EP2711147B1 - Food processing device and method for the sequential scanning of food products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food processing device with a scanner for determining properties of a food product, in particular a food stick, with at least two, essentially parallel, separately drivable conveyor tracks for feeding the food products to the scanner and a control unit for controlling the drive of the conveyor tracks. The invention further relates to a method for scanning food products, wherein a plurality of food products are arranged on at least two essentially parallel conveyor lanes.

From the generic German patent application DE 10 2010 034 674 A1 A method is known for the simultaneous, multi-lane slicing of several food products, a common product scanner being provided which extends across all lanes transversely to the conveying direction. The product scanner is operated using X-rays and simultaneously irradiates several food products that are arranged on the different parallel lanes.

Furthermore, from the DE 10 2005 010 183 A1 a method for producing weight-accurate food portions is known, with multiple food bars being able to be irradiated at the same time prior to slicing, and with a certain distance between the food bars when irradiating through the respective food bars.

From the DE 101 46 155 A1 It is known that a sensor in the form of a scanner is provided above the feed belt of an automated cutting device for cutting food products, with the help of which the width of the individual products or, alternatively, the total width of the products lying next to one another can be determined, with the products moving through parallel and simultaneously the sensor can be driven.

The scanners described above are expensive, however, since they have to be made relatively large in order to irradiate the products. Must also be used when scanning With X-rays, a certain distance between the products can advantageously be maintained, since otherwise there may be interactions between the measured values for the individual products. This is achieved, for example, by maintaining a certain distance between the individual conveyor tracks in the scanner. Before the products are fed to a downstream common cutting device, however, they usually have to be brought closer together again so that they can be cut open by a common cutting knife.

Several food products can be weighed together after scanning, the individual weight of the respective food products then being calculated using the properties of the individual products determined during the scanning, for example using the volume of the individual products or the area sums of different images of the individual products.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a food processing device and a method for scanning food products which enable a plurality of food products which are arranged on essentially parallel, separately drivable conveyor tracks to be scanned efficiently and with high accuracy.

This is achieved by a food processing device, with a scanner with a scanning unit for determining properties of a food product, in particular a food stick, at least two essentially parallel, separately drivable conveyor tracks for conveying the food products to the scanner, and a control unit for controlling the drive of the conveyor tracks , wherein the control unit is designed to control the conveyor lanes separately in order to convey at least one food product of a first conveyor lane and at least one food product of a further conveyor lane in succession through a scanning area of the scanner, so that not all food products of the conveyor lanes simultaneously through the scanning area of the Scanners are promoted.

As a result, it is possible that a negative interaction between the products, in particular a shielding as it can be present when scanning together, can be avoided. Furthermore, the individual

Conveyor tracks are guided closer to one another, or do not have to be spaced apart in areas in the scanning area.

It is possible that a subgroup of conveyor lanes, for example every second conveyor lane in the transverse direction, simultaneously conveys its food products through the scanning area of the scanner, the other conveyor lanes subsequently conveying their food products through the scanner. In this way, the distance between the conveyor tracks can be selected to be narrower than in the prior art with a higher scan quality. The food products are primarily provided individually lined up in the conveying direction on the respective conveying lanes. The food products can directly adjoin one another in the conveying direction or be spaced apart from one another. In some embodiments, however, it is also possible for two or more parallel food products to be arranged on a conveyor track.

The food products are in particular food sticks in the form of sausage sticks, cheese sticks, or ham sticks. These food sticks can in particular have a uniform shape in the longitudinal and conveying direction. The food products can, however, also be irregularly shaped food products in the longitudinal and conveying direction, such as naturally shaped pieces of ham.

In particular, the essentially parallel, separately drivable conveyor tracks are designed for conveying the individual food products through the scanning area. Alternatively, the parallel conveyor tracks can also only be located outside the scanner.

The control unit is designed in particular to convey the food products individually through the scanning area. As a result, there is no interaction between the individual scans of the food products. The size and performance of the scanning unit in the scanner can thus be comparatively small, which enables the scanner to be designed and operated inexpensively.

