FR2671509A1 - Machine for slicing tomatoes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for cutting tomatoes fed in a direction of forward motion (A), comprising a set of identical blades (10) placed side by side, the cutting height of which is greater than the maximum diameter of the tomato to be sliced, each of the blades comprising a main straight cutting zone (R) of slight slope with respect to the direction of forward motion (A) and a concave end-of-cut zone (C) connected to the straight cutting zone, extending it, the cutting edge of its end (11) being almost perpendicular to the direction of forward motion.

Description

TOMATO SLICING MACHINE
The present invention relates to machines for cutting vegetables and in particular a machine for slicing tomatoes.

 Slicing tomatoes automatically has always caused difficulties, especially when the tomatoes reach a certain level of maturity. Indeed, a tomato with a certain degree of maturity is soft from the inside but is covered with a relatively resistant skin. Attempts to cut slices made in the prior art with a smooth blade, which is required by standards of hygiene in the machines, have irretrievably resulted in the crushing of the tomato.

 There are machines for slicing tomatoes that are effective when the tanate is unripe. In general, tomatoes are subjected to a combined action of pressing and sawing with a set of blades arranged parallel to one another at a distance equal to the desired thickness of slice.

 When the tomato reaches a certain degree of maturity, these machines only partially manage to move the tomato, the slices remaining united to each other by strips of skin that have not been able to cut.

 An object of the present invention is to automatically slice tanates effectively even if they are relatively ripe.

 This object is achieved by a device for cutting fruits or vegetables such as tomatoes fed in a direction of advance, comprising a set of identical blades placed side by side, the cutting height of which is greater than the maximum diameter of the fruit or vegetable to be sliced, each of the blades comprising a main rectilinear cutting zone of slight slope with respect to the direction of advance and a concave end of cutting zone connecting to the rectilinear cutting zone by extending it, the wire of its end being close to the perpendicular to the direction of advance.

 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the end of cutting zone is in the form of an elliptical arc whose major axis is parallel to the rectilinear cutting zone.

 The present invention relates more particularly to a machine for slicing fruit or vegetables such as tomatoes, comprising: said cutting device; a device for supplying several fixed supports on a continuous conveying system, a section of which has a movement in the direction of advance, each support being provided to review and hold by gravity a fruit or a vegetable and to pass through the device cutting with the whole fruit or vegetable; and a device for supplying the supports comprising a fruit or vegetable tank connected to a chute which supplies the supports with the fruits or vegetables by gravity.

 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conveying system is provided so that the supports tilt after passing through the cutting device so that the sliced fruit or vegetable falls into a receiving device.

 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the receiving device comprises a ramp on which fall the sliced fruits or vegetables, the surface of this ramp having an axis of curvature horizontal and parallel to the direction of advance.

 The present invention also relates to a machine canprenant said cutting device and a support provided to review and hold by gravity a fruit or a vegetable which is supplied to it at a determined position, the support being animated by a movement back and forth according to the direction of advance and provided with grooves in correspondence with the blades of the cutting device, so as to bring the fruit or vegetable entirely through the cutting device.

 According to one embodiment of the present invention, the machine comprises a device for feeding the animated support in synchronism with the movement thereof, in which is provided at least one housing for receiving the fruit or vegetable and which frees the fruit or vegetable above the support when it is in the determined position.

These objects, characteristics and advantages as well as others of the present invention will be explained in more detail in the following description of particular embodiments made in relation to the attached figures among which
FIG. 1 represents a schematic view of a machine according to a first embodiment in which the cutting device according to the present invention is used;
FIG. 2 illustrates a side view in section of certain elements of the machine of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 illustrates a machine according to another embodiment using the cutting device according to the present invention.

 Figure 1 shows, in schematic form, a tanate slicing machine using a cutting device 10 according to the present invention. Before describing the machine in detail, we will describe the cutting device 10.

 the cutting device 10 is fixed relative to the frame of the machine and it is supplied with tomatoes in a rectilinear fashion in a direction of advance A, here horizontal from left to right. The cutting device catrends several identical parallel blades spaced apart from the desired slice thickness.

 Each blade has a thread which is generally inclined relative to the direction of advance A, the inclination here being descending from left to right. the wire comprises two cutting zones, namely a main cutting zone R which is straight with a slight slope (for example 10 to 30 and preferably about 20) relative to the direction of advance A, and a zone of end of cut C with a steep slope which connects to the main zone R by extending it. the detail of this zone C will be described later.

