Noodle strip thickness measurement device

Abstract

To develop a novel method for measuring a thickness of a noodle strip used in production of an instant noodle or the like.SOLUTION: Provided is a noodle strip thickness measurement device capable of preferably checking a thickness of a noodle strip by using a robot arm for measuring the thickness, attaching a distance sensor to a hand part, and using the sensor as a combination. It is preferable that the noodle strip thickness measurement device is installed in a part between a composite noodle device and a continuous pressure roll noodle device in production of the noodle strip.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique that can be used in the process of producing noodles, and in particular to a technique for automatically measuring the thickness of a noodle band for instant noodles, which is useful for adjusting the weight in subsequent steps of the production of noodles. [Background technology]

[0002] The manufacturing process for noodles involves the steps of mixing the ingredients → compounding → rolling → cutting out the noodle strings. First, wheat flour and other ingredients are mixed with water (kneading process), and the resulting noodle dough is called dough, which is then made into two noodle sheets (coarse noodle sheets), which are then stacked and rolled together (compounding process) to produce a noodle sheet.

[0003] This noodle sheet is then rolled by several sets of continuous rolling rolls to gradually reduce its thickness and into a noodle sheet of a specified thickness (rolling process).Then, after rolling, the noodle sheet is passed through cutting blade rolls to form noodle strings (noodle string slitting process). On the other hand, in order to obtain a noodle sheet of a specified thickness, the roll gap of each rolling machine is often finely adjusted mainly in the rolling process to obtain a noodle sheet of the desired thickness.

[0004] On the other hand, when attempting to promote the automation of the preparation process (each step) from kneading the above-mentioned ingredients to slicing the noodle strings, the inventors have found as a result of various studies that it is important to automatically check the uniformity of the thickness of the noodle sheet (two coarse noodle sheets stacked and rolled) obtained by the combined process (that is, the thickness does not vary from place to place on the noodle sheet). On the other hand, there is little prior art directly related to this field. For example, as an example of measuring the thickness of a noodle band, the following prior art for producing noodle strings has been disclosed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2017-216986 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the inventors of the present application investigated various methods for measuring the thickness of the noodle sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a result of various investigations, the inventors of the present application discovered that the thickness of the noodle sheet after the above-mentioned combining process can be suitably inspected by using a robot hand and combining this with a distance sensor while the noodle sheet is being transported on a conveyor to move it to the rolling process, and thus completed the present invention.

[0008] That is, the first invention of the present application is A conveyor that transports the noodle sheets, a robot arm having a hand unit whose position can be changed above a predetermined position of the conveyor; A distance sensor attached to the hand unit; "A noodle band thickness measuring device equipped with the above-mentioned.

[0009] Next, the noodle sheet thickness measuring device is preferably installed between the composite noodle machine and the continuous rolling roll noodle machine in the production of noodle sheets. That is, the second invention of the present application is "The noodle sheet thickness measuring device as described in claim 1, wherein the noodle sheet thickness measuring device is installed between a composite noodle machine and a continuous rolling roll noodle machine in the production of noodle sheets."

[0010] Next, in the present invention, it is preferable to measure the thickness of the noodle sheet while it is being transported on the conveyor. That is, the third invention of the present application is "A noodle sheet thickness measuring device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the noodle sheet thickness measuring device is capable of measuring the thickness of the noodle sheet being transported on a conveyor."

[0011] Next, it is preferable that the hand portion of the robot arm is equipped with a noodle strip cutting mechanism. That is, the fourth invention of the present application is "The noodle sheet thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2 further comprises a noodle sheet cutting mechanism in the hand section."

[0012] Next, the noodle band thickness measuring device of the present invention is preferably used in an instant noodle production line. That is, the fifth invention of the present application is "The noodle band thickness measuring device is installed in an instant noodle production line." Effect of the Invention

