JP4329139B2 - Container tofu production equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing containerized tofu, and in particular, to an apparatus capable of producing tofu divided into a plurality of small pieces.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When using tofu in a container, for example, for business use, as a side dish, the tofu was taken out of the container and cut into small pieces, but this was all done manually and was time consuming and cumbersome. Met.
[0003]
In addition, in products such as maple tofu in a container, a large amount of tofu that has been cut into small pieces in advance has been manufactured and filled in a predetermined amount. In addition, the amount of tofu varied, and the tofu was easily broken during filling.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing containerized tofu that can automatically produce tofu that has been placed in a container and divided into a plurality of small pieces.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An apparatus for producing containerized tofu according to the present invention is an apparatus for cutting a containered tofu so as to be divided into upper and lower parts, a conveying means for conveying the container with tofu via a cutting station, and a cutting station. A cutter having a horizontal linear cutting element, and a first moving limit and a second moving limit separated by a distance corresponding to the tofu cutting length in the horizontal direction while moving the cutter up and down between the upper limit and the lower limit With the first movement limit and upper limit as the origin, the lowering stroke, the forward horizontal stroke from the first movement limit to the second movement limit, the rising stroke, and the second movement limit to the first movement limit. And a drive mechanism that causes the cutter to sequentially perform reverse horizontal strokes toward the container. It is made to enter the gap between the sides to the expected tofu cutting level, and during the forward horizontal stroke, the cutter is moved through the tofu while maintaining the expected tofu cutting level. The cutter is retracted from the gap between the inner surface of the other side wall and the other side surface of the tofu opposite thereto, and the cutting element returns to the origin during the reverse horizontal stroke.
[0006]
In the container tofu cutting device according to the present invention, the container containing the tofu is carried into the cutting station by the conveying means, and when the cutter is sequentially subjected to the downward stroke, the forward horizontal stroke, the upward stroke and the reverse horizontal stroke, the forward direction During the horizontal stroke, the tofu in the container is cut by the cutter so as to be divided vertically.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0008]
In the following description, the front and rear refer to the forward side of the container carried by the conveyor (arrow A in FIG. 1) as the front, the opposite side as the rear, and the left and right as the left and right sides as viewed from the rear Shall.
[0009]
Referring to FIG. 1, a container transport conveyor 11 is shown. The conveyor 11 is a slat conveyor and has a large number of slats 12. The slat 12 has a through-hole holding hole 13 and is continuously moved through the primary cutting station S1, the secondary cutting station S2, the filling station S3 and the seal / trimming station S4 in sequence.
[0010]
The primary cutting station S1 has a primary cutting device 14, the secondary cutting station S2 has a secondary cutting device 15, the filling station S3 has a filling device 16, and the sealing and trimming station S4 has a seal. -Trimming devices 17 are arranged respectively.
[0011]
The primary cutting device 14, the secondary cutting device 15, the filling device 16 and the seal / trimming device 17 are attached to a movable frame (not shown) and can move together with the container in response to the continuous drive of the conveyor. Thus, the movable frame is configured to sequentially perform a descending stroke, a forward stroke, an ascending stroke, and a reverse stroke.
[0012]
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the container C is press-molded into a top-opening box shape by a heat-sealable plastic material such as polyethylene, and has a flat bottom wall B and outwards as it goes up. It consists of four front side walls HF, a rear side wall HB, a left side wall HL and a right side wall HR which are inclined so as to fall down. A flange F is provided at the upper ends of these side walls HF, HB, HL, HR. A container C is inserted and held in the container holding hole 13 so as to receive the flange F at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the container holding hole 13.
[0013]
Container C is filled with tofu T corresponding to one minute. The tofu T has a size slightly smaller than the bottom wall B of the container in plan view. Moreover, the height of the tofu T is slightly smaller than the depth of the container C. The front side TF, rear side TB, left side TL, and right side TR of tofu T are all substantially vertical. Between the front side wall HF, the rear side wall HB, the left side wall HL and the right side wall HR of the container C and the front side surface TF, rear side surface TB, left side surface TL and right side surface TR of the tofu T Has occurred.
