Opening device

Abstract

To provide an opening device capable of easily opening packaging materials. [Solution] The opening device 1 opens the packaging material of a food package M, which is a food package wrapped in packaging material. The opening device includes a transport conveyor 10, which is a conveyor on which food packages are placed and transported; a pressure conveyor 20, also a conveyor, located above the transport conveyor 10 and pressing the food packages from above; a displacement means for supporting the pressure conveyor so that it can be displaced upward from a reference position and for biasing the pressure conveyor in a direction returning it to the reference position; and a cutting means 30 for cutting the packaging material from below. This can even out any unevenness of the food in the food package, improving contact with the cutting means, and can easily cut the packaging material by utilizing the weight of the food package. Furthermore, the pressure conveyor can be displaced according to the thickness of the food package, allowing for flexible adaptation to thickness variations due to the type of food package and individual differences.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening device for opening packaging material in a food package in which food is packaged in packaging material. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, commercial foods, such as meats such as chicken, pork, and beef, as well as seafood, vegetables, and processed products thereof, have been distributed in food packages sealed in packaging materials. Therefore, when using these foods, people manually cut open the packaging material with a blade and remove the food from the packaging. However, manual work by people is inefficient, and when using large amounts of food, it is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Therefore, there has been a need for a device that allows people to easily open packaging materials and remove the food.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus in which packaged processed meat is sandwiched between a transport belt conveyor section 2 and a pressure belt conveyor section 6, one side of which is cut from the side by a rotary blade 14, and then the bag is separated from the processed meat by a bag separator 16. However, since many foods are soft, there is a problem in that even if an attempt is made to cut one side of the bag from the side by the rotary blade 14, the bag may be pressed by the rotary blade 14 and become depressed, making it impossible to cut sufficiently. In addition, there is a problem in that food packages have unevenness due to unevenness of the food, and furthermore, the packaging material may be wrinkled, which can leave some of the bag uncut. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-286422 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of the above problem, and aims to provide an opening device that can easily open packaging materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The opening device of the present invention is used to open packaging materials for food packages in which food is wrapped in packaging materials, and is equipped with a conveyor comprising a transport conveyor on which the food packages are placed and transported, a pressure conveyor also comprising a conveyor arranged above the transport conveyor and pressing the food packages from above, a displacement means for supporting the pressure conveyor so that it can be displaced upward from a reference position and for urging the pressure conveyor in a direction returning it to the reference position, and a cutting means for cutting the packaging material from below. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this invention, the pressure conveyor presses the food packages from above, and the cutting means cuts the packaging material from below, which evens out any unevenness in the food packages, improving contact with the cutting means, and utilizing the weight of the food packages to easily cut the packaging material. Furthermore, the displacement means supports the pressure conveyor so that it can be displaced upward from a reference position, and urges the pressure conveyor in a direction returning to the reference position, so that the pressure conveyor can be displaced according to the thickness of the food packages, flexibly accommodating variations in thickness due to the type of food package and individual differences. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an opening device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1. FIG. 4 is another diagram illustrating the configuration of the opening device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional configuration taken along line II shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] 1 and 2 show the configuration of an opening device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional configuration along line II shown in FIG. 2. This opening device 1 opens a food package M in which food is packaged in a packaging material. Examples of the food include meat such as chicken, pork, or beef, seafood, vegetables, fruit, or processed products thereof. Examples of the packaging material include a bag-shaped member made of synthetic resin. Examples of the food package M include a food sealed in a packaging material.

[0011] The opening device 1 includes a transport conveyor 10 consisting of a conveyor on which the food package M is placed and transported, a pressure conveyor 20 consisting of a conveyor that presses the food package M from above, and a cutting means 30 that cuts the packaging material of the food package M from below to open it.

[0012] The transport conveyor 10 is preferably configured, for example, as a belt conveyor in which a transport belt 12 is stretched across a pair of transport pulleys 11. In the transport conveyor 10, for example, the upper surface of the transport belt 12 is the loading surface for the food packages M, and the transport belt 12 moves to transport the food packages M. In this transport conveyor 10, for example, two transport belts 12 are arranged in parallel with a gap between them in the horizontal direction. The transport pulleys 11 around which each transport belt 12 is stretched are linked, and the two transport belts 12 move simultaneously at the same speed. For example, a cutting means 30 is arranged between the two transport belts 12.