[0013] By using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention, the thickness of the noodle sheet in the production line can be appropriately managed. Furthermore, by combining this with a noodle sheet cutting mechanism, it is possible to cut the noodle sheet in the event of a problem, thereby interrupting the transport of the noodle sheet in the production line, and to smoothly remove noodle sheets with poor noodle sheet thickness from the production line when starting up production. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of installation of the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of installation of the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conveyor transport end portion of the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention and a continuous rolling roll noodle machine. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the function of an auxiliary conveyor when used in combination with the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of removing unnecessary noodle strips in the noodle strip thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a robot arm used in the noodle band thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of a robot arm used in the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of cutting a noodle sheet using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the principle of an example of a method for measuring a noodle sheet thickness using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a region for measuring the noodle sheet thickness in the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a method for measuring the thickness of a noodle sheet using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a measurement area of ​​an example when the thickness of a noodle sheet is actually measured using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a specific example of a measurement result of a noodle sheet thickness using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. [Figure 15] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of cutting a noodle sheet based on the measurement results of the noodle sheet thickness using the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing an example of a control flow in the noodle band thickness measuring device of the present invention (also using a noodle band cutting mechanism). [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a robot arm used in the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention, which has only a distance sensor for measuring the noodle sheet thickness. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a noodle sheet thickness measuring device according to the present invention, in which a robot arm for measuring the thickness of a noodle sheet and a robot arm for cutting a noodle sheet are used in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0015] 1 Distance Sensor 3. Robot Arm 5 Conveyor device 7 Robot arm hand 9 Cutter section 11 Continuous rolling noodle machine 13 Composite noodle machine 15 Auxiliary Conveyor 17 Robot arm for measuring noodle thickness only 19 Robot arm for cutting noodle strips MT Noodles DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The present invention will be described below with reference to specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. As an example of the configuration of the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention, in a first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the block diagram of Figure 1, a robot arm 3 holding a distance sensor 1 is used to measure the thickness of the noodle sheet MT on a conveyor 5 using the distance sensor 1.

[0017] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the hand portion 7 of the robot arm 3 is configured to include not only a distance sensor 1 for measuring the noodle sheet thickness, but also a cutter portion 9 capable of cutting the noodle sheet. In addition, in the first embodiment of the present invention, information on the thickness of the noodle sheet based on the measurement results of the distance sensor 1 is also input, and after a predetermined judgment process, a control program is prepared which, if necessary, determines the portion of the noodle sheet to be cut and then instructs the cutting. In addition, when the production line is started up or when a problem occurs, information instructing the production line to cut the noodle strips is input from an external device as appropriate.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention is installed so that the noodle sheet MT can be cut when transferring from the combining process to the rolling process. In the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 2, the noodle sheet transport conveyor 5 is disposed so as to angle upward at approximately 5 degrees from the combining process side to the rolling process side. In most cases, the number of continuous rolling noodle machines 11 installed is approximately 4 to 7 units. Next, FIG. 3 shows a plan view from the composite noodle machine 13 to the continuous rolling roll noodle machine 11.

[0019] Next, FIG. 4 shows a perspective schematic diagram of the conveying end of the conveyor and the continuous rolling roll noodle machine. As shown in the first embodiment, the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention has a conveyor 5 that transports a noodle sheet, and is equipped with a hand portion 7 of a robot arm that can change its position above the conveyor 5, and the hand 7 of the robot arm has a distance sensor 1 so that the thickness of the noodle sheet can be measured.

[0020] * Noodle thickness measuring device The noodle band thickness measuring device of the present invention relates to a device that can be used in production lines for instant noodles, raw noodles, steamed noodles, etc. The manufacturing process for noodles involves the steps of mixing the ingredients → compounding → rolling → cutting out the noodle strings. First, wheat flour and other ingredients are mixed with water (kneading process), and the resulting noodle dough is called dough, which is then made into two noodle sheets (coarse noodle sheets), which are then stacked and rolled together (compounding process) to produce a noodle sheet.

[0021] This noodle sheet is then rolled by several sets of continuous rolling rolls to gradually reduce the thickness and into a noodle sheet of a specified thickness (rolling process). After rolling, the noodle sheet is passed through cutting blade rolls to form noodle strings (noodle string cutting process). The noodle sheet thickness adjustment device of the present invention is a device for cutting the noodle sheet, and can be used appropriately as long as the noodle sheet is in a cutting state. However, it is particularly preferable to use it during the transition from the combining process to the rolling process.

[0022] * Conveyor for transporting noodle sheets The conveyor 5 for conveying the noodle sheet MT in the present invention refers to a conveyor for conveying the above-mentioned noodle sheet. Various types of conveyor can be used, such as a conveyor having a pulley and a belt, or a conveyor having a sprocket and a chain.

[0023] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an auxiliary conveyor 15 is further provided at the end of the conveyor as shown in Fig. 5. This auxiliary conveyor extends auxiliary when the noodle sheet MT is transferred to the continuous noodle rolling roll machine 11, and plays a role of acting as a bridge to assist the movement of the noodle sheet MT to the continuous noodle rolling roll machine 11. In this way, the auxiliary conveyor 15 can be extended or contracted as needed.

