Food ingredient block combination filling device

Abstract

To solve the problem of weight and disadvantage of, conventionally, a device that fills a packaging container with a plurality of food material lumps pours a required number of food material lump from a group of food material lumps, but individual food material lumps vary in weight, so even if a fixed number is filled, the weight does not remain constant.SOLUTION: A food material lump combination filling device is comprised of: individual separation means for dividing food material lump in an aggregated state and conveying it individually; a measuring part having a conveyance mechanism connected to a flow end part of the individual separation means; a sorting storage part connected to a flow end part of the measuring part and equipped with a plurality of stockers that individually store the food material lump; a food material lump combination part that selects the food material lump that has a preset combined weight from a weight of each food material lump individually stored in the sorting storage part and instructs to feed a plurality of food material lumps that form a combination downward; and an accumulation hopper that is placed below the sorting storage part and throws the plurality of food material lumps of combined weight into a packaging container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for combining and filling food blocks, which can combine a plurality of food blocks so as to have a preset weight and put them into a packaging container.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to pack various side dishes in a predetermined packaging container such as a lunch box, a flow operation by a manpower-intensive method has been carried out, in which a large number of packaging containers are arranged side by side and each kind of side dish is stored one by one manually.

[0003] In recent years, the operation of filling food blocks into a large number of packaging containers relying on such a manpower-intensive method has been gradually mechanized. For example, it has evolved into a form of operation for filling side dishes of a lunch box using a robot mechanism in which foods are individually picked from containers distinguished by food types via gripping claws and moved to the storage area of the packaging container for filling.

[0004] In the apparatus for filling food blocks using the above-described robot mechanism, there is an advantage that each food block can be individually gripped from a plurality of food blocks and a predetermined number of them can be surely filled into the packaging container.

[0005] However, basically, the operation mode of gripping individual foods with the hand tip mechanism (see Patent Document 1) or moving them to the container by piercing them and filling them is the same.

[0006] In addition, when packing and shipping a plurality of vegetables, fruits, etc. in bags, a combination weighing machine (see Patent Document 2) that combines them so as to have a predetermined weight based on the weights of individual vegetables, fruits, etc. is widely known.

[0007] By using such a combination weighing machine, it is possible to make the weights of all the products after packaging uniform and to unify the selling prices, or to provide products with no weight difference to consumers.

[0008]

Patent Document 1

[0009] A filling device utilizing a robotic mechanism, such as the one described in Patent Document 1, can individually grasp chunks of food ingredients, ensuring that a predetermined number of chunks are reliably filled into the packaging container. This results in a uniform appearance of the packaged products and improves their display appeal.

[0010] However, since individual food chunks do not necessarily weigh the same, there is a risk that the total weight of the multiple food chunks packed into the product after packaging may differ.

[0011] Furthermore, during the process of gripping and moving food blocks, mechanical failures such as damaging the food blocks due to the movement of the hand, failing to grip and move them properly, or dropping the food from a high position during movement occurred frequently, resulting in a loss of reliability in the mechanical food block filling process.

[0012] Furthermore, the action of grasping chunks of food is a very delicate task, making it difficult to speed up this action, resulting in low work efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, the delicate control of gripping movements required precise electrical control over complex mechanisms, leading to problems such as complicated assembly and high maintenance costs.

[0014] A combination weighing machine, such as the one described in Patent Document 2, obtains the individual weights of vegetables, fruits, etc., by weighing them individually. Predict By combining items to achieve a predetermined total weight, the weight of the packaged products can be standardized.

[0015] However, if the product is filled to a predetermined total weight, there is a risk of variations in the number of items. This is especially true when filling prepared foods into packaging containers, where it is desirable for the number of items in the packaged product to be the same. Therefore, the inability to reliably standardize the number of items is a major drawback.

[0016] Furthermore, many existing combination weighing machines have multiple weighing units, each equipped with weighing means such as load cells, and are structured to combine weighing units based on the weighing results of these multiple units.

[0017] However, composing the device with multiple weighing units in this way required each unit to have its own weighing mechanism, which led to problems such as the complexity of device maintenance and increased manufacturing costs for the device itself.

[0018] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a food ingredient combination filling device configured to disperse a collective food ingredient mass into individual food ingredient masses by an individual separation means, weigh the food ingredient masses that are transported individually by a weighing unit, store the weighed food ingredient masses individually in a stocker by a storage unit, select multiple food ingredient masses from the multiple food ingredient masses stored in the storage unit to reach a predetermined weight by a food ingredient mass combination unit, and put the selected multiple food ingredient masses into a packaging container by an accumulation hopper to complete the filling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] To solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the device is characterized by comprising: an individual separation means for dividing a mass of food ingredients into individual portions and transporting them individually; a weighing unit having a transport mechanism connected to the distribution end of the individual separation means; a sorting and storage unit connected to the distribution end of the weighing unit and equipped with multiple stockers for individually storing the food ingredients; a food ingredient combination unit that selects food ingredients from the weights of each food ingredient individually stored in the sorting and storage unit to arrive at a preset combined weight and issues instructions to supply multiple food ingredients that make up that combination downwards; and a collection hopper located below the sorting and storage unit for loading multiple food ingredients equal to the combined weight into a packaging container.

[0020] Furthermore, there is provided a combined filling device for food material chunks, which can combine a plurality of food material chunks so as to have a preset weight and put them into a packaging container. The combined filling device for food material chunks includes: an individual separation means for dividing food material chunks in an aggregated state and performing individual conveyance; a first weighing unit and a second weighing unit having a conveyance mechanism connected to a distribution end of the individual separation means; a sorting and storage unit including a plurality of stockers connected to a distribution end of the first weighing unit for individually storing food material chunks; an integrated hopper disposed below a distribution end of the second weighing unit and below the sorting and storage unit, for putting food material chunks input from the sorting and storage unit and food material chunks supplied from the second weighing unit into the packaging container; and a food material chunk combination unit for selecting food material chunks having a weight such that a weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the food material chunks supplied from the second weighing unit to the integrated hopper from a preset combined weight based on the weights of the respective food material chunks individually stored in the sorting and storage unit, and giving an instruction to supply the combined plurality of food material chunks to the integrated hopper. The combined filling device for food material chunks is also characterized by the above configuration.

