Transfer device and food supply system

Abstract

To make it possible to transfer a vessel on a tray by surely gripping a container.SOLUTION: A transfer device and a food product supply system that are mounted with a gripping section 21 for gripping and releasing a container B so as to be able to move up and down, and is provided with a transfer section 22 that linearly moves by elevating the gripping section 21 gripping the container B at one transfer end and transferring the container B on a tray 24 by lowering the gripping section 21 at the other transfer end. The gripping section 21 is provided with a pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a capable of horizontally moving to a gripping position where the container B is gripped by approaching each other and a releasing position where the gripping of the container B is released by separating from each other, and in the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a, a sandwiching section 21aa sandwiching the container B so as to push up obliquely formed to project inward, a concave section 21ab avoiding a contact at the time of pushing up of the container B sandwiched by the sandwiching section 21aa formed into a concave shape when viewed from the inside, and an abutting section 21ac to which an upper brim section of the container B pushed up by forming above the sandwiched container B are formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer device and a food supply system, and particularly to a technique for transferring a transfer member such as a container onto a tray.

Background Art

[0002] In food factories, stores, etc., a food supply system is constituted by a transfer device for a container and a food serving device after food such as cooked rice and side dishes is served in a container by the food serving device.

[0003] Here, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-056275) discloses a food alignment supply device that can efficiently and neatly align and supply foods such as nigiri sushi, inari sushi, onigiri, and shari balls in a tray or the like, which are formed into a predetermined shape and size by a molding machine.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the device described in Patent Document 1 directly transfers foods such as nigiri sushi from a molding machine to a tray, and does not once serve them in a container (plate) from the molding machine and then transfer the container to the tray.

[0006] And when transferring a container to a tray, it is important to securely grip it so that the container does not break the weight balance and become unstable during transfer. Also, such a point is common not only to the container in which food is served, but also to various transfer members.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above technical background, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of reliably gripping a member to be transferred and transferring it onto a tray.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the transfer device of the present invention according to claim 1 is provided with gripping means for gripping and releasing a member to be transferred having an outer dimension width that decreases downward, and the gripping means is mounted so as to be movable up and down and is provided so as to be linearly reciprocally movable by a reciprocating means. The gripping means that grips the member to be transferred at one moving end is raised and linearly moved, and the gripping means is lowered at the other moving end to transfer the member to be transferred onto the tray. Transfer means, moving means for intermittently moving the tray in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the transfer means, and when the member to be transferred is transferred onto the tray in a line along the moving direction of the transfer means while the movement of the tray by the moving means stops, the tray is moved and stopped by the length of the line of the member to be transferred, and again along the moving direction of the transfer means. Control means for controlling the operations of the transfer means and the moving means so as to transfer the member to be transferred onto the tray in a line. The gripping means includes a pair of gripping bodies that are horizontally movable to a gripping position where they approach each other to grip the member to be transferred and a release position where they move away from each other to release the gripping of the member to be transferred. The pair of gripping bodies are formed with a sandwiching portion that protrudes inward to sandwich the member to be transferred so as to push it obliquely upward, a concave portion that is formed in a concave shape when viewed from the inside to avoid contact when the member to be transferred sandwiched by the sandwiching portion is pushed upward, and an abutting portion that is formed above the sandwiched member to be transferred and against which the upper edge portion of the pushed-up member to be transferred abuts. It is characterized by that.

[0009] The transfer device of the present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, a plurality of the sandwiching portions are formed in each of the pair of gripping bodies.

[0010] The transfer device of the present invention according to claim 3 is, in the invention according to claim 1 or 2 above, characterized in that recesses are formed on the outer sides of the pair of gripping bodies to avoid interference with the transfer member to be transferred adjacent thereto during lifting and lowering.

[0011] The transfer device of the present invention according to claim 4 is, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 above, characterized in that the pair of gripping bodies are arranged in a direction such that each gripping body is on the same straight line with respect to the moving direction of the transfer means.

[0012] The transfer device of the present invention according to claim 5 is, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4 above, characterized in that the reciprocating means comprises a slide rail to which the transfer means is movably attached, and a rail expansion and contraction mechanism for expanding and contracting the slide rail so that the slide rail extends at least to one moving end of the transfer means.

