Sheet laver separation unit

Abstract

To reliably take off a single sheet of a sheet laver from a sheet laver laminate without damage.SOLUTION: A sheet laver separation unit comprises: a tray 7 equipped with a sheet laver laminate NT composed of multiple sheets of sheet laver; a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the tray 7; an air ejection part AS that is formed with a first housing 1 and a handling blower 5, and blows air from the side toward the upper side surface of the sheet laver laminate NT to separate and float each sheet of sheet laver individually; a sheet laver suction part NA that is formed with a second housing 2 and an adsorption blower 6 and adsorbs the upper surface of the uppermost sheet laver N that has been floated by air; a takeoff part 8 that takes off the sheet laver N adsorbed by the sheet laver suction part NA to the side; and a mechanical sensor 9 that detects whether the sheet laver has been adsorbed by the sheet laver suction part NA. When the mechanical sensor 9 detects that the sheet laver has not been adsorbed to the sheet laver suction part NA for a specified period of time, the lifting mechanism lifts the tray 7 to a height where the mechanical sensor 9 detects that the sheet laver has been adsorbed by the sheet laver suction part NA.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seaweed sheet separating device, and more particularly to a technique for removing one sheet from a stack of seaweed sheets which is made up of multiple stacked seaweed sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, when using sheets of nori in an apparatus for manufacturing cooked rice foods such as nori rolls and rice balls wrapped in nori, a sheet of nori made up of multiple stacked sheets of nori is stored on a tray in a sheet of nori separation device, and sheets of nori are removed one by one from the stack and transported to the next process.

[0003] Such a sheet seaweed separation device is known from, for example, those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication No. 2012-188286 A) and Patent Document 2 (JP Patent Publication No. 2020-110053 A) disclose a technique in which a mechanism for adsorbing and removing sheets of seaweed is provided at the bottom of a stocked sheet seaweed stack, and the sheet seaweed located at the bottom of the sheet seaweed stack is removed in an adsorbed state. Patent Document 3 (JP Patent Publication No. 55-029996 A) discloses a technique in which the sheet seaweed located at the top of the sheet seaweed stack is sucked in by a suction nozzle with an inclined tip and removed in a bent state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-188286 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-110053 A [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 55-029996 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the techniques described in the above Patent Documents 1 to 3 are likely to cause the following problems.

[0006] That is, in the technology described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in addition to the surface of the nori sheets being rough, near the bottom of the nori sheet stack, the sheets of nori stick together because they are pressed down by the weight of the nori sheet stack itself, and multiple sheets of nori may be simultaneously adsorbed and removed. For the same reason, it may be difficult to remove only the bottommost sheet of nori from the nori sheet stack, and if you try to remove it by force, the nori sheet may be damaged by being torn or broken.

[0007] Furthermore, in the technology described in Patent Document 3, the topmost sheet of seaweed is forcibly bent along the tip of the suction nozzle before being sucked in, which places stress on the bent part of the sheet of seaweed, and can also result in damage to the sheet of seaweed.

[0008] When producing nori rolls or rice balls wrapped in nori in supermarket kitchens, multiple sheets of nori are taken out one by one from a bag. However, when wearing cooking gloves, not only can it be difficult to pick up and remove just one sheet of nori, but as mentioned above, the sheet of nori may be damaged.

[0009] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned technical background, and aims to provide a technology that enables a single sheet of nori to be removed reliably and without damage from a stack of sheets of nori. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the seaweed plate separating device of the present invention described in claim 1 comprises a tray for carrying a seaweed plate stack consisting of a plurality of stacked seaweed plates, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the tray, an air blowing unit for blowing air from the side toward an upper portion of a side surface of the seaweed plate stack to separate and lift up the seaweed plates one by one, a seaweed plate suction unit for adsorbing an upper surface of the uppermost seaweed plate that has been lifted up by the air, a removal unit for removing the seaweed plate adsorbed to the seaweed plate suction unit to the side, and a detection means for detecting whether the seaweed plate is adsorbed by the seaweed plate suction unit, wherein the air blowing unit comprises a first blowing member having an ejection hole directed toward an upper portion of a side surface of the seaweed plate stack, and a first blower for ejecting air taken into the first blowing member from the ejection hole, The attachment section is equipped with a first suction member having suction holes formed therein and positioned above the nori sheet stack, and a second blower which draws air into the first suction member through the suction holes, and when the detection means does not detect the adsorption of the nori sheet, the first blower and the second blower are driven, and when the detection means detects the adsorption of the nori sheet, the first blower is stopped or driven with reduced output, and the second blower is driven with reduced output, and when the detection means detects that the nori sheet has not been adsorbed to the nori sheet suction section for a predetermined time, the lifting mechanism raises the tray to a height at which the detection means detects that the nori sheet has been adsorbed to the nori sheet suction section.

[0011] The seaweed plate separation device of the present invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 above, if the detection means does not detect that the seaweed plate has been adsorbed by the seaweed plate suction section even when the lifting mechanism raises the tray to the upper end position, the lifting mechanism moves the tray to the lower end, and the first blower and the second blower are stopped.

[0012] The sheet seaweed separation device of the present invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2 above, the lifting mechanism comprises arms fixed to both sides of the tray and extending horizontally, guide holes for guiding the arms in the vertical direction, a tray driving plate having tray lifting blocks attached to both ends that incline upward toward the rear of the device and engage with the arms, and a tray lifting driving unit that slides the tray driving plate back and forth.

[0013] The sheet seaweed separating device of the present invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3 above, an air discharge section is formed on the opposite side of the first jetting member across from the sheet seaweed stack, for discharging air ejected from the ejection hole of the first jetting member.

[0014] The sheet seaweed separation device of the present invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4 above, the first ejection member is a first housing arranged to the side of the tray and having the ejection holes formed on the side surface, and the first suction member is a second housing arranged above the tray and having the suction holes formed on the bottom surface.

[0015] The seaweed sheet separating device of the present invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 above, the air ejection section is a second ejection member having an ejection hole directed toward the upper side of the seaweed sheet stack, the seaweed sheet suction section is a second suction member that is connected to the second ejection member and has an suction hole located above the seaweed sheet stack, and a blower is disposed between the second ejection member and the second suction member for taking in air through the suction hole and ejecting it from the ejection hole.

[0016] The seaweed plate separation device of the present invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 6, the second ejection member further has an ejection hole formed at a height position of the seaweed plate mounting surface of the tray.

[0017] The seaweed sheet separation device of the present invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 6 or 7 above, a blocking wall is provided on the opposite side of the second ejection member across the seaweed sheet stack, blocking the lateral flow of air ejected from the ejection hole of the second ejection member.

