A rod rotating device for a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended

Abstract

To provide a pole turning device capable of turning poles while reducing the occurrence of defective sausage in delivering a pole with chain-shaped sausage suspended from an upstream device to a downstream device.SOLUTION: A pole turning device consists of a turning arm part 10, a turning drive part 20, and an actuator part 30. The turning drive part 20 turns the turning arm part 10 at a prescribed angle with a turning shaft 21 at a center. The actuator part 30 moves the turning arm part 10 upward and moves a pole turned by the turning drive part downward such that both ends of a pole 4 are picked up horizontally from an upstream device to move the pole 4 upward to a level of height at which sausage 5 suspended from the pole 4 does not come into contact with the upstream device, and that the circumferential speed of the pole 4 is lowered against a turning speed by the turning drive part 20 by making the pole 4 come close to a position near the turning shaft 21 to reduce the occurrence of defective sausage 5 caused by centrifugal force of turning due to the turning drive part 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rod turning device for a rod from which a chain of sausages is suspended, and more particularly to a rod turning device for transferring a rod from which a chain of sausages is suspended from an upstream device to a downstream device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a sausage production line, first, a sausage stuffing machine stuffs the sausage ingredients into a natural or artificial casing that will become the outer skin of the sausage, and twists it into a chain of sausages. Then, a rod hanging device hangs the chain of sausages on a rod. The rod with the sausages hanging from it is generally hung on a cart by hand.

[0003] However, the poles with the chain-like sausages hanging from them are heavy and place a heavy burden on workers. For this reason, a trolley hanging device has been developed, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. With the trolley hanging device, multiple poles with sausages hanging from them are hung on a trolley without relying on manual labor by workers. The sausages are then sent to the subsequent heating or smoking process.

[0004] Furthermore, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is a conventional technique in which a rod from which ham or sausage is hung is rotated and transferred to a subsequent heating device or the like by using a robot to rotate the rod. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 239737 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 2868203A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when the raw materials are stuffed into a casing and twisted to produce a chain-shaped sausage, if it is shook too much, the twisted part may untwist, the casing may break, or the appearance may become distorted, resulting in a defective product. On the other hand, for mass production, the turning process must also be done quickly. For this reason, the pole on which the sausages are hung, especially before the heating process, must be turned carefully and quickly.

[0007] In addition, the robot in Patent Document 2 is large and requires a large installation area, and the device is expensive because it performs complex movements with multiple joints. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 does not consider how to turn the pole on which the sausages are suspended while reducing the product defect rate, and there is a risk that the sausages will be swung too much, causing them to twist back, making the casing more likely to break, or causing deformation of the appearance.

[0008] Furthermore, if an attempt is made to transfer a rod with a chain of sausages suspended from the rod hanging device to the cart hanging device without changing the orientation of the rod, the flow of products from the upstream device to the downstream device will not be in a straight line, and waste will be generated in the layout of each device in the factory.

[0009] Therefore, there has been a demand for a rod turning device that can reduce the burden on workers and the occurrence of defective sausages when turning a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended and transferring it from an upstream device to a downstream device. There has also been a demand for a rod turning device that is small, requires a small installation area, and can be manufactured inexpensively.

[0010] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a rod turning device that can reduce the burden on workers and the occurrence of defective sausages when turning a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended and transferring it from an upstream device to a downstream device. It also aims to provide a rod turning device that is small in size, requires a small installation area, and can be manufactured at low cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, a rod turning device for a rod from which a chain of sausages is suspended according to the present invention may comprise: a turning arm section having a pair of arms and rod receiving sections provided at the ends of the pair of arms for picking up both ends of the rod from which a chain of sausages is suspended horizontally from an upstream device and transferring them to a downstream device; a turning drive section for turning the turning arm section at a predetermined angle around a vertical turning axis; and an actuator section for raising the turning arm section so as to pick up both ends of the rod horizontally from the upstream device and lift the rod to a height where the sausages suspended from the rod do not come into contact with the upstream device, and by bringing the rod closer to a position around the turning axis, the circumferential speed of the rod is reduced relative to the turning speed by the turning drive section, thereby reducing the occurrence of defective sausages due to the centrifugal force of turning by the turning drive section, and lowering the turning arm section so that the rod lifted by the turning arm section turned by the turning drive section in the raised state can be transferred to the downstream device.

