JP7664765B2 - Tableware conveyor - Google Patents

Description

Patent Law Article 30, Paragraph 2 applied Delivery to company Delivery date: October 1, 2020 Delivery location: Daiichi Food Co., Ltd. Head Office Factory

The present invention relates to a tableware transport conveyor that transports tableware from an immersion tank in which the tableware is immersed to a tableware washing machine.

Conveyors for conveying tableware that are immersed in an immersion tank have been proposed in the past. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a conveyor that includes a pair of sprockets arranged on the immersion tank and dishwashing machine side, a loop-shaped conveying belt that wraps around the pair of sprockets, and a belt guide that guides the conveying belt along the conveying direction of the tableware. The conveying belt of this conveyor has an inclined conveying section that is inclined upward at a certain angle toward the dishwashing machine side in a side view perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tableware. By providing such an inclined conveying section, the tableware immersed in the immersion tank is lifted out of the immersion water by the inclined conveying section of the conveying belt and conveyed to the dishwashing machine side.

JP 2019-134845 A

However, in the tableware conveyor described in Patent Document 1, when tableware moves from a non-engagement portion of the inclined conveying section that does not engage with the sprocket to an engagement portion that engages with the sprocket, the tableware, which is in an inclined position along the inclined conveying section, tries to change to a horizontal position in accordance with the rotation of the sprocket. This change in position causes the rear edge of the tableware in the conveying direction to lift up from the conveying belt of the inclined conveying section (i.e., the surface area of the tableware placed on the conveying belt is reduced), creating an unstable state, and it is expected that, depending on the conveying state of the tableware, it may fall from the inclined conveying section into the soaking tank. Note that if the inclination of the inclined conveying section is made large so that the tableware conveyor can be installed in a space-saving manner, the tableware will try to change from a more inclined position to a horizontal position in accordance with the rotation of the sprocket, and it is expected that the rear edge of the tableware in the conveying direction will lift up even more, creating an even more unstable state.

In view of the above problems, the objective is to provide a tableware transport conveyor that can prevent tableware being transported by the transport belt from falling from the inclined transport section of the transport belt into the soaking tank.

In consideration of the above problem, the tableware transport conveyor of the present invention is a tableware transport conveyor that transports tableware from an immersion tank in which tableware is immersed to a tableware washing device, the tableware transport conveyor includes a pair of sprockets arranged on the immersion tank and on the tableware washing device side, a loop-shaped transport belt that wraps around the pair of sprockets and engages with the sprockets, and a belt guide that guides the transport belt along the tableware transport direction, the transport belt has an inclined transport portion that is inclined upward toward the tableware washing device side in a side view perpendicular to the transport direction, and the belt guide portion guides the transport belt so that the inclination angle of a front portion including a front end in the transport direction with respect to the horizontal direction is smaller than the inclination angle of a rear portion that is rearward of the front portion with respect to the horizontal direction.

According to the present invention, the conveyor belt has an inclined conveying section that is inclined upward toward the dishwashing device, so that the dishes immersed in the immersion tank can be conveyed to the dishwashing device while being placed on the inclined conveying section.

The belt guide guides the conveyor belt so that the inclination angle of the front portion, including the front end in the conveying direction, relative to the horizontal direction is smaller than the inclination angle of the rear portion relative to the horizontal direction in the non-engaging portion of the inclined conveyor that does not engage with the sprocket on the dishwashing device side when the tableware placed on the conveyor belt moves from the non-engaging portion that does not engage with the sprocket on the dishwashing device side to the engaging portion that engages with this sprocket, so that the inclination angle of the tableware in the front portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the tableware in the rear portion, and the position of the tableware can be brought closer to the horizontal direction in advance.

As a result, the amount of change in the tableware, which is inclined along the inclined conveying section at the engaging portion that engages with the sprocket, as it changes to a horizontal position as the sprocket rotates can be kept small. This reduces the amount that the tableware floats up from the conveying belt of the inclined conveying section, allowing the tableware to be transported to the dishwashing device in a stable position and preventing the tableware from falling from the inclined conveying section into the soaking tank.