[0024] Incidentally, this auxiliary conveyor can be installed as required, and it goes without saying that a type without the auxiliary conveyor 15 is also possible. The auxiliary conveyor 15 is configured so that, when a noodle sheet of the appropriate thickness is conveyed, it automatically extends when the noodle sheet reaches the end of the conveyor. With regard to this control, when a noodle sheet is being conveyed normally, the auxiliary conveyor 15 extends and transfers the noodle sheet to the continuous rolling roll noodle machine 11, but for defective noodle sheets (portions to be discarded after cutting), the auxiliary conveyor does not extend and allows the cut defective noodle sheet portions to drop downward and be discarded, as shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, as another method, in order to quickly transport and remove defective noodle sheets to be removed, it is also possible to extend only a portion of the auxiliary conveyor 15 and increase the transport speed of the auxiliary conveyor, thereby allowing the defective noodle sheets to drop quickly downward without supplying the noodle sheets to the rolling rolls.

[0025] Robot arm The robot arm 3 in the present invention corresponds to an industrial robot used in a factory, and an example of the robot arm 3 is a six-axis type as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, as shown in the first embodiment of the present application.

[0026] In addition, in the present invention, it is of course possible to use various types other than the articulated six-axis type as shown in Fig. 7. For example, in addition to the vertical articulated robots as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, a horizontal articulated robot (four-axis) type may also be used. Furthermore, a type in which prismatic joints in a rectangular coordinate system intersect and the cutting part is movable in three dimensions as shown in Fig. 8 is also possible, and the robot arm referred to in the present invention includes such various types.

[0027] The robot arm in the present invention has a hand unit that is position-changeable above a predetermined position of the conveyor. Here, the predetermined position of the conveyor means any position on the path along which the noodle sheet is transported on the conveyor from the combining process to the rolling process in the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 1. In addition, since the position is changeable, the top of the noodle sheet can be moved, and the distance sensor 1 attached to the hand unit can measure the thickness of the noodle sheet on the conveyor.

[0028] - Distance sensor attached to the hand of the robot arm In the present invention, a distance sensor 1 is attached to a hand unit 7 (end effector) of a robot arm. The distance sensor 1 is configured to be positioned above a noodle sheet on a conveyor as shown in Fig. 9, so as to be able to measure the thickness of the noodle sheet MT.

[0029] 7, the first embodiment of the present invention further includes a cutter unit 9 having a rotary blade for cutting the noodle sheet. By providing both the distance sensor 1 and the cutter unit 9 in this manner, there is an advantage that the number of robot arms 3 used can be consolidated into one.

[0030] Distance sensor In the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention, it is preferable to attach a non-contact type distance sensor 1 to the hand unit 7 of the robot arm 3. Various types can be selected as the distance sensor 1. In particular, it is preferable to use a laser distance sensor, which is an optical type. As the laser distance sensor, there are types such as laser reflection, laser interference, and laser phase difference, but it is particularly preferable to use a laser reflection sensor.

[0031] Furthermore, it is preferable to use a laser distance sensor (laser displacement sensor) with a built-in camera. By incorporating a camera, it is preferable to have a correction function that allows the sensor to measure height even if it is tilted relative to the target noodle sheet. Also, it is preferable to have a type in which the camera recognizes the target object by an image, and the laser measures the height and step of multiple specified points within the image range.

[0032] When measuring the thickness of the noodle sheet on the conveyor, a preferred method is to use the conveyor surface as a reference plane and measure the thickness by calculating the difference (AB) between the height (A) of the conveyor surface and the height (B) of the noodle sheet, as shown in Figure 10. In this case, it is preferable to previously measure the height (A) by transporting the noodle sheet on the conveyor without any noodle sheet present. Furthermore, it is preferable that the measurement position (angle) of the distance sensor when there is no noodle sheet coincides with the measurement position (angle) of the distance sensor when measuring the noodle sheet.

[0033] Moreover, the distance sensor 1 is preferably a type that can measure the thickness of the noodle sheet MT from above while it is being transported by the conveyor, making it possible to measure the thickness of the noodle sheet without stopping the production line. Various methods can be selected for the timing and area for measuring the thickness of the noodle sheet using the distance sensor. For example, the width direction may be measured continuously, or may be measured in a number of spots spaced at predetermined intervals.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, for each of the predetermined regions (A, B, C) that are spaced apart from each other by a small distance on the conveyed noodle sheet, multiple points within each region may be measured, and the area average may be measured. The timing of the measurement is not particularly limited. For example, after a measurement in the width direction of the noodle band is performed, the next measurement may be performed after a certain time lag, or it is of course possible to perform measurements repeatedly in succession.

[0035] Specifically, for example, by successively measuring the heights within the regions of surface A, surface B, and surface C as shown in FIG. 13, the average height of each region in the width direction of the noodle sheet can be obtained. The thickness gradient of the noodle sheet and areas with insufficient or excessive thickness can be detected based on the height. As an actual measurement example, the above-mentioned areas A, B, and C were continuously measured while the noodle sheet was being transported as shown in FIG. 13, and an example of the change over time is shown in FIG.

