JP5206139B2 - Branding device and branding system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a branding device that presses branding on the surface of an elastic article such as Chinese bun, and a branding system that includes this branding device.

  For example, in the case of pressing a branding mark on a Chinese bun, conventionally, it has been performed manually using a baking iron. When pressing the branding by hand, it is necessary to abut against the article with an appropriate pressing amount.If the pressing amount is too large, the Chinese steamed bun will contact not only the stamping surface of the ironing iron but also the side. As a result, the periphery of the pressed branding mark is burnt and the outer circumference of the brand name mark becomes blurred. On the other hand, if the pressing amount is small, there has been a problem that the outer peripheral portion of the pressed brand mark is not burned sufficiently and becomes chipped. In addition, in the case of manual work, there is a problem that the position of the pressed branding is not constant. In addition, there is a problem that it is impossible to increase the capacity because the processing speed is limited.

  In view of this, there has been proposed a stamping press that automatically presses a stamp on an elastic article such as Chinese bun (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The stamping press according to the invention described in Patent Document 1 is configured as follows. That is, the working part 8 is provided at the lower part of the frame 2 and the steamed steamed manju M is fed by a conveyor or the like. In addition, a round bar-like lifting body 6 is provided on the upper portion of the frame 2 so as to face the working portion 8 and can be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction. The elevating body 6 is moved up and down by a motor 7 via a pinion rack mechanism. A stamping iron 3 provided with a heater 9 is detachably attached to the lower end of the lifting body 6. When the lifting body 6 is lowered, the pushing iron 3 is placed on the working unit 8. It can be brought into contact with the onion M.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional branding apparatus having a configuration different from that of the invention of Patent Document 1. FIG. 5 shows a process for pressing branding on Chinese buns with the conventional branding apparatus and this process. The problem of the branding apparatus will be described. A seal 226 (corresponding to the pressing iron 3 of Patent Document 1) that presses the Chinese steamed bun 204 is attached to the lower end of the metal heat retaining portion 222. A heater 224 that heats the seal 226 and a thermometer 228 that measures the temperature of the seal 226 are disposed inside the metal heat retaining section 222. When the metal heat retaining portion 222 is moved, moved up and down by an actuator (not shown), and lowered, the stamp 226 heated by the heater 224 is pressed against the surface of the Chinese steamed bun 204 to mark it as shown in FIG. It is like that.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-16095 (page 5-8, FIG. 1)

  In the conventional branding device, when the seal 226 is lowered and strongly pressed against the center of the surface of the Chinese steamed pepper 204, as shown in FIG. , The surface of the surface of the surface contacts not only the marking surface 226a (the portion on which the shape to be pressed as a branding is drawn) but also the side surface 226b. When the side surface 226b of the stamp 226 thus heated comes into contact with the surface of the Chinese steamed bun 204, this portion is also burnt, and there is a problem that the outer peripheral portion of the pressed brand mark becomes blurred. To do. Such a problem also occurs in the stamping press according to the invention described in Patent Document 1. Further, in the configuration of the invention described in Patent Document 1, since only the article (manju M) placed in the working unit 8 can be branded, high performance is achieved as in the case of manual work. I can't.

  The invention described in claim 1 includes a stamp having a stamped surface engraved with a predetermined shape, and a heating means for heating the stamp, and presses the stamp on the surface of an elastic article by pressing the stamp. In the stamping device, a support guide is arranged around the seal so as to be separated from the side surface of the seal, and when the stamp is pressed against the article to press the branding, the periphery of the position where the article is pressed is supported by the support guide. It is characterized by being pressed by.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seal having a seal surface engraved with a predetermined shape, a heating means for heating the seal, and a support guide disposed around the seal and separated from the side surface of the seal. A branding device comprising: a conveying means for conveying the article; an imaging means for photographing the article conveyed by the conveying means; and a position for pressing the branding of the article from the image obtained by the imaging means. A position determining means for determining, a moving means for moving and pressing the seal to a position to press the branding of the article, and a control means for controlling the amount of movement of the moving means based on the determination result of the position determining means. It is characterized by that.

  Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that at least a surface of the support guide that comes into contact with the article is made of a heat resistant resin.

  The stamping device according to the first aspect of the present invention is arranged such that a support guide is arranged around the seal so as to be separated from the side surface of the seal, and the stamp is applied when the stamp is pressed against the surface of the article. Since the peripheral portion of the position is pressed by the support guide, there is no possibility that the surface of the article comes into contact with the side surface of the seal, and the outer peripheral portion of the brand mark is not blurred, and a clear brand mark can be attached.

  In addition, a branding system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the branding device having the above-described configuration, determines a position where the branding of the article being conveyed by the conveying unit is pressed, and is applied to the article being conveyed. Since it is possible to press the branding mark, there is no risk that the surface of the article will come into contact with the side of the seal, the outer circumference of the branding will not be blurred, and a clear branding mark can be attached. It is possible to press the branding mark at a certain position, and it is possible to improve the performance.

  In the invention of claim 1, a seal having a stamped surface engraved with a predetermined shape, a heating means for heating the seal, and a support guide arranged at a position around the seal and spaced from the side surface. When the stamp is applied to the article, the outer peripheral part of the stamped mark is blurred by pressing the peripheral part of the part where the stamp is pressed with the support guide arranged around the seal. Achieve the goal of avoiding the situation.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the article conveyed by the conveying means for supplying the article to the branding apparatus having the configuration described in the first aspect is photographed by the imaging means, and the position for pressing the branding is determined by the position determining means. Then, based on this determination, the marking device is moved by the moving means, and the marking device is further lowered to press the seal to the article determination position, and the periphery thereof is pressed by the support guide. At the position, the purpose is to push a brand name with a clear outer peripheral part and to achieve high performance.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a branding system including a branding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a robot as a position moving means for moving the branding device, and FIG. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of a branding apparatus, and is the figure seen from the arrow A direction of FIG. In this embodiment, two robots 2 (the first robot 2A on the upstream side and the second robot 2B on the downstream side) to which the branding device (indicated by reference numeral 1 as a whole) is attached are arranged, and these two robots are arranged. 2A and 2B respectively move the branding devices 1 and 1 so as to brand the articles having elasticity (in this embodiment, Chinese buns 4).

  Chinese steamed buns 4 are transported in a random state by transport means (transport conveyor 6), and are supplied to the marking positions P1 and P2 where the stamps are pressed by the marking apparatuses 1 and 1 attached to the two robots 2A and 2B, respectively. . Image pickup means 8 is provided on the upstream side of the two branding positions P1 and P2, and images the Chinese steamed bun 4 being conveyed on the conveyor 6. The image captured by the imaging unit 8 is sent to the control device 10. The control device 10 is provided with a position determination means 12, which processes the image sent from the imaging means 8 and determines the approximate center position of the top surface of the Chinese bun 4, that is, the position where the branding is pressed. Further, the control device 10 is provided with a movement amount control means 14, and based on the information determined by the position determination means 12, an output of a movement command to the robots 2A and 2B to determine the seal position is above the Chinese steamed bun 4. The printing apparatus 1 and 1 are moved down to perform printing. In this embodiment, two robots 2A and 2B that perform the marking by moving the positions of the marking devices 1 and 1 are installed, and the position determination means 12 not only determines the stamping position but also the stamping. It is determined which one of the upstream first robot 2A and the downstream second robot 2B is to process the Chinese bun 4 whose position has been determined.

