Method of arranging dough pieces

Abstract

Provided is a method in which a plurality of dough pieces (P) disposed adjacent to each other in a conveyance direction (A) on a first conveyor belt (3) are rotated 90º and arranged on a second conveyor belt (4) disposed downstream from the first conveyor belt. When the position of the center (PC) of one dough piece is misaligned with respect to a predetermined reference position (TC) in a width direction (B), a holding position (HL) for the dough piece on the first conveyor belt is shifted to a position (HL2) on the upstream side when the misaligned side is a returning side with respect to a predetermined direction of rotation on the downstream side of the one dough piece, and the holding position (HL) for the dough piece on the first conveyor belt is shifted to a position (HL2) on the downstream side when the misaligned side is an advancing side with respect to the predetermined direction of rotation on the downstream side of the one dough piece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of arranging dough pieces of food, for example, bread dough pieces. More specifically, it relates to a method of rotating each of a plurality of dough pieces adjacent in the conveying direction on a first belt conveyor by 90 degrees and arranging them on a second belt conveyor disposed on the downstream side of the first belt conveyor.

Background Art

[0002] A method of rotating each of a plurality of dough pieces adjacent in the conveying direction on a first belt conveyor by 90 degrees using a holding unit and arranging them on a second belt conveyor disposed on the downstream side of the first belt conveyor is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although each of the dough pieces on the first belt conveyor is held at the same position by the holding unit, the positions of the dough pieces arranged on the second belt conveyor may not be stable in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. This is considered to be due to, for example, deformation of the dough pieces due to temporal changes in the characteristics (softness) of the dough pieces or displacement of the positions of the dough pieces with respect to the holding unit.

[0005] For example, if the position of a triangular croissant dough piece placed on the second conveyor belt is shifted in the width direction, the dough piece cannot be centered by the winding or bending device located downstream, which can result in an asymmetrical or unstable shape of the dough piece after shaping.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for stabilizing the position in the width direction of dough pieces that are rotated 90 degrees by a holding unit and arranged on a second belt conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a method for arranging a plurality of dough pieces, which are arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction on a first belt conveyor, by rotating them by 90 degrees and placing them on a second belt conveyor located downstream of the first belt conveyor. (a) The position of one piece of dough moving in the conveying direction by the first belt conveyor is detected by an upstream sensor, (b) When one piece of dough reaches a predetermined position relative to the first belt conveyor, move the holding unit in the conveying direction so that the alignment position of the holding unit that holds the one piece of dough reaches the holding position of the dough piece. (c) The holding unit is lowered while moving it in the conveying direction at the same speed as the one piece of dough, thereby holding the one piece of dough with the holding unit, and further, the holding unit is moved downstream at a speed faster than the speed of the first belt conveyor, (d) After rotating the one piece of dough by 90 degrees in a predetermined rotational direction, the holding unit is raised to release the one piece of dough. (e) In the one piece of dough released onto the second belt conveyor, the center position in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is detected, (f) When the center position of one piece of dough is offset from a predetermined reference position in the width direction, and the offset side is the side that returns with respect to a predetermined rotation direction downstream of the piece of dough, the holding position of the piece of dough on the first belt conveyor is shifted to the upstream side. (g) When the center position of one piece of dough is offset from the reference position, and the offset side is the side that advances with respect to a predetermined rotational direction downstream of the piece of dough, the holding position of the piece of dough on the first belt conveyor is configured to be shifted downstream.

[0008] As described in (f) and (g) above, by bringing the center position of one piece of dough closer to the reference position, the positions of the dough pieces arranged on the second belt conveyor can be stabilized in the width direction.

[0009] In the present invention, preferably, after (d), the released piece of dough is aligned by an alignment shutter, and then (e) is performed.

[0010] In the present invention, preferably in (b) above, the movement of the holding unit is controlled in accordance with the signal of an encoder that generates pulses by the movement of the first belt conveyor.

