JPH0455923B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a method and apparatus for packaging foods, and particularly to a method and apparatus for packaging heavy cakes.

(B) Prior Art The conventional method of storing and packaging heavy cakes in containers is carried out by an operator manually picking the heavy cakes using a picking means and placing them in containers. It is laborious and time-consuming to manually store soft and fragile heavy cakes in individual packaging containers, and it is also poor in hygiene.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention The object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically and continuously packaging soft and fragile heavy cakes.

(C) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention firstly provides a method for packaging foods, for example,
The heavy cake is carried in by a conveyor, the gate for one piece is opened, and the heavy cake is dropped by its own weight or by a combination of falling by its own weight and pushing down by a push plate, and stored in a packaging container that has been opened and set in advance. The packaging container containing the heavy cake falls onto the delivery device by at least its own weight, and the container containing the heavy cake at the delivery position is pushed onto the delivery conveyor by the packaging container sent in an open state by the container delivery conveyor, and is delivered. The empty packaging container sent to the loading position is pushed up to the setting position and set.Secondly, as a food packaging device, there is an inlet conveyor for transporting the food and a container that is opened and has a predetermined weight. a holding means for holding it so that it can fall when the
a gate that is openable and closable on the holding means and that receives the food from the carry-in conveyor; a shutter that pushes the food above the open container on the carry-in conveyor; a liftable push plate that pushes the food into the container; and a packaging container. A lifting device that raises and lowers a support plate that supports the packaging between the delivery position and the set position, a container carry-in conveyor that transports empty packaging containers onto the support plate at the delivery position, and a container carry-in conveyor that transports empty packaging containers onto the support plate at the delivery position; An unloading conveyor that unloads containers containing heavy cake;
The food packaging apparatus is characterized in that it has a drive means for opening and closing the gate.

(E) Function The heavy cakes are arranged side by side on the carrying conveyor and sent one by one onto the closed gate. When it is detected that the heavy cake is in the predetermined position of the gate, the gate is opened by the drive means and the heavy cakes The cake falls and is stored in the packaging container at the set position, and the container containing the heavy cake is separated from the holding means by its own weight and falls onto the support plate at the delivery position, and the empty container is sent by the container carrying conveyor. As a result, the container containing the heavy cake is pushed onto the unloading conveyor and carried out, and then the other empty containers are pushed up by the lifting device and held in the set position by the holding means, while the other empty containers are pushed up to the closed gate. The next heavy cake is sent in and the above packaging process is repeated again.

The heavy cake is transported by an incoming conveyor, so its shape will not be damaged. In addition, since the cake is dropped from directly above into an open empty container, it is ensured that it is stored inside the container, and moreover, it has become possible to automatically and continuously process soft heavy cakes.

The gate is removed to create a space above the empty packaging container, and the shutter is lowered into the gap after the first heavy cake that has stopped at a predetermined position as detected by a sensor on the conveyor, and the shutter is moved to remove the heavy cake. The heavy cake can be pushed into the space from on the carry-in conveyor, and at the same time as it reaches the space, the push plate is lowered to forcibly insert the heavy cake into the packaging container. In this case, since the heavy cake is pushed down by the push plate, it is prevented from hitting during the fall and being blocked from falling into the packaging container, and it can be inserted into the packaging container reliably. It is.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments shown in the drawings will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 shows the principle of the method of the invention. In FIG. 1A, a heavy cake 1 is deposited on a closed gate 3 by an incoming conveyor 2. At this time, an empty packaging container (empty carton) 4 is held under the gate 3 at a set position by a holding means 5.

When it is detected that the heavy cake 1 is in a predetermined position, the gate 3 is opened as shown in FIG. Due to the cake's own weight, it is detached from the holding means 5 and falls onto the support plate 6 at the delivery position.

A container carry-in conveyor 7 is mounted on the support plate 6 at the delivery position.
As a result, the next open and empty packaging container 4' is configured to be transportable. When the empty packaging container 4' is sent onto the support plate 6 at the delivery position, the heavy cake-filled packaging container 4 is pushed onto the delivery conveyor 8 and delivered to the next process, as shown in FIG. 1C. .

