Food and drink carrier device

Abstract

To provide a food and drink carrier device capable of improving performance of extrusion of tableware by extrusion equipment to the utmost, even when a plurality of types of tableware are conveyed.SOLUTION: A food and drink carrier device comprises a conveyor that forms a conveyance path for conveying tableware on which food and drink are to be placed, and extrusion equipment that is installed along the conveyance path and that extrudes the tableware from the conveyance path by pushing a bottom of the tableware, which is conveyed by the conveyor, from a lateral side by a pusher.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food and drink conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, food and drink have been provided in restaurants using conveying devices (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-238158 [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-066607 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A push-out device for pushing the tableware out of the conveying path formed by the conveyor for transporting the tableware on which food and drink are placed is sometimes provided along the conveying path. Such a push-out device is provided, for example, at a branching portion of the path.

[0005] When the push-out device pushes the tableware, the contact area of ​​the tableware is considered to be the outermost edge of the tableware when viewed from above. However, when multiple types of tableware with different shapes and sizes are transported on the conveyor, the contact area of ​​the tableware differs for each type of tableware, so it may not be possible to push the tableware out properly.

[0006] Therefore, the present application discloses a food and drink conveying device that can improve the tableware pushing performance of the pushing device as much as possible, even when multiple types of tableware are conveyed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a pusher is used to push the bottom of the tableware transported by the conveyor from the side.

[0008] In detail, the present invention is a food and beverage conveying device comprising a conveyor which forms a conveying path along which tableware carrying food and beverages is conveyed, and a push-out device which is installed along the conveying path and which uses a pusher to push the bottom of the tableware conveyed by the conveyor from the side, thereby pushing the tableware out of the conveying path.

[0009] The bottom of the dish is smaller than the outermost edge of the dish. Therefore, even if there are multiple types of dishes with different shapes and sizes, the difference in shape and size of their bottoms is smaller than that of the outermost edge. Therefore, with the above-mentioned food and beverage conveying device, even if there are multiple types of dishes with different shapes and sizes on the conveying path, the pushing device that pushes out the bottom of the dish with a pusher can properly push each dish out of the conveying path.

[0010] The pushing device may have a motor that rotates the rotating shaft and a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into linear motion to linearly move the pusher. If the food and drink conveying device has such a pushing device, the tableware can be pushed out by operating the rotary motor.

[0011] The conversion mechanism may be a cam mechanism or a crank mechanism. If such a conversion mechanism is used in the pushing device, the pusher can be moved after the pusher is brought into contact with the bottom of the dish at a relatively low speed. The dish can be pushed quickly by gradually accelerating, and before the bottom of the dish separates from the pusher, the pusher can be gradually decelerated to slowly release the bottom of the dish from the pusher.

[0012] The pusher may have a recessed shape in a top view at a portion that comes into contact with the bottom of the tableware. This allows the tableware to be pushed out while being positioned in a predetermined positional relationship. Effect of the Invention

[0013] With the above-described food and drink conveying device, the tableware pushing performance can be improved as much as possible even when multiple types of tableware are being conveyed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a food and drink conveying device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a first diagram showing the internal structure of the extrusion device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a second diagram showing the internal structure of the extrusion device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a third diagram showing the internal structure of the extrusion device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the push-out device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how the pushing device pushes out a tableware for food or drink. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how a pusher pushes out adjacent tableware containing food and drink. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment described below is one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The embodiment and modified examples described below are suitable for restaurants that serve various foods and drinks, such as sushi, beverages, rice bowls such as soba and udon, fried chicken, tempura, and grilled meat.

[0016] <Device configuration> 1 is a diagram showing an example of a food and drink conveying device 1 according to an embodiment. Food and drink conveying device 1 is a device installed in a restaurant, and is used, for example, in conveying food and drink within a kitchen of the restaurant or from the kitchen to customer seats. Food and drink conveying device 1 includes a conveyor 2 that conveys tableware on which food and drink are placed, a branch path 3 formed to branch off from a conveying path 21 formed by the conveyor 2, and a push-out device 4 installed along the conveying path 21.

