JP4061307B2 - Food cutting equipment - Google Patents

Description

Cross-reference of related applications

  This application claims priority from US Provisional Application No. 60 / 416,653, filed Oct. 7, 2002. This application also includes copending US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113, filed Jun. 4, 2003, and copending U.S. Patent Application No. 10/250, filed Feb. 4, 2002. The contents of these applications in relation to 072,494 are hereby incorporated by reference.

  The present invention relates to a cutting method and apparatus used for cutting food, particularly for slicing.

  More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus equipped with a cutting device having a substantially horizontal cutting surface, the apparatus supplying stabilized food to the cutting device, the cutting device being suitable for the apparatus. Unless it is installed in the power supply to the cutting device is prevented.

  US patent application Ser. Nos. 10 / 072,494 and 10 / 250,113, both commonly assigned, disclose a method and apparatus for feeding food to a horizontal cutting wheel, according to which Are properly oriented and stabilized to produce a slice product of uniform thickness. The horizontal cutting wheel is housed in a housing, and a chute is formed in the housing, and the sliced food is fed out from the apparatus with the lower end of the chute as an outlet. The housing is supported by a frame that houses electrical wiring to a motor for driving the cutting wheel in the housing. A plurality of feed tubes are mounted substantially perpendicular to the cutting wheel, and each feed tube is sized to send a product (eg, round and / or elongated potato) in a row to the cutting wheel.

  Each feed tube preferably comprises means such as a plurality of water jets that are discharged by nozzles attached to the wall of the tube. According to US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 072,494, the nozzles are preferably arranged in pairs so that the jets emitted from the nozzle intersect in the vicinity of the wall of the feed tube opposite the nozzle. Also, in US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113, the jet impinges on the surface of the cutting wheel. In either case, the nozzle is oriented to incline the jet down toward the cutting wheel to help stabilize the product and to help drive the product down the tube. Adjusted.

  According to US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113, a smooth (non-splined) feed tube reduces product clogging. The smooth feed tube may be provided with a smooth tapered flare that captures and centers the round potato against the cutting wheel. The opening of the tube may be asymmetric so that the flare does not fill the entire diameter of the tube. Alternatively, a smooth feed tube may be provided with a stepped (ribbed) tapered flare. According to any aspect of US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113, the product can be stabilized by providing splines in the feed tube. The spline-shaped feed tube may be provided with an opening without a flare, a smooth tapered flare, or a tapered flare with a step (provided with a rib).

  US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113 also discloses the installation of a cutting wheel that does not require a replacement tool. The cutting wheel is captured between a wheel support in the upper housing and the lower housing, and a housing for the cutting wheel is formed by the upper housing and the lower housing. The upper housing is moved up and down with respect to the lower housing by a crank attached to the frame, and a force is applied by the upper housing through operation of the crank, whereby the cutting wheel is held in a predetermined position.

  The apparatus disclosed in US patent application Ser. Nos. 10 / 072,494 and 10 / 250,113 is a sliced product of uniform thickness by feeding round and slender food vertically against a horizontal cutting wheel. However, further improvements are desired.

  The present invention provides a food cutting device comprising cutting means for cutting food that is supplied in a substantially vertical direction substantially horizontally. The food is supplied through at least one feeding member provided above the cutting means. The feed member includes an internal passage formed with an opening adjacent to the cutting means for supplying food to the cutting means. The internal passage is formed by first and second walls facing the feed member, and the apparatus includes a food product on the first wall of the feed member when the cutting means is cutting the food substantially horizontally. Means for applying a force to the food moving downward in the internal passageway.

  According to a first aspect of the invention, each of the first and second walls has a radius of curvature across the internal passage, the radius of curvature of the first wall being the center of the radius of curvature of the second wall. And the internal passage has a cross-sectional shape formed by two overlapping offset diameters. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cutting means is housed in the lower housing member of the apparatus, and the upper housing member of the apparatus is located above the cutting means. The upper housing member has first and second positions relative to the cutting means, and when the upper housing member is in its first position, the upper housing member engages the lower housing member and A clamping load is applied to the cutting means for securing the cutting means within the housing member. When the upper housing member is in its second position, the upper housing member is disengaged from the lower housing member, releasing the clamping load on the cutting means. In addition, the apparatus includes means for preventing current from flowing to the cutting means when the upper housing is not in its first position.

