Cutting device

Abstract

To provide a cutting device that can effectively utilize the space at the rear and lower side of the push-in member. [Solution] The device includes a cylinder 6 positioned on the left-right outer side of the pushing member 5, and a connecting plate 7 that connects the piston rod 61 of the cylinder 6 to the pushing member 5. Therefore, the driving force of the cylinder 6 positioned on the left-right outer side of the pushing member 5 can be transmitted to the pushing member 5 via the connecting plate 7. By positioning the cylinder 6 on the left-right outer side of the pushing member 5, it becomes unnecessary to provide a support base 8 to support the cylinder 6 on the rear lower side of the pushing member 5. Thus, the space on the rear lower side of the pushing member 5 can be effectively utilized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device, and particularly to a cutting device that can effectively utilize the space on the lower rear side of a pushing member.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for cutting food into a plurality by pushing food such as konjac into a cutting blade. For example, in Patent Document 1, there is described a cutting device that pushes a large-sized konjac 1 (food) into a slicing blade 14 (cutting blade) by displacing a pushing member 5 forward by the extension of a pushing cylinder 4. The slicing blade 14 is provided with a plurality of blades 14a arranged in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of sliced konjacs 2 are cut out as the large-sized konjac 1 passes between these blades 14a.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described conventional technique, since the pushing cylinder 4 is arranged on the rear side of the pushing member 5, it is necessary to provide a pedestal 6 (support base) for supporting the pushing cylinder 4 on the lower rear side of the pushing member 5. Therefore, there is a problem that the space on the lower rear side of the pushing member 5 cannot be effectively utilized.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cutting device that can effectively utilize the space on the lower rear side of a pushing member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve this objective, the present invention provides a cutting device comprising: an actuator having a drive unit; a pressing member that is displaced in the front-rear direction by the driving force of the drive unit of the actuator; a support having a support surface for supporting food on the front side of the pressing member; and a cutting blade positioned on the front side of the support, wherein the food is cut by pressing the food onto the cutting blade with the pressing member, and further comprising: an actuator positioned on the left-right outer side of the pressing member; and a connecting member connecting the drive unit of the actuator and the pressing member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The cutting device according to claim 1 includes an actuator positioned on the left-right outer side of the pushing member, and a connecting member that connects the drive unit of the actuator to the pushing member. Therefore, the driving force of the actuator positioned on the left-right outer side of the pushing member can be transmitted to the pushing member via the connecting member. By positioning the actuator on the left-right outer side of the pushing member, it becomes unnecessary to provide a support base for the actuator on the rear lower side of the pushing member, thus effectively utilizing the space on the rear lower side of the pushing member.

[0008] The cutting device according to claim 2 provides the following effects in addition to those of the cutting device according to claim 1. The actuators are provided in pairs on either side of the pushing member, and the connecting member connects the drive units of each of the pair of actuators to the pushing member. This allows the pushing member to slide stably forward compared to the case where one of the pair of actuators is omitted. Therefore, the pushing force of the pushing member makes it easier for the food to be properly cut by the cutting blade.

[0009] The cutting device according to claim 3 provides the following effects in addition to those of the cutting device according to claim 1. Food is supplied to the support surface of the support from a supply member having a sliding surface for sliding the food. The support moves up and down between a supply position where the support surface is positioned in front of the sliding surface and a cutting position where the support surface is positioned in front of the pushing member by being displaced upward or downward from the supply position. Therefore, the supply of food from the sliding surface to the support surface and the cutting of the food supplied to the support surface (pushing of the food by the pushing member) can be performed at different heights. Thus, the versatility of the cutting device can be improved.

[0010] When the support is positioned at the supply location, a restricting wall is provided on the front side of the support surface to prevent food from overflowing. Therefore, even when the food is slid forward on the sliding surface to supply it to the support, the restricting wall prevents the food from overflowing from the support surface. This has the effect of preventing the support from being displaced to the cutting position while food is overflowing from the support surface.

[0011] The cutting device according to claim 4, in addition to the effects of the cutting device according to claim 3, has the advantage that when the support is positioned at the supply position, the support surface of the support is located below the front end of the sliding surface. Therefore, even if the food supplied to the support surface bounces off the restricting wall and moves to the rear, the rearward movement of the food can be restricted by the front end portion of the sliding surface (the front surface of the supply member). This has the effect of preventing the support from being displaced to the cutting position while the food is protruding from the support surface.

[0012] According to the cutting device of claim 5, in addition to the effects of the cutting device of claim 3, the support moves up and down between the supply position and the cutting position above the supply position, so that the supply member can be positioned below and behind the pushing member. This allows the space below and behind the pushing member to be used to supply food to the support, thus effectively utilizing that space.

[0013] The cutting device according to claim 6 provides the following effects in addition to those of the cutting device according to claim 3: It has a receiving surface for receiving food cut by a cutting blade and is provided with a receiving member on the front side of the cutting blade, and the cutting blade and the receiving member move up and down between a cutting position for cutting food and a discharge position that is displaced above or below the cutting position to discharge the cut food to the front.

