DE102016108003A1 - Machine and method for converting products - Google Patents

Abstract

Insertion machine for converting products, in particular limp and / or individually different products, such as slices of meat, from a pickup position to a storage position, which is simple and inexpensive and yet leads to an exact storage position of the products, with at least one product in the direction Product band on which the delivered products are located, a storage zone with storage in the storage direction for the products, in particular a container belt with arranged thereon shells in which the storage positions are located, arranged at a level above the product strip at least one transfer unit at least one converter, a controller for controlling all drivable movable components of the transfer machine, wherein the converter along a transverse guide, which runs transversely, in particular perpendicular, to the product direction and / or to the container direction, controlled movable is, and the gripping end of the converter transversely, in particular perpendicular, to the transverse guide direction, in the Z direction controlled movable.

Description

I. Field of application

The invention relates to the conversion of products, in particular limp and / or individually different products, such as meat slices, from a receiving position to a storage position, wherein the receiving position is often a delivery position on a moving conveyor belt, and the storage position often a nest in a tray or is on a conveyor belt.

II. Technical background

Frequently, whole slices of meat, so-called salmon, are sliced into slices of meat such as schnitzel or cutlets, which must then be placed in plastic trays, so-called trays, individually or in portions, on the upper side of which a sealing foil is then tightly sealed.

For this purpose, loading machines are known in which the slices of meat are delivered individually or in portions on a conveyor belt and fall from its end positionally accurate in a tray positioned below, in a preferred embodiment, the conveyor belt is designed as so-called. Jump band, so the discharge edge of the conveyor belt can be pulled back very quickly under the moving meat slice, even after the meat slice was previously slowed to a very low speed or even to a standstill.

As a result, the forward component of the falling meat slice is very low or not present at all, so that the desired point of impact in the tray can be achieved very accurately.

However, these systems have the disadvantage that for this purpose not only the position in terms of longitudinal and transverse direction but also the rotational position of the meat slice on the conveyor belt must be known and may need to be improved, for which additional devices, such as centering devices, rotating devices or the like necessary are what increases the structural design and the number of contaminated by the meat slices parts.

On the other hand, of course, conversion lines for products of always the same shape and consistency are known, often called picker lines, where usually the supply belt for the products on the one hand and the discharge belt for the trays or other containers in which the products are to be loaded, on the other hand, usually parallel, sometimes also at an angle to each other, and in parallel position between them in the direction of succession, several robots are present, which perform these Umsetzvorgänge.

However, this often requires at least three, better four, degrees of freedom of the robot and, of course, a recognition device to detect position and rotational position of the products, possibly also the nature of the product and / or its size before entering the Umsetzbereich. Because the products are usually distributed irregularly on the feeder conveyor, the so-called product line, while on the discharge conveyor, the so-called. Trayband or the Traykette, the trays are usually regularly and in exactly known positions, regardless of whether During the conversion, the trays continue to move or stand still and only continue to be indexed step by step.

By contrast, the product strip will generally move continuously, usually controlled by a production facility for the products, or at least not move intermittently in advance.

Such a picker line therefore requires a high investment and has not been viable and unsuitable for the implementation of individual slices of meat, which are very uneven compared to other products such as food and cosmetics.

III. Presentation of the invention

a) Technical task

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a transfer device and a transfer method which is simple and inexpensive and yet leads to an exact storage position of the products.

b) Solution of the task

This object is solved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments will be apparent from the dependent claims.

• – wenigstens ein in Produkt-Richtung laufendes Produktband, auf dem die angelieferten Produkte liegen,
• – eine Ablagezone mit in Ablage-Richtung beweglichen Ablagepositionen für die Produkte, wobei die Ablagezone häufig ein Behälterband ist mit darauf liegenden, vorzugsweise angestauten, Behältern, wie etwa Schalen, in denen sich die Ablagepositionen befinden,
• – wenigstens einer Umsetzeinheit mit wenigstens einem Umsetzer, welche auf einem Niveau oberhalb der meist auf gleicher Höhe angeordnetem Produktband und Ablagezone angeordnet sind,
• – einer auf einem Niveau oberhalb des meist auf gleicher Höhe nebeneinander angeordneten Produktbandes und der Ablagezone vorhandenen wenigstens einen Umsetzeinheit, wobei jede Umsetzeinheit wenigstens einen Umsetzer aufweist sowie
• – einer Steuerung zum Steuern aller beweglichen Komponenten der Einlegemaschine. Die Umsetzeinheit und er wenigstens eine daran befindliche Umsetzer müssen natürlich so positioniert sein, dass sie zumindest in ihrem Greifbereich möglichst jede Querposition auf dem Produktban als auch jede Ablageposition in der Ablagezone – sofern diese in Produkt-Richtung und / oder in Ablagerichtung in ihrem Greifbereich liegen.

