Food plating method, hand device, food plating device, food plating control device

Abstract

To provide a food arranging method, a hand device, a food arranging device, and a food arranging control device capable of suitably arranging soft food.SOLUTION: The food arranging method comprises: a first step of scooping up, by an upper belt portion 50, an intermediate portion of food located at a picking position while moving a hand device 40 in a forward direction orthogonal to a downward direction, and folding, by folding portions 55A and 55B provided in the hand device 40, at least one of drooping end portions of the food toward a lower belt portion; a second step of moving the hand device 40 to a release start point separated from the picking position; and a third step of driving the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53, while moving the hand device 40 backward with respect to an arranging area, thereby, removing from both belts, the portion folded toward the intermediate portion of the food and the lower belt portion 53.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food plating method, a hand device, a food plating device, and a food plating control device. [Background technology]

[0002] An apparatus for plating food using a robot is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. Patent Document 2 discloses that a pouch on a transport conveyor is picked up by a vacuum suction device provided on an end effector of the robot and then moved and placed on another transport conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6650119 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-10719 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 does not disclose a specific manner in which food is placed in food containers on a conveyor. In Patent Document 2, as described above, pouches are picked using a vacuum suction device, placed one by one on another conveyor at a distance from each other, and then transported by the other conveyor. Conventionally, sliced meat sliced by a slicer is placed on a conveyor and transported, and during this transport, workers manually arrange the sliced meat on trays. This is because sliced meat is thin and flexible, and when held in the middle, both ends droop. Conventionally, automating the arrangement of such foods has been difficult, so it has been done manually.

[0005] However, the methods, hand devices, food plating devices, and food plating control devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 leave room for technical improvement. Therefore, there is a demand for methods, hand devices, food plating devices, and food plating control devices that can properly plate such foods.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a food plating method, a hand device, a food plating device, and a food plating control device that can suitably plate soft foods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention includes a first step of advancing a hand device, which has an upper belt portion and a lower belt portion extending diagonally downward, downstream in the food conveying direction, while driving the upper belt portion to scoop up and support food located at a collection position, and thereby folding the hanging end of the food toward the lower belt portion using a folding portion provided on the hand device; a second step of moving the hand device to a presentation area spaced from the collection position; and a third step of driving the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion in opposite directions while moving the hand device backward above the presentation area, thereby detaching the portion of the food supported by the upper belt and the end portion folded toward the lower belt portion from both belt portions, and transferring the food to the presentation area.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention provides a food plating method in which a plurality of release start points for arranging the food in a predetermined number of rows are set in the plating area, and the first step, the second step, and the third step are sequentially performed for each of the release start points arranged in the order of execution to plate the food.

[0009] In a third aspect of the present invention, the collection position is set on the conveying surface of a conveyor that conveys the food, and the serving area is set at a predetermined position excluding the conveying surface of the conveyor, and the food transported by the conveyor is collected at the collection position and served in the serving area.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a food plating method, which synchronizes the movement of the conveyor conveying the food, whether intermittently or continuously driven, on the conveying surface with the timing of picking up the food from the conveying surface.

[0011] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a food presentation method in which the food to be picked is imaged by an imaging means as it is transported by the conveyor, and based on the image results, a support reference point on the food when being picked is set to a middle portion of the food in a direction that intersects the conveyor's transport direction in a plan view.

[0012] A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a food presentation method that allows selection between a first state in which both ends of the food are folded by the folding unit, and a second state in which only one end of the food is folded by the folding unit, and when the first state is selected, the center of the food in a direction intersecting the conveyor's transport direction in a plan view is set as the support reference point for the food when it is to be picked, and when the second state is selected, a part of the food that is displaced a set distance from the center is set as the support reference point for the food when it is to be picked.

[0013] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a hand device that is attachable to the tip of a robot arm, the hand device comprising: A collection section including an upper belt section and a lower belt section extending diagonally downward; The food processor is equipped with a belt drive source that drives both belt sections in forward and reverse rotation, a folding section that folds the end of the food that has been scooped up by the upper belt section and is hanging down toward the lower belt section, and a folding section drive source that causes the folding section to perform folding and unfolding operations.

[0014] An eighth aspect of the present invention provides a food plating apparatus that includes a robot having the hand device at the tip of a robot arm with multiple degrees of freedom, the robot arm being configured to move the hand device from a standby position spaced apart from a picking position where food is located to the picking position, and when the robot arm advances the hand device to the picking position while aligning the lower end of the upper belt section substantially flush with the food placement surface at the picking position, the belt drive source drives the upper and lower belt sections in forward rotation to scoop up the food, or after scooping up and supporting the food, the hand device The hand device is configured to raise the folding section, and the folding section drive source is configured to perform a folding operation of the folding section while the hand device is rising or after it has been raised, thereby folding the hanging end portion toward the lower belt section, and after the robot arm moves the hand device to a presentation area spaced apart from the collection position, the belt drive source drives the upper belt section and the lower belt section in reverse rotation while moving the hand device backward, so that the portion of the food supported by the upper belt and the end portion folded toward the lower belt section are detached from both belt sections, and the food is then presented in the presentation area.

[0015] A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a food plating control device. This food plating control device includes a control unit that controls the food plating device, the control unit having a first control function that controls the robot arm and a second control function that controls the hand device, the first control function driving and controlling the robot arm to advance the hand device from a standby position distal to the food to a picking position proximal to the food while aligning the lower end of the upper belt unit substantially flush with the food placement surface at the picking position, and as the hand device advances to the picking position, the second control function driving and controlling the belt drive source to rotate the upper and lower belt units in the forward direction to scoop up and support the food, and the first control function driving and controlling the robot arm to move the hand device The hand device is raised to place the end of the food in a hanging state, the second control function controls the folding unit drive source to perform a folding operation of the folding unit during or after the raising of the hand device, folding the hanging end toward the lower belt unit, the first control function drives and controls the robot arm to move the hand device to a release start point that is preset above a presentation area spaced from the collection position, and then moves the hand device backward above the presentation area, and while the hand device is moving backward, the second control function drives and controls the belt drive source to rotate the upper belt unit and the lower belt unit in reverse, so that the supported portion of the food and the end that is folded toward the lower belt unit are released from both belt units, and the food is then presented in the presentation area.

[0016] A tenth aspect of the present invention provides a food plating control device. This food plating control device includes a control unit that controls the food plating device, and controls the device to sequentially pick up j (>1, j is an integer) pieces of food items arranged at predetermined intervals at picking positions on a food placement surface and plate the foods in a plating area. The control unit has a first control function that controls the robot arm and a second control function that controls the hand device. The first control function drives and controls the robot arm to advance the hand device from a standby position to the picking position in the direction in which the foods are arranged on the food placement surface, with the lower end of the upper belt unit sliding against the food placement surface. While the hand device is advancing, the second control function drives and controls the belt drive source to drive the upper belt unit and scoop up the j pieces of food items in order. The first control function drives and controls the robot arm to advance the hand device. The hand device is raised to support the j food items with their ends hanging down, and the second control function controls the folding unit drive source to perform a folding operation of the folding unit while the hand device is rising or after it has been raised, folding the hanging down ends towards the lower belt section, and when one cycle consists of the hand device moving forward to a predetermined release start point and the hand device moving backward from the release start point to a release end point, the first control function drives and controls the robot arm to execute j cycles, and when the hand device moves backward in each cycle, the second control function drives and controls the belt drive source to drive the upper belt section and the lower belt section, so that the supported section of each food item and the ends folded towards the lower belt section are sequentially released from both belt sections, and the released food items are arranged in the arrangement direction in the arrangement area.

[0017] An eleventh aspect of the present invention provides a food plating control device, wherein a plurality of release start points are set in a matrix in the plating area, and each time plating of the food is completed while the hand device is moving backward from one release start point to the release end point, the first control function and the second control function are executed at another adjacent release start point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The food plating method, hand device, food plating device, and food plating control device of the present invention allow soft foods to be plated in an appropriate manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of a food plating device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic plan view of a food plating device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the hand device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the base end side of an upper belt portion and a lower belt portion in the hand device of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a plan cross-sectional view of the base end side of the upper belt portion of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an upper belt portion and a lower belt portion of the hand device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a front view of the first folding section in the initial position before folding. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a front view of the first folding section when folded. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a food plating control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 10] 3 is a flowchart executed by the food plating control device of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 3 is a flowchart executed by the food plating control device of the first embodiment. [Figure 12]FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the trajectory of the hand device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of sliced meat arrangement in which sliced meat is arranged in rows and columns in the serving area in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a state immediately before sliced meat is picked up by the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion of the hand device of the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which sliced meat is served by the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion of the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a flexible article dispensing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart executed by a food plating control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart executed by a food plating control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the trajectory of the hand device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 20] 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing sliced meat arranged in a row in the serving area in the first embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating a state immediately before sliced meat is picked up by the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion of the hand device of the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the first slice of meat is being served by the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion of the second embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a second slice of meat is being served by the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion of the second embodiment. [Figure 24] 10A and 10B are explanatory views of a transfer device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the food plating method, hand device, food plating device, and food plating control device of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, the food is sliced meat. However, the food is not limited to sliced meat and may be other foods. In this embodiment, the slicer 12 side is upstream and the opposite side is downstream in the conveying direction of the first conveying device 14, which conveys the sliced meat E cut by the slicer 12. In FIG. 2, "-Y" and "+Y" indicate the upstream and downstream directions. The direction toward the +Y side of the hand device 40 (described later) is referred to as the forward direction. Movement toward the -Y side is referred to as backward. "-X" and "+X" indicate the right and left directions when viewed from the slicer 12 side. "-Z" and "+Z" indicate the downward and upward directions. The directions indicated by X, Y, and Z are mutually orthogonal.

[0021] <First Conveying Device 14 and Second Conveying Device 18> As shown in FIG. 2, food presentation device 10 is provided downstream of first conveyor device 14, which conveys sliced meat E from slicer 12, which continuously cuts chunks of meat. The placement of food presentation device 10 is not limited to the downstream left side of conveyor device 14; it may be located on the right side, or may be suspended directly above the downstream portion of first conveyor device 14 via a ceiling suspension device (not shown). A second conveyor device 18 is located at the end of first conveyor device 14, extending in a left-right direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of conveyor device 14. In this embodiment, conveying surfaces 15a, 19a of belts 15, 19 of first conveyor device 14 and second conveyor device 18 are positioned at the same height, but are not limited to this. Conveying surface 15a corresponds to the food placement surface.

[0022] The first conveying device 14 and the second conveying device 18 are configured as conveyors 16, 20 by winding endless belts 15, 19 around a group of driven rollers and a driving roller (neither of which are shown). The conveyor 16 is equipped with a servo motor 91 (see FIG. 9) connected via a reducer. The sliced meat E, which has been sliced into strips by the slicer 12, is placed on the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14 so that its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying device 14, as shown in FIG.

