Meat cutting device

Abstract

This meat cutting device comprises a case, a movable blade (13), and a suction device (16). The case has an opening (11). The movable blade (13) is supported inside the case and operates so as to intersect the opening. The movable blade (13) pinches a part to be cut of meat with the edge of the opening (11) and cuts the part to be cut. The suction device (16) causes negative suction pressure to act on the opening (11) from the inside of the case.

Description

Meat cutting device

[0001] The present invention relates to a meat cutting device for cutting a part of meat. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-231855 filed on December 27, 2024, and incorporates its content herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, various boning devices have been proposed for boneless meat such as chicken drumsticks, which automate the process from tendon insertion to bone removal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 5331244

[0004] The removal of the main bones from the meat with bones can be automatically performed by the above-described boning device. However, small bone fragments, fat, etc. may remain in the meat after boning. The removal of these unnecessary parts is currently done manually by a person holding a knife. However, such a removal operation of unnecessary parts with a knife is very complicated and requires the skill of the operator to perform the work efficiently. In addition, not only when removing unnecessary parts of meat, but also for necessary parts such as cartilage, a person may cut that part with a knife. In such cases, the same problems as in the case of removing unnecessary parts occur.

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

[0006] [[ID=ID=18]] The meat cutting device according to the present invention employs the following configuration. That is, the meat cutting device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a case having an opening, and a movable blade that is supported inside the case and operates crossing the opening, and sandwiches a cutting target part of meat between the movable blade and an edge of the opening to cut the cutting target part, and a suction device that applies a suction negative pressure from the inside of the case to the opening.

[0007] When using this meat cutting device to cut a portion of meat, the opening of the case is pressed against the area to be cut. At this time, a suction negative pressure is applied to the opening from the inside of the case by a suction device. As a result, the portion of meat to be cut and its surroundings are drawn inward into the opening of the case. Next, in this state, the movable blade is moved across the opening. This movement of the movable blade causes the tip of the blade to grip the portion of meat to be cut between itself and the edge of the opening, thereby cutting the portion. In this meat cutting device, the portion of meat to be cut and its surroundings are drawn inward into the opening of the case while the movable blade cuts the portion. As a result, the portion of meat to be cut is reliably separated from the main body of the meat.

[0008] The meat cutting device according to an aspect of the present invention allows the portion of the meat to be cut and its surroundings to be drawn inward into the opening of the case, while the portion to be cut is cut by a movable blade. Therefore, the portion of the meat to be cut can be reliably cut to an appropriate depth. Accordingly, when the meat cutting device according to the present invention is used, it becomes possible to easily and reliably cut the desired part of the meat.

[0009] A perspective view of a meat cutting device of an embodiment mounted on the arm of an industrial robot. A perspective view of a meat cutting device of an embodiment. A bottom view of a meat cutting device of an embodiment. A cross-sectional view of a meat cutting device of an embodiment along the line IV-IV in Figure 3. A cross-sectional view of a movable blade of an embodiment. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of the movable blade of an embodiment corresponding to portion VI in Figure 4. An enlarged cross-sectional view similar to Figure 6 showing the movable blade of an embodiment rotated from its initial position. A cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4 showing the movable blade of an embodiment rotated further. A cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4 showing the movable blade of an embodiment rotated further. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of the movable blade of an embodiment corresponding to portion XI in Figure 10.

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc., of the components described in the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment attached to the connecting member 2 of the industrial robot 1. In this embodiment, the industrial robot 1 has multiple links 3 connected via joints 4, and the connecting member 2 is connected to the end link 3 via joints 5. Each joint 4 and 5 has an actuator, such as an electric motor (not shown), built in. Each actuator is controlled by a control device (not shown). The industrial robot 1 is positioned to the side of a conveying device (not shown) from which the meat 6 (see Figures 6 and 7), which is the object to be worked on, is transported. The multiple links 3 and connecting member 2 of the industrial robot 1 move the meat cutting device 10 closer to and further away from the target meat 6 in order to cut and remove the part 7 to be cut from the meat 6 that is transported by the conveying device. The meat 6 is, for example, deboned chicken meat. However, the meat 6 is not limited to chicken meat and may be meat from other livestock. In the case of chicken meat that has been deboned, the parts to be cut 7 are, for example, small bone fragments remaining on the meat 6, as well as fat, blood clots, cartilage, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, prior to the cutting of the target portion 7 by the meat cutting device 10, the posture of the meat 6, which has undergone pre-processing such as deboning, and the position of the target portion 7 are detected by a detection device such as a camera (not shown). The posture of the meat 6 and the position of the target portion 7 detected by the detection device are output to a control device for controlling the operation of the industrial robot 1 and the meat cutting device 10. The operation of the industrial robot 1 and the meat cutting device 10 is controlled by the control device based on the detection results from the above-mentioned detection device.

