JP7758288B2 - Food conveying device and food skewering system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food material transport technology that transports food materials (e.g., skewered items) upstream (previous process) and then downstream (next process).

There are a wide variety of foods that are served with skewers (for example, yakitori, pinchos, dumplings, BBQ skewers, and other skewered foods), but the skewering process requires skill and skill to ensure that the skewered food does not easily fall off. Furthermore, because workers must manually skewer many items, they must carefully perform the same task repeatedly over long periods of time, placing a strain on the workers.

For this reason, the present applicant has proposed, for example, in Patent Document 1, a skewering device that sequentially supplies skewers one by one from a skewer storage unit that stores multiple skewers, and then uses a skewering mechanism to push the rear end of the supplied skewer toward the skewered object placed on a tray, thereby automatically piercing the skewer into the skewered object.

Furthermore, productivity could be further increased if the objects to be skewered could be automatically supplied to such a skewering device. For example, in Patent Document 2 and elsewhere, the present applicant has proposed a conveying device in which detachable trays are placed on a circular continuous body such as a belt conveyor, and the objects to be skewered are aligned and placed on the trays, which can then be automatically conveyed one after another to the skewering device.
The applicant has also proposed a system in which such a conveying device automatically conveys the skewering objects in order to the skewering device, and the skewering process is then automatically performed by the skewering device.

Patent No. 5972793 Utility Model Registration No. 3173953

Although systems like those mentioned above have facilitated the automation of skewering processes, the process of placing ingredients or other items to be skewered on the trays of the conveyor device and arranging multiple items together has traditionally required the manual labor of a human worker.

Therefore, if a robot could be developed that could automatically transport and supply skewered items such as foodstuffs to a tray, productivity could be further improved. For this reason, the inventors conducted research and development on this subject.
First, when the robot picks up one of the ingredients to be skewered from the storage container, it can grasp the ingredient from both sides with two fingers, such as the thumb and index finger, and pick it up (a method of clamping the ingredient by opening and closing the tips like clothespins).

However, it is extremely difficult to uniformly shape the external shapes of foodstuffs and other skewered objects like industrial products, as each one varies in size and shape. It is also difficult to line them up so that they are easy for the robot's fingers to grasp. To accurately perform the conveying operation of using the robot's fingers to pick up foodstuffs and other skewered objects from a storage container, transport the grasped skewered objects, and place them on a tray in a conveying device, would require an extremely sophisticated and complex robot, making it cost-unrealistic.

For this reason, the inventors conducted experiments using a prototype robot hand equipped at its tip with a vacuum suction system (vacuum cup system) that sucks in the object to be skewered using negative pressure.
However, as mentioned above, it is extremely difficult to make the external shapes of skewered foodstuffs uniform like industrial products, and each one varies in size and shape. In addition, in the case of meat, the surface condition varies depending on the part that is cut, with parts with fat and skin and parts without fat being mixed together randomly. Therefore, the probability that the vacuum cup method will be able to suck up the foodstuffs well is low, and satisfactory results could not be obtained.

The present invention was developed in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a food conveying device that can efficiently convey food to be skewered from upstream to downstream, while having a relatively simple and low-cost configuration, and a food skewering system that includes said device.

The food material conveying device according to the present invention comprises:
A food material conveying device that conveys food materials for skewering from upstream to downstream,
a food holding section configured to be able to hold and release food;
a moving unit configured to move the food holding unit between a predetermined upstream position and a predetermined downstream position and to lift and lower the food holding unit;
The invention comprises:
The food holding unit is
The food stopper includes a plurality of needle-shaped tip portions, and is configured to be switchable between a protruding state in which the tip portions protrude from the underside of the food stopper portion through which the tip portions are inserted, and a retracted state in which the tip portions retract from the underside of the food stopper portion.
The food material is held at a predetermined position upstream by lowering the food material holding unit with the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the moving unit, or by lowering the food material holding unit with the moving unit and then putting the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the tip needle-like portion, and then the food material is held by the moving unit to a predetermined position downstream,
In the food conveying device , the food material is conveyed from upstream to downstream by switching the tip needle-shaped portion of the food material holding portion to a retracted state at a predetermined position downstream to release the food material from the food material holding portion,
A food peeling device for peeling off food adhering to the underside of the food stopper portion,
When the needle-shaped tip of the food holding part is switched to a retracted state to release the food from the food holding part, the food peeling device is configured to spray a fluid obliquely downward from the upper outer side toward the center of the food adhering to the underside of the food stopper part.
The present invention is characterized by the following.

In the present invention, at least one tip of the needle-shaped tip portion may be characterized as having a dogleg shape, a claw shape, or a barb.

