Rice ball processing machine

Abstract

To provide a rice ball processing machine capable of simply creating arrangement data of rice balls mounted on a tray.SOLUTION: There are included: a tray placement table 27 on which a tray T, on which rice balls shaped by a rice ball forming machine 10 that presses and forms rice lumps into rice balls is mounted, is installed; a transfer machine 30 that transfers rice balls shaped by the rice ball forming machine 10 onto the tray T placed on the tray placement table 27; an area camera 40 that obtains arrangement information of the rice balls from an indicator body that visually represents the arrangement of a plurality of rice balls mounted on the tray T; an arrangement data creation unit 41 that creates arrangement data of the rice balls mounted on the tray T based on the arrangement information of the rice balls obtained by the area camera 40; and a control unit C that controls the transfer machine 30 so that the rice balls shaped by the rice ball forming machine 10 are transferred to positions specified by the arrangement data created by the arrangement data creation unit 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice ball processing device, and to a technique that is effective when applied to setting the arrangement of rice balls by placing formed rice balls in a container. [Background technology]

[0002] At conveyor-belt sushi restaurants and the like, the sushi balls formed by a sushi ball forming machine are transferred to plates and topped with seafood or other toppings and served to customers (dine-in). Meanwhile, to meet the demand for takeout, where nigiri sushi is placed on trays or other containers to take home, or to temporarily transfer the sushi balls formed by a sushi ball forming machine to a container and then send them to the next process, there are sushi ball processing devices that can automatically transfer the sushi balls to a container.

[0003] A technique for transferring sushi rice balls formed by a sushi rice ball forming machine to a container is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-108670 (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-108670 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In conventional rice ball processing equipment, a program for rice ball placement data is created based on the actual dimensions of the container during initial setup, and the equipment is ready for production. In other words, rice balls are produced using pre-programmed placement data that assigns the position of each rice ball to be placed based on the actual dimensions of the container.

[0006] Such conventional rice ball processing devices not only require skilled workers to operate, but also require a lot of time to create the placement data.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned technical background, and aims to provide a technology that can easily create placement data for rice balls to be placed in a container in a rice ball processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 1 is characterized by having a rice ball forming means that presses cooked rice blocks to form rice balls, a container installation section that installs a container in which the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means are placed, a rice ball transfer means that transfers the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means to the container installed in the container installation section, a placement information acquisition means that acquires rice ball placement information from an indicator that visually represents the placement of multiple rice balls placed in the container, a placement data creation means that creates placement data consisting of the number and coordinate data of the rice balls placed in the container from the rice ball placement information acquired by the placement information acquisition means, or the number of rice balls, coordinate data and tilt angle, and a control means that controls the rice ball transfer means so that the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means are transferred to the positions of the placement data created by the placement data creation means.

[0009] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the arrangement data created by the arrangement data creation means is arrangement data for a single container, or arrangement data for multiple containers created by moving the arrangement data for a single container along at least one of the coordinate axes of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate.

[0010] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the container installation section is provided with a positioning section that positions the container at a predetermined position.

[0011] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the placement information acquisition means is placed above the container installation section.

[0012] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, it further has an index body installation section in which the index body is installed, and the placement information acquisition means is arranged above the index body installation section.

[0013] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, it further has a container installation unit moving means for moving the container installation unit horizontally, the rice ball transfer means moves back and forth linearly in a first direction and is equipped with a gripping means for gripping the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means and transferring them to a plurality of positions, the container installation unit moving means moves the container installation unit in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the control means controls the container installation unit to move the gripping means in the first direction while moving the container installation unit in the second direction using the container installation unit moving means, thereby transferring the rice balls.

[0014] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 6, the control means executes control to cause the gripping means to move in the first direction to transfer the rice balls, or, if the gripping means moves in the first direction to transfer the rice balls, executes control at least once to cause the container installation section moving means to move the container installation section a predetermined amount in the second direction, and then cause the gripping means to move in the first direction to transfer the rice balls.

[0015] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, it further has a container installation unit moving means for moving the container installation unit horizontally, the rice ball transfer means transfers the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means at a fixed position, the container installation unit moving means moves the container installation unit in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the control means controls the rice ball transfer means to transfer the rice balls while moving the container installation unit using the container installation unit moving means so that the transfer position of the rice ball corresponding to the fixed position is changed each time a rice ball is transferred.

