JP2000175531A - Onion preparation machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an onion preparation machine capable of recovering peeled skin and attached mud, etc., and keeping the working environment in good state without scattering the recovered waste to the outer environment by almost completely covering the outer circumference of the machine with a case and placing an air-exhaustion blower at a specific position of the case. SOLUTION: This onion preparation machine 1 is provided with a transfer part 2 to transfer onions in aligned state and a cutting part 3 to cut the root and stalk of onion. The outer circumference of the machine is almost completely covered with a case 90 and an exhaustion blower 91 is placed at a side of the case 90. Preferably a suction blower 92 is placed at the other side of the case 90. Preferably the exhaustion blower 91 is placed at the onion-feeding side and the suction blower 92 is placed at the onion delivery side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a preparation machine for cutting stems and roots of vegetables such as harvested onions so as to be suitable for shipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional crop preparation machine for onions and the like, a first conveying means comprising a pair of left and right screw shafts is provided horizontally, and is disposed on a downstream upper portion of the first conveying means so as to face left and right. A second transporting means comprising an endless body such as a belt is disposed, and a cutting means for a root by a horizontal disk cutter is disposed above a rear portion of the second transporting means. Cutting means consisting of a disc cutter for stems is arranged between the rear part of the means, and the first conveying means conveys the roots upward with the stem interposed therebetween and downwards with the stem interposed therebetween. A technique in which the onion body is sandwiched between the two transporting means and transported rearward and upward to cut both stems and roots by the cutting means is known in JP-A-7-67605.

[0003]

However, in the prior art, when transporting or cutting onions, debris such as outer skin and dust are easily peeled off from the onions, and there is no means for collecting the debris. As a result, debris and the like may fall to the transporting means, the cutting means, and their power transmission parts to deteriorate the transporting state, or may be broken by being caught by gears, sprockets, or the like. In addition, there is a problem in that if the player falls down and flutters, the working environment is significantly impaired, and cut roots and stems are collected together with the prepared onion. In addition, it is necessary to stop the work for performing maintenance such as cleaning periodically, and the workability is deteriorated.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an onion preparation machine having a transport section for aligning and transporting onions and a cutting section for cutting roots and stems. Substantially the entire periphery of the onion preparation machine was covered with a housing, and an exhaust blower was arranged on one side of the housing. Further, a suction blower is arranged on the other side of the housing, the exhaust blower is arranged on the supply side of the onion, the suction blower is arranged on the onion discharge side, and the exhaust blower is arranged. The suction blower is arranged at the lower part of one side of the housing and the upper part of the other side of the housing. Ducts are respectively connected to the suction side of the exhaust blower and the discharge side of the suction type blower, and the suction side and the discharge side of the duct are arranged to face each other above and below the transport unit. Further, in the onion preparation machine that includes a transport unit that aligns and transports the onions, and a cutting unit that cuts the roots and stems, and a hopper is disposed above the onion to supply the onions.
The onion preparation machine peripheral part other than the hopper is covered with a housing.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of an onion preparation machine whose outer peripheral portion is covered with a casing, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 3 is an overall front view of the onion preparation machine, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the alignment blades, FIG. 6 is a side view partially sectional view of the nipping / conveying device, the root cutting device and the stem cutting device, and FIG. 7 is connected to a casing equipped with an onion preparation machine. It is a side sectional view showing another form of a blower.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the onion preparing machine 1 of the present invention has a plurality of columns 12, 12... Standing upright on an installation table 10 having moving casters 10a. Are supported in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1), and the front side (the left side in FIG. 1) is aligned and transported in front of the onion preparation machine 1 between the central machines 11 and 11. Transport unit 2 including the device 16 and the rear side sandwiching transport device 17
And a cutting unit 3 including a root cutting device 4 for cutting roots of onions and a stem cutting device 6 for cutting stems of onions below. , And the prepared onion is discharged from the rear discharge section 7. Almost the entire onion preparation machine 1 is housed in a casing 90 as a housing.

Next, a hopper 19 for supplying onions to the aligning / conveying device 16 will be described. The hopper 19 is provided above the aligning / conveying device 16, and supports a container table 19a at its rear end so as to be tiltable. Container stand 1
The container 19b placed and stored in the container 9a is lifted up and rotated so that the onion can be put into the hopper 19 on the front side.

The hopper 19 has a structure in which the front, rear, left and right sides are covered by side plates, and a plurality of bars 9 are mounted on the bottom surface so that mud or the like attached to the onion or cuticles on the skin peeled from the onion are removed. , 9b, 9b, 9b, 9b, 9c, 9b, 9c, 9b, 9c, 9b, 9c, 9b, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, 9c, and 9c.

