Slice device of continuous feeding type

Abstract

To provide a slice device of a continuous feeding type capable of suppressing flapping of a food product raw wood at the time of slicing.SOLUTION: In a raw wood supply station 2 that transfers a food product raw wood, first inclination adjustment means 24 and second inclination adjustment means 25 are provided in a tail pulley 211 side of an upper belt conveyor 21. By actuating the first inclination adjustment means 24 and the second inclination adjustment means 25, a gap between a head pulley 212 side of the upper belt conveyor 21 and a raw wood reception surface of a lower belt conveyor 22 matches a thickness of a cutting edge vicinity part of a food product raw wood, so that flapping is prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a slicing device for slicing food logs such as ham and bacon and a method for driving the same, and more particularly to a continuous feed type slicing device that slices food logs while continuously feeding them in. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, slicing machines are roughly divided into two types depending on how the food logs are fed. In the first type, a gripper with a claw attached to the tip holds the rear end of a long food log, and a linear actuator is used to move the gripper toward the cutting surface of the food log (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the second type, food logs are sandwiched between two conveyor belts arranged above and below, and transported toward the cutting blade, so that food logs are continuously supplied between the conveyor belts (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-187680 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-123697 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a block of bacon is used as a food log, one side of the thickness direction is made almost smooth due to the manufacturing process, but the other side of the thickness direction is inevitably uneven, so there may be areas where the thickness varies along the length of the food log. On the other hand, of the two types mentioned above, the continuous feed slicing device described in Patent Document 2 has the log holding surface of the upper conveyor and the log receiving surface of the lower conveyor arranged so that they are parallel. Therefore, when attempting to slice food logs that are not uniform in thickness as described above, the distance between the upper and lower conveyors is adjusted to match the thicker part of the food log.

[0006] However, as described above, if the log holding surface of the upper conveyor and the log receiving surface of the lower conveyor are made parallel and the distance between the log holding surface and the log receiving surface holding surface is cut to match the thickest part of the food log, when the thin part of the food log comes near the cutting blade, the food log will not be firmly clamped between the upper and lower conveyors near the cutting blade. Furthermore, if the food log is cut with a cutting blade when it is not firmly clamped, the impact of slicing and the rotation of the blade may cause the log to flap around, resulting in variations in the thickness and precision of the slices.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a slicing device that can prevent flapping when cutting with a cutting blade, even when the thickness of the food log changes in the longitudinal direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the slicing device of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the slicing device of the present invention") is a slicing device comprising a log supply station equipped with a delivery mechanism for delivering long food logs, and a slicing station which slices the food logs delivered from the log supply station using cutting blades, the delivery mechanism comprising an upper delivery section which fits along the top surface of the food log and has the function of delivering the food log towards the slicing station, and a lower delivery section which receives the underside of the food log and has the function of delivering the food log towards the slicing station, the upper delivery section comprising flutter prevention means for moving at least the end of the food log in the delivery direction towards and away from the lower delivery section, thereby preventing fluttering of the food log near the cutting blade when slicing.

[0009] It is preferable that the slicing device of the present invention is configured so that a drive mechanism for moving the anti-fluttering means toward and away from the lower feed section is provided at a position that does not intersect with the upper feed section and the lower feed section when viewed vertically. In other words, with the above-mentioned configuration, contaminants such as lubricating oil for the drive mechanism do not fall onto the upper and lower delivery sections, so that the upper and lower delivery sections can be kept clean and are easy to clean and maintain.

[0010] In the slicing device of the present invention, the upper and lower sending sections are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include belt conveyors, chain conveyors, roller conveyors, and combinations of these. Examples of flutter prevention means include, for example, when the upper sending-out section is a belt conveyor, an inclination adjustment means that makes it possible to change the inclination of the food log holding surface of the belt conveyor, and an anti-flutter roller or anti-flutter plate that is adjacent to the belt conveyor's rear end and is arranged to move in contact with and away from the log receiving surface of the lower sending-out section.

[0011] The slicing device of the present invention can be configured such that the upper send-out section is an upper belt conveyor having a head pulley, a tail pulley, a frame section supporting the head pulley and tail pulley so as to be freely rotatable, and an endless belt stretched between the head pulley and the tail pulley, and the flutter prevention means is an upper conveyor inclination adjustment means having a first drive arm having one end fixed to the end of the frame section of the upper conveyor on the tail pulley side and the other end rotatable around the central axis of the tail pulley, and a first drive arm rotation drive means for rotating the first drive arm. In other words, with the above-described configuration, fluttering can be suppressed simply by adjusting the inclination of the upper conveyor.