[0016] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 8, the rice ball transfer means is a gripping means that moves back and forth in a straight line or an arc and grips the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means and transfers them at a fixed position.

[0017] The sushi rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 10 is an invention described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sushi rice ball forming means comprises a turntable that rotates intermittently in a horizontal plane, a plurality of forming holes provided at predetermined intervals around the circumferential direction of the turntable, and a forming member that forms the sushi rice balls by pressing a lump of cooked rice fed into the forming holes of the turntable, and the formed sushi rice balls on the turntable are moved by the moving means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, the arrangement information of the rice balls is acquired by an arrangement information acquisition means from an indicator that visually represents the arrangement of multiple rice balls loaded in the container, the arrangement data creation means creates arrangement data of the rice balls loaded in the container from the acquired arrangement information of the rice balls, and the control means controls the rice ball transfer means so that the rice balls are transferred to the positions of the arrangement data, making it possible to easily create arrangement data of the rice balls loaded in the container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a rice ball processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed diagonally from the upper front left. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of the rice ball processing device of FIG. 1 as seen obliquely from the front upper right. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view of the rice ball processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with a front cover provided on a rice ball transfer unit opened. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view of the rice ball processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 with a front cover provided on a rice ball transfer unit opened. [Figure 5] 2 is a front view of the rice ball transfer device of FIG. 1 with a front cover provided in a rice ball transfer section opened. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view of a main part showing the internal structure of a transfer machine of the rice ball processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a gripping part of the transfer machine of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a gripping unit of the transfer machine of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a gripping unit of the transfer machine of FIG. 6. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the rice ball processing apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a tray placed on a tray placement table. [Figure 12] 1A is a diagram showing the rice ball placement information acquired by the area camera, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the rice ball placement data created by the placement data creation unit based on the rice ball placement information. [Figure 13] 3A to 3C are diagrams continuously showing the transfer operation of the rice balls from the rice ball forming machine to a tray by the rice ball processing device of FIG. 1. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing rice balls arranged on multiple trays according to arrangement data for multiple trays created by moving arrangement data for a single tray along the X and Y coordinate axes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] 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 repeated description thereof will be omitted.

[0021] The structure of the rice ball processing device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0022] Here, Figure 1 is an oblique view of a rice ball processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from diagonally from the front upper left, Figure 2 is an oblique view of the rice ball processing device of Figure 1, viewed from diagonally from the front upper right, Figure 3 is an oblique view of the rice ball transfer section of the rice ball processing device shown in Figure 1 with the front cover open, Figure 4 is an oblique view of the rice ball transfer section of the rice ball processing device shown in Figure 2 with the front cover open, and Figure 5 is a front view of the rice ball transfer section of the rice ball transfer device of Figure 1 with the front cover open.

[0023] The rice ball processing device M of this embodiment is a device that automatically transfers formed rice balls to a tray (container) T, and is equipped with a rice ball forming machine (rice ball forming means) 10, a table mover (container installation unit moving means) 20, and a transfer machine (rice ball transfer means) 30. As shown in the figure, the rice ball forming machine 10, table mover 20, and transfer machine 30 are integrated with each other. Furthermore, the tray T on which multiple rice balls are placed generally refers to a shallow container (enough to allow the rice balls to be seen from the side), but it may also be a deep container (enough to hide the rice balls from the side). Furthermore, the shape of the tray T is not particularly limited, and may be square or round in plan view, or a variation of these.

[0024] The sushi rice ball forming machine 10 is a device that automatically forms sushi rice balls, and has a hopper 12 installed on top of it, into which cooked rice (such as vinegared rice) is poured through an opening of a pouring lid 11. Below this hopper 12 is a mechanism (not shown) that loosens the cooked rice supplied from the hopper 12, measures and divides it into predetermined weights to form cooked rice blocks, and pours these into forming holes 13a in a turntable 13 further below.

[0025] The lowest turntable 13 is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylindrical plate and is provided so that it can rotate intermittently in one direction (for example, counterclockwise) within a horizontal plane with its circular upper surface facing upward. A plurality of (for example, 10) forming holes 13a are formed in the circular upper surface of this turntable 13 at predetermined intervals along the periphery. As the turntable 13 rotates, cooked rice blocks placed in these forming holes 13a are pressed by a lower forming mold in the forming holes 13a and an upper forming mold (forming member: not shown) above them, to form roughly rice balls in the shape of a rice ball.

