Meat cutting device

Abstract

To provide a meat cutter capable of uniformizing the thickness of a group of cut meat to be sliced from a lump of raw meat having an unstable shape, adjusting the weight of the group, and having versatility and usability.SOLUTION: The meat lump cutting device comprises an input part 7 for inputting scheduled cutting information, a weight measuring part 3, a meat lump shape measuring part 6, a cutting unit 2, and a meat lump conveying belt 20,30. The meat cutter 1 has a feed amount determining means 4 for determining the feed amount of a meat lump conveying belt by calculating a cut thickness for cutting meat for a predetermined purpose from meat lump outer shape information and meat lump layer weight information measured by a meat lump shape measuring part 6 comprising upper and lower sensors 6a and 6b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a meat cutting device that accurately detects the block of meat to be cut and cuts the meat for a predetermined purpose, and further, is capable of simultaneously cutting different blocks of meat such as loin meat and belly meat, and cutting the meat so that it can be arranged on a tray at a uniform thickness. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand for a cutting device that can accurately cut meat blocks in order to improve operating power in the meat cutting process, and that can simultaneously cut multiple meat blocks and further cut them continuously.

[0003] Conventionally, there have been cutting devices that use a sensor to detect and cut a block of meat, as described in Patent Document 1. However, this detection is performed within an illumination frame, and the outer shape of the block of meat is not necessarily measured accurately, and furthermore, it is not capable of cutting continuously.

[0004] On the other hand, there is also prior art that has two transfer troughs, as described in Patent Document 2. However, this is for cutting chunks of meat, and a partition separates one conveyor belt into two, and it does not convey two types of meat blocks separately and independently and cut them with one cutting blade. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2002-542046 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-218537 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a cutting device that can accurately detect the outer shape of a block of meat, enable cutting for a predetermined purpose, cut multiple blocks of meat simultaneously, and can continuously cut a large amount of cut meat, thereby improving operating power. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The meat serving device of the present invention is a meat cutting device that uses a cutting unit to cut a green meat conveyed by a green meat conveying belt, and includes: a green meat shape measuring unit that measures external shape information of the green meat conveyed by the green meat conveying belt; and a feed amount determining unit that determines a feed amount of the green meat conveying belt based on green meat total weight information and green meat shape information detected by the green meat shape measuring unit, wherein the green meat shape measuring unit includes a first measuring unit provided above the green meat conveying belt; and a second measuring unit provided below the green meat conveying belt and that measures through an opening in the belt.

[0008] In addition, in a food cutting device in which a plurality of green meat conveying belts running in parallel can convey green meat independently and the plurality of green meat conveying belts are cut by one cutting unit, it is preferable that the second measuring unit serving as the green meat shape measuring unit measures through a belt opening portion that opens across the plurality of green meat conveying belts running in parallel, and the feed amount determining means separately determines a feed amount corresponding to the cutting thickness of one green meat conveying belt and a feed amount corresponding to the cutting thickness of another green meat conveying belt.

[0009] In addition, in the food cutting device, two green meat conveying belts consisting of a first green meat conveying belt and a second green meat conveying belt run parallel to each other to cut two green meats with one cutting unit, it is preferable that a motor is disposed on one side opposite to the conveying direction of the two green meat conveying belts, and that the other side opposite to the one side is an open side so that the green meat conveying belts can be picked up.

[0010] Preferably, the two green meat conveying belts are provided with two rollers arranged in series, each roller being a first roller for conveying the first green meat conveying belt and a second roller for conveying the second green meat conveying belt, and two motors, each consisting of a first motor and a second motor connected to the two rollers, are arranged on one side opposite to the conveying direction of the two green meat conveying belts, and the green meat conveying device further comprises a first rotational force transmission means for transmitting a rotational force from the first motor to the first roller of the first green meat conveying belt and a second rotational force transmission means for transmitting a rotational force from the second motor to the second roller of the second green meat conveying belt.

[0011] Furthermore, the meat cutting device preferably uniforms the thickness of cut meat for each group cut from the green meat and adjusts the total weight of the group, and further preferably includes an input unit for inputting a planned cutting thickness and a planned cut group weight, and a feed amount determining means for calculating an individual pre-cutting group length based on the weight per unit volume from green meat shape information and green meat total weight information measured by the green meat shape measuring unit, and determining a feed amount of a green meat conveyor belt corresponding to the uniform cut thickness obtained by uniformizing the thickness for each pre-cutting group length.

