Meat cutting device

Abstract

This meat cutting device is provided with a case (10) and a movable blade (20). The case (10) has an opening (11). The movable blade (20) is housed in the case (10) and operates so as to cross the opening (11). The movable blade (20) cuts a to-be-cut part (2t) of a meat (2) with the to-be-cut part (2t) sandwiched between the movable blade (20) and an edge of the opening (11).

Description

meat cutting equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a meat cutting device for cutting a portion of meat. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-218141, filed December 25, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Various deboning devices have been proposed that automate the process from scoring to deboning for bone-in meat such as chicken thighs (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 5331244

[0004] Deboning, which involves removing the main bone from bone-in meat, can be done automatically using a deboning device such as the one described above. However, small pieces of bone, excess skin, fat, and tendons may remain in the deboned meat. These unnecessary parts are currently removed by a person using a blade. However, the removal of unnecessary parts using such a blade is extremely tedious, and the worker must be highly skilled to perform the work efficiently. It is not limited to cutting unnecessary parts of meat; even necessary parts may be cut by a person using a blade. In such cases, the same problems as those encountered when removing unnecessary parts arise.

[0005] An aspect of the present invention provides a meat cutting device that can easily cut desired portions of meat.

[0006] The meat cutting device of the present invention employs the following configuration: The meat cutting device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a case having an opening, and a movable blade that is housed in the case and moves across the opening to sandwich a portion of the meat to be cut between the movable blade and the edge of the opening and cut the portion.

[0007] When using this meat cutting device to cut a portion of meat to be cut, the opening of the case is pressed against the periphery of the portion of meat to be cut. Next, in this state, the movable blade is moved across the opening. This movement of the movable blade pinches the portion of meat to be cut between the movable blade and the edge of the opening, allowing the portion to be cut.

[0008] A fixed blade may be provided on the edge of the opening to cut the portion to be cut in cooperation with the movable blade.

[0009] In this case, the fixed blade is provided on the edge of the opening that sandwiches the part to be cut together with the movable blade, so that the part to be cut can be cut well.

[0010] It is desirable that the movable blade be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening.

[0011] In this case, the movable blade can be moved across the opening by rotating it around its axis. Because the movable blade rotates around an axis perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening, at least a portion of the movable blade protrudes outside the opening (toward the meat) when crossing the opening. Because the movable blade rotates around an axis perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening, at least a portion of the movable blade is positioned outside (toward the meat) the inner edge of the opening when crossing the opening. As a result, the movable blade is pressed firmly against the vicinity of the portion of the soft meat to be cut. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, it is possible to more reliably cut the portion of the meat to be cut. Furthermore, the movable blade rotates around its axis to cross the opening. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the movable blade can be operated by a rotary actuator, such as a motor, which can be easily installed.

[0012] The opening may be formed in a circular shape, and the movable blade may comprise a support block portion having a spherical outer surface that can slide against or move close to the edge of the opening when rotated around the axis, a movable blade opening formed on the outer surface in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and a movable blade body provided at the intersection of the outer surface of the support block portion and the movable blade opening.

[0013] In this case, because the opening of the case is circular and the outer surface of the support block connected to the annular movable blade body is spherical, the cutting area formed by the edge of the movable blade body and the opening of the case narrows in a spot when the support block body rotates. In other words, not only does the separation width of the cutting area narrow, but the length in the direction intersecting the separation direction also gradually decreases. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the cutting load is concentrated in a narrow spot around the portion to be cut on the meat, making it possible to easily and reliably cut the portion to be cut. Furthermore, because the movable blade body is annular in this configuration, when the movable blade body is pressed against the top surface of the meat, the pressing load can be concentrated near the center of the opening of the case. Therefore, by pressing the opening against the meat so that the portion to be cut is positioned near the center of the opening, the portion to be cut can be reliably cut.