[0026] As the turntable 13 rotates, the formed sushi rice ball reaches a position (gripping position) where it can be gripped and lifted by a chuck 31a (described later) of the transfer machine 30. When a sensor (not shown) detects that the sushi rice ball has been picked up by the chuck 31a at the gripping position and lifted from the turntable 13, the turntable 13 automatically rotates intermittently and the next sushi rice ball reaches the gripping position.

[0027] Each forming hole 13a of the turntable 13 is formed, for example, in an elliptical or oval shape in a plan view. Each forming hole 13a is arranged with its longitudinal direction aligned along the radial direction of the turntable 13, and is generally arranged radially on the circular upper surface of the turntable 13. However, it is sufficient for the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 to be able to press cooked rice blocks to form sushi rice balls, and it is not limited to a structure including a turntable 13 as in this embodiment. Furthermore, the shape of the sushi rice balls to be formed does not have to be roughly bale-shaped as in this embodiment; for example, it may be a roughly spherical sushi rice ball known as temari sushi.

[0028] An operation panel 15 is provided on the front of the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 for setting the required operations (e.g., number of sushi rice balls formed, forming speed, amount of rice, etc.), and next to it is a power switch 14 for starting up the sushi rice ball forming machine 10.

[0029] The rice balls formed by the rice ball forming machine 10 are transferred onto a tray T by a transfer machine 30, the details of which will be described later.

[0030] A table mover 20 is provided on the side of the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 (in the illustrated example, the right side when viewed from the front). The table mover 20 has a roughly box-shaped housing 21, to which a transfer machine 30 is attached. Arranged side by side at the top of the front of the housing 21 are a power switch 22 for starting the table mover 20, a power lamp 23 that lights up when the power switch 22 is on, and an operation / stop switch 24 for starting and stopping the operation of the sushi rice ball processing device M. In addition, a front cover 25 is provided in the approximate center of the front of the housing 21. This front cover 25 is of an upward-opening type with a hinge 26 attached to its top, and is normally in a hanging, closed position to protect the interior of the machine.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a tray setting table (container setting unit) 27 is provided inside the table mover 20. The tray setting table 27 is driven by a table movement motor 28 (FIG. 10) to move in a second direction (Y-axis direction), which is the front-rear direction of the table mover 20. The tray setting table 27 is also provided with positioning guides 27a for positioning the tray T on the tray setting table 27 at a predetermined position. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 11, the positioning guides 27a have an L-shaped protrusion shape that restricts the periphery of two opposing corners of the rectangular tray T from the outside. However, the shape of the positioning guides 27a is not particularly limited as long as they can position the tray T set on the tray setting table 27. The positioning guides 27a may be planar positioning guides formed by directly printing the tray T setting position on the tray setting table 27 or by attaching a film on which the tray T setting position is printed. Furthermore, if the tray T is set using some kind of mark so that the corner of the tray T is aligned with the corner of the tray setting table 27, the positioning guide is not necessary.

[0032] In these drawings, the positioning guide 27a is formed for one tray T placed on the tray placement table 27, but if multiple trays T can be placed on the table, the positioning guide 27a may be formed for all the trays T that can be placed. Furthermore, when placing trays T of different shapes, if the positioning guide 27a is formed in a protruding shape, it is possible that the tray T and the positioning guide 27a will interfere with each other, so it is preferable to use a flat positioning guide.

[0033] Furthermore, the aforementioned front cover 25 has a vertical width that allows the tray installation table 27 and the tray T installed on the tray installation table 27 and loaded with rice balls to protrude from the front of the housing part 21 even when the front cover 25 is in the closed position.

[0034] 6 to 9, the transfer machine 30 is a mechanism that transfers the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 onto the tray T installed on the tray installation table 27, and is equipped with a gripping unit 31 that transfers the sushi rice balls. The gripping unit 31 is provided with a pair of chucks (gripping means) 31a, 31a that grip the sushi rice balls. The pair of chucks 31a, 31a are capable of opening and closing, and of moving up and down, and are also rotatable so that their orientation in the horizontal direction can be changed.

[0035] Here, Figure 6 is an oblique view of the main parts showing the internal structure of the transfer machine of the rice ball processing device of Figure 1, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the gripping part of the transfer machine of Figure 6, and Figures 8 and 9 are exploded oblique views of the main parts of the gripping part of the transfer machine of Figure 6.

