Food cutting and dishing up system and food cutting and dishing up method

Abstract

To provide a food cutting and dishing up system for sequentially placing food pieces cut out in a unit of a plurality of rows on a tray or the like, which can shorten a tact time from a time at which a robot hand starts to move from a standby position to pick up the food pieces and dish up the food pieces until the robot hand returns to the next standby position.SOLUTION: A food cutting and dishing up system comprises: a cutting device configured to cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces from one or more massive foods; a conveying device for conveying each row of the food pieces; and a robot hand configured to pick up a first row of food pieces out of the plurality of rows and place the food pieces in a predetermined region, and then pick up a second row of food pieces different from the first row and place the food pieces in the predetermined region. A second standby position A2 where a robot hand H stands by before picking up the second row of the food pieces is located downstream of a first standby position A1 where the robot hand H stands by before picking up the first row of the food pieces in the conveying direction of the food pieces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a food cutting and serving system and a food cutting and serving method.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional food cutting and serving system, sliced meat is cut out in two columns, and the sliced meat in each column is overlapped while being shifted by one pitch each to form a group of sliced meat (hereinafter also referred to as scale-lined meat), and these scale-lined meats are configured to be served on a tray by a robot hand (for example, the one shown in Patent Document 1).

[0003] More specifically, this robot hand is configured to scoop up the scale-lined meat in the first row and serve it on a tray, and then pick up the scale-lined meat in the adjacent second row and serve it on the same tray.

[0004] In such a configuration, depending on the time required for these operations (hereinafter also referred to as tact time) between picking up and serving the sliced meat in the first row and returning to the standby position before picking up the scale-lined meat in the second row, the sliced meat in the second row is conveyed by several pitches.

[0005] Nevertheless, if the movement of the robot hand with respect to the scale-lined meat in the second row is controlled in the same manner as the movement of the robot hand with respect to the scale-lined meat in the first row, there will be a wasteful movement of the robot hand due to the fact that the scale-lined meat in the second row is conveyed downstream, resulting in a problem that the tact time becomes unnecessarily long.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to shorten the above-mentioned takt time in a food cutting and plating system in which food pieces cut in multiple rows are sequentially plated on a tray or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In other words, the food cutting and plating system of the present invention comprises a cutting device which cuts out multiple rows of food pieces from one or more block food products; a conveying device which transports each row of the food pieces; and a robotic hand which picks up the food pieces in a first row of the multiple rows and plates them in a designated area, and then picks up the food pieces in a second row separate from the first row and plates them in the designated area, and is characterized in that a second waiting position where the robotic hand waits before picking up the food pieces in the second row is downstream in the transport direction of the food pieces than a first waiting position where the robotic hand waits before picking up the food pieces in the first row.

[0009] In the food cutting and plating system configured in this manner, the second waiting position is located downstream of the first waiting position, so the distance from the second waiting position to the food pieces in the second row can be shortened compared to when the movement of the robot hand relative to the second row of food pieces is controlled in the same way as the movement of the robot hand relative to the first row of food pieces, thereby shortening the takt time.

[0010] It is preferable that the conveying device intermittently conveys the multiple food pieces while shifting them by one pitch to stack them to form a group of food pieces, and that the conveying device is further equipped with a second waiting position calculation unit that calculates the second waiting position using the number of pitches through which the second row of food pieces has been conveyed between the time when the robot hand starts to move from the first waiting position and a predetermined time thereafter, and a pitch distance, which is the conveying distance per pitch. With such a configuration, since the second standby position is calculated using the number of pitches and the pitch distance, even if the number of pitches or the pitch distance changes, an appropriate second standby position corresponding to the number of pitches and the pitch distance can be calculated.

[0011] It is preferable that the predetermined timing is the timing when the robot hand finishes loading the food piece group in the first row into the predetermined area. With such a configuration, since the second standby position can be calculated using the number of pitches at the timing when the robot hand finishes loading the food piece group in the first row, in other words, the timing immediately before the robot hand starts to return to the second standby position, the tact time can be shortened as much as possible.

[0012] It is further preferable to further include imaging means for imaging the food piece group being conveyed by the conveying device from above, and a position correction unit for correcting the second standby position calculated by the second standby position calculation unit using the imaging data obtained by the imaging means. With such a configuration, the second standby position can be corrected in consideration of the deviation of the food piece group, and while shortening the tact time, the food piece group can be picked up more reliably.

[0013] Here, in the system configuration using the imaging means described above, as one aspect for making the system more compact, it is conceivable to shorten the conveying conveyor for the food piece group.

[0014] In this case, since the distance between the imaging means and the robot hand becomes shorter, as a result, the robot hand may fall within the imaging angle of the imaging means. Then, when imaging the food piece group conveyed into the imaging range of the imaging means, it seems that the robot hand will get in the way and imaging cannot be performed. However, actually, if it is the timing when the food piece group conveyed downstream of the imaging range is being picked up, since the robot hand is outside the imaging angle, the food piece group in the imaging range can be imaged.

[0015] However, even if this is done, the leading group of food pieces that are conveyed first in the first row cannot be imaged because the robot hand remains within the angle of view.