The crossbars 9, 9... Are appropriately inclined so that the front side is up and the rear side is down when viewed from the side. Is rolled backward and downward. And the hopper 19
On the rear side, the left and right side plates are partially cut out to discharge onions, and a chute 15 for guiding the onions to the aligning and conveying device 16 is connected to the hopper 19 from the cutout. are doing. The chute section 15 is
The passage is bent in an L-shape in plan view along the side plate of No. 9, and the floor surface is inclined at an appropriate angle so that the rear side is up and the front side is down. With this configuration, the onion guided from the hopper 19 to the chute portion 15 rolls inside the chute portion 15 and moves forward, and is guided by the guides 15 a provided at the end of the chute portion 15, and It is made to fall to the beginning.

The aligning / conveying device 16 comprises two conveying brushes 20/20 and aligning blades 28/28. The conveying brushes 20/20 extend from the front to the back of the onion preparation machine 1 as shown in FIG. It is attached to the brush rotation shafts 20a and 20b arranged substantially parallel to the front-rear direction so as not to rotate relatively. The front ends of the brush rotating shafts 20a and 20b are supported by a support member fixed to the reinforcing frame 13, and the rear ends are supported by a support member bridged to the machine base 11. Input sprockets 21a and 21b are fixed to the front ends of the two brush rotating shafts 20a and 20b, respectively. As shown in FIG.
a · 24b, power is transmitted via a chain 24c,
By rotating the left and right transport brushes 20 in the directions of arrows X and Y in FIG. 2, the brush rotating shafts 20a and 20b are respectively driven to rotate inward in opposite directions at a constant speed.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the transport brushes 20 are provided between the front and rear portions of the transport brush 20 in the direction of the brush rotation shafts 20a and 20b.
A screw conveying portion 20c is formed by spirally winding an elastic body such as sponge, rubber, or foamable synthetic resin around the periphery. On the outer peripheral surface of the transport brush 20 other than the screw transport section 20c, a brush section 20d is formed in which hairs protrude at equal intervals around the brush rotation shaft 20. The brush portion 20d is also formed spirally from the front end of the conveying brush 20 in accordance with the pitch of the screw conveying portion 20c, and the entire outer peripheral surface behind the rear end of the screw conveying portion 20c is the brush portion 20d. The stem is caught on the bristle tip of the brush portion 20d, and the stem is drawn downward along with the rotation.

The spirals of the screw conveying portions 20c of the left and right conveying brushes 20, 20 are formed in opposite directions and at equal pitches, and are rotated inward in opposite directions at the same rotational speed, so that the opposing screws are rotated. The transport units 20c are configured to substantially abut. Thus, on the upper surface of the left and right transfer brushes 20 on which the onion is transferred, the screw transfer units 20c and 20c and the brush units 20d and 20d are alternately arranged in the transfer direction.
The onion is received at 0d, and is pushed backward by the helical screw conveyance units 20c. The configuration in which the screw transport portions 20c are formed is different from the configuration in which the transport brush 20 is formed by a spirally arranged brush.
In order to prevent the onion from slipping and staying on the transport brushes 20, the rotational force of the screw transport units 20c can be reliably transmitted to the onion, and the transport capacity can be increased.

A screw conveying section 20 having a conveying action of the conveying brush 20 below the hopper 19.
Arrangement blades 28 are arranged immediately above the front and rear center positions of c and 20c.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the alignment blades 28 are vertically rotated with their axes directed vertically to the left and right at substantially the center in the transport direction of the screw transport sections 20c. It is fixed to the upper part of the shafts 28a. The vertical rotation shafts 28a
The lower portion is protruded, pulleys 28b and 28b 'are fixedly provided at the lower end, and a driving force is obtained via a belt 40 from a second output pulley 5c provided on a transmission shaft 5 that is interlocked with the driving of the motor 22, As shown by arrows z and z in the figure, they are turned in mutually opposite directions. Also, both left and right rotating shafts 2
8a and 28a have a configuration in which the front and rear positions are shifted in plan view, so that when rotated, the tips of the left and right aligned blades 28 and 28 pass through the transport center and do not interfere with each other. Further, a cover 42 is arranged between the transport brushes 20, 20 and a power transmission unit such as the belt 40, so that debris such as the outer skin of the onion and soil are not applied to the power transmission unit.