[0013] The transfer device of the present invention according to claim 6 is, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5 above, characterized by further comprising support rails for supporting both sides of the tray intermittently moved by the transfer means.

[0014] The transfer device of the present invention according to claim 7 is, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6 above, characterized in that the transfer member to be transferred is a container in which food is placed.

[0015] To solve the above problems, the food supply system of the present invention according to claim 8 comprises a food placing device for placing food in a container, a conveying means for intermittently conveying the container in which food has been placed by the food placing device, and the transfer device according to claim 7 for transferring the container conveyed by the conveying means to the tray.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, when a pair of gripping members approach each other most closely, the upper edge portion of the member to be transferred abuts against the abutting portion, and the member to be transferred can be surely gripped by the sandwiching portion and the abutting portion of the pair of gripping members. As a result, the member to be transferred does not become unstable due to a broken weight balance during transfer, so that the member to be transferred is surely transferred to the tray.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for explaining the embodiment, the same components are generally denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a food supply system provided with a transfer device which is one Embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the transfer device constituting the food supply system of FIG. 1 together with a container transfer table, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a transfer part constituting the transfer device of FIG. 2 together with a container, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a pair of gripping bodies of a gripping part which is a part of the transfer part of FIG. 3.

[0020] ]As shown in Fig. 1, the food supply system of this embodiment includes a container taking-out device 10 that takes out the lowermost container B one by one from a container stack BT in which containers B (such as small flowerpots, plates, and bowls), which are members to be transferred, are stacked; a turntable-type container conveying table (conveying means) 11 that intermittently conveys the container B taken out from the container taking-out device 10; a food serving device 12 that serves food such as side dishes and rice in the container B conveyed to the container conveying table 11; and a transfer device 20 that transfers the container B after food serving conveyed to the container conveying table 11 to a tray 24. Further, the container taking-out device 10, the container conveying table 11, and the food serving device 12 are installed on a stage 13. As shown in the figure, the stage 13 and the transfer device 20 are mounted adjacent to each other on a caster frame 14 with casters 14a attached to the four corners and being movable.

[0021] Note that in the container taking-out device 10, two pairs of moving claws (not shown) that can approach and separate from each other in the horizontal direction are arranged in the vertical direction. By the actions (approach operation and separation operation) of these two pairs of moving claws, the lowermost container B is taken out while supporting the container stack BT from below.

[0022] Also, on the container conveying table 11, holding holes 11a into which the taken-out lowermost container B is fitted and held are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0023] Furthermore, the food serving device 12 is structured such that after the food put into the hopper 12a is loosened by a loosening mechanism 12b, it is measured in a measuring and supplying cup 12c that can be opened and closed so as to open downward by a predetermined amount, and then dropped and supplied to the container B on the container conveying table 11 located directly below.

[0024] Now, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer device 20 includes a transfer section (transfer means) 22 on which a gripping section (gripping means) 21 for gripping and releasing the container B is mounted so as to be movable up and down, and a reciprocating section (reciprocating means) 23 on which the transfer section 22 is installed so as to be linearly reciprocally movable. Further, the container B is transferred onto a tray 24 installed in the transfer device 20 by the transfer section 22. That is, the transfer section 22 that moves the reciprocating section 23 grips the container B with the gripping section 21 at one moving end (the position of the container B (the container B filled with food) conveyed by the aforementioned container conveying table 11), raises it, moves linearly, and at the other moving end (the placement location of the container B on the tray 24), lowers the gripping section 21 and transfers it onto the tray 24.

[0025] In addition, the transfer device 20 includes a tray moving conveyor (moving means) 25 that intermittently moves the aforementioned tray 24 in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the transfer section 22. In the present embodiment, support rails 26 for supporting both sides of the tray 24 moved by the tray moving conveyor 25 are provided on both sides of the tray moving conveyor 25. This support rail 26 prevents the front, rear, left, and right weight balance of the tray 24 from deteriorating when the container B is loaded onto the tray 24 and the tray 24 from becoming unstable on the tray moving conveyor 25. However, if the width of the tray moving conveyor 25 is sufficiently wider than the tray 24 and there is no concern about the deterioration of the weight balance, the support rail 26 can be omitted.

