Meat slicer

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of reducing the number of parts of a meat feeding device that delivers a meat lump at a predetermined delivery amount from a meat box reciprocating along a rotation surface of a disk cutter in a meat slicer.　A meat slicer 100 comprises: an electric motor 25 provided in a meat box 2; a meat feeding device 20 which is driven by the electric motor 25 to deliver a meat lump; and a control device 6 for controlling driving of the electric motor 25. The meat feeding device 20 includes a belt type lower conveyor 21 on which the meat lump is placed. The lower conveyor 21 includes: a drive roller 211 rotatably supported on the upstream side of conveyance of the meat lump; a driven roller 213 rotatably supported on the downstream side of conveyance of the meat lump; and an endless belt 214 wound around the drive roller 211 and the driven roller 213. A rotary shaft 211a of the drive roller 211 is positioned coaxially with an output shaft 253 of the electric motor 25, and is connected to the output shaft 253.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a meat slicer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, by repeating an operation of reciprocating a meat box holding a meat block along a rotating surface of a rotary cutting tool and an operation of feeding out the meat block from the meat box in a predetermined amount, a tip portion of the meat block fed out from the meat box is cut off with the rotary cutting tool to obtain sliced pieces. A meat slicer is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). This type of meat slicer sandwiches a meat block vertically with a meat feeding conveyor provided at the bottom of the meat box and a meat feeding roller provided above the meat feeding conveyor, and feeds out the meat block at a predetermined feeding amount every time the meat box makes a reciprocating motion, thereby obtaining sliced pieces of uniform thickness.

[0003] In a conventional meat slicer, every time the meat box makes a reciprocating motion, a feeding lever provided at the bottom of the meat box swings, and the swing is transmitted to the meat feeding conveyor and the meat feeding roller via a one-way clutch and a transmission mechanism, and the meat feeding conveyor and the meat feeding roller rotate according to the swing amount of the feeding lever to feed out the meat block. The adjustment of the thickness of the sliced pieces is performed by adjusting the position of a meat feeding amount adjusting table that contacts and separates from the feeding lever by rotating the handle of a screw feed mechanism to adjust the swing amount of the feeding lever.

[0004] In addition, such a meat slicer has an operation lever switch for operation switching provided at the upper part of the front side surface of the machine base where the operator stands. The operation lever switch is provided so as to be swingable in the left-right direction. When the operation lever switch is tilted to the right side (operation position), the meat box reciprocates continuously to perform continuous slicing, and when it is tilted to the left side (front end position), the meat box stops. Further, the operation lever switch is configured to be locked at the front end position, and is configured to be movable to the operation position by pulling up the operation lever to release the locking mechanism and then operating it toward the right side.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-169540 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-319955 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, conventional meat slicers have the problem of having a large number of parts, as they require a mechanical mechanism that uses the reciprocating movement of the meat box as the driving force to drive the conveyor that feeds out the meat chunks, such as a feed lever connected to a one-way clutch and a screw feed mechanism that adjusts the amount of oscillation of the feed lever, as well as a mechanism to adjust the amount of feed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a meat slicer that addresses the above-mentioned current situation and incorporates improvements.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a meat slicer that obtains slices by cutting off a block of meat fed at a predetermined amount from a meat box that reciprocates along the rotation surface of a circular blade with a rotating circular blade, the slicer comprising an electric motor provided in the meat box and a meat feeding device that feeds the block of meat by driving the electric motor, and a control device that controls the driving of the electric motor. The meat feeding device comprises a belt-type lower conveyor on which the block of meat is placed. The lower conveyor comprises a drive roller rotatably supported on the upstream side of the meat block transport, a driven roller rotatably supported on the downstream side of the meat block transport, and an endless belt wrapped around the drive roller and the driven roller. The rotation axis of the drive roller is located coaxially with the output shaft of the electric motor and is connected to the output shaft.

[0009] In the meat slicer according to the above embodiment, the meat feeding device may include a roller-type upper press feeding device that contacts the upper part of the meat block, and the lower conveyor and the upper press feeding device may be driven by the electric motor to feed the meat block in conjunction. The meat box may include an upper press support arm that supports the upper press feeding device so that it can be flipped up, an upper press pivot shaft that rotatably supports the base end of the upper press support arm, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the upper press feeding device. The transmission mechanism may also include a drive gear that is mounted so as not to rotate relative to the rotation shaft of the drive roller of the lower conveyor, and a driven gear that meshes with the drive gear to transmit power to the upper press feeding device. The driven gear may be rotatably supported on the upper press pivot shaft.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper presser feed device may be equipped with an upper presser roller shaft rotatably supported at the tip of the upper presser support arm. The transmission mechanism may be equipped with a drive-side sprocket that rotates integrally with the driven gear, a driven-side sprocket mounted on the upper presser roller shaft so as not to rotate relative to it, and a chain wrapped around these sprockets. The drive-side sprocket may also be rotatably supported on the upper presser pivot shaft together with the driven gear.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper pressing support arm may be provided with a pair of support arm portions extending from the base end toward the tip. The driven gear, the drive-side sprocket, and the driven-side sprocket of the transmission mechanism may be arranged between the pair of support arm portions.

[0012] Furthermore, the meat box may include a front side plate that is detachably erected on the front side of the lower conveyor relative to the round blade, and a meat tip support member that is detachably disposed near the downstream end of the endless belt. The front side plate attached to the meat box may also be designed to hold the meat tip support member in place, preventing it from falling off.

[0013] Furthermore, the system may be equipped with a thickness setting device for the operator to set the slice thickness value. The control device may also control the operation of the electric motor by changing the rotation speed of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device feeds out the meat block in an amount corresponding to the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device.

[0014] Furthermore, a stopper plate may be provided on the front side of the circular blade along the reciprocating direction of the meat box, with the amount of gap between the circular blade and the stopper plate adjustable.The control device may also control the drive of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device operates at a feed amount in which the meat block comes into contact with the stopper plate.In one embodiment of the present invention, the meat slicer includes a configuration in which the control device controls the drive of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device operates at a feed amount in which the meat block does not come into contact with the stopper plate.

[0015] Furthermore, the control device may control the drive of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device feeds out a meat mass by an amount greater than the maximum gap amount when the gap amount is maximized within the adjustable range of the contact plate.

[0016] Furthermore, the machine base supporting the circular blade and the meat box may have a machine base body with a roughly C-shaped cross-section, having a top surface that is rectangular in plan view and left and right side surfaces that extend downward from the left and right edges of the top surface which are substantially parallel to the direction of reciprocating movement of the meat box, and a front side surface that closes the front opening of the machine base body on the side in front of the circular blade, and a rear side surface that closes the rear opening of the machine base body. In addition, an electric motor for driving the meat box that drives a crank mechanism for reciprocating the meat box and the control device that controls the drive of the electric motor may be housed in the internal space of the machine base, and a control device holding part for supporting the mounted components that constitute the control device may be integrally formed on the front side surface of the machine base.

[0017] Furthermore, the electric motor for driving the meat box is a fully enclosed external fan type electric motor with a speed reducer, having a motor part and a speed reduction mechanism part. In a plan view, the motor part may be arranged on the front side surface side, and the speed reduction mechanism part may be arranged on the rear side surface side. Then, the mounting components of the control device may be exposed in the internal space of the machine base and held facing the motor part.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, since the meat block is sent out from the meat box by driving the electric motor provided in the meat box, a mechanical mechanism using the reciprocating movement of the meat box as a driving source for driving the meat feeding device for sending out the meat block and its feeding amount adjusting mechanism are not required, so the number of parts can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a plan view of an embodiment of a slicer. [Figure 2] It is a front view of the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a left side view of the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a right side view of the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a rear view of the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the embodiment seen from the front left obliquely. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view of the embodiment seen from the rear right obliquely. [Figure 8] It is a side view showing the conveyor and transmission mechanism of the meat box. [Figure 9] It is a separated perspective view for explaining the baffle support structure. [Figure 10] It is a front view showing the baffle support structure in a cross section along the A-A position in FIG. 1. [Figure 11] It is a rear perspective view showing the machine base with a part cut away. [Figure 12] It is a front perspective view showing the separation of the machine base body and the front side surface part. [Figure 13] This is a front perspective view illustrating the mounting structure between the front side plate of the meat box and the meat tip support member. [Figure 14] This is a rear view to illustrate the mounting structure. [Figure 15] This is a schematic functional block diagram of the same embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a schematic functional block diagram of another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The general outline of the meat slicer 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "slicer 100") will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7, etc. In the following description, terms indicating specific directions and positions (for example, "front," "back," "front and back," "left and right," etc.) will be used, but these are based on the orientation of the operator using slicer 100. These terms are used for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the meat slicer 100 of this embodiment is a tabletop meat slicer installed on a support base T. The meat slicer 100 is a device that rotates a circular blade 1 while reciprocating a meat box 2 that holds a block of meat (not shown) toward the circular blade 1, and continuously cuts off the block of meat that is fed out of the meat box 2 at a predetermined amount with the rotating circular blade 1, thereby obtaining sliced ​​pieces (not shown) from the gap between the tip of the circular blade 1 and a backing plate 5 positioned to the side (front side) of the circular blade 1.

