TW201906765A - Food product holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

This food product holding device is a holding device of a food product in which a food product main body is accommodated in a bag body. The food product holding device is provided with a plurality of pairs of holding members configured in such a way as to hold top portions of each of a plurality of food product bag bodies, which are overlapped in prescribed positions in a prescribed direction, by sandwiching the same in the prescribed direction, wherein two pairs of the holding members that are adjacent to one another in the prescribed direction are in different positions in a direction orthogonal to the prescribed direction.

Description

 Food holder  

The present invention relates to a food holding device.

Generally, in the production line of foods such as rice balls and sandwiches, the prepared food is put into a container and then shipped to a retail store such as a convenience store. Therefore, from the viewpoint of transportation cost and the like, it is preferable to load the food into the container with a high storage efficiency, but the current situation is difficult to achieve automation and relies on manual operation. Such a food is easily deformed, and once it is deformed by an external force, it does not return to its original shape even if the external force is removed. Therefore, if the food is deformed by an external force when the food is dropped, the value of the product is impaired due to the deformation of the food. As a result, there is an increase in the ratio of defective products, which leads to a decline in work efficiency.

In the past, there were devices capable of holding a plurality of foods. For example, the packaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 adsorbs and holds each food (cucumber) placed on the front side and the rear side of each of the two aligned trays by each adsorption pad, and the foods (cucumber) are placed. Thereafter, the end portion is supported in a posture inclined slightly downward. Thereafter, each of the foods (cucumber) on the preceding side and the long-side end portions of the foods (cucumbers) on the downstream side are adsorbed and held by the respective adsorption pads to be stacked. Moreover, the packaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 suspends a plurality of foods (rice balls) upward by the adsorption unit, moves the lifted food to a predetermined packing position, and then lowers it, and releases the adsorbed and loaded. Into the box. As another conventional technique, Patent Document 3 discloses a robot hand that holds a plurality of foods fed from a previous process by a conveying means such as a belt conveyor and transfers them to the next process. The robot is provided with a frame having a long direction in one of the upper portions, and a plurality of gripping pillars fixed to the bottom plate are vertically disposed at equal intervals below the frame, and workpiece gripping is provided at the lower end of each of the gripping pillars. With.

[Previous Technical Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-71404

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-251702

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-198871

However, the packing device of Patent Document 1 can hold only two foods (cucumber) at a time. Therefore, it is assumed that when the food package such as rice balls and sandwiches is put into a container by the packing device, there is a drop in productivity.

Further, although the packaging device of Patent Document 2 and the robot of Patent Document 3 can hold two or more (six) foods at a time, since the food is held in a state of being horizontally aligned, there is a need for food loading operation. The problem of spacious working space.

Further, in the case where the food body is housed in the bag body, it is necessary to surely hold the bag body of the food when the food is put into the container.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and is intended to secure food in a limited work space and to improve the efficiency of food loading operations.

In order to achieve the above object, a food holding device according to an aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the food product body is housed in a bag body, and includes a plurality of pairs of holding members, and the plurality of the plurality of food materials are stacked in a predetermined direction at a predetermined position. The tops of the respective pockets are sandwiched and held in the predetermined direction, and the two pairs of holding members adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction are located at different positions in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

According to the above configuration, the plurality of pairs of holding members are sandwiched and held in a predetermined direction on the top of each of the plurality of food product bags that are stacked in a predetermined direction at a predetermined position. Here, the two pairs of holding members adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction are located at different positions in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and therefore do not interfere with each other during the holding operation of the food. Thereby, the foodstuff accommodated in the bag body can be hold|maintained reliably.

Each of the plurality of pairs of holding members may include a base portion, a pair of holding arms that are attached to the base portion so as to be driven in the predetermined direction, and a pair of front end portions that are respectively provided to the pair of holding arms Front end.

According to the above configuration, the pair of holding arms do not interfere with each other during the holding operation of the food.