[0013] For example, the tip of the cutting means 30 protrudes above the surface of the conveyor belt 12 on which the food packages M are placed, allowing the cutting means 30 to cut the packaging material of the food packages M that are placed on and moving on the conveyor belt 12 from below. The cutting means 30 preferably has a cutting blade, for example, and is configured as a rotary blade, because this allows for easy cutting. The cutting blade is preferably arranged vertically, because this allows for easy cutting of the packaging material by utilizing the weight of the food packages M due to gravity.

[0014] The pressure conveyor 20 is disposed, for example, above the transport conveyor 10, and is configured to sandwich the food packages M between itself and the transport conveyor 10. This allows the pressure conveyor 20 to, for example, even out any unevenness of the food in the food packages M and more reliably bring the cutting means 30 into contact with the food packages M. The speed of the pressure conveyor 20 is adjusted, for example, to be the same as the transport speed of the food packages M, i.e., the speed of the transport conveyor 10. The pressure conveyor 20 is preferably configured, for example, as a belt conveyor in which a pressure belt 22 is stretched over a pair of pressure pulleys 21. In this pressure conveyor 20, for example, similar to the transport conveyor 10, it is preferable that two pressure belts 22 are arranged in parallel with a horizontal gap between them. This is to prevent contact with the cutting means 30, whose tip protrudes from the transport belt 12. The pressure pulleys 21 around which the pressure belts 22 are stretched are linked together, so that the two pressure belts 22 move simultaneously at the same speed.

[0015] The opening device 1 also includes a displacement means 40 that supports the pressure conveyor 20 so that it can be displaced upward from a reference position and that urges the pressure conveyor 20 in a direction returning to the reference position. This is so that the pressure conveyor 20 is displaced upward in accordance with the thickness of the food packages M, changing the distance between the pressure conveyor 20 and the transport conveyor 10. This allows for flexible adaptation to thickness variations that occur depending on the type of food packages M and individual differences. The displacement means 40 is disposed, for example, on an arrangement member 50.

[0016] The displacement means 40 can be, for example, a tensioner. Tensioners are widely used to automatically adjust the tension of, for example, belts or chains, and one example is one that adjusts the pressing force using the force of a spring or the like. A preferred example of a tensioner is one that includes a hollow prismatic outer shell 41, a hollow prismatic inner shell 42, and a cylindrical rubber member 43, as shown in FIG. 3 , in which the inner shell 42 is inserted into the outer shell 41 with a 45° displacement, and the rubber member 43 is press-fitted between the outer shell 41 and the inner shell 42. In this tensioner, a state in which the outer shell 41 and the inner shell 42 are displaced 45° is defined as a reference state, and deformation of the rubber member 43 causes the inner shell 42 to rotate relative to the outer shell 41, and a biasing force is generated in a direction returning the inner shell 42 to the reference state as the outer shell 41 and the inner shell 42 rotate.

[0017] Specifically, for example, by disposing the tip side of the arm 44 attached to the outer shell 41 on the pressing conveyor 20 and disposing the inner shell 42 on the installation member 50, the pressing conveyor 20 can be supported so as to be displaceable upward from the reference position, and the pressing conveyor 20 can be biased in a direction returning to the reference position as the conveyor is displaced. Note that the outer shell 41 may be disposed on the installation member 50, and the arm 44 may be attached to the inner shell 42, with the tip side disposed on the pressing conveyor 20. Furthermore, when such a tensioner is used, the pressing conveyor 20 can also be displaced downward from the reference position, and the pressing conveyor 20 is biased in a direction returning to the reference position as the conveyor is displaced.