[0026] Then, when the container B is transferred onto the tray 24 in a line along the moving direction of the transfer section 22 while the movement of the tray 24 by the tray moving conveyor 25 is stopped by a control section (control means) (not shown), the movement of the tray 24 is stopped after moving the tray 24 for one row of the container B, and the operations of the transfer section 22 and the tray moving conveyor 25 are controlled so that the container B is transferred onto the tray 24 in a line along the moving direction of the transfer section 22 again. The details of this operation will be described later.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, the gripping part 21 that can be moved up and down by a motor (not shown) built into the transfer part 22 includes a pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a that can move horizontally to a gripping position where they approach each other to grip the container B and a release position where they move away from each other to release the gripping of the container B, and a main body part 21b provided with a slide mechanism (not shown) by a motor that moves the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a closer and farther apart.

[0028] As shown in the drawing, in the present embodiment, the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a are arranged in a direction such that each gripping body 21a is on the same straight line in the moving direction of the transfer part 22. This is to narrow the width of the gripping part 21 with respect to the moving direction to avoid interference with other members. However, when there is sufficient space, the gripping part 21 may be rotated 90° horizontally from Fig. 3, and the gripping bodies 21a may be arranged in a direction such that they are on different straight lines in the moving direction of the transfer part 22.

[0029] Also, as shown in detail in Fig. 4, the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a are formed with a sandwiching part 21aa that protrudes inward to sandwich the container B by pushing it obliquely upward, a concave part 21ab that is formed in a concave shape when viewed from the inside to avoid contact when the container B sandwiched by the sandwiching part 21aa is pushed upward, and a contact part 21ac that is formed above the sandwiched container B and against which the upper edge of the pushed-up container B abuts. In the present embodiment, the sandwiching part 21aa is formed at two locations on each of the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a. However, the sandwiching part 21aa may be formed at one location, but in order to more reliably sandwich the container B as described later, it is desirable to be formed at two or more locations. Also, in the present embodiment, the sandwiching part 21aa has a shape slightly inclined upward so as to follow the side surface of the container B, but it does not have to be inclined.

[0030] Note that a container B suitable for the shape of such a sandwiching portion 21aa is a container B having an outer dimension width (the width (dimension) on the outer side of the container) that becomes smaller downward, and a container having the same outer dimension width vertically or, conversely, having a shape that becomes larger downward is not suitable. Further, the container B only needs to have an outer dimension width that becomes smaller downward, and may have a shape that bulges in the vertical direction like in this embodiment, or may have a linear (tapered) shape or a concave shape in the vertical direction.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, on the outer sides of the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a, recesses 21ad for avoiding interference with adjacent containers B during lifting and lowering are formed. In this embodiment, since the container B is circular in plan view, the recesses 21ad have a curved shape. However, since the recesses 21ad are for avoiding interference with adjacent containers B, the shape thereof becomes a shape corresponding to the shape of the container B in plan view, and is not limited to the curved shape as in this embodiment.

[0032] Here, the gripping of the container B by the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a and the container B before gripping the container B, and FIGS. 6(a) to (e) are explanatory views continuously showing the process of the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a gripping the container B. As described above, the container B to be gripped is a container B filled with food conveyed by the container conveyance table 11, and the gripping position is one moving end of the transfer portion 22, that is, the position of the container B conveyed by the container conveyance table 11.

[0033] Now, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a grip the container B, the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a are positioned above the container B, and the interval between the sandwiching portions 21aa of the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a is wider than the width of the container B.

[0034] From the positional relationship between the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a shown in Fig. 5 and the container B, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a descend. In Figs. 5 and 6(a) to (e), the illustration of the main body portion 21b of the gripping body 21 is omitted, and only the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a are shown.

[0035] Now, as shown in Fig. 6(b), when the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a have descended to such an extent that the contact portions 21ac do not contact the container B, they move horizontally in a direction approaching each other, and as shown in Fig. 6(c), the container B is pinched from the side. Then, a force f is generated that presses against the sandwiching portion 21aa on the side surface of the container B whose outer dimension width becomes smaller downward and pushes up the container B obliquely. And since the concave portion 21ab described above is formed, the side surface of the container B that is not in contact with the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a does not interfere with the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a. Therefore, as the distance between the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a approaches, the container B is gradually pushed up and slightly separated from the container conveyance table 11.