The plurality of pairs of holding members may be provided with at least two pairs in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction for each food to maintain two or more points on the top of each of the food food bodies, and the plurality of pairs of holding members may be along the holding member. The predetermined directions are arranged in a staggered manner in plan view.

According to the above configuration, the plurality of pairs of the holding members are provided in at least two pairs in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction to hold the top of the bag body of each of the foods, and are arranged in a staggered manner in a plan view in a predetermined direction. It does not interfere with each other during the holding operation of the food, and can be reliably held.

In addition, the food holding device may further include a first holding unit that holds the food in a first posture in which a predetermined first surface of the food body is horizontal, and the posture of the food can be from the first The posture is changed to a second posture in which the second main surface of the food body is different from the first surface, and a food supply unit that holds the food in which the first holding portion is held in the second posture. The plurality of pairs of holding members are stacked and held in the predetermined direction in each of the plurality of food bags that are supplied to the predetermined position in the second posture.

According to the above configuration, first, the food is held in a first posture (for example, a prone posture) in which the first surface of the food body (for example, the plane of the round rice ball) is horizontal. Then, the posture of the food is changed from the first posture to the second posture (the standing posture) in which the second surface of the food main body (for example, the side of the round rice ball) is horizontal. Then, the food held in the second posture is sequentially supplied to a predetermined position. Each of the plurality of food bags that are supplied to the predetermined position in the second posture is superposed and held in a predetermined direction. Thereby, the foodstuff accommodated in the bag body can be reliably hold|maintained in the 2nd position (stand-up position), and can be accommodated efficiently in a predetermined container.

The first holding portion may have a base portion, a rotary joint having a horizontal rotation axis, and a distal end portion coupled to the base portion so as to be rotatable relative to the base portion by the rotating joint; And a plurality of adsorption heads disposed at the front end portion and adsorbing and holding the food.

According to the above configuration, the bag body that accommodates the food in the first posture is sucked and held by the adsorption head provided at the end portion of the first holding portion, and the tip end portion is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the base portion by the rotary joint, for example. The posture of the food is changed from the first posture to the second posture.

The food holding device may be configured by a robot including: a first arm having a first holding portion at a distal end thereof; and a second arm having a second holding portion at a distal end thereof.

According to the above configuration, the food loading operation can be realized by the two-arm robot.

The present invention has the above-described configuration, and it is possible to reliably hold the food in a limited work space, and to improve the efficiency of the food loading operation.

10‧‧‧ Keeping device

11‧‧‧ Robot

13‧‧‧Right arm (Food Supply Department)

13‧‧‧Left arm (food containment department)

14‧‧‧Control device

17‧‧‧ wrist

18‧‧‧ Right hand (1st holding department)

19‧‧‧ Left hand (2nd holding)

20‧‧‧ base

21‧‧‧ front end

22‧‧‧Adsorption head

25‧‧‧ Drive Department

32‧‧‧Retaining components

32a‧‧‧ Keeping the arm

32b‧‧‧ front end

33‧‧‧ drive components

40‧‧‧Food

41‧‧‧Tray

50‧‧‧Working table

50a‧‧‧Seat

51‧‧‧1st belt conveyor

52‧‧‧2nd belt conveyor

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an overall configuration of a food holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the food of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view schematically showing an overall configuration of an example of the robot of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a configuration of a hand (first holding portion) of the robot of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view showing a configuration of a hand (second holding portion) of the robot of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control device for the robot of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view for explaining the holding operation of the food.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration of a modification of the hand (second holding portion) of the robot of Fig. 3;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted. Moreover, for easy understanding, each component is schematically shown in the drawings. Further, a direction in which the pair of arms are opened is referred to as a left-right direction, a direction parallel to the axis of the base axis is referred to as a vertical direction, and a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and the vertical direction is referred to as a front-rear direction.

(embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of a holding device 10 for a food product 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the holding device 10 of the food product 40 is used for the operation of loading a plurality of food items 40 into the tray 41. In the present embodiment, a case where the robot 11 constitutes the holding device 10 of the food product 40 of the present invention will be described. The robot 11 includes a two-arm robot that is supported by one of the bases 12 and the robot arms 13 and 13. However, the holding device 10 of the food 40 is not limited to the case of the robot 11. Further, the robot 11 will be described with respect to a horizontal articulated double-armed robot, but a robot such as a horizontal multi-joint type or a vertical multi-joint type may be used. The robot 11 can be disposed in a limited space (for example, 610 mm × 620 mm) equivalent to a single person.

A work table 50 of the robot 11 is disposed on the left side of the front side of the robot 11. The work table 50 is substantially square in plan view and is mounted on the front surface of the substrate 12. A seat portion 50a having a rectangular shape in plan view is disposed at a predetermined position above the work table 50. A first belt conveyor 51 is disposed on the front side of the robot 11, and a second belt conveyor 52 is disposed on the left side of the robot 11. In the present embodiment, the "work area" of the pair of robot arms 13 and 13 covers the work area 50, the partial area of the robot 11 side of the first belt conveyor 51, and the area of the second belt conveyor 52 in plan view. The first belt conveyor 51 is for transporting the food 40 from the front side of the front side of the robot 11 to the front side, and extends in the front-rear direction. The second belt conveyor 52 is a device for transferring the tray 41 from the left side of the robot 11 to the left rear side, and extends in the front-rear direction. Further, in the present example, the tray 41 is capable of accommodating 40 (8 × 5) food containers 40, but the storage volume of the tray 41 is not limited thereto. Further, as long as it is a container that is open at the top, it may be another container.

Moreover, the foodstuff 40 is a foodstuff which accommodates the foodstuff body in the bag body. Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the food item 40 of Fig. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the food main body has a first surface portion 40a and a second surface portion 40b perpendicular to the first surface portion 40a. The food product 40 of the present embodiment is a package in which a cylindrical round rice ball as a food body is housed in a bag body. The first surface portion 40a of the food body is composed of two circular flat surfaces that are parallel to each other. The second surface portion 40b of the food body is constituted by a curved surface that surrounds the outer circumferences of the two first surface portions 40a. In addition, the first surface portion 40a is perpendicular to the second surface portion 40b or the first surface portion 40a is parallel to each other, and is not limited to being strictly vertical or parallel, and is allowed to be slightly inclined.

In the embodiment, the food product 40 is conveyed by the first belt conveyor 51 in the first posture in which the first surface portion 40a is horizontal. In the first posture, the circular first face 40a of the food body is in the lower lying posture. In general, foreign matter inspection is performed before the food 40 is shipped to ensure safety. For example, the X-ray inspection system irradiates X-rays from above the food 40, and therefore, the posture of the food 40 is suitable for a prone posture. In the present embodiment, the food conveyor 40 is conveyed by the first belt conveyor 51 in a prone posture and passed under an inspection device (not shown). Thereafter, as described below, the posture of the food 40 is changed from the first posture to the second posture in which the second surface 40b is horizontal by the holding device 10 of the food 40. In the second posture, the second surface portion 40b of the main body is in the lower standing posture.

Fig. 3 is a front view schematically showing an overall configuration of an example of the robot 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the robot 11 includes a base 12 fixed to the bogie, a pair of mechanical arms (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "arms") 13 and 13 supported on the base 12, and a control device 14 and a vacuum housed in the base 12. A device 60 is produced. The vacuum generating device 60 is, for example, a vacuum pump or a CONVUM (registered trademark) device that causes the following adsorption head 22 to generate a negative pressure. Each of the arms 13 is a horizontal articulated robot that is movable relative to the base 12, and includes an arm portion 15, a wrist portion 17, and hands 18 and 19. Furthermore, the right arm 13 and the left arm 13 may have substantially the same structure. Further, the right arm 13 and the left arm 13 can operate independently or in association with each other.

