Food dough cutting method and cutting apparatus

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a food dough cutting method and cutting device thereof capable of forming conveyed food dough strips that have nearly identical weight per unit time when dividing band shaped food dough into multiple food dough strips in the conveyance direction, and is further capable of performing the same number of cuts for each food dough strip when cutting each food dough strip along the width direction into food dough pieces having a specified weight.The conveyed food dough is aligned to a position that is displaced by just an alignment displacement amount with respect to a reference position that is based on the installation position of cutting members. The alignment displacement amount is calculated based on the ratio of the width dimension of the food dough and the lengths of food dough pieces that are cut from food dough strips on both sides.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Japanese patent application No. 2006-305993, filed Nov. 10, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to a cutting method and cutting device for separating conveyed band shaped food dough into multiple strips in the conveyance direction.[0003]As means for separating a block of food dough, such as mixed and kneaded bread dough, into a specified amount (for example 40 g) of food dough pieces, there is a device that forms continuous band shaped food dough from a block of food dough, and divides that food dough into rectangular pieces, for example as the food dough is conveyed by a conveying device.[0004]For example, the bread dough divider that is disclosed in Japanese patent application H4-66044 comprises: a belt conveyor that conveys the block of bread dough, an expansion roller that expands that block of bread dough to a near uniform thickness, a plurality of straight cutting ro...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]With this invention, when aligning the center position of the width of the band shaped food dough and conveying the food dough, alignment is not performed by aligning the food dough to a set position without moving the center position with respect to the cutting members as was done conventionally, but rather the center position and a set position, which is calculated by a control device based on the varying width dimension of the food dough and the varying cut lengths of food dough pieces that are divided from food dough strips, are aligned, so even when the characteristics of the dough, such as the width dimension, thickness or density of the dough are not uniform, it is possible to perform control so that weight of each of the food dough strips that is conveyed per unit time is mostly the same.

[0016]Also, with this invention, when dividing the band shaped food dough into multiple food dough strips, the plurality of cutting members, for example, rotating blades, are not arranged at fixed specified intervals as was done conventionally, but rather the interval between the cutting members is adjusted to an interval that is calculated by a control device based on the varying width dimension of the food dough and the varying cut lengths of food dough pieces that are divided from food dough strips, so even when the characteristics of the dough, such as the width dimension, thickness or density of the dough are not uniform, it is possible to perform control so that weight of each of the food dough strips that is conveyed per unit time is mostly the same.

[0017]In other words, with this invention, when dividing the conveyed food dough into multiple food dough strips along the conveyance direction, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of large differences in the weight of each of the food dough strips conveyed per unit time even when the characteristics of the dough, such as the width dimension, thickness or density of the dough are not uniform, so it is possible to make the number of cuts made per unit time (number of cuts) when cutting each of the food dough strips into food dough pieces having a specified weight the same, and thus it is possible to prevent a build up (oversupply), or undersupply of food dough pieces in the secondary formation section that follows.

Problems solved by technology

However, when dividing band shaped food dough whose width varies in the conveyance direction into multiple food dough strips, the width on both sides of a food dough strip is not fixed, or in other words, strip shaped food dough having a varying width is obtained.

Therefore, there is a problem in that productivity drops when it is necessary to discard the strip shaped food dough on both sides as unnecessary dough, and quality of the produced food dough becomes unstable and decreases when the strip shaped food dough on both sides is combined and remixed with the raw material.

However, when the width of the food dough constantly varies in the conveyance direction, or when the characteristics of the dough, such as the thickness or density, is not uniform in part of the dough, or particularly in the section on both sides, problems may occur in that when the food dough formation system divides the food dough into two strips of food dough whose width is constantly changing, large differences in the weight of the food dough that is conveyed per unit time occur, and when cutting each strip of food dough into pieces having a specified weight, extreme differences may occur in the number of cuts for each strip per unit time (for example, 1 minute), and the pieces of food dough become backed up (over supplied) in the secondary formation, or are not supplied.

Also, in the food dough formation system described above, when cutting the food dough that has been divided into two strips into pieces of food dough, the shape of the food dough pieces is formed into a horizontal rectangular shape (strips) as the weight of the dough decreases, and is not a suitable shape for secondary formation.

Therefore, a large difference occurs in the weight conveyed per unit time between the center food dough strip and the food dough strips on both sides, or between the food dough strips on both sides, and when cutting each of the food dough strips into food dough pieces having a specified weight, extreme differences occur in the number of cuts per unit time for each food dough strip, so during secondary formation, a problem may occur in that the food dough strips will become backed up (over supplied), or will not be supplied.

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