[0016] Therefore, it is preferable that the first waiting position is set outside the angle of view of the imaging means on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the food pieces, and that the robot hand moves from the first waiting position to the upstream side of the conveying direction of the food pieces, and then moves to the downstream side of the conveying direction of the food pieces to pick up the food pieces. With this configuration, the first standby position is set outside the angle of view of the imaging means, so that the imaging means does not get in the way when imaging the leading food piece group, and the leading food piece group can be imaged. Furthermore, since the robot hand moves upstream once and then picks up the food pieces, the distance from the imaging means to the robot hand can be shortened and the transport conveyor that transports the food pieces can be shortened, making the system more compact.

[0017] In addition, the food cutting and serving system of the present invention comprises a cutting device which cuts out multiple rows of food pieces from one or more blocks of food; a conveying device which transports each row of the food pieces; and a robotic hand which scoops up the food pieces in a first row of the multiple rows and arranges them in a designated area, and then scoops up the food pieces in a second row different from the first row and arranges them in the designated area, wherein the robotic hand is configured to scoop up the food pieces by moving from a designated scooping start position along the food transport direction, and the second scooping start position for the food pieces in the second row is downstream in the food piece transport direction than the first scooping start position for the food pieces in the first row.

[0018] According to the food cutting and serving system configured as described above, since the second scooping start position is downstream of the first scooping start position, compared with the case where the movement of the robot hand for the food pieces in the second row is controlled in the same manner as the movement of the robot hand for the food pieces in the first row, the operation time for scooping up the food pieces in the second row can be shortened, and accordingly, the tact time can be reduced.

[0019] The conveying device is configured to form a group of food pieces by stacking a plurality of the food pieces while shifting them one pitch at a time by intermittent conveyance. The robot hand moves from a predetermined first standby position to the first scooping start position to scoop up the group of food pieces in the first row, and after serving the group of food pieces in the predetermined area, moves from a predetermined second standby position to the second scooping start position to scoop up the group of food pieces in the second row and serve the group of food pieces in the predetermined area. It is preferable to include a second scooping start position calculation unit that calculates the second scooping start position using the number of pitches by which the group of food pieces in the second row is conveyed from the timing when the robot hand starts moving from the first standby position until a predetermined timing thereafter and the pitch distance, which is the conveyance distance per pitch. With such a configuration, since the second scooping start position is calculated using the number of pitches and the pitch distance, even if the number of pitches or the pitch distance changes, an appropriate second scooping start position corresponding to the number of pitches and the pitch distance can be calculated.

[0020] It is preferable that the predetermined timing is the timing when the robot hand finishes moving to the second standby position. In this case, since the second scooping start position can be calculated using the number of pitches at the timing when the robot hand finishes moving to the second standby position, that is, immediately before the robot hand starts moving to the second scooping start position, the tact time can be reduced as much as possible.

[0021] It is preferable that the food processing device further includes an imaging means for imaging from above the group of food pieces being transported by the transport device, and further includes a position correction unit for correcting the second scooping start position calculated by the second scooping start position calculation unit using imaging data obtained by the imaging means. With this configuration, the second scooping start position can be corrected taking into account the deviation of the food piece, and the food piece can be picked up more reliably while shortening the tact time.

[0022] In addition, the food cutting and plating method of the present invention includes a cutting step of cutting multiple rows of food pieces from one or more block food products, a transporting step of transporting each row of food pieces, and a plating step of picking up the food pieces in a first row of the multiple rows and plating them in a designated area, and then picking up the food pieces in a second row different from the first row and plating them in the designated area, wherein a second waiting position where the robot hand waits before picking up the food pieces in the second row is downstream in the transport direction of the food pieces than a first waiting position where the robot hand waits before picking up the food pieces in the first row.

[0023] Furthermore, the food cutting and plating method of the present invention includes a cutting step of cutting multiple rows of food pieces from one or more blocks of food, a transporting step of transporting each row of the food pieces, and a plating step of scooping up the food pieces in a first row of the multiple rows and plating them in a designated area, and then scooping up the food pieces in a second row different from the first row and plating them in the designated area, wherein in the plating step, a robot hand moves along the food transport direction from a designated scooping start position to scoop up the food pieces, and the second scooping start position for the food pieces in the second row is downstream in the food piece transport direction than the first scooping start position for the food pieces in the first row.

[0024] These food cutting and serving methods can achieve the same effects as the food cutting and serving system described above. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention configured as described above, in a food cutting and loading system for successively loading food pieces cut out in plural columns onto a tray or the like, it is possible to shorten the tact time, which is the time from when the robot hand moves out from the standby position, picks up the food piece, loads the food piece, and then returns to the next standby position again.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a food cutting and loading system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the food cutting and plating system 1 of this embodiment comprises a cutting device 100 that slices block food, a first conveying device 200 that transports the food pieces cut out from the cutting device 100, a food plating device 300 that arranges the food pieces transported by the first conveying device 200 into a container Z such as a tray, and a second conveying device 400 that carries away the container Z such as a tray on which the food pieces are arranged.

[0029] In this embodiment, sliced ​​meat sliced ​​from a block of meat will be described as the food pieces to be served. More specifically, the cutting device 100 slices the block of meat and sends the sliced ​​meat in two rows to the first conveying device 200. However, the cutting device 100 may be configured to send three or more rows of sliced ​​meat.

[0030] In the first conveying device 200, multiple sliced ​​pieces of meat are intermittently conveyed, shifted by one pitch at a time, to form a sliced ​​meat group M (hereinafter also referred to as scaly meat M), and this scaly meat M is then arranged on a container Z such as a tray by the food serving device 300 described later.