  The food cutting device configured as described above can improve the flow of products and improve safety. The former is achieved by a feed member configured according to the first aspect of the present invention, while the latter allows the cutting means to be properly secured before power is applied to drive the cutting means, and While power is being supplied, this is accomplished by ensuring prevention of access to the disconnect means. In this regard, the present invention provides an improvement over the methods and apparatus disclosed in US patent application Ser. Nos. 10 / 072,494 and 10 / 250,113.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

  FIGS. 1-5 show a cutting (slicing) with a horizontal cutting wheel 12 comprising a plurality of blades and a feed tube 22 mounted above the wheel 12 to feed a product such as potato for slicing. ) A part of the machine 10 is shown. Each feed tube 22 has an internal passage 24 that is sized to feed a product (eg, round and / or elongated potato) into the cutting wheel 12 in a row. As shown in FIG. 2 and in accordance with co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 072,494, each feed tube 22 is fluid (eg, to hold product against the first wall 26 of the tube 22). ) Water) A nozzle 58 for discharging the jet 52 is provided. These nozzles 58 are preferably arranged in two or more sets on the second wall 28 of the tube 22 facing the first wall 26, and each nozzle set has a first facing the nozzle 58. A jet 52 that converges toward the wall 26 is generated. As the cutting wheel blade moves in the direction toward the first wall 26, just above the exit point of the cutting wheel blade that has passed under the tube opening 54 and at or near the first wall 26, It is preferred that the jets 52 intersect (FIG. 2). Two sets of nozzles 58 (separated vertically so that one set is above the other set) are shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, fluid is fed to the nozzles 58 from the manifold 60 located at or near the feed tube 22 to ensure that substantially the same pressure is applied to all the nozzles 58.

  The water jet 52 in each feed tube 22 is directed downward toward the cutting wheel 12 at an angle of less than 45 ° with respect to the second wall 28 of the tube 22. Thus, as shown in the drawings, in a vertically oriented tube 22, the jet 52 is directed downward at an angle of less than 45 ° from the vertical direction (greater than 45 ° from the horizontal direction). A preferred angle for each jet 52 is about 25 ° from the vertical direction (about 65 ° from the horizontal direction). This orientation has been found to stabilize the product passing through the feed tube 22 and improve the feed as each set of nozzles 58 produces two fluid jets 52. In fact, the paired nozzles 58 have an orifice diameter of about 3.56 mm (about 0.156 inch) and about 0.2 to 0.5 MPa (about 30 to 70 psi), preferably 0.2 to Good results have been obtained when water at a pressure of 0.3 MPa (about 30-40 psi) is supplied. A set of three nozzles 58 having an orifice diameter of about 2.08 mm (about 0.108 inch) would produce similar results. In particular, stability and product feed are compared to the tube disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 072,494, which discloses jets with angles greater than 45 ° from the vertical (less than about 45 ° from the horizontal). The tube 22 configured as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in another embodiment of the present invention, the internal passage 24 of each feed tube 22 is formed by two overlapping offset diameters. More specifically, the centers of the respective radii of curvature (Rd) of the first wall 26 and the second wall 28 forming the passage 24 of each tube 22 are offset from each other in a direction transverse to the passage 24. Located on one axis. As a result, the passage 24 has a cross-sectional shape formed by two overlapping offset diameters, and there is a longitudinal ridge 30 at the intersection of the walls 26 and 28. . The radius of curvature Rd is preferably the same for the wall 26 and the wall 28. Actually, an appropriate result was obtained by setting the curvature radius Rd to about 54 mm (about 2.125 inch) and the offset amount between the centers to about 8 mm (about 5/16 inch).

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each tube 22 may be formed with a smooth tapered flare 56 at the lower end forming the opening 54 of the tube 22 adjacent to the cutting wheel 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the flare 56 is formed continuously but is confined within the first wall 26 of the tube 22 so that the opening 54 of the tube 22 is asymmetric. . The radius of curvature of the flare 56 across the internal passage 24 increases toward the opening 54, so that a portion of the opening 54 formed by the flare 56 is due to the second wall 28 of the tube 22. It has a larger radius of curvature than part of the opening 54 to be formed. The presence of a tapered flare 56 configured as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 improves the trapping and centering of the round potato relative to the cutting wheel 12 and makes it possible to produce a slice product of uniform thickness. . In addition to the flare 56 and the ridge 30, it is preferable that the inner surface of the passage 24 of each feed tube 22 be smooth and non-spline to reduce product clogging in the tube 22. On the other hand, a feed tube 22 having splines and / or stepped (ribbed) tapered flares according to US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113 can be applied to the present invention as needed to provide product stability. And / or reducing product rolling.

