Bulb vegetable processing machine

Abstract

To solve a problem that, in a conventional preparation work of cutting a root and a stem of an onion, a mechanism is complex and an apparatus is large-scale because rotation transmission is conducted by a belt.SOLUTION: A bulb vegetable preparation machine is configured such that: a transport section 4 having a pair of transport belts 5 that horizontally sandwich-transport a stem part of an onion 2 is provided on an upper part of a machine frame 1; a transport route 10 that transports the onion 2 from a start end part toward an end part is formed below the transport section 4; a root cutting section 20 that cuts a root of the onion 2 is provided at least in the start end part of the transport route 10; a stem cutting part 40 that cuts the stem of the onion 2 is provided on a transport downstream side of the root cutting part 20; a root cutting rotary blade 21 and a stem cutting rotary blade 41 are rotation-driven by a motor 70; and a drive transmission mechanism includes a rotation transmission shaft 71 in a forward / backward direction to which a drive rotation of the motor 70 is transmitted provided on a side of the machine frame 1, and transmits a drive rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 to a root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotation blade 21 and a stem cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 via a rotation transmission member 72.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bulb vegetable preparation machine that cuts the roots and stems of harvested bulb vegetables such as onions to a preset length. [Background technology]

[0002] A technical configuration of a bulb vegetable preparation machine that includes a conveying device that clamps and conveys the stems of bulb vegetables and a cutting device that cuts the roots and stems of the bulb vegetables is known (Patent Document 1).