[0012] Here, the swivel arm portion may be configured to sequentially pick up both ends of a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended from two upstream devices and transfer them to one downstream device.

[0013] In addition, the turning drive unit may have a variable stopper unit that enables the turning arm unit to stop at the position for transferring the rod to the downstream device when transferring the rod from one upstream device to a downstream device, and enables the turning arm unit to rotate to the other upstream device after transferring the rod to the downstream device, and a stopper receiving unit that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the turning arm unit and abuts against the variable stopper unit to stop the turning arm unit at a predetermined stopping position.

[0014] The variable stopper portion may also have a rack and pinion portion that operates in a reciprocal manner with a pinion sandwiched between two racks, each of which has a stopper that the stopper receiving portion abuts against.

[0015] The swivel arm may also be adapted to pick up both ends of a plurality of rods from which a chain of sausages is suspended and deliver them to a downstream device.

[0016] Also, the swivel arm portion may have a pair of arms each bent upwardly to form an L-shape.

[0017] In addition, the actuator unit may raise and lower the swivel arm unit by rotating the swivel arm unit about a rotation axis that is parallel to a line connecting the rod holder portions at the ends of the pair of arms and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the swivel drive unit.

[0018] Also, the actuator portion may lower the swivel arm portion to such an extent that the swivel arm portion does not come into contact with the sausages suspended from the pole. Effect of the Invention

[0019] The rod turning device of the present invention has the advantages of reducing the burden on workers and reducing the occurrence of defective sausages when turning the rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended and transferring it from the upstream device to the downstream device, as well as being small in size, requiring a small installation area, and being inexpensive to manufacture.

[0020] In addition, by using the rod turning device of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate waste in the flow of traffic in the production line of the factory and to arrange the layout of each device in the factory so that the flow of products from the upstream device to the downstream device is in a straight line. Furthermore, since the turning angle can be freely specified, it is possible to arrange each device in the desired layout. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic top view for explaining an overall image of the rod turning device of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining the lifting operation of the rotation arm section by the actuator section of the rod rotation device of the present invention. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the lifting of the rotation arm section by the actuator section of the rod rotation device of the present invention and the decrease in the circumferential speed of the rod relative to the rotation speed by the rotation drive section. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view for explaining the lowering operation of the rotation arm part by the actuator part of the rod rotation device of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic top view for explaining another example of the rod rotating device of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged top view for explaining the details of the rotation drive unit of the rod rotation device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic top view for explaining the overall image of a rod turning device for a rod from which a chain of sausages is suspended according to the present invention. In the illustrated example, a rod hanging device 2 is the upstream device, a cart hanging device 3 is the downstream device, and an example is shown in which a rod 4 is picked up from the rod hanging device 2 by the rod turning device 1 of the present invention, the rod 4 is turned, and the rod 4 is handed over to the cart hanging device 3.

[0023] A chain of sausages 5 is suspended from a pole 4 by a pole hanging device 2 as an upstream device. More specifically, a chain of sausages 5 is produced by filling a natural or artificial casing, which is the outer skin of the sausage, with sausage ingredients and twisting it by a sausage stuffing device (not shown), and the chain of sausages 5 is suspended from the pole 4 by the pole hanging device 2. After that, the pole 4 from which the chain of sausages 5 is suspended waits at a pair of take-out arms 2a of the pole hanging device 2 to be turned. The take-out arms 2a are arms with an inclination on the lower side, and the pole 4 placed on the take-out arms 2a moves to a pole receiving position (the tip of the take-out arms 2a) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pole 4. Any pole hanging device 2, whether conventional or to be developed in the future, can be used for the pole turning device 1 of the present invention. In addition, in the illustrated example, a rod hanging device 2 is used as the upstream device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any device used to transfer a rod 4 from upstream to downstream using the rod rotation device 1 of the present invention, such as a transfer from a conveyor device to another conveyor device.

