JP7776134B2 - food cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food cutting machine that cuts the longitudinal ends of food ingredients.

Conventionally, a cutting machine used to separate leaves from root vegetables such as radishes and carrots is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. The cutting machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a conveying device that horizontally feeds a loading tray on which carrots are placed, a moving device that moves the carrots on the loading tray to one end in the longitudinal direction where the leaves are located, a cutting blade that cuts the leaves protruding from the loading tray, and a pressure roller that presses the carrots fed to the cutting blade from above.
The pressure roller is made of a sponge-like material, is rotatable, and is movable up and down, and is pressed against the carrots by its own weight or the spring force of a spring.

JP 9-94083

In the food cutting machine shown in Patent Document 1, even if the pressure roller presses the carrot against the loading tray, there is a risk that the end of the carrot will be cut at an angle. This is because the carrot may be held in the loading tray at a large angle relative to the cutting blade.

The object of the present invention is to provide a food cutting machine that can prevent food from being cut at an angle.

In order to achieve this object, the food cutting machine of the present invention comprises a conveying path that extends in a conveying direction and is configured so that food to be cut can be placed thereon, a conveying device that has a conveying member that extends horizontally perpendicular to the conveying direction and that pushes and conveys food on the conveying path using the conveying member, and an alignment member that aligns the food sent by the conveying device along the conveying member.
The food material is provided with a presser lever that pushes food material aligned along the conveying member by the alignment member from above and clamps it between the alignment member and the conveying path, and a rotary blade that rotates about its axis in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and cuts the food material being pushed by the presser lever.The alignment member is supported by a support member that is fixed to the conveying path and positioned at a higher position than the conveying path so that it can swing freely about its axis in the horizontal direction, and the swinging end of the alignment member faces the conveying member from the downstream side of the conveying direction and is configured to clamp the food material in cooperation with the conveying member moving in the conveying direction.

In the food cutting machine of the present invention, the presser lever has a base supported on the support member so as to be rotatable about its axis in the horizontal direction, and a pressing portion extending downward from the base downstream in the conveying direction, and is configured to press the food material against the conveying path by its own weight. The alignment member and the presser lever may be provided at multiple positions aligned at predetermined intervals in the axial direction, and may also be aligned adjacent to each other in the axial direction.

In the food cutting machine of the present invention, the upstream side of the alignment member in the conveying path in the conveying direction is configured by a left-right direction feed device that applies a thrust to the food in one of the left and right directions, which is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a side wall that is formed higher than the left-right direction feed device and extends in the conveying direction is positioned at the end of the conveying path on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the left-right direction feed device, and the alignment member, the presser lever, and the rotary blade are positioned at the end of the conveying path on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the left-right direction feed device,
The side wall may be constructed by arranging a plurality of plate pieces in the conveying direction, the plurality of plate pieces being attached to a conveyor chain that extends in the conveying direction and rotates with the left-right direction as its axial direction, and the conveyor chain may rotate in synchronization with the conveying device so that an upper portion moves in the conveying direction.

In the food cutting machine of the present invention, the cutting sections consisting of the left-right feed device, the alignment member, the presser lever, and the rotary blade are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction, respectively, and the cutting section located on the upstream side of the conveying direction and the cutting section located on the downstream side of the conveying direction are configured to be symmetrical in the left-right direction, and the side walls may be provided on both sides of the conveying path in the left-right direction.

In this invention, the food material is pressed against the conveying member by the alignment member, so that the food material extends along the conveying member. The food material is held down in this position by the presser lever and then cut by the rotary blade. The food material is cut in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. Therefore, this invention provides a food material cutting machine that can prevent food material from being cut at an angle.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a food cutting machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the transport path. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the left-right feed device. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the side wall. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the conveying member and the side wall. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the transport device. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cutting device. FIG. 8 is a front view of the cutting device. FIG. 9 is a side view of the main part of the cutting device. FIG. 10 is a side view of the alignment member. FIG. 11 is a side view of the presser lever. FIG. 12 is a side view for explaining the operation of the alignment member and the presser lever. FIG. 13 is a side view for explaining the operation of the alignment member and the presser lever.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a food cutting machine according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The food cutting machine 1 shown in Figure 1 includes a conveying path 3 configured to allow food materials 2 to be placed thereon as cut objects, a conveying device 4 that pushes and conveys the food materials 2 along the conveying path 3, and a cutting device 5 that cuts the food materials 2 sent by the conveying device 4. The cutting devices 5 are provided in two locations, one upstream and one downstream in the direction in which the food materials 2 are conveyed. Food materials 2 that can be cut by this food cutting machine 1 include root vegetables such as radish, carrot, burdock, and sweet potato, long, thin vegetables such as leeks and cucumbers, and plant-based food materials such as other fruits, as well as fish and meat-based food materials.