In particular, the scanning unit is a radiographic means. Alternatively, an optical scanner, for example a digital camera or a line camera, can also be used, in which a higher evaluation accuracy can be achieved with little effort if not all food products are scanned at once. In particular, it is also possible to use sonography units in the scanner to analyze the inside of the food products.

The radiating means advantageously comprises at least one X-ray source and at least one associated detector. In particular, several x-ray sources and exactly one assigned detector can be provided, exactly one x-ray source and several assigned detectors, or else several x-ray sources and several assigned detectors. X-ray scanning with at least one X-ray source and at least one associated detector is usually considerably faster than optical scanning. In particular, the scanning process of a food product with a length of 1 m to 3 m only takes about 1 second. up to 3 sec. needed.

The scanning unit is advantageously movable. The scanning unit can primarily only be moved in the scanning area and in particular in the scanning plane of the scanner. The scanning unit can thus be moved to the food product that is to be irradiated, whereby in particular an optimal arrangement of the scanning unit, or the X-ray source and the associated detector, can be achieved for the respective food product, so that the food product can be analyzed with high quality can.

In some embodiments, the scanning unit can be pivotable. It is thus possible for the scanning unit to be able to be aligned precisely with the at least one food product that is to be irradiated.

A movable or pivotable scanning unit is particularly advantageous when using x-ray radiation, since x-ray radiation cannot be optically bundled. Thus, with an X-ray source that has a relatively low power, the at least one food product that is present in the scanning area of the scanner can be analyzed in a targeted manner. If the scanning unit has an image acquisition device, the alignment or movement of the image acquisition unit, in particular in the form of a digital camera, can take place precisely on the respective at least one food product, so that this can be recorded in high resolution.

In particular, the beam axis of the scanning unit is approximately vertical. In the case of a scanning unit with an X-ray source, the beam axis relates to the central axis of the beam, since it is X-ray radiation Is not optically bundled and thus spreads fan-shaped around the blasting center axis.

The scanning unit is thus primarily arranged in such a way that the at least one food product is irradiated essentially vertically. In particular, an X-ray source is arranged above the food product and the associated detector is arranged below the food product. Alternatively, the X-ray source is arranged below the food product, the associated detector above the food product. If the food product is irradiated vertically, it is particularly advisable for the scanning unit to be movable essentially horizontally in order to be moved sequentially to the various conveyor lanes on which the at least one food product is then arranged.

In another exemplary embodiment, the beam axis of the scanning unit is essentially horizontal. Here, too, it applies that for a scanning unit with an X-ray source, the beam axis denotes the beam center axis. The scanning unit is thus arranged in such a way that the at least one food product is irradiated primarily horizontally. Since the conveyor tracks in this arrangement are not in the beam path, they can be guided through the scanning area in an interrupted manner.

In one embodiment, a weighing device is assigned to the conveyor lanes.

In particular, a common weighing means is assigned to the conveyor lanes, the weighing means being designed to determine the individual weight of the food products by means of a differential weight measurement during the sequential conveying of the food products of the first and the further conveyor lanes via the weight of the food products common to all conveyor lanes. After the food products of the various conveyor lanes have been conveyed through the scanning area at different times, the individual weight of the food products can be determined by measuring the difference between the weight of the food products on all conveying lanes. The weighing means is preferably arranged after the scanning area in the conveying direction. The difference measurement is therefore always carried out for the at least one food product that is conveyed with the weighing means from the scanning area to the conveyor lanes downstream of the scanning area. Alternatively, the weighing means can be assigned to the conveyor lanes arranged upstream of the scanning area in the conveying direction. Then can the weight of this at least one food product can be determined by differential measurement after at least one of the food products has been driven by the weighing means through the scanning area.

In one exemplary embodiment, a food cutting device is arranged downstream of the scanner, the food products of the first and further conveyor lanes being sliced together as a function of the properties or values determined by the scanner. The food cutting device is in particular a slicer. The slicer can be designed so that several food products fed in parallel can be sliced together with one cutting knife. The feed speed of the individual food products in the direction of the cutting knife can primarily be regulated individually. This can be done in particular as a function of the properties determined by the scanner for the individual food products. In particular, the feed speed can be increased if an area with a lower density of a food product is cut up in order to nevertheless adhere to a predetermined portion weight.

