Food cutting and dishing system and food cutting and dishing program

Abstract

To provide a food serving device capable of serving food such as sliced meat on a tray with a small amount of remaining food without spending time and effort and without waste.SOLUTION: The food cutting and dishing system 1 is a system for cutting food by a cutting device 100 and dishing the cut food pieces on trays Z sequentially supplied from a tray supply mechanism 300 by a dishing robot 10, and is configured to stop the cutting device 100 when the remaining number of the trays Z stocked in the tray supply mechanism 300 becomes small. The cutting device 100 includes the specified number reception unit 22 that receives, as the specified number, the remaining number of trays Z or a value that can be calculated using the remaining number of trays Z, and the reactivation control unit 24 that controls the operation of the stopped cutting device 100 after reactivation based on the specified number received by the specified number reception unit 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food cutting and serving system and a food cutting and serving program for serving sliced ​​meat, for example, cut from a block of meat, on a tray. [Background technology]

[0002] One such system, as shown in Patent Document 1, is configured to stack multiple slices of meat cut by a slicer while shifting them at a predetermined pitch to form a group of sliced ​​meat (hereinafter also referred to as "scalloped meat"), and then scoop up the scalloped meat using a serving robot and serve it on a tray.

[0003] In meat processing plants where such a system has been introduced, the production quantity of each product (for example, loin or belly) is determined in advance, and when production of one product begins, the predetermined number of trays for that product are first stacked in a stocker.

[0004] When production begins, the trays stacked in the stocker are removed one by one, and the serving robot described above places the scalloped meat on the trays.

[0005] In the above-mentioned configuration, if the slicer continues to operate even when the trays in the stocker are empty, excess sliced ​​meat will be cut out. For this reason, a sensor is installed at the bottom of the stocker to detect when the trays are nearly empty. When this sensor detects that the trays are nearly empty, the slicer automatically halts cutting and tray removal.

[0006] Conventionally, after a temporary stop, the operator restarts the slicer and stops it again when the number of sliced ​​meat corresponding to the number of remaining trays has been cut.

[0007] However, restarting a temporarily stopped slicer and then stopping it again is time-consuming, and there is also the issue that if the timing of stopping the slicer is misjudged, sliced ​​meat will be wasted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-116354 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to arrange food such as sliced ​​meat on a tray with little remaining food without much effort and without waste. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In other words, the food cutting and serving system of the present invention is a system in which food is cut by a cutting device and the cut food pieces are served by a serving robot onto trays supplied sequentially from a tray supply mechanism, and is configured so that the cutting device stops when the remaining number of trays stocked in the tray supply mechanism becomes low, and is characterized by comprising a designated number receiving unit that receives the remaining number of trays or a value that can be calculated using this remaining number of trays as a designated number, and a restart control unit that controls the operation of the stopped cutting device after it is restarted, based on the designated number received by the designated number receiving unit.

[0011] With this food cutting and serving system configured, the restart control unit controls the operation of the temporarily stopped cutting device after it is restarted based on the specified number received by the specified number receiving unit, making it possible to automatically cut and serve an appropriate number of food pieces according to the remaining number of trays, allowing food such as sliced ​​meat to be served on trays with few remaining pieces without hassle or waste.

[0012] Here, if the number of food pieces to be cut after restarting the device is set to exactly match the number of remaining trays, if even one of the cut food pieces is defective, there will not be enough food pieces and the cutting device will have to be operated again. Therefore, it is preferable that the restart control unit controls the operation of the cutting device after restarting, based on a value obtained by adding a predetermined number to the designated number. This allows food pieces to be cut out in anticipation of defective food pieces being included, and allows for hassle-free serving on the few remaining trays. Also, by setting the predetermined number to as small a value as possible based on experience, it is possible to prevent unnecessary cutting of food pieces.

[0013] It is preferable that the system comprises a transport conveyor that receives the food pieces cut by the cutting device and transports the food pieces to a collection position where they are collected by the serving robot, an imaging means that images the food pieces on the transport conveyor, and a quality judgment unit that judges the quality of the food pieces based on the imaging data obtained by the imaging means, and that the restart control unit controls the operation of the cutting device after it is restarted based not only on the specified number but also on the quality judgment data obtained by the quality judgment unit. With this configuration, the number of food pieces to be cut after restarting can be controlled by taking into account the number of good or bad products obtained based on the pass / fail judgment data, so that food pieces can be served with less waste.