Therefore, when the onion has a variety of postures when it falls from the chute portion 15 to the starting end side of the aligning and conveying device 16, if the stem is facing upward, the aligning and conveying device 16 will not move.
In the course of being conveyed, the stems of the onion are pushed down by the contact rods 80, 80, 80, 80 on which the two aligned blades 28 are fixed, and the onion is rotated. The onion is pushed into the space between them, and the onion is aligned in an inverted posture in which the stem is directed downward and the root portion is directed upward by the downward rotating action, and the screw conveying sections 20c and 20c from the rear end. When the brush is conveyed to the rear, only the rotation of the brush portions 20d and 20d works to pull the stem only downward, so that the root is maintained in a posture of facing directly upward. By aligning the posture of the onion in the upside-down posture as described above, the root can be cut by the root cutting device 4 above the sandwiching and conveying device 17, and the stem can be cut by the stem cutting device 6 below the sandwiching and conveying device 17. Like that.

Further, the front portion of the nipping and conveying device 17 is partially wrapped in plan view with the rear portion of the conveying brushes 20 as the aligning and conveying device 16 so that the conveyance is not interrupted.
The onions supported by the transport brushes 20 and 20 at the rear are inherited by the left and right clamping belts 30 and 30 at the front of the aligning and transporting device 16.

The nipping and transporting device 17 is for nipping and transporting the transported onion. As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, the nipping and transporting device 17 is provided with the left and right machine bases 11.
.. And a pair of left and right drive rollers 35.3 on a roller base 34 supported by
5 and belt transport rollers 36 are symmetrically arranged, and their support shafts are rotatably supported in the vertical direction. And the left and right tension rollers 33
..Driving rollers 35 and belt transport rollers 36
At 36, the holding belts 30, 30 are respectively circulated, and the holding belt 30 is formed of a sponge-shaped belt so that the onions can be held and transported by the holding belts 30, 30.

The holding belt 30 is wound so as to have a substantially elliptical shape that is long in the front-rear direction of the onion preparation machine 1 in plan view. Further, the tension roller 33.3 is used.
3... Are pivotally supported by the arm ends and are urged by a spring to widen the left and right widths of the wound holding belts 30.
The on-center of the left and right holding belts 30 is urged so as to make the interval between the inner central portions thereof narrower than the width of the onion, and the onion is sandwiched and conveyed. I try not to slip.

Also, the frontmost tension roller 33.
A clamping start position P for nipping and transporting the onion between the clamping belts 30 between 33 is provided. Above the clamping start position P, a cutting head 4a constituting the root cutting device 4 is disposed. While holding, the root is cut by the cutting head 4a.

The cutting head 4a has a cutting drive shaft 49 having a shaft center in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a plurality of scannings protruding from the left and right center positions in the conveying direction to the left and right sides. It is composed of a plate, a plurality of cutting blades 48, 48, 48, 48, etc. fixed in the tangential direction of the cutting drive shaft 49. An end of the cutting drive shaft 49 protrudes outward from the support arm 4b, a pulley 53 is fixedly provided at the end, and a driving force is transmitted from an output shaft 39a of the motor 39 via a pulley and a belt (not shown). Cutting blade 48 ・ 48 ・ ・
・ The scanning plate is being rotated.

Therefore, the holding and conveying device 17 is arranged by the aligning and conveying device 16 in a posture in which the stem is directed downward and the root is directed upward.
To the cutting blade 48 of the cutting head 4a.
The left and right cutting blades 31a and 31b, which are rooted at 48, 48 and 48, are further conveyed backward, and rotate in the horizontal direction of the stem cutting device 6 disposed below the center of the left and right holding belts 30 and 30. The stem has been cut off.

The entire onion preparation machine 1 is covered by a casing 90, and a discharge blower 91 is disposed on one of the front and rear sides, and a suction blower 92 is disposed on the other side. It is possible to forcibly evacuate the debris of the epidermis peeled off from the onion or the like without being scattered outside.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left and right side surfaces, the lower surface, the front and rear surfaces of the onion preparation machine 1 and the upper part of the transport unit 2 are covered by a casing 90 as a housing. The upper portion of the casing 90 has an opening 90 in which the hopper 19 is disposed.
are provided in the casing 90, and the entrance is configured to be able to store debris dropped from the bars 9 on the bottom surface of the hopper 19 in the casing 90 or to transport the debris from the chute portion 15 to the start end of the alignment transport device 16. An outlet 90b is opened at the end of the holding and conveying device 17 on the rear surface of the casing 90 so that the prepared onion can be discharged from the discharge unit 7, and a blowing blower 91 is mounted above the outlet.

