JPH092406A - Auxiliary device for thrusting foodstuff - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the quality of packaging of foodstuff by preventing discrepancy from occurring between packaging material and foodstuff under being thrust. CONSTITUTION: A horizontal support table 11 is provided at the tip of a shaft 12 connected to a piston of a cylinder 13. A valve 15 is connected to an air source and air pressure is appropriately reduced with an orifice 14. The lower limit for the position of the support table 11 is indirectly detected with a lower limit switch out of two limit switches 16 and 17 on the lower and the upper positions for detecting the position of a thrust device 3 and the valve 15 is turned off, while return of the thrust device 3 is detected with the upper switch and the valve 15 is turned on. The thrust device 3, with foodstuff 1 and wrapping paper 2 put together and placed between the support table 11 and thereof, descends and bend the foodstuff and the wrapping paper in a V shape along a guide 40, making the support table 11 follow, resisting against upward energizing made by air pressure introduced into the cylinder 13. The support table 11 stops at the lower limit with the valve 15 turned off by operation of the limit switch 16, and thrusting is completed. After horizontal carriage, return of the thrust device 3 is detected with the limit switch 17, and the valve 15 is turned on, making the support table 11 ascend for completion of returning.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention provides a flexible disc-shaped food material, such as taco, crepe, pizza or okonomiyaki, which is placed horizontally by a descending strip-shaped extrusion tool. The present invention relates to an extrusion assisting device for foodstuffs which prevents the foodstuffs and the wrapping papers from being misaligned when the foodstuffs are superposed on the wrapping paper and is pushed downward while bending the foodstuffs in a V shape with the fold line as a fold line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B relate to a conventional example, FIG. 7A is a front view, and FIG. 7B is a side view. In these figures, a flexible disc-shaped food material 1 (dashed-dotted line), which is a taco dough, is placed on the upper surface of the fixed lower heating plate 4A. An upper heating plate 4B that can move up and down is arranged above it. In FIG. 7 (a), the food material 1 is inserted from the right side between the lower and upper heating plates 4A and 4B, placed on the center of the upper surface of the lower heating plate 4A, and then the upper heating plate 4B is lowered. Pressurize and heat. After the upper heating plate 4B rises and returns to the state shown in the figure, the strip-shaped extrusion tool 3 is
The width direction is made vertical and the upper and lower heating plates 4B, 4A
To go up and down. Here, the upper and lower heating plates 4B,
An undesignated space is formed in 4A so that the push-out tool 3 can penetrate therethrough. The push-out tool 3 is provided at the lower end of an elevating shaft 3a which is a linear output shaft of an actuator (not shown). A V-shaped guide 40 is installed below the lower heating plate 4A. The guide 40 is composed of plate-shaped members which are symmetrically arranged in a V shape, and the rectangular wrapping paper 2 (which is slightly larger than that for the food 1) is placed on a horizontal plane formed by bending the upper ends of both sides thereof outward. The one-dot chain line) is placed. A horizontal rectangular rod-shaped pedestal 41 is placed below the lower opening of the guide 40.

In FIG. 7 (b), a gripping tool 5 and a gripping / transporting tool 6 are arranged on the left and right below the lower opening of the guide 40.
The gripping tool 5 is fixed, but the gripping / transporting tool 6 itself is configured to be horizontally reciprocable in the direction of the arrow by one pitch (the width dimension of the wrapping paper 1). The gripping tool 5 and the gripping / transporting tool 6 each include a pair of open / close type gripping fingers, as partially shown in FIG. 7 (a).

The operation of this conventional example will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows each operation stage of the conventional example,
(a) is a front view before extrusion, (b) is a front view during extrusion,
(c) is a front view after extrusion. In FIG. 8 (a), the food material 1 is in a state of being pressurized and heated, the wrapping paper 2 is wound in a roll shape, and on the horizontal plane of the upper end of the guide 40 via a feeding mechanism (not shown). Is sent from the other side to the front side, is positioned just below the food material 1, and is cut into a rectangular packaging unit. Here, the wrapping paper 2 is large enough to wrap the food material 1 with a sufficient margin. In addition, in the initial stage, the extrusion tool 3 is located above the upper heating plate 4B.