[0036] Then, as shown in Fig. 6(d), when the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a are closest to each other, the upper edge portion of the container B contacts the contact portion 21ac, and the container B is surely grasped by the sandwiching portion 21aa and the contact portion 21ac of the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a. As a result, the container B does not become unstable by breaking the weight balance during transfer, so it becomes possible to surely transfer the container B from the container conveyance table 11 to the tray 24.

[0037] When the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a grasp the container B in this way, as shown in Fig. 6(e), the gripping portion 21 provided with the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a rises by the transfer portion 22 (see Fig. 3) and moves linearly toward the other moving end of the transfer portion 22, that is, the placement position of the container B on the tray 24.

[0038] Next, the release of the gripping of the container B by the pair of grippers 21a, 21a will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIGS. 7(a) to (d) are explanatory views showing the process of the pair of grippers 21a, 21a releasing the gripping of the container B continuously, and FIGS. 8(a) to (c) are views extracted from the state of FIG. 7(c), where (a) is a view from obliquely above, (b) is a view from obliquely below, and (c) is a view from the bottom surface. As described above, the position where the gripping is released is the other moving end of the transfer unit 22, that is, the placement location of the container B on the tray 24.

[0039] In FIG. 7(a), when the transfer unit 22 moves the container B gripped by the pair of grippers 21a, 21a above the predetermined placement location of the tray 24 (here, the side of the container Bn (the container Bn located on the left adjacent in each of FIGS. 7 and 8) that has already been transferred onto the tray 24), the gripping part 21 is lowered by the transfer unit 22. The lowering position at this time is such that when a part of the outer peripheral edge of the adjacent container Bn enters the recesses 21ad formed outside the pair of grippers 21a, 21a that are separated from each other to release the gripping of the container B and the pair of grippers 21a, 21a move up and down, there is no interference with the adjacent container Bn, and when the pair of grippers 21a, 21a move up, the sandwiching part 21aa also does not interfere with the container B (the container B that has been sandwiched). Also, in FIGS. 7(a) to (d) and FIGS. 8(a) to (c), the illustration of the main body part 21b of the gripper 21 is omitted, and only the pair of grippers 21a, 21a is shown.

[0040] Now, as shown in FIG. 7(b), when the pair of grippers 21a, 21a is lowered to a position where the bottom surface of the gripped container B is slightly separated from the tray 24, they move horizontally in a direction away from each other.

[0041] As a result, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the container B whose gripping state by the sandwiching portion 21aa and the contact portion 21ac of the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a has been released descends slightly and is transferred from the aforementioned container conveyance table 11 to a predetermined placement location on the tray 24. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) to (c), the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a that have moved in directions away from each other have a part of the outer peripheral edge of the adjacent container Bn entering the recess 21ad formed outside the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a, so that there is no interference with the container Bn during lifting and lowering, and moreover, the sandwiching portion 21aa is in a position where it does not interfere with the container B during upward movement.

[0042] When the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a transfer the container B to the tray in this way, as shown in FIG. 7(d), the gripping portion 21 provided with the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a is lifted by the transfer portion 22 (see FIG. 3). Then, in order to transfer the next container B from the container conveyance table 11 to the tray 24, it moves linearly toward the container B on the container conveyance table 11, which is the other moving end of the transfer portion 22.

[0043] As described above, in the present embodiment, since the recess 21ad is formed outside the pair of gripping bodies 21a, 21a, it becomes possible to narrow the interval G between adjacent containers B when aligning and transferring the containers B onto the tray 24, and the number of containers B that can be mounted on the tray 24 can be increased.

[0044] The reciprocating portion 23 that linearly reciprocates the transfer portion 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. Here, FIGS. 9 to 12 are perspective views continuously showing the operation of the reciprocating portion 23 when transferring the container B from the container conveyance table 11 to the tray 24.