[0014] The receiving member forms a horizontal state where the food receiving surface is approximately horizontal during displacement from the cutting position to the discharge position, thereby preventing food from being discharged from the receiving member during displacement toward the discharge position. On the other hand, at the discharge position, the receiving member forms an inclined state where the receiving surface slopes downward toward the front, allowing the cut food to slide off the receiving surface and be discharged toward the front of the receiving member. In this way, performing food cutting and discharge at different heights improves the versatility of the cutting device.

[0015] The cutting device according to claim 7 has the effect of providing, in addition to the effects of the cutting device according to claim 6, the cutting blade positioned at the discharge position is configured as a regulating wall, so in addition to the function of cutting food, the cutting blade can also have the function of regulating food from spilling out to the front side of the support (support surface).

[0016] The cutting device according to claim 8 provides the following effects in addition to those of the cutting device according to claim 7. The cutting blade comprises a frame having an opening through which food passes, and a blade provided in the opening of the frame. When the support is positioned at the supply position and the cutting blade is positioned at the discharge position, the food is configured to be unable to pass through the opening. Therefore, even when the cutting blade functions as a restricting wall, it is possible to suppress contact between the food supplied from the supply member to the support (support surface) and the blade of the cutting blade. Thus, it has the effect of suppressing unnecessary cuts in the food before cutting.

[0017] The cutting device according to claim 9 provides the following effects in addition to those of the cutting device according to claim 1: It includes a receiving member provided on the front side of the cutting blade and having a receiving surface for receiving food cut by the cutting blade. At the end position of the displacement of the pushing member directed forward, the pushing member is configured not to come into contact with the blade of the cutting blade, thereby preventing damage to the blade of the cutting blade and the pushing member. On the other hand, if the pushing member does not come into contact with the blade of the cutting blade at this end position, there is a risk of uncut food remaining.

[0018] In contrast, the receiving member of claim 9 forms a horizontal state where the receiving surface is approximately horizontal when the food is pressed in by the pressing member, and forms an inclined state where the receiving surface slopes downward toward the front after the food has been pressed in by the pressing member. This transition from the horizontal state to the inclined state makes it easier for the food to slide off the receiving surface due to its own weight. This sliding due to the food's own weight allows the food to be cut without leaving any uncut pieces. Therefore, it has the effect of cutting food properly while suppressing damage to the cutting blade and the pressing member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] (a) is a top view of the cutting device of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device along the line IIa-IIa in Figure 1, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device showing the state in which food has been supplied to the support from the state in Figure 2(a). [Figure 3] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device showing the state in which the support has been raised to the cutting position from the state in Figure 2(b), and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device showing the state in which the food has been pressed into the cutting blade by the pressing member from the state in Figure 3(a). [Figure 4] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device according to the second embodiment, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device showing the state in which food has been supplied to the support from the state in Figure 4(a). [Figure 5](a) is a cross-sectional view of a cutting device showing the state where the cutting blade, the receiving member, and the support have descended to the cutting position from the state of FIG. 4(b), and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device showing the state where food is pushed into the cutting blade by the pushing member from the state of FIG. 5(a). [Figure 6] (a) is a cross-sectional view of a cutting device showing the state where the cutting blade, the receiving member, and the support rise toward the supply position from the state of FIG. 5(b), and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device showing the state where the cutting blade and the support have risen to the supply position from the state of FIG. 6(a).

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall configuration of the cutting device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a top view of the cutting device 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 1 taken along line IIa-IIa of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 1 showing the state where food 100 is supplied to the support 4 from the state of FIG. 2(a). In FIGS. 1 and 2, the food 100 cut by the cutting device 1 is provided with dot-like hatching (the same applies to the following figures).

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cutting device 1 is a device for cutting (mincing) a rectangular parallelepiped food 100 such as konjac with a cutting blade 2. The cutting blade 2 includes a substantially square-ring-shaped frame 20 having an opening 20a (see FIG. 2) that serves as a passage for the food 100 to be cut, and a blade 21 fixed to the inner peripheral side of the opening 20a of the frame 20. Since a known configuration can be adopted for the cutting blade 2 composed of these frame 20 and blade 21, a detailed description thereof is omitted. Examples of the known configuration include the slice blade 14 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-244891.

[0022] The frame 20 of the cutting blade 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the support base 3, and when cutting food 100, the food 100 supplied to the inside of the support 4 is pushed towards the cutting blade 2 (blade 21) by the pushing member 5. That is, in Figure 2, the support 4 is shown displaced below the pushing member 5 before the food 100 is supplied, but when the pushing member 5 pushes the food 100 towards the cutting blade 2, the support 4 into which the food 100 is supplied rises to the same height as the pushing member 5 (see Figure 3(a)). The raising and lowering operation of the support 4 will be described later.

