JP4926489B2 - Lunch box assortment method and apparatus for sushi - Google Patents

Description

As seen in Sukeroku Bento, Inari Sushi, etc. sold at convenience stores, the present invention arranges several similar items such as seaweed rolls, Inari Sushi, Oshizushi , Nigiri Sushi together and looks nicely. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for serving a container such as a lunch box.

Conventionally, there have been proposed several automated apparatuses for placing food such as cooked rice and side dishes in a container such as a lunch box, or an automated apparatus for performing laver roll forming.
For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-128002) discloses an automated apparatus that uses a robot to serve food in a lunch box.
Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-33148) discloses an apparatus that automates the formation of nori seaweed.

JP 2003-128002 A JP 2003-33148 A

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an example in which the seaweed rolls n1 to n4 and the inari sushi I are nicely arranged on the tray (lunch container) 8. However, it has not yet become possible to automate by machine until it is intended to be placed in a container for the purpose of appetizing the food as it is.

Particularly Inari sushi like, especially when Serve the plurality of sushi appearance is well aligned lunch container, easily disposed of Sheng with a target is changed, it is necessary to correspond to the combination of various Sheng with Yes. For this reason, production factories had to rely on manual human tactics, and labor costs were high.

In view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention aligns one or more types of sushi or nigiri rice (hereinafter referred to as sushi, etc.) such as inari sushi, pressed sushi, nigiri sushi, and tenmu, especially a plurality of sushi. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to realize a method and an apparatus that can cope with various combinations of arrangements and can automate them when the dishes are beautifully appetizing.

In order to achieve the object, the method for assembling lunch boxes for sushi and the like of the first invention includes a container transport body for transporting the opened lunch container in a predetermined direction, and sushi or the like in a direction approaching the container transport body. The following steps are carried out using a sushi carrier that conveys
That is, first, arbitrarily selected sushi or the like is placed on the sushi carrier with a predetermined interval. In this interval placing step, desired sushi or the like can be selected for serving. By providing an interval between sushi or the like, the relative position in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction between the sushi or the like can be freely set while preventing sticking between the sushi and the like.

  In addition, it is possible to insert guides such as guide plates between sushi etc. by increasing the interval, and when holding a plurality of sushi etc. and waiting above the lunch box in the later process, When serving, the guide can be used to facilitate placing the lunch box in a predetermined position.

In this case Ru provided an offset step of staggered plurality of positions, such as sushi in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying member. When gathering sushi etc. together and holding them in a lump and placing them in a lunch box, change the direction of the holder so that the envelopes of the edges of the sushi etc. are aligned in parallel on the sides of the lunch box. When arranged, the longitudinal axis of sushi or the like is arranged obliquely on the side of the lunch box, resulting in a aesthetically pleasing arrangement.

  In the next step, the plurality of placed sushi and the like are gathered together at the rear stage of the sushi carrier and held in a lump. In the gathering step, as described above, the sushi or the like is arranged at intervals in the conveying direction, and the positional relationship perpendicular to the conveying direction is set based on the arrangement at the time of container stacking. Collected sushi and other foods into a lump. As a result, the group of sushi and the like are gathered together while maintaining the positional relationship in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction. Alternatively, guides such as guide plates are inserted between sushi and the like and collected.

  In the next step, a group of sushi and the like that are gathered together and held in a lump are held and moved above the open lunch box while being sandwiched between gripping devices. With this sky standby step, it is possible to provide a margin for measuring the timing of putting sushi or the like into the lunch box transported by the container transporter, and to ensure that the lunch box is charged. In this subsequent step, the group of sushi or the like waiting is pushed out to a predetermined position of the intended lunch box using a guide.

The second invention is a method of arranging a plurality of sushi selected from a plurality of types of sushi such as seaweed roll, inari sushi, pressed sushi, nigiri sushi and arranging them in a lunch box,
On the entrance side of the first sushi transport body, a container transport body that transports the opened lunch box in a predetermined direction, a first sushi transport body that transports a plurality of sushi in a direction approaching the container transport body, and Prepare a second sushi carrier that transports multiple types of sushi,
A selective transfer step of transferring one or a plurality of types of sushi from the plurality of types of sushi transported by the second sushi transport body to the first sushi transport body;
An interval placing step for placing arbitrarily selected sushi on the first sushi carrier, etc.
A gathering step for gathering and holding the plurality of placed sushi pieces in a group after the sushi carrier;
An empty standby step for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch box, and
A container charging step of pushing the waiting sushi group to a predetermined position of the target lunch box using a guide;
It is characterized by comprising.
According to this invention, if one or more types of target sushi etc. are transferred from the second sushi carrier to the first sushi carrier, the taste is selected from a plurality of types of sushi. Can be easily selected, and the range of selected sushi can be expanded.