  1, 4 and 5 illustrate a preferred mechanism according to the present invention that allows the cutting wheel 12 to be removed and installed without the use of tools. As discussed in US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 250,113 and shown schematically in FIG. 1, the cutting wheel 12 includes a movable upper housing (lid) 32 and a lower housing 34 of the cutting machine 10. And trapped between the wheel supports 36 to which the wheels 12 are attached. A clamping force is applied to the cutting wheel 12 by the lid 32 via a bearing cap 38 that is fitted to a central hub (not shown) of the wheel 12. The lid 32 is supported by an annular recess 40 formed at the peripheral edge of the lower housing 34. When the lid 32 is lowered to the lower housing 34 by the crank 14, both the lid 32 and the recess 40 have tapered peripheral edges that align with each other in order to better align the lid 32 and the lower housing 34. It is preferable. When the lid 32 is pressed against the lower housing 34 by the operation of the crank 14 in order to position the cutting wheel 12 in the lower housing 34 and catch the cutting wheel 12, the center of the lid 32 warps downward by a predetermined distance. It is good to make it.

  The cutting machine 10 is operated many times with a cutting wheel 12 that is continuously fixed by a clamping load without the use of tools and permanent fasteners that can be used improperly or lost. It is desirable. It is also desirable to prevent the cutter 10 from being released or accessed during operation in order to avoid injury to the person when the cutting wheel 12 is rotating. Furthermore, the cutting zone of the cutting machine 10 is preferably free of electrical components and connections that complicate the mechanical design and impose maintenance problems in the future. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the force applied to press the lid 32 against the lower housing 34 and secure the cutting wheel 12 is supported on the upper part of the frame leg 46. Countermeasures are taken on the cutting machine 10 to be generated by screws (reference numeral 62 in FIG. 5) housed in the lower frame members 42, 44. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the lid 32 is fixed to an arm 48 extending from the upper frame member 42, while the lower housing 34 is fixed to an arm 50 extending from the lower frame member 44. Yes. The lower frame 44 is configured to pivot on the legs 46, while the upper frame member 42 is configured to rise and lower relative to the lower frame member 44 through the operation of the screw 62. In this way, the lid 32 can be raised and lowered with respect to the lower housing 34, and the lower housing 34 can be displaced from the lid 32 and swiveled.

  The screw 62 operates with the crank 14. The crank 14 is connected to the first connecting rod 16 fixed to the screw 62 on the upper frame member 42, and is pivotally connected to the first connecting rod 16. The crank 14 is opposite to the first connecting rod 16. It consists of a 2 piece assembly which consists of the 2nd connecting rod 18 provided with the guard lock key 20 located in the edge part. A guard lock switch 64 is attached to the lower frame member 44 and the key 20 must be plugged into the switch 64 to complete the power circuit for operating the cutting machine 10. The length of the second connecting rod 18 is such that the key 20 cannot be inserted into the switch 64 unless the crank 14 is rotated a sufficient number of times until the lid 32 is lowered and the wheel 12 is firmly pressed into the lower housing 34. Is specified. As shown in FIG. 4 in which the lowering engagement position and the higher engagement release position of the crank 14 are compared, even if the lid 32 is raised, the mechanical action of the crank 14 is reduced at the lowering position of the crank 14. It is preferable to do so.

  More specifically, FIG. 1 shows that the lid 32 is lowered onto the lower housing 34, the cutting wheel 12 is pressed into the lower housing 34, and the key 20 is inserted properly into the switch 64. The crank 14 is shown. In FIG. 1, a pin 66 provided on the lower frame member 44 is inserted into a bore 68 formed on the upper frame member 42. The pin 66 is configured so that the lid 32 and the lower housing 34 do not fit unless the upper frame member 42 and the lower frame member 44, the upper housing 32 and the lower housing 34, and the key 20 and the switch 64 are aligned with each other at an appropriate angle. To ensure. In FIG. 5, the upper frame member 42 and the lower frame member 44 are aligned at an appropriate angle, but the lid 32 is not lowered sufficiently with respect to the lower housing 34, so that the cutting wheel 12 is It is not properly pressed into the lower housing 34. In this state, the key 20 is aligned with the switch 64 in the vertical direction, but the key 20 cannot be inserted into the switch 64. This is because the upper frame member 42 (supporting the lid 32) is not lowered sufficiently with respect to the lower frame member 44, as indicated by the gap 70 between the upper frame member 42 and the lower frame member 44. . It is also clear that the key 20 cannot be inserted into the switch 64 if the crank 14 (and thus the key 20) is not radially aligned with the switch 64.

