JP6964341B2 - Ingredient serving device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food serving device capable of serving rice and various side dishes (side dishes) in a food container such as a lunch box.

Conventionally, a sushi serving device for serving inari sushi, sushi rolls, etc. in a container has been put into practical use (Patent Document 1). This device aligns the orientation of various sushi to be conveyed on the conveyor with an actuator, and then grips each sushi one by one at the gripping part of the gripping and serving device, and the gripping part is inside the food container. By moving to, the above-mentioned various types of sushi are stored in the food container.

Further, the side dish storage unit and the conveyor are arranged in parallel adjacent to the robot arm, and a CCD camera is provided above the side dish storage unit, and the robot arm grips a predetermined side dish based on the image of the CCD camera. , A filling device having a configuration of storing in a food container flowing on a conveyor has been proposed (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-21004 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-65838

By the way, in each of the above-mentioned conventional devices, ingredients such as sushi are grasped one by one by the grip portion of the gripping and serving device or the robot arm, and the grip portion or the robot arm is controlled to control each ingredient. Since it is necessary to store the robot arm in a predetermined position in the container, it is necessary to perform complicated control of the grip portion or the robot arm, and there is a problem that the cost of the device itself becomes high.

In addition, for example, it is necessary to change the gripping force of the gripping part or the robot arm, the storage position with respect to the container, etc. depending on the type of the foodstuff (side dish) of the lunch box, and complicated control is required to handle multiple kinds of foodstuff (side dish). There is a problem that it is necessary and difficult to deal with easily.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a low-cost food filling device capable of handling various foods (prepared foods, etc.) without using a robot arm or the like. The purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
First, an opening / closing member that supplies the rice lumps in the closed state and supplies the rice lumps into the food container in the opened state, and a transition member that transfers the rice lumps supplied to the food container to the transport conveyor are provided. The prepared food container is provided with a prepared food supply area along the conveying direction of the food container, and a plurality of prepared food supply devices are arranged in the prepared food supply area for each type of prepared food. Each of the prepared food supply devices has a guide rod extending to the prepared food supply position of the food container on the transport conveyor, and a small container for transferring one serving of prepared food to the prepared food supply position along the guide rod. The small container is composed of a food filling device that opens the shutter when the side dish supply position is reached and supplies the side dish in the small container to the side dish supply position in the food container. Will be done.

The opening / closing member can be configured by, for example, a shutter (6). The transition member can be configured by, for example, a pressing cylinder (9). With this configuration, a plurality of prepared food supply devices are arranged in the prepared food supply area of the conveyor, and each guide rod is provided up to the prepared food supply position on the conveyor to supply the prepared food in the food container to which the conveyor is conveyed. Ingredients for one meal can be supplied to the position, and ingredients such as prepared foods can be appropriately placed in the ingredient container with a simple configuration without requiring complicated control such as a robot arm as in the conventional case.

Secondly, each of the prepared food supply devices has a hopper for storing the prepared food and a transport member for transporting one serving of prepared food from the hopper to the small container. Consists of.

The transport member can be, for example, a unraveling member (35), a screw conveyor (36), an unraveling roller (37), or the like. With this configuration, the prepared foods can be stored in the hopper of the prepared food supply device, and the prepared foods can be supplied to small containers, for example, for each serving, and it is not necessary to divide the prepared foods in advance. The side dish can be served in the food container very efficiently.

Thirdly, when the small container reaches the side dish supply position, the shutter of the small container is opened by the action of the cam mechanism provided in the guide rod to open the side dish discharge port. It is composed of the above-mentioned first or second food filling device.

With this configuration, the shutter can be opened and closed without power, and the configuration of the side dish supply device can be further simplified.

Fourth, according to any one of the above 1 to 3 above, each of the prepared food supply devices is provided with casters on the lower surface and is provided so as to be arranged at an arbitrary position in the prepared food supply area. It consists of a food filling device.

With this configuration, a plurality of side dish supply devices are prepared for each of a plurality of types of side dishes, and each side dish supply device can be freely moved by casters, so that they can be arranged in the side dish supply area in any order. , It is possible to easily add variations of prepared foods to be supplied to food containers.

Fifth, on the downstream side of the prepared food supply area, an image detection unit for detecting the arrangement of the supplied prepared food by image processing and a correction area for correcting the arrangement of the prepared food are provided. A first discharge conveyor is provided in a direction intersecting the transport conveyor, and a first discharge member for discharging the food container flowing through the transport conveyor in the direction of the first discharge conveyor is provided. As a result of comparison between the captured image and the reference image in the image detection unit, the food container having a large deviation from the reference image is configured to be discharged to the first discharge conveyor side by the first discharge member. It is composed of the foodstuff filling device according to any one of the above 1 to 4, which is the same as the above.

The first discharge member may be, for example, a discharge member (19), and the first discharge conveyor may be, for example, a discharge conveyor (10b). The correction area can be composed of a side dish correction area (E3). With this configuration, events that cannot be corrected in the correction area (for example, most of the prepared foods are protruding from the storage recess) can be eliminated in advance, and the correction area is a food container that does not need to be corrected. Or, since only minor corrections are made, it is possible to efficiently correct the arrangement of prepared foods.