[0012] In addition, the inclination adjustment means may further include a second drive arm having one end rotatably supported on a fixed shaft and the other end rotatably supported on an axis coaxial with the pivot axis of the tail pulley of the first drive arm, and second drive arm drive means for driving the second drive arm to rotate around the fixed shaft. That is, with the above-mentioned configuration, the inclination width of the upper conveyor can be increased.

[0013] In the slicing device of the present invention, it is preferable that the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor are supported on one side in their width direction, and the inclination adjustment means is arranged so as to be able to adjust the inclination only from the support side of the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor. In other words, since there are no obstacles on the other side in the width direction of the upper and lower conveyors, maintenance and cleaning can be easily performed.

[0014] In the slicing device of the present invention, it is preferable that the slicing station is composed of a plate-shaped regulating disk having a circumferential portion centered on a first axis and an opening formed by cutting out a portion of the circumferential portion, and supported rotatably around the first axis, a circular cutting blade positioned to fit into the opening and supported rotatably around a second axis that is parallel to the first axis and eccentric to the first axis, a first disk drive mechanism that drives the regulating disk to rotate, and a second disk drive mechanism that rotates the cutting blade in the opposite direction to the rotating disk. Effect of the Invention

[0015] As described above, the slicing device of the present invention is a slicing device comprising a log supply station equipped with a delivery mechanism for delivering long food logs, and a slicing station which slices the food logs delivered from the log supply station using cutting blades, the delivery mechanism having an upper delivery section which fits along the top surface of the food log and has the function of delivering the food log towards the slicing station, and a lower delivery section which receives the underside of the food log and has the function of delivering the food log towards the slicing station, the upper delivery section having a flutter prevention means for moving at least the end of the food log in the delivery direction towards the lower delivery section and preventing fluttering near the cutting blade of the food log when slicing, so that the area near the cutting blade of the food log can be kept clamped between the end of the upper delivery section and the lower delivery section. Therefore, even if the thickness of the food log varies along the length, variations in the thickness and precision of the slices caused by the flapping of the log can be kept to a minimum. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a basic configuration of a slicing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a front view of the main parts explaining the configuration and operation of the tilt adjustment means of the slicing device in Figure 1, where (a) shows the normal state in which the upper conveyor is tilted so that its log pressing surface is parallel to the log receiving surface of the lower conveyor, (b) shows the state in which the first tilt adjustment means has been used to increase the tilt of the log pressing surface of the upper conveyor to match the tip thickness of the food logs whose tips have become thinner, and (c) shows the state in which the second tilt adjustment means has been used to make the tilt of the log pressing surface of the side conveyor even greater. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of a slicing station of the apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the slicing device. [Figure 6] 2 is a front view illustrating a method of driving the slicing device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a transportation form of slice pieces. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] A continuous feed type slicing device (hereinafter, abbreviated as "slicing device") according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] (Embodiment 1) First, with reference to FIG. 1, the basic configuration and functions of a slicing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0019] The slicing device 1 is composed of a log supply station 2, a slicing station 3, a transfer station 4, and a chassis 10 according to their functions. The chassis 10 houses the main body of the controller 5 which controls the operation of the slicing device 1, and the support 12 is fitted with a touch panel display 51 for inputting data into the controller 5 and confirming the input data. A drive box 26, which will be described later, is supported on the chassis 10.

[0020] First, the general operation of the slicing device 1 will be described. The log W, sandwiched from above and below by the upper belt conveyor 21 as the upper delivery section of the log supply station 2 and the lower belt conveyor 22 as the lower delivery section, is transported toward the cutting blade 31 of the slicing station 3 as indicated by the arrows, and sliced ​​to a fixed thickness. The sliced ​​pieces S fall onto the belt conveyor 41 of the transfer station 4, and are then transferred to a belt conveyor (not shown) and transported to a packaging machine installed downstream. Each station will be specifically described below.

[0021] The log supply station 2 is made up of three conveyers: one roller conveyor 23, and an upper belt conveyor 21 as an upper send-out section and a lower belt conveyor 22 as a lower send-out section, both installed downstream of the roller conveyor 23. As shown in FIG. 1, these three conveyors 21 to 23 are installed with the right side facing up when facing the paper surface, and the roller conveyor 23 and the lower belt conveyor 22 are arranged in a straight line.

