Rice ball processing machine

Abstract

To provide a rice ball processing machine capable of transferring rice balls on a tray without determining a positioning site of a tray on a tray arrangement table.SOLUTION: There are included: a tray setting table 27 on which a tray T, on which rice balls formed by a rice ball forming machine 10 are placed, is installed; a transfer machine 30 that transfers the formed rice balls onto the tray T; an area camera 40 that acquires the shape and placement position of the installed tray T; a memory 42 that stores the shape of the tray T and the arrangement information of the rice balls to be mounted on the tray T; an arrangement data creation unit 41 that, based on deviations from a reference position of the tray T installation position acquired by the area camera 40, applies correction to the arrangement information of the rice balls stored in the memory 42 and creates arrangement data consisting of the number of rice balls and coordinate data on the tray T; and a control unit C that controls the transfer machine 30 so that the rice balls are transferred to the positions specified by the arrangement data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

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, placement data (XYθ placement data) that assigns the position of each rice ball to be placed based on the actual dimensions of the container is pre-programmed, and rice balls are produced.

[0006] In such conventional rice ball processing devices, the placement data for the rice balls is a fixed value for the tray installation stage (container installation unit) on which the tray is installed, so the trays on which the rice balls are loaded must be installed at a predetermined position on the tray installation stage. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a positioning unit on the tray installation stage to position the tray to be installed.

[0007] However, depending on the shape of the tray and the shape and height of the positioning part, it may be difficult for workers to reliably align the tray with the positioning part in a busy work flow. In particular, when installing multiple trays, there is a concern that the tray to be installed may hit an already installed tray and become misaligned.

[0008] Furthermore, if a positioning part is provided to fit a tray of a certain shape, when a tray of a different shape is used, it is necessary to move the installation position of the positioning part or replace it with a positioning part of a different shape, which is time-consuming.

[0009] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned technical background, and aims to provide a rice ball processing device that can transfer rice balls to a container without providing a container positioning section in the container installation section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the rice ball processing device of the present invention as set forth in claim 1 comprises rice ball forming means for pressing cooked rice blocks to form rice balls, a container installation section in which containers are installed in which the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means are placed, rice ball transfer means for transferring the rice balls formed by the rice ball forming means to the containers installed in the container installation section, container information acquisition means for acquiring the shape and installation position of one or more containers installed in the container installation section, and a storage device for storing information on the shape of the containers installed in the container installation section and the arrangement of the rice balls to be placed in the containers. a storage means for storing the information stored in the storage means based on the deviation of the installation position of the container acquired by the container information acquisition means from a reference position, and a positioning data creation means for creating positioning data consisting of the number and coordinate data of the sushi rice balls to be placed in the container, or the number, coordinate data, and tilt angle of the sushi rice balls; and a control means for controlling the sushi rice ball transfer means so that the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming means are transferred to the positions of the positioning data created by the positioning data creation means.

[0011] 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 memory means stores shape and rice ball placement information for multiple types of containers, and the placement data creation means applies deviation correction to the rice ball placement information for containers of the same shape as the container acquired by the container information acquisition means.

[0012] 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, 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.

[0013] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 3, the placement data creation means, when the shapes and installation positions of multiple containers are acquired by the container information acquisition means, ranks the rice ball placements in ascending or descending order of the numerical value of the coordinate data in the second direction, and when the numerical value of the coordinate data in the second direction is the same in the ranking, ranks the rice ball placements in descending or descending order of the numerical value of the coordinate data in the first direction.

[0014] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 3, 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 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 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 7 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 6, the placement data creation means, when the shapes and installation positions of multiple containers are acquired by the container information acquisition means, ranks the rice ball placements in ascending or descending order of the numerical value of the coordinate data in the second direction, and when the numerical value of the coordinate data in the second direction is the same in the ranking, ranks the rice ball placements in descending or descending order of the numerical value of the coordinate data in the first direction.

[0017] The rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 6, 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.