[0012] Furthermore, it is preferable that the input unit includes tray length information in the planned cutting information, further includes a cut meat conveyor belt for conveying the cut meat cut by the cutting unit, and has a feed amount determination means for determining the feed amount of the cut meat conveyor belt so that the stack length of a group of cut meat falls within the tray length information, in addition to determining the feed amount of the green meat conveyor belt. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the invention of claim 1, the shape of the green meat can be accurately measured by the first measuring unit and the second measuring unit arranged above and below, and accurate information on the outline of the green meat can be obtained. This information on the outline of the green meat can be used to calculate the weight per unit volume from the total weight of the green meat, to set a cutting width of a predetermined weight, or to calculate the weight of a group of cut pieces, enabling so-called fixed-amount cutting or pack cutting (tray cutting).

[0014] According to the invention of claim 2, a plurality of green meat pieces are conveyed independently by a plurality of independent green meat conveyor belts, passed through a single belt opening at the same position in the conveying direction, measured by a green meat shape measuring unit, and cut by a single cutting unit, thereby enabling a large amount of cut meat to be continuously measured and cut to a predetermined weight. In this case, too, passing the pieces through a single belt opening in a single measuring unit provides accurate green meat shape information, making it possible to continuously cut a large amount of meat using a plurality of belts under predetermined desired cutting conditions.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 3, when cleaning or performing maintenance on the belt, the belt can be removed in a direction perpendicular to the belt conveyance direction, thereby realizing space saving.

[0016] According to the invention of claim 4, when multiple belts run in parallel, if motors are provided on at least both sides, the belts must be removed in the conveying direction for cleaning or maintenance, which prevents space saving and significantly reduces usability.By adopting the form described in this claim, it is possible to provide a meat cutting device that can continuously cut large amounts of meat under predetermined desired cutting conditions using multiple belts and also saves space.

[0017] The invention described in claim 5 makes it possible not only to cut meat in fixed amounts but also to pack a group of cut meat into so-called packs. Moreover, it is possible to make the thickness of the cut meat in a group of cut meat to be put into one pack uniform, so that each group has the same thickness of cut meat, making it possible to provide a pack of cut meat that feels natural.

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 6, the feed rate of the cut meat conveying belt is determined according to the length of the tray to form a scale row, and a group of cut meat can be placed directly into the tray and packed, thereby greatly improving work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1]1 is an overall perspective view of a meat cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of a meat cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing only a portion where a meat chunk shape measuring unit is located between a first belt and a second belt. [Figure 3] 3 is a partially enlarged front view showing the periphery of the opening in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion near FIG. 3 showing a rotational force transmission means according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a portion cut away. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cutting flow chart with feed amount determination for cutting a pack according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this description, the upstream side (front left side in FIG. 1) and downstream side (rear right side in FIG. 1) of the conveyor belt will be described. Furthermore, cut meat refers to a piece of meat that has been sliced ​​into individual pieces for consumption, a meat chunk refers to a rod-shaped chunk of meat (log) before cutting, and a group refers to one or more cut pieces of meat gathered together to be placed in individual trays.

[0021] The meat cutting device 1 of the present invention includes a cutting unit 2 and two green meat conveyor belts 20, 30 that run parallel to each other in the conveying direction (direction of arrow line X) for conveying green meat toward the cutting unit 2. One of the two green meat conveyor belts, which is on the conveying motor box 5 side, is referred to as the first green meat conveyor belt 20, and the other, which is not on the conveying motor box 5 side, is referred to as the second green meat conveyor belt 30. Note that, although two green meat conveyor belts run parallel to each other in this embodiment, three or more green meat conveyor belts may run parallel to each other, or partition plates may be provided between the plurality of green meat conveyor belts.

[0022] Furthermore, cut meat conveying belts 40, 50, which convey in the same direction as the green meat conveying belts 20, 30, are disposed behind the cutting unit 2. The cut meat conveying belts 40, 50 are belts that convey the cut meat cut by the cutting unit. Note that the conveying direction of the cut meat conveying belts 40, 50 may be different from the conveying direction of the green meat conveying belts 20, 30.