[0022] The meat box 2 is supported on the top surface 31 of the machine base 3 so as to be able to reciprocate in a direction parallel to the rotation plane of the circular blade 1. In this embodiment, the circular blade 1 is supported on the machine base 3 so as to be able to rotate around a horizontal circular blade rotation axis 1a that extends in the left-right direction, and is rotationally driven by an electric motor 11 for driving the circular blade. The meat box 2 also reciprocates almost horizontally in a direction parallel to the cutting surface of the circular blade 1 (front-back direction) by a crank mechanism 4 driven by the rotation of an electric motor 41 for driving the meat box. The driving of the electric motors 11 and 41 is controlled by a control device 6 located inside the machine base 3.

[0023] The meat box 2 is equipped with a meat feeding device 20 which has a belt-type lower conveyor 21 on which the meat blocks are placed and a roller-type upper pressing feed device 22 that contacts the top of the meat blocks. The meat feeding device 20 is driven by an electric motor 25 installed in the meat box 2, which causes the lower conveyor 21 and the upper pressing feed device 22 to work in conjunction to feed the meat blocks from the meat box 2 toward the contact plate 5. In this embodiment, the direction of meat transport (feed-out direction) by the meat box 2 is set to the left. The drive of the electric motor 25 is controlled by a control device 6 located inside the machine base 3.

[0024] A stopper plate 5 is erected at the front end of the meat box 2 (see Figure 1, etc.) on the downstream side in the meat feeding direction (left side in this embodiment). The stopper plate 5 is for regulating the leading edge position of the meat block being fed out of the meat box 2, and is erected in an upright position, extending in the front-to-back direction and positioned on the front side of the circular blade 1. In this embodiment, the stopper plate 5 is made of stainless steel plate material, which is resistant to corrosion and hygienic even if food such as meat blocks come into contact with it.

[0025] The backing plate 5 is supported by a thickness adjustment mechanism 51 located on the front left side of the top surface 31 of the machine base 3, so as to be adjustable in position relative to the rotation surface of the circular blade 1 and the meat box 2. The thickness adjustment mechanism 51 is designed so that the left and right position of the backing plate 5 relative to the rotation surface of the circular blade 1 and the meat box 2 can be adjusted by operating the backing plate fixing lever 52 and the thickness adjustment handle 53. The slicer 100 can adjust the thickness of the slices cut from between the circular blade 1 and the backing plate 5 by operating the thickness adjustment mechanism 51 to adjust the gap amount W (see Figure 9) between the cutting edge of the circular blade 1 and the backing plate 5. The gap amount W is also called the opening amount.

[0026] A cutting board 7 is provided to the left of the backing plate 5, extending from the top surface 31 of the machine base 3. The cutting board 7 has a top surface that is at the same height as the top surface 31 and is attached to the machine base 3 so that it can be easily removed by rotating a handle knob (not shown).

[0027] The slicer 100 of this embodiment includes a stopper plate 5 erected so as to be able to adjust the amount of gap W between it and the circular blade 1, a meat box 2 having a meat feeding device 20 that feeds out the meat block by being driven by an electric motor 25, and a control device 6 that controls the drive of the electric motor 25. The control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 operates at a feed amount that causes the meat block to contact the stopper plate 5.

[0028] This eliminates the need for a mechanical mechanism that uses the reciprocating movement of the meat box 2 as a driving source to drive the meat feeding device 20 that feeds out the meat chunks, as well as a mechanism to adjust the feeding amount. This reduces the number of parts and, consequently, the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 operates at a feeding amount that causes the meat chunks to contact the contact plate 5. This ensures that the meat chunks make reliable contact with the contact plate 5, resulting in slices of uniform thickness. Alternatively, the control device 6 may be configured to control the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 operates at a feeding amount that causes the meat chunks to not contact the contact plate 5.

[0029] As shown in Figure 15, the slicer 100 is equipped with a thickness setting device 85 for setting a desired slice thickness value that the operator wants to cut, for example, a slice thickness value corresponding to the gap amount W. The operator may set a slice thickness value smaller than the gap amount W in the setting device 85. In this embodiment, the thickness setting device 85 has a display unit that displays the slice thickness input by the operator and is located on the front side part 34 of the machine base 3. The thickness setting device 85 can be any device that can set the slice thickness value, such as a knob-type rotary potentiometer or a sliding potentiometer (variable resistor). The slicer 100 is also equipped with an operation switch 81 and a stop switch 82 for starting or stopping the driving of the circular blade 1 and the meat box 2. A meat box detection sensor 88 is connected to the control device 6 to detect the position of the meat box 2 within the reciprocating movement range. In this embodiment, the meat box detection sensor 88 detects that the meat box 2 is located at the front end position of the reciprocating movement range. The position at which the meat box detection sensor 88 detects the meat box 2 may be different from the front end position of the reciprocating movement range, for example, the back end position of the reciprocating movement range.

[0030] When the operation switch 81 is pressed, the control device 6 supplies driving power to the electric motors 11 and 41 to rotate the circular blade 1 and move the meat box 2 back and forth continuously. The control device 6 controls the operation of the electric motor 25 so that when the meat box 2 returns to the front end position, the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a larger amount of meat than the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. For example, each time the meat box 2 returns to the front end position, the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a larger amount of meat than the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85, by about 0.5 mm. This ensures that the slicer 100 can reliably contact the meat block with the contact plate 5 to obtain slices of uniform thickness, and also reduces manufacturing costs because a control mechanism for operating the electric motor 25 with high precision is not required. The operation switch 81 may be a lever type.

[0031] For example, the control device 6 may be configured to switch between moving the meat box 2 back and forth or continuously back and forth depending on the number of times the operation switch 81 is pressed. With such a configuration, the operator can move the meat box 2 back and forth and perform the slicing operation with a simple operation of pressing the push-button type operation switch 81, thus improving operability. In addition, since the operation of the meat box 2 is switched between moving it back and forth or continuously back and forth depending on the number of times the operation switch 81 is pressed, the operator can easily select between single-slice slicing and continuous slicing, further improving operability.

[0032] Furthermore, the control device 6 may rotate the circular blade 1 when the operation switch 81 is pressed, and may move the meat box 2 back and forth once or continuously when the operation switch 81 is pressed once or multiple times. With this configuration, the circular blade 1 is rotated in advance before the meat box 2 starts moving back and forth, preventing deterioration of the cut surface of the sliced ​​pieces due to insufficient rotational speed of the circular blade 1. In addition, since the operation to start the rotation of the circular blade 1 and the operation to start the reciprocating movement of the meat box 2 are performed using the same operation switch 81, operability and work efficiency are good, and sufficient rotational speed of the circular blade 1 to cleanly cut sliced ​​pieces from the meat block can be ensured when the meat box 2 starts moving back and forth.

[0033] When the stop switch 82 is pressed, the control device 6 stops the drive of the electric motor 11 and controls the drive of the electric motor 41 to stop the meat box 2 at the front end position. For example, in a configuration where the meat box detection sensor 88 detects the meat box 2 at the far end position of the reciprocating movement range, if the stop switch 82 is pressed during the continuous reciprocating movement of the meat box 2, the control device 6 drives the electric motor 41 for a predetermined time after receiving the meat box detection signal from the sensor 88 so that the meat box 2 stops at the front end position. Also, in a configuration where the sensor 88 detects the meat box 2 at the front end position, when the stop switch 82 is pressed, the control device 6 stops the drive of the electric motor 41 immediately after receiving the meat box detection signal from the sensor 88.