[0011] In the present invention, preferably, a plurality of dough pieces arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction on a first belt conveyor include one dough piece on the downstream side and one dough piece on the upstream side. For one piece of dough on the downstream side, perform steps (a) to (c) above. Then, perform steps (a) to (c) above on one of the upstream pieces of dough. Subsequently, perform (d) simultaneously on one piece of dough on the downstream side and one piece of dough on the upstream side. Subsequently, (e) to (g) above are performed on one of the downstream pieces of dough. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view of a part of the apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a schematic left side view of the device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a schematic front view of the device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a schematic plan view of the device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a schematic front view of a part of the device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a schematic plan view of a part of the device according to the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a schematic left side view of the device according to the present invention. [Figure 8a] It is a schematic explanatory view of the basic operation of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 8b] It is a schematic explanatory view of the basic operation of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 8c] It is a schematic explanatory view of the basic operation of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 9a] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 9b] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 9c] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 9d] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 10a] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 10b] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 10c] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 10d] It is a schematic explanatory view of the method according to the present invention. [Figure 11] It is a right side view of the alignment shutter. [Figure 12] It is a plane sectional view of the alignment shutter. [Figure 13] It is a front view of the alignment shutter. [Figure 14a] It is a schematic explanatory view of the operation of the alignment shutter. [Figure 14b]This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the aligned shutter. [Figure 14c] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the aligned shutter. [Figure 14d] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the aligned shutter. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Referring to Figures 1 to 7, an example of an array system used in the method according to the present invention will be schematically described. In Figures 1 to 7, the conveying direction (front-to-back direction) in which the dough pieces P are conveyed from the upstream side (rear side) to the downstream side (front side) is indicated by the symbol "A", the width direction (left-to-right direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction A is indicated by the symbol "B", and the up-and-down direction is indicated by "C".

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the array system 1 includes left and right frames 2, a first belt conveyor 3 that conveys a plurality of dough pieces P arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction A, a second belt conveyor 4 arranged downstream of the first belt conveyor 3, and an array device 5 that rotates the dough pieces P on the first belt conveyor 3 by 90 degrees and arranges them on the second belt conveyor 4. The array device 5 includes a holding unit 10 that holds one dough piece P.

[0015] In this embodiment, dough pieces P arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction A are arranged in two adjacent lines in the width direction B. The shape of the dough pieces P is an elongated, roughly triangular shape. Multiple dough pieces P in one line have their triangular vertices arranged alternately on the left and right.

[0016] In this embodiment, the arrangement device 5 is configured to arrange two dough pieces P adjacent to each other in the conveying direction A (downstream dough piece PD and upstream dough piece PU) in two lines (the first line L1 on the left and the second line L2 on the right), that is, to arrange four dough pieces P. The speed of the second belt conveyor 4 is set to be faster than the speed of the first belt conveyor 3.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the holding unit 10 includes a horizontally positioned holding plate 11 and a plurality of holding pins 12 extending downward from the holding plate 11. The holding unit 10 is vertically movable, as will be described later, and is configured to hold the dough pieces P by having the holding pins 12 press down on the dough pieces P when the holding unit 10 is lowered. The number and position of the holding pins 12 should be determined so as not to deform the dough pieces P in the arrangement as possible. In this embodiment, seven holding pins 12 are attached to the holding plate 11.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the array device 5 includes a first moving device 20 for moving the holding unit 10 in the transport direction A, a second moving device 30 for moving the holding unit 10 in the width direction B, a third moving device 40 for moving the holding unit 10 in the vertical direction C, and a fourth moving device 50 for rotating the holding unit 10 about its vertical axis D. The array device 5 further includes a drive device 60 for driving the second moving device 30.

[0019] In this embodiment, the arrangement device 5 has four holding units 10 (see Figures 1, 2, and 5), four second moving devices 30 (see Figures 2, 4, and 5), and four fourth moving devices 50 (see Figures 2, 4, and 5) for four dough pieces P. The arrangement device 5 also includes two sets of first moving devices 20 (see Figure 1) and two sets of third moving devices 40 (see Figure 1) for the downstream dough piece P (downstream dough piece PD) and the adjacent dough piece P (upstream dough piece PU).