The food material conveying device according to the present invention comprises :
A food material conveying device that conveys food materials for skewering from upstream to downstream,
a food holding section configured to be able to hold and release food;
a moving unit configured to move the food holding unit between a predetermined upstream position and a predetermined downstream position and to lift and lower the food holding unit;
The invention comprises:
The food holding unit is
The food stopper includes a plurality of needle-shaped tip portions, and is configured to be switchable between a protruding state in which the tip portions protrude from the underside of the food stopper portion through which the tip portions are inserted, and a retracted state in which the tip portions retract from the underside of the food stopper portion.
The food material is held at a predetermined position upstream by lowering the food material holding unit with the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the moving unit, or by lowering the food material holding unit with the moving unit and then putting the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the tip needle-like portion, and then the food material is held by the moving unit to a predetermined position downstream,
In the food conveying device, the food material is conveyed from upstream to downstream by switching the tip needle-shaped portion of the food material holding portion to a retracted state at a predetermined position downstream to release the food material from the food material holding portion,
The moving unit is configured to be able to rotate the food holding unit around its center axis in the gravity direction,
The upstream is a storage location where multiple ingredients are stored,
a food ingredient imaging camera that images the food ingredients stored in the storage location from above the storage location;
a food holding state imaging camera capable of imaging an attitude of the food held by the food holding unit relative to the food holding unit between the upstream and downstream;
is provided,
Based on the image data captured by the food imaging camera, a food ingredient in the storage location is selected as the predetermined upstream position,
the food material holding unit is moved above the selected food material via a moving unit of the food material conveying device, and a rotation angle position of the food material holding unit about a central axis in the direction of gravity is adjusted in accordance with the orientation of the selected food material in a horizontal plane acquired based on the image data captured by the food material imaging camera;
the needle-shaped tip portion of the food holding unit is lowered by the moving unit in a protruding state to pierce the food material with the needle-shaped tip portion and hold the food material, and then an image of the food material's posture is captured by the food material holding state imaging camera while the food material is being held;
the food holding unit is moved by the moving unit to a predetermined downstream position while adjusting a rotation angle position of the food holding unit about a center axis in the direction of gravity in accordance with the orientation of the food in a horizontal plane acquired based on image data captured by the food holding state imaging camera;
At a predetermined position downstream, the needle-shaped tip of the food holding portion is switched to a retracted state to release the food from the food holding portion, thereby transporting the food from upstream to downstream .

In addition, the food skewering system according to the present invention includes:
The food material conveying device is configured to include the above-mentioned
The downstream side is characterized by a conveying device that conveys ingredients to a skewering machine.

The present invention provides a food conveying device that can effectively transport food to be skewered from the previous process to the next process, while having a relatively simple and low-cost configuration, and a food skewering system that includes this device.

(A) is an oblique view seen from the food conveying robot side, showing an example of the overall configuration of a food skewering system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an oblique view seen from the conveying device side, showing an example of the overall configuration of the same food skewering system. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a food supply robot (food conveying device) of the food skewering system. (A) is an enlarged front view of an example of the configuration of the hand and finger parts of the same food ingredient supply robot (food ingredient conveying device) (with the needle-shaped tip parts of the fingers retracted), (B) is an enlarged front view of an example of the configuration of the hand and finger parts of the same food ingredient supply robot (food ingredient conveying device) (with the needle-shaped tip parts of the fingers protruding), and (C) is a view of the hand and finger parts (particularly the needle-shaped tip parts and guide parts of the fingers) from below. (A) is a front view (protruding state) showing the fingers and guide portion (food stopper portion) of the above embodiment, and (B) is a front view (retracted state) showing the fingers and guide portion (food stopper portion) of the above embodiment. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of food ingredients (the appearance of food ingredients in a storage container) after image analysis displayed on a monitor in the embodiment. FIG. (A) is a diagram showing the protruding state of the needle-shaped tip of the finger above food material in a storage container in the same embodiment, (B) is a diagram showing the protruding state of the needle-shaped tip of the same finger piercing food material in the storage container, (C) is a diagram showing the protruding state of the needle-shaped tip of the same finger holding and lifting food material, and (D) is a diagram showing an example of the L-shaped tip of the needle-shaped tip of the same finger. (A) is an example of an image (image taken by the upper camera) of a storage container containing green onions for Negima, viewed from above; (B) is an image showing an example of fingers holding food ingredients (green onions); (C) is an image taken from the side of the food ingredients (green onions) held by the fingers as they are transported above the lower camera; (D) is an example of an image (image taken by the upper camera) of a storage container containing chicken meat for Negima, viewed from above; (E) is an image showing an example of fingers holding food ingredients (chicken); and (F) is an image taken from the side of the food ingredients (chicken) held by the fingers as they are transported above the lower camera. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of the food material peeling device according to the embodiment. (A) is an oblique view showing an example of the finger moving above the food in the storage container, (B) is an oblique view showing the finger descending to pierce the food in the storage container, (C) is an oblique view showing the finger rising while piercing and holding the food, (D) is an oblique view showing the finger moving above the lower camera while holding the food, (E) is an oblique view showing the finger moving to the conveying device while holding the food, and (F) is an oblique view showing the finger releasing the food onto the conveying device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a transport conveyor and a tray, and an example of skewered food (finished product) that has been skewered. (A) is a front view (protruding state) showing an example of another configuration of the tip needle-shaped portion of the finger in the above embodiment, (B) is a front view (retracted state) showing an example of another configuration of the tip needle-shaped portion of the above finger, (C) is an oblique view (protruding state) showing an example of another configuration of the tip needle-shaped portion of the above finger, and (D) is an oblique view showing only the above finger.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating one example thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

As mentioned above, methods such as using fingers to pick up ingredients or using a vacuum to suck up ingredients were difficult to adopt due to the wide variety of shapes and sizes of ingredients. However, after much trial and error, the inventors have confirmed that the method described below can effectively supply (transport) ingredients from upstream (upstream process, previous process) to downstream (downstream process, next process).

