WO2001098042A2

WO2001098042A2 - Rotary cutter

Info

Publication number: WO2001098042A2
Application number: PCT/CZ2001/000035
Authority: WO
Inventors: František NOVÁK
Original assignee: Novak Frantisek
Priority date: 2000-06-21
Filing date: 2001-06-19
Publication date: 2001-12-27
Also published as: WO2001098042A3; AU7381401A

Abstract

The rotary cutter has a rotary cutting disc that moves along a circular course. Driving and cutting sides of the cutter, the main axis of which is almost horizontal, are directed by the main case (1). A hollow through pivot of the coupling plate (2), having at least one arm at the main case (1) cutting side, is accommodated in a revolving housing in the main case (1). A part of the planet arm end is a planet case accommodating a pivoted planet shaft (4) projecting outside of the planet case at the cutting side. At this outside planet shaft (4) section, a tightly fit planet pulley (16) is placed nearest to the planet case and, at the shaft end, the cutting disc (5), also tightly fit, is placed.

Description

Rotary cutter

Technical field of the invention

The rotary cutter is primarily designed for sausage cutting in retail shops.

Background of the invention

Current designs of rotary cutting involve a wide range of design drawbacks, which is the reason of their unsuccessful practical use. For instance, such cases involve patents under Reg. Nos. DE 19820269C2, DE 4429632A1 , DE 509818/0045, DE 4421116C1 , EU 0672587A1 , DE 19844436A1 a US 5,649,463. For these reasons, the relevant retail shops still use cutter types burdened with slow cutting operations caused by their intrinsic design principles that are often very complex and cause of frequent failures. Moreover, these mechanisms are considerably structured/membered, which brings about problems connected with their everyday cleaning and keeping them within the health standard requirements.

Summary of the invention

The rotary cutter has a rotary cutting disc that moves along a circular course. Driving and cutting sides of the cutter, the main axis of which is mostly horizontal, are directed by the main case. At the cutting side, the main case body projects in the direction from the clamping shoulder towards free space so that so that a free circular place is created in which at least one coupling plate arm moves, the through hollow pin of which is pivoted in the main case. A part of the end of the coupling plate planet arm is formed by a planet case, which is off-set from the planet arm towards the driving side so that it moves, under in a free circular space around the main case and a planet shaft is pivoted inside the planet case, projecting outside of the planet case at the cutting side. At this outside planet shaft section, a tightly fit planet wheel is placed nearest to the planet case and, at the shaft end, the cutting disc is tightly fit. By the cutting disc, the circular course of the coupling plate planet arm, with the withdrawal mechanism, crosses the transport section through of the feeder trough, which is - as viewed from the cutting side - before the cutting disc front face. The sausage is then pushed along the feeder mechanism trough. At the cutting disc rear side - as viewed from the cutting side - there is a peel-off edge directing the sausage slice that is cut mainly horizontally, into almost a vertical position. In order to sharpen the cutting disc directly while in the rotary cutter, the cutter is provided with a switching-off mechanism of the coupling movement that is placed on the hollow pivot coupling plate projecting out at the driving side of the main case.

Invention advantages

Major advantages thus involve minimum cutter dimensions given by the arrangement principle of the construction elements, the possibility of horizontal cutting positions and high cutting rates. The cutting disc travelling along the circular course slices off the sausage slices, while the withdrawing mechanism lays them down immediately. Cut materials are only shifted in the trough. Cutting widths of the transport section through of the feeding mechanism are only slightly shorter than cutting disc diameters. All machine parts are easily kept clean; everything is simple and easily accessible, including the possibility of sharpening the cutting disc directly while in the rotary cutter. These advantages predispose the rotary cutter particularly for cutting of salamis / sausages in retail shops.

Brief description of the drawings

The rotary cutter is shown in Fig. 1 to 11 , where Fig. 1 and 2 show front view of the rotary cutter without its covers, Fig. 3 shows the main case with disassembled basic rotary parts in their simplest design, while Fig. 4 shows the assembly of rotating parts, Fig. 5 shows the coupling plate tripping mechanism, Fig. 6 shows the basic rotary cutting mechanism assembly with the withdrawal mechanism, while in rear view, Fig. 7 shows the complete rotary cutting mechanism assembly, Fig. 8 shows the belt transmission of the planet shaft, Fig. 9 shows the complete adjusting mechanism to the left from the coupling plate as far as the adjustment lid in the right, Fig. 10 shows the feeding mechanism, main parts of which are represented by the trough and pusher and finally, Fig. 11 shows the pusher with the gripper and shedder.

