JPH05178336A - Device for attaching food appendix to food - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save labor and to reduce cost by a method wherein appendixes are attached to a food including a box lunch. CONSTITUTION:Chopsticks sacks 16 continued in one row are conveyed in its arranging direction through rotation of a pinch roller 20. Through detection of a position by means of a photoelectric switch 30 and control of conveyance by a controller 32, the chopsticks sack 16 is positioned in a parting position, and in this position, the chopsticks sack 16 is parted from other chopsticks sack 16 by means of a cutter 24. The parted chopsticks sack 16 is received by a pressing device 38 and pressed against a tray 12 of a box lunch.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for automatically attaching food accessories such as chopsticks, spoons and forks to ready-made bento and other foods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, ready-made sushi sold in stores,
Food items such as bento boxes, breads, and dried noodles contained in cups are often provided to the market with chopsticks, spoons, forks and the like pre-installed as accessories. For example, for a plastic lunch tray 200 as shown in FIG. 14, a chopstick bag 204 in which chopsticks are enclosed is attached to the side surface 202 in advance with double-sided tape or the like, and the lunch is sold in this state. ..

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, the above chopstick bag 204
The attachment of food accessories such as is done by hand. In other words, conventionally, it takes manpower to attach the food accessory, which greatly hinders the cost reduction of food.

Incidentally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-29728 discloses that
By attaching the food packaging film to the surface of the food in a state where the chopsticks are fixed to the back surface of the food packaging film in advance, a method of attaching the chopsticks to the food is shown, but in this method The chopsticks cannot be directly attached to the food, and the chopsticks cannot be attached to the food without the packaging film. Further, the work of accurately pasting chopsticks at a predetermined position of the packaging film and the work of accurately attaching the packaging film to the periphery of the food are required, which requires a lot of man-hours, and thus the packaging film Since it is necessary to wrap the food with chopsticks attached to it, there is the inconvenience that the work is more complicated than in ordinary packaging.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of automatically attaching an accessory to food such as a bento directly.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention divides a plurality of food adjuncts connected to each other in a line in one direction,
A device for mounting each food product by pressing it onto the surface of a predetermined food product, which is a device for conveying the food products that are connected to each other in the arrangement direction and a position detection device that detects the position of the food products. Means, a conveyance control means for stopping the conveyance by the conveying means when it is detected that one food accessory has reached a predetermined dividing position, and the food accessory in the state where the food accessory is in the dividing position. A cutting means for separating the food from other food adjuncts, and the food adjunct is pushed onto the food by receiving the divided food adjunct and moving the food adjunct and the food relative to each other. And a pressing means for attaching (claim 1).

Furthermore, a guide means may be provided for guiding the food accessory cut from the other food accessory by the cutting means to the pressing means (claim 2).

The present invention is also a device for mounting a plurality of food accessories on a predetermined food by pressing the food accessories on the surface of the food, wherein the food accessories are arranged in a line. A holding member for holding a part of the accessory and the holding member and each food accessory are integrally conveyed in the direction in which the food accessory is arranged, and the holding member and the food accessory are at predetermined pressing positions near the food. And a conveying means for conveying so as to pass through, and a portion of the food accessory that has reached the pressing position by the conveying means and is not held by the holding member is pushed toward the food from the side opposite to the food. According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided pressing means for pressing the food accessory from the holding member and pressing the food accessory to the food (claim 3).

It should be noted that the term "food" here does not mean only the food itself that is actually used for food, but also a package for packaging the food, such as a lunch tray or soup cup. Means

[0010]

According to the apparatus of the first aspect, the food adjuncts interconnected in a line in one direction are conveyed in the line direction, and one food adjunct is placed at a predetermined dividing position. When the detection means detects that the carriage has reached the position, the conveyance is stopped. As a result, the food accessory is positioned at the dividing position, and the food accessory is separated from other food accessories at this position. Then, the divided food accessory is received by the pressing means, and is pressed into place of the food by the pressing means. Thereby, the food accessory is attached to the food.

The means for fixing the food accessory to be pressed and the food may be set appropriately, and at least one of the food and the food accessory may be provided with an adhesive means in advance, or the food accessory may be attached to the food side. You may make it provide the locking part which locks a thing.