Sixth, a reverse conveyor that runs in the opposite direction to the conveyor is provided adjacent to the prepared food supply area, and an interrupt conveyor that intersects the conveyor is provided on the upstream side of the prepared food supply area. It is composed of the above-mentioned fifth-described food filling device.

With this configuration, for example, the side dish is removed from the food container discharged by the first discharge member to make only rice lumps, and the food container can be sent to the conveyor by the interrupting conveyor again.

Seventh, on the upstream side of the prepared food supply area, a weight measuring conveyor is provided as a part of the transport conveyor, and a second discharge conveyor in a direction intersecting the transport conveyor is provided, so that the foodstuffs outside the specified weight are provided. The foodstuff filling device according to any one of 1 to 6 above is provided with a second discharge member for discharging the container to the second discharge conveyor.

The weight measurement conveyor can be, for example, a transfer conveyor (3d). The second discharge member can be composed of, for example, a discharge member (11). The second discharge conveyor can be configured by, for example, a discharge conveyor (10a). With this configuration, the weight of the food container is weighed when the rice lump is supplied, and the food container outside the specified weight can be discharged to the discharge conveyor at an early stage.

According to the present invention, a plurality of prepared food supply devices are arranged in the prepared food supply area of the conveyor, and each guide rod is provided at the prepared food supply position on the conveyor to supply the prepared food in the food container to which the conveyor is conveyed. Ingredients for one meal can be supplied to the position, and ingredients such as prepared foods can be appropriately placed in the ingredient container with a simple configuration without requiring complicated control such as a robot arm as in the conventional case.

In addition, the prepared foods can be stored in the hopper of the prepared food supply device, and the prepared foods for each serving can be supplied to a small container from there, for example, and it is not necessary to divide the prepared foods in advance, which is very efficient. You can serve side dishes in food containers.

In addition, the shutter of the small container can be opened and closed without power, and the configuration of the side dish supply device can be further simplified.

In addition, multiple side dish supply devices are prepared for each of multiple types of side dishes, and each side dish supply device can be freely moved on casters, so it can be arranged in the side dish supply area in any order, and can be placed in the food container. It is possible to easily respond to the addition of variations of the prepared foods to be supplied.

In addition, when an event that cannot be corrected occurs in the correction area, the food container can be removed from the conveyor in advance, so that the food container that does not need to be corrected and a minor correction can be made in the correction area. Since it is only the food container of the above, it is possible to efficiently correct the arrangement of prepared foods.

Further, for example, the prepared food container can be removed from the food container discharged by the first discharging member to make only the rice lump, and the food container can be sent to the conveyor by the interrupting conveyor again.

In addition, the weight of the food container can be weighed when the rice lump is supplied, and the food container outside the specified weight can be discharged to the discharge conveyor at an early stage.

It is a top view of the foodstuff filling apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view of the same as above. It is a perspective view of the front half part of the same as above. It is the side view of the front half part of the same as above. (A) to (d) are explanatory views (side views) of the rice serving operation of the above-mentioned serving device. (A) and (b) are plan views of the shutter of the same as above. It is a top view of the side dish supply area of the same as above. It is a side sectional view of the prepared food supply device of the same as above. It is the back view which shows the opening-and-opening state of the shutter of the same above-mentioned arranging apparatus. (A) and (b) are cross-sectional views in the vicinity of the prepared food supply section showing the supply status of the prepared food of the device. It is a perspective view of the drive mechanism of the transfer member in the same above-mentioned stacking apparatus. An image of image processing is shown, (a) is reference image data, (b) to (d) are image data taken by a camera, and (e) is an example of an image displayed on a television monitor. It is a block diagram of the electric structure of the control part in the same as above. It is a functional block diagram of the image detection part in the control part of the same as above.

Hereinafter, the foodstuff filling device according to the present invention will be described in detail.

In the present embodiment, the resin lunch box 1 shown in FIG. 7 is used as the food container, and the food is served in the food container (lunch box) 1. As shown in the figure, the lunch box 1 is a rectangular container in a plan view, and is provided with a concave rice storage recess R1 on the right side and side dish storage recesses R2 and R3 on the left side in the drawing. It is assumed that Further, it is assumed that the storage recess R2 is formed to be slightly smaller than the storage recess R3. The shape of the food container 1 is not limited to this, and various shapes can be considered.

1 (plan view) and 2 (side view) show an overall view of an embodiment of the food filling device according to the present invention. First, the overall configuration will be described using these figures. In these figures, the lunch box 1 is assumed to flow from the right side to the left side (direction of arrow A) with respect to the drawing on the conveyor 3 (3a to 3m), and is "upstream side" with reference to the direction of the flow. Expressed as (rear) and "downstream" (front). Further, the top, bottom, left, and right when the downstream side (front) is viewed from the upstream side (rear) are defined as "upper", "lower", "left", and "right". Further, for the transfer conveyor, the reference numeral “3” is used to indicate the whole, and the reference numerals “3a”, “3b” and the like are used to specify individual transfer conveyors.