[0023] On one side (the rear side of FIG. 1 , the side opposite to the second green meat conveyor belt 30 side as viewed from the first green meat conveyor belt 20) in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction X (longitudinal direction) of the green meat conveyor belts 20 and 30 shown in FIG. 1 , a weight measuring unit 3, a feed amount determining means 4, and a downstream conveying motor box 5 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side. The box of the feed amount determining means 4 also houses a first motor and a second motor. On the other hand, the other side of the second green meat conveyor belt 30 (the side opposite to the first green meat conveyor belt 20 side) is an open side because these devices are not arranged thereon. By making it this open side, the green meat conveyor belts 20 and 30 can be removed toward the open side for cleaning and maintenance in a space-saving manner.

[0024] The two green meat conveying belts 20, 30 are arranged in series as three belts, from the upstream side, namely, upstream belts 21, 31, midstream belts 22, 32, and downstream belts 23, 33. The upstream belts 21, 31 are driven by a first motor in the feed amount determining means 4, the midstream belts 22, 32 by a second motor in the feed amount determining means 4, and the downstream belts 23, 33 by a third motor in the conveying motor box 5, thereby causing the conveying operation. A gap of 30 to 40 mm is generated between the upstream belt and the midstream belt, and this gap becomes a belt opening portion 25 that is a detection position for a lower sensor described later.

[0025] The two upstream belts 21, 31, the midstream belts 22, 32, and the downstream belts 23, 33 have the same lengths, the same positions of their upstream and downstream ends in the conveying direction, and the same direction and angle of inclination, so that belts of the same configuration run parallel to one another. Therefore, the belt opening portion 25 of the first green meat conveying belt 20 and the second green meat conveying belt 30 is open across the parallel-running green meat conveying belts, and is formed as a single opening portion located in a common position in the conveying direction so that the respective open portions are parallel to one another. Note that it is preferable to provide guide walls on both sides of the downstream belts 23, 33 to guide them from impacts, etc., during cutting by the cutting unit 2, but these are omitted in FIG. 1 for convenience of explanation.

[0026] The green meat shape measuring unit 6 includes a first measuring unit 6a disposed so as to extend above both of the two green meat conveying belts 20, 30 from the feed amount determining means 4 on one side, and a second measuring unit 6b disposed below the green meat conveying belts 20, 30 (the details of which will be described later). Also, an input unit 7 for inputting predetermined planned cutting information is disposed on the front side of the first measuring unit 6a in the drawing.

[0027] The cutting unit 2 is located above and between the green meat conveying belts 20, 30 and the cut meat conveying belts 40, 50, and is an inclined, thin, cylindrical case with one or two built-in rotary circular blades that cut the meat by rotating and revolving around the belts. The upper presser unit 10 extends upstream from the cutting unit 2 and is equipped with an upper presser belt that holds down the green meat from above during cutting. The conveying motors for the cut meat conveying belts 40, 50 are located on one side (the back side) of the belts, just like the conveying motor 5, with the other side being open.

[0028] The weight measuring unit 3 is a platform-like member located on one side of the most upstream side of the green meat conveyor belts 20, 30. When a user places a green meat on the weight measuring unit 3, the total weight of the entire green meat is measured and displayed on the display unit 3a, and total green meat weight information is sent to the feed amount determining means 4. In this embodiment, by providing the weight measuring unit 3 in the cutting device 1 of this example, it is not necessary to re-input information measured by a separate measuring device, thereby improving work efficiency; however, the weight may be measured by a separate measuring means and the total green meat weight information may be input.

[0029] The feed amount determining means 4 is a control mechanism that determines the feed amounts at which the first green meat conveying belt 20 and the second green meat conveying belt 30 can be conveyed separately and independently. The first green meat conveying belt 20 and the second green meat conveying belt 30 can be conveyed simultaneously by the same feed amount, or the first green meat conveying belt 20 and the second green meat conveying belt 30 can be conveyed separately and independently by setting different feed amounts.

[0030] Furthermore, the feed amount determining means 4 can also determine the feed amounts so as to transport the upstream belts 21 and 31, the midstream belts 22 and 32, and the downstream belts 23 and 33 separately and independently. Specifically, the upstream belts 21 and 31 and the midstream belts 22 and 32 are operated simultaneously for measurement in the meat green shape measuring section 6, but the downstream belts 23 and 33 transport only a feed amount corresponding to the specific cutting thickness to be cut by the cutting unit 2.

