JP6442151B2 - Cutting method and cutting apparatus for tofu dough - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting method and a cutting apparatus for a tofu dough producing apparatus that cuts a sheet-like or block-like tofu dough conveyed by a conveyor into a predetermined size along the carrying direction and opens an interval.

  Conventionally, sheet-like tofu dough continuously coagulated and molded by a continuous molding machine is transported in water or on land by the lower conveyor of the continuous molding machine, while being transported by a fixed roll cutting blade (row direction). Along the line, the product is vertically cut with a row width of one product (one piece), and then with a row width of one product (one piece) in a direction (row direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction. (Patent Documents 1, 3, 8, and 9). Similarly, the block-shaped tofu dough molded in a mold box is cut (crossed) in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction by a cutting mechanism while being transported underwater or on land, and one product (1 Min) to cut out a small block of tofu for one line. Next, while the small block-like tofu is transported in the water, it is cut at a predetermined interval along the conveying direction by the cutting and distributing mechanism in the row direction, and is placed in an aligned state. Packing is performed by a stuffing device (Patent Documents 2, 4 to 7). In the case of using tofu as fried food such as deep-fried tofu, a fryer is disposed downstream of the cutting and distributing mechanism. When freezing tofu or frozen tofu, the freezer is arranged downstream of the cutting and distributing mechanism. In this specification, cotton tofu, silk tofu, soft cotton tofu, soft tofu, fried dough, thick fried dough, raw fried dough, frozen tofu dough, frozen tofu dough or freeze-dried tofu dough (FD; freeze-dried) food It is called tofu dough. The soymilk and tofu dough are not particularly limited before and after the mechanism, and may be sterilized soymilk or tofu dough, for example.

  Conventionally, the belt-like tofu dough (block-like tofu dough) is cut in a state without water (land) or conveyed in water while being conveyed by a conveyor. For example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known as cutting and distributing mechanisms for cutting tofu in the absence of water, and Patent Documents 4 to 7 are known as cutting and distributing mechanisms for cutting tofu in water, for example. It has become.

JP-A-5-57672 JP 11-42592 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-300692 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-143369 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-173067 JP-A-4-299533 Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-61234 JP 2012-120522 A (Patent No. 5064556) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-76595

  By the way, in an automatic continuous production line capable of mass production of tofu dough, speeding up is required to reduce production costs. As shown in Patent Document 3, a mode of increasing the processing capacity to 3,000 to 4,000 per hour is shown, but several times the processing capacity is required, and further speeding up of the machine movement is required. ing. In addition, in recent years, packing operations are required to have various variations along with high-speed processing (for example, multiple row simultaneous packing), and also when shifting to frying, baking, freezing, etc. Various variations in size and shape are required, and conveyance in accordance with this is also required.

  On the other hand, in the conventional cutting method, for example, a sheet of tofu dough continuously coagulated and formed by a continuous molding machine is first packed in the first cutting step, for example, in a row corresponding to a size (minimum unit of tofu dough). Cut in the row direction by width, put in a water tank, and cut the tofu dough in the packed row direction (width of 1) in the row direction in the 2nd cutting process while transporting it on the conveyor And packed in water (Patent Document 8).

  However, in the form of cutting the sheet-like tofu dough that has been continuously solidified and molded by a continuous molding machine in the cutting process (single line width), the tofu dough is damaged. Therefore, the processing capacity of the continuous line is limited to about 5,000 per hour because of the time limitation of the cutting process. Forcibly increasing the operating speed of the cutting process may damage the tofu dough, slip on the conveyor belt, deviate from the fixed position, reduce the dimensional accuracy, and reduce mechanical durability. Had a problem. For this reason, if it is packed in a subsequent process, it is often handled as a defective product such as a chip or insufficient weight. In particular, with soft tofu dough, it was difficult to cut with high precision while preventing deformation and loss. Even in the frying process, the dough was damaged, the cutting dimensions were uneven, and the frying was deformed, resulting in increased losses.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to cut with high precision while making it difficult to damage even soft tofu dough, making it difficult to cause deformation and loss, and to carry the processing capacity to the packing and frying process in various ways and efficiently. An object is to provide a cutting method and cutting apparatus for tofu dough having a high processing capacity with an improved cutting process, which is a rate-limiting process, with the goal of providing a continuous production line as high as 5,000 to 20,000. And

(1) In the present invention, in the sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously conveyed and molded by the tofu dough conveying device, the direction of travel of the conveyor is the row direction, and the direction that intersects the direction of the conveyor of the conveyor is perpendicular to the row direction. Cutting at least two rows of strip-like tofu dough obtained from the sheet-like tofu dough through at least one or more cross-cutting steps provided with at least one cross-cutting blade in the row direction in the column direction At least one vertical cutting blade to be cut in the row direction, and provided with a vertical cutting step that is arranged to cut along the column direction. Or cut at almost the same time to form a plurality of smallest units of tofu dough arranged in a matrix,
In the longitudinal cutting step, the strips of tofu dough in a plurality of rows are positioned with the positioning means in the column direction and / or the row direction and cut with the longitudinal cutting blade, or the rows of the tofu dough are cut. After the strip-like tofu dough is positioned by the positioning means in the row direction and / or the row direction, after the positioning means is separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough, it is cut with the vertical cutting blade,
On the conveyor, the vertical cutting blade of the vertical cutting process operates in conjunction with the positioning member of the positioning means at the same time as the positioning member comes into contact with the strip-shaped tofu fabric, or the strip-shaped tofu fabric is delayed. The thin strip-shaped tofu dough is cut in an interlocking manner so as to come into contact with the tofu .
Here, the sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously conveyed and molded is continuously endlessly formed by a continuous molding machine, and the minimum unit of tofu dough is N pieces and / or height in the row direction. Endless tofu dough corresponding to L pieces in the direction (N ≧ 2, L ≧ 1) and many pieces in the row direction (M≈∞), or provided with a formwork in a continuous molding machine Block-shaped tofu dough corresponding to N pieces in the row direction and / or L pieces in the height direction (N ≧ 2, L ≧ 1) and M pieces in the column direction (M ≧ 2) It is. The driving of the conveyor belt such as the lower cloth or the lower caterpillar of the continuous molding machine is generally continuous driving, but may be intermittent driving that is synchronized with a cutting device or the like in a subsequent process. The thick banded tofu dough has a length corresponding to at least two sides of the minimum unit of tofu dough on the short side in the row direction, and a length corresponding to at least two sides of the minimum unit of tofu dough. The tofu dough is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having long sides in the row direction, and a plurality of minimum units of tofu dough are arranged in a matrix. The strip-shaped tofu dough has a length corresponding to at least one side of the minimum unit of tofu dough on the short side in the row direction and a length corresponding to at least two sides of the minimum unit of tofu dough. The tofu dough is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having a long side in the direction, and a plurality of minimum units of tofu dough are arranged in a line. When removing the dough ears at both ends of any belt-like tofu dough, the length of the long side in the row direction is the length plus the length of the dough ears at both ends to be removed. The tofu dough of the present invention is oil-fried dough, thin-fried / thick-fried dough, raw-fried / silk-fried dough, baked tofu dough, soft cotton tofu, cotton tofu, soft tofu, silk-cured tofu, these frozen tofu doughs, freeze-dried tofu dough Etc. Conventionally, in a continuous production apparatus for tofu dough, the cutting / alignment process that cuts the belt-shaped tofu that is continuously molded and transported into each product size and widens the interval is a rate-limiting process that determines the overall line capacity. one of. Conventionally, the first cutting is performed for each column, and the second cutting is performed for each row (Patent Document 8). On the other hand, the strip-shaped tofu dough in the present invention is a single strip-shaped tofu fabric cut out in one operation by one transverse cutting blade in the first cutting step, or a plurality of strips in the first cutting step. Multiple lines of strip-shaped tofu dough cut out by one operation with a transverse cutting blade, or one line of thick strip-like tofu dough cut out and laid down by one operation with one transverse cutting blade in the first cutting process A plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough obtained through the above, or at least two rows of strip-like tofu dough in the first cutting step are cut out in one operation with a single transverse cutting blade, the second In the cutting process, a single strip cutting blade is used to cut multiple lines of strip-like tofu dough cut in a two-stage cutting process that is cut once per line. Cutting means and cutting mechanism as long as it is cut Not particularly limited, such as the number of cuts. In the present invention, at least two lines of these strip-like tofu doughs are collectively cut into one (one) piece in a longitudinal cutting process. Here, one (1) tofu dough is the minimum unit of the packaged product or the minimum size required for the post-process, and it is a small size such as a dice shape, bowl shape or strip shape according to the freezing process or frying process. Includes up to size. The number of rows of strip-like tofu dough cut at a time in the longitudinal cutting process is the same as the number of rows of strip-like tofu dough cut out at a time in the previous transverse cutting step or the number of rows of strip-like tofu dough But it can be different.
According to the present invention, a vertical cutting blade for cutting a plurality of rows of strip-shaped tofu dough conveyed from the previous process (such as the first cutting process or the second cutting process) in the vertical cutting process in the column direction is 1 Since it is cut simultaneously or almost simultaneously or almost simultaneously to a plurality of minimum tofu dough units arranged in a plurality of rows and columns by one or more vertical cutting blade units, one step or one operation (one time up and down of the cutting blade) Reciprocating motion or rotating motion, horizontal motion moving in one direction between the downstream and upstream in the row direction or rotating motion, etc.) can obtain a large number of tofu doughs (one piece) simultaneously or almost simultaneously, Efficient cutting that greatly increases the cutting processing capability is possible. There are at least one vertical cutting blade arranged in parallel in the row direction, and when cutting with both ends of the strip-shaped tofu dough as an ear, it is one more for the minimum number of tofu dough units (N) in the row direction A number (N + 1). Longitudinal cutting blades are Chinese knife cutting blades, knife-type cutting blades, circular cutting blades (roll cutters), etc. that move up and down, rotate, rotate, horizontally, reciprocate, rotate in a certain direction, etc. Is provided. In the cutting operation, cutting may be performed in the row direction together with driving of the conveyor. By combining these vertical cutting blades and their cutting operations as appropriate, a plurality of lines of strip-like tofu dough are cut substantially simultaneously and substantially simultaneously. Here, almost simultaneously means, for example, that the cutting blade cuts from the downstream side of the downstream narrow banded tofu dough, and the cutting blade moves horizontally to the upstream side of the upstream narrow banded tofu dough and sequentially cuts in one operation in a short time. It means to do.
Here, if the vertical cutting blade is a Chinese knife-type cutting blade, after cutting, it moves laterally in the row direction slightly away from the conveyor belt, and the operation of aligning the minimum unit tofu dough in the row direction is also performed. (FIG. 3). When the vertical cutting blade is a knife-type cutting blade or a roll cutter, it may be a staggered tofu dough distribution / alignment method described later, or a speed difference distribution / alignment method using two or more conveyors. In addition, the third cutting blade is not limited to the case where the third cutting blade is lowered and pushed, and a knife to be cut may be used for the third vertical cutting (FIG. 35). The knife-type and roll-type cutting blades to be cut have fewer contact surfaces and are easy to clean and hygienic.
In addition, as in the past, both ends of the continuously molded sheet-shaped tofu have rounded corners or defective surfaces, and when both ends are cut off as ears and removed, the softness and sagging condition of the tofu itself ( In consideration of expansion due to its own weight) and shrinkage during cooling, the length of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough or the length of the strip-shaped tofu dough is a length corresponding to a minimum unit of the tofu dough. In addition to the dough ear is set a little longer. According to the present invention, since the sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously formed is cut into a long and narrow strip-like tofu dough having a line width of one in a vertical cutting process, the mechanical operation is made possible as much as possible. It can be fast and can afford a mechanical operation time. More preferably, it is positioned and cut positively as described in (2) below. Suitable for production. As a result, shape loss and taste loss can be prevented, and even a soft tofu dough can prevent the tofu dough from being distorted and can be cut accurately and cleanly. In particular, according to the present invention, a plurality of lines of strip-like tofu doughs are obtained from the thick strip-like tofu dough cut out by the first cutting process from a plurality of sheet-like tofu doughs that are continuously conveyed and molded by the tofu dough conveying device. A vertical cutting blade unit cuts into a plurality of tofu dough minimum units arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows at the same time or almost simultaneously in a row direction by a vertical cutting blade unit. It is preferable to configure a multi-stage cutting process including a cutting and cutting process, and the cutting processing capability can be greatly improved as compared with the prior art.