[0014]
As shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, the primary cutting device 14 is perpendicular to the device frame 21 so as to be located obliquely above and to the left of the slat 12 stopped at the primary cutting station S1. The elevating fluid pressure cylinder 22 fixed downward, the horizontal plate-like elevating body 23 attached to the piston rod of the elevating fluid pressure cylinder 22, and the lower surface of the elevating body 23 in the left-right direction via the bracket 24 A double-acting left / right fluid pressure cylinder 25 suspended horizontally so as to face, and a horizontal plate-like left / right motion body 26 attached so as to be passed across the left and right ends of the piston rod of the left / right motion fluid pressure cylinder 25; And a cutter 27 attached to the left and right moving body 26.
[0015]
A buffer ring contact ring 31 is fixed to the upward projecting end of the piston rod of the lifting fluid pressure cylinder 22, and a stopper 30 for restricting the stroke is detachably attached to the top of the fluid pressure cylinder 22. It has been. The same stroke can be changed by replacing the stopper 30 with one having a different thickness.
[0016]
The elevating body 23 is provided with a container presser 32 and a tofu slip stopper 33.
[0017]
The container presser 32 has a horizontal plate shape and is disposed so as to be opposed to both the left and right sides of the flange F of the container C held by the slat 12. Each container holder 32 is provided with a pair of vertical guide rods 34 upright. The guide rod 34 is slidably passed through a horizontal plate-like mounting member 36 suspended from the right ends of both front and rear edges of the elevating body 23 via a vertical first suspension rod 35. A stopper 37 is provided at the upward projecting end of the guide rod 34. A compression coil spring 38 fitted to the guide rod 34 is interposed between each container presser 32 and the attachment member 36.
[0018]
The tofu slip stopper 33 is L-shaped in cross section, and is arranged so that the lower end of the vertical portion faces the gap between the left side wall HL of the container and the left side surface TL of the tofu from below and under the left and right moving body 26. And is attached to a horizontal support bar 41 extending in the front-rear direction. The support bar 41 is suspended from a middle portion in the left-right direction at both front and rear edges of the lifting body 23 via a vertical second suspension rod 42.
[0019]
The cutter 27 includes a holder 51 and a fishing line cutter 52 that is held in tension by the holder 51.
[0020]
The holder 51 has a horizontal rotation shaft 62 extending in the front-rear direction supported by a bearing member 61 provided on the lower surface of the right end portion of the left and right moving body 26, and is fixed to both front and rear end portions of the rotation shaft 62 in the middle of the length. And a pair of front and rear strip plate holder plates 63 extending in parallel with each other.
[0021]
A horizontal band plate-like stopper plate 64 is provided on the bearing member 61 so as to be located diagonally to the left of the rotation shaft 62 and extending in parallel with the rotation shaft 62. One end of the first tension spring 65 is latched at a position away from the rotation center of the holder plate 63, and the other end is latched on the first spring latch bolt 66. The first spring-loaded bolt 66 is screwed into a bracket 67 provided on the lower surface of the left-right moving body 26 that is separated from the rotation shaft 62 to the left so that the position thereof can be adjusted. The holder plate 63 in FIG. 3 is urged by the tension spring 65 to rotate in the clockwise direction, and the left edge of the holder plate 63 is brought into contact with the right edge of the stopper plate 64. In this state, the holder The plate 63 is generally vertical. The distance between the holder plates 63 is slightly larger than the length of the tofu T in the front-rear direction, but is narrower than the distance between the upper ends of the container front side wall HF and the rear side wall HB.