Further, according to the apparatus of claim 2, even if the cutting position and the receiving position of the food adjunct by the pressing means are apart from each other, the food separated from the other food adjunct at the cutting position. The accessory is automatically transferred to the pressing means by the guide of the guide means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a part of the food accessories is held by the holding member in a state where the plurality of food accessories are arranged in a line, and the holding member and each food accessory are integrally formed. It is conveyed toward the pressing position. Then, the food accessory that has reached the pressing position is pressed toward the food from the side opposite to the food by the pressing means, so that the food accessory is attached to the food side apart from the holding member.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, 10 is a belt conveyor, which conveys a tray 12 for bento boxes in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and as shown in the figure. Tray 12 at the specified chopstick mounting position
Is configured to stop the transportation when the time arrives. At this chopstick mounting position, the chopstick bag 16 containing the chopsticks is mounted on the side surface of the tray 12 by the device of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chopstick bag 16 is
The chopstick bags 16 can be bent at the connecting portion between the chopstick bags 16 so that they are connected in a line in a state where they are arranged in the longitudinal direction. The group of chopstick bags 16 is folded and stored in the chopstick bag storage case 14 that opens upward.

On the other hand, a plurality of sets of left and right guide bars 18 are provided on the side of the belt conveyor 10 along the belt conveyor 10. These guide bars 18 are rising upward, and each set of guide bars 18
The chopstick bag 16 is adapted to be passed between them.

At a position immediately upstream of the chopstick mounting position,
A pair of left and right pinch rollers (constituting a conveying means) 20 are provided. One of the pinch rollers (right pinch roller in FIG. 1) 20 receives a force by a spring means (not shown) in a direction in which the other pinch roller (left pinch roller in FIG. 1) is pressed, and the other pinch roller 20 is pressed. The pinch roller 20 and the chopstick bag 16 are configured to be driven to rotate in a sandwiched state. The other pinch roller 20 is an electromagnetic clutch
It is connected to an output shaft of a motor with reduction gear (constitution of conveyance means) 22 via a brake (constitution of conveyance control means) 33, and both pinch rollers 20 are rotationally driven by a driving force of the motor with reduction gear 22. As a result, the chopstick bag 16 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B in the figure.

A cutter (cutting means) 24 for cutting the connecting portion between the chopstick bags 16 is provided immediately downstream of the pinch rollers 20. This cutter 2
4 has a pair of left and right blades facing each other, and a state in which the leading chopstick bag 16 has reached a predetermined dividing position, that is, the boundary between the leading chopstick bag 16 and the next chopstick bag 16 is a double-edged blade. The cutter solenoid 25 is reached when the installation position is reached.
The two blades come into contact with and separate from each other by the operation of, and the connecting portion is disconnected by this contacting and separating operation.

In FIG. 1, 26 is a stopper for preventing the chopstick bag 16 divided by the cutter 24 from jumping out.

A mark 28 having a predetermined shape is provided on the side surface of each chopstick bag 16, and a photoelectric switch () is provided at a position upstream of the pinch roller 20 and facing the mark 28. Position detecting means) 30 is provided. The photoelectric switch 30 is configured to output a detection signal when the photoelectric switch 30 exactly opposes the mark 28. The position of the photoelectric switch 30 is such that the leading chopstick bag 16 is at a predetermined dividing position. 3 from the beginning when it arrives
The mark 28 provided on the second chopstick bag 16 and the photoelectric switch 30 are set to face each other.

The photoelectric switch 30 is connected to a controller (which constitutes a conveyance control means) 32. The controller 32 controls ON / OFF of the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33 (in other words, control of driving of the pinch roller 20 by the motor 22 with a reduction gear) and the cutter solenoid 2 in accordance with a detection signal output from the photoelectric switch 30.
5 is turned on and off (in other words, the cutting control of the chopstick bag 16 by the cutter 24 is performed). More specifically, when the detection signal is received from the photoelectric switch 30, the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33 is turned off to stop the rotational drive of the pinch roller 20, and the cutter solenoid 25 is turned off for a certain period of time. It is configured to turn on the cutter 24 to cause the cutter 24 to perform a cutting operation, and to turn on the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33 again when a predetermined time has elapsed after that to restart the rotational drive of the pinch roller 20.

A guide plate (guide means) 3 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided at a position immediately lateral to the chopstick bag 16 in the above-mentioned dividing position.
4 is provided, and a pressing device (pressing means) 38 is provided at a position below it, in other words, at a position lateral to the tray 12 at the chopstick mounting position.

