JP2022147955A - Food piece aggregate formation method and food piece aggregate formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a formation method of a food aggregate capable aligning a total length and weight of the aggregate of food pieces formed in a plurality of rows.SOLUTION: A plurality of rows of food pieces (m1 to m3) are sequentially cut out by cutting a plurality of lumpy food pieces substantially simultaneously from each tip thereof, and the food pieces are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps each other to form an aggregate of food pieces (M1 to M3), wherein thicknesses of the top portion of each lumpy food is averaged, and the number of food pieces forming the aggregate is automatically changed based on the average thickness to reduce the variation in the weight of each cluster. In addition, when the difference or the ratio of difference in the thickness of the tips of a plurality of lumpy foods exceeds a predetermined value, regardless averaged thickness, based on whichever thickness is greater, the number of food pieces forming each aggregate based on the thicker thickness is automatically changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 43

Description

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming an aggregate of food pieces cut from a block of food.

As a conventional method and apparatus for forming an aggregate of food pieces, for example, a bulk food such as raw meat, processed meat, cheese, etc., is sequentially thinly cut into food pieces, and a plurality of these food pieces are partially overlapped with each other. There are some that form an aggregate of food pieces arranged side by side.
By forming a plurality of pieces of food into an aggregate in this way, the pieces can be easily accommodated in a container, and the working efficiency in a food processing factory can be improved.
In addition, it becomes easy to take out the pieces of food while separating them from the container, which improves convenience in cooking.
When the food is raw meat, the thinly sliced raw meat is usually folded into 5 to 10 pieces, each of which is folded side by side to form an aggregate of meat pieces, and this aggregate is placed in a tray. The meat type, total weight, weight unit price, processing date, etc. are labeled, and the meat is shipped as a product.

As a method and apparatus for forming such an aggregate of food pieces, Patent Document 1 discloses that a lump of raw meat is vertically cut from its tip to form a plurality of thin pieces one by one, and the thin pieces are cut into pieces. A technique is disclosed in which the intermediate portion is folded and the folded thin pieces are arranged side by side so as to partially overlap each other to form an assembly.
Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique of conveying an aggregate formed of a plurality of thin pieces at predetermined intervals and storing them in a tray.
Patent Literature 3 discloses a technique for automatically changing the number of meat pieces to be arranged in parallel and the cut thickness of the meat pieces so that the weight of the aggregate of meat pieces approaches a set weight.

Japanese Patent No. 4264518 Japanese Patent No. 5875156 Japanese Patent No. 4942696

For example, chunky foods such as raw meat have different thicknesses depending on the individual, and when food pieces are cut from the tip in the vertical direction with the same width, the food pieces cut out from the thicker chunky food are thinner. larger than a piece of food cut from
For this reason, for example, when two blocks of food are cut at the same time to cut out food pieces, and two rows of aggregates composed of the same number of food pieces are formed, the number of the food pieces is determined based on the thinner food block. , the mass of the food pieces cut out from the thicker block of food becomes heavier, and the difference in weight between the masses formed in two rows becomes large.
When the difference in weight between aggregates becomes large in this way, there arises a problem that manual adjustment is required and work efficiency is lowered.

In addition, for example, bulk food such as raw meat does not have a uniform cross-sectional shape from the front end to the rear end, but the cross-sectional shape changes irregularly. The size (length) and weight of the pieces are not uniform.
Therefore, when the same number of food pieces are stacked at the same pitch, the total length and weight of the aggregate formed by this will vary.
When the weight of each group varies in this way, it becomes difficult to align the displayed weight range and the associated displayed price range of the product. problems arise.

In addition, when automatically changing the number of food pieces to be arranged side by side and the cutting thickness using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, it is possible to reduce the variation in the weight of each aggregate of food pieces. Even if it could be done, the total length of the aggregate cannot be aligned because the pitch of arranging the food pieces is not automatically adjusted.
Due to this variation in total length, for example, the total length of the aggregate becomes too large, and when it is stored in a container such as a tray, it protrudes from the container, or conversely, the total length of the aggregate becomes too small, creating a gap in the container. Also, it is necessary to rearrange the pieces of food manually, which may cause problems such as a decrease in work efficiency.
In addition, since the thickness of the pieces of food contained in the same container such as a tray varies, the product value may be lowered.

The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and is capable of reducing variations in the weight of each food piece assembly, and furthermore, a method and a method for forming food piece aggregates capable of aligning the overall length of the aggregate. The purpose is to realize a device.

The present invention takes the following technical means in order to solve the above-described problems.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 cuts a plurality of massive food (MF) from each tip substantially simultaneously to sequentially cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces (m), and each food piece (m) is A method of forming an aggregate (M) of food pieces (m) by arranging them so that at least a part of them overlap each other, wherein the thicknesses (X1, X2) of the tip portions of each lump of food (MF) are averaged. , automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming an aggregate (M) based on the average thickness (X) to reduce variations in the weight of each aggregate (M). A method for forming a food piece aggregate.

In the invention according to claim 2, when the difference or the difference ratio of the thicknesses (X1, X2) of the tip portions of the plurality of lumpy foods (MF) exceeds a predetermined value, the average thickness (X) The method of forming a food piece assembly according to claim 1, wherein the number of food pieces (m) forming each assembly (M) is automatically changed based on the thickness of whichever is greater. .

The food according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the invention according to claim 3 prohibits the automatic change of the number of the food pieces (m) until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. A piece assembly forming method.

The invention according to claim 4 relates to the automatic change of the number of food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M), and the pitch of arranging the food pieces (m) in each aggregate (M). 4. The food piece assembly forming method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein (K) is automatically changed and the total length of each assembly (M) is formed to the set length (E). and

The invention according to claim 5 is the food according to claim 4, wherein the automatic change of the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged is prohibited until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. A piece assembly forming method.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at substantially equal intervals from each tip portion thereof to sequentially form food pieces (m) having a substantially uniform thickness. Item 5. The method for forming an aggregate of food pieces according to any one of Item 5.

The invention according to claim 7 is the food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each tip of the plurality of lumped foods (MF) is cut by a single cutting means (49). A piece assembly forming method.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, a plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut substantially simultaneously from each tip portion thereof to sequentially cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces (m), and each food piece (m) is cut at a set position. A method of forming an aggregate (M) of food pieces (m) by folding and arranging them so that at least some of them overlap with each other, wherein the thickness (X1, X2) of the tip of each lumpy food (MF) is By averaging and automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming an aggregate (M) based on this average thickness (X), variation in the weight of each aggregate (M) is reduced and , from the average thickness (X) and the folding position of the food piece (m), calculate the length (A) in the arrangement direction of the food piece (m) after folding, and calculate the length (A) A set of food pieces characterized by automatically changing the pitch (K) at which each food piece (m) is arranged based on and forming the total length of each set (M) to a set length (E) Body formation method.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the folding position of each food piece (m) is individually set according to the thickness of the tip portion of the massive food (MF) from which the food piece (m) is cut. 8. The method for forming an aggregate of food pieces according to 8 above.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the number of the food pieces (m) and the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged are automatically changed until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. The food piece aggregate formation method according to claim 8 or claim 9, which is prohibited.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at substantially equal intervals from each tip portion thereof to sequentially form food pieces (m) having a substantially uniform thickness. A method for forming an aggregate of food pieces according to claim 9 or 10.

The invention according to claim 12 is the food according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein each tip of the plurality of lumped foods (MF) is cut with a single cutting means (49). A piece assembly forming method.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, a plurality of massive food pieces (MF) are cut substantially simultaneously from each tip portion thereof to sequentially cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces (m), and each food piece (m) is at least A device for forming an aggregate (M) of food pieces (m) by arranging them partially overlapping each other, comprising a thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the tip of each of the massive food pieces (MF); A quantity changing means for changing the number of food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) is provided, a plurality of thicknesses (X1, X2) measured by the thickness measuring means are averaged, and the average thickness Based on the weight (X), the quantity changing means is operated to automatically change the number of food pieces (m) forming each aggregate (M) to reduce variations in the weight of each aggregate (M). The food piece assembly forming apparatus is characterized in that it is provided with control means for controlling.

In the invention according to claim 14, when the difference or the difference ratio of the thicknesses (X1, X2) of the tip portions of the plurality of massive food products (MF) measured by the thickness measuring means exceeds a predetermined value, Regardless of the average thickness (X), actuating the quantity changing means based on whichever thickness is greater to automatically adjust the number of food pieces (m) forming each mass (M) The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to claim 13, which has a modified configuration.

The invention according to claim 15 is configured such that the automatic change of the number of food pieces (m) by the quantity changing means is prohibited until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. The apparatus for forming aggregated food pieces according to claim 14.

The invention according to claim 16 is provided with pitch changing means for changing the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged, and automatically In relation to the change, the pitch changing means is operated to automatically change the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) in each assembly (M) are arranged, and the total length of each assembly (M) is set. The apparatus for forming aggregates of food pieces according to claim 13, 14 or 15, wherein the food pieces are formed to have a length (E).

The invention according to claim 17 prohibits automatic change of the pitch (K) in which the food pieces (m) are arranged by the pitch changing means until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to 1.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the invention, the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at substantially equal intervals from each tip portion thereof to sequentially form food pieces (m) having a substantially uniform thickness. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

According to the invention of claim 19, there is provided a single cutting means (49) that cuts the respective tip portions of the plurality of massive foodstuffs (MF) substantially simultaneously. The food piece assembly forming apparatus described above.

According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, a plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut substantially simultaneously from each tip portion thereof to sequentially cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces (m), and each food piece (m) is cut at a set position. A device for folding and arranging food pieces (m) so that at least some of them overlap with each other to form an aggregate (M) of food pieces (m), wherein the thickness is measured at the tip of each lumpy food (MF) means, quantity changing means for changing the number of food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M), and pitch changing means for changing the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged, wherein the thickness Food that averages a plurality of thicknesses (X1, X2) measured by the thickness measuring means and operates the quantity changing means based on the averaged thickness (X) to form each aggregate (M) The number of pieces (m) is automatically changed, and from the average thickness (X) and the folding position of the food pieces (m), the length ( A) is calculated, and the pitch changing means is operated based on this length (A) to automatically change the pitch (K) at which each food piece (m) is arranged, and each aggregate (M) A food piece assembly forming apparatus is characterized by reducing variation in weight and forming the total length of each assembly (M) to a set length (E).

The invention according to claim 21 is configured such that the folding position of each food piece (m) is individually set according to the thickness of the tip portion of the bulk food (MF) from which the food piece (m) is cut. The apparatus for forming aggregated food pieces according to claim 20.

According to the twenty-second aspect of the invention, the number of food pieces (m) and the pitch (K) for arranging the food pieces (m) are automatically changed by the quantity changing means and the pitch changing means so that the same aggregate ( 22. The apparatus for forming aggregated food pieces according to claim 20 or 21, which is configured to prohibit until the formation of M) is completed.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at substantially equal intervals from their respective ends to sequentially form food pieces (m) of substantially uniform thickness. 20, claim 21, or claim 22, which is the apparatus for forming aggregates of food pieces.

According to the twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a single cutting means (49) that cuts the tip portions of the plurality of lumped foodstuffs (MF) substantially simultaneously. The food piece assembly forming apparatus described above.

According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce variations in weight of aggregates (M) formed from food pieces (m) cut out from a plurality of massive food products (MF).

According to the invention of claim 2, in order to achieve the effect of the invention of claim, when the thickness of a plurality of massive foods (MF) is greatly different, the food is based on the thickness of the larger one By automatically changing the number of pieces (m), the problem of the weight of the mass (M) formed from the thicker food block (MF) becoming heavier is less likely to occur.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the effects of the first or second aspect of the invention, the automatic change in the number of food pieces (m) can produce the same aggregate (M) is inhibited until the formation of is complete and the morphology of the aggregate (M) stabilizes.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3, the total length of each assembly (M) is formed to a set length (E). can do. Thereby, for example, this assembly (M) can be smoothly transferred to a food tray.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in order to obtain the effect of the fourth aspect of the invention, the automatic change of the pitch (K) in which the food pieces (m) are arranged allows the same assembly (M) is inhibited until the formation of is completed, and the formation of the aggregate (M) stabilizes.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effects of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) have a substantially uniform thickness. can be aligned.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the effect of the invention of any one of the first to sixth aspects, each tip of a plurality of lumped foods (MF) is cut by the same cutting means ( 49).

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce variations in the weight of the aggregate (M) formed from the food pieces (m) cut out from a plurality of food blocks (MF) and folded. Additionally, the total length of each assembly (M) can be formed to a set length (E).

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, in order to obtain the effect of the eighth aspect of the invention, the folding position of each food piece (m) is set to the bulk food (MF) from which the food piece (m) is cut out. ) is set individually according to the thickness of the tip.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the effects of the eighth or ninth aspect of the invention, the number of food pieces (m) and the pitch (K) for arranging the food pieces (m) Automatic changes are inhibited until the formation of identical aggregates (M) is completed, and the formation of aggregates (M) stabilizes.

According to the invention of claim 11, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 8, claim 9, or claim 10, the food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) have a substantially uniform thickness. can be aligned.

According to the 12th aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the effect of the invention of any one of the 8th to 11th aspects, each tip of a plurality of lumped foods (MF) is cut by the same cutting means ( 49).

According to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, the thickness of the tip of a plurality of massive foods (MF) is measured by the thickness measuring means, the measured thicknesses (X1, X2) are averaged, and this By automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming each mass (M) by activating the quantity changing means based on the average thickness (X), the weight of each mass (M) variation can be reduced.

According to the invention of claim 14, in order to achieve the effect of the invention of claim 13, when the thicknesses of a plurality of massive foods (MF) differ greatly, based on the thickness of the larger one By activating the quantity changing means and automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming each mass (M), the weight of the mass (M) formed from the thicker lumped food (MF) The problem of heavy weight is less likely to occur.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the invention, in order to obtain the effects of the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect of the invention, the automatic change in the number of food pieces (m) by the quantity changing means can be It is inhibited until the formation of the body (M) is completed and the formation of the aggregate (M) is stabilized.

According to the invention of claim 16, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 13, claim 14, or claim 15, the number of food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) is automatically In connection with the modification, the pitch modification means can be actuated to form the total length of each mass (M) to a set length (E). Thereby, for example, this assembly (M) can be smoothly transferred to a food tray.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the invention, in order to obtain the effect of the sixteenth aspect of the invention, the automatic change of the pitch (K) for arranging the food pieces (m) by the pitch changing means is It is inhibited until the formation of the body (M) is completed and the formation of the aggregate (M) is stabilized.

According to the invention of claim 18, in addition to the effect of the invention of any one of claims 13 to 17, the food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) have a substantially uniform thickness. can be aligned.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the effect of the invention of any one of the thirteenth to eighteenth aspects, each tip of a plurality of lumped foods (MF) is cut by the same cutting means ( 49).

According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, the quantity changing means can reduce variations in the weight of the aggregate (M) formed from the folded food pieces (m), and the pitch changing means can The total length of each assembly (M) can be formed to a set length (E).

According to the invention of claim 21, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 20, each food piece (m) is cut out from a block of food (MF) having a thickness of the tip of the food piece (m). It can be folded in the position that suits you.

According to the 22nd aspect of the invention, the automatic change of the pitch (K) in which the food pieces (m) are arranged can achieve the effect of the 20th or 21st aspect of the invention. It is inhibited until the formation of the body (M) is completed and the formation of the aggregate (M) is stabilized.

According to the invention of claim 23, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 20, claim 21, or claim 22, the food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) have a substantially uniform thickness. can be aligned.

According to the twenty-fourth aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the effect of the invention of any one of the twenty to twenty-third aspects, the tip portions of a plurality of massive foodstuffs (MF) are cut by the same cutting means ( 49).