From the discharge port of the blower blower 91, the conveying section 2
A plurality of ducts are connected to appropriate positions such as the cutting section 3 and the like so that air can be directly discharged. That is, the blower upper duct 93 and the blower lower duct 94 are connected to the discharge port of the blower blower 91. The upper duct 93 for the blower is a casing 9
0 It extends to the rear lower part of the hopper 19 along the upper inner peripheral surface, and blows air forward from this position. Further, the blower lower duct 94 is connected to the casing 9.
0 extends to the lower part of the stem cutting device 6 along the rear inner peripheral surface,
Air is discharged forward from this position.

On the other hand, a suction port of a suction blower 92 is mounted on the front upper portion of the casing 90, a plurality of ducts are connected to the suction port, and the duct is extended to a position where dust and the like in the casing 90 are easily accumulated. Let me out. That is, the suction upper duct 95 and the suction lower duct 96 communicate with the suction port of the suction blower 92. The rear part of the upper suction duct 95 extends to the lower front part of the hopper 19 along the upper front part of the casing 90, and the upper suction duct 95 is arranged to face the upper air duct 93. The suction lower duct 9
6 also extends to below the start end of the aligning and conveying device 16 along the lower front part of the casing 90, and is disposed so as to face the lower air duct 94.

Therefore, when the blower blower 91 and the suction blower 92 are driven, air is discharged from the upper blower duct 93 in the upper part of the casing 90 and is sucked from the upper suction duct 95, so that the rails 9. 9. A flow of air is generated downward as shown by the arrow in the figure, and acts like an air curtain to partition the bottom of the hopper 19 and the aligning and conveying device 16 by the flow of air. Also, the soil, skin, etc., dropped from the space between the bars 9, 9,... Ride on the flow of air and are drawn into the suction upper duct 95, so that they fall out of the casing 90 or lower. It does not fall on the transport unit 2 and accumulate.

Further, an air flow is generated from the blower lower duct 94 to the suction lower duct 96 as shown by an arrow in the figure, and the soil, mud, skin, Root and stem cutting device 6 cut by cutting device 4
The stem cut in the step is dropped on the lower part of the casing 90 and flows forward along the flow of the air to be sucked into the suction lower duct 96. Further, the casing 90
The inside air is sucked so as to flow toward the front suction lower duct 96 and the suction upper duct 95 as a whole, so that dust and the like do not leak outside from the outlet 90b at the rear of the casing 90 opposite to the flow. Like that. still,
The outlet 90b can be covered with a cover 99 made of an elastic material such as rubber dripping to prevent exhaust of dust and the like.

The debris sucked by the suction upper duct 95 and the suction lower duct 96 is discharged from a discharge port of a suction blower 92 outside the casing 90 and is collected.
7 are collected.

As shown in FIG. 7, a suction blower 92 'is arranged near the front lower portion of the casing 90.
By connecting the suction port directly to the lower part of the casing 90, the blower blower 91 and the suction blower 92 can be arranged at diagonal positions of the casing 90, and the air flow can be spread throughout the casing 90, and the debris dropped to the lower part of the casing 90 The suction blower 92 'sucks and discharges without lifting the like.

With the above-described structure, the onion to be prepared is subjected to a drying treatment or is supplied immediately after harvesting, so that the skin is easily peeled off or the soil is attached. When the onion preparation machine 1 was used, the skin was peeled off, and the soil and the like that had adhered to the onion preparation machine 1 were dropped, thereby deteriorating the working environment. However, the outer peripheral portion of the onion preparation machine 1 is covered with the casing 90. Thus, scattering of these debris is prevented, and the working environment is kept good. Further, these debris are collected by using the blower blower 91 and the suction blower 92, and the debris is not deposited on the transport surface on the transport unit 2 or the working surfaces of the cutting devices 4 and 6, so that the transport resistance is reduced. And the roots and stems can be prepared and processed accurately without the disadvantage that the onion posture during transport is lost.
Further, there is no possibility that the power transmission unit is caught in a gear or the like to cause a failure, there is no need to temporarily stop the work for maintenance, and continuous work can be performed, thereby improving workability. In addition, the duct connected to the discharge port of the blower blower 91 is extended to the vicinity of the conveying unit 2, the cutting devices 4 and 5 where debris is easily generated, and the alignment blade 28 to blow off debris.
These transporting accuracy and cutting accuracy can be kept high.

