TWI708715B - Food packing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The food packaging device of the present invention is a device for packaging food in a container with an opening above. This device is provided with: a food supply part having a holding part capable of holding or releasing the food, a food guiding part having a main surface and capable of guiding the food in a predetermined direction, and controlling the food supply part and the food guiding part The control device of the action. The control device controls the actions of the food supply part and the food guide part to release the food held by the holding part from a predetermined height, so that one side of the food contacts the main surface of the food guide part to release the food The falling direction is limited to the direction toward the bottom surface of the container, and when the main surface of the food guide part is in contact with the other side surface of the food falling into the container, it is moved from the contact side Move to the first direction on the other side to arrange the food in the predetermined boxing position in the container.

Description

Food packing device

The present invention relates to a packaging device for food.

There has always been a device for loading food into containers such as trays. Patent Document 1 discloses a food packaging device. In this device, the food is dropped from the conveying belt to the conveying part in a predetermined posture, and the food is sequentially stacked in a container while maintaining the standing posture of the food. In addition, Patent Document 2 also discloses a food packaging device. In this device, a plurality of foods (rice balls) are hoisted upward through the adsorption unit, and the hoisted foods are moved to the predetermined boxing position, and then the adsorption is released to be loaded into the box.

Advanced technical literature

[Patent Document 1] JP 6-24408 A

[Patent Document 2] JP 2011-251702 A

Generally speaking, foods such as rice balls and sandwiches are packaged with packaging materials such as films, but they are easily deformed. When they are deformed by external forces, they cannot be restored to their original shape even if the external force is removed. The above-mentioned previous device is to drop one or more foods from a predetermined height to load the foods into the container. Therefore, when When the food is deformed due to an external force when the food is dropped, it will not only damage the value of the product due to the deformation of the food, but also may deviate from the predetermined packing position in the container. As a result, there is a possibility that a dead space may be generated between the foods or between the foods and the inner wall surface of the container, which may reduce the storage efficiency of the foods.

The present invention was completed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to improve the storage efficiency of food in the packing operation of food.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a food packing device of one aspect of the present invention is to load food into a container with an opening on the top, and it includes: a food supply part having a holding part capable of holding or releasing the food; a food guiding part having The main surface can guide the food in a predetermined direction; and a control device that controls the actions of the food supply part and the food guiding part; the control device controls the actions of the food supply part and the food guiding part to The food held by the holding portion is released from a predetermined height, and by making one side of the food contact the main surface of the food guiding portion, the falling direction of the food is restricted to the direction toward the bottom surface of the container; In a state where the main surface of the food guide is in contact with the other side surface of the food falling into the container, it is moved in the first direction from the contact side to the other side to arrange the food on The predetermined packing position in the container.

According to the above-mentioned structure, by making one side of the food released from a predetermined height contact the main surface of the food guide, the falling direction of the food is restricted to the direction toward the bottom surface of the container. And in a state where the main surface of the food guiding part is in contact with the other side of the food that has fallen into the container, it moves from the side of the contacted food to the other side. The food is neatly arranged in the predetermined packing position in the container. Accordingly, since the ineffective space between the food in the container and the inner wall surface of the container or the ineffective space between the foods can be reduced in the packing operation of the food, the storage efficiency of the food can be improved. In addition, the container is, for example, various containers, boxes, etc., which have a rectangular bottom surface, and have side surfaces arranged substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface along the edge of the rectangular bottom surface.

In addition, the control device can control the action of the food guiding part so that the food in the container When the space between the product and the inner wall surface of the container is narrower than the width of the food, insert the food guide into the space in the container; and make the main surface of the food guide contact the food in the container And move it to the first direction to ensure the space occupied by the food in the container.

According to the above structure, in the final stage of the packing operation, the space between the food in the container and the inner wall surface of the container becomes narrow. In this case, the food guide is inserted into the space in the container, the main surface of the food guide is in contact with the food in the container, and it moves in the first direction. According to this, since the space occupied by the food can be ensured in the container, it is possible to surely pack to the last food.

In addition, the holding portion may be provided with a pair of holding members for holding the food from both sides; in the state of holding the food, the front end of one of the holding members extends below the lowest position of the food The position; the control device will release the food held by the pair of holding members from a predetermined height, make one side of the food contact the main surface of the food guide, and make the other side of the food contact the side of the food The inner wall surface of the holding member restricts the falling direction of the food to the bottom surface of the container accordingly.

According to the above configuration, the holding portion is provided with a pair of holding members for holding the food from both sides. In the state of holding the food, the front end of one holding member extends to a position lower than the lowest position of the food. In this way, the food held by a pair of holding members can be released from a predetermined height, one side of the food can contact the main surface of the food guide, and the other side of the food can contact the inner wall surface of one holding member. According to this, the falling direction of the food can be reliably restricted.

In addition, the food guiding part may have a flat member.

After guiding the food to the bottom surface of the container with the main surface, the food guiding part is located at the bottom of the container, but must be retracted to the top of the container for the next operation. Since the food guide has a flat member, it can withdraw from the bottom of the container to the upper space without contacting the inner wall of the container or the food. For example, when the food is standing in the container, it is not easy to fall down, which can improve the efficiency of food storage. In addition, in the final stage of the packing operation, the food guide is inserted into the space between the food in the container and the inner wall of the container. However, since the food guide has a flat member, it is easy to insert into the space.