In this example, the arm portion 15 is composed of a first link 15a and a second link 15b. The first link 15a is coupled to the base shaft 16 fixed to the upper surface of the base 12 by the rotary joint J1, and is rotatable about the rotation axis L1 passing through the axis of the base shaft 16. The second link 15b is coupled to the front end of the first link 15a via the rotary joint J2, and is rotatable about a rotation axis L2 defined by the front end of the first link 15a.

The wrist portion 17 is constituted by a lifting portion 17a and a rotating portion 17b. The lifting portion 17a is coupled to the front end of the second link 15b by the linear motion joint J3, and is movable up and down with respect to the second link 15b. The rotary portion 17b is coupled to the lower end of the elevation portion 17a by the rotary joint J4, and is rotatable about a rotation axis L3 defined by the lower end of the elevation portion 17a.

The right hand portion 18 and the left hand portion 19 are coupled to the turning portion 17b of the wrist portion 17, respectively. The right hand portion 18 is disposed at the front end of the right arm 13, and the left hand portion 19 is disposed at the front end of the left arm 13. Further, the right hand portion 18 corresponds to the "first holding portion" of the present invention, and the left hand portion 19 corresponds to the "second holding portion" of the present invention. Further, the right arm 13 corresponds to the "food supply portion" of the present invention, and the left arm 13 corresponds to the "food storage portion" of the present invention.

Each of the arms 13 having the above configuration has joints J1 to J4. Further, the arm 13 is provided with a drive servo motor (not shown) and an encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the servo motor so as to correspond to the joints J1 to J4. Further, the rotation axes L1 of the first links 15a and 15a of the two arms 13 and 13 are on the same straight line, and the first link 15a of one arm 13 and the first link 15a of the other arm 13 are vertically provided. Configured with height difference.

4(A) and 4(B) are a front view and a side view showing the configuration of the right hand portion 18 (first holding portion) of Fig. 3. The right hand portion 18 holds the food 40 in the first posture in which the first surface portion 40a is horizontal, and can change the posture of the food 40 from the first posture to the second posture in which the second surface 40b is horizontal. The right hand portion 18 has a base portion 20 including a swivel portion 17b of the wrist portion 17, a rotary joint J5 having a horizontal rotation axis L4, and a front end portion 21 coupled to the base portion so as to be rotatable relative to the base portion 20. And the adsorption head 22 which is provided in the front end portion 21 and adsorbs the food 40 (the first surface portion 40a of Fig. 2).

The base portion 20 is coupled to the elevation portion 17a of the wrist portion 17 via the rotary joint J4, and is coupled to the distal end portion 21 via the rotary joint J5. The base portion 20 is curved in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the side (see Fig. 4(B)). The base portion 20 is provided with a driving portion 25 of the rotary joint J5 inside the L-shaped member.

The distal end portion 21 is coupled to the base portion 20 via a rotary joint J5, and is attached to the adsorption head 22. The distal end portion 21 is curved in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the side (see FIG. 4(B)). In the present embodiment, the adsorption head 22 is provided at three places on the back side of the front end surface 22b by the same length, but one or two or four or more places may be provided. The abutting surface of the three points of the adsorption head 22 is configured to be in contact with the three points on the first surface portion 40a (see FIG. 2) of the food product 40 that are not on a straight line. As shown in FIG. 4, the position at which the abutting surface of the adsorption head 22 faces downward is referred to as a reference position of the adsorption head 22. The adsorption head 22 is connected to the vacuum generating device 60 (see FIG. 3) via a pipe (not shown). For example, an opening and closing valve (not shown) is provided in the piping. The adsorption and release of the adsorption head 22 are performed by opening and closing the piping by means of an opening and closing valve.