[0014] The meat cutting device of the present invention includes a case with an opening and a movable blade that moves across the opening, and can easily cut the portion of meat to be cut by pinching the portion between the movable blade and the edge of the opening. Therefore, when using the meat cutting device of the present invention, it is possible to easily cut the desired portion of meat.

[0015] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a meat cutting device according to an embodiment; a perspective view of a movable blade of the meat cutting device according to an embodiment; a cross-sectional view for explaining a first operation of the meat cutting device according to an embodiment; a cross-sectional view for explaining a next operation of the meat cutting device according to an embodiment; and a cross-sectional view for explaining a further next operation of the meat cutting device according to an embodiment.

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in the following embodiment do not limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0017] Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a meat cutting device 1 according to this embodiment. Reference numeral 2 in Figure 1 denotes meat, such as chicken meat, that has been deboned. Foreign matter 3, such as bone fragments, remains in this meat 2. In the following explanation of the operation of the meat cutting device 1, a case will be described in which a part of the meat 2 (a portion to be cut 2t) is cut to remove the foreign matter 3. However, the portion to be cut 2t of the meat 2 is not limited to the part containing the foreign matter 3. The portion to be cut by the meat cutting device 1 may be a specific portion of the meat 2 that is to be effectively utilized.

[0018] <Configuration of Meat Cutting Device> The meat cutting device 1 includes a cylindrical case 10 and a movable blade 20 rotatably housed inside the case 10. The case 10 and the movable blade 20 are formed from a hard metal material. The case 10 includes a cylindrical case body 10A with a bottom and a perforated, disk-like lid body 10B fixed to the inside of the peripheral wall 10s of the case body 10A. A circular opening 11 is provided in the bottom wall 10b of the case body 10A. In an initial state, the movable blade 20 is housed in a space surrounded by the bottom wall 10b and peripheral wall 10s of the case body 10A and the lid body 10B.

[0019] A separate, annular fixed blade 13 is detachably attached to the inner edge (space side) of the opening 11 of the case body 10A. The fixed blade 13 fits into an annular stepped portion 12 provided on the inner edge of the opening 11 of the case body 10A and is attached to the case body 10A in this state. The corner of the upper edge on the inner periphery of the fixed blade 13 forms an edge portion 13e that cuts the target portion 2t of the meat 2 in cooperation with the movable blade 20. In this embodiment, the fixed blade 13 fixed to the stepped portion 12 forms part of the edge of the opening 11.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the movable blade 20. The movable blade 20 includes a support block 22 having a spherical outer surface 22a and an annular movable blade body 24. The support block 22 has a circular through-hole 23 formed therein and passing through the center thereof. In this embodiment, an opening at one end of the through-hole 23 constitutes the movable blade opening. The support block 22 also has a shaft hole 29 formed therein and extending radially and perpendicular to the through-hole 23. A rotary shaft 42 (see FIG. 1) of a rotary actuator 40, such as a motor, is fitted and fixed into the shaft hole 29. The rotary actuator 40 is fixed to the case 10. When the support block 22 (movable blade 20) is connected to the rotary shaft 42 of the rotary actuator 40, it is rotatable about an axis o1, which is the center of the through-hole 23. The through hole 23, one end of which forms the movable blade opening, is formed in the spherical outer surface 22a of the support block portion 22 so as to be perpendicular to the axis o1.

[0021] The annular movable blade body 24 is formed by the intersection of the spherical outer surface of the support block portion 22 and one end (movable blade opening) of the through-hole 23. The cross section of this portion converges toward the tip end toward the intersection, and the convergent intersection forms the tip end of the edge of the movable blade body 24. In this embodiment, the movable blade body 24 is formed from a metal material that is integrated with the other portions of the support block portion 22. However, the movable blade body 24 may also be formed from a separate part and detachably fixed to the other portions of the support block portion 22.