[0023] The pushing member 5 is linearly displaced by the driving force of the cylinder 6. In the following description, the direction of displacement of the pushing member 5 (left-right direction in Figures 1 and 2) will be described as the front-rear direction of the cutting device 1, and the direction in which the food 100 is pushed by the pushing member 5 (left side in Figures 1 and 2) will be described as the front side. Furthermore, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the food 100 is pushed by the pushing member 5 (up-down direction in Figure 1 and vertical direction in Figure 2) will be described as the left-right direction.

[0024] The pushing member 5 is equipped with a rectangular parallelepiped pushing plate 50 for pushing the food 100 from the rear, and a pair of rod-shaped arms 51 are fixed to the rear surface of the pushing plate 50, arranged left and right (up and down in the vertical direction in Figure 1). A rectangular parallelepiped connecting plate 7 extending left and right is fixed to this pair of left and right arms 51.

[0025] The cylinder 6 is an air cylinder comprising a cylindrical cylinder tube 60 fixed to the support base 8 of the cutting device 1, and a piston rod 61 inserted into the cylinder tube 60, wherein the piston rod 61 expands and contracts due to compressed air supplied to the cylinder tube 60.

[0026] The cylinder 6 extends and retracts a piston rod 61 along the front-rear direction, and a connecting plate 7 is fixed to the rear end of this piston rod 61. As a result, the driving force caused by the extension and retraction of the cylinder 6 (piston rod 61) is transmitted to the arm 51 of the push member 5 via the connecting plate 7.

[0027] Since the cylinder 6 is positioned on the left-right outer side (lateral side) of the pushing member 5, it becomes unnecessary to provide a support base 8 to support the cylinder 6 on the rear lower side of the pushing member 5. That is, although it is necessary to secure space on the rear side of the pushing member 5 for extending and retracting the pushing member 5 (arm 51) and the cylinder 6 (piston rod 61), other equipment (in this embodiment, a supply table 9) other than the support base 8 can be placed in the space on the rear lower side of the pushing member 5. Therefore, the space below the pushing member 5 can be effectively utilized.

[0028] Below the pushing member 5 (arm 51), a supply table 9 is positioned to supply food 100 to the support 4. In this embodiment, the supply table 9 constitutes part of the cutting device 1, but it is also conceivable that the supply table 9 may be pre-installed at the destination of the cutting device 1, such as a food factory, and the supply table 9 may not constitute part of the cutting device 1 (the same applies to the supply table 209 of the second embodiment, which will be described later with reference to Figure 4).

[0029] If the supply table 9 does not constitute part of the cutting device 1, the cutting device 1 can be made smaller in the front-to-back direction by shortening the piston rod 61 of the cylinder 6, thereby facilitating the transport of the cutting device 1.

[0030] The upper surface of the supply table 9 is composed of a horizontal surface 90 extending in the front-rear direction and an inclined surface 91 that slopes downward toward the front and below from the front edge of the horizontal surface 90. By sliding the food 100 forward along the horizontal surface 90, the food 100 slides along the inclined surface 91 and is supplied to the support 4. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an operator supplies the food 100 from the supply table 9 to the support 4, but for example, instead of the supply table 9, a transport path (for example, a belt conveyor) that automatically transports the food 100 to the support 4 may be placed on the rear and below side of the pushing member 5.

[0031] The support 4 includes a bottom plate 40 whose upper surface is the support surface 40a (see Figure 2) for the food 100, and side plates 41 rise upward from the ends of the bottom plate 40 in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 2). Although not shown in the illustration, the side plates 41 are provided in pairs at both the left and right ends of the bottom plate 40, and the upper ends of this pair of side plates 41 are connected by a top plate 42. These plates 40-42 form a rectangular tubular support 4, and the bottom plate 40 of the support 4 is supported by a pair of cylinders 10 arranged front to back.

[0032] Cylinder 10 is the same air cylinder as cylinder 6 described above, and the piston rod of cylinder 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate 40. By extending and retracting this cylinder 10, the support body 4 is configured to move up and down between a supply position (state shown in Figure 2) where the support surface 40a is positioned on the front side of the inclined surface 91, and a cutting position (state shown in Figure 3) where it rises from the supply position and positions the support surface 40a (food 100) on the front side of the pressing member 5.

[0033] A method for cutting food 100 using the raising and lowering motion of the support 4 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 1 showing the state in which the support 4 has been raised to the cutting position from the state in Figure 2(b), and Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 1 showing the state in which the food 100 has been pushed into the cutting blade 2 by the pushing member 5 from the state in Figure 3(a).

[0034] As shown in Figure 2(b), when cutting the food 100, the support 4 is first lowered to the supply position, and the food 100 is slid along the inclined surface 91 of the supply table 9 and supplied into the support 4. A support base 3 is positioned on the front side of the support 4, and the rear surface of this support base 3 and the front end of the support 4 are adjacent (or touching) with almost no gap.

[0035] As a result, even if the food 100 is supplied forcefully from the supply table 9 to the support 4, the food 100 can be received by the rear surface of the receiving table 3, thereby preventing the food 100 from spilling out of the support 4. In other words, the rear surface of the receiving table 3 can function as a restricting wall that prevents the food 100 from spilling out in front of the support 4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the food 100 from rising to the cutting position while spilling out of the support 4.