Thereby, the foodstuff 40 of the first posture is sucked and held by the adsorption head 22 provided at the front end portion 21 of the right hand portion 18, and the front end portion 21 is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the base portion 20 by the rotary joint J5, so that the food can be The posture of 40 is changed from the first posture to the second posture.

Fig. 5(A) is a front view showing the configuration of the left hand portion 19 (second holding portion) of Fig. 3. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the left hand portion 19 overlaps the five foods 40 in a state in which the first surface portion 40a of each of the foods 40 that is supplied to the predetermined position on the work table 50 in the second posture faces the first direction. maintain. The first direction is the left-right direction in FIG. 5(A). The left hand portion 19 has ten pairs of holding members 32 and ten driving members 33 capable of independently driving ten pairs of holding members 32. The swivel portion 17b of the wrist portion 17 extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the rotation axis line L3 when viewed from the front. Each pair of holding members 32 is connected to the swirling portion 17b of the arm portion 17 via the driving member 33. In the present embodiment, the ten pairs of holding members 32 sandwich and hold the tops of the respective pockets of the five foods 40 stacked in the first direction along the first direction.

Each pair of holding members 32 includes a pair of holding arms 32a that are attached to the driving member 33 so as to be driven in the first direction, and a pair of front end portions 32b that are provided at the respective front ends of the pair of holding arms 32a. The top of the bag of the food 40 is sandwiched inside the pair of front end portions 32b. The material of the pair of front end portions 32b is, for example, a resin plate or a metal plate.

The drive member 33 drives one of the pair of holding members 32 to the holding arm 32a in the first direction. The drive member 33 is connected to an actuator (not shown) or the like, and is connected to the upper end of each of the holding arms 32a so that the distance between the front end portions 32b of the pair of holding arms 32a is changed from each other. By the driving member 33, the pair of holding members 32 are narrowed from each other to sandwich and hold one food item 40.

Fig. 5(B) is a plan view showing only the arrangement of the ten pairs of holding members 32 in Fig. 5(A). The first direction is the left-right direction in FIG. 5(B). As shown in FIG. 5(B), the two pairs of holding members 32 adjacent to each other in the first direction are located at different positions in the direction orthogonal to the first direction. In the present embodiment, the ten pairs of holding members 32 are provided in pairs in the direction orthogonal to the first direction for each food item 40, so as to hold the two points on the top of the bag body of each food item 40, and are staggered along the first direction. The shape is configured in four lines. As shown in Fig. 5(B), the ten pairs of holding members 32 (holding arms 32a) do not interfere with each other when driven.

Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control device 14 of the robot 11 of Fig. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 14 includes a calculation unit 14a such as a CPU, a storage unit 14b such as a ROM and a RAM, and a servo control unit 14c. The control device 14 is a robot controller including a computer such as a microcontroller. Further, the control device 14 may be constituted by a separate control device 14 that performs centralized control, or may be constituted by a plurality of control devices 14 that perform distributed control in cooperation with each other.

The memory unit 14b stores information such as a basic program of the robot controller and various fixed materials. The calculation unit 14a controls various operations of the robot 11 by reading and executing software such as a basic program stored in the storage unit 14b. In other words, the calculation unit 14a generates a control command of the robot 11 and outputs it to the servo control unit 14c. The servo control unit 14c controls the driving of the servo motor corresponding to the joints J1 to J5 of the arms 13 of the robot 11 based on the control command generated by the calculation unit 14a.

Moreover, the control device 14 controls the operation of the vacuum generating device 60 (see FIG. 3) and the opening and closing of the opening and closing valve. The adsorption and adsorption of the adsorption head 22 are performed by opening and closing the pipe by opening and closing of the opening and closing valve.

Next, the holding operation of the food 40 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 7 is a schematic view for explaining the holding operation of the food.

First, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the food product 40 is conveyed by the first belt conveyor 51 in the first posture in which the first surface portion 40a (see FIG. 2) is horizontal. The control device 14 controls the operation of the right arm 13 to lower the right hand portion 18 while the adsorption head 22 of the right hand portion 18 is aligned with the reference position, so that the abutting surface of the adsorption head 22 abuts against the first belt conveyor. Food 40 on the 51 (first face 40a). The food 40 in the first posture is adsorbed by the adsorption head 22.

Then, the control device 14 controls the operation of the right arm 13, and the front end portion 21 of the right hand portion 18 is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the base portion 20 about the rotation axis L4 by the rotation joint J5 (refer to FIG. 4). Thereby, the adsorption head 22 is rotated by 90 degrees from the reference position. The posture of the food 40 that is adsorbed and held by the adsorption head 22 in the first posture is changed from the first posture to the second posture. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(B), the control device 14 controls the operation of the right arm 13, and supplies the food 40 held by the right hand portion 18 in the second posture to the position of the seat portion 50a of the work table 50. By repeating the above operations, the four foods 40 are sequentially supplied to the position of the seat portion 50a of the work table 50. Further, the seat portion 50a disposed on the work table 50 has six convex portions provided in the first direction. The convex portion is provided in the first direction so as to support each of the five foods 40 arranged in the first direction in the first direction. In the present embodiment, five foods 40 are placed between the six convex portions. The food product 40 at the foremost end among the five foods 40 is susceptible to the load in the first direction. Therefore, the height of the convex portion of the food product 40 for supporting the foremost end is higher than that of the other convex portions. Thereby, the posture (second posture) of each food 40 on the seat portion 50a can be stabilized. Therefore, it is easy to superimpose and hold the five foods 40 in the first direction by the left-hand part 19A.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7(C), in a state in which the five foods 40 are vertically arranged in the first direction in the seat portion 50a in the first direction, the control device 14 controls the operation of the left arm 13 so that the left hand portion 19 The left hand portion 18 is lowered in such a manner that the ten pairs of holding members 32 are aligned with the positions of the tops of the pockets of the five food items 40 on the seat portion 50a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7(D), the control device 14 controls the operation of the left arm 13, and the left hand portion 19 places each of the five foods 40 supplied to the seat portion 50a in the second posture in the first direction. Overlap hold. In the present embodiment, the ten pairs of holding members 32 are sandwiched and held in the first direction on the tops of the respective pockets of the five foods 40 that are stacked in the first direction. Here, since the two pairs of holding members 32 adjacent to each other in the first direction are located at different positions in the direction orthogonal to the first direction, the pair of holding arms 32a do not interfere with each other during the holding operation of the food 40 (refer to FIG. 5). ). Thereby, the foodstuff 40 accommodated in the bag body can be reliably hold|maintained in the 2nd posture (standing posture). Finally, the control device 14 controls the operation of the left arm 13, and accommodates the held five foods 40 on the tray 41. Thereby, even if it is a limited work space, the efficiency of the loading operation of the foodstuff 40 can be improved.

(Modification)

8(A) and 8(B) are plan views showing the configurations of the left-hand portions 19A and 19B of the first modification and the second modification. Only the configuration of the holding member 32 is shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 8, the left-hand portion 19A and the left-hand portion 19B of the present modification include five pairs of holding members 32, and each of the five pairs of holding members 32 is placed on the top of each of the five foods 40 that overlap in the first direction. 1 direction is sandwiched and held.

The two pairs of holding members 32 adjacent to each other in the first direction are located at different positions in the direction orthogonal to the first direction. This is the same as FIG. 5(B), but in the present modification, it is different from FIG. 5(B). The respective holding members 32 are provided in the direction orthogonal to the first direction (the horizontal direction in the drawing) (the front-rear direction in the drawing) for each food item 40 to hold the top of the bag body of each food item 40. 1 point. Even in such a configuration, the five pairs of holding members 32 (holding arms 32a) can reliably hold the tops of the five food products 40 without interfering with each other during driving.