[0034] Furthermore, the control device 6 may be configured to move the meat box 2 to the stop position and stop it if the operation switch 81 is pressed while the meat box 2 is moving back and forth. With this configuration, the start of the single-slice operation or the continuous slicing operation and the stop of the continuous slicing operation can be operated with a single operation switch 81, improving operability and work efficiency. In addition, when stopping the continuous slicing operation, even if the operation switch 81 is accidentally pressed when the intention is to press the stop switch 82, the meat box 2 can be stopped at the stop position, thus improving safety.

[0035] Next, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, the thickness adjustment mechanism 51 for adjusting the gap W between the backing plate 5 and the rotating surface of the circular cutting tool 1 will be described. The thickness adjustment mechanism 51 includes a backing plate support plate 511 that supports the backing plate 5. A screw-type thickness adjustment handle 53 is rotatably held in an insertion hole provided in the front-to-back central portion of the lower part of the backing plate support plate 511. A handle screw shaft portion 532 protruding from the handle portion 531 of the thickness adjustment handle 53 is inserted into the insertion hole of the backing plate support plate 511 from left to right. The thickness adjustment handle 53 is held in a rotatable and non-removable manner on the backing plate support plate 511 by sandwiching the backing plate support plate 511 between the handle portion 531 and an anti-slip device 533 attached to the handle screw shaft portion 532. A pair of front and rear support shafts 512 protrude from the right-facing side portion of the backing plate support plate 511, sandwiching the handle screw shaft portion 532.

[0036] A handle shaft holder 513, which holds the handle screw shaft portion 532 of the thickness-adjustable handle 53, and a pair of front and rear support shaft holders 514, which hold a pair of support shafts 512, are fixed to the front left portion of the top surface 31 of the machine base 3. The handle shaft holder 513 is provided with a female screw hole into which the handle screw shaft portion 532 is screwed, oriented in the left-right direction. The support shaft holder 514 is provided with an insertion hole that holds the support shaft 512 so as to be slidable, oriented in the left-right direction. By aligning the front and rear support shafts 512 with the insertion holes of the support shaft holders 514 and screwing the handle screw shaft portion 532 of the thickness-adjustable handle 53 into the female screw hole of the handle shaft holder 513 from the left side, the backing plate support plate 511 and the backing plate 5 are supported by the holders 513 and 514.

[0037] By manually turning the handle portion 531 of the thickness-adjustable handle 53, the handle screw shaft portion 532, which is screwed into the handle shaft holder 513, moves back and forth in the left-right direction. By adjusting the degree to which the handle screw shaft portion 532 is screwed into the handle shaft holder 513, the position of the backing plate support plate 511 and the backing plate 5 can be adjusted, and consequently, the amount of gap W between the circular cutting tool 1 and the backing plate 5 can be adjusted.

[0038] A return limiting member 534 is fixed to the tip of the handle screw shaft portion 532, which is screwed into the handle shaft holder 513 and protrudes to the right of the handle shaft holder 513, by a screw member 535. The return limiting member 534 is formed, for example, from a metal washer with a larger diameter than the handle screw shaft portion 532. The return limiting member 534 contacts the right side surface of the handle shaft holder 513, thereby limiting the range of movement of the handle screw shaft portion 532 to the left. This limits the range of movement of the backing plate support plate 511 and the backing plate 5 to the left, and limits the maximum gap W between the rotating surface of the circular cutting tool 1 and the right side surface of the backing plate 5. The return limiting member 534 can have any configuration as long as it can restrict the movement of the handle screw shaft portion 532 to the left, and may, for example, be a pin member inserted into a hole drilled in the side surface of the tip of the handle screw shaft portion 532.

[0039] The support shaft holder 514 has a slit opening on its upper surface connected to an insertion hole that holds the support shaft 512, and the width of the slit can be changed by varying the degree to which a screw member is screwed in, thereby changing the inner diameter of the insertion hole. Of the pair of front and rear support shaft holders 514, the front holder 514 has an insertion hole with an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the support shaft 512. The rear holder 514 (circular cutting tool 1 side) is designed so that the inner diameter of the insertion hole can be adjusted between a dimension smaller than the outer diameter of the support shaft 512 and a dimension slightly larger by the rotational movement of the fixing shaft 521 that extends in the front-rear direction. The screw portion provided at the rear end of the fixing shaft 521 is screwed into the upper part of the rear support shaft holder 514. A stopper plate fixing lever 52 is fixed to the front end of the shaft 521.

[0040] By rotating the fixing lever 52, the fixing shaft 521 can be rotated around its axis, thereby adjusting the width of the inner diameter of the support shaft holder 514. This allows the support shaft 512, which is inserted into the rear support shaft holder 514, to be switched between a state in which it can slide left and right and a locked state in which it cannot move.

[0041] The handle shaft holder 513, the pair of support shaft holders 514, and the fixing shaft 521 are arranged on the front side of the linear motion shaft 42 that supports the meat box 2. The holders 513, 514 and the shaft 521 are covered by a holder cover member 515 with a rightward opening. The stopper fixing lever 52 is positioned on the front side of the holder cover member 515 and is fixed to the end of the fixing shaft 521 that protrudes forward from the front side of the holder cover member 515. In this embodiment, the holder cover member 515 is provided integrally with the shaft cover member 42a that covers the linear motion shaft 42.

[0042] A scale member 516 is fixed to the upper front left corner of the holder cover member 515. The scale member 516 has scale markings positioned close to the lower front edge of the backing plate 5. By aligning the left side of the backing plate 5 with the scale markings of the scale member 516, the position of the right side of the backing plate 5 (the side facing the meat box 2) relative to the rotation surface of the circular blade 1, i.e., the amount of gap W corresponding to the thickness of the sliced ​​piece being cut, can be recognized.

[0043] In this embodiment, the scale markings on the scale member 516 are, for example, marked in 1 mm increments from 0 to 5 mm. The thickness adjustment mechanism 51 is configured such that, when the return limiting member 534, which limits the leftward movement range of the thickness adjustment handle 53, is in contact with the handle shaft holder 513 (maximum opening state of the contact plate 5), the gap amount W (maximum gap amount) between the rotating surface of the circular blade 1 and the right side surface of the contact plate 5 is, for example, 5 mm. On the other hand, the thickness setting device 85, which is used by the operator to set the slice thickness value according to the gap amount W set by the operator operating the thickness adjustment mechanism 51, is configured to allow input of a slice thickness value of, for example, 1 to 5 mm in 1 mm increments. When the slicer 100 is slicing a block of meat, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a larger amount of the block of meat than the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. As a result, the slicer 100 can cut out slices while ensuring that the block of meat is in contact with the contact plate 5, and slices of uniform thickness can be obtained. The control device 6 may also control the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a meat block by an amount corresponding to the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. In this case, it is acceptable if the fed meat block does not come into contact with the contact plate 5.

[0044] Next, the machine base 3 will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. The machine base 3 comprises a machine base body 30 with a roughly C-shaped cross-section, having a top surface 31 that is rectangular in plan view, and left side surfaces 32 and right side surfaces 33 that extend downward from the left and right edges of the top surface 31, which are roughly parallel to the direction of reciprocating movement of the meat box 2. The machine base body 30 is made of, for example, a bent stainless steel plate and constitutes a structural member of the machine base 3. Screw-in adjusters 321, which are positioned on a support base T and are height adjustable, are provided on the inwardly facing lower folded-over portions 30a provided at the lower ends of each of the left side surface 32 and right side surface 33.

[0045] The machine base 3 includes a front side section 34 that closes the front opening of the machine base body 30 and a rear side section 35 that closes the rear opening of the machine base body 30. The front side section 34 and the rear side section 35 are each made of, for example, a stainless steel plate, have a roughly rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and are screw-fixed to inwardly folded portions 30b provided on the front and rear edges of the top surface 31, left side section 32, and right side section 33. Thus, the machine base 3 is formed with a simple structure in which the front side section 34 and the rear side section 35 are attached to a single sheet metal machine base body 30 having a top surface 31 and left and right side sections 32 and 33, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0046] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, a control device holder 36 is integrally formed on the front side surface 34 to support mounted components 62 such as electrical control devices, electrical equipment, and electrical components that constitute the control device 6. The control device holder 36 comprises a holding bottom surface 341 that extends backward from the lower edge of the plate-shaped, substantially rectangular front side surface 34, and a pair of left and right holding side surfaces 342 that extend upward from the left and right edges of the holding bottom surface 341. The control device holder 36 holds the mounted components 62 that constitute the control device 6, exposing them to the internal space of the machine base 3.