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-137497 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned known example, it is possible to perform the adjusted cutting of the stems and roots of onions, but the rotation is transmitted to the root cutting rotary blade and the stem cutting rotary blade by a belt, which has the problem of making the structure complex and the device large. The present application provides an improved configuration of the rotation transmission mechanism of a bulb vegetable preparation machine, facilitating manufacturing and assembly, and miniaturizing the entire device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention of claim 1 comprises a conveying section 4 provided on top of a machine frame 1 placed on the floor by support legs 3, the conveying section 4 having a pair of conveying belts 5 for clamping and conveying the stems of onions 2 laterally, a conveying path 10 formed below the conveying section 4 for conveying onions 2 from the starting end to the terminal end, a root cutting section 20 provided at least at the starting end of the conveying path 10 with a root cutting rotary blade 21 for cutting the roots of onions 2, and a stem cutting section 40 provided on the downstream side of the root cutting section 20 for conveying onions 2 with a stem cutting rotary blade 41 for cutting the stems of onions 2, The root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 are configured to be driven and rotated by a motor 70, and the drive transmission mechanism from the motor 70 to the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 is configured so that a forward / backward rotating transmission shaft 71 to which the drive rotation of the motor 70 is transmitted is provided on the machine frame 1 side, and the drive rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 is transmitted to the root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stalk cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 via a rotation transmission member 72, resulting in a bulb vegetable preparation machine. The invention of claim 2 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine configured such that a forward / backward rotating transmission shaft 71 driven and rotated by a motor 70 is provided near the root cutting rotating shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40, and a rotating transmission member 72 is provided between the rotating transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A, respectively, to transmit the driving rotation of the rotating transmission shaft 71 to the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A. The invention of claim 3 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine in which the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem-cutting rotating shaft 41A are respectively attached to the machine frame 1 by means of an attachment member 23 for the root-cutting rotating blade 21 and an attachment member 43 for the stem-cutting rotating blade 41, and the rotation transmission member 72 is respectively provided on the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A below the attachment member 23 and the stem-cutting rotating shaft 41A below the attachment member 43. The invention of claim 4 is a bulb vegetable preparing machine, wherein the rotation transmission member 72 is configured by a bevel gear K. The invention of claim 5 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine in which a forward / backward rotating transmission shaft 71 driven and rotated by a motor 70 is provided near the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40, and a rotation transmission member 72 is provided between the rotation transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, respectively, to transmit the driving rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A are fixed in position relative to the machine frame 1 in a planar view, and at least the height position of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is freely adjustable relative to the machine frame 1. The invention of claim 6 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine in which the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is inserted into the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A so as to be able to move freely up and down in the axial direction of the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, and is fixed at a predetermined height position by a fixing screw 41B. In the invention of claim 7, the root-cutting rotary shaft 21A and the stalk-cutting rotary shaft 41A are arranged on the same straight line in a plan view. The invention of claim 8 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine in which a pair of left and right root pressing rollers 22 for fixing the roots of the onion 2 are provided on the conveying path 10 before the root cutting section 20, and the root pressing rollers 22 are configured to transmit the rotation of the root cutting rotating shaft 21A. The invention of claim 9 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine in which the lower part of the roller rotation shaft 74 of the root pressure roller 22 is mounted on the mounting member 23 via a bearing 75, a passive gear 76 is fixed to the roller rotation shaft 74 which protrudes downward from the underside of the mounting member 23, a chain 78 is wound around the passive gear 76 and a drive gear 77 fixed to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21, and the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 is transmitted to either the left or right root pressure roller 22. The invention of claim 10 is a bulb vegetable preparation machine in which the conveying belt 5 of the conveying section 4 is looped around a passive pulley 6 provided at the rear and a drive pulley 7 provided at the front, and each drive pulley 7 is fixed to the lower part of a belt drive shaft 87 which is driven and rotated by a conveying motor 86, the upper part of each belt drive shaft 87 is rotatably mounted on a belt support frame 88 provided at the front upper part of the machine frame 1, a passive gear 89 is fixed to each belt drive shaft 87 mounted on the belt support frame 88, and a chain 92 is looped between the passive gear 89 of each belt drive shaft 87 and the drive gear 91 of the conveying motor 86. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In the invention of claim 1, a root cutting section 20 having a root cutting rotary blade 21 for cutting the roots and a stem cutting section 40 having a stem cutting rotary blade 41 for cutting the stems of the onions 2 are provided on the conveying path 10 of the conveyor belt 5 that transports the stem portions of the onions 2, and the drive transmission mechanism that transmits the drive rotation from the motor 70 that drives and rotates the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is configured to transmit the drive rotation of the rotary transmission shaft 71 to which the drive rotation of the motor 70 is transmitted via the rotary transmission member 72 to the root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40.Therefore, the drive rotation transmission mechanism can be simply constructed using the rotary transmission shaft 71 and the rotary transmission member 72, and can be configured simply, allowing the bulb vegetable preparation machine to be supplied at low cost. In the invention of claim 2, a rotary transmission shaft 71 is provided near the root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41, and rotary transmission members 72 are provided between the rotary transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotary shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, respectively.This allows the rotation of the motor 70 to be transmitted to the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41.In addition, the drive rotation is transmitted to the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 from below, so that the drive transmission mechanism does not interfere with the conveying path 10 for the onions 2.Furthermore, since the drive transmission mechanism can be arranged on the lower side of the root cutting rotary shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, the installation space (left-right width) for the drive transmission mechanism can be reduced, and the left-right width can be made smaller than that of conventional bulb vegetable preparation machines, making the entire device more compact. In the invention of claim 3, the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A are respectively attached to the machine frame 1 by means of an attachment member 23 for the root-cutting rotating blade 21 and an attachment member 43 for the stalk-cutting rotating blade 41, and a rotation transmission member 72 is provided on the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A below the attachment member 23 and on the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A below the attachment member 43, so that the attachment members 23 and 43 serve as both the attachment members for the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A and as cover members for the drive transmission mechanism including the rotation transmission member 72, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the bulb vegetable preparation machine. In the invention of claim 4, the rotation transmission member 72 is configured by the bevel gear K, so that the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism can be simplified, the installation space can be reduced, and assembly can be facilitated. In the invention of claim 5, the root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 are fixed in position relative to the machine frame 1 when viewed in a plane, and at least the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is arranged so that its height position can be adjusted freely relative to the machine frame 1, thereby stabilizing the operation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41, and since the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is arranged so that its height position can be adjusted freely, the cutting height of the onion stems 2 can be adjusted, making it easier to process the onions 2. In the invention of claim 6, the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is inserted into the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A so as to be able to move freely up and down in the axial direction of the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, and is fixed at a predetermined height position by a fixing screw 41B.Therefore, the cutting height of the onion stems can be adjusted simply by moving the stem cutting rotary blade 41 up and down relative to the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, and the height adjustment mechanism of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 can be configured simply. In the invention of claim 7, the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A are arranged in the same straight line when viewed in a plane, so that it is easy to mesh the rotation transmission member 72 provided on the rotation transmission shaft 71 with the rotation transmission member 72 provided on each of the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A, making assembly easy. In the invention of claim 8, a pair of left and right root pressure rollers 22 that fix the roots of the onion 2 are provided on the conveying path 10 before the root cutting section 20, and the root pressure rollers 22 are configured to transmit the rotation of the root cutting rotation shaft 21A, thereby improving the reliability of root cutting by the root cutting section 20 and simplifying the rotation transmission mechanism of the root cutting section 20 to the root pressure rollers 22. In the invention of claim 9, the lower part of the roller rotation shaft 74 of the root pressure roller 22 is mounted on the mounting member 23 via a bearing 75, a passive gear 76 is fixed to the roller rotation shaft 74 which protrudes downward from the underside of the mounting member 23, a chain 78 is hung between the passive gear 76 and a drive gear 77 fixed to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21, and the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 is transmitted to either the left or right root pressure roller 22, so that the root pressure roller 22 is driven by the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 transmitted thereto, and the drive transmission mechanism can be constructed simply. In the invention of claim 10, the conveyor belt 5 of the conveyor unit 4 is wound around a passive pulley 6 provided on the rear side and a drive pulley 7 provided on the front side, and each drive pulley 7 is fixed to the lower part of a belt drive shaft 87 that is driven and rotated by a conveyor motor 86, and the upper part of each belt drive shaft 87 is axially mounted on a belt support frame 88 provided on the upper front side of the machine frame 1 so as to be rotatable. Passive gears 89 are respectively fixed to each belt drive shaft 87 axially mounted on the belt support frame 88, and two passive teeth are provided. Because a chain 92 is looped between the wheel 89 and the drive gear 91 of the conveying motor 86, the transmission mechanism for the conveying belt 5 can be configured separately from the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting section 40, simplifying the configuration of the transmission mechanism for the entire bulb vegetable preparation machine.In addition, because the transmission mechanism for the conveying belt 5 is mounted on a belt support frame 88 located a predetermined distance from the conveying path 10, it can be installed by making effective use of the space above the front of the body frame 1, contributing to the miniaturization of the bulb vegetable preparation machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] Rear view of the bulb vegetable preparation machine. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bulb vegetable preparation machine with the cover partially removed. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a side view of the bulb vegetable preparation machine with the cover removed. [Figure 10] Side view of the root extension section, root cutting section, and stem cutting section. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] Same plan view. [Figure 13] The same bottom view. [Figure 14] Bottom view of the root extension section, root cutting section, stem cutting section, and conveying section. [Figure 15] Rear view of the transmission mechanism part of the root extension section. [Figure 16] Front view of the transmission mechanism of the stem cutting unit. [Figure 17] A rear view of the transmission mechanism of the root stretching unit and the conveying unit. [Figure 18] Front view of the transmission mechanism of the root stretching unit and the conveying unit. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20] The same perspective view. [Figure 21] A perspective view of the root cutting. [Figure 22] FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the transmission mechanism of the stem cutting unit. [Figure 24] Perspective view of the stem cut. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0008] One embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. 1 is the body frame of a bulb vegetable preparation machine. In this example, the bulb vegetable will be described assuming onion 2, but it is not limited to this and may also be leeks, garlic, etc. The machine frame 1 is placed on the floor by support legs 3. A conveying section 4 for conveying onions 2 is provided on top of the machine frame 1. The conveying section 4 is configured to have a pair of endless conveying belts 5 on the left and right made of an elastic material. The conveying belts 5 hold the onion stalks 2 by pinching them from both the left and right sides, and convey them from the rear of the machine to the front. In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 5 is assumed to be a V-belt, but is not limited to this, and for example, a timing belt or a drive chain may also be used.

