Vacuum suction pad

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a vacuum suction pad capable of reliable and stable suction regardless of the shape and orientation of an egg. As the means for solving the problem, the present invention is a vacuum suction pad (10) that suctions a prescribed egg (E), is formed in a cylindrical shape, and can expand and contract along the direction of an axis (12) of the cylindrical shape. The vacuum suction pad comprises: a first contact part (16) that is formed as an opening (14) and has a first tapered shape; a second contact part (18) that is formed closer to an intake side than the first contact part (16) and has a second tapered shape; and a first bellows part (20) that is formed between the first contact part and the second contact part and protrudes outward. The maximum diameter (X1) of the first contact part (16) is 0.6-1.2 times the lateral dimension of the egg (E), the maximum diameter (X3) of the second contact part (18) is smaller than the minimum diameter (X2) of the first contact part (16) and 0.3-0.7 times the lateral dimension of the egg (E), and the egg (E) is suctioned by the first contact part (16) and the second contact part (18).

Description

Vacuum suction pad

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum suction pad.

[0002] Various suction means for transporting eggs are known. As an example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-20885) discloses a suction pad for sucking quail eggs. The outline of the suction pad is as follows.

[0003] That is, the suction pad disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a bellows, and the inner diameter of the bellows is formed to be smaller than the suction diameter of the suction pad. Further, the inner diameter, suction diameter, and suction port opening angle of the bellows are variously defined. The suction pad is used in combination with a robot hand or a vacuum source, and can suck a quail egg in an inverted state (a state in which a curved surface with a large curvature faces upward).

[0004] Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-20885

[0005] Taking eggs other than quail eggs as an example, in the case of chicken eggs, it is said that the horizontal dimension in the front view of a chicken egg in a upright state is about 38.9 mm to 45.8 mm, and the vertical dimension is about 52.4 mm to 62.4 mm. However, at the time of sorting, classification into several stages such as SS to LL is made not by the shape of the chicken egg but by the weight. In other words, in a general suction conveyance line, eggs of various shapes (that is, shapes with various horizontal dimensions and vertical dimensions) may be mixed.

[0006] Further, although the suction pad in Patent Document 1 assumes the case of sucking an egg in an inverted state from above, in reality, there are cases where eggs in a tilted state or an upright state must be sucked from above.

[0007] However, known suction pads such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot cope with eggs having different shapes and postures, and suction failures (including cases where suction cannot be performed and cases where the eggs detach / fall from the suction pad after suction and break) have occurred. That is, there has been a demand for a vacuum suction pad that can be surely and stably sucked regardless of the shape and posture of the eggs.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and aims to provide a vacuum suction pad that can reliably and stably adsorb any egg (especially a quail, chicken, or duck egg) regardless of its shape and orientation.

[0009] The present invention solves the above problem by a solution described below as one embodiment.

[0010] In other words, the disclosed vacuum suction pad is a vacuum suction pad for adsorbing quail, chicken, or duck eggs, formed in a cylindrical shape, and expandable and contractible along the axial direction of the cylindrical shape, comprising: a first contact portion formed as an opening and having a first tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the intake side; a second contact portion formed on the intake side of the first contact portion and having a second tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the intake side; and one or more first bellows portions formed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion and protruding outward, wherein the maximum diameter of the first contact portion is formed to be 0.6 to 1.2 times the lateral dimension of the egg, and the maximum diameter of the second contact portion is formed to be smaller than the minimum diameter of the first contact portion and 0.3 to 0.7 times the lateral dimension of the egg, and the requirement is that the egg is adsorbed by bringing either the first contact portion or the second contact portion into contact with the egg.

[0011] According to the above embodiment, eggs of quail, chicken, or duck, which are the target of adsorption, can be reliably and stably adsorbed regardless of their shape and orientation.

[0012] Figure 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a vacuum suction pad in each embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2A to 2D are explanatory diagrams showing the expansion and contraction states of the vacuum suction pad in Figure 1 when it adsorbs an egg in each position. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the specifications of the egg that is the object of adsorption in each embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front cross-sectional view of the vacuum suction pad 10 in each embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2A to 2D are explanatory diagrams showing the expansion and contraction state of the vacuum suction pad 10 when it adsorbs an egg E in each position in each embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A is an explanatory diagram when an upright egg E is adsorbed, Figure 2B is an explanatory diagram when an inverted egg E is adsorbed, Figure 2C is an explanatory diagram when an inverted egg E is adsorbed at a predetermined angle, and Figure 2D is an explanatory diagram when an upright egg E is adsorbed at a 90-degree angle. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the specifications of the egg to be adsorbed in each embodiment of the present invention. In all the figures used to explain each embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for members having the same function, and repeated explanations may be omitted.

