DE19851379A1 - Marking of foodstuffs with an unlimited variety of designs by the use of a guided laser - Google Patents

Abstract

A carbon dioxide laser is housed in a closed case together with a processor that can select a variety of designs from a database and/or a scanner, a drive for the laser to respond to these inputs and a carrier for the foodstuff that can be located accurately under the laser. Particular care is taken to prevent fouling of the laser window (11). This laser window is set at the top of a tube (7) whose lower, open, end is normally closed by a plate (9). In operation the plate (9) is drawn aside, air is blown downwards through jets (8) and suction is applied through cups (10) so that no greasy fumes can enter the tube. Designed for use in a retail shop the marker can be used by the staff or by customers who would pay for the service through a coin machine. The system can reproduce designs ranging from simple lines to photographs. Attention is drawn to a linked patent DE19646813-A1

Description

The invention relates to a device for generating images, writings, patterns or the like on the surface of food, in particular on the cut surface of food and particularly preferably on the surface of sausage or cheese slices, by means of a laser, in particular a CO ₂ - Lasers, with a laser unit, a controllable beam deflection unit, a carrying element for the food to be labeled and a control unit for the laser unit and the beam deflection unit
Such a device is known from DE 38 36 821 C2. On an outer, open frame, a support element is attached in the manner of a grid or grate, on which the food to be labeled, in particular a cheese, lies. In the upper area of the frame, a beam deflection unit is attached, with which a laser beam is directed towards the outer surface of the food lying on the grate. Furthermore, means for transverse line scanning and / or longitudinal gradual displacement of the point of incidence of the laser beam are provided.

For the surface labeling of the food, the Food put a mask that ver with a window see is. The food is only with the laser beam locally heated in the area of the window and on this Show the pattern of the window on the surface of the Transferred food. A particular disadvantage here  the low flexibility, because each pattern has its own Mask must be present. This device is suitable therefore only for labels with the same pattern.

From the applicant's patent application DE 196 46 813 A1, a method for generating images and writings on the surface of foods has become known which works without masks. Here, a computer-controlled CO ₂ laser beam is directed, line by line, directly onto the surface of the product, so that the pattern to be applied depends solely on the activation of the beam deflection unit. A quick and easy change of the pattern to be brought is not provided here, so that this method for industrial labeling of a large number of food units, for. B. sausage slices, is always designed with the same pattern.

The invention has for its object a device to create of the type mentioned, which on Place of sale of the food can be set up and it allows the consumer to choose any one himself selected pattern (picture, writing or other pattern) on the surface of the food he bought to apply or to have applied. The should costs incurred by the labeling are kept low become.

This task is at the beginning of the device mentioned type in that an input unit for Selection of images, fonts or patterns is provided the control unit with the laser unit, the input unit and the beam deflection unit is connected.

With the input unit, characters and symbols can according to the invention in any combination and even also selected patterns applied to the food become. Successive labels can also  easily made with different patterns become.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention suggested that a closed housing with a Window for the one deflected by the beam deflection unit Laser beam and one arranged below the housing Inscription space are provided, being in the housing at least the laser unit and the beam deflection unit and preferably also the control unit are arranged and the support element is arranged in the labeling space.

This makes it possible to use the laser marking device for food in harsh environments, e.g. B. in the area a sausage or cheese counter in a shop or To set up supermarket. Through that on all sides closed housing for laser and beam deflection unity is a danger to the sales staff and the Consumer on the one hand and damage on the other the sensitive laser and mirror system closed. The cleaning of the device is also increased relieved.

For easy and thorough cleaning of the label room, it is advantageous if the closed Housing of the labeling area partially or completely is solvable. The closed housing can for example be pivoted away from the labeling space, so that the Labeling space is accessible from above.

It is also suggested that the window to the outside space is covered by a closure that during of the labeling process is opened. The closure, that is actuated by the control unit can differ Lich, e.g. B. trained in the manner of a camera shutter his. It protects the generally sensitive, for the Windows permeable to laser beams from vapors, splashes  and other adverse influences during the period, in which no labeling takes place.