[0009] The conveyor belt 5 is installed at the top center of the left and right sides of the machine frame 1, and extends almost horizontally all the way to the front (downstream and end). Passive pulleys 6 are installed on both the left and right sides of the rear of the machine frame 1, and drive pulleys 7 are installed on both the left and right sides of the front of the machine frame 1, with the conveyor belt 5 looped around the passive pulleys 6 and drive pulleys 7 (Figure 1). Below the conveying section 4 (conveyor belt 5), there is provided a conveying path (moving path) 10 along which the onions 2 move. Reference numeral 11 denotes a supply port for the onions 2 provided at the starting end (rear) of the conveying path 10, which is formed by opening into a rear cover 12B of the conveying motor of a cover 12 that surrounds the drive operating mechanism of the machine frame 1, which will be described later. A root stretching section 15 for stretching the roots of the onions 2 is provided on the conveying path 10 in front of the supply port 11. The root stretching section 15 is arranged along the conveying direction of the conveying path 10 and is composed of two rollers 16, one on the left and one on the right, arranged side by side in the front-to-back horizontal direction, and blade materials 17 attached to the rollers 16 (Figs. 7 and 10).

[0010] The left and right rollers 16 are rotatably mounted on the body frame 1. The rollers 16 may be mounted in any manner, but only the rear ends of the rollers 16 are rotatably mounted on the rear frame 18 provided on the body frame 1, and the front ends of the rollers 16 are free ends. On the outer peripheral surface of roller 16, blade material 17 is attached tangentially with its base fixed and its tip left as a free end, by means of mounting plate 17A and bolts (screws) 17B so as to be detachable and replaceable. Blade material 17 is formed from an elastic foam material cut into a roughly rectangular shape, and parallel cuts are made in blade material 17 at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of rectangular strips 19. The onions 2 supplied to the supply port 11 are sandwiched between gaps in the blade material 17 from both the left and right sides with the stems held by the conveyor belt 5, and are conveyed while being rubbed downward, and excess skin adhering to the surface of the body of the onions 2 during conveyance is removed, and then the roots of the onions 2 are stretched downward.

[0011] A root cutting section 20 is provided on the conveying path 10 in front of the root stretching section 15 to cut the roots of the onions 2 stretched by the root stretching section 15 (Figure 9). The root cutting section 20 automatically cuts the roots of the onions 2 being transported by the conveying belt 5. The root cutting section 20 is configured with a root cutting rotary blade 21. A root-cutting rotary blade 21 is provided horizontally in a side view on the right side of the conveying path 10 for the onions 2, and a pair of root-pressing rollers 22 for pressing down the roots of the onions 2 are provided on the left and right below the rear of the root-cutting rotary blade 21 (Figures 16 and 21). The root pressing roller 22 fixes the roots of the onion 2 stretched by the root stretching part 15, ensuring cutting by the root cutting rotary blade 21. The lower part of the root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 is axially mounted on a mounting member 23 attached to the machine frame 1 side. A stem cutting section 40 is provided on the conveying path 10 in front of the root cutting section 20 (downstream in the conveying direction) to cut the stems of the onions 2 whose roots have been cut by the root cutting section 20 (Figure 9). The stem cutting section 40 automatically cuts the stems (leaves) of the onions 2 as they are conveyed by the conveyor belt 5. The stem cutting section 40 is composed of a rotating stem cutting blade 41 and a fixed stem cutting blade 42.