[0023] In this embodiment, the sliced meat E is conveyed by the first conveying device 14 in a stack of three slices. The rotational position of the servo motor 91 is detected by an encoder 92 shown in FIG. 9, and the detected value is input to a slicer controller 90 and used for feedback control of the servo motor 91, etc.

[0024] A slicer controller 90 shown in Fig. 9 controls a servo motor 91 to drive the belt 15 intermittently or continuously, thereby transporting a group of sliced meat E, the length of which is arranged in parallel rows along the X-axis direction, to the collection position T shown in Fig. 2. In other words, the group of sliced meat E is transported by the belt 15 so that the upstream edge of the sliced meat E located most upstream among the group of sliced meat E is located at the collection position T.

[0025] In this embodiment, a case where a group of sliced meat E is arranged in the arrangement area will be described, but it goes without saying that the same can be applied to a single sliced meat E.

[0026] In the intermittent drive mode, the belt 15 is stopped once the group of sliced meat E is conveyed to the collection position T. The continuous drive mode is adopted when the time from when a sliced meat E is collected until the next sliced meat arrives at the collection position T is longer than the movement time of the hand device 40 from point P0 to P8 to P0.

[0027] 1 and 2, a camera 87 serving as an imaging means is disposed above the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14 on the upstream side of the picking position T. In FIG. 2, the position of the camera 87 above the conveying surface 15a is indicated by a two-dot chain line because the food presentation device 10 and the like are viewed from above. The camera 87 captures an image of the sliced meat E being conveyed to the picking position T.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, in the second conveying device 18, a portion of the belt 19 facing the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14 is a depositing area R having a length r1 in the Y-axis direction and a length r2 in the X-axis direction.

[0029] A tray 88 having a rectangular inner bottom surface and peripheral walls 88a is placed on the presentation area R as a storage container for presentation of sliced meat E. The second conveying device 18 stops conveying the sliced meat E onto the tray 88 until the food presentation device 10 has completed presentation of the sliced meat E onto the tray 88, and then moves the tray 88 after the presentation of the sliced meat E onto the tray 88 has been completed.

[0030] <Food serving device 10> As shown in Figure 1, food plating device 10 is a robot with an articulated robot arm 22 with six degrees of freedom. Robot arm 22 has six active joints J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, and J6, each of which rotates or twists, causing each part or the entire robot arm 22 to rotate, pivot, swing, or tilt. J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, and J6 shown in Figure 1 represent the axes of the active joints.

[0031] The axes J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, and J6 of the active joints are each equipped with a servo motor 71 to 76, as shown in Fig. 9. The robot arm 22 is equipped with encoders 81 to 86 as position detectors, as shown in Fig. 9, for each of the servo motors 71 to 76. Specifically, the robot arm 22 includes a base 25, a rotating base 26, a lower arm 27, an upper arm 28, a wrist support arm 29, and a hand mounting base 30.

[0032] The base 25 is fixed on a support base 24 fixed to the floor. A swivel base 26 is provided on the base 25 so as to be rotatable around an active joint axis J1. A lower arm 27 is pivotally supported on the swivel base 26 so as to be swingable around an active joint axis J2, which is a horizontal axis. Axis J1 extends vertically. Axis J2 is perpendicular to axis J1. A base 28a of an upper arm 28 is pivotally supported on the upper end of the lower arm 27 so as to be swingable up and down around a horizontal axis J3. The upper arm 28 has the base 28a and a rotor 28b connected to the tip of the base 28a. The rotor 28b is rotatable around an active joint axis J4, which is a horizontal axis arranged parallel to the axis of the base 28a. Axis J4 is perpendicular to axis J3.

[0033] A wrist support arm 29 is supported at the tip of the rotor 28b of the upper arm 28 via an active joint axis J5 so that it can tilt or swing. The axis J5 is perpendicular to the axis J4. The active joint axis J5 functions as a mechanism for tilting or swinging the wrist support arm 29 at the tip of the upper arm 28, thereby elevating the hand mount 30. The hand mount 30 is rotatably attached to the tip of the wrist support arm 29 via an active joint axis J6. Each of the active joint axes J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, and J6 is equipped with servo motors 71-76 via a reducer (not shown), and is driven by commands from a food plating control device 70 (described later). As shown in FIG. 1, a hand device 40 having a collection unit 35 including an upper belt unit 50 and a lower belt unit 53 is attached to the underside of the hand mount 30.

[0034] <Hand device 40> The arrangement directions of the devices constituting the hand device 40 and the members supporting them will be described assuming a state in which the sliced meat E is being picked and served.

[0035] <Collection section 35> 3, a mounting member main body 41 is fixed to the underside of the hand mounting base 30. Mounting member main body 41 extends obliquely so that the +Y end side faces diagonally upward and the -Y end side faces the transport surface 15a.

[0036] A belt drive source 44 is attached to the lower part of the mounting member main body 41. The belt drive source 44 includes, for example, a servo motor 42 (see FIG. 9) and a ball screw mechanism (not shown) operated by the servo motor 42. When the servo motor 42 rotates forward and backward, the linear moving body 43 connected via the ball screw mechanism can move obliquely upward to the +Y side and obliquely downward to the -Y side. The belt drive source may be configured with a linear motor instead of the servo motor 42 and the ball screw mechanism.

[0037] A first suspending part 41a extending obliquely downward on the +Y side is provided in the approximate center of the mounting member main body 41. A sampling part support frame body 45 is fixed to the first suspending part 41a. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the sampling section support frame 45 has a top plate 45a and a pair of side walls 45b extending downward from both left and right edges of the top plate 45a. As shown in Figure 5, an upper support member 46 is disposed between the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 45b. The upper support member 46 is formed in a generally channel shape by a pair of left and right side walls 46a and a connecting wall 46b connecting the both side walls 46a. The upper support member 46 is fixed integrally to the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 45b by both side walls 46a. As shown in Figure 5, the base ends of an upper guide plate 47a and a lower guide plate 47b are integrally connected to the pair of left and right side walls 46a.

[0038] The upper guide plate 47a and the lower guide plate 47b are arranged substantially parallel to each other with a gap therebetween, and both ends (lower ends) extend obliquely downward on the -Y side as shown in FIG. This extending direction is the same as the extending direction of the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53 described later, and this direction may be referred to as their longitudinal direction.

[0039] It should be noted that Figure 6 is an enlarged view for the sake of convenience, and the gap between the two tips (lower ends) is shown broadly, but the actual gap between the two tips is measured in millimeters. 5, a channel-shaped roller support member 48 is attached to the center of the connecting wall 46b in the X direction. Upper rollers 49 are rotatably supported on both left and right side walls of the roller support member 48. The upper belt portion 50 is an endless belt that is wound around the tip (lower end) of the upper guide plate 47a and the upper roller 49.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, a connecting piece 45c is installed between the lower parts of the side walls 45b. A channel-shaped roller support member 51 is attached to the center of the connecting piece 45c in the X direction. Lower rollers 52 are rotatably supported on both left and right side walls of the roller support member 51. The lower belt portion 53 is an endless belt that is wound around the tip (lower end) of the lower guide plate 47b and the lower roller 52. The upper guide plate 47a, the lower guide plate 47b, the lower belt portion 53, and the upper belt portion 50 have the same width. Furthermore, the belt width (length in the X-axis direction) of the upper belt portion 50 (lower belt portion 53) is longer than the length of the sliced meat E in the X-axis direction.

[0041] 4 and 6, an actuating plate 54 is inserted between the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction in which the upper guide plate 47a and the lower guide plate 47b extend. As shown in Fig. 6, the actuating plate 54 is connected to the opposing inner surfaces of the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53. As shown in Fig. 3, the base end of the actuating plate 54 is integrally connected to the linear moving body 43 via a connecting member 43a.

[0042] In the following explanation, for convenience of explanation, the position of the linear moving body 43 will be explained using I1 and I2, which indicate the position of the connecting member 43a. That is, "the linear moving body 43 is located at position I1" should be interpreted as "the linear moving body 43 positions the connecting member 43a at position I1." Similarly, "the linear moving body 43 is located at position I2" should be interpreted as "the linear moving body 43 positions the connecting member 43a at position I2."

[0043] In Fig. 3, when the linear moving body 43 moves linearly from position I2 toward I1 shown in Fig. 3, the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 operates in direction A shown in Fig. 6, making it possible to scoop up the sliced meat E on the conveying surface 15a. The portion of the sliced meat E scooped up by the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 corresponds to the supported portion. On the other hand, when the linear moving body 43 moves linearly from position I2 toward I1 shown in Fig. 3, the descending portion of the lower belt unit 53 operates in direction C shown in Fig. 6.

[0044] As the linear moving body 43 moves linearly from position I1 toward I2 shown in Fig. 3, the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 operates in the direction B shown in Fig. 6, making it possible to lower the sliced meat E that was once scooped up onto the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50. On the other hand, as the linear moving body 43 moves linearly from position I1 toward I2 shown in Fig. 3, the descending portion of the lower belt unit 53 operates in the direction D shown in Fig. 6. This makes it possible to release the end of the sliced meat E that has been folded by folding units 55A and 55B, which will be described later, from the leading end (lower end) of the lower belt unit 53.

[0045] <Folding sections 55A and 55B> 3, mounting member main body 41 has second hanging portion 41b at the end on the -Y side. Second hanging portion 41b is provided with a pair of left and right folding portions 55A, 55B (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0046] Folding units 55A and 55B each have an air-operated rotary actuator 56 supported by second hanging portion 41b as a folding unit drive source, an arm 57 connected to an output shaft 56a of rotary actuator 56, and a folding material 58 attached to the tip (lower end) of arm 57. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, folding units 55A and 55B are arranged in a plane-symmetrical relationship with respect to an imaginary vertical plane H including a center line O1 (see FIG. 7) extending in the longitudinal direction of upper belt unit 50. Both rotary actuators 56 of folding units 55A and 55B are arranged above upper belt unit 50. Both rotary actuators 56 rotate arms 57 back and forth between an open position in which the lower ends thereof are widely spaced apart as shown in FIG. 7, and a closed position in which the lower ends thereof are close to each other as shown in FIG. 8. That is, the rotary actuator 56 of the folding section 55A and the rotary actuator 56 of the folding section 55B have opposite rotation directions for moving the arm 57 from the closed position to the open position and for moving the arm 57 from the open position to the closed position.

[0047] 3 and 7, the arms 57 are disposed relative to each other and spaced apart in the left-right direction at approximately the middle in the longitudinal direction of the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53. The arms 57 are also disposed so as not to interfere with the conveying surface 15a when in the closed position.

