EP3829313A1

EP3829313A1 - Apparatus and method for the automatic loading of treatment units for foods

Info

Publication number: EP3829313A1
Application number: EP19745586.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ronny Leppich-Rudloff; Michael Ullrich; Adrian Issing
Original assignee: Miwe Michael Wenz GmbH
Current assignee: Miwe Michael Wenz GmbH
Priority date: 2018-08-03
Filing date: 2019-07-23
Publication date: 2021-06-09
Also published as: WO2020025396A1; DE102018118975A1; US20210321628A1; DE102018118975B4

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for treating foods, comprising at least one treatment unit (6, 21) which has at least one treatment chamber which is configured to receive product carriers with foods, and comprising at least one transport cart (1), which has rollers and at least one transport frame for a plurality of products, which can be introduced into the treatment chamber and which can be rolled into a first working position (20-24) on the treatment unit (6, 21). In order to further relieve the load on the personnel, the apparatus has at least one mobile drive unit, which is or can be coupled to the transport cart (1), and the drive unit has a navigation system and is configured to move the transport cart (1) automatically at least into the first working position (20-24).

Description

Device and method for the automatic loading of treatment units for food

description

The invention relates to a device and a method for the automatic loading of treatment units for food. In particular, it relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method according to the preamble of claim 7.

Various systems for the automatic loading of treatment units for food are known from the prior art. A large number of devices have been proposed, in particular for charging ovens. As early as 1999, the applicant proposed a baking cart that can be inserted into an oven and that can be brought into the optimal position within the baking chamber of a baking oven by lifting and lowering the baking trays. The publication WO 2017/194403 A1 describes a device for the heat treatment of food products, in particular an oven with a baking chamber, which is designed to accommodate product carriers with food and with a loading trolley for holding at least one loading rack for a plurality of product carriers. The loading trolley can be coupled to the heat treatment device in order to move the loading rack with product carriers back and forth between the oven unit and the loading trolley. Carriers are provided on the heat treatment device, to which receptacles on the loading trolley are assigned, a drive for vertical movement of the carriers being provided in order to lift the carriers from the retracted position of the loading trolley by vertical lifting to couple with the receptacles on the loading trolley and to align the loading trolley with the carriers when it is lifted until it reaches a defined end position. In other words, in this device, the product carriers or the loading frame with the product carriers are moved automatically, ie by motor, from the loading trolley into the baking space and out of the baking space again.

For example, in the case of a shop baking oven that bakes in a sales room while the staff is serving the customers, the staff is relieved of time by the automatic loading of the oven and by the automatic product removal. However, it still has to invest some time to move the loading trolley into the working position, in which the food is automatically transferred to the baking chamber and from the working position to a cooling position, where the food can cool down before it be sold to customers.

In the case of production ovens, the transport trolleys are referred to as rack trolleys and are completely moved into the baking chamber of the oven together with the product carriers they contain. An applicant's oven heated with hot air, into which the rack trolley is inserted, is known from WO 2008/034763 A1. Ovens heated with thermal oil are also known, into which the transport trolleys with the product carriers and the products lying thereon are inserted. Such an oven is also called a wagon oven.

The object of the invention is to provide further relief for the personnel.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a device with all the features of claim 1.

The device has at least one movable drive unit which can be coupled or coupled to the transport carriage and which has a navigation system. on system and is set up to automatically move the transport trolley to the first working position.

In other words, it is proposed to integrate a drive in the transport trolley (loading trolley or rack trolley) or to provide a coupling means in the lower region of the transport trolley which can be coupled to a drive unit with a navigation system. Such movable drive units are called AGV (automated guided vehicle) or driverless transport vehicle. They consist of a housing in which an electric drive motor is accommodated, which drives drive rollers. In addition, non-driven rollers are provided, which securely support the drive unit on the floor. At least one of the rollers can be steered by a steering drive in order to steer the drive unit to a desired position. The use of a driverless transport vehicle in connection with a baking device or another food treatment device reduces the personnel expenditure for the treatment of the food to a minimum. The AGV can automatically drive a transport trolley from an occupancy station, for example where the product carriers are loaded with food, to the treatment unit in order to transfer the product carriers into the treatment room of the treatment unit.