[0013] <Configuration of the Meat Cutting Device> Figure 2 is a perspective view of the meat cutting device 10, and Figure 3 is a bottom view of the meat cutting device 10. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the meat cutting device 10 along the line IV-IV in Figure 3. The meat cutting device 10 comprises a main body case 12 having a circular opening 11 on one surface, a movable blade 13 rotatably supported in the main body case 12, an air cylinder device 14 for driving the movable blade 13, and a rack and pinion mechanism 15. The meat cutting device 10 also comprises a suction device 16 and air blow devices 17A and 17B, as shown in Figure 4. In this embodiment, the main body case 12 constitutes the case of the meat cutting device 10. In the following description, the side of the main body case 12 where the opening 11 is formed will be referred to as "bottom," and the side opposite to the bottom will be referred to as "top." The opening 11 is formed on the bottom surface of the main body case 12.

[0014] The air cylinder device 14 includes a cylinder 14a through which high-pressure air is supplied and discharged, and a rod 14b protruding outward from one end of the cylinder 14a. The rod 14b moves linearly forward and backward relative to the cylinder 14a by controlling the high-pressure air supplied to and discharged from the cylinder 14a. The cylinder 14a is supported by a main body case 12 via a set of stays 18. The main body case 12 is connected to the connecting member 2 of the industrial robot 1 shown in Figure 1. A plate-shaped bracket 19 is also positioned to the side of the cylinder 14a, extending in a long length along the extension direction of the cylinder 14a and the rod 14b. The bracket 19 is connected to the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14.

[0015] The bracket 19 has a main body portion 19a that extends parallel to the cylinder 14a from the side of the cylinder 14a, a first bent piece 19b connected to one end of the main body portion 19a in the longitudinal direction, and a second bent piece 19c connected to the other end of the main body portion 19a in the longitudinal direction. The tip of the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 is connected to the first bent piece 19b. The support rod 21 that supports the cover 20, which will be described later, is held in the second bent piece 19c. In this embodiment, the air cylinder device 14 constitutes a linear actuator. Hereinafter, the direction in which the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 extends will be referred to as the "front-rear direction," and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction will be referred to as the "width direction."

[0016] The rack and pinion mechanism 15 comprises a rack 22 fixed to the main body portion 19a of the bracket 19, and a pinion 24 rotatably connected to the support shaft 23 (see Figure 3) of the movable blade 13. The rack 22 is fixed to the bracket 19 such that multiple teeth are arranged along the front-rear direction. The linear motion of the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 is transmitted to the movable blade 13 via the rack and pinion mechanism 15. Specifically, when the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 moves back and forth in the front-rear direction due to the supply and discharge of high-pressure air, the rack 22 moves in the front-rear direction together with the bracket 19. At this time, the movable blade 13 rotates within the main body case 12 together with the pinion 24 that meshes with the teeth surface of the rack 22.

[0017] In this embodiment, the rack and pinion mechanism 15 constitutes a rotational conversion mechanism that converts the linear motion of the linear actuator (air cylinder device 14) into rotational motion. In this embodiment, the rack and pinion mechanism 15 is used as the rotational conversion mechanism, but the rotational conversion mechanism is not limited to this. Other mechanisms such as a slider-crank mechanism can also be used as the rotational conversion mechanism, as long as they can convert linear motion into rotational motion.

[0018] The suction device 16 (see Figure 4) is a device for applying suction negative pressure to the opening 11 from the inside of the main body case 12. The suction negative pressure applied to the opening 11 causes the area around the portion of the meat 6 to be cut 7 to be attracted to the opening 11 just before the portion of the meat 6 to be cut by the movable blade 13.

[0019] The air blow device 17A (see Figure 4) is a device for blowing the cut portion 7 of the meat 6, which has been cut by the movable blade 13, from the inside of the main body case 12 to the outside. The air blow device 17B is a device that provides auxiliary air to prevent the cut portion 7 from being sucked into the suction device 16 when the cut portion 7 is blown outwards by the air blow device 17A.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the main body case 12 comprises a movable blade housing block 12A in which the movable blade 13 is housed, and a passage block 12B connected to one end of the movable blade housing block 12A in the front-rear direction.

[0021] Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the movable blade block 25, in which the support shaft 23 is connected to the movable blade 13. Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion of the movable blade 13 (movable blade block 25) corresponding to part VI in Figure 4. Figure 6 shows the opening 11 of the main body case 12 pressed against the area 7 of the meat 6 to be cut. The movable blade housing block 12A is formed in a rectangular shape with a narrow vertical width. As shown in Figure 6, the lower surface of the movable blade housing block 12A is provided with an annular raised portion 26 that rises downward. An annular fixed blade 27 is fixed inside (radially inward) of the raised portion 26. The fixed blade 27 has an edge portion 27e that converges radially inward, and this edge portion 27e is the cutting edge of the fixed blade 27. The circular opening 11 formed on the lower surface of the movable blade housing block 12A is formed by the space inside the raised portion 26 and the fixed blade 27.