(2) The present invention is the tofu dough cutting method according to (1), wherein the strip-like tofu dough in a plurality of rows is positioned by a positioning means in the column direction and / or the row direction, respectively. The positioning means is separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough after cutting with a cutting blade, or after the plurality of rows of the strip-shaped tofu dough are positioned by the positioning means in the row direction and / or row direction, respectively. It is characterized by comprising a longitudinal cutting step of cutting with the longitudinal cutting blade later.
According to the present invention, accurate cutting can be performed by positioning in advance by the positioning means. The positioning may be performed immediately before cutting in the longitudinal cutting process, or immediately after the cutting process in the previous process, and may be combined with an operation of pushing by the cutting blade in the previous process used for thinning out the rows. After being positioned by the positioning means and separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough, it may be transported to the longitudinal cutting process so that the position does not change on the transport conveyor. The positioning means may be in the form of positioning by the operation of the positioning member alone or in cooperation with the conveyor operation. According to the present invention, since the sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously formed is cut into a long and narrow strip-like tofu dough having a line width of one in a vertical cutting process, the mechanical operation is made possible as much as possible. It can be made faster, can afford a mechanical operation time, and more preferably is positioned and cut, so that it is more efficient and suitable for mass production with higher cutting accuracy than before. As a result, shape loss and taste loss can be prevented, and even on land or soft tofu dough, tofu dough can be prevented from being distorted and cut accurately and cleanly. Further, according to the present invention, when cutting immediately before or immediately after the moment when the strip-like tofu dough is stopped in the longitudinal cutting process, the minimum unit due to the adhesion between the tofu dough of the minimum unit and the cutting blade or positioning member The position shift of the tofu dough of the unit can be reduced, and the tofu dough can be cut while maintaining the sense of stability even after the one-side positioning or both-side positioning is performed.
Here, after being stopped, the state of being separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough is the moment when the positioning means or the cutting blade of the previous process that also serves as the positioning means leaves the stopped state where the strip-shaped tofu dough is positioned. Alternatively, it may be in a state immediately before, immediately after, or after that, and positioned upstream on the conveyor and then moved downstream to be cut. It is to make it the state once positioned by. In particular, this is a preferred form for hard tofu dough that has little sagging when cut on land. Even with soft tofu dough, if it is forcibly pinched or pressed by positioning means, the tofu dough will be damaged at that time, or the tofu dough will be cut while being distorted due to contact with the positioning means, and it will be distorted and injured. This is because the shape may be uniform, resulting in a Class B product or loss. For this reason, by cutting after removing the distortion applied to the strip-shaped tofu dough, there may be a case where the number of products having an uneven shape is reduced and the whole can be averaged. Alternatively, the positioning member may be separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough, the distortion may be corrected, and the cutting may be performed while contacting and contacting the strip-shaped tofu dough at the time of cutting again. It may be in the form of cutting after correcting the distortion on an average by repeating the operation of contacting or leaving the strip or tofu-like dough. In this case, at the time of cutting, it may be away from or in contact with the strip-shaped tofu dough.

(3) The present invention relates to the method for cutting tofu dough according to (1) above, wherein at least one or more cross-cuts are provided from the sheet-like tofu dough with at least two cutting blades for crossing in the row direction. At least one longitudinal cutting blade in the row direction that cuts at least two rows of the strip-like tofu dough obtained through the thick strip-like tofu dough corresponding to at least two rows obtained through the cutting process in the row direction A longitudinal cutting step arranged so as to cut along the column direction, the strip-like tofu dough for a plurality of rows is cut simultaneously or almost simultaneously in the column direction, and arranged in a matrix It is characterized by making the tofu dough in a minimum unit of a plurality of tofu dough.
According to the present invention, the strip-like tofu dough that is the target in the longitudinal cutting step is cut out in a row direction by the first cutting step, or separated into a plurality of rows and cut out in the first direction. It is a preferable embodiment that the strip-shaped tofu dough is separated into a plurality of lines which are cut out by the second cutting step after passing through the thick strip-like tofu dough once cut from the sheet-like tofu dough by the cutting step.

(4) The present invention provides the cutting method for tofu dough according to (2) above, wherein the vertical cutting blade in the vertical cutting step is such that the positioning member of the positioning means contacts the strip-shaped tofu dough. At the same time, the belt-like tofu dough is cut by positioning the belt-like tofu dough in a synchronized manner or in a synchronized manner so as to contact the strip-like tofu dough at a later time.
According to the present invention, the processing capability of the cutting process can be maximized by controlling the positioning member and the longitudinal cutting blade to be interlocked, parallel operation, synchronized, and synchronized. That is, as the present invention, the tofu dough cutting method according to the above (2), wherein the longitudinal cutting blade of the longitudinal cutting step is simultaneously with the positioning member of the positioning means being in contact with the strip-like tofu dough. The interlocking operation is performed, or the interlocking operation is performed so as to contact the strip-like tofu dough after a delay, and the positioned strip-like tofu dough is cut into the minimum unit tofu dough. In addition, the vertical cutting blade of the vertical cutting process is operated in conjunction with the positioning member of the positioning means simultaneously with the strip-like tofu dough, or interlocked with the strip-like tofu dough after a delay. Then, the strip-like tofu dough positioned is cut into the size of the minimum unit of tofu dough.

(5) The present invention is the tofu dough cutting method according to (2) above, wherein a plurality of the vertical cutting blades are arranged in the row direction, and after cutting, the interval between the vertical cutting blades is widened and the fine cutting blades are cut. It is characterized by widening the interval between the strip-shaped tofu dough. According to the present invention, using the vertical cutting blade, the plurality of rows obtained in the vertical cutting step, the rows of the minimum units of tofu dough arranged in a plurality of columns are expanded and aligned. . For example, when there is a packing process in the subsequent process, the packing accuracy can be improved by adjusting according to the arrangement of the pack group of the transport conveyor of the pack group. Space-saving distribution and alignment of tofu dough can be carried out efficiently without providing an interval adjustment step such as a staggered method in the subsequent step.

(6) The present invention is a cutting apparatus for tofu dough, in which the direction of travel of the tofu dough transporting device is the row direction, and the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is the row direction, and is continuously transported and molded. A tofu dough conveying apparatus comprising at least one transverse cutting unit for arranging at least one transverse cutting blade in the row direction from the sheet-like tofu dough, and conveying the fine band-like tofu dough cut out by the transverse cutting unit; Provided with a longitudinal cutting unit arranged to cut along at least one longitudinal cutting blade for cutting at least two rows of the strip-like tofu dough in the row direction and provided along the row direction. It is characterized by that.
According to the present invention, at least two rows of strip-like tofu dough is cut out from the sheet-like tofu dough by a cross-cutting unit, and the strip-like tofu dough is conveyed to the downstream side by a tofu dough conveying device, and is cut vertically. By the unit, the strip-like tofu dough on the tofu dough conveying apparatus can be cut into the minimum unit tofu dough and cut into the minimum unit tofu dough arranged in a matrix of at least two rows. Compared with the conventional method of cutting out the tofu dough of the smallest unit for each line of the strip-like tofu dough, the time required for one cycle of the operation of the longitudinal cutting unit is more than doubled with the same cutting processing capacity. There is room, and the machine life of the vertical cutting unit can be extended. If the speed of the transport device (transport conveyor) can be increased within the same time required for one cycle, the longitudinal cutting capability can be increased by a factor of two or more. In the present invention, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, and a hydraulic cylinder may be used so that the vertical movement, horizontal movement, and rotation of the vertical cutting blade and the positioning member can be set with particularly precise control. A linear actuator such as a cylinder (manufactured by IAI) that can be set numerically is preferable. Alternatively, the positioning member may be rotated in a form in which it is moved up and down or horizontally through a chain and sprocket, a belt and a pulley, or the like. Control by inverter setting, proximity switch, or contact / non-contact sensor may be used, but it is preferable to be able to set numerical values accurately, such as a rotary encoder, servo motor, stepping motor, and robot. This facilitates reproducible and accurate machine operation, and can improve the cutting capacity to the limit.
According to the present invention, the cutting ability can be greatly improved by cutting a plurality of rows of the strip-like tofu dough together. Here, the longitudinal cutting blade is preferably a push-cut blade with a long blade span such as a Chinese knife-type cutting blade, but a knife-type cutting blade (knife type, blade span is at least longer than the height of the tofu dough) to be cut or circular. Cutting blade (also called a roll cutter. Preferably, while rotating in synchronization with the conveying device (conveyor), or by scanning the conveying device (conveyor) horizontally and vertically in the row direction and pushing it with the weight of the blade, In addition, a circular blade having a larger diameter than a small diameter is preferable.), And the longitudinally cutting blades are arranged in a row at equal intervals so as to cut along the column direction. is there. When removing the dough ears at both ends, a number (N + 1) of cutting blades is added to the minimum unit number of tofu dough (N) in the row direction. When the dough ears at both ends are not removed, a number (N-1) of cutting blades obtained by subtracting one from the minimum unit number of tofu dough (N) in the row direction is provided. In the case of the Chinese knife-type cutting blade, the blade length is in contact with a plurality of lines of strip-like tofu dough, and the plurality of lines of strip-like tofu dough is moved up and down by a longitudinal cutting unit equipped with a lifting mechanism. Are simultaneously cut. Then, after raising a little so that a conveyance belt may not be damaged, it moves to a line direction and the operation | movement which extends the space | interval of one tofu dough to equal intervals may be performed. In the case of the vertical cutting unit of the knife-type cutting blade, the rotating shaft is provided with a number of knife-shaped cutting blades, and is rotated in the row direction or moved horizontally and up and down, so that it is on a conveying device (conveyor) that is stopped. A plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough is cut by one pulling operation at a time in order from the downstream side to the upstream side (or vice versa). Alternatively, the rotary shaft is provided with a number of knife-shaped cutting blades, rotated in the row direction, and a plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough are sequentially (singlely) cut in a single operation by a transport device (conveyor). May be. Further, in the case of the vertical cutting unit of the knife-type cutting blade, it is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism and is cut by a horizontal operation mechanism, or a plurality of lines of strip-like tofu dough that is advanced by a conveying device (conveyor) is cut at once. It may be. In the case of a vertical cutting unit of a circular cutting blade, the shaft may be fixed to the base, and the rotary blade may rotate freely and cut the tofu dough that is advanced by the conveying device (conveyor). Equipped with a mechanism, from the downstream side so as to roll down the circular cutting blade by moving down and moving horizontally in the row direction with respect to a plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough on a conveying device (conveyor) that is stopped or driven You may cut to the upstream side (or vice versa) so that it can be pulled in one action. In addition, the vertical cutting blades may be cut in a plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough on the conveying device in an operation arranged to rotate in a certain direction so as to move freely within a certain range, Synchronizing and synchronizing with the transport device reduces the risk of maintenance, failure, and foreign matter contamination. Moreover, it becomes possible to always maintain a sanitary state by providing the cutting blade cleaning process in the revolving operation. In the case of a knife-type cutting blade or a circular cutting blade, there is no lateral movement or side-opening operation after cutting, and the process of opening the interval in the row direction of one cut tofu dough is a two-step process. A mechanism that transfers to the adjustment conveyor and opens the gap with the difference in speed, and another row of tofu dough on the conveying conveyor that drives each other, with the stoppers working in the row direction alternately in the row direction May be a staggered distribution mechanism that opens a distance corresponding to one in the row direction, or a mechanism that transfers to a plate that opens laterally in the row direction and opens the intervals in the row direction at equal intervals. There is no particular limitation.
(7) As the present invention, in the tofu dough cutting apparatus according to (6), a positioning member that positions the strip-like tofu dough in advance in the row direction and / or the row direction in conjunction with the longitudinal cutting unit. It has the positioning unit which has these.
According to the present invention, accurate cutting can be performed by positioning in advance by the positioning means in the longitudinal cutting process. The positioning may be performed immediately before cutting in the longitudinal cutting process, or may be combined with the operation of pushing by the cutting blade of the previous process used for thinning the line-shaped tofu dough immediately after the cutting process of the previous process. It may be in a form that is preliminarily positioned by the positioning means of the previous process in the cutting process of the process and is cut by the vertical cutting blade after leaving the strip-like tofu dough at the position of the vertical cutting process. Further, the positioning direction may be the column direction or the row direction, and may be positioning from both sides or one side. Here, a mode in which the sheet is conveyed to the vertical cutting process so that the position is not changed by the conveyor is preferable.
(8) The present invention is the cutting device for tofu dough according to (7), wherein the positioning member is disposed in a direction (row direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal cutting blade, and the second positioning member Is a positioning member for positioning so as to be in contact with the upstream end and / or the downstream end of the strip-like tofu dough and sandwiched in the row direction.
That is, in the present invention, a positioning member is arranged in a direction (row direction) perpendicular to the vertical cutting blade for cutting the strip-like tofu dough into one tofu dough of the minimum unit, and the upstream side of the strip-like tofu dough This is a form in which alignment in the row direction is performed in contact with the end face of the slab and / or the downstream end face, and the longitudinal direction of the warm and soft strip-like tofu dough is particularly distorted, which is a preferred form for correcting it. Moreover, since it can position from four directions and can cut | disconnect in a longitudinal cutting process more correctly by combined use with invention of below-mentioned (9) in a longitudinal cutting process, it is a preferable form. In addition, the form which substitutes as a positioning member of an upstream may be sufficient as the pushing board used when pushing and feeding a strip-like tofu dough from the front process of a longitudinal cutting process.