In one embodiment, the detector can be arranged between the conveyor tracks. In particular, an X-ray source is arranged laterally next to the conveyor tracks, a detector being arranged in each case in the transverse direction between the conveyor track on which the food product to be irradiated is conveyed and the conveyor track following in the beam direction. Thus, a small distance can be maintained between the detector and the food product, which enables a smaller size of the detector and an improvement in the scanning result. In particular, the detectors can each be moved essentially in the vertical direction in order to be used for scanning or to be removed from the X-ray beam when a food product is scanned on a different conveyor track with a different detector.

In one embodiment, the scanning unit is arranged on a carrier which is mounted so as to be pivotable about at least one conveyor track. In particular, the pivot axis of the scanning unit is essentially parallel to the conveyor tracks. By pivoting the scanning unit, at least one of the food products can be scanned in a targeted manner. If the scanning unit is a radiographic means, enables this in particular that the detector and the beam of the radiating means can be designed to be relatively small, since the scanning unit is swiveled exactly in such a way that only the food product is scanned that is currently being conveyed through the scanning area.

The respective conveyor lanes can each be subdivided into a conveyor lane arranged upstream of the scanning area and a conveyor lane arranged downstream of the scanning area, the scanning area being defined in the distance between the conveyor lanes. A negative influence on the scanning process by the conveyor lanes, and in particular their conveying means, such as conveyor belts, can thus be prevented.

Alternatively, a conveyor of the conveyor lanes can extend through the scanning area. In particular, the conveying means of all conveying lanes can extend through the scanning area. In this embodiment, conveyor belts, in particular belt belts, which can at least be irradiated by X-rays without significantly falsifying the scan result, are primarily suitable as conveying means. In particular, a variant with a long belt, with a first belt area in front of the scan area, a second belt area in the scan area and a third belt area after the scan area is possible here. In particular, both the food product and at least the upper run of the belt are irradiated. The third belt area can in particular form a weighing area to which a weighing means is assigned. The uninterrupted conveying means through the scanning area enables the food product to be transported through the scanner at transition points without any conveying problems, which is particularly important for small and sensitive products.

The object of the invention is further achieved by a method for scanning food products with a scanner, wherein a plurality of food products are arranged on at least two essentially parallel conveyor lanes, and at least one food product from a first conveyor lane and at least one food product from a further conveyor lane sequentially a scanning area of the scanner can be conveyed so that not all food products are scanned at the same time.

In particular, the scanner has a scanning unit which can be a radiographic means, for example an X-ray source and an associated detector, or else a digital image acquisition unit.

The food products are advantageously conveyed individually through the scanning area. Alternatively, a subgroup of the food products arranged in parallel in front of the scanner can also be conveyed through the scanning area. Since not all food products are scanned at the same time, a higher quality of the measurement of the scanner can be achieved.

In particular, the scanner has a scanning unit which is moved as a function of the conveyor track on which the respective food product is present. In particular, the scanner can only have exactly one scanning unit. Since the scanning unit advantageously comprises an X-ray source, this can significantly reduce the costs and the safety requirements with regard to the scanner. Alternatively, however, a plurality of scanning units can also be provided, which can each or in part be moved. The X-ray source of the movable scanning unit only has to generate significantly less power than an X-ray source that is designed to irradiate all food products at the same time. In this way, the acquisition and operating costs of the food processing device according to the invention are comparatively considerably reduced.

After scanning, the food products are advantageously aligned with one another in the conveying direction. In particular, the front ends of the food products are aligned with one another in the conveying direction, so that in particular a parallel further processing of the food products is possible.

In particular, the food products of the first and further conveyor lanes are sliced open after scanning as a function of the properties determined during the scanning. This takes place in particular in a food cutting device, advantageously in a slicer. The food products are preferably fed to the food cutting device simultaneously and in parallel and are thus cut open at the same time. This can be done in particular by a cutting knife that cuts the food products arranged in parallel together.

The sequential scanning can be preceded or followed by sequential weighing of the food products. The sequential weighing can be carried out individually for each food product. Alternatively, the individual weight of the food products can be determined by determining the difference in weight during sequential weighing.