With regard to the insertion machine, this object is achieved in that the insertion machine according to the invention comprises the usual components of a generic insertion machine, namely

• At least one product band running in the product direction, on which the delivered products lie,
• A deposition zone with storage positions that can be moved in the storage direction for the products, wherein the storage zone is often a container belt with lying on it, preferably pent-up, Containers, such as trays, in which the storage positions are located,
• At least one conversion unit having at least one converter, which are arranged at a level above the product band and storage zone, which are generally arranged at the same height,
• - One at a level above the usually at the same height juxtaposed product band and the storage zone present at least one conversion unit, each conversion unit has at least one converter and
• - A controller for controlling all moving components of the insertion machine. Of course, the conversion unit and at least one converter located on it must be positioned such that they are at least in their gripping area as far as possible any transverse position on the Produktban as well as any storage position in the storage zone - if they are in their gripping area in the product direction and / or storage direction ,

According to the invention, the conversion unit comprises a transverse guide, which runs transversely, in particular at right angles, to the product direction and / or to the container direction, and along which - at least one converter can be moved in a controlled manner - in particular in a linear direction.

The gripping end of the converter, which usually has its main extension direction in the vertical and is formed at its lower end as a gripping end, is movable in the third direction usually the vertical or Z-direction to the other two directions controlled.

Such a constellation is structurally very simple to produce, in that the transverse guide can be a simple straight profile, on which the at least one converter can be moved transversely across the product band as well as over the depositing zone, usually the container band, and because of the movement of the products on the one hand and partly also the container on the other hand can move in the respective X-direction any product and storage position, as long as it is within its gripping area.

The vertical movement of the gripper end of the converter, where it is a tool such as a sucker, this tool can be moved down to contacting and picking up the product lying on the Produktban and the tray together with the product down be driven until the product is seated on the storage position.

Preferably, the entire transverse guide is also in an X-direction, so either in the product direction or storage direction - which are usually the same, but often oppositely directed - movable, so that necessary X-movements not only from the appropriate band but also can be carried out by the transverse guide itself.

Again, this is structurally relatively easy to implement by the entire transverse guide, usually a simple traverse, is usually performed at their ends in the X direction and can be moved. In addition, since the product direction and storage direction are mostly the same and represent a common X direction, and the extension direction of the transverse guide is the horizontal Y direction perpendicular thereto, and the vertical is Z as the Z direction Direction is perpendicular, can calculate the necessary traversing movements of the gripping end of the individual converter with relatively little computational effort both when programming and when driving.

If in addition a plurality of converters are displaceable and in particular in the same guides along the crosshead of the transfer unit can be moved, the converter can successively take on the product side a product, then together on the filing side, the tray side, process and there in quick succession each converter his product store, so that the long travel from the product side to the tray side not for each gripping process individually, but for several gripping operations and converter can be performed together and thus very time-saving.

In this way, no high accelerations for the individual converter are necessary, which reduces the capital expenditure for the corresponding motors and above all keeps the requirements of the holding force of the converter on the product low.

This represents an important advantage according to the invention.

In addition, as a rule, not only one conversion unit but also a plurality of transfer units spaced apart from one another in this X direction are frequently present in one of the X directions one behind the other, the extension direction usually being identical and running in the Y direction. In this way, a very dense product carpet on the product belt and / or at high speed of the product belt can be processed.

Preferably, a plurality of transverse guides may be present on a crossbeam, for example on a truss beam, which is wide enough in the plan view, on both sides, ie both in the X direction and in the opposite direction to the X direction pointing pages, each one guide be arranged and this guide in turn one or more converter, whereby two arranged on different of the two guides converter can also overtake each other along the guide, which is why viewed in the top view, the traverse on which are the guides should be sufficiently wide so that the products hanging on the converter, if necessary, can not collide with each other.

However, the transverse guide must by no means be a finite, linear guide, but it can be both finite but curved, or linear and oblique to the X direction, for example, the product direction.

Above all, however, the guide can also be closed annularly circumferentially, that is, for example viewed in plan view, representing a circle or an ellipse, in the case of the ellipse then with the large transverse axis of the ellipse, preferably in the Y direction, ie transversely, in particular perpendicular to one of the X axis. Directions or the common X direction.

All these measures increase the efficiency of this system drastically, without increasing the design effort or the control effort too much.

Each transverse direction is preferably formed as a portal, so has at its end in each case a downwardly projecting and seated on the base vertical strut, so preferably the entire portal along the base frame in e.g. X-direction is movable.