To protect the window during the labeling period several measures are proposed, individually or can be used in combination. Are preferred for this purpose nozzles are provided, one from the window directional gas flow, especially one out flow of purified air. The ones from just labeled food towards that Vapors rising up through windows are through this Flow blown away so that it is not in contact with the Windows can reach.

It is particularly preferred if the window in a channel-like depression at the bottom of the closed housing is arranged. The cross section and the length of this channel are based on the angles occurring deflections of the laser beam matched. The one from the window directional gas flow in the channel, which preferably fills the entire duct cross-section, prevents with Certainty that vapors condense on the window and come into contact with the window at all. Even after droplets splashing at the top, e.g. B. fat or water distracted by the gas flow safely and cannot turn on get to the outside of the window.

There is also a suction unit below the window direction for vapors, especially fatty vapors, such as they can arise during labeling. With With this proposal, most of the vapors are already removed before they get close to the window can. With appropriate design of the suction device can be achieved that practically all vapors be sucked off.

The support element on which the life to be labeled medium rests, can be designed differently.  

To adjust the laser beam on the food is it is advantageous if the support element has a support surface with markings for the food to be labeled having.

In one embodiment, the carrying element can be used as a conveyor be formed band, which manually or automatically from a position in which the food is on the Conveyor belt is placed in the labeling position is movable.

In another embodiment, the support element is a insertable tray into the inscription space, the Inscription space at least one stop for the location properly positioned tray. The tray too can be done manually or automatically from a first position for placing the food in the label position in which the tray on the mentioned stop is present. With this stop is on the correct position of the tablet and so that the food on top can be labeled ensured.

In a further advantageous embodiment, this is Carrying element as a turntable with at least one support area for food to be labeled. It is particularly preferred if a plurality of contact surfaces are provided, e.g. B. wells different Caliber, the plastic inserts ent speaking size. Let these bets can be cleaned easily after use without the peculiarities of the device according to the invention must be taken into account. That way you can click on a maintains strict hygienic conditions be preserved.

Also in the case of the conveyor belt or the insertable one Tablets can be pre-recessed as a support surface  be seen in which a corresponding plastic insert is arranged, so that here too a high standard of hygiene can be maintained.

The exact position of the turntable for labeling one on the one hand and for loading and unloading the food on the other hand, by locking elements on the turntable and in Labeling space can be guaranteed.

For hygiene reasons, it is also an advantage if that Carrying element made of stainless steel.

The surface of the food, especially the sausage or Cheese slices can be made with any pictures, Fonts, patterns or the like can be labeled. On the one hand, this can be a predetermined pattern act so that it is proposed that an electronic Memory (library) for characters and graphics elements is provided by means of the input keyboard can be selected as a label pattern. It can be thus freely selectable texts with or without additional graphic elements or graphic elements alone apply to the food.

Even greater flexibility in choosing the one on the Structures and patterns to be applied to food reached when a scanner for the graphic capture of Patterns are provided, the scanner with the tax Unit is connected so that the laser beam can apply detected patterns to the food. As Scanner can be a commercially available flatbed scanner be set. The buyer of the food thus has the Possibility of his individual pattern on life to have funds applied. Only one is necessary Presentation of the customer, which is placed on the scanner. There is even the possibility to take photos of the waiter reproduce the area of the food.  

It is also used to control the labeling process advantageous if a connected to the control unit Monitor is provided on which on the food pattern to be applied can be represented. The customer can in this case the desired pattern on the monitor have a look and, if necessary, have it changed before the Labeling process takes place.

It is possible that the device according to the invention from Sales personnel, e.g. B. food retail, operated and not directly accessible to the customer is. Alternatively, it can also be provided that the Device as self-cashing vending machine is formed. This vending machine can do one coin operated mechanism and / or a reading system for Have credit and / or chip cards.