[0022]
A needle-like portion 71 is provided at the lower end portion of the holder plate 63, and a bent portion 72 is provided at the upper end portion thereof. A needle hole 73 is formed at the lower end of the needle-like portion 71. A bolt hole 74 and a lower end open vertical groove 75 are provided side by side immediately above the upper end of the needle-like portion 71. A ring 76 is applied to the opening edge of the vertical groove 75, and a bolt 77 is passed through the ring 76 and the bolt hole 74. Bolts 77 are screwed into both ends of a spacer tube 78 sandwiched between both holder plates 63.
[0023]
The cutting element 52 is passed through the needle holes 73 of both holder plates 63 and stretched horizontally, and is guided upward therefrom, and is passed through the longitudinal groove 75 so as to be hidden under the ring 76 and guided above it. It has been. One end of the second tension spring 81 is hooked on the upper end of the cutter 52, and the other end is hooked on the second spring hook bolt 82. The second spring hanging bolt 82 is threaded through the bent portion 72 so that the position thereof can be adjusted.
[0024]
Referring to FIG. 1 again, the secondary cutting device 15 includes a lifting cutter 91 and a receiving member 92 that receives the container C at the time of cutting. The cutter 91 has a horizontal cross-shaped vertical plate-shaped cutting blade 93 having a cutting blade at the lower end. The filling device 16 has a vertical filling nozzle 94 facing the slat movement path from above in the filling station S3. The sealing / trimming device 17 includes a transfer means (not shown) for transferring the lid material L via the sealing / trimming station S4, and seals the lid material L to the container flange F at the sealing / trimming station S4. An elevating head 95 for punching the cover material L along the outer periphery is provided.
[0025]
The cutter 27 is positioned at the upper limit with the piston rod of the elevating fluid pressure cylinder 22 retracted, and when the piston rod is protruded, the cutter 27 is positioned at the lower limit. When the piston rod of the left / right hydraulic cylinder 25 is protruded to the right, the cutter 27 is positioned at the right limit, and when the piston rod is protruded to the left, the cutter 27 is positioned at the left limit.
[0026]
FIG. 5 shows the cutting operation by the primary cutting device 14 in order. In FIG. 5 (a), the cutter 27 is positioned at the upper limit and the right limit, and the horizontal portion of the cutter 52 is positioned directly above the gap between the container right side wall HR and the tofu right side surface TR. The tofu slip stopper 33 is positioned directly above the gap between the left side wall HL of the container and the left side surface TL of the tofu.
[0027]
From this state, the cutter 27 is lowered as shown in FIG. When the cutter 27 enters the former gap and is lowered to the lower limit, the horizontal portion of the cutting element 52 is positioned at an intermediate level of the height of the tofu T. This is the planned cutting level. At the same time, the tofu slip stopper 33 is caused to enter the latter gap. The depth of entry is only slightly above the planned cutting level. Further, the container presser 32 is lowered together with the cutter 27, and the container flange F is pressed by the container presser 32.
[0028]
Next, the cutter 27 is moved to the left while maintaining the scheduled cutting level. As shown in FIG. 5 (c), when the horizontal portion of the cutting piece 52 moves in the tofu T and the cutter 27 reaches the left limit, the tofu T is cut so as to be divided into two vertically. With the cutter 27 reaching the left limit, the horizontal portion of the cutting element 52 is pressed against the left side wall HL of the container, and the holder plate 63 is inclined to the left from the vertical posture. This is because the holder plate 63 is rotated counterclockwise against the spring 65 by further moving the cutter 27 to the left after the horizontal portion of the cutter 52 abuts against the container left side wall HL. Therefore, the fluid pressure cylinder 25 is not only a stroke in which the horizontal portion of the cutting element 52 abuts against the left side wall HL of the container, but a larger stroke than that. The horizontal portion of the cutting piece 52 is hidden under the tofu slip stopper 33 in a state where the horizontal portion of the cutting piece 52 is pressed against the left side wall HL of the container. As a result, even if the stroke of the fluid pressure cylinder 25 varies, the entire tofu T can be completely cut and there is no tofu residue left .