The conveyor belt may be a belt-shaped belt, but in a more preferred embodiment, the conveyor belt is a chain belt that includes a plurality of rods extending in the width direction of the conveyor belt and spaced apart in the conveying direction, and a plurality of link members that connect adjacent rods, the plurality of link members having protruding link members with locking protrusions formed thereon for locking the tableware, and the belt guide guides the chain belt such that the inclination angle of the link members that form the front portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the link members that form the rear portion.

According to this aspect, the tableware can be transported with the tableware engaged with the engaging protrusion of the protruding link member among the link members of the chain belt. In particular, according to this embodiment, the belt guide guides the chain belt so that the inclination angle of the link member forming the front portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the link member forming the rear portion. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of change in the tableware from an inclined position to a horizontal position at the engagement portion that engages with the sprocket, and therefore prevents the tableware from falling off the engaging protrusion as the position of the tableware changes, thereby preventing the tableware from slipping off the inclined transport section.

Here, the locking projection may be formed at any position on the link member as long as it can lock the tableware, but in a more preferred embodiment, the locking projection is formed on the forward side of the link member in the conveying direction.

According to this embodiment, when the tableware placed on the link member connected to the front side in the conveying direction moves from the non-engagement part that does not engage with the sprocket to the engagement part that engages with the sprocket, the front link member engages with the sprocket, and the position of the tableware begins to change horizontally, and the rear edge of the tableware in the conveying direction tends to rise. However, in this embodiment, since the locking protrusion is formed on the front side of the link member in the conveying direction, the rear edge of the tableware can be locked by the locking protrusion at a position close to the connection part with the front link member. Therefore, the rear edge of the tableware can be locked by the locking protrusion within a range where the edge of the tableware rises only slightly, making it easier to support the tableware. By providing the locking protrusion on the front side of the link member in the conveying direction in this way, even if the link member connected to the front side in the conveying direction approaches the engagement part and the position of the tableware being supported changes horizontally, the edge of the tableware will not rise higher than the locking protrusion, and the tableware can be stably transported to the dishwashing device with the locking protrusion locked to the edge of the tableware.

In a further preferred embodiment, the belt guide guides the chain belt so that the inclination angle of the link members constituting the non-engaged portion decreases as the belt advances in the conveying direction.

According to this aspect, the belt guide guides the chain belt so that the inclination angle of the link members that make up the non-engaged portion becomes smaller as it advances in the conveying direction, so the inclination angle of the tableware can be reduced as it advances in the conveying direction. This allows the tableware to gradually change position from an inclined position to a horizontal position, minimizing the tableware lifting up from the chain belt.

In a further preferred embodiment, the locking protrusions of the protruding link member have different shapes. By providing locking protrusions of different shapes, tableware of different shapes can be locked by the locking protrusions, making it easier to transport them.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent tableware being transported by the transport belt from falling from the inclined transport section of the transport belt into the soaking tank.

1 is a partially enlarged plan view of a dishwashing system including a dish transport conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the tableware transport conveyor shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the tableware transport conveyor shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a diagram for explaining a supported state of the chain belt shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3A is a top view of a portion of the chain belt of the tableware transport conveyor shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3B is a side view of the chain belt shown in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a side view of a link member of the chain belt shown in FIG. 3B. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the belt guide portion shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the state of the chain belt in the vicinity of the drive sprocket. 8A is a diagram showing the relationship between the chain belt and tableware shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing the conventional relationship between the chain belt and tableware. 10A is a top view of a portion of a chain belt of a tableware transport conveyor according to a modified example, and FIG. 10B is a side view of the chain belt shown in FIG. 7 is a side view of a modified example of the belt guide portion shown in FIG. 6.