[0014] In a more specific embodiment, in a configuration in which a plurality of the food pieces are arranged so that some of them overlap each other to form an assembly, and this assembly is then arranged on the tray by the serving robot, it is preferable that the restart control unit calculates the required production number by subtracting the number of good products corresponding to the number of the assembly judged to be good by the good / bad judgment unit from the standard production number of the assembly or the food pieces calculated based on the specified number, and controls the operation of the cutting device after restart based on this required production number.

[0015] If the assemblies obtained by restarting the cutting device include assemblies that have been judged to be defective by the quality judgment unit, it is preferable that the restart control unit controls the operation of the cutting device after restarting based on the number of assemblies that have been judged to be defective, which is the number of assemblies that have been judged to be defective. With this configuration, the operation after restarting can be controlled taking into account the shortage of products determined to be defective, further reducing the effort required for the serving work.

[0016] It is preferable that the designated number receiving unit receives the designated number manually input via an input means. With this configuration, the operator can have a degree of freedom in the designated number to be input, and the operation after restarting can be flexibly controlled.

[0017] It is preferable that the tray supply mechanism is provided with a tray detection means for detecting trays stocked therein, and that the designated number receiving unit receives the predetermined designated number when the signal output from the tray detection means switches from an ON signal indicating that a tray is being detected to an OFF signal indicating that a tray is not being detected. With this configuration, it is even possible to eliminate the need to input the specified number, further reducing the amount of work required.

[0018] In addition, the food cutting and serving program of the present invention is a program used in a system in which food is cut by a cutting device and the cut food pieces are served by a serving robot onto trays supplied sequentially from a tray supply mechanism, and is configured so that the cutting device stops when the remaining number of trays stocked in the tray supply mechanism becomes low, and is characterized in that it causes a computer to perform the functions of a designated number receiving unit that receives the remaining number of trays or a value that can be calculated using this remaining number of trays as a designated number, and a restart control unit that controls the operation of the stopped cutting device after it is restarted based on the designated number received by the designated number receiving unit. The food cutting and serving program configured in this manner can achieve the same effects as the food cutting and serving system described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention configured in this manner, food such as sliced ​​meat can be arranged on a tray with little remaining food without any effort or waste. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a food cutting and serving system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cutting device in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a tray supply mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a serving robot in the same embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the robot controller according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the food cutting and serving system of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a food cutting and serving system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the food cutting and serving system 1 of this embodiment comprises a cutting device 100 that slices block food, a first transport conveyor 200 that transports food pieces cut from the cutting device 100, a tray supply mechanism 300 that supplies trays Z on which the food pieces are to be served, a second transport conveyor 400 that transports the trays supplied by the tray supply mechanism 300, and a food serving device 500 that serves the food pieces on the trays Z.

[0023] In this embodiment, sliced ​​meat sliced ​​from a block of meat will be described as the food pieces to be served. Specifically, the cutting device 100 slices the block of meat and sends the sliced ​​meat in one or more rows to the first transport conveyor 200. On the first transport conveyor 200, a group M of sliced ​​meat (hereinafter also referred to as "sliced ​​meat M") is formed by stacking multiple sliced ​​meat pieces while shifting them by a predetermined pitch, and this slicing meat M is served on a tray Z by the food serving device 500 described below.

[0024] In the following, for ease of explanation, in a plan view of the device, the X axis is set along a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the scaled meat M by the first conveyor 200, and the Y axis is set along the conveying direction, and when viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction, the right side is the positive side of the X axis, the left side is the negative side of the X axis, the downstream side in the conveying direction is the positive side of the Y axis, and the upstream side in the conveying direction is the negative side of the Y axis (see Figure 1).

[0025] (Cutting device 100) As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting device 100 includes a meat box 101 for storing chunks of meat, a drive source 103 such as a motor for swinging the meat box 101 up and down around a swing shaft 102, a cutting blade 104 such as a band knife for slicing the chunks of meat, and a slicer-side controller 105 for controlling the operation of the drive source 103, the cutting blade 104, etc.