In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a rice lump supply device, which conveys the rice stored in the hopper 2b while unraveling it, and drops and supplies one meal of rice from the discharge unit 2a onto the conveyor 3a. Movable plates 4 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are provided at the drop position of the rice, and the movable plates 4 are slightly close to each other in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction to form the rice into a substantially square shape. A square rice lump Q is formed. The formed rice lump Q is conveyed to the downstream side by the conveyors 3a and 3b.

The rice lump Q conveyed from the front end of the transfer conveyor 3b to the rear end of the shutter 6 (see FIG. 5A) is conveyed to the center of the shutter (opening / closing member) 6 by the transfer member 5 (FIG. 5C). By opening the shutter 6 to the left and right (see FIG. 6), the rice is dropped and supplied into the rice storage recess R1 of the food container 1 supplied downward (see FIG. 5 (d)).

The food container 1 is stored in a stacked state in the container supply unit 7 on the right side of the shutter 6, is adsorbed one by one by the air adsorption unit 8 (see FIG. 5), and the storage unit R1 is in an upward state. Then, the air is sequentially and horizontally supplied directly below the shutter 6 from the container supply unit 7 side on the right side.

The food container 1 to which the rice lump Q is supplied is pushed downstream by the telescopic rod 9a of the pressing cylinder 9 and transferred to the transport conveyor 3c (see FIG. 5D). The conveyor 3 (3c to 3m) is arranged in a straight line from the start point P1 to the end point P2 to which the food container 1 is transferred, and is divided into a plurality of conveyors 3a to 3m for each area. ing.

The conveyor 3d is a weighing conveyor, and the weight of the food container 1 to which the rice lump Q is supplied is weighed by the load cell 55 (see FIG. 13). The next transfer conveyor 3e is provided with a discharge conveyor (second discharge conveyor) 10a in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction (intersection direction), and is conveyed onto the transfer conveyor 3e on the transfer conveyor 3e. A discharge member (second discharge member) 11 for transferring the food container 1 out of the specified weight to the discharge conveyor 10a is provided (see FIG. 3).

Following the transfer conveyor 3e, a transfer conveyor 3f is provided from position P3 to position P4. During this period, the side dish supply area E1 is provided, and a plurality of side dish supply devices 12 and 12 are arranged on the left side of the conveyor 3f.

These delicatessen supply devices 12 and 12 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) move to the delicatessen supply positions (S1, S2, etc. in FIG. 7) along the guide rod 16 extending on the transfer conveyor 3f and the guide rod 16. A small container 17 is provided, and the small container 17 that has moved to the side dish supply positions S2 and S1 corresponding to the storage recesses R2 and R3 of the food container 1 is used to store the food container 1 for the side dish. One serving of delicatessen is supplied to the recesses R1 or R2 (see FIGS. 10A and 10B).

Following the transfer conveyor 3f, a transfer conveyor 3g is provided. An image detection unit 18 is installed on the transfer conveyor 3g, and an image detection area E2 is provided. In the image detection unit 18, the arrangement of the delicatessen in the food container 1 is photographed by the camera 46 (see FIG. 14) and detected by image processing. The next transport conveyor 3h is provided with a discharge conveyor (first discharge conveyor) 10b in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and is out of the arrangement standard (1st discharge conveyor) 10b transported on the transfer conveyor 3h on the transfer conveyor 3h. For example, a discharge member (first discharge member) 19 for transferring the food container 1 (those whose arrangement is disturbed to the extent that simple modification is impossible) to the discharge conveyor 10b is provided.

Following the transfer conveyor 3h, a transfer conveyor 3i is provided, and a side dish correction area E3 is provided in a range from the start end P5 to the end P6 of the transfer conveyor 3i. In this correction area E3, workers (one or a plurality of people) are arranged along the conveyor 3i, and while watching the TV monitor 20, the arrangement of the delicatessen in the food container 1 is corrected.

Following the transfer conveyor 3i, a transfer conveyor 3j is provided. The conveyor 3j is a measuring conveyor, and the weight of the food container 1 to which the delicatessen is supplied is measured by the load cell 55. Further, an image detection unit 22 is provided on the conveyor 3j, and similarly to the image detection unit 18, the arrangement of the prepared foods in the food container 1 is photographed by a camera and detected by image processing.

The next transfer conveyor 3k is provided with a discharge conveyor 10c in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction, and the foodstuffs that are conveyed on the transfer conveyor 3k and that are out of the specified weight or out of the arrangement standard are conveyed on the transfer conveyor 3k. A discharge member 21 for transferring the container 1 to the discharge conveyor 10c is provided.

Following the transfer conveyor 3k, a transfer conveyor 3 m is provided. The food container 1 transported to the transport conveyor 3 m is one in which rice lumps and delicatessen are normally arranged, is taken out from the transport conveyor 3 m, and is used for the next process such as a lid attachment process and a packaging process. ..