The conveying direction of the conveying path 3 runs from the upstream end located on the lower left side of Figure 1 to the downstream end on the upper right side. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction perpendicular to this conveying direction is referred to as the "left-right direction." Below, when describing each component of the food cutting machine 1, directions are indicated as they are when the food cutting machine 1 is viewed facing the upstream end of the conveying direction (the left end in Figure 1). In other words, the upstream side of the conveying direction is the "front side" of the food cutting machine 1, and the downstream side of the conveying direction is the "rear side" of the food cutting machine 1. Furthermore, the lower right side of Figure 1 is the "right side" of the food cutting machine 1, and the upper left side of Figure 1 is the "left side" of the food cutting machine 1.

(Description of the transport path)
The transport path 3 is provided between the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7, and as shown in Figure 2, is configured by arranging, from the upstream side in the transport direction, a first sliding stage 11, a first left-right feed device 12, a second sliding stage 13, a second left-right feed device 14, and a third sliding stage 15. In addition, movable side walls 16 and 17 are provided on both left and right sides of the transport path 3, as will be described in detail later.
The first to third sliding stages 11, 13, 15, which will be described in detail later, are made of stainless steel plates and extend in the conveying direction and the left-right direction, and are supported by the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7 via roller support brackets 23 together with rollers 21, 22, which will be described later, of the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14.

(Description of the left and right feed device)
The first left-right feed device 12 and the second left-right feed device 14 are formed to be symmetrical in the left-right direction, and have the same configuration except that their feed directions are opposite to each other.
As shown in Fig. 3, the first horizontal feed device 12 and the second horizontal feed device 14 each include a plurality of rollers 21, 22. These rollers 21, 22 are positioned at the same height and are rotatably supported at both ends by roller support brackets 23 with their axes extending in the conveying direction. The first horizontal feed device 12 and the second horizontal feed device 14 according to this embodiment each include five rollers 21, 22.

The roller support bracket 23 extends in the left-right direction and bridges between the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7 .
The rollers 21 of the first left-right feed device 12 are provided at one end located upstream in the conveying direction with first roller sprockets 24 that rotate integrally with the rollers 21. The first roller sprockets 24 are engaged with a first drive chain 25 that extends in the left-right direction.
The rollers 22 of the second left-right feed device 14 are provided at one end located downstream in the conveying direction with second roller sprockets 26 that rotate integrally with the rollers 22. These second roller sprockets 26 are engaged with a second drive chain 27 that extends in the left-right direction.

The first and second drive chains 25, 27 are endless chains that rotate around an axis extending in the conveying direction. The first drive chain 25 is wound around the first left sprocket 31 and the first right sprocket 32. The second drive chain 27 is wound around the second left sprocket 33 and the second right sprocket 34. The first roller sprocket 24 mentioned above meshes with the upper part of the first drive chain 25 from above. The second roller sprocket 26 meshes with the upper part of the second drive chain 27 from above.

The first left sprocket 31, around which the first drive chain 25 is wound, is rotatably supported by the left frame member 6 with its axis pointing in the conveying direction. The first right sprocket 32, around which the first drive chain 25 is wound, is attached to the first drive motor 35 with its axis pointing in the conveying direction. The first drive motor 35 is supported by the right frame member 7 and rotates the first right sprocket 32 clockwise as viewed from the front of the food cutting machine 1. As a result, the first drive chain 25 rotates so that its upper portion moves from left to right. The first roller sprocket 24, which meshes with this first drive chain 25, rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the front of the food cutting machine 1. As a result, when the first drive motor 35 rotates the first right sprocket 32, each of the five rollers 21 of the first left-right feed device 12 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the front of the food cutting machine 1. The food material 2 placed on the roller 21 of this first left-right feed device 12 is thrust to the left by the roller 21 and sent to the left side of the food material cutter 1.

The second right sprocket 34, around which the second drive chain 27 is wound, is rotatably supported by the right frame member 7 with its axis pointing in the conveying direction. The second left sprocket 33, around which the second drive chain 27 is wound, is attached to the second drive motor 36 with its axis pointing in the conveying direction. The second drive motor 36 is supported by the left frame member 6 and rotates the second left sprocket 33 counterclockwise when viewed from the front of the food cutter 1.