(9) The present invention is the tofu dough cutting device according to (7), wherein the positioning member is disposed in parallel (in the row direction) with the longitudinal cutting blade, and the positioning member is the strip-like tofu. It is a positioning member for positioning so as to be in contact with the left end and / or right end of the dough and sandwich in the row direction.
That is, in the present invention, a positioning member parallel to the vertical cutting blade for cutting the strip-like tofu dough into one unit of tofu dough is provided on the right end surface and / or the left end surface toward the downstream of the strip-like tofu dough. In order to maintain the contact in the row direction and keep the amount of dough ears constant in the longitudinal cutting process, or to minimize loss without putting out the dough ears, it is necessary to assist in advance before positioning in the longitudinal cutting process. It is also preferable to perform proper positioning (stepwise positioning). Further, in the longitudinal cutting process, the longitudinal cutting process can be performed more accurately than in the case of positioning from four sides in combination with the invention of (8) described above, which is a preferable mode.
In particular, the warm and soft strip-like tofu dough has a dripping phenomenon due to its own weight especially on land (it can occur to some extent even in half water), and the strip-like tofu dough that is elongated in the row direction has a tofu near both ends in the row direction compared to the center. As the fabric spreads outward, the fabric ears increase, and the thickness tends to decrease. In the present invention, even if such a sagging phenomenon changes depending on manufacturing conditions (soybean, soy milk, coagulation conditions, etc.), there is an effect that a constant and uniform dimension can be maintained.
According to the present invention, for example, by arranging at least a fixed position state in the row direction of the strip-like tofu dough immediately before the longitudinal cutting step of cutting the strip-like tofu dough to one size. Therefore, it can be avoided that the cutting accuracy is greatly lowered. Also, even if warm and soft strip-like tofu dough is transported relatively quickly as a large lump, and even if the next transport or cutting place is underwater, semi-water, or land, the tofu will be distorted, deformed or chipped during transport. Can be minimized. When cutting in the row direction so as to obtain a tofu dough of a predetermined size necessary for packing (longitudinal cutting process), the mechanical operation time can be relaxed, resulting in distortion or deformation of tofu. Cutting performance can be improved while preventing chipping, and cutting can be accurately and efficiently cut into a single unit. It can also be expected to reduce costs, improve production line yields, and lower the cost of products. Moreover, since a large amount of tofu dough is cut in one operation, the number of operations per production volume can be reduced, so the mechanical life can be extended and the maintenance management burden can be reduced. Further, according to the present invention, the effect of minimizing or eliminating the loss of the fabric ear can be expected.
(10) The present invention provides the cutting device for tofu dough according to (7) above, wherein the plurality of the strip-like thick strip-like tofu doughs in water, semi-water, or land are cut into the longitudinal cuts on land. A feeding mechanism for feeding to the process is provided, and this feeding mechanism also serves as positioning means for positioning the upstream end of the strip-like tofu dough in the longitudinal cutting process.
In other words, in the step of feeding the strip-like tofu dough cut out by the cross-cutting step to the subsequent longitudinal cutting step, the feed mechanism substitutes for positioning in contact with the upstream end surface of the strip-like tofu dough. In the present invention, it is preferable that the strip-like tofu dough is in water or is a strip-like tofu dough pulled up to the land after the longitudinal cutting step, and in that case, through a reversing step of inverting 180 degrees up and down. In addition, a feeding mechanism that feeds the strip-like tofu dough from the reversal frame may be used. In the present invention, in the stepwise cutting process, the delivery mechanism of the previous process is also used for positioning of the next process, so the mechanical mechanism (number of parts) is reduced, the equipment cost is reduced, the number of cleaning parts is reduced, and workability is improved. The effect of reducing the maintenance management burden can be expected.
As mentioned above, according to this invention (1)-(10), for example, it cut | disconnects in each cutting process cut | disconnected from the sheet-like tofu dough to the size of one piece, ie, the horizontal cutting process cut | disconnected in a row direction, or a column direction. By adjusting the fixed position state in the row direction and / or the row direction of at least the strip-like tofu dough immediately before the longitudinal cutting step, the fixed position state is corrected and the cutting accuracy is greatly reduced. You can avoid that. In addition, even if warm and soft tofu dough is transported with a relatively large space, the processing capacity is improved. Moreover, even if the next conveyance or cutting place is underwater, semi-submersible or on land, distortion, deformation and chipping of tofu during transportation can be prevented to a minimum. Even when cutting in the row direction so as to obtain a tofu dough of a predetermined size necessary for packing (longitudinal cutting process), the mechanical operation time can be relaxed, resulting in distortion and deformation of tofu. It is possible to improve the cutting processing capability in a state where the chipping is prevented and to cut efficiently and accurately into the size of one unit. It can also be expected to reduce the cost of material loss, improve production line yield, and reduce the cost of products. Moreover, since a large amount of tofu dough is cut in one operation, the number of operations per production volume can be reduced, so the mechanical life can be extended and the maintenance management burden can be reduced.
In addition, according to the present invention (1) to (10), in the vertical cutting process, even on land, the tofu dough can be prevented from being distorted and cut cleanly, but in water (including semi-water) In this case, a more stable positioning action is born, and a plurality of lines of strip-like tofu dough can be prevented from being distorted and cut cleanly. Also, in the vertical cutting process, even if the tofu dough is on land, it can be cut cleanly by preventing distortion of the tofu dough, and the machine operation can be performed more relaxedly, realizing higher processing capacity. .

The present invention is characterized in that at least two or more strips of tofu dough obtained by cross-cutting from sheet-like tofu dough are cut into a minimum unit tofu dough in one operation. Also after the positioning of the strip-like tofu cloth in the column direction or the row direction, it is cut in one operation in the column direction by vertical cutting cut of every 1 minute of product, positioning in the column direction with open between the rear row In the same manner as described above, the capacity of the entire line can be improved while preventing tofu deformation and chipping, and it is possible to cut accurately and quickly and improve the yield of the production line. The economic effect of lowering the product cost can also be expected.

  According to the present invention, in the longitudinal cutting process of cutting in the row direction so as to be packed into a size from a plurality of lines of strip-like tofu dough, positioning means corresponding to the longitudinal cutting process is provided. Thus, the tofu can be accurately and efficiently cut in a state where deformation of the tofu is prevented. In addition, loss reduction and yield improvement are possible, and in a machine with high throughput, each machine operation is performed slowly and the number of operations can be reduced, thereby reducing maintenance of the mechanical device and extending the machine life. Even if there is a process of exposing to the water in the aquarium, the tofu dough in the water is a thick tofu dough and has a small surface area. It can cut in a suppressed state. In addition, when cutting with the positioning means (the positioning means on the upstream side or downstream side of the strip-like tofu dough, or the left side or right side when viewed in the downstream direction), or the longitudinal cutting blade, distortion caused by contact and pressing of the positioning member Deformation can be effectively prevented.

  Further, according to the present invention, the allowable time required for the mechanical operation of the longitudinal cutting process can be increased, and the cutting processing capability of the cutting process can be greatly improved. It can be efficiently cut from a sheet-like tofu dough to one tofu dough as a minimum unit. Therefore, the entire continuous solidification molding / cutting line for tofu is twice (5,000-8) as compared with the conventional vertical cutting process (2,000-3,000 c / h) for each line. , 000 / h) or several times the capacity (10,000 to 36,000 / h or more).

It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd row direction cutting | disconnection of the said 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd row direction cutting | disconnection of the said 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing explaining the other example of the cutting | disconnection of the 2nd row direction of the said 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing explaining 2nd Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is sectional drawing explaining 3rd Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is sectional drawing explaining other embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 4th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the said 4th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 5th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 6th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the said 6th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 7th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the said 7th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 8th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the said 8th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 9th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the said 9th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 10th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the said 10th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 11th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the 11th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 12th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the other example of the said 12th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the other example of the said 12th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining 13th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the 13th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the 13th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 14th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the 14th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 15th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough of 16th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough concerning another form of the 4th embodiment to which the present invention is applied (after the 1st cross cutting process, it lays down and performs the 2nd cross cutting process). It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough which concerns on another form (2nd crossing cutting process omission) of 4th Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the cutting process of the tofu dough concerning another form (knife type vertical cutting) of the 4th embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

(Cutting process of tofu dough)
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a cutting process 50 of tofu dough T to which the present invention is applied. Block-shaped or sheet-shaped (belt-shaped) tofu dough T (hereinafter collectively referred to as sheet-shaped tofu dough) formed continuously or intermittently by the upper and lower conveyors is conveyed to the aquarium W by the conveyer C1. In the water tank W, the first cutting device 51 cuts into a plurality of rows of thick tofu dough T1 having at least two rows, landed in the reversing step H (or 20), and sent to the conveyor C2. It is done. Then, after being cut into a plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough T2 in a second cutting step 52 that cuts in the row direction with a row width for one pack, the tofu dough T3 for one piece of the minimum unit is cut. After being cut in the row direction by the vertical cutting device 53, it is packed. In the automatic tofu production line 1 of the present embodiment, the sheet-like tofu dough T is transported from the land to the water by the transport conveyor C1, and in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor C1 in the first cutting step 51. Block-shaped tofu dough T1 (corresponding to a plurality of rows) having a width of N pieces (N rows in the row direction) and a length of M pieces (M rows in the row direction) in the conveying direction of the product size In a second cutting step 52, the length of M pieces in the row direction of the tofu dough T1 is divided into M pieces in the second cutting step 52. The length of one product size (one side) and the length of N pieces in the row direction (this length may be the length obtained by adding the length of the fabric ears at both ends). The strip-shaped tofu dough having chopping is cut into M pieces per line, and then in the transport direction (row direction) of the transport conveyor C2 1 product size is shredded into N pieces (vertical cut in the column direction), and M × N pieces, for example, 2 rows and 10 columns are shredded into a unit of 20 pieces in total, with a predetermined interval To the pack transport conveyor of the packaging pack that transports the tofu dough T3 that is spread and aligned in a row and transports in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction in a total of 20 packs in two rows and 10 rows. The tofu dough T3 is packed together (land packing). M and N are positive integers. The transport destination by the transport conveyor C2 is packed by the pack packing conveyor C3 that transports the pack group (two-row pack group) so as to intersect the transport conveyor C2, and moves to the next step. In the present application, the traveling direction of each conveyor is the column direction, and the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction is the row direction.