On the other hand, the support plate 6 on which the next empty packaging container 4' is placed is raised to the set position by the lifting device 9, as shown in FIG. 1D. At the set position, the holding means 5, for example, a clamp claw, is in a standby position, and by pushing the holding means 5 from the inside to the outside, the holding means 5 is clamped and held in the state shown in FIG. 1E. When the empty packaging container 4' is clamped in the set position,
The support plate 6 is lowered to the delivery position. During this time, gate 3 is closed. In the illustrated example, the gate 3 is closed at the stage shown in FIG. 1C.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a packaging device for carrying out the packaging method of FIG. In FIG. 2, a carry-in conveyor 2 is arranged on a packaging device frame 11.
The carry-in conveyor 2 may be any type of conveyor as long as it conveys the food to be conveyed, such as a heavy cake, in a sanitary manner. It can also be configured to be transported to

Depending on the convenience of loading and transporting food, the carry-in conveyor 2 can be arranged so as to move upward diagonally as shown in Fig. 2, but it may also be arranged flat as shown in Fig. 3. .

Gate 3 adjacent to the delivery end of the delivery conveyor
(gate 3 is omitted in FIG. 2).
The gate 3 is placed at approximately the same height as the exit end of the carry-in conveyor 2, and the food is transported from the carry-in conveyor 2 to the gate 3.
It is designed so that it can be transferred smoothly.

A guide plate 12 is provided so that the food is placed on a predetermined area on the gate 3, and the guide plate positions and guides both ends of the food in the feeding direction by the carry-in conveyor 2.

In order to smoothly guide the food between the guide plates 12 by the carry-in conveyor 2, a guide belt device 13 for guiding both sides of the food is arranged near the exit end of the carry-in conveyor 2. Guide belt device 1
The belt No. 3 is driven to move in synchronization with the input conveyor.

In order to determine the stopping position on the gate 3 of the food sent to the top of the gate 3 by the carry-in conveyor 2,
A stopper 14 is provided.

The gate 3 is configured to open and close between the end of the carry-in conveyor 2 and the stopper 14, and is connected to a drive device 15 for reciprocating movement.

The drive device 15 includes a crank arm 17 that is rotatably supported by a bearing 16, a motor 18 that rotationally drives the crank arm 17, and a connecting rod 19 that connects the crank arm 17 and the gate 3.

A holding means 5 for opening and holding the packaging container is provided at a predetermined set position below the gate 3. The holding means 5 can be, for example, a clamping device. The clamp device has a fixed claw 5a and a movable claw 5b for positioning, and the movable claw 5b
is coupled to a reciprocating drive (not shown). (See Figure 3). This reciprocating drive device, like the drive device 15 of the gate 3, may be a crank device or a hydraulic cylinder device.

When the movable claw 5b is in the ready position indicated by the chain line in FIG. 3, the packaging container is pushed up from below,
The fixed claw 5a and the movable claw 5b are inserted into the mouth of the opened packaging container, and the movable claw 5b is moved to the right in the figure inside the mouth of the packaging container. The packaging container is clamped and held by expanding the opening from the inside to the outside. The fixing claw 5a is formed so as to fit into the container, and may be formed integrally with the stopper 14 and supported by the machine frame 11 if necessary.

The support plate 6 on which the packaging container is placed is connected to a lifting device 21, and is at the delivery position shown by the solid line in FIG.
It moves up and down between the set position shown by the chain line. Like the drive device 15, the lifting device 21 may be a crank device or a fluid pressure cylinder device. The support plate 6 is moved up and down by the operation of the lifting device 21, and the packaging container on the support plate 6 is lifted from the delivery position to the set position.