[0022] The roller conveyor 23 transports the logs by its own weight and is fixed onto the chassis 10 by supports (not shown). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper belt conveyor 21 is equipped with a head pulley 212, a tail pulley 211, and a deflection roller 214, which are rotatably arranged at a predetermined interval on a frame 210, and an endless flat belt 213 is stretched around the head pulley 212, the tail pulley 211, and the deflection roller 214.

[0023] In the upper belt conveyor 21, the deflection roller 214 is used so that the gap between the flat belt 213 from the tail pulley 211 side to the deflection roller 214 portion and the flat belt 223 of the lower belt conveyor 22 is wider on the tail pulley 211 side and gradually narrows toward the deflection roller 214 side. In other words, since the gap between the upper belt conveyor 21 and the lower belt conveyor 22 becomes wider toward the tail pulley 211 side, the food logs W can be smoothly inserted between the underside of the flat belt 213 between the deflection roller 214 and head pulley 212 of the upper belt conveyor 21, which serves as the log pressing surface, and the upper surface of the flat belt 223 of the lower belt conveyor 22, which serves as the log receiving surface.

[0024] The tail pulley 211 is adapted to be rotated by the driving force of a drive motor (not shown) connected to its rotary shaft. The flat belt 213 rotates such that the surface of the lower end side of the flat belt 213 moves toward the head pulley 212 side by the rotational drive of the tail pulley 211 .

[0025] In addition, the upper belt conveyor 21 is provided with a first inclination adjustment means 24 and a second inclination adjustment means 25 as flutter prevention means. The first inclination adjustment means 24 includes a plate-shaped first drive arm 24a and a first drive arm rotation drive means 24b.

[0026] One end of the first drive arm 24a is fixed to the frame 210 of the upper belt conveyor 21, and a rotation shaft (not shown) of a tail pulley 211 is pivotally supported at this end. The first drive arm 24a has the other end connected to a first drive arm rotation drive means 24b.

[0027] The first drive arm rotation drive means 24 b includes a plate-shaped first drive transmission arm 241 , a plate-shaped second drive transmission arm 242 , a third drive transmission arm 243 , and a first electric cylinder 244 . The first drive transmission arm 241 has one end pivotally supported on the other end of the first drive arm 24 a , and the other end pivotally supported on the upper end of the second drive transmission arm 242 . The second drive transmission arm 242 has a lower end portion on the drive box 26 side, and a third drive transmission arm 243 is fixed to the lower end portion of the second drive transmission arm 242 on the drive box 26 side.

[0028] The third drive transmission arm 243 is provided inside the drive box 26 , and its upper end side is pivotally supported on the tip of a piston rod 244 b of the first electric cylinder 244 . The first electric cylinder 244 is provided in the drive box 26, one end of a cylinder body 244a is fixed, and a piston rod 244b is adapted to advance and retreat relative to the cylinder body 244a.

[0029] The first inclination adjustment means 24 is configured as described above, and can adjust the inclination of the log pressing surface of the upper belt conveyor 21 in the following manner. That is, as shown in Figure 2(a), when the thickness of the tip side of the food log W becomes thinner and the tip is no longer sandwiched between the upper belt conveyor 21 and the lower belt conveyor 22, the piston rod 244b of the first electric cylinder 244 retracts, and the third drive transmission arm 243 rotates around the other end side of the second drive transmission arm 242, while the first drive transmission arm 241 rotates the first drive arm 24a around the rotation axis of the tail pulley 211, as shown in Figure 2(b). At this time, since one end of the first drive arm 24a is fixed to the frame 210 of the upper belt conveyor 21, the upper belt conveyor 21 rotates around the rotation axis of the tail pulley 211 so that the end on the head pulley 212 side runs along the top surface of the food log W.

[0030] The second inclination adjustment means 25 includes a second drive arm 25a and a second drive arm rotation drive means 25b. One end of the second drive arm 25a is pivotally supported on the rotation shaft of the tail pulley 211, and the other end is pivotally supported on a fixed shaft 251 provided on the operation box 26 side.

