Vegetable cutting device

Abstract

To provide a vegetable cutting device capable of easily quickening cutting processing of vegetables.SOLUTION: A broccoli cutting device 1 includes: plural flower bud receiving pans 150 that receive a broccoli from below in a state in which a flower bud is arranged facing down; a receiving pan conveying section 110 that conveys the flower bud receiving pans 150 sequentially to a cutting position 10; a putting down section 700 that comes into contact with plural positions from above near a base of a flower bud in such a way to put down the broccoli against one of the flower bud receiving pans 150 placed in the cutting position 10; and a cutting section 810 that cuts a vicinity of the base of a flower bud b1 put down by the putting down section 700.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention provides a vegetable cutting device for performing a cutting process on vegetables. [Background technology]

[0002] The vegetable cutting device of Patent Document 1 is configured so that when one broccoli is manually placed in each through-hole formed in the main body cover and then a switch is operated, the cutter is activated to cut the broccoli. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3213445 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The device in Patent Document 1 cuts vegetables at the position where the vegetable is manually placed. Therefore, the next vegetable cannot be placed in the device until the cutting operation of the vegetable is completed. Therefore, it is difficult to speed up the process of cutting multiple vegetables.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vegetable cutting device that can easily speed up the cutting process of vegetables. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vegetable cutting machine of the present invention comprises a plurality of flower bud receiving sections that receive vegetables with flower buds at the tip of their stems from below with the flower buds positioned below the stem; a transport section that transports the plurality of flower bud receiving sections in sequence to a predetermined cutting position; a pressing section that contacts a plurality of points near the base of the flower buds of the vegetables from above so as to press the vegetables against the flower bud receiving sections positioned at the predetermined cutting position; and a cutting section that cuts the flower buds of the vegetables near the base that have been pressed down by the pressing sections.

[0007] According to this system, multiple flower bud receiving units that receive vegetables are transported in sequence to a predetermined cutting position. Then, at the predetermined cutting position, the vegetables on the flower bud receiving units are cut by the cutting unit. Therefore, the position where the vegetables are placed on the flower bud receiving units is different from the position where the vegetables on the flower bud receiving units are cut. Therefore, the vegetables can be placed on the flower bud receiving units even if the cutting of the vegetables is not complete, which makes it easier to speed up the cutting process.

[0008] Furthermore, the pressing part presses the vegetable against the flower bud receiving part near the base of the flower bud, while the cutting part cuts the vicinity of the base of the flower bud. Therefore, the cutting can be performed while the cutting portion of the vegetable is securely supported.

[0009] In the present invention, the plurality of locations preferably include at least three locations around the base of the vegetable stem in a plan view, so that the pressing portion comes into contact with at least three locations around the base of the stem, thereby making it easier to reliably support the vegetable.

[0010] In the present invention, it is also preferable that the holding portion has a through-hole formed therein through which the stem of the vegetable passes vertically, and that the peripheral portion of the through-hole comes into contact with the vegetable from above. This allows the peripheral portion of the through-hole to come into contact with the vegetable. Therefore, the vegetable can be held down at multiple points along the peripheral portion, making it easier to stably support the vegetable.

[0011] In addition, the present invention preferably further includes a pushing unit that pushes out the upper part of the vegetable separated from the lower part by the cutting unit so as to separate the upper part from the lower part of the vegetable. This makes it easy to reliably separate the upper part of the vegetable separated by cutting from the lower part. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a broccoli cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a view showing broccoli placed on the broccoli cutting device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a pressing part is pressing down on broccoli in the broccoli cutting device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a plan view of a pressing part of the broccoli cutting device of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram showing the broccoli cutting device of FIG. 1, in which the stem cutting unit is lowered and the cutter approaches the base of the broccoli floret. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing how a cutter cuts the vicinity of the base of a broccoli floret in the broccoli cutting device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing how a push-out unit pushes out stalks of broccoli in the broccoli cutting device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the cutter of the broccoli cutting device of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0014] A broccoli cutting device 1 (referred to as a vegetable cutting device in the present invention) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. As shown in Fig. 2, broccoli B to be cut has florets b1 and a stalk b2. Broccoli B is cut at the base of the stalk b2, thereby removing the root portion. In this embodiment, a broccoli cutting device 1 for cutting broccoli B will be described, but the present invention may also be applied to vegetable cutting devices for cutting vegetables other than broccoli that have florets at the tip of their stems, such as cauliflower.