As a result, the second drive chain 27 rotates so that its upper portion moves from right to left. The second roller sprocket 26, which meshes with this second drive chain 27, rotates clockwise when viewed from the front of the food cutting machine 1. As a result, when the second drive motor 36 rotates the second left sprocket 33, each of the five rollers 22 of the second left-right feed device 14 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front of the food cutting machine 1. The food material 2 placed on the rollers 22 of this second left-right feed device 14 is thrust to the right by the rollers 22, and is sent to the right side of the food cutting machine 1.

(Explanation of the sliding stage)
The first to third sliding stages 11, 13, 15 are formed from flat stainless steel plates with flat upper surfaces, and are positioned at approximately the same height as the upper ends of the rollers 21, 22 of the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14. The first sliding stage 11 is supported by a roller support bracket 23 at a predetermined distance in front of the roller 22.

The second sliding stage 13 is formed adjacent to the roller 21 of the first left-right feed device 12 and the roller 22 of the second left-right feed device 14 with a predetermined gap therebetween, and is supported by a roller support bracket 23.
The third sliding stage 15 extends from near the rear end of the rollers 22 of the second left-right feed device 14 to the rear end of the conveying path 3. The front end of the third sliding stage 15 is supported by the roller support bracket 23, and the rear end is supported by a dedicated support bracket 37 (see FIG. 2). This support bracket 37 spans between the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7.
Behind the third sliding stage 15, a chute 38 is provided to receive the food material 2 discharged rearward from the conveying path 3.

(Description of the side wall)
Side walls 16, 17, provided on both the left and right sides of the conveying path 3, receive the food material 2 fed by the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14 and prevent the food material 2 from moving further to the side. As shown in FIG. 2, these side walls 16, 17 are positioned at the downstream end of the conveying path 3 in the feeding direction of the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14, and are configured by arranging multiple plate pieces 41 in the conveying direction. Adjacent plate pieces 41 are separated from each other by a minimum gap. This minimum gap is a gap of a width that does not allow the food material 2 to pass through. In this embodiment, the plate pieces 41 are formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the left and right of the food cutting machine 1, as shown in FIG. 4, and are attached to a sidewall driving conveyor chain 42.

The sidewall drive conveyor chains 42 are endless chains and are installed on both the left and right sides of the conveyor path 3. These sidewall drive conveyor chains 42 extend in the conveyance direction along the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7, and are wound around sidewall drive sprockets 43 installed at both ends in the conveyance direction, rotating with their axis extending left to right. The top of these sidewall drive conveyor chains 42 is positioned so that it is at approximately the same height as the conveyor path 3.

The plurality of plate pieces 41 are attached to the side wall driving conveyor chain 42 so as to protrude upward from the upper part of the side wall driving conveyor chain 42. Therefore, the plate pieces 41 are arranged so as to be positioned higher than the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14.
The side walls 16, 17 extend in the conveying direction by attaching the plurality of plate pieces 41 to the side wall driving conveyor chain 42. The direction in which the side wall driving conveyor chain 42 rotates is the direction in which the upper part moves from the front to the rear in the conveying direction.

The sidewall drive sprocket 43 is rotatably supported on the left and right frame members 6 and 7 via a front rotary shaft 44 and a rear rotary shaft 45 that span between the left and right frame members 6 and 7. These front rotary shafts 44 and rear rotary shafts 45 are shared with the transport device 4 (described below) and rotate when the transport device 4 operates. Rotation of the front rotary shaft 44 and rear rotary shaft 45 can be transmitted to the sidewall drive sprocket 43 using keyways 46 formed on the front rotary shaft 44 and rear rotary shaft 45, as shown in Figure 5, and a key (not shown) on the sidewall drive sprocket 43 that fits into the keyway 46.

The front rotating shaft 44 and the rear rotating shaft 45 rotate clockwise as viewed from the right side of the food cutting machine 1 when the transport device 4, which will be described later, is operated. Therefore, the side wall driving conveyor chain 42 rotates in synchronization with the transport device 4 so that the upper part moves in the transport direction.
As the front rotary shaft 44 and the rear rotary shaft 45 rotate in this manner, the plurality of plate pieces 41 that make up the side walls 16, 17 move together with the side wall driving conveyor chain 42, and move from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction as they pass along the side of the conveying path 3. In this embodiment, the side wall driving conveyor chain 42 corresponds to the "conveyor chain" as defined in the present invention.