1 is a plan view of a food cutting and conveying device, which is a piece of food aggregate forming device according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a left side view of a food cutting and conveying device, which is a piece of food aggregate forming device according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view of a food cutting and conveying device, which is a piece of food aggregate forming device according to the present invention; FIG. Fig. 2 is an explanatory left side view showing the food cutting and conveying device, which is the device for forming aggregated pieces of food according to the present invention, broken at the middle portion in the left-right direction. FIG. 4 is a power transmission explanatory diagram of the food cutting and conveying device, which is the device for forming aggregated food pieces according to the present invention. It is a left side view of a supply part. It is a top view of a supply part. It is a top view of a cutting part. FIG. 4 is a front view of a frame member provided at the delivery port of the supply section; It is a right side view of a cut part, (a) is a right side view for description of a cut part, (b) is an enlarged view of the part enclosed with the dashed-dotted line in (a). FIG. 10 is a left side view for explaining the periphery of the cutting portion and the transfer portion; FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view of the periphery of a cutting portion and a transfer portion; Fig. 10 is an explanatory left side view showing an aggregate of folded food pieces; It is a right side view of the conveyance effect|action part of the conveyance direction lower side. It is a top view of the conveyance effect|action part of the conveyance direction downstream side. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the article moving device in a closed state; 1 is a front view of the article moving device in a closed state; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the article moving device during interval adjustment; FIG. 4 is a front view of the article moving device during interval adjustment; FIG. 4 is a plan view of the article moving device in an open state; 1 is a front view of an article moving device in an open state; FIG. It is a left view of an article moving apparatus, (a) shows a working state, (b) shows a maintenance state. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a transfer body of the article moving device; It is a front view for explaining the operation state of the article moving device, (a) shows the closed state, (b) shows the open state. It is a rear view for description of a container supply part. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a container supply section; FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a container supply section; FIG. 11 is a left side view for explaining an operating state around the article moving device; FIG. 11 is a left side view for explaining an operating state around the article moving device; FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view of the periphery of the article moving device in an initial state before interval adjustment; FIG. 10 is a front view for explaining the vicinity of the article moving device in an initial state before interval adjustment; FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining the vicinity of the article moving device when adjusting the interval; FIG. 12 is a front view for explaining the periphery of the article moving device when adjusting the interval; FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view of the periphery of the article moving device in a state in the middle of opening; FIG. 11 is a front view for explaining the periphery of the article moving device in a state in the middle of opening; FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view around the article moving device in an open state; FIG. 4 is an explanatory front view of the periphery of the article moving device in an open state; FIG. 10 is a left side view for explaining the operation state around the article moving device in the accommodation complete state; It is a pneumatic circuit diagram of an air cylinder. 1 is a block circuit diagram; FIG. It is the first part of the flow chart for control. It is the latter part of the flow chart for control. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an aggregate on one side of right and left aggregates and showing a state of formation thereof; It is explanatory drawing which shows the height change of lump-shaped meat (lump-shaped food). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the relationship between the height of block meat and the total weight of meat piece aggregates.

In a mode for carrying out the present invention, a lump of meat (“lump food” in the claims) MF is continuously cut, and a plurality of pieces of meat (“food pieces” in the claims) m are aggregated by a plurality of pieces. A slicer conveyed as M (“food piece assembly forming apparatus” of the present invention) will be described in detail as an example.
In addition, the upper side is defined as the "rear side" and the lower side is defined as the "front side" with reference to the conveying direction of the lumped meat and meat pieces cut by this slicer, and the left hand side in the state facing the lower side is defined as "left side" and the right hand side is defined as "right side".

(Overall structure of slicer)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the slicer 1 is configured by providing a supply section 3, a cutting section 4, a transfer section 5, a storage section 6, and a control section 7 for a base 2. do.

The machine base 2 is a rectangular frame having a predetermined height when viewed from above.

The supply unit 3 receives the lumped meat thrown in by the operator and conveys it forward. It cuts.

The conveying section 5 conveys the pieces of meat cut by the cutting section 4 forward, and the accommodating section 6 accommodates the conveyed pieces of meat in containers and carries them out.

The control unit 7 controls the operating states of the electric motor, air cylinder, etc. that drive each unit.

From a hygienic point of view, each part is mainly made of stainless steel and covered with a cover C made of stainless steel.
From FIG. 4 onward, this cover C is removed and shown.

(supply part)
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the supply unit 3 includes a frame 8 having a rectangular frame in a plan view, and is attached to the frame 8 to convey the manually supplied lump meat forward. Lump meat conveying device 9 is provided.
Left and right side walls 10, 10 are erected on both left and right sides of a frame body 8 in this lump meat conveying device 9, and left and right fulcrum shafts 11, 11 extend from rear ends of the left and right side walls 10, 10, respectively. is fixed in a position protruding outward.
The left and right fulcrum shafts 11, 11 are arranged on the same axis, and both ends thereof are supported on the machine base 2 side via left and right bearings 12, 12. As shown in FIG.

(Oscillating mechanism of supply section)
As shown in FIG. 5 , an electric swing motor 13 is attached to a portion of the machine base 2 below the frame 8 , and one end of a crank arm 15 is attached to an output shaft 14 of the electric swing motor 13 .
A cylindrical portion provided at both ends of an interlocking rod 18 includes a bearing 16 pivotally supported on the other end of the crank arm 15, and a bearing 17 supported on a portion of the frame 8 on the lower front side than the fulcrum shafts 11, 11. (illustration omitted) is fitted and fixed.

As a result, the supply unit 3 is supported in a forwardly downwardly inclined posture so that the front end portion on the conveying terminal side is lower.
When the swing electric motor 13 is driven, the supply unit 3 swings obliquely up and down about the fulcrum shaft 11, and the front end of the supply unit 3 reciprocates on an arc locus about the fulcrum shaft 11.

(Conveyance passage of supply section)
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the frame body 8 is integrally provided with one partition wall 19 between side walls 10, 10 provided at both left and right ends.
Between these two side walls 10, 10 and one partition wall 19, two transport passages 20, 20 are formed.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the side walls 10, 10 at both left and right ends are arranged in a gate shape or an arch straddling the upper part of the two conveying passages 20, 20 at the front and rear portions thereof. The rigidity of the frame body 8 is ensured by connecting with shaped reinforcing frames 21 , 21 .

(Conveyor in supply section)
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the lumped meat conveying apparatus 9 is configured by providing a wide lower conveyor 22 for conveying lumped meat in each of the two conveying passages 20, 20. As shown in FIG.

This lower conveyor 22 forms the bottoms of the two conveying passages 20, 20, and conveys chunks of meat placed thereon.
The lower conveyor 22 includes a front end roller 23 and a rear end roller 24, a lower endless belt 25 having a rough surface wound around the front end roller 23 and the rear end roller 24, and tension applied to the lower endless belt 25. It consists of a tension roller 26 in the middle of the direction.

The front end rollers 23 are rotatably supported on left and right shafts fixed to front end portions of left and right frames (not shown).
The left and right frames are integrally formed and are removably attached to the lower portion of the frame body 8 .

The rear end roller 24 is fixed to a horizontal lower drive shaft 27 bearing the rear ends of the left and right frames.

The tension roller 26 is arranged in the middle portion of the frame 8 in the front-rear direction, is brought into contact with the upper surface of the lower winding area of the lower endless belt 25, and elastically urges it downward. As a result, the lower endless belt 25 is given tension suitable for transport.
Further, instead of the configuration in which the tension roller 26 is elastically biased, a configuration in which the height of the tension roller 26 is adjusted and fixed may be employed.

The front end roller 23, the rear end roller 24, the tension roller 26, and the lower endless belt 25 are formed wider than the space between the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 10, 10. , 10 below.
Between the front end roller 23 and the tension roller 26 and between the tension roller 26 and the rear end roller 24 of the frame 8 are sliding contact plates for supporting the lower surface of the upper winding region of the lower endless belt 25 in sliding contact. Attach the body (not shown). This slidable contact plate is formed with a wide width extending between the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 10 , 10 .

In addition, the upper surface of the lower endless belt 25 is arranged directly under the partition wall 19 with a gap that does not come into contact with the partition wall 19 .
As a result, the upper surface of the lower endless belt 25 forms the bottoms of the two conveying paths 20, 20 described above.

(Pressing plate of supply unit)
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the bases of the left and right pressing arms 28, 28 are supported by bearings on the left and right fulcrum shafts 11, 11 between the side walls 10, 10 and the bearings 12, 12. As shown in FIGS.
As a result, the left and right pressing arms 28, 28 are arranged outside the left and right side walls 10, 10 so as to be able to swing up and down.

Pressing plates 29, 29 facing the upper front ends of the conveying passages 20, 20 are attached to the front ends of the left and right pressing arms 28, 28, respectively.
The pressing plates 29, 29 are fastened and fixed to mounting stays 30, 30 attached to the front end portions of the left and right pressing arms 28, 28 with knob bolts 30N, 30N.
The mounting stays 30 , 30 extend upward from the front ends (free ends) of the pressing arms 28 , 28 and then bend upward in the transport passages 20 , 20 .
The pressing plates 29, 29 have upper surface portions fastened and fixed to the mounting stays 30, 30, slant portions that slope forward downward from the front ends of the upper surface portions, and pressing surface portions that extend forward from the front ends of the slant portions. It is a plate.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, stays 30T, 30T are raised from left and right side walls 10, 10 of the frame 8, and cylinder portions of left and right air cylinders 30S, 30S are attached to the stays 30T, 30T in the left-right direction. are rotatably supported by shafts 30Y, 30Y. As a result, the air cylinders 30S, 30S are attached in a vertical posture.
The tip ends of the pistons of the air cylinders 30S, 30S are pivotally supported on the front portions of the left and right pressing arms 28, 28 so as to be rotatable about their axes in the left and right direction.

When the air cylinders 30S, 30S extend, the pressing arm 28 rotates downward, and the pressing plates 29, 29 are pressed toward the upper surface of the lower endless belt 25 below. The front end of the block of meat conveyed to the front of the conveying passages 20, 20 is pressed.
That is, the timing of extension and retraction of the air cylinders 30S, 30S is controlled so as to synchronize with the rocking motion of the supply unit 3 about the fulcrum shaft 11. FIG.

As a result, the air cylinders 30S, 30S are extended to press the front end of the block of meat immediately before the front end of the block of meat is cut by the cutting unit 4 due to the upward swing of the supply unit 3, thereby Prevent misalignment.
After cutting, the air cylinders 30S, 30S are shortened to release the pressure on the chunk meat, and the lower endless belt 25 drives the chunk meat until the front end of the chunk meat abuts on a receiving plate, which will be described later.

(Transmission of supply section)
As shown in FIG. 5, an electric motor 31 for transportation is attached to the lower surface of the frame 8 in the supply unit 3 so as to face in the left-right direction, and an output gear 32 is fixed to the output shaft of the electric motor 31 for transportation in the left-right direction. do.
The output gear 32 meshes with an intermediate gear 33 bearing on the rear portion of the frame 8 , and the intermediate gear 33 meshes with an input gear 34 fixed to the left end of the lower drive shaft 27 .

(Cutting-related part in supply part)
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , a frame member 36 having two openings 35 is fastened and fixed to the front end of the frame 8 in the supply section 3 with bolts 37 .
As shown in FIG. 9, the frame member 36 has mounting portions 38, 38 having bolt holes at both left and right ends thereof, and two rectangular openings 35, 38 are provided between the left and right mounting portions 38, 38. 35 is penetrated and formed.
Between these two rectangular openings 35, 35, a crosspiece 39 is formed in the vertical direction.

Including the front surface of the crosspiece 39, on the outer front surfaces of the left and right openings 35, 35 in the frame member 36, there are sliding edge portions that continuously surround the three edges of the left and right side edges and the bottom side edge of each opening 35. 40, 40 are protruded forward.
As shown in FIG. 10(a), the front surfaces of the sliding edge portions 40, 40 are formed in an arc shape around the fulcrum shaft 11 of the supply portion 3 when viewed from the side.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the upper front surfaces of the sliding contact edges 40, 40 are inclined surfaces 41 that rise rearward, so that when the supply unit 3 is swung upward, an endless band blade (described later) is formed. ("cutting means") 49 are slidably guided over the slidable edges 40,40.
In addition, the upper edges of the bottom side edges of the openings 35, 35 are formed in the shape of a blade.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a vertically continuous recess 42 is formed only in the center of the width direction (horizontal direction) of the sliding contact edges 40 formed on the front surface of the beam portion 39 .
As a result, the sliding edges 40, 40 remain on both left and right sides of the bottom of the recess 42, and the rear surface of the cutting edge edge of the endless band blade 49, which will be described later, is also in sliding contact with these sliding edges 40, 40. As shown in FIG.
The bottom surface of this recessed portion 42 is also formed in an arc shape around the fulcrum shaft 11 of the supply portion 3 when viewed from the side.

(Receiving plate for cut part)
As shown in FIGS. 4, 8, 10, and 11, the front end portion of the block of meat delivered from the two openings 35 is received at a position facing the front side of the rocking locus of the frame member 36 described above. A receiving plate 43 is arranged.
The entire or part of the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 is formed to have a curvature along an arc centered on the fulcrum shaft 11 of the supply unit 3 when viewed from the side.
As a result, the front surfaces of the sliding edge portions 40, 40 of the frame member 36 and the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 have arc shapes with the same or similar curvature when viewed from the side.

(cutting means)
As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting unit 4 includes an electric cutting motor 44, a driving pulley 46 attached to an output shaft 45 of the electric cutting motor 44, a driven pulley 48 attached to a driven shaft 47, and a driving An endless steel strip 49 is provided which is wound over pulley 46 and driven pulley 48 .

The cutting blade electric motor 44 is fixed to a portion leftwardly away from the two openings 35 , 35 .
On the other hand, the driven shaft 47 is rotatably supported via a bearing 50 at a position away from the two openings 35, 35 to the right side so that the position can be adjusted in the left and right direction by the operation of an air cylinder (not shown). It is supported on the machine base 2 side.
In addition, the output shaft 45 and the driven shaft 47 are held in parallel in the same upward-forward inclined posture.
By operating the air cylinder to reduce the distance between the drive pulley 46 and the driven pulley 48, the endless band blade 49 can be easily wound around and removed from these two pulleys 46 and 48. .

When the electric cutting motor 44 is started with the endless band blade 49 wound around the drive pulley 46 and the driven pulley 48, the drive pulley 46 moves counterclockwise when viewed from the front upper extension line of the output shaft 45. Drive around and rotate.
In addition, the driven pulley 48 also rotates counterclockwise via the endless belt blade 49 .
As a result, in the lower winding region of the endless blade 49, the endless blade 49 circulates from the driven pulley 48 side to the drive pulley 46 side (from right to left).

Therefore, in this lower winding area, the endless belt blade 49 rotates in a tensioned state, and the lower winding area of the endless belt blade 49 is used as a chunk meat cutting action area.
In addition, when the endless band blade 49 that circulates in this way is overloaded due to cutting resistance of the lump meat or the like, force is applied to the driven shaft 47 in the direction toward the output shaft 45 side, but the driven shaft Damage due to overload can be prevented by compressing the air in the air cylinder that adjusts the movement of 47 .
One side edge of the endless belt blade 49 is formed into a sharp blade edge.

As shown in FIG. 10, a guide member 51 for guiding the endless band blade 49 is arranged above the receiving plate 43 between the drive pulley 46 and the driven pulley 48 .
The guide member 51 has a laterally elongated plate-shaped lower edge portion formed with a downwardly-opening lateral groove. It is fitted so as to be slidable in the left-right direction.

By fixing the posture of the guide member 51, the winding surface of the endless band blade 49 is held in a setting posture in which the surface of the endless band blade 49 is inclined rearwardly downward, and the blade edge of the endless band blade 49 and the upper end of the receiving plate 43 are aligned. A space T is formed between.
Since the guide member 51 slidably supports the inner surface and the outer surface of the endless band blade 49, the inclined posture during the circular movement is stabilized.

(Support of cut part, first support member, third support member)
As shown in FIG. 4, two flat plate-shaped rails 52, 52 are fixed on both left and right sides of the upper part of the machine base 2, facing in the front-rear direction and spaced apart in the left-right direction.
Two rollers 54 are supported on both left and right sides of the front portion of the lower portion of the third support member 53, which has a rectangular frame in a plan view, in a balance swinging manner.
In addition, one roller 54 is pivotally supported on each of the left and right sides of the rear portion of the lower portion of the third support member 53 .
With the third support member 53 mounted on the machine base 2 , a total of six rollers 54 are placed on the upper surfaces of the left and right rails 52 , 52 , and the third support member 53 moves forward and backward with respect to the machine base 2 . movably supported.

Above the third support member 53, a first support member 55 having a rectangular frame in a plan view is arranged, and four upper end portions of the upper link arms 56 are provided at four locations on the front, rear, left, and right of the first support member 55. are rotatably mounted around the upper shaft 57 in the left-right direction.
The lower ends of the four upper link arms 56 are respectively fixed to the left and right ends of the lower shafts 58, 58 in the left and right direction bearing-supported at the center and rear of the third support member 53 in the front-rear direction. 56, 56 are constructed so as to integrally rotate around lower shafts 58, 58 .
Further, the upper ends of lower link arms 59 are connected and fixed to the lower ends of these four upper link arms 56 . As a result, the lower link arm 59 and the upper link arm 56 exhibit an upside-down dog shape when viewed from the left side.

Front and rear tension springs 60 and 53P are provided between the left and right shafts 59P, 59P provided at the lower ends of the front and rear lower link arms 59, 59 and the shafts 53P, 53P provided at the front and rear portions of the third support member 53. The first support member 55 is urged upward by the elastic force of the tension springs 60, 60 in the direction of contraction.
A base portion of an electric motor 61 is axially supported by the third support member 53 around an axis in the left-right direction, and a female screw member 64 is screwed into a screw shaft 63 that is rotationally driven by the electric motor 61. The tip of the intermediate member 64a that moves together with the screw member 64 is rotatably attached to the stay 55b on the side of the horizontal frame 55a provided at the intermediate portion of the first support member 55 in the front-rear direction by a horizontal shaft 65. do.