[0018] The sheet seaweed separation device of the present invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention described in any one of claims 6 to 8 above, the second ejection member is a third housing arranged to the side of the tray and having the ejection holes formed in the side portion facing the tray, and the second suction member is a fourth housing arranged above the tray and having the suction holes formed in the underside.

[0019] The seaweed plate separation device of the present invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 9 above, the removal section is formed with an opening on the side of the adsorbed seaweed plate. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, a stack of nori sheets is placed on a tray, and air is blown from the side toward the upper part of the side of the stack of nori sheets using an air blowing section to separate and lift up each sheet of nori, and the top surface of the uppermost sheet of nori that has been lifted up by the air is adsorbed by a nori sheet suction section, and the adsorbed sheet of nori is removed to the side from an removal section.

[0021] In addition, a detection means detects whether or not a sheet of seaweed has been adsorbed, and when the detection means detects that the sheet of seaweed has not been adsorbed to the sheet of seaweed suction section for a predetermined period of time, the lifting mechanism raises the tray to a height at which the detection means detects that the sheet of seaweed has been adsorbed to the sheet of seaweed suction section.

[0022] Therefore, it becomes possible to remove one sheet of seaweed from the stack of sheets of seaweed reliably and without damage. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a nori sheet separation device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the sheet seaweed separating device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a partially see-through perspective view of a tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of FIG. 1 at the lower end position of the tray. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a side perspective view showing, with a portion thereof seen through, a tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of FIG. 1 at the lower end position of the tray. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a partially see-through perspective view showing a tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of FIG. 1 at the upper end position of the tray. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a side perspective view showing, with a portion thereof being see-through, a tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of FIG. 1 at the upper end position of the tray. FIG. [Figure 7] (a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when a nori sheet stack is loaded onto a tray in the nori sheet separation device of embodiment 1 of the present invention, (b) is a rear view of (a), and (c) is a plan view of (a). [Figure 8] (a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when a reduced-height nori sheet stack is loaded onto a tray in the nori sheet separation device of embodiment 1 of the present invention, (b) is a rear view of (a), and (c) is a plan view of (a). [Figure 9] 1(a) to 1(k) are explanatory views successively showing the operation of the nori sheet separation device of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a seaweed plate conveying device for transporting seaweed plates from a seaweed plate separation device to a food manufacturing device, where (a) shows the state before the transport of the seaweed plates begins, and (b) shows the state while the transport of the seaweed plates is being performed. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a seaweed plate conveying device for transporting seaweed plates from a seaweed plate separation device to a food manufacturing device, where (a) shows the state before the transport of the seaweed plates begins, (b) shows the state when preparation for transporting the seaweed plates is complete, and (c) shows the state when the transport of the seaweed plates is in progress. [Figure 12]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a nori sheet separation device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the inside of the nori sheet separation device of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] (a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when a nori sheet stack is loaded onto a tray in a nori sheet separation device of embodiment 2 of the present invention, (b) is a rear view of (a), and (c) is a plan view of (a). [Figure 15] (a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when a reduced-height nori sheet stack is loaded onto a tray in a nori sheet separation device of embodiment 2 of the present invention, (b) is a rear view of (a), and (c) is a plan view of (a). [Figure 16] 13(a) to 13(j) are explanatory views successively showing the operation of the nori sheet separation device of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for explaining the embodiment, the same components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description will be omitted.

[0025] (Embodiment 1)

[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a nori sheet separating device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the nori sheet separating device of FIG.

[0027] In Fig. 1, the exterior of the seaweed sheet separation device M of this embodiment is composed of a first housing (first ejection member) 1 that also serves as a front panel P1, a second housing (first suction member) 2 that also serves as a top panel P2, side panels P3a attached to both sides of the top panel P2, and a back panel P4 attached to the rear of the device. The second housing 2 is composed of a main housing part 2a having a relatively large volume, and a sub-housing part 2b having a relatively small volume, separated and arranged on the left and right sides with a gap in between on the front side of the main housing part 2a, and connected to the main housing part 2a. The side panels P3a are formed by bending both sides of a single panel that also serves as a bottom panel P3b vertically upward (see Figs. 3 and 5).

[0028] 2, the first housing 1 is disposed with a gap between its upper end and the tip of the sub-housing portion 2b forming the second housing 2, and furthermore, a recess 1a is formed in the center of the upper end with the same gap as the gap formed by the two separately disposed sub-housing portions 2b. A blower (first blower) 5 for taking air into the first housing 1 is connected to the first housing 1. A suction blower (second blower) 6 for discharging air outside the device is built into the main housing portion 2a of the second housing 2.

[0029] Inside the nori sheet separation device M surrounded by the first housing 1, the second housing 2, the left and right side panels P3a, and the back panel P4, a tray 7 is provided that can be raised and lowered, and there is a space (internal space) of a predetermined height above the tray 7. Therefore, by removing the back panel P4, placing a nori sheet stack NT (FIGS. 7 to 11) consisting of multiple stacked nori sheets on the tray 7, and then attaching the back panel P4 again, the nori sheet stack NT is set inside the nori sheet separation device M. The mechanism for raising and lowering the tray 7 will be described later.

[0030] In Fig. 2, the upper half of the inner side of the first housing 1 arranged to the side of the tray 7 has a plurality of vertically elongated nozzles 1s for blowing air taken into the first housing 1 by the separating blower 5 from the side (the front side in this embodiment) toward the upper part of the internal space of the nori sheet separation device M, i.e., toward the upper part of the side of the nori sheet stack NT. Therefore, by blowing air from the side, the nori sheets located at the top of the nori sheet stack NT are separated and floated up one by one. The first housing 1 and the separating blower 5 constitute the air blowing section AS.

[0031] In this application, spraying air toward the upper side of the nori sheet laminate NT does not mean spraying air exclusively to the upper side of the nori sheet laminate NT. In other words, it is sufficient to spray air to the upper side of the nori sheet laminate NT, and air may or may not be sprayed to parts other than the upper side (i.e., the center and lower parts of the side).

[0032] Now, on the bottom surface of the second housing 2 (i.e., the bottom surface of the main housing part 2a and the bottom surface of the sub-housing part 2b), a plurality of suction holes 2s are formed long in the front-rear direction of the device to take in air from the internal space of the seaweed plate separation device M by the suction blower 6. The air taken into the second housing 2 from the suction holes 2s is discharged to the outside of the device by the suction blower 6. The second housing 2 is located above the seaweed plate stack NT mounted on the tray 7. Therefore, the uppermost seaweed plate N among the seaweed plates of the seaweed plate stack NT separated and floated one by one by the above-mentioned air ejection part AS is sucked by the suction hole 2s formed in the second housing 2. The second housing 2 and the suction blower 6 constitute the seaweed plate suction part NA.