The device can have several treatment units. The treatment unit can e.g. be a proofer in which dough pieces ferment.

The treatment unit can also be an oven in which dough pieces are thermally treated. The oven can be designed as a shop oven into which transport racks are inserted from the transport trolley. In this case, the working position assigned to the oven is in front of the baking area. As an alternative or in addition, the baking oven can be designed as a trolley oven, into which the transport trolley is completely moved. In this case, the working position is inside the oven. The device can have further work positions or work stations, such as a cooling station in which cooled baked goods cool and a sales station in which finished baked goods are filled into storage containers for customers to take out. The transport trolley can also be transported with or without a transport frame and baked goods carrier into a cleaning device in which it is cleaned, for example overnight.

It is pointed out that the term “transport frame” in this text designates both a fixed frame of a transport vehicle and a movable loading frame arranged in the fixed frame. Regardless of how the baked goods are introduced into or removed from the oven, the transport carriage carrying the baked goods is moved into the working position on or in the oven by means of the drive unit described here.

The AGV can lock the trolley in the first working position by a drive motor of the AGV blocking the drive rollers or wheels of the AGV in one position. In this way, the coupling of the transport trolley to the treatment unit known from the prior art (WO2017 194 403 A1) can be dispensed with. The AGV blocks the transport trolley in the first working position so that it does not move when the baked goods are transferred from the transport trolley to the treatment center or vice versa. A guide device can be provided on the treatment unit or in the vicinity thereof, so that the transport carriage is guided into the first working position in which it is held by the drive motor of the AGV. The guiding device can e.g. be provided on the treatment unit or in the running surface for the guide rollers.

When the transport trolley rolls into the treatment unit, in particular in the case of an oven, the drive unit can have a telescopic coupling device which pushes the transport trolley into the treatment unit and pulls it out of the treatment unit, while the movable drive unit is outside the treatment unit. place. Especially when the working position in a baking room Oven, the fact that the drive unit remains outside the oven protects against heat damage. The climate in refrigeration systems or fermentation rooms, which can be very humid, can also be unfavorable for the drive unit, so that here too, pushing in the trolley with the drive unit lingering outside the treatment room can be advantageous. In practice, the rollers can be blocked by decoupling the coupling means of the drive unit, so that the transport carriage rests without a coupled drive unit and can no longer roll away. For example, the transport trolley can have a spring-loaded parking brake, which is released when a drive unit is coupled to the transport trolley. This ensures, for example, that a trolley that has moved into the baking chamber of a baking oven remains in its position and does not move unintentionally.

The device can have a plurality of transport carriages, each of which has a coupling means for a drive unit. Basically, a drive unit can selectively move all transport trolleys into the different working positions. However, it is also possible for several AGVs to be available which can be coupled with several transport vehicles. In this way, bottlenecks in the simultaneous movement of the trolleys can be avoided. Each transport carriage can have a receiving area in the lower section, into which the drive unit can be moved. The receiving area can have mechanical coupling means with which the drive unit can be mechanically coupled to the transport carriage. The drive unit must accelerate, brake and steer the transport trolley so that the mechanical coupling means both in

Longitudinal direction of the drive unit must ensure a secure connection and must also transmit transverse forces and torques for steering safely. The mechanical coupling can be achieved by interlocking complementary coupling means. A locking means can also be expediently provided on the drive unit, which locks the mechanical coupling and unlocks it from the transport carriage when the drive unit is released. Furthermore, electrical coupling Means for electrically coupling the drive unit to the transport carriage can be provided. For example, electrical contacts can be provided on the transport trolley, which interact with complementary contacts on the drive unit and establish an electrical connection with the power supply, in particular the battery of the drive unit. Alternatively, non-contact electrical coupling means, such as inductive means for power transmission, can also be provided on the drive unit, which induce a current in a receiving antenna on the transport vehicle and in this way transmit the required electrical power. The inductive electrical coupling means can alternatively be arranged on the oven.