[0021] Furthermore, the individual separation means is an individual separation and conveyance device including: a storage case storing a group of food material chunks of various irregular shapes; an inclined belt portion disposed in a climbing inclined state; a lateral conveyance belt portion disposed horizontally below a top of the inclined belt portion so as to be orthogonal to an operation direction of the inclined belt portion; and a terminal supply belt portion disposed at a terminal of the lateral conveyance belt portion and controlled in contrast with a conveyance speed of the lateral conveyance belt portion. The combined filling device for food material chunks is also characterized by the above configuration.

Advantages of the Invention

[0022] [[ID=十二]] According to the invention according to claim 1, it is possible to combine a plurality of individually weighed food material chunks so as to have a predetermined number and total weight and fill them into a packaging container.

[0023] In addition, by adopting a configuration in which the weighing of food material chunks is performed individually, the number of weight sensors can be reduced, and the introduction cost and maintenance cost of the device can be reduced.

[0024] Book Invention Other aspectsAccording to the present invention, by directly supplying some of the plurality of food material blocks combined by the second measuring unit to the accumulation hopper, the time related to the calculation of the combination and the supply of the plurality of combined food material blocks by the distribution storage unit can be shortened, and the filling efficiency into the packaging container can be increased.

[0025] Book Invention Other aspects According to the present invention, by individually separating and conveying the food material blocks in the storage hopper storing a large amount, they can be surely supplied one by one to the measuring unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing the entire food material block combination filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an enlarged perspective view for showing details of the individual separation conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is an overall perspective view with various cover bodies and the like removed to show each conveying mechanism of the individual separation conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a schematic explanatory view showing a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a schematic explanatory view showing an inclined belt portion according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is an enlarged perspective view showing details of the combination weighing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a food material block combination unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a schematic explanatory view showing a distribution storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a schematic explanatory view showing an accumulation hopper according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a schematic explanatory view showing the configuration of a food material block combination filling device according to another embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] The gist of this invention is that it comprises: an individual separation means for dividing a mass of food ingredients in a collective state and transporting them individually; a weighing unit having a transport mechanism connected to the distribution end of the individual separation means; a sorting and storage unit connected to the distribution end of the weighing unit and equipped with a plurality of stockers for individually storing the mass of food ingredients; a food ingredient combination unit that selects a mass of food ingredients from the weight of each food ingredient mass individually stored in the sorting and storage unit to reach a preset combined weight and issues an instruction to supply a plurality of food ingredients that make up that combination downwards; and a collection hopper disposed below the sorting and storage unit for loading a plurality of food ingredients equal to the combined weight into a packaging container.

[0028] Furthermore, the food block combination filling device is characterized by comprising: an individual separation means for dividing a group of food blocks and transporting them individually; a first weighing unit and a second weighing unit having a transport mechanism connected to the distribution end of the individual separation means; a sorting and storage unit connected to the distribution end of the first weighing unit and equipped with a plurality of stockers for individually storing food blocks; an accumulation hopper disposed at the distribution end of the second weighing unit and below the sorting and storage unit, which puts food blocks introduced from the sorting and storage unit and food blocks supplied from the second weighing unit into the packaging container; and a food block combination unit which selects food blocks such that the combined weight is obtained by subtracting the weight of the food blocks supplied from the second weighing unit to the accumulation hopper from a predetermined combined weight based on the weight of each food block individually stored in the sorting and storage unit, and instructs the accumulation hopper to supply the multiple combined food blocks.

[0029] Furthermore, the individual separation means is characterized by being an individual separation and conveying device composed of a storage case that houses a collection of various irregularly shaped food ingredients, an inclined belt section arranged in an upward sloping manner, a lateral conveying belt section arranged laterally below the top of the inclined belt section so as to be perpendicular to the operating direction of the inclined belt section, and a terminal supply belt section arranged at the end of the lateral conveying belt section and further controlled in comparison to the conveying speed of the lateral conveying belt section.

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the food ingredient block combination filling apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The following embodiment is an example of embodying the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the entire food ingredient block combination filling device according to this embodiment. Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged perspective views showing details of the individual separation devices according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram for illustrating the effect of the storage case according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram for illustrating the effect of the inclined belt section according to this embodiment. Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing details of the combination weighing device according to this embodiment. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the food ingredient block combination section according to this embodiment. Figure 8 is a schematic explanatory diagram for illustrating the effect of the sorting and storage section according to this embodiment. Figure 9 is a schematic explanatory diagram for illustrating the effect of the accumulation hopper according to this embodiment. Figure 10 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a food ingredient block combination filling device according to another embodiment.

[0032] Bento boxes and individual side dishes sold at convenience stores and supermarkets are filled into a designated packaging container T with a predetermined number and weight of side dishes, i.e., chunks of ingredients F. The ingredient chunk combination filling device M according to the present invention weighs the individual chunks of ingredients F, and combines multiple chunks of ingredients F, which have been weighed to a predetermined number and total weight, and fills them into the packaging container T.

[0033] The food ingredient block combination filling device M according to this embodiment consists of an individual separation device S, which is an individual separation means that separates food ingredient blocks F, mainly fried chicken and meatballs, individually from a collective state, i.e., a state in which they are stored in large quantities, via multiple conveyor belts, and a combination weighing device C that weighs the food ingredient blocks F that have been transported individually by the individual separation device S, and then combines multiple food ingredient blocks F to a predetermined number and total weight and fills them into a packaging container T.

[0034] [1. Configuration of the individual transport device] First, the configuration of the individual separation device S that constitutes the food ingredient block combination filling device M according to this embodiment will be described.

