JP2017043402A - Extractor for frozen article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an extractor which extracts a frozen article from a storage case to which the frozen article is fastened.SOLUTION: An extractor for a frozen article which extracts a frozen article 4 from a storage case 3 of which a top face is opened is characterized in that the extractor is provided with: a holding mechanism which holds the storage case 3, of which the top face is directed upwards, on a reversal frame 2 which is so supported as to be capable of being vertically reversed with respect to a device frame 1; a vertical reversal mechanism which vertically reverses the reversal frame 2 while maintaining holding of the storage case 3; and an impact impression mechanism which gives impact onto the storage case 3, of which the top face is directed downwards, after vertical reversal of the reversal frame 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a take-out device for taking out a frozen product from a storage case.

  A frozen raw material or material (hereinafter referred to as a frozen product) is stored in a storage case and transported or stored. Here, when the storage case and the storage case are different, it is necessary to take out the frozen product from the transfer case and transfer it to the storage case. An operator may be allowed to take out the frozen product from the carrying case. However, the operation of taking out the frozen product from the carrying case is heavy labor, and is sometimes performed in the freezer compartment to prevent the frozen product from melting, which places a heavy burden on the operator. For this reason, it is necessary to consider automation of the operation of taking out the frozen product from the carrying case.

  The take-out device (storage box reversing device) disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a storage case in a state where a pair of transfer conveyors sandwiching the storage case (storage box) up and down and the opening of the storage case is closed by any of the transfer conveyors And a mechanism for reversing the conveyor integrally, and by taking out the inverted storage case as it is, the contents are taken out from the opening opened downward (Patent Document 1 and claims, etc.) . Patent document 1 assumes the fruit etc. as a content.

JP 54-111997

  In the case where the frozen product is naturally scattered, deformed or diffused, the extraction operation of the frozen product can be easily automated using the extraction device disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, the frozen product is fixed to the storage case, and the frozen product cannot be taken out simply by inverting the storage case as in Patent Document 1. Then, the extraction apparatus which takes out the frozen product frozen and fixed to the storage case from the said storage case was examined.

  As a result of the study, we developed a take-out device that takes out frozen products from a storage case with an open upper surface, and stores it in a reversing frame supported so that it can be turned upside down with respect to the device frame with the upper surface facing upward. A holding mechanism for holding the case, an upside down mechanism for turning the inverted frame upside down while holding the containing case, and an impact applying mechanism for applying an impact to the containing case with the upper surface turned downward after the inverted frame is turned upside down And a frozen product take-out device. The frozen product taken out from the storage case is discharged out of the reversal frame. The taken-out frozen product is separated into frozen products by a separation device, refilled in another storage case, re-frozen, or thawed as it is and used for cooking or the like.

  There is no limitation on the structure or configuration of the reversal frame as long as the storage case can be carried in and out and can be turned upside down. The storage case is placed on a stacking surface provided on the reversing frame and is carried into and out of the reversing frame. As a specific reversal frame, a circular frame having a rotation center axis that is turned upside down by rotation is provided, and the circular frame is placed on a plurality of support rollers provided on the apparatus frame, so that it can be turned upside down with respect to the apparatus frame. The structure supported by can be illustrated.

  The holding mechanism is not limited in structure or configuration as long as the holding case can be held so as not to move during the upside down rotation of the reversing frame. The specific holding mechanism has a holding claw that can move forward and backward from the reversing frame with respect to the housing case. There may be only one holding claw as long as the holding case can be held, but a pair of holding claws are preferably provided in an opposing relationship. The holding claw is engaged with the upper edge of the case surrounding the upper surface of the storage case, and holds the storage case, for example, by sandwiching it with the loading surface on which the storage case is placed. The holding claw advance / retreat means can be exemplified by a cylinder that extends and retracts the rod in the advance / retreat direction.

  The vertical reversing mechanism is not limited in structure or configuration as long as the posture of the reversing frame is changed integrally with the housing case, and a normal posture in which the upper surface of the housing case faces upward and a reverse posture in which the upper surface faces downward can be selected. . A specific vertical reversing mechanism is such that a string-like body is wound around a rotation drive unit connected to the rotation shaft of a reversing motor and a peripheral edge of a reversing circular frame provided on the reversing frame, and the string-like body is a reversing circular frame. The position is fixed with respect to. In this upside down mechanism, when the rotation driving unit is rotated, the string-like body circulates, and the upside down frame is turned upside down around the center of the circular frame as the rotation center axis.