[0026] The cutting device 100 of this embodiment further includes a shape measurement means 106 for measuring the shape of the chunk of meat, and has the function of automatically adjusting the number of sliced ​​meat that form the scaly meat M using the measurement data from this shape measurement means 106.

[0027] This shape measuring means 106 utilizes a laser sensor, and specifically, it projects laser light toward the block of meat and calculates the distance to a number of reflection points on the periphery of the block of meat to obtain a cross-sectional profile of the block of meat (including the shape and size of the cross section, as well as the height and left and right width dimensions).The cross-sectional profile, which is measurement data obtained by the shape measuring means 106, is then sequentially output to the slicer-side controller 105.

[0028] The slicer-side controller 105 is previously input with the target weight (e.g., 100 g) of the scalloped meat M to be placed on one tray and the allowable range of thickness of the sliced ​​meat that forms the scalloped meat M (e.g., 2 mm ± 5%).

[0029] Then, the slicer-side controller 105 determines the number of sliced ​​meats to form one piece of scaly meat M based on the target weight of the scaly meat M, the allowable range of the thickness of the sliced ​​meat, and the cross-sectional profile, which is the measurement data received from the shape measurement means 106.

[0030] However, the shape measuring means 106 may be laser sensors provided above and below the block of meat, or an imaging device that images the cut surface of the block of meat. Furthermore, the slicer-side controller 105 may be configured to use the total weight or specific gravity of the block of meat when determining the number of meat pieces to form the assembly. Furthermore, height detecting means may be provided that detects the height of the block of meat by pressing it down from above, and this height detecting means may be used as the shape measuring means 106, or a camera C, which will be described later, may be used as the shape measuring means 106.

[0031] (First transport conveyor 200) As shown in FIG. 1, the first transport conveyor 200 transports the sliced ​​meat cut out from the cutting device 100, and is, for example, a belt conveyor having an endless transport belt 201 and a drive source (not shown) such as a servo motor that drives the transport belt 201.

[0032] In the above-described configuration, the drive source is controlled by a control signal output from the slicer-side controller 105, which drives the conveyor belt 201, and the sliced ​​meat is stacked while being shifted by a predetermined pitch to form the scaled meat M. The scaled meat M is then conveyed toward a collection position P that is set in advance downstream in the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 201.

[0033] The scaled meat M transported to the collection position P is scooped up by a food presentation device 500, which will be described later.

[0034] (Camera C) As shown in FIG. 1, an imaging area A is set upstream of the collection position P on the conveying belt 201 of the first conveyor 200, where the scaled meat M being conveyed is imaged, and a camera C, which is an imaging means for imaging the scaled meat M, is provided above this imaging area A.

[0035] Here, the camera C is positioned in the center of the width of the conveyor belt 201 when viewed in a plane, so that the first row of scaled meat M and the second row of scaled meat M transported to the imaging area A can be simultaneously imaged by the common camera C.

[0036] (Tray supply mechanism 300) As shown in Fig. 3, the tray supply mechanism 300 separates the tray Z1 located at the bottom of a stacked tray group Zx, which is made up of multiple trays Z stacked on top of one another, from the stacked tray group Zx, and supplies the separated tray Z1 to a predetermined location. Note that Fig. 3 shows the state after the bottom tray Z1 has been peeled off from the stacked tray group Zx.

[0037] This tray supply mechanism 300 operates based on a control signal from the robot controller 20 described later, and is configured to suction-hold and lower the lowest tray Z1, thereby separating it from the stacked tray group Zx.

[0038] Specifically, this tray supply mechanism 300 includes multiple nozzles (not shown) that spray air into the gap between the lowest tray Z1 and the second tray located one above it, a movable support member 301 that can be raised and lowered and that adsorbs the underside of the lowest tray Z1, a drive source 302 that raises and lowers this movable support member 301, and a discharge belt 303 that receives the tray Z1 peeled off by the movable support member 301.

[0039] In this configuration, air is discharged from a nozzle (not shown) between the tray Z1 located at the lowest end and the tray immediately above it, and the tray Z1 located at the lowest end is sucked onto the moving support member 301.