[0033] As described above, the upper end of the first housing 1 and the tip of the sub-housing portion 2b forming the second housing 2 are spaced apart from each other, and this space serves as the removal portion 8 for removing the seaweed plate N adsorbed to the seaweed plate adsorption portion NA to the side. That is, the removal portion 8 is formed to open to the side of the seaweed plate N adsorbed to the adsorption hole 2s.

[0034] In addition, a recess 1a having the same spacing as the gap formed by the two separately arranged sub-casing parts 2b is formed in the center of the upper end of the first housing 1, so that the exposed area of ​​the seaweed plate N (i.e., the adsorbed seaweed plate N) in this part is wide in both the front and rear and the top and bottom. This makes it easy for an operator or a seaweed plate conveying device NC (described later) to remove the seaweed plate N.

[0035] A swing-type mechanical sensor (detection means) 9 for detecting whether or not the nori plate N is adsorbed by the nori plate adsorption portion NA is installed near the bottom surface of the second housing 2. When the nori plate N is not adsorbed, this mechanical sensor 9 is in a first position below the adsorption surface (the adsorption surface of the nori plate N), and when the nori plate N is adsorbed, the mechanical sensor 9 swings due to contact with the nori plate N and is displaced to a second position above the adsorption surface.

[0036] Also, when the mechanical sensor 9 does not detect the adhesion of the nori sheets N (i.e., when the mechanical sensor 9 is in the first position), the aforementioned separation blower 5 and suction blower 6 are driven, and the nori sheets located at the top of the nori sheet stack NT are separated and floated up one by one by the air from the side through the nozzle holes 1s, and the floated topmost nori sheet N is adsorbed to the suction hole 2s. Then, when the mechanical sensor 9 detects the adhesion of the nori sheets N (i.e., when the mechanical sensor 9 is in the second position), the separation blower 5 stops and the air from the nozzle holes 1s stops, so that the nori sheets other than the topmost one that has floated down and return to a stacked state, and a space is formed between them and the adsorbed nori sheets N. Also, the suction blower 6 is driven with a reduced output, so that the adhesion of the nori sheets N is maintained, but the adhesion force is not so strong that it becomes a resistance when removing the nori sheets N to the side, so that the nori sheets N can be smoothly removed without being damaged.

[0037] In this embodiment, the blower 5 is stopped when the mechanical sensor 9 detects the adhesion of the seaweed sheet N, but it may be driven with a reduced output so that the wind force is not strong enough to lift the seaweed sheet. The mechanical sensor 9 is not limited to the swinging type, and may be, for example, a vertical movement type that is pushed up by the attracted seaweed sheet N.

[0038] Next, the lifting mechanism of the tray 7 on which the nori sheet stack NT is mounted will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Here, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing, with a part seen through, the tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of Figure 1 at the lower end position of the tray, Figure 4 is a side perspective view showing, with a part seen through, the tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of Figure 1 at the lower end position of the tray, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing, with a part seen through, the tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of Figure 1 at the upper end position of the tray, and Figure 6 is a side perspective view showing, with a part seen through, the tray lifting mechanism provided in the nori sheet separation device of Figure 1 at the upper end position of the tray.

[0039] As shown in these drawings, the tray 7 is composed of a nori sheet mounting plate 7a on which the nori sheet stack NT is mounted, and two standing plates 7b that are bent vertically downward on both sides of the nori sheet mounting plate 7a and face the side plate P3a. Arms 10 are fixed to the front and back of each standing plate 7b, extending horizontally through the standing plate 7b. Tray guide bearings 10a are rotatably attached to the outer end of the arm 10 located outside the standing plate 7b and to the inner end of the arm 10 located inside the standing plate 7b. The tray guide bearings 10a are provided to smoothly raise and lower the tray 7 as described below, and are not necessarily attached to the arms 10.

[0040] Between the standing plate 7b and the side plate P3a, an inner plate 11 is disposed, the lower end of which is fixed to the bottom plate P3b. The side plate P3a is formed with a guide hole P3aa that is elongated in the vertical direction and into which the tray guide bearing 10a at the outer end of the arm 10 is fitted and that guides the tray guide bearing 10a in the vertical direction when the tray 7 is raised and lowered. Therefore, the tray guide bearing 10a can move in the vertical direction between the upper end and the lower end of the guide hole P3aa. Furthermore, at a position corresponding to the guide hole P3aa of the inner plate 11, a long hole 11a is formed to avoid interference when the tray guide bearing 10a moves up and down through the guide hole P3aa formed in the side plate P3a. As shown in FIG. 1, a cover P3ab is attached to the side plate P3a to protect the guide hole P3aa and the tray guide bearing 10a.

[0041] In addition, the width of the guide hole P3aa is slightly wider than the diameter of the tray guide bearing 10a so that the tray guide bearing 10a at the outer end of the arm 10 can move up and down in the guide hole P3aa (i.e., so that the cylindrical housing provided on the outer periphery of the tray guide bearing 10a can move up and down while rotating).

[0042] A tray lifting motor (tray lifting drive unit) 12 is installed under the nori sheet mounting plate 7a constituting the tray 7, in a state fixed to the bottom plate P3b. A tray driving gear 13, which is a circular gear, is attached to the output shaft of the tray lifting motor 12. A tray driving plate 14 is also arranged under the nori sheet mounting plate 7a, which is fitted into a slide hole P3ba long in the front-rear direction formed on both sides of the bottom plate P3b and can slide back and forth. A tray driving rack 15, which is a flat rod with teeth cut (with teeth) and engages with the above-mentioned tray driving gear 13, is fixed to this tray driving plate 14 in parallel with the slide hole P3ba. Furthermore, a substantially triangular tray lifting block 16 is fixed to both ends of the tray driving plate 14, which is inclined upward toward the rear of the nori sheet separation device M and has an inclined surface 16a with which the tray guide bearing 10a at the inner end of the arm 10 engages. The tray lifting blocks 16 are vertically arranged in pairs on both ends of the tray driving plate 14 in correspondence with the arms 10 fixed to the upright plate 7 b of the tray 7 .