[0031] The second drive arm rotation drive means 25 b includes a drive transmission arm 252 and a second electric cylinder 253 . The drive transmission arm 252 is provided inside the drive box 26, and has one end fixed to the other end of the second drive arm 25a and is pivotally supported on a fixed shaft 251 so as to be freely rotatable.

[0032] The second electric cylinder 253 is provided in the drive box 26, one end of a cylinder body 253a is fixed inside the drive box 26, and a piston rod 253b is adapted to advance and retreat relative to the cylinder body 253a. The piston rod 253b has a tip on which the rotation shaft at the other end of the drive transmission arm 252 is pivotally supported.

[0033] The lower belt conveyor 22 includes a head pulley 222 and a tail pulley 221 that are rotatably arranged on a frame 220 at a predetermined interval, and an endless flat belt 223 is stretched between the head pulley 222 and the tail pulley 221. The tail pulley 221 is adapted to be rotated by the driving force of a driving motor (not shown) in a driving box 26 connected to the rotating shaft 221a thereof.

[0034] The flat belt 223 rotates in such a way that the upper surface of the flat belt 223, which serves as the log receiving surface, moves toward the head pulley 222 side by the rotational drive of the tail pulley 221.

[0035] Next, the operation of the log supply station 2 and the effects of the first inclination adjustment means 24 and the second inclination adjustment means 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in Figure 1, if the thickness of the food logs W is uniform, the underside of the food logs W is received by the log receiving surface of the lower belt conveyor 22, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2(a), the log holding surface of the upper belt conveyor 21 and the log receiving surface of the lower belt conveyor 22 are aligned parallel to match the thickness of the food logs W, and the food logs W are transported toward the cutting blades 31 of the slicing station 3, where they can be sliced ​​continuously.

[0036] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2(a), when the height of the logs W gets lower toward the front, if the log holding surface of the upper belt conveyor 21 and the log receiving surface of the lower belt conveyor 22 remain parallel, the logs will be held down only by the rear end of the belt conveyor 21, causing flapping when slicing. However, since the first tilt adjustment means 24 is provided, the worker can operate the first tilt adjustment means 24 to firmly clamp the thinner part of the food log W that has been transported near the cutting blade 32 (described later) between the end of the upper belt conveyor 21 on the head pulley 212 side and the log receiving surface of the lower belt conveyor 22, as shown in Figure 2(b). Therefore, even in the thin parts of the food log W, fluttering during cutting by the cutting blade 32 can be minimized.

[0037] Furthermore, since the second tilt adjustment means 25 is provided, the inclination of the log pressing surface of the upper belt conveyor 21 can be further increased by retracting the piston rod 253b of the second electric cylinder 253 of the second tilt adjustment means 25, as shown in Figure 2 (c). That is, it is also possible to deal with a thinner case.

[0038] Furthermore, since the log supply station 2 does not have the first tilt adjustment means 24 and the second tilt adjustment means 25 above the upper belt conveyor 21 and the lower belt conveyor 22, lubricating oil and the like will not drip onto the upper belt conveyor 21 and the lower belt conveyor 22, making it hygienic. In addition, when slicing of a log W is completed and no new logs are supplied, the piston rod of the cylinder 26 retracts as shown in Figure 5 (c), causing the upper belt conveyor 21 to rotate until the tip of the upper belt conveyor 212 stops in a position where it comes into contact with the tip of the lower belt conveyor 222. In addition, although the thickness of the log W shown in FIG. 2 gradually decreases toward the tip, even if the log has a more complex shape, the fluttering suppression effect can be maintained by adjusting the inclination of the belt conveyor 21 midway through slicing.

[0039] 3 and 4, a description will now be given of the regulating disk 31 and the cutting blade 32 which are the main components of the slicing station 3. As will be described later, the regulating disk 31 is an essential component of a continuous feed type slicing device.

[0040] The slicing station 3 includes a plate-shaped regulating disk 31 supported rotatably about a first axis A1, and a disk-shaped cutting blade 32 supported rotatably about a second axis A2. The regulating disk 31 is disk-shaped overall, but has a circular circumferential portion 311 centered on the first axis A1 and an opening 312 cut out from a portion of the circular circumferential portion 311 by cutting out part of the circular circumferential portion 311. The axis of the opening 312 is on the second axis A2.

[0041] 3, the inner diameter of the opening 312 is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cutting blade 32, and the cutting blade 32 is disposed so as to fit into the opening 312. With this arrangement, the second axis A2 is eccentric with respect to the first axis A1. The outer diameter portion of the disk-shaped cutting blade 32 functions as a sharp cutting part, slicing the log W to a constant thickness.