[0022] The movable blade 20 is housed inside the case 10 so that the axis o1 of the support block portion 22 is perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening 11 (the up-down direction in FIG. 1 ). In this state, the movable blade 20 is connected to the rotation shaft 42 of the rotary actuator 40. Here, the spherical outer surface 22a of the movable blade 20 (support block portion 22) is capable of sliding against or moving close to the edge of the opening 11 on the case 10 side. When the movable blade 20 rotates in one direction about the axis o1 from its initial position where the entire movable blade 20 is immersed in the case 10, the movable blade main body 24, which is provided on one end of the through-hole 23 of the support block portion 22, moves in an arc across the opening 11 and approaches a portion of the edge of the opening 11. Then, as the rotation continues, the movable blade 20 slides against or moves close to the edge 13e of the fixed blade 13 on the inside of the opening 11 (the back surface of the opening 11).

[0023] <Operation of Meat Cutting Device> The operation of the meat cutting device 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figures 3 to 5 are cross-sectional views sequentially showing how foreign matter 3 remaining on meat 2 is cut away. First, as shown in Figure 3, the opening 11 on the bottom side of the case 10 is pressed against the area on the meat 2 where the foreign matter 3 is present. At this time, the movable blade 20 is entirely submerged within the case 10.

[0024] Next, from this state, the rotary actuator 40 is operated to rotate the movable blade 20 in one direction around the axis o1, as shown in Figure 4. This causes the edge portion of the annular movable blade body 24 of the movable blade 20 to protrude in an arc from the opening 11 toward the meat 2, scraping upward the portion to be cut 2t around the foreign object 3, while rotating toward the opposing edge of the opening 11. At this time, the opening area between the edge portion of the movable blade body 24 and the edge of the opening 11 gradually narrows, and the portion to be cut 2t of the meat 2 comes to be sandwiched between the edge portion of the movable blade body 24 and the fixed blade 13 at the edge of the opening 11.

[0025] As the rotation of the movable blade 20 by the rotary actuator 40 continues in this manner, the edge of the movable blade body 24 approaches the edge 13e of the fixed blade 13, as shown in Figure 5, and at this time the portion 2t to be cut of the meat 2 is cut off by the movable blade body 24 and the fixed blade 13. When the cutting of the portion 2t to be cut is completed in this manner, the rotary actuator 40 rotates in the opposite direction, and the movable blade 20 is returned to its initial state.

[0026] Effect of the embodiment As described above, the meat cutting device 1 of the present embodiment includes the case 10 having the opening 11 and the movable blade 20 that moves across the opening 11, and can easily cut the portion 2t to be cut of the meat 2 by pinching the portion 2t to be cut between the movable blade 20 and the edge of the opening 11. Therefore, when the meat cutting device 1 of the present embodiment is used, the desired portion of the meat 2 can be easily cut.

[0027] Furthermore, when the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment is used, the portion 2t to be cut can be easily and reliably cut simply by pressing the opening 11 of the case 10 against the periphery of the portion 2t to be cut of the meat 2 and operating the movable blade 20. This allows the operator to work safely and obtain stable work results without requiring skill.

[0028] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment, a fixed blade 13 is provided on the edge of the opening 11 of the case 10, which cooperates with the movable blade 20 to cut the portion to be cut 2t. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the portion to be cut 2t can be cut well. Note that when the fixed blade 13 is detachably attached to the case 10 as in this embodiment, maintenance and replacement of the fixed blade 13 can be easily performed.

[0029] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment, the movable blade 20 is rotatable about an axis o1 perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening 11 of the case 10. In this case, because the movable blade 20 rotates about the axis o1 perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening 11, the movable blade body 24 protrudes outside the opening 11 (toward the meat) when it crosses the opening 11. Because the movable blade 20 rotates about the axis o1 perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening 11, when it crosses the opening 11, the movable blade body 24 is positioned outside (toward the meat) the inner edge of the opening 11. Therefore, the movable blade body 24 of the movable blade 20 is pressed firmly against the vicinity of the portion 2t to be cut of the soft meat 2, making it possible to more reliably cut the portion 2t to be cut of the meat 2. Furthermore, in this configuration, the movable blade 20 rotates about the axis o1 to cross the opening 11, so the movable blade 20 can be operated by the rotary actuator 40, which can easily accommodate a motor or the like. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the structure of the meat cutting device 1 can be simplified and made smaller.

