Slicing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a slicing device that, when dealing with soft fish fillets, can carefully separate each sliced, fixed-weight portion and transfer them to a conveyor belt. [Solution] The slicing apparatus of the present invention sequentially slices an object to be sliced ​​with a blade while it is being fed, and comprises a first belt conveyor for transporting the object to be sliced, a holding mechanism that contacts the front surface of the object to be sliced ​​to suppress its movement, a slicing mechanism that slices the vicinity of the front surface of the object to be sliced ​​with a blade while the object to be sliced ​​is held by the holding mechanism, and a second belt conveyor for transporting the sliced ​​pieces from the object to be sliced, and the pieces are separated and placed on the second belt conveyor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a slicing apparatus that is particularly useful for cutting slices such as sushi toppings from blocks of fresh fish. [Background Art]

[0002] In the fishery processing industry, mechanization of processes including descaling fish, filleting fish into three pieces, and slicing fish meat into sashimi has been advancing.

[0003] Among these technologies, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes an apparatus that, when cutting slices from fish blocks, enables dividing and cutting into a plurality of portions each having a desired weight as slices even when the fish body to be cut is irregular in shape. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-18539 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in recent years, demand for sushi has been increasing both domestically and internationally. However, all processing of sushi toppings is performed manually, and mechanization has not progressed. Particularly in the sushi industry, there is a labor shortage caused by the decline in working population and lack of skilled artisans, and the actual situation is that it is difficult to produce a desired processing volume even outside of peak seasons. Sushi chain stores also face similar problems in securing human resources.

[0006] One reason why the automation of sushi topping processing hasn't progressed is that sushi toppings need to be especially fresh, so the fish cannot be sliced ​​while frozen or semi-thawed, and its softness makes slicing difficult. In addition, because sushi toppings are meant to bend and cover the rice when placed on top, unlike sashimi, the length and width of the slices need to be relatively large to achieve a fixed weight. Furthermore, the cutting method must be changed depending on the shape of the fillet.

[0007] To achieve the production of precisely weighted cuts for soft meat fillets, it is conceivable to provide a cutting groove guide with a cutting groove into which a blade can enter on the conveying surface of the fillet. In this case, by positioning the tip of the blade in the cutting groove and slicing laterally, it is possible to slice the meat while the blade is present along its entire height.

[0008] An example of the operation of a slicing device that produces slice a from block A will be explained based on Figures 14 and 15.

[0009] In the slicing device, the slicing block A, transported by the conveyor C, is supplied toward the slicing position of the blade 501 (Figure 14(a)). At this time, the upper surface of the groove guide 503, which has a cutting groove 502, is at approximately the same height as the transport surface of the conveyor C. Subsequently, the groove guide 503 is lowered, and the conveyor C moves the slicing block A by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the slice a, transporting the slicing block A until its front surface contacts the front retainer 504 (Figure 14(b)).

[0010] After that, the groove guide 503 is raised until its upper surface is at approximately the same height as the conveying surface of the conveyor C, and then the blade 501 is moved with its tip inside the groove 502 to slice the fence A (Figure 14(c)).

[0011] Once slicing is complete, the cutting groove guide 503 is lowered and the front retainer 504 is separated from the fence A (Figure 15(a)). Subsequently, the scraping unit 505 is lowered to separate the sliced ​​piece a from the blade 501 (Figure 15(b)). The sliced ​​piece a then falls onto the conveyor 506 and is transferred (Figure 15(c)).

[0012] In the slicing apparatus shown in Figures 14 and 15, the mechanism for separating the sliced ​​portion is a simple extrusion mechanism. As shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b), when the blade 501 has finished slicing, the scraping unit 505 scrapes the sliced ​​portion from top to bottom along the blade 501 (simple scraping), causing the sliced ​​portion a to fall and separate.

[0013] However, the landing position of the sliced ​​fillet a was unstable, resulting in inconsistent shapes of the separated fillet a. Furthermore, the method of separating the fillet a by dropping it also led to a deterioration in its quality.