In addition, a container is placed adjacent to one container next to the boxing device; the control device controls the action of the food guiding part to complete the food boxing operation of the container , With the main surface of the flat member in contact with the inner wall surface of the other container, pull the container toward the direction of the base of the packing device to start the food packing operation of the other container .

According to the above configuration, when the packing operation of one container is finished, the main surface of the food guide (flat plate) is brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the other container, and the container is pulled toward the packing device. The direction of the base. Since the operator does not need to prepare the container, he can quickly start the next boxing operation of another container. Can improve work efficiency.

In addition, the food guide portion further has a main surface arranged facing the main surface; the opposed main surfaces can be close to or separated from each other; the control device can control the actions of the food supply portion and the food guide portion to The distance between the opposing main surfaces of the food guide portion is controlled to be the first distance through which the food can pass, thereby forming a spill surface; the food held by the holding portion is released from a predetermined height, and by the The falling surface guides the falling direction of the liberated food to the bottom surface of the container.

According to the above configuration, the discharge surface is formed by controlling the distance between the opposing main surfaces of the food guide portion to a predetermined distance through which food can pass. With the falling surface, the direction of the freed food can be restricted.

The control device can control the action of the food guide, so that when the space between the food in the container and the inner wall surface of the container is narrower than the width of the food, the opposing main surface of the food guide is reduced In this state, insert the food guide portion into the space in the container; and by expanding the distance between the opposing main surfaces of the food guide portion to the first gap, the container Ensure the space occupied by the food.

According to the above structure, in the final stage of the packing operation, although the space between the food in the container and the inner wall surface of the container will be narrow, even in this case, shorten the opposite main surface of the food guide. This interval, inserting the food guide part into the space in the container in this state, can enlarge the interval between the opposing main surfaces of the food guide part. According to this, since the space occupied by the food can be ensured in the container, it is possible to surely pack to the last food.

In addition, the food guide may have two flat plate-shaped members arranged facing each other.

The food guiding part, after guiding the food to the bottom surface of the container with the spilling surface, is located at the bottom of the container, but must be retracted to the top of the container for the next operation. Since the food guide has two flat-plate members with the main faces facing each other, it can withdraw from the bottom of the container to the upper space without contacting the inner wall of the container or the food. For example, the food is not easy to fall when standing up in the container. Can improve the efficiency of food storage. In addition, in the final stage of the packing operation, the food guide is inserted into the space between the food in the container and the inner wall of the container. However, the food guide has two flat members arranged facing each other, so it is easy to insert space.

Moreover, in the vicinity of the packing device, another container is placed adjacent to one of the containers; the control device can control the action of the food guiding part so that after the food packing operation of the container is finished , In a state where any one of the main surfaces on the opposite side of the spill surface is in contact with the inner wall surface of the other container, pull the container toward the direction of the base of the boxing device to start the food of the other container Packing operation.

According to the above structure, when the packing operation of one container is finished, the container is pulled toward the base of the packing device with any one of the main surfaces on the opposite side of the leakage surface in contact with the inner wall surface of the other container direction. Since the operator does not need to prepare the container, he can quickly start the next boxing operation of another container. Can improve work efficiency.

In addition, the food guiding part can also be installed at the front end of the robotic arm that can move relative to the base; the control device controls the action of the robotic arm.

According to the above structure, the food packaging device can be constructed with a robot capable of coexisting with humans, for example, and can be introduced into the food manufacturing site to improve work efficiency.

In addition, the holding portion may be configured to add a plurality of the foods arranged in a predetermined direction Keep or liberate.

According to the above configuration, since the packing operation can be performed for every plural foods, the operation efficiency can be improved.

The present invention has the structure described above, and can exert the effect of improving the food storage efficiency in the food packing operation.

11: Robot (packing device)

12: Base

13: arm

14: Control device

14a: Computing Department

14b: Memory Department

14c: Servo control section

15a: The first link of arm 13

16: base axis

17: Wrist

18, 18A: end effector

19, 19A, 19B: end effector

20: base

21: Holding part

22: Holding components

22a: Holding pad

23: The main body of the holding member 22

24: Direct drive shaft

30: base

31: The first flat part

31a: 1st main surface

31b: 2nd main surface

32: The second flat part

32a: The first main surface

32b: The second main surface

33: The body part of the first plate part 31

34: The linear axis of the second flat part 32

35: The first installation member

36: The second installation structure

37: Supporting member

38: Pressure component

39: Installation components

40: Food (rice balls)

41: Container

41a: bottom surface of container

41b: Side of the container

50: Workbench

50a: first member

50b: The second member

51: The first conveyor belt

51a: Guide member

52: The second conveyor belt

52a: Restriction member

53: 3rd conveyor belt

60: Installation components

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a food packaging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the food.

Fig. 3 is a front view schematically showing the overall configuration of an example of the robot.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the end effector of the right arm.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the structure of the end effector of the left arm.

Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the structure of the robot control device.

Fig. 7 is a first diagram for explaining the operation of the food packing device.

Fig. 8 is a second diagram for explaining the operation of the food packing device.

Fig. 9 is a third diagram for explaining the operation of the food packing device.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a food packaging device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing the structure of the end effector of the right arm.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing the structure of the end effector of the left arm.