[0022] Inside the movable blade housing block 12A, a concave spherical housing section 28 is formed to rotatably house the movable blade 13. Also, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, inside the passage block 12B, a discharge passage 29 is formed for discharging the cut portion 7 of the meat 6 cut by the movable blade 13 to the outside. One end of the discharge passage 29 communicates with the housing section 28 of the movable blade housing block 12A. The movable blade housing block 12A has a second opening 30 that connects the discharge passage 29 and the housing section 28. At the end of the discharge passage 29 opposite to the second opening 30, a third opening 31 is formed that opens to the outside of the passage block 12B. The third opening 31 can be opened and closed by a lid 20. The lid 20 is moved forward and backward by an air cylinder device 14.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, a relay pipe 32 is connected to the upper part of the passage block 12B. The relay pipe 32 branches into a suction pipe 32a connected to the suction device 16 and an auxiliary blow pipe 32b connected to the air blow device 17B. A filter 90 is interposed in the middle of the suction pipe 32a to prevent foreign objects such as the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7 and meat pieces from being sucked into the suction device 16. The relay pipe 32 is connected to the middle of the discharge passage 29 in the passage block 12B. As a result, the relay pipe 32 and a part of the discharge passage 29 (shared passage section 29a) form a suction passage 33 that connects the suction device 16 and the second opening 30. The suction passage 33 connects the suction device 16 and the second opening 30 by sharing a part of the discharge passage 29 (shared passage section 29a). In this embodiment, it can also be said that the discharge passage 29 shares a part of the suction passage 33 (shared passage section 29a). Therefore, it can also be said that the third opening 31 connects the middle part of the suction passage 33 to the outside of the main body case 12 (case).

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, a blow pipe 34 is connected to the upper part of the movable blade housing block 12A. The blow pipe 34 forms a blow passage 35 that connects the air blow device 17A and the housing section 28 inside the movable blade housing block 12A. The movable blade housing block 12A has an air blow opening 36 that connects the blow passage 35 and the housing section 28.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the movable blade 13 comprises a spherical support block 37 that is rotatably supported by the movable blade housing block 12A (main body case 12), and a movable blade body 38 that is detachably attached to the support block 37.

[0026] A circular mounting hole 39 is formed in a part of the spherical outer surface of the support block 37, recessed toward the center of the support block 37. A support shaft 23 is also provided protruding from the outer surface of the support block 37. The support shaft 23 protrudes in opposite directions from two positions on the outer surface of the support block 37 such that its axis o1 intersects with the depth direction of the mounting hole 39 and passes through the spherical center of the support block 37. The support shaft 23, together with the movable blade 13 as described above, constitutes the movable blade block 25.

[0027] Furthermore, the portions of the support shaft 23 that protrude in opposite directions from the outer surface of the support block 37 penetrate the side walls on both sides in the width direction of the movable blade housing block 12A (main body case 12), and are rotatably supported by the side walls on both sides in this state. A pinion 24, which constitutes the rack and pinion mechanism 15, is fixed to the end of the support shaft 23 that penetrates one of the side walls.

[0028] The movable blade body 38 comprises a cylindrical tubular wall 40 that fits into a mounting hole 39 of the support block 37, and a bottom wall 41 that is connected to one end of the tubular wall 40 in the axial direction. A circular through hole 47 is formed in the center of the bottom wall 41, penetrating the bottom wall 41 in the thickness direction. The end face on the other end of the tubular wall 40 in the axial direction protrudes outward from the mounting hole 39 when the tubular wall 40 is mounted in the mounting hole 39. This end face of the tubular wall 40 is curved so as to form a spherical shape that is continuous with the spherical outer surface of the support block 37 when the tubular wall 40 is mounted in the mounting hole 39.

[0029] Here, the opening on the inner circumference of the cylindrical wall 40 is referred to as the "main body opening 40a." The end face of the other end of the cylindrical wall 40 forms a spherical shape from the radially outer side to the inner side, and at the intersection with the main body opening 40a, it forms an acute-angled edge portion 40e. This edge portion 40e is connected in an annular shape along the main body opening 40a, forming an annular cutting edge. Hereinafter, this edge portion 40e of the cylindrical wall 40 will be referred to as the "cutting edge 40e." The spherical outer surface of the support block 37 and the aforementioned end face (including the cutting edge 40e) of the cylindrical wall 40 that is continuous with that outer surface move in sliding contact with or close proximity to the fixed blade 27 that forms the edge of the opening 11 when the movable blade 13 rotates around the axis o1.