The guide plate 34 includes an upright plate 34a located immediately to the side of the chopstick bag 16 in the dividing position, and a receiving plate 34b extending obliquely downward from the lower end of the upright plate 34a toward the tray 12. The end surface of the receiving plate 34b is a guide surface 34c that is more inclined downward than the upper surface of the receiving plate 34b. A receiving position where the pressing device 38 receives the chopstick bag 16 is set on a substantially extended surface of the guide surface 34c.

The pressing device 38 is the belt conveyor 1
It is provided with a receiving stand 36 standing on the side of 0. The receiving table 36 has substantially the same height as the belt conveyor 10, and its upper surface is a receiving surface 36a. The receiving surface 36a is inclined so that it becomes higher as it approaches the belt conveyor 10, and is arranged at a position for receiving the chopstick bag 16 slid down from the guide plate 34.

A solenoid 40 is provided at a position rearward (obliquely lower left in FIG. 3) of a plane connecting the guide plate 34 and the receiving base 36. The plunger 42 of the solenoid 40 is directed to the side surface of the tray 12. A pressing plate 46 is attached to the tip of the plunger 42 via a pin 44 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The vertical dimension of the pressing plate 46 is the guide plate 34.
It is set to be slightly smaller than the distance dimension from the lower end to the receiving surface 36a of the receiving table 36.

The plunger 42 penetrates a regulation plate 48 fixed on the ground side in the middle thereof. A flange portion 42a having a larger outer diameter than the plunger 42 main body is formed in a portion of the plunger 42 closer to the solenoid 40 main body than the restriction plate 48, and between the flange portion 42a and the restriction plate 48. The compression spring 50 is press-fitted. When the solenoid 40 is not excited (OFF state), the plunger 42 is pushed in the direction away from the tray 12 by the elastic force of the compression spring 50, so that the pressing plate 46 is shown by the solid line in FIG. In the standby position, that is, in a position substantially aligned with the guide surface 34c of the guide plate 34, while the solenoid 40 is excited (ON state), it resists the elastic force of the compression spring 50. The plunger 42 is pushed out toward the tray 12, and the pressing plate 46 pushes the chopstick bag 16 on the receiving surface 36a to the side surface of the tray 12 at the pushing position as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. The position of each member is set so as to move forward to.

The on / off control of the solenoid 40 is also performed by the controller 32. Specifically, the controller 32, after a lapse of a predetermined time from the time when the control signal is output to the cutter solenoid 25, more specifically, the chopstick bag 16 divided by the cutter 24 is at the receiving position of the pressing device 38. The solenoid 40 is switched from off to on after a sufficient time to reach it, and then immediately switched off.

Next, the operation of this device will be described.

Tray 1 placed on belt conveyor 10
1 is conveyed in the direction shown by the arrow A in FIG. 1, and an adhesive is applied to the side surface of the tray 12 in the middle of the process. Then, when the tray 12 reaches the chopstick mounting position as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance by the belt conveyor 10 is stopped.

On the other hand, in parallel with the transportation of the tray 12, the chopstick bag 16 group is transported by the driving of the pinch roller 20 in the chopstick mounting device. Then, when the mark 28 attached to the third chopstick bag 16 from the beginning is detected by the photoelectric switch 30, the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33 is switched off, whereby the pinch roller 2
The transfer of the group of 16 chopstick bags by 0 is stopped, and the leading chopstick bag 16 is stopped.
Are positioned in the dividing position as shown in FIG.

In this state, the cutter solenoid 25, which has been in the off state until then, is switched on for a certain period of time, so that the two blades of the cutter 24, which have been separated until then, approach each other, and the cutter 24 causes the leading chopsticks to move. The connecting portion between the bag 16 and the next chopstick bag 16 is cut off, whereby the leading chopstick bag 16 is separated from the other chopstick bags 16.

The chopstick bag 16 thus separated falls on the receiving plate 34b of the guide plate 34, but since the receiving plate 34b is inclined downward, the chopstick bag 16 slides down on the receiving plate 34b, Further, it slides on the guide surface 34c and is received on the receiving surface 36a of the receiving table 36. At this time, the solenoid 40 is off and the pressing plate 46
Is retracted to the standby position shown by the solid line in FIG.
6 is supported by the receiving table 36 and the pressing plate 46 from both the lower side and the lateral side.