In FIG. 8 (b), when the extruder 3 descends, the food 1 placed on the upper surface of the lower heating plate 4A is first pushed through the space of the upper heating plate 4B, and then the food material 1 is extruded through the space. The wrapping paper 2 will be pushed downward. FIG.
In (c), the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are overlapped by the pushing tool 3 which further descends, and are pushed out in a V shape along the guide 40, and the apex ridge portion thereof is received by the upper surface of the pedestal 41. At that time, the push-out tool 3 reaches the position indicated by the solid line and then rises through the upper and lower heating plates 4A, 4B to return to the upper initial position as indicated by the broken line. Next, the V-shaped wrapping paper 2 is gripped and pressed by the gripping tool 5 and the gripping / transporting tool 6 at both ends of the apex ridgeline (the portion protruding from the food material 1) to stick to each other. It is temporarily stopped. Then, in FIG. 7 (b), the gripping tool 5 is released, and the gripping / transporting tool 6 moves rightward by one pitch while gripping and transporting the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 by one pitch. It The gripping / transferring tool 6 returns to the left after releasing the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 at the transfer position. Although not shown here, a guide and a pedestal for transferring the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are adjacent to the right sides of the guide 40 and the pedestal 41, respectively, and extend horizontally in the same sectional shape. It is arranged in the form of Along with these, gripping / transporting tool 6
The same members as those in FIG.
And the wrapping paper 2 are sequentially transferred to the right. During this transfer process, according to the menu, ingredients such as minced meat, shredded lettuce, and cheese are put in and sandwiched. The description of the subsequent steps is omitted because it is outside the main subject.

[0006]

In the conventional example, a slight positional deviation occurs between the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 at an extremely low frequency, that is, the food 1 is biased to one side with respect to the wrapping paper 2, and the foodstuff wrapping is performed. In addition to deteriorating the appearance of the food, the food material 1 may stick out from the wrapping paper 2 when the unevenness is remarkable, and the quality of the food material packaging may be impaired. The following factors can be considered as factors that hinder the quality of food packaging. First, FIG.
There may be some variations in the initial position of the wrapping paper 2 in the state of (a). Secondly, when the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are pushed out in the state of FIG. That is, it is not constrained, and moreover, either the left or right half of the wrapping paper 2 is likely to be displaced in the process of coming into contact with the slope of the guide 40 first and being pushed out. In particular, it is considered that the second factor works strongly.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art and prevent the positional deviation between the food material and the packaging material to improve the quality of food packaging. To provide.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a flexible plate-like food material placed horizontally by means of a strip-plate-like extruding tool that is vertically lowered in the width direction and a paper-like material placed horizontally below the food material is placed horizontally. An auxiliary device for stacking the packaging material, bending it into a V shape along a guide and pushing it downward, and a horizontal pedestal for sandwiching the food material and the wrapping material between the stacking and extruding tool; A movable body that is provided and can stand up and down between predetermined upper and lower limit positions; a biasing means that biases the movable body upward; and a locking means that holds and releases the movable body at the lower limit position. Is provided. Where the movable body,
The urging means and the locking means are entirely configured as a pneumatic operation cylinder mechanism, and the movable body turns on / off the introduction of the movable body to the piston shaft, the urging means to the introduction air pressure for raising the piston, and the locking means. It is preferable that they correspond to valves, respectively, or that the biasing means is a spring and the locking means is a locking tool that is driven to lock and unlock the movable body. Furthermore, it is preferable that the cradle is provided with a vacuum suction portion for holding the packaging material on the upper surface thereof.

