Noodle ball alignment device
The noodle ball alignment device aligns dough balls from two rows to a single row using partition plates and a movable part, preventing shape deformation and ensuring stable packaging.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YUTAKA MFG CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-29
Smart Images
Figure 0007881242000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a dough ball aligning device for aligning dough balls conveyed by a conveyor device.
Background Art
[0002] Fresh noodles such as Chinese noodles, udon noodles, and buckwheat noodles may be packaged in a rounded state as dough balls and shipped as products. A dough ball is formed, for example, by rounding a group of noodle strands, which is a collection of fresh noodles cut to a predetermined length. A dough ball forming and bagging device for forming dough balls from a group of noodle strands and bagging the formed dough balls is known. In this type of device, the dough balls formed in the dough ball forming section are sequentially input into the packaging device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] By the way, in order to efficiently produce packaged dough balls, it is conceivable that the dough ball forming section places the dough balls on the conveyor device in two rows. That is, in this case, the dough balls are placed in each of the "left row" and the "right row" with respect to the conveying direction in the conveyor device. However, if the packaging device is configured to sequentially package the dough balls placed in one row on the conveyor device, a dough ball aligning device for aligning the dough balls placed in two rows on the conveyor device into one row is required.
[0005] However, if the shape of the dough ball is damaged when the dough ball aligning device aligns the dough balls, there is a risk that packaging (for example, bag packaging) in the packaging device will be difficult. Or, if the shape of the packaged dough ball is deformed, there is a risk that the attractiveness as a product will be impaired.
[0006] This invention was conceived in view of the above points, and aims to provide a noodle ball alignment device that can align noodle balls in a single line while suppressing damage to the shape of the noodle balls. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The noodle ball alignment device according to the first invention of the present invention comprises a conveyor device for transporting noodle balls in the transport direction, a first partition plate, a second partition plate, and an intermediate partition plate, each erected relative to the conveyor device, and a movable part, wherein the conveyor device includes a parallel section, each extending in the transport direction and having the first and second rows running parallel to each other, and an alignment section located on the transport direction side relative to the parallel section.
[0008] The first partition plate and the intermediate partition plate each extend in the transport direction within the parallel section to form the first row, and the second partition plate extends beyond the parallel section in the transport direction to form the second row in the parallel section together with the intermediate partition plate. The movable part has a movable surface that extends in the transport direction within the alignment section, and the movable surface moves from a first position to a second position, thereby moving the noodle balls in the first row to the second row, and when in the second position, it forms the second row in the alignment section together with the second partition plate.
[0009] In the first invention, the noodle balls are moved from the first row to the second row by the movement of the movable surface from the first position to the second position. In addition, the movable surface in the second position functions as a wall that restricts the movement of the noodle balls in the second row in a direction different from the transport direction. In other words, the movable surface performs two functions. If the movement of the noodle balls were not restricted by the movable surface, there is a risk that the shape of the noodle balls would be damaged due to unintended movement. On the other hand, according to the first invention, it is possible to align the noodle balls in a single row and to suppress damage to the shape of the noodle balls due to unintended movement.
[0010] The noodle ball alignment device according to the second invention of the present invention is such that, in the first invention, the movable surface at the second position is spaced further away from the second partition plate than the surface on the side of the partition plate that is on the second partition plate side of the partition plate.
[0011] In the second invention, the width of the alignment section is wider than that of the parallel section. If the width of the alignment section were narrower than that of the parallel section, there would be a risk that the shape of the noodle balls would be damaged due to some of the noodle strands getting caught when the noodle balls move from the parallel section to the alignment section. On the other hand, according to the second invention, damage to the shape of the noodle balls when they move from the parallel section to the alignment section is suppressed.
[0012] The noodle ball alignment device according to the third invention of the present invention has, in the first or second invention described above, a single-row partition plate erected with respect to the conveyor device, wherein the conveyor device extends in the transport direction and is located on the transport direction side with respect to the alignment section and includes a single-row section in which the second row is formed by the second partition plate and the single-row partition plate, and the surface of the single-row partition plate on the side of the second partition plate is spaced further away from the second partition plate than the movable surface at the second position.
[0013] In the third invention, the width of the single-row section is wider than that of the aligned section. Therefore, according to the third invention, damage to the shape of the noodle balls is suppressed when they move from the aligned section to the single-row section.
[0014] The noodle ball alignment device according to the fourth invention of the present invention is the first invention described above, wherein the movable part has an orthogonal surface that is on the opposite side of the transport direction from the movable surface and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction, and the orthogonal surface restricts the movement of the noodle balls in the first row in the transport direction when the movable surface is in the second position.