Next, a control signal is output from the controller 32 to the solenoid 40, and the solenoid 40 is switched from off to on, thereby causing the plunger 4 to move.
The pressing plate 46 connected to 2 moves forward from the standby position to the standby position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3, and the pressing plate 46 presses the chopstick bag 16 onto the side surface of the tray 12 to which the adhesive is applied in advance. , Glued on this side.

Thereafter, the chopstick bag 16 is continuously attached to each tray 12 by repeating such an operation. Therefore, if such a device is used, the chopstick bag 16 can be automatically attached without requiring human labor, and the cost can be significantly reduced. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the chopstick bags 16 are conveyed in a state before being divided, that is, in a state where the chopstick bags are connected in a line, the chopstick bags 16 that have already been divided are conveyed. Transport work is easier than in the case
There is an advantage that the structure of the device is also simple.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

The basic structure of the device shown here is the same as that of the device shown in the first embodiment, but this device has a housing 52 as shown in FIGS. Two sets of upper and lower pinch rollers 20 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 52.
An electromagnetic clutch / brake 33 and a motor 22 with a speed reducer are housed inside. The chopstick storage case 14 is installed on the side of the housing 52, and has an arc-shaped upper corner of the housing 52 for smoothly guiding the chopstick bag group 16 in the chopstick storage case 14 onto the upper surface of the housing 52. The guide 54 is fixed.

The pinch roller 20 has a housing 52.
The pinch roller 20 is rotatably supported on the side wall of the gate bracket 56 installed above, and the upper pinch rollers 20 are attached to the lower pinch rollers 20 by the springs 58 attached to the top wall of the gate bracket 56. It has been pushed down.
Of the lower pinch rollers 20, the sprocket 59 is attached to the rotary shaft of the downstream (right side in FIG. 4) pinch roller 20.
Is fixed, and this sprocket 59 is connected via a chain 60 to a sprocket 33 a fixed to the output shaft of the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33. A sprocket 33b is fixed to the input shaft of the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33, and the sprocket 33b is
It is connected to a sprocket 22 a fixed to the output shaft of the motor 22 with a reducer via a chain 62. With such a structure, the rotational driving force of the motor with speed reducer 22 is transmitted to the pinch roller 20 via the chains 60, 62 and the electromagnetic clutch / brake 33.

A cutter 24 is provided downstream of the pinch roller 20 as in the first embodiment, and a guide plate (guide means) 64 is provided further downstream of the cutter 24. The guide plate 64 is tilted in a direction such that the front end (lower end in FIG. 5) in FIG. 4 is higher than the rear end (upper end in FIG. 5) in FIG. Fixed on the housing 52, the cutter 2
The chopstick bag 16 separated from the other chopstick bags 16 at 4 is shaped to slide down into the space on the inner side (upper side in FIG. 5) of the housing 52.

A pressing device 38 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is provided in the space on the back side of the housing 52.

The pressing device 38 is provided with a receiving plate 66, and the receiving plate 66 is provided at a position for receiving the chopstick bag 16 sliding down from the guide plate 64 from below. The receiving plate 66 substantially faces the side surface of the tray 12 as shown in FIG. 7, and a receiving plate 66a for supporting the chopstick bag 16 from below is formed at the lower end thereof. The receiving plate 66a projects from the main body of the receiving plate 66 toward the tray 12, and the amount of projection is set to be slightly smaller than the thickness dimension of the chopstick bag 16.

A supporting plate 70 is arranged in parallel with the receiving plate 66 at the rear side (left side in FIG. 7) of the receiving plate 66.
The left and right wing portions of 6, 70 are connected to each other via a cushion spring 68, and the support plate 70 is connected to a rotating shaft 74 via a pair of left and right arc-shaped connecting rods 72. The rotating shaft 74 extends in parallel with the receiving plate 68 and the supporting plate 70, and is mounted on the housing 52 by a bearing (not shown).
Is supported on the side of the rotary shaft 74.
6 is fixed.

On the other hand, on the housing 52 side, a drive shaft 82 is rotatably supported via a bearing (not shown).
The drive shaft 82 extends parallel to the rotary shaft 74 and is connected to the output shaft of the motor 86. A disk 84 is fixed to the end of the drive shaft 82, and the peripheral edge of the disk 84 is connected to the peripheral edge of the disk 76 via links 78 and 80. Here, the disk 76 and the link 78
And are completely fixed, while links 78 and 80
And the link 80 and the disk 84 are pin 79, respectively.
Are relatively rotatably connected to each other.