[0031] The feed amount determining means 4 can also determine the feed amount of the cut meat conveyor belt after cutting. This allows the cut meat to be stacked and arranged at predetermined intervals, improving work efficiency when placing the meat in trays or packs.

[0032] A specific configuration of the green meat shape measuring unit 6 will now be described. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in addition to Fig. 1, the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment uses laser sensors as the upper and lower pair of first and second measuring units 6a and 6b, but they may also be image measuring means with a camera function or other measuring devices. In this embodiment, the outer shape of the green meat is accurately measured by the reflection of the laser and used as green meat shape information, making it possible to accurately determine the feed amount. Hereinafter, the first measuring unit and the second measuring unit will be described explicitly as sensors.

[0033] As described above, the green meat shape measuring unit 6 includes the first sensor 6a disposed so as to extend above both of the two green meat conveying belts 20, 30 from the feed amount determining means 4 on one side, and the second sensor 6b disposed below the green meat conveying belts 20, 30. The first sensor 6a disposed above is disposed slightly upstream of the opening 25 between the upstream belts 21, 31 and the midstream belts 22, 32 in a side view as shown in FIG. 2 , and measures the green meat shape from above by irradiating a laser diagonally downward (arrow line A) in accordance with the inclination of the inclined belt portions 21a, 31a described later.

[0034] The lower second sensor 6b, which is one of the green meat shape measuring units, is disposed below the belt open portion 25 and measures the green meat shape from below by irradiating a laser from below through the belt open portion 25. More specifically, the upstream belts 21, 31 have descending belt portions 21a, 31a that descend once near the belt open portion 25, and irradiate from below at an angle in a direction (arrow line B) perpendicular to the inclination direction of the descending belt in a side view.

[0035] In this way, by shifting the irradiation positions and irradiation directions of the first sensor 6a and the second sensor 6b, confusion of information from the laser sensors is prevented. Furthermore, by providing the descending belt portions 21a, 31a, drips flowing from the green meat can be pre-discharged, thereby improving detection accuracy. Furthermore, by positioning the wall members 26, 26, which have inclined surfaces sloping inward toward the top between the belt opening portion 25 and the second sensor 6b, below the belt opening portion 25 and within the open range, drips flowing from the green meat are prevented from flowing down to the second sensor 6b below.

[0036] Furthermore, the midstream belts 22, 32 are inclined downward in the conveying direction, but this angle of inclination is gentler than the angle of inclination of the descending belt portions 21a, 31a of the upstream belts 21, 31. This makes it easier for the meat chunks conveyed by the descending belts 21a, 31a to be conveyed from the upstream belt to the midstream belt.

[0037] It is also preferable to provide a conveyance auxiliary device 27 to prevent the meat block to be detected, which is conveyed through the belt opening portion 25, from dropping or getting caught in the belt opening portion 25. In this embodiment, the conveyance auxiliary device 27, which is made up of a small receiving tray, is partially disposed across the width of the belt. Note that the conveyance auxiliary device 27 may be made up of an auxiliary roller instead of a receiving tray.

[0038] In the conventional case where sensors are used only from above or from the side, the shape of the underside of the green meat placed on the belt cannot be detected, but by using the upper and lower sensors 6a, 6b in this way, it is possible to accurately measure the shape of the green meat and obtain accurate green meat shape information. The upper and lower sensors 6a, 6b can detect either of the green meat conveyor belts 20, 30 running in parallel, and can also detect both at the same time, enabling continuous cutting operation.