The invention also relates to a method for generating images, writings, patterns or the like on the surface of food, in particular on the cut surface of food and particularly preferably on the surface of sausage or cheese slices, by means of a laser beam, in particular a CO ₂ -Laser beam, which is directed computer-controlled onto the surface of the food.

Such a method is from the German patent application DE 196 46 813 A1 of the applicant known. To that To give buyers of the food the opportunity to do so buying food with one from the customer himself Providing selected patterns, it is proposed that the procedure directly at the point of sale of the food and the pattern to be applied for everyone Select the labeling process. In contrast to one industrial labeling where a large number of items of food with the same pattern, Here the customer can make a sample while shopping choose and apply immediately to the food  to let. This can be a predetermined pattern Combinations of patterns, e.g. B. any texts, consisting of characters of certain fonts, or also act on individual patterns that the customer in the form brought along a template. Also applying Customer photos are possible.

One-sided but also two-sided is possible Labeling of food products, e.g. B. of sausage or Cheese slices.

The control of the laser beam can be differentiated into two species. On the one hand, it is proposed that the laser beam using a scan vector graphic Program is controlled. Alternatively, the laser beam also with the help of a scan raster graphics program to be controlled.

The scan vector graphic is the Dar position with the help of a line picture. The advantage lies here in the relatively small amount of time in the case of a fold graphics. With the vector graphic, the picture is off individual graphic elements (primitives), e.g. B. lines, Rectangles, arch elements, built up by the program can be controlled in their entirety.

More suitable for complicated graphics and in particular also to display photos is the scan raster graphic. Here The laser beam runs line by line across the entire surface and applies the individual pixels there which the picture looks like a television picture put together.

The following are further details of the Invention according device and the inventive method explained in more detail.  

With the invention, graphic and photo-technical Image and writing structures on food-ready products, in particular on meat, fish, dough, cheese or Confectionery. The picture and writing structures are on the surface of the products according to the vector or applied to the grid system.

The details of the vector and grid system will be on referred to the state of the art. It is only meant to be here that a scanned object (image or Font) easiest with a raster graphics program can be further processed. But it is also possible to vectorize the scanned object, so that also at a scanned pattern of the laser using a scan Vector graphics program is controlled. Modern graphics programs often provide both modes, so that can be switched between raster and vector display can.

The structure and operation of the fiction in the according to the device optionally used scanner is on known. A flatbed scanner is preferred here as a data input device with an optical resolution 600 × 1200 dpi (dots per inch). The Scanner converts the black White values, grayscale or color information Scanning with a light beam into electrical impulses (Bit values), which are then processed by a computer with an ent speaking software can be processed further.

The following is the invention and several embodiments examples of the invention with reference to drawings described. Show it

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device according to the invention for uses by the sales personnel of a sausage or cheese department of a retail shop,

Fig. 2 shows a section along the line II-II in Fig. 1, in a schematic representation;

Fig. 3 is an Automatic cash end labeling machine according to the invention in a perspective view from the outside,

Fig. 4 is an illustration of the operation of a vector graphics system and

Fig. 5 is an illustration of the operation of a raster graphics system.

The same reference numerals have been used in all drawings have the same meaning and are therefore possibly only one times explained.

The illustrated in Fig. 1 of the invention Lettering processing device consists l of a closed housing containing the laser unit, the beam deflecting unit, the control unit, an input unit in the form of a keyboard 2 and a Monitor 3.

Under the housing 1 , the labeling space 4 is arranged, in which a laser beam emitted and passed through a window 11 ( FIG. 2) enters the laser beam and falls on the food to be labeled, which rests on a carrying element 5 . The support element is here in the form of a turntable, which has a plurality of recesses 6 for receiving inserts made of plastic. The product to be labeled is inserted into the inserts.

