JP4478078B2 - Bread cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bread slicing apparatus that obtains a bread piece by cutting bread baked into a relatively large block into an arbitrary thickness, and in particular, can be cut into bread pieces in a short time after baking. In addition, the present invention relates to a bread slicing apparatus that can easily cut British bread and the like having a high height and a flat top.

  Conventionally, bread that has been baked greatly is cut into bread pieces having a predetermined thickness using a bread cutting device, and the bread pieces are sold by packing a predetermined number of pieces, or further processed into sandwich bread. It is sold. In general, a reciprocating machine is used as the above-described bread cutting machine. This reciprocating machine has a large number of strip-shaped cutting blades arranged side by side, and can obtain a large number of bread pieces at a time from bread. Further, the bread pieces obtained in this way are arranged in a horizontal manner on the conveyor by hand, and are sent out for the next packing work. The existence of such a Les Pro cutting machine is widely known to those skilled in the art, but since the applicant has no knowledge of the patent publications and the like in which the Les Pro cutting machine is disclosed, it is disclosed here. There is no prior art reference to be made.

  By the way, the strip-shaped cutting blade included in the reciprocating cutting machine has a sawtooth-shaped cutting blade, and at the time of cutting, it is reciprocated while being pressed against the bread. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain a smooth cut surface for the cut bread pieces, and there is a demand for obtaining a smoother cut surface and improving the commercial value.

  In addition, the baked bread has a relatively hard outer surface, while the inside is soft, and each part becomes slightly harder as time passes after baking. And since the reciprocating cutting machine mentioned above cuts bread by reciprocating movement of the cutting blade, if the bread is cut early after baking, the bread piece being cut will be deformed, so that the bread of the desired shape and size While it may not be possible to obtain a piece, in order to avoid this, if it is attempted to secure an appropriate hardness to the bread, it must be cut after a relatively long period of time (usually at least 24 hours after baking). Since it becomes impossible, the fall of the freshness of the bread piece obtained is inevitable.

  Furthermore, when using a reciprocating cutting machine, it is necessary for workers to sequentially align and replace the obtained bread pieces on the transport conveyor, so the productivity may be greatly affected by the work ability of the workers. . In addition, it is desirable that the obtained bread pieces should not be touched by humans as much as possible. However, when a reciprocating cutting machine is used, there is a possibility that an operator may come into contact with the obtained bread pieces. .

  Therefore, the present invention provides a bread slicing device that can obtain a relatively smooth cut surface, can cut bread after a relatively short time after baking, and can eliminate human intervention as much as possible. The purpose is to provide. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bread slicing apparatus that can cut various breads such as so-called British breads having not only a flat upper part but also an uneven part on the upper part into bread pieces. To do.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and a bread cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes a feeding table that regulates the transfer direction of the loaded bread, and a bread on the feeding table. A bread bread transfer section that is intermittently transferred to the downstream side, and a cutting section that is disposed on the downstream side of the feeding table and cuts the bread, and the axial direction of the cutting section is substantially parallel to the transfer direction of the bread. And a round blade drive unit that moves the round blade up and down while rotating, and is configured to cut the bread when the round blade is lowered.

  By setting it as such a structure, since bread is cut | disconnected by the rotating round blade, even if it is a comparatively soft state, it can cut | disconnect to the bread piece of desired thickness. Accordingly, the bread can be cut within a relatively short time after baking, and the freshness of the bread pieces can be maintained. Moreover, since the bread piece which has a smooth cut surface can be obtained by cut | disconnecting with a round blade, it is convenient. Furthermore, since the bread on the feeding table is cut when the round blade is lowered, the cutting process can be stably performed without a configuration that specifically regulates the vertical position of the bread.

  The bread transfer unit includes a side support part for supporting the bread on the feeding table from the side, and a front / rear drive part for moving the side support part along the bread transfer direction. Also good. By setting it as such a structure, the position shift of the left-right direction of bread can be suppressed at the time of a cutting | disconnection. Also, since bread bread generally has a substantially constant width direction dimension, when the bread bread is supported from the side, the side support portion can be realized with a simple configuration, which is advantageous.

  Moreover, the side support part which the said bread bread transfer part has may have the support pin which stabs in the side part of the bread on the said feeding stand. By adopting such a configuration, even soft bread immediately after baking can be reliably supported.