[0014] First, the object to be adsorbed in each embodiment is a quail, chicken, or duck egg. In addition, while it is assumed that the egg in each embodiment is in a dry state, it is not limited to this, and may have liquid foreign matter such as egg liquid or oil, or solid foreign matter such as feces, feed, or dried egg liquid attached to it. Furthermore, the egg in each embodiment may be in an unprocessed state (e.g., a raw egg) or a processed state (e.g., a boiled egg). Moreover, the object to be adsorbed may be a workpiece with a curved shape such as a sphere or an egg shape.

[0015] Furthermore, the specifications of the egg in each embodiment are defined as follows: As shown in Figure 3, the curved surface with small curvature (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "upper part") is oriented upward (upward on the paper), and the curved surface with large curvature (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "lower part") is oriented downward (downward on the paper), and the position in which it is symmetrical is called the upright position. The maximum dimension in the left-right direction (left-right direction on the paper) when viewing the egg in the upright position from the front is called the horizontal dimension, and the maximum dimension in the up-down direction (up-down direction on the paper) is called the vertical dimension. The state inverted from the upright position is called the inverted position.

[0016] Furthermore, the shape (i.e., width and length) and weight of the eggs in each embodiment are not particularly limited, but the general reference values ​​for the shape and weight of various eggs are as follows: For quail eggs, the reference values ​​are approximately width: 2.54 cm, length: 3.175 cm, and weight: 9 g to 11 g. For chicken eggs, the reference values ​​are approximately width: 3.89 cm to 4.58 cm, length: 5.24 cm to 6.24 cm, weight (SS): 40 g to 46 g, weight (S): 46 g to 53 g, weight (MS): 52 g to 58 g, weight (M): 58 g to 64 g, weight (L): 64 g to 70 g, and weight (LL): 70 g to 76 g. For duck eggs, the reference values ​​are approximately width: 4.4 cm, length: 6.5 cm, and weight: 70 g to 90 g.

[0017] Next, the vacuum suction pad 10 in each embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 1, the vacuum suction pad 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is expandable and contractible along the cylindrical axis 12, and is designed to adsorb the quail, chicken, or duck egg E mentioned above. However, the vacuum suction pad 10 is configured to correspond to one of the quail, chicken, or duck eggs E, and is not configured to correspond to all types of eggs.

[0018] Furthermore, the vacuum suction pad 10 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape with a height of several centimeters and a wall thickness of several millimeters using a resin material (for example, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, polyurethane, or a special material for high temperatures). As will be described later, the vacuum suction pad 10 has bellows sections and contact sections, so it is not formed with a fixed inner and outer diameter, and the wall thickness can be changed according to the shape of each part.

[0019] Furthermore, the vacuum suction pad 10 is connected to an intake source (vacuum source) 50 via a tube (air passage) by means of a screw mechanism or fitting, for example. In each embodiment, the vacuum suction pad 10 is used by connecting the fitting 30 to the intake port 28 side opposite to the opening 14 side. An annular (circular) recess 28a is formed on the inner surface of the intake port 28 and engages with the annular (circular) protrusion 30a of the fitting 30. Furthermore, the fitting 30 is connected to a robot hand or the like (not shown) and communicates with the intake source (vacuum source) 50 via an air passage 40. The intake source (vacuum source) 50 is equipped with, for example, a switching valve (solenoid valve), a pressure regulating device, and a vacuum pump (none of which are shown), and can attract eggs by generating negative pressure or release eggs by supplying air. More specifically, by operating a robot hand or the like while the intake source (vacuum source) 50 generates negative pressure, the opening 14 of the vacuum suction pad 10 is brought into contact with the egg E, thereby enabling the egg E to be adsorbed.

[0020] Furthermore, as another example, the vacuum suction pads 10 are used in a configuration in which multiple vacuum suction pads 10 are inserted into a case (not shown) made of resin material or the like, which is connected to an intake source (vacuum source) 50 via a tube (air passage), allowing for simultaneous piping. More specifically, the case may have multiple vacuum suction pads 10 inserted in a 2x5 arrangement. In addition, the case is connected to a robot hand or the like (not shown). The intake source (vacuum source) 50 generates negative pressure inside the case (i.e., the multiple vacuum suction pads 10 inserted into the case), and by driving the robot hand or the like, multiple eggs E can be transported simultaneously to a packaging container.