[0036] Since the food 100 is elastic konjac, if the food 100 is slid forcefully from the inclined surface 91 of the supply table 9, the food 100 may bounce off the rear surface of the receiving table 3 and move towards the rear end of the support 4. If the support 4 rises with the food 100 protruding from it due to this bounce, there is a risk that the food 100 may get caught on other components of the cutting device 1, such as the pressing member 5 (pressing plate 50).

[0037] In contrast, in this embodiment, when the support 4 is lowered to the supply position (as shown in Figure 2(b)), the support surface 40a of the support 4 (bottom plate 40) is located below the front end of the inclined surface 91 of the supply table 9. Therefore, even if the food 100 bounces off the rear surface of the receiving table 3 and moves towards the rear end of the support 4, the front end of the inclined surface 91 (the front of the supply table 9) can prevent the food 100 from spilling out of the support 4. Thus, it is possible to suppress the support 4 from rising towards the cutting position while the food 100 is spilling out of the support 4, and for example, it is possible to prevent the food 100 from getting caught on the pushing member 5.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3(a), after supplying food 100 into the support 4, the support 4 rises to the cutting position when the operator presses a switch or the like (not shown). When the support 4 is positioned at the cutting position, the pressing plate 50 of the pressing member 5 can be inserted into the support 4, and the food 100 pushed out from the support 4 can pass through the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2 (frame 20) (the entire opening on the front end side of the support 4 is in communication with the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2).

[0039] As shown in Figure 3(b), after the support 4 is positioned at the cutting location, the pushing member 5 is displaced forward by shortening the piston rod 61 (see Figure 1) of the extended cylinder 6. This displacement of the pushing member 5 causes the food 100 inside the support 4 to be pushed into the cutting blade 2 by the pushing plate 50, and as a result, the food 100 is cut into multiple pieces by the blades 21 of the cutting blade 2. This cutting process results in, for example, multiple flat pieces of konjac being cut from the food 100, but it is of course possible to cut the food 100 into other shapes by appropriately changing the number and arrangement of the blades 21 of the cutting blade 2.

[0040] A receiving member 11 is provided on the front side of the cutting blade 2. The receiving member 11 is a plate that slopes downward toward the front from the lower edge of the front end of the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2 (frame 20), and the food 100 after being cut by the cutting blade 2 slides down the receiving member 11 and is discharged onto the receiving stand 3.

[0041] As mentioned above, food 100 is elastic konjac and is harder than, for example, tofu, so the resistance of food 100 when passing through the cutting blade 2 (blade 21) is relatively large. For this reason, if food 100 is formed in a horizontally flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape, food 100 is more likely to deform and bend upward when it is pushed into the blade 21 of the cutting blade 2.

[0042] In contrast, in this embodiment, since the food 100 is stored in a cylindrical support 4 having a top plate 42, when the food 100 is pressed in by the pressing member 5, the deformation of the food 100, which would otherwise bend upward, can be restricted by the top plate 42 of the support 4. As a result, the pressing force of the pressing member 5 makes it easier for the food 100 to pass through the cutting blade 2 (blade 21) properly, so that the cut surface of the food 100 can be made smooth. Therefore, the appearance of the food 100 after cutting can be improved.

[0043] When using such a cylindrical support 4, it is necessary to supply the food 100 from either the front or rear side of the support 4. In this embodiment, the food 100 is supplied from a supply table 9 located on the rear side of the support 4 (see Figure 2). That is, the food 100 is supplied from the rear side of the cutting device 1, and the cut food 100 is discharged to the front side of the cutting device 1. This makes it easier to create an efficient flow (flow of food 100) when using the cutting device 1 in a factory, etc., and thus the flow of the food 100 cutting process can be made smoother.

[0044] Thus, when the objective is to receive food 100 from the rear side of the support 4, it is possible to raise the support 4 to a supply position above the cutting position, as in the cutting device 201 of the second embodiment described later (see Figure 4), and supply the food 100 from the supply table 209 located behind the support 4. However, in such a configuration, the legs 293 of the supply table 209 must be positioned on the left-right outer side of the cylinder 6 (towards the back in the vertical direction of the paper in Figure 4), so the supply table 209 needs to be made relatively large in the left-right direction.

[0045] In contrast, in this embodiment, the support 4 descends to a supply position below the cutting position to receive the food 100, so the entire supply table 9 can be positioned inside the pair of cylinders 6 (support bases 8) in the left-right direction. Therefore, the supply table 9 can be made smaller in the left-right direction. Furthermore, since the food 100 can be supplied to the support 4 using the space below and behind the pushing member 5, this space can be used effectively.