A reverse conveyor 3n is provided parallel to the conveyor 3f between the position P5 at the tip of the discharge conveyor 10b and the position P7 corresponding to the rear end of the conveyor 3f in the delicatessen supply area E1. .. The reverse conveyor 3n is configured to move from the downstream side to the upstream side (in the direction of arrow B). An interrupt conveyor 10d in a direction orthogonal to the reverse transfer conveyor 3n is provided at the end of the reverse transfer conveyor 3n. In the reverse conveyor 3n, the food container 1 discharged from the conveyor 3f is conveyed by the discharge conveyor 10b, so that the worker arranged on the right side of the reverse conveyor 3n is, for example, the food container 1. By removing the delicatessen and placing the food container 1 from which the delicatessen has been removed on the interrupting conveyor 10d, the delicatessen can be placed on the conveyor 3f by interrupting.

Hereinafter, each part will be described in more detail.
The rice lump Q is dropped and supplied from the discharge unit 2a of the rice supply device 2 to the conveyor 3a, the conveyor 3a travels in the direction of arrow A, and is delivered to the conveyor 3b. The conveyor 3b conveys the shutter 6 to the rear end (state of FIG. 5A).

After that, the transfer member 5 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) descends (see FIG. 5 (b)) and horizontally moves forward (in the direction of arrow A) (see FIG. 5 (c)), and the rice lump Q is moved. It moves to the central portion of the shutter 6. At this time, the rice lump Q comes into contact with the positioning member 23 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) fixed on the shutter 6, so that the rice lump Q in the central portion of the shutter 6, that is, the food container 1 below. It is positioned directly above the storage recess R1 of the above (see FIG. 5 (c)).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the transfer member 5 is provided with a cylinder 25 in the horizontal direction in the housing 24, and is driven by the cylinder 25 in the front-rear direction. Further, a disk-shaped cam 27 is pivotally supported on a fixed machine frame 28 different from the machine frame 26 that holds the cylinder 25, and a protrusion (cam follower) provided on the plate surface of the cam 27 is the machine frame. It is in contact with 26. Further, a drive motor M1 for driving the cam 27 is provided in the fixed machine frame 28. Therefore, by rotating the cam 27 with the drive motor M1, the transfer member 5 can be moved up and down together with the cylinder 25.

Therefore, by moving the cylinder 25 back and forth and rotating the cam 27 by the drive motor M1 at predetermined timings, the movements of FIGS. 5A to 5D, that is, the vertical movement of the transfer member 5. And back and forth movement can be realized.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shutter 6 is composed of two horizontal plate-shaped bodies 6a and 6b, and the drive rods 29a and 29b are horizontally provided on the respective plate-shaped bodies 6a and 6b. .. The drive discs 30a and 30a'corresponding to the drive rods 29a and 29b are provided so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows C and C'centering on the central axes t and t, and the drive discs 30a and 30a'are respectively provided. It is connected to the output shafts of the drive motors M2 and M3.

Further, the drive rods 29a and 29b are provided with elongated holes 31 and 31, and the drive pins 32 and 32 of the drive disks 30a and 30a'are fitted into the elongated holes 31 and 31. Therefore, the plate-shaped bodies 6a and 6b can be continuously opened and closed by rotating the drive disks 30a and 30b in the directions of arrows C and C'with the drive motors M2 and M3 (FIG. 6). (A) See (b)). Therefore, by opening the plate-shaped bodies 6a and 6b, that is, the shutter 6, the rice lump Q placed on the shutter 6 can be dropped and supplied into the storage recess R1 of the rice lump in the lower food container 1. can.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the discharge member 11 is provided on the transport conveyor 3e, and has a cylinder 41 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the food container 1 and a discharge that can be moved along the cylinder 41. It is composed of a piece 42 and a cylinder 41a for moving the discharge piece 42 up and down. When the measured value measured by the conveyor 3d in the previous stage is out of the specified weight value, the control unit 45 detects it, drives the cylinders 41 and 41a to lower the discharge piece 42, and conveys the weight. By moving in a direction orthogonal to the direction, the food container 1 can be transferred to the discharge conveyor 10a. The other discharge members 19 and 21 have the same configuration.

As shown in FIG. 7, the conveyor 3f in the prepared food supply area E1 is provided with positioning protrusions 33 at predetermined intervals on the conveyor belt, and the detection sensor 34 of the food container 1 is provided at the rear end of the conveyor belt 3f. Is provided. Further, the transport conveyor 3f is stopped with the positioning protrusion 33 positioned at the rear end position, the food container 1 is transported by the transport conveyor 3e in the previous stage, and the front end of the food container 1 is the transport conveyor 3f. When it comes into contact with the positioning protrusion 33 (see FIG. 7), the detection sensor 34 detects the food container 1, and based on this, the control unit 45 is configured to intermittently drive the conveyor 3f at a constant pitch. Has been done.

Therefore, the food container 1 on the conveyor 3f is intermittently moved at a constant pitch of the conveyor 3f in a state of being positioned in the front-rear direction by the positioning protrusion 33. The food container 1 is positioned on the belt of the conveyor 3f using an elastic belt so that the food container 1 is prevented from being displaced in the left-right direction. Therefore, the temporary stop position of the food container 1, that is, the stop position T1 of the food container 1 and the stop position T2 of the food container 1 in FIG. 7 are predetermined.

Therefore, since the side dish supply positions S1 and S2 of the food container 1 and 1 at the stop positions T1 and T2 can also be specified in advance, the side dish supply devices 12 and 12 correspond to the side dish supply positions S1 and S2. The lengths and the like of the guide rods 16 and 16 can be set in advance so that the small containers 17 and 17 are moved.