[0015] For example, if the period from when the dough balls are placed on the second column until they are placed on the first column is shorter than the assumed time, the downstream movement of the dough balls placed on the first column is temporarily restricted by the orthogonal surface. Therefore, according to the fourth invention, even when fluctuations occur in the timing of placing the dough balls on the conveyor device, the operation of aligning the dough balls in a single row can be stably executed.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0016] [Figure 1] It is a schematic side view of the dough ball aligning device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a schematic perspective view of the dough ball aligning device. [Figure 3] It is a top view of the dough ball aligning device operating in operation mode A. [Figure 4] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] Different from the embodiment, it is a view showing an example of a dough ball aligning device having a damping portion. [Figure 9] It is a top view of the dough ball aligning device operating in operation mode B. [Figure 10] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] It is a view showing the dough ball aligning device after a little time has passed from the state of FIG. 11.
Modes for Carrying Out the Invention
[0017] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The dumpling ball aligning device 1 (also simply referred to as the aligning device 1) according to the present embodiment includes a conveyor device 21 that conveys the dumpling balls Nb (see FIGS. 1 to 2). The dumpling balls Nb are, for example, a collection of noodle strands (i.e., a group of noodle strands) obtained by stretching a dough containing grains such as wheat flour or rice flour linearly and then rounded.
[0018] In the following description, the direction in which the conveyor device 21 conveys the dumpling balls Nb is also referred to as "downstream" or "transport direction". The transport direction is represented by the arrow A1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 3. The direction opposite to the downstream is also referred to as "upstream". The left side in the horizontal direction toward the downstream is also referred to as "leftward". The direction opposite to the leftward is also referred to as "rightward". The downstream, upstream, leftward, and rightward in this specification correspond to the leftward, rightward, downward, and upward in the paper surface of FIGS. 3 to 12.
[0019] The dumpling balls Nb are supplied to the aligning device 1 from the dumpling ball forming device 7 (see FIG. 1). More specifically, the dumpling ball forming device 7 rounds (winds up) the group of noodle strands supplied from the conveyor device 61 to form the dumpling balls Nb, and alternately places the formed dumpling balls Nb in two rows on the conveyor device 21. One of the two rows in the conveyor device 21 where the dumpling balls Nb are placed is also referred to as the first row C1. The other of the two rows in the conveyor device 21 is also referred to as the second row C2. The second row C2 is to the left of the first row C1 (for example, see FIGS. 2 to 3).
[0020] The aligning device 1 moves the dumpling balls Nb in the first row C1 to the second row C2. A conveyor device 62 is arranged downstream of the conveyor device 21 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the dumpling balls Nb aligned in a single row in the second row C2 are supplied to the conveyor device 62 from the downstream end portion in the conveyor device 21.
[0021] The conveyor device 62 supplies the noodle balls Nb, which are arranged in a single row, to a packaging device (not shown). The packaging device packages the noodle balls Nb that have been transported by the conveyor device 62. The packaging device may, for example, seal one noodle ball Nb in one bag. Alternatively, the packaging device may be configured to seal multiple noodle balls Nb in one bag.
[0022] Figure 3 shows noodle balls n11 to n16, which are noodle balls Nb, placed on the conveyor device 21 by the noodle ball forming device 7. Each of the noodle balls n11 to n16 is placed on the conveyor device 21 in this order. For example, after noodle ball n11 is placed on the conveyor device 21, noodle ball n12 is placed on the conveyor device 21.
[0023] Noodle balls n11, n13, and n15 are examples of noodle balls Nb placed in the second row C2 by the noodle ball forming device 7. Noodle balls n12, n14, and n16 are examples of noodle balls Nb placed in the first row C1 by the noodle ball forming device 7. However, noodle ball n12 has already been moved to the second row C2 by the alignment device 1. As will be described later, noodle ball n14 will soon be moved to the second row C2, and then noodle ball n16 will be moved to the second row C2.
[0024] The structure and operation of the alignment device 1 will be described in detail. The alignment device 1 includes a conveyor device 21, a movable part 3, a first partition plate 41, a second partition plate 42, a middle partition plate 43, a single-row partition plate 44, and a position control unit 5 (see, for example, Figures 2-3). The movable part 3 includes movable plates 31-32. The upstream end of movable plate 31 and the left end of movable plate 32 are joined together. Therefore, the movable part 3 has an L-shape when viewed from above. Note that in Figure 2, the position control unit 5 and the rods 33-34, which will be described later, are not shown.