As shown in FIG. 1, the food skewering system 1 according to this embodiment includes:
a skewering machine 2 that pushes the rear end of a skewer supplied from a skewer storage unit (not shown) that stores multiple skewers toward a skewered food item (for example, a skewered food item such as chicken breast or thigh meat for yakitori, or green onions for negima), and skewering the skewered food item;
A conveying device 3 (for example, a conveying conveyor 3B such as a chain or belt conveyor) that conveys multiple trays 3A on which ingredients to be skewered are placed to the skewering machine 2,
a food supply device 10 that supplies food onto the tray 3A of the conveying device 3;
It is composed of the following.
An example of the tray 3A placed on the transport conveyor 3B and the product (finished product) on which the skewering target is skewered is shown in FIG.

The trays 3A are placed in a row at a predetermined pitch in the conveying direction of the conveyor 3B, with their lengthwise direction facing the width direction (skewering direction) of the conveyor 3B. The trays 3A are detachably attached to the conveyor 3B with magnets or the like so that they can be replaced in response to changes in the type of food being conveyed and so that cleaning can be made easier (see Figures 7(B), 7(C), 7(E), 7(F), 10, etc.).

As shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the food material supplying device 10 that supplies food materials to the conveying device 3 includes:
For example, a storage container (storage place) 11 that randomly stores ingredients such as thigh meat for yakitori (or green onions for negi-ma) cut into predetermined sizes in advance;
a food supply robot (food conveying device) 20 that holds (picks up) the food stored in the storage container 11, conveys it to a predetermined position (a position according to the order of skewering) in a predetermined tray 3A of a conveying device 3 in a downstream process (next process), and releases the food there to supply the food;
It is composed of the following.
7(A) and 7(D) show examples of the state in which foodstuffs to be skewered are stored in the storage container 11. The storage container 11 corresponds to an example of a storage location according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the food material supply robot 20 according to this embodiment includes:
a first joint (shoulder joint) 21 that serves as a first joint A and is driven by a servo motor or the like and has an output rotation shaft arranged in a substantially vertical direction;
a first arm 22 having a base end connected to a first joint A serving as the output rotation shaft and configured to be rotatable within a substantially horizontal plane;
a second arm 23 having a base end connected to a second joint B on the tip side of the first arm 22 and configured to be rotatable within a substantially horizontal plane;
an elevator 24 connected to a third joint C on the tip side of the second arm 23 and configured to be movable (liftable) in a substantially vertical direction;
a hand 30 connected to a fourth joint D of the lifting unit 24 and configured to be rotatable within a substantially horizontal plane (rotatable around a center axis of the hand 30 in the direction of gravity);
It is composed of the following.
The food material supply robot 20 corresponds to an example of a food material conveying device according to the present invention.
Furthermore, the configuration of the first joint portion (shoulder joint portion) 21, the first arm 22, the second arm 23, the lifting portion 24, and the hand 30 that can rotate around the central axis in the gravity direction corresponds to an example of a moving portion according to the present invention.

The rotation (swing) of the second arm 23 around the second joint B relative to the first arm 22 can be configured to be performed, for example, via a servo motor or drive force transmission mechanism built into the second arm 23.

In addition, the up and down movement (lifting and lowering) of the second arm 23 along the third joint C of the lifting unit 24 can be achieved, for example, via a servo motor or ball screw mechanism (or rack and pinion mechanism) built into the second arm 23, or a linear actuator such as an air cylinder.

Furthermore, the rotation (swing) of the hand 30 around the fourth joint D relative to the lifting unit 24 can be configured to be performed, for example, via a servo motor or drive force transmission mechanism (here, a tip shaft 25 inserted into the cylindrical third joint C) built into the second arm 23.

As shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B), the hand (food holding part) 30 in this embodiment is connected via a connection part 31 to a tip shaft 25 for rotating the hand 30 around the fourth joint D relative to the lifting part 24.
An upper box (upper support part) 32 is provided substantially integrally with the connection part 31, and a load cell 33 is provided inside the upper box 32, one end of which is supported substantially integrally with the upper box 32 and the other end of which extends substantially horizontally. The other end of the load cell 33 is free (independent) from the upper box 32, and a lower bracket 34 extending downward is attached to the other end.

The lower bracket 34 extends in a substantially vertical direction, and a finger 35 is supported at its lower end.

The fingers 35 are connected to the output member of an air cylinder 36, a reciprocating linear movement (linear motion) actuator, and are configured to be able to reciprocate linearly along a substantially vertical direction relative to the lower bracket 34. The air cylinder 36 is integrally attached near the lower end of the lower bracket 34. When actuating air is supplied, the fingers 35 move downward in a substantially vertical direction from the state shown in FIG. 3(A) as shown in FIG. 3(B). The base ends 35A of the fingers 35 contact the upper surface of the guide portion (food stopper portion) 37, while the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 protrude a predetermined distance from the lower surface 37A of the guide portion 37. The needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 are so-called pinholder-shaped elements having multiple needle-like protrusions. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the fingers 35 are configured to have eight needle-like tip portions 35B.
On the other hand, when the operating air is released, the output member 36A of the air cylinder 36 and thus the finger 35 move from the state shown in Figure 3(B) in an approximately vertically upward direction as shown in Figure 3(A), so that the base end 35A of the finger 35 moves upward away from the upper surface of the guide portion 37 and the tip needle-shaped portion 35B of the finger 35 is retracted from the lower surface 37A of the guide portion 37 (a state in which it is housed above the lower surface of the guide portion 37).