Since the prepared food supply device 12 has the same basic structure, one prepared food supply device 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and the like.

In the prepared food supply device 12, a hopper 48 is provided on a base 47, and an unraveling member 35 is provided in the hopper 48 below the prepared food (for example, Kinpira) supplied in the hopper 48. The unraveling member 35 rotates appropriately, and the prepared food in the hopper shifts to the lower screw conveyor 36. The screw conveyor 36 transfers the prepared food in the direction of the unraveling roller 37 at the tip, and the unraveling roller 37 rotates in the direction of arrow D to drop and supply the prepared food sent to the tip to the lower small container 17. do.

The rotation of the screw conveyor 36 and the unraveling roller 37 is performed intermittently for each serving, and as a result, one serving of prepared food is supplied into the small container 17.

As shown in FIG. 9, the small container 17 is connected to a cylinder built in the guide rod 16 via an angle 17c, and the cylinder connects the small container 17 in the left-right direction (arrows G, G') along the guide rod 16. It is possible to move in the direction).

The small container 17 (see FIG. 8) is provided with a side dish storage hole 17a penetrating in the vertical direction, and the discharge port 17b of the small container 17 is closed by a shutter 38 (at the base end position in FIG. 9). See small container 17). The shutter 38 is provided in a dogleg shape as a whole, the rotation shaft 38a at the center thereof is pivotally supported on the lower surface of the angle 17c, and the other support shaft 38b is supported on the lower surface of the guide rod 16. It is engaged with the provided linear cam groove 16a. A bent cam groove 16a'is provided at the tip of the cam groove 16a. Therefore, when the small container 17 moves to the tip of the guide rod 16, the support shaft 38b of the shutter 38 engages with the cam groove 16a', so that the shutter 38 is centered on the rotation shaft 38a. The discharge port 17b is configured to open in the direction of the arrow H'(see the small container 17 at the tip position in FIG. 9). Further, when the small container 17 is driven by the cylinder in the return direction (direction of arrow G') and the support shaft 38b shifts from the cam groove 16a'to the cam groove 16a, the shutter 38 rotates and returns in the direction of arrow H. Then, the discharge port 17b is closed. In FIG. 9, for convenience of explanation, the small container 17 is drawn with a solid line at the base end position and the tip end position, but in reality, one small container 17 reciprocates in any position.

Further, casters 40 are provided on the lower surface of the base 47 of the supply device 12, and the supply device 12 can be freely moved by the casters 40. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, two supply devices 12 can be arranged in parallel on the left side of the conveyor 3f in the side dish supply area E1, and at this time, the tip portions of the guide rods 16 of the supply devices 12 and 12 can be arranged in parallel. Are configured to be located at the prepared food supply positions S1 and S2, respectively. Therefore, the order in which the supply devices 12 are arranged in the prepared food supply area E1 and the number of supply devices 12 to be arranged are free, and are not limited to the two supply devices 12 of the present embodiment. Of course, what kind of prepared food is supplied is also free. For example, in FIG. 1, a prepared food supply such as sprinkling on the rice lump Q of the food container 1 is supplied to the upstream side of the prepared food supply device 12 on the upstream side. It is also possible to arrange the device and install a side dish supply device that further supplies fried chicken on the side of the side dish supply device 12 on the downstream side, for example, on the side dish supply position S2.

As shown in FIG. 7, the length of the guide rod 16 is such that one supply device 12 has a length corresponding to the side dish storage recess R3 (side dish supply position S1) on the left side of the food container 1. When the small container 17 moves to the tip of the guide rod 16 and the shutter 38 is opened, one serving of prepared food in the small container 17 can be dropped and supplied to the storage recess R3. (See FIG. 10 (a)).

Further, the other side dish supply device 12 is provided so as to have a length corresponding to the side dish storage recess R2 (side dish supply position S2) on the right side of the food container 1, and the small container 17 is the guide rod 16 of the guide rod 16. When the shutter 38 shifts to the tip portion and the shutter 38 is opened, one serving of prepared food in the small container 17 can be dropped and supplied to the storage recess R2 (see FIG. 10B). The length of the guide rod 16 is arbitrary, the length of the guide rod 16 is constant, and the small container 17 may be stopped at a position corresponding to the side dish supply positions S1 and S2. In this case, the shutter 38 can be configured to be opened and closed by a separate cam mechanism or the like when the small container 17 is stopped.

An image detection unit 18 is provided on the transfer conveyor 3g. The image detection unit 18 photographs the food container 1 to which the prepared food is supplied in the prepared food supply area E1 from above with a camera, and uses a known technique of image processing technology (pattern recognition technology, etc.) to position the rice lump at a predetermined reference position. And whether or not the prepared food is stored is detected.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the reference image memory 18c (see FIG. 14) of the control unit 45 recognizes and stores the reference image pattern 50 (see FIG. 12A), and the camera 46. The image taken in 1 (51, 52, 53, etc. in FIG. 14) is compared with the reference image pattern 50, and if there is no protrusion from the rectangular reference areas R1', R2', R3', it is judged to be normal. The discharge member 19 is not driven, but is conveyed to the transfer conveyor 3i in the side dish correction area E3 via the transfer conveyor 3h. As a result of the above comparison, if it is determined that the amount of protrusion Y from the reference areas R1', R2', and R3'is "small" (see FIG. 12 (c)), it is determined that the correction is possible and the discharge is performed. Without driving the member 19, the member 19 is conveyed to the transfer conveyor 3i in the side dish correction area E3 via the transfer conveyor 3h.

