JP2024049368A - Ingredient topping device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ingredient topping device 100 which can omit a picking off step of ingredients and a mechanism therefor, reduce a production cost and reduce a production time.SOLUTION: An ingredient topping device for topping an ingredient P2 on a food material body W such as pizza and Japanese pancake comprises: a holding frame body 2 which holds an ingredient block P1 being the ingredient before cutting in a manner of being slidable to a lower side and has a lower end opening 2b that allows protrusion of the lower end of the ingredient block P1; a cutting plate 3 which is installed on the lower side of the holding frame body 2 and has a cutting blade 32 that cuts the ingredient block P1 protruding from the lower end opening 2a and a drop hole 33 that allows the ingredient P2 cut by the cutting blade 32 to pass therethrough and drop to the lower side; a drive mechanism 5 which rotates or advances/retracts the cutting plate 3; and a control mechanism 6 which rotates or advances/retracts the cutting plate 3 by operating the drive mechanism 5 at timing at which the food material body W conveyed by a conveyance mechanism 200 that conveys the food material body W in a prescribed direction is located on the lower side of the cutting plate 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an ingredient topping device that tops ingredients such as cheese onto a food body that is a semi-finished product such as dough for pizza or okonomiyaki, or a rice bowl or pasta on which ingredients have not yet been completely poured.

Nowadays, pizzas that are ready to be baked are being sold at supermarkets, convenience stores, and online shopping sites.

To make this type of pizza, a worker spreads sauce on the dough as it moves along a conveyer on the production line, and another worker downstream tops it with ingredients such as shredded cheese.

Naturally, these ingredients are placed in containers at the topping area, and workers take the required amount of ingredients from these containers and top the food.

However, for example, shredded cheese, a main ingredient in pizza, can stick together and make it difficult to take out the right amount for toppings. So, traditionally, in addition to the worker who adds the toppings, another worker is assigned to periodically loosen the shredded cheese in the container.

Patent Document 1 discloses an ingredient topping device that automates this type of topping work, but to solve the problem of ingredients sticking together, it is equipped with a smoothing device that loosens shredded cheese and the like before topping.

JP 2020-130002 A

In response to this situation, the inventor first focused on the question of whether a process for loosening topping ingredients is even necessary, and thus completed the present invention. The main objective of the present invention is to provide an ingredient topping device that can omit this loosening process and the mechanism required for it, thereby reducing production costs and shortening production time.

That is, the ingredient topping device according to the present invention is for topping ingredients on a food body such as pizza or okonomiyaki,
A holding frame that holds the ingredient block, which is the ingredient before cutting, slidably downward and has a lower end opening that allows the lower end of the ingredient block to protrude;
A cutting plate is installed below the holding frame and has a cutting blade that cuts the ingredient block protruding from the lower end opening and a drop hole through which the ingredient cut by the cutting blade passes and falls downward;
A drive mechanism for rotating or advancing/retracting the cutting plate;
It is characterized by having a control mechanism which operates the drive mechanism to rotate or move the cutting plate back and forth when the food body being transported by a transport mechanism which transports the food body in a predetermined direction is positioned below the cutting plate.

With a topping device configured in this way, even sticky, adhesive ingredients such as cheese are simply shredded and broken into pieces, and then dropped directly onto the food body. This allows the ingredients to be scattered evenly to create an ideal topping state, and the process and mechanism for loosening can be omitted, resulting in reduced production costs and reduced production time.

In addition, the amount of toppings can be controlled by the amount of movement of the cutting board, eliminating the need for measuring devices to measure the amount of ingredients each time.

1 is a schematic front view showing an entire ingredient topping device in one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the ingredient topping device in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the ingredient topping device in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion Y in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the ingredient topping device in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cutting plate in the same embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a holding frame and a cheese block in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a cutting plate according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a holding frame according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a holding frame in the embodiment. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a lower part of the holding frame in the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower portion of the holding frame in the embodiment as viewed from below. 2 is a cross-sectional view mainly showing a holding frame, a cutting plate, and a chute member in the embodiment. FIG.