[0018] The sushi rice ball processing device of the present invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, 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]

[0019] According to this invention, the shape and installation position of a container installed in the container installation section are acquired by the container information acquisition means, and the placement data creation means reads from the storage means a container having the same shape as the container shape acquired by the container information acquisition means, corrects the placement information of the sushi rice balls stored in the storage means based on the deviation of the installation position of the container acquired by the container information acquisition means from the reference position, and creates placement data consisting of the number of sushi rice balls to be placed in the container and coordinate data.The control means controls the sushi rice ball transfer means so that the sushi rice balls are transferred to the positions in the placement data, making it possible to transfer the sushi rice balls to the containers without providing a container positioning section in the container installation section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [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] (a) is a diagram showing an image of a tray acquired by an area camera, (b) is a diagram showing the shape and number of trays obtained based on (a), and (c) is a diagram showing the XY coordinates and tilt angle of the tray installation reference point. [Figure 12] 1A is a diagram showing arrangement information of trays and rice balls arranged on the trays stored in a memory, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing arrangement data of the rice balls shown in FIG. 1A. [Figure 13] 11(a) is a diagram showing correction data for the tray position and a calculation formula for correction data for the rice ball position based on the correction data. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing arrangement data of rice balls created by the calculation formula of FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is a diagram showing rice balls arranged on a tray on a tray setting table based on the rice ball arrangement data of FIG. 14. FIG. [Figure 16] (a) is a diagram showing images of multiple trays acquired by an area camera, (b) is a diagram showing the shape and number of trays obtained based on (a), and (c) is a diagram showing the XY coordinates and tilt angle of the installation reference point of each tray. [Figure 17] 16(a) is a diagram showing correction data for the tray position and a calculation formula for correction data for the rice ball position based on the correction data. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing arrangement data of rice balls created by the calculation formula of FIG. 17. [Figure 19] 19 is a diagram showing the rice balls arranged on each tray on the tray setting table based on the rice ball arrangement data of FIG. 18. FIG. [Figure 20] 19 is a diagram showing tray numbers and rice ball numbers in serial numbers for the rice ball arrangement data of FIG. 18. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the arrangement data of FIG. 20 arranged in order of priority. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] 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.

[0022] The structure of the rice ball processing device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 3 to 5, a tray setting table (container setting section) 27 that moves the set tray T while keeping it horizontal is provided inside the table mover 20. The tray setting table 27 is driven by a table movement motor 28 (FIG. 10) and is movable in a second direction (Y-axis direction) that is the front-rear direction of the table mover 20.

[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] In Figure 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 each of the motors 31c, 31g, 31k, 32 of the transfer machine 30 so that the rice balls are transferred to the position of the placement data, and in this embodiment is installed within the table moving machine 20.

[0044] Here, the rice ball placement data is created by placement data creation unit 41 based on information about tray T acquired by area camera (container information acquisition means) 40 (described later) and rice ball placement information stored in memory (storage means) 42. That is, area camera 40 acquires the shape and installation position of tray T installed on tray installation table 27 (if multiple trays T are installed, the installation position of each tray T), and memory 42 stores information on the shapes of multiple types of trays and the placement of rice balls placed on each type of tray. Then, placement data creation unit 41 reads from memory 42 a tray having the same shape as the tray T acquired by area camera 40, corrects the deviation of the installation position of tray T acquired by area camera 40 from the reference position, and creates placement data consisting of the number of rice balls placed on tray T, coordinate data, and tilt angle.

[0045] The container information acquisition means is not limited to a device that captures an image of the target sushi rice ball as a surface, such as the area camera 40 used in this embodiment. Alternatively, a device that captures an image of the target sushi rice ball as a line and stitches together the images captured along the line to create a single image, such as a line camera or scanner, may be used. Alternatively, memory 42 may store information about the shape of one type of tray and the arrangement of the sushi rice balls placed on that tray, and only trays T of the shape stored in memory 42 may be placed on tray placement table 27. However, if multiple types of tray shapes and the arrangement of the sushi rice balls placed on the trays are stored, as in this embodiment, trays of various shapes can be placed on tray placement table 27, improving versatility.

[0046] Next, the rice ball arrangement data created by the arrangement data creating unit 41 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0047] 5, the area camera 40 is disposed above the tray setting table 27 with its imaging direction facing downward. A tray T is set on the tray setting table 27 as an imaging target for the area camera 40. Here, the tray setting table 27 is not provided with a positioning guide for positioning the tray T. Therefore, the tray T can be placed at any position on the tray setting table 27.