[0043] Therefore, when the tray 7 is in the lower end position as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 (i.e., the tray driving plate 14 is located at the rear), when the tray driving gear 13 is rotated by the tray lifting drive motor 12, the tray driving rack 15 meshing with the tray driving gear 13 moves horizontally, and the tray driving plate 14 to which the tray driving rack 15 is fixed slides forward. Then, the tray lifting block 16 fixed to both sides of the tray driving plate 14 also slides forward. As a result, the tray guide bearing 10a at the inner end of the arm 10 engaged with the inclined surface 16a of the tray lifting block 16 rises while rotating on the inclined surface 16a. In addition, the tray guide bearing 10a at the outer end of the arm 10 engaged with the guide hole P3aa formed in the side plate P3a rises while being guided within the guide hole P3aa.

[0044] This movement of the tray guide bearings 10a at both ends of the arm 10 causes the tray 7 to which the arm 10 is attached to rise, and when the tray guide bearing 10a at the outer end of the arm 10 reaches the upper end within the guide hole P3aa, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the tray 7 reaches its upper end position.

[0045] When returning the tray 7 to the bottom end position (the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4), the tray lifting drive motor 12 is rotated in the opposite direction to that when the tray 7 was raised. This causes the tray drive plate 14 to slide rearward, and the tray guide bearing 10a at the inner end of the arm 10 descends along the inclined surface 16a of the tray lifting block 16, while the tray guide bearing 10a at the outer end of the arm 10 descends within the guide hole P3aa. When the tray guide bearing 10a at the outer end of the arm 10 reaches the bottom end of the guide hole P3aa, the tray 7 reaches the bottom end position.

[0046] In the seaweed plate separation device M, the tray 7 is placed at the bottom end position by the lifting mechanism, and a seaweed plate stack NT consisting of multiple seaweed plates is loaded. Then, air is blown out from the air blowing section AS consisting of the first housing 1 and the separating blower 5 toward the upper side of the seaweed plate stack NT to separate and lift the seaweed plates one by one, and at the same time, the topmost seaweed plate N is sucked by the seaweed plate suction section NA (the suction hole 2s) consisting of the second housing 2 and the suction blower 6.

[0047] Fig. 7 shows the air flow when the nori sheet laminate NT is placed on the tray 7. Fig. 7(a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when the nori sheet laminate NT is placed on the tray in the nori sheet separation device of embodiment 1 of the present invention, Fig. 7(b) is a rear view of Fig. 7(a), and Fig. 7(c) is a plan view of Fig. 7(a). In the nori sheet separation device M of this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7(b) and (c), air discharge sections 4s are formed on both sides of the rear panel P4 located on the opposite side of the nori sheet laminate NT of the first housing 1, for discharging air ejected from the ejection holes 1s of the first housing 1.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 7, the air ejected from the nozzle 1s of the first housing 1 onto the upper side of the laminated sheet of nori NT enters the gaps between each sheet of nori, separating and lifting each sheet of nori. At this time, the air ejected from the nozzle 1s of the first housing 1 is discharged from the air exhaust section 4s to the outside of the device, so that the sheets of nori do not lift up more than necessary, and are kept separated at appropriate intervals.

[0049] Now, when the nori sheets N adsorbed by the suction holes 2s are taken out one by one, the height of the nori sheet stack NT gradually decreases (i.e., the gap between the nori sheet adsorption portion NA and the topmost nori sheet N becomes wider), and the topmost nori sheet N cannot be adsorbed by the suction hole 2s. Alternatively, even if the height of the set nori sheet stack NT was low from the beginning, if the gap between the nori sheet adsorption portion NA and the topmost nori sheet N becomes too wide, the topmost nori sheet N cannot be adsorbed by the suction hole 2s. In other words, if the height of the nori sheet stack NT is low, the air ejected from the ejection hole 1s of the first housing 1 does not hit the upper part of the side of the nori sheet stack NT, so the nori sheet does not float up, and as a result, the topmost nori sheet N cannot be adsorbed by the suction hole 2s.

[0050] Therefore, in the seaweed plate separation device M of this embodiment, when the above-mentioned mechanical sensor 9 detects that the uppermost seaweed plate N has not been adsorbed by the seaweed plate adsorption portion NA for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) (i.e., when the mechanical sensor 9 remains in the first position for 5 seconds), the tray lifting drive motor 12 operates to raise the tray 7 to a height at which the mechanical sensor 9 detects that the seaweed plate N has been adsorbed by the seaweed plate adsorption portion NA. Note that the above-mentioned predetermined time can be freely set and is not limited to 5 seconds as in this embodiment.

[0051] Fig. 8 shows the air flow when the height of the nori sheet stack NT loaded on the tray 7 is lowered. Here, Fig. 8(a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when the lowered nori sheet stack is loaded on the tray in the nori sheet separation device of the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 8(b) is a rear view of Fig. 8(a), and Fig. 8(c) is a plan view of Fig. 8(a).

[0052] 8, when the height of the nori sheet stack NT becomes low, the tray 7 is raised so that the air ejected from the ejection holes 1s of the first housing 1 hits the upper part of the side of the nori sheet stack NT. This allows the air to enter the gaps between each sheet of nori, causing the sheets to separate and rise up one by one, and the topmost sheet of nori N is adsorbed by the adsorption holes 2s.

[0053] Next, the operation of the nori sheet separation device M of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Here, Fig. 9(a) to Fig. 9(k) are explanatory diagrams continuously showing the adsorption operation of the nori sheet in the nori sheet separation device of the first embodiment.

[0054] 9(a), the laminated sheet of seaweed NT is placed on the tray 7, and the operation of the separating blower 5 and the suction blower 6 is started. At this time, the mechanical sensor 9 is not in contact with the sheet of seaweed, and is therefore in a first position (a position where the sheet of seaweed is not detected) below the suction surface of the sheet of seaweed by the suction holes 2s.

[0055] Then, as shown in FIG. 9(b), if the mechanical sensor 9 does not displace from the first position (the position where the seaweed plate is not detected) to the second position (the position where the seaweed plate is detected) for a predetermined time, that is, if the seaweed plate N is not adsorbed by the suction hole 2s of the second housing 2 for a predetermined time, the tray 7 gradually rises by the lifting mechanism described above, and together with this, the seaweed plate stack NT rises and the air ejected from the ejection hole 1s of the first housing 1 hits the upper part of its side, causing the seaweed plate at the top to float up.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 9( c ), when the tray 7 is further raised, the topmost sheet of seaweed N that has risen to the surface is attracted to the suction holes 2s formed in the second housing 2 .

[0057] Then, as shown in FIG. 9(d), when the topmost seaweed sheet N that has risen to the surface is adsorbed into the suction hole 2s, the mechanical sensor 9 is displaced from the first position to the second position due to the contact of the seaweed sheet N, and at the same time, the tray 7 stops rising, the separating blower 5 stops and the air jetting to the seaweed sheet stack NT ceases, and further, the output of the suction blower 6 decreases, weakening the suction force on the seaweed sheet.