Below, an ingredient topping device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[composition]
1 to 3 are schematic diagrams showing an entire ingredient topping device 100 according to the present embodiment.

This ingredient topping device 100 tops pizza dough W (the main ingredient in the claims) that is arranged at equal intervals in one or more rows and transported one after another by a transport device 200 such as a belt conveyor, with shredded cheese (the ingredient in the claims). It has the following components (1) to (5).

(1) Base (2) Holding frame for holding cheese block P1 (ingredient block in the claims) (3) Cutting plate for shredding cheese block P1 to produce shredded cheese P2 (4) Rotation support mechanism for supporting cutting plate 3 so that it can rotate horizontally (5) Drive mechanism for rotating cutting plate 3 (6) Control mechanism 6 for controlling drive mechanism 5

Each of the above components is explained below.

(1) Pedestal 1
The base 1 comprises a rectangular parallelepiped base 11 placed on the floor, a support 12 standing up from one side of the upper surface of the base 11, and a base 13 attached to the support 12 and positioned horizontally above the base 11. The conveying device 200 is placed in the space between the base 11 and the base 13, and the pizza dough W is configured to pass under the base 13.

(2) Holding frame 2
The holding frame 2 is a rectangular tubular member made of metal such as SUS, and is supported by a support arm 72 extending from a support post 71 attached to the base 13 , so as to stand vertically on the base 13 .

As shown in Figures 7 and 4, the upper and lower ends of the holding frame 2 are open, and the cheese block P1 is inserted into the holding frame 2 from the upper end opening 2a, and the inserted cheese block P1 protrudes from the lower end opening 2b.

The effective width and length of the inner surface of the holding frame 2 is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the width and length of the cheese block P1, and the cheese block P1 inserted into the holding frame 2 is configured to slide downward under its own weight without moving horizontally. The inner surface of the holding frame 2 is formed with ribs or grooves extending in the longitudinal direction, and only a portion of the inner surface of the holding frame 2 comes into contact with the side peripheral surface of the cheese block P1, reducing the sliding resistance with the cheese block P1.

In addition, in this embodiment, multiple (four) holding frames 2 are arranged so as to be rotationally symmetric (here, four-fold rotationally symmetric) around a predetermined point (hereinafter, referred to as the holding frame center point) in a plan view. Note that reference numeral 73 in the figure denotes a bracket that binds these holding frames 2.

(3) Cutting plate 3
4 to 6, the cutting plate 3 is made of metal such as SUS, and is formed by punching out a thin, circular plate body 31 so that a cutting blade 32 protrudes integrally from the upper surface of the plate body 31. A drop hole 33 is formed below the cutting blade 32, penetrating the plate body 31 in the thickness direction. The cutting plate 3 is supported by the base 13, and is disposed at a position such that its center coincides with the center point of the holding frame 2 in a plan view, and its upper surface is located near the lower end of the holding frame 2 in a side view.

The cutting blades 32 are formed so that their cutting edges face in the circumferential direction of the plate body 31. In this embodiment, a plurality of cutting blades 32 are arranged in a row at equal intervals along the radial direction of the plate body 31, and multiple rows of cutting blades 32a arranged along this radial direction are provided radially at equal angular intervals.

The distances of the cutting blades 32 from the center of the plate body 31 are different from each other, and the movement trajectories of the cutting blades 32 as the cutting plate 3 rotates once overlap to form a circular ring shape with a width greater than the maximum dimension of the end face of the cheese block P1. With this configuration, when the cutting plate 3 rotates once, the entire end face of the cheese block P1 is evenly cut.

(4) Rotational support mechanism 4
As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the rotary support mechanism 4 supports the peripheral portion of the cutting plate 3 to enable it to rotate, and includes a plurality of thrust rollers 41 attached at equal intervals to the peripheral portion of the cutting plate 3, a plurality of radial rollers 42 attached at equal intervals to the same peripheral portion below the thrust rollers 41, and a circular hole 43 provided in the base 13.