[0029]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), the cutter 27 is raised to the upper limit together with the container presser 32 and the tofu slip stopper 33, and then the cutter 27 is moved to the right to return to the right limit.
When the container C containing the tofu T divided into the upper and lower parts is carried into the second cutting station S2, the cutting blade 93 is moved back and forth with respect to the container C. As a result, the upper and lower tofus are each divided into four pieces, resulting in a tofu consisting of a total of eight pieces, thereby completing the cutting.
[0030]
When the cutting of the tofu is completed, the container C containing the cut tofu T is transported from the second cutting station S2 and sequentially sent to the filling station S3 and the seal / trimming station S4. The filling station S3 is filled with cold water for immersing the cut tofu, and the container C is covered with the sealing / trimming station S4.
[0031]
In the above, the number of upper and lower divisions of tofu by the first cutting device may be 3 or more. In that case, the number of horizontal portions of the cutting element needs to be two or more. As the cutter, a wire, a wire, or the like may be used instead of the fishing line. The moving direction of the cutter may be either the container conveying direction or a direction orthogonal to the container conveying direction.
[0032]
In addition, although the above-mentioned container usually contains tofu of a size called “Iccho”, in the case of commercial tofu, it may be considerably larger than “Iccho” tofu. .
[0033]
Furthermore, although the continuous drive system is adopted as the conveyor, an intermittent drive system may be used. In that case, the movable frame becomes unnecessary.
[0034]
Further, the order and configuration of the primary cutting device 14, the secondary cutting device 15 and the filling device 16 can be appropriately changed.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the container containing the tofu is carried into the cutting station by the conveying means, and when the cutter is sequentially subjected to the downward stroke, the forward horizontal stroke, the upward stroke, and the reverse horizontal stroke, In addition, since the tofu in the container is cut by the cutter so as to be divided into upper and lower parts, a large amount of tofu that is put in the container and divided into the upper and lower parts can be automatically manufactured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a tofu production apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cutting device that is a main part of the device.
FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cutting apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the cutting apparatus.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a cutting operation of the cutting apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Conveyor
23 Lifting body
26 Left-right moving body
27 Cutter
52 Cutting C Container T Tofu

Claims (1)

A device for cutting the tofu contained in a container so as to divide it into upper and lower parts, a conveying means for conveying the container containing the tofu through the cutting station, and a cutter disposed at the cutting station and having a horizontal linear cutter The cutter is moved up and down between an upper limit and a lower limit, and is moved horizontally between a first movement limit and a second movement limit separated from the first movement limit by a distance corresponding to the tofu cutting length in the horizontal direction. With the movement limit and upper limit as the origin, the lowering stroke, the forward horizontal stroke from the first movement limit to the second movement limit, the rising stroke and the reverse horizontal stroke from the second movement limit to the first movement limit are sequentially applied to the cutter. It has a drive mechanism to be performed and a tofu slip stopper that is moved up and down with the cutter. Into the gap between the opposite sides of the tofu, it is made to enter the tofu cutting planned level, and during the forward horizontal stroke, the cutter is moved in the tofu while holding the tofu cutting planned level, and during the rising stroke, The cutting piece is withdrawn from the gap between the inner surface of the other side wall of the container and the other side surface of the tofu, and the cutting piece is returned to the origin during the reverse horizontal stroke. during the container the other side wall inner surface and which with opposite tofu other side between the Rutotomoni made to be advanced and retracted with respect to the gap, the lower end of the tofu displacement stop of the downward stroke the lower limit, the positive direction horizontal stroke level Setsudanko Is positioned at the upper level, and the cutting element heading toward the horizontal stroke limit in the positive direction is hidden under the tofu slip stopper at the lower limit of the downward stroke. Containers tofu of manufacturing equipment.

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