[0035] The individual separation device S is used as an individual separation means for transporting individual food ingredient blocks F to the combination weighing device C, which will be described later. Its main components consist of a storage case S100 capable of storing a large quantity of food ingredient blocks F, an inclined belt section S300 arranged in an upward incline that allows food ingredient blocks F to be transported in a horizontal line relative to the flow direction, a horizontal conveying belt section S400 arranged so as to be perpendicular to the inclined belt section S300 in the flow direction, and aligning the food ingredient blocks F transported in a horizontal line relative to the flow direction by the inclined belt section S300 in a front-to-back line relative to the flow direction, and a final supply belt section S500 arranged so as to be in the same flow direction as the horizontal conveying belt section S400, set to a conveying speed faster than the conveying speed of the horizontal conveying belt section S400, and widening the spacing between multiple food ingredient blocks F being transported in an aligned manner to ensure that each one is reliably transferred to the combination weighing device C.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the storage case S100 for storing the food blocks F has a roughly rectangular cylindrical exterior and an inner wall S110 that tapers downwards. A food block supply belt section S200 is provided at the bottom of the storage case S100 to supply the food blocks to an inclined belt section S300, which serves as a starting point for transporting multiple food blocks F stored in a group while separating them individually. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the inner wall S110 of the storage case S100 located on the flow direction side of the food block supply belt section S200 has a supply opening S120 that is slightly higher than the height of the food blocks F.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the food mass supply belt section S200 consists of an endless belt body S220 suspended between two pulleys S210, which are provided at the starting and ending ends of the food mass supply belt section S200 in the flow direction. In addition, both or any one of the two pulleys S210 are connected to a drive unit (not shown) housed in a drive unit cover S230 installed near the storage case S100.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the inclined belt section S300 has the same flow direction as the food mass supply belt section S200. The starting end of the flow of the inclined belt section S300 slightly overlaps below the ending end of the flow of the food mass supply belt section S200, and is further arranged in an upward sloping manner toward the flow direction.

[0039] The specific configuration of the inclined belt section S300 is as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and consists of an endless belt body S320 and a belt body S310 suspended between two pulleys S310, which are provided at the start end and end end of the inclined belt section S300 in the direction of flow. 3 Multiple partition walls S330 erected at predetermined intervals on the surface of 20, and left and right fall prevention walls S340 erected on both side edges of the belt body S320 and the belt body S 3 It consists of a fall prevention wall S350 interposed between the left and right fall prevention walls S340 at the starting end of 20, forming an integrated fall prevention wall.

[0040] Furthermore, similar to the food mass supply belt section S200, both or any one of the two pulleys S310 are connected to a drive unit (not shown) housed in a drive unit cover S360 located near the storage case S100.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the horizontal conveying belt section S400 is located below the end of the inclined belt section S300. Furthermore, the horizontal conveying belt section S400 is positioned at a 90-degree angle to the inclined belt section S300, i.e., perpendicular to it.

[0042] The specific configuration of the lateral conveying belt section S400 is as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and consists of two pulleys S410 provided at the starting end and ending end of the lateral conveying belt section S400 in the direction of flow, an endless belt body S420 suspended from each pulley S410, and left and right fall prevention walls S430 erected on the left and right edges of the belt body S420.

[0043] Furthermore, both or any one of the two pulleys S410 located at the start and end of the flow direction are connected to a drive unit (not shown) housed inside a drive unit cover S440 located near the inclined belt section S300.

[0044] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, multiple lateral conveying belts S400 can be provided both in the forward and backward directions of the flow. (In this embodiment, two lateral conveying belts S400 are provided to divide the conveying distance in half, with the upstream side in the flow direction referred to as the upstream lateral conveying belt S400a, and the downstream side connected to it referred to as the downstream lateral conveying belt S400b.) In this case, the downstream lateral conveying belt S400b is controlled in comparison to the conveying speed of the upstream lateral conveying belt S400a, and its conveying speed is set to be faster than that of the upstream lateral conveying belt S400a.

[0045] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the terminal supply belt section S500 has the same flow direction as the lateral conveying belt section S400. Furthermore, the terminal supply belt section S500 is installed with an upward slope toward the flow direction. The starting end of the terminal supply belt section S500 is located slightly below the ending end of the lateral conveying belt section S400. That is, a step is formed between the ending end of the lateral conveying belt section S400 and the starting end of the terminal supply belt section S500. Additionally, the terminal supply belt section S500 is controlled in comparison to the conveying speed of the lateral conveying belt section S400, resulting in a faster conveying speed compared to the lateral conveying belt section S400.

[0046] The specific configuration of the terminal supply belt section S500 is as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and consists of two pulleys S510 provided at two locations, the starting end and the ending end in the flow direction of the terminal supply belt section S500, an endless belt body S520 suspended from each pulley S510, and left and right fall prevention walls S530 erected on the left and right edges of the belt body S520.

[0047] Furthermore, both or any one of the two pulleys S510 located at the beginning and end of the conveying mechanism are connected to a drive unit (not shown) housed within a drive unit cover S540 located near the inclined belt section S300.

[0048] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a leading distance detection unit S600 is provided for controlling the supply operation of the food block F. This leading distance detection unit S600 is installed above the end end of the horizontal conveying belt S400 and irradiates a laser toward the starting end of the horizontal conveying belt S400. The irradiated laser strikes the leading end of the food block F, which is being conveyed in a straight line, and reflects off it. This allows the system to detect when there is no longer any reflective object (food block F) on the horizontal conveying belt S400, and instructs the food block supply belt S200 to supply the food block F.

[0049] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the individual isolation device S is supported by an individual isolation device support base S700. The individual isolation device support base S700 can be any type of support base that can support the individual isolation device S at a predetermined height. Furthermore, the individual isolation device support base S700 may be equipped with a control unit (not shown) to provide power and control the operation of the individual isolation device S.

[0050] Furthermore, the configuration of the individual separation device S is not limited to what is described, and modifications may be made as appropriate, provided that they do not exceed the technical scope of the present invention. For example, although the belt body used for each conveyor belt is described as being suspended by two pulleys, a tension pulley with a spring or the like attached to it may be provided separately at a lower position between the two pulleys. Also, although a reflective laser sensor is described as the leading distance detection unit S600, any device capable of detecting the food chunks F being conveyed on the lateral conveyor belt unit S400 may be used, and a camera-based image detection means may also be used.

[0051] [2. Operation of each component of the individual separation device] Next, we will explain the operation of transporting multiple food ingredient blocks F, which are stored in a collective state, while separating them individually using each component of the individual separation device S.