[0040] Then, by controlling the drive source 302 to lower the movable support member 301, the tray Z1 located at the bottom is peeled off from the stacked tray group Zx and placed on the discharge belt 303, which then transfers it to the second transport conveyor 400 described later.

[0041] Here, the tray supply mechanism 300 of this embodiment has tray detection means 305 for detecting the stacked tray group Zx accommodated in the stocker 304, as shown in FIG.

[0042] This tray detection means 305 is an optical means having, for example, a light emitter and a light receiver, and outputs an ON signal when it detects tray Z, and outputs an OFF signal when tray Z is not detected. Note that the specific form of the tray detection means 305 is not limited to an optical one and may be changed as appropriate.

[0043] Specifically, when the stacked tray group Zx is above a predetermined height, the tray detection means 305 detects the tray Z at that predetermined height and outputs an ON signal, and when the stacked tray group Zx falls below the predetermined height, the tray Z can no longer be detected and outputs an OFF signal.

[0044] (Second transport conveyor 400) 1, the second transfer conveyor 400 conveys the trays Z received from the tray supply mechanism 300 to a loading position Q facing the end of the transfer path of the first transfer conveyor 200, and is, for example, a belt conveyor having an endless belt (not shown) and a drive source (not shown) such as a motor that drives the chain. However, the second transfer conveyor 400 may also be a chain conveyor that uses an endless chain.

[0045] The second transfer conveyor 400 is disposed at the terminal end side of the first transfer conveyor 200, and its transfer direction is set to be perpendicular to the transfer direction of the first transfer conveyor 200 in a plan view.

[0046] In this configuration, the second transport conveyor 400 is driven after the arrangement of the scaled meat M onto the tray Z is completed, and carries the tray Z away after arrangement, and sends the next empty tray Z to the arrangement position Q. Then, this tray Z is stopped at the arrangement position Q until the food arrangement device 500 has completed the arrangement of the scaled meat M onto the tray Z a set number of times.

[0047] (Food plating device 500) As shown in Figure 1, food presentation device 500 scoops up scaly meat M transported by first transport conveyor 200 and presents it on trays Z transported by second transport conveyor 400. Note that food presentation device 500 is shown here positioned on the left side of first transport conveyor 200, but is not limited to this position and may also be positioned on the right side.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, this food plating apparatus 500 includes a plating robot 10 that picks up the conveyed scaly meat M, and a robot controller 20 that controls this plating robot 10.

[0049] (Configuration of the serving robot 10) The serving robot 10 is attached to a base 13 fixed to the floor of a processing factory, and has multiple movable parts 11 such as arms, wrists, and hands connected to each other via joints 12.

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

[0051] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the serving robot 10 of this embodiment has a flat hand H, which is the part that scoops up the scaly meat M, and this hand H scoops up the scaly meat M by moving in a crawling manner along the top surface of the conveying belt 201 from the upstream side to the downstream side of the first conveying conveyor 200 (i.e., from the negative side to the positive side in the Y-axis direction).

[0052] More specifically, when the scaled meat M is transported to the above-mentioned collection position P, the serving robot 10 moves from a predetermined standby position and scoops up the scaled meat M at the collection position P. Then, the serving robot 10 places the scooped up scaled meat M on a tray Z, and then returns to the predetermined standby position.

[0053] (Robot Controller 20) The robot controller 20 controls the operation of the hand H, and specifically is a general-purpose or dedicated computer that transmits and receives various data to and from the slicer-side controller 105 described above.

[0054] In this embodiment, in response to a command from the robot controller 20, the hand H picks up the first row of scaled meat M and places it on a tray Z, and then picks up the second row of scaled meat M, which is different from the first row, and places it on the same tray Z or the next tray Z.

[0055] Here, the robot controller 20 is set to arrange two rows (two piles) of scaled meat M on one tray Z, but it may also be set to arrange one row (one pile) of scaled meat M on one tray Z, or it may be set to arrange three or more rows (three piles).

[0056] (Features of the food cutting and serving system) As shown in FIG. 5, food cutting and serving system 1 of this embodiment has the functions of a stop command unit 21, a specified number receiving unit 22, a quality determining unit 23, and a restart control unit 24.