The guide portion 37 is integrally attached to the lower bracket 34 via a bracket 37C.
As shown in Fig. 3(C), the guide portion 37 has a plurality of openings 37B provided corresponding to the needle-shaped elements that are the tip needle portions 35B of the fingers 35, through which the corresponding elements can be inserted. The plurality of openings 37B guide the tip needle portions 35B of the fingers 35 when the fingers 35 are moved up and down by the air cylinder 36 (see Figs. 4(A) and 4(B)). The plurality of openings 37B are provided so as to correspond to the needle-shaped elements that are the tip needle portions 35B of the fingers 35. The number, shape, and other specifications of the needle-shaped elements that are the tip needle portions 35B of the fingers 35 can be changed depending on the type of food material, and the number of needle-shaped elements that are the tip needle portions 35B of the fingers 35 is configured to be the same as or less than the number of openings 37B.

The food skewering system 1 according to this embodiment, which has the above-described configuration, is operated as follows by control signals from a control unit (not shown) such as a PC (personal computer) equipped with various interfaces.

<Step 1>
In step 1, the state of the top surface of the storage container 11 is captured by the upper camera 40. The upper camera 40 corresponds to an example of a food imaging camera according to the present invention.
The control unit analyzes the image data acquired by the upper camera 40 and determines which ingredient the finger 35 of the ingredient supply robot 20 will pick up next. Specifically, the control unit analyzes image data of the storage container 11 containing ingredients shown on the monitor 50, etc., and recognizes each ingredient based on the color of the ingredient and the gap between the ingredient and other ingredients (this ingredient recognition can also be performed using deep learning), and determines (selects) the next ingredient to be picked up, starting with the ingredient with the largest area among the ingredients within a predetermined size (area) range. Figure 5 shows the appearance of the ingredients displayed on the monitor 50 after image analysis. Figures 7(A) and 7(D) show exemplary appearances of the storage container 11 containing ingredients.

<Step 2>
In step 2, based on the position information of the selected (determined) food material, the drive servo motors of the first arm 22 and the second arm 23 are controlled to bring the hand 30 and the fingers 35 to the target position (the position where the center of the food material coincides with the center of the fingers 35) (see FIG. 9A). Also, based on the orientation of the selected (determined) food material in the horizontal plane (the inclination with respect to the conveying direction of the conveying device 3), the rotation angle positions of the hand 30 and the fingers 35 around the fourth joint D with respect to the second arm 23 are controlled (adjusted) so that the positional relationship of the fingers 35 with respect to the orientation of the food material is aligned in a predetermined manner (corresponding to the orientation of the food material).
Then, once the position of the finger 35 is aligned with the selected (determined) food ingredient (or even before alignment), the air cylinder 36 is driven to bring the finger 35 into a state in which the tip needle portion 35B protrudes, i.e., into the protruding state shown in Figure 3 (B) (see Figure 9 (A)).
With the finger 35 in this protruding state, the lifting section 24 is lowered relative to the second arm 23 from the state shown in Figure 6 (A) to pierce the selected (determined) food ingredient with the needle-shaped tip portion 35B of the finger 35 (see Figures 6 (B) and 9 (B)).

At this time, the food material is pierced by the needle-shaped tip portion 35B until it contacts the underside 37A of the guide portion 37, so the guide portion 37 functions as a food material stopper portion according to the present invention.

Then, with the food material pierced and held by the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35, the lifting unit 24 raises the finger 35 (hand 30) to a predetermined conveying height (see Figures 6(C) and 9(C)). Note that for ease of understanding, only one food material is shown in Figure 9, but in reality, multiple food materials are often stored in the storage container 11 (see Figures 7(A) and 7(D)).

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6(A) to 6(C), a mesh member 11A is installed at the bottom inside the storage container 11 to store food with a raised bottom. This forms a gap 11B below the food, and when the needle-shaped tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 in Figure 6(B) pierce the food, a gap 11C can be left between the tips of the needle-shaped tip portions 35B and the inside bottom surface of the storage container 11. This prevents collisions and ensures that the needle-shaped tip portions 35B penetrate the food, effectively preventing food from falling off the needle-shaped tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 during transport.

In addition, in this embodiment, the air cylinder 36 is driven to place the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 in a protruding state as shown in Figure 3(B), and in this protruding state, the lifting unit 24 is lowered to pierce the food with the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35. This is because, if the lifting unit 24 is first lowered to the vicinity of the food and then the air cylinder 36 is used to protrude the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 to pierce the food, depending on the type of food, the protruding speed may be too fast, causing the food to be thrown away, or the protruding force of the air cylinder 36 may be too weak, making it impossible to properly pierce the food with the needle-shaped tip 35B.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the air cylinder 36 is driven to place the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 in a protruding state as shown in Figure 3(B), and in this protruding state, the lifting unit 24 is lowered to pierce the food with the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35. This ensures reliable piercing of the food. In other words, with regard to food that is difficult to pierce with the needle-shaped tip 35B or has an uneven outer shape, such as meat such as chicken, pork, beef, or lamb for skewering in yakitori or BBQ, seafood (fish, shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, etc.), or vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, pumpkin, and bell peppers, the present embodiment allows the needle-shaped tip 35B to be successfully pierced into the food and maintained in that state for transport. However, if the food item is easy to pierce with the needle-shaped tip 35B and maintain that state, it is also possible to first lower the lifting unit 24 to the vicinity of the food item, and then use the air cylinder 36 to project the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 and pierce the food item.