[0014] As an alternative to the simple scraping method described above, it is also possible to detach the fillet a using the scraper 510 as the blade 501 returns. In this method, as shown in Figures 17(a) and 17(b), the scraper 510 is placed alongside the blade 501, and as the blade 501 returns, the fillet a stuck to the blade 501 is scraped off and detached.

[0015] However, even with this method, similar to the simple scraping method, the landing position of the sliced ​​fillet a was not stable, and the shape of the separated fillet a was inconsistent. Furthermore, the method of separating the fillet a by dropping it also had the problem of leading to a deterioration in the quality of the fillet a.

[0016] The first objective of this invention is to separate sliced, fixed-weight fillets one by one with good quality when the fish fillet is soft, and to transfer them to a conveyor belt.

[0017] Furthermore, in the slicing devices shown in Figures 14 and 15, when the blade 501 is moved back and forth within the cutting groove 502, the sliced ​​piece a gets stuck in the cutting groove 502, resulting in an undesirable cut. Also, as mentioned above, when transporting the fence A, if the cutting groove guide 503 is at approximately the same height as the transport surface of the conveyor C, the fence A gets caught in the cutting groove 502 during transport and cannot be transported normally. Therefore, as shown in Figure 14(b), the cutting groove guide 503 is lowered, and the fence A is transported until the front surface of the fence A contacts the front retainer 504. In that case, as shown in Figure 18(a), the fence A sags downwards as it is transported toward the front retainer 504. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 18(b), when the cutting groove guide 503 rises while the fence A is sagging downwards, there is a problem in that the fence cannot be held down from below in a normal state.

[0018] A second objective of this invention is to slice fillets of a fixed weight shape with good quality, without leaving any sinews or skin, when the fillet is soft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] In other words, the slicing apparatus according to the present invention sequentially slices an object to be sliced ​​with a blade while it is being fed, and comprises a first belt conveyor for transporting the object to be sliced, a holding mechanism that contacts the front surface of the object to be sliced ​​to suppress its movement, a slicing mechanism that slices the vicinity of the front surface of the object to be sliced ​​with a blade while the object to be sliced ​​is held by the holding mechanism, and a second belt conveyor for transporting the sliced ​​pieces from the object to be sliced, and is characterized in that it is possible to separate the sliced ​​pieces and place them on the second belt conveyor.

[0020] Therefore, the holding mechanism contacts the front surface of the object to be sliced ​​to restrain its movement when it is being sliced, and also allows the sliced ​​material to be separated more stably than by the blade. As a result, the material can be separated more reliably than by the blade and transferred to the material discharge mechanism.

[0021] In the slicing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pressing mechanism comprises a pressing belt conveyor that contacts the front surface of the object to be sliced.

[0022] Therefore, the sliced fish fillet can be easily peeled off from the blade after slicing.

[0023] In the slicing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the slicing mechanism is a pull-cutting mechanism that performs slicing by moving the blade with the tip of the blade in contact with the surface of the second belt conveyor.

[0024] Therefore, even when the object to be sliced is a soft block like salmon, slicing can be performed with good quality without leaving streaks or skin when slicing fillets of fixed size and shape. Further, although slicing is performed by moving the blade while the tip of the blade is in contact with the surface of the second belt conveyor, since the belt of the second belt conveyor moves, the contact position of the tip of the blade changes. Therefore, damage to the belt of the second belt conveyor caused by the blade moving while in contact is suppressed.

[0025] In the slicing apparatus according to the present invention, the second belt conveyor is formed by wrapping a belt around a plurality of pulleys, and it is preferable that the pull-cutting mechanism performs slicing by moving the blade with the tip of the blade in contact with the surface of the belt at a position where the back surface of the belt contacts the outer peripheral surface of the pulley.

[0026] Therefore, when slicing the block with the blade, stress directed toward the belt acts, and this stress can be received by the pulley.

[0027] In the slicing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the apparatus comprises a shaft rotatably supported between the first belt conveyor and the second belt conveyor.