Fig. 13 is a first diagram for explaining the operation of the food packing device.

Fig. 14 is a second diagram for explaining the operation of the food packing device.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the configuration of a modification of the end effector.

Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the boxing device of the modification.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following, the same reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent elements in all the drawings, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In addition, for easy understanding of the drawings, each constituent element is shown schematically.

(First Embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall structure of the food packaging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The food packaging device of this embodiment is introduced, for example, in a food manufacturing site. As shown in Fig. 1, the food packing device is composed of a robot 11 equipped with a pair of robot arms (hereinafter, only described as "arms") 13 and 13. Hereinafter, the spreading direction of a pair of arms is referred to as the left-right direction. The direction parallel to the axis of the base shaft is referred to as the vertical direction. The direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and the up-down direction is called the front-rear direction.

The first conveyor belt 51 and the second conveyor belt 52 are arranged in front of the robot 11. The first conveyor belt 51 is a device for transferring the food 40 to the beginning of the second conveyor belt 52. The first conveyor belt 51 extends in the front-rear direction. The second conveyor belt 52 is a device for transferring the food 40 to the front of the robot 11. The second conveyor belt 52 extends in the left-right direction. The second conveyor belt 52 is installed at a position lower than the first conveyor belt 51. Since the end of the first conveyor belt 51 is inclined downward, the food 40 will fall onto the second conveyor belt 52. A guide member 51a is provided at the end of the first conveyor belt 51. The falling direction of the food 40 is guided to the vicinity of the center on the second conveyor belt 52 by the guide member 51a. A pair of restricting members 52a are provided in the center of the second conveyor belt 52 along the conveying direction. The pair of restricting members 52a are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction. The food 40 is guided between the pair of restriction members 52a by the guide member 51a, and the posture of the food 40 on the second conveyor belt 52 is not held in the upright state.

A work table 50 is provided near the left side of the base 12 of the robot 11. On the workbench 50, a container 41 with an open upper surface for supplying food 40 from above is arranged. In this embodiment, the container 41 has a rectangular bottom surface 41a, and is a box (container) having a side surface 41b arranged substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 41a along the edge of the rectangular bottom surface 41a. This box is a container that can hold 50 (5×10) foods 40. In addition, on the workbench 50, a first member 50a and a second member 50b for fixing the bottom of the rectangular container 41 are provided. The first member 50a supports the outer surface of the short side of the bottom of the container 41 on the workbench 50. The second member 50b supports the outer side surface on the long side of the bottom of the container 41 arranged on the workbench 50. Here, on the workbench 50, another container 41 is placed adjacent to one container 41. In this embodiment, the robot 11 moves the left and right arms 13 and 13 to use the end effectors 18 and 19 provided at the front ends to sequentially load the food 40 on the second conveyor belt 52 into the container 41.

At the left and rear of the robot 11, a third conveyor belt 53 is arranged adjacent to the work table 50. The first member 50a on the workbench 50 can be driven in the direction of the third conveyor belt 53 (rear in the figure) while in contact with the outer surface of the container 41. According to this, the container 41 that has finished the packing operation moves to the beginning of the third conveyor belt 53 at the rear. The third conveyor belt 53 extends in the front-rear direction. The container 41 loaded with the food 40 by the third conveyor belt 53 is transferred to the vicinity of the operator (not shown) performing the shipping operation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the food 40. As shown in Fig. 2, the food 40 is a package in which a food body having a certain shape is housed in a bag. In the present embodiment, the food 40 is a pillow-type packaging body in which a cylindrical round rice ball is pillow-packed with a packaging material such as a film. The food 40 can stand on its own and has a first side surface 40a and a second side surface 40b parallel to each other. In addition, being able to stand on its own means that the first side surface 40a and the second side surface 40b that are parallel to each other are oriented in the vertical direction (standing state) and the food 40 can stand still. In addition, the two side surfaces (40a, 40b) are parallel and are not limited to being strictly parallel, and a slight inclination is allowed. Generally speaking, in order to ensure safety before the food 40 is shipped, a foreign body inspection is performed. The X-ray inspection system irradiates X-rays from above, and therefore the food 40 is conveyed by the first conveyor belt 51 in a state where the first side surface 40a and the second side surface 40ba are horizontal. After that, the posture of the food 40 is changed on the second conveyor belt 52 to a state where the first side surface 40a and the second side surface 40b face the vertical direction (see FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the overall structure of an example of the robot 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the robot 11 includes a base 12 fixed to the trolley, a pair of arms 13 and 13 supported on the base 12, and a control device 14 housed in the base 12. The size of the base 12 is, for example, 610mm×620mm. Therefore, the robot 11 can be installed in a limited space equivalent to one person. Each arm 13 is a horizontal articulated robot arm that can move relative to the base 12. The arm 13 includes an arm 15 and a wrist 17. In addition, the left and right arms 13, 13 can act independently or in coordination with each other.

In this example, the arm portion 15 is composed of a first link 15a and a second link 15b. The first link 15a is connected to the base shaft 16 fixed on the upper surface of the base 12 through a rotary joint J1, and can rotate around a rotation axis L1 passing through the axis of the base shaft 16. The second link 15b is connected to the front end of the first link 15a through a rotary joint J2, and can rotate around the rotation axis L2 defined by the front end of the first link 15a.

