Blade assembly and retraction mechanism for a high-speed food slicing apparatus

A food slicing system comprising:

• a blade reciprocating assembly mounted to a main frame of the food slicing system;
• the blade reciprocating assembly further comprising:
• a support frame;
• a rotating cutting blade mounted to the support frame;
• a motor mounted on the support frame configured to operatively drive the cutting blade;
• an upper support shaft operatively coupled to the main frame at opposite ends thereof;
• the upper support shaft coupled to an upper portion of the support frame and configured to support the support frame and permit pivotal movement of the support frame about the upper support shaft;
• a drive shaft operatively coupled to the main frame between a bearing and a servomotor actuator, the drive shaft rotationally driven by the servomotor actuator;
• a gear box or reducer operatively coupled between the drive shaft and the servomotor actuator;
• and
• at least one set of linkage elements, each set of linkage elements operatively coupled to the drive shaft at a first end of the linkage elements and operatively coupled to a lower portion of the support frame at a second end of the linkage elements, wherein the linkage elements are configured to reciprocally move the blade reciprocating assembly between a slicing position and a clearance position, and wherein the support frame pivots about the upper support shaft during the reciprocal movement.

A blade reciprocating assembly for a food slicing system comprising:

• a support frame;
• a rotating cutting blade mounted to the support frame;
• a motor mounted on the support frame configured to operatively drive the cutting blade;
• an upper support shaft operatively coupled between main support arms or plates at opposite ends thereof;
• the upper support shaft coupled to an upper portion of the support frame and configured to support the support frame and permit pivotal movement of the support frame about the support shaft and relative to the main support arms;
• a drive shaft operatively coupled to the main support arms or plates by a bearing at a first end and by a servomotor actuator at a second end, the drive shaft rotationally driven by the servomotor actuator;
• a gear box or reducer operatively coupled between the drive shaft and the servomotor actuator;
• and
• at least one set of linkage elements, each set of linkage elements operatively coupled to the drive shaft at a first end of the linkage elements and operatively coupled to a lower portion of the support frame at a second end of the linkage elements, wherein the linkage elements are configured to reciprocally move the blade reciprocating assembly between a slicing position and a clearance position, and wherein the support frame pivots about the support shaft during the reciprocal movement.