When the screw shaft 63 is rotated by driving the electric motor 61, the female screw member 64 screwed therewith moves in the axial direction of the screw shaft 63, and the frame 55a of the first support member 55 is moved through the intermediate member 64a. By pushing and pulling, the first support member 55 moves with respect to the third support member 53 .
The movement trajectory of the first support member 55 is determined by setting the swing trajectory of the upper ends of the front and rear upper link arms 56 .

That is, the four upper link arms 56 are all formed to have the same length, and the bearing position of the front side lower shaft 58 with respect to the third support member 53 is adjusted to the bearing position of the rear side lower shaft 58 with respect to the third support member 53. Set higher than position.
The rearwardly downward inclination of the left and right upper link arms 56, 56 on the front side is set to be gentler than the rearwardly downward inclination of the left and right upper link arms 56, 56 on the rear side.
As a result, the closer the first support member 55 approaches (lowers) to the third support member 53, the more the front side of the first support member 55 lowers than the rear side. Tilt forward and downward.

A lower end portion of a rear support base 67 having left and right side plates 66, 66 is fixed to the rear portion of the first support member 55 by bolting.
Further, the lower portions of the left and right side plates 66, 66 are connected and reinforced by left and right round bar-shaped frames 68, 68. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the upwardly extending portions of the left and right side plates 66, 66 are connected by a left-right frame 69. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the upper rear portions of the left and right side plates 66, 66 are formed with oblique sides inclined forward and upward. The projecting stays 70, 70 are fastened with nuts 71 and fixed.
Thereby, the receiving plate 43 is fixed in place on the first support member 55 .
When the third support member 53 is moved forward with respect to the machine base 2, the receiving plate 43 is separated from the opening 35, and a space for maintenance is formed between the receiving plate 43 and the opening 35. This space can be used for maintenance of the cutting section 4, the conveying section 5 described later, and the like.

(Adjusting the thickness of the cut piece of meat)
When the electric motor 61 is driven, the first support member 55 and the receiving plate 43 integrally supported thereon move in a direction restrained by the swing locus of the upper link arms 56 , 56 .
That is, when the thickness of the cut piece of meat is to be increased, the first support member 55 is moved forward. do.
At this time, the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 supported by the first support member 55 changes its posture so as to tilt forward.

As a result, regardless of the change in the distance between the front surfaces of the sliding edge portions 40 and 40 and the rear surface of the receiving plate 43, the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 is the pivot center of the sliding contact edge portions 40 and 40 in a side view. The state of being positioned on an arc (virtual arc) centered on the fulcrum shaft 11 is maintained.
That is, while the distance from the fulcrum shaft 11 to the upper end of the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 and the distance from the fulcrum shaft to the lower end of the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 are maintained equal, The distance to the rear surface of plate 43 is adjusted.
Thereby, the thickness of the meat piece to be cut is adjusted to have a substantially uniform thickness over the entire surface.

Note that the curvature of the front surfaces of the sliding edge portions 40, 40 and the curvature of the rear surface of the receiving plate 43 in a side view are substantially equal.
Therefore, strictly speaking, when the above-described thickness adjustment is performed, the distances from the fulcrum shaft 11 to the upper and lower ends of the rear surface of the support plate 43 and the vertical intermediate portion of the rear surface of the support plate 43 from the fulcrum shaft 11 is slightly different from the distance of
However, this slight difference does not affect the commercial value of the cut piece of meat.

In addition, the configuration in which the receiving plate 43 is tilted forward and moved forward and downward in this way is similar to the slicer in this embodiment, and the sliding edge portions 40, 40 centering on the fulcrum shaft 11 are positioned below the circular arc locus. Applies in the case of configurations for cutting chunk meat in the side regions.

(Take-over rotating body of cutting part)
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 11, left and right takeover rotors 72, 72 are provided between the upper portions of the left and right side plates 66, 66 and rotate independently on the same axis.
The left and right handover rotors 72, 72 are formed by arranging a large number of annular plates 74 with a large number of sharp protrusions on the outer periphery of a body 73 at intervals. It is rotatably supported on a support shaft 75 extending over the left and right side plates 66 , 66 .
In addition, the projection formed on the peripheral edge of the annular plate 74 has a pointed end that is sharp enough to pierce the piece of meat after being cut.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, takeover electric motors 76, 76 are attached to the upper outer surfaces of the left and right side plates 66, 66, and the output shafts 77, 77 driven by the takeover electric motors 76, 76 are connected to the left and right side plates. The side plates 66, 66 are protruded inwardly through holes drilled in the side plates 66, 66.
Output gears 78, 78 are fixed to the projecting ends of the output shafts 77, 77, and input gears 79, 79 are fixed to the outer ends of the left and right bodies 73, 73. , 79 are engaged.

A part of the peripheral edge of the annular plate 74 is inserted into the vertical slit formed in the upper part of the receiving plate 43, and the protrusion formed on the peripheral edge is pierced into the piece of meat during and after cutting. Take over onto the rotating bodies 72 , 72 .
At this time, the upward movement speed of the openings 35, 35 and the outer peripheral speed of the annular plates 74, 74 of the transfer rotors 72, 72 are set in the same direction and at the same speed, so that the cut pieces of meat can be transferred smoothly. be able to.

(folding device)
As shown in FIGS. 5, 11, and 12, left and right rod-shaped bodies 81, 81 that are reciprocally rotated by left and right swinging electric motors 80, 80 are arranged below the support shaft 75 on the front side.
A large number of thin rods 82, 82 are implanted in the left and right rod-shaped bodies 81, 81 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction.
Before the support shaft 75 starts to rotate, the many narrow rods 82, 82 enter between the adjacent annular plates 74, 74, and are locked to the upper peripheral surfaces of the annular plates 74, 74. It is stored in a standby position that does not interfere with the pieces of meat being conveyed.

Further, the left and right swinging electric motors 80, 80 and the left and right rod-shaped bodies 81, 81 are unitized.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the left and right units 83, 83 are mounted in parallel on the outer sides of the left and right side plates 66, 66 with two round-bar-shaped guide rails 83L inclined forward upward. , 83L so as to be slidable in its longitudinal direction.
Furthermore, one end of the crank arm 85, 85 is attached to the output shaft of the gear case 84G, 84G to which power is supplied from the left and right electric motors 84, 84 attached to the outer side of the left and right side plates 66, 66, Both ends of turnbuckle rods 86, 86 are axially attached to the other ends of the crank arms 85, 85 and the units 83, 83, respectively.

As a result, the large number of thin rods 82, 82 implanted in the left and right rod-shaped bodies 81, 81 are reciprocally rocked so that the tilted attitude is reversed in the front-rear direction by the operation of the left and right rocking electric motors 80, 80. .
Further, the large number of narrow rods 82, 82 are guided by the guide rails 83L, 83L together with the left and right electric motors 84, 84, so that they reciprocate and slide in the upward and forward inclined directions.

(Pressing device)
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the cylinder portion of the air cylinder 87 is attached to the central portion of the horizontal frame 69 connecting the upper portions of the left and right side plates 66, 66 so as to face obliquely up and down.
A laterally central portion of a pressing member 88 extending in the lateral direction is attached to the tip of the piston of the air cylinder 87 .

The pressing member 88 has four linear pressing members 89 each formed by bending an elastic wire into a mountain shape. It is installed by being slidably inserted into the hole.
In this state, each two linear pressing members 89 intersect each other, and the curved portions of the four linear pressing members 89 are positioned at the lower ends.

When the pressing member 88 is moved downward by the extension operation of the air cylinder 87, the lower edge of the pressing member 88 presses the upper surface of the folded piece of meat m.
After that, when the pressing member 88 is moved upward by the shortening operation of the air cylinder 87, the curved portions of the four linear pressing members 89 simultaneously press each of the two rows of folded meat pieces m at two points. Configuration.

(Folding of meat pieces and formation of aggregates)
When the electric motors 80, 80 for swinging described above are actuated to swing the many narrow rods 82 forward from the standby position, the piece of meat m carried on the upper peripheral surface of the annular plate 74 of the take-over rotor 72 is lifted. , are peeled off from the peripheral surface of the annular plate 74 at the tip portions of the many thin rods 82 .

At this time, the tips of the many thin rods 82 aligned in the left-right direction come into contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the piece of meat m in the front-rear direction, pushing up the central portion of the piece of meat m in the front-rear direction and swinging further forward.
As a result, the front and rear end portions of the meat piece m hang down under its own weight, and the meat piece m is bent at the position where the tip end portions of the many thin rods 82 come into contact with each other, and is folded in two. It is placed on the (rear) transport action part.
At this time, the air cylinder 87 is extended, the pressing member 88 moves downward, and the lower edge of the pressing member 88 presses the meat piece m folded in two.
In this pressed state, the moving electric motors 84, 84 are actuated, and the left and right rod-shaped bodies 81, 81 slide rearward and downward together with the left and right swinging electric motors 80, 80 to fold the meat piece m in half. A large number of pinched rods 82 are pulled out instantly.
After that, the pressing member 88 is retracted upward while the curved portion of the linear pressing member 89 pushes away the upper surface of the meat piece m folded in two downward.

By repeating such folding of the meat pieces m, as shown in FIG. The pieces of meat m are successively placed on the starting end of the endless belt 96 that is being conveyed to form an aggregate M of pieces of meat m.
In addition, control for intermittently increasing and decelerating the conveying speed of the endless belt 96, or swinging the narrow rod 82 while maintaining a state in which the rotational speed of the takeover rotor 72 and the swinging timing of the narrow rod 82 are synchronized. A predetermined interval is formed between one assembly M and the next assembly M by controlling intermittently changing the time interval or the like.

(Conveyor)
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 11, 14, and 15, the conveying unit 5 includes a rear end driven roller 90, a rear driven roller group 91, a drive roller 92, and adjacent rollers in front of and behind them. An endless belt 96 is wrapped around two driven rollers 93, 93, an upper driven roller 92U arranged above the drive roller 92, and a group of driven rollers forming a reciprocating conveyor 95, which will be described later.
In addition, between the rollers in the upper winding region of the endless belt 96, there is provided a slidable support plate (not shown) for slidably supporting the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt 96. As shown in FIG.
This forms a series of transport working areas from the beginning of transport to the end of transport.
This series of transport action areas is formed by a transport acting portion 5F on the upper side (rear side) in the transport direction and a transport acting portion 5R on the lower side (front side) in the transport direction.

(Conveyance acting portion on the upper side in the conveying direction)
As shown in FIG. 4 , an intermediate support base 98 consisting of left and right asymmetrical plates 97 , 97 is mounted on the front-rear intermediate portion of the first support member 55 .
That is, boss members having longitudinal bearing holes are fixed to the lower ends of the left and right plates 97 , 97 , and both front and rear end portions of round bar-shaped sliding guide rods are attached to the left and right side surfaces of the first support member 55 . The boss member is fitted to the sliding guide rod so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. (Both the boss member and the sliding guide rod are omitted from the drawing.)

A locking device (not shown) is provided for fixing and releasing the sliding position of the boss member with respect to the sliding guide rod.
When the intermediate support base 98 consisting of the left and right plates 97, 97 is slid to the rear end of the sliding range and the lock device is locked at this position, the winding circumference of the endless belt 96 is enlarged, and the endless belt is extended. 96 is stretched so that it can be transported.
On the other hand, when the locking device is unlocked and the intermediate support base 98 is slid forward, the winding circumference of the endless belt 96 is reduced and the endless belt 96 is slackened so that the endless belt 96 can be attached and detached. Become.

Thus, the bases of the left and right support stays 101, 101 are fixed to the front portions of the left and right plates 97, 97 of the intermediate support base 98, and the rearwardly extending end portions of the left and right support stays 101, 101 are Both left and right end portions of a support shaft 102 elongated in the left and right direction are supported by bearings so as to be vertically rotatable.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support shaft 102 rotatably supports the rear end driven roller 90 formed wide in the left-right direction.
As a result, the trailing edge driven roller 90 is positioned forwardly and downwardly of the interval T in the cutting section 4 described above.

Further, the tops of swinging arms 103, 103 branched from the upper piece and the lower side are respectively supported by bearings on the left and right ends of the support shaft 102 so as to be vertically rotatable.
Two rear upper driven rollers 91UF, 91UR are rotatably supported between the left and right upper sides of the swing arms 103, 103, Two rear lower driven rollers 91DF and 91DR are rotatably supported.
As a result, the rear driven roller group 91 described above is formed, and the rear driven roller group 91 is arranged in front of the rear end driven roller 90 .

Also, an operating arm 104 is integrally suspended from the top of the right swing arm 103 .
On the other hand, a gear case 106 that is transmitted from an electric motor 105 for vertical motion is fixed to the right side surface of the right plate 97 of the intermediate support 98, and one end of a crank arm 108 is attached to an output shaft 107 of this gear case 106.
The distal end (lower end) of the operating arm 104 and the other end of the crank arm 108 are pivotally connected by a turnbuckle-type interlocking rod 109 .

With this configuration, when the electric motor 105 for vertical movement is driven to rotate forward, the crank arm 108 and the operating arm 104 rotate together, and the left and right swing arms 103, 103 rotate upward about the axis of the support shaft 102. move.
As a result, the two rear upper driven rollers 91UF and 91UR rise to push up the inner surface of the upper winding area of the endless belt 96, and the conveying start end (rear side) of the conveying action portion 5F on the upper side in the conveying direction in a series of conveying action areas. end) is formed with a steep surface that slopes forward upward.

After that, when the vertical electric motor 105 is reversely driven, the left and right swing arms 103, 103 rotate downward about the axis of the support shaft 102, and the two rear upper driven rollers 91UF, 91UR descend to the original position. position.
As a result, the front portion of the endless belt 96 is lowered to its original position, and the transport start end portion of the transport action portion 5F returns to the gently inclined surface.
At this time, the inner surface of the lower winding area of the endless belt 96 is pushed down by the two rear lower driven rollers 91DF and 91DR that descend, thereby preventing the endless belt 96 from being loosened.

The drive roller 92 is arranged between the left and right plates 97, 97 on the intermediate support base 98, and the left and right ends of the rotary shaft 110 are attached to the left and right plates 97, 97 via bearings 111, 111. To support.
A gear case 113 to which power is supplied from a transport drive motor 112 is fixed to the right side surface of the right plate 97 , and the output shaft of the gear case 113 is connected to the rotation shaft of the drive roller 92 .
The two driven rollers 93, 93 arranged close to each other in front and behind the driving roller 92 are arranged at a position higher than the driving roller 92, and are bearing-supported between the left and right plates 97, 97 by the left and right bearings 114, 114. .

Then, the endless belt 96 is wound around the upper peripheral surfaces of the two driven rollers 93 and 93 and further around the lower peripheral surface of the driving roller 92 arranged between the two, thereby The winding circumference of the endless belt 96 wound around the side circumference is lengthened.
This reduces the slippage of endless belt 96 relative to drive roller 92 .

The above-mentioned upper driven roller 92U is rotatably supported by bearings on a horizontal shaft (not shown) attached between the upper parts of the left and right plates 97 in the intermediate support base 98, and is arranged above the drive roller 92. do.
Thus, the transport action portion 5</b>F on the upper side in the transport direction is formed mainly by the portion extending from the trailing end driven roller 90 to the upper driven roller 92</b>U.

(Second support member)
As shown in FIG. 4, a front support base 116 consisting of left and right plates 115, 115 is fixed to the rear end of the third support member 53 described above.
That is, the lower ends of the left and right plates 115, 115 are fastened and fixed to the rear end of the third support member 53 with bolts 117, 117, and the upper ends of the left and right plates 115, 115 are attached to the above-described intermediate support base. It extends to the same height as the upper ends of the left and right plates 97, 97 at 98. As shown in FIG.
The front support base 116 is arranged with a space in the front-rear direction between it and the first support member 55, so that the front support base 116 is directly connected to the first support member 55 and the intermediate support base 98. There is no connection.

(Conveyance acting portion on the downstream side in the conveying direction)
As shown in FIGS. 4, 14 and 15, left and right extension plate members 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118, 118 118 integrally extends rearward.
In addition, on the inner side surfaces of the left and right elongated plates 118, 118, guide rails 119, 119 in the form of round bars extending in the front-rear direction are arranged with a space therebetween. Each front end and rear end of 119 are attached to the inner side surfaces of extension plates 118 and 118 via stays 120 and 120 .