  When a string-like body having both ends is used, the both ends are fixed to the periphery of the reversing circular frame. When the rotation drive part rotates forward and pulls one end of the string-like body, the reversing frame rotates forward about the center of the reversing circular frame as the rotation center axis. To do. On the contrary, when the rotation drive unit reverses and pulls the other end, the reversal frame reverses with the center of the circular frame as the rotation center axis, and when the one end and the other end return to their original positions, they are reversed upside down.

  In the case of using an endless thing as a string-like body instead of the above configuration, the upside down mechanism hangs an endless string-like body around the reversing circular frame and the rotation driving unit, and according to the rotation of the rotation driving unit The reversing circular frame can be rotated in one direction so that the reversing frame is turned upside down. In addition, the upside down mechanism can be configured such that, for example, the inversion circular frame and the support roller are meshed with a gear, and the support roller is driven to rotate upside down.

  The impact applying mechanism is not limited in structure or configuration as long as the impact can be applied to the housing case with the upper surface facing downward. For example, in addition to external impact and vibration on the storage case, the storage case itself is dropped or vibrated to give an impact to the storage case. Specifically, the impact applying mechanism has a holding claw that can move forward and backward from the reversing frame with respect to the storage case, and a stopper claw that protrudes to a position above the advanced holding claw, with the upper surface facing upward. Engage the holding claw that has been moved forward and turn the reversal frame upside down, retract the holding claw from the storage case with the upper surface facing downward, and drop the storage case until it is hooked by the stopper claw, thereby removing the upper surface. Impact the storage case facing downward.

  If the holding mechanism has a holding claw, the holding claw of the impact applying mechanism can use the holding claw. The stopper claw is engaged with the upper edge of the case surrounding the upper surface of the housing case which is dropped from the loading surface after the reversing frame is turned upside down.

  In the take-out device of the present invention, a holding mechanism, an upside down mechanism, and an impact applying mechanism are provided on an inversion frame that is supported to be upside down with respect to the apparatus frame. Thereby, even when the frozen product adheres to the storage case, the frozen product can be reliably removed from the storage case.

  The upside down mechanism does not limit the configuration or structure of the reversal frame as long as it is configured by wrapping the string drive around each of the rotation drive unit provided on the device frame and the periphery of the reversal circular frame provided on the reversal frame. . Here, when the carry-in side circular frame or the carry-out side circular frame is provided in the reversal frame, the reversal frame is turned upside down by supporting the carry-in side circular frame or the carry-out side circular frame with a support roller provided in the apparatus frame. By doing so, it is possible to realize a smooth inversion of the inverted frame.

  The holding mechanism having the retractable holding claw and the impact applying mechanism having the holding claw and the stopper claw realize the holding of the storage case and the impact application to the storage case with a simple configuration. The holding claw holds the storage case so that it does not rattle during the upside down of the inversion frame. Further, since the stopper claw is applied to the housing case by being applied to the uppermost edge of the strongest case, the frozen product fixed to the housing case can be separated while reducing the possibility of breaking the housing case.

It is a top view showing an example of the taking-out apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. 1 of the taking-out apparatus of this example. It is BB sectional drawing in FIG. 1 of the taking-out apparatus of this example. It is CC sectional drawing in FIG. 1 of the taking-out apparatus of this example. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 illustrating a state where two storage cases have been carried in. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating a state in which a holding claw is engaged with a loaded storage case. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 illustrating a state in which the upper surface of the housing case is directed downward by inverting the reversal frame. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating a state in which an inverted storage case is dropped and a frozen product is collected. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, illustrating a state in which the reversal frame is turned upside down and the upper surface of the housing case is directed upward. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the ceiling of the apparatus frame 1 and the carry-in support roller 11 and the carry-out support roller 12 on the ceiling side are omitted in FIG. In FIG. 3, the motor base 142 on which the reversing motor 14 is mounted is displayed in a virtual line. 4, 6, and 8, the reversing motor 14, the reversing chain 13, the carry-in side circular frame 22, and the reversing circular frame 23 are omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, for example, the take-out device of the present invention is configured by supporting a reversal frame 2 so that it can be turned upside down with respect to the device frame 1. The take-out device of the present example inverts the two storage cases 3 upside down, drops the frozen product 4 outside the device frame 1 and collects it (see FIG. 8 below). The number of storage cases 3 that are turned upside down at a time may be one or three or more. The dropped frozen product 4 is recovered by, for example, a recovery conveyor (not shown) installed outside the take-out device.