(First transverse cutting and reversal process)
First, in FIG. 1, the tofu automatic production line is not shown, but is discharged continuously or intermittently in the form of a continuous sheet or intermittent blocks from the conveyor C1 on the outlet side of the forming apparatus. Tofu dough T is a water tank filled with bleaching water (well water at room temperature, tap water or water containing organic acids for foods such as hypochlorite water, citric acid / gluconic acid, etc., or hot water of 100 ° C. or less). Guided by W, wash off whey and aqua ingredients of tofu dough T, cool or heat to at least slightly harden the surface to make it difficult to damage or improve surface separation, or surface sterilization and buoyancy in water tank W The cutting process 51 in the first row direction is sequentially performed while pushing the tofu dough T without damaging it. In the first cutting in the row direction, the tofu dough T is cut in the width direction of the automatic production line (in the direction perpendicular to the row direction or the conveyance direction) to obtain a thick strip-like tofu dough T1 having a size suitable for the inversion process. In general, if the soft tofu is cut with an excessive force applied, it will be distorted after cutting, but once introduced into the aquarium W, the distortion (swelling) of the sheet-like tofu dough T during transportation ) And a good cutting state of a predetermined size, and the effect of facilitating separation of the sheet-like tofu dough T from the filter cloth, and removal of germs attached to the surface and sterilization effect depending on the water quality .
The tofu dough reversing device H includes a cage reversing mechanism 20 for reversing the cage 2K for storing the tofu dough T1, a feed mechanism 10 for pushing the tofu dough T into the cage, and an extrusion for discharging the tofu dough T from the cage 2K. The mechanism 30 is arranged in the middle of the automatic tofu production line and shares the role of inverting the strip-like tofu dough T1 in the automatic tofu production line (FIG. 1). The arrows in the figure indicate the flow direction of the automatic tofu production line, where the left-hand direction is the upstream side and the right-hand direction is the downstream side. In the present invention, a form in which the reversal processing device H is not interposed for the thick or thin strip-like tofu dough may be used.
On the upstream side of the water tank W, a transfer conveyor C1, which is a lower conveyor of the continuous molding machine, is disposed so as to be immersed under the surface of the water, and is provided with a first transverse cutting step 51 following the transfer conveyor C1. The water tank W includes a feeding device C51a (not shown) that feeds the thick belt-like tofu dough T1 corresponding to two rows that are crossed, and a horizontal partition plate C51 that guides the thick belt-like tofu dough T1. It may be a form in which is installed. Preferably, the tofu dough T1 is sequentially advanced in the downstream direction by the movement or vertical movement of the plurality of feeding means C51a. In particular, the conveying device C51 may be a conveyor belt type conveying device 60, and the conveyor belt type conveying device 60 is driven to circulate in the conveying direction and conveys the strip-like tofu dough T1 fed from the conveying conveyor C1 to the downstream side. Form may be sufficient. Under the water surface of the water tank W, a horizontal partition plate C51 for guiding the thick band-like tofu dough T1 while horizontally controlling the posture of the thick band-like tofu dough T1 fed from the upstream side is installed. The upper surface of the horizontal partition plate 51 and the upper surface of the belt of the conveyor belt type conveying device 60 are set to have a downward slope or a predetermined height difference so that the height gradually decreases in the downstream direction. In particular, in the case of hard tofu products, if the conveyor belt type transport device 60 is provided separately from the transport conveyor C1, which is the lower conveyor of the molding machine, all the fabric under the molding machine is transported on land so as not to be submerged in the water tank W. It is preferable because it can be cut and inverted and can prevent tofu cake and bacteria in the water tank from adhering to the lower cloth and the product. The reversing mechanism 20, the reversing cage 2 </ b> K, and the pushing mechanism 30 may intervene and interlock with the movement of the conveyor belt type transporting device 60 and the transporting conveyor C <b> 1.
Here, the thick banded tofu dough T1 corresponding to two lines may be the thick banded tofu dough T1 corresponding to two lines or more, or instead of the thick banded tofu cloth, one line or two or more lines The form replaced with the tofu dough T2 may be sufficient. Except for the first transverse cutting form exemplified here, the cutting means, the cutting blade shape / material / surface processing, the configuration of the cutting blades divided or stacked two, the form of the cutting mechanism and the like are not particularly limited. The inversion processing device H is disposed at the downstream end portion of the water tank W. The operating range of the inversion processing device H extends from the terminal end of the water tank W to the upstream end of the transport conveyor C2, and the inversion processing device H is a thick strip-like tofu dough T1 that has undergone a first transverse cutting operation. Are turned upside down, and the thick belt-like tofu dough T1 is landed from the water tank W to the water (in the air) conveyor C2 (Patent Document 8). At the time of landing, the push-out mechanism 30 pushes the strip-like tofu dough T1 from the cage 2K by pushing from the rear side of the strip-like tofu dough T1 with the comb-like plate. In general, in the process of forming cotton tofu using a mold box or continuous molding machine, the upper cloth surface of the thick banded tofu dough T tends to be avatar-like or uneven, and the lower cloth surface tends to look better as a product. Therefore, it may be reversed and packed. In particular, in the continuous automatic line of cotton tofu, it is difficult to visually check the state of the lower cloth surface (abnormality such as foreign matter is not attached or damaged). It is important to make it. Here, in addition to the reversal of the strip-shaped tofu dough T1, the form of reversing the strip-shaped tofu dough T2 may be used. In addition to the form of the reversing mechanism exemplified here, the reversing means, the reversing mechanism, etc. are not particularly limited.

(Second cross-cutting process)
At least two rows of the tofu-like dough T1 for at least two rows are landed and sent to the on-land transport conveyor C2, and packed on the transport conveyor C2 through the second cutting process and the third vertical cutting process. It is transported in the direction of the filling device (FIG. 1).
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second cutting step in the row direction, and FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the second cutting step for cutting in the row direction. A row-direction cutting blade unit 3 having a second cutting blade 3a and a vertically moving cylinder for driving the second cutting blade 3a is provided (FIG. 2 (a), FIG. 4 (a)), and the second cutting blade 3a. Is lowered and moved in the center of the plurality of rows and columns of thick strip tofu dough T1 while being stopped by the downstream positioning means 2a for stopping two strips of thick strip tofu dough T1 on the conveyor C2. Cut into strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 in the direction (FIGS. 2B and 2C, FIG. 4B). Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 4 is a cylinder 7 that drives the second cutting blade 3a and the downstream positioning means 2a in the transport direction. These are driven by a suspension drive mechanism 40 (see FIGS. 8 to 10), which will be described later, but the downstream positioning means 2a is moved up and down by the unit 2 having a cylinder to move up and down the second cutting blade 3a. And drive synchronously. And it becomes a mechanism which sends out toward the front (packing apparatus side) in the state which pinched | interposed the head (1st line) narrow strip-shaped tofu dough T21 cut | disconnected by the downstream positioning means 2a and the 2nd cutting blade 3a. Yes. Thereby, the space | interval of the column direction with the strip-shaped tofu dough T22 of the 2nd row is expanded, and it aligns (FIG.2 (d) (e), FIG.4 (c)).

(Second Embodiment)
In the said 1st Embodiment, when descending from the upper part of the thick strip-like tofu dough T1 conveyed by the conveyance conveyor C2, and cutting | disconnecting, the thick strip-like tofu dough T1 by the downstream positioning means 2a which descend | falls immediately before Is stopped (positioned), and the second cutting blade 3a descends in the row direction to cut the two strips of thick strip-like tofu dough T1 at its center. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, after the downstream side positioning means 2a supports and stops the downstream side surface of the strip-like tofu dough T1, the upstream side positioning means 6 is lowered and the upstream side lateral movement means 6x supports and stops the upstream side surface of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1, and then the second cutting blade 3a descends and cuts the center in the row direction of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1. Thus, the strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 are obtained. The downstream positioning means 2a and the upstream positioning means 6a parallel to the second cutting blade 3a are used to cut the strip-shaped tofu dough T1 while holding it so that it is lightly touched without being extremely distorted. Is preferred. According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately cut in a state where the shape of the thick strip-like tofu dough T1 for a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns is held from both sides of the upstream side and the downstream side. After cutting, first, the upstream positioning means 6x or the upstream positioning means 6 is retracted, and then the tofu dough T21 is sandwiched between the downstream positioning means 2a and the second cutting blades 3a, 2b. The feed cylinder 7 is moved in the downstream direction as it is. Or after cutting, after retracting the downstream positioning means 2a, the conveyor C2 is operated to move the strip-like tofu dough T21 in the downstream direction so as to thin out a predetermined interval from the strip-like tofu dough T22. . By moving the downstream strip-like tofu dough T21 to the downstream side (for example, the packing device side) in any interlocking order (FIG. 5 (c)), each of the tofu dough T21, T22 cut in the row direction The intervals in the row direction are expanded to a predetermined distance and aligned, and sent to the longitudinal cutting process in the downstream direction.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case where the thick strip-like tofu dough T1 for three rows is cut across the row direction. The second cutting blade 3a has another second cutting blade 3b that is driven simultaneously. The second cutting blade 3a may be provided with a thinning operation cylinder 3x and driven separately (FIG. 6). The thinning operation cylinder 3x is moved in the downstream direction by the operation cylinder 7, separating the strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 from the same T23, and further operating the thinning operation cylinder 3x to separate T21 from the T22. The intervals between the belt-like tofu doughs T21, T22, T23 are increased by a predetermined distance and aligned. These second cutting blades 3a and 3b are driven and lowered by the unit 3 with the tofu dough T1 for three rows sandwiched between the downstream positioning means 2a and the upstream positioning means 6a. (During this time, the conveyor C2 is stopped). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, as another thinning method between rows, after cutting, the downstream positioning means 2a and unit 2, the second cutting blade 3a and unit 3, the second cutting blade 3b and unit Ascending at a predetermined time interval from the downstream side (packing device side) in the order of 3Y, and moving forward in the order of T21, T22, T23 by interlocking with the driving of the conveyor C2, each finely cut in the row direction The belt-like tofu doughs T21, T22, and T23 are fed forward while being spaced apart and aligned by a predetermined distance.

(Vertical cutting process in the row direction)
FIG. 3 shows that at least two rows (a plurality of rows) of the strip-like tofu dough T21, T22, etc. cut in the row direction are cut together in the column direction to form, for example, one-sized tofu T31, T32 to be packed. It is a figure explaining the state to cut | disconnect to a model. That is, the vertical cutting blade unit 4 that repeats at least two rows (a plurality of rows) of the strip-like tofu dough T21, T22, etc. along the conveyance direction (longitudinal cutting) is disposed on the conveyor C2 ( FIG. 1). In the second cross-cutting step 52, the row of the tofu dough T1 for two rows extends in the row direction, that is, across the width interval of the transport conveyor C2 (for example, to match the interval of the packaging pack conveyor in the subsequent step). Two rows of strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 that are aligned and positioned at predetermined intervals in the direction are obtained, and in the vertical cutting blade unit 4 that is the vertical cutting step 53, the blades are arranged at predetermined intervals in the row direction. And a plurality of vertical cutting blades 4a that open and close in conjunction with each other, and the vertical cutting blades 4a are lowered in a state where the interval is narrowed according to the length of the side in the row direction of the minimum unit of tofu dough. Since the strip-like tofu dough T21 and T22 cut in the row direction for two rows are simultaneously cut in the column direction at the same time, efficient cutting can be performed. And after obtaining the tofu dough T31 and T32 of the size of one unit of the minimum unit, the row direction of the tofu dough T31 and T32 of the minimum unit is thinned out to a predetermined interval by spreading it to a predetermined interval in the row direction of each blade 4a. (For example, match the interval of the packaging pack conveyor in the subsequent process). The vertical cutting blade 4a having a wider interval in the row direction rises, narrows the interval, returns to the original position, and enters a standby state for the next cutting. Two or more cutting units are provided on the conveyor C2 in the front-rear direction with respect to the conveying direction, such as a vertical-cutting unit 4 having a vertical cutting blade 4a and a unit 5 having a different opening / closing operation according to the product type. It may be operated (reference numerals 4 and 5 in FIG. 1), and a plurality of types of vertical cutting blades 4a and 5a are arranged at the same time and in accordance with the product type by simultaneously merging the strip-like tofu dough T21 and T22 cut in the row direction. Or you may cut | disconnect individually by switching sequentially. Similarly, a plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough T21 obtained from the sheet-like tofu dough T in the first cross-cutting step 51 by a second cross-cutting step 52 in the row direction from the plurality of thick strip-like tofu dough T1. , T22, T23,..., T2M, and all the rows of the strip-like tofu dough T21, T22, T23,. The form cut | disconnected to the tofu dough T31, T32, T33, ... T3M of the minimum unit in the cutting process 53 may be sufficient. Further, it is preferable that the plurality of rows of strip-like tofu doughs T21, T22, T23,... T2M are positioned by positioning means at or before the longitudinal cutting process. Note that the longitudinal cutting in FIG. 3 is a mode in which the cutting and the row direction are linked to each other. However, the cutting is performed only by cutting and transported by the transport conveyor C2, and before the packing process, the transport conveyor. A staggered distribution form (see FIGS. 26 to 28) in which the tofu conveyed in C2 is jumped one by one in the row direction and the board is lowered to alternately arrange the tofu back and forth (see FIGS. 26 to 28), or a lower table (Multiple arrangements in the row direction) are opened and opened, or after being transferred to another conveyor C5 orthogonal to the conveyor C2, the interval is widened by a faster conveyor following the end of the conveyor C5. The form (distribution alignment by speed difference) may be sufficient, and in the present invention, the “lateral opening” mechanism for aligning the tofu dough at a predetermined interval is not particularly limited.

(Packing process)
The tofu T31, T32 cut into a single size to be packed by being cut vertically in the row direction is transported by the transporting conveyor C2 while being transported by the transporting conveyor C3 arranged downstream thereof. Packed in a coming pack (pack for 2 rows). In addition, the tofu T31 and T32 cut into one size are transferred to another conveyor C5 orthogonal to the conveyor C2, and then adjusted to another interval when transferred to another conveyor C6 having a higher speed. After being done, it may be packed (not shown). In the present invention, the subsequent process of the longitudinal cutting process is not limited to the packing process, and the packing means, mechanism, and form are not particularly limited.