[0057] Here, the functions of the above-mentioned parts are provided in the robot controller 20. However, some or all of these functions may be provided in the slicer-side controller 105, or may be provided in another computer using a server cloud, for example.

[0058] Each part will be explained below.

[0059] The stop command unit 21 receives a signal from the tray detection means 305 and stops the cutting device 100 based on this signal.

[0060] More specifically, when the number of remaining trays Z stocked in the tray supply mechanism 300 decreases and the stacked tray group Zx falls below a predetermined height, the signal output from the tray detection means 305 switches from an ON signal to an OFF signal.

[0061] Therefore, when the stop command unit 21 receives an OFF signal from the tray detection means 305, it outputs a command to temporarily stop at least the cutting device 100, and in this case it outputs a command to stop the first conveying conveyor 200, the second conveying conveyor 400, and the food presentation device 500 as well.

[0062] The designated number receiving unit 22 receives the remaining number of trays Z as the designated number, or receives a value that can be calculated using the remaining number of trays Z as the designated number.

[0063] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the worker can input the remaining number of trays Z via an input means IN such as a touch panel, and this input remaining number is accepted by the designated number accepting unit 22 as the designated number.

[0064] However, other embodiments of the designated number receiving unit 22 include the following. That is, the designated number receiving unit 22 may receive a preset designated number when the signal output from the tray detection means 305 switches from an ON signal to an OFF signal, which eliminates the need for the operator to input the designated number.

[0065] In this case, depending on the type of tray, such as size, depth, or thickness, the remaining number of trays Z when the signal output from the tray detection means 305 switches from an ON signal to an OFF signal can be confirmed in advance, and the remaining number can be stored in memory in advance as a specified number.

[0066] The quality determining unit 23 determines the quality of the sliced ​​meat serving as the food piece based on the image data obtained by the camera C serving as the imaging means described above.

[0067] This quality judgment unit 23 judges the quality of, for example, each individual slice of meat or each individual pile of scaly meat M by performing image analysis on the captured data, and outputs the judgment result as quality judgment data.

[0068] More specifically, the quality determination unit 23 extracts the size (area) of the sliced ​​meat or scalloped meat M captured in the image data, and if the extracted size falls within a predetermined size range, determines that the sliced ​​meat or scalloped meat M is good quality, and conversely, if it exceeds the predetermined size range, determines that the sliced ​​meat or scalloped meat M is defective. However, the quality determination method used by the quality determination unit is not limited to this and may be changed as appropriate.

[0069] The restart control unit 24 restarts the cutting device 100 that has been temporarily stopped by command from the shutdown command unit 21, and controls the operation of the cutting device 100 after it is restarted based on at least the designated number received by the designated number receiving unit 22.

[0070] Specifically, the restart control unit 24 adds a predetermined number to the designated number received by the designated number receiving unit 22, and controls the operation of the cutting device 100 after restart based on the added designated number obtained by adding the predetermined number.

[0071] The restart control unit 24 of this embodiment controls the operation of the cutting device 100 after restarting, based not only on the specified number after addition but also on the quality determination data obtained by the quality determination unit 23.

[0072] (Food serving and cutting system operation) An example of the operation of the food cutting and serving system 1 configured as above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0073] First, when the number of trays Z decreases and the stacked tray group Zx falls below a predetermined height, the signal output from the tray detection means 305 switches from an ON signal to an OFF signal, which triggers a command from the stop command unit 21 to temporarily stop the cutting device 100 (S1).

[0074] Next, for example, when the worker checks the remaining number of trays Z and inputs, for example, "6" as the remaining number, the designated number receiving unit 22 receives the input remaining number as the designated number (S2).

[0075] In this embodiment, the restart control unit 24 acquires the designated number "6" accepted by the designated number accepting unit 22, and adds a predetermined number, for example "2", to the designated number to obtain the designated number "8" after the addition (S3).

[0076] Here, the restart control unit 24 calculates the standard production quantity, which is the number of scaly meat pieces M as aggregates or the number of sliced ​​meat pieces as food pieces required to be served on the remaining trays Z, based on the specified number after addition (S4).