Examples of the embodiment of the invention

The rotary cutter consists of cutting and feeding mechanisms; a hollow pivot with an arm is swivel-mounted in the cutting mechanism case and a centre shaft is placed inside the hollow pivot, from which the cutting disc shaft, over gears, is driven; the cutting disc shaft is swivel-mounted in the hollow pivot arm and the arm with the cutting disc, in its rotary movement over a circular course, crosses also the transport section through of the feeding mechanism. The main .case 1 directs both driving and cutting sides of the cutter, the main axis of which is, in principle, horizontal. The main case body 1 at the cutting side projects from the clamping shoulder freely into the space so that a free circular place is created in which at least one coupling plate 2 arm moves; the through hollow pin of the coupling plate arm is pivoted in the main case 1 A part of the end of the coupling plate planet 2 arm is formed by a planet case, which is off-set from the planet arm towards the driving side so that it moves, under the conditions of the coupling plate 2 circular course, in a free circular space around the main case 1 and the planet shaft 4 is pivoted inside the planet case, projecting outside of the planet case at the cutting side. At this outside planet shaft 4 section, the tightly fit planet pulley 16 is placed nearest to the planet case and, at the shaft end, the cutting disc 5, also tightly fit and secured to the planet shaft 4 by the planet screw 14 running through the planet shaft 4 centre. The circular course of the coupling plate 2 planet arm crosses by the cutting disc 5 with the withdrawal mechanism 6 the transport section through of the feeder trough 20, which is - as viewed from the cutting side - before the cutting disc 5 front face. Viewing from the same direction, the withdrawal mechanism 6 is placed at the cutting disc 5 rear face is placed so that the peel-off edge of the withdrawal mechanism 6 is positioned to direct cut off slices from their mainly vertical positions to almost horizontal ones. The planet shaft 4 is driven over the planet pulley 16 by the centre shaft 3 using the geared connection coupling the planet pulley 16 with the centre pulley 15, which is tightly fixed to the end of the centre shaft 3 projecting out the cutting side outside the coupling plate 2, in which the centre shaft 3 is pivoted. The coupling plate 2 hollow shaft end, on which the tripping wheel 11 of the tripping mechanism is fixed mounted, projects at the driving side, out of the main case 1 and the tripping mechanism is driven via the gears from the electric motor. The centre shaft 3 end also projects from the inside of the coupling plate 2 hollow pivot and it is also driven, via the gears, from the electric motor.

Planet shaft 4 transmissions may consist of either cog-wheels of a gearing mechanism or by pulleys of a belt-type transmission. In the belt-transmission types, the belt 17 connects the belt centre pulley 15, fixed tightly at the centre shaft 3 end at the cutting side and the belt planet pulley 16 fixed tightly to the planet shaft 4 cutting side, just between the planet case and the cutting disc 5. To make belt replacement and tension operations easy, the belt transmission is mainly equipped with the tension pulley 18 supported by the tension lever 19, where the tension force is generated by a screw or spring, etc. The transmission belt 17 is usually formed with a cogged or V- belt. In a gear-type transmission, the centre cog-wheel 15 is fixed tightly at the centre shaft 3 end at the cutting side and the planet cog-wheel 16 is fixed tightly to the planet shaft 4 cutting side, just between the planet case and the cutting disc 5. In order to sharpen the cutting disc 5 directly while in the rotary cutter, the cutter is provided with a tripping mechanism of the coupling movement. The tripping wheel H is fixed mounted on the coupling plate 2 hollow shaft end at the driving side, on the integral collar of which the carrier wheel 9 is pivot-mounted and the tripping pivot 12 axially-guided on the tripping wheel 11 boss is spring-pressed into the hole in the carrier wheel 9 so that the tripping wheel 11 is fixed coupled, via the tripping pivot 12, with the carrier wheel 9, where, if the tripping pivot 12 is axially disengaged from the carrier wheel 9, the external end with the tripping pivot 12 lever is engaged into the main case 1 fork, causing thus the carrier wheel 9 freely swinging on the tripping wheel H boss and tripping wheel H is over the tripping pivot 12 locked to the main case 1. The carrier wheel 9 is prevailingly coupled, via a gear, with the electric motor.

At the carrier wheel 9 driving side, the centre shaft 3 end projects out of the coupling plate 2 hollow pivot where, on the centre shaft 3, the shaft wheel 10 is tightly fitted. The carrier 9 and shaft 10 wheels are driven by the electric motor independently either by cog-wheels of geared transmissions or by pulleys of transmissions using cogged or V-belts.