[0031] In the following, for ease of explanation, in a plan view of the device, the X-axis is set along a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the scaly meat M by the first conveying device 200, and the Y-axis is set along the conveying direction, and when viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction, the right side is the positive side of the X-axis, the left side is the negative side of the X-axis, the downstream side in the conveying direction is the positive side of the Y-axis, and the upstream side in the conveying direction is the negative side of the Y-axis (see Figure 1).

[0032] (Cutting device 100) The cutting device 100 is supplied with a plurality of rows of meat chunks and cuts out slices of meat for each row.

[0033] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the cutting device includes a meat box 101 for containing chunks of meat, a drive source 103 such as a motor for swinging the meat box 101 up and down around a swing shaft 102, a cutting blade 104 such as a band knife for slicing the chunks of meat, and a slicer-side controller 105 for controlling the operation of the drive source 103, the cutting blade 104, etc.

[0034] The cutting device 100 of this embodiment is further equipped with a shape measurement means 106 that measures the shape of the chunk of meat, and has a function of automatically adjusting the number of sliced ​​meat that form the scaly meat M using the measurement data from this shape measurement means 106.

[0035] This shape measuring means 106 utilizes a laser sensor, and specifically, it projects laser light toward the chunk of meat and calculates the distance to a number of reflection points on the periphery of the chunk of meat to obtain a cross-sectional profile of the chunk of meat (including the shape and size of the cross section, or the height and left and right width dimensions).The cross-sectional profile, which is the measurement data obtained by the shape measuring means 106, is then sequentially output to the slicer-side controller 105.

[0036] The slicer-side controller 105 is previously input with a target weight (e.g., 100 g) of the scalloped meat M to be served in one container Z and an allowable range of thickness of the sliced ​​meat forming the scalloped meat M (e.g., 2 mm±5%).

[0037] Then, the slicer-side controller 105 determines the number of sliced ​​meat sheets (hereinafter also referred to as the number of scales) that form one piece of scaly meat M based on the target weight of the scaly meat M, the allowable range of the thickness of the sliced ​​meat, and the cross-sectional profile, which is the measurement data received from the shape measurement means 106.

[0038] However, the specific configuration of the cutting device 100 is not limited to the above, so long as it has a function of automatically adjusting the number of scale rows. For example, as the shape measurement means 106, a laser sensor provided above and below the lump meat may be used, or an imaging device that images the cut surface of the lump meat may be used. Further, as the slicer side controller 105, it may be configured to use the total weight, specific gravity, etc. of the lump meat in determining the number of scales. Furthermore, a height detection means for pressing the lump meat from above to detect the height may be provided, and this height detection means may be used as the shape measurement means 106, or the camera CA described later may be used as the shape measurement means 106.

[0039] The slicer side controller 105 receives the scale length, which is the length of the scale meat M along the arrangement direction of the sliced meat. For example, the scale length can be set in the slicer side controller 105 via an input means such as a touch panel, keyboard, or mouse. Note that the scale length is determined according to the size of the container Z in which the scale meat M is placed. The scale length itself may be input and set, or the size of the container Z may be input so that the scale length corresponding to the size of the container Z is set.

[0040] Then, the slicer side controller 105 calculates the conveyance distance per pitch (hereinafter referred to as the pitch distance) when intermittently conveying the sliced meat cut out by the cutting device 100 based on the above-described number of scales and scale length, and controls the first conveyance device 200 described later based on this pitch distance.

[0041] (First Conveyance Device 200) As shown in FIG. 1, the first conveyance device 200 conveys the sliced meat cut out from the cutting device 100, and is, for example, a belt conveyor having an endless conveyance belt 201 and a drive source (not shown) such as a servo motor that drives this conveyance belt 201.

[0042] In the above-described configuration, the drive source is controlled by a control signal output from the slicer side controller 105, the conveyance belt 201 is driven, and the sliced meat is stacked while being shifted by one pitch at a time to form the scale meat M.

[0043] More specifically, the first conveyor device 200 receives, from the slicer side controller 105, a control signal indicating the pitch distance and the number of pitches for forming each scale-shaped piece of meat M, and intermittently conveys the sliced meat by the number of pitches received for each pitch distance. As a result, one scale-shaped piece of meat M is formed, and the scale-shaped piece of meat M is sent out toward a collection position P preset on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 201.

[0044] When the scale-shaped piece of meat M is conveyed to the collection position P, the conveyor belt 201 temporarily stops, and in this stopped state, the scale-shaped piece of meat M at the collection position P is scooped up by a food serving device 300 described later.

[0045] (Camera CA) Also, as shown in FIG. 1, an imaging region S where the conveyed scale-shaped piece of meat M is imaged is set upstream of the collection position P on the conveyor belt 201 of the first conveyor device 200, and above this imaging region S, a camera CA as an imaging means for imaging the scale-shaped piece of meat M is provided.

[0046] The camera CA here is arranged at the center in the width direction of the conveyor belt 201 in a plan view, and is configured to be able to image the first row of scale-shaped pieces of meat M and the second row of scale-shaped pieces of meat M conveyed to the imaging region S simultaneously with a common camera CA.

