KR102547832B1 - Food container clamping device - Google Patents

Abstract

A food that is placed on a food packaging conveyor that covers an inverted container on food and mounts it on a conveying surface and inverts the conveying surface up and down in a U-shaped curved section to seat the food in the container, fixing the container or food detachably on the conveying surface A container holding device is provided. The food container fixing device is a finger movably coupled to the conveying surface of the conveyor for food packaging, a guide rail disposed along the travel path along which the conveying surface of the conveyor for food packaging moves, one side connected to the finger and the other side connected to the guide rail It includes a finger driving bar that moves along and a finger driving unit formed on the guide rail and moving the finger by adjusting the position of the finger driving bar on at least one side of the guide rail.

Description

Food container clamping device {Food container clamping device}

The present invention relates to food packaging technology for packaged food, and more particularly, to a food container fixing device for fixing a food container or food being packaged in a food packaging process.

Instant foods (or other types of processed foods, etc.) can be prepared in a variety of ways. Various methods can be applied to the packaging process of packaging products during instant food manufacturing, and a container-integrated packaging method that provides a container that can be used when eating food is also widely used.

In the case of the container-integrated packaging method, a method of packaging by putting the contents in a disposable container made of plastic or the like is applied. This packaging method accompanies the process of transporting containers and loading food to mass-manufacture products. A conventional method of dropping food in a container while transporting the container by a conveyor has been frequently used (eg, Korean Patent No. 10-1610696, etc.).

However, other methods are also being studied to simplify the process, for example, a method of automating the loading process by simultaneously inverting the contents (food) and the container upside down using a conveyor with a curved section instead of a straight conveyor is also being developed. In addition, various processes are being studied according to the shape of the food and the shape of the container.

In this study, problems such as the product being pushed in an unintended direction or falling off the conveyor due to the centrifugal force generated especially in the curved section may occur. Since these problems are difficult to solve with the prior art, an alternative was needed. In particular, it is difficult to fix the product while driving on a curved section and it is difficult to seat or fix the product on the conveyor during the process, so an alternative to it is needed.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1610696, (2016. 04. 08)

The technical problem of the present invention is to solve this problem, to provide a food container fixing device for fixing a food container or food being packaged in a food packaging process, thereby effectively fixing the product while driving in a curved section and processing It is to enable the product to be smoothly seated or fixed on the conveyor during operation.

The technical problem of the present invention is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

The food container fixing device according to the present invention is disposed on a conveyor for food packaging that covers an inverted container on food and mounts it on a conveying surface and inverts the conveying surface up and down in a U-shaped curved section to seat the food in the container, and the container or In the food container fixing device for detachably fixing the food on the conveying surface, a finger movably coupled to the conveying surface of the food packaging conveyor, a driving path along which the conveying surface of the food packaging conveyor moves A guide rail disposed along, one side connected to the finger and the other side formed on the finger driving bar and the guide rail moving along the guide rail, the position of the finger driving bar on at least one side of the guide rail And a finger driving unit for moving the finger by adjusting, wherein the finger is coupled to a rotating shaft perpendicular to the conveying surface of the food packaging conveyor and is rotated on the conveying surface, and the finger driving bar is the conveyor for food packaging. At the end of the drive arm and drive arm, which is rotatably coupled to the lower part of the conveying surface, is formed of an axis disposed perpendicular to the rotation axis, is connected to the guide rail by protruding at the end, and the position of the end is changed by the operation of the finger drive unit A movable rail formed so that a portion of the guide rail is segmented and movable in a direction crossing the guide rail, and the movable rail is connected to the guide rail at a first position and the guide rail and a driving cylinder that moves between a second position shifted from U, wherein the guide rail is formed to correspond to the U-shaped curved section and keeps the finger in a fixed state while the conveying surface passes through the U-shaped curved section. Further comprising a guide groove into which the curved portion and the end insertion portion are inserted, and when the movable rail is moved to be coupled with the guide rail, the finger driving bar is rotated and the finger rotates in the direction of locking the container, and moves downward And when it is separated from the guide rail, the finger driving bar can be rotated and the finger can be rotated in the direction of unlocking the container.

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The movable rail may be formed at least one of a front end and a rear end of the U-shaped curved part.

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Some of the plurality of fingers may be connected to the axis of rotation of an adjacent finger through a link so that the operation may be synchronized.

The finger driving bar is rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the conveying surface of the food packaging conveyor and is formed of a shaft disposed perpendicular to the rotating shaft, and one end between the rotating shaft and the finger driving bar is connected to the rotating shaft The eccentric coupling and the other end may further include a rotation conversion link that is eccentrically coupled to the finger driving bar to convert rotation of the finger driving bar into rotation of the rotation shaft.

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The food packaging conveyor may be formed of a chain conveyor disposed on at least one side of the U-shaped curved section, and the conveying surface may be formed as one surface of a conveying plate moving along a chain of the chain conveyor.

According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively fix products on the move in an automatic packaging process of packaged food. In particular, even if there is a difference in the size of the container and the food loaded in the container, either can be fixed, and the product can be prevented from falling off by centrifugal force in the curved section with a simple and effective fixing structure. In addition, since the product is fixed and released at an appropriate point according to the section of the conveyor, detailed processes of loading the product on the conveyor, safely passing through the curved section, and discharging from the discharge point can be carried out more conveniently.

1 is a perspective view showing a food container fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a food packaging conveyor.
2 is a perspective view showing a food container fixing device in a state in which the conveying surface of the conveyor for food packaging is moved downward.
Figure 3 is a view showing the side rail structure of the food container fixing device of Figure 1;
4 is a plan view of the food container fixing device and the food packaging conveyor of FIG. 1;
5 to 10 are operational diagrams illustrating the configuration and operation of a food container fixing device disposed on a conveying surface of a food packaging conveyor.
11 is a perspective view showing the operating principle of a finger and a pusher of a food container fixing device disposed on a transfer surface.
12 is a view showing movable points of a finger driving unit disposed on a guide rail.
13 and 14 are perspective views showing the operation of the finger together with the rail structure.
15 is a process chart illustrating a process arrangement of a food packaging conveyor and a food container fixing device.
16 to 18 are operational diagrams illustrating a process in which food and containers are loaded onto the conveying surface before the conveying surface enters a curved section.
FIG. 19 is an operation diagram showing a finger fixing operation of a food container when the conveying surface passes through a curved section.
20 is an operation diagram illustrating an operation of discharging an upside down container and food after the conveying surface passes through a curved section.

Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described through examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Without needing to be limited to the following examples, the present invention can be implemented in many forms. However, the present embodiments are provided to support the present invention so that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, the present invention is only It is only defined by the claims. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

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Hereinafter, a food container fixing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20 . In this embodiment, since the food container fixing device is installed on the food packaging conveyor and can be used with a food position control structure for adjusting the position of food in the container, the food container fixing device and the food position control structure will be described below.

1 is a perspective view showing a food container holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a food packaging conveyor, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a food container holding device in a state in which the conveying surface of the food packaging conveyor is moved downward. 3 is a view showing the side rail structure of the food container fixing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the food container fixing device of FIG. 1 and a food packaging conveyor.