[0024] The cart hanging device 3 as the downstream device receives the rod 4 from which the chain of sausages 5 is suspended by the receiving arm 3a, and appropriately hangs a plurality of rods on the cart 3b. After that, the rod 4 from which the chain of sausages 5 is suspended, which is hung on the cart 3b, is sent to the subsequent heating process or smoking process, which are not shown in the figures. Any cart hanging device 3, whether conventional or to be developed in the future, can be used for the rod turning device 1 of the present invention. In the illustrated example, the cart hanging device is used as the downstream device for the explanation, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any device used when transferring a rod from upstream to downstream using the rod turning device 1 of the present invention.

[0025] Now, the rod rotation device 1 of the present invention, which is used to transfer the rod 4 on which such a chain of sausages 5 is suspended from an upstream device to a downstream device, is mainly composed of a rotation arm unit 10, a rotation drive unit 20, and an actuator unit 30, as shown in Figure 1.

[0026] The swivel arm section 10 has a pair of arms 11 and a rod receiving section 12. The rod receiving sections 12 are provided at the tips of the arms 11, respectively. The rod receiving sections 12 may have a structure for scooping up both ends of the rod 4. Specifically, the rod receiving section 12 may pick up the rod 4 by hooking it into a U-shaped recess. Note that the rod receiving section 12 may have a structure for clamping the rod 4 as long as it is possible to pick up the rod 4. The swivel arm section 10 is used to horizontally pick up both ends of the rod 4, on which the chain of sausages 5 is suspended, from the rod hanging device 2 and transfer them to the cart hanging device 3. That is, the swivel arm section 10 picks up both ends of the rod 4 from the take-out arm section 2a of the rod hanging device 2 with the rod receiving section 12 and transfers them to the receiving arm section 3a of the cart hanging device 3.

[0027] In the illustrated example, the swivel arm unit 10 picks up both ends of one rod 4 from the rod hanging device 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the swivel arm unit 10 may pick up multiple rods 4 from which a chain of sausages 5 is suspended and transfer them to the cart hanging device 3.

[0028] The turning drive unit 20 turns the turning arm unit 10 at a predetermined angle around a vertical turning shaft 21. As shown in the figure, the turning shaft 21 is specifically a vertical shaft present at the base side of the pair of arms 11 of the turning arm unit 10. The predetermined angle of turning is not limited to a particular angle. In the illustrated example, the rod 4 is turned 90 degrees from the rod hanging device 2 to the cart hanging device 3 and handed over. In this case, the turning drive unit 20 may turn the turning arm unit 10 at 90 degrees around the turning shaft 21. The turning drive unit 20 may be, for example, a rotary actuator, a stepping motor, a servo motor, or the like, as long as it can turn the turning arm unit 10 at a predetermined angle. In the illustrated example, the turning arm unit 10 is turned by turning the turning shaft 21 using a motor, a gear, and a chain. Although the turning angle is specifically described as 90 degrees in this specification, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the layout of the production line in the factory, etc.

[0029] The actuator unit 30 raises and lowers the revolving arm unit 10. The actuator unit 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining the lifting operation of the revolving arm unit by the actuator unit of the rod revolving device of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) shows the initial position of the revolving arm unit, FIG. 2(b) shows the state in which the revolving arm unit has been raised to a position where the rod can be picked up, and FIG. 2(c) shows the state in which the revolving arm unit has been further raised and moved closer to the revolving axis. In the figures, the parts with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 represent the same objects. In the illustrated example, the actuator unit 30 is an example using a pneumatic actuator using a pneumatic cylinder, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any actuator that can raise and lower the revolving arm unit as described below can be used.