[0047] The left-right width of the retaining bottom portion 341 and the distance between the left and right retaining side portions 342 are narrower than the distance between the left and right folded portions 30b and the left and right lower folded portions 30a. With the front side portion 34 attached to the machine base body 30, the machine base 3 is configured such that the left and right edges of the retaining bottom portion 341 are positioned close to the inner edges of the lower folded portions 30a, and the retaining bottom portion 341 and the lower folded portions 30a are at the same height.

[0048] The control device holder 36 is composed of a front side portion 34, a holding bottom portion 341, and a holding side portion 342. By constructing the front side portion 34 and the control device holder 36 as a single piece made of bent sheet metal, assembly man-hours and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0049] On the upper left portion of the front side section 34, an operation switch 81 and a stop switch 82 are mounted side by side from left to right. Switches 81 and 82 are, for example, momentary push-button switches. A thickness setting device 85 is mounted on the front side section 34 below the operation switch 81. By arranging the switches 81, 82 and the thickness setting device 85 on the front side section 34, which is integrally formed with the control device holder section 36 that supports the control device 6, the wiring between the control device 6 and the switches 81, 82 and the thickness setting device 85 can be shortened, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, by removing the front side section 34 from the machine base body 30, the control device 6, switches 81, 82 and the thickness setting device 85 can be removed from the machine base body 30, improving maintainability.

[0050] In this embodiment, a switch cover 87 with a roughly L-shaped cross-section is rotatably mounted to the right of the stop switch 82 around a cover pivot shaft 87a located to the right of the stop switch 82. By rotating the switch cover 87 approximately 270° counterclockwise in a front view, using the cover pivot shaft 87a as a fulcrum, the switch cover 87 is positioned horizontally to cover the top and front sides of switches 81 and 82. With the switch cover 87 covering switches 81 and 82, contact with foreign objects such as workers or carts is prevented, thus preventing unintended switch operation and improving work efficiency and safety.

[0051] As can be seen from Figures 2, 5, and 10, the internal space of the machine base 3 houses an electric motor 41 for driving the meat box, which drives the crank mechanism 4 that moves the meat box 2 back and forth; an electric motor 11 for driving the circular blade, which rotates the circular blade 1; and a control device 6 that controls the operation of the electric motors 11, 25, and 41.

[0052] The electric motor 11 for driving the circular cutting tool is a totally enclosed fan-cooled electric motor, and in a plan view, it is positioned overlapping the circular cutting tool 1 with the motor shaft 11a facing left to right. In this embodiment, the electric motor 11 is fixed to the rear part of the left side surface 32 of the machine base 3 with the motor shaft 11a facing left. The motor shaft 11a is inserted through an insertion hole (not shown) provided in the left side surface 32 of the machine base 3 and protrudes to the left from the left side surface 32.

[0053] The electric motor 41 for driving the meat box is a totally enclosed, externally fan-cooled electric motor with a reduction gear, and has a motor section 411 and a reduction mechanism section 412. The reduction mechanism section 412 is fixed to the rear part of the lower surface of the top surface section 31, with the motor section 411 facing the control device 6. In this embodiment, the electric motor 41 is positioned at the center of the machine base 3 in the left-right direction, with the motor shaft of the motor section 411 being approximately parallel to the front-rear direction (the direction of reciprocating movement of the meat box 2).

[0054] The output shaft 41a of the reduction gear mechanism 412 of the electric motor 41 is provided to protrude upward through the top surface 31. The base end of the crank arm 44 of the crank mechanism 4 is fixed to the upper end of the output shaft 41a. A sealing member is provided between the output shaft 41a and the top surface 31 to ensure watertightness, preventing moisture from entering the inside of the machine base 3 through the insertion hole of the output shaft 41a.

[0055] As shown in Figure 10, in addition to the control device 6, totally enclosed fan-cooled electric motors 11 and 41 are arranged in the internal space of the machine base 3. As a result, the driving of the electric motors 11 and 41 generates convection of air within the internal space of the machine base 3. In particular, when the motor section 411 of the electric motor 41 for driving the meat box, which is positioned opposite the control device 6, is driven, the air around the mounted components 62 moves. In this way, the mounted components 62 of the control device 6 are exposed to the internal space of the machine base 3 and held opposite the motor section 411, which suppresses condensation in the control device 6 and prevents failure or malfunction of the control device 6 due to moisture.

[0056] As shown in Figures 1-7, the circular blade 1 is held in an upright position above the left rear portion of the top surface 31 of the machine base 3. The circular blade 1 is supported by a circular blade holder 12 fixed to the left side surface 32 of the machine base 3, so as to be rotatable with its rotation surface aligned along the front-rear direction. The circular blade holder 12 constitutes a housing case for a blade transmission mechanism 13 that transmits the driving force of an electric motor 11 for driving the circular blade to the circular blade 1. In this embodiment, the circular blade holder 12 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape and is supported by the machine base 3 with an inclination that is higher in the front and lower in the rear when viewed from the side.

[0057] The transmission mechanism 13 includes a drive pulley 131 positioned at the lower part of the inside of the circular tool post 12 and fixed to the motor shaft 11a of the electric motor 11 so as not to rotate relative to it; a circular tool rotation shaft 1a extending in the left-right direction and rotatably supported at the upper right side of the circular tool post 12; a driven pulley 132 fixed to the left end of the circular tool rotation shaft 1a so as not to rotate relative to it; and a belt 133 wrapped around the pulleys 131 and 132. When viewed from the left, the driving force that causes the motor shaft 11a of the electric motor 11 to rotate clockwise is transmitted to the circular tool rotation shaft 1a through the drive pulley 131, belt 133, and driven pulley 132, and the circular tool 1 fixed to the right end of the circular tool rotation shaft 1a so as not to rotate relative to it rotates clockwise.

[0058] As shown in Figures 1-7, the circular blade 1 is surrounded by a front cover 14 that seals the gap between the circular blade 1 and the circular blade holder 12, a lower circular blade cover 15 that seals the gap between the circular blade 1 and the top surface 31, an upper circular blade cover 16 that covers the top and back of the circular blade 1, and a splash-proof cover 17 that covers the top and back of the circular blade 1 along with covers 15 and 16. A stop plate 5 is erected on the front side of the circular blade 1, having an arc-shaped rear end that follows the cutting edge of the outer circumference of the circular blade 1. These covers 14, 15, 16, and 17 are made of stainless steel, for example.

[0059] As can be seen from Figures 2 and 6, the front cover 14 is supported on the front side of the circular blade holder 12 and comprises a main body portion 141 along the top surface and front side of the circular blade holder 12, and an inclined plate portion 142 that extends in an upright position toward the circular blade 1 from the edge (right edge) of the front side of the main body portion 141 toward the circular blade 1. The tip of the inclined plate portion 142 (the end on the circular blade 1 side) is positioned along the surface of the circular blade 1 and is located further back (rear) than the base end of the inclined plate portion 142. In other words, the inclined plate portion 142 is inclined so that its tip is located further back than its base end. This increases the workspace available for the operator to receive the slices cut between the circular blade 1 and the backing plate 5, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0060] As can be seen in Figures 3 and 6, the lower circular blade cover 15 is erected on the top surface 31 below the circular blade 1, along the front-to-back direction. The upper edge of the lower circular blade cover 15 covers the outer edge of the circular blade 1 from the left side. This prevents the worker's fingertips or gloves from coming into contact with the edge of the circular blade 1, thereby ensuring safety.

[0061] As can be seen from Figures 2-4, 6, etc., the upper circular blade cover 16 is provided in an arc shape to cover the upper and rear sides of the circular blade 1. The upper circular blade cover 16 is supported by the upper end surface of the circular blade base 12 and the rear upper end of the lower circular blade cover 15. The splash guard cover 17 is attached to the circular blade base 12 and the machine base 3 so as to cover the upper and rear sides of the circular blade 1 and covers 15, 16, and the left side of the circular blade base 12 at the rear of the circular blade base 12. The upper circular blade cover 16 is detachable by rotating and tightening the first handle knob 19a provided on the upper rear side of the circular blade base 12. The splash guard cover 17 is detachable by rotating and tightening the second handle knob 19b provided on the central rear side of the circular blade base 12.