1 to 4, the food container fixing device 1 is disposed on the food packaging conveyor 10. The food container fixing device 1 includes a finger 100, a guide rail 200, a finger driving bar 300, and a finger driving unit 400, but the finger 100 and the finger driving bar 300 are food It is installed on the conveying surface 11 side of the packaging conveyor 10, and the guide rail 200 is disposed along the travel path along which the conveying surface 11 moves. The finger driving unit 400 is formed to manipulate the finger 100 by moving the finger driving bar 300 on the guide rail 200 .

The food container fixing device 1 may fix the food A or the container B to the conveying surface 11 using the fingers 100 disposed on the conveying surface 11 . Although the finger 100 is disposed on the transfer surface 11, the finger driving bar 300 maintains or changes the state of the finger 100 while moving along the guide rail 200, so that different points where the guide rail is extended It is possible to fix the food (A) or the container (B) by performing the fixing operation at . In addition, it maintains a fixed state in the curved section and can pass through the curved section without problems.

The finger driving unit 400 can frequently change the finger 100 to a locked state or an unlocked state at different positions of the guide rail 200 . Therefore, at any necessary point (e.g., food drop point, container mounting point, product discharge point, etc.), the finger 100 is moved at any time to fix the input food or container to the transfer surface 11, and the product after the reverse operation is discharged to the outside It is possible.

In addition, since the finger 100 firmly fixes the container in a rotational locking method rather than a simple fixing method, the product can be fixed to the transfer surface 11 without problems even when centrifugal force acts due to acceleration in a curved section.

The food container fixing device 1 of the present invention is configured as follows. The food container fixing device 1 covers the container B overturned on the food A, mounts it on the transfer surface 11, and inverts the transfer surface 11 up and down in the U-shaped curve section so that the food is placed in the container B In the food container fixing device (1) disposed on the food packaging conveyor (10) for seating A) to detachably fix the container (B) or food (A) on the conveying surface (11), the food packaging conveyor A finger 100 movably coupled to the conveying surface 11 of (10), a guide rail 200 disposed along the traveling path along which the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 moves, one side A finger driving bar 300 connected to the finger 100 and the other side moving along the guide rail 200, and a finger driving bar formed on the guide rail 200 and at least one side of the guide rail 200 It includes a finger driving unit 400 that moves the finger 100 by adjusting the position of the finger 300 .

Adjusting the position of the finger driving bar 300 includes adjusting the rotational position (ie, rotation of the finger driving bar).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the finger driving unit 400 includes a movable rail (see 410 in FIG. 3) formed so that a part of the guide rail 200 can move in a direction crossing the guide rail 200. . In addition, the guide rail 200 is formed to correspond to the U-shaped curved section 10a of the food packaging conveyor 10, and while the conveying surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a, the finger 100 is fixed. It may include a U-shaped curved portion 201 to be maintained (same as a locked state described later). In addition, the finger 100 may be coupled to a rotation axis perpendicular to the transfer surface 11 (see 110 in FIG. 5) and rotated on the transfer surface 11, and at least a portion of the finger 100 is rotated at the center of the rotation shaft 110. It is formed in a pierced bar shape, both ends move in opposite directions to each other and can simultaneously fix a plurality of foods (A) or containers (B).

On the other hand, the food packaging conveyor 10 may also be formed with a food position control structure for adjusting the position of the food (A) in the container (B). The food position control structure is, for example, a pusher 500 coupled through the conveying surface 11, an auxiliary guide rail 600 disposed along the travel path along which the conveying surface 11 moves, and one side of the pusher ( 500) and the other side may include a driving bar 700 that moves along an operating groove formed in the auxiliary guide rail 600 and drives the pusher 500 by a cam action.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the guide rail 200 and the auxiliary guide rail 500 may be formed in the form of a track or track capable of moving the driving bar 300 and the finger driving bar 300, respectively. For example, the auxiliary guide rails 600 may be disposed on the inside and the guide rails 200 on the outside so as not to cross or overlap each other.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operational effects of the present invention will be described in more detail based on such an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the food packaging conveyor 10 to which the present invention is applied will be briefly described. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , the food packaging conveyor 10 may include a chain 13 and a conveying surface 11 formed between the chains 13 . The food packaging conveyor 10 may have a conveying surface 11 connected between a pair of chains 13 . Although only a portion of the conveying surface 11 is shown to show the interior of the conveyor, the conveying surface 11 may be disposed throughout the chain 13 . The conveying surface 11 in the drawing is a part thereof.

For example, the conveying surface 11 may correspond to a surface formed by a conveyor belt in a normal conveyor. The transfer surface 11 is a surface on which food and containers of the food packaging conveyor 10 are seated. Although not necessarily limited to this, for example, the food packaging conveyor 10 is formed of a chain conveyor having a U-shaped curved section 10a on at least one side, and the conveying surface 11 carries the chain 13 of the chain conveyor. It may be formed as one side of the transfer plate 14 moving along.

The transfer plate 14 connects the chains 13 to form a transfer surface 11 between the chains 13 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The transfer surface 11 may be formed as an outer surface of the transfer plate 14 . When the chain 13 operates and the transfer plate 14 moves along the chain 13, the transfer surface 11 also travels along the chain 13. The travel path of the conveying surface 11 corresponds to the path along which the chain 13 extends.

However, it is not necessary to be limited thereto, and in another embodiment, the conveyor for food packaging may be formed of another type of conveyor such as a belt conveyor. In such a case a conveying surface may be formed on the belt. If necessary, a part of the conveyor may be appropriately modified so that the roller or the like in contact with the belt does not interfere with the arrangement of the food container fixing device 1. The conveying surface may be formed in various shapes through partial deformation of the conveyor.

The food packaging conveyor 10 includes a U-shaped curved section 10a on at least one side. As shown in the drawing, the U-shaped curved section 10a may be a section in which a part of the conveyor is bent up and down. Therefore, when passing through the U-shaped curved section 10a, the transfer surface 11 is upside down, and the food A and the container B placed on the transfer surface 11 are also upside down.

Therefore, the food packaging conveyor 10 covers the overturned container B on the food A and mounts it on the transfer surface 11 (see FIG. 8), and the transfer surface 11 is upside down in a U-shaped curved section 10a. (see FIG. 2), the food (A) can be placed in the container (B). The shape of the food packaging conveyor 10 may be modified to other shapes within the limit of such an action.

In this embodiment, the food packaging conveyor 10 in the form of an endless track is exemplified. Therefore, the travel path of the transfer surface 11 can be formed as a closed track, and the transfer surface 11 can be repeatedly rotated periodically along the travel path while repeating vertical inversion. In this embodiment, the food packaging conveyor 10 has an upper straight section (see 10c in FIG. 3), a lower straight section (see 10d in FIG. 3), and an upper straight section in symmetry with the U-shaped curved section 10a (see FIG. 3). 10c) and a U-shaped return section 10b connecting the lower straight section 10d may be further included. In this embodiment, the description proceeds based on the food packaging conveyor 10 of this type.