[0030] The actuator unit 30 picks up both ends of the rod 4 horizontally from the rod hanging device 2, and raises the swivel arm unit 10 so as to raise the rod 4 to a height where the sausages 5 hung from the rod 4 do not come into contact with the rod hanging device 2. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b), the actuator unit 30 first raises the swivel arm unit 10 from the initial position S to position A in order to pick up the rod 4 from the rod hanging device 2. Then, after the rod 4 is picked up by the swivel arm unit 10 at position A, the actuator unit 30 raises the swivel arm unit 10 to position B (Fig. 2(c)). A chain of sausages 5 is hung from the rod 4, and although this varies depending on the sausage product, it is hung at a length of about 50 cm to 100 cm. Therefore, when lifting the suspended sausage 5 from the rod hanging device 2, the actuator unit 30 lifts the rod 4 sufficiently to a height where the sausage 5 suspended from the rod 4 does not come into contact with the rod hanging device 2. At this time, as can be seen from FIG. 2(c), the actuator unit 30 of the rod rotating device of the present invention lifts the rotating arm unit 10 so as to move the rod 4 closer to the rotating shaft 21. Then, in the state of position B shown in FIG. 2(c), the rotating arm unit 10 is rotated by the rotating drive unit 20. That is, by moving the rod 4 closer to the rotating shaft 21, it is possible to reduce the circumferential speed of the rod 4 relative to the rotating speed by the rotating drive unit 20. This makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of defects in the sausage 5 due to the centrifugal force of rotation by the rotating drive unit 20.

[0031] Here, the relationship between the lifting of the revolving arm section by the actuator section and the decrease in the circumferential speed of the rod relative to the revolving speed by the revolving drive section will be explained with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3(a) is a schematic top view for explaining the movement of the rod by the revolving drive section and the actuator section of the rod revolving device of the present invention. In the figure, parts with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 represent the same items. Note that, as a comparative example, Fig. 3(b) is a schematic top view for explaining the movement of the rod when it is revolved around the end of the rod as the revolving axis.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3(b), when the rod 4 is rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis at the end of the rod 4 as in the comparative example, the circumferential speed of the sausages 5 close to the rotation axis is slow, so the centrifugal force is small, but the circumferential speed is fast and the centrifugal force is large for the sausages 5 far from the rotation axis. When the sausages 5 suspended from the rod 4 are swung evenly, there is no problem to a certain extent, but when they are swung unevenly, the sausages come into contact with each other, and especially for sausages before heat treatment, they may twist back, the casing may break, or the appearance may become deformed. Therefore, when the rotation axis is at the end of the rod as shown in Fig. 3(b), it is inevitable that many defects will occur.

[0033] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3(a), in the case of the rod rotation device of the present invention, the rod 4 is first taken up from the rod hanging device 2 at position A. After that, the actuator unit 30 lifts the rod 4 to a height where the sausage 5 does not come into contact with the rod hanging device 2, and moves the rod 4 to position B while moving it closer to the turning shaft 21. By moving the rod 4 closer to the turning shaft 21, it is possible to reduce the circumferential speed of the rod 4 relative to the turning speed by the turning drive unit 20. This is because the circumferential speed is expressed as the product of the angular velocity and the radius, and the closer the rod 4 is to the turning shaft 21, the smaller the radius becomes. If the rod 4 is turned directly from position A to position D, the radius becomes larger compared to when the rod 4 is turned from position B to position C, and the circumferential speed also becomes faster. Therefore, if the rod 4 is turned at position B where the radius from the rotation shaft 21 becomes smaller, the circumferential speed of the rod 4 can be slowed. In other words, if the driving speed by the turning drive unit 20 is the same, the centrifugal force can be reduced. In this state, when the turning arm unit 10 is turned 90 degrees by the turning drive unit 20, it moves to position C with a small centrifugal force. In this way, even if the turning speed by the turning drive unit 20 is the same, the centrifugal force can be reduced by making the radius smaller and turning the rod 4 compactly, and it is possible to reduce the occurrence of defective sausages 5 due to turning. This is particularly effective when, for example, multiple rods 4 are picked up and handed over to the cart hanging device 3. In other words, when multiple rods 4 are picked up, the risk of deformation due to contact between the sausages increases, but the rod turning device of the present invention can turn the sausages to a degree that suppresses their shaking, so it is possible to further reduce the occurrence of defective sausages. As a result, it is also possible to increase the turning speed.