It is also possible for each transport carriage to have its own, permanently coupled drive unit. Whereas in the case of the drive unit which can be coupled, the transport carriage has its own rollers so that it can also be moved manually, the rollers of the transport carriage can form the roles of the drive unit which is firmly coupled. However, this solution does not make sense if the trolley in the treatment center e.g. remains during the baking or fermentation of the products. In this case, a removable trolley is preferable.

Any navigation system known for AGV can be used as the navigation system. For example, conductor loops in the floor can enable navigation. Methods such as raster navigation or laser navigation can also be used. A method such as laser navigation, in which the location is determined by scanning the surroundings and obstacles are recognized, has the advantage that it does not require any additional installations such as conductor loops and can be used in existing food processing systems without complex structural retrofits. In practice, this procedure is called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) and is used for simultaneous position determination and map creation. By scanning the surroundings with laser beams, the surroundings are recorded (map creation / mapping) and the position in the surroundings determined. Certain properties of the scanned surfaces, in particular of the treatment units and the transport trolleys, facilitate position determination and navigation. In addition, mechanical guide elements, in particular close to the working positions, which guide the movement of the drive unit or the transport carriage, can be arranged so that the working positions can be reached safely.

The various components of the device can be provided with data interfaces that enable data communication. In particular, the treatment unit (oven), the transport trolley, the drive unit and the navigation system can have such data interfaces. A complete network of the system makes it possible to know at any time how the various work stations of the device are occupied. The optimal baking program or treatment program for the foods can be selected by automatic identification of the foods introduced into the treatment unit. The treatment center can be prepared for the upcoming treatment. For example, an oven can be preheated to the correct temperature before it is loaded with dough pieces.

In addition, the data interfaces make it possible for the various components of the device to be actuated in synchronization with one another. The treatment room, in particular the baking chamber of a baking oven or the fermentation room of a fermentation cabinet, can have a door which is provided with a door drive for automatic opening and closing. Transmitted signals can announce the arrival of a transport trolley via the data interfaces, so that the door can be opened shortly before the transport trolley reaches the working position.

Sliding contacts or plug contacts can be used for data transmission. However, it makes sense to use wireless data interfaces that work, for example, according to a WLAN or Bluetooth standard. The loading drive, which transfers the food from the transport trolley to the treatment unit and back, can be arranged directly on the transport trolley itself. This is particularly advantageous if the trolley itself has the drive unit. If the drive unit is coupled to the transport trolley, the loading drive can be provided on the drive unit. Finally, the feed drive can be arranged on the treatment unit (the oven) and can be connected to it when the trolley is coupled.

Further practical embodiments and advantages of the invention are described below in connection with the drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1 shows the processes in the furnace loading according to a method of

State of the art;

2-6 a transport trolley with drive unit according to the new system in different views;

Fig. 7 shows the trolley without drive unit from Figures 2 to

6;

8 shows a floor plan of a work space of a bakery, in which the method described here can be implemented;

Fig. 9 shows the floor plan of Fig. 8 with trolleys on different

Working positions;

10 is a front view of a transport trolley which is intended to be inserted into a baking space;

Fig. 1 1 is a side view of the trolley from Fig. 10 and FIG. 12 shows the baking cart from FIG. 11 coupled to a drive unit.

FIG. 1 shows the components of a conventional manual arrangement for loading the oven. Representation a) of Figure 1 shows a trolley 1, which is provided here with two pivotable side door panels 2, 3 and a cover plate 4. The trolley 1 can also be used without door panels and completely without cladding. On the lower frame of the trolley 1, four rollers 5 are arranged, with which the trolley 1 can be moved freely on a flat floor surface.