  In the reversal frame 2 of this example, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the carry-in circular frame 22, the reversal circular frame 23, and the carry-out circular frame 24 are aligned in parallel. These are connected to each other by a pair of left and right conveyor roller support frames 211 and a cylinder support frame 252 orthogonal to the respective surfaces, and an upper guide 27 which is a pair of left and right wall surfaces, thereby constituting a reversal frame 2 having a frame structure. The reversal frame 2 having a frame structure includes a roller conveyor 21 therein. The roller conveyor 21 serves as a loading surface for the storage case 3 carried into the reversal frame 2. The carry-in side circular frame 22 and the carry-out side circular frame 24 of this example are metal discs provided on the carry-in side and the carry-out side of the take-out device as seen in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. You may comprise with a circular ring.

  The apparatus frame 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped frame that supports the reversal frame 2 so that it can be turned upside down. The carry-in side circular frame 22 and the carry-out side circular frame 24 are supported by the carry-in side support roller 11 and the carry-out side support roller 12. . The carry-in side support roller 11 and the carry-out side support roller 12 are cylindrical rollers provided in the apparatus frame 1. The carry-in side support roller 11 and the carry-out side support roller 12 are provided with a circumferential groove on the peripheral surface, and the peripheral edges of the carry-in side circular frame 22 and the carry-out side circular frame 24 are fitted into the circumferential groove. As a result, the carry-in circular frame 22 and the carry-out circular frame 24 are restrained in their rotating posture, and stable rotation without wobbling is ensured.

  The carry-in side circular frame 22 and the carry-out side circular frame 24 are respectively provided with a carry-in opening 221 and a carry-out opening 241 at a position including the rotation center axis O that is virtually set. The storage case 3 is carried into the roller conveyor 21 of the reverse frame 2 through the carry-in opening 221 and is carried out from the roller conveyor 21 of the reverse frame 2 through the carry-out opening 241.

  The vertical reversing mechanism of this example is composed of a reversing chain 13, a reversing motor 14, a drive sprocket (rotary drive unit) 141, and a reversing circular frame 23, and reversing the reversing frame 2 upside down while holding the housing case 3. . As shown in FIG. 1, the reversal circular frame 23 is formed by integrating two metal discs arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween by bolts (not shown).

  On the back side of the reversing circular frame 23, a motor base 142 is provided on the apparatus frame 1, and a reversing motor 14 is installed as a drive source for vertically reversing the reversing frame 2. As can be seen in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, a pair of drive sprockets (rotation drive units) 141 connected to the rotation shaft of the reversing motor 14 are respectively wound around the reversing chain 13 which is a string-like body. ing. One end 131 of each chain 13 is fixed by being hung around the periphery of the reversal circular frame 23 on the right side of the drop opening 231 opened upward as viewed from the carry-in side. Further, the other end 132 of each chain 13 is hung and fixed to the periphery of the reversing circular frame 23 on the left side of the drop opening 231 hung on the reversing circular frame 23 from below. As a result, when the driving sprocket 141 is rotated, the reversing circular frame 23 rotates in the forward and reverse directions with the center of the reversing circular frame 23 as the rotation center axis O within a range pulled by the reversing chain 13.

  The string-like body in this example is a reversal chain 13. However, the string-like body may be a long flexible member such as a resin or metal belt. The rotational drive unit that transmits rotational power to the string-like body is a drive sprocket if the string-like body is a chain, and a drive pulley if the string-like body is a belt.