[0025] The first partition plate 41, the second partition plate 42, the single-row partition plate 44, and the intermediate partition plate 43 are each plate-shaped members that are erected relative to the conveyor device 21 and extend in the downstream direction. The first partition plate 41, the second partition plate 42, the intermediate partition plate 43, and the single-row partition plate 44 restrict the lateral movement of the noodle ball Nb. The first partition plate 41 and the intermediate partition plate 43 extend to the vicinity of the upstream end of the movable part 3. The second partition plate 42 extends to the downstream end of the conveyor device 21. The single-row partition plate 44 extends from the vicinity of the downstream end of the movable part 3 to the vicinity of the downstream end of the conveyor device 21.
[0026] The first row C1 is defined by the first partition plate 41 and the intermediate partition plate 43. The second row C2 is defined by the second partition plate 42, the intermediate partition plate 43, the movable part 3 (more specifically, the movable part 3 when it is in the left position as described later), and the single-row partition plate 44. In the conveyor device 21, the section in which the first partition plate 41 and the intermediate partition plate 43 are arranged side by side is also called the "parallel section." In the conveyor device 21, the section in which the movable plate 31 is erected is also called the "aligned section." In the conveyor device 21, the section in which the single-row partition plate 44 is erected is also called the "single-row section."
[0027] Furthermore, the conveyor device 62 is equipped with downstream partition plates 81-82 (see, for example, Figure 3). The downstream partition plates 81-82 define the second row C2 in the conveyor device 62. The section defined by the downstream partition plates 81-82 in the conveyor device 62 is also referred to as the "downstream section".
[0028] The movable part 3 performs reciprocating linear motion in the left-right direction. More specifically, one end of rods 33-34 is connected to the movable plate 31 (see, for example, Figure 3). The other ends of rods 33-34 are connected to the position control unit 5. The position control unit 5 includes a motor 51 and a control device 52 (see, for example, Figure 3). For example, a servo motor can be used as the motor 51. A stepping motor may also be used as the motor 51.
[0029] A power transmission mechanism (not shown) is interposed between the motor 51 and the rods 33-34. The power transmission mechanism converts the rotational motion of the motor 51 into linear motion of the rods 33-34. That is, the position of the rods 33-34 (and consequently the movable plates 31-32) in the left-right direction changes according to the rotation angle of the motor 51.
[0030] The control device 52 is composed of a well-known control device (for example, a general-purpose computer or electronic control unit having a CPU, volatile memory and non-volatile memory, etc.). The control device 52 controls the motor 51, thereby controlling the position of the movable part 3. More specifically, the control device 52 moves the movable part 3 between the "left position" and the "right position". For example, Figures 3-4 and 7 show the movable part 3 in the left position. On the other hand, Figure 5 shows the movable part 3 in the right position. The right position is also referred to as the "first position". The left position is also referred to as the "second position".
[0031] The control device 52 controls the position of the movable part 3 based on the position of each noodle ball Nb on the conveyor device 21. The control device 52 is connected to a sensor device (not shown, e.g., an optical camera) for acquiring the position of each noodle ball Nb placed on the conveyor device 21.
[0032] Alternatively, the control device 52 may control the position of the movable part 3 based on a signal output from the noodle ball forming device 7 to the control device 52 each time the noodle ball forming device 7 places a noodle ball Nb on the conveyor device 21. Furthermore, the control device 52 may control the position of the movable part 3 based on the time interval in which the noodle ball forming device 7 places a noodle ball Nb on the conveyor device 21. In other words, the control device 52 may control the position of the movable part 3 after estimating the position of each noodle ball Nb on the conveyor device 21.
[0033] (Noodle ball Nb alignment - operating mode A) Figures 3-7 show a series of operations in which the movable part 3 moves the noodle ball n14 from the first row C1 to the second row C2. The series of operations shown in Figures 3-7 is also referred to as "operation mode A" and is distinguished from operation mode B, which will be described later. The alignment device 1 shown in each of Figures 3-7 progresses in this order of time. For example, Figure 4 shows the alignment device 1 a little time after the state shown in Figure 3. Figures 5-7 show the noodle ball n17, which is noodle ball Nb. Noodle ball n17 is placed on the conveyor device 21 by the noodle ball forming device 7 after noodle ball n16 is placed on the conveyor device 21. Each of the noodle balls n11-n17 moves downstream by the conveyor device 21 as time progresses.