  Moreover, the round blade drive part which the said cutting part has may be comprised so that the said round blade may be moved up and down by the crank mechanism part arrange | positioned above the said feeding stand. By adopting such a configuration, fine bread crumbs generated at the time of cutting bread will fall below the feeding table and will not enter the crank mechanism located above, and will not cause a failure of the crank mechanism. Further, for example, when a crank mechanism is used as compared with the case of using a ball screw, it is advantageous that the driving sound is relatively small.

  Moreover, the round blade drive part which the said cutting part has may be comprised so that the said round blade may be moved up and down in the downstream vicinity of the downstream end of the said feeding stand. By setting it as such a structure, a round blade can be lowered | hung to the downward position which can cut | disconnect all the lower parts of bread.

  A pan piece receiving portion for receiving the cut bread piece; and a conveyor for conveying the bread piece received by the bread piece receiving portion to the downstream side further on the downstream side of the feeding table, The piece receiving portion may be configured to be able to move up and down between a standing posture in which the cut bread piece is received in a substantially standing state and a lying posture in which the received bread piece is placed on the transport conveyor. By setting it as such a structure, the bread piece after a cutting | disconnection can be reliably mounted by the downstream conveyor, and it is convenient in the next process.

  Further, the bread piece receiving portion has an arm portion arranged on the left and right sides with the transport conveyor in between, and the arm portion pivots at a lower position on the downstream side of the feeding table so that the base portion can rotate freely. You may have a roller which is supported and receives a bread piece. By setting it as such a structure, a bread piece receiving part is more concretely realizable with a comparatively simple structure.

  According to the bread cutting apparatus according to the present invention, a bread piece having a relatively smooth cut surface can be obtained, and after a relatively short time after baking, for example, it is allowed to cool for 2 to 3 hours after baking. The bread can be cut immediately. Therefore, a product obtained by cutting bread can be shipped with a sufficiently high freshness, and a long consumption period after shipment of the product can be secured. Since the bread is cut when the round blade is lowered, various breads having different height dimensions can be easily cut.

  Hereinafter, the bread cutting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a bread slicing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the bread bun cutting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bread cutting apparatus 1 mainly includes a bread supplying unit 3 for sequentially supplying a relatively large baked bread 2A having a substantially rectangular shape, and a bread having a predetermined thickness. A slicer 4 (four units are provided in the present embodiment) for cutting (slicing) into pieces 2B, and a bread piece conveyor 5 for conveying the obtained bread pieces 2B to the downstream side while aligning them. Yes. Moreover, the slicer control part 4a (refer FIG. 2) which controls operation | movement of the slicer 4 and the conveyor control part 5a (refer FIG. 1) which controls operation | movement of the bread piece conveyor 5 are also provided. In the following description, the movement direction of the bread 2A or the bread piece 2B is the forward or downstream direction, and the opposite direction is the rear or upstream direction, and the other directions (up and down, left and right) are the moving bread 2A or bread piece. It shall coincide with the concept of direction when viewed from 2B.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bread supply unit 3 is composed of a belt-type upstream conveyor 10 and a downstream conveyor 11 composed of a number of rollers, and both can be driven independently of each other. Yes. The downstream conveyor 11 is provided with a sensor (not shown) capable of detecting the position of the bread 2A at a predetermined position, and a plate-like stopper 11a that is movable up and down through the rollers is provided below. Arranged in position. The position of the bread 2 </ b> A conveyed from the upstream conveyor 10 to the downstream conveyor 11 is detected by the sensor and is stopped by the stopper 11 a at a position suitable for feeding to the slicer 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an extrusion mechanism 11b for feeding the bread 2A stopped by the stopper 11a to the slicer 4 in the next process is provided above the downstream conveyor 11.

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the bread cutting device 1 and shows the configuration of the slicer 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the slicer 4 is disposed on the upper side on the downstream side of the bread feed unit 20 on which the bread 2 </ b> A sent from the downstream conveyor 11 is placed and further guides it forward. A cutting section 30 having a round blade 30a, a bread pan transfer section 40 that intermittently advances the bread 2A while supporting the bread 2A placed on the bread feeding section 20, and a piece of bread cut from the bread 2A It is comprised from the bread piece receiving part 50 which receives 2B.