[0077] In this embodiment, two rows (two piles) of scaled meat M are arranged on one tray, and the restart control unit 24 calculates the standard production quantity of scaled meat M by adding "2", which is the number of rows (pile) of scaled meat M that can be arranged on one tray, and multiplying this by the specified number, or "8", to obtain "16".

[0078] That is, in the example described above, when the cutting device 100 is temporarily stopped, if there are 16 piles of scaly meat M, the remaining trays Z can be completely filled.

[0079] Here, the restart control unit 24 of this embodiment accepts the pass / fail judgment data output from the pass / fail judgment unit 23, and obtains the number of pass / fail products corresponding to the number of scale meat M (aggregates) judged to be pass / fail by the pass / fail judgment unit 23 (S5).

[0080] This number of good products is the number of good products that have already been photographed by camera C on the temporarily stopped first conveyor 200, and may be the number of scaled meat M that have been judged to be good products, or the number of sliced ​​meat that make up the scaled meat M that have been judged to be good products.

[0081] The restart control unit 24 of this embodiment acquires the number of scaly meat M judged as good by the good / bad judgment unit 23 as the number of good products, and calculates the required production quantity by subtracting the number of good products from the standard production quantity described above (S6).

[0082] In other words, for example, if the number of good products is "4," the required production quantity of scaly meat M needed to fill the remaining trays is calculated as "12," which is the standard production quantity "16" mentioned above minus the number of good products "4."

[0083] Then, the restart control unit 24 controls the operation of the cutting device 100 after restarting the operation based on the calculated required production quantity (S7).

[0084] Specifically, in the above case where the required production quantity is calculated as "12," in this embodiment, the scaled meat M is produced in two rows, and the restart control unit 24 controls the cutting device 100 after restart so that the total number of scaled meat M produced in two rows is 12 piles, and then stops it again.

[0085] In addition, if the scaled meat M obtained after the cutting device 100 is restarted includes scaled meat M that has been judged to be defective by the quality judgment unit 23, the restart control unit 24 may be configured to control the operation of the cutting device 100 after it is restarted based on the number of missing scaled meat M, which is the number of scaled meat M that have been judged to be defective.

[0086] Specifically, the restart control unit 24 may be configured to continue the operation of the cutting device 100 so that the total number of scale-row meat M produced in two rows becomes the shortage number, and then stop it again.

[0087] (Effects of the food cutting and serving system according to the present invention) According to the food cutting and serving system 1 configured in this manner, the restart control unit 24 controls the operation of the temporarily stopped cutting device 100 after it is restarted based on the specified number received by the specified number receiving unit 22, so that an appropriate number of food pieces according to the remaining number of trays Z can be automatically cut out and served, and food such as sliced ​​meat can be served on trays Z with only a few remaining without hassle or waste.

[0088] Furthermore, the restart control unit 24 controls the operation of the cutting device 100 after restart based on the specified number after addition, which is the specified number plus a predetermined number, so that even if defective scaled meat M is cut out after restart, it is possible to cut out sliced ​​meat in anticipation and arrange it easily on the few remaining trays Z. Furthermore, by setting the predetermined number to as small a value as possible based on experience, it is possible to prevent unnecessary cutting of wasted sliced ​​meat.

[0089] Furthermore, the restart control unit 24 controls the operation of the cutting device 100 after restart based not only on the specified number but also on the pass / fail judgment data, so that the number of sliced ​​meat to be cut after restart can be controlled taking into account the number of pass / fail products, allowing the sliced ​​meat to be served more efficiently.

[0090] Furthermore, since the designated number can be manually input via the input means IN, the designated number input by the operator can be given a degree of freedom, and the operation after restarting can be flexibly controlled.

[0091] (Another embodiment of the food cutting and serving system according to the present invention) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0092] For example, in the above embodiment, the restart control unit 24 calculates an added designated number by adding a predetermined value to the designated number, but the designated number may be used as is to control the restarted cutting device 100 without adding the predetermined value. Also, if some non-defective products have been cut out upstream of the camera C of the first transport conveyor 200, the operation of the restarted cutting device 100 may be controlled based on a subtraction designated number obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the designated number.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the designated number receiving unit 22 receives the remaining number of trays Z, but it may also receive a value that can be calculated from the remaining number of trays Z. Examples of such a value include the total number of scaled meat M required to be served on the remaining trays Z, or the total number of sliced ​​meat pieces required to be served on the remaining trays Z.