[0046] Here, the cylinders 6 are provided in pairs on either side of the pushing member 5 (see Figure 1), but it is also possible to omit one of the cylinders 6 in this pair. For example, if the cylinder 6 on the right end side of the connecting plate 7 (upper side in Figure 1) is omitted, the sliding of the right end side of the connecting plate 7 can be guided by a guide rail. The guide rail consists of a rail extending in the front-rear direction and a block that slides along the rail. By fixing the right end of the connecting plate 7 to this guide rail block, the pushing member 5 can be displaced in the front-rear direction by the expansion and contraction of the cylinder 6 and the sliding of the block along the rail.

[0047] However, in a configuration using such guide rails, when the food 100 is pressed in with the pressing member 5, only the left end of the connecting plate 7 is pulled forward by the cylinder 6. Therefore, the reaction force when pressing in the food 100 makes the pressing member 5 prone to tilting in the front-to-back direction, and the sliding of the block relative to the rail is prone to wobbling, making it impossible to slide the pressing member 5 stably. In particular, if the food 100 is elastic konjac, the reaction force when pressing in the food 100 with the pressing member 5 becomes large, making it easy for the sliding of the pressing member 5 towards the front to become unstable.

[0048] In contrast, in this embodiment, a pair of cylinders 6 are provided with the pushing member 5 in between, and each piston rod 61 (see Figure 1) of this pair of cylinders 6 is connected to the pushing member 5 (arm 51) by a connecting plate 7. This allows the pushing member 5 to slide more stably compared to the case where one of the pair of cylinders 6 is omitted. Therefore, the food 100 is more easily cut by the cutting blade 2 (blade 21) by the pushing force of the pushing member 5.

[0049] Next, the configuration of the cutting device 201 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. In the first embodiment described above, the case in which the support 4 receives the food 100 at a supply position below the cutting position was described, but in the second embodiment, the case in which the support 4 receives the food 100 at a supply position above the cutting position will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as in the first embodiment described above, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0050] Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 201 of the second embodiment, and Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 201 showing the state in which food 100 has been supplied to the support 4 from the state in Figure 4(a).

[0051] As shown in Figure 4, the cutting device 201 of the second embodiment includes a supply table 209 for supplying food 100 to the support 4. The supply table 209 includes a top plate 292 for supporting the food 100 and legs 293 for supporting the top plate 292.

[0052] Although not shown in the illustration, the legs 293 are provided in pairs, spaced apart in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 4). Each of these legs 293 supports the top plate 292 on the left-right outer side of the pair of cylinders 6. The push-in member 5 and the cylinders 6 are arranged within the space enclosed by the top plate 292 and the pair of legs 293.

[0053] In this embodiment as well, since the cylinder 6 is positioned on the side of the pushing member 5, it is unnecessary to provide a support base 8 to support the cylinder 6 on the rear side of the pushing member 5. Therefore, the space below the rear of the pushing member 5 (arm 51) can be effectively utilized, for example, by arranging other equipment in that space. Furthermore, if the supply table 209 is a component installed in a factory or the like (and does not constitute part of the cutting device 201), the cutting device 1 can be miniaturized in the front-to-back direction by shortening the cylinder 6.

[0054] The support body 4 moves up and down by a cylinder 10 similar to that in the first embodiment. However, the movement of the support body 4 is between a supply position where the support surface 40a is positioned in front of the upper surface 293a of the supply table 209, and a cutting position where it is lowered from the supply position and the support surface 40a (food 100) is positioned in front of the pressing member 5.

[0055] Furthermore, the cutting blade 2 is configured to move up and down together with the support body 4. After the cutting blade 2 and support body 4 have descended from the state shown in Figure 4(b), the food 100 is pushed onto the cutting blade 2 by the pushing member 5 (see Figure 5). The driving force for this up and down movement of the cutting blade 2 is provided by the cylinder 212.

[0056] Cylinder 212 is an air cylinder similar to cylinder 6, and the upper end of the piston rod of cylinder 212 is fixed to the lower surface of the cutting blade 2 (frame 20). The raising and lowering of the cutting blade 2 due to the extension and retraction of cylinder 212 occurs between a supply position (discharge position described later) where food 100 is supplied from the supply table 209 together with the support 4, and a cutting position (see Figure 5) where the blade 21 descends from the supply position to cut the food 100.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the food 100 is cut by the cutting blade 2, the cutting blade 2 rises again to the same height as the supply position (discharge position) (see Figure 6), causing the food 100 to be discharged onto the receiving stand 3. A receiving member 211 for discharging the food 100 toward the receiving stand 3 is attached to the cutting blade 2.

[0058] The receiving member 211 is formed in a cylindrical shape identical to the support body 4, and the upper surface of the bottom plate 211a of the receiving member 211 becomes a receiving surface 211b for receiving the food 100 after cutting. The rear end portion of the bottom plate 211a is rotatably supported on the front of the frame 20 of the cutting blade 2 via a hinge 213, and the receiving member 211 is configured to rotate with the height of the rear edge of the food receiving surface 211b and the lower edge of the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2 approximately matching.