[0034] The positions indicated by the dashed lines L1 and L2 in Figures 3 to 6 are also referred to as the "retraction start position" and the "alignment start position." The control device 52 starts moving the movable part 3 to the right when the downstream end of the noodle ball Nb reaches the retraction start position. That is, the movable part 3 starts moving from the left position to the right. The control device 52 starts moving the movable part 3 to the left when the downstream end of the noodle ball Nb reaches the alignment start position. That is, the movable part 3 starts moving from the right position to the left.
[0035] At the point shown in Figure 4, the downstream end of the noodle ball n14 has reached the retraction start position (i.e., the dashed line L1). Therefore, the control device 52 starts moving the movable part 3 to the right. Next, at the point shown in Figure 5, the downstream end of the noodle ball n14 has reached the alignment start position (i.e., the dashed line L2). More specifically, the movable part 3 has reached the right-side position after the point shown in Figure 4 and before the point shown in Figure 5. After the movable part 3 has reached the right-side position, the noodle ball n14 moves downstream on the left side of the movable plate 31. Then, at the point shown in Figure 5, the noodle ball n14 has reached the alignment start position as described above.
[0036] Therefore, at the time shown in FIG. 5, the control device 52 starts the leftward movement of the movable part 3. Accordingly, the dough ball n14 is moved leftward by the movable plate 31 that moves leftward. The dough ball n14 shown in FIG. 6 is moving downstream by the conveyor device 21 and is being pushed by the movable plate 31 to move leftward.
[0037] At the time shown in FIG. 7, the movable part 3 has reached the left position. Accordingly, the dough ball n14 has moved to the second row C2. Therefore, after the time shown in FIG. 7, the dough ball n13 moves downstream in the second row C2 by the conveyor device 21.
[0038] Although not shown, thereafter, when the downstream end of the dough ball n16 moving downstream in the first row C1 reaches the retreat start position (i.e., the dashed-dotted line L1), the control device 52 starts the rightward movement of the movable part 3. Next, when the downstream end of the dough ball n16 reaches the alignment start position (i.e., the dashed-dotted line L2), the control device 52 starts the leftward movement of the movable part 3. As a result, the dough ball n16 is moved from the first row C1 to the second row C2 in the same manner as the dough ball n14. That is, the control device 52 moves each of the dough balls Nb placed on the first row C1 by the dough ball forming device 7 to the second row C2 by the reciprocating movement in the left-right direction in the movable part 3.
[0039] (Regarding the width of the second row C2) As described above, the second row C2 includes a parallel section, an alignment section, a single-row section, and a downstream section. The widths in the left-right direction of each of the parallel section, the alignment section, and the single-row section in the second row C2 (more specifically, the distance between the surfaces of a pair of partition plates that regulate the movement of the dough ball Nb in the left-right direction) are, as shown in FIG. 7, the width w1, the width w2, the width w3, and the width w4. The width w1, the width w2, the width w3, and the width w4 increase in this order (i.e., w1 < w2 < w3 < w4). In other words, the second row C2 becomes wider toward the downstream.
[0040] If, in the second column C2, there is a portion where the width decreases towards the downstream (also referred to as a "width reduction portion"), the shape of the dough ball Nb may collapse at the width reduction portion. For example, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 8, the movable part 3 at the left end position is closer to the second partition plate 42 than the middle partition plate 43. More specifically, the width w2a of the alignment section in the example of FIG. 8 is smaller than the width w1 (i.e., w2a < w1). That is, the upstream end portion of the movable part 3 shown as the region Ra is the width reduction portion. Therefore, when the dough ball Nb reaches the width reduction portion (i.e., the region Ra), the shape of the dough ball Nb may collapse due to a part of the noodle line constituting the dough ball Nb being caught by the upstream end portion of the movable part 3.
[0041] On the other hand, the alignment device 1 according to the present embodiment does not include a width reduction portion. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the shape of the dough ball Nb moving downstream in the second column C2 from collapsing at the boundary between the parallel section and the alignment section or at the boundary between the alignment section and the single-row section. The surface that reciprocates in the left-right direction in the movable part 3 and constitutes the wall surface of the alignment section is also referred to as a "movable surface". In the alignment device 1, the left side surface of the movable plate 31 and the left side surface of the end face of the movable plate 32 correspond to the movable surface. It can also be said that the movable surface is a surface extending in the transport direction in the alignment section.
