JPH11169275A - Circulating conveying path for feeding food and drink - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circulating conveying path for feeding food and drink that can efficiently cope with the increase/decrease of eating and drinking clients. SOLUTION: At least two endless circulating conveying parts that can be independently operated are provided in such a way that the respective turn-around parts are in proximity to each other. The turn-around parts are provided with a transfer means 5 for transferring food and drink, or food and drink containers 4 conveyed on the respective circulating conveying parts 1a, 1b, mutually to the other adjacent circulating conveying parts 1b, 1a. A plurality of circulating conveying parts 1a, 1b form one circulating conveying path 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a circulation type transport path for transporting foods and the like, particularly sushi, etc., and supplying the foods to the customers. It relates to a mold conveying path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A circulating transport path for transporting food and drink, which is conventionally formed in an endless shape, is provided along a dining table such as a counter, and a dish on which food, for example, sushi, etc. is placed. The food and beverage counter of the circulation transport type on which a container such as a container is placed and transported, can be eaten and / or cooked without the food or drinker moving, and the food or drinker can take his or her desired food while sitting at the seat. It is widely used because you can eat and drink while choosing products.

[0003]

However, in these circulation-type transport paths, it is necessary to provide a long eating and drinking counter having a large number of seats in order for many eating and drinking customers to eat and drink at the same time. Accompanying, it is necessary to lengthen the path of the circulation transport path, but when using these long transport paths, in a situation where the number of food and beverages is reduced,
Food and beverages are transported more than necessary on the transport path, and there are problems such as that the foods are dried and the freshness is reduced, and foreign substances are easily attached.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, a method has been proposed in which a bypass path 5 'is formed in the path of the transport path 1' to make the path length of the transport path 1 variable. In the method of (1), it is necessary to always operate the transport path portion that does not circulate food and drink, which is uneconomical.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a food supply / circulation transport path capable of efficiently coping with an increase or decrease in the number of eating and drinking customers. Aim.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a food and beverage supply circulating transport path that includes an endless circulating transport section that can operate independently. At least two are provided so as to be close to each other, and the folded portion is provided with a transfer means for transferring food or a food container conveyed on each circulation-type conveyance unit to another circulation-type conveyance unit adjacent to each other. The plurality of circulating transport sections form one circulating transport path. According to this feature, since a single circulation-type transport path is formed by a plurality of circulation-type transport units that can be operated independently of each other, when the number of food and beverages is reduced, etc. The circulation type conveyance unit can be stopped, and efficient operation can be performed, which is economical.

[0007] In the circulating transport path for food and drink supply of the present invention, it is preferable that the transport speed of each of the circulating transport sections is set to be substantially the same. In this way, it is possible to prevent the food or the food container being conveyed from being concentrated on a specific circulation-type conveyance unit.

In the circulating transport path for supplying food and drink according to the present invention, the transport means has a removable or retractable trajectory change plate provided at a transport port which is transported to another adjacent circulating transport section. Is preferred. In this way, by arranging the course changing plate at a predetermined position of the transfer port as needed, food or food containers can be transferred along the course changing plate, and a simple mechanism is used. A transfer section can be formed.

In the circulating transport path for food and drink supply according to the present invention, the transfer means has a plurality of rollers for connecting the folded portion of one circulating transport portion and the folded portion of the other circulating transport portion to each other. Is preferred. According to this configuration, a plurality of rollers can be arranged in close proximity along the folded portion having the curvature of each of the circulation-type transport units, so that the food or the food or drink can be placed on the roller with less friction. The object containers can be transferred, and smooth transfer can be performed.

[0010] In the food and drink supply circulating transport path according to the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of rollers are driven so as to rotate in the same direction in the transport direction. With this configuration, the driving speed of the roller can be stabilized by driving the roller, so that stable transfer can be performed.

In the circulating transport path for supplying food and drink according to the present invention, the rollers for transporting food and drink or food containers in opposite directions are driven by one drive motor by a reversing gear to rotate in the opposite direction. It is preferable that it is performed. In this way, each roller provided between the circulation type transport units and transporting food or drink in the opposite direction can be driven by one drive motor.