Below, a tableware transport conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dish transport conveyor according to this embodiment is included in a dishwashing system 1. Specifically, the dishwashing system 1 includes a rough dishwashing device 2, an immersion tank 3, a dish transport conveyor 4, a connecting conveyor 9A, and a dishwashing device 9B.

The rough dishwashing device 2 is a device that transports tableware while washing off food residue from the tableware before it is immersed in the immersion tank 3. Tableware that has passed through the rough dishwashing device 2 is placed in the immersion tank 3. The immersion tank 3 is equipped with a tank body 31 that contains immersion water in which the tableware is immersed, multiple nozzles 32 that spray washing water into the tank body 31, and a circulation pump 33.

As described below, a portion of the tableware transport conveyor 4 is immersed in the tank body 31, and a circulation pump 33 is disposed below the tableware transport conveyor 4. The multiple nozzles 32, 32, ... are connected to the circulation pump 33 via piping, and each nozzle 32 is supplied with the immersion water in the tank body 31 sucked in by the circulation pump 33. The multiple nozzles 32, 32, ... are disposed so that a water flow toward the tableware transport conveyor 4 is formed in the immersion water in the immersion tank 3.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the soaking tank 3 has a removable blocking plate 34 that divides the area in which the tableware transport conveyor 4 is soaked and temporarily blocks tableware heading toward the tableware transport conveyor 4. In this embodiment, the blocking plate 34 has multiple through holes formed therein that are smaller than the size of the tableware. This allows, for example, the blocking plate 34 to be installed when collecting leftover food from the leftover food collection basket 38 that has gathered at the bottom of the tableware transport conveyor, blocking the tableware heading toward the tableware transport conveyor 4 with the blocking plate 34, while allowing soaking water to pass through the through holes toward the tableware transport conveyor 4.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a strainer 35 is disposed in the area of the tank body 31 where part of the tableware transport conveyor 4 is submerged, and the strainer 35 is connected to the circulation pump 33 via piping 33a. Covers 36, 37 with water holes are attached to the rear and side sides of the tableware transport conveyor 4 in the transport direction P described below. A number of leftover food collection baskets 38 are disposed below the rear cover 36.

The tableware transport conveyor 4 is a device that picks up and transports tableware from the immersion tank 3 in which the tableware is immersed to the tableware washing device 9B via the connecting conveyor 9A. The tableware transport conveyor 4 is equipped with a pair of sprockets, a driven sprocket 51 arranged in the immersion tank 3 and a driving sprocket 52 arranged on the tableware washing device 9B side. The driving sprocket 52 is connected to a motor 54 via a transmission belt 53.

The tableware transport conveyor 4 further includes a loop-shaped chain belt (transport belt) 6 that wraps around and engages with a pair of sprockets 51, 52, and a belt guide section 8 that guides the chain belt 6 along the tableware transport direction P.

The chain belt 6 is wrapped around and engaged with the driven sprocket 51 at the starting end 6a, and wrapped around and engaged with the driving sprocket 52 at the terminal end 6b. As a result, at the terminal end 6b of the tableware transport conveyor 4, the loop-shaped chain belt 6 moves from the starting end 6a to the terminal end 6b, and below that, the chain belt 6 turns back at the terminal end 6b and moves from the terminal end 6b to the starting end 6a.

In this embodiment, the chain belt 6 has engagement portions 61A, 61B that wrap around and engage with these sprockets 51, 52, and a non-engagement portion 62 that does not engage with these sprockets 51, 52 and is guided by the belt guide portion 8 described below.

When viewed from the side perpendicular to the conveying direction P of the tableware, the chain belt 6 has a horizontal conveying section 63 that conveys the tableware horizontally, and an inclined conveying section 64 that is continuous with the horizontal conveying section 63 and inclined upward toward the dishwashing device 9B. The horizontal conveying section 63 and the inclined conveying section 64 of the chain belt 6 are formed by the belt guide section 8.