In addition, in this embodiment, the tip of the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 is tapered and needle-like, and as shown in Figure 6 (D), the tip is inclined (bent) so that it faces inward (or the tip has a dogleg or claw-like shape), which also effectively prevents food from falling off the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 during transport. The inward inclination angle T can be, for example, approximately 0 to 70 degrees. Note that if the type of food is unlikely to fall off, the tip can be shaped with an inclination angle of 0 degrees (i.e., straight).

The diameter and number of the needle-shaped tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 can be changed depending on the type of food ingredient, etc. The diameter can be in the range of approximately φ1 to 6 mm, for example, approximately φ2 mm for thigh meat for yakitori or green onions for negi-ma, and the number can be in the range of approximately 1 to 10 or more, for example, approximately 8 for thigh meat for yakitori or green onions for negi-ma.

<Step 3>
In the next step 3, the fingers 35 and hence the hand 30, which are holding the food material by piercing the needle-like tip 35B, are transported (moved) to a predetermined position above the lower camera 41 (see FIG. 9(D)).
The lower camera 41 corresponds to an example of a food holding state imaging camera according to the present invention.

<Step 4>
In step 4, the lower camera 41 captures an image of the food material held by the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35, and the load cell 33 measures the weight of the food material (see FIG. 9(D)). The lower camera 41 is positioned so as to capture an image of the food material held by the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 from below the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35. In this embodiment, when the lower camera 41 captures an image of the food material, the transport (movement) of the food material is temporarily stopped, and this is a timing when the load cell 33 is less susceptible to the effects of inertial forces caused by changes in the transport speed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the weight measurement is also performed at this timing. However, it is also possible to capture an image and measure the weight without stopping the transport.

<Step 5>
In step 5, if it is determined based on the weight measurement results that the weight is insufficient (lighter than the specified value) or if the food material is not photographed (if the food material is not held by the tip needle portion 35B of the finger 35), the process returns to step 1 and resumes.
In addition, if it is determined that the weight is over (heavier than a specified value) or if multiple ingredients are imaged (if the tip needle-shaped portion 35B of the finger 35 is holding more ingredients than necessary), it will move to the discharge location.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the weight is within the normal range or if the required number of ingredients (one in this case) have been imaged (if the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 can hold the required number of ingredients), the orientation of the ingredient in the horizontal plane (its tilt with respect to the conveying direction of the conveying device 3) imaged by the lower camera 41 is acquired. Because ingredients vary slightly in shape and size and are stored relatively randomly within the storage container 11, there are cases where the ingredient is held tilted with respect to the fingers 35 when pierced with the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35. Acquisition of this orientation is necessary to correct the positional relationship with the tray 3A on the conveyor conveyor 3B of the conveying device 3 in the next process, and therefore in this embodiment, the orientation of the ingredient is acquired at the timing of step 5.

<Step 6>
In step 6, if the posture needs to be corrected, in order to correct the posture (positional relationship) in the horizontal plane of the food material held by the tip needle portion 35B of the finger 35 relative to the tray 3A on the conveying conveyor 3B of the conveying device 3, the rotational angle positions of the hand 30 and finger 35 relative to the second arm 23 around the fourth joint D are adjusted (corrected), and the drive servo motors of the first arm 22 and the second arm 23 are controlled to convey the food material held by the tip needle portion 35B of the finger 35 to a predetermined position in the conveying device 3 for the next process (in the tray 3A on the conveying conveyor 3B) (see Figure 9 (E)).
However, in Figures 9(D) and 9(E), in order to make it easier to understand how the ingredients are transported, the trays 3A and the transport conveyor 3B are not shown (see Figure 10 for the trays 3A and the transport conveyor 3B).

<Step 7>
In step 7, the lifting unit 24 lowers the fingers 35 to a predetermined position within the tray 3A, pressing the food material or the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 against the bottom of the tray 3A at a predetermined position, and then the air pressure from the air cylinder 36 is released, pulling the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 upward and retracting them from the undersurfaces 37A of the guide portions 37 (i.e., switching the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 from the protruding state to the retracted state). As a result, the needle-like tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 are pulled out of the food material, and the food material is placed at a predetermined position in the conveying device 3 (inside the tray 3A) (see FIG. 9(F)).
However, in FIG. 9(F), tray 3A is not shown in order to make it easier to understand how the ingredients are being transported.
At this time, if the food material is meat or sticky due to containing moisture or oil, there is a risk that the food material will adhere to the underside 37A of the guide portion 37. Therefore, in this embodiment, a food material peeling device (mechanism) 60 as shown in FIG. 8 is provided to ensure that the food material can be peeled off from the underside 37A of the guide portion 37.
The food material peeling device (mechanism) 60 will be described in detail later.

<Step 8>
In step 8, the lifting unit 24 raises the finger 35, and then the driving of the servo motors for driving the first arm 22 and the second arm 23 is controlled to return the finger 35 to its predetermined original position, and by repeating steps 1 to 7 above, the ingredients are supplied to the conveying device 3 in sequence.