A container carry-in conveyor 22 is arranged adjacent to the support plate at the delivery position. The container carrying-in conveyor 22 can be a belt conveyor, but it can also be formed as a conveyor having push pins 23 arranged at equal intervals and circulating in order to push the packaging containers one by one. Alternatively, the arrangement may be such that the juxtaposed packaging containers are moved by a pusher that is reciprocated by a fluid pressure cylinder to a predetermined stroke. It is also possible to directly convey empty and opened packaging containers onto the support plate 6 one by one by this container carry-in conveyor 22, but in the illustrated example, the packaging containers sent by the container carry-in conveyor 22 are transferred to the container carry-in conveyor 22. A pusher 24 that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the conveyor 22 pushes and transfers only one packaging container from the top of the container carry-in conveyor 22 onto the support plate 6.

The drive device 25 for reciprocating the pusher 24 may be a crank device or a hydraulic cylinder device. When an empty packaging container is transferred onto the support plate 6 by the pusher 24, if a container containing food is placed on the support plate 6, that container is pushed out from the support plate 6 by the empty packaging container. The carry-out conveyor 26 is arranged at a position where the packaging container containing the food is pushed out, so that it can be carried out to the next process. In the illustrated example, the container carry-in conveyor 22 and the carry-out conveyor 26 are arranged in parallel with the support plate 6 in between.

The carry-in conveyor 2 is arranged to extend perpendicularly to the carry-out conveyor 26.

The operation will be explained below.

The empty packaging container sent by the container carry-in conveyor 22 is pushed by the pusher 24 and placed on the support plate 6, and the pusher 24 returns. Next, the empty packaging container is pushed up by actuation of the lifting device. The fixed claw 5a and the movable claw 5b in the standby position are inserted into an empty packaging container, the movable claw 5b is moved, and the empty packaging container is separated by the fixed claw 5a and the movable claw 5b.
As a result, it receives a tensile force from the inside and is clamped and held by the fixed claw 5a and the movable claw 5b. Thereafter, the support plate 6 is lowered to the delivery position. In this state, the food is carried by the carry-in conveyor 2 onto the gate 3 which is in the previously closed position. For example, when the sensor 27 detects that the food has arrived at a predetermined position,
The drive device 15 is moved forward and the gate 3 is opened.
The gate 3 can be moved only after the food is fully placed, or the gate 3 can be opened only when enough of the edge of the food is placed on the gate 3 to provide support. . In this case, gate 3
It is preferable to synchronize the movement of the paper and the feeding by the carry-in conveyor 2.

The food is positioned by the stopper 14, and then, when the gate 3 is completely opened, the food automatically falls into the container, and furthermore, the container slides against the fixed claw 5a and the movable claw 5b due to its own weight. It is placed on the support plate 6 at the delivery position. Thereafter, the empty packaging container pushed by the pusher 24 pushes the container containing the food onto the carry-out conveyor 26 and is carried out. Also, the pusher 24 returns. This causes the cycle to repeat from the beginning. Note that the gate 3 is moved to the same position at a convenient time after the food item falls, and the movable claw 5b is moved to the standby position at a convenient time after the container falls to prepare for the next cycle.

The above embodiment may be partially modified as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, a shutter 31 is provided in place of the gate 3 shown in FIG. The shutter 31 is supported by a support base 32 so as to be movable up and down, and is moved up and down by a vertical drive means (not shown). The vertical drive means can be formed in the same manner as the drive device 15 described above.

By moving the support base 32 that supports the shutter 31 back and forth in the feeding direction of the loading conveyor 2,
A shutter 31 can push the cake 1 from above the input conveyor 2 to a position above the container 4.

A pusher 33 is supported on the support base 32 . The pusher 33 has a pusher plate 34 and a pusher plate 34.
It has a drive device 35 that moves up and down. The drive device 35 can be configured similarly to the drive device 15 described above.

The other configurations in FIG. 1 except for the gate 3 are similarly configured in FIG.

The operation of the example shown in FIG. 4 is as follows.