[0058] As a result, as shown in Figure 9(e), the unadsorbed seaweed sheets (i.e., seaweed sheets other than the top one) drop down, creating a space between them and the adsorbed seaweed sheet N, and because the suction force of the suction holes 2s on the seaweed sheet N is weakened as described above, the adsorbed seaweed sheet N can be easily pulled out from the side.

[0059] When the seaweed plate N is pulled out in this manner, the mechanical sensor 9 returns to the first position, as shown in Figure 9(f), and the operation of the separating blower 5 resumes, causing the air ejected from the nozzle hole 1s of the first housing 1 to hit the upper part of the side of the seaweed plate stack NT, causing the seaweed plate to float up, and the output of the suction blower 6 increases.

[0060] Then, as shown in FIG. 9(g), the uppermost sheet of seaweed N that has risen to the surface is attracted to the suction hole 2s formed in the second housing 2.

[0061] Then, as shown in FIG. 9(h), when the topmost nori sheet N that has risen to the surface is adsorbed into the suction hole 2s, the mechanical sensor 9 displaces from the first position to the second position, and at the same time, the handling blower 5 stops and the air stops being blown onto the nori sheet stack NT. Furthermore, the output of the suction blower 6 decreases, weakening the suction force on the nori sheet.

[0062] Thereafter, the operations shown in Figures 9(e) to 9(h) are repeated until the sheet of seaweed N is no longer adsorbed into the suction hole 2s formed in the second housing 2 (in other words, until the mechanical sensor 9 no longer displaces from the first position to the second position).

[0063] Furthermore, when the mechanical sensor 9 does not move from the first position to the second position for a predetermined time, the process returns to FIG. 9(b) to gradually raise the tray 7, and the operations of FIG. 9(b) to FIG. 9(h) are performed.

[0064] 9(e) to 9(h) are repeated, and then the sequence of operations shown in FIG. 9(b) to 9(h) is performed once or multiple times, and the last sheet of seaweed N constituting the seaweed plate stack NT is pulled out, as shown in FIG. 9(i). At this point, the seaweed plate separation device M does not recognize that the seaweed plate has disappeared from the tray 7.

[0065] Now, when the nori sheet is removed from the tray 7 as shown in Fig. 9(i), the mechanical sensor 9 remains in the first position and does not move to the second position, so that the tray 7 continues to rise further by the lifting mechanism and reaches the upper end position as shown in Fig. 9(j). However, the mechanical sensor 9 still does not detect that the nori sheet has been adsorbed by the suction hole 2s of the second housing 2 constituting the nori sheet adsorption portion NA (i.e., it does not move to the second position), so at this point, the nori sheet separation device M recognizes that the nori sheet has been removed from the tray 7.

[0066] That is, when the tray 7 reaches the upper end position and the mechanical sensor 9 reaches the first position, the nori sheet separation device M recognizes that removal of the nori sheet stack NT has been completed.

[0067] Then, when it is confirmed that the nori sheets have disappeared from the tray 7 and removal of the nori sheet stack NT has been completed, the lifting mechanism moves the tray 7 to the bottom end position as shown in Fig. 9(k), and the separating blower 5 and the suction blower 6 are stopped. In other words, the state is returned to one in which a new nori sheet stack NT can be set.

[0068] As described above, in the nori sheet separation device M of the first embodiment, the nori sheet stack NT is loaded on the tray 7, and the air ejection unit AS, which is composed of the first housing 1 and the separating blower 5, ejects air from the side toward the upper part of the side of the nori sheet stack NT to separate and lift the nori sheets one by one, and the nori sheet suction unit NA, which is composed of the second housing 2 and the suction blower 6, sucks the top surface of the uppermost nori sheet N that has been lifted by the air, and the sucked nori sheet N is taken out to the side from the take-out unit 8. This makes it possible to reliably take out one nori sheet N from the nori sheet stack NT without damage.

[0069] Moreover, in the seaweed plate separating device M of the first embodiment, a mechanism for lifting and lowering the tray 7 is provided, and the mechanical sensor 9 detects whether the seaweed plate N is adsorbed or not, while controlling the operation of the mechanism, the separating blower 5, and the adsorption blower 6. Therefore, even if the seaweed plate stack NT is tall and made up of many seaweed plates, it is possible to reliably remove one seaweed plate N from the seaweed plate stack NT without damage.

[0070] Now, such a nori sheet separation device M can be installed, for example, in a supermarket kitchen and used alone as a device for removing one sheet of nori from several stacked sheets when producing nori rolls, rice balls wrapped in nori, etc.

[0071] In addition, a food manufacturing system can be constructed using the nori plate separation device M. That is, in the nori plate separation device M of this embodiment, a space is formed between the adsorbed nori plate N and the nori plate stack NT directly below it, so that it is possible to incorporate a conveying mechanism of various structures. Then, by installing the nori plate separation device M and a food manufacturing device (not shown) that manufactures rice foods using nori plates (for example, nori rolls and rice balls wrapped in nori) and disposing a nori plate conveying device NC between them that takes out the nori plate N adsorbed to the nori plate adsorption part NA from the nori plate separation device M and conveys it to the food manufacturing device, one sheet of nori plate N can be automatically conveyed to the food manufacturing device by the nori plate conveying device NC, and nori rolls and rice balls wrapped in nori can be efficiently manufactured.

[0072] An example of the nori sheet conveying device NC is shown in Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a nori sheet conveying device for conveying nori sheets from a nori sheet separating device to a food production device, and Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a nori sheet conveying device for conveying nori sheets from a nori sheet separating device to a food production device.

[0073] FIG. 10 shows a belt-conveying type nori sheet conveying device NC, where (a) shows the state before the conveyance of the nori sheet N starts, and (b) shows the state during the conveyance of the nori sheet N.

[0074] The illustrated nori sheet conveying device NC is equipped with a drive roller 20a (a roller driven by a motor not shown) and a driven roller 20b (a roller that rotates following the drive roller 20a) arranged on both sides of the second housing 2 so that their rotation axes are parallel to each other, and an endless conveying belt 21 that is stretched across the drive roller 20a and the driven roller 20b and can rotate.

[0075] The conveyor belt 21 is disposed so as to pass directly below the suction holes 2s formed in the second housing 2 and rotate. The conveyor belt 21 also has a number of air passage holes (not shown) through which air in the internal space of the seaweed plate separation device M passes when being taken into the suction holes 2s formed in the second housing 2. Therefore, the seaweed plate N is held by the conveyor belt 21 in a state of being adsorbed to the seaweed plate adsorption section NA (FIG. 10(a)). Note that the rotation of the conveyor belt 21 is stopped when the seaweed plate N is adsorbed and held. Then, as the conveyor belt 21 rotates, the held seaweed plate N is taken out to the side from the take-out section 8.