[0015] The broccoli cutting device 1 will be described below based on the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, with the conveying direction of the broccoli B being the front, as shown in FIG.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the broccoli cutting device 1 has a broccoli conveying unit 100, a stalk separating unit 200, a housing 300, a control unit 400, and a support base 500. The support base 500 has a support frame 510 to which structural units such as the broccoli conveying unit 100 are fixed, and four legs 520 that support the support frame 510 on the floor. The support frame 510 is configured to have the general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped using a plurality of square metal pipes.

[0017] The housing 300 is a box-shaped member that houses part of the broccoli conveying unit 100 and the stalk separating unit 200, and is located in front of the support stand 500. The housing 300 has a left frame plate 310, a right frame plate 320, a front frame plate 330, and a rear frame plate 340. These frame plates are arranged on the four sides (front, back, left, and right), forming a rectangular parallelepiped space that houses part of the broccoli conveying unit 100 and the stalk separating unit 200 inside.

[0018] The left frame plate 310 and the right frame plate 320 are each fixed at their lower ends to the upper surface of the support frame 510. A stem discharge opening 315 is formed at the bottom of the left frame plate 310, for discharging the stems b1 of the broccoli B, which have been cut by the stem separator 200 as described below, out of the housing 300. The rear frame plate 340 is fixed to a location near the center in the vertical direction at the rear ends of the left frame plate 310 and the right frame plate 320. An entrance opening 370 is formed below the rear frame plate 340, for allowing the flower bud tray 150, described below, to enter the housing 300. An exit opening is formed in the front frame plate 330, for allowing the flower bud tray 150 to exit the housing 300.

[0019] The broccoli conveying section 100 is a section that conveys broccoli B to the stalk separating section 200. The broccoli conveying section 100 has a flower bud tray 150 (called a flower bud receiving section in this invention) that receives broccoli B that has been manually transferred from a container or the like by a user, and a tray conveying section 110 (called a conveying section in this invention) that conveys the flower bud tray 150.

[0020] The tray conveying section 110 has a left conveying frame 120, a right conveying frame 130, and a tray support section 140 that convey the flower bud tray 150 along a predetermined conveying path. In the following description, "upstream" and "downstream" refer to upstream and downstream with respect to the conveying path of the flower bud tray 150.

[0021] The left conveying frame 120 extends in the front-to-rear direction. The left conveying frame 120 has a left frame plate 121, a front pulley 122a, a rear pulley 122b, and a chain 125. The lower end of the left frame plate 121 is fixed to the support frame 510. The front pulley 122a is rotatably supported at the front part of the left frame plate 121. The rear pulley 122b is rotatably supported at the rear part of the left frame plate 121. An endless chain 125 is wound around the front pulley 122a and the rear pulley 122b. The movement path of the chain 125 extends along the peripheral edge of the left frame plate 121. A plurality of support fittings 126 are fixed to the chain 125, protruding outward from the movement path. The support fittings 126 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the movement path of the chain 125.

[0022] The right conveying frame 130 extends in the front-to-rear direction. The right conveying frame 130 has a right frame plate 131, a front pulley 132a, a rear pulley (not shown), and a chain 135. The lower end of the right frame plate 131 is fixed to the support frame 510. The front pulley 132a is rotatably supported at the front part of the right frame plate 131. The rear pulley is rotatably supported at the rear part of the right frame plate 131. An endless chain 135 is wound around the front pulley 132a and the rear pulley. The movement path of the chain 135 extends along the peripheral edge of the right frame plate 131. A plurality of support fittings 136 are fixed to the chain 135, protruding outward from the movement path. The support fittings 136 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the movement path of the chain 135.

[0023] The left conveying frame 120 and the right conveying frame 130 face each other in the left-right direction and are fixed to each other by a plurality of fixing plates 190. The front pulleys 122a and 132a are fixed to each other by a shaft that runs in the left-right direction. The rear pulley 122b and the rear pulley supported by the right conveying frame 130 are also fixed to each other by a shaft that runs in the left-right direction. The shaft on the front pulley side is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor. When driving force is transmitted from the motor to the shaft of the front pulley, the two front pulleys rotate, and the chains 125 and 135 wound around the front pulleys run along the above-mentioned movement path. The two rear pulleys rotate in response to the movement of the chains 125 and 135.