The chain belt 6 is a mesh belt wound around the driven sprocket 51 and the driving sprocket 52. As shown in Figures 5(a) to (c), the chain belt 6 is composed of multiple rods 71, 71, ... and multiple link members 72, 72, .... Each rod 71 extends in the width direction of the tableware transport conveyor 4 (a direction perpendicular to the transport direction P), and the multiple rods 71, 71, ... are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction P of the tableware transport conveyor 4.

On both sides of each link member 72 in the transport direction P, link holes 76, 76 into which the rod 71 is inserted are formed, and the link member 72 is loosely fitted onto the rod 71. This allows the link member 72 to be connected rotatably to a pair of adjacent rods 71, 71.

Among the link member 72 portions, the placement portion 78 on which the tableware is placed is formed with a locking protrusion 74 for locking the tableware placed on the placement portion 78 at the front side in the conveying direction P of the tableware conveyor 4. The locking protrusion 74 is a mountain-shaped locking protrusion, and at the front side in the conveying direction P of the tableware conveyor 4, the locking protrusion 74 is formed with an inclined portion 75 that is inclined with respect to an imaginary line L1 connecting the centers of a pair of link holes 76, 76. The inclination angle α of the inclined portion 75 with respect to the imaginary line L1 is preferably in the range of 30 to 80°. Furthermore, the placement portion 78 is formed so as to describe a concentric arc with the outer periphery of the drive sprocket 52 when the chain belt 6 is wrapped around the drive sprocket 52.

As shown in FIG. 5, rollers 73, 73 are rotatably attached to both ends of the rod 71, and the rollers 73, 73 are in rolling contact with the belt guide section 8. This allows the chain belt 6 to form a horizontal conveying section 63 and an inclined conveying section 64 according to the shape of the belt guide section 8.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the belt guide 8 guides the chain belt 6 so that the inclination angle θ1 at which the front portion 62A including the front end 62a in the conveying direction P is inclined to the horizontal direction at the non-engagement portion 62 with respect to the drive sprocket 52 on the dishwashing device 9B side of the inclined conveying section 64 is inclined to the horizontal direction is smaller than the inclination angle θ2 at which the rear portion 62B, which is located rearward of the front portion 62A, is inclined to the horizontal direction.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the belt guide 8 guides the chain belt 6 so that the inclination angle θ1 of the link member 72 forming the front portion 62A is smaller than the inclination angle θ2 of the link member 72 forming the rear portion 62B. Here, the inclination angle of the link member 72 is the angle between an imaginary line L1 connecting the centers of a pair of link holes 76, 76 of the link member 72 and the horizontal line. Here, the magnitudes of the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are not particularly limited as long as tableware can be transported.

Assuming that the relationship between the magnitudes of the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 is satisfied, the inclination angle θ1 is preferably in the range of 20° to 30°, and the inclination angle θ2 is preferably in the range of 30° to 40° in order to save space when installed. For example, it is preferable that the angle difference between the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 is in the range of 10° to 20°.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the belt guide unit 8 is composed of a rail member 81 made of an angle or channel that supports the rollers 73 provided at both ends of the width direction of the chain belt 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the rail member 81 of the belt guide unit 8 has a horizontal support portion 83 that supports the rollers 73 of the horizontal conveying portion 63 of the chain belt 6, and an inclined support portion 84 that supports the rollers 73 of the inclined conveying portion 64 of the chain belt 6.

The inclined support portion 84 has a front support portion 82A that supports the roller 73 of the chain belt 6 in the front portion 62A, and a rear support portion 82B that supports the roller 73 of the chain belt 6 in the rear portion 62B. The inclination angle θ1 of the front support portion 82A relative to the horizontal direction is smaller than the inclination angle θ2 of the rear support portion 82B relative to the horizontal direction. This allows the inclination angle θ1 of the front portion 62A to be smaller than the inclination angle θ2 of the rear portion 62B.