Further, according to the present invention, a flexible plate-like food placed horizontally is composed of a pair of movable plates which are openable and closable below the flexible plate-like food placed horizontally by a strip-plate-like extruding tool which is vertically lowered in the width direction. Auxiliary of stacking the paper-like packaging placed on the guide that initially takes a horizontal closed position, pushing it downward while bending the V-shaped as the movable plate opens, and finally pressing it against the stationary horizontal pedestal In the device, each movable plate forming a guide includes an axis that is included in a horizontal plane formed at the time of initial closing and that is parallel to and equidistant to each side surface of the extrusion tool, and is rotatable around each axis. And is biased toward the initial closed position.

[0010]

In the present invention, the descending pusher is provided with the pedestal after the food and the packaging material are superposed and sandwiched between the pedestal at the upper limit position and the food and packaging material are guided along the guide. It is driven against the upward bias by the biasing means to reach the lower limit position, where the pedestal is stopped based on the movable body being held by the locking means, and the folding of the food material and the packaging material is completed. The pusher then rises and returns to its initial position. Food and packaging materials are kept in a bent state by a pedestal and guide,
It is possible to move to the next step, for example, the horizontal transfer step. After that, the pedestal is based on the release of the movable body by the locking means,
It rises due to the bias and returns to the upper limit position. Here, the pedestal can hold the packaging material on its upper surface by the vacuum suction portion.

Further, according to the present invention, when the food material and the packaging material are extruded downward by the descending pusher, while rotating the pair of movable plates as guides against the biasing force, Since it opens downward in a V shape,
A frictional resistance force against a position shift acts between the packaging materials based on the urging force.

[0012]

[First Embodiment] The first to the first extrusion assisting apparatus for food materials according to the present invention
Each of the third embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 relates to the first embodiment, (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view. The difference between the first embodiment and the conventional example is the configuration of the pedestal and its surroundings. That is, the pedestal is guided to move vertically in a vertical direction while being biased upward, and at the initial stage, the upper limit position for receiving the wrapping paper is taken and the food material and the wrapping paper are overlapped with the descending extrusion tool. They are sandwiched together and are driven down, and reach and are held at the fixed position (lower limit position) in the conventional example. Next, after the push-out tool has returned to the ascending position, the pedestal is released from the holding and ascends by the urging, and returns to the initial upper limit position. Also in the second embodiment, the pedestal and its surroundings have the same functions, but have a structure different from that of the first embodiment.

1 (a) and 1 (b), reference numeral 13 is an upright cylinder, which is a component of a pneumatic operating cylinder mechanism 10. A shaft 12 as a movable body in the invention corresponds to a piston shaft of the operation cylinder mechanism 10, and a horizontal rod-shaped pedestal 11 having a rectangular cross section is provided at the tip thereof. 14 is a throttle, 15 is a solenoid valve,
Both are members related to the introduction of air pressure into the cylinder 13. The solenoid valve 15 is connected to an air source and its original air pressure is reduced.
The pressure is reduced to an appropriate air pressure via 14. Aperture here 14
Has a safety valve function for depressurized air, that is, a function of releasing the depressurized air to the outside air and maintaining the set value when the depressurized air exceeds a predetermined set value. 16 is a limit switch, which directly detects the lowermost position of the lifting shaft 3a via the detection piece 17, and indirectly detects that the pedestal 11 has reached the lower limit position, and locks it via the control circuit 18. The solenoid valve 15 as a means is turned off, and the introduction of air pressure to the cylinder 13 is stopped. Also, based on the return command, the solenoid valve 15 is turned on (opened) via the control circuit 18 and air pressure is introduced into the cylinder 13 (corresponding to a biasing means).