To explain more specifically, a thick, annular bracket member 44 is attached to the periphery of the cutting plate 3 so that it hangs down, and the thrust roller 41 is attached to the outer periphery of the bracket member 44 with its rotation axis aligned with the radial direction of the cutting plate 3. The radial roller 42 is attached to the underside of the bracket member 44 with its rotation axis aligned with the vertical direction (the direction of the rotation axis of the cutting plate 3).

The diameter of the circular hole 43 is smaller than the diameter of the imaginary circle connecting the thrust rollers 41, and is the same as the diameter of the imaginary circle connecting the outer ends of the radial rollers 42, so that the radial rollers 42 roll against the inner circumferential surface of the circular hole 43, and the thrust rollers 41 roll against the upper surface of the base 13 around the circular hole 43. With this configuration, as described above, the cutting plate 3 is supported by the base 13 and is configured to rotate around the center of the circular hole 43.

(5) Drive mechanism 5
The drive mechanism 5 includes an electric motor 51 and a transmission mechanism 52 that transmits the rotation of the electric motor 51 to the cutting plate 3 .

The electric motor 51 is supported on the base 13 to the side of the cutting plate 3 with its rotation shaft vertical.

Here, the transmission mechanism 52 includes a first spur gear 521 attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 51 and a second spur gear 522 attached to the outer periphery of the cutting plate 3, and is configured so that the first spur gear 521 and the second spur gear 522 mesh with each other. Note that the transmission mechanism 52 is not limited to this gear train, and may be of a pulley type, or may be one in which the electric motor 51 is disposed directly above the cutting plate 3 and the output shaft directly drives and rotates the cutting plate 3.

(6) Control mechanism 6
The control mechanism 6 is a so-called computer or sequencer (PLC) that includes a CPU, a memory, a motor driver, and the like.

(7) Object detection sensor 8
In this embodiment, there is further provided an object detection sensor 8 attached to one end of the base 13. The object detection sensor 8 detects, for example, by using reflection of ultrasonic waves or light, that the dough W conveyed by the conveying device 200 has reached a predetermined position set in front of the cutting plate 3, and transmits a detection signal to the control mechanism 6.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the ingredient topping device 100 will be described.

First, the worker inserts the cheese block P1 from the upper end opening 2a of the holding frame 2. The cheese block P1 is cut to a vertical length that fits into the holding frame 2 with almost no play, and the inserted cheese block P1 slides down inside the holding frame 2, with a part of it protruding from the lower end opening 2b and coming into contact with the cutting plate 3 below.

Next, when the fabric W conveyed by the conveying device 200 reaches the predetermined position, the object detection sensor 8 detects it and transmits the detection signal to the control mechanism 6.

Since the conveying speed of the fabric W by the conveying device 200 is constant, the time required from the time when the control mechanism 6 receives this detection signal, i.e., the time when the fabric W reaches the specified position, to the time when it reaches directly below the cutting plate 3, can be calculated in advance.

This required time is stored in advance in memory, and when the required time has elapsed since the dough W reached the specified position, the control mechanism 6 outputs a drive signal to rotate the cutting plate 3 one rotation via the electric motor 51.

As a result, the edge of the cheese block P1, which is pressed down by its own weight on the cutting plate 3, is scraped off by the cutting blade 32, and a predetermined amount of shredded cheese passes through the drop hole 33 and is topped on the dough W. Note that the conveying device 200 does not stop while the cheese is being shredded and dropped, and the dough W continues to move, but the conveying speed of the dough W or the rotation speed of the cutting plate 3 is adjusted so that the dough W does not fall out from directly below the cheese block P1 during the time it takes for the cutting plate 3 to make one rotation.

In this embodiment, multiple sets (two sets in this case) of cutting plates 3, holding frames 2, and drive mechanisms 5 are arranged in series along the conveying direction, allowing cheese to be topped on multiple (two in this case) pieces of dough W at once.