Upstream of the transfer area, where the transfer units are located and represent the sum of the work areas, a scanner is preferably arranged to detect the position and / or in-plan rotational position of the incoming products on the container belt.

This is therefore of great importance when products are to be implemented, which for a different shape and on the other hand also have different, as is the case with sliced meat: depending on the cut meat strand and the position of the disc in the former meat strand have the discs viewed in the plan view different contours and sizes, and due to different types of meat also different consistency, in particular different flexibility and elasticity.

Very often such slices of meat are ellipsoidal or at least oblong with rounded ends in shape, and can - just when the product band is filled not only by one but several parallel cutting machines with meat slices as products - quite slightly differently positioned in different rotational positions or in the transverse direction lie the product band. Above all, it may not be sufficient for very elongated products that the product, so the meat slice only by a single tool, usually a sucker, centrally in the middle of its area is detected and raised, because the larger the over the edge of the the supervision mostly round teat protrude, the more easily such a disc dissolves again from the teat due to their strong curvature and the strong force acting on one edge of the teat weight.

To avoid this, such elongated meat slice is often taken and implemented by two spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the meat slice tools, in particular suckers. It may be two suckers, which are for example attached to two different converters, so that the converter relative to each other, since they are attached to the same transverse guide, only in the Y direction relative to each other more or less can be spaced.

However, if the longitudinal axis of the piece of meat considered in the plan view was not the transverse direction, ie the Y direction, but e.g. obliquely to this, such a slanted meat slice can still be taken by first a tool which detects one end portion of the elongated meat slice, slightly lifts and then moves in the product direction until the longitudinal axis of the meat slice is in the Y direction, and then the second tool, so the second gripper / sucker can take the other end of this meat slice and then the meat slice can be moved with an alignment of its longitudinal axis in the Y direction in the storage area.

It makes sense to lay down also in this position, the simplest solution, but can be placed exactly in the same method with a little more control effort, the elongated meat slice in any rotational position:
It is first deposited by the one eg sucker one end of the elongated meat slice in the correct part of the intended storage position, and then moved by passing along the transverse guide means of the other sucker the other end in the Y direction so that the meat slice in the intended storage position lies.

The necessary relative movement between the second tool or sucker and the storage position can be achieved either by the product belt or by passing the entire transverse guide in one of the X-directions, preferably the X-direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the transverse guide, be achieved.

Very often, the meat slices are so elongated that they can be mixed with a single e.g. Sucker - which may not be too large, since it must not protrude beyond the outer edge of the meat slice even at the narrowest point - can be attached to the gripper end of the converter a double tool, for example, a tool Traverse, which runs horizontally in its center is attached to the gripping end of the converter, and the converter is rotatably controlled about its vertical extent, so the converter axis.

At the ends of the tool traverse is ever a tool, such as a sucker.

In this way, the two suckers - which then usually have a specified distance from each other, but also controlled in their distance can be variable - are set with their distance direction to the longitudinal direction of the meat slice to be picked, then the meat slice and lifted be brought during the passage in the storage area in the necessary there alignment of the tool traverse.

The transverse guide preferably extends beyond the storage position which is furthest away from the product band, ie beyond the edge remote from the product band, so that the supernatant can be used as a parking position for converters who already have their product in one of the shells , ie have filed at one of the storage positions. As a result, the entire width of the shell transverse to the container direction for depositing are available for depositing the product still carrying a product converter, which increases the flexibility of the system.

The same can be vice versa present on the side of the container belt, so a supernatant on the side facing away from the storage area of the container belt, so before the start of recording of products through all guided on the transverse guide converter all converters to the last in the storage area in this product side parking area be moved and then starting with usually the container next converter, the converter successively move to a product position on the product line and take a product, and then already along the guide towards the storage area, so mostly drive towards the container belt, and after there their place Product in a container-side parking position existing there or at least completely different container-side end of the transverse guide.

Because only when all converters of a transverse guide have stored their product in a storage position, the entire converter group of a transverse guide can go back in the direction of product band and again take products.

In addition to determining the position and rotational position, the scanner can also carry out a contour determination of the delivered meat slices, whereupon the size of the slice of meat considered at least in the plan view is known.

• – entweder Lücken im Produktteppich zu schließen
• – oder ganz im Gegenteil bei sehr eng liegenden Produkten die Lücken in Produkt-Richtung zwischen den Produkten zu vergrößern und / oder dadurch die Zur-Verfügung-Stellung der auf dem Produktband liegenden Produkten je nach Arbeitskapazität jeder einzelnen der mehreren Umsetzeinheiten dieser mehr oder weniger Produkte zur Verfügung zu stellen.