The arm portion 17 is composed of an elevating portion 17a and a rotating portion 17b. The elevating portion 17a is connected to the front end of the second link 15b through a linear joint J3, and can move up and down relative to the second link 15b. The rotating part 17b is connected to the lower end of the lifting part 17a through a rotary joint J4, and can rotate around the rotation axis L3 defined by the lower end of the lifting part 17a. The end effector 18 is connected to the rotating portion 17b of the wrist portion 17 of the right arm 13. The end effector 19 is connected to the rotating part 17b of the wrist part 17 of the left arm 13.

Each arm 13 of the above-mentioned configuration has joints J1 to J4. In addition, the arm 13 is provided with a drive servo (not shown) and an encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the servo in a manner corresponding to each joint J1 to J4. In addition, the rotation axis L1 of the first link 15a, 15a of the two arms 13 and 13 are on the same straight line, and the first link 15a of one arm 13 and the first link 15a of the other arm 13 are arranged vertically The configuration of the height difference.

4(A) and 4(B) are front and side views of the end effector 18 installed at the front end of the arm 13 on the right. The end effector 18 is for holding a plurality of foods 40 arranged in a predetermined direction (here, the left-right direction). As shown in FIG. 4(A), the end effector 18 has a base 20 including a rotating portion 17b extending in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L3 in a front view, and a base 20 provided on the base 20 的plural holding portion 21. Each holding portion 21 includes a pair of gripping members 22 configured to sandwich the food 40 from both sides thereof. The pair of gripping members 22 extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis L3 (here, the vertical direction).

As shown in FIG. 4(B), the length in the longitudinal direction (here, the vertical direction) of one of the gripping members 22 (here, the front side) is longer than the length of the other side (here, the rear side) in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, in a state where the food 40 is held by the pair of holding members 22, one of the front ends of the holding members 22 extends to a position lower than the lowest position of the food 40. A pair of gripping pads 22a are provided inside the pair of gripping members 22. The pair of gripping pads 22a are arranged oppositely and abut against the side surface of the food 40. In addition, each holding portion 21 includes a main body portion 23 to which one of the holding members 22 is attached, and a linear motion shaft 24 to which the other holding member 22 is attached. The main body portion 23 includes an actuator (not shown) that drives the linear motion shaft 24 in the front-rear direction along the central axis (L4). Accordingly, the abutting surface of the gripping pad 22a provided on one of the gripping members 22 and the abutting surface of the gripping pad 22a provided on the other gripping member 22 can be brought close to or separated from each other. Each holding part 21 can hold the food 40 in a standing state from both sides. In this embodiment, since the end effector 18 has five holding parts 21 in a predetermined direction (here, the left-right direction), it is possible to hold or release five foods 40 arranged in the predetermined direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the right arm 13 having the end effector 18 corresponds to the "food supply unit" of the present invention.

5(A) and 5(B) are front and side views of the end effector 19 installed at the front end of the arm 13 on the left. The end effector 19 is used to guide the food 40 in a predetermined direction (here, the front-rear direction). As shown in FIG. 5(A), the end effector 19 has a base portion 30 including a rotating portion 17 b of the arm portion 17, and a first flat plate portion 31 provided on the base portion 30. The rotating portion 17b extends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L3 in front view. The first flat plate portion 31 has a flat plate-shaped member, and is attached to the base portion 30 through the attachment member 60. The first flat plate portion 31 is a flat plate having a rectangular shape in front view. The longitudinal direction of the first flat plate portion 31 extends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L3. The longitudinal width of the first flat plate portion 31 covers the side surface of the food 40 held by the end effector 18. In this embodiment, the longitudinal width of the first flat portion 31 covers 5 The side of a food 40.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the attachment member 60 has an L-shape in a side view, and the first flat plate portion 31 is connected to the lower end of the attachment member 60. The main surfaces on both sides of the first flat plate portion 31 are parallel to the rotation axis L3 of the rotation joint J4. In this embodiment, in the first flat plate portion 31, the main surface on the far side from the rotation axis L3 is defined as the first main surface 31a, and the main surface on the closer side from the rotation axis L3 is defined as the second main surface 31b. With the first main surface 31a or the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31, five foods 40 can be guided in a predetermined direction. In this embodiment, the end effector 19 corresponds to the "food guide" of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the structure of the control device 14 of the robot 11 in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 14 includes a computing unit 14a such as a CPU, a storage unit 14b such as a ROM and a RAM, and a servo control unit 14c. The control device 14 is a robot controller equipped with a computer such as a microcontroller. In addition, the control device 14 may be composed of a single control device 14 that performs centralized control, or may be composed of a plurality of control devices 14 that operate in cooperation with each other to perform distributed control.

The storage unit 14b stores information such as a basic program as a robot controller and various fixed data. The arithmetic unit 14a controls various actions of the robot 11 by reading and implementing software such as basic programs stored in the memory unit 14b. That is, the arithmetic unit 14a generates a control command for the robot 11, and outputs this to the servo control unit 14c. The servo control unit 14c controls the driving of the servos corresponding to the joints J1 to J4 of each arm 13 of the robot 11 according to the control instructions generated by the computing unit 14a. In addition, the control of the holding action of the food 40 performed by the end effector 18 is also performed by the control device 14. Therefore, the control device 14 controls the entire movement of the robot 11.