[0024] The tray support portion 140 is a member formed by bending a flat metal plate into a U-shape. The left end portion 141 of the tray support portion 140 is fixed to every other support metal fitting 126 lined up along the left chain 125. The right end portion 142 of the tray support portion 140 is fixed to every other support metal fitting 136 lined up along the right chain 135. The tray support portions 140 are arranged at equal intervals along the left chain 125 and the right chain 135.

[0025] The flower bud tray 150 is a member that receives broccoli B with its flower buds b1 positioned below its stem b2. The flower bud trays 150 are supported by the receiver conveying section 110 and are arranged at equal intervals along the left chain 125 and the right chain 135. The flower bud tray 150 has a flat plate portion 151, a recessed portion 152, a left side wall 153, and a right side wall 154. The flat plate portion 151 is a rectangular member. The recessed portion 152 is a portion that slopes down in a cone shape from one side of the flat plate portion 151 to the opposite side. The recessed portion 152 is configured to be of an appropriate size to receive and support the flower buds b1 of the broccoli B.

[0026] The left side wall 153 extends from the left end of the flat plate portion 151 in a direction perpendicular to the flat plate portion 151. The left side wall 153 extends from the downstream end of the flat plate portion 151 to near the upstream end. A notch 153a is formed upstream of the left side wall 153. A front portion of the left side wall 153 is rotatably supported by a mounting bracket 153b (see FIG. 2). The right side wall 154 extends from the right end of the flat plate portion 151 in a direction perpendicular to the flat plate portion 151. The right side wall 154 extends from the downstream end of the flat plate portion 151 to near the upstream end. A notch 154a is formed upstream of the right side wall 154. A front portion of the right side wall 154 is rotatably supported by a mounting bracket 154b (see FIG. 2). The mounting brackets 153b and 154b are fixed to the support bracket 126 and the support bracket 136, respectively. As a result, the flower bud tray 150 is supported by the chains 125 and 135 so as to be rotatable around the mounting brackets 153b and 154b.

[0027] When the flower bud tray 150 is positioned above the tray conveying section 110, the tray support section 140 fits into the cutouts 153a and 154a, and the flower bud tray 150 is supported by the chains 125 and 135 via the attachment fittings 153b and 154b and the tray support section 140. The tray conveying section 110 moves the chains 125 and 135 to sequentially convey the flower bud trays 150 supported by these chains to the cutting position 10 (the predetermined cutting position in this invention) set below the stem separating section 200. On the other hand, when the flower bud tray 150 is positioned below the tray conveying section 110, the tray support section 140 disengages from the cutouts 153a and 154a, and the flower bud tray 150 is suspended from the chains 125 and 135 via the attachment fittings 153b and 154b.

[0028] The stem separation unit 200 is disposed within the housing 300 and separates at least a portion of the stem b2 of the broccoli B transported by the broccoli transport unit 100 from the florets b1. The stem separation unit 200 has a pressing unit 700 that presses the broccoli B on the floret tray 150, which is disposed at the cutting position 10 within the housing 300, against the floret tray 150, and a stem cutting unit 800 that cuts off the stem b2 of the broccoli B pressed down by the pressing unit 700.

[0029] The pressing unit 700 has a flat plate portion 710 having a roughly square planar shape along the horizontal direction, and actuators 311 and 312. The flat plate portion 710 has a through-hole 720. The through-hole 720 is a through-hole having a circular planar shape formed in the center of the flat plate portion 710. The through-hole 720 is located above the depression 152 of the floret tray 150 at the cutting position 10. In a plan view, the through-hole 720 is smaller than the floret b1 of the broccoli B on the floret tray 150 and larger than the stem b2 (see FIG. 4).