Therefore, the operation of the first embodiment is as follows. In FIG. 1 (a), the extruder 3 superimposes the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 and sandwiches them between the pedestal 11 which is initially at the upper limit position, and then introduces the pedestal 11 with the introduction air pressure (the valve 15 is turned on). Based on the above), the foodstuff 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are moved down along the guide 40 by being driven against them. When the pedestal 11 reaches the lower limit position, the electromagnetic valve 15 is turned off via the limit switch 16 and the control circuit 18 to stop the pedestal 11 and the extrusion of the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 is completed. Next, the extrusion tool 3 moves up and returns to the initial position, and the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2
The gripping tool 5 and the gripping / transporting tool 6 are held in the same manner as in the conventional example while maintaining the bent state by the pedestal 11 and the guide 40.
(See FIG. 7 (b)), the next horizontal transfer process can be performed (illustration and description here are omitted). After that, based on the return command, the solenoid valve 15 is turned on via the control circuit 18, air pressure is introduced into the cylinder 13, the pedestal 11 is raised, and it is returned to the initial upper limit position.

Each operation stage of the first embodiment will be supplementarily described with reference to FIG. Fig. 2 (a) is a front view before extrusion, in which the extrusion tool 3 is in the upper initial position, the food 1 is on the upper surface of the lower heating plate 4A, and the wrapping paper 2 is on both horizontal portions of the upper end of the guide 40. It is placed, the solenoid valve 15 is in the ON state, the pedestal 11 is at the upper limit position, and supports the wrapping paper 2 from below.

FIG. 2 (b) is a front view of the extrusion tool 3 during extrusion.
Lowers to stack the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 on top of each other, and sandwiches the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 between them to prevent the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 from being displaced,
Against the upward bias of the cradle 11, it further descends while maintaining its sandwiched state. Although the lower space of the cylinder 13 is compressed as the pedestal 11 descends, its air pressure is reduced by the throttle 14
Is maintained at the set value by the safety function of, and the upward biasing force against the pedestal 11 is kept constant.

FIG. 2 (c) is a front view after extrusion, in which the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are clamped by the extrusion tool 3 and the pedestal 11 and descend along the guide 40 while being bent into a V shape. The extrusion ends when the platform 11 stops at the lower limit position. At this stage, it is possible to move to the next horizontal transfer process as described above. After that, the solenoid valve 15 is turned on based on the return command (see FIG. 1 (a)), the air pressure is introduced into the cylinder 13, the pedestal 11 is raised, and can be returned to the initial upper limit position (see FIG. 2 ( See a)).

The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 (a) is a front view and FIG. 3 (b) is a side view. The second embodiment is functionally the same as the first embodiment except for one additional function, and is structurally different. The additional function is that the wrapping paper is sucked and held only on the pedestal (until it is clamped with the pusher) at the initial stage, and the risk of the initial displacement of the wrapping paper is reliably prevented. Now, regarding the structure,
A shaft 22 as a movable body in the present invention is erected upright via two upper and lower bearings 23 and supported so as to be movable in the axial direction thereof, and a pedestal 21 is provided at the top end of the shaft 22. Shaft 22 has a hole near its upper end that runs perpendicular to the axis.
22a is provided, and is biased upward through the attached compression coil spring 24. Further, the rod-shaped locking member 26 can be horizontally driven by the solenoid 25 (driven to the left when energized, and biased to the right by an unsigned spring when de-energized), and its tip is an axis. It can be fitted into 22 holes 22a. Therefore, the locking tool 26 is fitted in the hole 22a to block the shaft 22, and is released from the hole 22a by driving the solenoid 25, so that the shaft 22 can be energized by the spring 24. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the pedestal 21 has suction holes 27 penetrating vertically at two places on the left and right. The suction hole 27 is connected to a vacuum pump via a pipe (not shown) to form a vacuum suction portion, and the wrapping paper 2 on the upper surface of the pedestal 21 can be suction-held.

Each operation stage of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 (a) is a front view before extrusion, in which the extruder 3 is in the upper initial position, the food 1 is on the upper surface of the lower heating plate 4A, and the wrapping paper 2 is on both horizontal portions of the upper end of the guide 40. It is placed, and at the same time, the pedestal 21 is at the upper limit position to support the wrapping paper 2 from below,
It is possible to surely prevent the risk of initial misalignment by suction-holding through 27 (see FIG. 3 (b)).