Next, the packing operation of the food 40 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 1, controls the movement of the arm 13 on the right, and uses the end effector 18 to hold the five foods 40 on the second conveyor belt 52, and transport them to the work table 50. The empty container 41 is directly above. At this time, the control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 so that the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 of the end effector 19 contacts the side surface 41b on the base 12 side of the container 41. Figure 7 shows the packing from the front A partial cross-sectional view of the container 41 during operation. In FIG. 7, the end effector 18 (refer to FIG. 4) shows only the gripping member 22 and the gripping pad 22a, and the end effector 19 (refer to FIG. 5) shows only the first flat plate portion 31.

Next, the control device 14 controls the movement of the right arm 13 to release the five foods 40 (hereinafter, also referred to as the first row of foods) held by the end effector 18 from a predetermined height. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the control device 14 brings the gripping pad 22a mounted on one gripping member 22 (the left side in the figure) into contact with the side surface 41b of the base 12 side of the container 41, One of the holding members 22 is moved to the left, and the food 40 held by the pair of holding members 22 is released accordingly. The side surface 40a of one of the first row foods 40 (the right side in the figure) that has been liberated is in contact with the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31. In addition, a pair of gripping members 22, in the state of holding the food 40, since the front end of one of the gripping members 22 (the left side in the figure) extends to a position lower than the lowest position of the food 40, the first liberated first The other (left side in the figure) side 40b of the food 40 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the lower end of the holding member 22 of one side. Accordingly, the falling direction of the food 40 is restricted to the direction toward the bottom surface 41a of the container 41.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 7(B), controls the movement of the left arm 13 so that the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 of the end effector 19 touches and drops into the container 41. The other side (left side in the figure) side 40b of the food 40 in the first row.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in Fig. 7(C), controls the movement of the left arm 13 so that the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 of the end effector 19 is brought into contact and dropped into the container 41 In the state of the other (left side in the figure) side 40b of the food 40 in the first row, move it from the side 40b of the food 40 in the first row toward the first direction (right direction in the figure) of the side 40a. Accordingly, the food 40 in the first row is neatly arranged at the boxing position at the right end of the container 41. In this way, the ineffective space between the side 41b of the container 41 and the food 40 in the first row can be reduced. In addition, the movement of the first flat plate portion 31 in the first direction may be performed in a state where the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 is in contact with the side surface 40b of the food 40.

Next, the control device 14 controls the movement of the right arm 13 to release the food 40 in the second row held by the end effector 18 from a predetermined height. At this time, as shown in Figure 7(D), the end effector 19 The second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 is in contact with the other side surface 40b of the food 40 in the first row arranged on the right end of the container 41. The control device 14 connects one side surface of the gripping pad 22a of the end effector 18 to the first main surface 31a of the first plate portion 31 of the end effector 19, and makes the other side of the gripping pad 22a (here, the left side) ) Move to the left to release the food 40 in the second row held by the pair of holding members 22. At this time, one side surface 40a of the food 40 of the second row of liberation contacts the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31. In addition, the pair of gripping members 22, in a state where the food 40 is held, the front end of one of the gripping members 22 (the left side in the figure) extends to a position lower than the lowest position of the food 40, so the food is released The other side surface 40b of the 40 contacts the inner wall surface of the lower end of the one holding member 22. In this way, the falling direction of the food 40 in the second row is restricted to the direction toward the bottom surface 41 a of the container 41.

In addition, the first flat plate portion 31 must be retracted from the bottom of the container 41 to above the container 41 every time the food 40 is placed, but because it has a flat plate shape, it will not contact the side surface 41b of the container 41 or the food when retracted. The sides 40a and 40b of 40 are in contact.

Repeat the above actions. In the final stage of the boxing operation, the space between the food 40 arranged in the container 41 and the side surface 41b of the container 41 may become narrow. Fig. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the container 41 in the final stage of the packing operation when viewed from the front. In FIG. 8, the end effector 18 (refer to FIG. 4) also only shows the gripping member 22 and the gripping pad 22 a, and the end effector 19 (refer to FIG. 5) only shows the first flat plate portion 31. As shown in Fig. 8(A), the space between the 9th row of the 9 foods 40 arranged in the left-right direction in the container 41 and the side 41b of the container 41 becomes narrower than the width of the food 40, which is not configurable Ample space for food 40.

In this case, the control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 as shown in FIG. 8(B), and inserts the first flat plate portion 31 of the end effector 19 into the space in the container 41. Since the first flat plate portion 31 has a flat plate shape, it is easy to insert into a narrow space.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 8(C), controls the movement of the left arm 13 so that the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 contacts the side surface 40b of the food 40 in the ninth row of the container 41 status Down, move it in the first direction (right direction here). According to this, the space occupied by the food 40 in the tenth row can be secured in the container 41. In addition, the movement of the food 40 in the first direction may be performed in a state where the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 is in contact with the other side surface 40b of the food 40.

Finally, as shown in Figure 8(D), since the space for the last food 40 in the container 41 is ensured, the control device 14 controls the movement of the right arm 13, and the end effector 18 holds the last The food 40 of 1 row (10 rows) is liberated from the established height. In this way, the last food item can be packed reliably.