[0062] Next, the configuration of the meat box 2 will be described with reference to Figures 12-14. The meat feeding device 20 of the meat box 2 includes a lower conveyor 21 supported by the meat box frame 23 and an upper pressing feeding device 22 that is supported by the meat box frame 23 so as to be able to be raised.

[0063] A front side plate 27 is erected on the front edge of the meat box frame 23, extending in the front-to-back direction in an upright position. The front side plate 27 is detachably attached to the meat box frame 23 by tightening and loosening a nut-shaped first hand-tightened screw 27a provided on the left side of the front edge of the front frame 212 of the lower conveyor 21 which is supported by the meat box frame 23, and a nut-shaped second hand-tightened screw 27b provided on the bottom of the front side plate 27. The mounting configuration of the front side plate 27 will be described later.

[0064] The meat box frame 23 is provided with a width adjustment plate 28 that extends horizontally and is in an upright position, allowing it to move in the front-to-back direction on the lower conveyor 21. The width adjustment plate 28 is positioned so that its front-to-back position can be adjusted by tightening or loosening a nut-shaped third hand screw 28a provided on the rear (right side) of the meat box frame 23. The front of the width adjustment plate 28 is provided with an upward-facing notch 281 into which an upper press roller shaft 222, which supports a plurality of upper press roller members 221 of the upper press feeding device 22 in a way that prevents relative rotation, can be inserted from above. Note that the width adjustment plate 28 is not shown in Figure 13.

[0065] As shown in Figure 14, the width adjustment plate 28 is provided with a sliding surface portion 282 that runs along the right side portion 23a of the meat box frame 23. By inserting a pair of front and rear pin members 23b, which are projecting backward from the right side portion 23a of the meat box, into an elongated hole 283 extending in the front-rear direction provided in the sliding surface portion 282, the width adjustment plate 28 is held in a position where it can slide back and forth while restricting rotation of the width adjustment plate 28 around its left-right axis. A bolt 23c, which is inserted through the elongated hole 283 between the front and rear pin members 23b, is erected on the right side portion 23a of the meat box, and a nut-shaped third hand screw 28a is screwed onto the bolt 23c.

[0066] The third hand-tightened screw 28a is tightened to press the sliding surface 282 of the width-adjusting plate 28 against the right side surface 23a of the meat box, thereby fixing its position. By making it possible to position the front-to-back position of the width-adjusting plate 28 by tightening and loosening the third hand-tightened screw 28a, a feed screw mechanism for adjusting the front-to-back position of the width-adjusting plate 28 is unnecessary, thus reducing manufacturing costs. Note that the nut-shaped third hand-tightened screw 28a may be a hand-tightened screw with a bolt.

[0067] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7, a slider member 233 is provided at the front of the bottom of the meat box frame 23, which is slidably attached to a linear motion shaft 42 extending in the front-rear direction, located on the left side of the top surface 31 of the machine base 3. The linear motion shaft 42 is covered by a shaft cover member 42a with a right-facing opening that extends in the front-rear direction and is attached to the top surface 31. Multiple meat box roller members 234 (see Figure 5) are provided on the right edge of the bottom of the meat box frame 23 (right side of the meat box 23a), which are slidably mounted along a rail member 43 extending in the front-rear direction, located on the right side of the top surface 31.

[0068] At the bottom of the meat box frame 23 is a connecting member 46, which is rotatably connected to the other end of a connecting rod 45, one end of which is rotatably connected to the tip of a crank arm 44 that rotates horizontally above the top surface 31. When the crank arm 44 of the crank mechanism 4 rotates due to the drive of the electric motor 41 for driving the meat box, the meat box 2 slides back and forth along the linear drive shaft 42 and the rail member 43.

[0069] As can be seen from Figures 1 to 7, in this embodiment, most of the meat box 2 is housed inside the top surface 31 of the machine base 3. This reduces the installation area of ​​the slicer 100 and improves safety during slicing. In this embodiment, the rear end of the width adjustment plate 28, the third hand screw 28a, and the shaft member of the meat box roller member 234 protrude from the inside of the top surface 31, but the meat box 2 may be configured so that all of the reciprocating parts of the meat box 2 are housed inside the top surface 31.

[0070] As shown in Figures 12-14, the lower conveyor 21 of the meat box 2 includes a drive roller 211 rotatably supported on the right side of the meat box frame 23, and a driven roller 213 rotatably supported at the front end of the front frame 212 supported by the meat box frame 23. The drive roller 211 and the driven roller 213 are arranged with their rotation axes aligned in the front-rear direction (the sliding direction of the meat box 2). An endless belt 214 capable of conveying meat chunks in the left-right direction is wrapped around the drive roller 211 and the driven roller 213.

[0071] As shown in Figures 6, 9, 13, and 14, the meat box 2 is equipped with a meat tip support member 29 that is detachably mounted on the front frame 212, close to the downstream end of the endless belt 214 of the lower conveyor 21. The meat tip support member 29 is attached to the frame 212 by sandwiching the front of the front frame 212 between a front side portion 292 and a rear side portion 293 that extend to the right from the front and rear ends of a meat support portion 291 that extends in the front-rear direction on the left side of the endless belt 214. A front flange portion 294 extending in the rearward direction is provided at the upper right portion of the front side portion 292. A rear flange portion 295 extending in the frontward direction is provided at the upper right portion of the rear side portion 293.

[0072] On the front and rear edges of the upper surface of the front frame 212, there are recesses 212a and 212b into which the front flange portion 294 and the rear flange portion 295 are fitted from above. A bolt 212c, into which a nut-shaped first hand-tightened screw 27a is screwed, is erected facing upwards in the front recess 212a. When attaching the meat tip support member 29 to the front frame 212, the inwardly opening notched groove 296 provided in the front flange portion 294 of the meat tip support member 29 is fitted onto the shaft of the bolt 212c. Then, by fitting the front flange portion 294 and the rear flange portion 295 into the front recess 212a and the rear recess 212b from above, the meat tip support member 29 is attached to the front frame 212 in a way that prevents movement in the front, rear, left, and right directions. The meat support portion 291 of the meat tip support member 29 is positioned on the left side of the lower conveyor 21, with a small gap between it and the endless belt 214, and supports the tip of the meat block being sent out of the meat box 2.

[0073] Referring to Figures 13 and 14, the mounting configuration of the front side plate 27 will be described. The front side plate 27 is detachably attached to the meat box frame 23 and the front frame 212 by tightening and loosening the nut-shaped first thumbscrew 27a and second thumbscrew 27b. The meat tip support member 29, which is mounted on the front frame 212, is held in place by the front side plate 27 attached to the meat box 2, which presses down from above, thereby preventing it from falling off the front frame 212.

[0074] The front side plate 27 has a left flange portion 272 extending forward from the lower left end of the main side plate surface portion 271, which is roughly L-shaped in front view, and a right flange portion 273 extending backward from the lower right end of the main side plate surface portion 271. The front side plate 27 is mounted on the meat box 2 with the left flange portion 272 resting on the left front part of the upper surface of the front frame 212 and the right flange portion 273 resting on the right front part of the upper surface of the meat box frame 23. A notched groove 274 with a leftward opening is formed in the left flange portion 272. A bolt 275 with a nut-shaped second hand-tightened screw 27b is screwed into it and hangs down and fixed to the right flange portion 273.

[0075] To attach the front side plate 27 to the front frame 212 and the meat box frame 23, the notched groove 274 provided in the left flange portion 272 is fitted onto the shaft of the bolt 212c erected in the front recess 212a of the front frame 212. Then, the shaft of the bolt 275 hanging down from the right flange portion 273 is fitted from the front side into the front-facing notched groove 23d formed in the front right portion of the meat box frame 23, thereby aligning the main surface portion 271 of the side plate along the left-right direction.

[0076] Then, by tightening the nut-shaped first hand screw 27a that is screwed onto the bolt 212c, the left flange portion 272 is pressed against the upper surface of the front frame 212 and fixed in place. The front flange portion 294 of the meat tip support member 29, which is fitted into the front recess 212a of the front frame 212, is pressed from above by the left flange portion 272 of the front side plate 27, restricting its upward movement. As a result, the meat tip support member 29 is held in place by the front frame 212 in a way that prevents it from falling off.