[0048] 8, the middle portions of both arms 57 are bent into a channel shape so as not to interfere with the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53 when the arms 57 are in the closed position. The lower ends of the arms 57 have attachment portions 57a that face upward (in the +Z direction) when the arms 57 are in the closed position as shown in FIG.

[0049] Folding material 58 is fixed to mounting portion 57a via support member 59. In this embodiment, folding material 58 is made of a plurality of metal rods. Folding material 58 is not limited to rods, and may be in the shape of a plate, a block, or the like.

[0050] 3 and 8, when both arms 57 are in the closed position, the folding material 58 is arranged parallel or approximately parallel to and close to the descending portion of the lower belt unit 53 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the lower belt unit 53. Furthermore, the folding material 58 is arranged so as not to interfere with the serving surface, such as the inner bottom surface of the tray 88, when the collection unit 35 unloads the sliced meat E with the arms 57 in the closed position. The folding material 58 has a length (length in the Y-axis direction) that allows all of the hanging ends of the group of sliced meat E to be folded up when the group of sliced meat E is scooped up by the upper belt unit 50.

[0051] <Food plating control device 70> As shown in FIG. 9, food plating control device 70 comprises a robot controller. Hereinafter, the robot controller will be designated by the reference numeral "70." Robot controller 70 comprises a control unit 77, a memory unit 78, an image processing unit 79, etc. Memory unit 78 stores a robot control program. Based on the robot control program, control unit 77 controls robot arm 22 using a first control function and controls hand device 40 using a second control function. Specifically, control unit 77 outputs instructions to each of servo motors 71-76 using the first control function. Each of servo motors 71-76 drives axes J1-J6 according to instructions from robot controller 70. Each of encoders 81-86 detects the position of each of servo motors 71-76 and transmits position data indicating the detected position to robot controller 70.

[0052] The control unit 77 uses a second control function to output instructions to the servo motor 42 and both rotary actuators 56. Upon receiving the instructions, the servo motor 42 can move the linear moving body 43 from position I2 toward I1, or move the linear moving body 43 from position I1 toward I2. Note that the movement of the linear moving body 43 is not limited to the full movement from position I2 to position I1, or the full movement of the linear moving body 43 from position I1 to position I2. The control unit 77 may output instructions to the servo motor 42 so as to perform a scooping movement with a scooping amount corresponding to the length of the group of sliced meat E to be scooped in the Y-axis direction, and a release movement with a release movement amount.

[0053] Furthermore, upon receiving the instruction from the control unit 77, both rotary actuators 56 move the arms 57 from the open position to the closed position, or from the closed position to the open position. The image processing unit 79 inputs an image of each sliced meat E moving to the picking position T from the camera 87 and performs image processing. The image processing unit 79 calculates the size of the sliced meat E (the longitudinal length of the sliced meat E) based on the result of this image processing (the image capture result). The control unit 77 calculates the coordinates of a support reference point B when the sliced meat E is to be picked, for the group of sliced meat E placed at the picking position T. As shown in FIG. 2, this support reference point B when the sliced meat E is to be picked is set at the center of the sliced meat E in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor 16 in a plan view (when the "first state" of claim 6 is selected). The coordinates are in a world coordinate system set based on the installation position of the base 25 of the robot arm 22.

[0054] The robot controller 70 is capable of changing the support reference point B when the sliced meat is to be picked using a keyboard 80 or a touch panel (not shown) connected to the slicer controller 90. A numerical value input using the keyboard 80 on the plane of the conveying surface 15a is set as an offset amount in the X-axis direction and stored in the memory unit 78. For example, if the offset amount is a positive value, the sliced meat E is offset in the +X direction from the center thereof. If the offset amount is a negative value, the sliced meat E is offset in the -X direction from the center thereof. As a result, a portion displaced a set distance from the center of the sliced meat E is set as the support reference point for the sliced meat E when the sliced meat is to be picked (when the "second state" of claim 6 is selected).

[0055] The robot controller 70 may be configured as a computer having a calculation function and a memory unit, or may be configured as a programmable logic controller (PLC). As shown in Figure 9, the robot controller 70 communicates with a slicer controller 90 that controls the slicer 12. When a serving completion signal is input from the robot controller 70, the slicer controller 90 controls the servo motor 91 to intermittently or continuously drive the conveyor 16, thereby transporting the processed sliced meat E to the collection position T.

[0056] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the group of sliced meat E conveyed by the conveyor 16 reaches the collection position T, a collection start signal is output from the slicer controller 90 to the robot controller 70. When all of the sliced meat E sequentially reaching the collection position T have been placed in the serving area, a serving completion signal is output from the robot controller 70 to the slicer controller 90. Here, the slicer controller 90 controls the servo motor 91 to convey the cut sliced meat E downstream on the belt 15. In this way, by inputting the "collection start signal" from the slicer controller 90 to the robot controller 70, the movement state of the group of sliced meat E on the conveying surface 15a and the timing of picking up the group of sliced meat E, which is food on the conveying surface 15a, are synchronized.

[0057] (Operation of the first embodiment) Next, the operation of the food plating method, hand device 40, food plating device 10, and food plating control device 70 configured as described above will be described. Figures 10 and 11 are flowcharts of the robot control program executed by control unit 77 of robot controller 70. The control point controlled by robot arm 22 is the center in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the tip (lower end) of upper guide plate 47a, around which upper belt portion 50 is wound, in hand device 40. The robot control program moves the control point to points P0 to P7, which will be described later, as shown in Figure 12. The control point is the center of the circle of points P0 to P7.

[0058] (S10) When the robot control program is started, in S10, the control unit 77 sets the robot arm 22 and the linear moving body 43 and arm 57 of the hand device 40 to their respective starting positions (initial positions). The initial position of the linear moving body 43 is position I2 (see FIG. 3). The initial position of the arm 57 is the open position (see FIG. 7).

[0059] The starting position (initial position) of the robot arm 22 is point P0, where the hand device 40 is a predetermined distance away from the conveying surface 15a, approximately directly above an offset position that is a predetermined distance away from the picking position T of the sliced meat E to the -Y side so as not to come into contact with the sliced meat E. Point P0 corresponds to a standby position.

[0060] (S12) In S12, the control unit 77 inputs attributes such as the type of the group of sliced meat E, which is placed on the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14 and is being conveyed to the collection position T, in which a plurality of sliced meat E is arranged in a scaled row. The attributes also include the detection result of the thickness (height) of the tip of the block of meat before slicing, detected by a thickness (height) sensor (not shown) provided in the slicer 12. The thickness (height) corresponds to the length in the Y-axis direction on the conveying surface 15a when the sliced meat E is laid on the conveying surface 15a.

[0061] The types of the sliced meat group E also include the number of sliced meat E constituting the sliced meat group E. The image processing unit 79 processes the image of the group of sliced meat E captured by the camera 87, and obtains the size (length of the sliced meat E in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction)) and area of the group of sliced meat E based on the results of this image processing. If the thickness (height) and size of the sliced meat E do not reach the predetermined thickness standard value and size standard value, the sliced meat is rejected by a device not shown. Note that the rejection method is not the object of disclosure in this specification, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0062] In the following, a case will be described in which sliced meat E satisfies both of the criteria. (S14) In S14, the control unit 77 sets the maximum number of executions N per row and the predetermined number of rows M by referring to a reference table based on the thickness (height) and size of the sliced meat E, the number of sliced meat E, and the size (length x width x height) of the tray 88 on the serving area R.

[0063] The upper limit of execution times N per row is equal to the number of sliced meat E groups arranged per row. The reference table is pre-stored in the memory unit 78. This setting determines the total number of sliced meat E to be arranged on the tray 88 (arrangement area R).

[0064] For example, assuming a tray of a predetermined size, if the number of sliced meats E arranged in a scale row in the group of sliced meats E is three, the upper limit number of executions N is set to "3" and the predetermined number of rows M is set to "2." On the other hand, assuming a tray of the same predetermined size, if the number of sliced meats E arranged in a scale row in the group of sliced meats E is seven, the upper limit number of executions N is set to "1" and the predetermined number of rows M is set to "1." Note that these are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0065] (S16) In S16, the control unit 77 sets the count value m of the row number counter and the count value n of the execution number counter to 1, and then proceeds to the "sliced meat plating process" in S18.

[0066] (S18: Sliced meat serving process) S100 to S120 shown in Fig. 11 are a flowchart of the sliced meat presentation process in S18. In this embodiment, as described above, sliced meat E is presented on trays 88 placed in the presentation area R. Figs. 13(a) and 13(b) are explanatory diagrams of the arrangement of sliced meat on trays 88 placed in the presentation area in the first embodiment.

[0067] <Release start point Rmn> As shown in Figure 13(a), release start points Rmn are arranged in a matrix in the tray 88, or in the tray 88 and in the vicinity thereof on the downstream side, to realize multiple sliced meat arrangements. In Figures 13(a) and 13(b), the release start points Rmn are indicated by "x". As shown in Figure 13(a), each column is aligned in the row direction. The setting of the release start points Rmn will be described later.

[0068] The m in (m, n) attached to the release start point is the column number that matches the count value m of the column number counter mentioned above. The n in (m, n) is the number that matches the count value n of the execution count counter mentioned above.

[0069] In this embodiment, the sliced meat is arranged in the order of execution starting from the first row, such that (m,n) = (1,1), (2,1) ..., (1,2), (2,2) ..., (M,N), and when one row is completed, the next youngest row is processed in the same way.

[0070] In this embodiment, "m=1" meaning the first row is the row arranged at the rightmost side of the first conveying device 14 on the tray 88. In each row, "n=1" is the row arranged at the most downstream side on the tray 88 as seen from the slicer 12 side. This is the case in this embodiment, but is not limited to this. Depending on the type of food, "m=1" meaning the first row may be reversed to mean the row arranged at the leftmost side of the first conveying device 14 on the tray 88. The "sliced meat plating process" will be described in detail below.

[0071] (S100) In S100, the control unit 77 performs a "collection target position setting process" and a "trajectory generation process." <Collection target position setting process> The process of setting the collection target position will now be described. Based on the size of the group of sliced meat E obtained by the image processing unit 79, a position at or near the center of half the length of the sliced meat E is set as the support reference point B when being collected. In Figures 2, 13(a), and 13(b), the support reference point B is shown relative to the side edge of the sliced meat located at the most downstream side of the group of sliced meat E.

[0072] The offset amount in the X-axis direction of the support reference point B at the time of sampling and the offset amount Δy to the -Y side are stored in advance in the storage unit 78. The control unit 77 reads out the offset amount offset in the +axis direction and to the -Y side from the storage unit 78 and adds or subtracts the offset amount.