[0030] Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view similar to Figure 6, showing the movable blade 13 after it has rotated in one direction from the initial position shown in Figure 6. In this embodiment, when the movable blade 13 cuts the portion of meat 6 to be cut 7, it rotates in a counterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 7. In the initial position shown in Figure 6, the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade body 38 is recessed inside the raised portion 26 of the movable blade housing block 12A (main body case 12) (it does not protrude outside the raised portion 26). When the entire movable blade 13 rotates in one direction around the axis o1 from this state, the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade body 38 moves in an arc across the opening 11, as shown in Figure 7, and approaches the edge portion 27e of the fixed blade 27 (a part of the edge of the opening 11). As the rotation of the movable blade 13 progresses further, the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade body 38 slides against or approaches the edge portion 27e of the fixed blade 27 positioned in the opening 11. At this time, as shown in Figure 7, if the opening 11 is pressed against the area 7 of the meat 6 to be cut, the area 7 will be caught between the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 and the edge portion 27e of the fixed blade 27, and will be cut away from the main body of the meat 6.

[0031] Incidentally, the movable blade body 38, which is fitted into the mounting hole 39 of the support block 37, is detachably fixed to the bottom of the mounting hole 39 by a plurality of bolts 42, which are fastening members, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Inside the body opening 40a of the movable blade body 38, a predetermined number of plate-shaped spacers 43 are housed to adjust the depth width within the body opening 40a of the movable blade body 38. The spacers 43, together with the bottom wall 41 of the movable blade body 38, are fastened and fixed to the bottom of the mounting hole 39 by a plurality of bolts 42. When arranging a plurality of spacers 43 inside the cylindrical wall 40, the plurality of spacers 43 overlapping in the thickness direction are placed on the bottom wall 41 of the movable blade body 38 and fixed to the bottom of the mounting hole 39 by bolts 42. The number of spacers 43 arranged inside the cylindrical wall 40 can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the depth width within the body opening 40a required by the movable blade body 38. Furthermore, if the number of spacers 43 placed inside the cylindrical wall 40 is increased to narrow the depth of the opening 40a of the main body (making the depth shallower), the cutting position of the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7 can be made shallower. Conversely, if the number of spacers 43 placed inside the cylindrical wall 40 is decreased to widen the depth of the opening 40a of the main body (making the depth deeper), the cutting position of the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7 can be made deeper.

[0032] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the support block 37 has an air passage 44 formed therein, one end of which opens into a part of the spherical outer surface of the support block 37, and the other end which communicates with the inside of the cylindrical wall 40 of the movable blade body 38 (body opening 40a). The air passage 44 has a flow groove 44a formed at the bottom of the mounting hole 39 of the support block 37, and a supply and discharge hole 44d connected to the flow groove 44a. The supply and discharge hole 44d extends linearly from the end of the flow groove 44a in a direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the mounting hole 39, and its extended end opens into the outer surface of the support block 37. Reference numeral 45 in Figure 6 indicates the opening of the supply and discharge hole 44d that opens into the outer surface of the support block 37. In addition, a circular air supply and discharge hole 48 is formed in the center of each spacer 43 placed in the mounting hole 39. The air supply and exhaust holes 48 communicate with the air passage 44 on the support block 37 side through the through-hole 47 of the bottom wall 41 when the spacer 43 is fixed to the bottom wall 41 of the mounting hole 39. The air passage 44 communicates with the opening 11 side through the through-hole 47 and the air supply and exhaust holes 48.

[0033] In the following explanation, the rotation direction of the movable blade 13 when cutting the portion 7 of the meat 6 will be referred to as the "forward rotation direction." Here, as shown in Figure 6, the opening 45 of the air passage 44 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the support block 37 is located approximately 270° away from the body opening 40a of the movable blade body 38 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13 (counterclockwise direction in Figure 6). Conversely, if we consider the body opening 40a of the movable blade body 38 as the center, the body opening 40a is located approximately 90° away from the opening 45 of the air passage 44 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13 (counterclockwise direction in Figure 6).

[0034] In contrast, the second opening 30 formed in the movable blade housing block 12A (main body case 12) is positioned approximately 270° away from the opening 11 on the lower surface of the movable blade housing block 12A in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13 (counterclockwise direction in Figure 6). Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, when the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 is facing the meat 6 (the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 is facing downwards), the air passage 44 formed in the support block 37 of the movable blade 13 connects the second opening 30 to the opening 11 on the lower surface of the movable blade housing block 12A. At this time, as shown in Figure 4, if the second opening 30 is airtightly connected to the suction passage 33, the suction negative pressure of the suction device 16 acts on the opening 11 from the inside of the movable blade housing block 12A (main body case 12). Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, if the opening 11 of the movable blade housing block 12A is pressed against the periphery of the portion of meat 6 to be cut 7, the suction negative pressure acting inside the opening 11 will draw the portion of meat 7 and its periphery towards the opening 11.