The food products of the first and further conveyor lanes can be sliced after scanning and weighing, depending on the properties determined during scanning and weighing.

Figur 1

zeigt eine Draufsicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Lebensmittelverarbeitungsvorrichtung, wobei die Lebensmittelprodukte vor einem Scanbereich eines Scanners angeordnet sind.

Figuren 2 bis 5

zeigen das sequentielle Fördern der jeweiligen Lebensmittelprodukte durch den Scanbereich des Scanners in dem Ausführungsbeispiel der erfindungsgemäßen Lebensmittelverarbeitungsvorrichtung in Draufsicht.

Figur 6

zeigt eine Schnittansicht durch den Scanbereich eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Lebensmittelverarbeitungsvorrichtung.

Figur 7

zeigt eine Schnittansicht durch den Scanbereich einer weiteren Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Lebensmittelverarbeitungsvorrichtung.

Figur 8

zeigt eine Schnittansicht durch den Scanbereich einer weiteren Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Lebensmittelverarbeitungsvorrichtung.

The invention will now be further elucidated on the basis of exemplary embodiments which are shown in the following figures.

Figure 1

shows a plan view of an embodiment of a food processing device according to the invention, wherein the food products are arranged in front of a scanning area of a scanner.

Figures 2 to 5

show the sequential conveying of the respective food products through the scanning area of the scanner in the exemplary embodiment of the food processing device according to the invention in a plan view.

Figure 6

shows a sectional view through the scanning area of an embodiment of a food processing device according to the invention.

Figure 7

shows a sectional view through the scanning area of a further embodiment of a food processing device according to the invention.

Figure 8

shows a sectional view through the scanning area of a further embodiment of a food processing device according to the invention.

In Figure 1 an embodiment of a food processing device 1 according to the invention is shown in plan view. The food processing device 1 has a scanner 2 which can determine properties of food products 4, 5, 6, 7 in a scanning area 3. The scan area 3 can in particular be defined as a scan plane, the surface normal of which is defined by the conveying direction F of the food products 4, 5, 6, 7. The food products 4, 5, 6, 7 are initially arranged on conveyor lanes 8, 9, 10, 11 upstream of the scanner 2.

The conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10, 11 can be driven individually, a control unit being provided which can control the respective drive of the individual conveyor tracks separately. Thus, the food products 4, 5, 6, 7 can be separately on the upstream conveyor lanes 8, 9, 10, 11 are conveyed in the conveying direction F. The conveyor lanes in particular comprise a conveyor belt to convey the food products. In alternative embodiments, a pusher or gripper can also be provided which conveys the respective food products 4, 5, 6, 7.

Furthermore, conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 arranged downstream of the scanner are provided, which are assigned to the corresponding upstream conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10, 11. That is, the respective conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 extend in particular at a short distance in the conveying direction F after the conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10, 11, the scanning area 3 being defined in this distance between the conveyor tracks. It can thus be prevented that the scanner 2 is hindered by the conveyor lanes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 when scanning the food products 4, 5, 6, 7.

The conveyor tracks 8, 12 are synchronized in their conveying speed, in particular a mechanical synchronization of their drive can be provided. The same applies to conveyor lanes 9 and 13, 10 and 14, and 11 and 15.

The scanner 2 comprises a housing 16 into which the conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10, 11 protrude from one side and from which the conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 protrude on the other side. The housing 16 is designed in particular to shield X-rays that are used for scanning in the scanner 2. For this purpose, the housing 16 can be made partially of lead. In addition, shielding curtains can be attached to the housing 16, which curtains cover the feed and discharge openings for the food products 4, 5, 6, 7. The housing 16 is in Figure 1 Shown relatively briefly in the conveying direction F, but can also extend over almost the entire or the entire length of the upstream and downstream conveyor tracks.

Figure 2 shows how a first food product 4 is conveyed through the scanning area 3 of the scanner 2. For this purpose, the drive of the conveyor tracks 8 and 12 is activated by a control unit, so that the conveyor tracks 8 and 12 convey the food product 4 lying on them. In particular, the first food product 4 is initially only conveyed on the conveyor track 8 until it reaches the scanning area 3. The food product 4 is then conveyed through the scanning area 3 and onto the downstream conveyor track 12 at a substantially uniform speed. At least one property of the food product 4 is determined with the scanner, in particular the food product 4 is irradiated, and the data thus determined are stored as a function of the longitudinal direction of the food product 4, which extends in the conveying direction F.