[0020] Each of the two sets of first moving devices 20, as shown in Figure 2, has left and right rails 21 attached to the frame 2 so as to extend in the transport direction A, left and right sliders 22 that move along the rails 21, left and right linear motors 23 for moving the left and right sliders 22 in the transport direction A, left and right brackets 24 attached to the sliders 22, and two (front and rear) span plates 25 attached between the left and right brackets 24 so as to extend in the width direction B. The left and right rails 21 are used in common by the two sets of first moving devices 20. With this configuration, the span plates 25 are configured to be movable in the transport direction A.

[0021] Each of the four second moving devices 30, as shown in Figure 5, has front and rear rails 31 attached to the front and rear span plates 25 and extending in the width direction B, front and rear sliders 32 that move along the rails 31, a plate 33 mounted on the front and rear sliders 32, a rotating cylinder 34 positioned on the plate 33, a U-shaped bracket 35 extending upward from the rotating cylinder 34, and four cam followers 36 attached to the front, rear, left, and right ends of the U-shaped bracket 35. The rotating cylinder 34 has a rotating part 34a that rotates about the vertical axis D and a through hole 34b that extends along the vertical axis. With this configuration, the second moving device 30 itself is configured to move in the width direction B along the span plate 25.

[0022] Each of the two sets of third moving devices 40, as shown in Figure 2, has left and right cylinders 41 attached to left and right brackets 24 and extendable in the vertical direction C, a U-shaped span 42 extending between the left and right cylinders 41, and two U-shaped brackets 43 slidably attached to the span 42 in the width direction B. The span 42 has an elongated hole 42a extending in the width direction B, and the brackets 43 have pins that slide within the elongated hole 42a. With this configuration, the U-shaped brackets 43 are configured to be movable in the vertical direction C relative to the span plate 25.

[0023] Each of the four fourth moving devices 50 has a cylindrical guide 51 attached to the rotating portion 34a of the rotating cylinder 34, and a plate 52 attached to the cylindrical guide 51, as shown in Figure 2. The cylindrical guide 51 has a through hole 51a with a circular cross-section extending in the vertical direction and an elongated hole 51b extending in the vertical direction C. Each of the fourth moving devices 50 also has a shaft 53 that is slidably fitted into the through hole 51a in the vertical direction C, and a pin 54 that extends from the shaft 53 into the elongated hole 51b of the cylindrical guide 51. The shaft 53 extends upward through the through hole 34b of the rotating cylinder 34 and is mounted on a U-shaped bracket 43 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis D. The retaining unit 10 is attached to the lower end of the shaft 53. The plate 52 is located below the retaining plate 11 and has a hole through which the retaining pin 12 passes when the retaining plate 11 is lowered.

[0024] With this configuration, the holding unit 10 can rotate about the vertical axis D by the rotating cylinder 34 via the elongated hole 51b of the cylindrical guide 51 and the pin 54 of the shaft 53. The holding unit 10 can also move vertically C by the cylinder 41 via the shaft 53, the U-shaped bracket 43 (third moving device 40), and the U-shaped span 42. The holding unit 10 can also move in the transport direction A by the linear motor 23 via the span plate 25.

[0025] In this embodiment, the rotating cylinder 34 is configured to rotate 90 degrees. In plan view, the fourth moving device 50 for the downstream dough piece PD is configured to rotate the holding unit 10 counterclockwise R1, and the fourth moving device 50 for the upstream dough piece PU is configured to rotate the holding unit 10 clockwise R2 (see Figure 9).

[0026] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the drive unit 60 is configured to accommodate four lines and includes two (front and rear) span plates 61 mounted between the left and right frames 2 so as to extend in the width direction B, two (front and rear) rails 62 mounted on the span plates 61 so as to extend in the width direction B, eight sliders 63 that move along the rails 62, and four drive bars 64 mounted on the sliders 63 via brackets and extending in the transport direction A. Two of the drive bars 64 are for the first line L1 and the second line L2. In addition, four cam followers 36 of the second moving device 30 are positioned on both sides of the drive bars 64 so as to be slidable in the transport direction A. With this configuration, the drive bars 64 can be moved in the width direction B, and the second moving device 30 is configured to move in the width direction B by moving the drive bars 64 in the width direction B.