  Hereinafter, the bread feeding unit 20, the bread feeding unit 40, and the bread piece receiving unit 50 included in the slicer 4 will be described in detail mainly using a side view shown in FIG. 4 and a plan view shown in FIG. The cutting unit 30 provided in the slicer 4 will be described in detail mainly using the front view shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bread feeding unit 20 includes a feeding table 21 on which the bread 2 </ b> A is placed and a side wall made of a plate member that regulates the position of the bread 2 </ b> A on the feeding table 21 in the left-right direction. Part 22. The feeding stand 21 is configured to be slightly longer than the entire length of the bread 2A. The side wall portions 22 extend in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides of the feeding table 21, and are arranged on the left and right sides with a distance substantially the same as the width dimension of the bread 2A. The rear portions of the left and right side wall portions 22 each have a bent portion 22a that is bent obliquely so as to open outward in the left and right directions in plan view (see FIG. 5). Further, the side wall portion 22 is arranged above the feeding table 21 with a predetermined space 23 therebetween. With such a configuration, the bread 2 </ b> A sent out from the downstream conveyor 11 (see FIG. 3) of the bread supplier 3 is smoothly fed from the bent portion 22 a to the front side of the feeding table 21. In addition, the left and right positions of the bread 2 </ b> A sent to the front side of the feeding table 21 are strictly regulated by the left and right side wall portions 22.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a bread transfer unit 40 that supports the bread 2 </ b> A and intermittently forwards it includes a support 41 that supports the bread 2 </ b> A from the left and right, and a left and right drive that drives the support 41 in the left and right 42 and a front-rear drive unit 43 that drives the support unit 41 in the front-rear direction together with the left-right drive unit 42. The support portion 41 includes a pin 41a inserted into the bread bread 2A from the side, and a pin support portion 41b that extends vertically outside the left and right side wall portions 22 of the bread feed portion 20 and supports the pin 41a. It is configured. The pin support portion 41b extends from the lower side of the feeding table 21 to the upper side of the side wall portion 22, and the pin 41a includes a portion positioned above the side wall portion 22 in the pin support portion 41b, and the feeding table. 21 and a portion corresponding to the space 23 between the side wall 22. Moreover, the pin 41a is extended inward so that it may go to the bread 2A on the feeding stand 21 (refer FIG. 5).

  A left and right drive unit 42 made of an air cylinder is disposed below the feed table 21. The left and right drive part 42 can move the pin support part 41b having the pin 41a in the left and right direction by supplying and exhausting air to the air cylinder. As a result, the pin 41a approaches or separates from the bread 2A on the feeding table 21, and when the pin 41a comes close, the pin 41a is inserted into the side of the bread 2A so that the bread 2A is in a support state. The bread 2A is extracted from 2A and becomes unsupported.

  The support part 41 and the left and right drive part 42 are moved in the front-rear direction within a range that reaches substantially the entire length of the feed base 21 by a front-rear drive part 43 disposed below the feed base 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the front / rear drive unit 43 includes a motor 43a and a ball screw (not shown) in the casing 43b. The ball screw is driven to rotate by the motor 43a, thereby moving the left / right drive unit 42 back and forth.

  In such a bread transfer unit 40, the support unit 41 and the left and right drive unit 42 are first positioned on the rear side by the front and rear drive unit 43, and the left and right drive unit 42 opens the support unit 41, that is, the left and right pins 41a. Are separated. When the left and right positions of the bread 2A placed on the feeding table 21 are restricted by the side wall portion 22, the left and right driving portion 42 is driven, and the pins 41a are inserted into the rear end portion of the bread 2A from the left and right outside. The bread 2A is in a support state. Then, while maintaining this supporting state, the front / rear drive unit 43 is driven to intermittently feed the bread 2A forward by a predetermined distance. The distance at which the bread 2A is intermittently sent out corresponds to the thickness of the bread piece 2B obtained by cutting the bread 2A. Next, when the required number of bread pieces 2B are cut from the bread 2A, the left and right drive unit 42 is driven to open the support unit 41, and the front and rear drive unit 43 is further driven to support the support unit 41 and the left and right drive unit 42. It returns to the back side again, and it will be in the state corresponding to the next bread 2A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a cutting unit 30 having a round blade 30 a is disposed above the front side of the feeding unit 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the cutting unit 30 includes a motor 31 provided above the front part of the feeding unit 20, and the output shaft of the motor 31 is directed forward. A disk member 32a is coaxially attached to the output shaft of the motor 31, and an upper end portion of a rod-shaped rod 32b is pivotally supported in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the disk member 32a. A crank mechanism 32 is constituted by the rod 32b and the rod 32b.

  A round blade support plate 33 that supports the round blade 30a is rotatably supported at the lower end of the rod 32b. As shown in FIG. 6, the round blade support plate 33 is composed of a main body plate portion 33a having a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and an extending plate portion 33b extending downward from the lower left and right of the main body plate portion 33a. The lower end portion of the rod 32b is pivotally supported at the left and right center positions of the main body plate portion 33a.