[0017] The conveyor 2 forms a conveying path 21 having a shape corresponding to the store in which the food and beverage conveying device 1 is installed. The conveyor 2 may be a circulating conveying device that circulates food and beverages by forming the conveying path 21 with an endless crescent chain that continuously connects crescent-shaped placement surfaces, or may be an ordered food and beverage conveying device that conveys ordered food and beverages to a predetermined destination by forming the conveying path 21 by combining one or more belt conveyors. The conveyor 2 is provided with optical sensors 23 at appropriate positions within the decorative covers 22 that are arranged on both sides of the conveying path 21. The control device of the food and beverage conveying device 1 detects the tableware of food and beverages using the optical sensors 23, etc., and appropriately controls the conveyor 2, the branch paths 3, the push-out device 4, and other equipment.

[0018] The branch path 3 is a path branching off from the conveying path 21 formed by the conveyor 2, and includes rollers 31 and a motor 32. The rollers 31 form the conveying surface of the branch path 3, and are driven by the motor 32.

[0019] The push-out device 4 is a device for pushing out tableware for food and drink moving on the conveying path 21 by the conveyor 2 toward the branch path 3, and is composed of a cover 41 incorporating mechanisms such as a motor, a push-out rod 42 that can be pushed out toward the conveying path 21 from an opening of the cover 41, and a tip end of the push-out rod 42. and a pusher 43 fixed to the

[0020] FIG. 2 is a first diagram showing the internal structure of the extrusion device 4. In FIG. 2, the extrusion device 4 is shown in a perspective view with the cover 41 removed. Also, FIG. 3 is a second diagram showing the internal structure of the extrusion device 4. In FIG. 3, the extrusion device 4 is shown as viewed from above (Z direction side) with the cover 41 removed. Also, FIG. 4 is a third diagram showing the internal structure of the extrusion device 4. In FIG. 4, the extrusion device 4 is shown as viewed from the side (X direction side) with the cover 41 removed.

[0021] The extrusion device 4 has a flat base plate 44 to which various components are fixed, and support plates 45 and 46 erected on the upper surface of the base plate 44. The support plates 45 and 46 are fixed to the base plate 44 in a parallel positional relationship. A shaft 47 and a shaft 48 are fixed in parallel to each other and span between the support plates 45 and 46.

[0022] In the push-out device 4, a slide block 49 supporting the push rod 42 is provided slidably relative to the shafts 47 and 48. The shafts 47 and 48 extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor path 21 formed by the conveyor 2. Therefore, by the slide block 49 supporting the push rod 42 sliding relative to the shafts 47 and 48, the pusher 43 can be moved in and out on the conveyor path 21 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor path 21.

[0023] Also, the slide block 49 is provided with a cam groove 4F. The cam groove 4F is a long and thin slit into which the pin 4G of the cam 4E fixed to the rotating shaft 4D rotated by the motor 4C attached to the lower surface of the base plate 44 is fitted. The motor 4C is a servo motor and can be stopped at any rotation angle. The cam groove 4F is a linear slit extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shafts 47 and 48. The cam groove 4F is a slit longer than twice the distance from the rotating shaft 4D to the pin 4G. Therefore, when the motor 4C is operated, the extrusion device 4 can rotate the cam 4E about the rotating shaft 4D by the motor 4C, and the pin 4G located in an eccentric position with respect to the rotating shaft 4D in the cam 4E can reciprocate the slide block 49 along the shafts 47 and 48. That is, in the extrusion device 4, the cam 4E and the pin 4G function as a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor 4C into linear motion. As a result, the pusher 43 moves linearly along the longitudinal direction of the shafts 47 and 48.

[0024] A cover receiver 4A is provided on the upper ends of the support plates 45 and 46. The cover receiver 4A is a portion that supports the cover 41, and is provided with screw holes 4B for fixing the cover 41 to the cover receiver 4A with screws. By fixing the cover 41 to the cover receiver 4A with screws, it is possible to prevent the internal mechanism of the extrusion device 4 from being exposed to the surroundings.

[0025] Next, the operation of the push-out device 4 will be described. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the push-out device 4. Fig. 5(A) shows the initial state before pushing out the tableware of food and drink. Fig. 5(B) and Fig. 5(C) show the state in which the tableware of food and drink is being pushed out.

[0026] 5(A), in the initial state before starting the operation of pushing out tableware, the pusher 43 is stored in the pusher 4. In other words, in the initial state, the pusher 4 adjusts the angle of the cam 4E by the motor 4C to position the pin 4G of the cam 4E, which rotates around the rotation axis 4D, at the farthest position from the conveyor 2.