After the control unit has supplied (transported) the corresponding ingredients to all of the designated locations within one tray 3A, it drives the transport conveyor 3B toward the downstream skewering machine 2 to transport the trays 3A in sequence, and the skewering machine 2 controls the machine to push out the rear ends of the skewers supplied from a skewer storage unit (not shown) that stores multiple skewers, and skewer the ingredients (skewered items) arranged in the trays 3A that are transported in sequence, in order to skewer the items.
An example of the products (here, uncooked yakitori) in tray 3A after skewering is shown in FIG.

The skewered product (e.g., uncooked yakitori) is then ejected from tray 3A downstream of the skewering machine 2 and supplied to processes such as packaging.

The food material peeling device (mechanism) 60 will now be described with reference to FIG.
When the food material is pulled upward relative to the guide portion 37 (when the protruding state of FIG. 3(B) is shifted to the retracted state of FIG. 3(A)) in order to release the food material from the needle-shaped tip portion 35B of the finger 35 holding the food material, a food material peeling device 60 is provided to prevent the food material from adhering to the underside 37A of the guide portion 37 due to its stickiness, making it impossible to release the food material.

The food peeling device 60 according to this embodiment includes an air tube 61 for ejecting air. The tip 61A of the air tube 61 is positioned so that air is ejected obliquely downward from the upper outer edge toward the center of food adhering to the underside 37A of the guide portion 37. Alternatively, the air ejection center direction Y of the air ejected from the tip 61A is directed obliquely downward relative to the central axis X of the guide portion 37 (here, the direction of gravity) toward the food adhering to the underside 37A of the guide portion 37. Furthermore, it is more preferable to position the air tube 61 so that a component of air flows between the adhering food and the underside 37A of the guide portion 37. The air tube 61 is connected to an air supply system, such as a factory air supply system, via a solenoid valve or the like. When the solenoid valve is opened by a signal from the control unit, for example, air of approximately several kg/ ^cm² (e.g., approximately 2 to 8 kgf/ ^cm² ) is ejected from the tip 61A. Note that the air may be ejected in a manner that gases, liquids, or other fluids other than air are ejected.

Furthermore, the fingers 35 and guide portions 37 are supported by the upper box (upper support portion) 32 via the load cell 33 in order to measure the weight of the food held by the needle-shaped tip portions 35B of the fingers 35. Therefore, if the air tube 61 were directly supported by the fingers 35 and guide portions 37, the load cell 33 would be affected by the restoring force due to the deflection caused by the attachment of the air tube 61 and the vibration of the air tube 61 due to acceleration and deceleration during transport, and it was confirmed that this would make it impossible to accurately measure the weight of the food.

For this reason, to prevent the food peeling device 60 from being affected by the bending or vibration of the air tube 61, the air tube 61 is supported by a cantilever bracket 62, whose tip is not supported anywhere and whose base end is supported only by the upper box (upper support part) 32.

In this way, the food peeling device 60 according to this embodiment is configured to be independent (decoupled) from the load cell 33, so it can reliably prevent food from adhering to the underside 37A of the guide portion 37 while maintaining high accuracy in measuring the gravity of the food.

The control unit releases the air pressure from the air cylinder 36, pulling the needle-shaped tip 35B of the finger 35 upward and retracting it from the underside 37A of the guide portion 37, and then controls the solenoid valve or the like to open for a predetermined period of time to spray air from the air tube 61 for a predetermined period of time in accordance with the timing of releasing the food material, thereby assisting in the separation of the food material from the underside 37A of the guide portion 37.

In addition, in this embodiment, the intersection angle Z between the direction of gravity (the central axis of the finger 35 or guide portion 37) and the central direction Y of the air ejection after intersecting with the direction of gravity is set to approximately 45°. However, this can be adjusted appropriately within a range of approximately 20° to 80° depending on specifications such as the type and size of the food material.

In this manner, according to this embodiment, the finger 35 is moved from upstream (e.g., a food storage section) to downstream via moving parts such as the first arm 22, second arm 23, and lifting section 24 of the food supply robot 20 (food conveying device) for individually supplying (conveying) food ingredients of a predetermined size downstream. The finger 35 has its needle-like tip 35B protruding from the underside 37A of the guide section (food stopper section) 37, and in this protruding state, the finger 35 holds the food ingredient by piercing the food ingredient with the needle-like tip 35B. In this food ingredient holding state, the food ingredient is conveyed (transferred) downstream, and at a predetermined downstream position, the needle-like tip 35B of the finger 35 is retracted from the underside 37A of the guide section (food stopper section) 37, thereby releasing the food ingredient and supplying (placing) the food ingredient at a predetermined downstream position. Therefore, even if the food ingredient is relatively uneven in size and shape, the food ingredient can be smoothly conveyed (transferred) from upstream (e.g., a storage container) to downstream, and then smoothly supplied downstream.

In other words, with methods that use fingers to grab ingredients or vacuums to hold ingredients on the fingers, it is difficult to transport ingredients cut into predetermined sizes for skewering from upstream (previous process) to downstream (next process) and then supply the ingredients downstream, due to the variety of shapes and sizes of ingredients. However, with the ingredient supply robot (ingredient conveying device) of this embodiment, even such ingredients can be smoothly supplied (transported) from upstream (previous process) to downstream (next process).

In other words, this embodiment provides a food conveying device (robot) that can effectively convey food to be skewered from upstream to downstream, while having a relatively simple and low-cost configuration, and a food skewering system that includes this device.