(Other embodiments)

Further, in the present embodiment, the left-hand portion 19 is configured to hold five foods 40, but two to four foods 40 may be held by changing the number of pairs of the holding members 32, and it is also possible to hold six or more foods. The food is made up of 40.

Further, in the present embodiment, two pairs of holding members 32 are provided in the direction orthogonal to the first direction for each food to hold two points on the top of the bag of each food 40, but one pair may be provided for each food. Or three or more pairs.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the right hand portion 18 is configured to adsorb and hold the food product 40 by the adsorption head 22. However, other configurations may be employed as long as the food product 40 can be held in the first posture. For example, it is also possible to maintain the food 40 by the chuck device.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the food product 40 is a circular rice ball which is housed in a cylindrical body of the bag body. However, the food product 40 is not limited thereto as long as it is a food contained in the bag body, and may be a triangular column (triangle rice) Group) can also be flat shape.

Further, in the above embodiment, the holding device 10 of the food 40 is used for loading a plurality of foods 40 into the tray 41. However, other operations may be used as long as it is necessary to hold a plurality of foods 40.

Based on the above description, those skilled in the art should be able to devise various modifications or other embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the description is to be construed as illustrative only and illustrative embodiments of the invention The details of construction and/or function may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Industrial availability]

The present invention can be used as a food holding device when a food is loaded into a tray.

Claims (9)

 A food holding device for accommodating a food body in a bag body, comprising: a plurality of pairs of holding members; and a top portion of each of the plurality of food foods that are to be overlapped in a predetermined direction is sandwiched and held in the predetermined direction; The two pairs of holding members adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction are located at different positions in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.    The food holding device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pair holding members includes a base portion, a pair of holding arms attached to the base portion so as to be driven in the predetermined direction, and a pair of front end portions. They are disposed at respective front ends of the pair of holding arms, and the pair of front end portions sandwich and hold the top of the food bag.    The food holding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of holding members are provided with at least two pairs in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction for each food to hold the top of each of the foods Two or more points; the plurality of pairs of the holding members are arranged in a staggered manner in plan view along the predetermined direction.    The food holding device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a first holding unit that holds the food in a first posture in which a predetermined first surface of the food product is horizontal The posture is changed from the first posture to a second posture in which the second surface of the food main body is different from the first surface; and the food supply unit is configured to be in the second posture by the first holding portion The food to be held is sequentially supplied to a predetermined position, and the plurality of pairs of holding members are used as the second holding portion, and each of the plurality of food bags that are supplied to the predetermined position in the second posture overlaps in the predetermined direction. maintain.    The food holding device according to claim 3, further comprising: a first holding unit that holds the food in a first posture in which a predetermined first surface of the food main body is horizontal, and allows the food to be placed The first posture is changed from a second posture in which the second main surface of the food main body is different from the first surface, and a food supply portion held by the first holding portion in the second posture The food is sequentially supplied to a predetermined position, and the plurality of pair holding members are used as the second holding portion, and each of the plurality of food bags that are supplied to the predetermined position in the second posture is superposed and held in the predetermined direction.    The food holding device according to claim 4, wherein the first holding portion has a base portion, a rotary joint having a horizontal rotation axis, and a front end portion that is rotatable relative to the base portion by the rotating joint The method is coupled to the base; and one or a plurality of adsorption heads are disposed at the front end portion to adsorb and hold the food.    The food holding device according to claim 5, wherein the first holding portion has a base portion, a rotary joint having a horizontal rotation axis, and a front end portion that is rotatable relative to the base portion by the rotating joint The method is coupled to the base; and one or a plurality of adsorption heads are disposed at the front end portion to adsorb and hold the food.    The food holding device according to claim 4, comprising a robot, the robot comprising: a first arm having a first holding portion at a distal end thereof; and a second arm having a second holding portion at a distal end thereof.    The food holding device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, comprising a robot, the robot comprising: a first arm having a first holding portion at a distal end thereof; and a second arm having a front end 2 holding part.