After that, the container 41 that has finished the packing operation moves to the beginning of the third conveyor belt 53 located at the rear (refer to FIG. 1). The container 41 is transferred by the third conveyor belt 53 to the vicinity of an operator (not shown) who performs shipping operations. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, on the workbench 50 installed near the base 12 of the robot 11, the next one is placed adjacent to the space where the container 41 moved to the third conveyor belt 53 was originally placed. Container 41. The control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 and pulls the container 41 to the direction of the base 12 in a state where the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 contacts the side surface 41b of the next container 41. In other words, since there is no need for an operator to prepare the container 41, the next packing operation can be started quickly. Improve work efficiency.

In addition, the movement of the adjacent container 41 in the direction of the base 12 may be performed in a state where the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 contacts the side surface 41b of the container 41.

(Second Embodiment)

Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. The basic structure of the holding device 10 of the food 40 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the description of the configuration common to the first embodiment is omitted, and only the different configuration is described.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a food packaging device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the structure of the end effector 18A of the arm 13 on the right in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11, the end effector 18A of this embodiment is compared with the first embodiment (FIG. 4), although the longitudinal direction of the pair of gripping members 22 (Here, the vertical direction) The point of the same length is different (see FIG. 11(B)), but since the other structures are the same, detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of the end effector 19A of the left arm 13 in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 12, the end effector 19A of this embodiment is different from the first embodiment (FIG. 5) in that it has a first flat plate portion 31 and a second flat plate portion 32 whose main surfaces are opposed to each other. . In the present embodiment, in the first flat plate portion 31, the main surface far from the rotation axis L3 is defined as the first main surface 31a, and the main surface closer to the rotation axis L3 is defined as the second main surface 31b. In the second flat plate portion 32, the main surface facing the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 is defined as the first main surface 32a, and the other main surface is defined as the second main surface 32b. In this embodiment, the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 and the first main surface 32a of the second flat plate portion 32 form a shoot surface of the food 40.

Specifically, the end effector 19A includes a base portion 30 including a rotating portion 17b of the wrist portion 17, a first flat portion 31 provided on the base 30, and a second flat portion disposed opposite to the first flat portion 31 32. The rotating portion 17b extends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L3 in front view. The base 30 includes a main body 33 to which the first flat plate portion 31 is mounted through the first mounting member 35 and a linear motion shaft 34 to which the second flat plate portion 32 is mounted through the second mounting member 36. The main body 33 is provided with an actuator (not shown) that drives the linear motion shaft 34 in the front-rear direction along the central axis (L4). According to this, the first main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 and the first main surface 32a of the second flat plate portion 32 can be close to or separated from each other.

Next, the packing operation of the food 40 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the control device 14 controls the movement of the arm 13 on the right, and uses the end effector 18A to hold the five foods 40 on the second conveyor belt 52. The five foods 40 (hereinafter, also referred to as the food in the first row) stand The raised state is arranged in a predetermined direction, and is transported above the empty container 41 arranged on the workbench 50 (refer to FIG. 10). At this time, the control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 to control the distance between the opposing main surfaces (31a, 32a) to the first distance through which the food 40 in the first row can pass, thereby forming a spill surface. In addition, the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 of the end effector 19A is brought into contact with the side surface 41b of the container 41, so that the food 40 in the first row falls into the container 41. The packing position in the device 41 is nearby.

Next, the control device 14 controls the movement of the right arm 13 to release the food 40 in the first row held by the end effector 18A from a predetermined height. Fig. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the container 41 during the packing operation when viewed from the front. In FIG. 13, the end effector 18A (refer to FIG. 11) shows only a pair of gripping pads 22 a, and the end effector 19A (refer to FIG. 12) shows only the first flat plate portion 31 and the second flat plate portion 32. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13(A), the control device 14 moves one of the pair of holding pads 22a, 22a to the left to release each food 40. At this time, the drop surfaces (31a, 32a) of the first flat plate portion 31 and the second flat plate portion 32 guide the falling direction of the food 40 in the first row to be released toward the bottom surface 41a of the container 41.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 13(B), controls the movement of the left arm 13 to maintain the distance between the opposing main surfaces (31a, 32a) within the width of the food 40 in the first row. In the case of passing through the first gap, the main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 on the side opposite to the drop surface is brought into contact with the food 40 dropped into the container 41.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 13(C), controls the movement of the left arm 13 to maintain the distance between the opposing main surfaces (31a, 32a) so that the food 40 in the first row can pass through In the first interval, the main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 opposite to the spill surface is brought into contact with the food that has fallen into the container, and moved to the first direction (here, the right direction). The food 40 in the first row is neatly arranged in the predetermined packing position in the container 41. in this way. Since the ineffective space between the side 41b of the container 41 and the food 40 in the first row can be reduced, the food storage efficiency can be improved. In addition, the movement of the food 40 in the first direction can also be performed in a state where the main surface 32b of the second flat plate portion 32 opposite to the spill surface is brought into contact with the food dropped into the container.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 13(D), controls the movement of the right arm 13 to release the food 40 in the second row held by the end effector 18 from a predetermined height. At this time, the falling direction of the food 40 in the second row of being liberated is guided to the bottom surface 41a of the container 41 by the falling surface.