  A motor 34 for driving the round blade 30a is disposed on the left and right portions of the main body plate portion 33a of the round blade support plate 33, and the motor 34 is covered with a casing 35a. The motor 34 has an output shaft directed rearward, and a pulley 34a is attached to the output shaft. Further, another pulley 34b that is connected coaxially with the round blade 30a and rotates integrally with the lower end portion of the extending plate portion 33b extending downward from the main body plate portion 33a is rotatably supported. A belt 34c is wound between the pulleys 34a and 34b. The pulley 34b and the belt 34c are accommodated in a casing 35b that covers the front surface of the extended plate portion 33b, and are not exposed to the outside.

  When the motor 34 is driven, the rotation of the cutting unit 30 is transmitted by the pulleys 34a and 34b and the belt 34c, and the round blade 30a rotates. Further, when the upper motor 31 is driven, the crank mechanism 32 is operated, and the round blade support plate 33 connected to the crank mechanism 32 is moved up and down by the approximate diameter dimension of the disk member 32a of the crank mechanism 32. To do. And the bread | pan 2A mounted on the feed stand 21 is cut | disconnected by the round blade 30a which descend | falls from the upper part from the front end of the feed stand 21, and the bread piece 2B is made. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the extended plate portion 33b of the round blade support plate 33 is provided with an oil application portion 36 containing lubricating oil. The oil application part 36 comes into contact with teeth arranged on the peripheral edge of the round blade 30a, and oil is applied to the rotating round blade 30a to suitably maintain the cutting condition of the round blade 30a. .

  Here, the round blade 30a that moves up and down by driving the cutting unit 30 moves up and down through the front of the front end of the feed base 21, and when the round blade 30a is positioned at the lowest position, the round blade 30a The lower end is positioned below the upper surface of the feeding table 21. In addition, when the round blade 30a is located at the uppermost position, the lower end of the general bread 2A is higher than the height of the tallest bread (e.g., British bread) above the upper surface of the feeding table 21. It is supposed to be located.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a bread piece receiving portion 50 that receives the bread piece 2 </ b> B cut by the round blade 30 a is disposed in front of the feeding table 21. The bread piece receiving portion 50 includes plate-like arm portions 51 arranged on the left and right sides that are spaced apart from each other by the approximate width dimension of the bread 2 </ b> A. It is supported by a pivot 51a in the left-right direction. The pivot 51a is connected to the output shaft of the motor 52 via a speed reducer (not shown), and the arm portion 51 is rotatable around the pivot 51a by driving the motor 52. A plurality of rollers 51b arranged along the substantially longitudinal direction of the arm portion 51 are provided inside the distal end portions of the left and right arm portions 51, and these rollers 51b are rotatable around a rotation axis in the left-right direction. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower part of the bread piece 2 </ b> B cut by the round blade 30 a (or being cut) is in contact with the front of the feeding table 21 above the base of the arm 51. A roller 53 is provided. The roller 53 is arranged with its axis aligned in the left-right direction so that it can rotate freely. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the round blade 30a which the cutting part 30 mentioned above has moves up and down through the clearance gap between the feed stand 21 and the roller 53 which rotates freely. Further, a transport conveyor 60 for feeding the bread pieces 2B to the downstream side is provided in front of the rollers 53. The width of the conveyor 60 is slightly smaller than the distance between the left and right rollers 51b provided on the left and right arm portions 51, respectively, and does not contact the arm portion 51 and the roller 51b that rotate around the pivot 51a. It is like that.

  In such a bread piece receiving portion 50, the arm portion 51 is initially in an upright posture when the motor 52 is driven (see FIG. 4). When the bread 2 </ b> A is cut by the round blade 30 a to obtain the bread piece 2 </ b> B, the bread piece 2 </ b> B is received by the left and right rollers 51 b of the bread piece receiving portion 50 while being placed on the free roller 53. Next, the motor 52 is driven to rotate the arm portion 51 around the pivot 51a, so that the arm portion 51 is in a lying posture that falls forward. At this time, since the left and right arm sections 51 fall down until the rollers 51b are positioned below the transport conveyor 60, the bread pieces 2B received by the rollers 51b are placed on the transport conveyor 60 when the arm section 51 is in the lying posture. It is transferred. Thereafter, when the bread piece 2 </ b> B is transported downstream by the transport conveyor 60, the arm unit 51 is returned to the original standing posture by driving the motor 52.