The food packaging conveyor 10 inverts the food A and the container B up and down so that the food A is seated in the container B. That is, instead of simply transporting the container as in the past, an inverted container (B) (which may be a cup-shaped container with an inlet facing the conveying surface) is covered on top of the food (A) and mounted on the conveying surface 11, and the U-shaped curve as shown in FIG. In the section 10a, the container B and the food A are simultaneously inverted in such a way that the conveying surface 11 is vertically inverted. Therefore, the container (B), which was initially inverted, is arranged in a normal state after inverting, and the food (A) is normally loaded into the container (B). The food container fixing device 1 of the present invention is used to fix food (A) or container (B) to a conveying surface when manufacturing packaged food in which food is loaded in the container in this way.

Although not necessarily limited thereto, for example, the food (A) is of a type that can be loaded into the container (B), such as instant noodles, and the container (B) may be a cup-shaped container (B) with an open top.

5 to 10 are operational diagrams showing the configuration and operation of the food container fixing device disposed on the conveying surface of the conveyor for food packaging, and FIG. 11 is the operating principle of the finger and pusher of the food container fixing device disposed on the conveying surface. It is a perspective view showing

Hereinafter, the configuration of the food container fixing device will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11 . Configurations disposed on the transfer surface side are described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11 , and a rail structure including guide rails is described with reference to FIG. 3 . The overall operation of the device while moving along the rail will be described in more detail later.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the finger 100 is movably coupled to the transfer surface 11 . The finger 100 may be coupled to the rotation shaft 110 perpendicular to the transfer surface 11 and rotated on the transfer surface 11 . Since the finger 100 contacts the food (A) or container (B) by rotation, it can be fixed without problems even if the size of the food (A) or container (B) is different as long as it is within the rotation range. The finger 100 may be formed in a bar shape through which the rotational shaft 110 passes through the center.

The finger 100 may be formed in plurality. At least a portion of the finger 100 is formed in a bar shape through which the rotating shaft 110 passes through the center, so that both ends move in opposite directions to each other, and a plurality of foods A or containers B can be simultaneously fixed (FIG. 9 reference). That is, even if the finger 100 rotates in one direction, it extends in both directions of the rotation shaft 110, so that when both ends move in opposite directions, different foods (A) or containers (B) can be fixed. Some of the fingers 100 located at both ends of the transfer surface 11 may be formed in a bar shape extending only in one direction from the rotation shaft 110 because both sides do not need to be fixed.

The finger 100 is connected to the finger driving bar 300 and moves by the operation of the finger driving bar 300 . Referring to FIG. 11, the connection structure between the finger 100 and the finger driving bar 300 will be described in more detail. 11 (a) and (b) show the lower structure of the transfer surface 11 viewed from opposite sides.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 11 , the plurality of fingers 100 may be respectively connected as shown in the finger driving bar 300 . That is, a plurality of fingers 100 are connected to different positions of one finger driving bar 300 so that the fingers 100 can operate at once. If necessary, some of the plurality of fingers 100 may be connected to the rotation axis 110 of the adjacent finger 100 and the link 120 to synchronize the operation.

The connection structure of the link 120 is shown in (a) of FIG. The link 120 may be connected between the two second connection arms 112 protruding in the radial direction from each of the rotation shafts 110 of the two adjacent fingers 100 . Both ends of the link 120 by the second connection arm 112 are coupled eccentrically spaced from the center of rotation of the two rotation shafts 110, respectively. As a result, when one rotation shaft 110 rotates, displacement occurs in the second connection arm 112, and thus rotation corresponding to the displacement can be generated in the other rotation shaft 110. That is, when the rotating shaft 110 rotates, the link 120 is pulled in the rotational direction, and by rotating the other rotating shaft 110, at least two fingers 100 connected to the link 120 can be operated simultaneously (FIG. 9 see arrow).

A connection structure using such a link can be very advantageous in avoiding an obstacle when there is an obstacle below the transfer surface 11 . For example, as will be described later, a connecting bar 530 connecting the plurality of pushers 500 is disposed, and a lifting guide 531 guiding the lifting of the connecting bar 530 is formed, so that the finger 100 and the finger drive Part of the space between the bars 300 may be blocked. Even in such a case, if the link 120 is connected in a detour connection method, the motions of the fingers 100 can be synchronized without any problems.

The finger driving bar 300 may operate the finger 100 by transmitting rotational force. The position of the finger driving bar 300 is changed by a finger driving unit 400 to be described later, and thus the finger 100 can be driven. The change of position may include rotation (ie, change of rotational position or generation of rotational displacement). The finger driving bar 300 may be formed as a rotatable shaft.

Specifically, the finger driving bar 300 may be rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the transport surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor and formed as a shaft disposed perpendicular to the rotational axis 110 of the finger 100. The finger driving bar 300 may be rotatably coupled to the support 15 under the transfer plate 14 forming the transfer surface 11 . Due to this, the finger driving bar 300 may be formed as a rotation shaft (rotation shaft arranged perpendicular to the rotation axis of the finger) passing through the center in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 11, the rotation axis 110 of the finger 100 is arranged perpendicular to the conveying surface 11, and the finger driving bar 300 is parallel to the conveying surface 11. there is. The rotation axis 110 of the finger 100 and the finger driving bar 300 are disposed perpendicular to each other, and rotation between the two axes may be transmitted by the rotation conversion link 320.

The rotation conversion link 320 is formed between the rotation shaft 110 and the finger driving bar 300. One end of the rotation conversion link 320 is eccentrically coupled to the rotating shaft 110 and the other end may be eccentrically coupled to a finger driving bar. For example, one end of the rotation conversion link 320 is connected to the first connection arm 111 protruding radially from the rotation shaft 110, and the other end protrudes radially from the finger driving bar 300. It may be connected to the third connection arm 321 . Accordingly, an eccentric coupling structure can be formed in which both ends are spaced apart from the rotational center of the rotating shaft 110 and the finger driving bar 300, respectively.

At this time, the eccentric coupling means that the connecting body (eg, rotation conversion link) is coupled to the rotation body (eg, finger driving bar), but the connection point (eg, the other end of the rotation conversion link) is the rotation body (eg, finger driving It means that it is spaced apart from the rotation center of the dragon bar).

When the finger driving bar 300 is rotated by this structure, displacement occurs at the other end of the rotation conversion link 320 spaced apart from the rotation center of the finger driving bar 300, and the other end and one end are pulled together ( See the arrow in Figure 11 (b)) Accordingly, one end of the pulled rotation conversion link 320 rotates the rotation shaft 110. In this way, it is possible to rotate the finger 100 by transmitting a rotational force to the rotation conversion link 320 having both ends eccentrically coupled to different axes.