[0027] The drive unit 60 further includes a pantograph unit 70. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the pantograph unit 70 includes two spans 71 extending in the width direction B, a support block 72 slidably mounted on the spans 71 so as to sandwich the spans 71 from above and below, a motor 73 mounted on the support block 72, a rotatable pinion 74 mounted on the motor 73, two racks 75 screwed onto the pinion 74 so as to extend in the width direction B, and a pantograph mechanism 76. As shown in Figure 6, the pantograph mechanism 76 includes two adjacent X-shaped link sections 77 and two V-shaped link sections 78 positioned at both ends of the X-shaped link sections 77 in the width direction B. The link sections 77 and 78 are each pivotably mounted at intersections 77a. The four intersections 77a are arranged on a straight line extending in the width direction B. Furthermore, the ends of adjacent link sections 77 and 78 are pivotally attached at connection points 77b. Three connection points 77b are located upstream of the intersection point 77a, and three more connection points 77b are located downstream of the intersection point 77a. The four intersection points 77a are pivotally connected to their respective drive bars 64. Each of the two racks 75 is cantilevered to a drive bar 64 to which a V-shaped link section 78 is attached. In addition, each of the two central pivots has an upwardly extending cam follower 79. The support block 72 can be fixed at an appropriate position in the width direction B of the span 71 and has an elongated hole 72a that slidably receives the cam follower 79 in the transport direction A. Thus, the pantograph unit 70 is configured to operate the pantograph mechanism 76 by rotating the pinion 74 with a motor 73, thereby widening or narrowing the drive bars 64 in the width direction B at equal intervals.

[0028] With this configuration, the holding unit 10 is movable in the width direction B by the motor 73 via the second moving device 30, the drive bar 64, and the pantograph mechanism 76.

[0029] As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the alignment device 5 further includes a rotating plate type alignment shutter 80. This aligns the downstream side of the dough pieces P in the width direction.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the array system 1 further includes an upstream sensor 81 positioned above the first belt conveyor 3, a downstream sensor 82 positioned above the second belt conveyor 4, an encoder 83 that generates a signal in response to the movement of the first belt conveyor 3, and a controller 84 connected to these sensors 81, 82, and encoder 83. The controller 84 is connected to and can control the linear motor 23 of the first moving device 20, the rotary cylinder 34 of the second moving device 30, the cylinder 41 of the third moving device 40, and the motor 73 of the drive device 60. In particular, the controller 84 can control the position and moving speed of the holding unit 10 in the transport direction A by controlling the linear motor 23.

[0031] The downstream sensor 82 is preferably of a type in which a large number of detection elements are arranged linearly, thereby enabling the detection of the length and position of the dough piece P in the width direction B at the detection position. The upstream sensor 81 may also be of a type that can detect at least two locations in the width direction B of the dough piece P, thereby automatically determining the orientation of the triangular dough piece P.

[0032] Next, with reference to Figures 8a to 10d, the operation of the aforementioned array system 1 applied to one line of dough pieces will be described.

[0033] First, the basic operation will be explained with reference to Figures 8a to 8c. The holding unit 10 has a predetermined alignment position AL (e.g., center position) in the transport direction A and is stopped at the initial position in the transport direction A. The downstream dough piece P (PD) has a predetermined holding position HL (e.g., center position) in the transport direction A.

[0034] The dough piece P is detected by the upstream sensor 81 at a predetermined position DP in the conveying direction A of the first belt conveyor 3 (see Figure 8a, operation (a)). From this point onward, the controller 84 can determine the position of the dough piece P based on the signal from the encoder 83.

