Rod curvature correction device

Abstract

To provide a rod curvature correction device which determines the curvature of a rod using a simple structure and is capable of correcting the curvature of a rod.SOLUTION: A rod curvature correction device comprises: a curvature detection part 10; a central push-up part 20; a rod holding part 30; and a rod correction part 40. The curvature detection part 10 includes: a both-end push-up part 11 for pushing-up both ends of a rod 1; and a multi-point sensor part 12 for detecting positions of multiple points in a longer direction of the rod 1. The central push-up part 20 causes a curved rod 1 to rotate about its axis so as to be arched and pushes up a site between the left end and a central part of the rod 1 so that the right end is lower than the left end of the rod 1. The rod holding part 30 holds the right end of the rod 1 so that the rod 1 does not rotate about is axis, and holds the rod 1 in a slidable manner in a left end direction of the rod 1. The rod correction part 40 applies force in a direction opposite to a curved direction of the rod 1 to be input, in order to correct the curvature of the curved rod 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0002]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rod bending correction device, and more particularly to a rod bending correction device for correcting the bending of a rod for suspending food.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a sausage production line, a rod for suspending a chain of sausages is used. The rod is made of a cylindrical or tubular metal. Since heavy sausages are suspended on such a rod, the rod may bend when being suspended or moved. Specifically, since both ends of the rod are held and a chain of sausages is suspended near the center, the rod often bends in an arc shape.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rod supply device that detects and eliminates such a bent rod. The rod supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with rod bending amount measuring means for measuring the amount of bending of the rod near both ends of the horizontally supported rod, and by rotating the rod bending amount measuring means in a vertical plane, the amount of bending of the rod is measured and the bent rod is eliminated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0006] In view of these circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a rod curvature correction device that can determine the curvature of a rod with a simple structure and correct the curvature of a rod that is already curved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above-described object of the present invention, the rod curvature correction device according to the present invention is a curvature detection unit for detecting the curvature of a rod, comprising: end-end pressing parts that push up both ends of the rod in order to rotate the curved rod so that it becomes a valley bow; and a multi-point sensor unit for detecting the positions of multiple points in the longitudinal direction of the rod that are pushed up by the end-end pressing parts, and after detecting the positions of multiple points in the longitudinal direction of the rod by the multi-point sensor unit, the end-end pressing parts push down both ends of the rod; and when the curvature of the rod detected by the curvature detection unit is greater than a predetermined threshold, the curvature correction device The device comprises: a central pushing part that rotates the rod on its axis so that it forms a curved shape, and pushes up the part of the rod between one end and the center so that the other end of the rod is lower than the other end; a rod holding part that holds the other end of the rod so that the rod does not rotate on its axis when it is pushed up by the central pushing part, and holds the rod so that it can slide toward the one end of the rod; and a rod correction part that inserts the rod, which is slid by the rod holding part without rotating on its axis, and applies force in the opposite direction to the curve of the inserted rod to correct the curve of the curved rod.

[0008] Furthermore, the rod curvature correction device may also include a normal rod discharge unit that discharges the rod when the curvature of the rod detected by the curvature detection unit is less than a predetermined threshold.

[0009] Furthermore, the rod correction unit only needs to have a guide roller unit that transports the rod in the longitudinal direction without axial rotation, and a correction roller unit that applies force in the opposite direction to the curvature of the rod. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The rod curvature correction device of the present invention has the advantage of being able to determine the curvature of a rod and correct the curvature of a rod with a simple structure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic side view illustrating the overall configuration of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the details of the curvature detection unit of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic side view illustrating the state of the rod being pushed up by the central pressing portion of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic side view illustrating the details of the rod holding section and the rod correction section of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrations. The rod curvature correction device of the present invention is used to correct the curvature of a rod used for suspending food. Figure 1 is a schematic side view illustrating the overall configuration of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the rod curvature correction device of the present invention mainly consists of a curvature detection unit 10, a central pressing unit 20, a rod holding unit 30, and a rod correction unit 40. In this specification, an example is described in which the rod holding unit 30 is located on one side of the rod 1, specifically on the right side, and the rod correction unit 40 is located on the other side of the rod 1, specifically on the left side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and conversely, an example in which the rod holding unit 30 is located on the left side of the rod 1 and the rod correction unit 40 is located on the right side of the rod 1 may also be described.

[0013] The curvature detection unit 10 consists of two end-pressing parts 11 and a multi-point sensor unit 12. The curvature detection unit 10 detects the curvature of the rod 1 as it is pushed up by the two end-pressing parts 11. The curvature detection unit 10 only needs to be able to distinguish between a curved rod and a non-curved rod. Furthermore, the curvature detection unit 10 lowers the ends of the rod 1 after detecting the positions of multiple points along the longitudinal direction of the rod 1 using the multi-point sensor unit 12. In other words, the two end-pressing parts 11 push up the rod 1 in order to perform curvature detection using the multi-point sensor unit 12, and then lower the rod 1 after curvature detection.