In Fig. 2, a section along the line II-II of FIG. 1, some measures to protect the window 11 are illustrated. Since a CO ₂ laser emits infrared light, glass cannot be used as the material for the laser exit window, since this absorbs too much at the laser wavelength. Potassium bromide windows are usually used, which are transparent in the relevant wavelength range. However, this material is sensitive, especially to water, and must be specially protected when used continuously under robust conditions. For this purpose, the window 11 is arranged at the end of a channel-like recess 7 on the lower bottom of the closed housing 1 . Several, in the vicinity of the window 11 and from this pioneering nozzles 8 let a cleaned air flow in the direction of the arrows 12 flow through the channel 7 to the outside when the labeling takes place. The lower end of the channel 7 is closed with a closure 9 , which opens only during the labeling process.

In addition, there are several suction devices 10 on the lower bottom of the housing 1 for vapors and splashes that may arise during labeling. The extracted air is cleaned by filters, not shown, and blown out.

The labeling machine shown in Fig. 3 is suitable for installation in rooms of the catering trade and in retail stores for food, for. B. in super markets, or in similar places. The labeling machine 21 contains a cooling chamber 22 for the finished food products to be labeled, a CO ₂ laser 23 and finally a power meter and electromagnetic beam shutter. The resonator has protective gas cooling. The containers 24 for the protective gas, which consists of CO ₂ , N ₂ O and He, are shown in dashed lines. The containers 25 contain a standard gas mixture for protective gas packaging of the products already labeled. This gas is available under the trade name "Inertal B". A transport system 26 leads the product past the labeling station and the automatic packaging station for the labeled products, so that the packaged and labeled products 27 are released at the end of the transport system 26 . For payment, a chip card reader 28 , which can also be formed as a magnetic card reader, is provided. The keyboard 29 represents the input unit.

The arrangement shown on the right in FIG. 3 consists of a slide-in shelf (rack) with a plurality of 19 '' drawers 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 and a graphics screen 34 with a keyboard for the display, programming, simulation, for operation and for diagnostic functions. The slot 30 is used for the power supply, the slot 31 contains the control computer and the laser control, the slot 32 the control for positioning, the sequence and for transport and the slot 33 finally contains a DNC computer with monitor and keyboard.

Can be Fig. 4 illustrates the process of the vector graphics, which are also called stroke or line graphics. A line is drawn from point a to point b. This line is written on the food with the laser. The same process is repeated for the lines between points b and c, c and d, d and a. The laser has thus applied a rectangle to the food.

In contrast, the raster graphics according to FIG. 5 work point by point. In the simplest version, each point is either white or black. In other words, the corresponding point on the food is either not exposed by the laser beam or is exposed, that is, browned. The individual points are scanned line by line by the laser beam.

In the devices according to the invention, the type and amount (grams, kilograms, pieces) of the product selected for the inscription can be entered on the input keyboard 2 or determined by means of the input keyboard 29 .

The selected and labeled products can be paid for in cash or with a magnetic stripe card in conjunction with an ID card device. A Windows application is used as the operating software of the device according to FIG. 3. The programs can be graphically simulated on the screen. The software works in multiprocessing mode so that programming is also possible during the scan mode.

The ID card device is a magnetic card write and read system that is specifically designed for the requirements of a Control system was designed. It is as a device both for creating new identity cards with magnetic stripes as well as the processing of these cards. The Use of an ID card device offers one Cash settlement for the laser service labeling with images of food such as Meat, sausage, fish, cheese, pasta and confectionery one fast, secure and inexpensive card identities fication.

The following are further details on the invention method and device according to the invention called.

The CO ₂ laser beam used works in the infrared wavelength range with a wavelength of 10.6 µm. The penetration depth of the invisible laser beam is approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm. When labeling foods, the surface of the product is locally heated by the laser beam for a few seconds or shorter periods. Power densities of the laser beam of up to 50 W per mm ^{2 are} preferred for labeling. The thickness of the line applied to the food can be very small and about 0.5 mm. In this way, fine pattern structures can also be applied to the product. To fill areas, the line width can be set wider by changing the focus of the laser beam accordingly.