[0034] In this way, in the rod turning device 1 of the present invention, the turning arm section 10 is not only raised so as to lift the rod 4 to a height where the sausage 5 does not contact the rod hanging device 2, but also raised so as to move the rod 4 closer to the turning axis 21 in order to reduce the circumferential speed of the rod 4. Such operation of the turning arm section 10 by the actuator section 30 makes it possible to quickly transfer the sausage 5 from the rod hanging device 2 to the cart hanging device 3 while reducing the occurrence of defective sausages 5.

[0035] If the turning shaft is located at the right angle between the position where the rod is picked up and the position where it is handed over, as in Figure 3(b), it is necessary to place the turning drive unit outside the turning area of ​​the rod. In other words, the installation area of ​​the entire device becomes large due to the turning area and the turning drive unit placed outside it. On the other hand, as can be seen from Figure 3(a), according to the rod turning device of the present invention, the turning shaft that turns the rod by 90 degrees is located inside the right angle between the position where the rod is picked up and the position where it is handed over. In other words, it is possible to place the turning drive unit within the turning area. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the installation area of ​​the rod turning device.

[0036] Next, the lowering operation of the revolving arm part by the actuator part of the rod rotating device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view for explaining the lowering operation of the revolving arm part by the actuator part of the rod rotating device of the present invention. FIG. 4(a) shows the state after the revolving arm part has been rotated, FIG. 4(b) shows the state in which the revolving arm part has been lowered to the position for transferring the rod, and FIG. 4(c) shows the state in which the revolving arm part has been further lowered to the initial position. In the figures, the parts with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 represent the same objects. The lowering operation of the revolving arm part is basically the same as the reverse operation of the lifting operation shown in FIG. 2. The actuator part 30 lowers the revolving arm part 10 so that the rod 4 lifted by the revolving arm part 10 rotated by the revolving drive part 20 is transferred to the cart hanging device 3 when the rod 4 is raised as described above. Specifically, with the actuator unit 30 raising the swivel arm unit 10, the swivel drive unit 20 rotates the swivel arm unit 10 and moves it to position C (FIG. 4(a)). Note that this position C corresponds to position C in FIG. 3(a) when viewed from above. Thereafter, in order to transfer the pole 4 to the cart hanging device 3, the swivel arm unit 10 is lowered to position D (FIG. 4(b)). Similarly, this position D corresponds to position D in FIG. 3(a) when viewed from above. Thereafter, the actuator unit 30 lowers the swivel arm unit 10 to position S, which is the initial position (FIG. 4(c)).

[0037] 2 and 4, the initial position S of the swivel arm unit 10 is a position where the swivel arm unit 10 does not come into contact with the chain of sausages 5 hung from the pole 4. That is, the actuator unit 30 sufficiently lowers the swivel arm unit 10 to a height where the swivel arm unit 10 does not come into contact with the sausages 5 hung from the pole 4. By rotating the swivel arm unit 10 in the initial position S, it is possible to prevent the swivel arm unit 10 from coming into contact with the sausages 5 hung from the pole 4 that have been handed over to the cart hanging device 3 and the sausages 5 hung from the pole 4 waiting to be picked up from the pole hanging device 2 when the swivel arm unit 10 is rotated again to a position where the pole 4 is picked up from the pole hanging device 2.

[0038] 2 and 4, the operation of lifting the rod receiving part 12 while moving it in a direction away from the initial position S with respect to the swivel shaft 21, lifting the rod 4 from the rod hanging device 2 and then moving it toward the swivel shaft 21, and the operation of lowering the rod 4 while moving it in a direction away from the swivel shaft 21 after turning, and then lowering the rod 4 back to the initial position S after it has been handed over to the cart hanging device 3 can be realized as follows. That is, when viewed from the position where the rod 4 is picked up or handed over, the initial position S and positions B and C during turning move not only vertically but also in a direction approaching the swivel shaft 21. This movement can be realized by rotating the swivel arm part 10 about the rotation shaft 31 and moving the rod receiving part 12 on an arc. In other words, the actuator unit 30 raises and lowers the swivel arm unit 10 by rotating the swivel arm unit 10 around a rotation axis 31 that is parallel to a line connecting the rod holder units 12 at the ends of the pair of arms 11 and perpendicular to the swivel axis 21 of the swivel drive unit.