[0014] The end-pressing parts 11 push up both ends of the rod 1. By pushing up both ends of the rod 1, the curved rod 1 rotates on its axis so that it becomes a valley bow. That is, the end-pressing parts 11 push up both ends of the rod 1 in order to rotate the curved rod 1 on its axis so that it becomes a valley bow. When both ends of the rod 1 are pushed up by the end-pressing parts 11, a non-curved rod 1 is lifted horizontally without axial rotation. However, if the rod 1 is curved, it rotates on its axis so that the central part of the rod 1 is bent downwards. In this specification, this state in which the central part of the rod 1 is bent downwards is referred to as a valley bow.

[0015] The rods 1, which are pushed up by the end-ended pressing parts 11, are arranged one by one in sequence on a rod tray 13 provided between the two pressing parts of the end-ended pressing parts 11. The rod tray 13 may be configured such that it has, for example, a V-shaped groove on its upper surface so that the longitudinal axis of the rod 1 is positioned. The end-ended pressing parts 11 should push up both ends of the rods 1 that are placed on the rod tray 13.

[0016] The illustrated example shows a double-ended pressing section 11 consisting of two pressing sections positioned at both ends of the rod tray 13 to push up both ends of the rod 1. The double-ended pressing section 11 moves up and down to push up both ends of the rod 1 from below. Since the curved rod 1 will rotate on its axis, the pressing surfaces of the double-ended pressing section 11 should be appropriately U-shaped to prevent the rod 1 from falling sideways. The double-ended pressing section 11 can consist of actuators such as air cylinders or hydraulic cylinders. Furthermore, it is not limited to actuators, and any configuration is acceptable, such as using a rack and pinion gear and motor, or a ball screw.

[0017] Figure 2 shows a schematic side view illustrating the details of the curvature detection unit of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention. In the figure, parts with the same reference numerals as in Figure 1 represent the same components. In addition, only the area around the curvature detection unit 10 is shown, and other parts are omitted from the illustration. The rod 1, with both ends pushed up by the end-end pushing parts 11, is in a state of floating above the rod tray 13. At this time, as described above, if the rod 1 is not curved, the rod 1 will not rotate around its longitudinal axis and will be maintained parallel to the rod tray 13 (state shown by the dashed line in the illustration). However, as shown in the illustration, if the rod 1 is curved in an arc shape, the rod 1 rotates on its axis at the end-end pushing parts 11, becoming a valley-shaped curve, and the area near the center bends downwards. That is, the rod 1 rotates on its axis due to its own weight, and the area near the center bends downwards. The multi-point sensor unit 12 of the curvature detection unit 10 detects this valley-shaped portion of the rod 1.

[0018] The multi-point sensor unit 12 in the illustrated example is configured to detect the positions of multiple points along the longitudinal direction of the rod 1. Specifically, the multi-point sensor unit 12 consists of multiple laser sensors arranged in a straight line along the upper end of the rod 1, for example, so that detection can be performed without contact. The multi-point sensor unit 12 is configured to detect whether the rod 1 is curved by receiving the reflected laser light reflected from the straight rod 1. When a curved rod 1 is pushed up by the end-end pressing parts 11 and rotates axially to become bow-shaped, the multi-point sensor unit 12 can no longer receive the reflected laser light, making it possible to detect that the rod 1 is curved. In this way, the curvature detection unit 10 detects this change in the position of the rod 1 at multiple points using the multi-point sensor unit 12. Since the rod 1 is normally curved to some extent, the curvature detection unit 10 only needs to determine that it is curved if the curvature is greater than a predetermined threshold. This threshold can be determined based on, for example, how many of the laser sensors in the multi-point sensor unit 12 were able to receive the reflected light.

[0019] The curvature detection unit 10 can perform curvature correction if the curvature of the rod 1 is greater than a predetermined threshold, and determine that the rod 1 is normal if it is less than the predetermined threshold. In this case, if the rod 1 is determined to be normal, curvature correction is unnecessary, and the rod 1 can be discharged from the curvature correction device. In the example shown in Figure 1, a normal rod discharge unit 50 is provided for discharging normal rods 1. The normal rod discharge unit 50 discharges the rod 1 when the curvature of the rod 1 detected by the curvature detection unit 10 is less than a predetermined threshold. After the position of multiple points in the longitudinal direction of the rod 1 is detected by the multi-point sensor unit 12, the ends of the rod 1 are pushed down by the end-end pushing parts 11 and the rod 1 is placed on the rod tray 13. Therefore, if the curvature of the rod 1 detected by the curvature detection unit 10 is less than a predetermined threshold, that is, if no curvature of the rod 1 is detected, the normal rod discharge unit 50 can push the rod 1 placed on the rod tray 13, for example from the side, to drop the rod 1 from the rod tray 13 to the side and accumulate it in a rod stock unit (not shown), etc.