  The reversing circular frame 23 is provided with a drop opening 231 having an opening that reaches the periphery with a width through which the housing case 3 passes at a position that includes the rotation center axis O that is virtually set. The rotation center axes O set in the carry-in circular frame 22, the reversing circular frame 23, and the carry-out circular frame 24 are coincident with each other. With the drop opening 231, the frozen product taken out from the storage case 3 when the reversing frame 2 is turned upside down can be dropped without interfering with the reversing circular frame 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor roller support frame 211 has a driving roller constituting the roller conveyor 21 and a lower guide 26 that is a wall surface. Further, a cylinder support bracket 292 for supporting the stopper plate lifting / lowering cylinder 291 is provided below the roller conveyor 21. The stopper plate lifting / lowering cylinder 291 lifts and lowers the stopper plate 29 from the gap of the roller conveyor 21. The storage case 3 that has been carried in is hooked on a stopper plate 29 that protrudes above the roller conveyor 21, and the carrying-in position is specified.

  The holding mechanism of this example is constituted by a holding claw 25 and a holding claw advance / retreat cylinder 251, and holds the housing case 3 in a posture in which the upper surface is directed upward on the reversing frame 2 supported so as to be vertically reversible with respect to the apparatus frame 1. Hold. The holding claw 25 of this example is directed toward the housing case 3 through the holding claw advance / retreat opening 271 of the upper guide 27 by the holding claw advance / retreat cylinder 251 provided in the cylinder support frame 252 as shown in FIG. And then engages with the upper edge of the housing case 3. The storage case 3 is held between a pair of left and right holding claws 25 and a roller conveyor 21.

  As seen in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, the holding claws are metal members bent in an L shape, and a total of four holding claws are arranged in a pair of left and right in a facing relationship. Only one unit may be used as long as it can hold the storage case, but a pair is preferably provided in an opposing relationship. Further, the holding claw may be engaged with a protrusion, a ridge, or an opening on the side surface of the housing case. In this case, the housing case can be held with only a pair of holding claws provided in an opposing relationship. The holding claw advance / retreat cylinder 251 uses a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder.

  The impact application mechanism of this example is composed of a holding claw 25, a holding claw advance / retreat cylinder 251 and a stopper claw 28 that constitute a holding mechanism, and after the reversing frame 2 is turned upside down, the upper surface is directed downward. A shock is applied to case 3. The stopper claw 28 of this example is a metal plate, and is configured to protrude above the advanced holding claw 25, that is, from the upper edge of the upper guide 27, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stopper claw 28 is provided long in the conveying direction of the housing case 3, and reliably receives the housing case 3 falling by turning the reversing frame 2 upside down. Further, since the long stopper claw 28 has a large area that engages with the upper edge of the housing case 3, the impact applied is widely dispersed to make the housing case 3 difficult to break. There may be only one stopper claw as long as it can hook the falling storage case, but a pair of stopper claws are preferably provided in an opposing relationship. The stopper claw may be formed by bending a part of the reversal frame 2.

  A procedure for taking out the frozen product 4 from the storage case 3 by the take-out device of this example will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5, with the stopper plate 29 protruding from the roller conveyor 21, the storage case 3 is carried onto the roller conveyor 21 (open arrow). The take-out apparatus of this example is provided with a carry-in conveyor 5 that is continuous at the carry-in side end, and conveys the storage case 3 from the carry-in conveyor 5 to the roller conveyor 21. In addition to the belt conveyor of this example, the carry-in conveyor 5 can use a roller conveyor or other conventionally known conveying means.

  The storage case 3 previously placed on the roller conveyor 21 advances to the carry-out side within the range of the left and right lower guides 26, hits the stopper plate 29 and stops. Next, the second storage case 3 placed on the roller conveyor 21 proceeds in the same manner and stops upon hitting the storage case 3 sent earlier. Thus, the take-out device of this example places the two storage cases 3 in close contact with each other and places them on the roller conveyor 21.

  When the two storage cases 3 have been carried in, the roller conveyor 21 is stopped, and the holding claws 25 are moved forward toward the storage case 3 as shown in FIG. 3, the stopper plate 29 is lowered (downward thick black arrow) and retracted below the roller conveyor 21. Since the housing case 3 is sandwiched between the holding claws 25 and the roller conveyor 21 and fixed in position, when the reversing frame 2 is rotated upside down, it is turned upside down.