In such a structure, the motor 86
Each time the drive shaft 82 and the disc are driven to rotate by 360 °, the disc 76 and the pivot shaft 74 connected to the drive shaft 82 and the disc via links 78 and 80 reciprocally rotate, whereby
The arrangement position of each member is set so that the receiving plate 66 reciprocates between the illustrated receiving position and the pressing position where the received chopstick bag 16 is pressed against the side surface of the tray 12.

The motor 86 is connected to a controller equivalent to the controller 32 shown in the first embodiment. By receiving a pulse signal of a predetermined number of pulses from the controller 32, the drive shaft 82 can be moved at a time. 36
It is configured to rotate by 0 °.

Also in such a device, each chopstick bag 16 can be automatically attached to the tray 12 as in the above embodiment. That is, by rotating the pinch roller 20, the group of chopstick bags 16 in the chopstick storage case 14 is guided over the guide 54 and onto the housing 52, and the leading chopstick bag 16 is separated, that is, immediately above the guide plate 64. When the position is reached, the conveyance by the pinch roller 20 is stopped, and the operation of the cutter 24 causes the leading chopstick bag 16 to move to another chopstick bag 1.
Divided from 6. The chopstick bag 16 that has been divided is a guide plate 64
It slides down and is received by the receiving plate 66 at the standby position. From this point, the drive shaft 82 and the disc 84 are driven to rotate 360 ° by the operation of the motor 86, so that the disc 76 and the rotating shaft 74 are rotated by one reciprocating motion. The supporting plate 70 and the receiving plate 66 connected to each other advance from the receiving position shown in the drawing to the pressing position to press the chopstick bag 16 against the tray 12, and then return to the waiting position shown in the drawing again.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

Here, the chopstick bags 16 are connected in a line in the width direction thereof, and the interconnecting portions thereof are constructed to be foldable as in the above-mentioned embodiments, and the chopstick bags 16 are arranged. The group is wound around the peripheral surface of the unwinding drum 88 as shown in FIG.
Drive the nip belt pair (conveying means) 94 from the chopstick bag 16
Are drawn in order. The nip belt pair 94 is composed of a pair of front and rear rollers 90 arranged vertically, and a belt 92 stretched between the upper rollers 90 and the lower rollers 90. With the chopstick bag 16 sandwiched from above and below, these are conveyed in the arranging direction and sent out to the cutter 24.

As described above, in the present invention, regardless of the direction of the food accessory to be conveyed, the effect can be obtained by configuring the conveying means according to the direction.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a pair of left and right long strips (holding members) 93 extending parallel to each other.
In addition, the left and right ends of a large number of chopstick bags 16 that have been divided in advance are adhered to each other with a relatively weak adhesive force, and a constant gap is provided between the chopstick bags 16. The band 93 and the entire chopstick bag 16 are wound around the unwinding drum 94, and the ends of both bands 93 are taken up by the take-up drum (conveying means) 96.
Each chopstick bag 16 is conveyed by the winding operation of the band 93 by the winding drum 96.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, a pair of left and right support rollers 98 are rotatably disposed near the side surface of the tray 12, and the above-mentioned support rollers 98 are provided on the peripheral surfaces thereof. An intermediate portion of the belt 93 from the unwinding drum 94 to the winding drum 96 is hung. That is, the band 93 and each chopstick bag 16 are conveyed from the unwinding drum 94 to the winding drum 96 in a state where the intermediate portion thereof projects toward the tray 12, and also between the support rollers 98. The space is secured. A pressing device 38 is provided in this space.

The pressing device 38 has the same structure as that shown in the first embodiment, and includes a solenoid 40 connected to the same controller as that of the first embodiment, and a flange portion is provided on a plunger 42 of the solenoid 40. 42a is formed, a compression spring 50 is press-fitted between the flange 42a and a regulation plate 48 fixed to the ground side, and a pressing member 100 is fixed to the tip of the plunger 42. When the solenoid 40 is on, the plunger 42 is pushed out of the body of the solenoid 40 against the elastic force of the compression spring 50, so that the pressing member 10 is pressed.
4 is pushed to the position where the chopstick bag 16 is pushed against the side surface of the tray 12, and conversely, when the solenoid 40 is off, the plunger 42 is pushed in the direction in which it is retracted into the body of the solenoid 40 by the elastic force of the compression spring 50. As a result, the arrangement position of each member is set such that the pressing member 100 retracts to the illustrated standby position, that is, to the position further away from the tray 12 than the peripheral surface of the support roller 98.