[0094] Furthermore, the specified number after addition, the standard production number, and the required production number calculated by the restart control unit 24 are not limited to the number of peaks of the scaly meat M, but may be the number of sliced ​​meat.

[0095] Furthermore, the food cutting and serving system 1 according to the present invention does not necessarily have to be one for serving scalloped meat M on the tray Z, but may also be one for serving, for example, a single thickly cut slice of meat on the tray Z.

[0096] In addition, although the food to be served in the above embodiment has been described as being scaly meat M, it may also be, for example, a single thick slice of meat, or it may be processed foods such as ham or cheese, seafood such as fish fillets, various vegetables, or flexible or viscous food dough.

[0097] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1. Food Cutting and Serving System M...Scale row meat Z···Tray 100...Cutting device 105 Slicer side controller 200···First conveyor 300 Tray supply mechanism 305 Tray detection means 400···Second conveyor 500...Food plating equipment 10. Serving robot 20 Robot Controller 21...Stop Command 22. Designated number reception section 23. Acceptance / rejection judgment section 24 Restart control section

Claims

1. A food cutting and serving system in which food is cut by a cutting device and the cut food pieces are served by a serving robot on trays sequentially supplied from a tray supply mechanism, the system being configured so that the cutting device stops when the number of remaining trays stocked in the tray supply mechanism becomes low, a designated number receiving unit that receives the remaining number of trays or a value that can be calculated using the remaining number of trays as a designated number; A food cutting and serving system characterized by comprising a restart control unit that controls the operation of the stopped cutting device after it is restarted based on the specified number accepted by the specified number accepting unit.

2. 2. The food cutting and serving system according to claim 1, wherein the restart control unit controls the operation of the cutting device after restart based on a value obtained by adding a predetermined number to the designated number.

3. a transfer conveyor that receives the food pieces cut by the cutting device and transports the food pieces to a picking position where the food pieces are picked up by the serving robot; an imaging means for imaging the food pieces on the transport conveyor; a quality determination unit that determines whether the food pieces are good or bad based on the image data obtained by the imaging means, The food cutting and serving system of claim 1, characterized in that the restart control unit controls the operation of the cutting device after it is restarted based not only on the specified number but also on the quality judgment data obtained by the quality judgment unit.

4. In a configuration in which a plurality of the food pieces are arranged so that some of the food pieces overlap each other to form an assembly, and the assembly is arranged on the tray by the serving robot, The restart control unit, The food cutting and serving system of claim 3, characterized in that the required production number is calculated by subtracting the number of good products corresponding to the number of assemblies judged to be good by the good / bad judgment unit from the standard production number of the assemblies or food pieces calculated based on the specified number, and the operation of the cutting device after it is restarted is controlled based on this required production number.

5. The food cutting and serving system of claim 4, characterized in that if the assemblies obtained by restarting the cutting device include assemblies that have been judged to be defective by the pass / fail judgment unit, the restart control unit controls the operation of the cutting device after restart based on the number of assemblies that have been judged to be defective, which is the number of assemblies that have been judged to be defective.

6. 2. The food cutting and serving system according to claim 1, wherein the designated number receiving unit receives the designated number manually input via an input means.

7. a tray detection means for detecting trays stocked in the tray supply mechanism; 2. The food cutting and serving system of claim 1, wherein the designated number receiving unit receives the predetermined designated number when the signal output from the tray detection means switches from an ON signal indicating that a tray is detected to an OFF signal indicating that a tray is not detected.

8. A food cutting and serving program used in a system in which food is cut by a cutting device and the cut food pieces are served by a serving robot on trays sequentially supplied from a tray supply mechanism, the food cutting and serving program being configured to stop the cutting device when the number of remaining trays stocked in the tray supply mechanism becomes low, a designated number receiving unit that receives the remaining number of trays or a value that can be calculated using the remaining number of trays as a designated number; A food cutting and serving program that causes a computer to function as a restart control unit that controls the operation of the stopped cutting device after it is restarted based on the specified number accepted by the specified number accepting unit.

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