A moving frame 124 is constructed from left and right moving plates 121, 121 in the front-rear direction, and front connecting rods 122 and rear connecting rods 123 connecting front and rear end portions of the left and right moving plates 121, 121. to form
At the front upper edges of the left and right moving plates 121, 121 of the moving frame 124, sloped edges that slope forward downward are formed.

Then, the rear ends of the left and right oblique plates 125, 125 in the front-rear direction that incline along the oblique edges are attached to the left and right end portions of the rear support shaft 126 that extends between the left and right moving plates 121, 121. It is pivotally supported so that it can rotate up and down.
A bent portion driven roller 127 wide in the left-right direction is rotatably fitted to the rear support shaft 126 .

Further, arcuate elongated holes 128, 128 extending in the vertical direction are formed in the front ends of the left and right moving plates 121, 121, and bolts 130, 130 are inserted through the elongated holes 128, 128 from the outside. , 130 are inserted into the weld nuts 129 provided on the left and right slanted plates 125, 125, and the movable plate 121 and the slanted plate 125 are fastened together and fixed.
By loosening the bolts 130, 130, it is possible to adjust the forward downward inclination angle of the left and right slanted plates 125, 125. As shown in FIG.

Furthermore, the left and right support arms 131, 131 are attached to the outside of the front end portions of the left and right oblique plates 125, 125, and the front end portions of the left and right support arms 131, 131 are connected by a connecting shaft 132.
A laterally wide front-end driven roller 133 is rotatably supported on the connecting shaft 132 .

In addition, the lower rear portions of the left and right moving plates 121, 121 are extended forward and downward, and a laterally wide moving roller 150 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 149 that is bridged between the left and right extension ends. pivot on.
The moving roller 150 moves together with the moving frame 124 and absorbs changes in the winding circumference of the endless belt 96 caused by the forward and backward movement of the front end driven roller 133 .

Boss members 134, 134 are attached to the outer surfaces of the left and right moving plates 121, 121 at two front and rear locations, and the boss members 134, 134 are slidable in the front and rear directions on the left and right guide rails 119, 119. match up.
A gear case 136 to which power is supplied from an electric motor 135 for expansion and contraction is fixed to the right side surface of the right plate 115 of the front support base 116 .

The lower end of a swing arm 138 in the vertical direction is fixed to the end of the output shaft 137 of the gear case 136 protruding inward of the right plate 115 .
Front and rear end portions of turnbuckle interlocking rods 139 and 139 are pivotally connected to the upper end portion of the swing arm 138 and the end portion of the front connecting rod 122 protruding outward from the moving plate 121 .

As described above, when the extension/contraction electric motor 135 is driven, the bending portion driven roller 127 and the front end driven roller 133 supported on the moving frame 124 side move together in the front-rear direction. ) changes its position in the front-back direction.
A portion of the endless belt 96 extending from the bent portion driven roller 127 to the front end driven roller 133 is referred to as the reciprocating conveyor 95 described above.

14, the front end driven roller 133 is arranged lower than the moving roller 150, and the lower winding area DA of the reciprocating conveyor 95 is tilted forward and downward.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the lower winding area DA of the endless belt 96 from hanging down and interfering with the housing portion 6 during the housing operation in the housing portion 6, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 14, the bases (rear ends) of the tension arms 140, 140 are attached to the upper rear portions of the left and right plates 115 of the front support base 116, and pivot shafts 141, 141 are provided. is pivotally supported so as to be vertically rotatable around the center.
Wide tension rollers 142, 142 are rotatably supported at free ends (front ends) of the tension arms 140, 140, respectively.

Although not shown, a lock device is provided to fix the tension arms 140, 140 in a posture extending forward horizontally. When the lock device is unlocked, the tension arms 140, 140 rotate downward. It is configured.
When the lock is released and the tension arms 140, 140 are rotated downward, the circumferential length of the endless belt 96 including the tension rollers 142, 142 is shortened, and the endless belt 96 is loosened.

Although not shown, the left side plate 66 of the rear support base 67, the left plate body 97 of the intermediate support base 98, and the left plate body 115 of the front support base 116 are formed by an upper plate and a lower plate. The endless belt 96 can be pulled out to the left side by removing the connecting plate that connects the upper plate and the lower plate.
Thus, the endless belt 96 can be attached and detached.

In addition, an inner guide roller 143 for rolling and guiding the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt 96 and an outer guide roller 144 for rolling and guiding the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 96 are provided on the rear portion of the front support base 116 in the middle in the vertical direction. set up.
Support stays 145, 145 are fastened and fixed with bolts 146, 146 to the left and right sides of the front end of the first support member 55, and a shaft 147 installed between the left and right support stays 145, 145 A laterally wide lower driven roller 148 is supported by bearings.

As described above, when the thickness of the cut piece of meat is adjusted to increase, the closer (lower) the first support member 55 is to the third support member 53, the more the first support member 55 is lowered. The front side descends more than the rear side, and the first support member 55 inclines forward and downward.
At this time, the winding circumference of the endless belt 96 is shortened and the endless belt 96 is loosened. , changes in the circumferential length of the endless belt 96 are absorbed.

Thus, the conveying action portion 5R on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying portion 5 is formed mainly by the reciprocating conveyor 95 described above.
A series of conveying action areas are formed by the endless belt 96 from the conveying action portion 5F on the upper side in the conveying direction to the conveying action portion 5R on the lower side in the conveying direction.

A slidable contact plate member (not shown) is provided between the rollers to support the lower surface of the upper winding region of the endless belt 96 from below.

(Accommodation part)
The receiving surface 201 provided in the article moving device 200 shown in FIGS. 16 to 22 is positioned below the front-rear movement range of the transport end portion of the transport action portion 5R on the downstream side in the transport direction (the transport end portion of the reciprocating conveyor 95). Deploy.
This article moving device 200 comprises a right moving unit 200R and a left moving unit 200L, and has substantially horizontal left and right receiving plates 202, 202 on which receiving surfaces 201, 201 are formed.

The shape, support structure, and drive structure of the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 are substantially symmetrical in the left and right moving units 200R, 200L.
Therefore, the following description applies symmetrically to both the left and right moving units 200R and 200L unless otherwise specified.

(Supporting structure of housing section)
First, the lower ends of the left and right support stays 204, 204 formed in a plate shape are fastened and fixed to the upper part of the machine base 203 with bolts 205, 205, and the upper ends of the left and right support stays 204, 204 are fixed. A left-right direction fulcrum shaft 206 is inserted into the provided left-right direction hole so as to be rotatable around the axis.
A fulcrum shaft cylinder 207 is fitted to the outer circumference of the fulcrum shaft 206 so as to be rotatable about the axis and slidable in the axial direction.

A lower end portion of a plate-like upper support stay 208 arranged on one left and right side (outside) of one left and right side end portion (outer end portion) projecting outward from the left and right outer support stays 204 of the fulcrum shaft 206. are fastened and fixed with bolts 209 .
In addition, a substantially rectangular inner support plate body 210 arranged on the other left and right side (inner side) of the left and right other side end portions (inner end portions) protruding inward from the left and right inner support stays 204 of the fulcrum shaft 206 is provided. The lower end is fastened and fixed with a bolt 211 .

(Framework of containment unit)
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, a substantially rectangular outer support plate body 212 is arranged on the outer side of the upper support stay 208 arranged on one of the left and right sides (outside) with a space therebetween. The support plate 212 and the inner support plate 210 are connected and framed as follows.
That is, both ends of a round-bar-shaped first connecting rod 213 are positioned on the inner surface of the vertical intermediate portion of the front portion of the inner support plate 210 and the lower inner surface of the front portion of the outer support plate 212, and the bolts Fasten and fix at 214,214.

The middle portion of the first connecting rod 213 in the left-right direction is fixed by passing through a hole formed in the upper part of the upper support stay 208 on the left-right outer side.
Both ends of a round bar-shaped lower connecting rod 215 are positioned on the upper inner side surfaces of the upper support stays 208 on the left and right outer sides and on the inner side surfaces of the upper and lower intermediate portions of the front portions of the inner support plate bodies 210 on the left and right sides. It is fastened and fixed with

Both ends of a round bar-shaped second connecting rod 217 are positioned on the upper inner surface of the rear portion of the inner support plate 210 and the lower inner surface of the rear portion of the outer support plate 212, and are fastened and fixed with bolts 218, 218. do.
Both ends of a round bar-shaped third connecting rod 219 are positioned on the upper inner surface of the rear portion of the inner support plate 210 and the upper inner surface of the rear portion of the outer support plate 212, and are fastened and fixed with bolts 220, 220. do.
Thereby, the third connecting rod 219 is arranged directly above the second connecting rod 217 .

Both ends of a fourth connecting rod 221 are attached to the upper inner surface of the rear end of the inner support plate 210 and the inner surface of the vertical middle portion of the rear end of the left and right outer support plates 212 . It is positioned and fastened and fixed with bolts 222 , 222 .
In addition, the base of the horizontal sliding guide rod SS1 is positioned on the left side of the upper end of the front-rear intermediate portion of the inner support plate 210 provided in the right moving unit 200R, and is fastened and fixed with the bolt SS2.
On the other hand, the base of a sliding guide cylinder SS3 having a left-right hole is positioned and fixed to the left side of the upper end of the inner support plate 210 provided in the left moving unit 200L.
Then, the tip of the sliding guide rod SS1 is slidably fitted into the hole of the sliding guide cylinder SS3.

As a result, the left and right moving units 200L and 200R are allowed to move independently in the axial direction of the fulcrum shaft 206, and the left and right moving units 200L and 200R independently swing up and down around the fulcrum shaft 206. A position regulating portion PK that regulates movement is formed.
The first connecting rod 213, the second connecting rod 217, the third connecting rod 219, the fourth connecting rod 221, and the sliding guide rod SS1 are arranged horizontally and parallel to each other. .
The left and right front surfaces of the left and right rear connecting plates 223 narrow in the vertical direction are brought into contact with the upper rear end surface of the outer support plate 212 and the upper rear end surface of the inner support plate 210 , and bolts 224 are attached. , 224.

(Interval adjustment mechanism of article moving device)
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, the base of a double-acting first air cylinder 225 for spacing adjustment is attached to the inner surface of the front lower portion of the inner support plate 210 .
Also, the base of the stay 226 is fixed to the middle part of the fulcrum shaft cylinder 207 in the left-right direction, and a box-shaped holder 227 is fixed to the upper inner surface of the vertically erected stay 226 .
The holder 227 has a hollow interior and an opening on the side opposite to the portion fixed to the stay 226 .

Inside the holder 227, the head of the adjusting bolt 228 formed larger than the opening is arranged with a gap between it and the inner wall of the holder 227 so that the posture can be freely changed. A male threaded portion at 228 protrudes inwardly from the aforementioned opening.
The tip of this male threaded portion is threadedly connected to a female threaded portion formed at the tip of the piston 229 of the first air cylinder 225 and fixed with a lock nut 230 .
As a result, even if the extension and contraction direction of the piston 229 and the sliding direction of the fulcrum shaft 206 with respect to the fulcrum barrel 207 are parallel to each other, even if there is an error in the posture, the posture of the head of the adjustment bolt 228 with respect to the holder 227 does not change. , this error can be absorbed and the fulcrum shaft 206 can be slid smoothly.

By extending and contracting both the left and right first air cylinders 225, 225, the right moving unit 200R and the left moving unit 200L move in opposite left and right directions.
At this time, the relative posture between the right moving unit 200R and the left moving unit 200L is maintained because the sliding guide rod SS1 is slidably fitted into the sliding guide cylinder SS3.
Further, as will be described later, when the moving device 200 is swung upward about the axis of the fulcrum shaft 206, the sliding guide rod SS1 is slidably fitted into the sliding guide cylindrical body SS3. , the right moving unit 200R and the left moving unit 200L integrally swing upward.

(Receiving plate)
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, the receiving plate 202 is formed of a rectangular stainless steel plate. is bent outward in an inclined posture, and the inner edge in the left-right direction is rounded so as to roll downward.
Instead of this, a front-rear direction round bar may be fixed by welding to the inner end portion in the left-right direction. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which attached the wide width small diameter roller rotatably about the axial center of the front-back direction at the edge part of the left-right direction inner side.

Notches 202K and 202K are formed at two front corners of the receiving plate 202 in order to prevent interference with the inner supporting plate 210 and the outer supporting plate 212 described above.
At two corners on the rear side of the receiving plate 202, notch portions 202L, 202L for operating a first index plunger 270, which will be described later, are formed.

A horizontal receiving surface 201 is formed on the upper side of the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the receiving plate 202 thus formed.

(Sliding mechanism of receiving plate)
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, the sliding members 231, 231 arranged on the left and right outer sides and the left and right inner sides of the third connecting rod 219 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left and right direction. Fit slidably.
The sliding members 231, 231 have through holes through which the third connecting rod 219 is inserted, and ball-type sliding members for reducing sliding resistance to the third connecting rod 219 are provided in the through holes. and encloses grease acting on the sliding member.
Then, the vertically upwardly bent portion formed at the front end portion of the receiving plate 202 is brought into contact with the rear side surface of the sliding members 231 and 231, and bolts 232 and 232 are fastened and fixed.

(Interlocking Means by Timing Belt)
A first timing pulley 233 is rotatably supported around an axial center 234 in the front-rear direction under the outer sliding member 231 .
On the other hand, a second timing pulley 235 is rotatably supported around an axis 236 in the front-rear direction at the lower portion of the inner sliding member 231 .
The effective diameters of the first timing pulley 233 and the second timing pulley 235 are set equal.

A timing belt 237 is wound around the first timing pulley 233 and the second timing pulley 235 .
A part of the upper winding region of the timing belt 237 is fixed to the longitudinal central portion of the third connecting rod 219 via a fixing member 238 .
The fixing member 238 fastens and fixes its upper portion to the third connecting rod 219 so that its position can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction, and fixedly holds a part of the timing belt 237 in its lower portion.
That is, the fixing member 238 holds a portion of the upper winding region of the timing belt 237 at a fixed point.

In addition, the outer sliding member 231 and the inner sliding member 231 are connected with bolts 240, 240 to the left and right end portions of a support plate body 239 in the left and right direction, which are arranged at intervals in front of them.
In addition, it is preferable to form a shaft portion for bearing-supporting the above-described first timing pulley 233 and second timing pulley 235 at the tip portions of the bolts 240 , 240 .

By means of the first timing pulley 233, second timing pulley 235, timing belt 237, fixing member 238, first slider 246, and traction plate 250, the transfer belt 295 is moved in conjunction with the movement of the receiving plate 202. Interlocking means RA is configured.

(sliding drive)
Further, the base of the sliding double-acting second air cylinder 241 is pivotally supported by a pin 243 in the longitudinal direction on the front and rear stays 242, 242 attached to the upper inner surface of the inner support plate 210 at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. and install.
Then, the tip of the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 is connected with a bolt 245 to the lower end of the bent portion bent downward from the outer end of the support plate 239 .

(pneumatic circuit)
A pneumatic circuit 320 shown in FIG. 39 is provided for each of the left and right second air cylinders 241 , 241 .
This pneumatic circuit 320 is provided with an electromagnetic switching valve 323 that switches the direction of supply and discharge of air supplied from a pneumatic pump (not shown) to expand and contract the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 .
An IN port 321 and two OUT ports 322 communicating from an air pressure pump on the upstream side are communicated with the three ports provided on one side of the electromagnetic switching valve 323 in a switchable manner.

Two ports provided on the other side of the electromagnetic switching valve 323 include a first flow path 324 communicating with the port on the extension side of the second air cylinder 241 and a second flow path communicating with the buffer/speed adjusting circuit 325 . It communicates with the channel 326 in a switchable manner.
The buffer/speed control circuit 325 includes a pilot check valve 327 whose check direction is switched bidirectionally, a check valve 328, a manually operated first variable throttle valve 329, an air tank 330, and a two-position switching valve 331. , a first atmosphere release device 332 for buffering, a manually operated second variable throttle valve 333 for adjusting the amount of air sent to this first atmosphere release device 332, and a second atmosphere release device 334 for speed adjustment. and a manually operated third variable throttle valve 335 for adjusting the amount of air sent to the second atmosphere release device 334 .
Also, the third flow path 336 branched from the inside of the pilot check valve 327 communicates with the contraction side port of the second air cylinder 241 .

One end of the fifth flow path 338 communicates with the middle portion of the fourth flow path 337 communicating with the second flow path 326 in the buffer/speed adjustment circuit 325 , and the other end of the fifth flow path 338 connects to the air tank 330 . communicate.
A check valve 328 and a first variable throttle valve 329 are communicated in parallel in the middle of the fifth flow path 338 .

One side of the pilot check valve 327 communicates with the intermediate portion of the fourth flow path 337 , and the other side of the fourth flow path 337 communicates with the IN port of the two-position switching valve 331 .
The OUT port of the two-position switching valve 331 is selectively communicated with the first atmosphere opening device 332 and the second atmosphere opening device 334 by the switching operation of the two-position switching valve 331 .
The switching operation of the two-position switching valve 331 is performed in conjunction with the remaining amount of air in the air tank 330 .