[0035] Figures 8, 9, and 10 are cross-sectional views similar to Figure 4, sequentially showing the state of each part when the movable blade 13 rotates in the forward direction from the initial state shown in Figure 4. Figure 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the part corresponding to section XI in Figure 10. As shown in Figure 11, the second opening 30 in the movable blade housing block 12A is located at a position approximately 90° away from the air blowing opening 36 on the upper surface of the movable blade housing block 12A in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13 (counterclockwise direction in Figure 11). Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, when the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 is facing the second opening 30, the air passage 44 formed in the support block 37 of the movable blade 13 connects the air blowing opening 36 to the second opening 30 in the movable blade housing block 12A. At this time, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the air supplied from the air blow device 17A is blown out towards the second opening 30 through the air blowing opening 36 and the air passage 44. The air flowing from the air passage 44 toward the second opening 30 is blown onto the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 and its surrounding area. Therefore, if the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7 or pieces of meat are attached to the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 or its surrounding area, the part of the meat to be cut 7 or pieces of meat will be blown out by the air toward the discharge passage 29.

[0036] In this embodiment, the opening 11 communicating with the housing section 28 within the movable blade housing block 12A, the air blowing opening 36, and the second opening 30 are positioned as follows around the axis o1 of the rotating movable blade 13. The air blowing opening 36 is positioned approximately 180° away from the opening 11 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13. The second opening 30 is positioned approximately 90° away from the air blowing opening 36 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13, and approximately 270° away from the opening 11 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13.

[0037] Furthermore, the aforementioned air cylinder device 14 and rack-and-pinion mechanism 15 constitute an interlocking drive unit 50 (see Figures 2 and 3) that drives the rotational movement of the movable blade 13 and the opening and closing movement of the lid 20 relative to the third opening 31 in conjunction. The interlocking drive unit 50 moves the lid 20 to open and close in synchronization with the rotational movement of the movable blade 13. However, due to the function of the coil spring 51 described later, the interlocking drive unit 50 is set so that the rotational movement of the movable blade 13 and the movement of the lid 20 are not synchronized from the initial position for a certain operating stroke.

[0038] The cover 20 is connected to the support rod 21. The support rod 21 is supported by the second bent piece 19c of the bracket 19. A rod holding portion 72 is connected to the second bent piece 19c, which slidably holds the support rod 21 (slidably in the axial direction). The cover 20 is connected to one end of the support rod 21 held by the rod holding portion 72, which faces the end face (third opening 31) of the passage block 12B. A stopper flange 73 is provided at the other end of the support rod 21, which protrudes radially outward from the support rod 21. The end face of the rod holding portion 72 comes into contact with the stopper flange 73 when the rod holding portion 72 moves a predetermined distance or more from the initial position shown in Figure 4 toward the side away from the passage block 12B together with the bracket 19. As the rod holder 72 moves in the same direction after the end face of the rod holder 72 comes into contact with the stopper flange 73, the support rod 21 is pushed by the rod holder 72 and moves away from the passage block 12B (third opening 31), as shown in Figure 8.

[0039] Furthermore, a coil spring 51 is interposed between the rod holding portion 72 and the lid 20, biasing the lid 20 together with the support rod 21 toward the end face of the passage block 12B (third opening 31). The coil spring 51 constitutes a biasing portion that biases the lid 20 toward the closing direction (the direction that closes the third opening 31).

[0040] Here, the coil spring 51 continues to bias the lid 20 in the closing direction (the direction in which the third opening 31 is closed) until the rod holding portion 72 moves a predetermined distance or more away from the passage block 12B from the initial position shown in Figure 4. For this reason, until the rod holding portion 72 moves a predetermined distance or more away from the passage block 12B from the initial position, the lid 20 continues to maintain the closed state of the third opening 31 without being linked to the operation of the air cylinder device 14. Therefore, in the interlocking drive unit 50 of this embodiment, the rotational operation of the movable blade 13 and the operation of the lid 20 are not synchronized for a certain operating stroke from the initial position.

[0041] The movable blade 13 is linked to the air cylinder device 14 (linear actuator) via a rack and pinion mechanism 15, which is a rotational conversion mechanism. In contrast, the lid 20 is linked to the air cylinder device 14 (linear actuator) without going through the rack and pinion mechanism 15, which is a rotational conversion mechanism.

[0042] When the movable blade 13 cuts the portion of the meat 6 to be cut, the interlocking drive unit 50 switches the open / closed state of the lid 20 and the communication state of the air passage 44 as follows: (1) When the movable blade 13 is facing the meat in its initial position, the lid 20 closes the third opening 31, and the air passage 44 of the movable blade 13 allows communication between the suction passage 33 and the opening 11 via the second opening 30. (2) After the movable blade 13 has cut the portion of the meat 6 to be cut 7, the lid 20 opens the third opening 31, and the air passage 44 allows communication between the air blowing opening 36 and the discharge passage 29 via the second opening 30.

