Apparatus for filling gyoza in round tray and method of the same

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus and a method for filling a plurality of gyozas in a round tray radially (so-called petal shaped manner). The apparatus is provided with a gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor, a tray intermittent feeding conveyor which is arranged in such a manner as to be orthogonal to the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor, a revolving holder apparatus which is installed between both the intermittent feeding conveyors, and a chuck holder which is connected to the revolving holder apparatus and reciprocates and revolves above between both the intermittent feeding conveyors. A plurality of chuck units which are eccentrically rotatable via a drive mechanism are arranged below the chuck holder, chucks which are opened and closed by an opening and closing drive unit are arranged below the chuck units, and a plurality of gyozas are radially transferred to an upper face of a tray on the tray intermittent feeding conveyor.

1 . An apparatus for filling gyoza in a round tray, the apparatus comprising: 
  a gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor;    a tray intermittent feeding conveyor which is arranged in such a manner as to be orthogonal to the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor;    a revolving holder apparatus which is installed between both the intermittent feeding conveyors and configured to revolve around a vertical axis; and    a chuck holder which is connected to the revolving holder apparatus, wherein the chuck holder reciprocates and revolves above and between both the intermittent feeding conveyors,    wherein a plurality of chuck units which are eccentrically rotatable about vertical axes via a drive mechanism are arranged below the chuck holder, chucks which are opened and closed by an opening and closing drive unit are arranged below the chuck units, a plurality of gyozas fed on the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor are grabbed by the chucks, the chuck units in which the chucks are arranged are eccentrically rotated at an appropriate angle, the chuck holders in which a direction of each of the chuck units is held in a feeding direction of the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor or a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction faces above a round tray on the tray intermittent feeding conveyor, and a plurality of gyozas are radially transferred to an upper face of the round tray by opening the chucks.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the chuck holder has a top plate which is connected to the revolving holder apparatus and a bottom plate which is held at a desired interval below the top plate, and the drive mechanism eccentrically rotating the chuck units is disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the chuck unit is held below the bottom plate of the chuck holder in an eccentrically rotatable manner via an eccentric lever. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 2 , wherein the chuck unit is held below the bottom plate of the chuck holder in an eccentrically rotatable manner via an eccentric lever. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the chuck units are constructed by four chuck units which are installed in such a manner as to be rectangularly arranged below the bottom plate of the chuck holder, and are provided with a plurality of chucks arranged in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor in such a manner as to grab a plurality of gyozas on the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor when being positioned above the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 5 , wherein among the four chuck units, one chuck unit is fixed to a lower side of the bottom plate of the chuck holder in such a manner as to allow the chuck arranged below to always hold in the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor, and the remaining three chuck units are set to be eccentrically rotatable via the eccentric lever such that totally four gyozas grabbed by one chuck fixed to the lower side of the bottom plate of the chuck holder and three chucks provided in the respective chuck units are have equal intervals in a lower face of the bottom plate and have an appropriately crisscross planar shape. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the chuck arranged below the chuck unit is formed by a combination of a movable claw and a fixed claw, and is formed in such a manner that the movable claw is openable and closable with respect to the fixed claw by the opening and closing drive unit. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is formed by a cylinder which is arranged in a horizontal state in an inner side of the top plate and the bottom plate of the chuck holder, a piston and a cam which are connected to a leading end of a piston shaft of the cylinder, a cam follower which is slidably engaged with a long hole formed in the cam, a lever which is fixed to a rotating shaft via the cam follower in a rear end portion, and a spur gear which is fixed to the rotating shaft in a lower side of the lever. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 2 , wherein the drive mechanism is formed by a cylinder which is arranged in a horizontal state in an inner side of the top plate and the bottom plate of the chuck holder, a piston and a cam which are connected to a leading end of a piston shaft of the cylinder, a cam follower which is slidably engaged with a long hole formed in the cam, a lever which is fixed to a rotating shaft via the cam follower in a rear end portion, and a spur gear which is fixed to the rotating shaft in a lower side of the lever. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the revolving holder apparatus is provided with an arm member which is 90 degrees horizontally swingable between the above of the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor and the above of the round tray put on the round tray intermittent feeding conveyor, and is provided in a leading end of the arm member with a rotating and elevating means which allows the chuck holder connected to a lower end to be swingable at 90 degrees and hold to be rotatable on its own axis at 45 degrees. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 2 , wherein the revolving holder apparatus is provided with an arm member which is 90 degrees horizontally swingable between the above of the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor and the above of the round tray put on the round tray intermittent feeding conveyor, and is provided in a leading end of the arm member with a rotating and elevating means which allows the chuck holder connected to a lower end to be swingable at 90 degrees and hold to be rotatable on its own axis at 45 degrees. 
     
     
         12 . A method for filling gyoza in a round tray, the method comprising the steps of: 
 grabbing a plurality of gyozas on the gyoza intermittent feeding conveyor by the chuck of a plurality of chuck units arranged below the bottom plate of the chuck holder;    eccentrically rotating the chuck units at an appropriate angle via the eccentric lever so as to put the gyozas grabbed by the chucks on a front face of the tray in a petal shape;    thereafter allowing the chuck holder to face the upper face of the round tray on the round tray intermittent feeding conveyor; and    opening each of the chucks arranged below the chuck units, so that the gyozas are radially transferred to the upper face of the tray.   
     
     
         13 . The method for filling gyoza in the round tray according to  claim 12 , wherein the method comprises: 
 a first step of eccentrically rotating a plurality of gyozas grabbed by the chucks below the plurality of chuck units via the eccentric lever in such a manner as to have an equal interval and an approximately crisscross planar shape below the bottom plate of the chuck holder, allowing the chuck holders to face the upper face of the tray on the tray intermittent feeding conveyor, and opening each of the chucks arranged below the chuck units, thereby transferring the gyozas in an approximately crisscross manner on the upper face of the tray with keeping a predetermined equal interval; and    a second step of allowing the chuck holders to rotate on its own axis at 45 degrees, thereafter allowing the chucks grabbing the plurality of gyozas via the chuck units arranged below the bottom plate of the chuck holder to face the upper face of the tray on the tray intermittent feeding conveyor in a state of having the equal interval and the approximately X- shaped planar shape, and opening the chucks arranged below the chuck units, thereby additionally transferring the gyozas in an approximately X-shaped manner between the gyozas transferred in the approximately crisscross shape on the upper face of the tray in the first step, so that a plurality of gyozas are arranged side by side radially on the upper face of the tray.