[0052] The individual separation device S, with the configuration described above, can supply individual food ingredient blocks F to the combined weighing device C.

[0053] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, when the food blocks F stored in the storage case S100 are supplied to the inclined belt section S300, a portion of the food blocks F, which are stacked together, are prevented from being discharged by the inner wall S110 located above the supply opening S120, which is slightly higher than the height of the food blocks F. In other words, during actual discharge, the food blocks F are not discharged in a stacked state, limiting the number of food blocks F supplied to the inclined belt section S300 at one time, and preventing a large number of food blocks F from being supplied onto the inclined belt section S300 at once.

[0054] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(a), when the inclined belt section S300 receives the food blocks F from the food block supply belt section S200, the food blocks F are held in a stacked state at the base of the inclined belt body S320. The food blocks F are then transported in this stacked state. However, because the belt body S320 is in an inclined state, any food blocks F that are stacked higher than the height of the partition wall S330 are left behind at the base of the inclined belt with nothing to support them.

[0055] Furthermore, since the partition wall S330 is erected on the surface of the belt body S320 and has a height of approximately one food block F or less, in the initial stages of conveyance on the inclined belt section S300, the food blocks F are divided into those directly supported by the partition wall S330 and those indirectly supported by the directly supported food blocks F.

[0056] In the middle of the conveying process on the inclined belt section S300, as shown in Figure 5(b), a force acts in the X direction, which is the conveying direction, and a force acts in the Y direction due to vibrations when the belt body S320 is driven. These two forces (X and Y directions) are converted into a force that tries to move in the Z direction. The food chunks F affected by this force in the Z direction will perform a slight rotational motion clockwise. As a result, the food chunks F directly supported by the partition wall S330 will be conveyed while rotating clockwise in place. In contrast, the food chunks F indirectly supported by the food chunks F directly supported by the partition wall S330 will be more affected by the rotation and will not be able to withstand the indirect support, causing them to roll off.

[0057] As described above, in the inclined belt section S300, food blocks F other than those directly supported by the partition wall S330 roll down to the base of the inclined slope. Therefore, from the middle to the top of the inclined slope, the food blocks F are in a horizontal line, directly supported at most by the partition wall S330 erected on the belt body S320 of the inclined belt section S300.

[0058] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the horizontal conveying belt section S400 is provided to change the direction of flow by 90 degrees relative to the inclined belt section S300. Therefore, while the inclined belt section S300 conveys the food in a single horizontal line relative to the direction of flow, the horizontal conveying belt section S400 changes the direction of flow to the side, causing the food to be conveyed in a single horizontal line in the direction of flow. In other words, the food blocks F conveyed on the horizontal conveying belt section S400 are handed over one by one to the final conveying means, the terminal supply belt section S500.

[0059] The horizontal conveying belt section S400 transports the food blocks F in a single line, front to back, in the direction of flow, and has the effect of handing over the food blocks F one by one to the terminal supply belt section S500. However, sometimes multiple food blocks F are transported stacked on top of each other. Therefore, the terminal supply belt section S500 is sloped upward in the direction of flow, and a step is provided between it and the horizontal conveying belt section S400, which ensures that the stacked food blocks F are separated.

[0060] Furthermore, the terminal supply belt section S500 has a faster conveying speed than the lateral conveying belt section S400, which widens the gap between it and subsequent food chunks F, causing the food chunks F to be separated individually while still forming a line. In other words, the speed control of the terminal supply belt section S500 is configured to widen the gap between multiple food chunks F that are conveyed in a single line and in close contact in the lateral conveying belt section S400.

[0061] As described above, the configuration of the individual separation device S makes it possible to reliably supply the food chunks F one by one to the combination weighing device C, which will be described next.

[0062] [3. Configuration of the combined weighing device] Next, we will explain the configuration of the combination weighing device C that constitutes the combination filling device M for food ingredients.

[0063] The combination weighing device C consists of a weighing unit C100 that mainly measures the weight of food blocks F as shown in Figures 1 and 6, a sorting and storage unit C200 that stores the weighed food blocks F one by one individually, a food block combination unit C300 that selects a combination from a plurality of individually stored food blocks F so that the number of filled units and total weight are predetermined, and a collection hopper C400 provided below the sorting and storage unit C200 that fills the plurality of combined food blocks F into a packaging container T.

[0064] As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the weighing unit C100 consists of a weighing and conveying belt unit C110 that transports the food block F and a weight sensor S150 located at the bottom of the weighing and conveying belt unit C110.

[0065] The weighing unit C100 is configured to transport food blocks F one by one and measure the weight of each food block F while it is being transported. The weight information WI of each individual food block F measured at this time is transmitted to the food block combination unit C300, which will be described later.

[0066] As shown in Figure 1, the weighing and conveying belt section C110 is arranged to connect to the end of the terminal supply belt section S500 of the individual separation device S. Furthermore, the weighing and conveying belt section C110 has the same conveying direction as the terminal supply belt section S500.

[0067] The specific configuration of the weighing and conveying belt section C110 is as shown in Figure 6, consisting of two pulleys C120 provided at two locations on the starting and ending ends of the weighing and conveying belt section C110 in the flow direction, an endless belt body C130 suspended from each pulley C120, and left and right fall prevention walls C140 erected on the left and right edges of the belt body C130.

[0068] Furthermore, both or any one of the two pulleys C120 located at the beginning and end of the conveying mechanism are connected to a drive unit (not shown) located near the weighing conveying belt section C110.

[0069] The weight sensor S150 is located at the bottom of the weighing and conveying belt section C110 and is used to measure the weight of the food block F being conveyed by the weighing and conveying belt section C110. The weight sensor S150 can be any device capable of measuring the weight of the food block F being conveyed by the weighing and conveying belt section C110, and a load cell is preferably used.

[0070] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the weighing unit C100 may be equipped with passage detection sensors C160 at the start and end ends of the weighing conveying belt unit C110 in the flow direction to detect the passage of the food block F. Any type of passage detection sensor C160 that can detect the passage of the food block F on the weighing conveying belt unit C110 is acceptable, and an infrared sensor is preferably used.