[0028] Therefore, by minimizing the gap formed between the first belt conveyor and the second belt conveyor, deformation of the railing during transfers between the first and second belt conveyors can be prevented. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] According to the present invention, when the fish fillet is soft, the sliced ​​fillets can be carefully separated one by one and transferred to a conveyor belt. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0030] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a system including a slicing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the relationship between the blades of the slicing device, the slices, and the cut pieces. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a slicing apparatus. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the slicing device when the rail is brought to the slicing position of the blade by a conveyor. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the operation when a fence held by a holding mechanism is sliced. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the operation when a fence held by a holding mechanism is sliced. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing a slicing device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing a slicing device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a diagram illustrating the main parts of a modified example of the retaining mechanism. [Figure 10] This is a diagram illustrating the main parts of a modified example of the retaining mechanism. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating the main parts of a modified example of the retaining mechanism. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modified method for transporting cut fish fillets. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modified example of a shaft placed between conveyors. [Figure 14]This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of generating sliced ​​meat from a block of meat in a comparative example slicing device of the present invention. [Figure 15] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of generating sliced ​​meat from a block of meat in a comparative example slicing device of the present invention. [Figure 16] This figure illustrates the technical problems of a comparative example slicing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 17] This figure illustrates the technical problems of a comparative example slicing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 18] This figure illustrates the technical problems of a comparative example slicing apparatus of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] Hereinafter, a slicing apparatus 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system including a slicing device 2 that generates fillets a from a block A. As shown in Figure 2, the slicing device 2 automatically cuts sushi-sized fillets a from a block A obtained from a fresh fish. In this embodiment, the block A is, for example, salmon that has been filleted into three pieces and processed into a block. Of course, the type of fish that becomes the block A to be sliced ​​is not limited to salmon, and the process of obtaining the block A is not limited to filleting into three pieces.

[0033] In Figure 1, the conveyor C1, which constitutes the continuous track, is driven by motor M1. The fence A placed on the transport surface 11 of conveyor C1 is transported toward the slicing device 2 in the direction of arrow V1, and then subjected to slicing by the slicing device 2. Each time the slicing device 2 operates and cuts out a slice, conveyor C1 intermittently feeds the fence A by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the slice a, preparing for the slicing of the next slice a. The conveyor C2, which constitutes the continuous track, is driven by motor M2, and the sliced ​​slice a placed on the transport surface 12 of conveyor C2 is transported in the direction of arrow V2. The control means 3 controls motors M1 and M2, as well as the slicing device 2.

[0034] The control means 3 is configured to include a microcomputer unit consisting of a CPU, memory, and interface, with the memory storing the required programs and necessary data. The CPU sequentially reads the programs and works in cooperation with peripheral hardware resources to execute various controls in this embodiment. Various setting values ​​Z, such as slicing conditions, are input to the control means 3 through the setting unit 30. The control unit 3 calculates parameters such as the starting and ending positions of the blade 21 crossing the transport path a, the cutting angle of the blade 21, and the slicing angle for each slice a (or for each slice A) based on the information of the fence A to be sliced ​​acquired by the camera 9 and the information such as the dimensions required for the slice a input from the setting unit 30, and sends control signals to the respective motors M1 and M2, the drive unit (not shown) of the slicing device 2, etc.

[0035] In the slicing device 2, the blade 21 is positioned such that the direction in which it cuts intersects with the conveying direction of the conveyor C2. In other words, the slicing device 2 has a cut-off mechanism 5 that cuts out a slice of meat a from the fence A with basically one scan of the blade 21 while moving the blade 21 in the direction of the blade length as it cuts into the fence A.