[0077] Furthermore, by tightening the nut-shaped second hand-tightened screw 27b, which is screwed onto the bolt 275 provided on the front side plate 27, the right front portion of the meat box frame 23 is sandwiched between the right flange portion 273 and the second hand-tightened screw 27b, thereby fixing the right flange portion 273 to the meat box frame 23. As a result, the front side plate 27 is held in place by the frame of the meat box 2 (front frame 212 and meat box frame 23) in a way that prevents it from falling off.

[0078] In this way, by making the meat tip support member 29 detachable, cleaning of the meat tip support member 29 becomes easier. Furthermore, since the meat tip support member 29 can be easily removed from the meat box 2 by removing the front side plate 27, the ease of cleaning both the meat tip support member 29 and the meat box 2 is improved. Furthermore, since a dedicated fixing device is not required to hold the meat tip support member 29, manufacturing costs can be reduced. Note that the parts of the meat box 2 to which the front side plate 27 and the meat tip support member 29 are attached are not limited to the front frame 212 and meat box frame 23 of the lower conveyor 21, but can be any component of the meat box 2, such as other frame members or bracket members. Also, the nut-shaped hand screws 27a and 27b may be hand screws with bolts.

[0079] As shown in Figures 12-14, the upper press feeding device 22 is held by an upper press support arm 24 which is rotatably supported by a conveyor support frame 231 and a motor mounting frame 232 located on the rear right side of the meat box frame 23. The upper press pivot shaft 240 of the upper press support arm 24 is supported extending in the front-rear direction between the front and rear support frame sections 231 and 232. In this embodiment, the upper press pivot shaft 240 is located above the rotation axis 211a of the drive roller 211 of the lower conveyor 21.

[0080] The upper pressing support arm 24 comprises a pair of front and rear support arm sections 241 and 242, the base ends of which are rotatably supported on the upper pressing pivot shaft 240, and a pair of arm connecting sections 243 that extend in the front-rear direction and connect the intermediate portions of the support arm sections 241 and 242. The first support arm section 241 has a U-shaped cross-section with an opening on the rear side and is positioned closer to the conveyor support frame section 231. The second support arm section 242 is positioned along the first support arm section 241 and closer to the motor mounting frame section 232. The tip of the second support arm section 242 is provided with a support arm cover section 244, which has a U-shaped cross-section and covers the tip of the first support arm section 241 and the arm connecting section 243.

[0081] The upper pressing feed device 22 comprises an upper pressing roller shaft 222 extending toward the front from the tip of the upper pressing support arm 24, and a plurality of upper pressing roller members 221 supported by the upper pressing roller shaft 222 so as not to rotate relative to it and arranged on the lower conveyor 21. The rear end of the upper pressing roller shaft 222 is rotatably supported by the support arm portions 241 and 242. Each upper pressing roller member 221 is provided so as to be slidable on the upper pressing roller shaft 222. When the front-to-back position of the width adjustment plate 28 is adjusted according to the size of the meat block placed on the lower conveyor 21, each upper pressing roller member 221 is slid to avoid contact with the width adjustment plate 28, and the upper pressing roller shaft 222 can be inserted from above into the notch 281 of the width adjustment plate 28.

[0082] As can be seen from Figures 5-7, 13, etc., the rotatable range of the upper pressing support arm 24 is restricted by the contact of a resin rotation stopper member 246, attached to the inward-facing side of the second support arm portion 242, with the first upper surface portion 232a or the second upper surface portion 232b of the motor mounting frame portion 232. In this embodiment, with the rotation stopper member 246 in contact with the first upper surface portion 232a, the upper pressing support arm 24 is in a nearly horizontal position and the upper pressing roller member 221 is held above the front end (the downstream end of the conveying) of the lower conveyor 21. When the upper pressing roller member 221 is in contact with the top of the meat mass placed on the lower conveyor 21, the rotation stopper member 246 is positioned away from the motor mounting frame portion 232. The weight of the components attached to the upper pressing support arm 24, such as the upper pressing feed device 22, biases the meat mass toward the lower conveyor 21.

[0083] An upper press rotation operation lever 245, which extends toward the front, is attached to the first support arm portion 241 of the upper press support arm 24. By lifting the upper press rotation operation lever 245, the upper press feeding device 22 and the upper press support arm 24 can be flipped up and rotated. When the upper press feeding device 22 and the upper press support arm 24 are flipped up and the rotation stopper member 246 is in contact with the second upper surface portion 232b of the motor mounting frame portion 232, the upper press feeding device 22 is held in a position where it is retracted from above the lower conveyor 21. This ensures that there is enough space to load and unload meat blocks onto the lower conveyor 21 from above the meat box 2 when the upper press feeding device 22 is flipped up to the rear. In addition, since the upper press feeding device 22 is provided to be able to flip up significantly to the rear, cleaning inside the meat box 2 becomes easier.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the upper pressing pivot shaft 240 of the upper pressing support arm 24 that supports the upper pressing feed device 22 is provided at the rear of the meat box frame 23 (near the right edge), the upper pressing feed device 22 can be configured to be retracted from above the lower conveyor 21 while keeping the rotatable range of the upper pressing support arm 24 small.

[0085] Next, the drive mechanisms of the lower conveyor 21 and the upper press-feed device 22 will be described. The meat box 2 is equipped with an electric motor 25 that drives the meat feeding device 20 having the lower conveyor 21 and the upper press-feed device 22, and a transmission mechanism 26 that transmits the driving force of the electric motor 25 to the meat feeding device 20. In this embodiment, the electric motor 25 is an electric motor with a reduction gear and is equipped with a motor section 251 and a reduction gear section 252. The meat feeding device 20 is configured so that the lower conveyor 21 and the upper press-feed device 22 work together to send meat blocks out of the meat box 2 under the control of a control device 6 that controls the drive of the electric motor 25.

[0086] The electric motor 25 is mounted on the motor mounting frame portion 232 of the meat box frame 23. In this embodiment, the reduction mechanism portion 252 of the electric motor 25 is mounted on the rearward side portion of the motor mounting frame portion 232 so that the output shaft 253 of the reduction mechanism portion 252 of the electric motor 25 faces in the front-rear direction.

[0087] As shown in Figure 12, the rotating shaft 211a of the drive roller 211 of the lower conveyor 21 is located coaxially with the output shaft 253 of the electric motor 25 with a reduction gear and is connected to the output shaft 253. In this embodiment, the output shaft 253 and the rotating shaft 211a are connected by a shaft coupling 255 so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. By arranging the output shaft 253 of the electric motor 25 and the rotating shaft 211a of the drive roller 211 on the same axis in this way, the driving force of the electric motor 25 can be transmitted to the lower conveyor 21 with a simple configuration, and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0088] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the transmission mechanism 26 is provided on the support frame portions 231 and 232 of the meat box frame 23 and the upper pressing support arm 24. The transmission mechanism 26 comprises a drive gear 261 that is mounted to the rear end of the rotating shaft 211a of the drive roller 211 in a manner that prevents relative rotation, and a driven gear 262 that is rotatably supported on the upper pressing pivot shaft 240 and meshes with the drive gear 261. A drive-side sprocket 263, which rotates integrally with a driven gear 262, is rotatably supported on the upper pressing pivot shaft 240. The drive gear 261 is positioned between the support frame portions 231 and 232. The driven gear 262 and the drive-side sprocket 263 are positioned between the base ends of the support arm portions 241 and 242 of the upper pressing support arm 24.

[0089] A driven sprocket 264 is attached to the rear end of the upper press roller shaft 222 of the upper press feed device 22 so as not to rotate relative to it. The driven sprocket 264 is positioned between the tips of the support arm sections 241 and 242. A chain 265 is wrapped around sprockets 263 and 264.

[0090] The drive of the lower conveyor 21 and the upper press feed device 22 will be explained with reference to Figure 12. When viewed from the rear, when the output shaft 253 of the electric motor 25 rotates clockwise, the shaft coupling 255, drive gear 261, drive roller 211 and rotating shaft 211a of the lower conveyor 21, which are mounted coaxially with the output shaft 253, rotate clockwise. The clockwise rotation of the drive roller 211 causes the endless belt 214 and driven roller 213 to also rotate clockwise, driving the lower conveyor 21 in the direction of the meat feed rotation.