[0039] Next, the multiple green meat conveying belts 20, 30 running in parallel will be described. The multiple weight measuring units 3, the feed amount determining means 4, which also has a built-in motor, and the conveying motor box 5 are arranged on one side of the green meat conveying belts 20, 30, so that the green meat conveying belts 20, 30 can be removed toward the other side for cleaning or maintenance. Some food cutting devices remove the belt toward the conveying direction for cleaning, but removing the belt toward the side of the conveying direction allows cleaning and maintenance in a space-saving manner. In particular, in this embodiment, the two green meat conveying belts 20, 30 run parallel to each other, and sequentially removing the belts toward the other side, which is the open side, allows cleaning of the rear belt (first green meat conveying belt 20) in a space-saving manner.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the box of the feed amount determination means 4 is provided with a first motor 11a and a second motor 11b that rotate the rollers 13a and 13b of the upstream belts 21 and 31 to enable conveyance, and a first motor 12a and a second motor 12b that rotate the first rollers 14a and 14b of the midstream belts 22 and 32 to enable conveyance. These motors are arranged on one side of the parallel-running first green meat conveyor belt 20, and cleaning and maintenance can be performed in a space-saving manner by removing the belt from the other side. The motors and torque transmission means that rotate the rollers of the downstream belts 23 and 33 are arranged in the motor box 5, but their configurations are the same as those of the motor transmission means of the upstream and midstream belts, so their description will be omitted. Note that FIG. 4 shows a state in which the upper halves of the rollers 13a and 13b are cut away.

[0041] The torque transmission means for enabling two parallel conveyor belts 20, 30 to be conveyed separately and independently will be described below using as examples the first motor 11a, second motor 11b, first roller 13a, and second roller 13b of the upstream belts 21, 31. The first roller 13a and second roller 13b, on which the two separate and independent upstream belts 21, 31 are wound, are connected in series in the longitudinal direction of the rollers (so as to be continuously connected in the longitudinal direction) and each rotates, and the first roller 13a and the second roller 13b share the same rotation axis 15. The rotating shaft 15 has a first sprocket 16a and a second sprocket 16b on the side of the first motor 11a and the second motor 11b arranged in series in the axial direction, and these sprockets 16a and 16b are connected to the gear portions of the motors 11a and 11b by chains (not shown), and transmit the rotational forces of the motors 11a and 11b to the rollers 13a and 13b, thereby enabling the green meat conveying belts 20 and 30 to be conveyed.

[0042] First, the first sprocket 16a on the roller side (left side in FIG. 4 ) is directly connected to the first roller 13a on the motor side (upper front side in FIG. 4 ) by screws or the like, transmitting torque only to the first roller 13a, enabling the first upstream belt 21 to be conveyed. Meanwhile, the second sprocket 16b on the motor side (right side in FIG. 4 ) is connected via a rotary shaft 15 to the second roller 13b on the opposite side of the motor side (back side in FIG. 4 ), enabling the second upstream belt 31 to be conveyed. When torque is transmitted to the second upstream belt 31 by the second sprocket 16b and the second roller 13b, bearings 17, 17 are disposed between the first roller 13a on the motor side (upper front side in FIG. 4 ) and the rotary shaft 15, so that the second torque transmission means does not rotate the first roller 13a. Even if torque is transmitted using the first torque transmission means for rotating the first roller 13a, the torque is not transmitted to the second roller 13b. The configuration in which the rotational force from the motors 12a, 12b is transmitted to the rollers 14a, 14b that transport the intermediate belts 22, 32 via the sprockets 18a, 18b is the same as above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] With the above configuration, one of the plurality of rotational force transmission means transmits rotational force to only one of the rollers of the plurality of belts, which makes it possible to arrange a motor on one side and make the other side in the conveying direction of the belt an open side without any auxiliary equipment. This makes it possible to pick up and extract the parallel green meat conveying belts 20, 30 to the open side on the other side, while making the two parallel belts 20, 30 capable of conveying separately and independently. Furthermore, the feed amount determining means 4 appropriately determines the feed amount of the two green meat conveying belts 20, 30 that can be conveyed independently, and they can be conveyed.

[0044] The basic function of the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment is to measure the weight of a meat block by the weight measuring unit 3, place the appropriate meat block on the upstream belts 21 and 31 of the meat block conveying belts 20 and 30, and operate the device. The shape of the meat block is measured by the meat block shape measuring unit 6 while the meat block is being conveyed to the midstream belts 22 and 32. The meat block is then cut into cut pieces by the cutting unit 2 and discharged onto the cut meat conveying belts 40 and 50. The weight per unit volume is calculated based on the total weight and shape information of the meat block, and the feed amount determining means 4 determines the feed amount for the downstream belts 23 and 33 so that the individual meat block conveying belts can cut the desired cut pieces. This enables the meat block to be cut into desired cut pieces. It also enables the two parallel meat block conveying belts 20 and 30 to convey and cut the meat block separately, thereby providing a meat cutting device 1 with improved operating capacity. The individual cut thicknesses of the meat block are calculated for each desired weight, and the feed amount is determined according to the individual cut thicknesses from the leading edge of the meat block. This is the so-called "quantitative cutting."