Since joints are formed at both ends of the rotation conversion link 320, when the finger driving bar 300 rotates, it can be folded and folded while pulling or pushing. In particular, the rotation conversion link 320 may be disposed in a form in which joints formed at both ends are vertically twisted to each other. At both ends of the rotation conversion link 320, twisted shaft joints in which rotational surfaces are arranged perpendicular to each other are formed to connect between the mutually perpendicular rotational shaft 110 and the finger driving bar 300. Through this connection structure, rotational force can be transmitted between the rotation shaft 110 of the finger 100 and the finger driving bar 300.

At the end of the finger driving bar 300, the finger driving bar 300 protrudes in the radial direction of the axis formed by the finger driving bar 300 (that is, the rotational axis penetrating itself in the longitudinal direction), so that the end is a guide rail (see 200 in FIG. 3) to be described later. ) A drive arm 310 connected to may be formed. The driving arm 310 can rotate the finger driving bar 300 by changing the position of the distal end of the driving arm 310 by a finger driving unit (see 400 in FIG. 3 ) to be described later.

An end insertion part 311 inserted into the guide groove of the guide rail 200 may be formed at the end of the driving arm 310 of the finger driving bar 300, and the end insertion part 311 is a roller in rolling contact with the groove can include Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 3 , the guide rail 200 and the finger driving unit 400 formed on the guide rail 200 to adjust the position of the finger driving bar 300 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the guide rail 200 is disposed along the travel path along which the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 moves. As in the present embodiment, when the conveying surface 11 travels along the chain 13 in the form of an endless track, the guide rail 200 may also be formed in the form of a corresponding endless track. A guide groove 210 into which an end of the driving arm 310 of the finger driving bar 300 is inserted may be formed in a straight line in the guide rail 200 .

The guide rail 200 may include the following structure. The guide rail 200 is a U-shaped curved portion 201 disposed to correspond to the U-shaped curved section 10a of the food packaging conveyor 10, and the food packaging conveyor 10 on the opposite side of the U-shaped curved portion 201. A U-shaped return section 202 disposed to correspond to the U-shaped return section 10b, and an upper straight section 203 arranged to correspond to the upper straight section 10c and lower straight section 10d of the food packaging conveyor 10 ) and a lower straight portion 204. The guide rail 200 may be arranged so as not to cross or overlap with the auxiliary guide rail 600 .

The finger driving unit 400 is formed on the guide rail 200 and moves the finger 100 by adjusting the position of the finger driving bar on at least one side of the guide rail 200 . The finger driving unit 400 may include a structure for changing a rail on the guide rail 200 .

The finger driving unit 400 may include a movable rail 410 formed to move in a direction crossing the guide rail 200 by partially segmenting the guide rail 200 . That is, the finger driving unit 400 may be formed to manipulate the finger driving bar moving along the guide rail 200 by changing the guide rail 200 to the movable rail 410 .

The U-shaped curved portion 201 of the guide rail 200 is formed to correspond to the U-shaped curved section of the food packaging conveyor 10, and the finger 100 while the conveying surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a ) can be maintained in a fixed state (see the enlarged view of FIG. 19). The movable rail 410 is formed on at least one of the front and rear ends of the U-shaped curved portion 201 .

Therefore, the finger driving unit 400 operates the movable rail 410 at the corresponding position before the transfer surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a (ie, the front end of the U-shaped curved part) to move the finger 100 Finger 100 can be manipulated by operating the movable rail 410 at another position after the transfer surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a (ie, the rear end of the U-shaped curved part) there is. By manipulating the finger 100, food or containers can be fixed to the conveying surface 11 before the conveying surface 11 enters the U-shaped curved section 10a, and reverse after passing the U-shaped curved section 10a. Containers and food that have become can be discharged by leaving the transfer surface (11).

For example, in a state in which the finger driving bar 300 overlaps the movable rail 410, when the movable rail 410 is released downward from the guide rail 200 as shown in FIG. 3, the finger driving bar 300 ) can rotate the finger 100 in the direction in which the finger 100 releases the lock through a rotation conversion link (see 320 in FIG. 11 ) in which a corresponding rotation is generated.

In addition, in a state where the finger driving bar 300 overlaps the movable rail 410, when the movable rail 410 is moved in the reverse direction and combined with the guide rail 200, the finger driving bar 300 reversely It is rotated to rotate the finger 100 through the rotation conversion link 320 in the locking direction.

Therefore, when the finger driving bar 300 is overlapped with the movable rail 410 by the movement of the transfer surface 11 and the movable rail 410 is manipulated, the position of the finger driving bar 300 (position change is ) can be changed to lock or unlock the finger 100 connected to the finger driving bar 300. Therefore, it is possible to fix the food (A) or the container (B) at a specific point on the travel path of the conveying surface, or discharge the food (A) and container (B) from the conveying surface 11 after reversing. Related operations will be described in more detail below.

The finger driving unit 400 may further include a driving cylinder that moves the movable rail 410 between a first position connected to the guide rail 200 and a second position displaced from the guide rail 200 . Although omitted in FIG. 3 , the movable rail 410 may be driven by arranging a drive cylinder that connects or separates the movable rail 410 from the guide rail 200 . Referring to FIG. 12, the movable point of the finger driving unit 400 where the driving cylinder is disposed will be described.

12 is a view showing the movable points of the finger driving unit disposed on the auxiliary guide rail. The movable point has substantially the same meaning as the installation position of the finger driving unit.

12, the food packaging conveyor 10 and the guide rail 200 are shown in the form of a perspective view. The finger driving unit 400 may be disposed at at least four different points on the guide rail 200 and operated respectively.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 12, the first operation point may be formed at a food drop point where food (A) falls. That is, the finger driving unit 400 may be formed by disposing the movable rail 410 and the driving cylinder 411 for driving the movable rail 410 at a position corresponding to the food drop point. Therefore, it is possible to operate the finger (see 100 in FIG. 5 ) by manipulating the finger driving bar 300 by changing the rail.

In addition, as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 12, the movable rail 410 and the driving cylinder 411 are arranged in the same form at the container mounting point where the container B falls to form the finger driving unit 400. can If necessary, the finger driving bar 300 can be operated and the finger 100 can be operated by changing the rail at at least two container mounting points.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 12 (d), no movable point is formed on the U-shaped curved portion 201 of the guide rail 200, and as shown in FIG. 12 (e), the vertical inversion of the lower part of the guide rail 200 is completed. The finger driving unit 400 may be formed by disposing the movable rail 410 and the driving cylinder 411 at the fulcrum. Therefore, the container B and the food A, which have completed the reversal operation, can be smoothly discharged by operating the finger 100.

However, since these movable points are exemplary, the finger driving unit 400 can be formed at any other location as needed. That is, by moving the finger 100, the food (A) or container (B) loaded on the transfer surface 11 is fixed, or the finger driving unit 400 is placed at various other positions where it is necessary to release the fixed state, and the finger It is possible to manipulate 100 at the appropriate points.

In this way, the food container fixing device 1 can be configured. Before explaining the specific operation of the device, the food position control structure applied to the conveyor as described above will be described.

As described above, the food packaging conveyor 10 may also have a food position control structure for adjusting the position of the food A in the container B. Hereinafter, this will be described in more detail with reference to the above-described drawings.