[0036] As shown in these drawings, a pair of chucks 31a, 31a are supported by a support 31b in an openable and closable state. The pair of chucks 31a, 31a are opened and closed by a chuck opening / closing motor 31c disposed above the chuck 31a and a tension spring (not shown) disposed between the chucks 31a, 31a. Specifically, an opening / closing shaft 31e is connected to a cam 31d directly connected to the rotation shaft of the chuck opening / closing motor 31c. The opening / closing shaft 31e moves up and down as the cam 31d rotates. When the opening / closing shaft 31e moves downward, a chuck opening / closing plate 31f located above the chuck 31a is pressed down, thereby opening the pair of chucks 31a, 31a. When the pressing force of the opening / closing shaft 31e against the chuck opening / closing plate 31f is released, the pair of chucks 31a, 31a is closed by the action of the tension spring between the pair of chucks 31a, 31a.

[0037] 6, 7, and 9, the pair of chucks 31a, 31a are supported by the gripping part 31 in a state in which they can move up and down (raise and lower). The chuck 31a is raised and lowered by transmitting the rotational power of a chuck lifting motor 31g to a crank 31i via a gear 31h. That is, when the rotary shaft of the chuck lifting motor 31g rotates, the crank 31i moves up and down, thereby causing the support body 31b and the pair of chucks 31a, 31a, which are mechanically connected to the crank 31i, to move up and down.

[0038] 7, the pair of chucks 31a, 31a are supported by the gripping unit 31 in a rotatable manner within a horizontal plane. The rotation mechanism of the chuck 31a is configured to rotate a rod 31j, which is disposed vertically and supports the chuck 31a of the gripping unit 31, using a chuck rotation motor 31k. That is, the chuck 31a and the rod 31j supporting it are supported by the gripping unit 31 in a rotatable manner within a horizontal plane. The chuck rotation motor 31k is installed on the outer periphery of the rod 31j. A rotation motor gear 31m connected to the rotation shaft of the chuck rotation motor 31k is mechanically engaged with a rotation driven gear 31n attached to the upper outer periphery of the rod 31j. When the chuck rotation motor 31k rotates, rotational power is transmitted to the rod 31j via the rotation motor gear 31m and the rotation driven gear 31n, causing the rod 31j to rotate about its axis within a horizontal plane. Here, the pair of chucks 31a, 31a are located at the center of rotation of the rod 31j. The chuck rotation motor 31k and various gears move up and down together with the up and down movement of the chuck 31a. The rod 31j is hollow, and the opening / closing shaft 31e is installed in the hollow so that it can move up and down. However, the rotation mechanism is not limited to this.

[0039] Chuck 31a slides on rail 34 by belt 33, which is rotated in two directions, forward and reverse, by chuck reciprocating motor 32, allowing it to move back and forth linearly along a first direction (X-axis direction) connecting the rice ball gripping position in rice ball forming machine 10 and the rice ball transfer position onto tray T installed on tray installation table 27. Chuck 31a also stops and descends at multiple positions on rail 34 in the first direction so that it can transfer rice balls to multiple positions on tray T. Furthermore, the first direction, which is the direction of movement of chuck 31a, is perpendicular to the second direction, which is the direction of movement of tray installation table 27 installed on table mover 20 described above.

[0040] Therefore, by combining chuck 31a, which moves in a first direction and can transfer and place sushi rice balls at multiple positions on tray T, with tray setting table 27, which moves in a second direction, sushi rice balls can be placed at any position on tray T placed on tray setting table 27. Moreover, because chuck 31a can rotate along a horizontal plane, sushi rice balls can be placed at any tilt angle.

[0041] The table movement motor 28, the chuck opening / closing motor 31c, the chuck lifting / lowering motor 31g, the chuck rotating motor 31k, and the chuck reciprocating motor 32 are all configured by servo motors. However, they are not limited to servo motors and may be configured by other types of motors as long as they are capable of controlling the rotation angle of the motors, in other words, controlling the positioning of the members driven by the motors.

[0042] Next, FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control system of the rice ball processing apparatus shown in FIG.