(Fourth embodiment)
This embodiment is a form in which there is no water tank and is all cut on land. In the first step, the sheet-like tofu dough T is cut into two strips of thick tofu dough T1, and 2 in the second step. This is a form in which the line is cut for each line (FIGS. 8 and 9). In the second cutting step, the downstream positioning means 2a is arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1, and the downstream side of the multiple strips (two rows) of the strip-shaped tofu dough T1 is positioned. Then, it cuts with the 2nd cutting blade 3a. That is, the length of at least two sides cut out from a plurality of sheet-like tofu dough T that is continuously conveyed and molded in FIG. A tofu dough conveying device C2 that conveys a plurality of thick strips of tofu dough T1 in a rectangular parallelepiped having a length of two sides on the long side in the row direction, and at least one from the strip of tofu dough T1 along the row direction A strip-shaped tofu dough T21, T22 for a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds having the length of one side (one piece) on the short side in the column direction and the length of at least two sides on the long side in the row direction And a positioning member 2a arranged in parallel (in the row direction) and interlocking with the cutting blade 3a. In the second step, two rows are cut into two for one row (see FIG. 9 (2)-(4)).
First, the first cutting blade 11a cuts the two strips of thick tofu dough T1 on the upstream plate P1, and the first cutting blade 11a sends it to the conveyor C2 (FIG. 9 (1)). (2)). Next, in the second cutting step, first, the downstream positioning means 2a and the second cutting blade 3a are each waiting at the raised position, and the downstream positioning means 2a is first lowered, and is conveyed by the conveyor C2. When the transported tofu dough T1 is stopped and the transport conveyor C2 is stopped (when it is positioned), the second cutting blade 3a descends and cuts the center of the tofu dough T1 (FIG. 9). (3) to (4)). The cutting by the second cutting blade 3a and the first cutting blade 11a of the present embodiment is performed in conjunction with or in parallel with the lowering operation, but the position of each tofu dough is captured by a position sensor. It is preferable to operate individually according to the signal.

On the conveyor C2, the track rail Ra is arranged in parallel (in the row direction) with the conveyor C2, and the rail rail Ra is assembled with two sets of rolling wheels Rb that hook the track rail Ra from above. A suspension drive mechanism 40 capable of moving in the column direction is provided. In the present application, any mechanism other than the track rail Ra and the rolling wheel Rb can be used as long as the mechanism is movable in the row direction.
The suspension drive mechanism 40 is driven by using the cutting blade 3a and the positioning means 2a as a drive source from the horizontal moving cylinder Rs and the vertical moving cylinder Rt, which are air cylinders. The drive source is not particularly limited, such as a hydraulic cylinder, an electric cylinder, or a chain drive by rotating a motor other than an air cylinder.
The suspension drive mechanism 40 drives and controls the first cutting blade 11a, the second cutting blade 3a, and the positioning means 2a. That is, while being driven in the vertical direction by the cylinder Rt, it can be moved along the track rail 11 along the conveyance direction of the tofu dough or in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction. The horizontal moving cylinder Rs and the vertical moving cylinder Rt operate in accordance with the movement of the transfer conveyor C1.
The drive source of each cylinder is, for example, a linear actuator such as an air cylinder, an electric cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a drive source that can be linearly reciprocated and positioned. In addition, a crank type using a linear actuator, an angle control function such as a rotary encoder, various reduction gears, a direct connection type such as a motor or servo motor with an inverter control, a motor power transmission method using a belt and pulley, a chain and a sprocket Examples include, but are not limited to, a linear drive mechanism using a rotary actuator or the like, a motor with a speed reducer, and the like.
And it comprises a longitudinal cutting process for cutting the elongated strip-shaped tofu dough T21, T22 into one tofu dough T31, T32, and a wide range of thick strip-shaped tofu cut in the first cutting step After widening the front and back intervals of the strip-like tofu dough elongated in the row direction obtained by cutting from the dough for each row with the cutting blade of the second cutting step (FIGS. 9 (5) to (6) ), The cutting blade units 4 and 5 in the row direction of FIG. 3 and the cutting blade 4a (or 5a) in the longitudinal cutting process can be cut into one piece.

Here, as shown in FIG. 33, an elongated or strip-shaped strip-like tofu dough or a thin strip-like tofu dough obtained by positioning and cutting in the first cutting step 11a or the second cutting step is used. A mini-sized thick banded tofu dough T1a (FIG. 33) or thin banded tofu (pseudo-banded tofu dough, not shown) that has been laid down by the laying means or 90 ° reversing means is further cut in a row direction or a dice form. It is possible to provide an eye cut process for cutting the tofu dough. The side-by-side strip-like tofu dough T1a (FIG. 33) or the strip-like tofu (pseudo-band-like tofu dough, not shown) is a form that can be regarded as a mini version of the strip-like tofu dough T1, and in FIG. Is cut into a strip-like tofu dough T21a, T22a, T23a, T24a in the second cross-cutting step, and further, the smallest unit tofu dough (eg, dice-like tofu dough) T31a, T32a, T33a, The process of cutting to T34a is illustrated. The thickness (height) of the tofu dough T1a (FIG. 33) when it is laid down is equivalent to the length of one side of the final dice-like (including strip-like) cube or cuboid. The thickness or height of the belt-shaped tofu dough is in the range of 2 to 50 mm, preferably 5 to 30 mm. Examples thereof include frozen tofu and freeze-dried tofu (FD tofu) tofu dough. If a sideways mechanism is provided, the installation space is compact and advantageous. However, even if the machine length and width are required and the installation space is somewhat disadvantageous, the sideways mechanism is not provided and the original sheet-like tofu is not provided. It may be a system in which the present invention is applied by forming the dough T as a thin tofu dough.
Further, as shown in FIG. 34, the present embodiment includes four transverse cutting blades 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d in the transverse cutting step 51, and the strip-like tofu dough for four rows from the sheet-like tofu dough T. A plurality of rows of said strip-like tofu comprising a longitudinal cutting blade unit having a plurality of longitudinal cutting blades cut in the longitudinal cutting step 53 simultaneously or substantially simultaneously in the row direction at T21, T22, T23, T24 The dough is cut simultaneously or almost simultaneously in the row direction to form a plurality of minimum unit tofu doughs arranged in a plurality of rows and columns. That is, this embodiment is a form in which the second crossing cutting step 52 is omitted. After cutting, after performing an operation of widening the interval between the plurality of vertical cutting blades, it rises, closes the interval, and returns to the original position.
Further, as shown in FIG. 35, in the longitudinal cutting step 53, a plurality of knife-type longitudinal cutting blades 22a are provided in the row direction, and the tofu dough is cut into a plurality of rows. That is, in the present embodiment, first, the first crossing of the first crossing cutting step 51 suspended from the continuously-formed sheet-like tofu dough on the upstream drive plate 40 on the suspension drive mechanism 40. The four strips of tofu dough T21, T22, T23, T24 are cut by the cutting blades 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, and the upstream side plate P1 is cut by the first transverse cutting blades 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d. It is sent to the conveyor C2 (FIGS. 35 (1) to (3)). Here, when the conveyor C2 is stopped, the first transverse cutting blades 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are spread at predetermined intervals in the row direction along with the feeding operation so that the intervals between the strip-like tofu doughs are increased. It is spread at a predetermined interval and positioned at the upstream end of each strip-like tofu dough, or the conveyor C2 is driven in synchronism with the feeding operation of the first transverse cutting blade, and the conveyor conveyor C2 The speed may be slightly higher than the feeding operation speed of the first transverse cutting blade, so that the intervals in the row direction of the respective strip-like tofu doughs may be widened and positioned.
Next, a plurality of rows of strip-shaped tofu dough on the conveyor C2 (an example of four rows of strip-shaped tofu fabric is shown in FIG. 35), a predetermined number of knife-type longitudinal cuts in the row direction in the longitudinal cutting step 53. Lowering the cutting blade 22a and moving horizontally in the row direction toward the upstream, from the downstream strip-like tofu dough T21 to the upstream strip-like tofu dough T24 via T22 and T23 in one operation in a short time Sequentially cut at once and cut into tofu doughs T31, T32, T33, T34 of the minimum unit (FIGS. 35 (4) to (5)). Thereafter, the knife-type vertical cutting blade 22a rises and returns to the original position, and at the time of transfer from the conveyor C2 to the conveyor-type plate P2 in the subsequent process, the tofu of each minimum unit due to the speed difference between the two conveyors. You may make it adjust the space | interval front-back space | interval of the fabric T3 (FIG. 35 (6)). In the present embodiment, a zigzag distribution alignment method, a speed distribution alignment method, etc., which will be described later, are applied as means for increasing the interval in the row direction of the tofu dough T3 of each minimum unit. In addition to knives, roll cutter disc blades may be cut in the same direction, making the tofu dough contact area smaller than the Chinese knife type blade, reducing the risk of contamination with contaminants and microorganisms, and cleaning work Can also be improved.
In addition, the vertical cutting blade is preferably a thin and thin material having a thickness of about 0.5 to 1 mm, and is provided with an inclined blade edge, and it is preferable to reduce the cutting resistance at the time of cutting so as not to cause a positional shift. Further, it is preferable that the cutting edge does not come into contact with the conveyor C2 or is made to be a floating type so as to be urged lightly with a spring or the like so as to avoid damage even if it comes into contact.
In FIG. 34 and FIG. 35, it is the form which cuts out 4 strips of thin strip-shaped tofu dough simultaneously by the 1st cross-cut in the form without the second transverse cut (form which does not go through the strip-like tofu dough). That is, a knife-type vertical cutting blade corresponding to the third vertical cutting step 53 is performed by cutting (row direction) the strip-shaped tofu dough in the first horizontal cutting step 51 and omitting the second horizontal cutting step 52. Cut vertically (column direction) at 22a. The direction of operation of the knife-type blade 22a is not limited from upstream to downstream. In this embodiment, the first cross-cutting blade that has been positioned in advance at the first cross-cutting step 51 and sent out by the cross-cutting blade 51 and also serves as the positioning member is separated from the strip-like tofu dough, and is cut vertically. Is done.

(Fifth embodiment)
In this embodiment, the first cross-cutting step 51 cuts into four rows of thick tofu dough, and the second cross-cutting step 52 cuts the four rows into one row ( FIG. 10). The downstream positioning means 2a in the conveyance direction of the tofu dough is arranged by the suspension body 40. In a first cross cutting step 51, a plurality of (four rows) thick banded tofu dough is cut, and in a second cross cutting step 52, one line of narrow band tofu dough is cut. In the second cross-cutting step 52, the four strips of tofu dough T21, T22, T23, T24 are cut by the three second cutting blades 3a, 3b, 3c.
In the first cross-cutting step 51, the four strips of thick tofu dough T1 cut by the first cross-cutting blade 11a are sent to the first cross-cutting blade 11a and conveyed onto the conveyor C2. Then, after being stopped by the positioning means 2a in the second transverse cutting step, the three second cutting blades 3a, 3b, 3c are simultaneously lowered to cut the tofu dough (FIGS. 10 (1) to (2)). . And while extending | stretching the space | interval of the cut strip-shaped tofu dough while sending out in a downstream direction in the state where 2nd cross-cutting blade 3a, 3b, 3c has fall | descended, it pushes out the cut tofu dough to the downstream plate board P2. After performing the operation, it rises and returns to the original standby position (FIGS. 10 (3) to (4)).
Here, the cutting by the second cutting blades 3a, 3b, 3c and the first transverse cutting blade 11a of the present embodiment may be performed at the same time and simultaneously or in conjunction with each other, and the position of the tofu dough It may be individually operated by a signal from the position sensor. As this embodiment, the second transverse cutting blade 3a can be provided with a feeding function for feeding the strip-like tofu dough T21, T22, T23, T24 to the downstream plate plate P2 (FIG. 10 (3) to (3)). 4)). The plate plate P2 on the downstream side may be a belt conveyor that assists the advancement of the tofu dough.
Here, in this embodiment, the transverse cutting blade 11a in the first transverse cutting step, the transverse cutting blades 3a, 3b, 3c in the second transverse cutting step, and the positioning means 2a are the same. It is a structure suspended from the suspension drive mechanism 40. Therefore, the transverse cutting blade 11a and the transverse cutting blades 3a, 3b, 3c are moved downward simultaneously with the positioning member 2a, or are moved downward so as to come into contact with the thick strip-shaped tofu dough before cutting. it can. Accordingly, the cutting blade moves at the same time as or slightly with the positioning member, so that it is not necessary to set a particularly precise lowering control, and the cutting process time can be shortened to the minimum, cutting accuracy and processing. Ability can be improved. The transverse cutting blades 3a, 3b, 3c are not particularly limited as long as they can be loosely moved except for being suspended by the suspension drive mechanism 40. Further, the transverse cutting blades 3a, 3b, and 3c may be operated separately, and may be programmed and controlled to operate appropriately.