[0039] In this way, the rotating arm section 10 can be raised from a position where it does not come into contact with the sausage 5 at the initial position S to the pick-up position A, and then moved closer to the rotating shaft 21 to the position B during rotation, and after rotation it can be lowered from the position C to the transfer position D, and then moved further to the initial position S where it does not come into contact with the sausage 5, simply by rotating the rotating arm section 10 about the rotating shaft 31.

[0040] In addition, since the rotating arm unit 10 only needs to rotate around the rotation axis 31, it does not need to be configured to be complex and flexible like a robot, so the device can be made compact and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0041] 2 and 4, the pair of arms 11 of the swivel arm unit 10 may each have an upwardly bent L-shape. Compared to a straight I-shaped arm, this can reduce the stress applied to the arm when the actuator unit 30 moves upward, and can suppress the driving force of the actuator unit 30.

[0042] Furthermore, the rotating arm portion 10 may be provided with an appropriate suppression plate or the like to suppress the swinging of the sausage 5 when the rod 4 is picked up.

[0043] 2 and 4, the height at which the rod 4 is picked up by the swivel arm unit 10 and the height at which it is handed over are described as being the same. That is, the pick-up position A and the handover position D are shown as being at the same height. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the rod may be handed over from an upstream device to a downstream device located at different heights.

[0044] Thus, according to the rod turning device of the present invention, when transferring a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended from an upstream device to a downstream device, there is no need to rely on manual work by an operator to turn the rod, and therefore the burden on the operator can be reduced. Furthermore, since the centrifugal force caused by turning can be reduced, it is possible to turn the rod while reducing the occurrence of defective sausages. In addition, it is small, requires a small installation area, and can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since the turning arm section is structured to be controlled only by the turning drive section and the actuator section, maintenance is also easy. And because the configuration is simple, there are few consumable parts and running costs are low.

[0045] In addition, by using the rod turning device of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate waste in the flow of traffic in the production line of the factory and to arrange the layout of each device in the factory so that the flow of products from the upstream device to the downstream device is in a straight line. Furthermore, since the turning angle can be freely specified, it is possible to arrange each device in the desired layout.

[0046] Next, another example of the rod turning device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In the above illustrated example, the rod turning device used when transferring a rod from one upstream device to one downstream device has been described. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view for explaining an example of the rod turning device of the present invention used when transferring a rod from two upstream devices to one downstream device. In the figure, parts with the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 represent the same objects. As illustrated, in this example, two rod hanging devices 2, 2', which are upstream devices, exist in parallel. Then, the rod 4 sent from the two rod hanging devices 2, 2' is sequentially transferred to the cart hanging device 3, which is one downstream device. That is, the rod turning device 1 of the present invention in the illustrated example improves the processing capacity by using two rod hanging devices in parallel for the work of filling the casing with raw materials and the work of suspending the rod, and transfers it to one cart hanging device.

[0047] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the turning arm unit 10 first picks up both ends of the rod 4 on which the chain of sausages 5 is suspended from the rod hanging device 2 and transfers them to the cart hanging device 3. The operation of the turning arm unit 10 at this time is the same as in the above-mentioned illustrated examples. That is, the actuator unit 30 is used to horizontally pick up both ends of the rod 4 from the rod hanging device 2 and lift the rod 4 to a height where the sausages 5 suspended from the rod 4 do not come into contact with the rod hanging device 2. Furthermore, the turning arm unit 10 is turned 90 degrees clockwise in the illustrated example by the turning drive unit 20 in a state where the circumferential speed of the rod 4 is reduced relative to the turning speed by the turning drive unit 20 by moving the rod 4 to a position close to the turning axis 21. This reduces the occurrence of defective sausages 5 due to the centrifugal force of turning by the turning drive unit 20. Thereafter, the rod 4 lifted by the turning arm unit 10 is transferred to the cart hanging device 3.