[0043] 10, the control unit (control means) C of the rice ball processing device M receives the placement data (placement data of the rice balls to be placed on the tray T) created in the placement data creation unit (placement data creation means) 41, and also receives the chuck unit operation enable signal 10s from the rice ball forming machine 10 (i.e., a signal notifying that the formed rice balls have reached a position where they can be grasped by the chuck 31a), and controls the operation of the table moving motor 28 and the motors 31c, 31g, 31k, and 32 of the transfer machine 30 so that the rice balls are transferred to the positions according to the placement data, which in this embodiment are installed inside the table mover 20. The placement data of the rice balls is created by the placement data creation unit 41 based on the placement information of the rice balls acquired by the area camera (placement information acquisition means) 40.

[0044] Here, the rice ball arrangement data created by the arrangement data creating unit 41 will be described.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, an area camera 40 is disposed above the tray setting table 27 with its imaging direction facing downward. As shown in FIG. 11, a tray T on which a plurality of sushi rice balls are arranged in predetermined positions is placed on the tray setting table 27 as an imaging target for the area camera 40. These sushi rice balls are positioned as indicators that visually represent the arrangement pattern of the sushi rice balls to be placed on the tray T by the transfer machine 30 described above. By capturing images of the sushi rice balls placed on the tray T with the area camera 40, arrangement information of the sushi rice balls (number of sushi rice balls, coordinate data, and angle) is acquired. Furthermore, an arrangement data creation unit 41 creates arrangement data for the sushi rice balls to be placed on the tray T from the arrangement information of the sushi rice balls thus acquired. The control unit C then controls the operation of the transfer machine 30 so that the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are transferred to the positions of the arrangement data created by the arrangement data creation unit 41.

[0046] In this embodiment, the indicators are the actual rice balls placed on the tray T, but the indicators are not limited to this and can be anything that visually represents the arrangement of the rice balls placed on the tray T. For example, they may be models (food samples) of rice balls made of wax or synthetic resin, or photographs or pictures of rice balls. Furthermore, the arrangement information acquisition means is not limited to a device that captures images of the target rice balls as a surface, such as the area camera 40 used in this embodiment, but may also be a device that captures images of the target rice balls as a line and creates a single image by stitching together the images captured along the line, such as a line camera or scanner.

[0047] 12(a) shows the rice balls (rice balls arranged on tray T on tray installation table 27) photographed by area camera 40, that is, the arrangement information of the rice balls acquired by area camera 40. In this figure, each rice ball is assigned a rice ball number R1 to R10 to explain its position.

[0048] Based on the rice ball arrangement information acquired by the area camera 40 shown in FIG. 12(a), the arrangement data creating unit 41 creates rice ball arrangement data as shown in FIG. 12(b).

[0049] 12(b), the size of the sushi rice balls is detected from the image captured by area camera 40 as 55.5 mm in length and 23.8 mm in width, and the number of balls is detected as 10. In this embodiment, the reference position of the X coordinate (0 on the X coordinate) of the coordinate data constituting the sushi rice ball placement data is the position (grasping position) on turntable 13 of sushi rice ball forming machine 10 where the sushi rice balls are gripped by chuck 31a of transfer machine 30, and the reference position of the Y coordinate (0 on the Y coordinate) is the tip of tray installation table 27. The positions of the sushi rice balls captured by area camera 40 are determined by the relationship between the imaging range of area camera 40, the position of tray installation table 27, and the gripping position of the sushi rice balls, and therefore the placement data of sushi rice balls R1 to R10 can be determined in terms of coordinate data (X coordinate value and Y coordinate value) and angle (tilt angle).

[0050] The reference position of the coordinate data of the sushi rice balls is not limited to the above-mentioned positions, but can be set to, for example, a corner of the rectangular tray setting table 27 or any point on the tray setting table 27. Furthermore, the placement data of the sushi rice balls does not have to be about the number of sushi rice balls, coordinate data, and angles, but in the case of sushi rice balls such as roughly spherical sushi rice balls whose directionality is not important in a planar view, it may be about only the number of sushi rice balls and coordinate data.

[0051] Once the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls to be placed on the tray T has been created in the arrangement data creation unit 41 in this manner, the arrangement data is transmitted to the control unit C. As a result, the control unit C controls the operation of the transfer unit 30 so that the sushi rice balls formed in the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are transferred to the positions in the arrangement data. In other words, the control unit C drives the table mover 20 and the transfer unit 30 to move the tray installation table 27 in the second direction (Y-axis direction) with the table mover 20, while moving the chuck 31a of the transfer unit 30 in the first direction (X-axis direction), thereby transferring the sushi rice balls to the tray T placed on the tray installation table 27. As a result, the sushi rice balls formed in the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are placed on the tray T in accordance with the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls created by the arrangement data creation unit 41.