[0042] 3, the slicing station 3 rotates the regulating disk 31 around the first axis A1 (hereinafter, this rotation is referred to as "revolution") when slicing the long log W. At the same time, the cutting blade 32 rotates (hereinafter, this rotation is referred to as "rotation") around the second axis A2 in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the regulating disk 31 at a higher speed than the regulating disk 31.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, inside the drive case 33 are housed a first drive mechanism 36 that rotates the regulating disc 31 and the cutting blade 32 around a first axis A1, and a second drive mechanism that rotates the rotary blade 32 around a second axis A2.

[0044] In addition, a drive box 34 containing a motor that rotates the regulating disc 31 and the cutting blade 32 is installed on the right side of the drive case 33, and the drive case 33 and the drive box 34 are connected by a transmission case 35 that contains an endless belt for transmitting rotation.

[0045] The first drive mechanism 36 is composed of a first drive shaft 361, a bearing case 362, a pulley 363, and an endless belt 364. The first drive shaft 361 is supported by a bearing case 362 attached to the drive case 33, and rotates around a first axis A1. The pulley 363 is fixed to the first drive shaft 361, and the rotation of a motor (not shown) housed in the drive box 34 is transmitted to the pulley 363 via the endless belt 364.

[0046] As described above, the pulley 363 is fixed to the first drive shaft 361 and rotates around the first axis A1. Therefore, the rotation of the motor housed in the drive box 34 is transmitted to the first drive shaft 361 via the belt 364 and the pulley 363, causing the regulating disc 31 and the cutting blade 32 to rotate around the first axis A1.

[0047] On the other hand, the second drive mechanism 37 is composed of a drive block 371 in which the second drive shaft is housed inside and a bearing case is arranged on the outside, a pulley 372 attached to the end of the drive block 371, a pulley 373 attached coaxially with the first drive shaft 361, an endless belt 374 stretched between pulleys 372 and 373, and an endless belt 375 that transmits the rotation of a motor (not shown) housed in the drive case 33 to the pulley 373.

[0048] The pulley 373 is coaxial with the first drive shaft 361, but is configured to be able to rotate freely relative to the first drive shaft 361. Therefore, the rotation of the motor housed in the drive case 33 is transmitted to the pulley 373 via the belt 375, and is further transmitted to the second drive shaft of the cutting blade 32 via the belt 374 and the pulley 372.

[0049] In the above-mentioned first drive mechanism 36, by driving a motor (not shown) housed in the drive box 34, the rotational force of the first drive shaft 361 is transmitted to the regulating disc 31 via the bearing case 362, causing the regulating disc 31 to revolve around the first axis A1.

[0050] Furthermore, by driving a motor (not shown) housed in the drive case 33, the rotational force of the second drive shaft (inside the drive block 371) is transmitted to the cutting blade 32 via a belt transmission mechanism (belt 375, pulley 373, belt 374, pulley 372) in the drive case 33, causing the cutting blade 32 to rotate. The cutting blade 32 revolves together with the regulating disc 31 while rotating, slicing the log W.

[0051] The regulating disk 31 has a regulating surface facing the cut end of the log W. The cutting blade 32 is disposed at a position slightly shifted toward the log W based on the regulating surface of the regulating disk 31 in accordance with the thickness of the slices.

[0052] By arranging the log W in this manner, when slicing the log W, the log W is in contact with the surface of the regulating disk 31 and is positioned in a fixed state before being sliced ​​by the cutting blade 32, and the distance between the regulating surface of the regulating disk 31 and the cutting blade 32 becomes the slice thickness of the log W.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown by the arrows in Figure 3, when slicing the log W, the rotation direction of the regulating disk 31 and the rotation direction of the cutting blade 32 are opposite, so that the force acting on the log W due to the rotation of the regulating disk 31 and the force acting on the log W due to the rotation of the cutting blade 32 cancel each other out, preventing the position of the log W from changing.

[0054] Next, the transfer station 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer station 4 is provided with a belt conveyor 41 which receives the sliced ​​pieces S at a position where the sliced ​​pieces S sliced ​​by the cutting blade 32 fall and transports them to a downstream conveyor.