A second variable throttle valve 333 is connected between the OUT port of the two-position switching valve 331 and the first atmosphere release device 332 , and a third throttle valve is connected between the OUT port of the two-position switching valve 331 and the second atmosphere release device 334 . A variable throttle valve 335 is communicated.

Thus, in a state in which the electromagnetic switching valve 323 is switched to the one-side position shown in FIG. 337 and pilot check valve 327 without load, flows through the third flow path 336 into the shortening side port of the second air cylinder 241, and the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 shortens at high speed.
As a result, the receiving plate 202 slides left and right inward, and the distance between the opposite ends of the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 becomes the minimum distance P1.

Part of the air that has flowed into the fourth flow path 337 passes through the check valve 328 from the fifth flow path 338 and flows into the air tank 330, where pressure is accumulated in the air tank 330. , the two-position switching valve 331 is held at the position shown in FIG. 39 against the elastic force of the return spring 331S.
In this state, air from the fourth flow path 337 to the two-position switching valve 331 is blocked by the pilot check valve 327 .

Then, when the electromagnetic switching valve 323 is switched to the other side position by the output from the controller to the switching solenoid 323S, the air flowing in from the IN port 321 flows from the first flow path 324 to the extension side port of the second air cylinder 241. The air flows in and the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 begins a high speed extension operation.
As a result, the receiving plate 202 starts to slide laterally outward.

During this sliding, the air in the contraction side chamber of the second air cylinder 241 is discharged to the third flow path 336 by the movement of the piston 244 to the extension side, and is discharged from the pilot check valve 327 to the opening side chamber. It passes through the 4-channel 337 and reaches the IN port of the 2-position switching valve 331 .
The air that has reached the IN port of the two-position switching valve 331 flows out from the OUT port of the two-position switching valve 331, is restricted in flow rate by the third variable throttle valve 335, and is discharged to the outside from the second atmosphere opening device 334. be done.

Due to the restriction of the discharge flow rate by the third variable throttle valve 335, the discharge amount from the short discharge side chamber of the second air cylinder 241 is limited, and as a result, the extension speed of the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 is constant at a high speed. Controlled by the speed, the sliding speed of the receiving plate 202 to the left and right outward direction is kept constant.
The extension speed of the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 , that is, the sliding speed of the receiving plate 202 can be changed by manually adjusting the third variable throttle valve 335 .

In addition, while the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 is expanding at high speed, the air accumulated in the air tank 330 flows out to the fifth flow path 338 and is operated by the first variable throttle valve 329. It is gradually discharged to the OUT port 322 through the second flow path 326 and the electromagnetic switching valve 323 while the flow rate is restricted.
Then, when the air accumulated in the air tank 330 is exhausted, the two-position switching valve 331 is switched by the resilient force of the return spring 331S.
As a result, the air that has passed through the fourth flow path 337 on the open side from the pilot check valve 327 is discharged to the outside from the first atmosphere opening device 332 while the flow rate is restricted by the second variable throttle valve 333 . Become.

This state appears just before the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241 reaches the stroke end in the extension direction, and the extension speed of the piston 244 is much lower than the speed before this.
As a result, the impact when the piston 244 reaches the stroke end in the extension direction is buffered, and the impact and noise caused by the sudden stop of the receiving plate 202 can be mitigated.

(traction plate)
Also, the first slider 246 is slidably supported by the second connecting rod 217 located directly below the third connecting rod 219 , and the first slider 246 is wound around the lower side of the timing belt 237 . placed directly under the region.
Part of the lower winding region of the timing belt 237 is sandwiched between the upper surface of the first slider 246 and the lower surface of the plate 247 attached to the upper portion of the first slider 246, and the plate 247 is fastened and fixed to the first slider 246 with a bolt 248 .

Second sliders 249, 249 containing ball-type sliding members and sealed with grease are arranged on both left and right sides of the first slider 246, and these second sliders 249, 249 are connected to each other for the second connection. It is slidably and rotatably supported with respect to the rod 217 .
On the rear surface of the left and right second sliders 249 , 249 , the vertical surface of a traction plate 250 bent into an L-shape having a vertical surface and a horizontal surface is fastened and fixed with bolts 251 .

As a result, the traction plate 250 and the two second sliders 249, 249 sandwiching the first slider 246 are integrated, the traction plate 250 is slidable in the left-right direction, and It is supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.
The front and rear ends of the horizontal surface portion of the traction plate 250 are formed wider than the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction so that the end portion of the transfer belt 295 can be stably retained.

(Supporting the rear end of the receiving plate and the traction plate, and the upward rotation mechanism of the article moving device)
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, the front end portion of a cylindrical frame 252 elongated in the front-rear direction is positioned on the laterally outer portion of the rear surface of the rear connecting plate 223 and fastened and fixed with bolts 253 .
Further, the front end portion of a rectangular tubular frame 254 elongated in the front-rear direction is brought into contact with the middle portion in the left-right direction of the rear surface of the rear connecting plate 223 and fastened and fixed with bolts 255 .
The left and right front surfaces of the connecting plate 256 are brought into contact with the rear ends of the cylindrical frame 252 and the rectangular tubular frame 254, and are fastened and fixed with bolts 257 and 258, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 22, a holder 259 having an inverted L-shaped cross section is fixed to the lower end of the connecting plate 256 .
Then, the upper surface of the first resin rail 260 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the upper side of the holder 259, the plate 261 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the first resin rail 260, and the drop prevention plate 262 is placed on the lower surface of the plate 261. are tightened together with bolts 263.

The first resin rail 260 has a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape in which the upper side is longer than the lower side, and an inclined guide surface 260S is formed on the front surface in a backward downward posture.
With this inclined guide surface 260S, the rear side edge portion of the rear end portion of the receiving plate 202, which is formed in the rearward downward inclined posture, can be slidably contacted and guided from above.
As a result, upward rotation of the receiving plate 202 about the axial center of the third connecting rod 219 is restricted.

In addition, the drop-off prevention plate 262 has a cross-sectional shape bent into a V-shape, and the front side of the anti-dropping plate 262 assumes a downwardly inclined posture in the fixed state described above.
As a result, when the article moving device 200 rotates upward about the fulcrum shaft 206 as will be described later, the rear end of the receiving plate 202 abuts against the upper surface of the forwardly downwardly inclined front side portion. is prevented from falling off and rotating downward.

One ends of support arms 264 and 264 are attached to both left and right ends of holder 259 by bolt pins 265 so as to be vertically rotatable. Fasten and fix with bolts 267 .
A horizontally elongated second resin rail 268 contacting the front surface of the mounting plate 266 is sandwiched between a plate 269 contacting the front surface of the second resin rail 268 and the mounting plate 266 and fastened and fixed. do.

As shown in FIG. 22, on the front upper portion of the second resin rail 268, a first flat portion 268A is formed to support and slidely guide the lower surface of the rear end portion of the traction plate 250. As shown in FIG.
In addition, the rear end upper portion of the second resin rail 268 is protruded upward, and a second flat portion 268B is formed on the upper end portion for supporting and slidingly guiding the rear end portion lower surface of the receiving plate 202 . .

First index plungers 270, 270 for fixing and unlocking the vertical rotation are provided on the left and right support arms 264, 264 described above.

The upper end of the support plate 271 is fixed to the front side of the lower end of the holder 259 described above, and a plurality of guide rollers 272 rotatable around the axis in the front-rear direction are provided on the rear surface of the lower end of the support plate 271 . It is attached with a pin bolt 273 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 22, the lower end of the vertical support plate 274 is fixed to a frame 275 integrated with the machine base 203 side.
The support plate 274 has its left and right ends and upper portion bent rearward to form a side wall portion 274S and an upper side wall 274U.
Left and right rotating arms 276, 276 are attached to the upper portion of the side wall portion 274S with bolt pins 277, 277 so as to be vertically rotatable.

Of the rotating arms 276, 276, a second index plunger 278 capable of fixing the rotating arm 276 in an upright posture is attached to the left and right outer rotating arm 276 by engaging the nose with the side wall portion 274S.
In addition, the front surface of a lock plate 279 bent into an inverted L shape when viewed from the side is brought into contact with the rear surface of the left and right rotating arms 276, 276, and bolts 280, 280 are fastened and fixed.
A restricting portion 279K bent forward is formed on the upper portion of the lock plate 279. As shown in FIG.

(Upward Swing Mechanism of Article Moving Device)
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 22, a fan-shaped rotating plate 281 is arranged vertically between the inner supporting plates 210, 210 of the left and right moving units 200L, 200R. .
A support plate body 282 is fixed to the machine base 203 with bolts 283, and a left stay 284L and a right stay 284R are fastened and fixed to the forward extending portion of the support plate 282 with bolts 285 in an upright posture. The lower part of the rotary plate 281 is arranged between the left and right stays 284L, 284R.
The lower portion of the rotating plate 281 is pivotally supported between the left and right stays 284L and 284R by a shaft 286 extending in the left-right direction so as to be capable of swinging back and forth.

The right stay 284R is formed higher than the left stay 284L, and the third index plunger 287 is attached to the top of the right stay 284R.

A first through hole 288 is formed in a lower portion of the rotary plate 281 in front of the shaft 286. With the nose of the third index plunger 287 inserted into the first through hole 288, the rotary plate is rotated. The body 281 is held in a rearward rising inclined posture.
A second through hole 289 is formed in a portion of the rotary plate 281 above the shaft 286, and a third index plan is inserted into the second through hole 289 while the rotary plate 281 is swung forward. The nose of jar 287 is inserted.

Then, the right end portion of the horizontal swing support shaft 290 is fastened and fixed with a bolt 291 to the front-rear center lower portion of the inner support plate body 210 of the right moving unit 200R.
In addition, the left portion of the swing support shaft 290 is slidably passed through a hole formed in the lower center in the front-rear direction of the inner support plate 210 of the left moving unit 200L, and further extends leftward.

As shown in FIG. 22, the rotating plate 281 is formed with an arc-shaped cam groove 292 extending from the shaft 286 toward its lower end and extending from the shaft 286 toward its upper end. Then, the rocking support shaft 290 is inserted into the cam groove 292 .
In addition, an upwardly extending portion 294 is integrally formed at the rear portion of the rotary plate 281 so that an operating tool 293 such as a long pipe can be fitted.

(Upward swing of article moving device)
Thus, as shown in FIG. 22(a), when the nose of the second index plunger 278 is engaged with the side wall portion 274S, the lock plate 279 stands up together with the rotating arms 276,276.
In this state, the guide roller 272 rests on the upper surface of the upper wall 274U, and the regulation portion 279K is positioned above the guide roller 272. As shown in FIG.
As a result, the guide roller 272 is supported on the upper wall 274U so as to roll in the left-right direction, and is restricted from rising by the restricting portion 279K.
As a result, the lower surface of the rear end portion of the receiving plate 202 of the article moving device 200 is supported by the upper surface of the second flat portion 268B of the second resin rail 268, and is maintained in a substantially horizontal posture.

Further, the lower surface of the rear end portion of the traction plate 250 is supported by the upper surface of the first flat portion 268A of the second resin rail 268 and maintained in a posture along the lower surface of the receiving plate 202 .
In this state, the piece of meat is stored in the container by the article moving device 200 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 22(b), when performing maintenance on the article moving device 200, the knob of the second index plunger 278 is pulled to separate the nose from the side wall portion 274S, and the upper portion of the lock plate 279 is pulled. The restriction portion 279K formed on the upper side of the guide roller 272 is retracted rearward.
As a result, the left and right moving units 200L and 200R can swing upward about the fulcrum shaft 206. As shown in FIG.
Further, the knob of the third index plunger 287 is pulled to disengage the nose from the first through hole 288, so that the rotary plate 281 can swing backward.

In this state, the operator fits the operating tool 293 to the upwardly extending portion 294 of the rotary plate 281 and operates the operating tool 293 forward and downward to swing the rotary plate 281 backward. .
The rear swinging of the rotary plate 281 causes the cam groove 292 to swing around the shaft 286, and the sliding contact between the swing support shaft 290 and the inner edge of the cam groove 292 on the far side from the shaft 286 causes This rocking support shaft 290 is pulled downward (pushed down).

As a result, the article moving device 200 composed of the left and right moving units 200L and 200R can be swung forward and upward about the fulcrum shaft 206 with a light operating force.
At this time, the left and right moving units 200L and 200R are integrally swung forward and upward by the position regulating portion PK.

When the article moving device 200 swings forward and upward and is opened, the center of gravity of the article moving device 200 moves from the front side to the rear side of the fulcrum shaft 206. By inserting the nose of the 3-index plunger 287 into the second through hole 289, the article moving device 200 is stably supported in the open state.

As shown in FIG. 22(b), downward rotation of the traction plate 250 is restricted by contact with the fourth connecting rod 221 when the article moving device 200 is opened.
By opening the article moving device 200 in this way, the upper side of the tray conveying device 305 arranged in the space Q, which will be described later, is opened, and maintenance of the tray conveying device 305 can be easily performed.

(Detachable structure of transfer belt)
As shown in FIG. 16, in forming the above-described traction plate 250, the front and rear end portions thereof are formed wide, the front and rear intermediate portion thereof is formed to be narrow over a long length, and the width is widened from this narrow portion. A notch in the front-rear direction is formed at the corner where the part is switched to.
Thus, the transfer belt 295 is attached while the article transfer device 200 is open as shown in FIG. 22(b).

In this state, the knob of the first index plunger 270 is pulled to unlock the left and right support arms 264, 264, and the left and right support arms 264, 264 are rotated downward.
As a result, the second resin rail 268 retracts downward, and the traction plate 250 supported by the second resin rail 268 can be rotated downward.

The downward rotation position of the traction plate 250 about the second connecting rod 217 is regulated with the lower surface of the front end portion of the traction plate 250 in contact with the fourth connecting rod 221 .
The downward rotation (dropping) of the rear end portion of the receiving plate 202 supported by the second resin rail 268 is prevented by contact with the drop prevention plate 262 .

In this state, as shown in FIG. 23, the pulling plate 250 is inserted into the first gap 295S formed by binding one end of the transfer belt 295 in a double-sided manner. The front and rear end portions of the portion to be surrounded are hooked on the front and rear notches formed in the traction plate 250 .
As a result, one end of the transfer belt 295 is attached to the traction plate 250 and pulled by the traction plate 250 to move.

On the other hand, the base portion of the hook member 296 is fixed to the front end portion and the rear portion of the cylindrical frame 252 described above.
An opening is formed in the upper portion of the hook member 296 so as to open obliquely outward and upward, and fourth index plungers 297, 297 having noses for closing the entrance of the opening are provided.
As a result, the entrances of the openings are closed with the tips of the noses of the fourth index plungers 297, 297 fitted into the holes formed in the peripheral surface of the cylindrical frame 252. As shown in FIG.

Further, when the knobs of the fourth index plungers 297, 297 are pulled up and the noses are pulled out of the holes and further moved upward, the entrances of the openings are opened.
In addition, a round bar 298 longer than the front-rear width of the transfer belt 295 is inserted into a second gap 295E formed by binding the other end of the transfer belt 295 in a double-sided manner.
Then, the other end of the transfer belt 295 is pulled inward in the left-right direction along the lower surface of the receiving plate 202 , and then wound around the inner edge in the left-right direction of the receiving plate 202 to extend the upper surface of the receiving plate 202 . turn to the side.

Then, the other end of the transfer belt 295 is pulled laterally outward along the upper surface of the receiving plate 202, passes through the lower side of the rectangular tubular frame 254, passes through the lower side of the cylindrical frame 252, and then passes through the cylindrical frame 252. It is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the shaped frame 252 .
Then, the front and rear ends of the round bar 298 inserted into the other end of the transfer belt 295 are fitted through the openings of the front and rear hook members 296 , 296 and locked.

In this state, the tips of the noses of the front and rear fourth index plungers 297, 297 are fitted into the holes formed in the peripheral surface of the cylindrical frame 252 to prevent the round bar 298 from falling out of the openings of the hook members 297, 297. do.
As a result, the other end of the transfer belt 295 is attached to the cylindrical frame 252 and fixed at a fixed point.

As described above, the lower surface of the upper winding area of the transfer belt 295 is slidably supported on the receiving surface 201 formed on the upper surface of the receiving plate 202 .
A groove is formed in the longitudinal direction on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical frame 252, and a round bar 298 inserted through the other end of the transfer belt 295 is inserted into the groove. It is good also as composition which prevents omission.
The operation of removing the transfer belt 295 is performed in the reverse order of the above.

(Operation of main part of article moving device)
Hereinafter, the first position PS1, the second position PS2, and the third position PS3 will be described with reference to the position of the inner edge of the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 that supports the transfer belt 295. FIG.