  Next, the configuration of the branding device 1 and the process of pressing the branding on the Chinese buns 4 by the branding device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the branding device 1, each component is attached to the lower surface side of an attachment plate 18 for attachment to the hand 16 of the robot 2 (2A, 2B). An upper surface on one end side of the mounting plate 18 is fixed to the robot hand 16, and a metal heat retaining portion 22 is fixed to the lower surface on the other end side via a plurality of plates 20a and 20b. . A cartridge heater 24 is accommodated in the metal heat retaining portion 22. On the lower surface of the metal heat retaining portion 22, a seal 26 for attaching a Chinese steamed bun 4 is attached. The stamp 26 is engraved on the lower surface with a marking surface 26a for pressing a branding on the surface of the Chinese steamed bun 4. The heater 24 is connected to a power source by a conductive wire (not shown), and when the heater 24 is heated, heat is transmitted from the heater 24 to the seal 26 via the metal heat insulating portion 22 covering the periphery of the heater 24. Then, the seal 26 is heated and the Chinese steamed bun 4 can be stamped.

  A thermometer (thermocouple 28) is provided inside the metal heat retaining section 22, and the temperature measuring section 28 a at the tip of the thermocouple 28 comes into contact with the back surface of the stamp 26 to measure the temperature of the stamp 26. It has become. In this embodiment, the temperature of the seal 26 is set to about 450 ° C., and the surface of the Chinese steamed bun 4 is scorched to be marked. A cover 32 is mounted on the outer peripheral side of the metal heat retaining portion 22 with a space 30 therebetween. The cover 32 has an upper end fixed to the upper plate 20b. The cover 32 is provided so that the cartridge heater 24, the metal heat retaining portion 22, and the thermocouple 28 are not exposed to the outside air. Further, the air layer held in the space 30 between the metal heat insulating portion 22 and the cover 32 also plays a role of heat insulation. The number of cartridge heaters 24 housed in the metal heat retaining unit 22 can be set as appropriate, but is preferably about 3 to 5.

  In addition to the configuration for pressing the branding on the article (Chinese buns 4 in this example) as described above, the branding device 1 of the present example surrounds the side surface 26b of the stamp 26 and presses the branding. A feature is that a support guide 34 is provided for pressing around the seal position. The support guide 34 of this embodiment has an annular portion 34 a disposed so as to surround the periphery of the seal 26, and the inner surface of the annular portion 34 a is spaced from the side surface 26 b of the seal 26 by a predetermined distance. It is arranged in a separated state. The annular portion 34a is connected to the main body side of the marking device 1 through four attachment portions 34b connected to the periphery thereof at equal intervals. The four attachment portions 34b of the support guide 34 are connected to the annular portion 34a at the inner end portions, and the four vertical attachment portions 34b are fixed to the lower surface side of the upper attachment ring 36 at the outer end portions. Each is fixed to the lower end of the mounting rod 38. In addition, the attachment part 34b which supports the cyclic | annular part 34a of the support guide 34 is not restricted to four places, It can change suitably.

  The support guide 34, the four rods 38 that support the support guide 34, and the attachment ring 36 are integrated with each other so that the support guide 34 can be attached to and detached from the support guide holding member 40 provided on the main body side of the printing apparatus 1. A ring member 42 having a cylindrical portion 42 a and an upper flange portion 42 b is fixed to the lower surface of the mounting plate 18 by a plurality of bolts 44. A height adjusting screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 a of the ring member 42. In the support guide holding member 40, an annular horizontal portion 40b is formed on the inner peripheral side of the upper end of the cylindrical portion 40a, and the inner peripheral surface of the horizontal portion 40b is screwed onto the screw of the cylindrical portion 42a of the ring member 42. Matching screws are formed. The height of the support guide holding member 40 can be adjusted by rotating the support guide holding member 40 with respect to the ring member 42, and the height is adjusted according to the size, shape, etc. of the article to be stamped. The support guide holding member 40 is rotated with respect to the ring member 42 to adjust the height, and then locked by the lock bolt 46. For example, four concave portions are formed at equal intervals on the upper surface of the horizontal portion 40b of the support guide holding member 40, the tip of the lock bolt 46 is pressed against one of the concave portions, positioning is performed, and locking is performed at that position.