For directing and removal of cut-off slices, the withdrawal mechanism 6 is used. The withdrawal mechanism 6 is fixed to the planet arm with the coupling plate 2 planet case. The peel-off edge of the withdrawal mechanism 6 is positioned, viewing from the cutting side, at the rear face of the cutting disc 5. The peeling-off edge of the withdrawal mechanism 6 forms mainly a part of a circle, which is at the rear face of the cutting disc 5 beyond its blade so that the withdrawal mechanism 6 body overlaps, from the material slicing-off side, the planet cog-wheel 16 and the planet case with the coupling plate 2 arm and where the withdrawal mechanism 6 shape directs cut-off slices during and after their cutting to a stacking, almost horizontal, position.

The coupling plate 2 may have one or two planet arms with planet cases and the rotary cutter is then provided with one or two cutting discs 5. The rotary cutter without the adjusting disc 7 is fitted with a geared feeding mechanism. In rotary cutters fitted with the adjusting discs 7 controlled by the adjusting mechanism, there is, but for at least one planet arm, also at least one guiding arm, on the end of which the axially pushed-fitted axial pivot 13 runs; the pivot is tightly fixed, viewing from the cutting side, with the rear face of the adjusting disc 7. For an easy removal of the adjusting disc 7, if necessary, the axial pivot 13 is screwed into the adjusting disc 7 and the outer end of the axial pivot 13 is fitted with a hexagonal Allen head socket.

The coupling plate 2 contains mainly three guiding arms, in which the axial pivots 13, bearing the adjusting disc 7, are push-fitted and the axial position of the adjusting disc 7 is determined by the adjusting mechanism that is connected, viewing from the cutting side, into the bushing ring at the front face of the adjusting disc 7 over a journal bearing, in which the adjusting pivot 29 is accommodated.

The pivot 29 is coupled with the adjusting rod 30 that is axially push-fitted in the guiding axial bushing 31 fixed to the frame bracket 8. The end of the guiding adjusting rod 30 swivel is mounted inside the threaded bushing 32 and, at the same time, locked preventing thus its any axial movements in the threaded bushing 32. The external thread circumference of the threaded bushing 32 is home screwed in the frame bracket 8 so that the threaded bushing 32 sense of rotation determined the axial position of the adjusting disc 7. The adjusting lid 33 is tightly slipped-on the threaded bushing 32; the lid shows, in a turning motion, the relevant slice thickness on the scale.

Viewing from the cutting side just before the front face of the cutting disc 5, the feeding mechanism is placed, the feeding trough 20 of which is fixed to the frame 8. Inside the feeding trough 20 the pusher 22 is placed, which moves along at least one guiding rod 28, which is fixed to the trough 20 and/or the frame 8 bracket. The guiding rod 28 may be located alongside the top through 20 edge - then the pusher 22 guide is in its upper part beyond the trough 20 edge - or the guiding rod 28 is located alongside the trough 20 bottom and then the guide is . connected with the pusher 22 over a rib running through a continuous groove in the trough 20 bottom.

The feeding mechanism is provided with a clamping mechanism where its pusher 22 has, at its inner face bottom part, sticking-up pins. At the pusher 22 rear edge, a through vertical positioning groove is positioned, in which the gripper 23 pivot, fitted with the thrusting nut 24, is running.

The pusher 22 vertical positioning groove may be of several different designs. The vertical groove may be smooth or gripper 23 pivot toothing may fit into the groove that can be unlocked if the gripper 23 is lifted off to the vertical position, when the gripper 23 pivot may be freely shifted along the pusher 22 groove. The hollow gripper 23 body accommodates the throw-out lever 27_, the side of which is supported by the fixed securing bar 26 of the pusher 22, which keeps the gripper 23 in the position of locating the upper sticking-up pins inside the cut material. The pusher 22 has mainly, at its inner face, at least one vertical guide in which the shedder 25 is led, the top lining bar of which moves the material in the cutting process from the top sticking-up pins and once the gripper 23 is lifted off and the shedder 25 hitched, upwards, the shedder 25 bottom lining bar moves the cut material out of the pusher 22 bottom sticking-up pins.

At its bottom side, top sticking-up pins and the pusher 22 has mainly, at its inner face, at least one vertical guide in which the shedder 25 is led, the top lining bar of which moves the material in the cutting process from the top and once the gripper 23 is lifted off and the shedder 25 hitched upwards, and the shedder 25 bottom lining bar moves the cut material out of the pusher 22 bottom sticking-up pins. Before the front face of the cutting disc 5 the shutting baffle 21 is swivel mounted on the baffle pivot 34 that is accommodated in the frame 8 bracket. In its closed position, the baffle 21 is clapped down the trough 2Ω at the cutting disc 5 end so that the cut material can not get into contact with the cutting disc 5; the baffle 21 can be lifted open to its open position by an electromagnet.