[0055] In FIG. 1, the transfer station 4 is configured with one belt conveyor 41, but typically, two or more belt conveyors are installed in series. The sliced ​​pieces S that have fallen onto the belt conveyor 41 are then transferred to a belt conveyor (not shown) installed downstream, and their positions in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction are adjusted. In a packaging machine (not shown), the sliced ​​pieces S are placed into pockets in a packaging film that are formed at equal intervals in the conveying direction, and then packaged. Therefore, in the belt conveyor installed downstream of the belt conveyor 41, their positions in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction are adjusted, and then the sliced ​​pieces S are transported to the packaging machine.

[0056] Figure 5 shows the configuration of the control system of the slicing device 1. The operations of each of the members, the log supply station 2, the slicing station 3, and the transfer station 4, are controlled by a program stored in the memory of the controller 5. As shown in Figure 5, the controller 5 adjusts the operation timing of the motors 63 and actuators 64 that drive each member based on the output signals of the position sensors 61 and rotation sensors 62 attached to each member, thereby realizing the above-mentioned operations.

[0057] 6(a) and 6(b), the slicing device 1 is equipped with an optical sensor 65 that detects the end of the food log W. When the optical sensor 65 detects the end of the log W after the reflection from the log W has ceased, a detection signal is sent to the controller 5. The controller 5 then calculates the end position of the food log W using data on the distance from the end detection position of the food log W detected by the optical sensor 65 to the cutting blade 32, and predicts this data and the transport speed of the food log W by the upper belt conveyor 21 and the lower belt conveyor 22, as well as the time when the stem portion H, described below, will be sliced, and controls the transport speed of the belt conveyor 41 as follows.

[0058] That is, the belt conveyor 41 transports the sliced ​​pieces S at a constant speed while the normal slice pieces S are being cut, but just before the stem portion H is received by the belt conveyor 41, the transport speed of the belt conveyor 41 is temporarily made faster than the constant speed, and then is returned to the constant speed while the stem portion H is being sliced. After all the stems H have been received by the belt conveyor 41, the conveying speed is increased again, and is controlled so as to return to the steady speed again just before normal slice pieces S are received by the belt conveyor 41. The memory section of the controller 5 stores distance data between the optical sensor 65 and the cutting blade 31, and furthermore, the conveyor belts 21 and 22 are set to transport the log W at a set speed. Therefore, the time when the stalk H, which will be described later, is sliced ​​can be calculated from the time when the optical sensor 65 detects the end of the log W and the transport speed of the belt conveyors 21 and 22.

[0059] By controlling the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 41 as described above, the following effects can be expected. That is, as shown in FIG. 7(a), there is a product form in which slices are performed while the belt conveyor 41 of the transfer station 4 is moving, and the sliced ​​pieces are arranged on the conveyor in a partially overlapping state. On the other hand, as the slicing of the food log W by the slicing device 1 progresses and the end of the food log W reaches the vicinity of the cutting blade 32, it becomes difficult to slice the food log W while it is being firmly supported by the upper belt conveyor 21 and the lower belt conveyor 22. As a result, it becomes difficult to produce uniform slices, and stem parts H are generated that cannot be sold as products.

[0060] In such a case, if the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 41 is not controlled as described above, normal slices and slices with stems H will be mixed together as shown in Fig. 7(a) . This will require an operator to manually separate the slices with stems H from the normal slices, which may reduce the production efficiency of sliced ​​products. However, by controlling the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 41 as described above, the time when the stem portion H will be sliced ​​can be predicted, and the slices to be sliced ​​at that time, i.e., the stem portion H, can be separated from normal slices S on the belt conveyor 41, as shown in Figure 7(b). After that, a belt conveyor installed downstream separates the slices S with stems H from normal slices S. In this way, only the normal slices with stems H removed are transported to the packaging machine.

[0061] If the log W is transported alone, the log will move wildly when the stem H is sliced, making it impossible to slice normally. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6(b), after the detection of the rear end of the log W is completed, a new log is placed on the roller conveyor 23 and brought into contact with the rear end of the log being sliced. In this state, the rear end of the log being sliced ​​is pushed by the added log W, so the log will not move wildly when slicing.

