EP0678451B1 - Method and device for feeding stacked disk shaped food products - Google Patents

Abstract

The food is placed in hollows (10) on placement trays using a loading device (12) that constructs horizontal rows of stacked food. The tray area has clamps which may be opened or closed for each stack. There is a centering device (21) with centering elements (22) and equipment to control the movement of the centering device and the barriers. There are two clamps opposite each other, positioned in line with the rows of stacked food. Each is U-shaped and rotates horizontally between the open and closed position. A pressure device (28) with elements for each placement tray is located on the centering element carrier (24). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device according to the preamble of the claim 5. Such a method and such an apparatus are out U.S.-A-4,709,535.

In conventional sausage cutting and packaging machines, food products are used such as sausage, meat, cheese etc. first using a Cutting unit, a so-called slicer, cut open and in predetermined portions transported away on a conveyor belt. Since the Cutting speed of such slicers is very high, the stacks alternately for further packaging using a cross distributor hand over several grouping tapes running parallel to each other, on which it is then transported in a row next to each other become. From the grouping tapes running in parallel the stacks, if necessary, with the interposition of buffer belts handed over to a wide inlay tape on which they lie side by side in rows be transported to a packaging machine where they are placed in thermoformed packaging next to each other, which correspond in number to the number of adjacent stacks.

The insertion of the cut products into the thermoformed packaging is not a problem if the sliced disc-shaped Products in shingled form, i.e. with an overlapping offset, transported and packed. However, difficulties arise on when the slices of the sliced products as vertical stacked stack should be packed. This is because on the one hand because it is very difficult to pack the Product stack of the packaging machine on the loading belt to be positioned exactly next to each other so that the packaging machine be fed with offset. Furthermore lies with Insert such stacks of the bottom of the appropriate thermoformed packaging relatively far below the feed edge of the insert tape, see above that the fall distance of the product is relatively high. This is problematic in that when the falling movement cannot be controlled precisely, so that the insertion movement becomes inaccurate.

As a result, stacks of disc-shaped food products are inserted only possible if the packaging is sufficient are large, that is, there is sufficient scope, to be able to compensate for positioning inaccuracies. However, this leads at high material costs.

DE-A-30 49 606 describes a loading device for insertion several stacks of a sliced food known in which the disc stack from a roller conveyor to a loading platform then move from a trolley to a loading position to be brought between two side guides before a pneumatic cylinder moves down and the stack of disks presses into a package opening.

The object of the present invention is a method and an apparatus specify which of the avoidance of the disadvantages mentioned enable and allow stacked disc-shaped stacks Food products in troughs of a packaging machine insert with high accuracy.

This object is achieved by the features of claims 1 and 5.

The product stacks are fed first placed on holders of a receiving device. The holder of the receiving device can be tight be positioned under the feed edge of the insert tape, which already achieves high positioning accuracy becomes. By then centering the product stack on the holders by means of the centering device Stack a defined position in relation to that under the receiving areas positioned troughs, so that a high insertion accuracy is achieved when the stacks fall down be left.

If the falling movement by pressure elements of an insertion device is supported, i.e. with the printing elements a higher speed than the falling speed are lowered and the product stacks into the troughs bump can be prevented from stacking during the Tilt the fall motion, thereby further increasing the insertion accuracy is increased.

Because of the high insertion accuracy of the invention The process only requires small tolerances, so that the packaging in which the stacks are placed can be kept small.

The centering elements can be used to increase the placement accuracy advantageously up to the top of the Troughs are moved so that they have a side guide form for the product stack during the insertion movement, whereby the friction of the product on the centering elements prevents a tilting movement of this.