[0047] (Food serving device 300) The food serving device 300 scoops up the scale-shaped piece of meat M conveyed by the first conveyor device 200 and serves it into a container Z conveyed by the second conveyor device 400, as shown in FIG. 1. Here, the food serving device 300 is arranged on the left side of the first conveyor device 200, but is not limited to this position and may be arranged on the right side.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, this food serving device 300 includes a serving robot 310 that picks up the scaly meat M being conveyed, and a robot controller 320 that controls this serving robot 310.

[0049] (Serving robot 310) As shown in FIG. 3, the serving robot 310 is attached to a base 13 fixed to the floor of a processing factory or the like, and a plurality of movable parts 11 such as an arm, a wrist, and a robot hand H (hereinafter also simply referred to as hand H) are connected to each other via a joint part 12.

[0050] In such a configuration, the movable part 11 is configured to be rotatable or turnable around an axis provided in the joint part 12, or is configured to be able to move back and forth in the left - right direction (X - direction), the front - rear direction (Y - direction), or the up - down direction via the joint part 12.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the serving robot 310 of this embodiment has a hand H, which is the part for scooping up the scaly meat M, in a flat plate shape. By moving this hand H so as to crawl on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 201 from the upstream side to the downstream side of the first conveyor device 200 (that is, from the minus side in the Y - direction to the plus side), the scaly meat M is scooped up.

[0052] More specifically, when the scale meat M is conveyed to the above-described collection position P, as shown in FIG. 4, the hand H starts moving from the standby position A to the starting scooping position B, and moves from this starting scooping position B to the ending scooping position C while crawling on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 201, thereby scooping up the scale meat M at the collection position P. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the hand H moves from the starting loading position D set above the predetermined area of the container Z to the ending loading position E for the scooped-up scale meat M, and drops the scale meat M into the predetermined area of the container Z during this movement. Thereafter, the hand H moves to the standby position A before scooping up the next scale meat M. Note that the starting scooping position B is the position where the tip of the hand H starts to contact the upper surface of the conveyor belt 201, and the ending scooping position C is the position immediately before the tip of the hand H leaves the upper surface of the conveyor belt 201.

[0053] Here, the time required for the series of operations of the hand H described above, that is, the time required for the hand H to move from the standby position A to the starting scooping position B, move from this starting scooping position B to the ending scooping position C to scoop up the scale meat M, then load the scale meat M into the container Z, and move to the next standby position A, is referred to as the tact time in this specification.

[0054] As the speed of the hand H, among the series of operations described above, the operation of moving from the standby position A to the starting scooping position B, the operation of moving from the ending scooping position C to the starting loading position D after scooping up the scale meat M, and the operation of returning from the ending loading position E to the next standby position A are controlled such that the operation of moving from the starting scooping position B to the ending scooping position C is slower.

[0055] (Robot controller 320) The robot controller 320 controls the operation of the hand H, and is specifically a general-purpose or dedicated computer that exchanges various data with the above-described slicer-side controller 105.

[0056] In this embodiment, in accordance with the command from the robot controller 105, after the hand H picks up the scale meat M in the first row and packs it into the container Z, the hand H picks up the scale meat M in the second row, which is different from the first row, and packs it into the same container Z.

[0057] (Second transfer device 400) As shown in FIG. 1, the second transfer device 400 transfers a container Z such as a tray to a packing position facing the transfer end of the first transfer device 200. For example, it is a chain conveyor having an endless chain (not shown) and a drive source (not shown) such as a motor for driving this chain. However, the second transfer device 400 may be a belt conveyor using an endless belt.

[0058] This second transfer device 400 is arranged on the terminal side of the first transfer device 200, and its transfer direction is set to be orthogonal to the transfer direction of the first transfer device 200 in a plan view.

[0059] In such a configuration, the second transfer device 400 stops the container Z at the above-described packing position Q until the packing of the scale meat M into the container Z by the food packing device 300 is repeated a set number of times and completed. Then, after the packing of the scale meat M into the container Z is completed, it is driven to carry out the container Z after packing and send out the next empty container Z to the packing position Q.

[0060] (Features of the food cutting and packing system 1) However, as shown in FIG. 5, the food cutting and packing system 1 of this embodiment is characterized in that, when paying attention to the scale meat M packed in the same container Z (predetermined area), the second standby position A2 where the hand H waits before picking up the scale meat M in the second row is downstream in the transfer direction of the scale meat M compared to the first standby position A1 where the hand H waits before picking up the scale meat M in the first row.

[0061] More specifically, when the program for the loading device stored in the memory operates and the CPU and its peripheral devices cooperate, as shown in FIG. 6, the robot controller 320 described above functions as a pitch number acquisition unit 21, a pitch distance acquisition unit 22, a second standby position calculation unit 23, a second scooping start position calculation unit 24, a position correction unit 25, a position data storage unit 26, and a command unit 27.

[0062] Hereinafter, the operation of the food cutting and loading system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 while also explaining the functions of each part. In the following description, the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the scale meat M is simply referred to as the upstream side, and the downstream side in the conveyance direction is simply referred to as the downstream side.

[0063] First, when the scale meat M composed of a plurality of sliced meats cut by the cutting device 100 is conveyed to the imaging area S, the camera CA, which is the imaging means, images the scale meat M. At this time, in the present embodiment, the first row of scale meat M and the second row of scale meat M conveyed to the imaging area S are simultaneously imaged by the common camera CA.