[0076] A pair of conveying rollers 22 for sandwiching the thus-taken nori sheet N from above and below and transporting it to the food manufacturing apparatus are disposed on the take-out path of the nori sheet N. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 10(b), the conveying belt 21 rotates to sandwich the taken-out nori sheet N between the pair of conveying rollers 22 and rotate to transport it, so that the nori sheet N is sent to the food manufacturing apparatus.

[0077] Figure 11 shows a tray-transport type nori sheet conveying device NC, where (a) shows the state before starting to transport the nori sheet N, (b) shows the state when preparation for transporting the nori sheet N is complete, and (c) shows the state when the transport of the nori sheet N is in progress.

[0078] The illustrated nori sheet transport device NC is composed of a transport tray 23 for transporting the nori sheets N from the nori sheet separation device M to the food manufacturing apparatus, and a tray drive unit (not shown) for driving this transport tray 23.

[0079] In this nori sheet conveying device NC, when the nori sheet N is adsorbed to the nori sheet adsorption section NA (Fig. 11(a)), the transport tray 23 driven by the tray drive section enters the take-out section 8 of the nori sheet separation device M and reaches a position directly below the nori sheet N. Then, the adsorption blower 6 stops, the adsorption force on the nori sheet N is released, and the nori sheet N falls from the nori sheet adsorption section NA and is received by the transport tray 23 (Fig. 11(b)). Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 11(c), the transport tray 23 exits the take-out section 8 and conveys the nori sheet N to the food manufacturing equipment.

[0080] (Embodiment 2)

[0081] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a nori sheet separating device in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the inside of the nori sheet separating device of FIG.

[0082] 12 and 13, the nori sheet separation device M of this embodiment comprises a tray 30 for carrying the nori sheet stack NT (FIGS. 14 to 16), a third housing (second ejection member) 31 arranged to the side of the tray 30 and having a plurality of ejection holes 31s formed in the vertical direction on its side surface facing the tray 30, and a fourth housing (second suction member) 32 arranged above the tray 30 and having a plurality of suction holes 32s formed in the front-to-rear direction on its lower surface.

[0083] The third housing 31 is installed at two places, one on the left and one on the right. The fourth housing 32 is formed of a main housing part 32a having a relatively large volume and a sub-housing part 32b having a relatively small volume and arranged on the left and right sides at a distance in front of the main housing part 32a and communicating with the main housing part 32a. Furthermore, the tray 30 of this embodiment is not movable up and down like the tray 7 of the first embodiment described above.

[0084] The sheet seaweed separation device M of this embodiment is provided with two communication housings 33a and 33b for communicating the third housing 31 and the fourth housing 32. The communication housing 33a is disposed below the tray 30 and communicates with the third housing 31, and the communication housing 33b is disposed on the side of the tray 30 and communicates with the fourth housing 32. A blower (air blower) 34 is disposed between the third housing 31 and the fourth housing 32 (i.e., on the path that communicates the third housing 31 and the fourth housing 32) for taking in air from the suction holes 32s formed in the fourth housing 32 and spraying it from the spray holes 31s formed in the third housing 31.

[0085] 13, the nozzle holes 31s formed in the third housing 31 are composed of an upper nozzle hole (spray hole) 31sa for spraying air from the side (the front side in this embodiment) toward the upper side of the nori sheet stack NT, and a lower nozzle hole (spray hole) 31sb formed at a position lower than the upper nozzle hole 31sa for spraying air from the side toward the height position of the nori sheet mounting surface 30a (FIGS. 14 to 16) of the tray 30. However, the lower nozzle hole 31sb may be omitted.

[0086] Then, the nori sheets located at the top of the nori sheet stack NT are separated and floated up one by one by the blower 34 blowing air from the upper nozzle holes 31sa (from the side). Also, the uppermost nori sheet N of the nori sheets of the nori sheet stack NT that have been separated and floated up one by one is sucked at its top surface by the suction hole 2s by the blower 34 taking in air from the suction hole 32s.

[0087] Therefore, in this embodiment, the third housing 31 in which the ejection holes 31s are formed constitutes the air ejection section AS, and the fourth housing 32 in which the suction holes 32s are formed constitutes the seaweed sheet suction section NA.

[0088] In addition, air is sprayed from the lower outlet hole 31sb of the third housing 31 from the side toward the height position of the nori sheet mounting surface 30a of the tray 30, so that the air gets in between the lowest nori sheet and the nori sheet mounting surface 30a, and when the height of the nori sheet stack NT becomes lower (i.e., when the amount of nori sheets constituting the nori sheet stack NT becomes smaller and lighter), the nori sheets N are blown up and are easily adsorbed by the suction hole 32s.

[0089] The upper end of the third housing 31 and the tip of the sub-housing portion 32b forming the fourth housing 32 are disposed with a gap therebetween, and this serves as a take-out portion 35 for taking out the seaweed plate N adsorbed to the seaweed plate adsorption portion NA to the side. That is, the take-out portion 35 is formed to open to the side of the seaweed plate N adsorbed to the adsorption hole 32s.

[0090] Fig. 14 shows the air flow when the nori sheet stack NT is loaded on the tray 30. Here, Fig. 14(a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when the nori sheet stack is loaded on the tray in the nori sheet separation device of the second embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 14(b) is a rear view of Fig. 14(a), and Fig. 14(c) is a plan view of Fig. 14(a).

[0091] 14(c), in the nori sheet separation device M of this embodiment, a blocking wall 36 is provided on the opposite side of the third housing 31 across the nori sheet stack NT, blocking the lateral outflow of air ejected from the ejection holes 31s of the third housing 31. This blocking wall 36 is removable, and the nori sheet stack NT is loaded onto the tray 30 after removing the blocking wall 36.

[0092] 14, the air ejected from the upper ejection hole 31sa of the third housing 31 onto the upper side of the nori sheet stack NT enters the gaps between each sheet of nori, separating and lifting each sheet of nori. As a result, the topmost sheet of nori sheet N of the nori sheet stack NT reaches the suction hole 32s formed in the fourth housing 32 and is adsorbed thereto.

[0093] Now, even in the nori sheet separation device M of embodiment 2, if the height of the nori sheet stack NT is low (i.e., if the height of the nori sheet stack NT gradually decreases or if the height of the nori sheet stack NT is low from the beginning), the air ejected from the upper outlet hole 31sa of the third housing 31 does not hit the upper part of the side of the nori sheet stack NT, and the nori sheet does not float up, and as a result, the topmost nori sheet N is not adsorbed by the suction hole 32s.

