JPS5848270Y2 - Tray separation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tray separating device, and more particularly, to a separating device that separates trays stacked in multiple stages by separating them one by one from below.

Note that the term "tray" refers to a container made of paper, plastic, etc., and here specifically refers to a container having edges called ears.

Recently, not only side dishes and vegetables, but also foods such as sweets are being sold in packages, due to advances in packaging technology, widespread awareness of hygiene, and the need to maintain freshness.

This packaging generally involves wrapping the food directly in paper or plastic sheets, or placing the food in a tray made of plastic or paper, and then wrapping the whole thing in a plastic sheet, but especially in the latter case, In order to fill and package trays in a series of lines, it is necessary to feed the trays continuously.

In this case, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1, the trays 1 are stacked one on top of the other in multiple stages, and the thin blade-shaped separating pieces 2 facing both sides of the stacked trays 1 are placed in the lowermost tray as shown by arrow A. Insert the separation piece 2 between the edge 1e of the tray 1a, which is called the ear, and the edge 1e of the tray 1b above it.
is engaged with the ears 1e of the lowermost tray 1a, and moved in the direction of arrow B to separate only the lowermost tray 1. After separation by such a device, this tray 1 is transferred to the filling line and packaging line. supplying the line.

However, with the above devices, it is difficult to separate the trays smoothly and efficiently.

The reason for this is that the above separation device assumes that the trays are stacked in alignment and that the ears are of equal size, and this assumption is quite different from reality.

In other words, it is practically impossible to stack all the trays in an evenly spaced and aligned state, and during the separation process, some trays will inevitably tilt and become misaligned. If the distance between the upper tray and the lower tray becomes incorrect, the separating piece can no longer follow this condition, so there is a disadvantage in separating two or more trays at a time.

This is further exacerbated by uneven tray ear dimensions.

That is, due to molding reasons, each tray has slightly different ear dimensions and is irregular.

Therefore, even a slight inconsistency may occur in the stacking, such as stacking trays with different ear sizes in a tiered manner, stacking trays with long ears and trays with short ears, or stacking both trays with long ears. If the spacing on one side of the tray is too wide and the spacing on the other side is too narrow,
For this reason, it may become impossible to insert the separation piece into the narrowly spaced side.

In this case as well, there is a drawback that a plurality of trays are separated as described above.

In addition to the above, there is also a separation method in which the separation pieces are not shaped like thin blades but are shaped like teeth on a gear, and while the separation pieces are rotated, the tray at the bottom is hooked and pulled apart one by one. A system has also been proposed and implemented, but this system suffers from the same drawbacks as described above, since it relies on the trays being stacked in alignment and having equal ears.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks and to propose a tray separating device that can easily and reliably separate stacked trays, regardless of the polymerization state of the trays or the irregularity of their ears. do.

That is, the present invention has an elastic clamping surface that moves toward or away from the trays at right angles to the stacking direction of the stacked trays. It is characterized by comprising a clamping means for biting and clamping the edge of the tray, and a separating means for separating the endmost tray thus clamped.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In addition, FIG. 2 is a side view of a separating device showing one example of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the operation of the stopper of the separating device, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the contact area between the roller and the tray. be.

First, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 is a frame body, and the bottom of this frame body 10 is opened to be in an open state.

Trays 1 are stacked and stored in this frame 10.

Note that the frame 10 may have a rod shape and be provided around the tray 1 at regular intervals, or it may be a plate shape and surround the tray 1.
In either case, it is preferable that the diameter be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tray 1.

When framed in this way, the trays 1 are guided by the frame body 10 and fit into a predetermined position, so that they are normally stacked in alignment.

Next, in order to support the tray 1 within the frame 10 so that it does not fall, means for supporting the tray 1 is provided at the bottom of the frame 10.

This support means supports the tray 1 and also supports the tray 1.
When separating, the supporting state is released, and it is usually constructed as a stopper as shown in Fig. 3.