[0064] After that, when the imaged scale meat M is conveyed to the collection position P, the hand H moves from the first standby position A1 before starting to scoop the first row of scale meat M as shown in FIG. 5, and scoops up the scale meat M. The first standby position A1 is set outside the viewing angle on the downstream side of the camera CA.

[0065] More specifically, the first standby position A1, the first scooping start position B1, and the first scooping end position C1 are set in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the hand H first moves from the first standby position A1 to the first scooping start position B1 (S1). Then, the hand H moves along the conveyor belt 201 from the first scooping start position B1 toward the first scooping end position C1 to scoop up the first row of scale meat M (S2). During the movement of the hand H from the first scooping start position B1 to the scooping end position C1 at this time, the scale meat M to be scooped up later and conveyed to the imaging area S is imaged by the camera CA.

[0066] Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the first scooping start position B1 of the present embodiment is the position where the position correction unit 25 corrects the first reference scooping start position based on the imaging data obtained by the above-described camera CA. The first reference scooping start position is the position of the hand H that starts scooping the scaly meat M when the scaly meat M is conveyed to the collection position P without displacement, and is stored in advance in the position data storage unit 26 of the memory.

[0067] When receiving the imaging data, this position correction unit 25 calculates the first scooping start position B1 as the position where the first reference scooping start position is displaced by the amount of deviation of the actual position of the scaly meat M from the reference position, that is, the displacement amount in the X direction and the displacement amount in the Y direction with respect to the reference position. The reference position is the position of the scaly meat M that has been conveyed to the imaging region without displacement, and is stored in advance in the above-described position data storage unit 26.

[0068] This first scooping start position B1 is output from the position correction unit 25 to the command unit 27, and the command unit 27 moves the hand H from the first standby position A1 to the first scooping start position B1.

[0069] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the first scooping end position C1 is set as the position on the downstream side by a predetermined distance from the first scooping start position B1. Also regarding this first scooping end position C1, it is output to the command unit 27, and the command unit 27 moves the hand H from the first scooping start position B1 to the first scooping end position C1.

[0070] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the hand H packs the scooped first row of scaly meat M into the first predetermined region of the container Z.

[0071] Specifically, the hand H moves from the first scooping end position C1 to the first packing start position D1 set above the first predetermined region of the container Z (S3). Then, the hand H moves from this first packing start position D1 to the first packing end position E1 set upstream of it (S4), and during this movement, the scooped scaly meat M is dropped into the first predetermined region of the container Z.

[0072] At this time, the second standby position calculation unit 23 calculates the second standby position A2 to which the hand H will next move (S5). If the scale row meat M in the second row that should be scooped up next is, for example, something not worth serving such as waste meat, the calculation of the second standby position A2 by the second standby position calculation unit 23 is not performed, and the hand H returns to the first standby position A1.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 6, this second standby position calculation unit 23 calculates the second standby position A2 using the number of pitches and the pitch distance transmitted from the slicer side controller 105.

[0074] More specifically, the second standby position calculation unit 23 calculates the second standby position A2 using the number of pitches by which the scale row meat M in the second row is conveyed from the timing when the hand H starts moving from the first standby position A1 to a predetermined first timing thereafter, and the pitch distance of the scale row meat M.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 6, the number of pitches is obtained based on the signal output from the pitch number acquisition unit 21 of the robot controller 320 from the slicer side controller 105 described above.

[0076] Specifically, when the slicer side controller 105 moves the conveyor belt 201 by one pitch, a signal indicating this is output to the pitch number acquisition unit 21, and the pitch number acquisition unit 21 acquires the pitch number by counting this signal.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 6, the pitch distance is obtained based on the signal output from the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 of the robot controller 320 from the slicer side controller 105 described above.

[0078] Specifically, when the slicer side controller 105 calculates the pitch distance based on the number of scale rows and the scale row length as described above, this pitch distance is output to the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 for each piece of scale row meat M.

[0079] The above-mentioned predetermined first timing is, here, the timing when the hand H finishes scooping up the scale muscle M in the first row into a predetermined area, that is, the timing when the hand H finishes moving to the above-mentioned first scooping end position E1.

[0080] That is, the second standby position calculation unit 23 calculates the second standby position A2 by using the number of pitches acquired by the pitch number acquisition unit 21 during the period when the hand H moves from the first standby position A1 to the first scooping end position E1 and the pitch distance acquired by the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 corresponding to the scale muscle M to be scooped up.

[0081] More specifically, the second standby position calculation unit 23 multiplies the number of pitches acquired by the pitch number acquisition unit 21 by the pitch distance acquired by the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 to calculate a shift distance, and calculates, as the second standby position A2, the position obtained by shifting a predetermined reference standby position in the Y direction by this shift distance. The reference standby position is the position obtained by shifting the coordinates of the above-mentioned first standby position A1 in the X direction corresponding to the first row to the second row, and has the same Y coordinate as the first standby position A1, and is stored in advance in the position data storage unit 26 here.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 6, this second standby position A2 is output from the second standby position calculation unit 23 to the position correction unit 25, and the position correction unit 25 corrects the second standby position A2 based on the imaging data.

[0083] Specifically, the second standby position A2 is displaced by the amount of deviation of the actual position of the scale muscle M in the second row to be scooped up next with respect to the reference position, that is, the displacement amount in the X direction and the displacement amount in the Y direction with respect to the reference position.