[0094] The air flow when the height of the nori sheet stack NT loaded on the tray 30 is lowered is shown in Fig. 15. Here, Fig. 15(a) is a side view conceptually showing the air flow when the nori sheet stack NT with a lowered height is loaded on the tray in the nori sheet separation device of the second embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 15(b) is a rear view of Fig. 15(a), and Fig. 15(c) is a plan view of Fig. 15(a).

[0095] As described above, in the seaweed plate separation device M of the second embodiment, the blocking wall 36 is provided in the direction of travel of the air ejected from the ejection holes 31s of the third housing 31 (i.e., there is no portion corresponding to the air ejection section 4s described in the first embodiment), so the amount of air supplied exceeds the amount of air ejected. Therefore, the seaweed plates of the seaweed plate stack NT are largely lifted up, and the seaweed plate N located at the top can easily reach the adsorption area, i.e., the adsorption holes 32s formed in the fourth housing 32.

[0096] Furthermore, the third housing 31 of the seaweed plate separation device M is formed with a lower outlet hole 31sb for blowing air from the side toward the height position of the seaweed plate mounting surface 30a of the tray 30. Therefore, as shown in Figures 15(a) and 15(b), the seaweed plate stack NT with less seaweed plate is forcibly pushed up from below by the air blown from the lower outlet hole 31sb. As a result, the seaweed plates of the seaweed plate stack NT quickly float up, and the seaweed plate N located at the top can quickly reach the suction hole 32s formed in the fourth housing 32.

[0097] Next, the operation of the nori sheet separation device M of the second embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Here, Fig. 16(a) to Fig. 16(j) are explanatory diagrams continuously showing the adsorption operation of the nori sheet in the nori sheet separation device of the second embodiment.

[0098] First, as shown in Fig. 16(a), the nori sheet stack NT is placed on the tray 30, and the blower 34 is started to operate. Then, as shown in Fig. 16(b), the air ejected from the upper ejection hole 31sa of the third housing 31 hits the upper side of the nori sheet stack NT, causing the upper nori sheet to start floating up, and as shown in Fig. 16(c), the uppermost nori sheet N that has floated up is attracted to the suction hole 32s formed in the fourth housing 32.

[0099] 16(d), when the topmost seaweed plate N that has risen to the surface is adsorbed to the suction hole 32s, the suction hole 32s is blocked by the seaweed plate, and the amount of air flowing in through the suction hole 32s is greatly reduced. This weakens the force of the suction hole 32s to adsorb the seaweed plate, and also greatly reduces the amount of air ejected from the ejection hole 31s of the third housing 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 16(e), the unadsorbed seaweed plate (i.e., the seaweed plate other than the top one) descends, creating a space between it and the adsorbed seaweed plate, and since the force of the suction hole 32s to adsorb the seaweed plate N is weakened as described above, the adsorbed seaweed plate N can be easily pulled out.

[0100] When the seaweed sheet N is pulled out in this manner, as shown in Fig. 16(f), the suction holes 32s formed in the fourth housing 32 are opened and the amount of air flowing in increases, so that the amount of air ejected from the ejection holes 31s of the third housing 31 also increases. As a result, the air ejected from the upper ejection holes 31sa hits the upper part of the side surface of the seaweed sheet stack NT, causing the seaweed sheet to float up again. This causes the process to return to Fig. 16(c) described above, and the operations of Fig. 16(c) to Fig. 16(f) are repeatedly executed.

[0101] When the nori sheets N are pulled out from the nori sheet stack NT and the weight of the nori sheet stack NT decreases as the amount of nori sheets forming the nori sheet stack NT decreases, as shown in Figure 16(g), the nori sheets are blown up from below by air ejected from the lower outlet 31sb of the third housing 31 laterally toward the height position of the nori sheet mounting surface 30a of the tray 30, making it easier for the nori sheets N to be adsorbed by the suction holes 32s.

[0102] In this manner, the nori sheets N are adsorbed by the suction holes 32s formed in the fourth housing 32, and the nori sheets N are pulled out one by one from the nori sheet stack NT, until the last sheet of nori N is pulled out, as shown in FIG. 16(h).

[0103] After the last seaweed plate N is pulled out, the seaweed plate separation device M of embodiment 2 is not equipped with a mechanism to detect that there is no more seaweed plate on the tray 30, so as shown in Figure 16(i), the blower 34 continues to operate, causing air to flow into the suction hole 32s of the fourth housing 32 and be sprayed out from the spray hole 31s of the third housing 31.

[0104] Then, when the operator realizes that there is no more seaweed sheet on the tray 30 (i.e., the seaweed sheet N is no longer being attracted even when the blower 34 is operating), he or she stops the blower 34 as shown in FIG. 16(j).

[0105] In this way, also in the nori plate separation device M of the second embodiment, the nori plate stack NT is loaded on the tray 30, and the air ejection section AS, which is the third housing 31 having the upper ejection holes 31sa, ejects air from the side toward the upper side of the nori plate stack NT to separate and lift the nori plates one by one, and the nori plate suction section NA, which is the fourth housing 32 having the suction holes 32s, adsorbs the upper surface of the uppermost nori plate N that has been lifted by the air, and the adsorbed nori plate N is taken out to the side from the removal section 35. Therefore, it is possible to reliably remove one nori plate N from the nori plate stack NT without damage.

[0106] Moreover, the seaweed plate separation device M of the second embodiment uses only one blower, is not equipped with a lifting mechanism for the tray 30, and does not control the operation of the blower or the lifting mechanism while detecting the presence or absence of the seaweed plate N by a detection means such as a mechanical sensor 9. Therefore, with an extremely simple structure, it is possible to reliably remove one seaweed plate N from the seaweed plate stack NT without damage.

[0107] The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiment, but the embodiment disclosed in this specification is illustrative in all respects and is not limited to the disclosed technology. In other words, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted restrictively based on the description in the above embodiment, but should be interpreted strictly according to the description in the claims, and includes technologies equivalent to the described technologies in the claims and all modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the claims.

[0108] For example, in the first embodiment, a contact-type mechanical sensor 9 is used as a detection means for detecting whether or not the nori plate N is adsorbed by the nori plate adsorption portion NA, but a photoelectric sensor or an ultrasonic sensor that detects the presence or absence of the nori plate N adsorbed to the nori plate adsorption portion NA in a non-contact manner may also be used. If a non-contact type sensor is used, there is no contact between the adsorbed nori plate N and the mechanical sensor 9, so that damage to the nori plate N is more reliably prevented.