[0048] FIG. 11(a) shows an image of a tray T on the tray setting table 27 captured by the area camera 40. As shown in the figure, by capturing an image of the tray T, the shape (here, an A-shape) and quantity (one) of the tray T are acquired (FIG. 11(b)). Note that in FIGS. 11 and 13, the symbol "A-1" is used to indicate the first A-shaped tray T (the trays are numbered assuming that multiple trays will be installed). Therefore, hereinafter, the tray will be referred to as tray A-1 as necessary.

[0049] The installation position of tray A-1 is determined by the XY coordinates and inclination angle (θ) of the installation reference point (P) of tray A-1. That is, as shown in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(c), in this embodiment, the installation reference point (P) of tray A-1 is set to the lower left outer corner of tray A-1, the reference position of the X coordinate is set to the rice ball gripping position (the position where the formed rice ball on the turntable 13 is gripped and lifted by the chuck 31a of the transfer machine 30), and the reference position of the Y coordinate is set to the tip of the tray installation table 27. The angle between the long side of tray A-1 and the edge of the tray installation table 27 at the tip side is set to the inclination angle. In the illustrated example, the installation reference point (P) of tray A-1 is determined to have an X coordinate of 200 mm, a Y coordinate of 20 mm, and an angle of 15°. The installation reference point (P) of the tray A-1 is not limited to the lower left outer corner of the tray A-1, but may be any other location (for example, the center of the tray A-1).

[0050] Meanwhile, as mentioned above, memory 42 stores information on the shapes of multiple types of trays and the arrangement of the sushi rice balls placed on each type of tray. Here, FIG. 12(a) shows tray T (tray A-1) having the same shape as tray A-1 imaged by area camera 40, and the arrangement information of the sushi rice balls arranged on tray T. As shown in the figure, 10 sushi rice balls are arranged at an angle, with four in the bottom row and six in the top row. In this figure, each sushi rice ball is assigned a sushi rice ball number R1 to R10 to explain its position.

[0051] FIG. 12(b) shows the arrangement data (XY coordinate values ​​and tilt angles of rice ball numbers R1 to R10) of the ten rice balls shown in FIG. 12(a). In this embodiment, the origin of the XY coordinates of the coordinate data constituting the rice ball arrangement data is the installation reference point of tray A-1 (the lower left outer corner of tray A-1). The XY coordinate values ​​of the rice balls are the center of the rice balls. The origin of the rice ball coordinate data does not have to be the installation reference point of tray A-1; for example, it can be set to a corner of the rectangular tray installation table 27 or any point on the tray installation table 27. Furthermore, the arrangement data of the rice balls does not require the number of rice balls, coordinate data, or angles; in the case of rice balls such as approximately spherical rice balls whose directionality is not important in a planar view, only the number of rice balls and coordinate data are sufficient.

[0052] The arrangement data creation unit 41 applies a deviation correction to the rice ball arrangement information stored in the memory 42 based on the deviation of the installation position of tray A-1 from the reference position acquired by the area camera 40, thereby creating arrangement data consisting of the number of rice balls placed on tray A-1, coordinate data, and tilt angle. FIG. 13 shows the tray position correction data and the rice ball position correction data (calculation formula) based on the tray position correction data. As shown in the figure, the tray position correction uses the numerical values ​​for the tray installation position described above. Note that the angle is -15°, with clockwise rotation being + (plus) and counterclockwise rotation being - (minus). Furthermore, for the rice ball arrangement correction, a calculation formula is obtained for the X coordinate that reflects the installation position of tray A-1 on the X coordinate and the tilt angle of tray A-1, and a calculation formula is obtained for the Y coordinate that reflects the installation position of tray A-1 on the Y coordinate and the tilt angle of tray A-1. Using these calculation formulas, the rice ball arrangement data shown in FIG. 14 is created.

[0053] Once the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls to be placed on tray A-1 has been created in this manner by the arrangement data creation unit 41, the arrangement data is sent to the control unit C. The control unit C then controls the operation of the transfer unit 30 so that the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are transferred to the positions specified by the arrangement data. Specifically, 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) using the table mover 20, while moving the chuck 31a of the transfer unit 30 in the first direction (X-axis direction) to transfer the sushi rice balls to tray A-1 placed on the tray installation table 27. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15 , the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are placed on tray A-1 in accordance with the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls created by the arrangement data creation unit 41.