[0073] The offset amount Δy toward the −Y side is set in advance depending on the type of group of sliced meat E. The offset amount Δy toward the −Y side is made longer as the number of sliced meat E in the scale arrangement of the group of sliced meat E increases, such as three or four slices stacked, and is set so as to slightly exceed the length of the group of sliced meat E in the Y-axis direction. By having the offset amount Δy toward the −Y side in this way, point P1, which will be described later, is set to a value that is biased toward the −Y side by the offset amount Δy with respect to the support reference point B at the time of harvesting (see FIG. 13(a)).

[0074] The offset amount in the X-axis direction can be changed using the keyboard 80, numeric keypad, or the like. <Trajectory generation process> The trajectory generation process is a process for generating a trajectory from points P0 to P7 shown in FIG. 12 and returning from point P7 to point P0, and the control unit 77 calculates the position, posture, speed, and acceleration of the hand device 40 for each time period.

[0075] <Regarding the position of the hand device 40> Points P0 to P7 will be explained with reference to Figure 12. Hereinafter, the control points mentioned above may also be referred to as the positions of the hand device 40. Point P0 is the initial position of the robot arm 22 mentioned above and is a fixed value. Point P0 is located directly above the center line O (see Figures 2 and 13(a)) of the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14, and is a position at a height where the collecting unit 35 including the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53 does not come into contact with the conveying surface 15a.

[0076] Point P1 is located below point P0 and is the position of the hand device 40 when picking up sliced meat E, which is located at a position displaced by an offset amount Δy toward the −Y side from the support reference point B when being picked at the picking position T. Point P1 is the picking target position.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 14, point P1 is set at a height at which the tip (lower end) of the upper belt portion 50 of the collection unit 35 can slide on the conveying surface 15a. Point P1 is changed (corrected) later in S104, but is treated as a fixed value in S100. The X coordinate of point P1 before being changed in S104 is the same value as point P0.

[0078] Point P2 has the same X and Z coordinate values as point P1. The Y coordinate value of point P2 is a value located downstream (+Y side) of the Y coordinate value of point P1. This value is longer than the Y-direction length of the group of sliced meat E. The Y coordinate value of point P2 may be a fixed value as long as the group of sliced meat E transported to the collection position T by the belt 15 is within a preset size range. When the Y coordinate value of point P2 is a variable value, it is preferable that the image processing unit 79 obtains the Y-direction length of the group of sliced meat E based on the image processing results, and sets the value to be slightly larger than the value obtained by adding this length to the Y coordinate value of point P1.

[0079] By moving the hand device 40 toward the +Y side, i.e., in the forward direction, from point P1 to point P2, the collection section 35 is able to scoop up the group of sliced meat E located at the collection position T on the conveying surface 15a (approximately on the same plane).

[0080] The X and Y coordinate values of point P3 are the same as those of point P2. The Z coordinate value of point P3 is greater (higher) than the Z coordinate value of point P2. The height of point P3 from the conveying surface 15a is set so that when the collection unit 35 of the hand device 40 scoops up the group of sliced meat E and rises to point P3, both ends of the group of sliced meat E do not touch the conveying surface 15a.

[0081] (Points P4 to P7) Next, points P4 to P7 will be explained. For convenience of explanation, the description will begin with point P5. As mentioned above, a plurality of release start points Rmn at which the sliced meat E starts to be released from the collection section 35 are set because they are arranged in a matrix as described above. Among points P4 to P7 shown in Fig. 12, point P5 is the release start point Rmn.

[0082] Point P5 is positioned so as to be spaced apart from the conveying surface 19a of the belt 19. The distance (height) of point P5 from the conveying surface 19a may be a height at which the ends folded by the folding units 55A, 55B remain in that state when the group of sliced meat E scooped up is lowered from the collection unit 35 to the tray 88 or the serving area R. Point P5 may not be located above the tray 88, but may be located in an area outside the tray 88. In this case, the Z coordinate value of point P5 is set to a height at which the folded material 58 does not interfere with the peripheral wall 88a of the tray 88 when the arm 57 of the hand device 40 is positioned in the collection unit 35 and closed position.

[0083] The X and Y coordinate values of point P4 are the same as those of point P5 (release starting point Rmn). The Z coordinate value of point P4 is set to be higher than the Z coordinate value of point P5. The Z coordinate value of point P4 may be, for example, the same as the Z coordinate value of point P3, but is not limited to this value.

[0084] Point P6 is the release end point. The X and Z coordinate values of point P6 are the same as those of point P5. The Y coordinate value of point P6 is set to be located on the -Y side (upstream) of the Y coordinate value of point P5. Specifically, the Y coordinate value is set so that the hand device 40 completes the release of the group of sliced meat E scooped up by the collection unit 35 within the time it takes for the hand device 40 to move (reverse) from point P5 to point P6. That is, the Y coordinate value is set according to the backward movement speed of the hand device 40 between both points, the scooped amount of the group of sliced meat E scooped up onto the upper belt unit 50 (i.e., the amount of movement on the belt), and the release speed of the upper belt unit 50 (lower belt unit 53). The backward movement speed between the two points and the scooped amount are set in advance depending on the type of group of sliced meat E. In other words, the group of sliced meat E is scooped onto the upper belt portion 50 when the hand device 40 moves from point P1 to point P2, and this can be calculated from the speed of the upper belt portion 50 at this time and the execution time.

[0085] The X and Y coordinate values of point P7 are set to be the same as the X and Y coordinate values of point P6. The Z coordinate value of point P7 is set to be higher than the Z coordinate value of point P6. For example, it may be set to be the same as the Z coordinate value of point P0. Note that the Z coordinate value of point P7 does not have to be the same as the Z coordinate value of point P0 and may be different. However, in order to efficiently return to point P0, it is preferable that the Z coordinate value of point P7 be the same as or close to the Z coordinate value of point P0.

[0086] <About the release starting point Rmn> The release starting point Rmn will be explained. The reference table for the release start point is created according to the type of sliced meat group E and the size of the tray 88 (or the size of the serving area R), and is stored in the storage unit 78. The reference table describes combinations of the type of sliced meat group E and the size of the tray 88 (or the size of the serving area R). For each combination, the number of rows of sliced meat group E and the upper limit number of executions N per row are described. Along with this, attribute data for the release start point Rmn for each row is described.

[0087] Each release start point Rmn has an X-axis ratio (Xkmn) and a Y-axis ratio (Ykmn) as attribute data. The difference between the X-coordinate value of the release start point Rmn and the X-coordinate value of the reference point Ra is defined as ΔXmn. The X-axis ratio (Xkmn) is obtained by the following formula. Note that in this embodiment, the reference point Ra is a point at one corner of the deposition area R, but this is not limited to this and may be another point.

[0088] Xkmn = ΔXmn / r2 (length of the filling area R in the X-axis direction) Therefore, the X coordinate value of the release starting point Rmn is calculated by the following formula. X coordinate value of release starting point Rmn = X coordinate value of Ra + r2×Xkmn The difference between the Y coordinate value of the release starting point Rmn and the Y coordinate value of the reference point Ra is defined as ΔYmn. The Y axis ratio (Ykmn) is obtained by the following formula:

[0089] Ykmn = ΔYmn / r1 (length of the filling area R in the Y-axis direction) Therefore, the Y coordinate value of the release starting point Rmn is calculated by the following formula. Y coordinate value of release starting point Rmn = Y coordinate value of Ra - r1×Ykmn The Z coordinate value of each release start point Rmn is set to the same value, assuming that it is on the same horizontal plane as the reference point Ra. Each release start point Rmn is given as a three-dimensional coordinate based on the three-dimensional coordinate of the reference point Ra set in the placement area R shown in Figure 13(a).

[0090] In the above description, the attribute data of each release start point Rmn includes an X-axis ratio and an X-axis ratio. Alternatively, the attribute data of each release start point Rmn may be expressed as a vector. This vector is the distance from a known reference point and the angle between a reference line passing through the reference point and a line passing through each release start point Rmn. The X-coordinate value and Y-coordinate value of each release start point Rmn may be calculated based on this vector.

[0091] In addition, the three-dimensional coordinates of each release start point Rmn may be associated with each size of the tray 88 in the reference table of S14, and when the size of the tray 88 is determined in S14, the three-dimensional coordinates of each release start point Rmn associated with the tray 88 may be referenced.

[0092] It is preferable that the release start points Rmn of the second and subsequent rows be arranged so that the sliced meat E to be lowered onto that row can be arranged in a state where it overlaps with the sliced meat E of the adjacent row that has already been arranged. Moreover, it is preferable that the release start points Rmn of the second and subsequent rows be arranged so as not to overlap the peripheral wall 88a located on the -X side of the tray 88.

[0093] The reference table also describes the type of folding of the ends of the sliced meat E in each row for each combination of the type of sliced meat E group and the size of the tray 88 (or the size of the serving area R). The types of folding of the ends of the sliced meat E include folding only one end of the sliced meat E and folding both ends.

[0094] In this embodiment, it is assumed that two rows of sliced meat E are arranged on the tray 88, and that the folding type is set as follows: When arrangement starts from the side closest to the peripheral wall 88a on the +X side (right side), in the first row (first row), the end of the sliced meat E on the +X side (right side) is folded, and in the second row, both ends on the +X side (right side) and the -X side (left side) are folded.

[0095] That is, a first state in which both ends of the sliced meat E are folded by the folding sections 55A and 55B, and a second state in which only one end of the sliced meat E is folded by the folding sections 55A / 55B are automatically selected depending on the row in which the meat is to be served.

[0096] As a result, when the first state is selected, the center of the sliced meat E in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor 16 in a plan view is set as the support reference point for the sliced meat E when it is to be picked. On the other hand, when the second state is selected, a portion displaced a set distance from the center of the sliced meat E is set as the support reference point for the sliced meat E when it is to be picked.

[0097] <Regarding the Posture of the Hand Device 40> The control unit 77 performs posture control to maintain the collection unit 35 of the hand device 40 in a position such that the tip (lower end) of the upper belt unit 50 (lower belt unit 53) faces toward the +Y side and downward, i.e., tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the conveying surface 15a, as shown in Figure 14, throughout the entire trajectory.

[0098] <About the speed and acceleration between each point> The control unit 77 calculates the speed and acceleration between each point of the hand device 40 (control point) so that, for example, constant speed control or trapezoidal speed control is possible. The movement of the hand device 40 to each point in each step described below is realized by controlling the robot arm 22 based on the coordinate values, speed, acceleration, and posture (the joint angles) calculated or set in S100.

[0099] The following explanation will mainly focus on the movement of the hand device 40 between points and the operation of the collection unit 35 and folding units 55A and 55B of the hand device 40. It should be understood that the attitude of the hand device 40 and the speed, acceleration, etc. of the hand device 40 (control point) are controlled based on the calculation results described above.

[0100] (S102) In S102, the control unit 77 waits for reception of a collection start signal output from the slicer controller 90 when the sliced meat E is transferred to the collection position T. When the collection start signal is received, the control unit 77 proceeds to S104.