[0048] Next, in this example, the swivel arm unit 10 is rotated another 90 degrees clockwise to pick up both ends of the rod 4 from which the chain of sausages 5 is suspended from the rod hanging device 2'. That is, the swivel arm unit 10 is configured to be able to rotate 180 degrees. Then, after lifting the rod 4 from the rod hanging device 2', the swivel arm unit 10 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise while in the raised state, and the swivel arm unit 10 is lowered again so that the rod 4 lifted by the swivel arm unit 10 is handed over to the cart hanging device 3. Note that the angle of rotation is specifically described as 90 degrees or 180 degrees in this specification, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate according to the layout of the factory, etc.

[0049] In this manner, the rod rotating device 1 of the present invention may be configured so that the rotating arm section 10 sequentially picks up both ends of the rod 4 from the two rod hanging devices 2, 2' and passes them over to one cart hanging device 3.

[0050] Next, the details of the turning drive unit will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged top view for explaining the details of the turning drive unit of the rod turning device of the present invention. FIG. 6(a) shows the state of the position where the rod is handed over to the cart hanging device, and FIG. 6(b) shows the state of the position where the rod is taken up from the rod hanging device. In the figure, parts with the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 represent the same objects. In the illustrated example, an example of a turning drive unit 20 that can be turned 180 degrees and is used when transferring a rod from two rod hanging devices to one cart hanging device as shown in FIG. 5 is shown. The turning drive unit 20 needs to reliably stop the turning of the turning arm unit 10 at a predetermined stopping position. However, the turning drive unit 20 turns the turning arm unit 10 that has picked up the rod on which the chain-like sausages are suspended, and turns a certain amount of weight, so it is also necessary to prevent excessive strain from being placed on the motor, etc. when the turning is stopped. Therefore, in order to stop the rotation of the swivel arm unit 10 by the swivel drive unit 20, for example, the following configuration may be adopted.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 6, the swivel drive unit 20 has a variable stopper portion 22. The swivel drive unit 20 also has a stopper receiving portion 23 against which the variable stopper portion 22 abuts. The stopper receiving portion 23 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the swivel arm unit 10, and abuts against the variable stopper portion 22 to stop the swivel arm unit 10 at a predetermined stop position. Specifically, the stopper receiving portion 23 in the illustrated example extends on the side opposite to the rod receiving portion 12 side of the swivel arm unit 10, and rotates integrally with the swivel arm unit 10 around the swivel shaft 21.

[0052] In the illustrated example, the variable stopper unit 22 is composed of a rack and pinion unit. Specifically, the rack and pinion unit, which is the variable stopper unit 22, sandwiches a pinion 26 between two racks 25, 25' each having a stopper 24, 24' against which the stopper receiving unit 23 abuts, and operates in a reciprocal manner. When transferring the rod from one rod hanging device to the cart hanging device, the variable stopper unit 22 operates so that the rack 25 is extended and the stopper receiving unit 23 abuts against the stopper 24 so that the swivel arm unit 10 can be stopped at the position where the rod is transferred to the cart hanging device (FIG. 6(a)). This makes it possible to accurately stop the rotation of the swivel arm unit 10 by the swivel drive unit 20 at the correct position. Next, after transferring the rod to the cart hanging device, the rack 25 is retracted so that the swivel arm unit 10 can be rotated to the other rod hanging device. At this time, the rack 25' is extended by the reciprocating action, and is prepared for the transfer action to the next cart hanging device. In this way, the stoppers 24, 24' are varied by the variable stopper section 22, so that the swivel arm section 10 can rotate 180 degrees and can be stopped at a predetermined position. In addition, in the illustrated example, an abutment section 27 is provided so that the swivel arm section 10 can be stopped at the rod pick-up position. The stopper receiving section 23 abuts against the abutment section 27 so that the swivel arm section 10 can be stopped at a position where the rod is picked up from the other rod hanging device. The abutment sections 27 are provided on the left and right sides so that the swivel arm section 10 can be stopped at a position where the rod is picked up from the two rod hanging devices. The abutment sections 27 do not need to be variable because the swivel arm section 10 does not rotate any further.