[0045] Next, we will explain cutting into groups, which is so-called "pack cutting." The input unit 7 is a panel for inputting information necessary for placing on a tray, and inputs information such as the planned cut weight, planned cut thickness, planned total weight of the group, and tray length. The planned cut thickness is the initially planned thickness of each cut piece of meat, and the planned total weight of the group is the initially planned total weight of the entire group of cut meat consisting of multiple cuts of meat to be placed on one tray. In addition, the planned number of pieces to be cut and other cutting conditions may also be input.

[0046] "Pack cutting" is a process of uniformly cutting the thickness of each pack and adjusting the weight of the pack. The control and determination of the feed amount determination means 4 in this case will be explained with reference to the flow chart in Figure 5.

[0047] First, the user inputs the planned cutting thickness, the planned total weight of the batch, and the tray length into the input unit 7 (input step). The meat block is placed on the weight measuring unit 3, and the weight of the meat block is measured (weight measuring step). At this time, the weight measuring unit 3 sends the measured weight data to the feed amount determining means 4.

[0048] The green meat is placed on the upstream belts 21, 31 of the green meat conveyor belts 20, 30 and conveyed, and the shape of the green meat is measured by the upper and lower green meat shape measuring units 6 before it reaches the midstream belts 22, 32 (green meat shape measuring step). At this time, the outer shape of the green meat shape is measured, and the shape data is sent to the feed amount determining means 4.

[0049] The feed amount determination means 4 calculates the weight per unit volume of the green meat from the weight data and shape data, and then calculates the required length of the green meat (each group before cutting) for each planned group total weight in the input information (calculation step).

[0050] Furthermore, the feed amount determination means 4 determines the number of sheets to be cut according to the planned cutting thickness and planned number of sheets to be cut from the input information, calculates the uniform thickness of the group before cutting calculated in the previous calculation step using the number of sheets to be cut, calculates the uniform thickness, and determines the feed amount to achieve the uniform thickness (feed amount determination step).

[0051] The actually conveyed meat block is conveyed by the third belts 23, 33 for each feed amount determined in the feed amount determining step, and is cut by the cutting unit 2 (cutting step).

[0052] When the tray length is input into the input unit 7, the feed amount determination means 4 adjusts the transport time of the cut meat conveyor belts 40, 50 so that a group of cut meat is stacked and arranged in a scale-like row along the input tray length (cut meat transport step). In other words, if there is a lot of cut meat according to the tray length, the overlapping portion is increased, and if there is little cut meat, the overlapping portion is reduced. In practice, the individual lengths of the cut meat and the number of cut pieces in the shape data are calculated, and the feed amount of the cut meat conveyor belts 40, 50 is determined so that the cut meat is partially stacked and arranged in a scale-like row along the tray length.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when different cut meats are conveyed to the two parallel cut meat conveyor belts 20, 30, cut, and arranged in groups of two types of cut meat per predetermined weight on one tray, the input step inputs the intended cutting thickness of each cut meat, and inputs the total weight of the group, tray length, etc. Then, the weight and shape of each cut meat are measured in the weight measurement step and shape measurement step. In the calculation step, the specific gravity of each cut meat is calculated, and the total cut length of each cut meat is calculated to obtain the total weight of the group. Then, in the feed amount determination step, the uniformed thickness is calculated to determine the feed amount, and the meat is cut in the cutting step. Furthermore, if the tray length is input, the feed amount of the cut meat conveyor belt is determined so that the group corresponds to the tray length.