[0012] In the circulating transport path for supplying food and drink according to the present invention, it is preferable that the transport speed of the transport means is equal to or slightly higher than the transport speed of the circulating transport unit. With this configuration, the food or the food container is not stagnated in the transfer unit provided between the folded portions of the circulation type transport unit.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top view showing the shape of the circulating transport path for supplying food and drink according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a top view showing details of a transfer unit used in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the transfer unit used in the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a driving mechanism of a transfer unit used in the present embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the food and drink supply circulating conveyance path is formed endless, and two L-shaped circulating conveyance sections 1a and 1b are provided at one end thereof. The folded portion is provided in proximity to and is arranged so as to have a U-shape as a whole, and a part thereof is made to pass through the kitchen, and is transported around a transport path other than the kitchen. A dining table 2 and a chair 3 are provided along the road, and various kinds of sushi, which are food, are placed on a sushi plate 4, which is a food container, and are put into the kitchen, and are conveyed and supplied to the customers. It has become.

The circulating transport path 1 arranged in a U-shape as described above.
In recent years, the shape has become widely used because more food and drink can be accommodated in a limited store space.

As shown in FIG. 2, a transfer path 5a composed of a plurality of rubber rollers 6a and 6b driven and rotated in the same direction is provided between the folded portions provided close to each other.
5b, and a transfer unit 5 which is made of a detachable course changing plate 7 for changing the course of the sushi plate 4 conveyed on each of the circulation conveyance units 1a and 1b.
The sushi plate 4 is transferred from a, 1b to another transfer section 1b, 1a so that the entire sushi plate 4 forms a single circulating transfer path.

Each of the circulating transport sections 1a and 1b is driven and operated by an independent driving device (not shown) in order to be able to operate independently. 1b, the driving speed is the same, the supplied power is supplied from the same power source,
The transport speeds are set to be substantially the same.

The structure of the transfer section 5 used in this embodiment is as shown in FIG. 3, and the rubber rollers 6a and 6b having different lengths are arranged in the respective circulating transfer sections 1.
The rubber rollers 6a, 6b are provided horizontally along a curved portion of the folded portions a, 1b so as to be connected to the folded portions of the circulating / conveying portions 1a, 1b. A drive gear 11 is provided at one end, and a transmission gear 8 for transmitting a driving force is provided between the respective drive gears 11 so that the respective rubber rollers 6a and 6b make the same rotation. When the driving rubber rollers 6a 'and 6b' in the substantially central portion are driven, the driving force is transmitted to the other rubber rollers 6a and 6b, and the rubber rollers 6a and 6b rotate in a certain direction, and the rubber rollers 6a and 6b are rotated.
The sushi plate 4 is conveyed over b, transferred to another circulating conveyance unit, and discharged.

These driving rubber rollers 6a ', 6a
As shown in FIG. 4, b ′ is driven by a drive shaft 12 driven by a common drive motor 9 via a drive belt 10, as shown in FIG. At one end, a reversing gear 13 is provided, and the connecting gear 1 is rotatably driven by the reversing gear 13.
4, the driving rubber roller 6b 'is driven, and each of the rubber rollers 6a, 6b of each of the transfer paths 5a, 5b is driven.
b rotates in the opposite direction.

The rotation speed of each of the rubber rollers is changed by the sushi plate 4 being conveyed abutting against the course changing plate 7 to change the course thereof, and the rubber rollers 6a, 6b of the transfer paths 5a, 5b.
Since the sushi plate 4 is discharged onto the transfer portion 5 from the circulating transfer portions 1a and 1b, the sushi plate 4 does not stay in the portion discharged from the circulating transfer portions 1a and 1b. The rotation of the drive motor 9 is set so as to be slightly faster than the transport speed of the transport units 1a and 1b.

In the following, the operation of the food and drink supply circulation transport path of the present embodiment will be described. In a situation where there are many food and drinks at busy times, the above-mentioned transfer unit 5 is operated and each of the circulation transport units 1a, 1b is used in combination.

In a situation where the number of food and beverages is reduced, by removing the detachable course changing plate,
The sushi plate 4 is circulated and conveyed only in one of the circulation conveyance sections 1a or 1b, and the other circulation conveyance section 1a or 1b can be stopped, so that not only the driving power can be saved, but also the sushi dish 4 can be saved. By doing so, it becomes possible to perform cleaning or the like by alternately suspending the respective circulating transport units 1a or 1b, thereby improving maintainability.