[0012] A stalk cutting rotary blade 41 is provided horizontally in a side view on the right side of the conveying path 10 for the onions 2, and a stalk cutting fixed blade 42 is provided on the left side of the conveying path 10 for the onions 2, which partially overlaps with the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 in a plan view and a side view. The stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting unit 40 and the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting unit 20 are arranged on the same straight line in a plan view (FIG. 8). The stem cutting rotary blade 41 is attached to a stem cutting rotary shaft 41A so that its vertical position can be adjusted freely, and is fixed at a predetermined height position by a fixing screw 41B. Therefore, by loosening the fixing screw 41B and moving the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 up and down relative to the stalk cutting rotary shaft 41A, the cutting height of the onion stalks can be adjusted. The stem cutting rotation shaft 41A is attached at its lower part to the attachment member 43 so as to be rotatable only. Reference numeral 46 denotes a bearing provided on the mounting member 43.

[0013] The lower part of the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A is supported by the mounting member 43, and the upper part of the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A is configured as a free end, widening the conveying path 10 and allowing the onions 2 to move smoothly. The mounting member 43 is fixedly attached to the rear lower part of the left and right frames 45 of the machine body frame 1. The fixed stem cutter blade 42 is attached to a fixed blade attachment member 44, which is attached to a front frame 44A of the machine frame 1 so that the height can be adjusted (FIG. 24). 44B is a height adjustment bolt. In this case, the fixed stem cutting blade 42 is formed of a flat plate member. The fixed stem cutter blade 42 is arranged so as to be located on the opposite side of the stem cutter rotary shaft 41A of the rotary stem cutter blade 41 across the conveying path 10 (Fig. 12). Therefore, it is possible to avoid interference of the stem cutting fixed blade 42 itself with the drive mechanism of the stem cutting rotary blade 41.

[0014] A guide section 55 is provided between the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40 to guide the onion 2 to the stem cutting rotary blade 41. The guide section 55 is provided with a pair of left and right axial rod-shaped guide bodies 56 that are inclined so that the rear side is higher and the front side becomes lower (Figure 9). Therefore, due to the downward pushing action of the guide body 56 in addition to its own weight, the onions 2 are guided so that the distance between the clamping position of the stem by the conveying belt 5 and the main body of the onion 2 increases, and they reach the stem cutting section 40, so that the stems of each onion 2 can be cut to the same length, improving the accuracy of the preparation process of the onions 2. The guide body 56 is configured to be inclined at a gentle inclination angle of at least less than 20 degrees relative to the conveying belt 5, preferably 10 to 12 degrees, which is preferable even when guiding dried unprocessed onions 2, as this does not increase the conveying resistance.

[0015] In addition, the guide section 55 allows the conveying belt 5 of the conveying section 4 to be positioned horizontally, allowing the bulb vegetable preparation machine to have a square outer shape when viewed from the side, making it easier to transport and store the bulb vegetable preparation machine. Therefore, the guide section 55 may be installed so as to guide the onions 2 into the conveying path 10 leading to the stem cutting section 40, and although its configuration is arbitrary, the rear ends of the guide body 56 are attached to left and right mounting members 57, respectively, and the mounting members 57 are attached to the left and right frames 45 of the body frame 1, respectively. The front end of the guide body 56 is located at least forward of the cutting portion of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 and the stem cutting fixed blade 42 of the stem cutting section 40, and is a cut free end. That is, the guide body 56 is supported by the mounting member 57 in a cantilevered state. A discharge chute 59 is provided below the stem cutting section 40 to receive the onions 2 cut by the stem cutting section 40 and guide them to the discharge outlet 58 of the bulb vegetable preparation machine. The discharge chute 59 has a horizontal section 60 below the stem cutting section 40, and is formed by providing inclined surfaces 61 that slope low outward from predetermined positions on the horizontal section 60 in the left-right direction.

[0016] In addition, a stem discharge outlet 66 is provided in front of the stem cutting section 40, and the stem discharge outlet 66 opens into the front plate 12C of the cover 12. Power is transmitted from a motor 70 to the root-cutting rotary blade 21 and stalk-cutting rotary blade 41 of the bulb vegetable processing machine. The drive transmission mechanism to the root-cutting rotary blade 21 and stalk-cutting rotary blade 41 can be configured as desired, but one example is a configuration in which a rotation transmission shaft 71 is provided in the front-rear direction to which the drive rotation of the motor 70 is transmitted, and the drive rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 is transmitted via a rotation transmission member 72 to the root-cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root-cutting rotary blade 21 in the root cutting unit 20 and the stalk-cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stem-cutting rotary blade 41 in the stem cutting unit 40 (Figures 9 to 13). Therefore, the drive rotation transmission mechanism can be simply configured by the rotation transmission shaft 71 and the rotation transmission member 72.