  In addition, when a plurality of sushi or the like are sandwiched and lifted by a gripping device, for example, if a guide plate is inserted between the sushi or the like, each sushi or the like can be securely held and individual sushi can be secured. Without sticking to each other, the guide plate can be used as a guide to be put into the lunch box when being put into the lunch box. Furthermore, if an extruding member for extruding the upper surface of each sushi or the like is provided at this time, it becomes easy to put into the lunch box.

The first invention apparatus comprises a container transport body for transporting the opened lunch container in a predetermined direction, and a transport body for sushi or the like for transporting sushi or the like in a direction approaching the container transport body,
Interval placing means for placing arbitrarily selected sushi etc. with a predetermined interval on the sushi carrier,
A gathering means for gathering and holding a plurality of the sushi placed on the sushi carrier in a subsequent stage,
An upper standby means for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch container,
It comprises container charging means for pushing the waiting sushi group to a predetermined position of the intended lunch box using a guide ,
There is an offset means for shifting the position of the sushi or the like back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport body on the upstream side of the gathering step in the subsequent stage of the transport body of the sushi or the like .

According to this invention, if an offset means for shifting the position of sushi or the like back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport body is provided upstream of the gathering step in the subsequent stage of the transport body such as sushi, a plurality of sushi or the like can be obtained. When holding the sushi etc. in a lump in a shifted state and placing the sushi held in a bento container, by changing the orientation of the gripping device, the sushi etc. They can be arranged and arranged in an oblique direction in an aligned state.
With this configuration, it is possible to automate the arrangement of sushi and other lunch boxes by implementing the steps of the first inventive method.

In the second invention apparatus, a container carrier for transporting the apertured lunch container in a predetermined direction, a first sushi carrier for transporting a plurality of sushi in a direction toward the container carrier, said A second sushi carrier that conveys multiple types of sushi on the entrance side of the sushi carrier;
Wherein the selection transfer means for transferring the first sushi carrier one or more of the sushi like for the purpose of a plurality of kinds of sushi being more transported to the second sushi like carrier first sushi An interval placing means for placing arbitrarily selected sushi or the like on the carrier such as a predetermined interval;
A gathering means for gathering and holding a plurality of the sushi placed on the sushi carrier in a subsequent stage,
An empty standby step for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch box, and
It is characterized by comprising a container loading means for pushing the waiting sushi group or the like to a predetermined position of the intended lunch box using a guide.
According to the second invention, if a desired sushi or the like is selected from the second sushi carrier or the like and transferred to the sushi carrier, the sushi for serving lunch boxes from various types of sushi As desired sushi can be selected freely and easily.

  In the apparatus of the present invention, if an offset means for shifting the position of sushi or the like back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport body is provided upstream of the gathering step in the subsequent stage of the transport body of sushi or the like, a plurality of sushi or the like is provided. When holding the sushi etc. in a lump in a shifted state and placing the sushi held in a bento container, by changing the orientation of the gripping device, the sushi etc. They can be arranged and arranged in an oblique direction in an aligned state.

  According to the method of the present invention, an interval placing step for placing arbitrarily selected sushi or the like on a sushi carrier, and a plurality of the sushi placed on the sushi carrier at a later stage. A gathering step for holding the collected sushi group, an upper standby step for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch box, and the bento container for which the sushi group that has been waiting is used as a guide The container has a container loading step that pushes it to a predetermined position, so you can freely select the desired sushi for serving, and gather together while holding the set relative position in the front-rear direction for multiple sushi, etc. The sushi etc. group is held in place by measuring the timing of the sushi etc. with the bento container being transported while waiting to move above the lunch box and using a guide. Can be easily Sheng with the position of the automated Sheng with such tantalizing beautifully appetite in this order appearance becomes possible.

According to the first invention, due to the provision of an offset step of shifting back and forth the position of such sushi in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying member at the upstream side of the gathering step in sushi like carrier subsequent, longitudinal position A group of sushi and the like that are held together by shifting them can be arranged side by side in an oblique direction with their envelopes aligned in parallel to the side of the lunch box without any irregularities.
As a result, when serving the lunch box, it is possible to arrange the sushi and the like in an orderly manner while arbitrarily arranging the sushi.