[0036] Figure 2(a) shows the fence A and the blade 21, Figure 2(b) is a view of the slice a cut by the blade 21 from above the conveying surface 1a, and Figure 2(c) is a view of the slice a cut by the blade 21 from the side of the conveying surface 1a. In Figure 2(b), arrow V indicates the direction of the fence A in the longitudinal direction, which usually coincides with the conveying direction V1 of the conveying surface 1a. As shown in these figures, the blade length direction (blade length direction, X direction) of the blade 21 becomes the longitudinal direction (longitudinal dimension L) of the slice a, the blade width direction (body width direction, cutting edge direction, Y direction) of the blade 21 becomes the short direction (short dimension W) of the slice a, and the feed pitch of the fence A for each pass is the thickness dimension D of the slice a. The length L, width W, and thickness D of fillet a must satisfy the predetermined dimensions L0, W0, and D0 as a fixed weight size, because when fillet a is placed on top of the rice B, it is designed to bend so as to cover the rice B.

[0037] Therefore, in case the dimensions are insufficient, the slicing device 2 is configured to achieve an appropriate longitudinal dimension L0 of sliced ​​slice a by setting a first relative angle θ1 between the conveying direction V of the fence A and the blade length direction (X direction) of the blade 21, an appropriate short-side dimension W0 of sliced ​​slice a by setting a second relative angle θ2 between the conveying direction V of the fence A and the blade width direction Y of the blade 21, and an appropriate thickness dimension D0 of sliced ​​slice a by setting the conveying pitch of the fence A.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, the slicing apparatus 2 of this embodiment includes a conveyor C1 (first belt conveyor) for transporting the fence A, a holding mechanism 60 that contacts the front of the fence A to restrain its movement, and a blade 21 that slices the area near the front of the fence A while the holding mechanism 60 holds the fence A in place. It has a slicing mechanism 5A (pulling cutting mechanism 5) and a conveyor C2 (second belt conveyor) for transporting the sliced ​​pieces a.

[0039] Conveyor C1, which is a belt conveyor, has a belt 51 wrapped around pulleys 51a, 51b, and 51c, and a first conveying surface 11 (the conveying surface of conveyor C1), which is a substantially horizontal surface, is formed between pulleys 51a and 51b. Conveyor C2, which is a belt conveyor, has a belt 52 wrapped around pulleys 52a, 52b, and 52c, and a second conveying surface 12 (the conveying surface of conveyor C2), which is a substantially horizontal surface, is formed between pulleys 52a and 52b.

[0040] The second conveying surface 12 is positioned downstream of the first conveying surface 11 in the conveying direction, and the pulleys 51b and 52a are positioned in close proximity. The first conveying surface 11 and the second conveying surface 12 are positioned on substantially the same plane, and a groove 53 is formed between the conveyors C1 and C2. If the groove 53 between the conveyors C1 and C2 is large, deformation of the fence A will occur when transferring between the conveyors C1 and C2, so a shaft 54 ​​is positioned in the groove 53. The shaft 54 ​​is a cylindrical member that is supported so as to be freely rotatable. The upper end of the shaft 54 ​​is positioned on substantially the same plane as the first conveying surface 11 and the second conveying surface 12.

[0041] The holding mechanism 60 is positioned downstream in the conveying direction from the slicing position of the blade 21. The holding mechanism 60 has a holding conveyor C3 (holding belt conveyor) that contacts the front of the fence A that has been conveyed to the slicing position by the conveyor C1.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4(a), the retaining conveyor C3 consists of a belt 62 wrapped around four pulleys 61a, 61b, 61c, and 61d positioned above the conveying surface 12 of the conveyor C2. Pulleys 61a and 61b are positioned at the same height, and pulleys 61c and 61d are positioned at the same height. Pulley 61a is positioned above pulley 61d, and pulley 61b is positioned above pulley 61c. Therefore, the belt 62 moves along a roughly rectangular path when viewed from the side.

[0043] A front presser 64, which is a surface aligned vertically, is formed on the front surface of the presser conveyor C3 (between pulley 61a and pulley 61d). The front presser 64 is positioned at a distance equivalent to the thickness of the slice a from the slicing position of the blade 21 in the conveying direction. A discharge surface 65, which is a surface aligned horizontally, is formed on the underside of the presser conveyor C3 (between pulley 61c and pulley 61d). In the slicing device 2, the blade 21 slices the area near the front of the fence A while the fence A is held in place by the front presser 64 (presser conveyor C3). Since the front presser 64 and the front of the fence A are in surface contact, the movement of the fence A can be properly restrained. One of the pulleys 61a to 61d of the presser conveyor C3 is driven by a motor (not shown).