[0071] The sorting and storage unit C200 consists of a sorting and conveying belt unit C210 for transporting food blocks F, multiple openable and closable sorting walls C220 provided on the left and right sides of the sorting and conveying belt unit C210 in the direction of flow, a storage unit C230 provided below the sorting and conveying belt unit C210, and multiple position confirmation sensors C240 ​​provided above the sorting and conveying belt unit C210.

[0072] As shown in Figure 6, the sorting conveyor belt section C210 is provided to connect to the end of the weighing conveyor belt section C110. Furthermore, the flow direction of the sorting conveyor belt section C210 is the same as that of the weighing conveyor belt section C110.

[0073] The specific configuration of the distribution conveying belt section C210 consists of two pulleys C211, one at the beginning and one at the end of the flow direction, and an endless belt body C212 suspended from each pulley C211.

[0074] Furthermore, both or any one of the two pulleys C211 located at the beginning and end of the conveying system are connected to a drive unit (not shown) located near the distribution conveying belt section C210.

[0075] As shown in Figure 6, multiple distribution walls C220 are provided on the left and right edges of the distribution conveyor belt section C210. ​​In this embodiment, we will describe a configuration in which five distribution walls C220 are provided on each side, for a total of ten distribution walls C220. Each distribution wall C220 consists of a rectangular plate-shaped wall body C221 and a wall drive unit C222 connected to the wall body C221.

[0076] The wall C221 is erected aligned on the left and right sides of the sorting and conveying belt section C210 in the direction of flow. In other words, it is installed to block the left and right sides of the sorting and conveying belt section C210 in the direction of flow, thereby preventing the food chunks F being conveyed by the sorting and conveying belt section C210 from falling.

[0077] The wall drive unit C222 consists of a rotating motor C223 for rotating the wall body C221, an operating part C224 that houses the rotating shaft, and a support plate C225 that supports the rotating motor C223 and the operating part C224.

[0078] The wall drive unit C222 is provided on each of the multiple wall bodies C221. More specifically, in the case of a wall body C221 erected on the right side in the flow direction of the sorting conveyor belt section C210, it is provided on the left edge when viewed from the sorting conveyor belt section C210, and in the case of a wall body C221 erected on the left side in the flow direction of the sorting conveyor belt section C210, it is provided on the right edge when viewed from the sorting conveyor belt section C210.

[0079] In other words, the wall drive unit C222 can rotate each wall body C221 around the end of the distribution direction of the distribution conveyor belt unit C210 as an axis. The specific rotation operation will be explained in the description of the operation of the entire combined weighing device C, which will be described later.

[0080] The storage section C230 is located below the sorting and conveying belt section C210 and consists of a plurality of stockers C231 for individually storing food blocks F, and an opening / closing bottom section C232 that closes the bottom of the stockers C231. In this embodiment, it will be described as having a total of ten stockers C231, five on each side, and opening / closing bottom sections C232 that close them individually.

[0081] The storage unit C231 is installed below the left and right sides of the sorting and conveying belt section C210 in the direction of flow, and partially overlaps with the sorting and conveying belt section C210. ​​The storage unit C231 is a rectangular cylindrical shape sized to hold one food item block F at a time. The storage unit C231 can cover all four sides of a single food item block F sorted by the sorting wall C220 and hold it within the rectangular cylindrical space.

[0082] The opening / closing bottom section C232 is provided at the bottom of each of the multiple storage containers C231 and is configured as a rectangular plate to form the bottom of the storage container C231. In other words, individual food chunks F separated by the distribution wall C220 are received as the bottom of the storage container C231, and the food chunks F can be stored inside the space created by the box shape of the upper opening formed with the storage container C231.

[0083] Furthermore, the opening / closing bottom section C232 is connected to the sliding drive section C233 and is slidable. The sliding action of the sliding drive section C233 allows the opening / closing bottom section C232 to open the bottom of the storage container C231 and drop the food block F stored inside downwards. In this embodiment, the opening / closing bottom section C232 is configured to drop the food block F inside the storage container C231 by being slidable. The configuration of the opening / closing bottom section C232 can be any configuration that allows the bottom of the storage container C231 to be opened, for example, by rotating the opening / closing bottom section C232.

[0084] As shown in Figure 6, the position confirmation sensor C240 ​​is installed on the upper part of the sorting conveyor belt section C210. ​​The position confirmation sensor C240 ​​can confirm the position of the food block F being conveyed on the sorting conveyor belt section C210. ​​The operation of each component of the combined weighing device C, which will be described in detail later, can be controlled by the position confirmation sensor C240 ​​to confirm the position of the food block F on the sorting conveyor belt section C210, thereby controlling the operation of the sorting wall C220.

[0085] In this embodiment, the position confirmation sensors C240 ​​are installed on the upstream side of the distribution walls C220, which are provided on the left and right sides of the distribution conveyor belt section C210. ​​Specifically, a total of five sensors are installed on the upstream side of each of the five distribution walls C220 provided on the left and right sides.

[0086] As described above, by providing the position confirmation sensor C240, the position of the food block F on the sorting conveyor belt section C210 can be confirmed. Specifically, when activating either of the left or right sorting walls C220, which are the third from the upstream of the flow on the sorting conveyor belt section C210, the position confirmation sensor C240 ​​(located immediately upstream of the third upstream of the flow on the sorting conveyor belt section C210) located above the second sorting wall C220 from the upstream of the flow on the sorting conveyor belt section C210 is activated immediately after it confirms the passage of the food block F. The specific sorting operation will be explained in the operation description of the entire combination weighing device C described later.

[0087] The position confirmation sensor C240 ​​can be any type that can confirm the position of the food block F being transported on the sorting conveyor belt C210. ​​In this embodiment, a reflective sensor that detects objects by the reflection of emitted infrared light is used, but for example, an image sensor that determines the position by imaging the entire sorting conveyor belt C210 with a camera may also be used. In that case, it goes without saying that only one position confirmation sensor C240 ​​can be used as long as it can image the entire sorting conveyor belt C210.