The empty packaging container 4 operates as shown in the example of FIG.
After being clamped and held by the holding means 5, the heavy cake 1 is conveyed by the carrying-in conveyor 2. When the leading edge of the heavy cake 1 is detected by the sensor 36, the carrying-in conveyor 2 stops, and the leading heavy cake 1 and the second heavy cake are conveyed by the carrying-in conveyor 2. A gap is detected between the heavy cake 1 and the shutter 31, and the shutter 31 is lowered into the gap. Next, the support base 32 moves and the shutter 31 pushes the leading heavy cake 1 onto the empty container 4.
When the heavy cake 1 pushed and moved by the shutter 31 reaches the vicinity of the position where it contacts the stopper 14, the heavy cake 1 tries to fall into the empty container 4 due to its own weight, but at the same time the drive device 35 operates and pushes the heavy cake 1. The plate 34 pushes and inserts the heavy cake 1.

Thereafter, the shutter 31 and the push plate 34 are raised and returned, and the abutment 32 is returned and retreated to wait for the next cycle.

(f) Effects According to this invention, the compact device allows
Soft and fragile foods can be safely and reliably stored in containers, storage operations can be carried out automatically and continuously, and the workability of food packaging operations is improved, among other benefits. There is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the principle of the method of this invention, A to E are explanatory diagrams showing the process step by stage, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing the principle of the method of this invention.
The figure is a perspective view of the packaging device of this invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the principle of another example of the present invention, in which A is a diagram showing a state immediately after the first food is stopped, and B is a diagram illustrating a state when the food is inserted into a packaging container. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Food, 2... Carrying-in conveyor, 3... Gate, 4... Packaging container, 5... Holding means, 6... Support plate, 7, 22... Container carrying-in conveyor, 8... Carrying-out conveyor, 9 , 21... Lifting device, 31... Shutter, 32... Abutment, 33... Push pusher, 34... Push plate, 35... Drive device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Transporting and placing one food item on a gate, opening the gate upon detecting that the food item has been brought into a predetermined position, and dropping the food item into a preset packaging container. , the container containing the food falls from the set position to the delivery position due to the weight of the food, and the empty packaging container moves to the delivery position due to the feeding of one empty packaging container that has been opened and lined up in advance. The steps include pushing out the container containing the food from the delivery position onto the delivery conveyor, lifting the empty packaging container at the delivery position and holding it in the set position, and holding the empty packaging container in the set position. A food packaging method characterized by: closing a gate between steps; and automatically repeating steps. 2. A sensor detects and stops the first food item brought in by the delivery conveyor, and the shutter is lowered into the gap between the first food item and the following food item,
By moving the shutter, the food is moved onto the packaging container that has been set in advance, and the food falls onto the packaging container due to its own weight, and at the same time, the push plate is lowered to push the food down and into the packaging container. The empty packaging container is moved to the delivery position by the insertion of food, the fall of the container containing the food from the set position to the delivery position, and the feeding of one empty packaging container that has been opened and lined up in advance. and is characterized by automatically repeating the steps of pushing out a container containing food onto a discharge conveyor from a delivery position, and lifting an empty packaging container at the delivery position and holding it in a set position. Food packaging methods. 3. A gate that can be opened and closed, a carry-in conveyor for delivering food to the gate, and a holding means for holding an empty packaging container at a set position under the gate so that it can fall when it reaches a predetermined weight when it reaches a predetermined weight. a support plate that supports individual packaging containers; a lifting device that raises and lowers the empty packaging containers between the delivery position and the set position; a container carry-in conveyor that transports empty packaging containers onto the support plate located at the delivery position; 1. A food packaging device comprising: a conveyor for carrying out a container containing food pushed out from a support plate; and a drive means for opening and closing the gate. 4. A carry-in conveyor, a sensor that detects when the first food on the carry-in conveyor reaches a predetermined position, a shutter that can be lowered between the first food and the following food, and an empty packaging container that holds the container open. a holding means, a means for moving the shutter for moving the empty packaging container to an upper position from the food delivery conveyor, a push plate for pushing down the food into the packaging container, and a means for raising and lowering the push plate; a lifting position for raising and lowering a support plate supporting individual packaging containers between a delivery position and a set position; a container carry-in conveyor for transporting empty packaging containers on the support plate at the delivery position; 1. A food packaging device comprising: a conveyor for conveying extruded containers containing food.