[0044] Two protrusions 66 are formed on the surface of the belt 62 of the press conveyor C3. The protrusions 66 are for positioning the front of the fence A by contacting the upper surface of the front of the fence A when the front of the fence A is in contact with the front press 64.

[0045] The control unit 3 in Figure 1 sequentially controls the rotational movement of the press conveyor C3, the feeding movement of the transport surfaces 11 and 12, and the slicing movement of the blade 21, in a synchronized manner.

[0046] The operation when the fence A held by the holding mechanism 60 is sliced ​​will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0047] As shown in Figure 4(a), the fence A, transported by conveyor C1, is sliced ​​by the blade 21 with its front surface in contact with the front presser 64. When the blade 21 slices the fence A, conveyors C1, C2, and presser conveyor C3 are stopped. Simultaneously with the completion of slicing, the holding force is released, and as shown in Figure 4(b), the belt 52 of conveyor C2 begins to rotate in the N1 direction (clockwise in Figure 4(b)), and the belt 62 of presser conveyor C3 begins to rotate in the N2 direction (clockwise in Figure 4(b)). As a result, one side of the sliced ​​piece a (the side facing conveyor C2) is transported in the N1 direction by the rotation of conveyor C2, while the other side is pushed in the opposite direction of N1 by the rotation of presser conveyor C3, causing it to enter the gap between the surface of the belt 52 of conveyor C2 and the discharge surface 65 of presser conveyor C3, as shown in Figure 5(a). As the rotation of the belt 52 of conveyor C2 and the rotation of the belt 62 of the pressing conveyor C3 continue, as shown in Figure 5(b), the sliced ​​piece a emerges from the gap between the surface of the belt 52 of conveyor C2 and the discharge surface 65 of the pressing conveyor C3 and is transported downstream in the transport direction by the belt 52 of conveyor C2. Therefore, in the slicing device 2 of this embodiment, it is possible to detach the sliced ​​piece a from the fence A and place it on the conveyor C2.

[0048] By the way, as mentioned above, if a cutting groove is provided on the conveying surface that transports the fence A in order to cut the slice a from the fence A with the blade 21, there is a problem that when the blade 21 is moved back and forth within the cutting groove, the slice a gets stuck in the groove and cannot be cut properly. Also, if the cutting groove guide is lowered to prevent the slice a from getting caught in the cutting groove, there is a problem that the fence A sags downwards when it moves until the front of the fence A contacts the front retainer.

[0049] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, the slicing device 2 has a pull-cutting mechanism 5 that slices the fence A by moving the blade 21 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction while in contact with the surface of the second conveying surface 12 (the conveying surface of the conveyor C2). The pull-cutting mechanism 5 slices by moving the blade 21 in the direction of the blade length while cutting into the fence A. At that time, the slicing device 2 slices the fence A by running the blade 21 on the conveyor C2 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction (moving the blade 21 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction while in contact with the surface of the second conveying surface 12). This makes it possible to slice with good quality by treating the conveyor C2 as a cutting board and simulating the state in which a craftsman cuts the fish.

[0050] In this embodiment, the conveyor C2 has a belt 52 wrapped around a plurality of pulleys 52a, 52b, and 52c, and the pull-cutting mechanism 5 slices by moving the blade 21 with its tip in contact with the surface of the belt 52 at a position where the back surface of the belt 52 and the outer surface of the pulley 52a are in contact. The position where the pull-cutting mechanism 5 slices is preferably the position where the back surface of the belt 52 and the outer surface of the pulley 52a are in contact (a position where the rotation center of the pulley 52a is included in the surface that the blade 21 pulls to cut), but the slicing position may be shifted within the range of the thickness dimension of the slice a around this position, depending on the object to be sliced.