[0036] In this measurement example, area A has an average noodle thickness of approximately 7.1 mm, area B has an average noodle thickness of approximately 6.9 mm, and area C has an average noodle thickness of approximately 6.9 mm, meaning that area A is slightly thicker. Using this information, measures can be taken, such as removing areas where the noodle thickness is uneven, if necessary.

[0037] It is also preferable to use a noodle strip cutting mechanism together with the device of the present invention. It is preferable to use the noodle band thickness measuring device of the present invention in combination with a noodle band cutting mechanism. For example, the first embodiment of the present application in Fig. 1 shows an example in which both a noodle sheet cutting mechanism and a noodle sheet thickness measuring mechanism are provided in the hand unit 7 of one robot arm 3. The noodle sheet cutting mechanism makes it possible to appropriately cut noodle sheets with an insufficient noodle thickness and remove them from the production line, as shown in Fig. 15.

[0038] Specifically, for example, when starting up a production line, the noodle sheet thickness is first continuously measured for the noodle sheet transported on the conveyor using a noodle sheet thickness measuring mechanism, and changes over time are monitored. Depending on the results of the monitoring, if any parts of the noodle sheet thickness are uneven or the noodle sheet thickness exceeds the upper or lower limit, the noodle sheet including those parts can be cut and removed by an appropriate cutting mechanism, as shown in Figure 15.

[0039] It is preferable that the noodle band be cut from above while it is being transported on the conveyor, since this allows the noodle band to be cut without stopping the production line, and also allows for quick removal of the noodle strings after cutting, for example. Next, an example of a control flow in the noodle band thickness measuring device (combined with a noodle band cutting mechanism) according to the first embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG.

[0040] Furthermore, if both a noodle band thickness measuring mechanism and a noodle band cutting mechanism are attached to the hand unit 7 of one robot arm 3, it is difficult to simultaneously measure the noodle band thickness and cut the noodle band, but for example, if the noodle band thickness is poor during continuous and repeated measurements of the noodle band thickness and cutting the noodle band takes priority, it is possible to control the noodle band thickness measurement to be temporarily interrupted and the cutting operation to take priority. Furthermore, if there is sufficient time between measurements of the noodle band thickness during repeated measurements of the noodle band thickness, it is also possible to operate the cutting mechanism during that interval.

[0041] Furthermore, with regard to the decision as to whether or not to cut the noodle band, it goes without saying that adjustments can be made as appropriate, such as performing a cutting operation only when the noodle band thickness continues to exceed the upper or lower limit continuously, rather than cutting the noodle band uniformly when the noodle band thickness temporarily exceeds the upper or lower limit.

[0042] Other embodiments In the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 and 7, a single robot arm 3 is shown to be equipped with a distance sensor 1 as a mechanism for measuring the thickness of the noodle sheet, as well as a cutter unit 9 capable of cutting the noodle sheet. However, in the present invention, the robot arm 3 may of course be of a type that does not have a cutter unit 9 and only measures the thickness of the noodle sheet, as shown in Figure 17.

[0043] In this case, it is preferable to use a robot arm 3 solely for cutting noodle sheets in combination with the robot arm 3 solely for measuring the noodle sheet thickness of the present invention, and it is preferable to arrange the robot arm 3 for measuring the noodle sheet thickness on the upstream side and the robot arm 3 for cutting noodle sheets on the downstream side.

[0044] Regarding automation of production lines By utilizing the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention, it is possible to promote automation of production lines. That is, in the conventional process of mixing ingredients → making the noodle sheet → making the noodle strings, the noodle sheet itself is flexible and easily torn, making it difficult to handle mechanically. Therefore, the thickness of the noodle sheet was often measured manually during the manufacturing process to assist in the manufacturing process.

[0045] By utilizing the noodle sheet thickness measuring device of the present invention and by using it in conjunction with a noodle sheet cutting mechanism, it becomes possible to automatically measure noodle sheet thickness, which has previously been performed manually, thereby further promoting automation in production lines. In addition, by using a noodle sheet cutting mechanism in combination, it becomes possible to automatically cut and remove defective noodle sheets that occur during operation of the production line, which also makes it possible to further promote automation in the production line.

Claims

1. A conveyor for transporting the noodle strip; a robot arm having a hand unit whose position can be changed above a predetermined position of the conveyor; A distance sensor attached to the hand unit; The noodle band thickness measuring device is provided with:

2. 2. The noodle sheet thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the noodle sheet thickness measuring device is installed between a composite noodle machine and a continuous rolling roll noodle machine in the production of noodle sheets.

3. 3. The noodle sheet thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the noodle sheet thickness measuring device is capable of measuring the thickness of the noodle sheet being transported on a conveyor.

4. The noodle sheet thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a noodle sheet cutting mechanism in the hand section.

5. The noodle band thickness measuring device is installed in an instant noodle production line.

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