(Sixth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the upstream side that does not use the water tank W and cuts out the thick band-like tofu dough T1 from the sheet-like tofu dough T on land and positions the thick band-like tofu dough T1 on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveying direction. The positioning means 6a and the downstream positioning means 2a are arranged, and after positioning the upstream side and the downstream side of the plurality of lines (two lines) of the thick strip-like tofu dough T1, the second cutting blade 3a is moved downward. By cutting the center of the two strips of thick tofu dough, fine strip tofu doughs T21 and T22 are obtained (FIGS. 11 and 12).
That is, the sheet-shaped tofu dough T is cut into two strips of thick tofu dough T1 by the first cutting blade 11a on the plate on the upstream side of the land, and the first cutting blade 11a is sent to the transport conveyor C2. When it is done, the downstream positioning means 2a is lowered and stands by, is brought into contact with the downstream side of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1 to be stopped, and the conveyor is temporarily stopped (FIGS. 12 (1) to (3). Next, after the upstream positioning means 6a is lowered, the upstream positioning means 6a is then moved laterally in the downstream direction so that the thick band-like tofu dough is lightly clamped together with the downstream positioning means 2a or once firmly clamped. 12 ((4)) After that, with the tofu dough positioned on the upstream side and the downstream side, the second cutting blade 3a is lowered to cut the center of the tofu dough, and the conveyor C2 A little away from In addition, after positioning on the upstream side and the downstream side, the positioning means may be separated from the tofu dough (after rising) and then cut (seventh embodiment). (Refer to Fig. 13, Fig. 14)).
When cut by the second cutting blade 3a, the second cutting blade 3a slightly raises and cuts the downstream strip-like tofu dough T21 that has been cut to the downstream side, and the upstream strip-like tofu dough T22. (Fig. 12 (6)-(7)). At this time, it is preferable that the downstream positioning means 2a lightly clamps the strip-like tofu dough T21 in synchronism with the second cutting blade 3a, but it is lifted up and retracted without holding it, and only the cutting blade 3a is used. A feeding operation may be performed (not shown). At the time of this feeding operation, the conveyor may be driven synchronously even if it is stopped. On the other hand, the second cutting blade 3a is stopped after being cut, and the conveyor C2 is driven, and in synchronization with it, the downstream positioning means 2a is also moved to the downstream side so that the strip-like tofu dough T21 is moved to the downstream side. The downstream positioning means 2a may be moved up and retracted before the operation of the transport conveyor C2 in this case. After opening the gap between the strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22, the conveyor C2 is driven and sent to the next process P2 (plate, conveyor, etc.), and the upstream positioning means 6a and the downstream positioning means 2a, Each of the second cutting blades 3a returns to its original position and repeats the operation while interlocking the above operations or while operating in parallel. The downstream positioning means 2a may perform an operation of pushing out the strip-like tofu dough T22 cut into the downstream plate plate P2, and may also perform an operation of pushing out the strip-like tofu dough T21.

(Seventh embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the water strip W is not used, and the thick band-like tofu dough T1 is cut out from the sheet-like tofu dough T on land, and the thick band-like tofu dough T1 is positioned by the downstream and upstream positioning means 2a, 6a. In this state, the second cutting blade 3a is lowered in a state of being separated from the thick belt-like tofu dough T1, and is cut into a plurality of rows of thick belt-like tofu dough T1 into thin belt-like tofu dough T21, T22. In the present embodiment, prior to the second cutting, positioning is performed in advance by positioning means on both the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the tofu dough T1, and then cutting is performed (FIGS. 13 and 14).
That is, when it is cut into two rows of tofu dough T1 by the first cutting blade 11a on the upstream plate P1 on the land and sent to the conveyor C2 by the first cutting blade 11a, it is lowered in advance. The downstream-side positioning means 2a is transported to the two rows of thick banded tofu dough T1 so as to be stationary, and then the upstream-side positioning means 6a descends and then laterally moves to the downstream side for downstream positioning. Positioning is performed so as to sandwich the means 2a (FIGS. 14 (1) to (4)). At this time, sandwiching and releasing the tofu dough may be repeated twice or more to correct the distortion of the shape of the soft tofu dough and the distortion of the internal stress.
After positioning the thick band-shaped tofu dough T1 on the upstream side and the downstream side, the downstream positioning means 2a moves downstream, and at the same time, the upstream positioning means 6a moves upstream and moves away from the thick band-shaped tofu cloth T1. The second cutting blade 3a descends and cuts the center of the thick band-like tofu dough T1 (FIGS. 14 (5) to (6)). Here, the downstream positioning means 2a and the upstream positioning means 6a may move upward when they are separated from the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1. The second cutting blade 3a is lifted slightly so as not to damage the belt of the conveyer C2, and is slid on the belt of the conveyer C2 that is stationary (or the conveyer C2). A predetermined distance is pushed out downstream (while C2 is synchronously driven) to widen and align at a predetermined interval with the upstream strip-like tofu dough T22. At that time, the downstream positioning means 2a may be lifted and retracted. However, the downstream-side tofu dough T21 is moved laterally in the upstream direction and lightly sandwiched between the second cutting blade 3a and the subsequent process P2 is performed. You may make it synchronize and synchronize with the 2nd cutting blade 3a at the time of transfer. After cutting with the second cutting blade 3a, the conveyor C2 remains stationary and the stationary strip-like tofu dough T21 is lightly clamped with the second cutting blade 3a (or with the downstream positioning means 2a). ) While pushing and sending in the downstream direction, the upstream side positioning means 6a also moves laterally in the downstream direction so as to come into contact with the strip-like tofu dough T22, and then the transport conveyor C2 is driven to synchronize and synchronize with the drive. Cutting strips 3a (or the second cutting blade 3a and the downstream positioning means 2a) and the upstream positioning means 6a are further moved laterally in the downstream direction so that the strip-shaped tofu doughs T21 and T22 aligned with a gap are next processed. Transfer to P2 (FIG. 14 (7)). At the time of the transfer, when P2 of the next process is a conveyor, it is preferable to drive the conveyor in synchronization and synchronization. Thereafter, both the positioning means and the cutting blade rise and wait for preparation of the above-described repetitive motion (FIGS. 14 (7) to (8)). Here, the time difference between the positioning means 2a, 6a and the strip-shaped tofu dough T1 is slight, and the second cutting blade 3a is cut immediately after leaving, so that the positioning is cut in a secured state. In the present invention, after the cutting by the second cutting blade 3a, the upstream and downstream positioning means 6a, 2a are separated from each other, so that the conveyor C2 remains stationary and the second cutting blade 3a is immediately moved upstream. By moving in the direction or downstream direction, the interval between the strip-shaped tofu doughs T21 and T22 is widened and aligned. Furthermore, it is also possible to accurately widen the alignment by aligning the upstream and downstream positioning means 6a, 2a until they come into contact with each other (FIGS. 14 (7) to (8)). Further, in the present invention, distortion of the strip-like tofu dough T1 due to the clamping of the positioning means (particularly the phenomenon that the sandwiched tofu dough swells upward or extends in the row direction without positioning) and the positioning state is visually checked before cutting. It becomes possible. Further, the distant positioning means may be moved in the upstream direction or the downstream direction so as to be used also as the second cutting blade. Although it takes some time, the equipment configuration is simplified, and the hygienic and cleaning work efficiency is improved. .
Here, the positioning means 2a, 6a on the downstream side and the upstream side do not move sideways immediately after being lowered and positioned, but immediately rise at that position and leave the thick band-like tofu dough, then the second It may be cut with the cutting blade 3a, and the second cutting blade 3a may push the strip-like tofu dough T21 in the downstream direction (FIGS. 14 (5b) to (8b)). Conversely, the second cutting blade 3a may be configured to push back the strip-like tofu dough T22 in the upstream direction. Then, after the positioning means 2a, 6a are positioned, the positioning means 2a is lifted to cancel the positioning, and the center cutting blade 3a is lowered to cut the tofu so as to replace it. When the second cutting blade 3a cuts the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1, it immediately rises slightly and operates in the upstream direction or the downstream direction to open a space between the tofu T21 and T22. Here, the conveyer C2 may assist the movement of the tofu doughs T21 and T22 by interlocking with the operation of the second cutting blade 3a in synchronization. And if the 2nd cutting blade 3a raises, it will return to an initial stand-by state like positioning means 2a and 6a. In the present invention, the movement of the downstream and upstream positioning means 2a and 6a and the second cutting blade 3a in the row direction can be partially reduced, and the cutting process time can be shortened and the operation mechanism can be simplified. It is.
Further, when transferring the strip-like tofu dough T21, T22 that is cut by the second cutting blade 3a and spaced apart to the next process P2, the conveyer C2 may be positively used together. That is, as shown in FIG. 14 (8b), the strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 having an interval are transported downstream by the transport conveyor C2 and transferred to the next process P2 (particularly a conveyor type process). . During the transfer, the conveyor speed of the conveyor C2 and the next process P2 is synchronized and synchronized so as to be the same. Or you may align by finely adjusting the space | interval of the strip-shaped tofu dough T21 and T22 cut | disconnected by the 2nd cutting process by making the conveyor speed of the following process P2 slightly faster or slower than the conveyance conveyor C2. According to this method, during production, when the interval slightly changes or fluctuates due to the hardness of the tofu dough, the interval between the strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 is driven by a conveyor without changing the mechanical attachment. Fine adjustments can be made by numerical values such as the motor inverter, voltage, and speed reducer (see Japanese Patent No. 4603056).

(Eighth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the water tank W is not used, and the first cutting blade 11a cuts the sheet-like tofu dough T into two strips of thick tofu dough T1 on the upstream plate on land. When the cutting blade 11a is pushed and sent to the conveyor C2, the positioning is performed once so as to be sandwiched between the first cutting blade 11a and the positioning means 2a (FIGS. 15 and 16). And when these positioning means 2a and 11a raise and positioning is cancelled | released, the thick belt-like tofu dough T1 will move by the starting of the conveyance conveyor C2, will stop in a predetermined position, and it will be 2nd above the position. The cutting blade 3a is waiting, and the second cutting blade 3a descends to cut the thick strip-like tofu dough T1 into two equal parts in the row direction to obtain the thin strip-like tofu dough T21, T22 (FIG. 16 ( 1) to (4)). At this time, after using the second cutting blade 3a as the downstream positioning means, the second cutting blade 3a rises and laterally moves in the upstream direction or the downstream direction, and then descends as the cutting blade and then the tofu dough. You may make it cut | disconnect the center of (not shown). In that case, the positioning means 2a can be omitted, and a more hygienic structure can be achieved. And after the 2nd cutting blade 3a cut | disconnects, the 2nd cutting blade 3a moves to a downstream direction (or upstream direction), and makes the downstream strip-like tofu dough T21 downstream (or upstream strip-like tofu fabric). T22 is pushed by a predetermined distance in the upstream direction and sent, and the gap between the upstream strip-like tofu dough T22 (or the downstream strip-like tofu dough T21) is opened and aligned (FIG. 16 (5)). Here, after the second cutting blade 3a has been cut, the upstream narrow band tofu dough T22 is kept standing for a while while being raised slightly, and the upstream narrow band tofu dough T22 is stopped and the conveyor C2 is driven to drive the downstream narrow band tofu dough. T21 is transported to the downstream side by a predetermined distance, and then the second cutting blade 3a is lifted to transport the upstream strip-like tofu dough T22 to open and align the two strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22. You may make it make it (not shown). Then, the strip-like tofu dough T21, T22 is sent to the next process P2 such as a conveyor, and the first cutting blade 11a and the second cutting blade are moved up to return to the original positions, and the positioning means and the The cutting is repeatedly performed (FIG. 16 (6)).