In addition, the first flat plate portion 31 and the second flat plate portion 32 must be retracted from the bottom of the container 41 to above the container 41 each time the food 40 is placed, but because of the flat plate shape, they will not touch the container when retracted. Side 41b of 41 or side 40a, 40b of food 40.

Repeat the above actions. In the final stage of the boxing operation, the space between the food 40 arranged in the container 41 and the side surface 41b of the container 41 may become narrow. As shown in FIG. 14(A), the space between the food 40 of the 9th row of the 9 foods 40 arranged in the left-right direction in the container 41 and the side surface 41b of the container 41 is narrow, which is not enough space for the food 40 to be arranged.

In this case, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 14(B), reduces the distance between the opposed principal surfaces of the first flat portion 31 and the second flat portion 32, and in this state the first flat portion 31 and the second 2 The flat portion 32 is inserted into the space in the container 41. Since the first flat plate portion 31 and the second flat plate portion 32 have the shape of two flat plates with the main surfaces facing each other, they can be easily inserted into a narrow space.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14(C), the control device 14 expands the distance between the opposing principal surfaces of the first flat plate portion 31 and the second flat plate portion 32 to the first interval to form a drop surface. According to this, the space occupied by the food 40 in the last row (the tenth row) in the container 41 can be secured. Here, the first flat plate part 31 is moved in the first direction (right direction here) in a state where the outer main surface 32a of the second flat plate part 32 is in contact with the side surface of the container 41.

Finally, as shown in Figure 14(D), since the space for the last row of food 40 in the container 41 is secured, the control device 14 controls the movement of the right arm 13 to hold the last row by the end effector 18A (Line 10) Food 40 is liberated from the established height. According to this, it is possible to pack the food to the last one.

After that, the control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (refer to FIG. 9), so that the second main surface 31b of the first flat plate portion 31 on the opposite side of the leakage surface is brought into contact with the phase In the state adjacent to the side 41b of the container 41, pull to the direction of the base 12 to start the food packing operation of the next container 41.

In addition, the movement of the adjacent container 41 toward the base 12 can also be used to make the second flat portion 32 This is performed in a state where the main surface 32b on the opposite side of the spill surface is in contact with the side surface 41b of the container 41.

(Modification)

Next, a modification example of the end effector 19A of the robot 11 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the configuration of a modification of the end effector 19A. The end effector 19B of this modification example is compared with the end effector 19A (FIG. 12) of the second embodiment. The difference is that it has a pressing member 38. The pressing member 38 makes the first flat plate The main surfaces of the portion 31 and the second flat portion 32 can approach or separate from each other.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the end effector 19B includes a base 30 including a rotating portion 17b, a first flat plate portion 31 attached to the base 30, and a second flat plate portion 31 disposed opposite to the first flat plate portion 31. The flat plate portion 32, the supporting member 37, and the pressing member 38.

The first flat plate portion 31 is attached to the base portion 30 through the attachment member 39. The second flat plate portion 32 is attached to the base portion 30 through the pressing member 38. The first flat plate portion 31 and the second flat plate portion 32 are connected through the mounting member 39 and the pressing member 38. In addition, the inner main surface 32 a of the second flat plate portion 32 is attached to the front end of the support member 37. The support member 37 has a cylindrical shape, and since it is arranged inside the cylindrical mounting member 39, the mounting member 39 can move in the front-rear direction along the central axis (L4) of the support member 37. According to this, the main surface 31a of the first flat plate portion 31 attached to the mounting member 39 can approach or leave in the direction of the main surface 32a of the second flat plate portion 32 by the pressing force of the pressing member 38.

Next, the packaging operation of the food 40 in the final stage of this modification will be described with reference to FIG. 16. In the final stage of the packing operation, as shown in Figure 16(A), the space between the 9th row of the 9th row of the food 40 arranged in the left and right directions in the container 41 and the side 41b of the container 41 is narrowed, not arrangement Ample space for food 40.

In this case, the control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 as shown in FIG. 16(A), and the end effector 19B makes the second flat portion 32 on the main surface 32b on the opposite side of the release surface In the state of contacting the side surface 41b of the container 41, the first flat plate portion 31 is moved in the direction of the side surface 41b (here, the left side), thereby reducing the distance between the opposed main surfaces.

Next, the control device 14 controls the movement of the left arm 13 as shown in FIG. 16(B). In this state, the first plate portion 31 and the second plate portion 32 are inserted into the space in the container 41.

Next, the control device 14, as shown in FIG. 16(C), moves the first flat plate portion 31 toward the direction of the food 40 (here, the right side), so that the distance between the opposing main surfaces is expanded to the first distance To form a leaking surface. In this way, the space occupied by the food 40 in the last row (row 10) is ensured in the container 41.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 16(D), since the space for the last food 40 in the container 41 is secured, the control device 14 controls the movement of the right arm 13 to remove the last food (row 10) 40 Liberation from the established height. According to this, it can be surely packed to the last food.

(Other embodiments)

In addition, although the food packaging device of each of the above embodiments is constituted by a horizontal articulated dual-wrist robot, a vertical articulated dual-wrist robot may also be used.

In addition, although the container 41 is a box in each of the above embodiments, any other container may be used as long as it is a container with an upper opening. In addition, although the container 41 can store 50 foods 40, the storage volume is not limited to this.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the end effector 18 can hold or release the five foods 40 arranged in a predetermined direction, but the number of foods 40 can be different depending on the storage volume of the container 41. For example, it may hold one to three foods 40, or it may hold six or more foods 40.