According to this embodiment, the chain belt 6 has an inclined conveying section 64 that is inclined upward toward the dishwashing device 9, so that the dishes immersed in the immersion tank 3 can be conveyed to the dishwashing device 9B side (specifically, the connecting conveyor 9A) while being placed on the inclined conveying section 64.

The dishes transported on the dish transport conveyor 4 are discharged from the discharge chute 39 attached to the soaking tank 3 onto the connecting conveyor 9A and transported to the dishwashing device 9B. The dishes brought into the dishwashing device 9B are washed by being sprayed with washing water from above and below while being transported on a conveyor (not shown) inside the dishwashing device 9B.

In this embodiment, the belt guide 8 guides the chain belt 6 so that, as shown in FIG. 7, in the non-engagement portion 62 of the inclined conveying section 64 with respect to the drive sprocket 52, the inclination angle θ1 of the link member 72 forming the front portion 62A is smaller than the inclination angle θ2 of the link member 72 forming the rear portion 62B.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(a), when the tableware placed on the chain belt 6 moves from the rear portion 62B to the front portion 62A in the non-engagement portion 62 that does not engage with the drive sprocket 52, the inclination angle of the tableware D2 in the front portion 62A is made smaller than the inclination angle of the tableware D1 in the rear portion 62B, and the position of the tableware D can be brought closer to the horizontal direction.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the amount of change in the inclined position of the dish D2 at the engagement portion 61B that engages with the drive sprocket 52 to a horizontal position (the position of the dish D3) can be reduced compared to the conventional arrangement shown in FIG. 8(b). As a result, the amount of lift of the rear edge of the dish D3 in the conveying direction P from the chain belt 6 as the position of the dish D2 changes to the position of the dish D3 can be reduced, and the edge of the dish D3 can be prevented from detaching from the locking protrusion 74. This prevents the dish D3 from slipping off the inclined conveying section 64, and the dish D3 can be conveyed from the sprocket 52 toward the dishwashing device 9B while still being locked by the locking protrusion 74 and able to be pushed.

In particular, in this embodiment, by forming the locking protrusion 74 on the forward side of the link member 72 in the transport direction P, it is possible to further prevent the tableware D3 from coming off the locking protrusion 74 when the tableware D3 changes its position. In other words, when the tableware D placed on the link member 72 connected to the front side in the transport direction P moves from the non-engagement part 62 that does not engage with the drive sprocket 52 to the engagement part 61B that engages with the drive sprocket 52, the link member 72 on which the tableware D3 is placed rotates together with the drive sprocket 52 via the rod 71, so that the position of the tableware D3 also begins to change horizontally, and the rear edge of the tableware D3 in the transport direction P tends to rise up. At this time, since the locking protrusion 74 is located on the forward side of the link member 72 in the transport direction connected to the link member 72, the amount of lift can be reduced compared to when the locking protrusion is located on the rear side, making it easier to support the tableware D on the link member 72. In this way, when the locking protrusion 74 is provided on the front side of the link member 72 in the transport direction P, even if the link member 72 on the front side in the transport direction P approaches the engagement portion 61B and the position of the tableware D3 changes to horizontal, the rear edge of the tableware D3 in the transport direction P will not rise higher than the locking protrusion 74, and the tableware D3 can be transported stably with the locking protrusion 74 remaining locked to the edge of the tableware D3.

In this way, in this embodiment, by reducing the inclination angle of the front portion 62A, it is possible to prevent the tableware D from slipping off while increasing the inclination angle of the rear portion 62B. This allows the tableware transport conveyor 4 to be made more compact by increasing the inclination angle of the rear portion 62B.