[0021] The negative pressure from the intake source (vacuum source) 50 is not particularly limited, but considering the weight of the egg E and the hardness of the eggshell, it is preferably -90 kPa to -10 kPa.

[0022] The vacuum suction pad 10 includes a first contact portion 16 formed as an opening 14 and having a first tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the intake side, a second contact portion 18 formed on the intake side of the first contact portion 16 and having a second tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the intake side, and one or more first bellows sections 20 formed between the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 and protruding outward. The vacuum suction pad 10 is configured to adsorb an egg E by bringing the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 into contact with the egg E. At least the first bellows section 20 is configured to deform (contract) by a predetermined distance when the first contact portion 16 is brought into contact with the egg E, but the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 may be configured to deform (curve) or to maintain their rigidity.

[0023] Although egg E has a shape that becomes smaller in diameter towards the height direction in any orientation, the above configuration allows the vacuum suction pad 10 to contact egg E in two stages by the contact parts 16 and 18.

[0024] Incidentally, if there is no variation in the shape and orientation of the egg (for example, a standard egg in an upright position), and suction is performed in one stage, suction can be performed by using a suction pad that follows the contour of the top of the egg. However, when suction is performed in two stages regardless of the shape and orientation of the egg, the situation is more complex, and known suction pads frequently resulted in suction failures. As a result of diligent research by the inventors, they have found a configuration for the vacuum suction pad 10 described above that allows for reliable and stable suction in two stages, regardless of the shape of the egg E. Specifically, in the vacuum suction pad 10 when the egg E is not being suctioned (i.e., in an unused state), the maximum diameter X1 of the first contact portion 16 is formed to be 0.6 to 1.2 times the lateral dimension of the egg E, and the maximum diameter X3 of the second contact portion 18 is smaller in diameter than the maximum diameter X1 of the first contact portion 16 and is formed to be 0.3 to 0.7 times the lateral dimension of the egg E. This enables reliable and stable two-stage adsorption to quail, chicken, and duck eggs.

[0025] Furthermore, the first tapered shape of the first contact portion 16 is preferably formed with an opening angle θ1 of 40° to 70°, and the second tapered shape of the second contact portion 18 is preferably formed with an opening angle θ2 of 25° to 55°. With these configurations, even more reliable and stable adsorption can be achieved.

[0026] Furthermore, it is preferable that the minimum diameter X2 of the first contact portion 16 is formed to be 0.6 to 1.0 times the lateral dimension of the egg E, and the minimum diameter X4 of the second contact portion 18 is formed to be 0.2 to 0.7 times. With these configurations, even more reliable and stable adsorption can be achieved.

[0027] Furthermore, it is preferable that the first bellows section 20 is configured to be expandable and contractible along the axis 12 direction by a distance of 0.1 to 0.3 times the lateral dimension of the egg E. With this configuration, the relative position of the second contact section 18 with respect to the first contact section 16 is appropriately adjusted, and more reliable and stable adsorption can be achieved.

[0028] The vacuum suction pad 10 is provided with one or more second bellows sections 22 formed on the intake side of the second contact section 18 and protruding outward, and it is preferable that the second bellows sections 22 are configured to be expandable and contractible along the axis 12 direction by a distance equal to the height of the egg E minus the height Y1 of the first contact section 16 in at least one of the positions. Specifically, the vacuum suction pad 10 in each embodiment is provided with two second bellows sections 22, and the two second bellows sections 22 as a whole are configured to be expandable and contractible along the axis 12 direction by a distance equal to the height of the egg E minus the height Y1 of the first contact section 16 in at least one of the positions. With the above configuration, vibration of the vacuum suction pad 10 when the egg E is adsorbed can be prevented, and the egg E can be prevented from detaching or falling.

[0029] Furthermore, multiple protrusions 24, 26 may be formed on the inner surface of each second bellows section 22 along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical shape. In each embodiment, approximately 4 to 8 protrusions 24 are formed on the inner surface of the lower second bellows section 22 along the circumferential direction, and approximately 4 to 8 protrusions 26 are formed on the inner surface of the upper second bellows section 22 along the circumferential direction. Eggs may have liquid foreign matter such as egg fluid or oil attached to them, but with the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the bellows sections from sticking together when eggs are adsorbed.