[0030] Actuators 311 and 312 are driving units that raise and lower the flat plate portion 710 and are fixed to the left frame plate 310. As shown in FIG. 3, actuator 311 has a cylinder 311a and a rod 311b. Rod 311b is inserted into cylinder 311a. The lower end of rod 311b is fixed near the left front end of flat plate portion 710. As shown in FIG. 3, actuator 312 has a cylinder 312a and a rod 312b. Rod 312b is inserted into cylinder 312a. The lower end of rod 312b is fixed near the left rear end of flat plate portion 710. Actuators 311 and 312 cause rods 311b and 312b to protrude downward from cylinders 311a and 312a, respectively, or retract into cylinders 311a and 312a. This raises and lowers flat plate portion 710 relative to the bud tray 150 at cutting position 10. When the flat plate portion 710 is lowered, the stems b2 of the broccoli B on the floret tray 150 penetrate from below through the through-holes 720 formed in the flat plate portion 710. As shown in Fig. 4, at the peripheral portion 721 of the through-hole 720 (the hatched area in the figure), a plurality of points (for example, three points indicated by arrows P1, P2, and P3) around the base of the floret b1 (the gray area in the figure) come into contact with the flat plate portion 710 from above.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the stalk cutting unit 800 has a cutting unit 810, a pushing unit 850, and a stalk separation frame 890. The stalk separation frame 890 supports the cutting unit 810 and the pushing unit 850. The stalk separation frame 890 is a U-shaped member that opens to the left when viewed from above. The stalk separation frame 890 has a front wall 891, a rear wall 892, a right wall 893, and a lifting unit 895. The front wall 891, the rear wall 892, and the right wall 893 are rectangular flat plate members. A slider 381a (described later) is fixed to the front surface 891a of the front wall 891 via a fixing member 891b. Similarly, a slider 382a (described later) is fixed to the rear surface 892a of the rear wall 892 via a fixing member 892b. Both the fixing members 891b and 892b are U-shaped frames when viewed from above.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the stem separation frame 890 is supported on the housing 300 by two sliders 381a and two sliders 382a and rails 381b and 382b so that it can be raised and lowered. The two sliders 381a are fixed to a fixed member 891b, lined up above and below. The two sliders 382a are fixed to a fixed member 892b, lined up above and below. Rail 381b is a rail that extends up and down in front of the stem separation frame 890. Rail 382b is a rail that extends up and down behind the stem separation frame 890.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the lifting unit 895 is an actuator having a cylinder 895a, a rod 895b, and a clamping arm 895c. The rod 895b is inserted into the cylinder 895a, which extends vertically. The clamping arm 895c is fixed to the rod 895b. The lower part of the clamping arm 895c is bifurcated. One of the two forks is fixed to the upper end of the front wall 891 of the stalk separation frame 890, and the other is fixed to the upper end of the rear wall 892 of the stalk separation frame 890. The rod 895b moves in and out of the cylinder 895a, causing the stalk separation frame 890 to rise and fall. At this time, the two sliders 381a and two sliders 382a of the stalk separation frame 890 rise and fall along the rails 381b and 382b, respectively. This allows the stem cutting unit 800 to move between a retracted position above the flower bud tray 150 at the cutting position and a lowered position where it can cut the broccoli B on the flower bud tray 150 at the cutting position 10.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting unit 810 has a cutter 820, a front support unit 830, a rear support unit 840, a front motor 835, and a rear motor 845. The cutter 820 is configured by bending a long flat plate member into a semicircular shape. One end of the cutter 820 in the width direction forms a blade 821. The front end of the cutter 820 is fixed to the front support unit 830. The front end of the front support unit 830 has a shaft 831. The shaft 831 protrudes forward, penetrates the front wall 891, and is connected to the rotation shaft of the front motor 835, which is fixed to the front surface of the front wall 891. The rear end of the cutter 820 is fixed to the rear support unit 840. The rear end of the rear support unit 840 has a shaft 841. The shaft 841 protrudes rearward, penetrates the rear wall 892, and is connected to the rotation shaft of the rear motor 845, which is fixed to the rear surface of the rear wall 892. Cutter 820 is driven by front motor 835 and rear motor 845 and rotates about a rotation axis along the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 6, as cutter 820 rotates, a portion surrounded by multiple points near the base of flower bud b1 is cut by blade 821.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7 , the push-out unit 850 includes a push-out plate 860, a front support 870, a rear support 880, a front motor 875, and a rear motor 885. The push-out plate 860 includes a main body 861 and an arm 862. The main body 861 is a rectangular flat plate with its lower end slightly bent to the left. The arm 862 includes a front arm 862a extending forward and upward from the upper end of the main body 861, and a rear arm 862b extending rearward and upward from the upper end of the main body 861. The arm 862 is a flat plate member having a U-shape as a whole when viewed from the left. The upper end of the front arm 862a is fixed to the front support 870. The front end of the front support 870 includes a shaft 871. The shaft 871 protrudes forward, penetrates the front wall 891, and is connected to the rotation shaft of the front motor 875. The upper end of the rear arm 862b is fixed to the rear support 880. The rear end of the rear support part 880 has a shaft 881. The shaft 881 protrudes rearward, penetrates a rear wall 892, and is connected to the rotation shaft of a rear motor 885 fixed to the rear surface of the rear wall 892. The push-out plate 860 is driven by the front motor 875 and the rear motor 885, and rotates about the rotation shaft along the front-to-rear direction. The cutting by the cutter 820 pushes out the stem b2 of the broccoli B so as to separate the stem b2 from the floret b1.