[0051] In the slicing device 2, the fence A is brought to the slicing position of the blade 21 by the conveyor C1, and the operation at that time will be explained with reference to Figure 6. When the fence A is transported by the conveyor C1, the leading edge of the fence A is transported to near the end of the conveyor C1, as shown in Figure 6(a). As the fence A continues to be transported by the conveyor C1, the leading edge of the fence A moves onto the shaft 54, as shown in Figure 6(b). As the fence A continues to be transported by the conveyor C1, the leading edge of the fence A moves onto the second transport surface 12 on the conveyor C2, as shown in Figure 6(c).

[0052] In the slicing device 2, the conveyor C1 positions the fence A for slicing the blade 21. Each time the blade 21 operates and cuts out a slice, the conveyor C1 intermittently feeds the fence A by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the slice a, preparing for the next slice of slice a. The cut slices a are then transported downstream by the conveyor C2 and then free-fall from the second transport surface 12.

[0053] As described above, the slicing device 2 of this embodiment slices the fence A sequentially with a blade while it is being fed, and comprises a conveyor C1 (first belt conveyor) for transporting the fence A, a holding mechanism 60 that contacts the front of the fence A to suppress its movement, a slicing mechanism 5A (pull-cutting mechanism 5) that slices the area near the front of the fence A with a blade 21 while the fence A is held by the holding mechanism 60, and a conveyor C2 (second belt conveyor) for transporting the sliced ​​pieces a from the fence A, and the sliced ​​pieces a are separated from the fence A and placed on the belt conveyor C2.

[0054] Therefore, the holding mechanism 60 contacts the front surface of the fence A when the fence A is sliced ​​to suppress its movement, and also allows the sliced ​​pieces a to be detached more stably than the blade 21. As a result, the sliced ​​pieces a can be reliably detached from the blade 21 and transferred to the sliced ​​pieces discharge mechanism at the destination of the belt conveyor C2.

[0055] In the slicing apparatus 2 of this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 60 has a pressing conveyor C3 that contacts the front surface of the fence A.

[0056] Therefore, the sliced ​​portion a can be easily separated from the blade 21.

[0057] In the slicing device 2 of this embodiment, the slicing mechanism 5A is a pull-cutting mechanism 5 that slices by moving the blade 21 while the tip of the blade 21 is in contact with the surface of the conveyor C2 (second belt conveyor).

[0058] Therefore, even when block A is a soft block like salmon, it is possible to slice the fixed-weight fillet a with good quality without leaving any sinews or skin (for example, the sinews and skin are cut along the sliced ​​surface of fillet a and hardly protrude from the sliced ​​surface). In addition, the blade 21 is moved while the tip of the blade 21 is in contact with the surface of the conveyor C2 to slice, and each time the belt 52 of the conveyor C2 moves, the position where the tip of the blade 21 makes contact changes. As a result, the position where the tip of the blade 21 makes contact is dispersed, which suppresses damage to the belt 52 of the conveyor C2.

[0059] In the slicing apparatus 2 of this embodiment, the conveyor C2 (second belt conveyor) has a belt 52 wrapped around a plurality of pulleys 52a, 52b, and 52c, and the pull-cutting mechanism 5 slices by moving the blade 21 with the tip of the blade 21 in contact with the surface of the belt 52 at a position where the back surface of the belt 52 and the outer surface of the pulley 52a are in contact.

[0060] Therefore, when the blade 21 slices the fence A, a stress is applied to the belt 52, but this stress can be received by the pulley 52a.

[0061] The slicing apparatus 2 of this embodiment has a shaft 54 ​​that is rotatably supported between conveyor C1 and conveyor C2.

[0062] Therefore, by minimizing the gap formed between conveyor C1 and conveyor C2, deformation of the railings during transfers between conveying surfaces 11 and 12 can be prevented.