[0091] Furthermore, when the drive gear 261 rotates clockwise, the driven gear 262 that meshes with the drive gear 261 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the rear. When the driven gear 262 rotates counterclockwise, the drive-side sprocket 263, chain 265, driven-side sprocket 264, and upper press roller shaft 222 rotate counterclockwise. The counterclockwise rotation of the upper press roller shaft 222 causes the upper press roller member 221 to rotate counterclockwise as well, driving the upper press feed device 22 in the direction of the feed rotation.

[0092] In this embodiment, the drive gear 261 of the transmission mechanism 26 is supported on the rotating shaft 211a of the drive roller 211 so as not to rotate relative to it. Furthermore, the driven gear 262 and the drive-side sprocket 263 of the transmission mechanism 26 are rotatably supported on the upper pressing pivot shaft 240, which rotatably supports the upper pressing support arm 24. Thus, the slicer 100 of this embodiment does not require a separate dedicated shaft to support the gears 261, 262 and the drive-side sprocket 263 that constitute the transmission mechanism 26, thus suppressing an increase in the number of parts and an increase in manufacturing costs.

[0093] Next, the control system of the slicer 100 will be described with reference to Figure 15. As mentioned above, the slicer 100 is equipped with a control device 6, which is a control means that is responsible for the control related to the circular blade 1 and the meat box 2. The control device 6 consists of a plurality of mounted components 62 supported by the control device holder 36, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs various calculations and controls, a storage device 63 that includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores control programs and various data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores control programs and various data, a terminal block, and the like.

[0094] The control device 6 is connected to an electric motor 11 for driving the circular blade, an electric motor 25 for driving the meat feeding conveyor, an electric motor 41 for driving the meat box, an operation switch 81, a stop switch 82, a thickness setting device 85, a meat box detection sensor 88, and the like. The electric motors 11, 25, and 41 are not particularly limited in type, but can be DC motors, AC motors, stepping motors, servo motors, etc. In this embodiment, the electric motor 25 for driving the meat feeding conveyor, the electric motor 11 for driving the circular blade, and the electric motor 41 for driving the meat box are all three-phase motors.

[0095] In this embodiment, as can be seen from Figures 5 and 9, the meat box detection sensor 88 is composed of an inductive proximity sensor installed in the internal space of the machine base 3 below the reduction gear mechanism 412. The sensor 88 is positioned to detect the approach of a metal piece (for example, a bolt attached to the lower end of the output shaft 41a of the electric motor 41, which is offset from the rotation axis) and installed at the lower end of the output shaft 41a. The control device 6 is configured to detect when the meat box 2 has returned to the front end position by receiving the detection signal from the sensor 88.

[0096] Furthermore, by changing the position of the detection metal piece attached to the output shaft 41a of the electric motor 41 on a concentric circle centered on the rotation axis of the output shaft 41a, the position at which the meat box detection sensor 88 detects the meat box 2 can be changed. For example, the sensor 88 can be made to detect the meat box 2 at the far end of the reciprocating movement range. The meat box detection sensor 88 can be any sensor that can detect the reciprocating movement of the meat box 2, or the position of the meat box 2, or both. For example, it can be a non-contact sensor such as a photoelectric sensor, or a contact sensor such as a limit switch. The sensor 88 may also be located outside the machine base 3.

[0097] As described above, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a larger amount of meat than the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. As a result, the slicer 100 of this embodiment can reliably contact the meat block with the contact plate 5 to obtain slices of uniform thickness, and manufacturing costs can be reduced because a control mechanism for operating the electric motor 25 with high precision is not required.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 by changing the rotational speed of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out the meat block in an amount corresponding to the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. Specifically, the control device 6 drives the electric motor 25 at a relatively fast rotational speed when the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85 is relatively large, and drives the electric motor 25 at a relatively slow rotational speed when the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85 is relatively small. For example, the time for which the electric motor 25 is driven is constant regardless of the slice thickness value.

[0099] As a result, the meat feeding device 20 can quickly feed out the meat block at a rate corresponding to the slice thickness value, even when the set slice thickness value is relatively large. In other words, the feeding operation of the meat feeding device 20 can be completed before the meat box 2 moves to a position where the fed meat block reaches the circular blade 1, thus enabling the production of slices of uniform thickness. Furthermore, because the meat feeding device 20 can quickly feed out the meat block even when the slice thickness value is relatively large, the slicer 100 can obtain slices of uniform thickness even when increasing the number of slices per unit time (e.g., 1 minute) in continuous slicing operation (number of times the meat box 2 moves back and forth), thereby improving the processing speed.

[0100] Furthermore, this control by the control device 6 can also be applied to a configuration in which the drive of the electric motor 25 is controlled so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a meat block by the same amount as the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. Moreover, this embodiment does not exclude a configuration in which the control device 6 controls the operation of the meat feeding device 20 by changing the driving time of the electric motor 25 while keeping the rotational speed of the electric motor 25 constant, thereby enabling the meat block to be fed out by a desired amount.

[0101] Figure 16 is a schematic functional block diagram illustrating another embodiment of the slicer. The slicer of this embodiment does not have a thickness setting device 85 (see Figure 15) in which the operator inputs a slice thickness value. When the meat feeding device 20 is operating, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a piece of meat by an amount greater than the maximum gap amount (see Figure 9) when the gap amount W is maximized within the adjustable range of the backing plate 5. For example, in a configuration where the maximum gap amount is set to 5 mm, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that when the meat feeding device 20 is operating, it feeds out a piece of meat by about 5.5 mm, which is about 0.5 mm greater than the maximum gap amount.

[0102] As a result, the slicer 100 can reliably contact the meat block with the contact plate 5 regardless of the value set for the gap amount W, thereby obtaining slices of uniform thickness. Furthermore, since the thickness setting device 85 for inputting the slice thickness value is unnecessary and the drive control of the electric motor 25 can be further simplified, manufacturing costs can be reduced even further.

[0103] As shown in Figures 1-9, 15, etc., the meat slicer 100 of this embodiment obtains slices by cutting off a block of meat that is fed out at a predetermined amount from a meat box 2 that reciprocates along the rotation surface of the circular blade 1 with the rotating circular blade 1. The slicer 100 includes a stop plate 5 erected on the front side of the circular blade 1 along the reciprocating direction of the meat box 2, with an adjustable gap W between the plate and the circular blade 1; an electric motor 25 provided in the meat box 2 and a meat feeding device 20 that feeds out the block of meat by driving the electric motor 25; and a control device 6 that controls the driving of the electric motor 25. The control device 6 controls the driving of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 operates at a feed amount at which the block of meat contacts the stop plate 5.

[0104] Since the slicer 100 feeds the meat block from the meat box 2 by driving an electric motor 25 installed in the meat box 2, a mechanical mechanism that uses the reciprocating movement of the meat box 2 as a driving source to drive the meat feeding device 20 that feeds the meat block, and a mechanism for adjusting the feeding amount, are not required, thus reducing the number of parts. In addition, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 operates at a feeding amount that contacts the contact plate 5 with the meat block, so that the meat block can be reliably contacted with the contact plate 5 and slices of uniform thickness can be obtained.

[0105] As shown in Figure 15, the slicer 100 is equipped with a thickness setting device 85 for the operator to set a slice thickness value according to the gap amount W. The control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a larger amount of meat than the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device 85. As a result, the slicer 100 can reliably contact the meat block with the contact plate 5 to obtain slices of uniform thickness, and manufacturing costs can be reduced because high-precision control of the electric motor 25 is not required.

[0106] As shown in Figures 9 and 16, the control device 6 controls the drive of the electric motor 25 so that the meat feeding device 20 feeds out a meat block by an amount greater than the maximum gap amount when the gap amount W is maximized within the adjustable range of the contact plate 5. This ensures that the slicer 100 can reliably contact the meat block with the contact plate 5 to obtain slices of uniform thickness, and also simplifies the drive control of the electric motor 25, thereby further reducing manufacturing costs.