After the food product 4 has been conveyed completely through the scanning area 3, it lies exclusively on the downstream conveyor track 12. When the food product 4 is at a desired position on the downstream conveyor track 12, the drive of the conveyor tracks 8 and 12 is stopped.

The conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 are arranged on a weighing device, in particular a digital scale. In the present exemplary embodiment, all of the downstream conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 are arranged on only one digital scale. The weight of the food product 4 is determined by determining the weight difference before and after the food product 4 is conveyed onto the downstream conveyor track 12.

In Figure 3 the food product 4 is arranged in its interim holding position on the conveyor track 12. Furthermore, the further food product 5 has already been conveyed from the upstream conveyor track 9 through the scanning area 3 to the downstream conveyor track 13, the scanner having determined the properties of the food product 5. The digital scales that are assigned to the conveyor lanes 12, 13, 14, 15 now determine the difference in weight from the state in which only the food product 4 was resting on the conveyor lane 12 to the state as in FIG Figure 3 shown in which the food products 4 and 5 rest on the conveyor tracks 12 and 13, respectively. The weight of the food product 5 can be determined from the difference in weight.

As a result of the separate drive of the conveyor tracks 12 and 13, the front ends of the food products 4, 5 can be aligned with one another. This can be done in particular on the basis of the properties of the food product, which are determined with the scanner. The position of the front ends of the food products 4, 5 with respect to the conveyor tracks 12, 13 can be determined by the scanner. This information can be used in order to achieve alignment of the food products 4, 5. An alignment of the further food products 6, 7 with the food products 4, 5 can be achieved accordingly. Alternatively, in the area of the subordinate Conveyor lanes 12, 13, 14, 15, a light barrier can also be provided which enables the food products 4, 5, 6, 7 to be aligned by stopping the drive of the respective conveyor lane when the front end of a food product reaches the light barrier.

In Figure 4 the state of the food processing device 1 is shown, in which the food product 6 was conveyed by means of the conveyor lanes 10, 14 through the scanning area 3 of the scanner so that its properties could be determined. The weight of the food product 6 is determined by a differential weight measurement as already described above with regard to the food product 5, and the front end of the food product 6 is aligned with the front ends of the food products 4 and 5.

Finally, the last food product 7 is moved through the scanning area 3 of the scanner 2 by means of the conveyor tracks 11 and 15, so that the properties of the food product 7 can also be determined.

In Figure 5 shows the state in which all food products 4, 5, 6, 7 have been driven through the scanning area 3 and can be fed to further processing. For this purpose, a food cutting device, which is arranged downstream of the conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15, is provided, which is not shown in the figures. Advantageously, a so-called slicer is used which, with only one cutting knife, in particular a circular knife or sickle knife, simultaneously slices the parallel food products 4, 5, 6, 7 arranged next to one another. The conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 of the scanner can be the feed conveyor tracks of the slicer.

In Figure 6 a sectional view through the scanning area 3 of a scanner 2 of an embodiment of a food processing device 1 according to the invention is shown. The state shown corresponds to the state between Figures 2 and 3 at the point in time at which the food product 5 is conveyed through the scanning area 3. The view in Figure 6 is directed against the conveying direction F. Correspondingly, the food product 4 is not shown because it is already in front of the plane of the drawing, the food product 5 is shown hatched because it is currently in the plane of the drawing, and the food products 6 and 7 are still on the upstream conveyor lanes 10 and 11, as in Figure 3 shown.

The scanner 2 has a housing 16 and a scanning unit 17 movably arranged therein. The scanning unit 17 is a radiographic means which comprises an X-ray source 18 and a detector 19. The beam axis A of the X-ray beam emanating from the X-ray source 18 is aligned essentially vertically. It should be noted that the X-ray radiation extends in a fan shape from the X-ray source 18. The X-ray radiation shines through the food product 5 and its intensity is detected with the detector 19. In particular, the density of the food product 5 can thus be determined.