[0063] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the shaft 54 ​​was placed between conveyors C1 and C2 to reduce the gap between them, but this is not the only way. For example, as shown in Figure 7, in the slicing device 102, when the belt 52 of conveyor C2, which is a belt conveyor, is wrapped around pulleys 52a1, 52b1, and 52c1 to position the second conveying surface 12 downstream of the first conveying surface 11 in the conveying direction, the pulley 51b of conveyor C1 and the pulley 52a1 of conveyor C2 may be placed in close proximity. In that case, for example, if the outer diameter of pulley 52a1 is made smaller than the outer diameter of pulley 52a in the above embodiment, the gap between conveyors C1 and C2 can be reduced without placing the shaft 54 ​​between them.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the fence A was sliced ​​using a blade 21 positioned perpendicular to the conveying surface 12 in the slicing device 2, but it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the fence A may be sliced ​​using a blade 21 inclined toward the fence loading side in the slicing device 202. In that case, the pressing mechanism 60, which is the pressing conveyor C3, is positioned diagonally along the blade 21 inclined toward the fence loading side so that the front presser 64 of the pressing conveyor C3 contacts the inclined surface formed on the front of the fence A. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the fence A conveyed by the conveyor C1 is sliced ​​by the blade 21 inclined toward the fence loading side with its front surface in contact with the front presser 64. Simultaneously with the completion of slicing, the holding force is released, and the belt 52 of the conveyor C2 begins to rotate in the N1 direction (clockwise in Figure 8), while the belt 62 of the pressing conveyor C3 begins to rotate in the N2 direction (counterclockwise in Figure 8). Then, the projection 66 on the belt 62 of the pressing conveyor C3 acts to push the cut piece a from above to below, reliably separating the cut piece a from the blade 21. At the same time, the belt 52 of the conveyor C2 rotates, and the pushed-down cut piece is transferred onto the conveyor C2 in sync with the movement of the conveyor C2. After that, the cut piece a is transported downstream in the transport direction by the belt 52 of the conveyor C2.

[0066] In the above embodiment, a pressing conveyor C3 having a front presser 64 that contacts the front surface of the fence A was used as the pressing mechanism 60, but it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 9(a), a cross-gear shaped peeling member 162 may be used as the pressing mechanism 160. In that case, the pressing mechanism 160 has a support member 161, a cross-gear shaped peeling member 162 rotatably supported by the support member 161, and a motor (not shown) that rotates the peeling member 162. The peeling member 162 has four cross-gear shaped protrusions 163. The peeling member 162 rotates around a shaft member 162a located on the support member 161 due to the rotational drive of the motor. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9(a), the fence A conveyed by the conveyor C1 is sliced ​​by the blade 21 with its front surface in contact with the front presser 164, which is part of the protrusions 163 of the peeling member 162. At that time, the front retainer 164 only contacts the upper front of the fence A, but it can restrain the movement of the fence A. Simultaneously with the completion of slicing, the peeling member 162 begins to rotate in the N2 direction (counterclockwise in Figure 9). Then, the projection 163 of the peeling member 162 acts to push the slice a from the top to the bottom, reliably separating the slice a from the blade 21, and at the same time, the slice a, which has been pushed down by the rotation of the conveyor belt 52 of the conveyor C2, is transferred onto the conveyor C2 in sync with the movement of the conveyor C2. After that, the slice a is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the belt 52 of the conveyor C2. When a cross-gear shaped peeling member 162 is used as the retaining mechanism 160, the fence A may also be sliced ​​with a blade 21 that is tilted downstream in the conveying direction of the conveyor C2, as shown in Figure 9(b).

[0067] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 10(a), a plate-shaped peeling member 263 may be used as the pressing mechanism 260. In this case, the pressing mechanism 260 includes a support member 261, a member 262 rotatably supported by the support member 261, a plate-shaped peeling member 263 attached to the member 262 by bolts 264, and a motor (not shown) for rotationally driving the member 262. The peeling member 263 is bent away from the surface of the member 262. The rotational drive of the motor causes the member 262 to rotate around a shaft member 262a located on the support member 261. As shown in Figure 10(a), the fence A, transported by the conveyor C1, is sliced ​​by the blade 21 with its front surface in contact with the front presser 265, which is the surface of the member 262. At this time, the front presser 265 and the front surface of the fence A are in contact over a surface, so the movement of the fence A can be properly restrained. As soon as slicing is complete, as shown in Figure 10(b), member 262 begins to rotate in the N2 direction (counterclockwise in Figure 10(b)). Then, the peeling member 263 acts to push the slice a from top to bottom, reliably separating the slice a from the blade 21. At the same time, the belt 52 of the conveyor C2 rotates, and as shown in Figure 11, the pushed-down slice is transferred onto the conveyor C2 in sync with the movement of the conveyor C2. After that, the slice a is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the belt 52 of the conveyor C2.