(first position)
That is, with the inner ends of the receiving surfaces 201 and 202 positioned at the first position PS1, the receiving surfaces 201 and 202 cover the entire upper side of the tray G1 conveyed therebelow. (This state refers to a state in which the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 overlaps the entire area of the tray G1 in plan view.)
With the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 or the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 positioned at the first positions PS1, PS1, the pieces of meat m or a set of pieces of meat m are conveyed in two rows. Each of the bodies M is fed onto the left and right transfer belts 295, 295 from the transfer end of the reciprocating conveyor 95. As shown in FIG.

(Movement from first position to second position)
Further, even when the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 or receiving plates 202, 202 are moved to the second positions PS2, PS2 slightly shifted outward from the first positions PS1, PS1, this The receiving surfaces 201, 201 or the receiving plates 202, 202 substantially cover the upper sides of the two adjacent trays G1, G1 conveyed therebelow. (This state includes a state in which a small portion of the end portions of the trays G1, G1 is not covered and exposed in a plan view.)

By moving the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 or the inner ends of the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 from the first positions PS1, PS1 to the second positions PS2, PS2, the left and right transfer belts are moved. The left and right intervals of the pieces of meat m or aggregates M of pieces of meat m on 295, 295 are enlarged, and positioned so that they can be placed on the two adjacent trays G1, G1 standing by below.

The adjustment amount of the left-right spacing of the meat pieces m or aggregates M on the left and right transfer belts 295, 295 is the left-right spacing of the two conveying passages 20, 20 of the lump meat conveying device 9 in the cutting section 4. and the conveying pitch of a large number of trays G1 conveyed by the tray conveying device 305. FIG.
That is, since the conveying pitch of the many trays G1 conveyed by the tray conveying device 305 is determined by the lateral width of the tray G1 itself, there is a limit to reducing this conveying pitch.

On the other hand, the horizontal interval between the two rows of meat pieces m or aggregates M that are cut out and conveyed by the cutting section 4 is determined by the horizontal interval between the two conveying passages 20 , 20 of the lump meat conveying device 9 .
The center-to-center distance between the two adjacent trays G1, G1 (standard food trays generally used) conveyed at the above-mentioned conveying pitch is the two conveying passages 20, 20 center-to-center distance (wider in the left-right direction).

Therefore, in order to place two rows of meat pieces m or aggregates M on two adjacent trays G1, G1, two rows of meat pieces m or aggregates M must be conveyed at narrow intervals in two rows to eliminate the above-described difference between the two centers. It is necessary to widen the left-right direction interval of the meat piece m or aggregate M that has come.
Therefore, as described above, by moving the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 or the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 from the first positions PS1, PS1 to the second positions PS2, PS2, the left and right The left-right interval of the pieces of meat m or aggregates M of pieces of meat m on the transfer belts 295, 295 is widened so that the meat pieces can be positioned so that they can be placed on the two adjacent trays G1, G1 standing by below. be.

(Movement from second position to third position)
When the inner ends of the receiving surface 201 or the receiving plate 202 move outward from the second position PS2 to the third position P3, the receiving surface 201 or the receiving plate 202 move downward. The upper side of the conveyed tray G1 is retracted, and the entire upper side of the tray G1 is released.

When the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 or the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 move to the outer third positions PS3, PS3, the left and right transfer belts 295, 295 295 move inwardly with respect to the left and right receiving plates 202 , 202 .
As a result, the pieces of meat m or aggregates M on the left and right transfer belts 295, 295 are lowered and placed on the two trays G1, G1, respectively, without changing their positions in the left and right direction.

(Explanation of the operation of the receiving plate and transfer belt)
FIG. 24 shows the operating state of each of the moving units after the moving units 200R and 200L on the left and right sides have moved outward (to move away from each other) due to the shortening operation of the first air cylinders 225 and 225. It is a front view for explaining.

That is, in FIG. 24, in the state of (a), the left and right first air cylinders 225, 225 are shortened, and the receiving surfaces 201, 201 supporting the transfer belts 295, 295 or the inner ends of the receiving plates 202, 202 are retracted. has moved from the first positions PS1, PS1 covering the entire upper side of the two trays G1, G1 conveyed therebelow to the second positions PS2, PS2 deviated outwardly by a small distance. .
As a result, the distance between the inner ends of the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 is expanded from P1 shown in FIG. 16 to P2 shown in FIG.

Even in this state, the receiving surfaces 201, 201 or receiving plates 202, 202 supporting the transfer belts 295, 295 substantially cover the upper sides of the two trays G1, G1 conveyed therebelow.
In addition, the left and right second air cylinders 241, 241 are shortened, and the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 integrated with the tip portions of the pistons 244, 244 of the second air cylinders 241, 241 are used for the article moving device 200. moving inward.

When the second air cylinder 241 is extended from this state, as shown in FIG. 3 Move to position PS3.
Together with the receiving plate 202, the axis 234 of the first timing pulley 233 and the axis 236 of the second timing pulley 235, which are integrated with the tip of the piston 244 of the second air cylinder 241, move outward by the full stroke. do.

A part of the upper winding region of the timing belt 237 wound around the first timing pulley 233 and the second timing pulley 235 is held at a fixed position by the fixing member 238 .
Therefore, when the shaft center 234 of the first timing pulley 233 and the shaft center 236 of the second timing pulley 235 move outward, the two timing pulleys 233 and 235 rotate in the same direction, and the timing belt 237 rotates. The lower winding area of moves outward.
As a result, the first slider 246 attached to the lower winding region of the timing belt 237 moves outward together with the traction plate 250 , and the traction plate 250 pulls one end of the transfer belt 295 . is pulled outward.

At this time, since the transfer belt 295 is folded back from the upper surface of the receiving plate 202 at the inner edge of the receiving plate 202 and laid along the lower surface of the receiving plate 202, the transfer belt 295 does not become slack. In order to move the inner end of plate 202 outwardly, the traction plate 250 must be moved twice as far outwardly as the backing plate 202 is moved outwardly.

That is, as shown in the state change from (a) to (b) in FIG. 24, a virtual fixed point CP1 is set at a portion of the transfer belt 295 on the receiving plate 202 ((a) in FIG. 24). It is assumed that the inner end of the receiving plate 202 supporting the loading belt 295 moves to the imaginary fixed point CP1 (FIG. 24(b)).
At this time, the outer end of the traction plate 250 moves the first moving distance S until the inner end of the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 supporting the transfer belt 295 reaches the imaginary fixed point CP1. It is necessary to move a second movement distance T, which is twice S.

For this purpose, a mechanism consisting of the timing belt 237 and the two timing pulleys 233 and 235 described above is provided. ), the outward movement speed of the traction plate 250 is doubled.
As a result, when the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 supporting the transfer belt 295 moves from the second position PS2 to the third position PS3, the transfer body 295 moves in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the receiving surface 201. , move at the same speed.

In FIG. 24, (a) is a closed state in which the receiving plate 202 or the receiving surface 201 supporting the transfer belt 295 enters above the tray G1 and substantially covers the upper part of the tray G1, and (b) is a closed state where the receiving plate 202 (receiving surface 201) is retracted from above the tray G1 to open the upper side of the tray G1.

In the state of (b), the meat piece m or aggregate M on the transfer belt 295 is separated from the surface of the transfer belt 295 by the folding movement of the transfer belt 295 at the inner end of the receiving plate 202, and the tray G1 is removed. It falls inside and is contained.
That is, the piece of meat m or aggregate M that has been placed on the receiving surface 201 from the conveying end portion of the conveying action portion 5R on the downstream side in the conveying direction remains at the position in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, It is lowered, placed, and accommodated in the tray G1 directly below.

16 and 17 show a state in which the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 supporting the transfer belt 295 is positioned at the first position PS1 covering the entire upper side of the tray G1, and FIGS. It shows a state in which the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 has moved outward to a second position PS2 (a second position deviated from the first position by a predetermined distance) that substantially covers the upper side of the tray G1.
20 and 21, the receiving surface 201 or receiving plate 202 supporting the transfer belt 295 is moved outward to the third position PS3 (the third position for unloading the article on the transfer body) where the upper side of the tray G1 is opened. Shows the state of moving to.

Incidentally, as described above, the receiving surface 201 or the receiving plate 202 is arranged below the front-rear movement range of the transport end portion of the transport action portion 5R on the downstream side in the transport direction.

(Tray transport device)
25-27 show a tray transporter 305 with a container feeder 300. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 25 , the container supply section 300 includes a rail-shaped tray housing section 303 and a tray peeling device 304 .

The tray housing portion 303 is composed of a rail-shaped frame that houses a large number of stacked empty trays G1 and slides and guides them obliquely downward while preventing them from falling off.

Further, the tray peeling device 304 peels and takes out the trays G1 one by one from the lower end portion of the tray accommodating portion 303. As shown in FIG.
The tray peeling device 304 comprises a rotating arm 307 having a suction cup 306 at its tip, and an electric motor 308 for rotating the rotating arm 307 .
The suction cup 306 is connected to the tip of an intake pipe (not shown) routed in the rotating arm 307, and when the rotating arm 307 is rotated upward, a negative pressure is generated to It is configured to attract the lower surface of G1.

After this suction, the rotary arm 307 is rotated downward to release the negative pressure, and the tray G1 that has been suctioned is placed on the tray transport device 305 .
The tray conveying device 305 conveys the tray G1 peeled by the tray peeling device 304 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying section 5 in plan view, and the left and right receiving plates 202 and 202 of the article moving device 200 in the storage section 6. It is made to pass from the right side to the left side in the space Q formed below 202 .

The tray conveying device 305 is constructed by winding an endless chain 316 between a driving sprocket 315 arranged on the conveying end side and a driven sprocket 314 arranged on the conveying starting end side.
The endless chain 316 is provided with a large number of locking plates 317 spaced apart corresponding to the width of the tray G1.

Further, the transport guide rails 318 having a U-shaped cross section for guiding transport while regulating the front and rear positions and the vertical positions of the tray G1 are divided into three parts in the transport direction of the tray G1.
The conveying guide rail 318 is positioned at the first position (first position for receiving the article) PS1 where the receiving surface 201 of the article moving device 200 covers the upper side of the container G1 (the second position PS2 (the received article)). Air cylinders 319, 319 are provided for raising the two adjacent trays G1 conveyed and stopped immediately below the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 by a predetermined distance G1 before moving to a second position (for lowering the tray).

(cutting action)
The operating conditions are set according to the type and condition of the block of meat to be cut, the setting conditions of each section are changed, and the start switch 401, which will be described later, is operated.
As a result, the circular movement of the endless band blade 49 of the cutting section 4 and the driving of the conveying section 5 are started.

In this initial state, the supply unit 3 is positioned at the lower limit of the swing range. In this state, lumped meat is put into the supply unit 3, and when the feed switch is turned on, the lumped meat conveying device 9 starts driving. .
As a result, the thrown-in lumped meat is conveyed forward by the conveying action of the lumped meat conveying device 9, and the front end portion of the lumped meat contacts the rear surface of the receiving plate 43, and the position of the front end portion of the lumped meat is regulated. be done.

Then, as the supply unit 3 swings upward from this state, the blade edge of the endless band blade 49 that circulates from the right side to the left side cuts from the upper side into the front end portions protruding from the left and right openings 35 of the lump meat. go.
At this time, since the position of the front end of the block of meat is restricted by the receiving plate 43, the front end of the block of meat is cut to a uniform thickness by the endless belt blade 49. As shown in FIG.

When the supply unit 3 swings upward to a position near the upper limit of the swing range, the front end of the block of meat is cut off by the endless band blade 49 .
Then, the piece of meat cut to a predetermined thickness passes through a space portion T formed between the upper end of the receiving plate 43 and the lower end of the endless belt blade 49, and is arranged on the front side of the receiving plate 43. The upper peripheral surfaces of the annular plates 74, 74 of the left and right takeover rotating bodies 72, 72 are taken over.

Further, the supply unit 3 swings downward to the lower limit position of the swing range and returns to the initial state. After that, the supply unit 3 swings upward again, and the above-described cutting of the lump meat is repeated.

In this way, the meat pieces passed through the interval T and taken over to the upper peripheral surfaces of the annular plates 74, 74 of the take-over rotating bodies 72, 72 are pushed to the annular plate 74 by the distal end portions of the numerous oscillating thin rods 82. It is stripped from the peripheral surface of the paper and folded in half.

In this way, the pieces of meat are successively placed on the conveying starting end of the endless belt 96 during the conveying operation so as to partially overlap each other, forming aggregates M, M of two rows of pieces of meat m.
In these two rows of aggregates M, M, a predetermined interval (aggregate interval) P is formed between the aggregate M and the next aggregate M in each row.

In such a cutting operation, in order to adjust the thickness of the meat piece m to be cut, the electric motor 61 for thickness adjustment is operated to adjust the position of the support plate 43 with respect to the opening 35. 43, and the first supporting member 55 that supports the conveying action portion 5F on the upstream side in the conveying direction moves in the front-rear direction.
However, since the front support base 116 that supports the transfer working portion 5R on the downstream side in the transfer direction is integrally attached to the third support member 53 on the side of the machine base 2, the influence of the position adjustment of the receiving plate 43 is eliminated. It does not move back and forth when received.
Therefore, even if the thickness of the piece of meat m to be cut is adjusted, the position of the conveying action portion 5R on the lower side in the conveying direction in the conveying portion 5 does not change, so that the conveying end portion of the conveying action portion 5R to the accommodating portion 6 is moved. The transfer position of the piece of meat m or the aggregate M of the piece of meat m is stabilized.

That is, the carrying-out position of the piece of meat m or aggregate M with respect to the receiving surface 201 of the article moving device 200 provided in the storage section 6 is less likely to change, and the subsequent storage operation can be performed smoothly.
In addition, since the positional relationship between the receiving plate 43 and the conveying action portion 5F on the upper side of the conveying direction in the conveying portion 5 does not change, the cut and folded piece of meat m is smoothly transferred to the conveying action portion 5F and conveyed. be.

(Containment operation)
The two rows of aggregates M, M formed by the above-described cutting work are conveyed to the storage section 6 in a state in which a predetermined narrow space is formed between each row.
As shown in FIGS. 30 to 37, the interval between each row in the aggregates M, M being conveyed is called "flesh row interval P0".

(Taking over aggregates onto receiving surface)
Thus, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, at the start of the accommodation operation, first, the two rows of aggregates M, M conveyed with this meat row interval P0 are moved back and forth during the conveyance operation. While moving the conveying end portion of the moving conveyor 95 rearward, the article moving device 200 is lowered onto the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 to take over.
As a result, as shown in FIGS. 16, 30, and 31, even in a state in which the left and right aggregates M, M are inherited on the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201, the left and right aggregates M, M are spaced apart from each other. The row spacing remains P0.

In this state, the two trays G1 and G1 need to be placed side by side under the left and right receiving surfaces 201 and 201, but are spaced apart so that the two trays G1 and G1 do not overlap. There is a need to.
As a result, the center position of each assembly M inherited on the receiving surface 201 in the horizontal direction and the center position of the tray G1 in the horizontal direction are deviated in the horizontal direction. When the aggregate M is dropped, a situation may occur in which the aggregate M protrudes from the tray G1. (In FIGS. 30 and 31, the positional deviation between the assembly M indicated by the solid line and the tray G1 indicated by the broken line.)
The lateral positional deviation between the aggregates M, M and the trays G1, G1 is eliminated as follows.

(First stage operation)
First, as shown in FIGS. 16, 17, 30, and 31, the left and right first air cylinders 225, 225 are extended to bring the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 closest to each other, and the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 (strictly speaking, the interval between the folded portions of the left and right transfer belts 295, 295) is the minimum interval P1. On 201 inherit two rows of aggregates M,M.
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 32, the left and right first air cylinders 225, 225 are shortened by a set amount to move the left and right moving units 200L, 200R outward (opposite directions). , and the space between the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 is expanded to the intermediate space P2.

In this way, the position of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 in a state where the inner end portions of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 are spaced at the middle distance P2 is defined as a second position PS2.
In this manner, the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 extend from the minimum interval P1 to the intermediate interval P2 until the interval between the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 is expanded to the trays G1, G1. The receiving surfaces 201, 201 substantially cover the upper sides of the trays G1, G1.

In this way, the position of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 in a state where the distance between the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 is the minimum distance P1 is defined as a first position PS1.
In this state, the aggregates M, M of the pieces of meat m on the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 are positioned directly above the trays G1, G1 waiting on the lower side.

(Second stage operation)
In this state, the air cylinder 319 of the tray conveying unit 302 is operated to raise the trays G1, G1 to the set position.
Then, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 36, during or after the trays G1, G1 are raised, the left and right second air cylinders 241, 241 are operated to extend by a set amount, and the inner sides of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 are moved. Expand the edge spacing to the maximum spacing P3.