[0020] Fig. 3 shows a schematic side view for explaining the state of the fishing rod pushed up by the central pressing part of the fishing rod bending correction device of the present invention. In the figure, the parts denoted by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 represent the same objects. Also, only the periphery of the central pressing part 20 is shown, and others are omitted in the illustration. Further, the fishing rod tray 13 is shown in a sectional view. The central pressing part 20 pushes up the part between the left end part and the central part of the fishing rod 1 when the bending of the fishing rod 1 detected by the bending detection part 10 is larger than a predetermined threshold value. That is, the central pressing part 20 pushes up the part closer to the fishing rod correction part 40 side than the center of the fishing rod 1. As shown in the figure, the central pressing part 20 may be arranged between the left end part and the central part of the fishing rod tray 13. When the part between the left end part and the central part of the fishing rod 1 is pushed up, the both end parts of the fishing rod 1 are lowered downward while the fishing rod 1 rotates around the axis due to its own weight. In this specification, the state where the both end parts of the fishing rod 1 are lowered downward like this is called an arch shape. At this time, since the part between the left end part and the central part of the fishing rod 1 is pushed up by the central pressing part 20, the right end part of the fishing rod 1 is in a state of being lowered more than the left end part. That is, the central pressing part 20 rotates the bent fishing rod 1 around the axis so as to be in an arch shape, and pushes up the left side closer to the center of the fishing rod 1 so that the right end part of the fishing rod 1 is lowered. Thereby, the right end part of the fishing rod 1 can be pressed and held from above by the fishing rod holding part 30 described later.

[0021] Since the pressing surface of the central pressing part 20 is such that the bent fishing rod 1 rotates around the axis, it may be appropriately configured in a U shape so that the fishing rod 1 does not fall to the side. The central pressing part 20 may be composed of an actuator such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, for example. Also, it is not limited to the actuator, and any configuration may be used, such as using a rack and pinion gear and a motor, or using a ball screw or the like.

[0022] Fig. 4 shows a schematic side view for explaining the details of the rod holding part and the rod correcting part of the rod bending correction device of the present invention. In the figure, the parts marked with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 represent the same objects. Also, only the periphery of the rod holding part 30 and the rod correcting part 40 is shown, and others are omitted in the illustration. As shown in the figure, the rod holding part 30 holds the right end of the rod 1 so that the rod 1 in the state pushed up by the central pressing part 20 does not rotate axially, and holds the rod 1 slidably in the direction of the left end of the rod 1. That is, it holds the rod 1 in a state where the bending direction of the rod 1 determined to be bent by the bending detection part 10 faces a predetermined direction. And as shown in the figure, the rod holding part 30 slides the rod 1 toward the rod correcting part 40 while holding the rod 1 in the state of being in an arch shape.

[0023] When the rod holding part 30 slides the rod 1 toward the rod correcting part 40, it is only necessary for the central pressing part 20 to be lowered. That is, when holding the rod 1 by the rod holding part 30, it is performed in a state where the central part is pushed up by the central pressing part 20, and then, while the rod 1 is held by the rod holding part 30, the central pressing part 20 is lowered, and then it may be slid toward the rod correcting part 40. Thereby, the rod 1 will always be put into the rod correcting part 40 described later in the state of being in an arch shape.

[0024] Specifically, the rod holding part 30 may have, for example, a clamp part that presses and holds the right end of the rod 1 from above. As described above, since the right end of the bent rod 1 pushed up by the central pressing part 20 is in a state lower than the left end, this lower right end is pressed and held from above by the clamp part, and the rod 1 is held so as not to rotate axially. And it may be slid by being pushed out toward the rod correcting part 40 while the rod 1 is pressed and held from above by the clamp part. Note that the rod holding part 30 does not slide beyond the central pressing part 20 toward the rod correcting part 40.

[0025] As described above, in the rod curvature correction device of the present invention, first, the ends of the rod 1 are pushed up by the end-end pressing parts 11, causing the curved rod 1 to rotate on its axis so that it becomes a valley bow shape and can be detected by the curvature detection unit 10. When the curvature of the rod 1 is detected by the curvature detection unit 10, the ends of the rod 1 are pushed down by the end-end pressing parts 11, and the left side of the center of the rod 1 is pushed up by the center pressing part 20, causing the curved rod 1 to rotate on its axis so that it becomes a mountain bow shape, and the right end of the rod 1 is lower than the left end. Furthermore, the rod 1 in the mountain bow shape is held by the rod holding part 30. In this state, the rod 1 can be inserted into the rod correction unit 40, which will be described later.