[0035] Next, the controller 84 controls the linear motor 23 to move the holding unit 10 in the conveying direction A such that when the dough piece P reaches a predetermined position AP in the conveying direction A of the first belt conveyor 3, the alignment position AL of the holding unit 10 reaches the holding position HL of the dough piece P (see Figure 8b, operation (b)). In operation (b), the movement of the holding unit 10 is preferably controlled according to the signal of the encoder 83, which generates pulses in conjunction with the movement of the first belt conveyor 3. For example, the start timing and speed of movement of the holding unit 10 are determined according to the signal of the encoder 83. As a modified example, the time from detection by the sensor to the start timing of movement may be determined by a timer. However, using a timer increases the burden on the worker because the timer and speed settings must be changed when the production quantity or product changes. Therefore, control according to the signal of the encoder 83, which does not require such changes, is preferred.

[0036] Next, the holding unit 10 is lowered while moving in the conveying direction A at the same speed as the dough piece P, thereby holding the dough piece P, and further, the holding unit 10 is moved downstream at a speed faster than the speed of the first belt conveyor 3 (operation (c)).

[0037] In the case of multiple lines, the second moving device 30 and the drive device 60 move the holding unit 10 by a predetermined distance in the width direction B to increase the distance between adjacent fabric pieces P in the width direction B.

[0038] Next, the dough piece P is rotated 90 degrees in a predetermined rotational direction (counterclockwise) R1, and then the holding unit 10 is raised on the second belt conveyor 4 to release the dough piece P (see Figure 8c, operation (d)). As a result, the center position PC in the width direction B of the dough piece P should coincide with a predetermined reference position TC. After operation (d), it is preferable to align the released dough piece P with the alignment shutter 80.

[0039] Next, the rotational position and widthwise position of the holding unit 10 are returned to their original positions, and the holding unit 10 is returned to its initial position.

[0040] Next, with reference to Figures 9a to 10d, an example of the method according to the present invention, which is performed when the center position PC of the dough piece P does not coincide with the reference position TC, will be described.

[0041] After the operation (d) described above (preferably, after the released dough pieces P are further aligned by the alignment shutter 80), the center position PC in the width direction B of the dough pieces P is detected by the downstream sensor 82 (operation (e)). The controller 84 determines which side the center position PC is shifted to relative to the reference position TC and by how much.

[0042] When the side that is offset from the reference position TC is the side that returns in a predetermined rotational direction (counterclockwise) R1 downstream of the dough piece P (the lower side of Figure 9a), we want to move the next dough piece P closer to the position shown by the dashed line in Figure 9b, so we shift the holding position HL of the dough piece P to the upstream position HL2 (see Figure 9c, operation (f)). The amount by which the holding position HL is shifted is arbitrary; for example, it may be the amount DC of the offset between the center position PC and the reference position TC, or it may be half of that.

[0043] When the side that is offset from the reference position TC is the side of the dough piece P that advances in a predetermined rotational direction (counterclockwise) R1 downstream (upper side of Figure 10a), we want to move the next dough piece P closer to the position shown by the dashed line in Figure 10b, so we shift the holding position PL of the dough piece P to the downstream position HL2 (see Figure 10c, operation (g)). The amount by which the holding position HL is shifted is arbitrary; for example, it may be the amount DC of the offset between the center position PC and the reference position TC, or it may be half of that.

[0044] If the displacement DC is large, and the amount by which the holding position HL is shifted is equal to the displacement DC, it is expected that the next piece of dough P to be moved will be shifted to the opposite side of the reference position TC. For this reason, it is desirable to gradually bring the center position PC closer to the reference position TC by repeatedly shifting the holding position HL by half the displacement DC.

[0045] Next, an example of applying the method according to the present invention to two dough pieces P adjacent to each other in the conveying direction A (a downstream dough piece PD and an upstream dough piece PU) will be described.

[0046] Perform operations (a) to (c) on the downstream dough piece PD. Then, perform operations (a) to (c) on the upstream dough piece PU. After that, perform operation (d) on both the downstream dough piece PD and the upstream dough piece PU simultaneously. In the case of a triangular dough piece P, the rotation direction of the downstream dough piece PD and the rotation direction of the upstream dough piece PU are opposite to each other. Then, perform operations (e) to (g) on ​​the downstream dough piece PD.