(Ninth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the water tank W is not used, and the first cutting blade 11a cuts the sheet-like tofu dough T into two strips of thick tofu dough T1 on the upstream plate on land. When the first cutting blade 11a serves as the upstream side positioning means and is positioned, the conveying conveyor C2 is driven and once separated from the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1. In this embodiment, the center is cut again by the second cutting blade 3a (FIGS. 17 and 18 (1) to (5)). At this time, if the first cutting blade 11a is positioned and then lifted away, the positional deviation of the strip-like tofu dough after cutting due to the adhesion between the tofu dough and the cutting blade can be reduced. Then, similarly to the above, when the second cutting blade 3a cuts the strip-like tofu T1, it is stopped a little and the belt-like tofu dough T21 is advanced by the start of the conveyor C2, and then the second cutting blade 3a is raised. By moving the upstream tofu dough T22 backward or by moving the second cutting blade 3a to the upstream side or the downstream side with the second cutting blade 3a lowered, the interval between the strip-like tofu dough T21 and T22 is reduced. It opens and it sends to the following process P2 by the drive of the conveyance conveyor C2 (FIG. 17, FIG. 18 (6)-(7)). In the present embodiment, the cutting blade 2a and the first cutting blade 11a may be moved downward simultaneously. The present invention eliminates the positioning means and provides a simple structure and a cheaper apparatus in which the cutting blade also serves as positioning.

(Tenth embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the vertical cutting blade unit K1 in the column direction is arranged in the second cutting step, and the column direction and the row direction are performed simultaneously (FIGS. 19, 20 (1) to 20). (7)). Further, downstream side positioning means 21a in a comb blade state to be described later is provided on the downstream side of the vertical cutting blade unit K1 in the row direction (FIGS. 26 to 28). The longitudinal cutting blade unit K1 in the row direction is driven by the suspension driving mechanism 40. Although the positioning means 21a is disposed only on the downstream side, it is possible to increase the cutting accuracy by positioning so that the positioning means 21a is preferably sandwiched by being also disposed on the upstream side. Here, the vertical cutting blade unit K1 may be a lattice cutting blade in which the row cutting blade 31a in the second cutting step and the vertical cutting blade K1 in the column direction in the vertical cutting step are combined. It is a cutting blade unit K1 that cuts the wide banded tofu dough T1 into a grid pattern at a time, and the plurality of wide banded tofu doughs of the plurality of wide banded tofu doughs T3 (T31, T32). ) At once. Therefore, for example, when a pack conveyor is provided in the post-process P2, the tofu dough T3 cut to a size for packing the tofu dough T by the longitudinal cutting blade unit K1 in the row direction is the row of the cutting blade unit K1 as described above. When the direction cutting blade 31a (or a portion corresponding thereto) is stopped and the conveyor C2 is activated, the interval between the tofu doughs T31 and T32 is increased and aligned and positioned, and is sent in the downstream direction (FIG. 20 (5) ) To (7)). The vertical cutting blade unit K1 is a lattice blade assembled and fixed in a lattice shape, or a pseudo lattice blade in which the second and third are arranged in a lattice at the same position, a vertical cutting blade, A configuration in which the cutting blades in the row direction are sequentially operated at the same position by separate operation mechanisms and cut in a lattice shape may be employed. In this embodiment, since the longitudinal cutting blade is disposed in combination with the second cutting blade, the length of the machine can be shortened.

(Eleventh embodiment)
In the present embodiment, positioning is performed by both the upstream positioning means 61a in the comb blade state and the downstream positioning means 21a in the comb blade state, and cutting is performed by the vertical cutting blade cutting blade unit K1 (FIG. 21). 22 (1) to (8)). Cutting by the column-direction comb-blade cutting blade unit K1 is performed in conjunction with the comb-blade-shaped cutting blade 31a in the row direction in the second cutting step or sequentially lowered to perform cutting in the column direction and the row direction. (FIG. 22 (6)). Therefore, it plays a role as a cutting blade assembled in a lattice shape. The pseudo lattice blades, the longitudinal cutting blades, and the cutting blades in the row direction arranged in a lattice shape in this way may be sequentially operated at the same position by separate operation mechanisms and cut into a lattice shape. The comb-shaped cutting blades K1 in the column direction and the comb-shaped cutting blades 31a in the row direction are slightly lifted and synchronized, and simultaneously move downstream and / or upstream to line up in a substantially narrow strip in the row direction. The space | interval before and behind the tofu dough T31 and T32 cut | disconnected by the unit is expanded, and the row direction positioning is carried out. Here, the comb-shaped cutting blade 31a in the row direction is stationary, and the conveyor C2 is activated to transport the T31 to the downstream side so that the distance between the front and rear of the tofu doughs T31 and T32 is increased and positioned and aligned. Also good. According to this embodiment, after cutting, on the conveyor C2 to be sent to the downstream side, the staggered distribution / alignment system is used to increase the spacing in the row direction by one, and as a result, the left and right spacing is increased by one. It is preferable to expand and position in the matrix direction (see FIGS. 26 to 28, FIGS. 17 to 19 of Japanese Patent No. 5008102). Or you may make it open a space | interval by the distribution system using the speed difference of the two conveyance conveyors which transfer the tofu dough T3 for 1 row or 1 row to a row direction or a column direction (patent) 4603056). In the present embodiment, the vertical cutting blade unit K1, the cutting blade 31a, the upstream positioning means 61a, and the downstream positioning means 21a are synchronized with each other, tuned or interlocked with each other, or The cutting blade 11a may be synchronized with, synchronized with, or interlocked with.

(Twelfth embodiment)
The present embodiment is an example in which the first cutting process is performed underwater (in the water tank) W, the reversing operation is performed, and the second cutting process is performed. 32 (32F) is also used for positioning and sandwiching the belt-like tofu dough T1 together with the positioning means 2a on the downstream side (FIGS. 23, 24, and 25).
The strip-like tofu dough T1 cut from the sheet-like tofu dough T in the first cross-cutting process and conveyed by the conveyor through the water tank W is cut into a size corresponding to two lines, and is reversed by the reversing mechanism 20. Then, it is sent to the land conveyor C2 and sent to the second crossing cutting step. The upstream positioning means of the present embodiment is accurately positioned so that the pushing plate 32 of the pushing mechanism 30 for pushing out the inverted tofu dough also serves as the positioning means and sandwiches the tofu dough T1 together with the downstream positioning means 2a. (FIG. 25). The strip-shaped tofu dough T1 cut into a plurality of lines (two lines) by the first cutting blade 11b and reversed is conveyed by the conveying conveyor C2, and is similarly positioned by the positioning means 2a in the second transverse cutting process. It is placed in a stopped state and is simultaneously cut by the second cutting blade 3a. In addition, it is also possible to cut by the cutting blade 3a in the second transverse cutting step in a state in which one of the positioning plate 2 (32F) serving as the positioning means or the positioning means 2a downstream thereof is aligned. In the same manner as described above, the distance between the strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 is widened while being cut by the second transverse cutting blade 3a, and the cut strip-like tofu dough T2 is pushed out to the plate plate P2 on the downstream side. After performing the operation, the robot moves up and returns to the original standby position.

In addition to the cage reversing mechanism 20, the feeding mechanism 10 and the push-out mechanism 30, which will be described later, are supported from a base of the cage reversing mechanism 20 (a base located in the air).
The push-out mechanism 30 drives a push-out plate 32 in which a positioning means 32F, which is a large number of drop plates in a hanging position, is arranged on the horizontal frame 32B in the horizontal row direction and the vertical direction (FIGS. 23 and 24). Each drooping plate 32F is a spatula-shaped body (inverted T-shaped) with a handle in which a square plate-like pressing surface 3F is formed at the tip. It is attached to 32B. The pressing surfaces 3F of the many drooping plate groups 32F are aligned so as to belong to the same plane. The many drooping plate groups 32F are set to be lower than the tip E of the cage back plate 28 when pushing out the tofu dough to the discharge side from the cage 2K. At this time, the thick belt-like tofu dough T1 is placed on the cage lower plate (cage upper plate in the receiving posture) 26 so as to be lower than the lower end E of the cage back plate 28.
The push-out plate 32 of the push-out mechanism 30 is attached to the intermediate plate 33 via one or more vertical movement cylinders C8 and an optional vertical movement guide, for example, a vertical movement guide comprising a guide rod L8 and a guide sleeve G8. The intermediate plate 33 is composed of one or a plurality of horizontal motion cylinders C7 and an optional horizontal motion guide, for example, a horizontal motion guide comprising a guide rod L7 (not shown) and a guide sleeve G7 (not shown). It is attached to fixed plates 35 and 35 via As a result, the pushing plate 32 can be moved in the vertical direction and the horizontal row direction by the vertical moving cylinder C8 and the horizontal moving cylinder C7.
Note that the present embodiment can also be applied in water or semi-water. Moreover, the feed mechanism 30 is provided with a delivery mechanism 30 for delivering the strip-like tofu dough T1 on land to the cutting process on the land, and the delivery mechanism 30 includes positioning means for positioning the upstream end of the strip-like tofu dough in the cutting process. It may be used in combination.

(Thirteenth embodiment)
This embodiment is provided with staggered arrangement means (positioning means) 21 for stopping the movement by the conveyor C2, so that the gap is widened in a so-called staggered pattern that alternately opens back and forth (FIGS. 26 and 27). FIG. 28). This staggered pattern is particularly easy to apply when the post-process is not a packaging process but a process such as a fryer or a freezer.
On the conveyor C2, the strip-like tofu dough T2 for one horizontal line that has been transported in parallel is damped every other row in the row direction and adjacent tofu dough for one piece. A staggered arrangement means (positioning means) 21 is provided that alternately advances T3 in the transport direction and aligns with a staggered arrangement when viewed from above (FIG. 27). At least one staggered arrangement means 21 is arranged in front of the packing means 6 installed on the downstream side of the conveyer C2, and a rotation axis L3 orthogonal to the traveling direction of each tofu dough T3. Has a staggered arrangement plate 21a that is rotatably attached to the. This staggered arrangement plate (positioning means) 21a has a comb-tooth structure having comb teeth that match the width of each tofu dough T, and allows every other tofu dough (one pack to be packed) to pass through. Put every other tofu dough in a stopped state. The upper end portion of the staggered plate 21a is connected to a telescopic rod (drive cylinder) 11b so as to be rotatable or vertically movable.

  When each tofu dough T3 arranged in a row in parallel running by the conveyor C2 is going to pass, first, the rotation axis L3 is rotated downward, and the zigzag connected to the rotation axis L3. The array plate 21a also moves downward. As a result, the staggered array plate 21a rotates about the rotation axis L3 in the upright direction, and the tofu dough T3 for each one side of the horizontal row is stopped every other one. A part of the tofu dough T3 is dammed up at that position by the staggered array plate 21a, while the other tofu dough T3 that has not been damped advances (FIG. 28). Thereby, each tofu dough T which has been in a state of running in parallel in a horizontal row until then becomes a staggered arrangement. After that, the staggered array plate 21a is rotated in the opposite direction and the remaining one piece of tofu dough T3 is advanced, and each one tofu dough T3 (one) in a staggered arrangement is It is transferred to the packing means (not shown) while maintaining the arrangement.

  By the zigzag arrangement means 21, one tofu dough T3 that has been transferred in a state of running horizontally in a row can be easily arranged in a zigzag arrangement, so that the pack filling means 6 has one pack P for each pack P. When covering the piece of tofu dough T3, the space for the binding amount of the pack P can be secured, so that the packing can be performed smoothly (see JP 2007-6759). The zigzag arrangement means is not limited to the above zigzag arrangement means, and other zigzag arrangement means (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-300692) may be used.

  Here, on the conveyor C2, each tofu dough T is slightly shifted on the belt, and a hygienic and smooth belt material is used, and drinking water such as tap water and well water is used to suppress frictional force. Sprinkle possible fresh water, spray hot water at a temperature of 60 ° C or higher and 99 ° C or lower, or use food additive standard hypochlorite water (or weakly acidic electrolyzed water) or sodium hypochlorite. It is effective to use hygienic means together such as spraying water prepared to a concentration of 0.1 to 200 ppm. Hygienic means are not limited to these. In some cases, a thin water tank W1 that keeps the water surface on the belt may be provided, and a part of the belt may be immersed in the thin water tank W1 (not shown).

  Each one tofu dough T3 conveyed in the staggered arrangement is packed by the packing means 6. The pack filling means 6 includes an image pickup means Y (not shown) for picking up each tofu dough T3 flowing on the transfer conveyor C2, and an adsorbing means Z for holding the pack P. And an industrial robot 6a that packs each tofu dough T3 for each one according to the position and inclination of each tofu dough T3 imaged by the imaging means Y. For example, when the number of each tofu dough T3 conveyed in a staggered arrangement is N, this pack filling means 6 can simultaneously pack N pieces of each tofu dough T3 (special feature). (See Kai 2007-6759).