[0031]

The present invention is configured as described above.
The following effects are obtained. That is, as described in claim 1, in an onion preparation machine including a transport unit for aligning and transporting onions, and a cutting unit for cutting the roots and stems, substantially the entire periphery of the onion preparation machine is enclosed by a housing. Since the air blower was placed on one side of the housing, the onion was easily dried when the onion at the time of preparation was dried, and the soil and dirt attached to the onion were also easily dropped. When the onions are lined up and transported toward them, they can drop, or the roots and stem fragments that flew during cutting can be blown with a blower to the collection container side and collected, and at this time are encased in the housing Therefore, it does not scatter to the outside, and a good working environment is maintained.

Further, since the suction type blower is arranged on the other side of the casing as described in claim 2, even if the soil or the epidermis is peeled off from the onions at the time of carrying and aligning and preparing for cutting,
Those that have been blown away by a blower can be sucked by a suction-type blower, exhausted to the outside, and collected.It is necessary to temporarily suspend the work to perform maintenance work such as cleaning to collect them. There is no work efficiency.

Further, the blower for exhaust is arranged on the supply side of the onion and the suction blower is arranged on the discharge side of the onion, so that the cut root, stem or onion is cut off. The onion, mud, and the like, which have come off from the container, flow to the starting end of the transportation and are not discharged together with the prepared onion, and the onion can be collected in a state suitable for shipping.

Also, the exhaust blower is arranged at the lower part of one side of the casing and the suction blower is arranged at the upper part of the other side of the casing. A blower is placed in the housing, and the air flow spreads over almost the entire area of the housing, drops the skin and other debris toward the exhaust blower, sucks it from below, and collects the skin and other debris smoothly. Can be exhausted to the outside.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, ducts are respectively connected to the suction side of the exhaust blower and the discharge side of the suction blower, and the suction side and the discharge side of the duct are located above the transport unit. Because it is arranged opposite to and below, air can be blown out and sucked to a place where debris and the like easily accumulate, eliminating the accumulation of debris and not scattering the debris to the outside, driving the transport unit and cutting unit, The transfer accuracy and the cutting accuracy can be kept good, and the working environment can be kept good.

In addition, as described in claim 6, a transport section for aligning and transporting the onions, and a cutting section for cutting the roots and stems are provided, and a hopper is disposed above the transport section so that the onions can be supplied. In the onion preparation machine, since the outer peripheral portion of the onion preparation machine other than the hopper is covered with the casing, the onion preparation machine can be covered with the casing so as to have a good working environment, and continuously from the hopper to the transfer unit in the casing. Onion can be supplied, and continuous operation of the preparation process can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of an onion preparation machine in which an outer peripheral portion is covered with a casing.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an overall front view of the onion preparation machine.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the aligning and conveying device of the onion preparation machine.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a configuration of an alignment blade.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the nipping and conveying device, the root cutting device, and the stem cutting device.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of a blower connected to a casing on which an onion preparation machine is mounted.

[Description of Signs] 1 Onion preparation machine 2 Transport unit 4 Root cutting device 6 Stem cutting device 16 Alignment transport device 17 Nipping transport device 19 Hopper 20 Transport brush 30 Nipping belt 90 Casing 90a Opening 90b Exit 91 Blowing blower 92 Suction blower 93 94 Ventilation duct 95/96 Suction duct

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Hioki 428 Enami, Okayama City F-term (reference) 2B072 AA03 DA02 DA12 DA13 DA18 DA19 4B061 AA03 BA03 BB05 BB19 CB12

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An onion preparation machine comprising a transport section for aligning and transporting onions, and a cutting section for cutting roots and stems, wherein substantially the entire outer peripheral portion of the onion preparation machine is covered with a housing. An onion preparation machine characterized in that an exhaust blower is arranged on one side of a housing. 2. The onion preparation machine according to claim 1, wherein a suction blower is arranged on the other side of the housing. 3. The onion preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust blower is arranged on the supply side of the onion, and the suction blower is arranged on the onion discharge side. 4. The onion preparing machine according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust blower is arranged at a lower portion of one side of the housing, and a suction blower is arranged at an upper portion of the other side of the housing. 5. A system in which a duct is communicated with a suction side of the exhaust blower and a discharge side of a suction type blower, and the suction side and the discharge side of the duct are arranged to be opposed to each other above and below the transport unit. The onion preparation machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: 6. An onion preparation machine comprising a transport section for aligning and transporting onions, and a cutting section for cutting roots and stems, and a hopper disposed above the onion feeder to supply onions.
An onion preparation machine wherein an outer peripheral portion of the onion preparation machine other than the hopper is covered with a housing.