[0101] (S104) In S104, the control unit 77 changes the X coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates of the point P1 to the X coordinate value of the collection target position obtained in S100. Note that the Y coordinate value and Z coordinate value of the collection target position are not changed.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 14, point P1 is set at a height at which the leading end (lower end) of the upper belt part 50 of the collection part 35 can slide on the conveying surface 15a. (S106) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from the start position (point P0) to point P1, and positions the tip (lower end) of the upper belt portion 50 in contact with the conveying surface 15a.

[0103] (S108) As shown in Fig. 12, the control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 forward from point P1 to point P2, which is the target picking position located on the +Y side. During this movement, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 in direction A shown in Fig. 6, thereby scooping up the sliced meat E on the conveying surface 15a by the scooping amount, as shown in Fig. 14. The greater the number of sliced meat pieces in the type of sliced meat group E, the longer the length of the sliced meat group E in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the scooping amount is increased so that the sliced meat E can be scooped up by that length.

[0104] (S110) 12, the control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P2 to point P3. During this movement, the control unit 77 controls the rotary actuator 56 of the folding unit 55A on the +X side (right side) to move the arm 57, which is located in the open position, to the closed position.

[0105] When the hand device 40 is raised from point P2, one end of the group of sliced meat E hangs down, and this end is folded by the folding member 58 of the arm 57, which is moved to the closed position, so that this end comes into contact with the descending portion of the lower belt unit 53. Figure 8 shows a state in which the arm 57 of the folding unit 55A is in the closed position and the lower end of the sliced meat E is folded. Note that in S110, the folding unit 55A is moved to the closed position while the hand device 40 is raised, but the folding unit 55A may also be moved to the closed position after the hand device 40 is raised.

[0106] The scooping up of the middle part of the group of sliced meat E located at the collection position T by the upper belt part 50 and the folding of one end of the group of sliced meat E toward the lower belt part 53 by the folding part 55A correspond to the first step of claim 1.

[0107] (S112) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P3 to point P4. At this time, the control unit 77 performs trapezoidal speed control so that the movement speed of the upper side of the trapezoid is high. By moving the hand device 40 to point P4, interference between the sliced meat E or the hand device 40 and the peripheral wall 88a is avoided when the hand device 40 subsequently moves onto the serving area R.

[0108] (S114) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 to the release start point, which is point P4 or point P5. This point P5 is located on the m-th column to which the release start point Rmn, at which the sliced meat E is to be lowered this time, belongs.

[0109] The movement of the hand device 40 from point P3 to point P5 via point P4 corresponds to the second step in claim 1. (S116) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 backward from point P5 to point P6 as shown in Fig. 12. The movement from point P5 to point P6 is downward and in a direction perpendicular to downward.

[0110] During this backward movement from point P5 to point P6, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the linear moving body 43 to release and move the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 in the direction B in Figure 6. As a result, the group of sliced meat E that had been scooped up by the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 is lowered from the upper belt unit 50 and piled onto the inner bottom surface of the tray 88, as shown in Figure 15 (see Figure 13(a)).

[0111] During the backward movement from point P5 to point P6 in S116, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the linear moving body 43 to release and move the upper part of the upper belt unit 50 in the direction B in Figure 6, which corresponds to the third step of claim 1.

[0112] (S118) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P6 to point P7 as shown in FIG.

[0113] (S120) After the hand device 40 moves to point P7, the control unit 77 controls the rotary actuator 56 of the folding unit 55B on the +X side (right side) to move the arm 57, which is located in the closed position, to the open position.

[0114] (S122) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P7 to point P0, which is the starting position, as shown in FIG.

[0115] This completes the movement and arrangement process for each point including the current release start point Rmn. (S20) After the current sliced meat plating process is completed as described above, in S20 as shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 77 increments the count value n of the execution number counter.

[0116] (S22) In S22, the control unit 77 determines whether the count value n of the execution counter exceeds the upper limit N of execution times. If the count value n does not exceed the upper limit N of execution times, the control unit 77 outputs a serving completion signal to the slicer controller 90, and then returns to S18 to perform the sliced meat serving process for the release start point Rmn of the next execution order in the current column m. Therefore, this sliced meat serving process is performed the upper limit N of execution times per column. If the count value n exceeds the upper limit N of execution times, the process proceeds to S24.

[0117] (S24) In S24, the control unit 77 increments the count value m of the column number counter. (S26) In S26, if the count value m of the row number counter does not exceed the predetermined row number M, the control unit 77 proceeds to S28, and if the count value m of the row number counter exceeds the predetermined row number M, the control unit 77 temporarily ends the processing of this flowchart. In other words, the arrangement of the sliced meat E on the tray 88 is completed. The predetermined row number M and the upper limit number of executions N may each be at least 1 or more.

[0118] (S28) In S28, the control unit 77 sets the count value n of the execution number counter to 1, outputs a serving completion signal to the slicer controller 90, and returns to S18. Therefore, when returning from S28 to S18, the sliced meat serving process for the next row is executed.

[0119] As described above, in this embodiment, two rows of sliced meat E are arranged on the tray 88, and in the first row (first row), only the end of the sliced meat E on the +X side (right side) is folded, and in the second row, both end portions of the sliced meat E on the +X side (right side) and -X side (left side) are folded.

[0120] Therefore, in the second row, in S110, the arms 57 of the folding units 55A and 55B move from the open position to the closed position, and the folding members 58 fold both left and right ends of the sliced meat E. Note that the arms 57 of the folding units 55A and 55B may move from the open position to the closed position after the hand device 40 has been lifted. Also, in the second row, in S118, the arms 57 of the folding units 55A and 55B move from the closed position to the open position.

[0121] FIG. 13(a) is an example of a plan view of the tray 88 when the sliced meat E has been arranged at the release start point Rmn=R11. In FIG. 13(a), the thick line on the +X side of the group of sliced meat E indicates that the right end of the sliced meat has been folded. FIG. 13(b) is an example of a plan view of the tray 88 when the sliced meat E has been arranged at the release start point Rmn=R21. In FIG. 13(b), the thick lines on the +X and -X sides of the group of sliced meat E indicate that both the left and right ends of the sliced meat have been folded.

[0122] The present embodiment and the modified example have the following features. (1) In the first step of the food plating method, hand device 40 is advanced downstream in the food conveying direction while upper belt unit 50 is driven to scoop up and support food located at picking position T. As a result, the hanging end of the food is folded toward lower belt unit 53 by folding units 55A and 55B provided on hand device 40. In the second step, hand device 40 is moved to above plating area R away from picking position T. In the third step, hand device 40 is advanced backward while upper belt unit 50 and lower belt unit 53 are driven in opposite directions in plating area R, so that the portion of the food supported by upper belt unit 50 and the end folded toward lower belt unit 53 are released from both belt units, and the food is transferred from plating area R.

[0123] As a result, soft foods can be plated in an appropriate manner.Furthermore, by mounting the hand device on the robot arm of a robot and controlling the steps of this method by a computer, it is possible to easily automate the plating of food.

[0124] (2) In the method of this embodiment, multiple release start points Rmn are set in the serving area R for arranging food in a predetermined number of rows M, and the first, second, and third steps are executed sequentially for each release start point Rmn arranged in this execution order. Then, the food is served. As a result, soft food can be served in rows. Furthermore, by shifting the release start points Rmn arranged in the rows, it is also possible to arrange the food in a matrix.

[0125] (3) In the food plating method of this embodiment, pick-up position T is set on conveying surface 15a of conveyor 16 that conveys food. Placing area R is set at a predetermined position excluding conveying surface 15a of conveyor 16. Food conveyed by conveyor 16 is picked up at pick-up position T and plated in plating area R. As a result, according to this embodiment, soft food can be suitably plated in plating area R, which is set at a predetermined position excluding conveying surface 15a of conveyor 16.

[0126] (4) In the food plating method of this embodiment, the movement of conveyor 16, which transports food, on conveying surface 15a, driven intermittently or continuously, is synchronized with the timing of picking up food from conveying surface 15a. As a result, food can be efficiently plated from picking position T to plating area R.

[0127] (5) In the food presentation method of this embodiment, the food to be picked is imaged by camera 87 (imaging means) as it is conveyed by conveyor 16. Then, based on the image results, support reference point B for the food when being picked is set to the middle of the food in a direction that intersects the conveying direction of conveyor 16 in a plan view. As a result, picking unit 35 is configured so that support reference point B for the food when being picked is included in the middle of the food, enabling the food to be picked stably.

[0128] (6) In the food presentation method of this embodiment, it is possible to select between a first state in which both ends of the food are folded by folding units 55A and 55B, and a second state in which only one end of the food is folded by folding unit 55A. When the first state is selected, the center of the food in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of conveyor 16 in a plan view is set as support reference point B for the food when it is to be picked. When the second state is selected, a location offset a set distance from the center of the food is set as support reference point B for the food when it is to be picked. As a result, depending on the selection between the first state and the second state, it is possible to obtain a support reference point B for the food when it is to be picked that is appropriate for the folding state of the end of the food.

[0129] (7) In this embodiment, the hand device 40, which is attachable to the tip of the robot arm 22, includes a collection unit 35 including an upper belt unit 50 and a lower belt unit 53 extending diagonally downward, and a belt drive source that drives both belt units in forward and reverse rotation. The hand device 40 includes folding units 55A, 55B that fold the hanging end of the food toward the lower belt unit when it is scooped up by the upper belt unit 50. The hand device 40 also includes a folding unit drive source (rotary actuator 56) that causes the folding units 55A, 55B to fold and unfold. The above configuration makes it easy to implement the food plating method described in (1) above.

[0130] (8) In the food plating device of this embodiment, the robot arm 22 is configured to move the hand device 40 from point P0 (standby position) away from the picking position T where the food is located to the picking position T. In this device, the robot arm 22 advances the hand device to the picking position T while aligning the leading end (lower end) of the upper belt unit 50 approximately flush with the food placement surface (conveying surface 15a) located at the picking position T. At this time, the belt drive source 44 drives the upper belt unit 50 and the lower belt unit 53 in a forward rotation to scoop up and support the food, and then the hand device 40 is raised. In this device, the folding unit drive source (rotary actuator 56) of the hand device 40 performs a folding operation of the folding units 55A and 55B while or after the hand device 40 is raised, folding the hanging end toward the lower belt unit 53. In this device, the robot arm 22 moves the hand device 40 to a placement area R away from the picking position T, and then, while moving the hand device 40 backward, the belt drive source 44 drives both belts in reverse rotation, thereby separating the portion of the food supported by the upper belt and the end portion folded toward the lower belt from the two belts, and placing the food in the placement area R. This configuration easily realizes the food placement method (1) above. Note that in this embodiment, when the hand device 40 advances from point P1 to P2, the upper belt 50 and the lower belt 53 are driven in forward rotation to scoop up and support the food, and then the hand device 40 is raised to point P3. Alternatively, the upper belt 50 and the lower belt 53 may be driven in forward rotation to scoop up and support the food while the hand device 40 advances from point P1 to P2 and while it ascends from point P2 to P3.