[0052] The operation of transferring sushi rice balls onto tray T placed on tray placement table 27 will be described below with reference to Figure 13. Note that positioning guide 27a for positioning tray T on tray placement table 27 is not shown in Figure 13. Also, as shown in Figure 12, by rotating chuck 31a, sushi rice balls R1 to R4 are transferred at an inclination of 45° and sushi rice balls R5 to R10 are transferred at an inclination of 60°; however, since the following explanation focuses on the transfer operation, explanation of the inclination of the sushi rice balls is omitted, and also in Figure 13, all sushi rice balls are transferred at the same inclination angle.

[0053] First, the tray setting table 27, on which the tray T is set at a predetermined position (positioned by the positioning guide 27a in this embodiment), is moved 85 mm in the second direction (Y-axis direction) by the table movement motor 28 from the reference position on the Y-axis. Then, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the chuck 31a grips the sushi rice ball R, which has been formed in the forming hole 13a of the turntable 13 of the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 and sent to the gripping position, and moves the sushi rice ball R1 in a straight line in FIG. 12 at the left end of the first row on the tray T.

[0054] 13(b), the next sushi rice ball R is grasped by the chuck 31a and moved linearly 190 mm in the first direction (X-axis direction) to be transferred to the second position from the left in the first row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R2 in FIG. 12). Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the next sushi rice ball R is grasped by the chuck 31a and moved linearly 220 mm in the first direction (X-axis direction) to be transferred to the third position from the left in the first row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R3 in FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 13(d), the next sushi rice ball R is grasped by the chuck 31a and moved linearly 250 mm in the first direction (X-axis direction) to be transferred to the fourth position from the left in the first row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R4 in FIG. 12), completing the transfer of the first row.

[0055] Then, as shown in Figure 13(e), the tray installation table 27 is moved 55 mm in the second direction (Y-axis direction) to shift the row of rice balls transferred on tray T by one row (i.e., the Y coordinate is set to 140 mm), and the next rice ball R is grasped by the chuck 31a and moved in a straight line 160 mm in the first direction (X-axis direction) to transfer it to the left end of the second row on tray T (rice ball R5 in Figure 12).

[0056] 13(f), the next sushi rice ball R is gripped by the chuck 31a and moved linearly in the first direction (X-axis direction) by 190 mm, and transferred to the second from the left in the second row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R6 in FIG. 12). Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13(g), the next sushi rice ball R is gripped by the chuck 31a and moved linearly in the first direction (X-axis direction) by 220 mm, and transferred to the third from the left in the second row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R7 in FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 13(h), the next sushi rice ball R is gripped by the chuck 31a and moved linearly in the first direction (X-axis direction) by 250 mm, and transferred to the fourth from the left in the second row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R8 in FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 13(i), the chuck 31a grips the next sushi rice ball R and moves it linearly in the first direction (X-axis direction) by 250 mm, and transferred to the fourth from the left in the second row on the tray T (sushi rice ball R8 in FIG. 12). The next rice ball R is grasped by the chuck 31a and moved in a straight line 280 mm in the first direction (X-axis direction) to be transferred to the fifth rice ball from the left in the second row on the tray T (rice ball R9 in Figure 12), and as shown in Figure 13(j), the next rice ball R is grasped by the chuck 31a and moved in a straight line 310 mm in the first direction (X-axis direction) to be transferred to the sixth rice ball from the left in the second row on the tray T (rice ball R10 in Figure 12), completing the transfer of the second row and completing the operation of transferring the rice balls R to the tray T.

[0057] The pattern in which the sushi rice balls R are transferred to the tray T by the chuck 31a does not have to be the pattern shown in FIG. 13. For example, they may be transferred from the right end of the first row, or the second row may be transferred first, followed by the first row.

[0058] Once the sushi rice balls R formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 have been placed on the tray T in accordance with the placement data for the sushi rice balls R created by the placement data creation unit 41, the tray setting table 27 is moved a predetermined distance in the second direction (Y-axis direction) to cause the tray T to protrude from the front of the table mover 20, as shown in FIG. 13(k). This allows the worker to remove the tray T with the sushi rice balls R placed on it and send it to the next process (for example, a process of placing sushi toppings on the sushi rice balls R). However, the tray T may also be removed by opening the front cover 25 of the table mover 20, without causing the tray T to protrude from the front of the housing unit 21 as shown in FIG. 13(k).