[0027] The control device of the food and drink conveying device 1 detects the tableware of food and drink by the optical sensor 23 and starts the motor 4C. When activated, the motor 4C rotates the cam 4E once. When the cam 4E starts to rotate, the pin 4G rotates around the rotation axis 4D. Since the pin 4G is fitted in the cam groove 4F, when the pin 4G rotates, the slide block 49 moves following the rotation of the pin 4G as shown in FIG. 5(B). Then, as shown in FIG. 5(C), when the pin 4G of the cam 4E rotating around the rotation axis 4D reaches the position closest to the conveyor 2, the food and drink are completely pushed out. The motor 4C continues to rotate even after the pin 4G reaches the position closest to the conveyor 2, and stops when the pin 4G returns to the position farthest from the conveyor 2. This causes the push-out device 4 to return to its initial state in which the pusher 43 is stored in the push-out device 4.

[0028] That is, when the optical sensor 23 detects that the tableware of food or drink to be pushed toward the branch path 3 has approached the push-out device 4, the motor 4C rotates the cam 4E once to move the pusher 43 in and out of the conveying path 21. As a result, the tableware of food or drink placed on the conveying path 21 is pushed toward the branch path 3 by the pusher 43.

[0029] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing how the push-out device 4 pushes out the tableware D of food or drink F. Fig. 6(A) shows the state before the push-out device 4 pushes out the tableware D of food or drink F. Fig. 6(B) shows the state while the push-out device 4 is pushing out the tableware D of food or drink F. Fig. 6(C) shows the state after the push-out device 4 has pushed out the tableware D of food or drink F.

[0030] 6, the pusher 43 is located at the height of the thread-cutting portion T (an example of the "bottom of the dish" in this application) of the tableware D placed on the conveying path 21. When the tableware D is viewed from above, the thread-cutting portion T is a portion with a smaller diameter than the outermost edge of the tableware D. Therefore, the pusher 43, which pushes the thread-cutting portion T from the side, comes into contact with the thread-cutting portion T in a state in which it enters below the upper part of the tableware D.

[0031] That is, in the initial state of the push-out device 4, the pusher 43 is located to the side of the thread-cutting portion T, as shown in Fig. 6(A). Then, when the control device of the food and beverage conveying device 1 activates the motor 4C, the pusher 43 moves toward the thread-cutting portion T, and the pusher 43 comes into contact with the thread-cutting portion T. The pusher 43 continues to press the thread-cutting portion T even after it comes into contact with the thread-cutting portion T. Then, when the cam 4E rotates 180 degrees and the pin 4G reaches the position closest to the conveyor 2, the tableware D is transferred onto the rollers 31 of the branch path 3, as shown in Fig. 6(B). The tableware D transferred onto the rollers 31 of the branch path 3 moves on the rollers 31 by the rotational force of the rotationally driven rollers 31, as shown in Fig. 6(C). Furthermore, even after the pin 4G reaches the position closest to the conveyor 2, the motor 4C continues to rotate, and the cam 4E rotates 360 degrees until the pin 4G returns to the position farthest from the conveyor 2, at which point the pusher 43 is stored in the extrusion device 4.

[0032] Since the push-out device 4 employs a cam mechanism that moves the pusher 43 linearly by the rotation of the cam 4E, when the pin 4G is near the position farthest from the conveyor 2 (when the rotation angle is near 0 degrees and 360 degrees) and when the pin 4G is near the position closest to the conveyor 2 (when the rotation angle is near 180 degrees), the moving speed of the pusher 43 is slower than other times (for example, when the rotation angle is near 90 degrees and 270 degrees). Therefore, the push-out device 4 can gradually accelerate the pusher 43 to quickly push the tableware D after bringing the pusher 43 into contact with the thread-cut portion T at a relatively low speed, and gradually decelerate the pusher 43 before the thread-cut portion T leaves the pusher 43 to slowly release the thread-cut portion T from the pusher 43. Therefore, the tableware D can be transferred from the conveyor 2 to the branch path 3 while preventing the posture of the food or drink F placed on the tableware D from becoming unstable as much as possible. These effects can be similarly achieved even when the push-out device 4 is formed of a crank mechanism instead of a cam mechanism.