[0131] (9) In the food plating control device of this embodiment, control unit 77 has a first control function that controls robot arm 22 and a second control function that controls hand device 40. The first control function drives and controls robot arm 22 to move hand device 40 forward from point P0 (standby position) distal to the food to pick-up position T proximal to the food. At this time, the lower end of upper belt unit 50 is aligned approximately flush with conveying surface 15a (food placement surface) located at pick-up position T.

[0132] When the hand device 40 advances to the collection position T using the first control function, the second control function drives and controls the belt drive source 44 to rotate the upper belt unit 50 and the lower belt unit 53 in the forward direction to scoop up and support the food. The first control function also drives and controls the robot arm 22 to raise the hand device 40 so that the end of the food hangs down. The second control function controls the folding unit drive source (rotary actuator 56) to perform a folding operation of the folding units 55A and 55B during or after the hand device 40 has been raised, folding the hanging end toward the lower belt unit. The first control function drives and controls the robot arm to move the hand device 40 to a release start point Rmn that is preset above the serving area R away from the collection position, and then moves it backward above the serving area R. During this backward movement, the second control function controls the driving of the belt drive source 44, driving the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53 in reverse rotation, so that the supported portion of the food and the end portion folded toward the lower belt portion are released from both belt portions, and the food is plated in the plating area R. As a result, the control device of this embodiment can easily automate the food plating method (1) above.

[0133] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The hand device, food presentation device, and food presentation control device of this embodiment have the same hardware configuration as the hand device, food presentation device, and food presentation control device of the first embodiment, so the same symbols are used for the same configuration as the first embodiment and descriptions are omitted.

[0134] The food plating method of the second embodiment and the robot control program executed by the food plating control device will be described below. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 16, sliced meat E extending in the X-axis direction is conveyed side by side at a predetermined pitch on the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14. For the sake of convenience, only two sliced meat E are shown in Fig. 16, but it should be understood that a plurality of sliced meat E are further conveyed from the collection position T on the belt 15 on the -Y side at the predetermined pitch.

[0135] (Operation of the second embodiment) 17 and 18 are flowcharts showing the robot control program executed by the control unit 77 of the robot controller 70. The robot control program causes the control points to be moved to points P0 to P18 and P18 to P0, which will be described later, as shown in FIG. 19. The position to which the control points are moved is the center of the circle of points P0 to P18. The following flowcharts will mainly explain steps that are different from those in the first embodiment.

[0136] (S10) S10 is the same as in the first embodiment. (S12A) In S12A, the control unit 77 receives from the slicer controller 90 the attributes of the sliced meat E being transported to the collection position T on the belt 15 of the first transport device 14. The attributes also include the detection result of the thickness (height) of the tip of the block of meat before slicing, detected by a thickness (height) sensor (not shown) provided in the slicer 12. The thickness (height) corresponds to the length in the Y-axis direction on the transport surface 15a when the sliced meat E is laid on the transport surface 15a. The attributes also include the value of the predetermined pitch at which the sliced meat E are arranged. The predetermined pitch may be stored in advance in the memory unit 78, and the control unit 77 may read it out from the memory unit 78 in S12A.

[0137] The image processing unit 79 processes the image of the sliced meat E captured by the camera 87, and obtains the size (length of the sliced meat E in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction)) and area of the sliced meat E based on the results of this image processing. If the thickness (height) and size of the sliced meat E do not reach the predetermined thickness standard value and size standard value, the sliced meat is rejected by a device not shown. Note that the rejection method is not the object of this disclosure, and therefore will not be described here.

[0138] In the following, a case will be described in which sliced meat E satisfies both of the criteria. (S14A) In S14A, the control unit 77 sets the total number of sliced meat E to be arranged on the tray 88, the predetermined number of rows M, and the upper limit number of executions N per row by referring to a reference table based on the thickness (height) and size of the sliced meat E and the size of the tray 88. The reference table is stored in advance in the storage unit 78.

[0139] When the sliced meat E is arranged in multiple rows (for example, two rows) on a tray of a predetermined size, if the sliced meat E is medium (regular size), the number of slices to be served is six, if it is large, four, and if it is small, six. Note that these are examples and are not limiting.

[0140] (S16) S16 is the same as in the first embodiment. (S18A: Sliced meat serving process) S200 to S224 shown in Fig. 18 are a flowchart of the sliced meat presentation process in S18A. In this embodiment, as described above, sliced meat E is presented on trays 88 placed in the presentation area R. Figs. 20(a) and 20(b) are explanatory diagrams of the arrangement of sliced meat on trays 88 placed in the presentation area in the second embodiment.

[0141] (Definition of the release starting point Rmn for the first cycle) As shown in FIG. 20(a), in the tray 88 or in the tray 88 and its downstream vicinity, first cycle release start points Rmn are arranged in a matrix to realize multiple sliced meat arrangements. As shown in FIG. 20(a), each column is aligned in the row direction (X-axis direction). The setting of the release start points Rmn will be described later. In FIGS. 20(a) and 20(b), the release start points Rmn are indicated by "x". In FIGS. 20(a) and 20(b), the "●" next to the aforementioned "x" indicates the release start point of the second cycle, which will be described later.

[0142] The m in (m,n) attached to the release start point of the first cycle is the column number that matches the count value m of the column number counter mentioned above. The n in (m,n) is the number that matches the count value n of the execution count counter mentioned above.

[0143] In this embodiment, the sliced meat is arranged in the order of execution starting from the first row, such that (m,n) = (1,1), (2,1) ..., (1,2), (2,2) ..., (M,N), and when one row is completed, the next youngest row is processed in the same way.

[0144] In this embodiment, "m=1" meaning the first row is the row arranged at the rightmost side of the first conveying device 14 on the tray 88. In each row, "n=1" is the row arranged at the most downstream side on the tray 88 as seen from the slicer 12 side. This is the case in this embodiment, but is not limited to this. Depending on the type of food, "m=1" meaning the first row may be reversed to mean the row arranged at the leftmost side of the first conveying device 14 on the tray 88. The "sliced meat plating process" will be described in detail below.

[0145] (S200) In S200, the control unit 77 performs "collection target position setting processing" and "trajectory generation processing." <Collection target position setting process> The collection target position setting process will be described. Based on the size of the sliced meat E obtained by the image processing unit 79, a portion displaced a set distance from the center of the longitudinal direction of the sliced meat E is set as the support reference point B when the sliced meat is to be collected, and this support reference point B (three-dimensional coordinates in the world coordinate system) when the sliced meat is to be collected is calculated. In Figures 20(a) and 20(b), the support reference point B when the sliced meat is to be collected is shown relative to the side edge of the sliced meat E located on the most downstream side. Here, of the pair of sliced meats E shown in Figure 16, the sliced meat E closest to the line of collection position T (on the most downstream side) corresponds to the reference position food. The remaining sliced meat E spaced upstream from this reference position food at a predetermined pitch corresponds to the separated food.

[0146] In this embodiment, j (=2) pieces of sliced meat E are picked up at the same time by the hand device 40 and are individually served. Note that j is an integer equal to or greater than 2. In this embodiment, j=2 as described above.

[0147] The offset amount in the X-axis direction of the support reference point B at the time of sampling and the offset amount Δy to the -Y side are stored in advance in the storage unit 78. The control unit 77 reads out the offset amount offset in the +axis direction and to the -Y side from the storage unit 78 and adds or subtracts the offset amount.

[0148] The offset amount Δy toward the −Y side is preset according to the predetermined pitch. In this embodiment, the offset amount Δy toward the −Y side is set larger as the predetermined pitch becomes longer so that a pair of adjacent sliced meat E can be simultaneously scooped up, and is set so that it slightly exceeds the Y-axis length of the upstream sliced meat E. By setting the offset amount Δy toward the −Y side in this manner, point P11, which will be described later, is set to a value that is biased toward the −Y side by the offset amount Δy with respect to the support reference point B when the sliced meat E is being picked (see FIG. 13(a)). The offset amount in the X-axis direction can be changed using the keyboard 80, numeric keypad, etc. When only one end of the sliced meat E is folded by the folding unit and the other end is not folded, the offset amount in the X-axis direction is set so that the entire non-folded end is supported by the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50. In other words, the offset amount in the X-axis direction is set so that the unfolded end does not droop.

[0149] <Trajectory generation process> The trajectory generation process is a process for generating a trajectory including points P0 to P18 and P18 to P0 shown in FIG. 19, and the control unit 77 calculates the position, posture, speed, and acceleration of the hand device 40 for each time period.

[0150] <Regarding the position of the hand device 40> Points P0 to P16 will be explained with reference to Fig. 19. The control points of the robot arm 22 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0151] Point P0 is a fixed value and is the initial position of the robot arm 22, as in the first embodiment. Point P0 is a position directly above the center line O (see FIG. 16) of the belt 15 of the first conveying device 14, at a height where the collecting unit 35 including the upper belt portion 50 and the lower belt portion 53 does not contact the conveying surface 15a.

[0152] Point P11 is located below point P0 and is the position of the hand device 40 when picking up sliced meat E, which is located at a position displaced by an offset amount Δy toward the −Y side from the support reference point B when being picked at the picking position T. Point P11 is the picking target position.

[0153] As shown in Fig. 21, point P11 is set at a height at which the tip (lower end) of the upper belt part 50 of the collection part 35 can slide on the conveying surface 15a. Point P11 is changed (corrected) later in S204, but is treated as a fixed value in S200. The X coordinate of point P11 before being changed in S204 is the same value as point P0.

[0154] Point P12 has the same X and Z coordinate values as point P11. The Y coordinate value of point P12 is a value that is located downstream (on the +Y side) of the Y coordinate value of point P1. The distance in the Y direction between point P12 and point P11 is set equal to the offset amount Δy. By moving the hand device 40 toward the +Y side, i.e., in the forward direction, from point P11 to point P12, the collection unit 35 can scoop up a pair of sliced meat E located between point P11 and point P12.

[0155] The X and Y coordinate values of point P13 are the same as those of point P12. The Z coordinate value of point P13 is larger (higher) than the Z coordinate value of point P12. The height of point P13 from the conveying surface 15a is determined such that when the collection unit 35 of the hand device 40 scoops up the sliced meat E and rises to point P13, the folding units 55A and 55B are activated at point P13 to fold the ends of the sliced meat E.