[0030] Next, the deformation (expansion and contraction) state of the vacuum suction pad 10 when an egg is adsorbed by the vacuum suction pad 10 in each embodiment will be described in detail.

[0031] (Example in an upright position) First, Figure 2A shows the deformation (expansion and contraction) state of the vacuum suction pad 10 when an upright egg is adsorbed from above (hereinafter referred to as upper adsorption). In the case of upper adsorption, the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 come into contact with the upper contour of the egg E, and the first bellows portion 20 and the second bellows portion 22 contract. Note that in upper adsorption, the contraction distance of the second bellows portion 22 can be maximized when the cylindrical axis 12 and the axis of the egg E coincide (i.e., it contracts by a distance equal to the height of the egg E minus Y1).

[0032] (Example of inverted state) Next, Figure 2B shows the deformation (expansion and contraction) state of the vacuum suction pad 10 when an inverted egg is adsorbed from above (hereinafter referred to as bottom adsorption). In the case of bottom adsorption, the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 also contact the lower contour of the egg E. Also, in the inverted state, as in the upright state, the vertical height of the egg is at its maximum, so the second bellows portion 22 contracts to approximately the same distance as in the upright state (i.e., it contracts by the distance obtained by subtracting Y1 from the height of the egg E). On the other hand, since the curvature of the lower part of the egg is greater than the curvature of the upper part, the contraction distance of the first bellows portion 20 is shorter than in the case of top adsorption.

[0033] (Example of inclined state) Next, Figure 2C shows the deformation (expansion and contraction) state of the vacuum suction pad 10 when an egg in an inclined state is adsorbed from above (hereinafter referred to as inclined adsorption). In the case of inclined adsorption, the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 also come into contact with the upper or lower contour of the egg E. Also, since the vertical height of the egg is smaller compared to the upright and inverted states, the second bellows portion 22 contracts a smaller distance than in the upright and inverted states. Furthermore, the first contact portion 16, the second contact portion 18, and the first bellows portion 20 deform differently depending on the adsorption point on the egg E, but the second bellows portion 22 deforms substantially uniformly in the vertical direction.

[0034] (Example of a 90° tilted state) Finally, Figure 2D shows the deformation (expansion and contraction) state of the vacuum suction pad 10 when an egg is suctioned from above (hereinafter referred to as lateral suction) when it is tilted 90° from an upright (or inverted) state. In the case of lateral suction, the first contact portion 16 and the second contact portion 18 also contact the upper and lower contours of the egg. Also, since the vertical height of the egg is minimized, the second bellows portion 22 contracts to the minimum extent. Furthermore, since the curvature of the egg E is also minimized, it is necessary to expand the diameter of the first contact portion 16, so the first bellows portion 20 contracts to the maximum extent.

[0035] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum suction pad for adsorbing quail, chicken, or duck eggs, formed in a cylindrical shape, and expandable and contractible along the axial direction of the cylindrical shape, comprising: a first contact portion formed as an opening and having a first tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the intake side; a second contact portion formed on the intake side of the first contact portion and having a second tapered shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the intake side; and one or more first bellows sections formed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion and protruding outward, wherein the maximum diameter of the first contact portion is formed to be 0.6 to 1.2 times the lateral dimension of the egg, and the maximum diameter of the second contact portion is formed to be smaller than the minimum diameter of the first contact portion and 0.3 to 0.7 times the lateral dimension of the egg, and the vacuum suction pad is characterized by adsorbing the egg by bringing either the first contact portion or the second contact portion into contact with the egg.

2. The vacuum suction pad according to claim 1, characterized in that the first tapered shape is formed with an opening angle of 40° to 70°.

3. The vacuum suction pad according to claim 2, characterized in that the second tapered shape is formed with an opening angle of 25° to 55°.

4. The vacuum suction pad according to claim 3, characterized in that the minimum diameter of the first contact portion is formed to be 0.6 to 1.0 times the lateral dimension of the egg.

5. The vacuum suction pad according to claim 4, characterized in that the minimum diameter of the second contact portion is formed to be 0.2 to 0.7 times the lateral dimension of the egg.

6. The vacuum suction pad according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first bellows portion is configured to be expandable and contractible in the axial direction by a distance of 0.1 to 0.3 times the lateral dimension of the egg.

7. The vacuum suction pad according to claim 6, further comprising one or more second bellows sections formed on the intake side of the second contact section and protruding outward, wherein the second bellows sections are configured to expand and contract along the axial direction by a distance equal to the difference between the height of the egg and the height of the first contact section in at least one of the positions.

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