  Further, according to the apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a container transport body and a transport body such as sushi, an interval placing means for placing arbitrarily selected sushi or the like on the transport body such as sushi at a predetermined interval, and the placement Collecting and collecting means for collecting and holding a plurality of sushi or the like in the latter stage of the sushi carrier, an upper standby means for moving and holding the held sushi group or the like above the opened lunch box, the waiting sushi or the like Since it comprises a container loading means for pushing the group to a predetermined position of the target lunch box using a guide, the above-described method of the present invention can be arranged in an appetizing manner with a good appearance.

In particular , according to the second invention, if a second sushi carrier is provided upstream of the sushi carrier, the desired sushi can be selected from the second sushi carrier. Desired sushi can be selected from various sushi .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to that unless otherwise specified.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to serving lunch boxes of inari sushi, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing interval placing means of the first embodiment, FIG. 3 is an elevation view, FIG. 4A is a plan view of the gripping and laying device (guide plate opening) of the first embodiment, FIG. 4B is an elevation view, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the gripping and laying device (guide plate closed) of the first embodiment, FIG. 6B is an elevation view, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state of laying on the lunch box of the first embodiment. FIG.

In FIG. 1, various types of sushi such as seaweed roll n, inari sushi I, pressed sushi k, nigiri sushi m and the like are conveyed in the direction of arrow a on the conveyor 1. In the direction of arrow a, a transfer device (pusher) 2 for selectively pushing out various sushi or the like conveyed on the conveyor 1 onto the conveyor 4 in the direction of arrow b is installed. A conveyor 4 is provided at a position facing the transfer device 2, and a two-degree-of-freedom alignment device 3 is installed at the start end of the conveyor 4. The conveyor 4 is a conveyor that arranges the sushi I to be pushed out by selecting from various sushi or the like by the transfer device 2 and transports it to the gripping and laying device 5.

The gripping and laying device 5 gathers together a plurality of inari sushi I aligned on the conveyor 4 by the two-degree-of-freedom alignment device 3, holds them at once, and transports them in the direction of arrow j by the conveyor 7. Is driven by an actuator 6.
2 and 3 are a plan view and an elevation view showing an alignment mechanism for aligning the sushi I to be pushed out to the conveyor 4 side by the transfer device 2. 2 and 3, the two-degree-of-freedom alignment device 3 includes a fixed-side grip portion 301, a movable-side grip portion 302, an extrusion portion 303, and a two-degree-of-freedom actuator 304.

Note this embodiment is an example of a case of disposing obliquely three Inari sushi lunch box 8, and the Inari sushi after alignment shown in I ₁ ~I _3.
A pusher 2 is used on the conveyor 1 to select Inari Sushi I and push it out to the two-degree-of-freedom alignment device 3. At this time, the fixed-side gripping portion 301 and the movable-side gripping portion 302 are standing by in a horizontal position, and the distance between both gripping portions is open. The sushi I that is to be pushed out is placed on the fixed side holding part 301. As the movable gripping portion 302 approaches the fixed gripping portion 301, the sushi I is sandwiched and gripped from both sides.

  Thereafter, the rotation of the two-degree-of-freedom actuator 304 rotates about 90 ° counterclockwise (in the direction of the arrow c1) so that the inari sushi I comes to the position immediately below, and the inari sushi I is positioned above the conveyor 4. At that time, the position in the width direction (arrow d direction) of the sushi I on the conveyor 4 is set to a desired position by the linear motion of the two-degree-of-freedom actuator 304 (movement in the direction of the axis i). After that, while holding the sushi I in both gripping parts, the extrusion part 303 pushes it out to the conveyor 4. At this time, the pushing portion 303 is sufficiently pressed against the conveyor surface so that the inari sushi I is stabilized.

Thereafter, both gripping parts rotate in the direction of the arrow c2, return to their original positions and wait.
Moreover, the conveyor 4 is tact-fed for every conveyance distance h, and is stopped when inari sushi is sent to the conveyor 4 by the two-degree-of-freedom alignment device 3, and after the inari sushi is transferred to the conveyor 4. It is configured to start moving. By such an operation, the sushi I _{1 to} I ₃ can be placed on the conveyor 4 at a position shifted in the conveyor width direction with a gap h therebetween.

The sushi I _{1 to} I _{3 that} are to be arranged in such a positional relationship are sent on _the conveyor 4 in the direction of the arrow f. The feed amount is adjusted as appropriate depending on the size of the sushi and the final serving. The interval h between inari sushi is determined by the operating speed of the two-degree-of-freedom actuator 304 and the feed amount of one tact in the direction of the arrow f of the conveyor 4.
When the above operation is performed three times in total, the state of Inari Sushi I _{1 to} I _{3 in} FIG. 2 is obtained.