[0084] The second standby position A2 after this correction is output from the position correction unit 25 to the command unit 27, and the command unit 27 moves the hand H from the first scooping end position E1 to the second standby position A2 after correction (S6).

[0085] At this time, the second scooping start position calculation unit 24 calculates the second scooping start position B2 to which the hand H will move next (S7).

[0086] As shown in FIG. 6, this second scooping start position calculation unit 24 calculates the second scooping start position B2 using the number of pitches and the pitch distance transmitted from the slicer side controller 105.

[0087] However, when focusing on the scale meat M packed in the same container Z (predetermined region) as shown in FIG. 5, the food cutting and packing system 1 of the present embodiment is characterized in that the second scooping start position B2 is downstream of the above-described first scooping start position B1.

[0088] More specifically, the second scooping start position calculation unit 24 calculates the second scooping start position B2 using the number of pitches by which the second row of scale meat M is conveyed from the timing when the hand H starts to move from the first standby position A1 to a predetermined second timing thereafter, and the pitch distance of the scale meat M.

[0089] The number of pitches and the pitch distance used for calculating this second scooping start position B2 are obtained by the pitch number acquisition unit 21 and the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 in the same manner as the calculation of the above-described second standby position A2.

[0090] The above-described second timing is, here, the timing when the hand H finishes moving to the second standby position A2, and more specifically, the timing when the hand H finishes moving to the corrected second standby position A2 corrected by the position correction unit 25.

[0091] That is, the second scooping start position calculation unit 24 calculates the second scooping start position B2 using the number of pitches acquired by the pitch number acquisition unit 21 and the pitch distance acquired by the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 while the hand H moves from the first standby position A1 to the corrected second standby position A2.

[0092] More specifically, the second starting position calculation unit 24 calculates a shift distance by multiplying the pitch distance obtained by the pitch distance acquisition unit 22 corresponding to the scaly muscle M to be lifted by the pitch number after adding one pitch to the pitch number obtained by the pitch number acquisition unit 21, and sets the position obtained by shifting the predetermined second reference starting position by this shift distance in the Y direction as the second starting position B2. The second reference starting position is the position obtained by shifting the coordinates of the first reference starting position described above in the X direction corresponding to the first column to the second column, and has the same Y coordinate as the first reference starting position, and is stored in advance in the position data storage unit 26 here.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 6, this second starting position B2 is output from the second starting position calculation unit 24 to the position correction unit 25, and the position correction unit 25 corrects the second starting position B2 based on the imaging data.

[0094] Specifically, the position correction unit 25 displaces the second starting position B2 by the amount of deviation of the actual position of the scaly muscle M in the second row to be lifted next from the reference position, that is, the displacement amounts in the X direction and the Y direction with respect to the reference position.

[0095] The corrected second starting position B2 is output from the position correction unit 25 to the command unit 27, and the command unit 27 moves the hand H from the second standby position A2 to the corrected second starting position B2 (S8).

[0096] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the second ending position C2 is set as the position on the downstream side by a predetermined distance from the corrected second starting position B2, and the second ending position C2 is also output to the command unit 27, and the command unit 27 moves the hand H from the corrected second starting position B2 to the second ending position C2 (S9).

[0097] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the hand H packs the scaly muscle M in the second row that has been lifted into the second predetermined region of the container Z.

[0098] Specifically, the hand H moves from the second scooping end position C2 to the second serving start position D2 set above the second predetermined area of the container Z (S10). Then, the hand H moves from this second serving start position D2 to the second serving end position E2 set upstream of it (S11), and during this movement, the scooped scale meat M is dropped into the second predetermined area of the container Z.

[0099] After that, the hand H returns from the second serving end position E2 to the first standby position A1 again (S12). Incidentally, after returning to the first standby position A1, if the scale meat M in the first row that should be scooped next is something that is not worth serving, such as waste meat, the hand H moves to the second standby position A2 without scooping the scale meat M in the first row. The second standby position A2 at this time is a position obtained by shifting the first standby position A1 in the X direction corresponding to the first row to the second row, and it has the same Y coordinate as the first standby position A1.

[0100] Thereafter, until the set number of scale meat M is served into the container Z, S1 to S12 are repeated.

[0101] (Function and effect of the food cutting and serving system 1 according to the present invention) According to the food cutting and serving system 1 configured as described above, since the second standby position A2 is downstream of the first standby position A1, compared to the case where the movement of the hand H for the scale meat M in the second row is controlled in the same way as the movement of the hand H for the scale meat M in the first row, the distance from the second standby position A2 to the scale meat M in the second row can be shortened, and accordingly, the tact time can be shortened.

[0102] Furthermore, since the second standby position A2 is downstream of the first standby position A1, and the container Z for serving the scale meat M is conveyed downstream of the second standby position A2 and the first standby position A1, the distance from when it is served into the container Z until it returns to the second standby position A2 is also shortened, and the tact time can be shortened accordingly.

[0103] Since the second standby position calculation unit 23 calculates the second standby position A2 using the number of pitches and the pitch distance, even if the number of pitches or the pitch distance changes, an appropriate second standby position A2 corresponding to the number of pitches and the pitch distance can be calculated.

[0104] Since the second standby position calculation unit 23 calculates the second standby position A2 at the timing when the hand H finishes scooping up the scaly meat M in the first row, the second standby position A2 can be calculated using the number of pitches at the timing immediately before the hand H starts to return to the second standby position A2, and the tact time can be shortened as much as possible.