[0036] The control unit 400 is composed of a computer specialized for the function of controlling the operation of each part of the broccoli cutting device 1, hardware such as a control circuit, and software that causes the hardware to execute various processes. These various processes include processes that control the operation of the broccoli conveying unit 100 and the stalk separating unit 200. The control unit 400 also has multiple switches 410. The switches 410 are fixed to the upper end of the lifting unit 895. Based on the operating status of these multiple switches 410, the control unit 400 starts the operation of the device or forcibly stops the device.

[0037] Next, the operation of the broccoli cutting device 1 by the user and the operation control of each part by the control unit 400 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0038] First, when the user operates the switch 410 of the broccoli cutting device 1, the device begins to operate. Above the tray conveying section 110, the left conveying frame 120 and the right conveying frame 130 move from rear to front. The user places broccoli B on each of the floret trays 150 at the top of the tray conveying section 110, with the floret b1 positioned below the stalk b2. The floret trays 150 with the broccoli B placed on them are conveyed forward and pass through the entrance 370 in order. After passing through the entrance 370, the floret trays 150 reach the cutting position 10 set below the stalk separating section 200, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0039] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, rods 311b and 312b of actuators 311 and 312 of pressing unit 700 protrude downward from cylinders 311a and 311b. As a result, flat plate portion 710 descends toward floret tray 150 at cutting position 10. Stems b2 of broccoli B on floret tray 150 penetrate through through-holes 720 formed in flat plate portion 710 from below. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, flat plate portion 710 comes into contact with a plurality of points around the base of floret b1 of broccoli B from above at peripheral portions 721 of through-holes 720. As a result, flat plate portion 710 presses broccoli B against floret tray 150.

[0040] Next, as shown in Figure 5, the rod 895b of the lifting unit 895 protrudes downward from the cylinder 895a. The two sliders 381a and two sliders 382a of the stem separation frame 890 descend along the rails 381b and 382b, respectively. This causes the stem cutting unit 800 to descend to a lowered position where it can cut the broccoli B on the floret tray 150 at the cutting position 10.

[0041] 6, the cutter 820 is driven by the front motor 835 and the rear motor 845 to rotate about a rotation axis along the front-to-rear direction. As the cutter 820 rotates below the rotation axis such that the tip of the cutter 820 moves from the right to the left of the stalk b2 of the broccoli B, the blade 821 of the cutter 820 cuts the base of the floret b1.

[0042] Next, as shown in Figure 7, the push-out plate 860 is driven by the front motor 875 and the rear motor 885 and rotates about a rotation axis along the front-to-rear direction. The push-out plate 860 rotates so that the main body 861 moves from the right to the left of the stalk b2 of the broccoli B below the rotation axis, and the left surface of the main body 861 comes into contact with the stalk b2. As a result, the main body 861 pushes out the stalk b2 cut by the cutter 820 so as to separate it from the floret b1. The stalk b2 pushed out by the push-out plate 860 in this way is discharged from the stalk discharge port 315 (see Figure 1).

[0043] As described above, a plurality of floret trays 150 for receiving broccoli B are transported in sequence to the predetermined cutting position 10. Then, at the predetermined cutting position 10, the broccoli B on the floret tray 150 is cut by the cutter 820. Therefore, the position at which the broccoli B is placed on the floret tray 150 is different from the position at which the broccoli B on the floret tray 150 is cut. For this reason, the broccoli B can be placed on the floret tray 150 even if cutting of the broccoli B is not complete, which makes it easier to speed up the cutting process.