The illustration b) in FIG. 1 shows an oven 6 with two baking rooms 7, 8. The baking rooms 7, 8 can be closed with two pivotable doors 27, 28. Two transport frames 9, 10 are arranged in the transport carriage 1. Each transport frame 9, 10 carries product carriers 11 for food products, in the present case baked goods. As mentioned above, these transport frames 9, 10 are also referred to as a loading frame in the prior art. In illustration e), which shows the upper loading frame 9, the product carriers 11 are designed as simple baking trays. The illustration e) also shows rollers 12 on each side of the transport frame 9, which make it easier to push the transport frame 9 in and out of the transport carriage 1.

The transport frame 10 also has rollers.

In illustration c) it can be seen that the upper corners of the transport carriage 1 are complementary to the upper fixing elements 13 above the upper baking space 7 of the baking oven 6. The transport carriage 1 can be moved into a position which can be seen in illustration d) of FIG. 1. Here the trolley 1 is directly in front of the baking rooms 7, 8 of the baking oven 6, so that the two transport racks 9, 10 can be pushed into the baking rooms 7, 8. For pushing in, the operating personnel uses a loading tool 14 in the form of a long rods with gripping tools at the end, with which the transport racks 9, 10 can be pushed into the preheated baking rooms 7, 8 and can be pulled out of the baking rooms again after baking the baked goods on the product carriers 11. The upper corners of the trolley 1 are held in the fixing elements 13 and the trolley 1 is fixed against lateral displacement.

As mentioned at the beginning, WO, for example

2017/194403 A1 also known transport trolleys in which the transport racks with the product carriers automatically, i.e. can be pushed out of the trolley with an electric motor or pulled into the trolley.

FIGS. 2 to 5 show such a transport carriage 1, in which, however, the automatic drive for the transport frames 9, 10 is not shown. Any drive and coupling means are suitable, for example electric motors, which move the transport frames 9, 10 via a belt drive or a push rod drive.

The transport carriage 1 from FIGS. 2 to 6 is intended to be moved automatically. To do this, it is coupled to a driverless transport vehicle, also known as an AGV. The AGV forms a drive unit 15, which is received in a receiving area 16 in the lower section of the transport carriage 1. The drive unit 15 can automatically move into the receiving area 16 of the transport carriage 1 and couple there to the transport carriage 1. The drive unit 16 has an upper cover 17 which can be moved in the fleas. When the upper cover 17 is moved upward, the upper cover 17 couples positively to the struts of the transport carriage 1 in the receiving area. The coupling can be carried out with sliding elements for tolerance compensation. In the embodiment shown, on the upper cover are frustoconical coupling elements 19 made of rubber which are moved in receptacles which extend from the corners between the struts of the Transport trolley are formed. 5, the cover 17 is shown lowered. In this state, the drive unit 15 can be moved into the receiving area 16. The cover is then moved upward, so that the coupling elements 19 move into the corners between the struts of the transport carriage 1 and connect it positively to the drive unit 15. This state is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 6.

The coupling elements 19 can alternatively engage in round receptacles of the trolley. These frustoconical coupling elements 19 can be moved into their receptacles even if the alignment is inaccurate by a few millimeters or even 1 cm because their upper diameter is smaller than the lower one and they transport the trolley 1 to the drive unit 15 during the movement align in the recordings. Furthermore, the coupling elements are made of an elastic material such as hard rubber in order to cushion excessive forces when the trolley is carried. In principle, any mechanical and preferably positive coupling means can be used for coupling the drive unit 15 to the transport carriage 1.

The rollers 29 of the drive unit 15 are driven by electric motors. The drive unit 15 has a rechargeable battery, the current of which operates the electric motors and the control electronics of the drive unit 15. The battery of the drive unit 15 can be charged in a known manner at a charging station.