As a result of the above comparison, when it is determined that the amount of protrusion Y from the reference areas R1', R2', and R3'is "large" (see FIG. 12D), the prepared food is placed in the predetermined storage recesses R2 and R3. In this case, the control unit 45 determines that the image cannot be corrected (the deviation from the reference image is large) and drives the discharge member 19. Therefore, in this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the food container 1 is discharged to the discharge conveyor 10b side by the discharge member 19.

In the prepared food correction area E3, as described above, the normally arranged food container 1 and the food container 1 requiring correction are transported, and therefore one or a plurality of workers are assigned to the transport conveyor 3i. Then, the position of the prepared food in each food container 1 is corrected.

In this case, by displaying the image 54 in FIG. 12 (e) on the TV monitor 20 in red, for example, the portion of the protrusion amount Y, the worker can see the monitor 20 and store the red portion in the storage recesses R1 and R2. , By making corrections so that they fit within R3, the side dish position can be easily corrected.

Following the transfer conveyor 3i, a transfer conveyor 3j is provided. The conveyor 3j has a function of a measuring conveyor, and an image processing unit 22 similar to the image processing unit 18 is provided on the conveyor 3j.

The image processing unit 22 has the same configuration as the image processing unit 18, and weighs the final weight of the food container 1 on the conveyor 3j (load cell 55). Then, the control unit 45 performs the same image processing as described above and determines whether or not the weight is out of the specified weight, and if the weight does not meet the image standard or is out of the specified weight value, the control unit 45 drives the discharge member 21. Then, the food container 1 is discharged to the discharge conveyor 10c.

Since it has passed through the side dish correction area E3, if it is corrected normally in the side dish correction area, there is basically no one that does not meet the image standard, but for example, a worker happens to be absent. This is to eliminate the food container 1 when the unmodified food container 1 arrives, such as in the case of a case where the product has not been modified. In addition, although the weight is normal in the image, the weight is also checked again because the prepared foods having a specified weight or more are stored.

The normally arranged food container that has passed through the transfer conveyor 3k is transferred to the transfer conveyor 3 m and taken out.

FIG. 13 shows the electrical configuration of the present invention, in which the control unit 45 having the programmable controller has the drive motor M1 of the pressing member 5, the drive motors M2 and M3 of the shutter 6, and the conveyors 3a to 3m. 11 drive motors M4 to M15 for individually driving, drive motors M16 for driving the reverse conveyor 3n, drive motors M17 to M19 for driving the discharge conveyors 10a, 10b, 10c, cylinder 25 for sliding the pressing member 5, Cylinder 9 that conveys the food container 1 to the conveyor, drive cylinders 41, 41a of the discharge members 11, 19, 21, the prepared food supply devices 12, 12, image detection units 18, 22, detection sensor 34, load cell 55 for the weighing conveyor. Is connected. FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of the image detection unit 18 (22) in the control unit 45, and will be described together with the following operation description.

The present invention is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below.
It is assumed that the food container 1 is conveyed to a position below the shutter 6 by the air adsorption unit 8. Further, each transfer conveyor 3 repeatedly performs operations such as pausing and resuming transfer each time the food container 1 is conveyed, at the discretion of the control unit 45 each time. Further, in the prepared food supply area E1, control such as intermittently driving the conveyor 3f is performed.

Further, on the conveyor 3f of the side dish supply area E1, a supply device 12 for Kinpira as a side dish is installed in advance on the upstream side, and a supply device 12 for sweet and sour pork as a side dish is installed on the downstream side in advance (see FIG. 7). It is assumed that the prepared foods of the above are supplied to the respective small containers 17 and 17.

The rice lump Q, which is conveyed from the rice supply device 2 to the transfer conveyor 3a and formed by the movable plate 4, is conveyed to the rear end of the shutter 6 by the transfer conveyor 3b (see FIG. 5A). After that, the control unit 45 drives the drive motor M1 and the cylinder 25 to drive the transfer member 5 up and down and back and forth (see FIGS. 5 (b) and 5 (c)), and transfers the rice lump Q to the central portion of the shutter 6. do.

After that, the control unit 45 drives the drive motors M2 and M3 to open the plate states 6a and 6b, and supplies the rice lump Q on the shutter 6 into the storage recess R1 of the food container 1 below (FIG. 6 (b). )reference).

Next, the control unit 45 drives the pressing cylinder 9 to transfer the food container 1 onto the conveyor 3c (see FIG. 5D). As a result, the food container 1 to which the rice lump Q is supplied is conveyed in the downstream direction by the conveyor 3c (see FIG. 4). The control unit 45 temporarily stops the conveyor 3d when the food container 1 is transferred to the conveyor 3d, and recognizes the measured value from the load cell 55. If the measurement value is within the range of the predetermined weight value stored in advance, the control unit 45 conveys the food container 1 to the transfer conveyor 3f via the next-stage transfer conveyor 3e.