4-6 is explanatory drawing at the time of performing the operation | movement which performs the holding | grip operation | movement with the holding | grip setting apparatus 5 at the terminal end side of the conveyor 4, and the lunch container 8 on the conveyor 7. FIG.
The gripping and serving apparatus 5 includes gripping guide plates 501 to 504 that hold the inari sushi I _{1 to} I ₃ and are transported to the conveyor 7 and wait in the air, and the sushi that is to be gripped by the gripping guide plates. It is comprised from the extrusion part 505 which extrudes in the lunch box 8.

  The gripping guide plate 501 is fixed, and the gripping guide plates 502 to 504 can approach or be separated from the gripping guide plate 501 side, and are shifted in the front-rear direction with respect to the gripping guide plate 501. 4 can hold the sushi I which is to be arranged shifted in the direction of the arrow d.

When the sushi I ₁ -I ₃ that is to be aligned at a predetermined position on the conveyor 4 is tact-fed to the grippering device 5, the sushi I ₁ -I ₃ is placed between the gripping guide plates 501 -504, respectively. The gripping and laying device 5 is moved by the operation of the actuator 6 to a position where it can be accommodated.
Next, by moving the gripping portions of the gripping guide plates 502 to 504 in the direction of the arrow g, the _three inari sushi I _{1 to} I ₃ are gripped simultaneously, and the actuator 6 is operated again to stand by above the lunch box 8.

When the lunch box 8 is tact-fed on the conveyor 8 and stopped, as shown in FIG. 6, the gripping and embedding device 5 so that the grip guide plates 501, 503, and 504 are aligned with the side 8 a of the lunch box 8. Then, the gripping and embedding device 5 is lowered to the lunch box 8 while the gripping mechanism of the gripping and moistening device 5 is operated. Thereafter, the extruding portion 505 is lowered between the gripping guide plates, whereby the lunch box 8 is made of the sushi I _{1 to} I ₃ at the same time and extruded and served.
At that time, by making the pushing box 505 feel pressed against the lunch box 8, stable serving is performed, and an effect of bringing the gaps of the holding guide plates between the sushi pieces together is also obtained.

  Further, as compared with the case where the serving is performed only by opening and closing the gripping guide plates 501 to 504, adopting the extrusion method by the extrusion unit 505 is stable even when other surrounding food is present on the lunch box 8. Can be pushed in. There is no risk of interference with other foods or the lunch box 8 due to the opening / closing operation of the grip guide plate, and it is also advantageous to complete the serving operation purely from the top of the lunch box.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible not only to automate the arrangement of sushi or the like on a lunch box, but also to provide a good-looking arrangement. By changing the operation of the two-degree-of-freedom aligning device 3, the conveyor 4, and the actuator 6 and replacing the grip guide plates 501 to 504 of the gripping and mounting device 5, it is possible to handle various sushi , change the number of servings, It is possible to flexibly cope with the combination of arrangements.

In the present embodiment, the conveyor 4 and the conveyor 7 are intermittently tact-fed, but may be conveyed at a constant speed. In this case, the interval h between the inari sushi I is determined by the relationship between the operating speed of the two-degree-of-freedom actuator 304 and the conveying speed of the conveyor 4 in the direction of arrow f.
Further, when sushi or the like is to be placed on the lunch box 8 with the gripping and serving device 5, it is necessary to match the operation timing of the gripping and serving device 5 with the conveying speed of the conveyor 7.

Moreover, the amount of shift in the conveyor width direction of the inari sushi I _{1 to} I _{3 on} the conveyor 4 varies depending on the inclination angle when serving the lunch box 8. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the shift amount in the conveyor width direction, it is possible to orderly align along the side of the lunch box while maintaining a desired inclination angle with respect to the side of the lunch box at the time of placing.