  The outer diameter of the attachment ring 36 to which the support guide 34 is attached is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 40 a of the support guide holding member 40, and the attachment ring 36 is inserted into the support guide holding member 40. These both 36 and 40 are connected. An annular groove 36a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting ring 36. On the other hand, a long groove 40c that connects the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface is formed at symmetrical positions on both sides of the cylindrical portion 40a of the support guide holding member 40. ing. The support guide holding member 40 and the mounting ring 36 are connected by fitting both leg portions of a substantially C-shaped clip pin 48 having a protruding portion whose central portion protrudes outward into the long groove 40c and the annular groove 36a. It is supposed to be. Although not shown, a convex portion is formed on one of the surfaces of the support guide holding member 40 and the mounting ring 36 that face each other, and a concave portion is formed on the other surface, and these are fitted to each other to position them in the rotational direction. The relative rotation is restricted. For example, if two convex portions are formed at symmetrical positions on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 40a of the support guide holding member 40 and four concave portions are formed at equal intervals on the upper surface of the mounting ring 36, the assembling can be performed. By relatively rotating the two and making the convex part and the concave part coincide with each other, positioning can be performed every 90 degrees, and rotation after assembling can be restricted.

  When the support guide holding member 40 and the attachment ring 36 to which the support guide 34 is attached are connected, the attachment ring 36 is inserted into the support guide holding member 40 and positioned, and then the C-shaped substantially. The both leg portions of the clip pin 48 are fitted into the long grooves 40 c on both sides of the support guide holding member 40. The clip pin 48 passes through the long groove 40 c of the support guide holding member 40 by its own spring force, engages with the annular groove 36 a of the mounting ring 36, and connects the support guide holding member 40 and the mounting ring 36. . In this embodiment, the lower end of the annular portion 34a of the support guide 34 and the inner end of the mounting portion 34b are attached to the seal in a state where the mounting ring 36 to which the support guide 34 is attached is attached to the support guide holding member 40. It is located slightly below the lower surface of 26 (the marking surface 26a). In addition, a protrusion projecting outward from the arc formed in the C shape is provided at the center of the clip pin 48. When removing the support guide, the clip pin 48 holds the protrusion. The support guide 34 can be easily removed from the main body side of the branding device 1 by pulling out. Since the support guide 34 is a member that is in direct contact with food or the like, it is necessary to clean it. However, since the support guide 34 can be attached and detached with one touch, the cleaning operation is easy.

  The support guide 34 is a thin plate made of stainless steel (SUS) and coated with a fluororesin coating such as Teflon (registered trademark), and the surface of the support guide 34 that directly contacts the Chinese bun 4 is made non-adhesive. ing. The coating of the support guide 34 is not limited to Teflon, and other resin coatings may be used as long as they are non-adhesive resin coatings. For example, silver stone (registered trademark), modified fluororesin coating processing, nylon coating processing, or the like may be used. The coating is preferably made of a resin having heat resistance of about 100 ° C to 260 ° C.

  The operation of the branding device 1 according to the above configuration and the branding application system provided with the branding device 1 will be described. First, a reference for the operation of the robot 2 as the position moving means is set. In this embodiment, the Chinese steamed bun 4 is stamped, so the average height of the Chinese bun 4 (for example, 50 mm) is set as the reference height, and the amount of pushing from this reference height (10 to 10 in this embodiment) is set. 20 mm).

  Articles (Chinese buns 4) that are randomly conveyed on the conveyor 6 are photographed by the imaging means 8, and this data is sent to the control device 10. In the control device 10, the position determining means 12 performs image processing to determine the mark position at the center of the Chinese bun 4. Further, in this embodiment, since two robots 2 (first robot 2A, second robot 2B) and a branding device 1 are provided, each Chinese steamed bun 4 whose branding position has been determined is connected to the upstream side. It is determined which one of the 1st robot 2A and the 2nd robot 2B on the downstream side presses the branding. Note that the number of robots 2 in this branding system is not limited to two, but may be one or three or more.