[0059] A bracket 211c is fixed to the lower surface of the front end of the base plate 211a, and this bracket 211c is pivotally supported around an axis 214a located at the upper end of the piston rod of the cylinder 214. The cylinder 214 is an air cylinder similar to the cylinder 6, and the extension and retraction of the piston rod of this cylinder 214 causes the receiving member 211 to move up and down simultaneously with the cutting blade 2.

[0060] Next, a method for cutting the food 100 using the cutting device 201 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 201 showing the state in which the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support 4 have been lowered to the cutting position from the state in Figure 4(b), and Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 201 showing the state in which the food 100 has been pushed onto the cutting blade 2 by the pushing member 5 from the state in Figure 5(a).

[0061] Figure 6(a) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 201 showing how the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support 4 rise towards the supply position from the state shown in Figure 5(b), and Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device 201 showing the state where the cutting blade 2 and support 4 have risen to the supply position from the state shown in Figure 6(a).

[0062] As shown in Figure 4, when cutting the food 100, the support 4 is first raised to the supply position, and the food 100 is slid along the upper surface 292a of the supply table 209 (top plate 292) and supplied into the support 4. At this time, the cutting blade 2 and the receiving member 211 are also positioned at the supply position (discharge position, which will be described later), and the rear surface of the cutting blade 2 (frame 20) and the front end of the support 4 are adjacent (or in contact) with almost no gap.

[0063] As a result, even if the food 100 is supplied forcefully from the supply table 209 to the support 4, the cutting blade 2 (frame 20) can receive the food 100, thereby preventing the food 100 from spilling out of the support 4. In other words, in addition to its function of cutting the food 100, the cutting blade 2 can also function as a restricting wall that prevents the food 100 from spilling out to the front of the support 4.

[0064] When the cutting blade 2 and support 4 are positioned in the supply position, the lower edge of the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2 (frame 20) and the front edge of the support surface 40a of the support 4 are positioned at different heights (vertically offset). That is, in this state, the food 100 cannot pass through the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2, so even if the food 100 is slid forcefully from the upper surface 292a of the supply table 209 (top plate 292), it is possible to prevent the food 100 from coming into contact with the blade 21 of the cutting blade 2 (the food 100 can come into contact with the frame 20). Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary cuts from being made in the food 100 before cutting.

[0065] Furthermore, when the cutting blade 2 and the support 4 are positioned in the supply position, the support surface 40a of the support 4 (bottom plate 40) is located below the front end of the upper surface 292a of the supply table 209 (top plate 292). Therefore, even if the food 100 bounces off the rear surface of the cutting blade 2 (frame 20) and moves towards the rear end of the support 4, the front surface of the supply table 209 (top plate 292) can prevent the food 100 from spilling out of the support 4.

[0066] As shown in Figure 5(a), after food 100 is supplied into the support body 4, the operator presses a switch (not shown) or the like, causing the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support body 4 to descend to the cutting position. With the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support body 4 positioned at this cutting position, the pressing plate 50 of the pressing member 5 can be inserted into the support body 4, and the food 100 pushed out from the support body 4 can pass through the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2 and the receiving member 211 (the entire opening on the front end of the support body 4 and the opening on the rear end of the receiving member 211 are in communication with the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2).

[0067] As shown in Figure 5(b), after the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support body 4 are positioned at the cutting location, the cylinder 6 shortens, causing the pushing member 5 to be displaced forward. This displacement of the pushing member 5 pushes the food 100 inside the support body 4 into the cutting blade 2, where it is cut. After the food 100 is cut by the cutting blade 2, the pushing member 5 is pulled out of the support body 4 by the extension of the cylinder 6.

[0068] When the pressing member 5 (pressing plate 50) reaches the end position of its displacement toward the front, a gap is formed between the pressing plate 50 and the blade 21 of the cutting blade 2. In other words, when the pressing member 5 has pushed the food 100 forward, the pressing plate 50 does not come into contact with the blade 21, thus preventing damage to the pressing plate 50 and the blade 21.

[0069] On the other hand, since the cutting of the food 100 is completed before the pressing plate 50 reaches the blade 21, a portion 101 may remain at the rear end of the food 100 that has not been completely cut by the blade 21. This remaining portion 101 is cut by the rotation of the receiving member 211 (see Figure 6).

[0070] As shown in Figure 6(a), after the pushing member 5 is pulled out from the support 4 by the extension of the cylinder 6, the cutting blade 2, the receiving member 211, and the support 4 rise while maintaining the same height. In other words, the receiving member 211 rises from the cutting position towards the discharge position (the same position as the supply position described above, but hereinafter referred to as the "discharge position") in a horizontal position with the receiving surface 211b of the food 100 being approximately horizontal, so that the food 100 is not discharged from the receiving member 211 during the rise. At this time, the remaining portion 101 of the food 100 described above remains.