The length of the cheese block in the holding frame 2 shortens each time it is cut by the cutting plate 3. The worker monitors this, and when the length of the cheese block falls below a specified length, a new cheese block is inserted through the upper opening of the holding frame 2 and stacked on top of the shorter cheese block. The additional insertion of cheese blocks may be done automatically by a dedicated device.

[effect]
According to the ingredient topping device 100 described above, even if an ingredient such as cheese has sticky or adhesive properties, it is shaved into pieces and falls directly onto the dough W, resulting in an ideal topping state in which the cheese is evenly scattered. In addition, the process and mechanism for loosening the cheese can be omitted, thereby reducing production costs and shortening production time.

In addition, the amount of toppings can be controlled by the amount of movement (rotation angle) of the cutting plate 3, eliminating the need for measuring devices to measure the amount of ingredients each time they are topped.

In addition, in this embodiment, cheese is topped onto one piece of dough W from multiple (four) holding frames 2 at once, so if each holding frame 2 holds a different type of cheese, different types of cheese can be topped onto one piece of dough W all at once.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, the ingredients can be not only cheese but also vegetables and processed meat, and the main ingredients can be not only pizza or okonomiyaki dough W but also hamburger buns, bread, spring roll wrappers, rice bowls before toppings are added, pasta, etc.

In the above embodiment, the cheese block is configured to be pressed against the cutting plate 3 by its own weight and cut, but it may also be pressed down by a pressing member such as a spring.

The cutting plate 3 can be of a rotating type or a sliding type that moves back and forth or left and right. The cutting plate 3 can be of a rectangular or polygonal shape, not just a circular shape.

As shown in FIG. 8, the spacing between adjacent rows of cutting blades 32a may be widened so that the end face of the ingredient block P1 abuts against the flat surface between them. This configuration can solve the problem of the ingredient block being placed on multiple cutting blades, making it impossible to cut as expected.

In the above embodiment, the cheese block P1 was shredded by the cutting blade 32, but the cutting blade 32 may be configured to thinly slice the end surface of the ingredient block into a single slice, like a plane.

In the above embodiment, the cutting plate 3 rotates once to cut the end face of the cheese block P1 evenly, but the rotation angle for even cutting is not limited to one rotation (360°) and may be more or less than that. The same applies to the amount of movement (rotation angle) of the cutting plate 3 when topping, and can be set in various ways depending on the amount of topping in one go.

Two of the ingredient topping devices 100 of the above embodiment may be provided facing each other to accommodate the dough W being conveyed in two rows.

The conveying device may be stopped while the cutting plate is operating to cut the ingredient block.

The holding frame does not have to be upright, but may be tilted at an angle.

In the above embodiment, the holding frame is made of a single material such as SUS, but as shown in Figures 9 to 13, the upper part 21 and lower part 22 of the holding frame 2 may be made of different materials, with the lower part 22 being made of a material that is more slippery against the ingredient block (cheese block in this case) than the upper part 21. Here, the upper part 21 is made of metal, and the lower part 22 is made of a resin such as nylon, Teflon, or PTFE that is more slippery than the upper part. The lower part 22 of the holding frame 2 is made of a cylindrical block with a rectangular hole 22a pierced through it, and is stacked so that the inner circumferential surface of this through hole 22a is continuous with the inner circumferential surface of the holding frame upper part 21.

With this configuration, for example, when the ingredient block becomes shorter and lighter as a result of cutting, the ingredient block is supported by the slippery lower part 22 of the holding frame, preventing the ingredient block from getting caught on the holding frame 2 and being unable to fall off, and allowing the ingredient block to be cut (shredded) to the very end.