 A tanate T1 transported on a support 14b is brought to pass through this set of blades in the direction of advance A.

The height of the blade wire, or cutting height, is greater than the maximum tanate diameter and the support supports grooves in correspondence with the blades, so that the transported tanate crosses the blades over its entire height, the blades passing freely in the support grooves. Thus, the tanate is first cut at its upper part by the rectilinear zone R and its cutting is completed by the final zone C which ends below the tanate.

 Considering one of the blades, when the tanate T1 reaches the end of the zone R, it remains to cut a flap of skin whose surface is practically parallel to the edge of the blade. This skin flap is difficult to cut because nothing keeps it from below since the support is precisely grooved in this place to let the blade pass, and the flap is badly held by the tomato itself, especially when the tanate is ripe.

Thus, if the remaining (C) of the blade wire was straight, this remaining skin flap would simply be pushed back by the blade to the foed of the groove, without being able to supper, or would be shredded, which would harm at the presentation of the product.

According to the present invention, each blade comprises a concave end-of-cut zone C connecting to the rectilinear cut zone R, and having a curve such that at all times the remaining skin flap is no longer cut approximately parallel to its surface. . The curvature of zone C gradually increases in the direction of advance and it is such that zone C ends in a beak 11 which has a thread at its level, almost perpendicular to the direction of advance
A. Zone C is, for example, in an elliptical arc, the major axis of which is parallel to the rectilinear zone R. In this way, the tanates can be cut into well-cut slices even if they are ripe.

 In Figure 1, the blade assembly 10 according to the present invention is used in a tanate slicing machine. The machine is supplied with tanates by a supply reservoir 12. A cylindrical supply chute 13 with an internal diameter at least equal to the maximum diameter of the tanates to be treated, supplies supports 14 at the rate of one tanate per support. the supports 14 are identical and each has a cylindrical recess provided for receiving a tanate and for holding it when the support is in a horizontal position and in an inclined or vertical upward position. The supports 14 are fixed on a conveyor belt 15 overhung by three rollers 16a, 16b and 16c, one of which is a motor. Only three supports have been shown which are in significant positions. A support 14a has just received a tanate T2 from the feed chute 13; a support 14b transports a tomato T1 being cut into the blade assembly 10; and a support 14c rocks around the roller 16c by releasing a tanate T3 which has just been cut in a receiving device 17 comprising a ramp 17a and, for example, a plate 17b. In fact, the supports are spaced on the carpet 17 in such a way that a tanate T4 waiting in the chute 13 tans in the support following the support 14a as soon as the support 14a no longer obstructs the outlet of the chute 13.

 The feed chute 13 is inclined at an angle close to the horizontal to prevent the tomatoes from reaching too high a speed by staining in the supports 14 in order to avoid their crushing. The belt section 15 between the rollers 16a and 16b is perpendicular to the chute 13. the belt section between the rollers 16b and 16c, which defines the direction of advance A, is here horizontal but this direction could be arbitrary provided that the tcmates do not fall from their support during transport.

 2 shows a slightly enlarged side view of the blade assembly 10, the support 14b in section with its tanate T1 and the receiving device 17. A cutting device is shown comprising four blades 10 also spaces of a desired slice thickness e. the blades 10 are fixed on a support 20 which is adjustable in height relative to the frame of the machine to achieve optimum cutting efficiency. Here we see branches are arranged the grooves of the support 14b.

 The ramp 17a which receives the sliced tomato is of curved shape to allow a reception in touch of the tcmate and a beautiful presentation of the slices in the plate 17b.

 FIG. 3 represents another embodiment of a tomato slicing machine using the cutting device according to the present invention. This machine is intended for individually slicing tomatoes supplied manually. A support 30, of the same shape as the supports described above, is driven back and forth by an alternative system 31, for example, with rod and crank or even manual. the support 30 is shown in a position which is for example the bottom dead center of the alternative system 31, where the support 30 is ready to review a tomato T. When the support receives the tomato, the alternative system 31 is actuated and the support advances by pushing the tomato through the blade assembly 10 as do the supports 14 in FIG. 1.

 At the top dead center of the alternative system 31, shown in phantom, the support 30 has completely passed through the set of blades 10 and the tomato is thus entirely sliced. Then, the support moves back to find its initial position; the tomato retained on site by the quarry of the blade assembly 10, tcmbe in a plate 32, or any other receiving device, when the support has retreated sufficiently.