[0045] In these drawings, the reciprocating part 23 of the present embodiment includes a slide rail 23a to which the transfer part 22 is movably attached, and a rail expansion and contraction mechanism (not shown) built in the housing 23b for expanding and contracting the slide rail 23a. Note that the slide rail 23a by the rail expansion and contraction mechanism only needs to extend to one moving end of the transfer part 22 (the position of the container B conveyed by the container conveying table 11), but it may be configured to extend further. That is, the slide rail 23a only needs to be able to extend to at least one moving end.

[0046] For example, the rail expansion and contraction mechanism includes, for example, a guide rail that linearly supports the slide rail 23a so as to be reciprocally movable, and a drive part that reciprocates the slide rail 23a along the guide rail (a motor that rotates in two forward and reverse directions (such as a servo motor or a stepping motor), and an endless belt that circulates by the motor and is attached to the slide rail 23a). However, the rail expansion and contraction mechanism does not necessarily have such a configuration, and various configurations can be adopted as long as the slide rail 23a can be extended to at least one moving end.

[0047] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the containers B are aligned in a horizontal row of 4 on the tray 24 and 3 containers B have already been transferred, the transfer part 22 is moved to the tip of the slide rail 23a (the end on the container conveying table 11 side) that constitutes the reciprocating part 23, and the slide rail 23a is extended to the position of the container B conveyed by the container conveying table 11, and then the container B is gripped by the gripping part 21 and then retracted to position the container B directly above the placement location of the tray 24.

[0048] Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the gripping part 21 provided on the transfer part 22 is lowered to transfer the container B to the placement location of the tray 24, and the slide rail 23a that constitutes the reciprocating part 23 is extended to the position of the container B on the container conveying table 11. At this time, 4 containers B will be aligned in the first horizontal row on the tray 24.

[0049] Since the containers B are aligned in the first row in this way, next, as shown in FIG. 11, the tray moving conveyor 25 is driven to move and stop the tray 24 for one row of the containers B, so that the containers B can be aligned in the next row (i.e., the second row) along the moving direction of the transfer unit 22 again. At the same time, the transfer unit 22 is moved to the tip of the slide rail 23a (i.e., one moving end of the transfer unit 22 at the position of the container B conveyed by the container conveying table 11), and the container B on the container conveying table 11 is gripped by the gripping unit 21.

[0050] Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the slide rail 23a constituting the reciprocating unit 23 is retracted and the transfer unit 22 is moved to place the container B at the head position of the next row.

[0051] Now, the transfer operation of the container B by the transfer device 20 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 13(a) to (h). Here, FIGS. 13(a) to (d) are perspective views continuously showing the operation of transferring the container B at the head of the first row to the tray 24, and FIGS. 13(e) to (h) are perspective views continuously showing the operation of transferring the container B at the end of the first row and the container B at the beginning of the second row to the tray 24.

[0052] At the start of the transfer, the transfer device 20 is in the standby position shown in FIG. 13(a). Specifically, the tray 24 is arranged on the tray moving conveyor 25 (arranged at a position where the first row of the containers B can be loaded), the slide rail 23a is stored in the housing 23b, and the transfer unit 22 is in a state of being located at the tip of the slide rail 23a.

[0053] From this standby position, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the slide rail 23a is extended to the position of the container B on the container conveying table 11. Next, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the transfer unit 22 is moved to the tip of the slide rail 23a, and the container B on the container conveying table 11 is gripped by the gripping unit 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 13(d), the slide rail 23a is retracted and the transfer unit 22 is moved to place the container B at the head position of the first row of the tray 24.

[0054] Next, the transfer operation by the transfer unit 22 and the slide rail 23a is repeated. As shown in Fig. 13(e), when the last container B in the first row is moved directly above the placement location of the tray 24, as shown in Fig. 13(f), the gripping unit 21 is lowered to transfer the container B onto the tray 24, and four containers B are arranged in alignment in the first row on the tray 24. At the same time, the slide rail 23a is extended to the position of the container B on the container transport table 11.

[0055] Next, as shown in Fig. 13(g), the tray transfer conveyor 25 is driven to move and stop the tray 24 for one row of the container B. Also, the transfer unit 22 is moved to the tip of the slide rail 23a, and the container B on the container transport table 11 is gripped by the gripping unit 21.