In the busiest time, the transfer unit 5
, The circulating transport units 1a and 1b are operated independently, and the sushi is put into each of the circulating transport units 1a and 1b in the kitchen and provided to the customers, thereby obtaining the food and drinks. The empty space on the transport path where the sushi was placed can be returned to the kitchen as soon as possible, and the supply of sushi to food and drink can be improved, and the kitchen that is the sushi input section It will be possible to supply enough sushi to even the farthest dining customers.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to this, and changes and additions may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
It goes without saying that the present invention is included.

In the above-described embodiment, the transfer is performed by the roller as the transfer unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other transfer devices such as a slide plate, a rubber belt, and a transfer robot may be used. When a slide plate or the like is used, a suitable height difference may be provided between the transfer port and the discharge port so that food and drink or food containers slide.

Further, in the above embodiment, two circulating transport sections are connected, but the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more circulating transport sections may be provided.

In this embodiment, the course change plate 7 is
Although it is removable, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is arranged at a predetermined position in conjunction with the operation of the transfer unit 5 and stored in conjunction with the suspension of the transfer unit 5 Is also good.

In this embodiment, sushi and a sushi plate are used as food and drink and a food and drink container. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Food such as dim sum may be used.

[0030]

The present invention has the following effects.

(A) According to the first aspect of the present invention, since one circulation-type transport path is formed by a plurality of circulation-type transport units that can operate independently of each other, food and drink In the case of a decrease, the circulating transport unit can be appropriately stopped, and efficient operation becomes possible, which is economical.

(B) According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the food or the food container being conveyed from being concentrated on a specific circulation-type conveyance unit.

(C) According to the third aspect of the invention, the food or beverage container is transported along the course change plate by disposing the course change plate at a predetermined position of the transfer port as necessary. As a result, the transfer section can be formed by a simple mechanism.

(D) According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of rollers can be arranged close to each other along a turn-back portion having a curvature of each of the circulation-type transport portions, The food or the food container is transported on the roller with less friction, so that the transport can be performed smoothly.

(E) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by driving the roller, the transfer speed can be made constant, and stable transfer can be performed.

(F) According to the invention of claim 6, each roller provided between the circulation-type transport sections for transporting food or beverage containers in the opposite direction is connected to one drive motor. Can be driven.

(G) According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the food or the food container is not stagnated in the transfer section provided between the folded sections of the circulation type transport section.

[0038]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing the shape of a food and drink supply circulating transport path according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing a transfer section of a food and drink supply circulating conveyance path according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a transfer section of a food and drink supply circulating conveyance path according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a drive mechanism of a transfer unit of the food and drink supply circulating conveyance path in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing a food and beverage supply circulation transport path having a conventional bypass path.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Circulation conveyance path 1a Circulation conveyance part 1b Circulation conveyance part 2 Eating table 3 Chair 4 Sushi dish 5 Transfer part 5a Transfer path 5b Transfer path 6 Rubber roller 6a Rubber roller 6b Rubber roller 6a 'Driving rubber roller 6b' Driving rubber roller 7 Track change plate 8 Transmission gear Reference Signs List 9 drive motor 10 drive belt 11 drive gear 12 drive shaft 13 reversing gear 14 connecting gear

Claims (7)

[Claims] At least two endlessly circulating transport units that can be operated independently are provided so that their folded portions are close to each other, and the folded portions are transported on each of the circulating transport units. Transfer means for transferring the food or the food container to the other adjacent circulating-type transfer units,
The plurality of circulating transport sections form one circulating transport path. 2. The food and drink supply circulation conveyance path according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance speed of each of the circulation type conveyance units is set to be substantially the same. 3. The transporting means according to claim 1, wherein said transporting means has a removable or retractable course changing plate provided at a transporting port for transporting to another adjacent circulation type transporting unit. A circulation conveyance path for supplying food and drink according to the above. 4. The food and drink product according to claim 3, wherein said transfer means has a plurality of rollers for connecting a folded portion of one of the circulating transport units and a folded portion of the other circulating transport unit to each other. Circulation transport path for supply. 5. The food and drink supply circulation transport path according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of rollers are driven so as to rotate in the same direction in the transport direction. 6. The roller for transporting food or drink in the opposite direction to one another is driven to rotate in the opposite direction by one drive motor by a reversing gear. A circulation transport path for supplying food and drink according to Item. 7. The transfer speed of the transfer means is equal to or slightly higher than the transfer speed of the circulating transfer unit.
7. The food and drink supply circulating transport path according to any one of claims 6 to 6.