The programming of the laser marking machine shown in Fig. 3 can be made according to the known NC programming of machine tools. This programming can be done manually or with computer assistance.

. The labeling machine according to Figure 3 provides the user with the following options:

• 1. Type of product (meat, fish, dough, cheese or Confectionery),
• 2. Type of motif, namely from the saved biblio thek selected or individual scanned motif,
• 3. Quantity of the product to be labeled (number of Discs and / or total weight) and
• 4. Type of payment (cash or card).

Reference list

1

casing

2nd

keyboard

3rd

monitor

4th

Label space

5

Carrying element, turntable

6

Deepening in the turntable

7

channel-like depression

8th

jet

9

Closure

10th

Suction device

11

window

12th

arrow

21

Labeling machine

22

Cooling chamber

23

CO ₂

-Laser

24th

container

25th

container

26

Transport system

27

product

28

Card reader

29

keyboard

30th

Insert

31

Insert

32

Insert

33

Insert

34

screen

Claims (18)

1. Device for generating images, writings, patterns or the like on the surface of food, in particular on the cut surface of food and particularly preferably on the upper surface of sausage or cheese slices, by means of a laser, in particular a CO ₂ laser a laser unit, a controllable beam deflection unit, a carrying element for the food to be labeled and a control unit for the laser unit and the beam deflection unit, characterized in that an input unit ( 2 ; 29 ) is provided for selecting the images, fonts or patterns, the Control unit with the laser unit, the input unit ( 2 ; 29 ) and the beam deflection unit is connected. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a closed housing ( 1 ) with a window ( 11 ) for the deflected by the beam deflecting laser beam and a below the housing arranged labeling space ( 4 ) are provided, wherein in the housing ( 1 ) at least the laser unit and the beam deflection unit and preferably also the control unit are arranged and the support element ( 5 ) is arranged in the inscription space ( 4 ). 3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the window ( 11 ) to the outside is covered by a closure ( 9 ) which is opened during the labeling process. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that nozzles ( 8 ) are provided which generate a gas flow directed away from the window ( 11 ), in particular a flow consisting of cleaned air. 5. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the window ( 11 ) is arranged in a channel-like recess ( 7 ) on the lower bottom of the closed housing ( 1 ). 6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a suction device ( 10 ) for vapors, in particular fatty vapors, is provided below the window ( 11 ). 7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrying element ( 5 ) has a support surface with markings for the food to be labeled. 8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the support element is designed as a conveyor belt. 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the support member is a pushed into the label space (4) tray, wherein the labeling chamber (4) at least one stop for the layer having properly disposed tray. 10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the support element is designed as a turntable ( 5 ) with at least one support surface ( 6 ) for food to be labeled. 11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support element ( 5 ) consists of stainless steel. 12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an electronic memory (library) for characters and graphic elements is provided, which can be selected by means of the input keyboard ( 2 ; 29 ) as a labeling pattern. 13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that a scanner for graphically capturing patterns is provided, the scanner with the tax unit is connected such that the laser beam apply the detected patterns to the food can. 14. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a monitor connected to the control unit ( 3 ; 34 ) is provided, on which the pattern to be applied to the food can be represented. 15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is designed as a self-cashing vending machine ( 21 ). 16. A method for generating images, writings, patterns or the like on the surface of food, in particular on the cut surface of food and particularly preferably on the upper surface of sausage or cheese slices, by means of a laser beam, in particular a CO ₂ laser beam; which is directed to the surface of life by means of a computer, characterized in that the method is carried out directly at the point of sale of the food and the pattern to be applied is selected for each labeling process. 17. The method according to claim 16, characterized, that the laser beam is scanned using a vector Graphic program is controlled. 18. The method according to claim 16, characterized, that the laser beam with the help of a scan raster Graphic program is controlled.