[0062] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the flutter prevention means includes the first tilt adjustment means and the second tilt adjustment means for adjusting the tilt angle of the log pressing surface of the upper belt conveyor, but the first tilt adjustment means alone may be used. In addition, the upper feed section may be composed of pressure rollers etc. arranged behind the head pulley of the upper belt conveyor, and the pressure rollers etc. may be moved in contact with and away from the food logs according to their thickness by a driving means such as an electric cylinder, and the pressure rollers etc. may be used to prevent fluttering.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the tilt adjustment means is provided on the tail pulley side, but it is also possible to provide a tilt adjustment means in which the rotation shaft on the tail pulley side is fixed in a fixed position and the rotation shaft of the head pulley is rotated around the rotation shaft of the tail pulley. In the above embodiment, an electric cylinder was used to drive the first tilt adjustment means and the second tilt adjustment means, but an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, or a combination of these, or a servo motor and a rack and pinion may be used.

[0064] In the above embodiment, an optical sensor is used as a means for detecting the end of the log W, but it goes without saying that the end may be detected by using a sensor other than that. In the above embodiment, an operator visually checks the condition of the food log and activates the first tilt adjustment means and the second tilt adjustment means, but a thickness sensor may be provided and the control means may automatically activate the flutter prevention means based on the results of measurements by the thickness sensor.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the method of separating the stalk slices from the normal slices is to change the conveying speed of the belt conveyor, but it is also possible to reverse the conveyor belt or rotate it vertically and drop the stalks into a storage box through the gap created when the conveyor belt faces upward. The method to be adopted can be determined by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] S slice W Food Log 1 Slicing device 10 Chassis 2 Log supply station 21 Upper belt conveyor (upper delivery section) 210 Frames 211 Tail pulley 212 Head pulley 213 Flat belt 214 Deflection roller 22 Lower belt conveyor (lower delivery section) 220 frames 221 Tail pulley 222 Head pulley 223 Flat belt 23 Roller Conveyor 24 First tilt adjustment means (flutter prevention means) 24a First drive arm 24b First drive arm rotation drive means 241 First drive transmission arm 242 Second drive transmission arm 243 3rd drive transmission arm 244 First electric cylinder 244a Cylinder body 244b Piston rod 25 Second tilt adjustment means (flutter prevention means) 25a Second drive arm 25b Second drive arm rotation drive means 251 Fixed axis 252 Drive transmission arm 253 Second electric cylinder 253a Cylinder body 253b Piston rod 26 Drive box 3 Slicing Station 31 Regulatory Disc 311 Circumference 312 Opening 32 Cutting blade 33 Drive case 34 Drive box 35 Transmission Case 36 First drive mechanism 37 Second Drive Mechanism 4. Transfer Station 41 Conveyor Belt 5. Controller 61 Position Sensor 62 Rotation Sensor 63 Motor 64 Actuator 65 Optical Sensor

Claims

1. a log supply station including a delivery mechanism for delivering long food logs; A slicing device including a slicing station that slices the food logs sent from the log supply station using a cutting blade, the delivery mechanism has an upper delivery section that fits along an upper surface of the food log and has a function of delivering the food log to the slicing station side, and a lower delivery section that receives a lower surface of the food log and has a function of delivering the food log to the slicing station side, A slicing device characterized in that the upper feed section is provided with a flutter prevention means for moving at least the end of the food log in the feed direction toward and away from the lower feed section to prevent fluttering of the food log near the cutting blade during slicing.

2. 2. The slicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drive mechanism for moving said flutter prevention means toward and away from said lower feed section is provided at a position that does not cross said upper feed section and said lower feed section when viewed vertically.

3. the upper delivery section is an upper belt conveyor including a head pulley, a tail pulley, a frame section that rotatably supports the head pulley and the tail pulley, and an endless belt that is stretched between the head pulley and the tail pulley, The slicing device described in claim 2, wherein the flutter prevention means is an upper conveyor inclination adjustment means comprising a first drive arm having one end fixed to the end of the frame part of the upper conveyor on the tail pulley side and the other end rotatable around the central axis of the tail pulley, and a first drive arm rotation drive means for rotating the first drive arm.

4. The slicing device described in claim 3, wherein the inclination adjustment means comprises a second drive arm having one end rotatably supported on a fixed axis and the other end rotatably supported on an axis coaxial with the pivot axis of the tail pulley of the first drive arm, and a second drive arm drive means for rotating the second drive arm around the fixed axis.

5. A slicing device as described in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor are supported on one side in their width direction, and the inclination adjustment means is arranged so as to be able to adjust the inclination only from the support side of the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor.

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