[0107] As shown in Figures 12-14, the meat feeding device 20 is equipped with a belt-type lower conveyor 21 on which the meat blocks are placed. The electric motor 25 is an electric motor with a reduction gear. The lower conveyor 21 is equipped with an endless belt 214 wrapped around a drive roller 211 that is rotatably supported on the upstream side of the meat block transport and a driven roller 213 that is rotatably supported on the downstream side of the meat block transport. The rotation axis of the drive roller 211 is located coaxially with the output shaft 253 of the electric motor 25 with a reduction gear and is connected to the output shaft 253. This allows the driving force of the electric motor 25 to be transmitted to the lower conveyor 21 that pushes the meat blocks out of the meat box 2 with a simple configuration, and reduces the number of parts.

[0108] As shown in Figures 6, 9, 13, and 14, the meat box 2 comprises a front side plate 27 that is detachably erected on the front side of the lower conveyor 21, and a meat tip support member 29 that is detachably disposed near the downstream end of the endless belt 214. The front side plate 27 attached to the meat box 2 holds the meat tip support member 29 in place, preventing it from falling off. As a result, the slicer 100 has a configuration that allows the meat tip support member 29 to be easily removed from the meat box 2 by removing the front side plate 27, improving the ease of cleaning the meat tip support member 29 and the meat box 2. In addition, since a dedicated fixing device is not required to hold the meat tip support member 29, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0109] As shown in Figures 1-7, 10, and 11, the machine base 3 comprises a machine base body 30 with a roughly C-shaped cross-section, having a top surface 31 that is rectangular in plan view, and left side surfaces 32 and right side surfaces 33 that extend downward from the left and right edges of the top surface 31 which are roughly parallel to the direction of reciprocating movement of the meat box 2; a front side surface 34 that closes the front opening of the machine base body 30; and a rear side surface 35 that closes the rear opening of the machine base body 30. An electric motor 41 for driving the meat box, which drives the crank mechanism 4 that moves the meat box 2 back and forth, and a control device 6 that controls the driving of the electric motors 25 and 41 are housed in the internal space of the machine base 3. A control device holder 36 that supports the mounted components 62 that constitute the control device 6 is integrally formed on the front side surface 34 of the machine base 3. By integrally forming the front side surface 34 and the control device holder 36 in this way, the number of assembly steps can be reduced, and the control device 6 can be removed together with the front side surface 34, improving maintainability. Furthermore, by constructing the front side portion 34 and the control device holder portion 36 as a single piece made of bent sheet metal, the front side portion 34 and the control device holder portion 36 can be manufactured inexpensively, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0110] As shown in Figure 10, the electric motor 41 for driving the meat box is a totally enclosed, externally fan-cooled electric motor with a reduction gear, having a motor section 411 and a reduction mechanism section 412. In a plan view, the motor section 411 is located on the front side section 34, and the reduction mechanism section 412 is located on the rear side section 35. The mounted components 62 of the control device 6 are exposed in the internal space of the machine base 3 and are held facing the motor section 411. As a result, the drive of the electric motor 41 for driving the meat box, which is positioned facing the control device 6, generates air convection within the internal space of the machine base 3, causing the air around the mounted components 62 to move. This suppresses condensation in the control device 6 and prevents failure or malfunction of the control device 6 due to moisture. The control device 6 may also have a box that covers the mounted components 62.

[0111] Although embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be materialized in various forms. The configuration of each part is not limited to the illustrated embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the configurations described in the embodiments and modifications (in the notes, etc.) described above may be combined, and the configurations can be added, omitted, replaced, or otherwise modified. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0112] 1 Round blade, 2 Meat box, 3 Machine base, 4 Crank mechanism, 5 Stopper plate, 6 Control device, 11 Electric motor for driving the round blade, 20 Meat feeding device, 21 Lower conveyor, 22 Upper press feeding device, 23 Meat box frame, 24 Upper press support arm, 25 Electric motor, 26 Transmission mechanism, 27 Front side plate, 29 Meat tip support member, 30 Machine base body, 31 Top surface, 32 Left side surface, 33 Right side surface, 34 Front side surface, 35 Rear side surface, 36 Control device holder, 41 Electric motor for driving the meat box, 51 Thickness adjustment mechanism, 62 Mounted components, 85 Thickness setting device, 100 Meat slicer, 211 Drive roller, 213 Driven roller, 214 Endless belt, 251 Motor section, 252 Reduction mechanism section, 253 Output shaft, 411 Motor section, 412 Reduction mechanism section, W Gap amount

Claims

1. A meat slicer that cuts off slices of meat from a meat box that moves back and forth along the rotating surface of a circular blade at a predetermined feed rate, The meat box is equipped with an electric motor and a meat feeding device that feeds out meat chunks by driving the electric motor, and a control device that controls the driving of the electric motor. The meat feeding device includes a belt-type lower conveyor on which the meat chunks are placed. The lower conveyor comprises a drive roller rotatably supported on the upstream side of the meat block transport, a driven roller rotatably supported on the downstream side of the meat block transport, and an endless belt wrapped around the drive roller and the driven roller. The rotation axis of the drive roller is located coaxially with the output shaft of the electric motor and is connected to the output shaft. Meat slicer.

2. The meat feeding device includes a roller-type upper pressing feed device that contacts the top of the meat block, and the lower conveyor and the upper pressing feed device are driven by the electric motor to feed the meat block in conjunction. The meat box comprises an upper press support arm that supports the upper press feed device so that it can be flipped up, an upper press pivot shaft that rotatably supports the base end of the upper press support arm, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the upper press feed device. The transmission mechanism comprises a drive gear mounted so as not to rotate relative to the rotation shaft of the drive roller of the lower conveyor, and a driven gear that meshes with the drive gear to transmit power to the upper press feed device. The driven gear is rotatably supported on the upper retaining pivot shaft. The meat slicer according to claim 1.

3. The upper pressing feed device includes an upper pressing roller shaft that is rotatably supported at the tip of the upper pressing support arm, The transmission mechanism comprises a drive-side sprocket that rotates integrally with the driven gear, a driven-side sprocket mounted on the upper retaining roller shaft so as not to rotate relative to it, and a chain wrapped around these sprockets. The drive-side sprocket is rotatably supported on the upper retaining pivot shaft together with the driven gear. The meat slicer according to claim 2.

4. The upper pressing support arm comprises a pair of support arm portions extending from the base end toward the tip, The driven gear, the drive-side sprocket, and the driven-side sprocket of the transmission mechanism are arranged between the pair of support arm portions. The meat slicer according to claim 3.

5. The meat box comprises a front side plate detachably erected on the front side of the lower conveyor relative to the round blade, and a meat tip support member detachably disposed near the downstream end of the endless belt conveying, The front side plate attached to the meat box holds the meat tip support member in place, preventing it from falling off. A meat slicer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. It is equipped with a thickness setting device for the operator to set the slice thickness value, The control device controls the drive of the electric motor by changing the rotational speed of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device feeds out the meat block in an amount corresponding to the slice thickness value set by the thickness setting device. A meat slicer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A stopper plate is provided on the front side of the circular blade, along the reciprocating movement direction of the meat box, with the amount of gap between it and the circular blade adjustable. The control device controls the drive of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device operates at a feed amount that causes the meat block to contact the contact plate. A meat slicer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. The control device controls the drive of the electric motor so that the meat feeding device feeds out a meat mass by an amount greater than the maximum gap amount when the gap amount is maximized within the adjustable range of the stopper plate. The meat slicer according to claim 7.

9. The machine base that supports the round blade and the meat box comprises a machine base body with a roughly C-shaped cross-section having a top surface that is rectangular in plan view and a left side surface and a right side surface that extend downward from the left and right edges of the top surface which are substantially parallel to the direction of reciprocating movement of the meat box, a front side surface that closes the front opening of the machine base body on the side in front of the round blade, and a rear side surface that closes the rear opening of the machine base body. The internal space of the machine frame houses an electric motor for driving the meat box, which drives a crank mechanism that moves the meat box back and forth, and the control device that controls the operation of the electric motor, A control device holder for supporting the mounted components constituting the control device is integrally formed on the front side portion of the machine frame. A meat slicer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. The electric motor for driving the meat box is a totally enclosed fan-cooled electric motor with a reduction gear, having a motor section and a reduction mechanism section, wherein in a plan view, the motor section is located on the front side and the reduction mechanism section is located on the rear side. The mounted components of the control device are exposed in the internal space of the machine frame and are held facing the motor section. The meat slicer according to claim 9.

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