[0018] The arrangement member 50 is preferably provided with a reference position changing means 51 that can change the reference position of the pressure conveyor 20, for example, by changing the height of the displacement means 40. This is to accommodate a wider range of thicknesses of the food packages M. The reference position changing means 51 may change the height of the displacement means 40 continuously, or may change it stepwise in multiple stages. In this embodiment, for example, the height of the displacement means 40 can be changed stepwise in two stages. In other words, the height of the displacement means 40 is configured to be able to be set to either a low position or a high position.

[0019] Specifically, the reference position changing means 51 changes the reference position by, for example, moving the displacement means 40 in the vertical direction to change the height of the displacement means 40, thereby changing the height of the pressing conveyor 20 supported by the displacement means 40. The reference position changing means 51 may be configured in any way as long as it can change the height of the displacement means 40, and may be configured, for example, by a gear or a cylinder.

[0020] This opening device 1 is used, for example, as follows. First, for example, before starting the opening operation, an operator changes the height of the displacement means 40 using the reference position changing means 51 in accordance with the thickness of the food package M, thereby adjusting the reference position of the pressure conveyor 20. Next, for example, the opening device 1 is switched on to drive the transport conveyor 10 and the pressure conveyor 20, and the operator or an industrial robot places the food package M on the transport conveyor 10 on the upstream side in the transport direction. Alternatively, for example, the food package M may be inserted between the transport conveyor 10 and the pressure conveyor 20 on the upstream side in the transport direction.

[0021] As a result, food packages M are conveyed by the conveying conveyor 10 and moved downstream in the conveying direction while being sandwiched between the conveying conveyor 10 and the pressure conveyor 20. As this occurs, food packages M are pressed from above by the pressure conveyor 20, and even if the food in the food packages M is unevenly distributed, they are flattened. Furthermore, the pressure conveyor 20 is supported by the displacement means 40 so that it can be displaced upward from a reference position, and is displaced upward according to the thickness of the food packages M, changing the distance between the conveying conveyor 10 and the food packages M. While the food packages M are being moved between the conveying conveyor 10 and the pressure conveyor 20, they are cut from below by the cutting means 30 and opened. When the food packages M are conveyed to the end of the conveying conveyor 10 and emerge from between the conveying conveyor 10 and the pressure conveyor 20, the pressure conveyor 20 is biased by the displacement means 40 in a direction returning it to the reference position, and so returns to the reference position.

[0022] As described above, according to this embodiment, the pressure conveyor 20 presses the food packages M from above, and the cutting means 30 cuts the packaging material from below, which makes it possible to even out any unevenness of the food in the food packages M, improving contact with the cutting means 30, and also makes it possible to easily cut the packaging material by utilizing the weight of the food packages M. Furthermore, the displacement means 40 supports the pressure conveyor 20 so that it can be displaced upward from the reference position, and urges the pressure conveyor 20 in a direction returning it to the reference position, so that the pressure conveyor 20 can be displaced according to the thickness of the food packages M, and can flexibly accommodate thickness variations due to the type of food packages M and individual differences.

[0023] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways. For example, although each component has been specifically described in the above embodiments, not all components may be included, and other components may be included. Furthermore, the specific configuration of each component may be different. [Industrial Applicability]

[0024] It can be used when opening the packaging material of a food package. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1...opening device, 10...transport conveyor, 11...transport pulley, 12...transport belt, 20...pressure conveyor, 21...pressure pulley, 22...pressure belt, 30...cutting means, 40...displacement means, 41...outer shell, 42...inner shell, 43...rubber member, 44...arm, 50...mounting member, 51...reference position changing means, M...food package

Claims

1. An opening device for opening a packaging material for a food package in which food is packaged in the packaging material, a conveyor configured as a conveyor on which the food packages are placed and conveyed; a pressure conveyor that is arranged above the transport conveyor and presses the food packages from above; a displacement means for supporting the pressing conveyor so that the pressing conveyor can be displaced upward from a reference position and for biasing the pressing conveyor in a direction returning to the reference position; cutting means for cutting the packaging material from below; An opening device comprising:

2. 2. The opening device according to claim 1, further comprising a reference position changing means for changing the reference position of the pressure conveyor by changing the height of the displacement means.

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