[0026] The rod correction unit 40 corrects the curvature of the curved rod 1. As explained above, the rod 1 is fed into the rod correction unit 40 while being slid by the rod holding unit 30 without axial rotation. Therefore, the curved rod 1 is always fed into the rod correction unit 40 with the curvature direction facing the same direction, that is, in a curved, bow-like shape. For this reason, the rod correction unit 40 only needs to correct the curvature in the same direction at all times to return the rod to a straight shape. Therefore, the rod correction unit 40 only needs to be configured to apply force in the opposite direction to the curvature of the rod 1, specifically downwards.

[0027] The illustrated rod correction section 40 shows a configuration having a guide roller section 41 and a correction roller section 42. The guide roller section 41 consists of multiple rollers and conveys the rod 1, which has been slid in the longitudinal direction by the rod holding section 30, in the longitudinal direction without axial rotation. After the rod 1, which has been pushed out towards the rod correction section 40 while being held by the rod holding section 30, is fed into the guide roller section 41, the rod holding section 30 should release its grip on the rod 1. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the sliding by the rod holding section 30 is stopped and the hold is released when the rod 1 is wound up to a predetermined roller position on the guide roller section 41. As a result, the rod 1 is conveyed to the correction roller section 42 while being held by the guide roller section 41 so that the direction of the curve of the rod 1 is always a curved shape. The guide roller section 41 does not apply any force to correct the rod 1 in particular. On the other hand, the correction roller section 42 is configured to apply force in the opposite direction to the direction of the curve of the rod 1. Since the rod 1 is curved in a mountain-bow shape with its center bending upwards, the correction roller section 42 has multiple rollers arranged to apply a downward force to the rod 1. The arrangement of the multiple rollers in the correction roller section 42 can be arbitrarily changed. That is, the degree of curvature of the curved rod and the amount of correction can be determined in advance, and the arrangement of the multiple rollers can be determined based on this. In addition, the arrangement and number of the guide roller section 41 and the correction roller section 42 are not limited to the illustrated example, and the rod correction section 40 can be configured to apply force in the opposite direction to the curvature of the rod 1.

[0028] If the rod 1 cannot be corrected for curvature in one attempt, it can be fed back into the rod curvature correction device. That is, if the curvature detection unit 10 determines that the curvature of the rod 1 is greater than a predetermined threshold, the rod correction unit 40 will perform curvature correction on the rod. However, the rod that has passed through the rod correction unit 40 may be sent back to the end-end pressing parts 11 of the rod curvature correction device of the present invention and repeatedly corrected for curvature by the rod correction unit 40 until the curvature detection unit 10 determines that it is not curved.

[0029] Thus, the rod curvature correction device of the present invention makes it possible to determine the curvature of a rod and correct the curvature of a rod with a simple structure.

[0030] It should be noted that the rod curvature correction device of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 rod 10 Curvature detection unit 11 Pressing upper part at both ends 12. Multiple-point sensor section 13 Rod Tray 20 Center Press Top 30 Rod holder 40 Rod correction section 41 Guide roller section 42 Correction roller section 50 Normal rod ejection part

Claims

1. A rod curvature correction device for correcting the curvature of a rod for suspending food, the rod curvature correction device comprising: a curvature detection unit that detects the curvature of the rod, the curvature detection unit having a double-end push-up unit that pushes up both ends of the rod to rotate the curved rod around its axis so that it forms a valley bow, and a multiple-point sensor unit that detects multiple positions in the longitudinal direction of the rod that are pushed up by the double-end push-up unit, and after the multiple-point sensor unit detects the multiple positions in the longitudinal direction of the rod, the double-end push-up unit lowers the pushed-up ends of the rod; a central push-up section that, when the curvature of the rod detected by the curvature detection section is greater than a predetermined threshold, rotates the curved rod around its axis so that it becomes a mountain arch, and pushes up a section between one end and the central section of the rod so that the other end is lower than the one end of the rod; a rod holding portion that holds the other end of the rod so that the rod pushed up by the central push-up portion does not rotate around its axis, and that holds the rod slidably toward the one end of the rod; a rod correction unit that applies a force in the direction opposite to the curve of the rod being inserted when the rod is slid by the rod holding unit without rotating on its axis, and corrects the curvature of the curved rod; A rod curvature correction device comprising:

2. 2. The rod curvature correction device according to claim 1, further comprising a normal rod discharge unit that discharges the rod when the curvature of the rod detected by the curvature detection unit is smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

3. 3. A rod curvature correction device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the rod correction unit has a guide roller unit that transports the rod in the longitudinal direction without rotating around its axis when the rod is inserted by the rod holding unit, and a correction roller unit that applies a force in the direction opposite to the curved direction of the rod.

Images