When the transport carriage 1 is mechanically coupled to the drive unit 15, electrical contacts can also be coupled to one another, so that an electrical connection is established between the battery or the accumulator of the drive unit 15 and the loading drive of the transport carriage 1. Alternatively, the transport trolley 1 can have electrical contacts which, when the transport trolley 1 is moved into the first working position in front of the oven 6, make contact with an electrical contact arranged there and ensure the power supply of the loading drives from the oven 6.

The drive unit 15 has a scanning laser 18 on the front and on the rear, which scans the space in front of it. The drive unit 15 is equipped with a powerful processor for creating the maps of the space in front of the scanning lasers 18. It is therefore possible that the drive unit 15 also takes over the control of the loading drive of the transport carriage 1. For this it is necessary that the electrical coupling means also couples signal channels to one another, which enable the transmission of control signals, e.g. allow for the feed drives of the trolley 1.

In Fig. 7 the trolley 1 is shown lying. The lower region of the transport carriage 1 forms the receiving region 16 for the drive unit 15. The transport carriage 1 can also be firmly connected to the drive unit 15. In this case, the rollers 5 at the lower ends of the side pillars of the transport carriage 1 are omitted and the rollers 29 of the drive unit 15 form the rollers of the transport carriage 1 in this case.

The connectable embodiment of the transport carriage 1 has the advantage that a large number of transport carriages 1 can be moved with very few drive units 15. If the drive units 15 fail, the transport carriages 1 can also be moved manually. In addition, as described below, it enables the transport trolley 1 to be driven, for example, into the baking chamber of a baking oven and left there for heat treatment without the drive unit 15 moving into the baking chamber. The floor plan of a work space of a bakery can be seen in FIG. 8, in which the method described here can be implemented. The work space has an occupancy table 30 on which baked goods can be prepared and placed on baking trays. A work position 20 for a transport carriage 1 is located next to the assignment table 30. A proofing cabinet 21 is also arranged in the working space, in front of which a further working position 22 is provided. Furthermore, an oven 6 is arranged next to the proofer 21, a working position 23 being provided in front of the front thereof. On the opposite side of the work space there is a sales counter 25, next to which a work position 24 is provided.

It is obvious that the different work positions and the associated treatment units or work stations can be provided at different locations, depending on the spatial conditions of the work space.

9, a first transport carriage 1 is arranged in the first working position 20 next to the occupancy table 30. This trolley is parked there for a longer period. It is currently not linked to a drive unit. The staff can prepare the baked goods, place them on baking trays and slide the baking trays into the transport racks of the transport trolley.

Likewise, a transport carriage 1 is parked in the fourth working position 25, which is not coupled to a drive unit.

In contrast, in the third working position 23 there is a transport carriage 1 which is coupled to a drive unit 15. The drive unit 15 was used to drive the transport carriage 1 either from the first working position 20 or from the second working position 22 to the third working position 23. Here, the transport racks 9, 10 are moved from the transport carriage 1 into the baking chambers of the oven 6. So that the dolly 1 is aligned precisely with the oven 6 during this process, the drive unit 15 remains coupled to the transport carriage 1 and blocks the rotation of the rollers or wheels of the drive unit 15.

It can be seen that both in front of the fermenter 21 and in front of the oven 6 there are fixing rods 26 which, when the transport carriage 1 approaches the fermenter 21 or the oven 6, the front of the transport carriage 1 to the opposite front Align the proofer 21 or the oven 6. The function of the fixing rods 26 essentially corresponds to that of the fixing element 13 from FIG. 1. This ensures that the transport trolleys 1 are positioned precisely in front of the proofing cabinet 21 or the oven 6, and the trouble-free movement of the transport frame 9, 10 from the transport trolley 1 into the proofing cabinet 21 or the oven 6 and back is ensured.