[0156] (Points P14 to P16) Next, points P14 to P16 will be explained. For ease of explanation, the description will begin with point P15. As mentioned above, a plurality of release start points Rmn are set for the first cycle at which the sliced meat E starts to be released from the collection section 35, since they are arranged in a matrix as described above. Among points P14 to P16 shown in Fig. 19, point P1 is the release start point Rmn for the first cycle.

[0157] Point P15 is positioned so as to be spaced apart from the conveying surface 19a of the belt 19. The distance of point P5 from the conveying surface 19a may be a height at which the ends folded by the folding units 55A and 55B remain in their original state when the sliced meat E scooped up by the collection unit 35 is lowered from the collection unit 35 onto the tray 88 or the presentation area R. Note that point P15 may not be located above the tray 88, but may be located in an area outside the tray 88. In this case, the Z coordinate value of point P5 is set to a height at which the collection unit 35 (particularly the lower belt unit 53) of the hand device 40 and the folded material 58, when the arm 57 is in the closed position, do not interfere with the peripheral wall 88a of the tray 88 when they pass through the peripheral wall 88a.

[0158] The X and Y coordinate values of point P14 are the same as those of point P15 (the release start point Rmn of the first cycle). The Z coordinate value of point P14 is set to be higher than the Z coordinate value of point P15. The Z coordinate value of point P14 may be, for example, the same as the Z coordinate value of point P13, but is not limited to this value.

[0159] <End point of first cycle release> Point P16 is the release end point of the first cycle. The X and Z coordinate values of point P16 are the same as those of point P15. The Y coordinate value of point P16 is set to be located on the -Y side of the Y coordinate value of point P15. Specifically, the Y coordinate value is set so that the release of the downstream sliced meat E of the pair of sliced meat E scooped up by the collection unit 35 is completed within the time it takes the hand device 40 to move (reverse) from point P15 to point P16. That is, the Y coordinate value is set based on the movement speed of the hand device 40 between the two points, the movement amount of the bottom of the downstream sliced meat E scooped up on the upper belt unit 50, and the release speed of the upper belt unit 50. The movement speed between the two points and the amount of sliced meat E scooped up on the upper belt unit 50 are preset based on the predetermined pitch.

[0160] <Starting point of the second cycle release> Point P17 is the release start point of the second cycle. The X and Z coordinate values of point P17 are the same as those of point P16. Note that in Figure 19, the heights of points P17 and P18 from the belt 19 are shown higher than point P16 for ease of explanation.

[0161] The Y coordinate value of point P17 is set to a value shifted toward the +Y side from point P16. The Y coordinate value is set so that the point P17 is adjacent to the upstream side or a position covering a part of the upstream side of the sliced meat E on the downstream side that has been released from the collection unit 35 and placed on the inner bottom surface of the tray 88 while the hand device 40 is moving backward from point P15 to P16. A value previously obtained by test values or the like may be used as this Y coordinate value.

[0162] <End point of second cycle release> Point P18 is the release end point of the second cycle. The X and Z coordinate values of point P18 are set to be the same as the X and Z coordinate values of point P17. The Y coordinate value of point P18 is set so that the release of the remaining sliced meat E is completed within the time it takes for the hand device 40 to move (reverse) from point P17 to point P18.

[0163] <About the release start point Rmn of the first cycle> The release starting point Rmn in the first cycle will be explained. The reference table for the release start point of the first cycle, which is created according to the size of the tray 88 (or the size of the serving area R), is stored in the storage unit 78. The reference table describes combinations of size and tray 88 size (or the size of the serving area R). For each combination, the number of rows of sliced meat E and the upper limit number of executions N per row are described. Along with this, attribute data for the release start point Rmn of the first cycle for each row is described.

[0164] Each release start point Rmn has an X-axis ratio (Xkmn) and a Y-axis ratio (Ykmn) as attribute data. The difference between the X-coordinate value of the release start point Rmn and the X-coordinate value of the reference point Ra is defined as ΔXmn. The X-axis ratio (Xkmn) and the Y-axis ratio (Ykmn) are obtained using the formula explained in the first embodiment. The Z-coordinate value of each release start point Rmn is set to the same value as the reference point Ra, assuming that it is on the same horizontal plane.

[0165] Each release start point Rmn is given by three-dimensional coordinates based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference point Ra set in the serving area R shown in FIG. 13(a). In the above description, the attribute data of each release starting point Rmn has an X-axis ratio and an X-axis ratio. Alternatively, the attribute data of each release starting point Rmn may be expressed as a vector, as in the first embodiment.

[0166] Furthermore, the three-dimensional coordinates of each release start point Rmn may be associated with each size of the tray 88 in the reference table, and when the size of the tray 88 is determined in S14A, the three-dimensional coordinates of each release start point Rmn associated with the tray 88 may be referenced.

[0167] It is preferable that the release start points Rmn of the second and subsequent rows be arranged so that the sliced meat E being lowered into that row can be arranged in an overlapping state with the sliced meat E in the adjacent rows that have already been arranged. In addition, it is preferable that the release start points Rmn of the second and subsequent rows be arranged so as not to overlap the peripheral wall 88a located on the -X side of the tray 88.

[0168] The reference table also describes the type of folding of the ends of the sliced meat E in each row for each combination of the size of the tray 88 (or the size of the serving area R). The types of folding of the ends of the sliced meat E include folding only one end of the sliced meat E and folding both ends.

[0169] In this embodiment, two rows of sliced meat E are arranged on the tray 88, and the end of the sliced meat E on the +X side (right side) of each row is folded. <Regarding the Posture of the Hand Device 40> The control unit 77 performs posture control to maintain the collection unit 35 of the hand device 40 in a position such that the tip (lower end) of the upper belt unit 50 (lower belt unit 53) faces toward the +Y side and downward, i.e., tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the conveying surface 15a, as shown in Figure 21, throughout the entire trajectory.

[0170] <Speed and acceleration between each point> The control unit 77 calculates the speed and acceleration between each point of the hand device 40 (control point) so that, for example, constant speed control or trapezoidal speed control is possible. The movement of the hand device 40 to each point in each step described below is realized by controlling the robot arm 22 based on the coordinate values, speed, acceleration, and posture (the joint angles) calculated or set in S100.

[0171] The following explanation will mainly focus on the movement of the hand device 40 between points and the operation of the collection unit 35 and folding units 55A and 55B of the hand device 40. It should be understood that the attitude of the hand device 40 and the speed, acceleration, etc. of the hand device 40 (control point) are controlled based on the calculation results described above.

[0172] (S202) In S202, the control unit 77 waits for reception of a collection start signal output from the slicer controller 90 when the sliced meat E is transferred to the collection position T. When the collection start signal is received, the control unit 77 proceeds to S204.

[0173] (S204) In S204, the control unit 77 changes the X coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates of point P11 to the X coordinate value of the collection target position obtained in S200. Note that the Y coordinate value and Z coordinate value of the collection target position are not changed. As shown in FIG. 21, point P11 is set at a height that allows the tip (lower end) of the lower belt part 53 of the collection unit 35 to slide on the conveying surface 15a.

[0174] (S206) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from the start position (point P0) to point P11, and positions the leading end (lower end) of the upper belt portion 50 in contact with the conveying surface 15a.

[0175] (S208) 20, the control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P11 to point P12, which is the target picking position located on the +Y side. During this movement, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the upward portion of the upper belt unit 50 by the scooping amount (movement amount) in direction A shown in FIG. 6, thereby scooping up the sliced meat E on the conveying surface 15a as shown in FIG.

[0176] (S210) 19, the control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P12 to point P13. During this movement, the control unit 77 controls the rotary actuator 56 of the folding unit 55A on the +X side (right side) to move the arm 57, which is located in the open position, to the closed position. As a result, when the hand device 40 rises from point P12, both ends of the sliced meat E hang down, but the right end is folded by the folding member 58 of the arm 57, which is located in the closed position, so that it comes into contact with the descending portion of the lower belt unit 53.

[0177] 8 shows a state in which the lower end of the sliced meat E is folded when the arm 57 of the folding unit 55A is in the closed position. Note that in S210, the folding unit 55A is moved to the closed position while the hand device 40 is ascending, but the folding unit 55A may be moved to the closed position after the hand device 40 has ascended. The scooping up of the middle portion of the sliced meat E located at the collection position T by the upper belt unit 50 in S208 and the folding of the end of the sliced meat E toward the lower belt unit 53 by the folding unit 55A in S210 correspond to the first step of claim 1.

[0178] (S212) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P13 to point P14. At this time, the control unit 77 performs trapezoidal speed control so that the cruising speed of the upper side of the trapezoid is high. By moving the hand device 40 to point P14, the sliced meat E and the hand device 40 are raised to a height equal to or higher than the peripheral wall 88a of the tray 88, and when the hand device 40 subsequently moves onto the serving area R, interference with the peripheral wall 88a is avoided.

[0179] (S214) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P14 to point P15, which is a release start point. This point P15 is located on the m-th column to which the release start point Rmn, at which the sliced meat E is currently being lowered, belongs. Note that the advance from point P13 to point P15 via point P14 corresponds to the advance in the first cycle. The movement of the hand device 40 from point P13 to point P15 via point P14 corresponds to the second step in claim 1.

[0180] (S216) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 backward from point P15 to point P16, which is the release end point of the first cycle, as shown in Fig. 19. The movement from point P15 to point P16 is downward and in a direction perpendicular to downward. Here, the backward movement from point P15 to point P16 corresponds to j being "1," i.e., the backward movement of the first cycle.

[0181] During the backward movement from point P15 to point P16, which is the release end point of the first cycle, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the linear moving body 43 to perform a release operation on the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 in the direction B in Fig. 6. As a result, the sliced meat E, which was located downstream when it was scooped up by the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50, is lowered from the upper belt unit 50 and arranged on the inner bottom surface of the tray 88, as shown in Fig. 22.

[0182] During the backward movement from point P15 to point P16 in S216, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the linear moving body 43 to release and move the upper part of the upper belt unit 50 in the direction B in Figure 6, which corresponds to the third step of claim 1.

[0183] (S218) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move (advance) the hand device 40 from point P16 to point P17, which is the release start point of the second cycle, as shown in Fig. 19. Note that the advance from point P16 to point P17 corresponds to j being "2," i.e., the advance in the second cycle.

[0184] (S220) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move (reverse) the hand device 40 from point P17, which is the release start point of the second cycle, to point P18, which is the release end point of the second cycle, as shown in Fig. 19. Note that the reverse movement from point P17 to point P18 corresponds to the reverse movement of the second cycle.

[0185] During this backward movement from point P17 to point P18, the control unit 77 controls the servo motor 42 to operate the linear moving body 43 to release the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 in the direction B in Fig. 6. As a result, the remaining sliced meat E (separated food) that had been scooped up by the ascending portion of the upper belt unit 50 is lowered from the upper belt unit 50 and arranged on the inner bottom surface of the tray 88, as shown in Fig. 23. As a result, the sliced meat E released this time is arranged adjacent to or overlapping the upstream side of the sliced meat E released previously.