It should be noted that the X-ray radiation reaches the detector 19 without irradiating the conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, 13, 14, 15, since between the conveyor tracks, as in FIG Figure 1 to 5 shown, a distance is provided. The X-ray source 18 and the detector 19 are provided in the conveying direction F exactly at this distance. Because the food product 5 is conveyed through the scanning area 3 during the scanning, the density of the food product 5 can be determined along the entire longitudinal extent of the food product 5. In other embodiments, the respective conveying means of the conveying lanes can also extend through the scanning area. Suitable conveying means, such as belt conveyors, for example, which do not shield the X-rays, are provided for this purpose.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the X-ray source 18 is arranged above the food product 5, the detector 19 below it. In other embodiments, however, the arrangement can also be reversed, that is to say the X-ray source 18 can be arranged below the food product 5 and the detector 19 above the food product 5.

The scanning unit 17 has, in particular, a carrier 20 which connects the detector 19 and the X-ray source 18 to one another. The scanning unit 17 thus forms an integral component.

The scanning unit 17 can be moved in the width direction B in the scanning area 3. First, the scanning unit 17 is arranged on the width of the conveyor lane 8 in order to scan the first food product 4. The scanning unit 17 is then moved to the in Figure 6 shifted position shown in order to scan the food product 5. In the further course the The scanning unit 17 is shifted further in the width direction B, first to the conveyor lane 10, and then to the conveyor lane 11, in order to scan the food products 6 and 7, respectively.

In Figure 7 an alternative embodiment of the food processing device according to the invention is shown in a sectional view in the scanning area 3. The scanning unit 17 in turn comprises an X-ray source 18 and a detector 19, which in this embodiment, however, are attached immovably. The beam axis A of the X-ray beam emanating from the X-ray source 18 is essentially horizontal. In Figure 7 the state is shown in which the food products 4 and 5 have already been driven through the scanning area and are resting on the downstream conveyor lanes 12 and 13, the food product 7 is still in front of the scanning area 3 on the conveyor lane 11, and the food product 6 is just passing through the Scan area 3 is promoted, so that its properties are determined. In this embodiment, the upstream and downstream conveyor tracks can each be combined to form continuous conveyor tracks, since no distance is necessary between the conveyor tracks, since the beam path does not extend through the plane of the conveyor tracks.

In a preferred embodiment, there are further detectors 21, 22, 23 between the conveyor tracks 8, 9; 9, 10; 10, 11 can be arranged. In particular, the detectors 21, 22, 23 can each be adjusted individually in the vertical direction H. A detector can thus be arranged close behind the respective food product to be analyzed, starting from the X-ray source 18, so that a more precise measurement result with regard to the respective food product can be achieved. In the state of the food processing apparatus 1 in FIG Figure 7 the additional detector 22 is arranged close to the food product 6. As soon as the food product 7 is conveyed through the scanning area 3, the detector 23 is arranged close behind the food product 7 between the conveyor lanes 11 and 10. The detectors 21, 22, 23 have all moved downwards when the first food product 4 is analyzed starting from the conveyor track 8.

However, it should be noted that the food processing device 1 according to FIG Figure 7 can also be designed without the detectors 21, 22 and 23, so that only the detector 19 is provided for all food products.

In Figure 8 a further embodiment of the food processing device according to the invention is shown. In this embodiment the scanning unit 17 can be pivoted. In the present embodiment, the pivot axis for the scanning unit 17 lies essentially in the area of its X-ray source 18, so that the X-ray source 18 is merely rotated while the detector 19 is pivoted into different positions under the respective conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10. The X-ray source 18 and the detector 19 are in turn connected by a carrier 20. The alignment of the X-ray source 18 with the detector 19 can thus be ensured.

In Figure 8 the state in which the scanning unit 17 scans the food product 7 is shown. In order to illustrate the pivotability of the scanning unit 17, a further pivoting position of the scanning unit 17 for irradiating the food product 4 is shown in broken lines. A pivoting of the scanning unit 17 for scanning the food products 5, 6, which are supplied with the conveyor tracks 9, 10, takes place accordingly.