By using a further sensor, or for example two in front and / or obliquely rearward with respect to their viewing direction, spaced in the X direction, scanner, the thickness of the discs can be determined in each area of its edge and from there the concrete with high accuracy Weight of the disc in addition or instead, the weight of each disc can also be determined with a built-in scale of the product band scales by the meat slices are weighed individually, but this is only possible if they are supplied spaced apart in the product direction. The balance may be integrated in the product belt or weighed in a separate weighing belt which interrupts the product belt. Especially the separation of the product band into two consecutive sections - which under some circumstances the weighing belt can be used as such a section - creates the possibility by controlling the speed of the individual sections of the product band

• - either close gaps in the product carpet
• On the contrary, in the case of very narrow products, to increase the product-to-product gaps between the products and / or the availability of the products on the product line, depending on the working capacity of each of the several converting units of these more or less products to provide.

For example, a conversion unit located in the conversion area at the end-in the product direction-can have a problem with the fact that not enough products arrive at it in order to be able to fill at least first storage positions in the trays in its work area. Then, in the short term, the corresponding section of the product strip can be accelerated and products located thereon can be brought in the desired number into the working area of the under-challenged robot.

Especially with very limp products, such as certain slices of meat, it may also be useful to dispense with the very universal vacuum cleaner yet and to use grippers, if it is to penetrate any tips in the meat of the meat slice, so the gripper can have two relatively movable gripping angle, the upright leg is attached to a converter and the horizontal leg is as thin as possible and sharpened on the front edge and retracted under the product can.

With regard to the procedure, this object is achieved in that the plurality of transducers are preferably guided along the same transverse guide and this transverse guide direction in the Y direction, ie at right angles and also horizontally to one of the directions of product strip or moving storage area, usually the Product direction, is set. This results in a very simple construction, with only the gripping end of the converter controlled in height must be changeable, usually in the form of a converter, which is designed as a working cylinder and at its lower end the tool is attached.

The procedure according to the invention consists in the fact that, as far as possible above the product strip, as many or all of the transversers movable along a transverse guide and not capable of being overtaken, a product or two converters jointly receive a product, wherein the converters, which have already received a product also immediately afterwards could set in motion in the direction of filing area, starting of course with the stock-next converter followed by the second and third stock-next converter.

Preferably, after each converter has deposited its product in the storage area, it moves to the storage-side end area, preferably a parking area, the transverse guide, and only when the last converter arriving in the storage area has deposited its product there, does the entire group move on a transverse guide guided converter back over the product tape to turn there in turn, one or two together to take a product and record.

In this case, one of several tools - which can be attached to the same or two different converters - are rotated in their rotational position relative to the product direction, for which the overtaking of converters can be used very advantageously, for example, by two transverse guides are arranged close together or can be brought so close together that two converters, who are on different guides, can ever seize an end portion of one of the elongated slices of meat. Preferably, two transverse guides are each formed on each side of a cross-beam.

Preferably, for the positionally accurate picking up or depositing products, the entire transverse guide, which is preferably designed as a portal, is moved with all converters, for example in the product direction, in the depositing direction or also in an intermediate direction, if these two directions are not are identical.

It is important for the overall procedure that the converters guided on a shared guide can still be controlled independently of each other along the guide.

c) Embodiments:

In the following, an embodiment of the invention is described in greater detail by way of example.

Show it:

1 : The insertion machine in the supervision.

2 : The insertion machine looks in product direction.

1 show in the supervision the side by side parallel with a small distance between them extending product band 1 on which the products P are delivered irregularly lying lying. Parallel next to it runs the container band 2 in the container direction X2 ', where product band 1 and container band 2 move in opposition to each other. Accordingly, there are relatively many products on the delivery end of the product line, and no products on the opposite end, because in between is the transfer area 11 , in which case at least two transverse guides 7 located above and across the product band 1 and container band 2 in the Y-direction, ie at right angles to the X-direction in which the bands move, extending and each - spaced in the X direction - as a portal 9 are formed by being connected at their ends to the upper portion of a vertical strut, which is seated with its lower end on the base frame and as indicated in the X direction are movable, as best in 2 to recognize.

1 shows in the supervision further that on the container band 2 with product the dishes to be filled 3 on the container band 2 are accumulated, so in the container direction X2 'foremost shell by retracted in their movement in the transverse direction stoppers 12 is stopped, while usually the container band 2 including moving on.

Only when everyone - in this case 4 - Storage positions 4 in tank direction fore shell 3 filled are the stopper out of the path of movement, let the completely filled shell carry away and then immediately proceed back into the path of movement behind subsequent shell and stop this until it is completely filled.