In this embodiment, all of the link members 72 are protruding link members having locking protrusions 74 formed thereon, but for example, some of these link members 72 may not have locking protrusions 74.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the locking protrusions 74 of the link member (link member with protrusions) 72 may have different shapes. For example, the locking protrusions may be composed of mountain-shaped locking protrusions 74A and rectangularly protruding locking protrusions 74B, and the widths and heights of these protrusions may be different. For example, the rectangular locking protrusions 74B of this embodiment may be taller and thicker in the width direction of the chain belt 6 than the mountain-shaped locking protrusions 74A. By providing locking protrusions 74 of different shapes in this way, even tableware of different shapes can be easily locked to any of the differently shaped locking protrusions 74, making it easier to transport them.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the mounting portion 78C of the front link member 72C, which is connected to the link members 72A, 72B on which the locking projections 74 are formed, is not arc-shaped, but is a flat surface parallel to the imaginary line L1 connecting the link holes 76, 76, and is preferably formed at a position closer to the imaginary line L1 than the top of the arc-shaped mounting portion 78A. This allows the entire height of the locking projections 74A, 74B to function effectively as a locking surface, and allows the tableware D to be locked more deeply, compared to when the link member 72A having the arc-shaped mounting portion 78A is connected to the front side.

In the embodiment shown above, the inclination angle of the link member 72 is set to two levels, inclination angles θ1 and θ2. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the inclination support portion 84 of the belt guide portion 8 may guide the chain belt 6 so that the inclination angle of the link member 72 constituting the non-engagement portion 62 decreases as it advances in the conveying direction P. This allows the tableware to gradually change its position from an inclined position to a horizontal position, making it less likely for the tableware to lift off the chain belt 6.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims and the specification.

3: immersion tank, 4: tableware transport conveyor, 9B: tableware washing device, 51: driven sprocket, 52: driving sprocket, 6: chain belt, 8: belt guide, 61A, 61B: engagement part, 62: non-engagement part, 62A: front part, 62B: rear part, 64: inclined transport part, 71: rod, 72, 72A, 72B: link member (link member with protrusions), 74, 74A, 74B: locking protrusions, D, D1 to D3: tableware

Claims (4)

A tableware transport conveyor for transporting tableware from an immersion tank in which the tableware is immersed to a tableware washing machine,
The tableware conveyor is
A pair of sprockets arranged on the side of the immersion tank and the dishwashing machine;
a loop-shaped conveyor belt that wraps around the pair of sprockets and engages with the sprockets;
and a belt guide portion for guiding the conveyor belt along the conveying direction of the tableware.
The conveyor belt has an inclined conveying portion that is inclined upward toward the dishwashing device in a side view perpendicular to the conveying direction,
the belt guide guides the conveyor belt such that an inclination angle of a front portion of the inclined conveyor section, including a front end in the conveying direction, with respect to the horizontal direction is smaller than an inclination angle of a rear portion of the inclined conveyor section with respect to the horizontal direction, the rear portion being located rearward of the front portion,
the conveyor belt is a chain belt including a plurality of rods extending in a width direction of the conveyor belt and spaced apart in the conveying direction, and a plurality of link members connected to adjacent rods,
The plurality of link members each include a protruding link member having a locking protrusion for locking the tableware formed on a front side of the link member in the conveying direction,
A tableware transport conveyor characterized in that the belt guide portion guides the chain belt so that the inclination angle of the link members forming the front portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the link members forming the rear portion . A tableware transport conveyor as described in claim 1, characterized in that the inclination angle of the front portion relative to the horizontal direction is in the range of 20° to 30°, the inclination angle of the rear portion relative to the horizontal direction is in the range of 30° to 40°, and the angular difference between the inclination angle of the front portion relative to the horizontal direction and the inclination angle of the rear portion relative to the horizontal direction is in the range of 10° to 20°. 2. The tableware transporting conveyor according to claim 1 , wherein the belt guide portion guides the chain belt such that an inclination angle of the link members constituting the non-engagement portion becomes smaller as the belt advances in the transport direction. 4. The tableware transporting conveyor according to claim 1 , wherein the locking projections of the projection-equipped link members have different shapes.

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