[0088] The ingredient block combination unit C300 is an information processing means that controls the overall operation of the ingredient block combination filling device M and calculates combinations from multiple ingredient blocks F so that the filling weight of the ingredient blocks F is predetermined. For example, it has a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as an arithmetic processing unit that performs various calculations and controls, storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), input / output devices such as input / output interfaces for data input / output, and peripheral circuits such as clock circuits are connected by a bus or the like. The CPU of the ingredient block combination unit C300 performs calculations according to various programs stored in ROM, etc.

[0089] The main processing configuration of the ingredient block combination unit C300 is as shown in the block diagram in Figure 7, and consists of an individual weight storage unit C310, a stocker storage instruction unit C320, a combination calculation unit C330, and a bottom opening / closing instruction unit C340.

[0090] The individual weight storage unit C310 stores the weight information WI of a single food block F transmitted by the weighing unit C100 described above. It also receives location information LI from the storage instruction unit C320, which will be described later, indicating which storage unit C231 contains the food block F. The received location information LI is linked to the weight information WI, and the weight of each food block F stored in multiple storage units C231 is stored.

[0091] The storage instruction unit C320 works in conjunction with the opening / closing bottom section C232 of the storage section C230 to detect the presence or absence of food blocks F inside the storage unit C231. It also instructs the sorting wall C220 to store the food blocks F, whose weight has been measured by the weighing unit C100, into an empty storage unit C231. At this time, the location where the food blocks F have been stored (which storage unit C231 they are stored in), as measured by the weighing unit C100, is transmitted as location information LI to the individual weight storage unit C310.

[0092] The combination calculation unit C330 calculates combinations of individual food blocks F stored inside multiple stockers C231 so that the total number and weight are predetermined. Therefore, the combination calculation unit C330 has pre-stored filling information FI, which consists of the number and total weight of food blocks F to be filled into the packaging container T. Specifically, it calculates the optimal combination of food blocks F based on the position information LI and weight information WI stored in the individual weight storage unit C310. The combination information CI related to the calculated combination of food blocks F is transmitted to the bottom opening / closing instruction unit C340, which will be described later.

[0093] The bottom opening / closing instruction unit C340 instructs the operation of the bottom opening / closing section C232, which closes the bottom of the stocker C231 where the food blocks F to be combined are stored, based on the combination information CI transmitted from the combination calculation unit C330. As a result, the multiple combined food blocks F are fed into the collection hopper C400 located below the storage unit C230.

[0094] The accumulation hopper C400 is positioned below the storage section C230. It consists of a hopper body C410 that tapers downwards in a funnel shape, and an openable / closable hopper bottom C420 that closes the bottom of the hopper body C410 and can be opened and closed. Furthermore, the accumulation hopper C400 is positioned so as to be directly above the packaging containers T that are transported on the belt conveyor B used in the production line, thus positioning the entire food ingredient block combination filling device M.

[0095] The hopper body C410 has a tapered bottom, which helps to collect multiple food chunks F into a single unit. The bottom, or tip, of the hopper body C410 is positioned directly above the filling position of the packaging container T being transported below, so that the collected food chunks F fall and are filled into the designated position.

[0096] Furthermore, it is possible to install partition walls inside the hopper body C410. Specifically, partitions are installed corresponding to the positions of the stockers C231. For example, if there are ten stockers C231 as in this embodiment, partition walls are installed inside the hopper body C410 to create ten spaces in the same way. In addition, partition walls are installed at the bottom of the hopper body C410, which serves as the discharge port, to form spaces corresponding to the number of items to be combined. By doing so, multiple food chunks F introduced from the stockers C231 will not come into contact with each other and will not overlap vertically, and the food chunks F can be filled into the packaging container T in an aligned state according to the partition walls.

[0097] The opening / closing hopper bottom C420 is a plate-shaped member provided to close the lower part of the hopper body C410 from below, and is slidable by a drive unit (not shown) so that the lower part of the hopper body C410 can be opened. After confirming that all of the multiple food blocks F assembled by the food block assembly unit C300 described above have accumulated on the lower part of the hopper body C410, i.e., on the opening / closing hopper bottom C420, the opening / closing hopper bottom C420 is slid to open the lower part of the hopper body C410. By opening the lower part of the hopper body C410, the multiple food blocks F that had been accumulated are filled into the packaging container T.

[0098] Since the food chunks F are dropped into the packaging container T from above, the higher the drop position, the greater the risk of the food chunks F bouncing and spilling upon landing. Also, the higher the drop position, the greater the risk of multiple food chunks F coming into contact with each other, causing misalignment of the filling positions. Therefore, the accumulation hopper C400 can lower the drop position by accumulating multiple food chunks F to be filled at once, thereby preventing collisions between food chunks F upon dropping and preventing bouncing within the packaging container T.

[0099] [4. Operation of each component of the combined weighing device] Next, we will explain the operation of combining multiple food ingredient blocks F to a predetermined number and weight using the various components of the combination weighing device C, and then filling them into a packaging container T.

[0100] The combination weighing device C, with the configuration described above, can weigh individual food blocks F and fill a combination packaging container T with a predetermined number of food blocks F and a total weight from among the weighed food blocks F. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, which schematically illustrates the sorting and storage unit C200 in plan view, ten stockers C231 will be described as stockers C231a to C231j, and the corresponding sorting walls C220 will be described as sorting walls C220a to C220j. In addition, five position confirmation sensors C240 ​​will be described as position confirmation sensors C240a to C240e, starting from the upstream side of the sorting and conveying belt unit C210.

[0101] Specifically, the individual food blocks F, which have been transported individually by the individual separation means, are first handed over to the weighing unit C100, as shown in Figure 6. The weighing unit C100 weighs the individual food block F while transporting it using the weighing conveying belt unit C110 and the weight sensor S150 located below it. The weight information WI obtained from the weighing is transmitted to the food block combination unit C300 and stored in the individual weight storage unit C310 of the food block combination unit C300.

[0102] Furthermore, the food block assembly unit C300 recognizes which of the multiple stockers C231 is empty based on the operation of the opening / closing bottom parts C232 that close the bottoms of each stocker C231a to C231j in the storage unit C230. Specifically, it determines whether a food block F is stored inside stocker C231 by whether or not the opening / closing bottom part C232 has been activated and a food block F stored inside has been put in.