In the present case, the meat slices are shingled and placed with their longitudinal axis in the container direction, for what ideally serving as tools suckers 16 should also be able to take a distance in the X direction to each other. Therefore, it makes sense in this case, guides 7 not only on one side of the cross-beam, in which the guides are formed to provide, but also on both, facing in the X1 'direction as well as pointing in the opposite direction of the X1' side surface, as at the bottom of the two solid lines shown Umsetzzeinheiten indicated in the X direction, two on different sides and different guides 7 Although the same cross-beam arranged suckers occupy only a predetermined distance, but can be greatly increased by deviation from the line connecting these two suckers from the X direction and in this way also a storage of an elongate product with its longitudinal axis in the X direction in a shell 3 becomes possible, as explained in the first part of the description.

So shows in the 1 lower part of the container band 1 a there very large and elongated product P, as it is in both end, each with a sucker 16 taken and by not simultaneous but one-sided lifting and then method of lifting teat in X and possibly also in the Y direction, the product P can be brought before recording in a specific rotational position, and of course the analogous way when placing in a desired likewise elongated storage position 4 ,

In 2 is to realize that product band 1 and container band 2 about the same height raised on a base frame next to each other, and the cross-beam with the guides 7 above it above the two bands 1 . 2 are guided in the transverse direction Y and are individually and independently drivable.

The crossbar has at the top and bottom of each a guide 7 so that the essentially vertically extending and designed as a working cylinder converter 6 Both at the top and at the bottom of their cylinder and thus very stable in the transverse direction Y are performed.

From the lower end of the cylinder, the piston rod protrudes at the free end as a tool 16 Here, a sucker is shown, some of which already carry one of the products, and since in the representation of the figure, the majority of the converter is still on product band 1 However, each has already taken a product P, are the left 4 converter 6 thereby, in the direction of the area upper half of the container band 2 to proceed by the extreme right-hand converter in this figure 6 just his product P in a bowl 3 deposits, which is obviously completely filled with it. The left 4 converter 6 will therefore place their products in one of the following trays.

At the lateral ends of the crossbeam with the guides 7 a vertical strut of the portal formed thereby extends 9 downwards, which are movable with their lower end with indicated wheels or wheels along the base frame, as well as in 1 Of course, this movement is also indicated by the controller 10 the entire inserter is controlled, primarily in response to the scanner 8th in the inlet area of the product band, ie before the beginning of the conversion area 11 , arranged scanners, usually a line scanner or even better a 3D scanner, extending over the entire width of the product tape 1 extends. The third dashed cross-bar with guide 7 should merely indicate that depending on the number per unit time of incoming products also far more than just two Umsetzzeinheiten 5 can be present.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

product band

2

Storage zone, container belt

3

Bowl

4

storage position

5

conversion unit

6

converter

6a

cross

6 '

Extension direction, converter axis

7

width guide

8th

scanner

9

portal

10

control

11

transposition area

12

13

14

15

16

Tool, gripper, sucker

P

product

X1 '

Product direction

X2 '

Storage Direction, Cup Direction

Y

horizontal cross direction

Z

vertical

Claims (9)

Insertion machine with - At least one in the product direction (X1 ') running product band on which the delivered products (P) are - a storage zone in the storage direction (X2') movable storage positions for the products, in particular a container belt with arranged thereon shells in which the storage positions are located, - one arranged at a level above the product belt at least one transfer unit with at least one converter, - a controller for controlling all controllable movable components of the transfer machine, characterized in that - the converter along a transverse guide, the transverse, in particular perpendicular, to the product direction (X ') and / or the container direction is controlled, movable, - the gripping end of the converter transversely, in particular perpendicular, to the transverse guide direction (Y), controlled in the Z direction is movable. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the transverse guide transversely, in particular perpendicular, in the X direction to its transverse direction (Y) is controlled movable. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of in the X direction or in the product direction (X ') or in the container direction (X2') spaced conversion units are present. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the converter is rotatable about its extension direction in which it is in particular vertically movable. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of converter along the transverse guide are independently controlled movable, which are guided in particular in the same transverse guide and can not overtake each other in the transverse direction and / or the converter along an annular transverse guide circulating are guided. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at the gripping end of the converter as a tool, a mechanical gripper or a sucker is arranged. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the product direction and the container direction parallel, in particular in the opposite direction to each other, extend. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that upstream of the transfer region above the container belt, a scanner is arranged for detecting the position and / or considered in the top view rotational position of lying on the container band products (P). Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transverse guide is formed on a portal.

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