[0186] (S222) Next, after the hand device 40 moves to point P18, the control unit 77 controls the rotary actuator 56 of the folding unit 55A on the +X side (right side) to move the arm 57, which is located in the closed position, to the open position. Note that in an example where the folding units 55A and 55B are located in the closed position, both arms 57 are moved to the open position. Alternatively, in an example where the folding unit 55B is located in the closed position, the arm 57 of the folding unit 55B is moved to the open position.

[0187] (S224) The control unit 77 controls the robot arm 22 to move the hand device 40 from point P7 to point P0, which is the starting position, as shown in FIG.

[0188] This completes the movement and arrangement process for each point including the current release start point Rmn. 17, when the "sliced meat plating process" t of S18A is completed, the processes of S20 to S28 are executed by the control unit 77. The processes of S20 to S28 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

[0189] FIG. 20(a) is an example of a plan view of the tray 88 after two cycles of sliced meat E have been arranged, with release starting at the release starting point Rmn=R11. In FIG. 20(a), the thick line on the +X side of the group of sliced meat E indicates that the right end of the sliced meat has been folded. FIG. 20(b) is an example of a plan view of the tray 88 after two cycles of sliced meat E have been arranged, with release starting at the release starting point Rmn=R21. In FIG. 20(b), the thick line on the +X side of the group of sliced meat E indicates that the right end of the sliced meat has been folded.

[0190] The present embodiment and the modified example have the following features. (1) In the food plating control device of this embodiment, the first control function of the control unit 77 drives and controls the robot arm 22. Through this control, the hand device 40 advances from the standby position along the direction of placement on the conveying surface 15a (food placement surface) to the picking position while the lower end of the upper belt unit 50 slides against the food placement surface (conveying surface 15a). While the hand device 40 advances, the control unit 77 drives and controls the belt drive source 44 to drive the upper belt unit 50 and sequentially scoop up j (= 2) food items. Through the first control function, the control unit 77 drives and controls the robot arm 22 to raise the hand device 40 and support the j (= 2) food items in a hanging position. The control unit 77 controls the folding unit drive source (rotary actuator 56) using its second control function to cause the folding unit 55A to perform a folding operation while the hand device 40 is rising or after it has risen, folding the hanging end toward the lower belt unit 53. When one cycle of the hand device 40 is defined as the forward movement of the hand device 40 to a predetermined release start point and the backward movement of the hand device 40 from the release start point to the release end point, the control unit 77 controls the drive of the robot arm 22 using its first control function to execute j cycles. During the backward movement of the hand device 40 in each cycle, the control unit 77 controls the drive of the belt drive source 44 using its second control function. As a result, the upper belt unit 50 and the lower belt unit 53 sequentially release the supported portion of each food item and the end folded toward the lower belt unit from both belt units, and arrange the released food items in the arrangement direction in the serving area R.

[0191] In this embodiment, j=2, but j may be set to 3 or more. In this case, the release start point and release end point for the third cycle and thereafter may be set by the method described for the second cycle in this embodiment, for example.

[0192] In this embodiment, the folding operation of folding portion 55A is performed to fold one hanging end portion toward lower belt portion 53. Alternatively, the folding operation of folding portions 55A and 55B may be performed to fold both hanging end portions toward lower belt portion 53.

[0193] As a result, according to this embodiment, food can be collected more efficiently by scooping up food pieces that are spaced apart at once, compared to scooping them up individually. Also, the scooped food pieces can be individually served on the serving area.

[0194] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. In the first and second embodiments, a serving area R is set on the belt 19 of the conveyor 20, and the tray 88 is placed on the serving area R. Alternatively, a transfer device 300 may be placed on the conveyor 20, and serving areas R1 and R2 may be set on the transfer device 300 side, as shown in Figures 24(a) and 24(b).

[0195] The transfer device 300 includes a pair of transfer belts 304, a pair of receiving plates 308, and a pair of traction plates 306 disposed directly below each receiving plate 308. As shown in FIGS. 24(a) and 24(b), both receiving plates 308 are included in an imaginary plane above the belt 19 and are disposed facing each other. They are driven by a drive source (not shown) to open and close freely in the ±X direction (left and right direction). Each receiving plate 308 is driven by the drive source to reciprocate between a closed position where its opposing edges are closest to each other and close the top of the belt 19, and an open position. In FIG. 24(a), the closed position and the open position indicate the positions of the opposing edges. The open position is a position where the tops of a pair of trays 88 placed on the belt 19 and arranged in the conveying direction of the belt 19 are open. A pair of frames 302 extending in the ±Y direction (directions perpendicular to the paper) are fixed to a position on the ±X side of the position of each receiving plate 308 when it is in the open position. One end of each transfer belt 304 is connected to the corresponding frame 302, and the other end is connected to the traction plate 306, so that the middle portion passes through the gap between the opposing edges of both support plates 308 and is wrapped around the opposing edges of the support plates 308 that extend in the ±Y directions. The traction plate 306 is driven by a drive source (not shown) so as to be able to move back and forth freely in the ±X directions (left and right directions).

[0196] 24(a) when both receiving plates 308 are in the closed position and trays 88 are placed on the belt 19 below both receiving plates 308. The robot controller 70 controls the food plating device 10 to plate the sliced meat E in these plating areas R1 and R2 in the plating manner of the first embodiment or the plating manner of the second embodiment. When the sliced meat is plated in the plating areas R1 and R2 via the top of the transfer belt 304, the transfer device 300 drives the receiving plate 308 and the traction plate 306 in the ±X directions by drive sources (not shown). 24(b), as the transfer belt 304 moves back and forth at the opposing edge of the receiving plate 308, a group of sliced meat E (not shown) arranged on the transfer belt 304 is peeled off from the surface of the transfer belt 304 and falls into and is stored in the tray 88. The tray 88 containing the sliced meat E is carried out to the +X side by the conveyor 20. Note that one of the arrangement areas R1 and R2 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0197] 10...Food serving device 12...Slicer 15...Belt 15a...Transport surface 11...Belt 19a...Transport surface 22...Robot arm 35…Collection section 40...Hand device 50...Upper belt part 53...Lower belt part 54...Operating plate 55A, 55B...Folding section 56...Rotary actuator 57...Arm 57a...Mounting part 58...Folding material 59...Support member 70...Robot controller (food presentation control device) 77...Control unit 78...Storage section 79...Image processing unit 87...Camera (imaging means) B…Support reference point when being sampled E…Sliced meat G...virtual plane, M…Predetermined number of columns N: Maximum number of executions R: Serving area Rmn…Release start point T…Collection position

Claims

1. A hand device that can be attached to the tip of a robot arm, The hand device A collection section including an upper belt section and a lower belt section extending diagonally downward; a belt drive source that drives both belt portions to rotate forward and backward; a folding section that folds the end of the food that has been scooped up by the upper belt section toward the lower belt section; A hand device comprising a folding unit drive source for causing the folding unit to perform folding and unfolding operations.

2. 10. A food plating device including a robot having a hand device according to claim 1 at the tip of a robot arm having multiple degrees of freedom, the robot arm is configured to move the hand device from a standby position spaced apart from a picking position where the food is located to the picking position, When the robot arm advances the hand device to the picking position while aligning the lower end of the upper belt portion substantially flush with the food placement surface located at the picking position, the belt drive source drives the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion in a forward rotation to lift the hand device while scooping up the food or after scooping up and supporting the food, the folding unit drive source is configured to perform a folding operation of the folding unit while the hand device is rising or after the hand device has risen, thereby folding the hanging end portion toward the lower belt unit, The food plating device is configured so that the robot arm moves the hand device to a plating area spaced from the collection position, and then while the hand device is moved backward, the belt drive source drives the upper belt section and the lower belt section in reverse rotation, causing the portion of the food supported by the upper belt section and the end portion folded toward the lower belt section to detach from both belt sections, and the food is plated in the plating area.

3. 3. A food plating control device comprising a control unit that controls the food plating device according to claim 2, The control unit has a first control function that controls the robot arm; a second control function for controlling the hand device; The first control function drives and controls the robot arm to move the hand device forward from a standby position distal to the food product to a picking position proximal to the food product, while aligning the lower end of the upper belt portion substantially flush with the food product placement surface located at the picking position; When the hand device advances to the picking position, the second control function controls the driving of the belt driving source to rotate the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion in a forward direction, thereby scooping up and supporting the food; The first control function controls the robot arm to raise the hand device and place the end of the food in a hanging state; The second control function controls the folding unit drive source to perform a folding operation of the folding unit during or after the hand device is raised, thereby folding the hanging end portion toward the lower belt portion, the first control function drives and controls the robot arm to move the hand device to a release start point set in advance on a deposition area separated from the picking position, and then moves the hand device backward on the deposition area; During this reverse movement, the second control function controls the driving of the belt drive source, driving the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion in reverse rotation, thereby detaching the supported portion of the food and the end portion folded toward the lower belt portion from both belt portions, and plating the food in the plating area.

4. 3. A food plating control device comprising a control unit for controlling the food plating device of claim 2, the food plating control device controlling the device to sequentially pick up j (>1, j is an integer) food items arranged at predetermined intervals in picking positions on a food placement surface and to plate the food items in a plating area, The control unit has a first control function that controls the robot arm; a second control function for controlling the hand device, The first control function drives and controls the robot arm to move the hand device forward from a standby position to the picking position along the direction in which the food is arranged on the food placement surface while causing the lower end of the upper belt portion to slide against the food placement surface; During the forward movement of the hand device, the second control function controls the driving of the belt driving source to drive the upper belt portion and scoop up the j food items in order; The first control function drives and controls the robot arm to raise the hand device and support the j food items in a hanging state; The second control function controls the folding unit drive source to perform a folding operation of the folding unit while the hand device is rising or after the hand device has risen, thereby folding the hanging end portion toward the lower belt portion; when one cycle is defined as an advance of the hand device to a preset release start point and a backward movement of the hand device from the release start point to a release end point, the robot arm is driven and controlled by the first control function to execute j cycles; A food presentation control device configured such that when the hand device moves backward in each cycle, the second control function drives and controls the belt drive source to drive the upper belt portion and the lower belt portion, sequentially detaching the supported portion of each food item and the end portion folded toward the lower belt portion from both belt portions, and arranging the detached food items in the presentation area along the arrangement direction.

5. A plurality of first release starting points, which are the first release starting points in j cycles, are set in a matrix in the serving area, A food presentation control device as described in claim 4, configured to execute processing by the first control function and the second control function at other adjacent first release starting points in the same column or row as the first release starting point every time j cycles are executed from the first release starting point.

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