[0047] The case where the predetermined rotation direction of the dough piece P is clockwise is the same as the case where the predetermined rotation direction of the dough piece P is counterclockwise. In operation (f), when the side that is shifted relative to the reference position TC is the return side of the predetermined rotation direction (clockwise) R2 on the downstream side of the dough piece P (upper side of Figure 10a), we want to move the next dough piece P closer to the position of the dashed line shown in Figure 10b, so we shift the holding position HL of the dough piece P to the upstream position HL2 (see Figure 10d). The amount by which the holding position HL is shifted is arbitrary, and for example it may be the amount DC of the shift between the center position PC and the reference position TC, or it may be half of that.

[0048] Furthermore, if the side that is offset from the reference position TC is the side of the dough piece P that advances in a predetermined rotational direction (clockwise) R2 downstream (the lower side of Figure 9a), then to bring the next dough piece P closer to the position shown by the dashed line in Figure 9b, the holding position HL of the dough piece P is shifted to the downstream position HL2 (see Figure 9d). The amount by which the holding position HL is shifted is arbitrary; for example, it may be the amount DC of the offset between the center position PC and the reference position TC, or it may be half of that.

[0049] Next, a preferred alignment shutter 100 will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13. The alignment shutter 100 includes a rotating shaft 110, two thin, plate-shaped rotating plates 120 extending radially outward from the rotating shaft 110, a support portion 130 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 110, and a moving portion 140 that moves the rotating shaft 110 in the vertical direction C.

[0050] The rotating plates 120 extend in opposite directions from each other, i.e., they are 180 degrees apart in the rotational direction E.

[0051] The support section 130 has a first support plate 131 that rotatably supports one end of the rotating shaft 110 and a second support plate 132 that rotatably supports the opposite end. The first support plate 131 and the second support plate 132 each include a sliding portion 134 that allows them to move linearly in the vertical direction C together with the rotating shaft 110. The support section 130 also includes a motor 135a fixed to the first support plate 131, a drive pulley 135b attached to the motor 135a, a driven pulley 135c fixed to one end of the rotating shaft 110, and a drive belt 135d wound around the drive pulley 135b and the driven pulley 135c in order to rotate the rotating shaft 110.

[0052] The movable part 140 includes a pair of frames 141, a pair of sliding support parts 142 that slidably support the sliding part 134 relative to the frame 141, a pair of cam discs 143 fixed to both ends of the rotating shaft 110, and a pair of cam followers 144 fixed to the frame 141. In this embodiment, the sliding support part 142 includes a bracket 142a fixed to the frame 141 and two shafts 142b extending in the vertical direction C and having a circular cross-section, with the shafts 142b including both ends fixed to the bracket 142a. The sliding parts 134 of the support plates 131 and 132 protrude beyond the shafts 142b and include circular holes 134a that slidably fit onto the shafts 142b. The cam discs 143 have cam grooves 143a that guide the cam followers 144. The cam grooves 143a are arranged in an annular shape around the rotating shaft 110. The cam follower 144 is positioned above the rotating shaft 110. Thus, the cam follower 144 supports the rotating shaft 110 via the cam disc 143.

[0053] Furthermore, the cam disc 143 is configured to move up and down relative to the frame 141 depending on the distance of the cam groove 143a from the rotating shaft 110. In this embodiment, the raised position HU (see Figure 14c) of the rotating shaft 110 is determined by the position CU of the cam groove 143a such that when the rotating plate 120 is in the lower position, the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 is close to the conveyor belt 4a of the second belt conveyor 4. This interrupts the movement of the dough pieces P, making it possible to align multiple dough pieces P in the width direction B. The position CD of the cam groove 143a is determined such that when the rotating plate 120 is in the horizontal position, the lowered position HD (see Figure 14a) of the rotating shaft 110 is lower than the raised position HU. The cam groove 143a is an arc at position CD. Furthermore, while the rotating plate 120 rotates within a predetermined range including the lower position, the cam groove 143a is curved in range CL such that the radius from the rotating shaft 110 decreases toward position CU, so that the tip 120a remains close to the conveyor belt 4a (so that the gap between the tip 120a and the conveyor belt 4a is approximately the same). In this way, the alignment shutter 100 is configured so that the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 and the movement in the vertical direction C are synchronized. The alignment shutter 100 is also configured so that the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 and the movement in the vertical direction C are performed by a single motor 135a. At this time, the rotating shaft 110, the rotating plate 120, the first support plate 131, the second support plate 132, and the motor 135a are configured to move integrally in the vertical direction C.