[0103] The food block combination unit C300, which recognizes the presence or absence of food block F inside each of the stockers C231a to C231j, issues an operation instruction to the sorting wall C220 corresponding to the empty stocker C231 in order to store the weighed food block F into the empty stocker C231.

[0104] Upon receiving an operation instruction from the storage instruction unit C320, the distribution wall C220 rotates the wall body C221 through the operation of the wall drive unit C222 to form a loading path to the corresponding storage unit C231.

[0105] The operation of the food chunks F after weighing, as described above, will now be explained in more detail. In Figure 8, which schematically shows the sorting and storage unit C200 as a plan view, Figure 8(a) shows the state in which food chunks F are stored in stockers C231 (C231a~C231g, C231i, C231j) other than stocker C231h, Figure 8(b) shows the state in which the food chunks F that are to be transported to the sorting and conveying belt unit C210 after weighing have passed the position at which the sorting wall C220h will be activated, and Figure 8(c) shows the state in which the food chunks F are being stored in stocker C231h.

[0106] As shown in Figure 8(a), the storage instruction unit C320 determines that the storage unit C231h is empty and instructs the unit to store the food block F inside the storage unit C231h.

[0107] In Figure 8, the empty stocker C231h is located in the third row from the upstream side of the sorting conveyor belt section C210. ​​Therefore, as shown in Figure 8(b), after the position confirmation sensor C240c located in front of it confirms the passage of the food block F, the sorting wall C220h is activated and the wall body C221 is rotated.

[0108] The wall C221h rotates on its axis downstream of the sorting and conveying belt section C210 in the flow direction, taking a position that diagonally crosses the sorting and conveying belt section C210. ​​As a result, the food chunks F conveyed by the sorting and conveying belt section C210 come into contact with the wall C221h. The food chunks F that come into contact are transported along the wall C221 and stored in the stocker C231h, as shown in Figure 8(c).

[0109] The individual weight storage unit C310 of the food block combination unit C300 stores the information on where the food block F is stored, that is, the location information LI of which stocker C231 the food block F weighed by the weighing unit C100 is stored in, along with the weight information WI.

[0110] The combination calculation unit C330 of the ingredient block combination unit C300 combines the ingredient blocks F in a predetermined number and total weight, based on the weight information WI of each individual ingredient block F stored in the individual weight storage unit C310 and the location information LI indicating the storage location.

[0111] Specifically, if it is predetermined that three food blocks F to be filled into packaging container T have a total weight of 140g, the system calculates combinations of three food blocks F stored individually in each of the storage units C231a to C231j that have a total weight of 140g. These predetermined numbers and total weights may not be absolute values; upper and lower limits may be set. In that case, it goes without saying that the combination calculation unit C330 calculates combinations between the upper and lower limits.

[0112] The calculated combination information CI of the food chunks F is transmitted to the bottom opening / closing instruction unit C340. This combination information CI includes information that links to location information LI, indicating which storage unit each of the three combined items is stored in, in the case of calculating three combinations as in the example above.

[0113] Therefore, the bottom opening / closing instruction unit C340 instructs the operation of the three bottom opening / closing units C232 corresponding to the combined food blocks F, based on the combination information CI. As a result, the multiple combined food blocks F are dropped into the collection hopper C400 located below the storage unit C230.

[0114] As shown in Figure 9, the accumulation hopper C400 is prevented from falling by the opening / closing hopper bottom C420, temporarily holding the food mass F inside the hopper body C410. Furthermore, as described above, the accumulation hopper C400 is positioned directly above the belt conveyor B that is used in the production line to transport the packaging containers T, and is set so that the food mass F filling position of the packaging containers T is directly below the opening / closing hopper bottom C420.

[0115] The bottom of the opening / closing hopper C420, upon confirming that it is holding multiple combined food chunks F, opens the bottom of the collection hopper C400 and fills the packaging container T waiting below. At this time, the filling position is low, that is, the height of the bottom of the opening / closing hopper C420 is low, which prevents the multiple food chunks F from coming into contact with each other during filling and from splashing and spilling out from the bottom of the packaging container T, ensuring that the specified number of food chunks F are filled.

[0116] [5. Regarding other embodiments]

[0117] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the food ingredient block combination filling device M may have a configuration that, in addition to the above-described configuration, directly loads the food ingredient blocks F into the accumulation hopper C400 without performing combination weighing.

[0118] In another embodiment, the food ingredient block combination filling device M, as shown in Figure 10, has two rows of lateral conveying belts S400 and terminal supply belts S500 of the individual separation device S. Hereinafter, the lateral conveying belt S400 located on the inclined belt S300 side of these two rows will be described as the first lateral conveying belt S400c, and the other as the second lateral conveying belt S400d. Furthermore, the terminal supply belt S500 connected to the end of the first lateral conveying belt S400c will be described as the first terminal supply belt S500a, and the terminal supply belt S500 connected to the end of the second lateral conveying belt S400d will be described as the second terminal supply belt S500b.

[0119] In another embodiment, the food ingredient block combination filling device M is configured such that the food ingredient blocks F fed in from the inclined belt section S300 are supplied separately to the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c and the second horizontal conveying belt section S400d. In this configuration, the left and right fall prevention walls S430 of the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c are removed or made lower in height, and the second horizontal conveying belt section S400d is positioned slightly lower than the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c. 。

[0120] The weighing units C100 of the food block combination unit C300 are connected to the ends of the two end supply belt sections S500a and S500b, respectively. Hereinafter, the weighing unit C100 connected to the end of the first end supply belt section S500a will be described as the first weighing unit C100a, and the weighing unit C100 connected to the end of the second end supply belt section S500b will be described as the second weighing unit C100b. Similar to the embodiment described earlier, the end of the first weighing unit C100a is connected to a sorting and storage unit C200 that can individually store food block F. Compared to the first weighing unit C100a, the second weighing unit C100b extends the weighing and conveying belt section C110 in the direction of distribution, and its end is located above the accumulation hopper C400.