When the measured value of the food container 1 is out of the range of the specified weight value, the control unit 45 drives the cylinders 41 and 41a to discharge the food container 1 conveyed to the conveyor 3e to the discharge conveyor 10a. .. In this way, at the initial point in time, the food container 1 having a weight other than the specified weight value can be excluded.

The food container 1 within the specified weight is transported to the transport conveyor 3f in the side dish supply area E1. Here, since the conveyor 3f is intermittently driven at a constant pitch, the control unit 45 drives the cylinder at the timing when the food container 1 reaches the side dish supply position S1 of the supply device 12 on the upstream side. The container 17 is moved along the guide rod 16, and when the small container 17 arrives at the side dish supply position S1 (the tip of the guide rod 16), the shutter 38 opens (see FIG. 9), and the side dish storage recess R3 is opened from the small container 17. One serving of prepared food (kinpira) is dropped and supplied inside (see FIG. 10 (a)). After that, the food container 1 is transferred to the side dish supply position S2 of the adjacent feeder 12 by the next movement of one pitch of the conveyor 3f.

Then, the control unit 45 drives the cylinder at the timing when the food container 1 arrives at the side dish supply position S2 to move the small container 17 along the guide rod 16, and the small container 17 moves along the side dish supply position S2 (guide rod 16). Upon arriving at the tip), the shutter 38 opens (see FIG. 9), and one serving of prepared food (vinegared pig) is dropped and supplied from the small container 17 into the prepared food storage recess R2 (see FIG. 10 (b)).

Next, the control unit 45 intermittently drives the conveyor 3f, so that the rice lump Q and the food container 1 to which the prepared food is supplied are transferred to the conveyor 3g and temporarily stopped.

Here, the control unit 45 (image detection unit 18, see FIG. 14) captures an image of the food container 1 with the camera 46, and the image capture means 18a captures the image data, performs A / D conversion, and converts it into digital data. Then, the image data is stored in the image storage means 18b. After that, the image processing means 18g of the control unit 45 emphasizes and recognizes the contours of the reference areas R1', R2', and R3'by, for example, binarizing the image data. Further, the image processing means 18g'detects the contours of the reference areas R1', R2', and R3' by binarizing the reference image stored in the image storage means 18b, and the reference image is detected by the comparison means 18d. The contours of the reference areas R1', R2', and R3'of the reference image 50 stored in the memory 18c and the reference areas R1', R2', and R3'of the captured image data (any of 51, 52, 53). The contours of the reference area are compared, and the presence or absence of protrusion from the contour of the reference area is detected (see FIG. 12). If there is no protrusion, it is determined that the food container 1 is normal, and the food container 1 is transferred to the conveyor 3i via the conveyor 3h.

If the control unit 45 determines that the amount of protrusion Y is "small" (in the case of FIG. 12C), the control unit 45 can correct the amount, so that the control unit 45 similarly transfers the protrusion to the conveyor 3i. In this comparison, for example, the image is divided into a plurality of squares (dots), and the contours of the reference areas are compared. If the area (number of dots) of the protrusion amount Y is within the reference value, the protrusion amount Y is It can be judged as "less". In this case, the display control means 18e of the control unit 45 (see FIG. 14) displays the portion of the protrusion amount Y in red, and displays the image (image 54 in FIG. 12) on the television monitor 20.

When the control unit 45 determines that the protrusion amount Y is "large" (or "large") (see FIG. 12D), for example, when the area (number of dots) of the protrusion amount Y exceeds the reference value, The control unit 45 drives the cylinders 41, 41a of the discharge member 19 by the cylinder driving means 18f (see FIG. 14), and discharges the food container 1 conveyed to the transfer conveyor 3h to the discharge conveyor 10b.

The food container 1 discharged to the discharge conveyor 10b is placed on the interrupt conveyor 10d by a worker on the reverse conveyor 3n side by placing it on the reverse conveyor 3n, removing prepared foods, and the like. The conveyor 3f can be interrupted, and in this case, the prepared food is supplied again in the prepared food supply area E1.

In the above-mentioned conveyor 3i, the normal food container 1 and the food container 1 that needs to be corrected flow, so that the operator corrects the portion of the protrusion amount Y displayed in red while watching the TV monitor 20. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently correct the arrangement.

The food container 1 corrected in the prepared food correction area E3 is photographed again by the camera on the conveyor 3j, and the control unit 45 (image detection unit 22) detects the same as the image detection unit 18. conduct. Further, the control unit 45 also weighs the food container 1 on the conveyor 3j (load cell 55), and determines whether or not the weighed value is within the range of the predetermined weight value stored in advance.

Then, the control unit 45 has not been corrected in the side dish correction area E3, and when it is determined that the amount of protrusion is "large" as before, or even if the amount of protrusion is normal, it is outside the specified weight value. If it is determined to be present, the cylinders 41 and 41a of the discharge member 21 are driven to discharge the food container 1 to the discharge conveyor 10c.