[0059] Here, if the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls R is for only one row in the first direction (X-axis direction), the chuck 31a moves in the first direction to transfer the sushi rice balls R to the tray T, and then the tray installation table 27 is moved in the second direction to cause the tray T to protrude from the front of the housing 21 of the table mover 20. Also, if the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls R is for three or more rows in the first direction (X-axis direction), the chuck 31a moves in the first direction to transfer the sushi rice balls R to the tray T, and then the tray installation table 27 is moved a predetermined amount in the second direction, and then the chuck 31a moves in the first direction to transfer the sushi rice balls R to the tray T. After this operation is performed two or more times, the tray installation table 27 is moved in the second direction to cause the tray T to protrude from the front of the housing 21 of the table mover 20.

[0060] In this way, according to the rice ball processing device M of this embodiment, an indicator that visually represents the arrangement of multiple rice balls R placed on a tray T is imaged by an area camera 40 to obtain arrangement information for the rice balls R, and the arrangement data creation unit 41 creates arrangement data for the rice balls R placed on the tray T from the obtained arrangement information for the rice balls R, and the control unit C controls the transfer machine 30 so that the rice balls R are transferred to the positions of the arrangement data, making it possible to easily create arrangement data for the rice balls R placed on the tray T.

[0061] The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and are 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 of the above embodiments, but should be interpreted solely in accordance with the claims, and includes technologies equivalent to the technologies described in the claims and all modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the claims.

[0062] For example, in this embodiment, the transfer of sushi rice balls R formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 is described, but the present invention is not limited to the sushi rice balls R themselves, and also includes gunkanmaki, which is sushi rice balls R wrapped in seaweed on the outer side.

[0063] Furthermore, the various numerical values ​​in the arrangement data of the rice balls R shown in this embodiment and in the drawings are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these numerical values.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the arrangement data of the sushi rice balls R created by the arrangement data creation unit 41 is arrangement data for a single tray T, but it is also possible to create arrangement data for multiple trays T by moving the arrangement data for a single tray T along the X coordinate axis, along the Y coordinate axis, or along both the X and Y coordinate axes. In this case, the sushi rice balls R can be arranged in the same pattern on multiple trays T, as shown in Fig. 14.

[0065] In addition, in this embodiment, a tray T, i.e., a shallow container, is used as the container into which the sushi rice balls are transferred, but this is not limited to a tray T, and various types of containers that can hold sushi rice balls, such as deep containers, sushi clogs, and sushi tubs, can also be used.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the area camera 40, which is the arrangement information acquisition means, is placed above the tray setting table 27 and captures images of the rice balls R, which are index bodies arranged on the trays T set on the tray setting table 27, but it is also possible to provide a separate index body setting section where the index bodies are set, and to place the arrangement information acquisition means, such as the area camera 40, above the index body setting section. In this case, the index body setting section may be physically integrated with the rice ball processing device M, or it may be separate and transmit the acquired arrangement information of the rice balls R to the arrangement data creation section 41 by wire or wirelessly.

[0067] Furthermore, in the transfer machine 30 of this embodiment, the sushi rice balls R are gripped by the chuck 31a and transferred to the tray T, but a mechanism (rice ball dropping mechanism) may also be used in which the formed rice balls R are dropped (dropped by gravity or pushed down) and transferred to the tray T installed at the drop point. However, gripping and transferring the rice balls R with the chuck 31a, as in this embodiment, increases the positional accuracy of the rice balls R on the tray T. This is because, with a rice ball dropping mechanism, the rice balls R may shift from their original mounting position or fall over due to the impact of the drop, but such problems do not arise with the transfer machine 30 of this embodiment, which grips the rice balls R with the chuck 31a.

[0068] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the table mover 20 is configured so that the chuck 31a stops at multiple positions in the first direction to transfer the sushi rice balls R to the tray T, but the formed sushi rice balls R may also be transferred to the tray T at a fixed position. In this case, the table mover 20 is configured to move the tray installation table 27 in the first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the control unit C controls the table mover 20 to transfer the sushi rice balls R to the tray T while moving the tray T installed on the tray installation table 27 so that the sushi rice ball installation position corresponding to the fixed position is changed each time a sushi rice ball R is installed.