[0105] Since the position correction unit 25 corrects the second standby position A2 calculated by the second standby position calculation unit 23 based on the imaging data, while shortening the tact time, the scaly meat M can be scooped up more reliably.

[0106] Furthermore, since the second scooping start position B2 is located downstream of the first scooping start position B1, compared with the case where the movement of the hand H with respect to the scaly meat M in the second row is controlled in the same manner as the movement of the hand H with respect to the scaly meat M in the first row, the operation time for scooping up the scaly meat M in the second row can be shortened, and accordingly, the tact time can be shortened.

[0107] Since the second scooping start position calculation unit 24 calculates the second scooping start position B2 using the number of pitches and the pitch distance, even when the number of pitches or the pitch distance is changed, an appropriate second scooping start position B2 corresponding to the number of pitches and the pitch distance can be calculated.

[0108] Since the second scooping start position calculation unit 24 calculates the second scooping start position B2 at the timing when the hand H finishes moving to the second standby position A2, the second scooping start position B2 can be calculated using the number of pitches at the timing immediately before the hand H starts to move to the second scooping start position B2, and the tact time can be shortened as much as possible.

[0109] Since the position correction unit 25 corrects the second scooping start position B2 calculated by the second scooping start section based on the imaging data, it is possible to more reliably scoop up the scale muscle M while shortening the tact time.

[0110] (Another Embodiment of the Food Cutting and Placing System 1 According to the Present Invention) Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0111] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the second standby position A2 was calculated using the number of pitches and the pitch distance. However, since it is only necessary that the second standby position A2 is downstream of the first standby position A1, for example, the second standby position A2 may be set downstream of the first standby position A1 by a certain distance.

[0112] Similarly, for the second scooping start position B2, although it was calculated using the number of pitches and the pitch distance, since it is only necessary that the second scooping start position B2 is downstream of the first scooping start position B1, for example, the second scooping start position B2 may be set downstream of the first scooping start position B1 by a certain distance.

[0113] The first timing for calculating the second standby position A2 is not limited to that described in the above-described embodiment. For example, it may be various timings as long as it is before the timing of starting to return to the second standby position A2, such as the timing of starting to place the scale muscle M in the first row into the container Z.

[0114] The second timing for calculating the second scooping start position B2 is not limited to that described in the above-described embodiment. For example, it may be various timings as long as it is before the timing of starting to move toward the second scooping start position B2, such as the timing of starting to place the scale muscle M in the first row into the container Z or the timing of finishing placing it.

[0115] It is not always necessary that one of the first row and the second row is always the right row and the other is the left row. For example, various modes may be adopted, such as setting the row with the longer dimension of the scale muscle M as the first row and the row with the shorter dimension as the second row.

[0116] Furthermore, the hand H does not necessarily have to scoop up the scaly meat M, but may be of various types that pick up the scaly meat M, such as by pinching it up.

[0117] In terms of the operation of the hand H, in the above embodiment, when scooping up the first row of scaly meat M, it only moves downstream from the first waiting position A1, but it may also be configured to move upstream from the first waiting position A1 once, and then move downstream to scoop up the scaly meat M.

[0118] 9, the hand H moves from the first standby position A1 to the upstream side, and then moves to a first scooping start position B1, which is set slightly downstream from the first standby position A1 and upstream of the first standby position A1. The hand H then moves along the conveyor belt 201 from the first scooping start position B1 toward a first scooping end position C1, which is set downstream of the first scooping start position B1, to scoop up the first row of scaly meat M.

[0119] With such a configuration, the tact time is slightly longer than in the above embodiment, but since the distance between the camera CA and the hand H can be shortened, the transport belt conveyor 201 can be shortened, and the system can be made more compact.

[0120] Furthermore, the cutting device 100 does not necessarily need to form the scaly meat M by intermittently conveying the sliced ​​meat, but may form the scaly meat M while continuously conveying the sliced ​​meat.

[0121] Although the cutting device 100 in the above embodiment is supplied with multiple rows of meat chunks and cuts sliced ​​meat for each row, it may be supplied with a single block of food and cut multiple rows of food pieces from the block of food. A specific embodiment may be configured such that one food piece cut from a block of food is divided into multiple pieces and the divided food pieces are transported in multiple rows.

[0122] Furthermore, as the conveyor belt 201, those for the first column and those for the second column may be provided, and they may be configured to be driven independently. In this case, the second standby position A2 does not necessarily have to be always downstream of the first standby position A1, and for the second scooping start position B2, it does not necessarily have to be always upstream of the first scooping start position B1 either.

[0123] Also, the functions of the pitch number acquisition unit 21, the pitch distance acquisition unit 22, the second standby position calculation unit 23, the second scooping start position calculation unit 24, the position correction unit 25, the position data storage unit 26, and the command unit 27 do not necessarily have to be all provided in the robot controller 320. For example, they may be provided in a computer different from the robot controller 320, such as the slicer side controller 105, a server cloud, or a portable terminal.

[0124] As the food to be served, in the above embodiment, the scaly meat M was taken up and described. However, for example, it may be a single thick slice of sliced meat, or further processed foods such as ham and cheese, seafood such as sliced fish, various vegetables, or food dough having flexibility and viscosity.

[0125] Also, the serving area for serving food by the food serving device 300 is not limited to a container Z such as a tray, and may be a predetermined area such as on a belt conveyor or on a stationary table.