In this way, the position of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 when the distance between the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 is the maximum distance P3 is defined as a third position PS3.
In this state, the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 are retracted from the upper side of the trays G1, G1 to the left and right outer sides, and the upper side of the trays G1, G1 is opened.
34 and 35 show a state in which the distance between the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 is at the middle distance PM, which is in the middle of expanding from the middle distance P2 to the maximum distance P3.

In this way, the interval between the inner ends of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 expands from the intermediate interval P2 to the maximum interval P3 via the intermediate interval PM, that is, both the receiving surfaces 201, 201 are at the first position. When moving from PS1 to the second position PS2, the respective transfer belts 295, 295 move in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the receiving surfaces 201, 201 at the same speed.
As a result, the aggregates M, M are dropped into the trays G1, G1 and accommodated without changing their positions in the left-right and front-rear directions.
The trays G1, G1 containing the aggregates M, M are lowered to the initial position, passed through the space Q by the tray conveying device 305, and carried out to the left outside.

The above operation is repeated in synchronization with the intervals at which the aggregates M, M are conveyed.
As described above, when the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 (the left and right receiving plates 202, 202, the left and right transfer belts 295, 295) are expanded to the maximum interval P3, the conveying direction lower side is positioned within the maximum interval P3. side transport action portion 5R is located. (The maximum interval P3 is larger than the lateral width of the conveying action portion 5R.)

In addition, the lower winding area of the endless belt 96 on the reciprocating conveyor 95 needs to be set at a height close to the upper side of the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 to enhance the transferability of the assembly M.
Therefore, when slack occurs in the lower winding area of the endless belt 96 on the reciprocating conveyor 95, the left and right second air cylinders 241, 241 are shortened by a set amount to set the left and right receiving surfaces 201, 201 to the intermediate distance. When returning to P2, the inner ends of the left and right receiving plates 202 , 202 may interfere with the endless belt 96 of the reciprocating conveyor 95 .

However, as described above, since the lower winding area DA of the endless belt 96 on the reciprocating conveyor 95 is inclined forward and downward, the lower winding area DA of the endless belt 96 is inclined when the assembly M is accommodated. Interference with the inner ends of the left and right receiving plates 202, 202 (strictly speaking, the folded ends of the left and right transfer belts 295, 295) due to the sagging of the belt can be prevented.

(Control circuit of slicer as food group forming device)
The slicer 1 configured as described above cuts a block of meat (a “lump of food” in claims) MF at a predetermined thickness from its tip, and cuts the cut pieces of meat (a “food piece” in claims) m The meat pieces m are folded, and the folded meat pieces m are arranged side by side so as to partially overlap each other to form an assembly M. - 特許庁

Thus, as shown in FIG. 40, a start switch 401, an automatic meat piece height setting on/off switch 402, and a lump meat height manual setting switch 403 are connected to the input side of a controller 400 provided in the control unit 7. , parallel length manual setting switch 404, parallel number manual setting switch 405, parallel number automatic control on/off switch 406, left lump meat height measurement potentiometer 407, right lump meat height measurement potentiometer 408, A supply unit swing angle measuring potentiometer 409, a lower endless belt moving distance measuring sensor 410, a left takeover rotating body rotation phase measuring potentiometer 411, a right takeover rotating body rotating phase measuring potentiometer 412, and a left rod rotation. A potentiometer 413 for detecting the movement angle, a potentiometer 414 for detecting the rotation angle of the right rod-shaped body, a potentiometer 415 for measuring the expansion and contraction position of the air cylinder for operating the pressing member, a potentiometer 416 for detecting the movement angle of the swinging arm, and measuring the moving distance of the conveyor. sensor 417, sensor 418 for measuring rear end advancing/retreating position of conveyor, potentiometer 419 for measuring expansion/contraction position of left first air cylinder, potentiometer 420 for measuring expansion/contraction position of first right air cylinder, and expansion/contraction position of second left air cylinder. A measuring potentiometer 421, a right second air cylinder expansion/contraction position measuring potentiometer 422, a tray conveyor moving distance sensor 423, and a peeling arm rotation position measuring potentiometer 424 are connected.

On the other hand, on the output side of the controller 400, there are a cutting motor driver 424D, a swing motor driver 425, a conveying motor driver 426, a left takeover motor driver 427, a right takeover motor driver 428, and a left swing motor driver 424D. A motor driver 429, a right swing motor driver 430, a left advance/retreat motor driver 431, a right advance/retreat motor driver 432, an air cylinder valve solenoid 433, a transfer drive motor driver 434, and a vertical movement motor. A driver 435, a telescopic motor driver 436, a left first air cylinder valve solenoid 437, a right first air cylinder valve solenoid 438, a left second air cylinder valve solenoid 439, and a left second air cylinder. A valve solenoid 440, a tray transport motor driver 441, a tray moving arm motor driver 442, and a suction valve solenoid 443 are connected.

(Description of switches/sensors connected to the input side)
The activation switch 401 connected to the input side of the controller 400 described above is for activating the slicer 1 as a whole, and for switching to a state in which a command signal can be output from the output side of the controller 400 to a motor driver or the like. is. By turning on the start switch 401, from the output side of the controller 400, first, a cutting motor driver 424D, a rocking motor driver 425, a conveying motor driver 426, a left takeover motor driver 427, and a right takeover motor driver 424D. A command signal is output to the motor driver 428, and driving of the cutting section 4, the feeding section 3, and the conveying section 5 is started.

The meat piece height automatic setting on/off switch 402 is for turning on and off (switching between valid/invalid) the meat piece height automatic setting, which will be described later.

The lumped meat height manual setting switch 403 is for visually judging and inputting (setting) the height of the lumped meat before cutting.

The parallel length manual setting switch 404 is used to manually change and set the parallel length of the meat pieces m after cutting (the total length of the aggregate M; the parallel length manual setting value E described later) before starting the cutting work. belongs to.

The parallel number manual setting switch 405 is for manually setting the number of meat pieces m forming one assembly M before starting the cutting work.

A parallel sheet count automatic control on/off switch 406 is for turning on/off (switching between valid/invalid) the parallel sheet count automatic control, which will be described later.

The switches described above are displayed on the liquid crystal panel and operated by touch operation.

The left chunk meat height measuring potentiometer 407 is for measuring the vertical movement position of the left pressing plate 29 arranged in front of the left chunk meat conveying passage 20. The height (thickness) of the tip portion of the bulk meat ("lump food" in the claims) MF supplied to 20 is measured.

The right lump meat height measuring potentiometer 408 is for measuring the vertical movement position of the right pressing member 29 arranged in front of the right lump meat conveying passage 20, and thereby the right conveying passage The height (thickness) of the tip of the lump meat MF supplied to 20 is measured.

The supply unit rocking angle measuring potentiometer 409 measures the vertical rocking angle of the supply unit 3 .

The lower endless belt movement distance measuring sensor 410 measures the movement distance of the lower endless belt 25 in the supply section 3 (conveyance distance of lump meat) from the number of revolutions of the conveying electric motor 31 or the like.

The left takeover rotor rotation phase measuring potentiometer 411 measures the rotation angle of the left takeover rotor 72 .

The right handover rotor rotation phase measuring potentiometer 412 measures the rotation angle of the right handover rotor 72 .

The left rod rotation angle detection potentiometer 413 measures the rotation angle of the left rod 81 having many thin rods 82 .

The right rod rotation angle detection potentiometer 414 measures the rotation angle of the right rod 81 having many thin rods 82 .

The pressure member operating air cylinder expansion/contraction position measuring potentiometer 415 measures the expansion/contraction position of the air cylinder 87 for vertically moving the pressure member 88 having the linear pressure member 89 .

The swing arm swing angle detection potentiometer 416 measures the vertical swing angle of the swing arm 103 provided at the starting end of the transfer section 5 .

The conveyor movement distance measurement sensor 417 measures the movement distance (conveyance distance) of the endless belt 96 in the conveyance section 5 from the number of revolutions of the conveyance drive motor 112 or the like.

A sensor 418 for measuring the advancing/retreating position of the rear end of the conveyer measures the moving position of the end portion of the conveying action portion 5R on the downstream side of the conveying portion 5 in the conveying direction from the number of revolutions of the electric motor 135 for expansion and contraction.

The left first air cylinder expansion/contraction position measuring potentiometer 419 measures the expansion/contraction position of the first left air cylinder 225 for interval adjustment in the article moving device 200 .

The right first air cylinder expansion/contraction position measuring potentiometer 420 measures the expansion/contraction position of the right first air cylinder 225 for interval adjustment in the article moving device 200 .

The left second air cylinder expansion/contraction position measuring potentiometer 421 measures the expansion/contraction position of the left second air cylinder 241 for sliding in the article moving device 200 .

The right second air cylinder expansion/contraction position measuring potentiometer 422 measures the expansion/contraction position of the sliding right second air cylinder 241 in the article moving device 200 .

The tray conveyor moving distance sensor 423 measures the position of the tray G1 conveyed by the tray conveying device 305 from the number of revolutions of the electric motor 313 that drives the tray conveying device 305, or the like.

The peeling arm rotation position measuring potentiometer 424 measures the rotation angle of the rotation arm 307 for peeling and taking out the tray G1 from the stacking portion, based on the number of revolutions of the electric motor 308 or the like.

(Description of drivers, etc. connected to the output side)
A cutting motor driver 424</b>D connected to the input side of the controller 400 supplies power to the electric cutting motor 44 to drive and control the endless band blade 49 .

The swinging motor driver 425 supplies electric power to the swinging electric motor 13 to drive and drive the supply unit 3 to swing in an oblique vertical direction.

The transport motor driver 426 supplies power to the transport drive motor 112 to drive and control the transport unit 5 .

The left takeover motor driver 427 supplies electric power to the left takeover electric motor 76 to drive and control the left takeover rotor 72 .

The right handover motor driver 428 supplies power to the right handover electric motor 76 to drive and control the right handover rotor 72 .

The left swinging motor driver 429 supplies electric power to the left swinging electric motor 80 to drive and control the left rod-shaped body 81 having a large number of thin rods 82 .

The right swinging motor driver 430 supplies electric power to the right swinging electric motor 80 to drive and control the right rod-shaped body 81 having a large number of thin rods 82 .

The left advance/retreat motor driver 431 supplies electric power to the left advance/retreat electric motor 84 to drive and advance/retreat the thin rod 82 together with the left rod-shaped body 81 .

The right extending/retracting motor driver 432 supplies electric power to the right extending/retracting electric motor 84 to drive and retract the narrow rod 82 together with the right rod-shaped body 81 .

The air cylinder valve solenoid 433 operates a valve that controls the amount of air supplied to and discharged from the air cylinder 87 to vertically move the pressing member 88 having the linear pressing member 89 .

The transport drive motor driver 434 supplies power to the transport drive motor 112 to drive and control the endless belt 96 of the transport unit 5 .

The vertical movement motor driver 435 supplies electric power to the vertical movement electric motor 105 to control the vertical movement of the swing arm 103 .

The expansion/contraction motor driver 436 supplies electric power to the expansion/contraction electric motor 135 to control the movement of the transfer end portion of the transfer action portion 5R on the downstream side in the transfer direction of the transfer portion 5 in the front-rear direction.

The left first air cylinder valve solenoid 437 operates a valve that controls the amount of air supplied to and discharged from the left first air cylinder 225 to change the left-right position of the left moving unit 200L.

The right first air cylinder valve solenoid 438 operates a valve that controls the amount of air supplied to and discharged from the right first air cylinder 225 to change the lateral position of the right moving unit 200R.

The left second air cylinder valve solenoid 439 operates a valve that controls the amount of air supplied to and discharged from the left second air cylinder 241, and moves the receiving plate 202 (receiving surface 201) of the left moving unit 200L in the left-right direction. It is made to slide.

The right second air cylinder valve solenoid 440 operates a valve that controls the amount of air supplied to and exhausted from the right second air cylinder 241, and moves the receiving plate 202 (receiving surface 201) of the right moving unit 200R in the left-right direction. It is made to slide.

The tray conveying motor driver 441 supplies electric power to the electric motor 313 to drive and control the endless chain 316 of the tray conveying device 305 .

The tray moving arm motor driver 442 supplies electric power to the electric motor 308 to control the rotation of the rotating arm 307 that separates the tray G1 and transfers it onto the tray conveying device 305 .

The adsorption valve solenoid 443 operates the adsorption valve to cause the tray G1 at the lowest position among the many stacked trays G1 to be adsorbed to the bottom surface thereof.

(Formation control of aggregation of food pieces)
41 and 42, the formation control of aggregates M of pieces of meat ("food pieces" in claims) m will be described.
Hereinafter, a state in which lumped meat (“lumped food” in claims) MF is supplied to each of the left and right conveying passages 20, 20 in the supply unit 3 will be described.

It should be noted that the "meat height" in this embodiment (including the flow charts of FIGS. 41 and 42) means the thickness of the tip portion of the massive meat MF.
Further, the “meat piece height” means the length of the meat piece m in the conveying direction when the meat piece m formed by cutting in the vertical direction is conveyed by the endless belt 96 .
A description will be given based on the flow charts shown in FIGS. 41 and 42. FIG.

(First flow)
First, two chunks of meat MF, from which bone fragments, hard muscles, etc. have been removed by trimming, are put into the left and right conveying passages 20, 20 of the feeding section 3 by an operator.
Then, the operating conditions are set according to the type and state of the lumpy meat MF to be cut, the setting conditions of each part are changed, and the start switch 401 is operated.

As a result, based on the measurement results of the sensors 407 to 417, the controller 400 outputs control outputs to the motor drivers 424D to 432 and 434 to 436 and the valve solenoid 433 to drive the cutting section 4 and the supply section. 3 and the driving of the conveying unit 5 (conveyor) are started. (STEP1)

By the start of driving of each part, the left and right lumped meat MF, MF introduced into the above-described conveying passages 20, 20 are cut (sliced) at the same time, and meat pieces (food pieces) m, m are sequentially cut out. , the cut meat pieces m, m are sequentially folded. Then, the plurality of folded pieces of meat m, m are successively placed on the conveying starting end portion of the endless belt 96 during the conveying operation so that at least some of the pieces of meat m overlap vertically, and the assembly M, M of the pieces of meat m is endless. They are sequentially formed in two rows on the left and right on the belt 96 . Predetermined intervals (aggregate intervals) P, P, which will be described later, are formed between the left and right aggregates M, M sequentially formed in this manner and the left and right aggregates M, M succeeding thereto. be done.

Thus, it is determined whether or not the meat piece height automatic setting on/off switch 402 has been operated to the input side (ON) (or whether or not it has been operated). (STEP2)
As a result, when the automatic setting of the meat piece height is switched to on (effective state), the left and right massive meat MF, MF is shifted to the measurement of the height (thickness measurement).

In the height measurement (thickness measurement) of the left and right lumped meats MF, MF, the left lumped meat height measuring potentiometer (“thickness measuring means” in the claim) 407 and the right lumped meat height measuring potentiometer ( By the "thickness measuring means" in the claims) 408, the measured value of the height of one lump of meat (the thickness of the tip of the left lump of meat MF) and the measured value of the height of the other lump of meat ( The thickness of the tip portion of the lumpy meat MF on the right side) X2 is measured. (STEP3)

Then, based on this measurement result, the ratio of the height difference is calculated. (STEP4)
That is, when the meat height measurement value X1 of one lump of meat is larger than the meat height measurement value X2 of the other lump of meat, the meat height difference ratio D is calculated by the following equation.
D=(X1-X2)/X1

Further, when the meat height measurement value X2 of the other chunk of meat is larger than the meat height measurement value X1 of one chunk of meat, the meat height difference ratio is calculated by the following equation.
D=(X2-X1)/X2
Then, this difference ratio D is compared with a preset reference value D1 of the meat height difference ratio. (STEP5)

As a result of this comparison, when the calculated difference ratio D is equal to or less than the reference value D1 of the meat height difference ratio, the height (length in the direction of arrangement) of the folded meat pieces cut out from the left and right chunks of meat MF, MF ) to the mode for averaging. (STEP6)

As a result, using the folding variable Y, one meat piece height calculation value A1 after folding is calculated at any time according to the following equation at the timing when one piece of meat m is cut out.
A1=X1×Y

In addition, the other meat piece height calculation value A2 after folding is calculated at any time by the following equation at the timing when one piece of meat m is cut out.
A2=X2×Y

The folding variable Y is a variable that changes according to the change in the folding position when the folding position of the meat piece is manually changed. 0.5.
Also, if the piece of meat is not folded, then Y=1.

Therefore, the finally adopted meat piece height calculation value (“length in the direction of arrangement” in the claims) A is calculated by the following formula as an average of the left and right meat piece height calculation values A1 and A2. be done.
A=(A1+A2)/2
As will be described later, by automatically changing the number of food pieces m based on the averaged meat piece height calculation value A, the weight variation (weight difference) becomes smaller.