Referring to FIG. 5, the food position control structure is coupled through the conveying surface 11 and moves vertically with the conveying surface 11, and the pusher 500 adjusts the height of the food A with respect to the conveying surface 11. ), an auxiliary guide rail (see 600 in FIG. 3) disposed along the travel path along which the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 moves, one side connected to the pusher 500 and the other side auxiliary guide rail 600 ) It may include a driving bar 700 that moves along the operating groove 610 formed and drives the pusher 500 by a cam action.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the pusher 500 is coupled to the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor. The pusher 500 penetrates the transfer surface 11 and is coupled. Therefore, the pusher 500 moves perpendicularly to the conveying surface 11 and can adjust the height of the food A relative to the conveying surface 11 .

The pusher 500 has one side connected to the pusher 500 and the other side driven by a driving bar 700 moving along an operating groove (see 610 in FIG. 3) formed in an auxiliary guide rail (see 600 in FIG. 3). do. The driving bar 700 drives the pusher 500 by a cam action generated between the driving bar 700 and the operating groove 610 while moving along the operating groove 610 .

Although the driving bar 700 may drive the pusher 500 in various ways, an example in which the driving bar 700 drives the pusher 500 by rotation will be described in this embodiment. The drive bar 700 is formed as a shaft rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the conveyor surface 11 of the conveyor for food packaging, and protrudes from the end of the drive bar 700 in the radial direction of the shaft so that the end has an operating groove 610 A driving arm 710 that is inserted into and rotates the driving bar 700 may be formed. An end insertion portion 711 inserted into the operation groove 610 may be formed at an end of the drive arm 710 . The end insert 711 may include a roller in rolling contact with the groove.

The driving bar 700 may be coupled to, for example, a lower structure of the transfer plate 14 on which the transfer surface 11 is disposed. For example, it may be rotatably coupled to the support 15 formed below the transfer surface 11 . By being rotatably coupled in this way, the driving bar 700 may be formed as a rotational shaft having a center of rotation penetrating the center in a longitudinal direction.

The driving arm 710 moves along the operating groove 610 at the distal end and generates torque to the driving bar 700 . The drive arm 710 can rotate the drive bar 700 while changing its distal position along the first inclined groove (see 612 in FIG. 3 ) among the operating grooves 610 . The rotation of the drive bar 700 is transmitted to the pusher 500 to change the protruding state or height of the pusher 500 .

In addition to the first inclined groove 612, the operating groove 610 includes a second inclined groove (see 613 in FIG. 3), a third inclined groove (see 615 in FIG. 3), and a fourth inclined groove (see 616 in FIG. 3). may additionally be included. Therefore, the position of the pusher can be automatically changed when passing through the plurality of inclined grooves. Accordingly, the driving bar 700 may be operated at different positions and the pusher 500 may be pushed or pulled. A specific operation will be described in more detail below.

The driving bar 700 may be connected to the pusher 500 through a connecting link 720 as shown in FIG. 5 . The connection link 720 has one end eccentrically coupled to the drive bar 700 and the other end connected to the pusher 500 to push or pull the pusher 500 with the rotational force of the drive bar 700. That is, the connecting link 720 may act to convert the rotational motion of the driving bar 700 into linear motion.

One end of the connecting link 720 may be eccentrically coupled to the driving bar 700 by being connected to, for example, a connecting arm 721 protruding in the radial direction of the driving bar 700 . One end of the connecting link 720 is spaced apart from the center of rotation of the driving bar 700 by the connecting arm 721 . Accordingly, when the driving bar 700 rotates, one end of the pusher 500 is displaced in the rotational direction, and the pusher 500 can be pushed or pulled. Even at this time, the eccentric coupling means that the connecting body (eg, connecting link) is combined with the rotating body (eg, driving bar), but the connecting point (eg, one end of the connecting link) rotates the rotating body (eg, driving bar). means away from the center.

Since joints are formed at both ends of the connecting link 720, when the drive bar 700 rotates, it can be folded and pulled or pushed. Through this, the pusher 500 can be moved up and down in a direction perpendicular to the transfer surface 11 .

The other end of the connecting link 720 may be directly connected to the pusher 500, or may be connected to the pusher through an intermediary. For example, when a connection bar 530 connecting the plurality of pushers 500 is formed as in the present embodiment, it may be connected to the pusher 500 through the connection bar 530 . A plurality of pushers 500 are disposed on the transfer surface 11, and the plurality of pushers 500 are connected to the connection bar 530 so that their operations can be synchronized. The other end of the connection link 720 is connected to the connection bar 530 to push or pull the plurality of pushers 500 as a whole.

The connection bar 530 may be disposed in a direction crossing the plurality of pushers 500 and moved up and down in a direction perpendicular thereto. For example, the connecting bar 530 may be disposed along the conveying surface 11 and moved vertically to the conveying surface 11 . The connection bar 530 can be stably moved by being connected to an elevating guide (see 531 in FIG. 11 ) fixed to the support 15 .

When such a structure is formed, as described above, it is possible to avoid obstacles and synchronize operations by indirectly connecting at least some of the fingers to the link as described above.

The pusher 500 may include an upper plate 510 penetrating the opening 12 of the transfer surface 11 and an elastic part 520 connected to a lower portion of the upper plate 510 . The upper plate 510 is raised and lowered through the opening 12, and a contact portion contacting the food A may be flat. The elastic part 520 acts as a kind of buffer under the top plate 510 and can keep the food A in close contact with the inner surface of the container B.

That is, the pusher 500 may include an elastic part 520 that elastically supports the food A on one side to maintain a close contact between the food A and the container B. The elastic part 520 may include an elastic body such as a spring, and may be disposed between the top plate 510 and the connecting bar 530 .

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 3 , the auxiliary guide rail having an operating groove will be described in detail. The auxiliary guide rail may be formed in a shape corresponding to the aforementioned guide rail.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the auxiliary guide rail 600 is disposed along the travel path along which the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 moves. The operating groove 610 extends along the auxiliary guide rail 600 . When the transfer surface 11 runs along the chain 13 in the form of an endless track as in the present embodiment, the auxiliary guide rail 600 may also be formed in a corresponding endless track form. The operating groove 610 is formed along the auxiliary guide rail 600, but is not a simple straight line and includes inclined grooves inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the conveying surface. A cam action in which the position of the driving bar 700 is changed may be generated by the inclined groove.

The operation groove 610 may be disposed in the auxiliary guide rail 600 in the following form. As shown in FIG. 3, the operating groove 610 is a U-shaped curved groove 611 arranged to correspond to the U-shaped curved section 10a of the food packaging conveyor 10, and the opposite side of the U-shaped curved groove 611 for food packaging. The U-shaped return groove 614 disposed to correspond to the U-shaped return section 10b of the conveyor 10, the upper straight section 10c and the lower straight section 10d of the food packaging conveyor 10 are arranged to correspond An upper straight groove 617 and a lower straight groove 618 may be included. The U-shaped curved groove 611 may have a larger rotation radius than the opposite U-shaped return groove 614 .