[0042] More specifically, the movable surface of the movable part 3 at the left side position is separated from the second partition plate 42 more than the surface on the side of the second partition plate 42 in the middle partition plate 43. In addition, the surface on the side of the second partition plate 42 in the single-row partition plate 44 is separated from the second partition plate 42 more than the movable surface of the movable part 3 at the left side position. Therefore, the width of the alignment section is larger than that of the parallel section and the width of the single-row section is larger than that of the alignment section.
[0043] (Alignment of Dough Ball Nb - Operation Mode B) The "operating mode B" for the alignment device 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 9 to 12. The alignment device 1 shown in Figures 9 to 12 is shown in this order of time progression. When the noodle ball forming device 7 performs the operation of simultaneously placing two noodle balls Nb on the first row C1 and the second row C2 of the conveyor device 21 at predetermined time intervals, the alignment device 1 operates in operating mode B.
[0044] For example, noodle balls n21 to n22, which are noodle balls Nb shown in Figure 9, are placed on the conveyor device 21 simultaneously. However, noodle ball n22, which was placed in the first row C1 by the noodle ball forming device 7, has already been moved to the second row C2 by the movable part 3. Similarly, noodle balls n23 to n24 and noodle balls n25 to n26 are each noodle balls Nb that were placed two at a time on the conveyor device 21 by the noodle ball forming device 7.
[0045] The movable part 3 shown in Figure 9 is located on the left side. In other words, the movable surface functions as the right-side wall in the alignment section. Therefore, noodle ball n23 is moved downstream on the left side of the movable plate 31 by the conveyor device 21. On the other hand, the downstream movement of noodle ball n24 is restricted by the movable plate 32. Consequently, there is a difference in the position of noodle balls n23 to n24 in their respective transport directions.
[0046] Next, when the downstream end of the noodle ball n23 reaches the retraction start position (not shown) in operating mode B, the control device 52 starts moving the movable part 3 to the right. Figure 10 shows that after the movable part 3 reaches the right position, the noodle ball n24 is moving downstream on the left side of the movable plate 31. In other words, the movement of the movable part 3 to the right position allows the noodle ball n24 to move downstream. In other words, the restriction by the movable plate 32 is released.
[0047] Subsequently, when the downstream end of the noodle ball n24 reaches the alignment start position (not shown) in operating mode B, the control device 52 starts moving the movable part 3 to the left. Figure 11 shows the noodle ball n24 moving to the left together with the movable part 3.
[0048] Figure 12 shows the movable part 3 having reached the left-side position. After the movable part 3 reaches the left-side position, the noodle ball n24 shown in Figure 12 moves slightly to the left, separating from the movable plate 31. Figure 12 also shows the noodle balls n27-n28, which are noodle balls Nb that were simultaneously placed on the conveyor device 21 by the noodle ball forming device 7.
[0049] Subsequently, noodle balls n26 and n28 are moved from the first row C1 to the second row C2 by the movable part 3. More specifically, since the downstream movement of noodle balls n26 and n28 is temporarily restricted by the movable plate 32, there is a difference in their position in the transport direction compared to noodle balls n25 and n27. Furthermore, noodle balls n26 and n28 are moved from the first row C1 to the second row C2 by the movable plate 31 at a position upstream of noodle balls n25 and n27.
[0050] As explained above, when the movable part 3 moves from the right position (i.e., the first position) to the left position (i.e., the second position), the noodle balls Nb that were placed in the first row C1 are moved to the second row C2. On the other hand, when the movable part 3 is in the left position, the movable surface of the movable part 3, together with the second partition plate 42, forms the second row C2 (more specifically, the alignment section). In other words, the movable part 3 moves the noodle balls Nb placed in the first row C1 to the second row C2, while also functioning as a side wall in the alignment section for the noodle balls Nb placed in the second row C2. Therefore, with the alignment device 1, the movement of the noodle balls Nb to the right in the alignment section is restricted by the movable surface, thus preventing damage to the shape of the noodle balls Nb due to unexpected movement (especially movement to the right).
[0051] In addition, as explained with reference to Figure 7, the alignment device 1 did not include any sections where the width was reduced. That is, the parallel section, alignment section, single-row section, and downstream section were wider as they moved downstream (i.e., in the transport direction). Therefore, damage to the shape of the noodle balls Nb (which have been aligned by the noodle ball forming device 7) is suppressed as the noodle balls Nb move in the transport direction.
[0052] Furthermore, since the movable part 3 has a movable plate 32 in addition to the movable plate 31, it is possible to temporarily restrict the downstream movement of the noodle balls Nb in the first row C1. Therefore, the alignment device 1 can perform operation mode B in addition to operation mode A.