[0054] Accurate measurements by the meat chunk shape measuring unit 6 of this embodiment enable the feed amount determining means 4 to achieve so-called fixed amount cutting, in which the weight of each piece of cut meat is made uniform, and to adjust the weight of a group of cut meat per tray to a predetermined weight and to achieve so-called pack cutting, in which the cut thickness of a group of cut meat per tray is made uniform.In pack cutting, it is possible to present meat on a meat sales tray that does not have different thicknesses for each tray and cause discomfort to the end consumer.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the two green meat conveying belts 20, 30 running in parallel are measured through the belt opening portion 25 shared by the pair of upper and lower green meat shape measuring units 6 and cut in one cutting unit 2, thereby significantly improving the operating speed, and the green meat delivered by the two belts can be cut into fixed amounts, or into packs, or a group of cut meats, including fixed amounts and packs, can be stored in one pack or tray. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1... meat cutting device, 2... cutting unit, 3... weight measuring section, 4... feed amount determining means, 5... motor box, 6... meat chunk shape measuring section, 6a... first sensor, 6b... second sensor, 7... input section, 11a... first motor, 11b... second motor, 12a... first motor, 12b... second motor, 13a... first roller, 13b... second roller, 14a... first roller, 14b... second roller, 15... rotating shaft (rotational force transmitting means), 16a... first sprocket (rotational force transmitting means), 16b... second sprocket (rotational force transmitting means) a first sprocket (rotational force transmission means), 17...bearing, 18a...first sprocket (rotational force transmission means), 18b...second sprocket (rotational force transmission means), 20...first meat chunk conveying belt, 21...upstream belt, 21a...descending belt portion, 22...midstream belt, 23...downstream belt, 25...belt opening portion, 26...wall member, 27...conveying aid, 30...second meat chunk conveying belt, 31...upstream belt, 31a...descending belt portion, 32...midstream belt, 33...downstream belt, 40...cut meat conveying belt, 50...cut meat conveying belt, X...conveying direction.

Claims

1. A meat cutting device that cuts a meat block conveyed by a meat block conveying belt with a cutting unit, a green meat shape measuring unit that measures external shape information of the green meat conveyed by the green meat conveying belt; and a feed amount determining means that determines a feed amount of the green meat conveying belt based on green meat total weight information and the green meat shape information detected by the green meat shape measuring unit, a measuring section for measuring the shape of the green meat conveying belt through an opening in the green meat conveying belt; a measuring section for measuring the shape of the green meat conveying belt through an opening in the green meat conveying belt;

2. A food cutting device capable of independently conveying a green meat on a plurality of parallel running green meat conveying belts and cutting a plurality of green meats with a single cutting unit, The second measuring section, which is the green meat shape measuring section, measures through a belt opening section that opens across the plurality of green meat conveyor belts running in parallel, 2. The meat cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the feed amount determining means determines the feed amount of one green meat conveying belt corresponding to the cutting thickness and the feed amount of another green meat conveying belt corresponding to the cutting thickness separately.

3. A food cutting device in which two green meat conveying belts, including a first green meat conveying belt and a second green meat conveying belt, run parallel to each other and cut two green meats with one cutting unit, 3. The meat cutting device according to claim 2, wherein a motor is disposed on one side opposite to the conveying direction of the two green meat conveying belts, and the other side opposite to the one side is an open side so that the green meat conveying belts can be picked up.

4. The two green meat conveying belts are each provided with two rollers arranged in series, the rollers being a first roller for conveying the first green meat conveying belt and a second roller for conveying the second green meat conveying belt, Two motors, including a first motor and a second motor connected to the two rollers, are arranged on one side in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the two green meat conveyor belts, 4. The meat cutting device according to claim 3, further comprising: first rotational force transmission means for transmitting a rotational force from the first motor to the first roller of the first green meat conveying belt; and second rotational force transmission means for transmitting a rotational force from the second motor to the second roller of the second green meat conveying belt.

5. A meat cutting device that makes the thickness of cut meat from a lump of meat uniform for each group and adjusts the total weight of the group, an input section for inputting a planned cutting thickness and a planned cutting group weight; 5. The meat cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising a feed amount determining means for calculating each pre-cutting group length based on a weight per unit volume from green meat shape information and green meat total weight information measured by the green meat shape measuring unit, and determining a feed amount of the green meat conveyor belt corresponding to a uniform cutting thickness obtained by uniformizing the thickness for each pre-cutting group length.

6. The input unit includes tray length information in the planned cutting information, and further includes a cut meat conveyor belt for conveying the cut meat cut by the cutting unit; 6. The meat cutting device according to claim 5, further comprising a feed amount determining means for determining the feed amount of the cut meat conveying belt so that the stack length of a group of cut meats falls within the tray length information, in addition to determining the feed amount of the green meat conveying belt.

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