[0043] <Operation of the meat cutting device> Next, the operation of the meat cutting device 10 will be described. When the meat 6 that has undergone pre-treatment such as boning is conveyed by the conveying device, the industrial robot 1 operates to bring the meat cutting device 10 close to the meat 6. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the movable blade 13 is in the initial state where the cutting edge 40e faces downward, and the air flow passage 44 of the movable blade 13 communicates with the opening 11 on the lower surface of the main body case 12 through the second opening 30 and the main body opening 40a of the movable blade main body 38. Also, at this time, the air cylinder device 14 projects the rod 14b to the front end, and presses the lid body 20 against the third opening 31 via the bracket 19, the rod holding portion 72, and the coil spring 51. At this time, the coil spring 51 interposed between the rod holding portion 72 and the lid body 20 is compressed and contracted. As a result, the end portion of the discharge passage 29 in the passage block 12B is sealed by the lid body 20. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, when the suction device 16 operates, the suction negative pressure of the suction device 16 acts on the opening 11 on the lower surface of the main body case 12 through the suction passage 33 and the air flow passage 44 in the movable blade 13.

[0044] In this state, by further operation of the industrial robot 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the opening 11 on the lower surface of the main body case 12 is pressed against the periphery of the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6. At this time, since the negative pressure by the suction device 16 acts inside the opening 11, the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6 and its periphery are sucked inside the opening 11. As a result, the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6 bulges into the opening 11.

[0045] Next, the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 moves in the retraction direction (towards being housed in the cylinder 14a). As a result, the bracket 19 retracts together with the rod 14b, and the movable blade 13 rotates in one direction via the rack and pinion mechanism 15. At this time, when the bracket 19 and the rod holder 72 move beyond a predetermined distance from their initial positions, the rod holder 72 comes into contact with the stopper flange 73 of the support rod 21, and as shown in Figure 8, the cover 20 begins to open the third opening 31. As a result, the pressure in the common passage portion 29a of the discharge passage 29 rapidly approaches atmospheric pressure. Note that until the bracket 19 and the rod holder 72 move beyond a predetermined distance from their initial positions, the common passage portion 29a remains sealed, and the suction negative pressure from the suction device 16 acts through the common passage portion 29a towards the movable blade 13.

[0046] Thus, when the movable blade 13 begins to rotate from the initial position shown in Figure 6, the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 moves in an arc shape across the opening 11 and comes into contact with the vicinity of the base of the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7. As the rotation of the movable blade 13 progresses, as shown in Figure 7, the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 sandwiches the part of the meat 7 between itself and the edge 27e of the fixed blade 27, and cuts the part of the meat 7 from the main body of the meat 6. At this time, the cut part of the meat 7 remains inside the opening 40a of the movable blade body 38 of the movable blade 13.

[0047] Subsequently, as the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 moves further in the retraction direction, the movable blade 13 rotates further as shown in Figures 8 and 9, and the lid 20 moves further away from the third opening 31. In this way, as the retraction of the rod 14b progresses further, and as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 faces the second opening 30, the air blowing opening 36 on the upper surface of the main body case 12 comes into communication with the second opening 30 via the air passage 44 of the movable blade 13.

[0048] At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, the air blow devices 17A and 17B start operating. The high-pressure air supplied from the air blow device 17A is blown onto the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 and its vicinity through the air flow passage 44 inside the movable blade 13. As a result, foreign matters such as the cutting target portion 7 and pieces of meat remaining on the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade 13 and its surroundings are discharged to the outside through the discharge passage 29 and the third opening 31 by the blowing of the air. At this time, the lid 20 is sufficiently separated from the third opening 31 toward the rear side so as not to prevent the discharge of foreign matters from the third opening 31. Also, at this time, the high-pressure air supplied from the air blow device 17B is blown out into the confluence portion with the discharge passage 29 through the auxiliary blow pipe 32b. This suppresses the foreign matters blown in the direction of the third opening 31 through the second opening 30 from being sucked into the suction device 16.

[0049] After that, the rod 14b of the air cylinder device 14 operates in the protruding direction, and the rod 14b is returned to the initial position. At this time, the bracket 19 moves in the protruding direction together with the rod 14b, and the movable blade 13 rotates in the reverse direction via the rack and pinion mechanism 15. As a result, the movable blade 13 is returned to the initial position. Also, the lid 20 closes the third opening 31 as the bracket 19 operates in the protruding direction.

[0050] <Effect of the meat cutting device of the embodiment> The meat cutting device 10 of the present embodiment includes a main body case 12 (case) having an opening 11 and a movable blade 13 that operates so as to cross the opening 11, and can easily cut the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6 by sandwiching the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6 between the movable blade 13 and the fixed blade 27 (the edge of the opening 11). Further, the meat cutting device 10 of the present embodiment includes a suction device 16 that applies a suction negative pressure to the opening 11 from the inside of the main body case 12 (case). Therefore, since the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6 and its surroundings are sucked inside the opening 11 of the main body case 12 and the cutting target portion 7 can be cut by the movable blade 13, the cutting target portion 7 of the meat 6 can be surely cut. Therefore, when the meat cutting device 10 of the present embodiment is adopted, it becomes possible to easily and surely cut a desired portion of the meat 6.