[0053] In addition, when operating mode A is in operation, if the time between the placement of noodle balls Nb in the second row C2 and the placement of noodle balls Nb in the first row C1 is shorter than the expected time, the downstream movement of the noodle balls Nb placed in the first row C1 is temporarily restricted by the movable plate 32. Therefore, the alignment device 1 can stably supply the noodle balls Nb aligned in a single row to the packaging device via the conveyor device 62.
[0054] Furthermore, the surface that temporarily restricts the downstream movement of the noodle balls Nb placed on the first row C1 in the movable part 3 is also referred to as the "orthogonal surface." The orthogonal surface is the upstream surface of the movable plate 32. The orthogonal surface can also be described as a surface that is on the opposite side of the transport direction from the movable surface and extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the transport direction. That is, the angle between the orthogonal surface and the movable surface is approximately 90°. The orthogonal surface can also be described as a surface that is approximately perpendicular to the transport direction.
[0055] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications, substitutions, and improvements are possible without departing from the object of the present invention. For example, the first row C1 was on the right and the second row C2 was on the left with respect to the transport direction of the conveyor device 21. Alternatively, the first row C1 may be on the left and the second row C2 may be on the right. In this case, the left end position of the movable part 3 becomes the first position, and the right end position becomes the second position.
[0056] In addition, the movable part 3 had movable plates 31-32 arranged at approximately right angles to each other. That is, the surfaces of the movable plates 31-32 facing the second partition plate 42 constituted the movable surface, and the surface on the upstream side of the movable plate 32 constituted the orthogonal surface. Alternatively, the movable part 3 may have a rectangular parallelepiped having a movable surface and an orthogonal surface. That is, in this case, one of the surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped is the movable surface, and one of the other surfaces is the orthogonal surface.
[0057] The conveyor device 21 was a belt conveyor having an endless belt. Alternatively, the conveyor device 21 may be a conveyor device without an endless belt. For example, the conveyor device 21 may be a conveyor device having multiple roller conveyors. In this case, the roller conveyors may each be motor rollers rotated by an electric motor. In addition, the conveyor device 21 may be composed of multiple conveyor devices arranged adjacent to each other in the direction of transport. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0058] 1...Noodle ball alignment device, 21...Conveyor device 3...Movable part, 31-32...Movable plate, 33-34...Rod 41...First partition plate, 42...Second partition plate, 43...Middle partition plate, 44...Single-row partition plate 5...Position control unit, 51...Motor, 52...Control device 61-62...Conveyor device, 7...Noodle ball forming device, 81-82...Downstream partition plate Nb, n11~n17, n21~n28...Noodle balls
Claims
1. A noodle ball alignment device, A conveyor device for transporting noodle balls in the transport direction, each having a first partition plate, a second partition plate, and an intermediate partition plate erected relative to the conveyor device, and a movable part, The conveyor device is Each includes a parallel section that extends in the transport direction and in which the first and second rows are parallel, and an aligned section that is on the transport direction side of the parallel section, The first partition plate and the middle partition plate are, Each extends in the direction of transport within the parallel section to form the first row. The aforementioned second partition plate is, The second row in the parallel section extends beyond the parallel section in the transport direction and is formed together with the partition plate. The aforementioned movable part is The alignment section has a movable surface that extends in the transport direction, The aforementioned movable surface is By moving from the first position to the second position, the noodle balls in the first row are moved to the second row. A noodle ball aligning device that, when in the second position, forms the second row in the alignment section together with the second partition plate.
2. A noodle ball alignment device according to claim 1, The movable surface in the second position is A noodle ball alignment device wherein the intermediate partition plate is spaced further away from the second partition plate than the surface of the intermediate partition plate on the side of the second partition plate.
3. A noodle ball alignment device according to claim 1 or claim 2, The conveyor device has a single row of partition plates erected on it, The conveyor device is It extends in the transport direction and is located on the transport direction side with respect to the alignment section, and includes a single-row section in which the second row is formed by the second partition plate and the single-row partition plate, The surface of the single-row partition plate on the side of the second partition plate is, A noodle ball alignment device, wherein the second partition plate is spaced further apart from the movable surface at the second position.
4. A noodle ball alignment device according to claim 1, The aforementioned movable part is The movable surface has an orthogonal surface that is on the opposite side of the transport direction from the transport direction and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction, The orthogonal surfaces are A noodle ball aligning device that restricts the movement of the noodle balls in the first row in the transport direction when the movable surface is in the second position.