That is, the stopper 11 has an L-shaped arm 12 facing each other with the tray 1 in between, and this arm 12 is fixed to a support rod 13, which supports the tray 1 and rotates the support rod 13 ( (not shown) rotates in the direction of the arrow in certain cases to release the support of the tray 1.

This constant case refers to the time when the lower tray 1 is being held between other members as will be described later. In this holding state, the lowermost tray is separated downward, and therefore the stopper causes the tray to Support needs to be released.

After the tray is separated, the arm 12 is closed again to support the tray 1.

Note that the stopper 11 may be configured in any manner as long as it can support the tray 1 in a releasable manner in certain cases, and is not limited to the above structure.

Next, a clamping means for separably clamping the lowermost tray is provided near the lower tray.

In the present invention, at least the lower trays including the lowermost tray are clamped by the clamping means, and only the lowermost tray is separated by being pulled downward while all trays other than the lowermost tray are clamped.

Therefore, the holding means may be of any type as long as it has such a function, but it is usually constructed as follows.

That is, FIG. 2 shows an arrangement in which the clamping means is a roller 14.14.

The rollers 14, 14 are opposed to each other via the lower tray 1,
It rotates around the shaft 14a, and at right angles to the stacking direction of the trays 1 by a reciprocating means (not shown), that is,
It is configured to simultaneously move in the directions of the arrows in FIG. 2 to approach or move away from the tray 1.

The movement relationship between the arm 12 of the stopper 11 and the roller 14 is adjusted as follows.

That is, when the arm 12 of the stopper 11 is closed, the roller 14 is kept separated from the tray 1;
When the roller 14 is brought closer to the center and the tray 1 is held at its upper part (the shaded area in FIG. 2), the arm 1
2 is configured to open.

When separating the trays 1, the lowest tray 1a of the clamped trays 1 is pulled downward to separate them.

Since the trays are stacked one on top of the other at small intervals in this way, the rollers 14 usually clamp a plurality of trays 1 at the same time.

In this case, even if there is an inconsistency in the stacking of trays 1 or the ears 1e of the trays 1 are not aligned, the clamping means needs to reliably clamp each tray 1 regardless of this. Preferably, the holding means is made of an elastic material such as soft plastic or rubber.

That is, if the roller 14 is too hard, the dimensions of the ears may be uneven, and the outer diameter of the tray may therefore be different.
Or if the stacking is misaligned, roller 1
4 cannot reliably hold the tray 1, so the tray 1 separates irregularly.

On the other hand, if the rollers 14 are made of an elastic material such as soft plastic or rubber, even if the dimensions of the ears of the trays 1 are uneven or the trays are stacked inconsistently, each Since the trays 1 are deeply wedged into the clamping surfaces of the rollers 14, the uneven portions are absorbed by the rollers 14, and each tray 1 is securely clamped by the clamping surfaces of the rollers 14, and even when separated, two or more trays 1 are held at the same time. There is no risk of separation.

In addition, in connection with this, since the clamping means separably clamps only the lowest one of the plurality of trays clamped from below, the trays other than the lowest tray are equivalent to or equal to the lowest tray. Therefore, it is preferable that the tray clamping surfaces of the clamping means are parallel or have a lower part narrower than the upper part, in other words, an inverted eight-shaped cross section.

In this respect, if the clamping means is constructed in the form of rollers, the shaded portions of each roller 14.14 that clamp the tray 1 are inclined inward as shown in the figure, so that the pair of rollers 14.
．． 14 is advantageously formed into a lower aperture.

In this way, the clamping means is not limited to a cylindrical roller, as long as the clamping surface of the tray 1 is parallel or has an inverted eight-shaped cross-section with the downwardly narrowed section. It can be configured in any shape or plate shape.

Furthermore, if the tray is round, the holding means may be shaped like a funnel.

Note that when the rollers 14, 14 clamp the tray 1,
Since the plurality of trays 1 are received in the shaded area in FIG. 2, the rollers 14, 14 do not rotate.