In particular, between the upper straight groove 617 and the U-shaped curved groove 611, between the lower straight groove 618 and the U-shaped curved groove 611, and between the upper straight groove 617 and the U-shaped return groove 614. Between, and between the lower straight groove 618 and the U-shaped return groove 614, there are a first inclined groove 612, a second inclined groove 613, a third inclined groove 615, and a fourth inclined groove, respectively. Inclined grooves of 616 may be formed.

The driving bar 700 connected to the operating groove 610 may be rotated while moving along the slope of the inclined groove. In the driving bar 700, a distal driving arm (see 710 in FIG. 5) is inserted into the operating groove, and the position of the distal end of the driving arm may be changed by the inclination of the operating groove. The position of the distal end of the driving arm 710 may be changed up and down with respect to the moving direction (direction of extension of the guide rail) while passing through the inclined groove.

The distance between the distal end of the driving arm 710 and the transfer surface 11 may be changed while passing through the inclined groove. For example, while the drive bar 700 moves along the first inclined groove 612, the distal end of the drive arm 710 rises, the distance from the transfer surface 11 decreases, and the drive bar can be rotated in response thereto. . Therefore, as described above, the pusher 500 may be pushed up by transmitting the rotational force of the drive bar 700 to the pusher (see 500 in FIG. 5 ).

In particular, since the first inclined groove 612 is located at the front end of the U-shaped curved groove 211 corresponding to the U-shaped curved section 10a, the driving bar 700 has a conveyor surface 11 for food packaging conveyor 10 Before entering the U-shaped curved section 10a of the food (A) by protruding the pusher 500 from the transfer surface 11 using the inclination of the first inclined groove 612 and pushing up the food (A) with the protruding pusher It can be adhered to the inner wall of the inverted container (B) covering A) (see FIG. 10).

Referring to FIG. 3, the U-shaped curved groove 611 is made of a curve having a larger radius of rotation than the U-shaped return groove 614, and the pusher 500 moves the transfer surface 11 through the U-shaped curved section 10a. ) can be maintained. Since the first inclined groove 612 rises from the front end of the U-shaped curved groove 611 to one end of the U-shaped curved groove 611 and is connected, the pusher 500 can be raised in front of the U-shaped curved groove 611. .

That is, while the driving bar 700 passes through the first inclined groove 612, the pusher 500 automatically protrudes by the cam action caused by the inclination of the inclined groove, and the driving bar 700 moves through the U-shaped curved groove 611. It maintains its protruding state while passing through. Since the lower second inclined groove 613 and the first inclined groove 612 are disposed in a vertical inverted form, the pusher 500 can be operated in reverse. That is, the second inclined groove 613 descends and connects the rear end of the U-shaped curved groove 611 to the other end of the U-shaped curved groove 611, and thereby the driving bar passing through the U-shaped curved groove 611. By driving 700 in reverse, the pusher 500 can be drawn into the conveying surface 11 .

On the other hand, the conveying surface 11 returns to the upper straight section 10c through the U-shaped return section 10b after passing through the U-shaped curved section 10a and the lower straight section 10d. At this time, the fourth inclined groove 616 and the third inclined groove 615 may be disposed in a symmetrical manner at the front and rear ends of the U-shaped return groove 614 corresponding to the U-shaped return section 10b, respectively. In particular, at the rear end of the U-shaped return groove 614, where the U-shaped return groove 614 and the upper straight groove 617 are connected, a downward slope from the end of the U-shaped return groove 614 toward the upper straight groove 617. Three inclined grooves 615 may be formed. The third inclined groove 615 may be shorter than the first inclined groove 612 and have a gentle slope.

The position of the third inclined groove 615 corresponds to the falling point where food A falls on the food packaging conveyor 10 (see FIG. 3). Since the third inclined groove 615 has a downward slope along the conveying direction of the conveying surface 11, the driving arm 710 moves downward at the point where the food A falls, and the corresponding rotation can be created. As a result, the pusher 500 is moved slightly downward by the third inclined groove 615 at the drop point of the food A.

As a result, the impact of the food A falling onto the conveying surface 11 can be alleviated by the decelerating action of the pusher 500 . The pusher 500 may be positioned slightly lower than the transfer surface 11 while moving toward the transfer surface by the action of the third inclined groove 315 . This action is automatically performed by the cam action of the third inclined groove 315, and the food A can be seated on the conveying surface. Therefore, the risk of damage or the like when food falls is also reduced.

With this configuration, the present invention can specifically operate as follows. First, referring to FIGS. 5 to 11 , the operation of loading the food A and the container B on the transfer surface 11 will be described as follows.

The pusher 500 moves perpendicularly to the conveying surface 11 on the conveying surface 11 and adjusts the height of the food (A). As shown in FIG. 5 , the upper end of the pusher 500 may move lower than the conveying surface 11 or, as shown in FIG. 11 , the upper end may protrude higher than the conveying surface 11 .

For example, as described above, while the driving bar 700 passes the downward slope of the third inclined groove (see 615 in FIG. 3), the pusher 500 descends lower than the conveying surface 11 and the falling food ( A) can be slowed down or buffered.

That is, although food (A) and container (B) are shown together in FIG. 5, in the actual process, only food (A) is dropped at the time when the pusher 500 descends as shown in FIG. ) can be mounted. Although not shown in FIG. 5, after the food A has fallen, the above-described movable rail (see 410 in FIG. 3) is operated to operate the finger driving bar 300, and the finger 100 is operated by the finger driving bar 300 It is possible to rotate the finger 100 in the locking direction by driving.

6 to 8 continuously show the process of covering the container B in an inverted state on the food product A. As described above, the conveying surface 11 runs along the conveyor for food packaging, and the food A and the container B are loaded on the conveying surface 11 at an appropriate position. After the food (A) is first loaded at the food drop position, the container (B) is covered on the food (A) in an inverted state at the subsequent container loading position and is loaded in a state as shown in FIG. For example, food (A) can be dropped in a sliding manner using a chute or the like, and for example, the container (B) is inverted from the top of the transfer surface 11 using a suction device using negative pressure. It can be seated on the transfer surface 11.

In this way, when the overturned container (B) is covered on the food (A) and mounted on the transfer surface (11), the finger (100) rotates in the locking direction as shown in FIG. fix it Both ends of the finger 100 move in opposite directions around the rotating shaft 110 and can fix a plurality of containers B at the same time. In this way, with the container B fixed, the transfer surface 11 enters the above-described U-shaped curved section (see 10a in FIG. 3) for vertical inversion.

Before entering the U-shaped curved section, the pusher 500 protrudes from the transfer surface 11 as shown in FIG. 10 to bring the food A into close contact with the inner wall of the container B. That is, the container (B) can be fixed with the finger 100, and the food (A) can be pushed up by the pusher 500 from the inside of the container (B) to bring it into close contact with the inner wall of the container (B). At this time, the elastic portion (see 520 in FIG. 5 ) of the pusher 500 can properly adjust the pressing force by which the food A pushes the container B with an elastic force while performing a buffering action. Therefore, the food (A) is prepared in a state of close contact with the container (B) before entering the U-shaped curved section (10a).