[0056] Then, as shown in Fig. 13(h), the slide rail 23a is retracted and the transfer unit 22 is moved to place the container B at the head position of the next row.

[0057] Such transfer operations (that is, the operation of arranging and transferring the containers B on the container transport table 11 one row at a time onto the tray 24 by the transfer unit 22) are repeated, and the containers B are aligned and loaded onto the entire tray 24. Note that it is not always the case that the entire tray 24 is loaded with the containers B, and depending on the planned number of containers B, there may be remaining space on the tray 24.

[0058] Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and are not limited to the disclosed technology. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the above embodiments, but should be construed in accordance with the description of the claims. All changes are included as long as they are equivalent to the technology described in the claims and do not deviate from the gist of the claims.

[0059] For example, in this embodiment, a belt conveyor called a tray moving conveyor 25 is used as the moving means for the tray 24. However, it suffices if the tray 24 can be intermittently moved one row of containers at a time. For example, it may be moved by a roller conveyor or the like.

Industrial Applicability

[0060] In the transfer device described above, various shaped containers can be applied as long as the outer dimension width decreases downward. Also, the members to be put into the container are not limited to foods such as side dishes and cooked rice. Furthermore, the container is merely an example of the member to be transferred and is not limited to containers.

Explanation of Signs

[0061] 10 Container take-out device 11 Container conveyance table (conveying means) 11a Holding hole 12 Food serving device 13 Stage 14 Caster frame 20 Transfer device 21 Gripping part (gripping means) 21a Pair of gripping bodies 21aa Clamping part 21ab Concave part 21ac Contact part 21ad Dimple 21b Main body part 22 Transfer part (transfer means) 23 Reciprocating part (reciprocating means) 23a Slide rail 23b Housing 24 Tray 25 Tray moving conveyor (moving means) 26 Support rail B, Bn Container (member to be transferred)

Claims

1. Gripping means for gripping and releasing the gripping of a member to be transferred with a reduced outer width downward is mounted so as to be movable up and down and provided so as to be linearly reciprocally movable by a reciprocating means. The gripping means that grips the member to be transferred at one moving end is raised and linearly moved, and the gripping means is lowered at the other moving end to transfer the member to be transferred onto a tray. There is a transfer means for transferring, Moving means for intermittently moving the tray in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the transfer means, If the member to be transferred is transferred onto the tray so as to be in a line along the moving direction of the transfer means while the movement of the tray by the moving means is stopped, the tray is moved and stopped by the length of the member to be transferred in a line, and again the transfer means and the moving means are controlled so that the member to be transferred is transferred onto the tray so as to be in a line along the moving direction of the transfer means. It has a control means for controlling the operation of, The gripping means includes a pair of gripping bodies that can be horizontally moved to a gripping position where they approach each other to grip the member to be transferred and a release position where they move away from each other to release the gripping of the member to be transferred. The pair of gripping bodies are formed with a sandwiching portion that protrudes inward to sandwich the member to be transferred so as to push it obliquely upward, a concave portion that is formed in a concave shape when viewed from the inside to avoid contact when the member to be transferred sandwiched by the sandwiching portion is pushed upward, and an abutting portion that is formed above the sandwiched member to be transferred and against which the upper edge portion of the pushed-up member to be transferred abuts. A transfer device characterized by this.

2. A plurality of the sandwiching portions are formed in each of the pair of gripping bodies. The transfer device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. On the outside of the pair of gripping bodies, recesses are formed to avoid interference with adjacent members to be transferred during lifting and lowering. The transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

4. The pair of gripping bodies are arranged in a direction such that each gripping body is on the same straight line with each other in the moving direction of the transfer means. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by this.

5. The reciprocating means is A slide rail to which the transfer means is movably attached, It consists of a rail expansion and contraction mechanism that expands and contracts the slide rail so that the slide rail extends at least to the one moving end of the transfer means. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by this.

6. The tray further includes support rails that support both sides of the tray that is intermittently moved by the moving means. The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The transferred member is a container in which food is served.

7. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device is a transfer device for transferring a material.

8. a food serving device that serves food in a container; a conveying means for intermittently conveying the containers containing food by the food serving device; a transfer device according to claim 7, which transfers the container transported by the transport means onto the tray; A food supply system comprising:

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