[0030] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment, the opening 11 on the case 10 side is circular, and the movable blade 20 is configured to include a support block 22 and a movable blade body 24. The support block 22 has a spherical outer surface 22a that can slide against or move close to the edge of the opening 11 on the case 10 side when it rotates around the axis o1, and a through hole 23 (movable blade opening) formed in the outer surface 22a and opening in a direction perpendicular to the axis o1. The movable blade body 24 is located at the intersection of the outer surface 22a of the support block 22 and the through hole 23 (movable blade opening). Therefore, when the support block 22 rotates, the cutting area formed by the movable blade body 24 and the edge of the opening 11 of the case 10 narrows in a spot. As a result, when cutting the cutting target portion 2t of the meat 2, the cutting load is concentrated in a narrow spot around the cutting target portion 2t. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the portion 2t to be cut on the meat 2 can be cut easily and reliably.

[0031] Furthermore, because the movable blade body 24 of the meat cutting device 1 of this configuration is annular, when the movable blade body 24 is pressed against the top surface of the meat 2, the pressing load can be concentrated near the center of the opening 11 of the case 10. Therefore, if the opening 11 is pressed against the meat 2 so that the portion to be cut 2t is positioned near the center of the opening 11, the portion to be cut 2t can be reliably cut. In particular, if an opening is formed in the lid 10B of the case 10 as in the meat cutting device 1 of this embodiment, it can be visually confirmed reliably through the opening of the lid 10B that the portion to be cut 2t is positioned near the center of the opening 11.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the movable blade 20 is configured to be operated by the rotary actuator 40, but the movable blade 20 may be operated by an actuator other than a rotary actuator. Furthermore, the movable blade 20 may be operated by manual operation.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the movable blade 20 includes a support block 22 having a spherical outer surface 22a and a through hole 23, and a movable blade body 24 formed at the intersection of the opening of the through hole 23 and the outer surface 22a. However, the configuration of the movable blade is not limited to this. For example, the movable blade may have a cylindrical support block that is rotatable about its axis, with an opening formed in the peripheral wall of the support block, and the edge of the opening serving as the movable blade body. In this case, the opening on the case side is formed into a substantially rectangular or circular shape.

[0034] A plate-shaped blade may also be used as the movable blade 20. For example, a plate-shaped (strip-shaped) blade that is long in one direction may be curved and used, and both ends of the plate-shaped blade may be rotated by a rotary actuator or the like.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the movable blade 20 is configured to rotate around the axis o1, but the movable blade may also be moved linearly along the bottom wall of the case side so as to cross the opening.

[0036] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... meat cutting device 2... meat 2t... cutting target part 10... case 11... opening 13... fixed blade (edge) 20... movable blade 22... support block part 22a... spherical outer surface 23... through hole (movable blade opening) 24... movable blade main body o1... axis

Claims

1. A meat cutting device, comprising: a case having an opening; and a movable blade that is housed in the case and operates so as to cross the opening, and sandwiches a cutting target portion of meat between the movable blade and an edge of the opening to cut the cutting target portion.

2. The meat cutting device according to claim 1, wherein a fixed blade for cutting the cutting target portion in cooperation with the movable blade is provided at the edge of the opening.

3. The meat cutting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable blade is rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the depth direction of the opening.

4. The meat cutting device according to claim 3, wherein the opening is formed in a circular shape, and the movable blade includes: a support block portion having a spherical outer surface that can slide in contact with or move close to the edge of the opening when rotating about the axis, and a movable blade opening formed by opening in a direction orthogonal to the axis on the outer surface; and a movable blade body provided at an intersection of the outer surface of the support block portion and the movable blade opening.

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