A device for loading stacks, with which the can carry out previously explained method has one Pick-up device, the several horizontally in a row Adjacent receiving areas for one stack each of food products forms, with the receiving areas each between a stop position and a release position reversible holder for one product stack each, a centering device with several, in particular four am Arranged circumference of the receiving area and preferably formed as centering rods centering between a centering position in which it is preferably up to the area of the upper edges of the troughs into which the product stacks should be inserted, protrude, and a passive position are reversible, and a control unit for triggering a Movement of the centering elements in the centering position and for subsequent triggering of the release movement of the holder, are assigned, with each receiving area advantageously a pressure element assigned to an insertion device can be that above the receiving area and preferably arranged between the centering elements and in is movable in the vertical direction.

Figur 1

eine komplette Schneide- und Einlegelinie in Seitenansicht;

Figur 2

die Schneide- und Einlegelinie von Figur 1 in Draufsicht;

Figur 3

eine Vorrichtung gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung in Seitenansicht;

Figur 4

die Vorrichtung von Figur 3 in Draufsicht;

Figur 5

die in Figur 3 gezeigte Vorrichtung in Vorderansicht;

Figur 6

die Vorrichtung aus Figur 5, wobei der Schlitten der Aufnahmeeinrichtung unter ein Einlegeband gefahren ist;

Figur 7

eine vergrößerte und detailierte Darstellung der Aufnahmeeinrichtung der in Figur 3 dargestellten Vorrichtung mit auf den Haltern vorgesehenen Stapeln einzulegender Produkte;

Figur 8

die Ansicht A-A aus Figur 7;

Figur 9

die Aufnahmeeinrichtung von Figur 7, nachdem die auf den Haltern liegenden Stapeln an die Mulden einer Verpackungsmaschine übergeben wurden; und

Figur 10

eine Ansicht entlang der Linie B-B in Figur 9.

With regard to further advantages and design options of the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention, reference may be made to the following description of an embodiment of the device according to the invention for inserting disk-shaped food products stacked vertically one above the other with the aid of the drawing. The drawing shows:

Figure 1

a complete cutting and inserting line in side view;

Figure 2

the cutting and insertion line of Figure 1 in plan view;

Figure 3

a device according to the present invention in side view;

Figure 4

the device of Figure 3 in plan view;

Figure 5

the device shown in Figure 3 in front view;

Figure 6

the device of Figure 5, wherein the carriage of the receiving device has been moved under an insertion belt;

Figure 7

3 shows an enlarged and detailed illustration of the receiving device of the device shown in FIG. 3 with stacks of products to be inserted on the holders;

Figure 8

the view AA from Figure 7;

Figure 9

7 after the stacks lying on the holders have been transferred to the troughs of a packaging machine; and

Figure 10

a view along the line BB in Figure 9.

Figures 1 and 2 show a complete cutting and inserting line for food products. These include in A cutting unit considers the product conveying direction of the system 1, also called slicer, for cutting open one Sliced and stacked and portioned food product of these, a scale 2 for weighing the portions, one Rocker 3, which is used to sort out product stacks that do not fall within a specified weight range, and on its end facing the balance 3 by one transverse to the longitudinal direction the horizontal cutting and inserting line Axis is pivotable, and a cross distributor 4, which, like is clearly visible in Figure 2, transverse to the direction of transport pivotable and thus with a total of four across Direction of transport of adjacent grouping belts 5 alternately connectable. The grouping tapes 5 become independent driven by each other.

The grouping belts 5 are followed by buffer belts 6, 7, which in their Number of grouping tapes correspond to 5, and an insert tape 8, which extends across the entire width of the buffer belts 6, 7 extends.

A device for inserting is arranged downstream of the insert tape 8 of stacks of disc-shaped food products 9 according to the present invention, by means of which the of an infeed belt 8 fed product stack into the troughs 10 of a packaging machine 11, which is not explained in detail should be inserted. The device 9 is described in detail below.

Figures 3 and 4 show the device 9 in a side view and a top view.

The device according to the present invention 9 includes a receiving device, generally designated 12 is. The receiving device 12 forms a total of eight Recording areas 13, which, as can be clearly seen in FIG. 4, in two in the longitudinal direction of the device 9 consecutive and transverse to that direction extending rows of four receiving areas 13 each are arranged.