[0051] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the opening 11 of the main body case 12 and the suction device 16 are configured to be connected when the movable blade 13 is facing the meat 6. Therefore, when the opening 11 of the main body case 12 is pressed against the area 7 to be cut on the meat 6, and the movable blade 13 is facing the meat 6, a suction negative pressure from the suction device 16 can be applied to the opening 11 from the inside of the main body case 12.

[0052] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the opening 11 of the main body case 12 and the suction device 16 are configured to be blocked after the movable blade 13 starts moving across the opening 11 from a state where it is directly facing the meat 6. Therefore, after the movable blade 13 starts moving across the opening 11 from a state where it is directly facing the meat 6, the suction by the suction device 16 on the opening 11 is no longer continued. As a result, excessive suction around the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7 is suppressed, and after the part of the meat 6 to be cut 7 is cut by the movable blade 13, the main body of the meat 6 is more likely to separate from the main body case 12 due to its own weight.

[0053] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the movable blade 13 is rotatable around an axis o1 perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening 11, and the main body case 12 (case) is provided with a housing 28 for the movable blade 13, the opening 11, and a second opening 30. The opening 11 communicates with the housing 28, and the second opening 30 communicates with the housing 28 at a position spaced apart from the opening 11 around the axis o1. The second opening 30 is also connected to a suction passage 33 that communicates with a suction device 16, and the movable blade 13 is provided with an air passage 44 that connects the opening 11 and the second opening 30 when the movable blade 13 is facing the meat 6. For this reason, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the movable blade 13 itself can be given a function to switch the air flow path. Therefore, when the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment is adopted, it is possible to reliably adsorb the meat 6 to the opening 11 and cut off the portion to be cut 7 from the main body of the meat 6, despite its simple configuration.

[0054] The meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment comprises a movable blade 13, a support block 37 having a mounting hole 39 on its outer surface, and a movable blade body 38 that is detachably attached to the support block 37. The movable blade body 38 has a cylindrical wall 40 that is fitted into the mounting hole 39, and a cutting edge 40e is formed at the end of the cylindrical wall 40 that protrudes to the outside of the mounting hole 39. The movable blade body 38 is detachably attached to the support block 37. The support block 37 has an air passage 44 formed therein, one end of which opens to a part of the outer surface of the support block 37, and the other end which communicates with the inside of the cylindrical wall 40 of the movable blade body 38. In the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, since the movable blade body 38 with the cutting edge 40e is detachably attached to a separate support block 37, an air passage 44 can be easily formed between the movable blade body 38 and the separate support block. Furthermore, since the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment has a structure in which the movable blade body 38 is detachably attached to the support block 37, the movable blade body 38 can be removed from the support block 37 and replaced with another movable blade body 38 during maintenance. Also, during maintenance, the movable blade body 38 can be removed from the support block 37 and the cutting edge 40e of the movable blade body 38 can be cleaned.

[0055] Furthermore, the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment includes a third opening 31 that connects the middle portion of the suction passage 33 to the outside of the main body case 12, a lid 20 that can close the third opening 31, and an interlocking drive unit 50 that opens and closes the lid 20 in synchronization with the operation of the movable blade 13. Therefore, the interlocking drive unit 50 can be used to interlock the lid 20 so as to open the third opening 31 when the movable blade 13 moves from a position facing the meat 6 to a position where it cuts the portion of the meat 6 to be cut 7. In this case, since the negative pressure in the suction passage 33 can be quickly released after the portion of the meat 6 to be cut 7 has been cut, the third opening 31 can be suitably used as an outlet for discharging the portion of the meat 6 to the outside of the main body case 12 after the portion of the meat 6 to be cut 7 has been cut. Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the operation of the movable blade 13 and the opening and closing operation of the lid 20 are linked by the interlocking drive unit 50. Compared to the case where the movable blade 13 and the lid 20 are operated by separate actuators, the number of actuators and sensors to be installed can be reduced. In addition, the control of the actuators can be simplified.

[0056] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the lid 20 is capable of moving linearly in a direction directly facing the third opening 31, and the interlocking drive unit 50 includes an air cylinder device 14 (linear actuator) and a rack and pinion mechanism 15 (rotational conversion mechanism) that converts the linear motion of the air cylinder device 14 into rotational motion. The movable blade 13 is linked to the air cylinder device 14 via the rack and pinion mechanism 15, while the lid 20 is linked to the air cylinder device 14 without going through the rack and pinion mechanism 15. Therefore, the linear motion of the air cylinder device 14 rotates the movable blade 13 via the rack and pinion mechanism 15, while simultaneously moving the lid 20 linearly in the opening and closing direction. Thus, when the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment is adopted, it becomes possible to link the rotational motion of the movable blade 13 with the linear opening and closing motion of the lid 20 with a simple configuration.