In its simplest design, the pusher 22 is moved by hand using the handle located at its external side. In more sophisticated designs, the pusher 22 is connected to a travelling mechanism of a various design. The pusher 22 feeding motion can be stopped in the moment of slice cutting, which is that cutting section of the cutting disc 5 course, in which the cutting disc 5 moves through the transport section-through of the trough 20, while the pusher 22 stop can be consequently used, in particular, for portion batching so that the pusher 22 movements are stopped, by an electromagnet and released only for the time necessary for cutting of required portion quantities.

Smooth running of the rotary cutter is provided with counter-weights fixed to the coupling plate 2 arm, which is in the opposite position to the planet arm. The opposite arm is formed by either the guide arm or only an arm holding the counter-weight.

The rotary cutter cutting section, incl. the space for stacking of the sausage slices, projects forward in front of the frame 8, the stability of which is provided by the rearmost placed electric motor. In this arrangement, anything - starting with future wrapping and ending with a packaging unit conveyor belt - can be placed underneath the place of slice stacking. In order to stack the sausage slices one over another, it may be suitable to place there a short conveyor belt moving only if a sausage portion is being prepared. Various patterns in slice stacking may be achieved by changing belt speed.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. The rotary cutter has cutting and feeding mechanisms, where a hollow pivot with an arm is pivoted on the cutting mechanism case, a centre shaft is placed inside the hollow pivot from which, over the gears, the cutting disc shaft pivoted on the hollow shaft arm is driven, while the arm with the cutting disc in its rotating movement over the circular course crosses also over the transport section through of the feeding mechanism, characterised in that the main case (1) directs both driving and cutting sides of the cutter, the main axis of which is, in principle, horizontal and the main case (1) body at the cutting side projects from the clamping shoulder freely into the space so that a free circular place is created in which at least one coupling plate (2) arm moves; the through hollow pin of the coupling plate arm is pivoted in the main case (1) and, also, where a part of the end of the coupling plate (2) planet arm is formed by a planet case, which is off-set from the planet arm towards the driving side so that it moves, under the conditions of the coupling plate (2) circular course, in a free circular space around the main case (1) and the planet shaft (4) is pivoted inside the planet case, projecting outside of the planet case at the cutting side, at this outside planet shaft section, the tightly fit planet pulley (16) is placed nearest to the planet case and, at the shaft end, the cutting disc (5), also tightly fit and secured to the planet shaft (4) by the planet screw (14), is placed, where the planet screw runs through the planet shaft (4) centre where the circular course of the coupling plate planet arm crosses by the cutting disc (4) with the withdrawal mechanism (6) the transport section through of the feeder trough (20), which is - as viewed from the cutting side - before the cutting disc front (5) face and where, viewing from the same direction, the withdrawal mechanism (6) is placed at the cutting disc rear face is placed. The withdrawal mechanism (6) is supported, along with the planet case, by the coupling plate arm so that the peel-off edge of the withdrawal mechanism (6) is positioned to direct cut off slices from their mainly vertical positions to almost horizontal ones, while the planet shaft (4) is driven over the planet pulley (16) by the centre shaft (3) using the geared connection coupling the planet pulleyl (16) with the centre pulleyl (15), which is tightly fixed to the end of the centre shaft (3) projecting out the cutting side outside the coupling plate (2), in which the centre shaft(3) is pivoted so that the coupling plate (2) hollow shaft end, on which the tripping wheel (11) of the tripping mechanism is fixed mounted, projects, at the driving side, out of the main case (1); the tripping mechanism is driven via the gears from the electric motor, the centre shaft (3) end also projects from the inside of the coupling plate (2) hollow pivot and it is also driven, via the gears, from the electric motor.

2. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1 , characterised in that the planet shaft (4) drive gear is formed by a belt-type transmission, where the belt (17) connects the belt centre pulley (15), fixed tightly at the centre shaft (3) end at the cutting side and the belt planet pulley (16) fixed tightly to the planet shaft (4) cutting side, just between the planet case and the cutting disc (5), while the belt transmission is mainly equipped with the tension wheel (18) supported by the tension lever (19), which is floating-mounted to the coupling plate (2) and belt transmission is prevailingly formed with a cogged belt.

3. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1 , characterised in that the planet shaft (4) drive gear is formed by a gear-type transmission, where the centre cog-wheel (15) is fixed tightly at the centre shaft (3) end at the cutting side and the and the planet cog-wheel (16) is fixed tightly to the planet shaft (4) cutting side, just between the planet case and the cutting disc (5).

4. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1 , characterised in that the tripping wheel (11) is fixed mounted on the coupling plate (2) hollow shaft end at the driving side, on the integral collar of which the carrier wheel (9) is pivot- mounted and the tripping pivot (12) axially-guided on the tripping wheel (11) boss is spring-pressed into the hole in the carrier wheel (9) so that the tripping wheel (11) is fixed coupled, via the tripping pivot (12), with the carrier wheel (9), where, if the tripping pivot (12) is axially disengaged from the carrier wheel (9), the external end with the tripping pivot (12) lever is engaged into the main case

(I) fork, causing thus the carrier wheel (9) freely swinging on the tripping wheel

(I I) boss and tripping wheel (11) is over the tripping pivot (12) locked to the main case (1), while the carrier wheel (9) is prevailingly coupled, via a gear, with the electric motor.

5. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1 , characterised in that fixed to the planet case with the coupling plate (2) arm, the withdrawal mechanism (6) is placed, the peel-off edge of which is positioned, viewing from the cutting side, at the rear face of the cutting disc (5) so that the peeling-off edge of the withdrawal mechanism (6) forms mainly a part of a circle, which is at the rear face of the cutting disc (5) beyond its blade so that the withdrawal mechanism (6) body overlaps, from the material slicing-off side, the planet cog-wheel (16) and the planet case with the coupling plate (2) arm and where the withdrawal mechanism (6) shape directs cut-off slices during and after their cutting to a stacking, almost horizontal, position.

6. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1 , characterised in that the coupling plate (2) consists of, beside at least one planet arm, also at least one guiding arm, on the end of which is the guide piece, in which the axial pivot (13) is push fitted, which is tightly fixed to the rear face of the adjusting disc (7), viewing from the cutting side and where the coupling plate (2) mainly consists of three guiding arm with guide pieces with axial pivots (13) supporting the adjusting disc (7), the axial position of which is determined by the adjusting mechanism.

7. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1 and 6, characterised in that the adjusting mechanism is connected, viewing from the cutting side, into the bushing ring at the front face of the adjusting disc (7) over the bearing, in which the adjusting pivot (29) and this pivot (29) is coupled with the adjusting rod (30) that is axially push fitted in the guiding axial bushing (31) fixed to the frame bracket (8) and where is the end of the adjusting rod (30) swivel mounted inside the threaded bushing (32) and, at the same time, locked preventing thus its any axial movements in the threaded bushing (32), while the external thread circumference of the threaded bushing (32) is home screwed in the frame bracket (8) so that the threaded bushing (32) sense of rotation determined the axial position of the adjusting disc (7).

8. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1, characterised in that viewing from the cutting side, before the front face of the cutting disc (5) the feeding mechanism is placed, the feeding trough (20) of which is fixed to the frame (8) and inside the feeding trough (20) there is mainly the pusher (22), which moves along at least one guiding rod (28) and the said pusher (22) has, at its inner face bottom part, sticking-up pins and, at its rear edge, a through vertical positioning groove, in which the gripper (23) pivot is running and the gripper (23) has, at its bottom side, top sticking-up pins and the pusher (22) has mainly, at its inner face, at least one vertical guide in which the shedder (25) is led, the top lining bar of which moves the material in the cutting process from the top sticking-up pins and once the gripper (23) is lifted off and the shedder (25) hitched, upwards and the shedder (25) bottom lining bar moves the cut material out of the pusher (22) bottom sticking-up pins.

9. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1, characterised in that viewing from the cutting side, before the front face of the cutting disc (5) the shutting baffle (21) is swivel mounted on the baffle pivot (34) and the baffle (21) is clapped, in its closed position, down the trough (20) at the cutting disc (5) end, so that the cut material can not get into contact with the cutting disc (5); the baffle (21) can be lifted open to its open position by an electromagnet.

10. The rotary cutter, as described in claim 1, characterised in that the feeding motion of the pusher (22) is stopped in the moment of slice cutting, which is that cutting section of the cutting disc (5) course, in^"which the cutting disc (5) moves through the transport section-through of the trough (20), while the pusher (22) stop can be consequently used, in particular, for portion batching so that the pusher (22) movements are stopped and released only for the time necessary for cutting of required portion quantities.