FIG. 4 (b) is a front view of the extrusion tool 3 during extrusion.
Is lowered and the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are overlapped with each other, and the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are prevented from being displaced from each other by sandwiching them between the receiving table 21 and
Against the upward bias by the spring 24 of the pedestal 21, it further descends while maintaining its sandwiched state. At this time, the shaft 22 can slide down the tip of the locking tool 26 that contacts the outer peripheral surface thereof.

FIG. 4 (c) is a front view after extrusion, in which the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are sandwiched between the extrusion tool 3 and the pedestal 21 and are lowered along the guide 40 while being bent into a V-shape to be received. At the lower limit position of the table 21, the tip of the locking tool 26 is fitted into the hole 22a to stop the shaft 22, and when the shaft 22 is stopped, the extrusion is completed. Next, at the stage where the return of the pushing tool 3 to the initial position is completed, it is possible to move to the next horizontal transfer step as described above. After that, the solenoid 25
Is excited, the locking tool 26 is driven to the right, the tip of the locking tool 26 disengages from the hole 22a, and the shaft 22 is energized by the spring 24.
Can rise and return to the initial upper limit position (see Fig. 4 (a)).

The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5A is a front view of the third embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a side view thereof. In the third embodiment, a guide is composed of a pair of movable plates that open and close in a rotary manner. The movable plates are pushed downward in a V-shape against the urging force as the food and wrapping paper are pushed out. Is configured as a stationary form. In FIG. 5 (a), the guide 30 is composed of a pair of left and right shafts 32 that are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and horizontal.
And a movable plate 31 rotatably supported thereabout, and a twisting (not shown) attached around the shaft 32 for urging each movable plate 31 in a direction to bring the movable plate 31 to the closed position indicated by the horizontal solid line. It is composed of a spring and a stopper for horizontal positioning. The pedestal 41 is a stationary type and is the same as in the conventional example.

Each operation stage of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 (a) is a front view before extrusion, in which the extrusion tool 3 is in the upper initial position, the food 1 is on the upper surface of the lower heating plate 4A, and the wrapping paper 2 is a horizontal pair which is closed in a horizontal position. Mounted on the upper surface of the movable plate 31. FIG. 6 (b) is a front view during extrusion, in which the extrusion tool 3 descends and the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are overlapped and pushed out. With this extrusion, each movable plate 31 is resisted against the rotational bias of the torsion spring. And push open. Therefore, between the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2, the frictional resistance force based on the rotational urging acts on each of the left and right sides of the fold, and mutual displacement can be prevented.

FIG. 6 (c) is a front view after extrusion, in which the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2 are movable plates 31 on the left and right as the extruder 3 descends.
Is bent into a V-shape while being further pushed open against the rotational bias by the torsion spring, and is pressed against the upper surface of the pedestal 41 to complete the extrusion. Moreover, during the entire extrusion period, a frictional resistance force based on the rotational urging force of the movable plate 31 is exerted between the food material 1 and the wrapping paper 2 on the left and right sides of the fold, and mutual displacement can be prevented. Now, after the extrusion is completed, as described above, the process proceeds to the next process, that is, the holding process for horizontally transferring the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2. Next, the extrusion tool 3 moves up and returns to the initial position, and the food 1 and the wrapping paper 2
After the transfer process is performed, the movable plates 31 return to the initial horizontal position by the biasing of rotation (see FIG. 6 (a)).