[0033] The pushing-out device 4 can be applied to various locations of the food and beverage conveying device 1. Examples of applications of the pushing-out device 4 include when it is necessary to transfer tableware D for food and beverage F between multiple conveyors arranged in parallel in a kitchen, when it is necessary to transfer tableware D for food and beverage F from a conveyor in the kitchen to a conveyor along the customer seats, when it is necessary to transfer tableware D for food and beverage F from a conveyor along the customer seats to the customer seats, etc. The pushing-out device 4 may be used not only in the branch path 3 where a path branches off from the conveying path 21, but also in a form in which the tableware D is pushed out and conveyed to various transfer points prepared to the side of the conveying path 21, for example.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which tableware D of food and drink F is pushed out by the push-out device 4. The push-out device 4 does not push out the tableware D by bringing a member into contact with the outermost edge of the tableware D when viewed from above, but rather pushes out the tableware D by bringing the pusher 43 into contact with the thread-cutting portion T of the tableware D, so that the member that contacts the tableware D (the pusher 43) can be made small. That is, when bringing a member into contact with the outermost edge of the tableware D when viewed from above, the outermost edge is larger than the thread-cutting portion T, so that the member that contacts the tableware D needs to be large. On the other hand, in the case of bringing the pusher 43 into contact with the thread-cutting portion T as in the push-out device 4 of this embodiment, the thread-cutting portion T is smaller than the outermost edge of the tableware D, so that the pusher 43 can be made relatively small. Therefore, when the pusher 43 is pushed out onto the conveying path 21, the possibility that the pusher 43 will contact other tableware D can be reduced. Therefore, even if, for example, multiple dishes D are lined up on the conveying path 21, the push-out device 4 is able to push a specific dish D from the multiple dishes D lined up toward the branch path 3, as shown in Figure 7.

[0035] Furthermore, since the pushing-out device 4 pushes out the tableware D by bringing the pusher 43 into contact with the thread cutting portion T, it is possible to properly push out the tableware D even if the tableware D is non-circular (e.g., rectangular) when viewed from above. Therefore, even if multiple types of tableware D with different shapes and sizes of the outermost edge portions are being transported on the transport path 21, the tableware D can be properly pushed by the pusher 43 at the thread cutting portion T, which is less affected by the shape and size than the outermost edge portion.

[0036] In addition, since the pushing-out device 4 pushes out the tableware D by bringing the pusher 43 into contact with the thread cutting portion T, for example, if the part of the pusher 43 that contacts the thread cutting portion T is cut out in a concave shape when viewed from above, the tableware D can be pushed out with the tableware D positioned in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the branch path 3. That is, if the part of the pusher 43 that contacts the thread cutting portion T is cut out in a concave shape when viewed from above, when the pusher 43 contacts the thread cutting portion T, the thread cutting portion T is held by the pusher 43. Therefore, even if the timing at which the pusher 43 contacts the thread cutting portion T varies slightly, the thread cutting portion T is positioned in a constant positional relationship with respect to the pusher 43. Therefore, the thread cutting portion T, which is positioned in a constant positional relationship with respect to the pusher 43, is pushed toward the branch path 3, so that the tableware D can be placed in a constant position on the branch path 3.

[0037] In addition, the above-mentioned extrusion device 4 can be modified appropriately without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed in this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] D·Tableware T...Thread cutting part F. Food and drink 1. Food and beverage conveying equipment 2. Conveyor 3. Fork in the road 4. Extrusion device 43 Pusher

Claims

1. a conveyor forming a conveying path for conveying tableware on which food and drink are placed; and a push-out device that is installed along the conveying path and pushes the bottom of the tableware conveyed by the conveyor from the side with a pusher to push the tableware out of the conveying path. Food and beverage conveying equipment.

2. The extrusion device comprises: A motor that rotates the rotating shaft; A conversion mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the rotation shaft into a linear motion to linearly move the plunger. The food and drink conveying device according to claim 1.

3. The conversion mechanism is a cam mechanism or a crank mechanism. The food and drink conveying device according to claim 2.

4. The pusher has a portion that contacts the bottom of the dish and is cut out in a concave shape when viewed from above. A food and drink conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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