At the other working positions 20, 25, exact positioning is less important because here the baked goods carriers 11 are inserted individually and manually into the transport frames 9, 10 and removed therefrom. FIG. 8 shows a reason why the transport carriage 1 is preferably not provided with wall plates in the present method, at least on the front and rear. In the case of an open transport carriage 1, the baked goods carriers 11 can be introduced from both sides. It is also possible to design the loading drive in such a way that the transport frame 9, 10 can be moved out of the transport carriage 1 in both directions. Given such constructive requirements, it is possible to load the trolley 1 with baked goods carriers and baked goods from one side and to push the loaded transport frame 9, 10 out to the other side in order to feed it to the treatment unit. This reduces the need for turning operations, which are necessary in order to drive the transport carriage 1 to all working positions 20, 22, 23, 25 in a complex work space. Of course, the system described here is also suitable for work rooms that are separate from sales rooms. Further treatment units, for example packaging systems, to which the transport wagons 1 are driven can also be provided.

As an alternative to a transport trolley 1 with transport racks 9, 10, a transport trolley 1 'shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 can also be used, which is pushed together with the product carriers into an oven in order to bake off the products transported by the transport trolley 1' , It can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11 that the transport carriage 1 'consists of a frame 31 made of steel tubes, on which rails 32 which are opposite one another are arranged in pairs and into which baking trays (not shown) can be inserted as product carriers. In order to arrange as many products as possible on the transport trolley 1 ', the rails 32 extend into the lower region of the transport trolley 1' near the rollers 5. A receiving region is therefore missing. Instead, the drive unit 15 'is coupled directly to the frame 31 of the trolley 1' by means of gripping elements 33 and, as a transport frame for the product carriers, moves it completely into the baking space of the trolley oven 6 '. In Fig.

12 it can be seen that the gripping elements 33 are arranged on a telescopically extendable rod 34 which is fastened to the drive unit 15 'and forms a telescopic coupling device together with the gripping elements. The gripping element 33 can be detached from the transport trolley 1 ', for example in order to place it in a treatment unit 6' (trolley oven), the drive unit 15 'remaining outside the treatment unit 6'. In this way, the trolleys 1 'can be moved into and out of the trolley oven 6' without moving the drive unit 15 'and its rollers 29 into the trolley oven 6' and exposing them to the large flaps there. When the gripping elements 33 are released from the frame 31 of the transport carriage 1 ', a parking brake (not shown) can be activated in order to prevent the transport carriage 1' from rolling away. The features of the invention disclosed in the present description, in the drawings and in the claims can be essential both individually and in any combination for realizing the invention in its various embodiments. The invention is not restricted to the described embodiments. It can be varied within the scope of the claims and taking into account the knowledge of the responsible specialist.

Reference numerals list

1, r dolly

2 door panels

3 door panel

4 cover plate

5 roll

6 oven, treatment center

6 trolley oven, treatment center

7 upper baking chamber

8 lower baking chamber

9 transport frame

1 0 transport frame

1 1 product carrier, baking sheet

1 2 roller

1 3 fixation elements

14 loading tool

1 5, 1 5 'drive unit

1 6 Recording area

1 7 cover

1 8 scanning lasers

1 9 coupling elements

20 working position

21 proofing cabinet, treatment center

22 working position 23 working position

24 working position

25 sales counter

26 fixation rod

27 Upper baking chamber door 28 Lower baking chamber door

29 rollers of the drive unit

30 occupancy table

31 frame, transport frame

32 rail

33 gripping element

34 telescopic rod

Claims

Expectations

1 . Device for the treatment of foods, with at least one treatment unit (6, 6 ', 21), which has at least one treatment room (7, 8), which is set up for receiving product carriers (11) with foods, and with at least one a transport trolley (1, 1 ') which has rollers and at least one transport frame (9, 10, 31) for a plurality of product carriers (11) which can be introduced into the treatment room (7, 8), and which into one first working position (20-24) can be rolled on the treatment unit (6, 6 ', 21), characterized in that it has at least one movable drive unit (15, 15') which is connected to the transport carriage (1, 1 ') can be coupled or coupled, and that the drive unit (15) has a navigation system and is set up to automatically move the transport carriage (1) at least into the first working position (20-24).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the transport trolley (1) in the first working position (22, 23) is aligned with the treatment unit (6, 21), around the product carrier (11) or the transport frame (9, 10) with product carriers (1 1) to move from the transport trolley (1) to the treatment unit or back, and that a loading drive for moving the loading frame or the product carriers (1 1) between the treatment unit (6, 21) and the transport unit - Gen (1) is provided when the transport carriage (1) is in the first working position (20).