(Description of the conveying device)
The conveying device 4 includes a plurality of rod-shaped conveying members 51 that cross the upper vicinity of the conveying path 3 in the left-right direction. These conveying members 51 are moved in the conveying direction by a pair of endless conveying chains 52 (see FIG. 6). The conveying members 51 extend from the right end to the left end of the conveying path 3. The left end of each conveying member 51 is supported by the left conveying chain 52, and the right end is supported by the right conveying chain 52. The conveying members 51 are provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction. The spacing between adjacent pairs of conveying members 51 is such that even thick foodstuffs 2, such as radishes, can be inserted between the conveying members 51.

The left and right conveyor chains 52 extend in the conveying direction along the left and right frame members 6 and 7 inside the food cutting machine 1 from the side wall drive conveyor chain 42 described above. These conveyor chains 52 are wrapped around conveyor sprockets 53 at both ends in the conveying direction and rotate with the left and right direction of the food cutting machine 1 as their axis. As shown in Figure 5, the conveyor sprocket 53 is formed to have the same diameter as the side wall drive sprocket 43. As a result, the conveyor members 51 and plate pieces 41 move at the same speed.

The transport conveyor chains 52 are positioned so that their upper portions are positioned at approximately the same height as the transport path 3. The transport members 51 are formed to protrude a predetermined height from the upper ends of the transport conveyor chains 52. The height of the transport members 51 is preferably adjusted according to the size of the food material 2. For example, the height of the transport members 51 can be set to approximately half the maximum diameter of a typical carrot. When using thick food materials 2 such as radishes, it is possible to supplement the height by attaching a plate that protrudes above the transport member 51 to the transport member 51. In this embodiment, the transport members 51 are stainless steel plates formed into a groove, for example by press molding, and are attached to the transport conveyor chain 52 with the opening of the groove pointing toward the center of the transport conveyor chain 52.

The transport sprocket 53 is fixed to the front and rear rotary shafts 44 and 45, and is rotatably supported by the left and right frame members 6 and 7 via the front and rear rotary shafts 44 and 45. Of the multiple transport sprockets 53, the one located on the right side downstream in the transport direction receives rotational force from the drive motor 54, which serves as the power source for the transport device 4. Therefore, in the transport device 4, the left and right transport conveyor chains 52 are rotated by the power of the drive motor 54, and the transport member 51 moves integrally with these transport conveyor chains 52. The direction in which the transport conveyor chains 52 rotate is clockwise when viewed from the right side of the food cutting machine 1.

As the transport conveyor chain 52 rotates in this manner, the transport member 51 moves in the transport direction near the top of the transport path 3. Of the four transport sprockets 53, two of the transport sprockets 53 provided on the front rotating shaft 44 can also be configured to rotate relative to the front rotating shaft 44. Similarly, of the four sidewall drive sprockets 43 described above, two of the sidewall drive sprockets 43 provided on the front rotating shaft 44 can also be configured to rotate relative to the front rotating shaft 44.

When the food material 2 is placed between a pair of adjacent conveying members 51, the conveying conveyor chain 52 rotates, pushing the food material 2 for transport by the conveying members 51. The food material 2 introduced at the upstream end of the conveying path 3 (on the first sliding stage 11) is pushed by the conveying members 51 and slides in the conveying direction, from over the rollers 21 of the first left-right feed device 12 to the second sliding stage 13, over the rollers 22 of the second left-right feed device 14, and over the third sliding stage 15, in that order, before being discharged from the downstream end of the conveying path 3 to the rear of the food material cutting machine 1.

As the food material 2 is transported by the conveying device 4, it is sent to the left by the first left-right feed device 12, where it abuts against the side wall 16 on the left side, restricting its lateral movement, and slides on rollers 21 to move together with the side wall 16. As the food material 2 moves from the first left-right feed device 12 to the second sliding stage 13, its left end is cut off by the upstream cutting device 5, described below. The food material 2 is then sent to the right by the second left-right feed device 14, where it abuts against the side wall 17 on the right side, restricting its rightward movement, and slides on rollers 22 to move together with the side wall 17. As the food material 2 moves from the second left-right feed device 14 to the third sliding stage 15, its right end is cut off by the downstream cutting device 5, described below.