[0053] In this way, the turning drive unit 20 may be configured to be able to stop at a predetermined stopping position using the variable stopper unit 22 so that the rod can be picked up from one rod hanging device, handed over to the cart hanging device, and then turned to the other rod hanging device to pick up the rod and hand it over to the cart hanging device again. Note that the variable stopper unit used in the turning drive unit of the rod turning device of the present invention is not limited to one composed of a rack and pinion unit as in the illustrated example, and may be any unit that can stop at a predetermined position.

[0054] It should be noted that the rod rotation device for a rod from which a chain of sausages is suspended according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned illustrated example, and various modifications can of course be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 Rod rotation device 2. Rod Hanging Device 2a Removal arm 3. Cart Hanging Device 3a Receiving arm part 3b trolley 4 Rods 5. Sausage 10 Rotating arm section 11 Arm 12 Rod holder 20 Turning drive unit 21 Rotation axis 22 Variable stopper section 23 Stopper receiving part 24,24' Stopper 25,25' rack 26 Pinion 27 Contact part 30 Actuator section 31 Rotation axis

Claims

1. A rod rotating device for transferring a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended from an upstream device to a downstream device, the rod rotating device comprising: a rotating arm unit having a pair of arms and rod receiving units provided at the tips of the pair of arms for horizontally picking up both ends of a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended from the upstream device and transferring them to the downstream device; a rotation drive unit that rotates the rotation arm unit at a predetermined angle around a vertical rotation axis; an actuator unit which raises the swivel arm unit so as to pick up both ends of the rod horizontally from the upstream device and lift the rod to a height where the sausages hung on the rod do not come into contact with the upstream device, and which moves the rod to a position close to the turning axis to reduce the circumferential speed of the rod relative to the turning speed of the turning drive unit and reduce the occurrence of defective sausages due to the centrifugal force of turning by the turning drive unit, and which lowers the swivel arm unit so as to deliver the rod lifted by the turning arm unit turned by the turning drive unit in the raised state to the downstream device; A rod rotating device comprising:

2. 2. The rod rotating device according to claim 1, wherein said rotating arm portion sequentially picks up both ends of a rod on which a chain of sausages is suspended from two upstream devices and delivers them to one downstream device.

3. In the rod rotation device according to claim 2, the rotation drive unit is a variable stopper section which enables the swivel arm section to stop at a position for transferring the rod to the downstream device when transferring the rod from one upstream device to the downstream device, and enables the swivel arm section to rotate to the other upstream device after transferring the rod to the downstream device; a stopper receiving portion that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotating arm portion and abuts against the variable stopper portion to stop the rotating arm portion at a predetermined stop position; A rod rotating device comprising:

4. 4. The rod rotating device according to claim 3, wherein the variable stopper portion has a rack and pinion portion which operates in opposite directions by sandwiching a pinion between two racks, each of which has a stopper that the stopper receiving portion abuts against.

5. 5. The rod rotating device according to claim 1, wherein said rotating arm portion picks up both ends of a plurality of rods from which a chain of sausages is suspended and delivers them to a downstream device.

6. 6. The rod rotating device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating arm portion has a pair of arms each having an upwardly bent L-shape.

7. 7. The rod rotating device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator unit raises and lowers the swivel arm unit by rotating the swivel arm unit about a rotation axis that is parallel to a line connecting the rod holders at the ends of the pair of arms and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the swivel drive unit.

8. 8. The rod rotating device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator unit lowers the rotating arm unit to a level where the rotating arm unit does not come into contact with the sausages suspended from the rod.

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