  Although the present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments, it is apparent that other forms can be employed by one skilled in the art. For example, the configurations of the present invention can be combined with one or more of the configurations of commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application Nos. 10 / 072,494 and 10 / 250,113. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments depicted in the drawings. Further, the terms used above are used to disclose exemplary embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims.

1 is a side view of a cutting device according to the present invention, in which the upper housing of the device can be raised and lowered with respect to the lower housing of the device, and the safety is in the engaged position with the upper housing lowered onto the lower housing The crank is shown. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the feed tube of the cutting device of FIG. It is an end view of the lower end of the feed tube of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a part of the cutting device of FIG. 1, showing an engagement position and a disengagement position of a safety crank. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a safety crank that is misaligned because the upper housing is not fully lowered.

Claims (12)

Means for cutting the food supplied in a substantially vertical direction substantially horizontally;
An internal passage provided above the cutting means and having an opening proximate to the cutting means for supplying the food product to the cutting means in a substantially vertical direction, the internal passage facing the first facing Formed by one wall and a second wall, each of the first wall and the second wall having a radius of curvature that traverses the internal passage, the center of the radius of curvature of the first wall being Offset from the center of curvature radius of the second wall, the internal passage has a cross-sectional shape formed by two offset diameters that overlap each other , and the first wall and the second wall At least one feed member having a ridge at the intersection of the two walls ; and
The cutting by applying an impact to food that includes at least two fluid jets flowing in an internal passage from the second wall toward the first wall and moves downwardly through the internal passage. When means are cutting the food substantially horizontally, a force is applied to the food that moves down the internal passage so as to press the food against the first wall of the feed member. means,
Food cutting device comprising.   The feeding member has a lower part adjacent to the opening and an upper part above the lower part, and the lower part has a lower end part forming an opening of the internal passage, The wall of 1 has a flare region that traverses the internal passage and has a radius of curvature that increases toward the opening, whereby a portion of the opening is formed by the flare region, and The apparatus of claim 1 having a greater radius of curvature than the second wall in the lower portion of the feed member.   The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the cutting means is cutting the food substantially horizontally, the means for applying the force presses the food in the direction of the lower flare area.   The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the lower flare region is continuously formed in a first wall within the lower portion of the feed member.   The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lower flare region is formed exclusively in a first wall region within the lower portion of the feed member.   The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least two fluid jets are inclined toward a first wall of the internal passage.   7. The cutting means according to claim 6, wherein the cutting means passes under the opening towards the exit point of the first wall in the lower part and the fluid jet intersects at the first wall directly above the exit point. The device described.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least two fluid jets is directed downwardly toward the cutting means at an angle of less than 45 ° from the second wall of the feed member. A lower housing member in which the cutting means is accommodated;
The feed member is attached and has a platform on the cutting means that takes a first position and a second position relative to the cutting means, and when in the first position, engages with the lower housing member. A clamping load is applied to the cutting means, the cutting means is fixed in the lower housing member, and when in the second position, the clamping means is separated from the lower housing member to reduce the clamping load to the cutting means. An upper housing member adapted to release,
Means for allowing rotation of the cutting means while a clamping load is applied by the upper housing member; and
Means for moving the upper housing member toward or away from the lower housing member to apply a clamping load to the cutting means or to release the clamping load;
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:   Complementary first and second connectors are further provided. When the first connector and the second connector are connected to each other, current is supplied to the cutting means, and when they are separated from each other. Shutting off the supply of current to the cutting means, the first connector being attached to the moving means, the upper housing member being in a first position, engaging the lower housing member, and the cutting means 10. A device according to claim 9, wherein a clamping load is applied to the second connector so that it can be connected to the second connector only when the cutting means is secured within the lower housing member.   The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the moving means comprises a crank assembly, and the first connector is attached to the crank assembly.   12. The moving means further comprises a screw coupled to the crank assembly, and when the crank assembly is rotated, the screw operates to raise and lower the upper housing member in a vertical direction. The device described in 1.

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