If prepared in this way, even if centrifugal force is generated by the acceleration of the curved section, since the food (A) is in close contact with the container (B) and cannot move, problems such as food (A) impacting the container (B) do not occur. Therefore, the conveyor 10 for food packaging can be driven relatively quickly (the centrifugal force increases), and the containers and food can be safely inverted while repeating the process.

11 shows the operation of the pusher 500 and the finger 100 in more detail. As shown in (a) of FIG. 11 , the pusher 500 is operated by rotation of the drive bar 700 . That is, the driving bar 700 moves while following the operating groove (see 610 in FIG. 3 ) of the auxiliary guide rail (see 600 in FIG. 3 ) and can push or pull the pusher 500 by a cam action. For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 11, when the distal end of the driving arm 710 rises and the driving bar 700 rotates in the corresponding direction, the connecting link 720 connected between the driving bar 700 and the pusher The pusher 500 may be pushed up by changing the rotation of the drive bar 700 into a linear motion. When the drive bar 700 is rotated in the reverse direction, the pusher 500 is pulled toward the transfer surface 11 .

The finger 100 is operated by rotation of the finger driving bar 300 as shown in (b) of FIG. 11 . That is, as described above, when the position (position change includes rotation) of the finger driving bar 300 is changed by the finger driving unit (see 400 in FIG. 3) formed on the guide rail (see 200 in FIG. 3), the finger (100) works. For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 11, when the end of the driving arm 310 is raised by the manipulation of the finger driving unit 400 and the finger driving bar 300 rotates in the corresponding direction, both ends of the finger driving bar 300 and the rotation conversion link 320 connected to the rotational shaft 110 of the finger 100 may transmit rotational force to the rotational shaft 110 to rotate the finger 100 in the locking direction. When the finger driving bar 300 is rotated in the reverse direction, the finger 100 is rotated in the unlocking direction.

13 and 14 are perspective views showing the operation of the finger together with the rail structure.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 , it is confirmed that the operation of the finger 100 is linked to the rail structure. As shown in FIG. 13, when the movable rail 410 of the finger driving unit 400 is lowered and separated from the guide rail 200, the finger 100 is maintained in an unlocked state, and as shown in FIG. 14, When the movable rail 410 rises and is combined with the guide rail 200, the finger 100 is rotated in the locking direction through the process described in FIG. 11 above.

In particular, since the finger driving unit 400 is disposed at the food drop position and the container mounting position as described above to form the movable point of the finger 100, the container B is loaded on the transfer surface 11 in an upside down state as shown When the finger 100 is driven to fix the container (B) can be fixed to the transfer surface (11).

Since these processes are carried out at different locations of the food packaging conveyor, food or containers can be fixed to the transfer surface 11 at necessary points, and the process of passing through the curved section in a fixed state or discharging the product after passing through the curved section can proceed

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described in more detail in connection with the operation of a food packaging conveyor.

15 is a process diagram illustrating a process arrangement of a food packaging conveyor and a food container fixing device, and FIGS. 16 to 18 are operation diagrams showing a process in which food and containers are loaded on the conveying surface before entering the curved section. 19 is an operation diagram showing the operation of fixing the food container by the finger when the conveying surface passes through the curved section, and FIG. 20 is an operation showing the operation of discharging the container and food inverted up and down after the conveying passes through the curved section It is also

15 illustrates a process arrangement of the food packaging conveyor 10 to which the present invention is applied. For example, a chute 20 for transporting food A and dropping it to the top of the food packaging conveyor 10 may be installed on one side of the food packaging conveyor 10 . Although not shown, as described above, a container B supply device including an adsorber using negative pressure may be disposed together on one side of the conveyor 10 for food packaging.

Referring to FIG. 16 , the pusher 500 and the finger 100 may operate together at the point where food A falls on the top of the conveyor 10 for food packaging. The finger 100 is operated by being connected to the finger driving bar 300 that moves according to the elevation of the movable rail 410 . As described above, the finger driving bar 300 transmits the rotational force generated according to the elevation of the movable rail 410 to the rotational shaft of the finger 100 through the rotation conversion link (see 320 in FIG. 11). When the movable rail 410 is lowered, the finger 100 is rotated in the unlocking direction, and when the movable rail 410 is raised, the finger 100 is rotated in the locking direction. With this operation, the food (A) falling on the transfer surface (11) can be fixed with the finger (100).

At this time, the pusher (see 500 in FIG. 11 ) is connected to the driving bar 700 and operated, and in particular, the driving bar 700 moves along the downward slope of the third inclined groove 615 and slightly lowers the pusher 500. can As a result, the impact applied to the falling food (A) can be decelerated and buffered by the pusher (500). In this way, the food (A) can be mounted and fixed on the transfer surface (11) by the pusher (500) and the finger (100) at the point where the food (A) falls.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18 , the food packaging conveyor 10 may load and move food A on the conveying surface 11 and load containers B at different points on the conveying path. For example, at the rear end of the food A drop point shown in FIG. 17 and at the front end of the U-shaped curved section 10a shown in FIG. there is.

Even at the point where the container B falls, the finger 100 may sequentially repeat unlocking and locking operations. As described above, since the finger driving unit 400 is also disposed at each container mounting point, the finger 100 can be operated by moving the movable rail 410 up and down.

Since the finger 100 contacts the food A or container B while rotating on the transfer surface 11, regardless of the size, the food A or container B within the rotation radius of the finger 100 is fixed can do. Due to this fixing structure, separation of the container (B) is prevented even when driving in a curved section. That is, since the finger rotates to fix the container in a locking manner, the container can be more firmly fixed.

The finger 100 fixes the food (A) and moves to the container mounting point, and then repeats unlocking and locking again to fix the container (B) having a wider width than the food (A) to the transfer surface (11). (See enlarged view of Fig. 17).

18 (b) shows a state in which the container (B) overturned over the food (A) is covered and mounted on the transfer surface (11) through the above process. Since the finger 100 fixes the outer surface of the container B by rotating and locking as described above, the container is fixed very firmly. On the other hand, in the container (B), the food (A) is placed in a free state and can move to some extent in the container.

The degree of freedom of the food (A) is removed in advance before entering the curved section by the protrusion of the pusher (500). That is, as shown in (b) of FIG. 18, before the transfer surface 11 enters the U-shaped curved section 10a, the pusher 500 protrudes from the transfer surface 11 to transfer the food A to the inner wall of the container B. Close (see enlarged view) and block movement of food. This operation automatically proceeds while the driving bar 700 passes through the first inclined groove 612 disposed at the front end of the U-shaped curved groove 611 . That is, while the driving bar 700 rotates in the direction in which the pusher 500 is pushed up by the first inclined groove 612, the pusher 500 automatically pushes the food A up.

Therefore, before entering the U-shaped curved section 10a, the food A is prepared so as not to move in close contact with the container B. At this time, the elastic part (see 520 in FIG. 11 ) of the aforementioned pusher 500 maintains close contact between the food A and the container B while adjusting the pressure applied by the food A to the container B by a buffering action. can be maintained more effectively.