[0057] Furthermore, in the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment, the lid 20 is linked to the air cylinder device 14 (linear actuator) via a coil spring 51 (biasing part) that biases the lid 20 in the closing direction. Therefore, after the movable blade 13 starts rotating to cut the part to be cut 7 in response to the linear motion of the air cylinder device 14, the lid 20 is maintained in a closed state for a while due to the biasing force from the coil spring 51. Consequently, when the meat cutting device 10 of this embodiment is adopted, it becomes possible to reliably attract the part to be cut 7 of the meat 6 and its surroundings through the opening 11 when the part to be cut 7 is cut by the movable blade 13.

[0058] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various design modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the movable blade 13 is configured to include a support block 37 having a mounting hole 39 and a movable blade body 38 that is detachably attached to the mounting hole 39, but the movable blade may be constructed as a single, integrated block.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a movable blade 13 (support block 37) with a spherical outer surface is used, but the shape of the outer surface of the movable blade 13 is not limited to a spherical shape. The outer surface shape of the movable blade may be, for example, cylindrical. In this case, the movable blade will rotate about the central axis of the cylinder.

[0060] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the air blowing opening 36 is positioned approximately 180° away from the opening 11 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13, and the second opening 30 is positioned approximately 90° away from the air blowing opening 36 in the forward rotation direction of the movable blade 13. However, the arrangement of the air blowing opening 36 and the second opening 30 is not limited to this. The air blowing opening 36 and the second opening 30 can be positioned at any position as long as they are spaced apart from the opening 11 in the rotation direction of the movable blade 13.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a portion of the discharge passage 29 (shared passage portion 29a) is shared with the suction passage 33. However, the configuration of the discharge passage 29 and the suction passage 33 is not limited to this. The discharge passage 29 and the suction passage 33 may each be independent passages. However, when a portion of the discharge passage 29 (shared passage portion 29a) is shared with the suction passage 33, as in this embodiment, the volume occupied by the passage within the main body case 12 can be reduced, and the main body case 12 can be made smaller.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the operation of the movable blade 13 and the opening and closing operation of the lid 20 are linked by the interlocking drive unit 50. However, the movable blade 13 and the lid 20 may be operated by different actuators.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lid 20 that opens and closes the third opening 31 is structured to open and close linearly in front of the third opening 31, but the structure of the lid is not limited to this. The lid may, for example, be structured to rotate by a hinge.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the movable blade 13 is configured to be rotated around the axis o1, but the movable blade may also be configured to move linearly along the bottom surface of the case so as to cross the opening of the case.

[0065] 6...Meat 7...Part to be cut 10...Meat cutting device 11...Opening 12...Main body case (case) 13...Movable blade 14...Air cylinder device (linear actuator) 15...Rack and pinion mechanism 16...Suction device 20...Lid 28...Housing section 30...Second opening 31...Third opening 33...Suction passage 37...Support block 38...Movable blade body 39...Mounting hole 40...Cylindrical wall 40e...Blade tip 44...Air passage 50...Interlocking drive unit 51...Coil spring (biasing unit) o1...Axis

Claims

1. A meat cutting device comprising: a case having an opening; a movable blade supported inside the case and moving across the opening, which sandwiches the portion of meat to be cut between itself and the edge of the opening and cuts the portion to be cut; and a suction device that applies suction negative pressure to the opening from the inside of the case.

2. The meat cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening and the suction device are connected when the movable blade is facing the meat.

3. The meat cutting apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the opening and the suction device are closed off after the movable blade starts moving across the opening from a state in which it is directly facing the meat.

4. The meat cutting device according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable blade is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the depth direction of the opening, the case comprises a housing portion for rotatably housing the movable blade, the opening communicating with the housing portion, and a second opening communicating with the housing portion at a position spaced apart from the opening about the axis, the second opening being connected to a suction passage communicating with the suction device, and the movable blade is provided with an air passage connecting the opening and the second opening when the movable blade is facing the meat.

5. The meat cutting device according to claim 4, wherein the movable blade comprises a support block having a mounting hole on its outer surface and being rotatably supported in the housing portion of the case, and a movable blade body having a cylindrical wall that is fitted into the mounting hole, and having a cutting edge formed at the end of the cylindrical wall that protrudes outward from the mounting hole, wherein the movable blade body is detachably attached to the support block, and the support block has an air passage formed therein such that one end opens to a part of the outer surface of the support block and the other end opens to the inside of the cylindrical wall of the movable blade body.

6. The meat cutting device according to claim 5, further comprising: a third opening that connects the middle portion of the suction passage to the outside of the case; a lid that can close the third opening; and an interlocking drive unit that opens and closes the lid in synchronization with the operation of the movable blade.

7. The meat cutting device according to claim 6, characterized in that the lid is movable linearly in a direction facing the third opening, the interlocking drive unit comprises a linear actuator and a rotational conversion mechanism that converts the linear motion of the linear actuator into rotational motion, the movable blade is linked to the linear actuator via the rotational conversion mechanism, and the lid is linked to the linear actuator without the rotational conversion mechanism.

8. The meat cutting apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the lid is linked to the linear actuator via a biasing part that biases the lid in the closing direction.

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