The holder areas 13 are each assigned two holders 14, which are arranged on both sides of the receiving areas 12 are and form rows that are parallel to those through the Receiving areas 13 rows formed.

To keep the weight of the holder 14 low, they are made a bar material bent and have a U-shaped Cross section, the cross leg connecting the two legs 15 16 to the center of the receiving area 13. The free ends of the legs 15 each have a number of side by side Holders 14 are attached to a rod 17, through which they are connected. The pole 17 runs parallel to the rows of receiving areas 12 and is at its ends on the frame 18 a Carriage 18 of the receiving device 12 about its longitudinal axis 17a pivotally mounted and by means of an actuator 32 operated.

The carriage 18 is provided on a carriage 19 and can compared to this in the longitudinal direction of the device 9 and be moved against this direction. In addition, the Carriage 19 a guide 20 in which the carriage 18 is held is. The carriage 18 is actuated by means of a Motor, which is provided on the carriage 19 but not shown is.

The carriage 19 is movable so that the device for insertion stacked products 9 according to the present invention slightly shingled against a loading device superimposed products can be exchanged.

A centering device 21 is arranged on the carriage 19. This includes centering elements, which are considered to be essential here vertically lying centering rods 22 are formed are. In Figure 10 it can be clearly seen that four centering rods each 22 lying substantially vertically uniform distributed around the circumference of a receiving area 13 arranged in this way are that they are at least essentially the cornerstones form a square, of which a pair of sides parallel to the rows of receiving areas 13 runs. Form with it the centering rods 22 on both sides of the receiving areas 13 parallel rows.

The top ends of the one next to the other in a row Centering rods 22 on a support rod 23 above the receiving device 12 attached. The total of four in parallel mutually extending support rods 23 are in a carrier 24 of the centering device 21 about its longitudinal axes 23 a pivoted and can by means of a not shown Actuator can be tilted.

The carrier 24 is attached to the carriage 19 and in height adjustable by means of an actuator, not shown.

There is an adjusting screw on at least one of the support rods 23 25 arranged downwards in the direction of Receiving device 12 extends and a stop surface 26, which is provided on the carriage 19, is assigned. The adjusting screw 25 and the stop surface 26 are part a control unit, not shown further.

Each receiving area 13 is also a slide-in plate 28 an insertion device 27 assigned between the Centering rods 22 is arranged above the holder 14 and on its side facing the holders 14 an annular one Has insertion area.

The total of eight existing insertion plates 28 are on their upper ends facing away from the receiving areas 13 by a connecting element 29 in the form of a frame which can be seen particularly well in FIG. 10. The connecting element 29 is arranged on the carrier 24 and can be compared to this by means of a cylinder / piston arrangement 30, which is supported on the carrier 24, in be moved in the vertical direction. On the carrier 24 is a Guide element 31 for guiding the relative movement of the insertion device 27 provided with respect to the carrier 24.

The described device works as follows:

In the starting position, which is shown in Figure 6, is the carriage 18 under the insert 8 of the cutting and Insert line driven. The holder 14 are in your Stop position and protrude horizontally into the receiving areas 13 in. The centering device 21 is located in its passive position, in which the carrier 24 as far as possible is adjusted upwards.

In the drawing it is not recognizable that the centering rods 22 do not lie vertically in the passive position, but about the longitudinal axes 23 a of their support rods 23 from the receiving areas 13 are pivoted away, so that in the longitudinal direction opposite pairs of a receiving area 13 in The direction of the holder 14 diverge from each other.

The carriage 18 is brought into its loading position, in which it is positioned so that the in the transport direction of the Insert tape 8 front edge of the receiving areas to be loaded 13 below the feed edge 8 a of the insert tape 8 lies and from the insertion tape 8 supplied product stack the front edge of the receiving areas 13 come to rest. Then the carriage 18 is parallel to the loading belt 8 and moved at the same speed along the guide 20, to completely place the product stack on the holders 14. The process is for the second row of exposure areas 13 repeated.