[0017] That is, a rotation transmission shaft 71 in the forward / backward direction, which is driven and rotated by a motor 70, is provided near the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40, and rotation transmission members 72 are provided between the rotation transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, respectively, to transmit the driving rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A. Therefore, the drive rotation is transmitted to the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 from below, so that the drive transmission mechanism does not interfere with the conveying path 10 for the onions 2. Similarly, in the stem cutting section 40, the driving rotation is transmitted to the stem cutting rotary blade 41 from below, so that it does not interfere with the discharge of the onions 2. Furthermore, since the drive transmission mechanism can be placed on the lower side of the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, the installation space for the drive transmission mechanism can be reduced, and the left and right width can be reduced compared to conventional bulb vegetable preparation machines, making the entire device more compact.

[0018] In addition, the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A are attached to the machine frame 1 by means of an attachment member 23 for the root cutting rotating blade 21 and an attachment member 43 for the stem cutting rotating blade 41, and the rotation transmission member 72 is provided on the root cutting rotating shaft 21A below the attachment member 23 and on the stem cutting rotating shaft 41A below the attachment member 43, respectively (Figure 9). Therefore, the mounting members 23 and 43 serve as mounting members for the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stem-cutting rotating shaft 41A, as well as cover members for the drive transmission mechanism including the rotation transmission member 72, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the bulb vegetable preparation machine. Therefore, it is more preferable that at least the upper surfaces of the mounting members 23 and 43 are formed from an ineffective plate (blind plate). In this case, the rotation transmission member 72 may have any configuration, but in this embodiment it is configured by a bevel gear K. Therefore, the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism is simplified, the installation space is reduced, and assembly is facilitated.

[0019] The root cutting rotary shaft 21A and the stalk cutting rotary shaft 41A are provided in fixed positions relative to the machine frame 1 in a plan view, and at least the height position of the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 is provided relative to the machine frame 1 so as to be freely adjustable (FIG. 11). Therefore, the operation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 can be stabilized, and the height position of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 can be freely adjusted, so that the cutting height of the stems of the onions 2 can be adjusted, and the processing work of the onions 2 is made easier. The stem cutting rotary blade 41 is inserted into the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A so as to be movable up and down in the axial direction of the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, and is fixed at a predetermined height position by a fixing screw 41B (Fig. 11). Therefore, by loosening the fixing screw 41B and moving the stem cutting rotary blade 41 up and down relative to the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, the cutting height of the onion stems can be adjusted, and the height adjustment mechanism of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 can be simply configured.

[0020] The root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A are arranged on the same straight line in a plan view. Therefore, it is easy to mesh the bevel gears K provided on the rotation transmission shaft 71 with the bevel gears K provided on the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stalk cutting rotation shaft 41A, making assembly easy. A pair of left and right root pressing rollers 22 for fixing the roots of the onions 2 are provided on the conveying path 10 before the root cutting section 20, and the root pressing rollers 22 are configured to transmit the rotation of the root cutting rotation shaft 21A. Therefore, by providing the root pressing roller 22, the reliability of cutting the roots by the root stretching section 15 can be improved, and the rotation transmission mechanism to this root pressing roller 22 can be configured simply. The lower part of the roller rotation shaft 74 of the root pressure roller 22 is mounted on the mounting member 23 via a bearing 75, and a passive gear 76 is fixed to the roller rotation shaft 74 which protrudes downward from the underside of the mounting member 23. A chain 78 is wound around the passive gear 76 and a drive gear 77 fixed to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21, and the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 is transmitted to either the left or right root pressure roller 22.

[0021] A transmission gear 79 is provided on one of the left and right roller rotation shafts 74 above or below the chain 78, and the transmission gear 79 is meshed with a transmission gear 79 provided on the other of the left and right roller rotation shafts 74. The rear part of the roller rotation shaft 16A of the roller 16 of the root stretching section 15 is mounted on the rear frame 18 of the machine frame 1, a passive gear 80 is fixed to the roller rotation shaft 16A protruding rearward from the rear frame 18, and a chain 82 is looped between the passive gear 80 and a drive gear 81 of the rotation transmission shaft 71 of the motor 70. 83 is a movable tension gear, and 83A is a fixed tension gear. The passive pulley 6 of the conveying belt 5 is mounted on a flat upper frame 85 provided on the body frame 1, and the upper frame 85 is divided into left and right halves. A stem moving path that is connected to the conveying path 10 in the vertical direction is formed between the left and right upper frames 85, and a pair of conveying belts 5 face each other above the stem moving path, clamping the stem portion of the onion 2 from the left and right sides as they move.

[0022] The lower part of a belt drive shaft 87, which is driven to rotate by a conveyor motor 86, is fixed to the drive pulley 7. The upper part of the belt drive shaft 87 is rotatably mounted on a belt support frame 88, and a passive gear 89 is fixed to each belt drive shaft 87 mounted on the belt support frame 88, and a chain 92 is looped between the two passive gears 89 and a drive gear 91 of the conveyor motor 86. In this case, a belt support frame 88 is provided above the front of the body frame 1, and a pair of left and right belt drive shafts 87 are suspended from the belt support frame 88, each of which is provided with a drive pulley 7 and a drive gear 91 to form a drive transmission mechanism for conveying belt 5, so that the drive transmission mechanism for conveying belt 5 can be configured simply. Moreover, above the conveyor belt 5 that holds and conveys the stems of the onions 2, an upper cover 12D is provided that covers part or all of the upper part of the moving conveyor belt 5 (FIG. 1).