According to such a device, the winding drum 9
While the belt 93 and each chopstick bag 16 are conveyed by the rotation drive of 6, the solenoid 40 is switched from off to on each time the leading chopstick bag 16 reaches the position where the support roller 98 is arranged, and the pressing member 100 is on standby. By moving from the position to the pressing position, the middle portion of the chopstick bag 16 held by the pressing member 100 on the band 93 is pushed out from the side opposite to the side surface of the tray 12 toward the side surface of the tray 12, and the chopsticks are pressed. The bag 16 can be attached to the tray 12 separately from the belt 93. Here, since the chopstick bags 16 are arranged at equal intervals to each other, the solenoids 40 are periodically arranged at appropriate time intervals without stopping the conveyance of the chopstick bags 16.
By switching on and off, the chopstick bag 16 can be attached.

Of course, also in this device, the chopstick bag 16
Alternatively, the chopstick bag 16 may be temporarily stopped in the vicinity of the tray 12 and pressed against the side surface of the tray 12 by the pushing member 100. In this case, the conveyance control of the chopstick bag 16 may use the position detection result of the chopstick bag 16 by the photoelectric switch or the like as in the first and second embodiments.

When the solenoid 40 is turned on, the pressing member 100 retracts to the standby position, and the solenoid 40
The pressing device 38 may be configured so that the pressing member 100 advances to the pressing position when the switch is off.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the following modes can be adopted as examples.

(1) In the fourth embodiment described above, the chopstick bag 16 is adhered to the band 93 to hold the chopstick bag 16. However, as shown in FIG. The chopstick bag 16 is integrally molded on the (member) 110,
Perforations 108 may be provided around the perimeter to allow the chopstick bag 16 to be easily separated from the sheet 110. Also in this case, only the chopstick bag 16 is pushed out toward the tray from the side opposite to the tray 12 with the sheet 110 as a boundary, and the chopstick bag 16 is separated from the sheet 110 at the perforations 108 and pressed onto the tray 12. You can

(2) In each of the above-described embodiments, the adhesive is applied to the tray 12 side, but conversely the chopstick bag 1 is used.
An adhesive may be applied to the 6 side. in this case,
The surface of a member that comes into contact with the chopstick bag 16, such as the conveying unit and the pressing unit, may be coated with a fluororesin so that the members are not bonded to the chopstick bag 16. Further, the present invention is not limited to such adhesion, but can be widely applied to the case where the food accessory is attached to the food by pressing it. For example, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide upper and lower locking portions 12a and push the chopstick bag 16 between these locking portions 12a.

(3) In the first and second embodiments,
Although the guide plates 34 and 64 are arranged between the cutting position by the cutter 24 and the chopstick bag 16 by the pressing device 38, the cutting position and the pressing position are close to each other, and the means for directly pressing the cut food accessory is shown. In the case of a device that can be handed over, the guide plates 34, 64 and the like are unnecessary.

(4) In the first and second embodiments,
The pressing device 3 using the controller 32 for carrying control
Although the operation control of 8 is also shown, the pressing device 38 may be controlled independently of the above-mentioned conveyance. For example, even if a limit switch or the like is provided on the receiving surface 36a in the first embodiment, and the receiving surface 36a detects that the reception of the chopstick bag 16 is completed, the solenoid 40 is switched on and off. Good.

(5) In the present invention, the photoelectric switch 3 is used regardless of the specific means for detecting the position of the food accessory.
Other than 0, a limit switch, a magnetic sensor, or the like can be used depending on the shape or structure of the food accessory.

(6) In the first embodiment, one chopstick bag 16 is used.
Although the chopstick bag 16 is separated from the other chopstick bags 16 and then the chopstick bag 16 is moved and pressed against the side surface of the tray 12, conversely, the chopstick bag 16 is kept stationary and the tray 12 is removed. You may make it move toward the chopstick bag 16. For example, in the layout shown in the first embodiment, the pressing plate 4
While holding the chopstick bag 16 with a member similar to 6, the tray 12 on the belt conveyor 10 is pushed from the side toward the chopstick bag 16 by a pusher or the like, so that the tray 1
It is possible to attach the chopstick bag 16 to the side surface of 2.