In addition, in this embodiment, the needle-shaped tip 35B is pierced and held in place in the food, which has the exceptional effect of contributing to improved cooking, allowing soy sauce, sauces, and broth to penetrate the food, and even cutting tendons in the case of meat, making the food easier to eat. This provides effects that cannot be predicted from other methods that grip and transport food or transport food by suction.

In this embodiment, examples of skewered food items used include meat such as chicken, pork, beef, and lamb, seafood (fish, shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, etc.), and vegetables such as green onions, mushrooms, pumpkin, and bell peppers for yakitori, BBQ, etc. However, there are no particular limitations on the type of food items suitable for skewering. However, any food item cut (e.g., cut into pieces) into a predetermined size (e.g., approximately 1.5 to 6 cm in length x approximately 1.5 to 3.5 cm in width x approximately 0.5 to 2.5 cm in thickness) is suitable for this invention.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent the food from falling off the needle-shaped tip portions 35B of the fingers 35 during transport after holding the food, the speed at which the hand 30 and therefore the fingers 35 are raised after picking up the food is controlled to be about 30% slower than normal. This makes it possible to prevent the food from falling off the fingers 35 during transport.

In addition, after the ingredients are placed on the tray 3A on the transport conveyor 3B of the transport device 3, the speed at which the hand 30 and therefore the fingers 35 are raised to move on to the next process is controlled to be reduced by about 30% compared to normal.
This is because food ingredients may stick to the hand 30 (the lower surface 37A of the guide portion 37), but by slowly raising the hand 30, the food ingredient peeling device 60 can have more time to spray air, so that the food ingredients can be reliably peeled from the hand 30 (the lower surface 37A of the guide portion 37) and placed (supplied) in a predetermined position in the tray 3A of the transport conveyor 3B.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, imaging by the upper camera 40 inside the storage container 11 is performed while the fingers 35 (hands 30) are supplying (placing) ingredients to the conveying device 3 (i.e., when the fingers 35 are not between the storage container 11 and the upper camera 40), which contributes to easier and more accurate imaging and can also contribute to a reduction in the production time (takt time) of skewered products.

In this embodiment, the number of tip needles 35B of the fingers 35 has been described as eight, but this number is not particularly limited. However, it is possible to have two or more, and it is also possible to have three tip needles 35B arranged at the vertices of a triangle, as shown in Figure 11.

In addition, in this embodiment, the tip of the needle-shaped tip 35B is bent in a dogleg shape to prevent food from falling out. However, depending on the food, the needle-shaped tip 35B may be straight and not bent. Alternatively, instead of or in addition to bending, the needle-shaped tip 35B may be configured with a barb on the tip side.

In addition, in this embodiment, the food supply robot 20 (food conveying device) has been described as having a configuration (so-called SCARA robot system) that includes a first arm 22, a second arm 23, a lifting unit 24, etc., and moves the fingers 35 from upstream to downstream. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the food supply robot 20 (food conveying device) can be any configuration that can move food ingredients (fingers) from upstream to downstream in a predetermined manner, as well as a multi-joint arm robot system or a Cartesian coordinate robot.

In addition, in this embodiment, the hand 30 of the food material supply robot 20 is configured to be rotatable around the fourth joint D (in a substantially horizontal plane) (rotatable around the center axis of the hand 30 in the direction of gravity), allowing the position of the food material in the horizontal plane to be adjusted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the food materials are arranged in a row or matrix facing the same direction and placed at a predetermined upstream position, or if the food materials themselves have a symmetrical shape and position adjustment is not necessary, the structure for adjusting the position can be omitted.

In addition, while the present embodiment has been described as an example of a configuration having one storage container 11, the present invention is not limited to this and a configuration having multiple storage containers 11 is also possible. In this case, the configuration may include storage containers 11 containing different types of ingredients, or multiple storage containers 11 containing the same type of ingredients. Note that when multiple storage containers 11 containing the same type of ingredients are provided, when one becomes empty, ingredients can be supplied from the other, and in the meantime, one of the storage containers can be replenished with ingredients, or the filled storage container can be replaced with a storage container 11.

In addition, in this embodiment, the upstream process (previous process) is described as a container for storing ingredients, and the downstream process (next process) is described as a transport device (transport conveyor), but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any device that transports ingredients from upstream to downstream.

In addition, in this embodiment, the tip of the needle-shaped tip portion is described as having a dogleg shape, a claw shape, or a barb. In this case, however, the tip of at least one of the multiple needle-shaped tip portions may be configured to have a dogleg shape, a claw shape, or a barb.

In addition, in this embodiment, the upstream (preceding process) is described as a storage container 11 from the perspective of ease of transportation and cleaning, but the present invention is not limited to a storage container, and is not particularly limited to any storage location where food ingredients are stored or placed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the food peeling device 60 has been described as a configuration example in which air is sprayed toward the food, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the device can be configured to spray fluids including inert gases such as nitrogen and other gases, as well as water, hot water, and other liquids.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, upper camera 40 has been exemplified as an example of a food imaging camera according to the present invention, but the food imaging camera according to the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and it is also possible to use, for example, a mobile camera that moves above the food to capture images.
The imaging data may be still image data, moving image data, or data extracted from moving image data.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, lower camera 41 is illustrated as an example of an ingredient holding state imaging camera according to the present invention, but the ingredient holding state imaging camera according to the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, it is also possible to use a mobile camera that moves below the ingredient to capture images. Furthermore, it is also possible to use a shutter mechanism to protect the lens of lower camera 41 or the protective glass plate or protective acrylic plate from dirt, etc., by opening the shutter during imaging and closing the shutter during standby, or to use a wipe mechanism to remove dirt from the lens of lower camera 41 or the protective glass plate or protective acrylic plate. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide an ingredient holding state imaging camera to the side (or above, diagonally above, etc.) of the ingredient holding unit (hand 30), so that when capturing an image of the orientation of the ingredient held by the ingredient holding unit (hand 30) relative to the ingredient holding unit, the ingredient holding unit (hand 30) is rotated so that the surface holding the ingredient faces the line of sight of the ingredient holding state imaging camera, and after capturing the image, the ingredient holding unit (hand 30) is rotated to return to its original position (a state in which the ingredient is held horizontally below for transport).