[0023] The upper cover 12D is configured to surround at least the upper part of the conveying belt 5 that clamps and conveys the stems of the onions 2 in the left-right direction, and is also positioned to cover the entire length of the conveying belt 5 in the front-to-back direction. The vehicle frame 1 is made up of the rear frame 18, the front frame 44A, the left and right frames 45, and the upper frame 85 (FIG. 7). The cover 12 has left and right side covers 12A, a rear cover 12B, a front cover 12C, and an upper cover 12D, which are detachably attached to the machine frame 1 side.

[0024] (Operation of the embodiment) The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and when the main body of the bulb vegetable preparation machine is supplied with the stem of the onion 2 held in hand to the supply port 11 supported by the support legs 3, the stem of the onion 2 is clamped between the pair of conveying belts 5 of the conveying section 4 and is conveyed by the conveying belts 5 toward the terminal end. A root stretching section 15 for stretching the roots of the onions 2 is provided on the conveying path 10 in front of the supply port 11, so that the onions 2 are pinched from both sides by two rotating rollers 16 on the left and right and a rotating body 17 with the stems clamped, and are conveyed while being rubbed downward, and excess skin adhering to the surface of the body of the onions 2 during conveyance is removed, and then the roots of the onions 2 are stretched downward.

[0025] A pair of left and right root pressing rollers 22 for fixing the roots of the onions 2 stretched in the root stretching section 15 are provided on the conveying path 10 in front of the root stretching section 15, so that the roots of the onions 2 stretched in the root stretching section 15 are clamped and fixed by the root pressing rollers 22. A root cutting section 20 is provided above the root pressing roller 22, and the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 cuts the roots of the onion 2 fixed by the root pressing roller 22. A stem cutting section 40 is provided in front of the root cutting section 20, so that the onions 2 transported from the root cutting section 20 reach the stem cutting section 40 with their stems clamped by the conveyor belt 5, where the stems of the onions 2 are cut by a rotating stem cutting blade 41 and a fixed stem cutting blade 42. In this case, the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is inserted freely up and down into the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A and is fixed by a fixing screw 41B, so by loosening the fixing screw 41B and moving the stem cutting rotary blade 41 up and down relative to the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, the cutting height of the onion stems can be adjusted.

[0026] The stems of the onions 2 can be cut in the optimum condition for the onions 2, thereby improving the commercial value of the onions 2. Furthermore, the height can be adjusted by directly moving the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 up and down relative to the stalk cutting rotary shaft 41A, which makes the height adjustment easy and allows the height adjustment mechanism itself to be constructed simply. A guide section 55 for guiding the onions 2 toward the stem cutting rotary blades 41 and 42 is provided on the upstream side of the onions 2 in the conveying direction, so that the onions 2 whose roots have been cut are guided by 55 to the stem cutting section 40, where the stems of the onions 2 are immediately cut. The guide section 55 has a pair of left and right axial rod-shaped guide bodies 56 that are inclined so that the rear side is higher and the front side is lower, so that the onions 2 cut in the root cutting section 20 come into contact with the guide bodies 56 with the stems clamped on the conveyor belt 5 and move forward while descending, and the stems are cut in the stem cutting section 40.

[0027] Therefore, the stems of the onions 2 can be cut to approximately the same length, and the precision of the preparation process of the onions 2 can be improved. A discharge chute 59 is provided below the stem cutting section 40 to receive the onions 2 cut by the stem cutting section 40 and guide them to the discharge outlet 58 of the bulb vegetable preparation machine, so that the onions 2 cut by the stem cutting section 40 are guided by the discharge chute 59 to the discharge outlet 58 and discharged outside the machine. In addition, a stem discharge chute 65 is provided in front of the stem cutting section 40, and the stem discharge chute 65 faces the stem discharge outlet 66 of the bulb vegetable preparation machine, so that the stems of the onions 2 cut in the stem cutting section 40 are discharged outside the machine through the stem discharge outlet 66. A pair of left and right conveying belts 5 of the conveying section 4 are looped around driven pulleys 6 provided on both the left and right sides of the rear of the body frame 1 and drive pulleys 7 provided on both the left and right sides of the front of the body frame 1, and the lower part of a belt drive shaft 87, which is driven to rotate by a conveying motor 86, is fixed to the drive pulley 7.

[0028] The upper part of the belt drive shaft 87 is rotatably mounted on a belt support frame 88, to which a passive gear 89 is fixed, and a chain 92 is looped between the two passive gears 89 and a drive gear 91 of the conveyor motor 86. When electricity is applied to the conveyor motor 86, the pair of drive pulleys 7 are driven to rotate, causing the conveyor belts 5 to begin moving. When an onion 2 is held by its stem and fed into the feed port 11 of the bulb vegetable preparation machine, the stem of the onion 2 is clamped between the pair of conveyor belts 5 and conveyed towards the terminal end. In this case, a belt support frame 88 is provided above the front of the body frame 1, and a pair of left and right belt drive shafts 87 are suspended from the belt support frame 88, each of which is provided with a drive pulley 7 and a drive gear 91 to form a drive transmission mechanism for conveying belt 5, so that the drive transmission mechanism for conveying belt 5 can be configured simply.