Therefore, referring to FIG. 19, even if the conveying surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a, the food A cannot impact or hit the container B by centrifugal force, so the product is separated. won't happen Since the gap between the food (A) and the container (B) is removed in advance, the food moves integrally with the container, and thus damage to both the food and the container can be prevented.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 19, while the conveying surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a, the drive bar 700 forms a U-shaped curved groove 611 corresponding to the U-shaped curved section 10a. While moving along, the protruding state of the pusher 500 is maintained. In addition, the finger 100 maintains the locked state as it is by the U-shaped curved portion. Therefore, the entire product (container and food) can safely pass through the curved section and be inverted upside down. As shown in (b) of FIG. 19, after the transfer surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a and the vertical inversion is completed, when the driving bar 700 reaches the second inclined groove 613, the pusher moves the second inclined groove 613. It can be returned to the original position by the inclination of the inclined groove 613.

In this way, the food (A) and the container (B) passing through the U-shaped curved section (10a) are inverted up and down as shown, and the container (B) is aligned in a normal state with the bottom located below, and the food (A) is placed in the container. It settles in (B). Therefore, it is possible to conveniently load the food A into the container B without using a method such as dropping the food into the container. In addition, since it is possible to prevent product separation or food damage caused by centrifugal force, the defect rate can be reduced and products can be produced more safely. In addition, the food packaging conveyor 10 is driven at a relatively high speed, and the product production speed may be further increased.

Referring to FIG. 20 , products (containers and food) inverted upside down through the U-shaped curved section 10a are discharged downward by driving the finger 100 . At this time, as shown in (a) of FIG. 20 , the drive bar 700 passes through the second inclined groove 613 and automatically returns the pusher 500 to the transfer surface 11 side. That is, the pusher 500 returns to the upper straight section 10c and is automatically prepared while retreating toward the transfer surface 11 to receive the newly supplied food.

On the other hand, as shown in (b) of FIG. 20, the finger driving unit 400 formed at the discharge point operates the movable rail 410 to rotate the finger driving bar 300 and rotates the rotational force by the rotation conversion link 320 The finger 100 receiving the is rotated in the unlocking direction to discharge the product. As described above, the finger driving bar 300 is connected to each of the plurality of fingers 100 through a connection structure such as the rotation conversion link 320, and some of the fingers 100 that are not connected also connect the link 120 Since the rotation is synchronized through, all of the plurality of fingers 100 are simultaneously operated and fixed products (containers and food) can be simultaneously discharged. In this way, by using the food container fixing device 1 of the present invention including the finger 100, food packaged in a container can be manufactured more conveniently and safely.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can understand that the present invention is possible in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. There will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

1: food container fixing device 100: finger
110: rotation axis 111: first connecting arm
112: second connection arm 120: link
200: guide rail 210: guide groove
201: U-shaped curve part 202: U-shaped return part
203: upper straight part 204: lower straight part
300: finger driving bar 310, 710: driving arm
311, 711: end insertion part 320: rotation conversion link
321: third connecting arm 400: finger driving unit
410: movable rail 411: drive cylinder
500: pusher 510: top plate
520: elastic part 530: connecting bar
531: lifting guide 600: auxiliary guide rail
610: operating groove 611: U-shaped curved groove
612: first inclined groove 613: second inclined groove
614: U-shaped return groove 615: third inclined groove
616: fourth inclined groove 617: upper straight groove
618: lower straight groove 700: driving bar
720: connecting link 721: connecting arm
10: Conveyor for food packaging 10a: U-shaped curved section
10b: U-shaped return section 10c: Upper straight section
10d: lower straight section 11: feed surface
12: opening 13: chain
14: transfer plate 15: support
20: Chute A: Food
B: container

Claims (11)

It is placed on the food packaging conveyor 10 for placing the food in the container by covering the overturned container on the food and mounting it on the transfer surface 11 and inverting the transfer surface 11 up and down in a U-shaped curved section 10a, In the food container fixing device (1) for detachably fixing the container or the food on the transfer surface (11),
Fingers 100 movably coupled to the transfer surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10;
a guide rail 200 disposed along a travel path on which the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 moves;
a finger driving bar 300 having one side connected to the finger 100 and the other side moving along the guide rail 200; and
A finger driving unit 400 formed on the guide rail 200 and moving the finger 100 by adjusting the position of the finger driving bar 300 on at least one side of the guide rail 200,
The finger 100,
It is coupled to the rotating shaft 110 perpendicular to the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 and rotates on the conveying surface 11,
The finger driving bar 300,
It is rotatably coupled to the lower part of the conveying surface 11 of the food packaging conveyor 10 and is formed as a shaft disposed perpendicular to the rotating shaft 110, protrudes from the end and is connected to the guide rail 200, and the finger It includes a driving arm 310 whose distal end is changed by operation of the driving unit 400 and an end insertion part 311 formed at the distal end of the driving arm 310,
The finger driving unit 400,
A part of the guide rail 200 is segmented to form a movable rail 410 formed to be movable in a direction crossing the guide rail 200, and a first connecting the movable rail 410 to the guide rail 200. position and a drive cylinder 411 that moves between a second position shifted from the guide rail 200,
The guide rail 200,
It is formed to correspond to the U-shaped curve section 10a,
While the conveying surface 11 passes through the U-shaped curved section 10a, the U-shaped curved portion 201 for maintaining the finger 100 in a fixed state and the guide groove into which the end insertion portion 311 is inserted ( 210),
The movable rail 410,
When moved to be coupled with the guide rail 200, the finger driving bar 300 is rotated and the finger 100 is rotated in the direction of locking the container,
Food container fixing device (1), which moves downward and when separated from the guide rail 200, causes the finger driving bar 300 to rotate and the finger to rotate in the direction of unlocking the container. delete delete According to claim 1,
The movable rail 410 is formed on at least one of the front and rear ends of the U-shaped curved portion 201 of the food container fixing device (1). delete delete According to claim 1,
The fingers 100 are formed in plurality, but at least some of them are formed in a bar shape through which the rotating shaft 110 passes through the center, and both ends move in opposite directions to each other and simultaneously fix a plurality of the foods or the containers Food container Fixture (1). According to claim 7,
A food container fixing device (1) in which some of the plurality of fingers (100) are connected to the rotating shaft (110) of an adjacent finger (100) by a link (120) to synchronize operations. According to claim 1,
Between the rotary shaft 110 and the finger driving bar 300, one end is eccentrically coupled to the rotary shaft 110 and the other end is eccentrically coupled to the finger driving bar 300, so that the finger driving bar 300 ) Food container fixing device (1) further comprising a rotation conversion link 320 for converting the rotation of the rotation shaft 110 into rotation. delete According to claim 1,
The food packaging conveyor 10 is formed of a chain conveyor in which the U-shaped curved section 10a is disposed on at least one side, and the conveying surface 11 is a conveying plate 14 moving along the chain of the chain conveyor. Food container fixing device (1) formed on one side of the.

Images