In other embodiments, the X-ray source 18 can also not be arranged in the area of the pivot axis. In particular, the pivot axis can be arranged essentially centrally between the X-ray source 18 and the detector 19, so that both the X-ray source 18 and the detector 19 are pivoted. In this case, a semicircular C-beam is particularly suitable, since this is then essentially moved on a circular path. With a suitable mounting outside the pivot axis, for example on rails, it can thus be made possible that the carrier 20 does not have to be pivoted into the distance between the conveyor tracks 8, 9, 10, 11 and conveyor tracks 12, 13, 14, 15. In other embodiments, a relative mobility of the X-ray source 18 to the detector 19 can also be provided. In particular, a pivotable X-ray source 18, as in FIG Figure 8 shown, with a linearly adjustable detector 19, in particular in the width direction B, as in FIG Figure 6 represented, combined.

It is also possible for a subset of food products to be scanned at the same time. For example, several food products can be scanned side by side at the same time by a common scanning unit. Alternatively, two separate scanning units can be provided, which are parallel to one another Scan spaced apart food products at the same time. Nevertheless, the necessary radiation intensity of the scanning unit can be reduced and the quality of the analysis improved, in contrast to the solutions in the prior art in which all food products are scanned at the same time.

Claims (15)

1. Food processing apparatus comprising
   a scanner (2) with a scanning unit (17) for determining properties of a food product (4, 5, 6, 7), in particular a food bar,
   at least two substantially parallel separately drivable conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) for supplying said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) to said scanner, and
   a control unit for controlling the drive of said conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15), characterized in that
   said control unit is adapted to separately control said drive of said conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) to convey at least one food product (4) of a first conveyor track (8, 12) and at least one food product (5) of a further conveyor track (9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) sequentially through a scanning area (3) of said scanner (2), such that not all food products (4, 5, 6, 7) of the conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) are conveyed simultaneously through the scanning area of the scanner.
2. Food processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted to individually convey said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) through said scanning area (3).
3. Food processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said scanning unit (17) is a radiographic device and preferably comprises at least an X-ray source (18) and at least a detector (19, 21, 22, 23).
4. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein said scanning unit (17) is movable, in particular pivotable.
5. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein said beam axis (A) of said scanning unit (17) is substantially horizontal.
6. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein said conveyor tracks (12, 13, 14, 15) are associated with a common weighing apparatus, where said weighing apparatus is adapted to determine the individual weight of said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) via a differential weight measurement during the sequential conveying of said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) of said first and said further conveyor tracks (12, 13, 14, 15) using the weight of said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) commonly applied on all conveyor tracks (12, 13, 14, 15).
7. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, where a food cutting apparatus is disposed downstream of said scanner (2), and said food products (4, 5) of said first and said further conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) are sliced altogether based on the properties or values determined by said scanner (2).
8. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, where said detector (21, 22, 23) can be arranged between said conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15).
9. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, where said scanning unit (17) comprises a support (20), which is mounted pivotable about at least one conveyor track (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11,15).
10. Food processing apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, where a conveyor device of said conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) extends through said scanning area.
11. Method for scanning food products (4, 5, 6, 7) with a scanner (2), wherein a plurality of food products (4, 5, 6, 7) is arranged on at least two substantially parallel conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15), and wherein each at least one food product of a first conveyor track (8, 12) and each at least one food product of a further conveyor track (9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) are sequentially conveyed through a scanning area (3) of said scanner (2), such that not all food products (4, 5, 6, 7) are scanned simultaneously.
12. Method according to claim 11, wherein said food products are individually conveyed through said scanning area (3).
13. Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said scanner comprises at least a scanning unit (17) which is moved in dependency of said conveyor track on which said respective food product (4, 5, 6, 7) is present.
14. Method according to at least one of the claims 11 to 13, wherein said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) of said first and said further conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) are after scanning sliced based on said properties determined during scanning.
15. Method according to at least one of the claims 11 to 14, wherein said sequential scanning has a sequential weighing process of said food products (4, 5, 6, 7) disposed upstream or downstream, and wherein said food products of said first and said further conveyor tracks (8, 12; 9, 13; 10, 14; 11, 15) are after scanning and weighing sliced based on the properties determined during scanning and weighing.

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