[0054] Thus, in the sushi rice ball processing device M of this embodiment, the shape and installation position of tray A-1 installed on tray installation table 27 are acquired by area camera 40, and the arrangement data creation unit 41 reads from memory 42 a tray having the same shape as tray A-1 acquired by area camera 40, and applies deviation correction to the sushi rice ball arrangement information stored in memory 42 based on the deviation of the installation position of tray A-1 acquired by area camera 40 from the reference position, thereby creating arrangement data consisting of the number of sushi rice balls to be placed on tray A-1, coordinate data, and tilt angle. Then, the control unit C controls the sushi rice ball transfer means so that the sushi rice balls are transferred to the position in the arrangement data, making it possible to transfer the sushi rice balls to tray A-1 without providing a tray A-1 positioning unit on tray installation table 27.

[0055] Up to this point, the case where one tray T is set on the tray setting table 27 has been described, but hereinafter, the case where multiple trays T are set will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0056] FIG. 16(a) shows an image of trays T on the tray setting table 27 captured by the area camera 40. As shown in the figure, by capturing images of three trays T, the shape (here, A-shape) and quantity (three) of the trays T are obtained (FIG. 16(b)). Note that in FIGS. 16 to 21, the first, second, and third A-shaped trays T are represented by the symbols "A-1," "A-2," and "A-3."

[0057] The installation positions of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 are determined by the XY coordinates and tilt angle (θ) of the installation reference point (P) of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3. That is, as shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(c), in this embodiment, the installation reference point (P) of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 is set to the lower left outer corner of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3, the reference position of the X coordinate is set to the rice ball gripping position (the position where the formed rice ball on turntable 13 is gripped and lifted by chuck 31a of transfer machine 30), and the reference position of the Y coordinate is set to the front end of tray installation table 27. The angle of the long side of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 relative to the front edge of tray installation table 27 is set to the tilt angle. In the illustrated example, the installation reference point (P) of tray A-1 is determined to have an X coordinate of 200 mm and a Y coordinate of 20 mm, and the angle is determined to be 15°. The installation reference point (P) of tray A-2 is determined to have an X coordinate of 420 mm and a Y coordinate of 20 mm, and the angle is determined to be 10°. The installation reference point (P) of tray A-3 is determined to have an X coordinate of 200 mm and a Y coordinate of 250 mm, and the angle is determined to be 0°. Note that the installation reference points (P) of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 are not limited to the lower left outer corner of tray T, and may be located elsewhere (for example, the center of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3).

[0058] The shape of the tray and the arrangement information of the rice balls placed on the tray stored in the memory 42 are as shown in FIG. 12, which has already been explained.

[0059] As described above, the placement data creation unit 41 applies deviation correction to the rice ball placement information stored in memory 42 based on deviations from the reference positions of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 acquired by area camera 40, thereby creating placement data consisting of the number of rice balls placed on trays A-1, A-2, and A-3, coordinate data, and tilt angles. The tray position correction data and the rice ball position correction data (calculation formula) based on this data are shown in FIG. 17. As shown in the figure, the tray placement position values ​​described above are applied directly to the position correction of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3. The angle is -15°, with clockwise rotation being + (plus) and counterclockwise rotation being - (minus). Furthermore, for the X coordinate, a formula is obtained for correcting the placement of the sushi rice balls that reflects the X coordinate installation positions of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 and the tilt angles of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3, and for the Y coordinate, a formula is obtained that reflects the Y coordinate installation positions of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 and the tilt angle of tray T. Then, using these formulas, placement data for the sushi rice balls placed on each of trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 is created, as shown in Fig. 18.

[0060] Once the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls to be placed on trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 has been created by the arrangement data creation unit 41 in this manner, the arrangement data is transmitted to the control unit C. The control unit C then controls the operation of the transfer unit 30 so that the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are transferred to the positions indicated by the arrangement data. Specifically, 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) using the table mover 20, while moving the chuck 31a of the transfer unit 30 in the first direction (X-axis direction) to transfer the sushi rice balls to the trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 placed on the tray installation table 27. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19 , the sushi rice balls formed by the sushi rice ball forming machine 10 are placed on the trays A-1, A-2, and A-3 in accordance with the arrangement data for the sushi rice balls created by the arrangement data creation unit 41.