[0044] Furthermore, the pressing unit 700 presses the broccoli B against the flower bud tray 150 near the base of the flower bud b1, while the cutter 820 cuts the pressed broccoli B near the base of the flower bud b1. Therefore, the cutting portion of the broccoli B can be reliably supported before cutting.

[0045] Furthermore, the pressing part 700 comes into contact with a plurality of points around the base of the stalk b2 (for example, the points indicated by arrows P1, P2, and P3 in FIG. 2), so the broccoli B is likely to be reliably supported.

[0046] Furthermore, the peripheral edge 721 of the through-hole 720 comes into contact with the broccoli B. Therefore, the broccoli B can be pressed down at a plurality of points in the area along the peripheral edge 721, and the broccoli B can be easily supported stably.

[0047] In addition, the upper part (stalk b2) of broccoli B, which has been separated by cutting, is easily and reliably separated from the lower part (flower bud b1) of broccoli B.

[0048] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0049] In the above-described embodiment, the pressing unit 700 and the stem cutting unit 800 move up and down separately. However, they may move up and down simultaneously. For example, the broccoli cutting device may have a structure in which the lower ends of the rails 381b and 382b are fixed to the flat plate portion 710, and the lifting and lowering of the stem cutting unit 800 and the lifting and lowering of the pressing unit 700 are linked.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the pressing portion 700 that presses down the broccoli B is configured by a single rectangular flat plate portion 710 having a through-hole 720. However, pressing portions having other configurations may also be used. For example, the pressing portion may be configured by a flat plate having a circular planar shape. It may also be configured by multiple flat plates. Furthermore, it may be configured by multiple protrusions that protrude downward. In any configuration, it is preferable to use a configuration that makes contact from above with multiple points near the base of the floret b1 of the broccoli B.

[0051] In the above embodiment, three points P1, P2, and P3 around the base of flower bud b1 at peripheral portion 721 of through-hole 720 come into contact with flat plate portion 710 from above. However, two or four or more points around the base of flower bud b1 may come into contact with flat plate portion 710 from above.

[0052] Furthermore, a cutter 920 shown in FIG. 8 may be used instead of the cutter 820 according to the above embodiment. The cutter 920 has a cylindrical shape. The cutter 920 is disposed above the broccoli B placed at the cutting position 10 so that its central axis is aligned in the vertical direction. The cutter 920 can be raised and lowered by a drive unit installed in the broccoli cutting device 1. When cutting the broccoli B, the drive unit lowers the cutter 920 toward the broccoli B pressed down onto the floret tray 150 by the presser unit 700. The drive unit lowers the cutter 920 so that the stalk b2 passes through the inside of the cutter 920, inserts the cutter 920 into the broccoli B from the base of the floret b1, and lowers the cutter 920 until the bottom end of the cutter 920 passes the bottom end of the broccoli B. As a result, the cylindrical portion of the broccoli B, which corresponds to the inside of the cutter 920 in plan view, is separated by the cutter 920 together with the stem b2 from the other portions of the floret b1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Broccoli Cutting Machine 10 Cutting position 110 Tray conveying section 150 Flower Bud Saucer 700 Pressing part 720 Through hole 721 Periphery 810 Cutting section 850 Extrusion section B Broccoli b1 flower bud b2 stem

Claims

1. A plurality of flower bud receiving units that receive vegetables having flower buds at the tip of the stem from below with the flower buds arranged below the stem; A conveying unit that conveys the plurality of flower bud receiving units to a predetermined cutting position in sequence; A pressing portion that contacts a plurality of points near the base of the flower bud of the vegetable from above so as to press the vegetable against the flower bud receiving portion arranged at the predetermined cutting position; a cutting unit that cuts the vicinity of the base of the flower bud of the vegetable pressed down by the pressing unit.

2. The vegetable cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of locations include at least three locations around the base of the stem of the vegetable in a plan view.

3. A through hole through which the stem of the vegetable passes vertically is formed in the pressing portion, 3. The vegetable cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion of the through hole comes into contact with the vegetable from above.

4. 2. The vegetable cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising a pushing unit that pushes out the upper part of the vegetable separated from the lower part of the vegetable by the cutting unit so as to separate the upper part of the vegetable from the lower part of the vegetable.

Images