[0071] As shown in Figure 6(b), the amount of upward movement of the cutting blade 2 and the receiving member 211 from the cutting position (the amount of displacement from the cutting position to the discharge position) is greater for the cutting blade 2 than for the receiving member 211. That is, at the discharge position, the cutting blade 2 is positioned higher than the receiving member 211, and this difference in height causes the receiving member 211 to rotate around the hinge 213, resulting in the receiving member 211 being tilted downward toward the front. As a result, the food 100 slides down the receiving surface 211b of the receiving member 211 and is discharged onto the receiving base 3 on the front side.

[0072] Although not shown in the diagram, when the receiving member 211 rotates around the hinge 213 and switches from a horizontal to an inclined state, the shaft 214a slides along the elongated hole formed in the bracket 211c of the receiving member 211.

[0073] Thus, in this embodiment, the cutting of the food 100 by the cutting blade 2 and the discharge of the cut food 100 can be performed at different heights, thereby improving the versatility of the cutting device 1.

[0074] Furthermore, the movement of the receiving member 211 from a horizontal to an inclined state makes it easier for the food 100 to slide off the receiving surface 211b of the receiving member 211 due to its own weight. This sliding due to the food 100's own weight allows the food 100 to be cut without leaving any uncut pieces 101 (see Figure 6(a)). In other words, even if the pushing plate 50 does not come into contact with the blade 21 when the pushing member 5 has pushed the food 100 all the way through (as shown in Figure 5(b)), it is possible to suppress the leaving of uncut pieces 101 in the food 100. Therefore, the food 100 can be cut properly while suppressing damage to the pushing plate 50 and the blade 21.

[0075] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the amount of rise of the support 4 from the cutting position (the amount of displacement from the cutting position to the discharge position) is greater than that of the receiving member 211 and less than that of the cutting blade 2. In other words, when the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211 and support 4 rise from the cutting position to the discharge position, the rise stops in the order of receiving member 211, support 4, and cutting blade 2, and at the discharge position, the cutting blade 2 is positioned higher than the support 4.

[0076] The difference in height between the cutting blade 2 and the support 4 at this discharge position causes a height difference between the opening 20a of the cutting blade 2 and the opening on the front end side of the support 4. This prevents the next food item 200 to be cut (see Figure 6(b)) from contacting the blade 21, even when the next food item 200 to be cut (see Figure 6(b)) is forcefully supplied from the upper surface 292a of the supply table 209 (top plate 292) to the support 4.

[0077] Although the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiments, it can be easily inferred that the present invention is not limited in any way to the above embodiments, and that various modifications and improvements are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0078] In the embodiments described above, konjac was used as an example of the food 100 to be cut by the cutting device 1,201, but it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, other foods such as tofu, yokan, and vegetables may also be cut by the cutting device 1,201.

[0079] In the above embodiment, pneumatically driven cylinders 6, 10, 211, and 214 were given as examples of actuators that displace the cutting blade 2, support 4, pressing member 5, and receiving member 211, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to these. Any other known actuator having a drive unit that moves linearly along the front-rear direction can be applied to the present invention.

[0080] Therefore, for example, instead of cylinders 6, 10, 212, and 214, electric cylinders or rodless cylinders (in which the slider slides along a rail by pneumatic or electric means) may be used. When displacing the pushing member 5 using a rodless cylinder, the slider of the rodless cylinder corresponds to the "drive unit".

[0081] In the embodiments described above, a case was explained in which the cylinders 6 are provided in pairs, sandwiching the pushing member 5. However, one of the pair of cylinders 6 may be omitted. For example, if the cylinder 6 on one end of the connecting plate 7 is omitted, one end of the connecting plate 7 can be fixed to the guide rail block described in the embodiments above. Also, if one of the pair of cylinders 6 (support base 8) is omitted, one of the pair of side plates 41 can be omitted to supply the food 100 from the side of the support 4, or the food 100 can be supplied from the front or rear of the support 4 which has been slid to the side.

[0082] In the embodiments described above, the case in which the food 100 is supplied from the rear side of the support 4 has been explained, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case where the support 4 is raised from the cutting position, as in the cutting device 201 of the second embodiment, it is also possible to supply the food 100 from the front side of the support 4 by positioning the cutting blade 2 in a position that does not interfere with the supply of food 100.

[0083] In the embodiments described above, the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support body 4 are described as moving up and down from the cutting position, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, some or all of the cutting blade 2, receiving member 211, and support body 4 may be configured to be unable to move up and down from the cutting position. For example, if the support body 4 is not able to move up and down, the top plate 42 of the support body 4 may be omitted, and the food 100 may be supplied from above the support body 4.

[0084] As an example of such a supply method, a configuration is provided in which an inclined plate is provided to slide the food 100 toward the support 4 from the rear upper side, the side upper side, or the front upper side. Another example is a configuration in which a supply cylinder is formed extending upward from the support 4 without a top plate 42, and the food 100 is stacked in this supply cylinder.

[0085] Alternatively, the receiving member 211 may be configured to rotate around the hinge 213 by a driving means such as a cylinder 214. In this configuration as well, the movement of the receiving member 211, which switches from a horizontal state to an inclined state, makes it easier for the food 100 to slide off the receiving surface 211b due to its own weight, so that the food 100 can be cut without leaving any uncut pieces 101.