  Based on the determination result by the position determination unit 12, the movement amount control unit 14 outputs a movement command signal to the robots 2A and 2B. In response to this signal, the robots 2A and 2B move the branding device 1 above the center position of the corresponding Chinese steamed bun 4, and the pushing amount (10 to 20 mm) set from the set height (50 mm). Only descend. When the stamping device 1 is lowered, the annular portion 34a of the support guide 34 arranged at a distance from the outside of the side surface 26b of the stamp 26 before the stamp surface 26a of the stamp 26 abuts against the central portion of the surface of the Chinese steamed bun 4. And the annular part side end part of the attaching part 34b contacts the peripheral part of the Chinese steamed bun 4, and the whole marking apparatus 1 descends while pushing down this part. The stamping apparatus 1 stops at a position where the stamp 26 is lowered by the set pushing amount. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the peripheral portion of the portion into which the stamp 26 is pushed is positioned lower by the support guide 34. Therefore, the periphery of the position where the stamp is pushed does not rise up and comes into contact with the side surface 26b of the seal 26 as in the conventional case (see FIG. 5), and the peripheral portion of the brand mark becomes burnt and blurred. There is no clear branding. Further, in this embodiment, since the support guide 34 has a thin plate shape, the heat dissipation is excellent, and it is possible to reliably prevent the Chinese steamed bun 4 from being burnt when the support guide 34 is heated. Furthermore, since a coating of fluorine resin or the like is applied to the stainless steel thin plate so that the surface of the support guide 34 has non-adhesiveness, when the support guide 34 is raised and separated from the Chinese steamed bun 4, the surface of the support guide 34 is It is possible to prevent such a problem that the dough of the Chinese bun 4 that comes in contact with the surface is peeled off and the surface of the Chinese bun 4 is damaged. The support guide may be formed of a heat resistant resin having the shape of this embodiment and a metal core inside. Needless to say, a resin coating such as fluororesin processing is applied to the surface of the heat-resistant resin plate in this case.

  In the above-described embodiment, the annular portion 34a of the support guide 34 surrounds the entire circumference of the seal 26. However, the annular portion 34a is not necessarily continuous in a cylindrical shape, and a plurality of locations on the outer side of the seal 26 are pressed down. By doing so, it is only necessary that the surface of the Chinese bun 4 does not rise so as to come into contact with the side surface 26b of the seal 26. Further, in this embodiment, the lower end of the annular portion 34a of the support guide 34 is attached to a position slightly lower than the marking surface 26a of the seal 26, but it is not necessarily limited to a lower position, and is substantially the same height, Or even if it is a little high position, when the stamp 26 is lowered by the set push-in amount, the effect of the present invention can be achieved as long as the peripheral portion of the marking position of the Chinese steamed bun 4 can be pushed down. Can do. However, by setting the support guide 34 at a position lower than the seal 26, it is possible to deeply push down the peripheral portion of the portion of the Chinese steamed bun 4 to be pressed, and the side surface 26 b of the seal 26 contacts the surface of the Chinese bun 4. This can be reliably avoided and a clear branding can be pressed. In the above embodiment, the support guide holding member 40 can be moved up and down with respect to the ring member 42 fixed to the mounting plate 18 on the robot hand 16 side. The height can be adjusted accordingly. Moreover, although the said Example demonstrated the case where a Chinese brand manju 4 was pressed, the article to process is not restricted to Chinese manju, For example, in addition to manju, castella, steamed bread, etc., meat processed foods, such as ham, etc. If it is an elastic article such as leather products, fruits, vegetables, etc., the above-mentioned effect can be achieved when a branding is pressed.

  FIG. 4 shows a branding apparatus 101 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, except for the support guide 134 and its mounting structure, the main body side of the stamping apparatus 101 including the seal 26 and the like has almost the same configuration as that of the above embodiment, so the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. The description is omitted. The support guide 134 of this embodiment is formed with an inward flange-shaped portion 134b formed at the lower end of the cylindrical portion 134a, and the inner surface thereof is arranged at a predetermined distance from the side surface 26b of the seal 26. Has been.