(7) In the present invention, regardless of the type of food accessory, the invention is applied to the attachment of various accessories such as spoons, forks, toothpicks, dried soups, etc. attached to foods in addition to the above chopsticks. It is possible. Further, the present invention can also be applied to various foods such as sushi, breads, dried noodles in cups, etc., which are equipped with food accessories, in addition to bento.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

First, the apparatus according to claim 1 conveys the food accessories connected to each other in the arranging direction, and
Positioning at a predetermined dividing position and dividing at this position, by pressing the divided food accessory and food in a direction relatively approaching each other by the pressing means to press the food accessory to the surface of the food Because it was
Even if the food accessories are connected to each other, each food accessory can be automatically attached to each food without requiring any labor, which has the effect of reducing the cost. .. In addition, since the transportation is performed before the food accessory is divided, that is, when each food accessory is still connected, it is transported compared to the case where each food accessory is individually transported. Easy to work with,
Therefore, there is an advantage that the device can be simplified.

Further, according to the apparatus of the second aspect, even if the dividing position and the position where the pressing means receives the food accessory are separated, the divided food accessory is automatically guided by the guiding means. There is an effect that can be passed to the pressing means.

The apparatus according to claim 3 holds a part of a large number of food adjuncts already separated by a holding member, and carries the food adjunct together with the holding member. In the food accessory that has reached the pressing position, the portion not held by the holding member,
Since the food is pressed against the food from the side opposite to the food, the food accessories can be smoothly conveyed regardless of whether or not the food accessories are separated from each other. Similar to the described device, there is an effect that each food accessory can be automatically attached.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing an overall configuration of a chopstick mounting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a chopstick storage case installed in the device and a chopstick bag stored in the case.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional front view showing a pressing device in the chopstick mounting device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional front view showing the structure of the housing and its surroundings of the chopstick mounting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing the structure of the housing and its surroundings.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pressing device in the chopstick mounting device.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the pressing device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a main part of a chopstick mounting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a pair of nip belts provided in the device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a main part of a chopstick mounting device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a pressing device provided in the device.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an example in which a chopstick bag is integrally molded with a sheet in the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example in which a locking portion is provided on the side surface of the tray of the lunch box.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a tray of bento and a chopstick bag attached thereto.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 tray (food) 16 chopstick bag (food accessory) 20 pinch roller (conveying means) 22 motor with speed reducer (conveying means) 24 cutter (dividing means) 30 photoelectric switch 32 controller (conveying control means) ) 33 electromagnetic clutch / brake (constitutes conveying control means) 34, 64 guide plate (guide means) 38 pressing device (pressing means) 93 belt (holding member) 94 nip belt pair (conveying means) 96 winding drum (conveying means) ) 110 sheet (holding member)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A device for cutting a plurality of food accessories that are connected to each other in a line in one direction, and pressing each food accessory onto the surface of a predetermined food to attach the food to the food. A transporting means for transporting the food accessory in the arrangement direction, a position detecting means for detecting the position of the food accessory, and the transport means when it is detected that one food accessory reaches a predetermined dividing position. A conveyance control means for stopping the conveyance, a dividing means for dividing the food accessory from other food accessories while the food accessory is in the dividing position, and the food accessory receiving the divided food accessory. Attaching the food accessory to the food, comprising pressing means for pressing the food accessory to the food by relatively moving the food and the food in a direction in which they approach each other. apparatus. 2. The food accessory mounting device for food according to claim 1, further comprising guide means for guiding the food accessory divided from the other food accessory by the dividing means to the pressing means. A device for attaching a food accessory to a featured food. 3. A device for mounting a plurality of food adjuncts on a predetermined food by pressing the food adjuncts on the surface of the food, wherein the food adjuncts are arranged in a line. A holding member for holding a part and the holding member and each food accessory are integrally conveyed in the arrangement direction of the food accessory, and the holding member and the food accessory pass through a predetermined pressing position near the food. As such, by conveying means for conveying, and by pushing the portion not held by the holding member in the food accessory that has reached the pressing position by the conveying of this conveying means from the side opposite to the food toward the food, And a pressing means for pressing the food accessory from the holding member against the food.