which is easy to hold. Moreover, since the tray is not significantly deformed when taking it out, there is almost no risk of damaging the container, and there is no problem of the product being packaged poorly, and the plastic material used is free from deformation. This also has the effect of not being subject to constraints from the point of view.

Furthermore, in the tray takeout device of the present invention, there is no problem in taking out the tray even if the surface of the tray to be taken out is not necessarily flat or smooth, and therefore, it is possible to use a tray with a shape suitable for the contents to be packaged. can get.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1a of the drawings is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the tray take-out device according to the present invention, Figure 1b is a view showing the relationship between the set tray group, pawls, and pads in the same perspective view, and Figure 2 Figures a to c are diagrams for explaining the sequential operation when the lowermost tray is taken out by the movements of the claws and pads. FIG. 3 shows a flow sheet for driving the lifting mechanism, clamping pressure holding mechanism, and clamping pressure extraction mechanism in the tray takeout device at predetermined timing. 1...tray, 1a...body, 1b...bottom,
1c...Top end flange, 1d...Top end flange,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... L-shaped suspension arm, 12... Arm expansion/contraction/closing mechanism, 13... Air cylinder device, 21... Pad for supporting clamping pressure, 22... Pad swinging mechanism, 23
...Air cylinder device, 31... Pad for taking out clamping pressure, 32... Drive mechanism, 33... Air cylinder device, 33'... Air cylinder device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An easily deformable body made of a thin plastic material, which has a flat rectangular body that expands upward and has outwardly protruding flanges formed on the four edges of the upper end of the body. A tray takeout device that takes out box-shaped trays one by one from the lower end of a group stacked vertically, the lower surface of each of one opposing flange of the lowest tray of the stacked tray group being L-shaped suspended. A hanging mechanism that hangs and suspends the lowest tray by an arm and releases the hook and suspension when it is necessary to take out the lowest tray downward; A tray clamping pressure supporting mechanism that lightly clamps and supports the lower portions of the stacked tray group by engaging the pads, and releases the clamping pressure by separating the pads when the trays are not taken out; A tray characterized in that it is provided with a clamping pressure extraction mechanism located below the clamping pressure carrying mechanism and pulling out the lowermost tray downward by lightly engaging a pad with an opposing outer surface of the lowermost tray body. extraction device.