The food container 1 which has a specified weight value on the conveyor 3j and is determined to be normal by the image processing unit 22 is transferred to the conveyor 3m and taken out.

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of prepared food supply devices 12 are arranged in the prepared food supply area E1 of the conveyor 3, and each small container 17 is moved to the prepared food supply positions S1 and S2 on the conveyor 3. It is possible to supply one serving of food to the prepared food supply position in the food container 1 to which the conveyor 3 is transported, and it has a simple configuration without the need for complicated control such as a robot arm as in the past. Ingredients such as prepared foods can be appropriately placed in the ingredient container.

Further, the prepared food can be stored in the hopper of the prepared food supply device 12, and the prepared food can be supplied to the small container 17 for each serving, for example, and it is not necessary to divide the prepared food into small containers in advance. You can efficiently serve prepared foods in food containers.

Further, the shutter of the small container 17 can be opened and closed without power, and the configuration of the side dish supply device 12 can be further simplified.

In addition, a plurality of prepared food supply devices 12 are prepared for each of a plurality of types of prepared foods, and each prepared food supply device can be freely moved by casters, so that the prepared food containers can be arranged in the prepared food supply area in any order. It is possible to easily respond to the addition of variations of prepared foods to be supplied to.

In addition, when an event that cannot be corrected occurs in the correction area E3, the food container 1 can be excluded in advance, and the food container that does not need to be corrected and the food container that is slightly modified can be used in the correction area. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently correct the arrangement of prepared foods.

Further, for example, the prepared food container can be removed from the food container discharged by the first discharging member (discharging conveyor 10b) to make only rice lumps, and the food container can be sent to the transport conveyor again by the interrupting conveyor.

In addition, the weight of the food container can be weighed when the rice lump is supplied, and the food container outside the specified weight can be discharged to the discharge conveyor at an early stage.

According to the foodstuff serving device according to the present invention, a plurality of kinds of prepared foods can be served at a predetermined position in a foodstuff container with a relatively simple configuration, and by arranging a plurality of prepared foods supply devices, the prepared foods are prepared. It is possible to easily respond to the increase and change of variations of.

1 Food container 3 Conveyor conveyor 3d Conveyor conveyor (weight measurement conveyor)
3n reverse conveyor 6 shutter (opening / closing member)
9 Pressing cylinder (transition member)
10a Discharge conveyor (second discharge conveyor)
10b discharge conveyor (first discharge conveyor)
11 Discharge member (second discharge member)
10d Interrupt conveyor 12 Side dish supply device 16 Guide rods 16a, 16a'Cam groove 17 Small container 17b Discharge port 18 Image detection unit 19 Discharge member (first discharge member)
35 Unraveling member 36 Screw conveyor 37 Unraveling roller 38 Shutter 48 Hopper Q Rice lump E1 Side dish supply area E3 Correction area

Claims (7)

An opening / closing member that supplies the rice lump in the closed state and supplies the rice lump into the food container in the open state.
A transition member for transferring the food container to which the rice lump is supplied to the conveyor is provided.
The conveyor for transporting the food container is provided with a side dish supply area along the transport direction of the food container.
In the prepared food supply area, a plurality of prepared food supply devices are arranged for each type of prepared food, and each prepared food supply device is used as a guide rod extending to the prepared food supply position of the food container on the conveyor and the guide rod. It has a small container that transfers one serving of prepared food to the above prepared food supply position along the same route.
The small container is a food filling device that opens a shutter when the side dish supply position is reached and supplies the side dish in the small container to the side dish supply position in the food container. The foodstuff filling device according to claim 1, wherein each of the prepared food supply devices includes a hopper for storing the prepared food and a transport member for transporting one serving of prepared food from the hopper to the small container. The shutter of the small container is opened by the action of a cam mechanism provided in the guide rod when the small container reaches the side dish supply position, and the side dish discharge port is opened. Or the ingredient filling device according to 2. The foodstuff filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the prepared food supply devices is provided with casters on the lower surface and is provided so as to be arranged at an arbitrary position in the prepared food supply area. .. On the downstream side of the prepared food supply area, an image detection unit that detects the arrangement of the supplied prepared food by image processing and a correction area for correcting the arrangement of the prepared food are provided.
A first discharge conveyor is provided between the image detection unit and the correction area in a direction intersecting the transfer conveyor, and the food container flowing through the transfer conveyor is discharged in the direction of the first discharge conveyor. A first discharge member is provided,
As a result of comparison between the captured image and the reference image in the image detection unit, the food container having a large deviation from the reference image is configured to be discharged to the first discharge conveyor side by the first discharge member. The foodstuff filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Adjacent to the side dish supply area, a reverse conveyor that runs in the opposite direction to the conveyor is provided.
The foodstuff filling device according to claim 5, wherein an interrupt conveyor intersecting the conveyor is provided on the upstream side of the prepared food supply area. On the upstream side of the prepared food supply area, a weight measuring conveyor is provided as a part of the transport conveyor, and a second discharge conveyor is provided in a direction intersecting the transport conveyor. 2. The foodstuff filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a second discharge member for discharging to a discharge conveyor is provided.

Images