(Description of cutting device)
As shown in FIG. 7 , the cutting devices 5 are configured using a disk-shaped rotary blade 61, which is shown at the top in FIG. 7 , and an alignment member 62 and a presser lever 63 provided near the rotary blade 61. The cutting devices 5 are provided at the upstream and downstream portions of the conveying path 3, respectively. Hereinafter, the cutting device 5 provided at the upstream portion of the conveying path 3 will be referred to as the "first cutting device 5A," and the cutting device 5 provided at the downstream side of the conveying path 3 will be referred to as the "second cutting device 5B." The first cutting device 5A and the second cutting device 5B are configured to be symmetrical in the left-right direction of the food cutting machine 1. The first cutting device 5A is provided on the left side of the food cutting machine 1, and the second cutting device 5B is provided on the right side of the food cutting machine 1. In this embodiment, the first cutting device 5A and the first left-right feed device 12 constitute the "upstream cutting section" as defined in the present invention. In this embodiment, the second cutting device 5B and the second left-right feed device 14 constitute what is referred to as a "cutting section located on the downstream side" in the present invention.

(Explanation of the rotary blade)
The rotary blade 61 is a disk-shaped blade driven and rotated by a cutting motor 64. The cutting motor 64 is attached to the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7 so as to be movable laterally. The axis of the rotary blade 61 extends parallel to the left-right direction of the food cutter 1. As shown in FIG. 5 , the rotary blade 61 in this embodiment is positioned outside the conveying path 3 relative to the conveying member 51 (to the right in FIG. 5 ) and inside the conveying path 3 relative to the side walls 16 and 17. The left-right position of the rotary blade 61, i.e., the length of the portion of the food material 2 to be cut, can be adjusted by moving the cutting motor 64 relative to the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7. The length of the portion of the food material 2 to be cut can also be adjusted by moving the side wall drive sprocket 43 laterally relative to the front rotary shaft 44 and the rear rotary shaft 45 to change the left-right position of the side walls 16 and 17.

In the conveying direction, the rotary blade 61 is positioned so that its upstream end in the conveying direction (the left end in FIG. 8) overlaps with the presser lever 63 described later when viewed from the right side of the food cutting machine 1, as shown in FIG. 8.
8, the rotation direction of the rotary blade 61 is counterclockwise when viewed from the right side of the food cutter 1. In other words, the rotary blade 61 rotates so that the upper end moves toward the upstream side in the conveying direction, and cuts the approaching food 2 from top to bottom as it is pushed by the conveying member 51.

(Description of Alignment Member)
The alignment member 62 aligns the food material 2 sent by the conveying device 4 along the conveying member 51 upstream of the rotary blade 61 in the conveying direction. The alignment member 62 in this embodiment is formed from a substantially rectangular metal plate, and is supported by a support 65 (see FIG. 7 ) described below so that it can swing freely about its axis in the left-right direction, with its thickness oriented in the left-right direction of the food material cutter 1. The alignment member 62 in this embodiment is formed from stainless steel. The thickness of the alignment member 62 is such that it has enough weight to push the food material 2 and correct any inclination of the food material 2.

The alignment member 62 is located a predetermined distance upstream of the rotary blade 61 in the conveying direction and higher than the conveying path 3. As shown in Figure 1, the support 65 that supports the alignment member 62 includes a frame 67 formed by combining multiple square pipes 66, a beam member 68 located at the upper end of the frame 67 in the center in the left-right direction and connecting the front and rear ends of the frame 67, a support stay 69 (see Figure 7) extending downward from the beam member 68, and a support shaft 70 and rod 71 attached in a cantilevered manner to the lower end of the support stay 69 so as to extend in either the left or right direction. The frame 67 is supported by the left frame member 6 and the right frame member 7.

In this embodiment, the support shaft 70 and rod 71 are attached to the support stay 69 by passing through elongated holes 72, 73 (see FIG. 8) formed in the support stay 69 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and are configured so that their positions in the vertical direction can be changed. In this embodiment, the support shaft 70 corresponds to the "support member" as defined in the present invention.
The support body 65, the support shaft 70, and the rod 71 are provided at an upstream position a predetermined distance upstream in the conveying direction from the rotary blade 61 of the first cutting device 5A, and at a downstream position a predetermined distance upstream in the conveying direction from the rotary blade 61 of the second cutting device 5B. The upstream position in this embodiment is approximately the same position in the conveying direction as the rear end of the first horizontal feed device 12. The downstream position in this embodiment is approximately the same position in the conveying direction as the rear end of the second horizontal feed device 14.