  According to the bread bread cutting device 1 having the above-described configuration, the bread bread 2A is cut by the feeding table 21 and the side wall portion 22 in order to cut the bread bread 2A when the rotating round blade 30a descends from above. It is possible to prevent misalignment of the bread 2A simply by regulating the position. Moreover, since the round blade 30a is used, even if it is the soft bread 2A immediately after baking, a smooth cut surface can be formed and cut | disconnected. Therefore, the freshness of the bread piece 2B can be maintained satisfactorily. Furthermore, there are various types of breads 2A, some of which are rectangular parallelepiped shaped, and others of which are mountain-shaped and tall British breads (see FIG. 3). However, the vertical movement of the round blade 30a by the crank mechanism 32 is possible. By appropriately setting the stroke in advance, it is possible to cut various breads 2A having different height dimensions without changing the setting (structure) later.

  In general, the bread width of the bread 2A is substantially constant, so that the structure of supporting the bread 2A from the side like the bread cutting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is advantageous. That is, when the bread 2A is supported from above and below, the support position is also different according to the height dimension that differs depending on the type of bread 2A as described above. However, if it is configured to support the bread 2A from the side like the bread transfer unit 40 according to the present embodiment, the support position is substantially the same regardless of the type of the bread 2A, so fine adjustment is necessary. Absent. Therefore, the structure of the bread transfer unit 40 can be simplified.

  Furthermore, all the operations of the above-described bread cutting apparatus 1 can be automatically executed by the slicer control unit 4a or the conveyor control unit 5a. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the intervention of the worker as much as possible in supplying, cutting, and replacing the bread 2A.

  The bread cutting apparatus according to the present invention can be used for the purpose of obtaining bread pieces by slicing bread baked mainly in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the bread bun cutting device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view from the II arrow direction of the bread cutting device shown in FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the bread cutting apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and has shown the structure of the slicer. It is the elements on larger scale of the slicer shown in FIG. It is a top view of the slicer shown in FIG. It is a front view of the cutting part with which the slicer shown in FIG. 3 is provided.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bread cutting apparatus 2A Bread bread 2B Bread piece 4 Slicer 20 Bread feeding part 21 Feeding table 22 Side wall part 30 Cutting part 30a Round blade 31 Motor 32 Crank mechanism 34 Motor 40 Food bread transfer part 41 Support part 41a Pin 42 Left-right drive part 43 Front and rear drive unit 50 Bread piece receiving unit 51 Arm unit 51b Roller 60 Conveyor

Claims (4)

A feeding table that regulates the transfer direction of the loaded bread, a side support that is movable in the transfer direction while supporting the bread on the feeding table from the side, and is transported on the feeding table. A side wall made of a plate member that is long in the transfer direction so as to regulate the position of the bread in the left-right direction, and a cutting part that is arranged downstream of the feeding table and cuts the bread.
The side wall is provided to support a vertical center portion of the side surface of the bread placed on the feeding table, and the side support portion includes an upper portion of the bread that is exposed from the side wall and It has a support pin that is inserted from the side into the lower part,
The cutting part is arranged so that the axis direction is substantially parallel to the transfer direction of the bread and moves up and down in the vicinity of the downstream side of the downstream end of the feeding table, while rotating the round blade A round blade drive that moves up and down,
The round blade drive unit is provided above the vicinity of the downstream end of the feeding table, and rotates the round blade while moving up and down together with the round blade, and transmits the rotation output of the motor to the round blade. A pulley-belt mechanism, and a support portion for supporting the motor and the pulley-belt mechanism,
The motor is disposed on the front side of the support portion with the output shaft facing rearward and covered with a casing, and the pulley / belt mechanism is disposed on the front side of the support portion and covered with the casing. And
A bread slicing apparatus configured to cut bread while lowering the round blade. The round blade driving section cutting portion has the bread cutting according to claim 1, characterized in that is configured for vertically moving the round blade by a crank mechanism which is arranged on the upper side of the feed table apparatus. On the downstream side of the feeding table, a bread piece receiving unit that receives the cut bread pieces, and a conveyor that conveys the bread pieces received by the bread piece receiving unit further downstream,
The bread piece receiving portion is configured to be able to move up and down between a standing posture in which the cut bread piece is received in a substantially upright state and a lying posture in which the received bread piece is placed on the transport conveyor. The bread slicing device according to claim 1 or 2 . The bread piece receiving part has an arm part arranged on the left and right sides with the transport conveyor in between, and the arm part is pivotally supported at a lower position on the downstream side of the feeding table. The bread-cutting device according to claim 3 , further comprising a roller for receiving the bread piece.

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