[0061] Here, if there are multiple trays T, the sushi rice balls may be loaded on a tray T basis, such that once the sushi rice balls have been loaded on one tray T, they are loaded on the next tray T. However, if the sushi rice balls are placed in this order, the tray installation table 27 will move back and forth, and the chuck 31a will accelerate and decelerate frequently, resulting in unnecessary movement and making the loading of the sushi rice balls inefficient.

[0062] Therefore, when there are multiple trays T (when the shapes and installation positions of multiple trays T are acquired by the area camera 40), once the rice ball arrangement data shown in FIG. 18 has been created, it is desirable to optimize the arrangement order to eliminate unnecessary movement of the tray installation table 27 and the chuck 31a. Specifically, in FIG. 20, in which tray numbers and rice ball numbers are indicated by consecutive numbers, the arrangement order is prioritized. That is, the order is assigned to the trays with the smallest coordinate data value in the Y coordinate (second direction), which is the direction in which the tray installation table 27 moves, with priority 1 being assigned. Next, the order is assigned to the trays with the smallest coordinate data value in the X coordinate (first direction), which is the direction in which the chuck 31a moves, with priority 2 being assigned. The arrangement order is then determined based on priority 1, which is based on the value of the Y coordinate data. If the values ​​of the Y coordinate data are the same, the arrangement order is determined based on priority 2, which is based on the value of the X coordinate data.

[0063] The order of priority may be such that the order of priority is 1 for the coordinate data with the largest value in the Y coordinate (second direction) and 2 for the coordinate data with the largest value in the X coordinate (first direction).

[0064] The data for arranging the sushi rice balls in the arrangement order revised based on these criteria is shown in Figure 21. The order shown in the figure prioritizes the movement of the chuck 31a (movement in the X-axis direction) and the tray installation table 27 (movement in the Y-axis direction), so if the sushi rice balls are arranged on the tray T in this order, there will be no unnecessary movement of the chuck 31a and the tray installation table 27, and the sushi rice balls can be arranged in the most efficient order.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] In addition, in this embodiment, the tray setting table 27 is exemplified as the container setting section for setting the tray (container) T, but it is not limited to a table, i.e., a flat platform. In other words, a tray feeding mechanism such as a belt conveyor can also be installed as a toilet, and therefore can be adopted as the container setting section of the present invention.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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]

[0074] In the above description, the sushi rice ball forming means constituting the sushi rice ball processing device of the present invention uses a turntable, and the formed sushi rice balls are transported by the rotation of the turntable, but the sushi rice ball forming means may also transport the formed sushi rice balls by rotating a conveyor belt. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 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) 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) 42 Memory (storage 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 container information acquisition means for acquiring the shape and installation position of one or more containers installed in the container installation section; a storage means for storing information on the shape of the container placed in the container placement section and the arrangement of the rice balls placed in the container; a positioning data creating means for correcting the positioning information of the rice balls stored in the storage means based on the deviation of the installation position of the container acquired by the container information acquiring means from the reference position, and creating positioning data consisting of the number and coordinate data of the rice balls to be placed on the container, or the number, coordinate data and tilt angle of the rice balls; 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 storage means stores shape and rice ball arrangement information for a plurality of types of containers, The arrangement data creating means corrects deviations in the arrangement information of the rice balls for a container having the same shape as the container acquired by the container information acquiring means.

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

3. 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.

4. When the container information acquisition means acquires the shapes and installation positions of a plurality of containers, the arrangement data creation means ranks the rice ball arrangements in ascending or descending order of the coordinate data in the second direction, and when the coordinate data in the second direction have the same value in the ranking, ranks the rice ball arrangements in descending or descending order of the coordinate data in the first direction.

4. The rice ball processing device according to claim 3.

5. 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.

4. The rice ball processing device according to claim 3.

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 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.

7. When the container information acquisition means acquires the shapes and installation positions of a plurality of containers, the arrangement data creation means ranks the rice ball arrangements in ascending or descending order of the coordinate data in the second direction, and when the coordinate data in the second direction have the same value in the ranking, ranks the rice ball arrangements in descending or descending order of the coordinate data in the first direction.

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

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

9. 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.

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

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