The shaft 70 and rod 71 located upstream extend from the support stay 69 to the left side of the food cutter 1. The shaft 70 and rod 71 located downstream extend from the support stay 69 to the right side of the food cutter 1. These shafts 70 and rods 71 are also located higher than the rotation axis 61a of the rotary blade 61.
The support shaft 70 passes through the alignment member 62 and the presser lever 63 (described later) and rotatably supports these members. Therefore, the alignment member 62 is supported by the support shaft 70 (support member) which is fixed to the conveying path 3 and disposed at a higher position than the conveying path 3 so as to be swingable about its axis in the left-right direction (horizontal direction). The presser lever 63, which will be described in detail later, is formed in a plate shape and is supported by the support shaft 70 so as to be swingable with its thickness oriented in the left-right direction.

The alignment members 62 are positioned above the first and second left-right feed devices 12 and 14, with the support shaft 70 passing through one end of the alignment member 62. As shown in FIG. 9, the alignment members 62 and the presser levers 63 (described later) in this embodiment are provided at multiple positions spaced apart in the left-right direction (the axial direction of the support shaft 70) and are also arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, both the first cutting device 5A and the second cutting device 5B are provided with two alignment members 62 and three presser levers 63. The three presser levers 63 are located at two positions adjacent to two alignment members 62 and at an intermediate position between the two alignment members 62. The left-right positions of the alignment members 62 and the presser levers 63 are determined by multiple spacers 74 (see FIG. 9) fixed to the support shaft 70. Note that the spacers 74 have been omitted from FIG. 7 to facilitate understanding of the shapes of the alignment members 62 and the presser levers 63.

The support shaft 70 passes through a through-hole 62a formed at one longitudinal end of the alignment member 62 and penetrates the alignment member 62. As shown in Fig. 10, a protrusion 62b that protrudes forward (upstream in the conveying direction, or leftward in Fig. 10) is provided at one longitudinal end of the alignment member 62. This protrusion 62b abuts against the rod 71, thereby restricting the alignment member 62 from swinging forward.
As shown in Figure 12(A), the other longitudinal end of the alignment member 62, i.e., the swinging end 62c, is formed so as to be located near the top of the conveying path 3 with the alignment member 62 extending directly downward from the support shaft 70. This swinging end 62c faces the conveying member 51 of the conveying device 4 from the downstream side in the conveying direction and clamps the food material 2 in cooperation with the conveying member 51 moving in the conveying direction. When the conveying device 4 operates without conveying food material 2, the conveying member 51 hits the swinging end 62c of the alignment member 62, swinging the alignment member 62 and pushing it away as it moves forward. As a result, the alignment member 62 is pushed by the conveying member 51 and swings backward, then passes over the conveying member 51 and swings forward to return to its initial position.

(Explanation of the presser lever)
The presser lever 63 presses down on the food material 2 being conveyed on the conveying path 3, pinching it between itself and the conveying path 3 to prevent the food material 2 from tilting or jumping up unnecessarily when being cut by the rotary blade 61. The presser lever 63 is formed into a predetermined shape from a metal plate and is supported so as to be able to swing freely on the support shaft 70 described above. The support shaft 70 passes through the through-hole 63a of the presser lever 63 (see FIG. 11 ) and penetrates the presser lever 63. The presser lever 63 in this embodiment is made of stainless steel. The thickness of the presser lever 63 is thinner than the thickness of the alignment member 62.

As shown in Figure 8, the presser lever 63 has an arc-like shape that protrudes diagonally downward and forward, which is the upstream side in the conveying direction when viewed from the right side of the food cutter 1. Specifically, the presser lever 63 has a base 63b (see Figure 11) that is rotatably supported on a support shaft 70 at a position higher than the conveying path 3, with its axis extending left and right (the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction), and a pressing portion 63c that extends downward from the base 63b on the downstream side in the conveying direction. The base 63b is rotatably supported on the support shaft 70. Because the base 63b is rotatably supported on the support shaft 70, the pressing portion 63c is lowered by gravity. In other words, the presser lever 63 is configured to press the food material 2 by its own weight.

The end surface 75 of the pressing portion 63c, located upstream in the conveying direction, is inclined downward from the base 63b so that it gradually becomes more downstream in the conveying direction. Therefore, when the food material 2 comes into contact with the pressing portion 63c while being conveyed, the food material 2 slides against the end surface 75, and the pressing portion 63c is pushed up by the food material 2. As a result, the weight of the presser lever 63 presses the food material 2 against the conveying path 3. The position of the rotary blade 61 in the conveying direction is such that the food material 2 reaches the rotary blade 61 while being pressed by the presser lever 63.