[0054] Furthermore, the alignment shutter 100 has a sensor 150 for controlling its rotation. The rotation speed and rotation start timing of the motor 135a can be set arbitrarily.

[0055] Next, the operation of the alignment shutter 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 14a to 14d.

[0056] Figure 14a shows the alignment shutter 100 with the rotating plate 120 waiting in a horizontal position. The rotating shaft 110 is in the lowered position HD. When the sensor 150 detects a piece of dough P, the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 is started. The rotational speed of the rotating shaft 110 is set to be constant so that the speed of the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 in the conveying direction A is slightly lower than the speed of the conveyor belt 4a. Preferably, the timing of the start of rotation of the rotating shaft 110 is set so that all the pieces of dough P in all rows reach the rotating plate 120 and each piece of dough P is aligned before the rotating plate 120 reaches the lowered position.

[0057] After the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 is brought close to the conveyor belt 4a (see Figure 14b), the cam groove 143a raises the rotating shaft 110 to maintain the distance between the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 and the conveyor belt 4a. The speed of the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 in the conveying direction A remains constant and is slightly lower than the speed of the conveyor belt 4a.

[0058] When the rotating plate 120 is in the lower position, the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 is stopped, and the multiple dough pieces P are aligned in the width direction B (see Figure 14c). The rotating shaft 110 is in the raised position HU. At this time, the sensor 82 detects the center position in the width direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A of the dough pieces P (operation (e)).

[0059] If the dough pieces P reach and align with the rotating plate 120 before it reaches its lower position, the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 is moving in the conveying direction A, so the impact on the dough pieces P during alignment is smaller than when the rotating plate 120 is stopped. This reduces the misalignment of the dough pieces P relative to the rotating plate 120. In other words, the center position in the width direction of the dough pieces P can be accurately detected by the sensor 82.

[0060] After a predetermined time has passed since the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 was stopped, the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 is restarted. The cam groove 143a lowers the rotating shaft 110 so as to maintain the distance between the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 and the conveyor belt 4a. Then, the tip 120a is moved away from the conveyor belt 4a (see Figure 14d). The rotational speed of the rotating shaft 110 is set so that the speed of the tip 120a of the rotating plate 120 in the conveying direction A is faster than the speed of the conveyor belt 4a. This separates the rotating plate 120 from the dough piece P and releases the dough piece P from the rotating plate 120. The rotating plate 120 is stopped in the horizontal position.

[0061] The description of the arrangement method according to the embodiments of the present invention is generally as described above, but it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0062] The configuration of the array device 5 is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, but is arbitrary and may be a configuration described in, for example, Patent Document 1 or 2. Also, the configuration of the holding unit 10 is not limited to the configuration including the holding pin 12 of the above embodiment, but is arbitrary and may be a suction type configuration, for example.

[0063] The number of lines of dough pieces P arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction A is not limited to the two shown in the above embodiment, but can be any number, such as one line or three or more lines. Also, the shape of the dough pieces is not limited to the approximately triangular shape shown in the above embodiment, but can be any number, such as a rectangle.

[0064] The alignment shutter 80 is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment and is optional; it may be omitted if not necessary.