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first working position is within the treatment unit (6 ').

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the movable drive unit (15 ') has a telescopic coupling device (33, 34) which pushes the transport carriage (1') into the treatment unit (6 ') and out of the treatment unit ( 6 ') moves while the Mobile drive unit (15 ') is located outside the treatment unit (6').

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a plurality of transport carriages (1, T) and that the at least one drive unit (15, 15 ') can be coupled to each of the transport carriages (1, 1') ,

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each transport carriage (1) has in the lower section a receiving area (16) into which the drive unit (15) can be moved.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the receiving area (16) has at least one of the following:

- mechanical coupling means (19) for mechanically coupling the drive unit (15) to the trolley (1);

- Electrical coupling means for electrically coupling the drive unit (15) to the trolley (1).

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that it has a plurality of transport carriages (1) and each transport carriage (1) is coupled to a drive unit (15).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has at least one further working position (20-24) and the drive unit (15, 15 ') and the navigation system is set up to automatically move the transport carriage (1, 1') into to drive the at least one other working position (20-24).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two of the following units are equipped with data interfaces for data communication: • the treatment unit (6,6 ', 21);

• the trolley (1, 1 ');

• the drive unit (15, 15 ');

• the navigation system.

1 1. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the treatment room (7, 8) of the treatment unit (6, 21) has a door (27, 28) which is provided with a door drive for automatic opening and closing.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loading drive is arranged on one of the following:

• on the treatment center (6, 21),

On the trolley (1),

• on the drive unit (15).

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the feed drive and electrical coupling means for the power supply of the feed drive are arranged on the transport carriage (1), which with complementary electrical coupling means on the drive unit (15) or on the treatment unit (6, 21) can be coupled.

14. Method for loading a treatment unit (6, 6 ', 21) for food, which has at least one treatment room (7, 8), which is set up to receive product carriers (11) with food, in which at least one transport trolley ( 1, 1 '), which has at least one transport frame (9, 10, 31) for a plurality of product carriers (1 1) and rollers, in a first working position (20-24) on the treatment unit (6, 6', 21) is rolled, characterized in that at least one drive unit (15), which has a navigation system, with the trans- port trolley (1, 1 ') can be coupled or coupled, which automatically moves the trolley (1, 1') at least into the first working position (20-24).

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the transport carriage (1) is positioned in a first working position (22, 23) near the treatment unit (6, 21) in order to hold the product carrier (9, 10) or the transport frame ( 9, 10) with product carriers (1 1) to be moved from the trolley (1) to the treatment center (6, 21) or back by means of a feed drive.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the movable drive unit (15) has a telescopic coupling device (33, 34) which pushes the transport carriage (1 ') into the treatment unit (6') and out of the treatment unit (1 ') pulls while the movable drive unit (15') is outside the treatment unit (1 ').

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that a plurality of transport carriages (1) is present and that the drive unit (15) is selectively coupled to each of the transport carriages (1).

18. The method as claimed in one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that it has at least one further working position (20-24) and is set up to automatically move the transport carriage (1, 1 ') into the at least one further working position (20-24) to drive.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that at least two of the following units communicate with one another via data interfaces:

• the treatment unit (6,6 '21);

• the trolley (1, 1 '); · The drive unit (15, 15 ');

• the navigation system.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that a signal for actuating a door of the treatment room (7, 8) is transmitted to the treatment unit (6, 21) via the data interface.

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