(Fourteenth embodiment)
This embodiment shown in FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 is a form provided with positioning means 21b, 21b for positioning the left end and the right end perpendicular to the transport direction of the tofu dough on the transport conveyor (FIGS. 29, 30).
In the second cutting step 52, the left and right cutting blades 3a for cutting the wide strip-like dough T1 into strip-like strip-like tofu doughs T21 and T22 having a row width of one piece along the row direction, The positioning members of the end positioning means 21b, 21b are arranged in a direction (row direction) orthogonal to the second cutting blade, and the positioning members are in contact with the left end and the right end of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough, in the row direction Positioning. Further, by using both the upstream positioning means 6a and the downstream positioning means 2a of the second positioning means, positioning is performed in contact with the left end, the right end, the upstream end, and the downstream end of the thick strip-shaped tofu dough T1, and the cutting is performed. The form to do is also possible. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the left and right end portions of the strip-like tofu dough T1 are less deformed and missing, and the amount of ears on the left and right ends of the tofu dough to be cut and discarded can be minimized.
In the vertical cutting step 53, a large number of vertical cutting blades 22a for cutting in the column direction aligned with the row direction are arranged, and both ends in the row direction of the strip-shaped tofu dough T2 are positioned by the positioning means 21b and 21b to have a predetermined size. Now, it is a form that is accurately cut into one tofu dough T3. In the present embodiment, the long and narrow strip-shaped tofu dough T2 having a row width corresponding to one row along the direction (row direction) perpendicular to the transport direction (column direction) is used as the longitudinal cutting blade in the longitudinal cutting step. It can also be applied to the small cutting process of cutting tofu dough T3 (one tofu) having a row width and a column width along the conveying direction (column direction), and longitudinal cutting by the vertical cutting positioning means. A positioning member is disposed in parallel with the longitudinal cutting blade, and the vertical positioning member is in contact with the left and right ends, or the upstream end or the downstream end of the elongated strip-shaped tofu dough, in a direction (row) Direction). Here, positioning from the upstream side or downstream side in the conveying direction is performed in advance from the upstream side or downstream side in the previous step (first or second cutting step), and the positioning member is separated from the tofu dough. In order not to shift the position, it may be transported to the longitudinal cutting process by the transport device, and the positioning member in the row direction of the longitudinal cutting position may be omitted. In particular, as shown in FIG. 30, the positive positioning by the positioning means 21b, 21b from the left and right sides can minimize the loss due to the dough ears, and the cutting dimensions of the tofu dough T3 near both ends to the center. It also has the effect of minimizing subtle differences. According to the present embodiment, the strip-like tofu dough T1 for a plurality of rows is accurately cut out from the sheet-like tofu dough T in the first cutting step, and the strip-like tofu dough T2 in one row unit in the second cutting step. Can be cut accurately, and a plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough T2 cut in the second cutting step in the longitudinal cutting step can be positioned and accurately and efficiently cut into one tofu dough T3 at a time. In addition, the width that spreads in the left and right direction (sagging) differs depending on the softness and hardness of the tofu dough, and positioning that was inconvenient with conventional fixed guides can be accurately performed by using aggressive movable positioning means together There is an advantage to be performed, and it becomes possible to greatly improve the cutting ability of the tofu dough.

(Fifteenth embodiment)
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 31, the sheet-like tofu dough T is efficiently cut in advance in the row direction with a predetermined row width in advance by the roll cutter RC, the knife-shaped cutting blade, or the like. In the first cutting step 51, the strip-shaped tofu dough T2 having a width corresponding to one product in the minimum unit is cut in the row direction, and in the second cutting step 52, one product in the minimum unit is cut. Cut into row widths to make T31 and T32 for one tofu dough. Similarly to the above, the third cutting step 53 may simultaneously cut to the minimum unit at a time, but the third cutting can be omitted.

(Sixteenth embodiment)
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 32, at least two rows or more of the strip-like tofu dough is collectively cut out by one operation with the first transverse cutting blade 11a and positioned in the column direction or the row direction in the same manner as described above. This is an embodiment in which the width of one product in the row direction is cut by the second cutting blade 31a in one row for each row to widen the row (the vertical cutting unit is a second cutting step). Used for). Then, after positioning in the column direction or the row direction in the same manner as described above, the vertical cutting blade 3a cuts each row with the width of one product in the row direction to widen the line spacing (the second cutting unit is vertically It can be used in the cutting and cutting process), and as in the case described above, it can improve the capacity of the entire line while preventing deformation and chipping of tofu, and can accurately and efficiently cut the production line. The economic effect of improving the yield and reducing the product cost can be expected.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. Moreover, all the cutting blades and cutting means in this application are not limited, including not only a push cutting blade but also a Chinese knife type (up and down movement), a knife type (vertical and horizontal movement), and the like. Thus, it goes without saying that the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Cutting device for tofu dough production equipment,
2 Positioning unit on the downstream side in the row direction,
2a Positioning means on the downstream side in the row direction in the second cutting;
3 row direction cutting blade unit,
3a cutting blade in the second row direction,
32F Upstream side positioning means (positioning means, extrusion plate),
6 upstream positioning means unit in the row direction,
6a Positioning means on the upstream side in the row direction in the second cutting,
11a first cutting blade,
11b, 21b Positioning means for positioning the tofu dough at the left end and the right end perpendicular to the conveying direction;
T-sheet tofu dough,
T1 thick tofu dough (for multiple lines),
T2 strip-like tofu dough,
T21 The most downstream narrow banded tofu dough from the downstream side,
T22 The second upstream narrow banded tofu dough from the downstream side,
T23 The third upstream side tofu dough from the downstream side,
T2M Mth (most upstream side) strip-shaped tofu dough from the downstream side,
T3 cut tofu dough for 1 piece (1)
T31 The first tofu dough from the downstream side,
T32 The second tofu dough for the second upstream side from the downstream side,
T33 Tofu dough for the third upstream side from the downstream side,
T3M M tofu dough for M most upstream side from downstream

Claims (10)

In the sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously conveyed and molded by the tofu dough conveying device , the traveling direction of the conveying conveyor is the row direction, and the direction perpendicular to the advancing direction of the conveying conveyor is the row direction, from the sheet-like tofu dough A longitudinal cutting blade that cuts at least two rows of strip-like tofu dough obtained in the row direction through at least one transverse cutting step having at least one row cutting blade in the row direction. A longitudinal cutting step arranged so as to cut along the column direction, and cut the strip-like tofu dough for a plurality of rows simultaneously or almost simultaneously in the column direction, A plurality of minimum unit tofu dough arranged in a shape,
In the longitudinal cutting step, the strips of tofu dough in a plurality of rows are positioned with the positioning means in the column direction and / or the row direction and cut with the longitudinal cutting blade, or the rows of the tofu dough are cut. After the strip-like tofu dough is positioned by the positioning means in the row direction and / or the row direction, after the positioning means is separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough, it is cut with the vertical cutting blade,
On the conveyor, the vertical cutting blade of the vertical cutting process operates in conjunction with the positioning member of the positioning means at the same time as the positioning member comes into contact with the strip-shaped tofu fabric, or the strip-shaped tofu fabric is delayed. A cutting method for tofu dough, characterized by cutting the positioned tofu dough positioned in an interlocking manner so as to be in contact with the tofu dough. The sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously conveyed and molded is continuously endlessly formed by a continuous molding machine, and the minimum unit of tofu dough is N pieces in the row direction and / or in the height direction. Endless tofu dough corresponding to L pieces (N ≧ 2, L ≧ 1) and corresponding to many pieces in the row direction (M≈∞), or with a formwork provided in a continuous molding machine Block-shaped tofu dough corresponding to N pieces in the row direction and / or L pieces in the height direction (N ≧ 2, L ≧ 1) and M pieces in the column direction (M ≧ 2) The sheet-like tofu dough has a length corresponding to at least two sides of the minimum unit of tofu dough on the short side in the row direction, and a length corresponding to at least two sides of the minimum unit of tofu dough. Is a tofu dough having a rectangular parallelepiped on the long side in the row direction and a plurality of minced units of tofu dough arranged in a matrix, the strip-like shape The tofu dough has a length corresponding to at least one side of the minimum unit of tofu dough on the short side in the column direction, and a length corresponding to at least two sides of the minimum unit of tofu dough in the row direction. The length of the long side in the row direction when the strips of tofu dough are removed by removing the dough ears at both ends. 2. The length of the fabric ears at both ends to be removed is added, and the column-direction and / or row-direction positioning means has the length corresponding to these lengths. The tofu dough cutting method described. It is obtained from the sheet-like tofu dough through at least two or more rows of thick strip-like tofu dough obtained through at least two or more cross-cutting steps provided with at least one cross-cutting blade in the row direction. A vertical cutting process in which at least one or more vertical cutting blades for cutting at least two rows of the strip-like tofu dough are provided in the row direction and arranged so as to cut along the row direction. 3. The tofu dough according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the strip-like tofu dough for a row is cut simultaneously or substantially simultaneously in a row direction to form a plurality of minimum unit tofu dough arranged in a matrix. Cutting method. In the longitudinal cutting process, the strip-shaped tofu dough is cut immediately before or after the moment of leaving the state where the strip-shaped tofu dough is stopped. At the moment of leaving from the positioned stop state, immediately before, immediately after, or after that, positioning on the upstream side on the conveyor, moving to the downstream side, and cutting, vertical cutting The tofu dough cutting method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tofu dough cutting method is in a state where it is once positioned immediately before or before the process. Positioning in the vertical cutting process is performed immediately before cutting in the vertical cutting process, or just after the cutting process of the previous process, and is also operated by pushing with the cutting blade of the previous process used for thinning out the rows. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the position is determined by the positioning means in the cutting step of the previous step and is moved so as not to change the position on the conveyor after being separated from the strip-like tofu dough. How to cut tofu dough. In the sheet-like tofu dough that is continuously conveyed and molded by the tofu dough conveying device , the traveling direction of the conveying conveyor is the row direction, and the direction perpendicular to the advancing direction of the conveying conveyor is the row direction, from the sheet-like tofu dough A longitudinal cutting blade that cuts at least two rows of strip-shaped tofu dough obtained through at least one or more transverse cutting units equipped with at least one transverse cutting blade in the row direction in the row direction A vertical cutting unit arranged so as to cut along the column direction, and cut the plurality of rows of strip-like tofu dough simultaneously in the column direction at the same time or almost simultaneously, A plurality of minimum unit tofu dough arranged in a shape,
The vertical cutting unit cuts the plurality of rows of the strip-like tofu dough with the vertical cutting blade in a state where the strip-shaped tofu dough is positioned by the positioning means in the column direction and / or the row direction, or a plurality of rows of the thin cut tofu dough. After the strip-like tofu dough is positioned by the positioning means in the row direction and / or the row direction, after the positioning means is separated from the strip-shaped tofu dough, it is cut with the vertical cutting blade,
The vertical cutting blade of the vertical cutting step operates in conjunction with the positioning member of the positioning means simultaneously with the strip-like tofu dough, or operates in conjunction with the strip-like tofu dough after a delay. The tofu dough cutting device characterized in that the cut tofu dough is positioned . In the longitudinal cutting process, the strip-shaped tofu dough is cut immediately before or after the moment of leaving the state where the strip-shaped tofu dough is stopped. At the moment of leaving from the positioned stop state, immediately before, immediately after, or after that, positioning on the upstream side on the conveyor, moving to the downstream side, and cutting, vertical cutting 7. The tofu dough cutting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the tofu dough cutting device is once positioned at a position immediately before or before the process. Positioning in the vertical cutting process is performed immediately before cutting in the vertical cutting process, or just after the cutting process of the previous process, and is also operated by pushing with the cutting blade of the previous process used for thinning out the rows. 7. The tofu dough cutting device according to claim 6, wherein the tofu dough cutting device is carried out so that the position on the conveyor is not changed after being positioned by the positioning means in the cutting step of the previous step and separated from the strip-like tofu dough. The longitudinal cutting blades are arranged in parallel in at least one sheet in the row direction, and when cutting both ends of the strip-like tofu dough as an ear, the number (N) of the minimum unit of tofu dough in the row direction The number is increased by one (N + 1), and after cutting with the vertical cutting blade, it is moved a little away from the transport belt of the transport conveyor in the row direction to widen the interval in the row direction of the minimum unit tofu dough. 7. The tofu dough cutting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the aligning operation is also performed. A feed mechanism for feeding the plurality of strip-like tofu doughs on land to the longitudinal cutting step on land, and the feed mechanism positions an upstream end of the strip-like tofu dough in the longitudinal cutting step The tofu dough cutting apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the cutting means is also used as a positioning means.