Also, as shown in Figs. 9 to 13, a ring-shaped barrier 9 may be protruded from the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the holding frame 2 and placed close to and facing the upper peripheral surface of the cutting plate 3. More specifically, this ring-shaped barrier 9 is placed close to and facing the upper surface of the cutting plate 3 outside the area where the cutting blade 32 is provided. The separation distance between the cutting plate 3 and the barrier 9 may be smaller than the height of the cutting blade 32 or the drop hole 33, i.e., the thickness of the cut ingredient, and may be equal to or greater than 0.

The ingredients cut by the cutting blade 32 are supposed to fall downward through the drop hole 33, but due to unforeseen reasons such as some ingredients not being cut properly, the ingredients that do not fall through the drop hole 33 and remain on the top surface of the cutting plate 3 are spilled from the outside of the cutting plate 3 by the centrifugal force of the rotation, becoming waste and causing the equipment to become dirty.

However, with this configuration, most of the ingredients remaining on the cutting board 3 are prevented from spilling outside by the barrier 9, and ultimately fall through the drop hole 33. Therefore, ingredients are not wasted, and accidental contamination of the equipment can also be prevented.

The barrier 9 may protrude upward from the outer periphery of the cutting plate 3, for example. In short, the barrier 9 may be an annular barrier that is interposed between the holding frame 2 and the cutting plate 3 and that makes the gap at their outer edges smaller than the thickness of the shredded ingredients.

13, a replaceable chute member H may be provided on the underside of base 13 so as to connect to circular hole 43 through which the ingredients pass. This chute member H has an upper opening H1 that is approximately the same diameter as circular hole 43, and a lower end opening H2 that is tapered and smaller than the upper opening.
With this configuration, by using a chute member H having a lower end opening H2 that matches the size of the food body, ingredients can be topped onto the food body without waste.

The chute member is not limited to the above, and may have an elliptical or rectangular bottom opening, and it is even better if the long axis of the chute is aligned with the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism. This is because by adjusting the aspect ratio of the bottom opening according to the conveying direction and conveying speed, the ingredients can be more uniformly topped onto the moving food body.

The chute member may also be of a multi-layered structure. This structure makes it possible to control the uneven distribution of ingredients on the food body.

The ingredient block may be a combination of multiple ingredients.
For example, a mozzarella cheese block and a Gouda cheese block, both of which are cut lengthwise, may be arranged side-by-side in the longitudinal direction to form a single double cheese block.

When inserting such a double cheese block into the holder, it is recommended to insert it so that the cutting blade that scrapes the cheese moves from the mozzarella cheese side to the Gouda cheese side.

This way, the ends of the shredded cheese will be less sticky Gouda cheese instead of sticky mozzarella cheese, so the shredded cheese will fall off the cutting board without sticking.

A topping system can be configured by arranging multiple topping devices. In this case, different types of toppings can be used for each device.

The present invention can be modified in many ways without departing from its spirit.

100: ingredient topping device W: food material body P1: ingredient block P2: ingredient 2: holding frame 2b: opening 3: cutting plate 32: cutting blade 33: drop hole 5: driving mechanism 6: control mechanism 200: conveying mechanism

Claims (4)

It is a topping for topping ingredients on the main body of food such as pizza or okonomiyaki.
A holding frame that holds the ingredient block, which is the ingredient before cutting, slidably downward and has a lower end opening that allows the lower end of the ingredient block to protrude;
A cutting plate is installed below the holding frame and has a cutting blade that cuts the ingredient block protruding from the lower end opening and a drop hole through which the ingredient cut by the cutting blade passes and falls downward;
A drive mechanism for rotating or advancing/retracting the cutting plate;
An ingredient topping device characterized by comprising a control mechanism which operates the drive mechanism when the food body transported by a transport mechanism which transports the food body in a predetermined direction is positioned below the cutting plate, thereby rotating or advancing/retreating the cutting plate. The ingredient topping device according to claim 1, which has a plurality of the holding frames. The ingredient topping device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holding frame is erected, and the ingredient block inside the holding frame slides down by its own weight and is pressed onto the cutting plate. The ingredient topping device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner surface of the holding frame 2 is formed with a rib or groove extending in the longitudinal direction.