On the other hand, when the calculated difference ratio D is larger than the reference value D1 of the meat height difference ratio as a result of comparison between the calculated difference ratio D and the preset reference value D1 of the meat height difference ratio. , the mode shifts to a mode in which the larger (longer) meat piece height (longer) of the heights (lengths) of the folded meat pieces is used. (STEP7)
That is, one meat piece height calculation value A1 after folding calculated as described above and the other meat piece height calculation value A2 are compared, and whichever is larger (longer in the alignment direction) The meat piece height calculation value is adopted as the final meat piece height calculation value A.

The meat piece height calculation value A adopted in this way, the parallel length manual setting value E set by operating the parallel length manual setting switch 404, and the parallel number manual setting value F set by the parallel number manual setting switch 405 , the manual setting of the parallel mode is established. (STEP8)
The parallel length manual setting value E is changed by the parallel length manual setting switch 404 according to the size of the tray G1 to be used (length in the conveying direction). It is what I did. In addition, the parallel number manual setting value F is obtained by arbitrarily changing and setting the number of meat pieces m forming each aggregate M by operating the parallel number manual setting switch 405 .

Then, it is determined whether or not the parallel sheet count automatic control ON/OFF switch 406 is turned on (or is being operated) to turn on the parallel sheet count automatic control (or whether it is turned on). be. (STEP9)

As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the parallel sheet count automatic control has been turned on (or has been turned on), the process shifts to the parallel reference value automatic setting performed at the automatic control turning on time T0. (STEP10)

In this parallel reference value automatic setting, the calculated value A0 of the height of the meat piece m at time T0 is replaced with the meat piece height reference value G and stored, and the parallel number manual setting value F is replaced with the parallel number reference value H is replaced with and stored.

After this memorization, the number of parallel sheets I is calculated. (STEP11)
This parallel number I is calculated by the following calculation formula from the meat piece height calculation value A adopted as described above, the meat piece height reference value G, and the parallel number reference value H. Truncate below to get an integer.
Calculated value = (G/A) x H

For example, when the value calculated by the above formula is 5.1 and 5.9, the parallel number of sheets is 5 in both cases.
The meat piece height calculation value A is always calculated, but the number of pieces does not change while the acquired integer value does not change due to rounding down the decimal point. (This corresponds to "prohibition of automatic change in the number of pieces of food" in the claim.)
(STEPs 10 and 11 correspond to the "quantity changing means" in the claims.)

The parallel pitch K is calculated from the parallel length manually set value E, the meat piece height calculated value A, and the parallel number I by the following formula. (STEP12)
K=(EA)/(I-1)

Then, based on the measurement result of the conveyor moving distance measuring sensor 417, while driving the endless belt 96 forming the conveyor of the conveying unit 5 by a distance equal to the parallel pitch K (STEP 13), the cut out from the cutting unit 4 is performed. The operation of placing the folded pieces of meat m on the endless belt 96 one by one is repeatedly executed. (STEP14)

Note that even if the calculated value of the parallel pitch K changes during the formation of one aggregate, the change of the parallel pitch is prohibited until the number of paralleled sheets reaches the integer obtained in STEP11. (This corresponds to "prohibition of automatic change of pitch for arranging food pieces" in the claim.)
(STEPs 12 to 14 correspond to the "pitch changing means" in the claims.)

The number of sheets placed and arranged on the endless belt 96 is determined by the number of reciprocating rotations of the left rod rotation angle detection potentiometer 413 or the right rod rotation angle detection potentiometer 414. It is determined whether or not the parallel number I is matched. (STEP15)
When it is determined that the number of sheets arranged in parallel coincides with the above-mentioned parallel number of sheets I, the calculation of the amount of movement of the conveyor for forming the gap between aggregates is performed.

The amount of movement P of the conveyor for forming the cluster interval is calculated by the following formula from the effective transport length (conveyor effective length) L of the endless belt 96, the parallel length manually set value E, and the number R of the clusters. be done. (STEP16)
P = (L - E x R) / (R - 1)
This conveyor movement amount P is the interval between the adjacent aggregates M, M, and is measured by the conveyor movement distance measurement sensor 417 .

As described above, the aggregates M are intermittently formed on the endless belt 96 with the interval P between the aggregates and conveyed.
FIG. 43 shows an aggregate M of meat pieces (food pieces) m thus formed.

Then, in a state where this assembly M reaches the conveying end portion of the endless belt 96 (rear end portion of the conveyor), the output from the controller 400 to the expansion/contraction motor driver 436 causes the expansion/contraction electric motor 135 to operate. The conveying end of belt 96 (the trailing end of the conveyor) extends rearward.
As a result, the conveying terminal end of the endless belt 96 advances above the rear end of the tray G1 waiting below the receiving surface 201 on one of the left and right sides of the article moving device 200 . (STEP17)

Then, it is determined whether or not the conveying distance of the endless belt 96 (conveyor moving distance) measured by the conveyor moving distance measuring sensor 417 has reached the set distance. (STEP18)

As a result, when the set distance is reached (when the aggregate M at the trailing end part separates from the conveying terminal part), an output from the controller 400 to the telescoping motor driver 436 causes the telescoping electric motor 135 to move in the opposite direction. The endless belt 96 is actuated and the conveying end portion of the endless belt 96 retreats rearward from the tray G1. (STEP19)

As described above, the assembly M separated from the transport end of the endless belt 96 is taken over onto the receiving surface 201 on one of the left and right sides of the article moving device 200 and accommodated in the tray G1.

(Second flow)
On the other hand, in STEP 9, when the parallel number automatic control switch 406 is operated (or operated) to the turning side (OFF), the above-described parallel reference value automatic setting is not performed, and parallel pitch calculation is performed. Transition.
This parallel pitch K is calculated from the parallel length manually set value E, the meat piece height calculated value A, and the parallel number manually set value F by the following formula. (STEP20)
K=(EA)/(F-1)

Then, based on the measurement result of the conveyor moving distance measuring sensor 417, while driving the endless belt 96 forming the conveyor of the conveying unit 5 by a distance equal to the parallel pitch K (STEP 21), the cut out from the cutting unit 4 is performed. The operation of placing the folded pieces of meat m on the endless belt 96 one by one is repeatedly executed. (STEP22)

The number of sheets placed and arranged side by side on the endless belt 96 is determined by the number of reciprocating rotations of the left rod rotation angle detection potentiometer 413 or the right rod rotation angle detection potentiometer 414 . (STEP23)

As a result of this determination, when the parallel number of sheets coincides with the above-mentioned parallel number of sheets manually set value F, the calculation of the conveyor movement amount for forming the cluster interval (STEP 16) is performed.
Since the subsequent steps are common to the first flow, the explanation is omitted.

(Third flow)
Also, in STEP 2, when the meat piece height automatic setting switch 402 is operated to the cutting side (OFF) (or if it is operated), the meat piece height is not calculated, and the mode shifts to manual setting in parallel mode. do. (STEP24)

Here, the meat piece height setting value J set by the lump meat height manual setting switch 403, the parallel length manual setting value E set by operating the parallel length manual setting switch 404, and the parallel number manual setting switch 405 Manual setting of the parallel form is established from the set value F for the number of parallel sheets, and the parallel pitch is calculated.
This parallel pitch K is calculated from the parallel length manually set value E, the meat piece height calculated value A, and the parallel number manually set value F by the following formula, as in STEP20. (STEP25)
K=(EA)/(F-1)

After that, the process proceeds to STEP 21, and since the subsequent steps are common to the second flow, the description thereof will be omitted.

(State of aggregate formation)
FIG. 43 illustrates the state of one row of the two rows of aggregates formed as described above.
In this example, an aggregate M1 formed by arranging five pieces of meat (food pieces) m in parallel so that at least a part thereof overlaps, and an aggregate M2 formed by similarly arranging six pieces of meat m in parallel. , aggregates M3 formed by arranging seven meat pieces m in parallel in the same manner.
However, this is used for convenience of explanation, and in the present invention, it is not limited to the existence of aggregates M having different numbers of meat pieces on the same endless belt 96 .

Thus, in the aggregate M1, five pieces of meat m1 having a length (height) A are arranged in parallel at a pitch K to form an aggregate having a total length E.
In addition, the aggregate M2 forms an aggregate having a total length E by arranging six meat pieces m2 shorter than the meat pieces m1 in parallel at a pitch shorter than K.
In the aggregate M3, seven pieces of meat m3 shorter than the aggregate M2 are arranged in parallel at a pitch shorter than that of the aggregate M2 to form an aggregate having a total length E.
In this way, by changing the number and pitch of the pieces of meat to be arranged in parallel according to the height of the pieces of meat m, the total length and weight of the aggregate M of the pieces of meat (food pieces m) can be uniformed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 44, the chunky meat MF usually has a predetermined length, and the height V1 of the front end is different from the height V2 of the rear end. Its height varies irregularly.
Therefore, when the meat is cut (sliced) with a constant thickness in the vertical direction, pieces of meat having different heights are formed depending on the cut portions, and the weight of the cut pieces of meat is not uniform.

On the other hand, as described above, in addition to controlling the parallel pitch, by controlling the parallel number of sheets, the height of the massive meat MF ("the tip of the massive food (MF)" in the claims) is reduced as shown in FIG. The variation in the total weight of each assembly M can be reduced by, for example, bringing the total weight of the assembly M with respect to the thickness of the part closer to the variation width α.

(Scope of application)
Although this embodiment relates to a slicer for cutting raw meat, the present invention is not limited to this, and a method and apparatus for forming other food groups such as processed meat, cheese and vegetables. can be applied to

49 Endless band blade (cutting means)
A Length in the direction in which pieces of meat (food pieces) are arranged E Set length K Pitch m Pieces of meat (food pieces)
M Aggregate MF Lumpy meat (lump food)
X tip thickness (average thickness)
X1 Meat height measurement value of one lumped meat (thickness of tip of left lumped food)
X2 Meat height measurement value of the other lumped meat (thickness at the tip of the right lumped food)

Claims (24)

A plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut substantially simultaneously from each tip portion thereof to sequentially cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces (m), and the food pieces (m) are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps each other to produce a food product. A method for forming an aggregate (M) of pieces (m), wherein the thicknesses (X1, X2) of the tip portions of each of the lumpy foods (MF) are averaged, and based on the average thickness (X) A method for forming an aggregate of food pieces, characterized by automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming an aggregate (M) by using a method for reducing variations in the weight of each aggregate (M). When the difference or the difference ratio of the tip thicknesses (X1, X2) of the plurality of lumpy foods (MF) exceeds a predetermined value, regardless of the average thickness (X), whichever is larger 2. A method for forming a mass of food pieces according to claim 1, wherein the number of food pieces (m) forming each mass (M) is automatically changed based on thickness. 3. The method of forming an aggregate of food pieces according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the automatic change of the number of the food pieces (m) is prohibited until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. automatically changing the pitch (K) of arranging the food pieces (m) in each assembly (M) in relation to automatically changing the number of the food pieces (m) forming the assembly (M); 4. The method for forming aggregates of food pieces according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the total length of each aggregate (M) is formed to have a set length (E). 5. The method of forming aggregates of food pieces according to claim 4, wherein the automatic change of the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged is prohibited until the formation of the same aggregates (M) is completed. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at substantially equal intervals from each tip to sequentially form food pieces (m) having a substantially uniform thickness. A method for forming an aggregate of food pieces. 7. A method for forming an aggregate of food pieces according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each tip of said plurality of food blocks (MF) is cut by a single cutting means (49). Multiple rows of food pieces (m) are sequentially cut out by cutting a plurality of massive food pieces (MF) from their respective ends substantially simultaneously, each food piece (m) is folded at a set position, and at least a part thereof overlaps each other. A method of forming an aggregate (M) of food pieces (m) by arranging them in such a way that the thickness (X1, X2) of the tip of each lumpy food (MF) is averaged, and the average thickness ( X), automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming an aggregate (M) to reduce variations in the weight of each aggregate (M) and the average thickness (X) And from the folding position of the food piece (m), calculate the length (A) in the alignment direction of the food piece (m) after folding, and based on this length (A) Each food piece (m) A method of forming aggregates of food pieces, characterized in that the pitch (K) of arranging the food pieces is automatically changed, and the total length of each aggregate (M) is formed to a set length (E). 9. The food piece aggregate formation according to claim 8, wherein the folding position of each food piece (m) is individually set according to the thickness of the tip portion of the massive food (MF) from which the food piece (m) is cut. Method. Claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the automatic change of the number of the food pieces (m) and the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged is prohibited until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. The method for forming an aggregate of food pieces according to . 11. The method according to claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at substantially equal intervals from each tip to form food pieces (m) of substantially uniform thickness sequentially. A method for forming an aggregate of food pieces. 12. A method for forming an aggregate of food pieces according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein each tip of said plurality of food blocks (MF) is cut by a single cutting means (49). A plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut substantially simultaneously from each tip portion thereof to sequentially cut out a plurality of rows of food pieces (m), and the food pieces (m) are arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps each other to produce a food product. An apparatus for forming an aggregate (M) of pieces (m), comprising: thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the tip of each lump of food (MF); and food forming the aggregate (M). A quantity changing means for changing the number of pieces (m) is provided, a plurality of thicknesses (X1, X2) measured by the thickness measuring means are averaged, and the quantity is calculated based on the averaged thickness (X) A control means is provided for activating the changing means to automatically change the number of food pieces (m) forming each mass (M) to reduce variations in the weight of each mass (M). A food piece assembly forming device. If the difference or the difference ratio of the thicknesses (X1, X2) of the tip portions of the plurality of massive foods (MF) measured by the thickness measuring means exceeds a predetermined value, the average thickness (X) 14. Regardless of the thickness, the quantity changing means is operated based on whichever is greater, and the number of food pieces (m) forming each mass (M) is automatically changed. The apparatus for forming aggregates of food pieces as described. 15. A set of food pieces according to claim 13 or 14, wherein automatic change of the number of food pieces (m) by said quantity changing means is prohibited until formation of the same set (M) is completed. Body shaping device. pitch changing means for changing the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged, said pitch changing means in relation to automatically changing the number of food pieces (m) forming the aggregate (M) is operated to automatically change the pitch (K) in which the food pieces (m) in each aggregate (M) are arranged, and the total length of each aggregate (M) is formed to the set length (E) 16. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to claim 13, 14 or 15. 17. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein automatic change of the pitch (K) for arranging the food pieces (m) by the pitch changing means is prohibited until formation of the same assembly (M) is completed. . 18. The configuration according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the plurality of food blocks (MF) are cut at approximately equal intervals from each tip portion to sequentially form food pieces (m) having a substantially uniform thickness. 10. The apparatus for forming aggregates of food pieces according to the above item. 19. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 18, further comprising a single cutting means (49) that cuts the ends of the plurality of food chunks (MF) substantially simultaneously. Multiple rows of food pieces (m) are sequentially cut out by cutting a plurality of massive food pieces (MF) from their respective ends substantially simultaneously, each food piece (m) is folded at a set position, and at least a part thereof overlaps each other. A device for forming an aggregate (M) of food pieces (m) by arranging them in such a manner as to form an aggregate (M), comprising thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the tip of each of the lumpy foods (MF), and the aggregate (M) and a pitch changing means for changing the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged, and a plurality of thickness measured by the thickness measuring means By averaging the thicknesses (X1, X2) and operating the quantity changing means based on the averaged thickness (X), the number of food pieces (m) forming each aggregate (M) is automatically calculated. , and from the average thickness (X) and the folding position of the food piece (m), calculate the length (A) in the direction in which the food piece (m) after folding is arranged, and this length Based on (A), the pitch changing means is operated to automatically change the pitch (K) at which the food pieces (m) are arranged to reduce the variation in the weight of each aggregate (M), and A food piece aggregate forming apparatus characterized by forming an aggregate (M) to have a set length (E). 21. The food piece according to claim 20, wherein the folding position of each food piece (m) is individually set according to the thickness of the tip portion of the massive food (MF) from which the food piece (m) is cut. Aggregate forming device. Automatic change of the number of food pieces (m) and the pitch (K) for arranging the food pieces (m) by the quantity changing means and the pitch changing means is prohibited until the formation of the same aggregate (M) is completed. 22. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to claim 20 or 21, which is configured to Claim 20, 21, or 22, wherein the plurality of lump-shaped foods (MF) are cut at approximately equal intervals from each tip portion thereof to sequentially form food pieces (m) of approximately uniform thickness. The food piece assembly forming apparatus according to 1. 24. The apparatus for forming aggregated food pieces according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein a single cutting means (49) for cutting the ends of the plurality of food blocks (MF) substantially simultaneously is provided.

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