[0126] Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0127] 1 ··· Food cutting and serving system 100 ··· Cutting device 200 ··· First conveyor device 300 ··· Food serving device 400 ··· Second conveyor device M ··· Scaly meat Z ··· Container CA ··· Camera 310 ··· Loading Robot 320 ··· Robot Controller 21 ··· Pitch Number Acquisition Unit 22 ··· Pitch Distance Acquisition Unit 23 ··· Second Waiting Position Calculation Unit 24 ··· Second Scooping Start Position Calculation Unit 25 ··· Position Correction Unit 26 ··· Position Data Storage Unit 27 ··· Command Center A1 ··· First Waiting Position B1 ··· First Scooping Start Position C1 ··· First Scooping End Position D1 ··· First Loading Start Position E1 ··· First Loading End Position A2 ··· Second Waiting Position B2 ··· Second Scooping Start Position C2 ··· Second Scooping End Position D2 ··· Second Loading Start Position E2 ··· Second Loading End Position

Claims

1. a cutting device for cutting a plurality of rows of food pieces from one or more food blocks; a conveying device for conveying each row of the food pieces; a robot hand that picks up food pieces in a first row among the plurality of rows and places them in a predetermined area, and then picks up food pieces in a second row different from the first row and places them in the predetermined area, A food cutting and serving system, characterized in that a second waiting position where the robot hand waits before picking up the second row of food pieces is downstream in the conveying direction of the food pieces compared to a first waiting position where the robot hand waits before picking up the first row of food pieces.

2. The conveying device intermittently conveys the plurality of food pieces while shifting them by one pitch to stack them to form a group of food pieces, The food cutting and serving system of claim 1, further comprising a second waiting position calculation unit that calculates the second waiting position using the number of pitches through which the second row of food pieces is transported between the time when the robot hand starts to move from the first waiting position and a predetermined time thereafter, and a pitch distance, which is the transport distance per pitch.

3. 3. The food cutting and plating system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined timing is a timing when the robot hand finishes plating the first row of food pieces in the predetermined area.

4. The food processing apparatus further includes an imaging means for imaging the food pieces being conveyed by the conveying device from above, 3. The food cutting and serving system according to claim 2, further comprising a position correction unit that corrects the second waiting position calculated by the second waiting position calculation unit using imaging data obtained by the imaging means.

5. The first standby position is set outside an angle of view of the imaging means on a downstream side in a conveying direction of the group of food pieces, 5. The food plating device according to claim 4, wherein the robot hand moves from the first standby position to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the food pieces, and then moves to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the food pieces to pick up the food pieces.

6. a cutting device for cutting a plurality of rows of food pieces from one or more food blocks; a conveying device for conveying each row of the food pieces; a robot hand that scoops up food pieces in a first row among the plurality of rows and places them in a predetermined area, and then scoops up food pieces in a second row different from the first row and places them in the predetermined area, The robot hand is configured to scoop up the food pieces by moving from a predetermined scooping start position along a food conveying direction, A food cutting and serving system, characterized in that a second scooping start position for the food pieces in the second row is downstream in the conveying direction of the food pieces compared to a first scooping start position for the food pieces in the first row.

7. The conveying device is configured to stack the plurality of food pieces while shifting them by one pitch by intermittently conveying them to form a group of food pieces, the robot hand is configured to move from a predetermined first standby position to the first scooping start position, scoop up the first row of food pieces, and arrange the food pieces in the predetermined area, and then move from a predetermined second standby position to the second scooping start position, scoop up the second row of food pieces, and arrange the food pieces in the predetermined area; The food cutting and serving system of claim 6, further comprising a second scooping start position calculation unit that calculates the second scooping start position using the number of pitches through which the second row of food pieces is transported between the time when the robot hand starts moving from the first waiting position and a predetermined time thereafter, and a pitch distance, which is the transport distance per pitch.

8. 8. The food cutting and serving system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined timing is a timing at which the robot hand finishes moving to the second standby position.

9. The food processing apparatus further includes an imaging means for imaging the food pieces being conveyed by the conveying device from above, The food cutting and serving system according to claim 7, further comprising a position correction unit that corrects the second scooping start position calculated by the second scooping start position calculation unit using imaging data obtained by the imaging means.

10. a cutting step of cutting a plurality of rows of food pieces from one or more food blocks; a conveying step of conveying each row of said food pieces; and a serving step of picking up food pieces in a first row of the plurality of rows and serving them in a predetermined area, and then picking up food pieces in a second row different from the first row and serving them in the predetermined area, A method for cutting and plating food, characterized in that a second waiting position where the robot hand waits before picking up the second row of food pieces is downstream in the conveying direction of the food pieces compared to a first waiting position where the robot hand waits before picking up the first row of food pieces.

11. a cutting step of cutting a plurality of rows of food pieces from one or more food blocks; a conveying step of conveying each row of said food pieces; and a serving step of scooping up and serving in a predetermined area the food pieces in a first row of the plurality of rows, and then scooping up and serving in the predetermined area the food pieces in a second row different from the first row, In the serving step, the robot hand moves from a predetermined scooping start position along a food conveying direction to scoop up the food pieces; A method for cutting and serving food, characterized in that a second scooping start position for the second row of food pieces is downstream in the conveying direction of the food pieces compared to a first scooping start position for the first row of food pieces.

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