The embodiments described above are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Food skewering system 2 Skewering machine 3 Conveyor device 3A Tray 3B Conveyor 10 Food supply device 11 Storage container (an example of a storage location according to the present invention)
20. Food material supply robot (an example of a food material conveying device according to the present invention)
30 Hand (an example of a food holding unit according to the present invention)
35 Finger 35B Tip Needle-Shaped Portion 37 Guide Portion (An example of a food stopper portion according to the present invention)
37A Lower surface 40 Upper camera 41 Lower camera 50 Monitor

Claims (4)

A food material conveying device that conveys food materials for skewering from upstream to downstream,
a food holding section configured to be able to hold and release food;
a moving unit configured to move the food holding unit between a predetermined upstream position and a predetermined downstream position and to lift and lower the food holding unit;
The invention comprises:
The food holding unit is
The food stopper includes a plurality of needle-shaped tip portions, and is configured to be switchable between a protruding state in which the tip portions protrude from the underside of the food stopper portion through which the tip portions are inserted, and a retracted state in which the tip portions retract from the underside of the food stopper portion.
The food material is held at a predetermined position upstream by lowering the food material holding unit with the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the moving unit, or by lowering the food material holding unit with the moving unit and then putting the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the tip needle-like portion, and then the food material is held by the moving unit to a predetermined position downstream,
In the food conveying device , the food material is conveyed from upstream to downstream by switching the tip needle-shaped portion of the food material holding portion to a retracted state at a predetermined position downstream to release the food material from the food material holding portion,
A food peeling device for peeling off food adhering to the underside of the food stopper portion,
When the needle-shaped tip of the food holding part is switched to a retracted state to release the food from the food holding part, the food peeling device is configured to spray a fluid obliquely downward from the upper outer side toward the center of the food adhering to the underside of the food stopper part.
A food material conveying device comprising: The food conveying device of claim 1, characterized in that at least one tip of the needle-shaped tip portion has a dogleg shape, a claw shape, or a barb. A food material conveying device that conveys food materials for skewering from upstream to downstream,
a food holding section configured to be able to hold and release food;
a moving unit configured to move the food holding unit between a predetermined upstream position and a predetermined downstream position and to lift and lower the food holding unit;
The invention comprises:
The food holding unit is
The food stopper includes a plurality of needle-shaped tip portions, and is configured to be switchable between a protruding state in which the tip portions protrude from the underside of the food stopper portion through which the tip portions are inserted, and a retracted state in which the tip portions retract from the underside of the food stopper portion.
The food material is held at a predetermined position upstream by lowering the food material holding unit with the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the moving unit, or by lowering the food material holding unit with the moving unit and then putting the tip needle-like portion in a protruding state using the tip needle-like portion, and then the food material is held by the moving unit to a predetermined position downstream,
In the food conveying device, the food material is conveyed from upstream to downstream by switching the tip needle-shaped portion of the food material holding portion to a retracted state at a predetermined position downstream to release the food material from the food material holding portion,
The moving unit is configured to be able to rotate the food holding unit around a center axis in the gravity direction,
The upstream is a storage location where multiple ingredients are stored,
a food ingredient imaging camera that images the food ingredients stored in the storage location from above the storage location;
a food holding state imaging camera capable of imaging an attitude of the food held by the food holding unit relative to the food holding unit between the upstream and downstream;
is provided,
Based on the image data captured by the food imaging camera, a food ingredient in the storage location is selected as the predetermined upstream position,
the food material holding unit is moved above the selected food material via a moving unit of the food material conveying device, and a rotation angle position of the food material holding unit about a central axis in the direction of gravity is adjusted in accordance with the orientation of the selected food material in a horizontal plane acquired based on the image data captured by the food material imaging camera;
the needle-shaped tip portion of the food holding unit is lowered by the moving unit in a protruding state to pierce the food material with the needle-shaped tip portion and hold the food material, and then an image of the food material's posture is captured by the food material holding state imaging camera while the food material is being held;
the food holding unit is moved by the moving unit to a predetermined downstream position while adjusting a rotation angle position of the food holding unit about a center axis in the direction of gravity in accordance with the orientation of the food in a horizontal plane acquired based on image data captured by the food holding state imaging camera;
At a predetermined position downstream, the needle-shaped tip portion of the food holding portion is switched to a retracted state to release the food from the food holding portion, thereby transporting the food from upstream to downstream. The food material conveying device according to claim 3 is configured to include:
The food skewering system is characterized in that the downstream is a conveying device that conveys food to a skewering machine.