Layered food packaging system, laminate maker, and carrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027864-B2
Application number	US-201816118576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A layered food packaging system including a conveyor that conveys a first layered food and a second layered food, a lamination device that laminates the first layered food onto the second layered food on the conveyor such that a layered food laminate is made, a carrier device that holds the layered food laminate and carries the layered food laminate from the conveyor, and a package device that prepares a bag for the layered food laminate carried by the carrier device and places the layered food laminate into the bag.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A layered food packaging system, comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey a first layered food and a second layered food;
a position correction device configured to adjust a position of the first layered food and the second layered food on the conveyor to a predetermined position by making adjustments on multiple axes;
a lamination device configured to laminate the first layered food onto the second layered food on the conveyor such that a layered food laminate is made;
a carrier device configured to hold the layered food laminate and carry the layered food laminate from the conveyor; and
a package device configured to prepare a bag for the layered food laminate carried by the carrier device and place the layered food laminate into the bag.

2. The layered food packaging system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second conveyor configured to convey an additional first layered food and an additional second layered food;
a second lamination device configured to laminate the additional first layered food onto the additional second layered food on the second conveyor such that a second layered food laminate is made;
a second carrier device configured to hold the second layered food laminate and carry the second layered food laminate from the second conveyor; and
a distribution device configured to receive combinations of a previously processed first layered food and a previously processed second layered food from a previous process and distribute the combinations of the previously processed first layered food and the previously processed second layered food at equal spatial intervals to the conveyor and the second conveyor, wherein
the conveyor, the lamination device, and the carrier device form a first conveyance line,
the second conveyor, the second lamination device, and the second carrier device form a second conveyance line, and
the carrier device of the first conveyance line and the second carrier device of the second conveyance line are configured to alternately carry layered food laminates to the package device such that the carrier device of the first conveyance line carries the layered food laminate into the bag prepared by the package device and the second carrier device of the second conveyance line carries the second layered food laminate into a second bag prepared by the package device.

3. The layered food packaging system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a position sensor positioned at an upstream side of the lamination device in a conveyance direction of the conveyor and configured to detect the position of the first layered food and the second layered food; wherein
the position correction device is positioned at the upstream side of the lamination device in the conveyance direction of the conveyor and configured to, based on the position of the first layered food and the second layered food detected by the position sensor, adjust the first layered food and the second layered food to the predetermined position.

4. The layered food packaging system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sorting device configured to measure a weight of the layered food laminate in the bag at the package device and configured to, based on the weight of the layered food laminate measured by the sorting device, sort the layered food laminate discharged from the package device.

5. The layered food packaging system according to claim 1 , wherein
the lamination device comprises a first hand configured to raise the first layered food and place the first layered food onto the second layered food, and
the first hand includes a pressing member configured to move in a layered direction of the first layered food to press an upper surface of the first layered food, and a pair of support members configured to move toward and away from each other in directions perpendicular to the layered direction and support a lower surface of the first layered food.

6. The layered food packaging system according to claim 5 , wherein
the first layered food has a right-angled triangle shape as seen from the layered direction and has a first cut surface,
the second layered food has a right-angled triangle shape as seen from the layered direction and has a second cut surface,
the first layered food and the second layered food are arranged side by side on the conveyor with the first cut surface and the second cut surface facing each other,
the first hand is configured to raise the first layered food, turn the first layered food, and place the first layered food onto the second layered food, and
the pressing member comprises contact portions each configured to contact one of three corner portions of the first layered food.

7. The layered food packaging system according to claim 6 , wherein
the first layered food has two side surfaces different from the first cut surface of the first layered food, and
the pair of support members is configured to move toward each other to enter a space under the lower surface of the first layered food through center portions of the two side surfaces of the first layered food, and slide under the lower surface of the first layered food while avoiding overlapping with the three corner portions of the first layered food that are in contact with the contact portions of the pressing member.

8. The layered food packaging system according to claim 5 , wherein
each of the support members comprises a first extending portion extending in the layered direction, and a second extending portion connected to the first extending portion and extending in a direction in which an angle between the first extending portion and the second extending portion is an obtuse angle, and
the second extending portion is configured to slide under the lower surface of the first layered food.

9. The layered food packaging system according to claim 5 , wherein
the lamination device comprises:
a first drive mechanism configured to drive the pressing member,
a second drive mechanism configured to drive the pair of support members to move toward and away from each other,
first robot control circuitry including first torque control circuitry configured to perform torque control of the first drive mechanism to cause a pressing force of the pressing member to be at a predetermined pressing force, and
position control circuitry configured to perform position control of the second drive mechanism to cause the pair of support members to slide under the lower surface of the first layered food by a predetermined distance.

10. The layered food packaging system according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a pressing device positioned adjacent to the lamination device and configured to start a pressing operation of pressing the second layered food before the first hand raises the first layered food, and end the pressing operation after the first hand has placed the first layered food onto the second layered food.

11. The layered food packaging system according to claim 1 , wherein
the carrier device comprises:
a hand including a pair of tong members configured to hold the layered food laminate,
a drive mechanism configured to drive the pair of tong members to move toward and away from each other in a layered direction of the first layered food, and
robot control circuitry including torque control circuitry configured to perform torque control of the drive mechanism to cause a holding force of the pair of tong members to be at a predetermined holding force.

12. The layered food packaging system according to claim 11 , wherein
as seen from the layered direction, the layered food laminate has a right-angled triangle shape having a right-a

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Hyodo Tomoya
• Koike Haruhiko
• Kitagawa Teruhisa
• Kirihara Koichi
• Hamazawa Motohiro

Classifications

• B65B35/16

  by grippers · CPC title

• B65B43/26

  Opening or distending bags; Opening, erecting, or setting-up boxes, cartons, or carton blanks · CPC title

• B65B5/045 Primary

  in bags · CPC title

• B65B57/10

  responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged · CPC title

• A21D13/10

  Multi-layered products · CPC title