However, when the lowest tray 1a is pulled downward, the rollers 14 rotate slightly inward about the shaft 14a.

Similarly, when the next lowest tray 1b is separated downward,
Roller 14 rotates slightly.

In this way, the roller 14 rotates slightly each time a tray is separated, so that the surface of the roller 14 can be prevented from being worn out and its life can be extended.

In this embodiment, a rubber roller is used as the clamping means, but in the present invention, the clamping means clamps trays with uneven ears and also clamps lower trays including the lowest tray. However, all trays other than the lowest tray are held in place and only the lowest tray is pulled downward and separated.

Therefore, the clamping means is not limited to the above-mentioned cylindrical roller as long as it is made of an elastic body, and the tray holder has parallel surfaces or an inverted 8-shaped cross section with the downwardly narrowed part. It may be in the shape of a cylinder or a cylinder cut along or parallel to the axis, or it may be spherical, or it may be configured as a plate.

Furthermore, when the tray is not rectangular as shown in the drawings but is round, the holding means may be configured in a funnel shape.

Furthermore, in FIG.
1 is shown, the holding means 14 may be provided on any side as long as it can hold the lower tray 1, and the number of holding means 14 is also limited. Not done.

For example, they can be disposed on the same side as the arm 11, or they can be disposed on all sides of the tray 1.

Next, the manner of use of the device of the present invention having the above configuration will be explained.

(1) First, when the separation operation is not performed, the stacked trays 1 are supported by the stopper 11, and the rollers 14 are kept separated from the trays 1.

(2) Next, when separating the tray 1, the rollers 14, 14 are brought close to the position where the ears of the tray 1 are caught in the roller 14, and the tray 1 is held between them.

At this time, trays 1 overlap with a small interval, so
Normally, the rollers 14 clamp a plurality of trays 1 at the same time.

(3) Open the arm 12 of the stopper 11 to release the lower part of the tray 1.

(4) Next, pull the lowest tray 1a in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 to separate it from the other trays.

As the separating means, it is sufficient to use a normal suction cup, a vacuum type suction plate, etc., and to have a structure in which the tray 1a is sucked into the lower part, side, etc., and separated.

However, the separating means is not limited to this, and any means may be used as long as it separates the tray 1a, such as by gripping and separating the tray 1a.

When the tray 1a is pulled by the above separating means, the roller 14 is made of a soft elastic material, so even if the trays 1 are stacked incorrectly or the dimensions of the ears of the trays 1 are different, the roller 14 is made of a soft elastic body. Also, the ears 1e of the trays 1a, 1b, . . . held between the rollers 14,
4, only the lowest tray 1a is pulled, and the others are securely held by the rollers 14, so they will not be separated together with the tray 1a.

(5)) After the tray 1a is separated, the arm 12 of the stopper 11 is closed again to support the tray 1, and the roller 14 is separated from the tray 1.

As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably separate trays one by one even if the trays are not stacked one on top of the other in a consistent manner or even if the edges of the trays are not aligned. can.

Although the above description has mainly been about a device that separates trays from below, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. As long as it separates the parts, it can also be configured as a device that can separate from above or from the side, for example.

In addition, although the above description mainly concerns trays filled with foods such as sweets, the present invention is not limited to such trays, and can be applied to any tray made of plastic, paper, etc. It can also be applied when separating.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of a conventional separation device, Fig. 2 is a side view of a tray separation device according to the present invention, Fig. 3 is an illustration of the operation of a stopper of the separation device, and Fig. 4 is a roller FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the contact area between the tray and the tray. Code, 1...Tray, 1e...Ear part,
2... Separation piece, 10... Frame body, 11.
...Stopper, 12...Arm, 13.
...Support rod, 14...Roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] comprising a clamping surface having elasticity and moving toward or away from the stacking direction of the stacked trays at right angles to each other;
Furthermore, when the tray approaches the gripping surface, at least the end edge of the tray at the end is inserted into the gripping surface, and the separating means separates the tray at the end that is held in this way. Tray separation device.