[0121] In another embodiment, the food lumps F to be filled into the packaging container T by the food lumps combination filling device M are first conveyed in a horizontal line in the conveying direction by the inclined belt section S300 of the individual separation device S, and then dropped into the horizontal conveying belt section S400 from the end. The dropped food lumps F are then divided into those supplied to the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c and those that pass over the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c and are supplied to the second horizontal conveying belt section S400d.

[0122] The food blocks F supplied to the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c are transported on the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c in a line aligned front to back in the direction of flow, and supplied to the first terminal supply belt section S500a. At this time, the food blocks F are transported by the first terminal supply belt section S500a, which is set to a speed faster than the transport speed of the first horizontal conveying belt section S400c, by widening the transport interval between the front and back blocks, ensuring that each food block F is reliably delivered one by one to the first weighing section C100a. After each food block F is weighed by the first weighing section C100a, it is stored individually in the stocker C231 by the storage section C230. At this time, the individual weight of the food block F and position information LI, which indicates which stocker C231 each food block F is stored in, are transmitted to the food block combination section C300.

[0123] The food blocks F supplied to the second horizontal conveying belt section S400d are transported on the second horizontal conveying belt section S400d in a line, front to back, relative to the direction of flow, and supplied to the second terminal supply belt section S500b. At this time, the food blocks F are transported one by one to the second weighing section C100b by the second terminal supply belt section S500b, which is set to a speed faster than the transport speed of the second horizontal conveying belt section S400d, by widening the transport interval between the front and back blocks.

[0124] The second weighing unit C100b is composed of a weighing and conveying belt unit C110 and a weight sensor S150, similar to the first weighing unit C100a. However, the weighing and conveying belt unit C110 has its end portion extended to the collection hopper C400 so that the conveyed food chunks F can be directly fed into the collection hopper C400.

[0125] The food blocks F transported by the second weighing unit C100b are transported while their weight is measured individually. The food blocks F transported to the end of the weighing conveying belt section C110 of the second weighing unit C100b are then put directly into the collection hopper C400. At this time, the weight information WI of the weighed food blocks F is transmitted to the food block combination unit C300.

[0126] The food block combination unit C300 combines food blocks F based on the weight information WI of the food blocks F held inside the collection hopper C400 and the weight information WI of the food blocks that have been weighed and individually stored in the stocker C231, so as to achieve a predetermined number of filled units and total weight.

[0127] For example, if the number of food chunks F to be filled is predetermined to be four and the total weight is 180g, then two food chunks F are first loaded from the second weighing unit C100b into the collection hopper C400. At this time, the total weight of the two food chunks F in the collection hopper C400 is calculated based on the weight information WI from the second weighing unit C100b. If this total weight is 92g, then the remaining 88g must be made up by adding two more food chunks F to reach a total weight of 180g.

[0128] Therefore, the food block combination unit C300 calculates combinations of two food blocks F stored in each stocker C231 that weigh 88g together, based on the individual weight information WI and position information LI obtained by the first weighing unit C100a and the sorting and storage unit C200. Based on the calculated combination information CI, the opening / closing bottom section C232 corresponding to the combined food block F is opened, and the food block F stored inside is supplied to the collection hopper C400.

[0129] The combined ingredients F are fed into the collection hopper C400, where they are temporarily held before being filled into the packaging container T.

[0130] As described above, by providing a configuration in which the food chunks F are directly fed into the accumulation hopper C400 without performing combined weighing, it becomes possible to fill the packaging container T more quickly.

[0131] The food ingredient block combination filling device M described above is just one example, and the actual food ingredient block combination filling device M is not limited to this. For example, in the embodiment described, the individual separation means uses an individual separation device S that can separate the food ingredient blocks F individually while transporting them, but any means that can supply the food ingredient blocks F individually to the combination weighing device C may be used. Alternatively, a separate sensor may be provided to determine whether food ingredient blocks F are stored in each of the stockers C231a to C231j, or a separate weight sensor may be provided to confirm whether the total weight of the food ingredient blocks F held in the accumulation hopper C400 is predetermined.

[0132] In other words, even in embodiments other than those described above, various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not depart from the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, the various effects described above are merely a list of preferred effects arising from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are as follows: to This list is not limited to what is stated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] M Food ingredient block combination filling device F Food block T packaging container B Belt Conveyor S Individual separation device S100 Storage Case S200 Food ingredient block supply belt section S300 Inclined Belt Section S400 Horizontal conveyor belt section S500 Terminal Supply Belt Section C Combination weighing device C100 Measuring part C110 Weighing and conveying belt section C150 Weight Sensor C200 Distribution and Storage Unit C210 Distribution and Conveyor Belt Section C220 Distribution Wall C230 Storage Unit C231 Storage C240 Position Confirmation Sensor C300 Food Block Combination Unit C400 Collection Hopper

Claims

1. A food ingredient block combination filling device that can combine multiple food ingredient blocks to achieve a predetermined weight and put them into a packaging container, A means for separating a mass of food ingredients in an aggregated state and transporting them individually, A weighing unit having a conveying mechanism connected to the flow end of the individual separation means, A sorting and storage unit connected to the distribution end of the weighing unit and equipped with multiple stockers for individually storing chunks of food ingredients, A food block combination unit selects food block groups from the weights of each food block individually stored in the aforementioned sorting and storage unit that result in a predetermined combined weight, and issues instructions to supply multiple food block groups that make up that combination downwards. It comprises a collection hopper located below the aforementioned sorting and storage section, which loads multiple food chunks equal to the combined weight into the packaging container, The individual separation means is A storage case containing a collection of various oddly shaped food items, An inclined belt section arranged in an upward slope, The system includes a horizontal conveying belt section positioned below the top of the inclined belt section, oriented horizontally so as to be perpendicular to the operating direction of the inclined belt section. A combination filling device for food ingredients, characterized by the following features.

2. The individual separation means is The end supply belt section is located at the end of the aforementioned horizontal conveying belt section and is further controlled in comparison to the conveying speed of the aforementioned horizontal conveying belt section. A combination filling apparatus for food ingredients as described in claim 1.

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