A protrusion 63d protrudes forward from the base 63b of the presser lever 63. The protrusion 63d contacts the rod 71, restricting the downward swing of the presser lever 63. In this embodiment, the presser lever 63 is positioned so that, in its natural state when not pressing the food material 2, its lower end (swinging end) contacts the second and third sliding stages 13, 15 downstream of the alignment member 62 in the conveying direction. The vertical positions of the presser lever 63 and the alignment member 62 described above can be adjusted by moving the support shaft 70 and rod 71 vertically relative to the support stay 69.

To cut the end of the food material 2 using the food material cutting machine 1 configured in this manner, the food material 2 is first placed on the first sliding stage 11. The food material 2 is pushed by the conveying member 51 of the conveying device 4 and moves to the rollers 21 of the first left-right feed device 12, and is then sent to the left by the first left-right feed device 12. When the food material 2 is sent to the left, it abuts against the plate piece 41 on the side wall 16, restricting further movement of the food material 2 to the left, and the plate piece 41 and the food material 2 move together downstream in the conveying direction. The food material 2 may be fed into the conveying path 3 in an inclined position, or may be rotated as it is sent by the first left-right feed device 12, causing it to be conveyed downstream in the conveying direction in an inclined position relative to the left-right direction of the food material cutting machine 1, as shown in Figure 12 (A).

When food material 2 in this tilted position approaches the rotary blade 61, the food material 2 comes into contact with the alignment member 62, as shown in Figures 12(B) and 12(C). In this embodiment, the alignment member 62 comes into contact with the food material 2 after climbing over the conveying member 51, which is located downstream of the food material 2 in the conveying direction. That is, the alignment member 62 oscillates from downstream to upstream in the conveying direction as it strikes the food material 2. As the food material 2 strikes the alignment member 62 in this way, the tilted food material 2 is pressed against the conveying member 51, and as shown in Figure 13(A), the food material 2 assumes a position extending along the conveying member 51. In Figure 13(A), the elimination of the tilt of the food material 2 is indicated by the circle representing the cross-sectional shape of the food material 2 changing from an ellipse to a perfect circle.

Then, as shown in Figure 13(B), the food material 2 comes into contact with the hold-down lever 63 and pushes it aside, receiving the weight of the hold-down lever 63. This weight presses the food material 2 against the conveying path 3 (rollers 21 and 22 in this embodiment) as it is conveyed. The weight of the hold-down lever 63 acts on the food material 2 in this way, stabilizing the food material 2. In this embodiment, the weight of the alignment member 62 is also added to the food material 2, allowing the food material 2 to be pressed down with an even greater load. Then, as shown in Figure 13(C), the food material 2 is cut by the rotary blade 61 while held down by the hold-down lever 63 in a position extending along the conveying member 51. The food material 2 is cut in a direction perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. The left end of the cut food material 2 falls downward and is ejected from the device.

The food material 2, whose left end has been cut off by the upstream cutting device 5 in this way, is pushed by the conveying member 51 and conveyed over the second sliding stage 13 to the second left-right feed device 14. The food material 2 is then sent to the right side of the food material cutter 1 by the second left-right feed device 14, moving integrally with the right side wall 17 and sent to the second cutting device 5B. As when the food material 2 was cut by the first cutting device 5A, the food material 2 sent to the second cutting device 5B is first aligned by the alignment member 62, and then held down by the hold-down lever 63 to stabilize the position, and the right end is cut off by the rotary blade 61. The food material 2, whose both longitudinal ends have been cut off in this way, is sent over the third sliding stage 15 and discharged from the rear end of the conveying path 3 to the outside of the device.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a food cutting machine that can prevent the food material 2 from being cut at an angle.

The presser lever 63 in this embodiment has a base 63b supported on a support shaft 70 so as to be rotatable about its axis in the horizontal direction, and a pressing portion 63c extending downward from the base 63b downstream in the conveying direction, and is configured to press the food material 2 against the conveying path 3 by its own weight. The alignment members 62 and presser levers 63 are provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the axial direction, and are arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction.
Therefore, multiple positions in the longitudinal direction of the elongated food material 2 can be pressed by both the alignment member 62 and the press lever 63, so that the food material 2 can be aligned before cutting and the food material 2 can be held securely during cutting.