 To provide greater security, in particular to prevent manual access to the blade assembly, it is possible to add a feeding device 33 to this mechanism. This feeding device comprises a cylinder 34 which is rotated in synchronism with the alternative system 31. the cylinder 34 has several housings 35 (two are represented in two different positions) symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation of the cylinder and intended to receive a tomato supplied manually by an opening 36 in the frame of the machine.

 The cylinder 34 and the support 30 are shown in solid lines in the position where a tomato T is released from one of the housings 35 in the support. The housings 35 are shown in dotted lines when one of the housings is in the position for receiving a tomato through the opening 36. This position is the rest position, the support 30 is then in the initial position (approximately at halfway between top dead center and bottom dead center).

 A sensor 37 in the opening 36 detects the insertion of a tomato and activates a machine cycle, namely moving the support 30 from its middle position at rest to bottom dead center to review a tomato, bring the support and its tomato to top dead center passing through the blade assembly 10 and bring the support to its median rest position, while the cylinder 34 performs a fraction of a turn (here a half turn) so as to bring the next housing opposite opening 36.

 The present invention has been described in relation to examples of tomato slicing machines, of course these machines as well as the set of blades used can be used to haul any other fruit or vegetable. art various variants and xvcdifications; it can for example provide, in the case of Figure 1, a conveying system with only two rollers where the supply of the supports would be perpendicular to the direction of advance it can also consider different shapes for the end of cutting area without departing from the scope of the present invention; it can also provide various detection systems such as photoelectric cells intended to control the sequencing of operations, for example the advancement of a conveyor belt supporting the plates 17b of FIG. 1. On the other hand, the following has been described: above a displacement of the tcmates with respect to or cutting device; the important thing is that there is a relative movement and, in simple manual systems, the cutting device could be displaced relative to the sliced tomato.

Claims (7)

 1. Machine for slicing fruits or vegetables such as tomatoes, characterized in that it comprises:  - a cutting device fed according to a directian advance (A) and comprising a set of identical blades (10) placed side by side, the cutting height of which is greater than the maximum diatteter of the fruit or vegetable to be sliced, each of the blades caprenant a main straight cutting area (R) of slight slope compared to the direction of advance (A) and a concave end cutting one (C) connecting to the straight cutting area by extending it, the wire its end (11) being close to the perpendicular to the direction of advance;  - a supply device with several supports (14) fixed on a continuous conveying system (15, 16), a section of which has a movement in the direction of advance (A), each support being designed to receive and hold by gravity a fruit or vegetable and to pass through the set of blades with all of the fruit or vegetable; and  - A device for feeding the supports (14) comprising a fruit or vegetable tank (12) connected to a chute (13) which supplies the supports with the fruits or vegetables by gravity.  2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying system is provided so that the supports (14) tilt after passing through the set of blades (10) so that the sliced fruit or vegetable falls into a device reception (17).  3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the receiving device comprises a ramp (17a) on which fall the sliced fruit or vegetables, the surface of this ramp having a horizontal axis of curvature and parallel to the direction of advance (AT).  4. Device for cutting fruits or vegetables such as stomata fed in a direction of advance (A) characterized in that it comprises a set of identical blades (10) placed side by side, whose cutting height is greater to the maximum diameter of the fruit or vegetable to be sliced, each of the blades comprising a main zone of rectilinear cut (R) of slight slope relative to the direction of advance (A) and a zone of end of concave cut (C ) connecting to the rectilinear cutting zone by extending it, the wire at its end (11) being close to the perpendicular to the direction of advance.  5. Ooupe device according to claim 1 or 4 characterized in that the end of cutting zone (C) is in the form of an elliptical arc whose major axis is parallel to the rectilinear cutting zone (R).  6. Machine using the cutting device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it also learns a support (30) provided for receiving and holding by gravity a fruit or a vegetable which is supplied to it in a loose position, the support being driven in a back and forth movement in the direction of advance (A) and provided with grooves in correspondence with the blades, so as to bring the fruit or vegetable entirely through the assembly of blades ( 10).  7. Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a supply device (33) of the support (30) animated in synchronism with the movement thereof, in which is provided at least one loganent (35) to receive the fruit or vegetable and which releases the fruit or vegetable above the support (30) when the latter is in the determined position.