[0068] In the above embodiment, two protrusions 66 are formed on the surface of the belt 62 of the pressing conveyor C3, but it is not limited to this. For example, depending on the hardness and type of the fence A, if the fence A can be positioned only by contacting the front surface of the fence A with the front presser 64 and without contacting the upper surface of the front surface of the fence A, then the protrusions 66 do not need to be formed on the surface of the belt 62 of the pressing conveyor C3. In this case, when the fence A is positioned, the shape of the cut piece a will not be distorted by the protrusions 66, and the quality of the cut piece a can be ensured.

[0069] Furthermore, depending on the hardness and type of fence A, if it is possible to position fence A with its front surface in light contact with the front presser 64, or if it is not necessary to position fence A, as shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the belt 52 of conveyor C2 may be started to rotate in the N1 direction (clockwise in Figure 12(b)) to discharge the cut pieces a without rotating the presser conveyor C3. In this case, by forming a path for discharging the cut pieces a with the blade 21, presser conveyor C3 and conveyor C2, the cut pieces a can be discharged more smoothly than when there is no presser conveyor C3.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the shaft 54, which is positioned between conveyors C1 and C2, is rotatably supported, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the shaft 54 ​​may be rotationally driven in synchronization with the conveyors C1 and C2.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the shaft 54 ​​is a cylindrical member supported to be freely rotatable, but it may also be polygonal prism-shaped. Alternatively, to minimize the gap formed between the first conveying surface 11 and the second conveying surface 12, the gap may be filled with a polygonal prism-shaped member that is supported so as not to be freely rotatable, once the tip of the fence A has moved onto it. For example, as shown in Figure 13, a triangular prism-shaped member 54N may be used to fill the gap formed between the first conveying surface 11 and the second conveying surface 12.

[0072] Furthermore, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above embodiment, and the present invention Various modifications are possible as long as they do not deviate from the original purpose. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 2 Slicing device 5. Pull-out mechanism 5A Slicing Mechanism 21. Cutlery 54 shafts 60 Retaining Mechanism 61 belt 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d pulleys A fence (object to be sliced) a fillet C3 Pressing conveyor (pressing belt conveyor) C1 Conveyor (First Belt Conveyor) C2 Conveyor (Second Belt Conveyor)

Claims

1. This method involves sequentially slicing the object to be sliced ​​with a blade while it is being fed along. A first belt conveyor for transporting the object to be sliced, A pressing mechanism that contacts the front surface of the object to be sliced ​​and restrains its movement, A slicing mechanism that holds the object to be sliced ​​with the aforementioned holding mechanism and slices the area near the front of the object to be sliced ​​with a blade, The system includes a second belt conveyor for transporting sliced ​​pieces from the object to be sliced, A slicing device characterized by its ability to separate the sliced ​​fish and place it on the second belt conveyor.

2. The aforementioned retaining mechanism is The slicing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a pressing belt conveyor that contacts the front surface of the object to be sliced.

3. The slicing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the slicing mechanism is a pull-cutting mechanism that slices by moving the blade while the tip of the blade is in contact with the surface of the second belt conveyor.

4. The second belt conveyor consists of a belt wrapped around multiple pulleys. The slicing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the cutting mechanism moves the blade while the tip of the blade is in contact with the surface of the belt at a position where the back surface of the belt and the outer surface of the pulley are in contact, thereby slicing.

5. The slicing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a shaft rotatably supported between the first belt conveyor and the second belt conveyor.

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