[0065] A rotary motor may be used instead of the rotary cylinder 34. The rotation angle of the rotary motor may be 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise, or 180 degrees corresponding to both clockwise and counterclockwise. In the latter case, the orientation of the dough piece P may be detected and the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation may be automatically selected.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the amount by which the holding position HL of the dough piece P to be moved next is shifted is determined using the displacement DC between the center position PC of the dough piece P and the reference position TC. However, for example, the average value of the displacement DC over multiple measurements may be used, or a value derived based on the trend of the displacement DC may be used.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the rotation of the rotating shaft 110 and its movement in the vertical direction C were performed by a single motor 135a, but they may also be performed by separate motors that are synchronized. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 3. First conveyor belt 4. Second conveyor belt 4a Conveyor belt 10 Holding Units 80, 100 aligned shutters 83 Encoders 110 rotation shaft 120 Rotating Plate 120a tip A Conveying direction B Width direction Alignment position of AL holding unit The alignment position of the AP holding unit is aligned to match the holding position of the dough piece. DP upstream sensor detection position of dough piece HL Holding position of dough piece before rotation P fabric piece Center position in the width direction of the dough piece after PC rotation TC reference position R1 Counterclockwise R2 Clockwise

Claims

1. A method for arranging a plurality of dough pieces (P) that are arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction (A) on a first belt conveyor (3) by rotating them by 90 degrees and arranging them on a second belt conveyor (4) located downstream of the first belt conveyor (3), (a) The position (DP) of one piece of dough (P) moving in the conveying direction (A) by the first belt conveyor (3) with respect to the first belt conveyor is detected by the upstream sensor (81), (b) When the one piece of dough (P) reaches a predetermined position (AP) on the first belt conveyor (3), the holding unit (10) that holds the one piece of dough (P) is moved in the transport direction (A) such that the alignment position (AL) of the holding unit (10) that holds the one piece of dough (P) reaches the holding position (HL) of the one piece of dough (P). (c) The holding unit (10) is lowered while moving in the conveying direction (A) at the same speed as the one piece of dough (P), thereby holding the one piece of dough (P) with the holding unit (10), and further, the holding unit (10) is moved downstream at a speed faster than the speed of the first belt conveyor (3), (d) After rotating the one piece of dough (P) by 90 degrees in a predetermined rotational direction (R1, R2), the holding unit (10) is raised to release the one piece of dough (P), (e) In the one piece of dough (P) released onto the second belt conveyor (4), the center position (PC) in the width direction (B) perpendicular to the conveying direction (A) is detected, (f) When the center position (PC) of one piece of dough (P) is offset from a predetermined reference position (TC) in the width direction, and the offset side is the side that returns with respect to the predetermined rotation direction (R1, R2) on the downstream side of the piece of dough (P), the holding position (HL) of the piece of dough (P) on the first belt conveyor (3) is shifted to the upstream side. (g) A method of shifting the holding position (HL) of the dough piece (P) on the first belt conveyor (3) to the downstream side, where the center position (PC) of the dough piece (P) is offset from the reference position (TC), and the offset side is the side of the dough piece (P) that is advancing in the predetermined rotation direction (R1, R2) downstream of the dough piece (P).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after (d), the released single piece of dough (P) is aligned by alignment shutters (80, 100), and then (e) is performed.

3. The alignment shutter (100) includes a rotating shaft (110) and a rotating plate (120) attached to the rotating shaft (110). The method according to claim 2, wherein the rotating shaft (110) is raised while rotating so that the tip (120a) of the rotating plate (120) approaches the conveyor belt (4a) of the second belt conveyor (4) and moves in the conveying direction (A) at a slower speed than the conveyor belt (4a), and the one piece of dough (P) is aligned on the rotating plate (120) while the tip (120a) of the rotating plate (120) is moving in the conveying direction (A).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in (b) above, the movement of the holding unit (10) is controlled in accordance with the signal of an encoder (83) that generates pulses by the movement of the first belt conveyor (3).

5. The plurality of dough pieces (P) arranged adjacent to each other in the conveying direction (A) on the first belt conveyor (3) include one dough piece (P) on the downstream side and one dough piece (P) on the upstream side. For the downstream piece of dough (P), perform steps (a) to (c) above. Subsequently, perform steps (a) to (c) above on one of the upstream pieces of dough (P), Subsequently, perform (d) simultaneously on the downstream dough piece (P) and the upstream dough piece (P), The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (e) to (g) are then performed on one of the downstream pieces of dough (P).

Images