  Further, an outward flange-shaped portion 134 c is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 134 a, and the flange-shaped portion 134 c is connected to the lower end of the cover 32. An annular body 136 is fixed to the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the cover 32, and a support guide engaging portion 138 for attaching the support guide 134 is fixed to the annular body 136. The engaging portion 138 has a portion 138b bent at a right angle toward the lower side at the outer end of the horizontal portion 138a sandwiched by the annular body 136, and further below that, an engaging surface 138c inclined inward. Is formed. Further, a guide surface 138d that is inclined outward is formed below the engagement surface 138c, opposite to the engagement surface 138c.

  On the other hand, an inclined surface 134d having substantially the same inclination as the engaging surface 138c of the support guide engaging portion 138 is formed on the outer surface side of the upper flange portion 134c of the support guide 134. The support guide engaging portions 138 are arranged at a plurality of locations around the support guide 134, and the support guide 134 is attached to the lower end of the cover 132 by engaging the inclined surfaces 134d with the respective engaging surfaces 138c. be able to. The support guide engaging portion 138 is formed of a leaf spring. When the support guide 134 is fixed, the upper end outer peripheral surface of the support guide 134 is pressed against the guide surface 138d of the engaging portion 138 from below. And the inclined surface 134d of the support guide 134 enters the engaging surface 138c side of the engaging portion 138. Thereafter, the engaging portion 138 returns by its spring force, and the engaging surface 138c elastically contacts the inclined surface 134d. The support guide 134 is held. When the support guide 134 is removed, if the support guide 134 is pulled down as it is, the support guide 134 can be removed by expanding the engaging portion 138 outward. Since the support guide 134 is a member that is in direct contact with food or the like, it is necessary to clean it. Note that the shape of the support guide 134 is not limited to that shown in the drawing, and the lower end surface 134e only needs to be able to press the periphery of the portion that presses the branding of the article so that the surface of the article does not contact the side surface of the seal 26. .

  Also in this embodiment, the lower end surface 134e of the support guide 134 is positioned slightly below the lower surface (the marking surface 26a) of the stamp 26 with the support guide 134 mounted on the support guide engaging portion 138. The support guide 134 is entirely formed of a heat resistant resin such as Teflon. If the support guide 134 is made of metal, heat is transmitted from the heat retaining portion 22 side, and the support guide 134 is heated. When the support guide 134 is pressed against the Chinese steamed bun 4, it is made of resin. The material of the support guide 134 is not limited to Teflon, and any material having a heat resistance of about 100 ° C. to 260 ° C. may be used.

It is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the whole branding provision system provided with the branding apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. Example 1 It is a side view of the moving means (robot) to which the said branding apparatus was attached. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the arrow A direction of the branding apparatus, and shows a state where branding is pressed on the article. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the marking apparatus which concerns on another Example. (Example 2) It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the conventional branding apparatus, and shows the same state as FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Branding device 2 Moving means (robot)
2A Moving means (first robot)
2B Moving means (second robot)
4 Goods (Chinese Manju)
6 Transport means (transport conveyor)
8 Imaging means 10 Control means (control device)
12 Position determination means 24 Heating means (heater)
26 Seal 26a Seal 26b Side of Seal 34 Support Guide

Claims (3)

In a stamping apparatus comprising a stamp having a stamped surface engraved with a predetermined shape, and a heating means for heating the stamp, pressing the stamped surface against the surface of an elastic article to press the stamp,
A support guide is arranged around the seal so as to be separated from the side of the seal. A branding device.   A stamping device having a seal having a stamped surface with a predetermined shape, a heating means for heating the seal, and a support guide arranged around the seal and spaced from the side surface of the seal, and conveying the article Conveying means, imaging means for photographing the article being conveyed by the conveying means, position determining means for determining a position to press the branding of the article from the image obtained by the imaging means, and the seal as the article A marking applying system comprising: moving means for moving and pressing the branding mark to a pressing position; and control means for controlling the amount of movement of the moving means based on the determination result of the position determining means.   2. The branding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a surface of the support guide that is in contact with the article is made of a heat resistant resin.

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