[0086] In the embodiments described above, when the support 4 is positioned at the supply location, the support surface 40a is positioned lower than the front end of the inclined surface 91 of the supply table 9 or the front end of the upper surface 292a of the supply table 209. However, this is not necessarily the only possible configuration. For example, in the same configuration, the height of the support surface 40a may be the same as the height of the front end of the inclined surface 91 of the supply table 9 or the front end of the upper surface 292a of the supply table 209.

[0087] In the embodiments described above, a case was explained in which a pair of rod-shaped arms 51 of the pushing member 5 and the cylinder 6 (piston rod 61) are connected by plate-shaped connecting plates 7 extending to the left and right, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the arms 51 may be formed in the shape of plates, or the connecting plates 7 may be formed in the shape of rods. In other words, as long as the cylinder 6 (piston rod 61) and the pushing member 5 (pushing plate 50) are connected and the power of the cylinder 6 is transmitted to the pushing member 5, the shape of the arms 51 and the connecting plates 7 (the structure connecting the piston rod 61 and the pushing member 5) can be changed as appropriate.

[0088] In the second embodiment described above, the cutting blade 2 and the receiving member 211 are described as rising from the cutting position and being positioned at the discharge position (supply position), but the invention is not limited to this. For example, if the height of the receiving stand 3 is low, the cutting blade 2 and the receiving member 211 may be lowered from the cutting position, or the cutting blade 2 (receiving member 211) may be made unable to move up and down. In these configurations, a regulating wall may be provided separately to prevent the food 100 supplied to the support 4 at the supply position from falling. Also, in the second embodiment, the case in which the receiving member 211 is cylindrical was described, but the side plates and top plate of the receiving member 211 may be omitted.

[0089] In the second embodiment described above, the supply position (the position where the food 100 is received together with the support 4) and discharge position (the position where the food 100 is discharged from the receiving member 211) of the cutting blade 2 and the receiving member 211 are at the same height. However, these positions may be at different heights. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 1,201 Cutting equipment 2 Cutting blade (regulating wall) 20 slots 20a opening 21 blades 3. Support base (regulating wall) 4 Support 40a Support surface 5 Push-in member 6 Cylinders (Actuators) 61 Piston rod (drive unit) 7. Connecting plate (connecting member) 9,209 Supply stand (supply component) 91 Inclined surface (sliding surface) 292a Top surface (sliding surface) 211 Receiving member 211b Receiving surface 100 food

Claims

1. A cutting device comprising an actuator having a drive unit, a pressing member that is displaced in the front-rear direction by the driving force of the actuator's drive unit, a support having a support surface for supporting food on the front side of the pressing member, and a cutting blade positioned on the front side of the support, wherein the cutting device cuts the food by pressing the food onto the cutting blade with the pressing member, A cutting device comprising an actuator positioned on the left-right outer side of the pressing member, and a connecting member connecting the drive unit of the actuator and the pressing member.

2. The actuators are provided in pairs on either side of the pressing member, The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting member connects the drive unit of each of the pair of actuators to the pushing member.

3. The support surface of the support is supplied with food from a supply member having a sliding surface for sliding the food. The support moves up and down between a supply position in which the support surface is positioned on the front side of the slide surface and a cutting position in which the support surface is positioned on the front side of the push member, displaced upward or downward from the supply position. The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the support is positioned at the supply position, a restricting wall is provided on the front side of the support surface to restrict the food from spilling out.

4. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the support is positioned at the supply position, the support surface is located below the front end of the sliding surface.

5. The support moves up and down between the supply position and the cutting position located above the supply position. The cutting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the supply member is positioned on the rear lower side of the pushing member.

6. The receiving member has a receiving surface for receiving the food cut by the cutting blade and is provided on the front side of the cutting blade, The cutting blade and the receiving member move up and down between a cutting position in which the food is cut and a discharge position in which the food is discharged forward after being displaced above or below the cutting position. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the receiving member forms a horizontal state in which the receiving surface is substantially horizontal during displacement from the cutting position to the discharge position, and forms an inclined state in which the receiving surface is inclined downward toward the front at the discharge position.

7. The cutting device according to claim 6, characterized in that the cutting blade positioned at the discharge position is configured as the restricting wall.

8. The cutting blade comprises a frame having an opening through which the food passes, and a blade provided in the opening of the frame. The cutting device according to claim 7, characterized in that when the support is positioned at the supply position and the cutting blade is positioned at the discharge position, the food is configured to be unable to pass through the opening.

9. The receiving member is provided on the front side of the cutting blade and has a receiving surface for receiving the food that has been cut by the cutting blade, At the end of the displacement of the pushing member directed forward, the pushing member is configured not to come into contact with the cutting blade. The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving member forms a horizontal state in which the receiving surface is substantially horizontal when the food is pressed in by the pressing member, and forms an inclined state in which the receiving surface is tilted downward toward the front after the food is pressed in by the pressing member.

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