[0029] The power of a motor 70 is transmitted to the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the bulb vegetable preparation machine, and the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism to the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is arbitrary, but as an example, a rotary transmission shaft 71 is provided in the front-to-rear direction to which the drive rotation of the motor 70 is transmitted, and the drive rotation of the rotary transmission shaft 71 is transmitted via a rotary transmission member 72 to the root cutting rotary shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40.Therefore, the drive rotation transmission mechanism can be simply configured by the rotary transmission shaft 71 and the rotary transmission member 72. In addition, a rotation transmission shaft 71 in the forward / backward direction, which is driven and rotated by a motor 70, is provided near the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40, and rotation transmission members 72 that transmit the driving rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A are provided between the rotation transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, respectively.As a result, the driving rotation is transmitted to the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 from below, and the drive transmission mechanism does not interfere with the conveying path 10 for the onions 2.

[0030] Similarly, in the stem cutting section 40, the driving rotation is transmitted to the stem cutting rotary blade 41 from below, so that it does not interfere with the discharge of the onions 2. Furthermore, since the drive transmission mechanism can be placed on the lower side of the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, the installation space for the drive transmission mechanism can be reduced, and the left and right width can be reduced compared to conventional bulb vegetable preparation machines, making the entire device more compact. In addition, the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A are attached to the machine frame 1 using mounting members 23 for the root-cutting rotating blade 21 and mounting members 43 for the stalk-cutting rotating blade 41, and the rotation transmission members 72 are respectively provided on the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A below the mounting members 23 and on the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A below the mounting members 43.Therefore, the mounting members 23 and 43 serve as mounting members for the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A and as cover members for the drive transmission mechanism including the rotation transmission member 72, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the bulb vegetable preparation machine.

[0031] In this case, the rotation transmission member 72 is configured by a bevel gear K, which simplifies the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism, reduces the installation space, and facilitates assembly. The root cutting rotary shaft 21A and the stalk cutting rotary shaft 41A are provided in fixed positions relative to the machine frame 1 in a plan view, and at least the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 is provided so that its height position can be freely adjusted relative to the machine frame 1, so that the operation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 can be stabilized, and because the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 is freely adjustable in height position, the cutting height of the stems of the onions 2 can be adjusted, making the processing of the onions 2 easier. The stem cutting rotary blade 41 is inserted onto the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A so as to be able to move up and down freely in the axial direction of the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, and is fixed at a predetermined height position by a fixing screw 41B.Therefore, by loosening the fixing screw 41B and moving the stem cutting rotary blade 41 up and down relative to the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, the cutting height of the onion stems can be adjusted, and the height adjustment mechanism of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 can be simply configured.

[0032] Since the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk cutting rotating shaft 41A are arranged in the same straight line when viewed in a plane, it is easy to mesh the bevel gears K provided on the root cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk cutting rotating shaft 41A with the bevel gears K provided on the rotary transmission shaft 71, making assembly easier. A pair of left and right root pressing rollers 22 for fixing the roots of the onion 2 are provided on the conveying path 10 before the root cutting section 20, and the root pressing rollers 22 are configured to transmit the rotation of the root cutting rotation shaft 21A, thereby improving the reliability of root cutting by the root extension section 15 and allowing for a simple configuration of the rotation transmission mechanism to these root pressing rollers 22. The lower part of the roller rotation shaft 74 of the root pressure roller 22 is mounted on the mounting member 23 via a bearing 75, and a passive gear 76 is fixed to the roller rotation shaft 74 which protrudes downward from the underside of the mounting member 23. A chain 78 is wound around the passive gear 76 and a drive gear 77 fixed to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21, and the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 is transmitted to either the left or right root pressure roller 22. Since the root pressure roller 22 is driven by the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21, the drive transmission mechanism can be constructed simply.

[0033] A transmission gear 79 is provided on either the left or right roller rotation shaft 74 above or below the chain 78, and the transmission gear 79 is meshed with a transmission gear 79 provided on the other of the left or right roller rotation shaft 74, so that the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 transmitted to either the left or right root pressing roller 22 can be transmitted to the other root pressing roller 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1...machine frame, 2...onion, 3...support leg, 4...conveyor section, 5...conveyor belt, 6...passive pulley, 7...drive pulley, 10...conveyor path, 11...supply port, 12...cover, 12A...left and right side covers, 12B...rear cover, 12C...front cover, 12D...upper cover, 15...root extension section, 16...roller, 17...rotating body, 18...rear frame, 19...strip, 20...root cutting section, 21...root cutting rotary blade, 21A...root cutting rotary shaft, 22...root holding roller, 23...mounting member, 40...stem cutting section, 41...stem cutting rotary blade, 41A...stem cutting rotary shaft, 41B...fixing screw, 42...stem cutting fixed blade, 43... Mounting member, 44...fixed blade mounting member, 44A...front frame, 44B...height adjustment bolt, 45...left and right frames, 55...guide section, 56...guide body, 57...mounting member, 58...discharge outlet, 59...discharge chute, 66...stem discharge outlet, 71...rotating transmission shaft, 72...rotating transmission member, 74...roller rotating shaft, 75...bearing, 76...passive gear, 77...driving gear, 78...chain, 79...transmission gear, 80...passive gear, 81...driving gear, 82...chain, 83...tension gear, 85...upper frame, 86...conveyor motor, 87...belt drive shaft, 88...belt support frame, 89...passive gear, 91...driving gear.