[0109] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism for the tray 7 is not limited to the mechanism shown in embodiment 1. For example, various mechanisms can be used as long as it is possible to lift and lower the tray 7, such as a lifting mechanism in which the four corners of the tray 7 are suspended by wires and the tray is lifted and lowered by winding and unwinding the wires or rotating the wires, or a lifting mechanism in which the tray 7 is supported from below by an expandable rod (for example, expandable by a ball screw) and the tray 7 is lifted and lowered by the expansion and contraction of the rod.

[0110] In addition, in this embodiment, air is sprayed from the front of the nori sheet separation device M to the upper part of the internal space of the device (i.e., the upper part of the nori sheet stack NT), but the air spray position does not have to be the front of the nori sheet separation device M and may be, for example, the side or back.

[0111] Moreover, in the first embodiment, the first housing 1 is the first ejection member, and in the second embodiment, the third housing 31 is the second ejection member, and both ejection members are configured with housings. However, the first ejection member and the second ejection member may be nozzles with ejection ports formed at their tips, rather than housings. Similarly, in the first embodiment, the second housing 2 is the first suction member, and in the second embodiment, the fourth housing 32 is the second suction member, and both suction members are configured with housings. However, the first suction member and the second suction member may also be nozzles with suction ports formed at their tips, rather than housings.

[0112] The nori sheet transport device NC described in the first embodiment can also be applied to the nori sheet separation device M in the second embodiment. [Industrial Applicability]

[0113] The above explanation shows that the nori sheets separated and removed by the nori sheet separation device of the present invention are used to make nori rolls or rice balls wrapped in nori, but the uses of the removed nori sheets are not particularly limited and can be varied, such as hand-rolled sushi and seaweed mochi. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1 First housing (first ejection member) 1a Recess 1s spout 2 Second housing (first suction member) 2a Main housing section 2b Sub-casing section 2s suction hole 4s Air discharge part 5. Blower (first blower) 6. Suction blower (second blower) 7 Tray 7a Seaweed loading board 7b standing board 8 Removal section 9 Mechanical sensors (detection means) 10 Arm 10a Tray Guide Bearing 11 Inner plate 11a long hole 12 Tray lifting drive motor (tray lifting drive section) 13 Tray drive gear 14 Tray drive plate 15 Tray Drive Rack 16 Tray lifting block 16a Slope 20a Drive roller 20b Driven roller 21 Conveyor belt 22 Transport roller 23 Transport Tray 30 Tray 30a Seaweed sheet mounting surface 31 third housing (second ejection member) 31s spout 31sa Upper spout hole (spout hole) 31sb Lower spout hole (spout hole) 32 fourth housing (second suction member) 32a Main housing part 32b Sub-casing section 32s suction hole 33a Communication housing 33b Communication housing 34 Blower 35 Removal part 36 Blocking Wall AS Air outlet M plate seaweed separation device N Nori sheet NA plate seaweed adsorption part NC Nori sheet conveying device NT Nori Laminate P1 front plate P2 top plate P3a side plate P3aa Guide hole P3ab Cover P3b bottom plate P3ba Slide hole P4 back plate

Claims

1. A tray carrying a laminate of nori sheets, the laminate being made up of a plurality of laminated nori sheets; A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the tray; An air blowing section that blows air from the side toward the upper side of the laminated sheet of seaweed to separate and lift the sheets of seaweed one by one; A seaweed sheet adsorption unit that adsorbs the upper surface of the uppermost seaweed sheet floated by air; A take-out section that takes out the seaweed sheet adsorbed on the seaweed sheet adsorption section to the side; a detection means for detecting whether or not the nori sheet is adsorbed by the nori sheet adsorption section; The air ejection portion is A first ejection member having an ejection hole facing the upper side of the laver laminate; a first blower that blows the air taken into the first blowing member through the blowing hole, The laver adsorption unit is A first suction member having a suction hole formed therein and located above the laver sheet stack; a second blower that draws air into the first suction member through the suction hole, When the detection means does not detect adhesion of the nori sheet, the first blower and the second blower are driven, When the detection means detects that the sheet of seaweed is stuck to the surface of the substrate, the first blower is stopped or driven at a reduced output, and the second blower is driven at a reduced output. The lifting mechanism includes: when the detection means detects that the nori sheet has not been adsorbed to the nori sheet adsorption portion for a predetermined time, the tray is raised to a height at which the detection means detects that the nori sheet has been adsorbed to the nori sheet adsorption portion. A sheet seaweed separation device characterized by the above.

2. When the detection means does not detect that the nori sheet is adsorbed to the nori sheet adsorption portion even if the lifting mechanism lifts the tray to the upper end position, The lifting mechanism moves the tray to a lower end, The first fan and the second fan are stopped.

2. The seaweed sheet separating device according to claim 1.

3. The lifting mechanism includes: Arms fixed to both sides of the tray and extending horizontally; A guide hole for guiding the arm in the vertical direction; a tray driving plate having tray lifting blocks attached to both ends thereof, the tray lifting blocks inclining upward toward the rear of the apparatus and engaging with the arms; a tray lifting drive unit that slides the tray drive plate back and forth; 3. The seaweed sheet separating device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An air discharge portion is formed on the opposite side of the first ejection member across the laver laminate, for discharging the air ejected from the ejection hole of the first ejection member. The seaweed sheet separating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The first ejection member includes: a first housing that is disposed to the side of the tray and has the ejection hole formed on a side surface thereof; The first adsorption member is a second housing disposed above the tray and having the suction hole formed on a bottom surface thereof; The seaweed sheet separating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The air ejection portion is A second ejection member having an ejection hole directed toward the upper side of the laver laminate, The laver adsorption unit is A second suction member is provided in communication with the second ejection member and has a suction hole located above the laver sheet stack, A blower is disposed between the second ejection member and the second suction member, the blower taking in air from the suction holes and ejecting the air from the ejection holes.

2. The seaweed sheet separating device according to claim 1.

7. The second ejection member further has an ejection hole formed at a height position of the nori sheet mounting surface of the tray.

7. The seaweed sheet separating device according to claim 6.

8. A blocking wall is provided on the opposite side of the second ejection member across the laver laminate to block the lateral flow of the air ejected from the ejection hole of the second ejection member.

8. The seaweed sheet separating device according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The second ejection member includes: a third housing that is disposed to the side of the tray and has the ejection hole formed in a side surface portion that faces the tray, The second adsorption member is a fourth housing disposed above the tray and having the suction hole formed on a lower surface thereof; The seaweed sheet separating device according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. The removal portion is formed to open to the side of the adsorbed nori sheet. The seaweed sheet separating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images