  The take-out device of this example has the carrying-in circular frame 22 and the reversing circle so that the center of gravity of the housing case 3 coincides with or is close to the virtual rotation center axis O set in the reversing circular frame 23 of the reversing frame 2. The position of the roller conveyor 21 with respect to the frame 23 and the carry-out side circular frame 24 is set. As a result, the rotational force required for the rotation of the reversing frame 2 can be reduced, and the centrifugal force caused by the housing case 3 that rotates together with the reversing frame 2 can be suppressed, thereby realizing easy and stable rotation of the reversing frame 2. .

  As shown in FIG. 7, the reversal frame 2 rotates in the normal direction (black thin arrow) and pulls the other end 132 of the reversal chain 13 (black thick arrow). Can be rotated counterclockwise (white arrow) when viewed from the carry-in side and inverted upside down. The reversing frame 2 immediately after the upside down is held with the holding claw 25 and the roller conveyor 21 sandwiching the storage case 3. The frozen product 4 stored in the storage case 3 often adheres to the storage case 3 and does not fall.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the holding case 3 turned upside down falls according to gravity when the holding claw 25 is retracted (left and right black thick arrow) and is removed from the upper edge of the holding case 3 (open arrow). Then, the upper edge of the housing case 3 collides with the stopper claw 28. Due to the collision with the stopper claw 28, an impact is applied to the housing case 3 (obliquely upward black thick arrow), and the fixed frozen product 4 is separated. The stopper claw 28 that collides with the upper edge of the storage case 3 prevents the storage case 3 from falling, but does not prevent the frozen product 4 stored in the storage case 3 from falling. Only the product 4 falls out of the take-out device.

  After the frozen product 4 is separated from the storage case 3 and dropped, the reversing frame 2 is rotated by reversing the reversing motor 14 (black thin arrow) one end 131 of the reversing chain 13 as shown in FIG. Pull (black thick arrow). The reversing circular frame 23 is rotated clockwise (indicated by a white arrow) when viewed from the carry-in side, and is inverted up and down to return to the initial state. At this time, since the storage case 3 falls on the loading surface and applies an impact, a roller conveyor 21 that can withstand the impact is suitable for the loading surface.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the empty storage case 3 has two stopper cases 29 lowered from the roller conveyor 21 and the holding claws 25 retracted. It is carried out to the carry-out conveyor 6 (open arrow). Then, after the stopper plate 29 is protruded from the roller conveyor 21, the next storage case 3 is carried in as shown in FIG. By repeating this series of procedures, the frozen products 4 are sequentially taken out from a large number of storage cases 3.

1 Equipment frame
11 Loading side support roller
12 Unloading side support roller
13 Reversing chain
131 one end
132 other end
14 Reverse motor
141 Drive sprocket 2 Reversing frame
21 Roller conveyor
22 Loading side circular frame
23 Inverted circular frame
24 Unloading side circular frame
25 Holding claws
28 Stopper claw 3 Storage case 4 Frozen product

Claims (4)

A take-out device for taking out a frozen product from a storage case whose upper surface is open,
A holding mechanism for holding the storage case in a posture in which the upper surface is directed upward on an inversion frame supported so as to be vertically inverted with respect to the apparatus frame;
An upside down mechanism for turning upside down the holding frame while holding the housing case;
An apparatus for taking out a frozen product, comprising: an impact applying mechanism that applies an impact to a housing case whose upper surface is directed downward after the reversing frame is turned upside down. The frozen product take-out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding mechanism has a holding claw that is movable forward and backward from the reversing frame with respect to the housing case. The vertical reversing mechanism hangs a string-like body around the rotation drive unit connected to the rotating shaft of the reversing motor and the periphery of the reversing circular frame provided on the reversing frame, and the string-like body is attached to the reversing circular frame. 2. The frozen product takeout device according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerating product takeout device is configured to be fixed in position, and when the rotation drive unit is rotated, the string-like body circulates and the reversal frame is turned upside down with the center of the reversal circular frame as the rotation center axis. The impact application mechanism has a holding claw that is movable forward and backward from the reversing frame with respect to the housing case, and a stopper claw that is positioned above the advanced holding claw.
Engage the holding claw that has been moved forward with the storage case with the upper surface facing upward to flip the inverted frame upside down, retract the retention claw from the storage case with the upper surface facing downward, and store it until it is hooked by the stopper claw The frozen product takeout device according to claim 1, wherein the case is dropped to give an impact to the housing case with the upper surface directed downward.

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