Then the carriage 18 is in its unloading position brought in which the receiving areas 13 directly above the Troughs 10 of the packaging machine 11 and in the middle below the associated centering rods 22 and between these lying insert plate 28 lie (compare Figure 7).

Reaching the unloading position is indicated by a not shown Sensor detects a signal to a control device supplies the centering device 21, whereupon the Carrier 24 with the centering rods 22 and the insert plates 28 is lowered until the provided on the support rod 23 Adjusting screw 25 and the stop surface 26 of the Bump the control device together. Lie in this position the lower ends of the centering rods 22 in the area of Upper edges of the troughs 10.

Upon a signal from the control device, the product stacks become aligned on the holders 14 by the centering rods 22 from its previously described tilted position via the actuator and the support rod 23 in the vertical position can be pivoted, in which they on the Apply product stacks and center them between them.

The holders 14 are then removed from their holding position, in which they protrude horizontally into the receiving areas 13, via the actuating device 32 and the rods 17 after pivoted below into the release position in which it is not more in the area of the receiving areas 13. At the same time the cylinder / piston assembly 30 pushes the connector 29 with the insertion plates 28 relative to the carrier 24 down at such a speed that the product stack when pivoting away the holder 14 under the side Guide through the centering rods 22 in the underlying Troughs 10 are pushed in (compare Figure 9).

The pivoting away of the holder 14 and the lowering of the insert plate 28 need not necessarily take place simultaneously, the insertion plate 28 can also, for example, first be lowered to the top of the product stack before the holder 14 are operated. It is essential that the Product stacks do not fall freely, but through the ring-shaped Contact surface of the insert plate 28 on its top be performed so that a tilting of the product stack when Inserting into the troughs 10 is prevented.

The filled troughs 10 are then replaced by empty ones, the insert plate 28 by means of the cylinder / piston arrangement 30 raised, the centering rods 22 tilted outwards and the carrier 24 moves into its upper end position, so that the carriage 18 in its starting position below of the loading tape 8 can return to new product stacks place on the holders 14 returned to the holding position to be able to.

In the illustrated embodiment are with the carriage 18 only the receiving areas formed by the holder 14 13 movable, while the centering device 21 and the insertion device 27 are held stationary. It is but also possible, the centering device 21 and the insertion device 27 to provide movable with the carriage 18.

Reference list

1

Cutting unit

2nd

Libra

3rd

Seesaw

4th

Cross distributor

5

Grouping tapes

6

Buffer tapes

7

Buffer tapes

8th

Insert tape

9

contraption

10th

Hopper

11

Packaging machine

12th

Reception facility

13

Recording area

14

holder

15

leg

16

Crossbar

17th

pole

18th

carriage

18a

frame

19th

dare

20th

guide

21

Centering device

22

Centering elements

23

Carrying bar

24th

Carrier unit

25th

Adjusting screw

26

Contact surface

27

Slide-in device

28

Slide-in plate

29

Fastener

30th

Cylinder / piston arrangement

31

Actuator

Claims (11)