[0069] In this case, the transfer machine 30 may transfer the sushi rice balls R to the fixed position by moving the chuck 31a back and forth in a straight line, or may transfer the sushi rice balls R to the fixed position by moving it back and forth in an arc.

[0070] In this embodiment, the chuck 31a grips the sushi rice ball R and is capable of rotating, and in this case, the position of the sushi rice ball R refers to the position of the sushi rice ball R on the tray T and the inclination angle of the sushi rice ball R. When the chuck 31a grips the sushi rice ball R but cannot rotate, or when the sushi rice ball dropping mechanism is used, the position of the sushi rice ball R refers only to the position of the sushi rice ball R on the tray T. [Industrial Applicability]

[0071] In the above description, the sushi ball forming means constituting the sushi ball processing device of the present invention uses a turntable, and the formed sushi balls are transported by the rotation of the turntable, but the sushi ball forming means may also transport the formed sushi balls by the rotation of a conveyor belt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10. Shari ball forming machine (shari ball forming means) 13 Turntable 13a Molding hole 20 Table mover (container installation unit moving means) 21 Housing 25 Front cover 27 Tray installation table (container installation area) 27a Positioning guide 28 Table movement motor 30 Transfer machine (rice ball transfer means) 31 Gripping part 31a chuck (holding means) 40 Area camera (means for acquiring location information) 41 Placement data creation unit (placement data creation means) C. Control unit (control means) M Rice ball processing device R, R1~R10 Shari ball T Tray (container)

Claims

1. a rice ball forming means for pressing the cooked rice mass to form rice balls; a container installation section in which a container for loading the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming means is installed; a rice ball transfer means for transferring the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means to a container installed in the container installation section; a position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the rice balls from an indicator that visually represents the position of the rice balls placed in the container; a positioning data creating means for creating positioning data consisting of the number of rice balls to be placed on the container and coordinate data, or the number of rice balls, coordinate data, and tilt angle, from the rice ball positioning information acquired by the positioning information acquiring means; a control means for controlling the rice ball transfer means so that the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means are transferred to the positions according to the arrangement data created by the arrangement data creation means; A rice ball processing device comprising:

2. The arrangement data created by the arrangement data creation means is arrangement data for a single container, or arrangement data for a plurality of containers created by moving the arrangement data for a single container along at least one of the coordinate axes of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate.

2. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1.

3. The container installation section is provided with a positioning section that positions the container at a predetermined position.

3. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The placement information acquisition means is disposed above the container installation unit.

3. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Further, the index body installation part is provided on which the index body is installed. the position information acquisition means is disposed above the index body installation unit, 3. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. Further, the container setting unit has a moving means for moving the container setting unit in a horizontal direction, the rice ball transfer means is adapted to move linearly back and forth in a first direction, and is provided with gripping means for gripping the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means and transferring them to a plurality of positions; the container setting unit moving means moves the container setting unit in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the control means controls the container setting unit to move in the second direction by the container setting unit moving means, while moving the holding means in the first direction to transfer the rice balls.

3. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The control means Execute control to move the gripping means in the first direction to transfer the rice balls, or When the gripping means moves in the first direction and transfers the rice balls, the container setting unit is moved in the second direction by the container setting unit moving means by a predetermined distance, and then the gripping means moves in the first direction and transfers the rice balls, which is controlled at least once.

7. The rice ball processing device according to claim 6.

8. Further, the container setting unit has a moving means for moving the container setting unit in a horizontal direction, the rice ball transfer means transfers the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means at fixed positions; the container setting unit moving means moves the container setting unit in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; The control means controls the rice ball transfer means to transfer the rice balls while moving the container installation unit using the container installation unit moving means so that the transfer position of the rice balls corresponding to the fixed position is changed every time a rice ball is transferred.

3. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The rice ball transfer means is a gripping means that moves back and forth in a straight line or an arc, grips the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming means, and transfers them to a fixed position; 9. The rice ball processing device according to claim 8.

10. The rice ball forming means is a turntable that rotates intermittently in a horizontal plane; a plurality of molding holes provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the turntable; a forming member that presses the cooked rice block put into the forming hole of the turntable to form the sushi rice ball; Equipped with The formed rice balls on the turntable are moved by the moving means.

3. The rice ball processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

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