Claims

1. A conveying section 4 having a pair of conveying belts 5 for clamping and conveying the stems of onions 2 laterally is provided on the upper part of a machine frame 1 placed on the floor by support legs 3, a conveying path 10 for conveying onions 2 from the starting end to the terminal end is formed below the conveying section 4, a root cutting section 20 having a rotary root cutting blade 21 for cutting the roots of onions 2 is provided at least at the starting end of the conveying path 10, and a stem cutting section 40 having a rotary stem cutting blade 41 for cutting the stems of onions 2 is provided on the downstream side of the root cutting section 20 for conveying. The root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stem cutting rotary blade 41 are configured to be driven and rotated by a motor 70, and the drive transmission mechanism from the motor 70 to the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 is configured so that a forward / backward rotation transmission shaft 71 to which the drive rotation of the motor 70 is transmitted is provided on the body frame 1 side, and the drive rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 is transmitted to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 and the stalk cutting rotation shaft 41A of the stalk cutting rotary blade 41 via a rotation transmission member 72 in this bulb vegetable preparation machine.

2. In claim 1, a bulb vegetable preparation machine is configured such that a rotation transmission shaft 71 in the forward / backward direction, which is driven and rotated by a motor 70, is provided near the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stalk cutting rotation shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40, and rotation transmission members 72 are provided between the rotation transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, respectively, to transmit the driving rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stalk cutting rotation shaft 41A.

3. In claim 1 or claim 2, the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A and the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A are attached to the body frame 1 by means of an attachment member 23 for the root-cutting rotating blade 21 and an attachment member 43 for the stalk-cutting rotating blade 41, respectively, and the rotation transmission member 72 is provided on the root-cutting rotating shaft 21A below the attachment member 23 and on the stalk-cutting rotating shaft 41A below the attachment member 43, respectively, in this bulb vegetable preparation machine.

4. 4. The bulb vegetable preparing machine according to claim 3, wherein the rotation transmission member (72) is constituted by a bevel gear (K).

5. A bulb vegetable preparation machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a rotation transmission shaft 71 in the forward / backward direction, which is driven and rotated by a motor 70, is provided near the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21 of the root cutting section 20 and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 of the stem cutting section 40, and a rotation transmission member 72 is provided between the rotation transmission shaft 71 and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, respectively, which transmits the driving rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 71 to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A, and the root cutting rotation shaft 21A and the stem cutting rotation shaft 41A are fixed in position relative to the machine frame 1 in a planar view, and at least the height position of the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is freely adjustable relative to the machine frame 1.

6. In claim 5, the bulb vegetable preparation machine is configured so that the stem cutting rotary blade 41 is inserted into the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A so as to be freely movable up and down in the axial direction of the stem cutting rotary shaft 41A, and is fixed at a predetermined height position by a fixing screw 41B.

7. 7. The bulb vegetable preparation machine according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the root-cutting rotating shaft (21A) and the stem-cutting rotating shaft (41A) are arranged in the same straight line in a plan view.

8. In any one of claims 1 to 7, a pair of left and right root pressing rollers 22 for fixing the roots of the onion 2 are provided on the conveying path 10 before the root cutting section 20, and the root pressing rollers 22 are configured to transmit the rotation of the root cutting rotation shaft 21A.

9. In claim 8, the lower part of the roller rotation shaft 74 of the root pressure roller 22 is mounted on the mounting member 23 via a bearing 75, a passive gear 76 is fixed to the roller rotation shaft 74 that protrudes downward from the underside of the mounting member 23, a chain 78 is wound around the passive gear 76 and a drive gear 77 fixed to the root cutting rotation shaft 21A of the root cutting rotary blade 21, and the rotation of the root cutting rotary blade 21 is transmitted to either the left or right root pressure roller 22.

10. In any one of claims 1 to 9, the bulb vegetable preparation machine has a conveying belt 5 of the conveying section 4 that is looped around a passive pulley 6 provided at the rear and a drive pulley 7 provided at the front, each drive pulley 7 fixed to the lower part of a belt drive shaft 87 that is driven to rotate by a conveying motor 86, the upper part of each belt drive shaft 87 is rotatably mounted on a belt support frame 88 provided above the front of the machine frame 1, a passive gear 89 is fixed to each belt drive shaft 87 that is mounted on the belt support frame 88, and a chain 92 is looped between the passive gear 89 of each belt drive shaft 87 and the drive gear 91 of the conveying motor 86.

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