According to the present invention, it is possible not only to automate the operation of serving sushi etc. in a lunch box, but also to add a plurality of sushi that looks good and appetizing, and these operations can be automated by a machine without relying on human hands. As a result, personnel costs can be significantly reduced.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of 1st Example which applied this invention to the arrangement | positioning to the lunch box of inari sushi. It is a top view which shows the space | interval mounting means of the said 1st Example. It is an elevational view showing the interval placing means of the first embodiment. (A) is a top view of the gripping and piling device (guide plate opening) of the first embodiment, and (b) is an elevation view. (A) is a top view of the gripping and laying device (guide plate closed) of the first embodiment, and (b) is an elevation view. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning state to the lunch box of the said 1st Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which arranged the seaweed roll piece and inari sushi I on the tray (lunch container) nicely.

n Nori Maki I Inari Sushi k Oshizushi m Nigiri Sushi 1 Conveyor (conveying body such as second sushi)
2 Transfer equipment (selective transfer means)
3 Two-degree-of-freedom alignment device (interval transfer means)
4 Conveyors (conveyors such as sushi)
5 Grip and stacking device (collection means)
6 Actuator (Flying standby means)
7 Conveyor (container carrier)
8 Lunch box (lunch container)
304 Two-degree-of-freedom actuator (offset means)
501 to 504 Grasping guide plate 505 Extruding part

Claims (4)

In a method of arranging one or more kinds of sushi or nigiri rice (hereinafter referred to as sushi, etc.) such as seaweed roll, inari sushi, pressed sushi, nigiri sushi, tempura musk, etc.
Prepare a container transport body for transporting the opened lunch box container in a predetermined direction, and a transport body for sushi transporting sushi etc. in a direction approaching the container transport body,
An interval placing step for placing arbitrarily selected sushi or the like with a predetermined interval on the sushi carrier,
A gathering step for gathering and holding the plurality of placed sushi pieces in a group after the sushi carrier;
An empty standby step for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch box, and
A container loading step of pushing the waiting sushi group to a predetermined position of the intended lunch box using a guide ,
A lunch box container assembling method for sushi or the like, characterized in that there is an offset step for shifting the position of sushi or the like back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the carrier on the upstream side of the gathering step in the latter stage of the sushi carrier . In a device that arranges one or more kinds of sushi or nigiri rice (hereinafter referred to as sushi, etc.), such as seaweed roll, inari sushi, pressed sushi, nigiri sushi, tempura, etc.
A container transport body that transports the opened lunch box container in a predetermined direction, and a transport body such as sushi that transports sushi or the like in a direction approaching the container transport body,
Interval placing means for placing arbitrarily selected sushi etc. with a predetermined interval on the sushi carrier,
A gathering means for gathering and holding a plurality of the sushi placed on the sushi carrier in a subsequent stage,
An upper standby means for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch container,
It comprises container charging means for pushing the waiting sushi group to a predetermined position of the intended lunch box using a guide ,
An apparatus for serving lunch boxes for sushi or the like, characterized in that there is offset means for shifting the position of sushi or the like back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport body upstream of the gathering step at the latter stage of the transport body for sushi or the like . Seaweed roll, Inari sushi, press sushi, in the method Serve the lunch container are aligned together a plurality of kinds of a plurality of sushi selected from the sushi like sushi,
On the entrance side of the first sushi transport body, a container transport body that transports the opened lunch box in a predetermined direction, a first sushi transport body that transports a plurality of sushi in a direction approaching the container transport body, and Prepare a second sushi carrier that transports multiple types of sushi ,
Wherein the selection transfer step of transferring one and more objects than sushi or a plurality of kinds of sushi such as the first sushi carrier that is more conveyed to the second sushi like carrier first sushi An interval placing step for placing arbitrarily selected sushi or the like on the carrier such as a predetermined interval;
A gathering step for gathering and holding the plurality of placed sushi pieces in a group after the sushi carrier;
An empty standby step for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch box, and
A container charging step of pushing the waiting sushi group to a predetermined position of the target lunch box using a guide;
A method for serving sushi lunch boxes. Seaweed roll, Inari sushi, press sushi, at a plurality of aligned collectively sushi Serve the lunch container device selected from the plurality of kinds of sushi like sushi,
On the entrance side of the first sushi transport body, a container transport body that transports the opened lunch box in a predetermined direction, a first sushi transport body that transports a plurality of sushi in a direction approaching the container transport body, and A second sushi carrier that transports multiple types of sushi ,
Wherein the selection transfer means for transferring the first sushi carrier one or more of the sushi like for the purpose of a plurality of kinds of sushi being more transported to the second sushi like carrier first sushi An interval placing means for placing arbitrarily selected sushi or the like on the carrier such as a predetermined interval;
A gathering means for gathering and holding a plurality of the sushi placed on the sushi carrier in a subsequent stage,
An empty standby step for moving and holding the held sushi group above the opened lunch box, and
A container loading means for pushing the waiting sushi group to a predetermined position of the intended lunch box using a guide;
A sushi lunch box assortment device.

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