[0025]

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be expected. (1) Since the food material and the packaging material are overlapped and folded and extruded along the guide while being sandwiched between the extrusion tool and the cradle from the initial stage, the positional deviation between the two that may occur in the process is prevented, As a result, the quality of food packaging can be maintained and improved. Further, since it is structurally composed of a pneumatic operation cylinder mechanism, or a movable body, a spring and a locking tool, a more appropriate design according to the surrounding conditions can be made by selecting the structure. Further, since the cradle can hold the packaging material by the vacuum suction portion on the upper surface, there is no risk of the packaging material being displaced in the initial stage, which helps prevent the positional displacement between the food material and the packaging material. (2) A pair of rotating open / close type movable plates are used as guides, and the movable plate is opened in a V-shape against the bias in the process of pushing out food and packaging materials, so that the pedestal is fixed and structured. In addition, the frictional force acts between the food and the packaging material due to the urging of the movable plate, so that the positional displacement between the food and the packaging material is prevented, and the quality of the food packaging can be maintained and improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view and (b) is a side view of a first embodiment according to the present invention.

2A to 2C are front views before extrusion, FIG. 2B is a front view during extrusion, and FIG. 2C is a front view after extrusion.

FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a side view of the second embodiment.

[Fig. 4] Regarding each operation stage of the second embodiment, (a) is a front view before extrusion, (b) is a front view during extrusion, and (c) is a front view after extrusion.

FIG. 5A is a front view and FIG. 5B is a side view of the third embodiment.

6A and 6B are (a) a front view before extrusion, (b) a front view during extrusion, and (c) a front view after extrusion, in relation to each operation stage of the third embodiment.

7A and 7B are front views and side views of a conventional example.

[Fig. 8] Regarding each operation stage of the conventional example, (a) is a front view before extrusion, (b) is a front view during extrusion, and (c) is a front view after extrusion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Food Material 2 Wrapping Paper 3 Extruder 3a Elevating Axis 4A Lower Heating Plate 4B Upper Heating Plate 5 Gripping Tool 6 Gripping / Transfer Tool 10 Operation Cylinder Mechanism 11 Cradle 12 Axis 13 Cylinder 14 Throttle 15 Solenoid Valve 16 Limit Switch 17 Detecting Piece 21 Cradle 22 Shaft 22a Hole 23 Bearing 24 Spring 25 Solenoid 26 Locking tool 27 Adsorption hole 30 Guide 31 Movable plate 32 Shaft

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A flexible plate-like food material placed horizontally is superposed on a paper-like packaging material placed horizontally below it by means of a strip-plate-like extruding tool which is vertically lowered in the width direction and is used as a guide. An auxiliary device that pushes downward while bending it in a V shape along a horizontal pedestal that sandwiches the food material and the packaging material between the extruding tool and the pedestal; A movable body that can be moved up and down between upper and lower limits; an urging means that urges the movable body upward; and a locking means that holds and releases the movable body at the lower limit position. A device for assisting the extrusion of food. 2. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, wherein the movable body, the urging means, and the locking means are entirely configured as a pneumatic operation cylinder mechanism, and the movable body is provided on the piston shaft.
A food material extrusion assisting device, wherein the urging means corresponds to the introduction air pressure for raising the piston, and the locking means corresponds to a valve for turning on / off the introduction of the air pressure. 3. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing means is a spring, and the locking means is a locking tool that is driven to lock and unlock the movable body. Extrusion assisting device. 4. The assisting device for pushing out foodstuffs according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pedestal is provided with a vacuum suction portion for holding a packaging material on an upper surface thereof. apparatus. 5. A flexible plate-like food placed horizontally is constituted by a pair of movable plates which are opened and closed by a strip plate-like extruding tool which is vertically lowered in the width direction and which is initially horizontal. It is an auxiliary device that overlaps with a paper-like wrapping material placed on a guide in a closed position, bends it into a V shape with the opening of its movable plate, pushes it downward, and finally presses it against a stationary horizontal pedestal. , Each movable plate forming a guide includes an axis that is included in a horizontal plane formed at the time of initial closing and that is parallel and equidistant to each side surface of the extrusion tool, and is rotatable around each axis. Is urged toward the closed position of the food material extrusion assisting device.