In this embodiment, the upstream side of the alignment member 62 in the conveying direction of the conveying path 3 is composed of first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14 that apply thrust to the food material 2 in one of the left and right directions, which is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. Side walls 16, 17 are positioned at the downstream ends of the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14 in the conveying direction of the conveying path 3, and are formed higher than the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14 and extend in the conveying direction. The rotary blade 61, alignment member 62, and presser lever 63 are positioned at the downstream ends of the first and second left-right feed devices 12, 14 in the conveying direction of the conveying path 3. The side walls 16, 17 are composed of multiple plate pieces 41 aligned in the conveying direction. The multiple plate pieces 41 are attached to a side wall driving conveyor chain 42 that extends in the conveying direction and rotates about its axis in the left-right direction. The side wall driving conveyor chain 42 rotates in synchronization with the transport device 4 so that the upper portion moves in the transport direction.
Therefore, the food material 2 sent in the left-right direction by the first and second left-right direction feed devices 12, 14 moves in the conveying direction together with the side walls 16, 17, so that the food material 2 is not unnecessarily rubbed against the conveying path 3 compared with the case where the side walls 16, 17 are fixed, and the quality of the food material 2 can be maintained while it is cut.

In this embodiment, the cutting sections of the food cutter 1, which are comprised of the first and second left-right feeders 12, 14, the rotary blade 61, the alignment member 62, and the presser lever 63, are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction. The cutting section located on the upstream side and the cutting section located on the downstream side of the conveying direction are configured to be symmetrical in the left-right direction. Side walls 16, 17 are provided on both sides of the conveying path 3 in the left-right direction.
Therefore, with this food cutting machine 1, both longitudinal ends of the food material 2 can be cut in directions perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
In the above-described embodiment, a food cutting machine 1 is shown that cuts both ends of food material 2, but the food cutting machine of the present invention is not limited to this and can be configured to cut only one longitudinal end of food material 2.

1...food cutting machine, 2...food material, 3...conveying path, 4...conveying device, 12...first left-right feeding device, 14...second left-right feeding device, 16, 17...side wall, 41...plate piece, 42...side wall driving conveyor chain, 51...conveying member, 61...rotary blade, 62...alignment member, 63...pressing lever, 63b...base, 63c...pressing portion, 70...support shaft (support member).

Claims (4)

a conveying path configured to allow food materials to be placed thereon and extending in a conveying direction;
a conveying device having a conveying member extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, the conveying member pushing and conveying the food material on the conveying path;
an alignment member that aligns the food material sent by the conveying device along the conveying member;
a presser lever that presses the food material aligned along the conveying member by the alignment member from above to sandwich the food material between the alignment member and the conveying path;
a rotary blade that rotates about an axis that is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and cuts the food material being pressed by the presser lever;
the alignment member is supported by a support member that is fixed to the conveying path and disposed at a position higher than the conveying path so as to be swingable about an axis that is in the horizontal direction;
A food cutting machine characterized in that the oscillating end of the alignment member faces the conveying member from the downstream side of the conveying direction and is configured to clamp the food material in cooperation with the conveying member moving in the conveying direction. The food cutting machine according to claim 1,
The presser lever is
a base supported by the support member so as to be rotatable about an axis in the horizontal direction;
a pressing portion extending downward from the base portion downstream in the conveying direction, and configured to press the food material against the conveying path by its own weight;
The alignment members and the presser levers are respectively provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart at predetermined intervals in the axial direction, and are arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction. The food cutting machine according to claim 1 or 2,
A left-right feed device is provided on the upstream side of the alignment member in the conveying direction of the conveying path to impart a thrust to the food material in one of the left and right directions, which is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction,
a side wall formed higher than the left-right feed device and extending in the conveying direction is positioned at an end of the conveying path downstream in the conveying direction of the left-right feed device;
the alignment member, the presser lever, and the rotary blade are positioned at an end of the conveying path downstream in the feeding direction of the left-right feeding device,
The side wall is configured by arranging a plurality of plate pieces in the conveying direction,
The plurality of plate pieces are attached to a conveyor chain that extends in the conveying direction and rotates with the left-right direction as its axis,
The conveyor chain rotates in synchronization with the conveying device so that an upper portion of the conveyor chain moves in the conveying direction. The food cutting machine according to claim 3,
a cutting section including the left-right feed device, the alignment member, the presser lever, and the rotary blade is provided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveying direction,
the cutting portion located on the upstream side in the conveying direction and the cutting portion located on the downstream side in the conveying direction are configured to be symmetrical in the left-right direction,
The food cutting machine is characterized in that the side walls are provided on both sides of the conveying path in the left-right direction.