1. Method for the laying of vertically stacked sliced food products, such as sausage, ham, bacon, meat, cheese and the like, into troughs, for example of a packaging machine, wherein stacks of a product cut up by a cutting unit are supplied in rows lying alongside one another to the packaging machine, in particular by means of a laying-in belt, with the product stacks being supplied to a receiving device and being deposited onto holders of receiving zones associated with the stacks and preferably disposed in several rows arranged after one another in the product supply direction, and are aligned by means of centering elements of a centering device before they are allowed to fall into or are pushed into troughs positioned under the receiving zones,
   characterized in that
   the centering elements are moved, for the execution of their centering movement, from a passive position above the receiving regions, downwardly in a vertical direction into the region of the product stacks and subsequently execute a centering movement, with the centering elements being moved in a substantially horizontal direction, or being pivoted about horizontal pivot axes which lie above the receiving zone, for the execution of the centering movement.
2. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that for the deposition of the product stack onto the receiving device, the receiving device is so positioned beneath the laying-in belt that in each case a row of product stacks supplied on the laying in belt can be deposited onto the receiving zones of the receiving device associated with them, with the receiving device preferably being initially so positioned that the front edge in the product supply direction of the receiving zones to be loaded lies beneath the supply edge of the laying-in belt and the receiving device is subsequently moved in the product supply direction with the speed of the laying-in belt.
3. Method in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the centering elements are moved close up to the top edge of the troughs.
4. Method in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the product stacks of the receiving device are pushed by means of pressure elements of a push-in device into the troughs positioned under the receiving zones.
5. Apparatus for the laying of stacks of sliced food products, such as sausage, ham, bacon, meat, cheese and the like, into troughs (10), for example of a packaging machine (11), having a receiving device (12), which forms a plurality of receiving zones (13) lying horizontally in a row alongside one another, for in each case one stack of food products, and having a centering device (21), wherein holders (14) for one product stack in each case, which are capable of being changed over between a holding position and a release position, are respectively associated with the receiving zones (13), characterized in that the centering device (21) has a plurality of centering elements (22), in particular four centering elements (22), which are arranged at the periphery of the receiving zone (13), and preferably formed as centering bars, and which can be changed over between a centering position in which they preferably project up to and into the region of the top edges of the troughs (10), into which the product stacks are to be laid, and a passive position, with the centering elements (22) of the centering device (21) being displaceable in a vertical direction; and in that a control unit is provided for initiating a movement of the centering elements (22) into the centering position and for subsequently initiating the release movement of the holders (14).
6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that two holders (14) are associated with each receiving zone (13), are arranged opposite to one another along the row formed by the receiving zones (13), and are in particular displaceable in a horizontal plane between the holding position and the release position or pivotable about substantially horizontal axes between the holding position and the release position, with the holders (14) lying on one side of the receiving zones, preferably being arranged on a common, horizontal pivot axle (17) extending parallel to the row of the receiving zones, and wherein the holders (14) in particular have a U-shaped cross-section, of which the transverse web (16) connecting the two limbs (15) to one another lies within the receiving zone (13) in the holding position.
7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 or claim 6, characterized in that the centering elements (22) of the centering device (21) can be changed over in the horizontal plane between the centering position and the passive position, or are pivotable about substantially horizontal axes which lie above the holders (14), wherein in particular the centering elements (22) respectively lying on one side of the receiving zones (13) are arranged on a carrying bar (23), which is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis (23a) on a carrier (24) above the holders (14).
8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the centering elements (22) of the centering device (21) are arranged on a common carrier (24), which is displaceable in the vertical direction.
9. Apparatus in accordance with one of the claims 7 or 8, characterized in that a pressure element (28) of a push-in device (27), in particular a pressure element which is formed as a push-in plate (28) with a preferably ring-like push-in surface, is associated with each receiving zone (13) and is arranged above the receiving zone (13) and preferably between the centering elements (22), and is movable in the vertical direction, with the pressure elements (28) of the different receiving zones (13) preferably being arranged on a common connection element (29), which is movable in the vertical direction, and which is in particular arranged on the carrier (24) for the centering elements (22) and movable relative to the carrier in the vertical direction.
10. Apparatus in accordance with one of the claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the receiving device (12) has a carriage (18), which preferably has a plurality of mutually parallel rows of receiving zones (13) arranged alongside one another and is movable transverse to the rows, with a control preferably being provided for the synchronisation of the speed of travel of the carriage (18) with the speed of the laying-in band (8), which supplies the product stacks to the receiving device (12), and wherein the centering elements (22) and optionally the pressure elements (28) are arranged on the carriage (18) or held in a fixed position.
11. Apparatus in accordance with one of the claims 5 to 10, characterized by a movable carriage (19), on which the receiving device (12), centering device (21) and the push-in device (27) are provided.

Images