Pivotable Blade Cutting Unit for Uniform Food Comminution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing devices struggle with efficiently chopping hard, fibrous, or wet materials, often resulting in uneven comminution and requiring excessive force or manual pre-chopping, which limits their effectiveness and convenience.
Innovation Solution
A food processing device with a cutting unit featuring pivotable blades arranged on a support axis, allowing for adjustable pivoting angles and a deflector system to enhance material handling, reducing initial effort and ensuring uniform processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a crank drive with fixed blades is used, then the device structure is simple, but the cutting effectiveness on hard or fibrous material is poor and blades become blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the blades pivotable relative to the rotor axis. The blades can swing between a retracted position (reducing complexity) and a cutting position (increasing effectiveness). This dynamic adjustment allows the blades to adapt to different material hardness levels, preventing blockages on fibrous materials while maintaining simple device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of blade position from fixed to variable. By allowing blades to pivot through a certain angle, the cutting geometry and engagement depth can be adjusted during operation. This parameter change enables effective cutting of hard and fibrous materials without requiring complex device restructuring.
2Adaptability or versatility
If blades with cutting edges on both sides are used, then cutting in both directions is possible, but the device size is extremely limited and requires pre-chopping material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic blade positioning where blades can pivot to different angles during rotation. This allows the device to achieve versatile cutting patterns (including both-directional cutting) without requiring duplicate blade sets or larger device volume. The blades adapt their position dynamically to handle different cutting requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If high blade speed is used to prevent material from being taken along, then homogeneous cutting is achieved, but excessive heat is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by allowing blades to pivot into and out of cutting positions. This dynamic engagement controls the duration and intensity of cutting action, achieving homogeneous cuts without requiring continuously high blade speeds. The reduced speed minimizes heat generation while the controlled blade engagement maintains cutting precision.
4Productivity
If multiple blades cut simultaneously, then large quantities of material can be processed, but the device becomes blocked with too much material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic blade positioning where blades can pivot to different positions during rotation. This allows the device to process larger quantities of material by sequentially engaging multiple blades rather than having all blades cut simultaneously. The dynamic adjustment prevents blockages while maintaining high productivity through coordinated multi-blade operation.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~1d
Figure 2a
AI summary
The invention relates to a working unit (60, 160, 260) or a device (1, 1', 100) comprising a working unit of this type for processing foodstuffs. The working unit can be driven and made to rotate by means of a drive unit (10, 10') of said device. The working unit has at least two working elements that are situated on a working axis (A) and that act in the peripheral direction of said working axis (A). At least one of the working elements can be pivoted about the working axis (A) in relation to at least one additional working element within a restricted pivoting angle. The pivoting mobility of the blades, which are preferably interspaced and positioned axially one above the other, permits said blades to be brought into a common radial resting position in order to fill the container with the product to be cut, in such a way that practically the entire container volume is exposed and can be filled. The pivoting mobility of the second blade on the bearing axis allows the initial expenditure of energy to be significantly reduced in the start phase, as not all the blades are required to start cutting simultaneously.