Based on the above description, it is obvious to a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the invention belongs that many modifications and other embodiments of the invention are possible. Therefore, the above description should be construed as an example only, and is provided for the purpose of teaching the best mode of the present invention to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The details of the structure and/or function can be changed substantially without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Industrial availability

The invention can be used in a food packing device.

11‧‧‧Robot (packing device)

12‧‧‧Base

13‧‧‧arm

18‧‧‧End effector

19‧‧‧End effector

40‧‧‧Food (rice balls)

41‧‧‧Container

41a‧‧‧Bottom of the container

41b‧‧‧The side of the container

50‧‧‧Working table

50a‧‧‧Part 1

50b‧‧‧Second member

51‧‧‧The first conveyor belt

51a‧‧‧Guide member

52‧‧‧Second conveyor belt

52a‧‧‧Limiting member

53‧‧‧The third conveyor belt

Claims (21)

A food packing device, which is used to pack food into a container with an opening on the top, and is provided with: a food supply part with a holding part that can hold or release the food; a food guide part with a main surface that can store the food Direction guidance; and a control device, which controls the actions of the food supply section and the food guide section; the control device, controls the actions of the food supply section and the food guide section to remove the food held by the holding section The predetermined height is liberated, by making one side of the food contact the main surface of the food guiding part, accordingly the falling direction of the food is restricted to the direction toward the bottom surface of the container; and making the main surface of the food guiding part When touching the other side of the food falling into the container, move it in the first direction from the contacting side to the other side, so that the food is neatly arranged at the predetermined packing position in the container . The food packing device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the action of the food guide so that the space between the food in the container and the inner wall of the container is narrower than the width of the food When the food guide part is inserted into the space in the container; and in the state that the main surface of the food guide part is in contact with the food in the container, it is moved to the first direction to ensure the The space occupied by the food. The food packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion is provided with a pair of holding members that hold the food from both sides; the pair of holding members holds the food while one of the The front end of the holding member extends to a position lower than the lowest position of the food; the control device releases the food held by the pair of holding members from a predetermined height, so that one side of the food contacts the main guide of the food guide And make the other side surface of the food contact the inner wall surface of the holding member on the one side, thereby restricting the falling direction of the food to the bottom surface of the container. The food packing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food guiding part has Flat member. The food packing device according to claim 4, wherein, adjacent to the packing device, another container is placed adjacent to one of the containers; the control device controls the action of the food guide to After the food packing operation of the container is completed, the container is pulled in the direction of the base of the packing device while the main surface of the flat member is brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the other container, To start packing the food in the other container. The food packing device according to claim 1, wherein the food guide portion further has a main surface arranged facing the main surface; the facing main surfaces can be close to or separated from each other; the control device controls the The action of the food supply part and the food guide part is to control the distance between the opposing main surfaces of the food guide part to the first distance through which the food can pass, thereby forming a spill surface; The retained food is liberated from a predetermined height, and the falling direction of the liberated food is guided to the bottom surface of the container by the falling surface. The food packaging device according to claim 6, wherein the control device controls the action of the food guide portion so that the space between the food in the container and the inner wall of the container is narrower than the width of the food In this case, reduce the distance between the opposing main surfaces of the food guide portion, and insert the food guide portion into the space in the container in this state; The interval is expanded to the first interval, so as to ensure the space occupied by the food in the container. The food packaging device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the food guide portion has two flat plate-shaped members arranged facing each other. The food packing device according to claim 8, wherein, in the vicinity of the packing device, another container is placed adjacent to one of the containers; the control device controls the action of the food guiding part to make During the packing operation of the food in the container After the completion, in a state where any one of the main surfaces on the opposite side of the spill surface is in contact with the inner wall surface of the other container, the container is pulled toward the base of the packing device to start the other container The food packing operation. The food packing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food guiding part is installed at the front end of the robot arm that can move relative to the base; the control device controls the action of the robot arm. The food packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding part can hold or release a plurality of foods arranged in a predetermined direction. The food packaging device according to claim 3, wherein the food guide portion has a flat member. The food packing device according to claim 3, wherein the food guiding part is installed at the front end of the robot arm that can move relative to the base; the control device controls the action of the robot arm. The food packing device according to claim 4, wherein the food guiding part is installed at the front end of a robot arm that can move relative to the base; the control device controls the action of the robot arm. According to the food packing device of claim 5, the food guide is installed at the front end of the robot arm that can move relative to the base; the control device controls the action of the robot arm. The food packing device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the food guiding part is installed at the front end of the robot arm that can move relative to the base; the control device controls the action of the robot arm. The food packaging device according to claim 3, wherein the holding portion can hold or release a plurality of foods arranged in a predetermined direction. The food packaging device according to claim 4, wherein the holding part can hold or release Put a plurality of the foods arranged in a predetermined direction. The food packaging device according to claim 5, wherein the holding portion can hold or release a plurality of foods arranged in a predetermined direction. The food packaging device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the holding part can hold or release a plurality of foods arranged in a predetermined direction. The food packaging device according to claim 10, wherein the holding part can hold or release a plurality of foods arranged in a predetermined direction.

Images