GB2247150A - Machine for loading sausages into curing carriages - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for loading sausages into curing carriages comprises a framework having an opening for entry of a curing carriage 20, means 22 for guiding wheels 23 of carriage 20 in through the opening, means 24 for securing the carriage in the framework, first and second carriers 1, 2 guided in upward and downward directions by first and second guide means 3, 4, first carrier 1 comprising pivotable means for receiving elongate members (12) carrying sausages (13)(Fig.2 not shown) and for transferring the elongate members to carrier 2, carrier 2 including horizontally extending arms 5 provided with endless conveyors 6 for receiving said elongate members transferred from the pivotable means, means for advancing conveyors 6 in appropriate discrete steps, means for moving carrier 1 between a level at which said elongate members (72) can be loaded onto the carrier and one or more higher levels at which said elongate members can be transferred to conveyors, 6, means for moving carrier means 2 with arms 5 and conveyors 6 upwardly and downwardly between different levels for receiving said elongate members (12) from carrier 1 and for transferring said elongate members to arms 21 of carriage 20. <IMAGE>

Description

SAUSAGE LOADING MACHINE FOR CURING CARRIAGES DE9CRIPrION FIEND OF THE INVENTION This invention is referred to a sausage loading machine for curing carriages.

These carriages have several floors and a rolling structure, so they can be moved from the packing facilities to the curing chambers, following the conventional process to achieve the optimum consumption conditionsw BACJGROUND OF THE INVENTION Until now, sausage loading, from the facilities in which the meat mass in introduced into the tripe to the rolling carriages in which the sausages are hung from during the drying phase in one or more chambers, has been carried out by hand using abundant labour and spending forty five minutes or more when the number of Foors in up to six The largest part of facilities in a sausages factory, ie. pork meat, are automatic and generally they work in the transference of meat from the mincers and the kneading machines to the packing machines Once the tripe in full of meat and mechanically tied at its ends, the piece is hung from a bar forming a group with other pieces, which number varies according to the piece sizes From the moment in which the piece is packed, tied and hung form the bar it starts the curing process, which must be done in very critical humidity and temperature conditions at big chambers, with air renewal and at low temperatures.

The bars from which the sausage are hung generally are disposed in between two lateral supports that act as crossbars. These carriages have two meters or more of height, with supporting wings at different beight levels that deter the number of floors. They are totally or partiaiiy according to the sausage sizes, being necessary to let a space to allow an homogeneous drying of each sausage piece in the curing process The carriages therefore are constituted by a metal structure provided with wheels so they can be easily moved, with or witbout any load,both automatically and manually.

When the sausage pieces has finisbed the whole curing process and are ready for consumption they pass, hung from the carriages, to the stores to be labeled wrapped and fitted together by mechanical means.

It is then evident that in the middle of the process it exists a part that is not carried out automatically, and specifically we refer to the manual loading of the carriages This part needs the collaboration of a minimum of two persons taking the bars with the hung sausages, placing them at different floors of the carriage, where the upper floor is over two meters and the lower floor is under one meter.

It has been said that it is emplqyed a minimum of forty fnne minutes to bad a carriage which mathematically will result in a production average of approximately ten carriages per working day. However, in the reality, human fatigue lovers the However, it is not the labour performance fact the determining factor, but the psico physical conditions of the work to be carry out, since for each floor there is 7 to 16 bars and for each carriage 28 to 96 bars which placing requires a continuous gt aixi and down in a tired and monotonous job.

Each one of the bars admits, according to the sizes, 7 to 16 pieces, it means that each noor has a capacity of 49 to 256 pieces and consequently each admits a minimum of 4 x 49pieces, to a maximum of 6 x 256, it means that we are dealing with a production that varies from 4 x 49 x 8 carriages equal to 1,568 pieces per day to a maximum of small pieces of 6 x 256 x 8 carriages, it means 12.288 pieces, which weight is equivalent to the one of bigger size.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the sausage loading machines for curing carriages according to the invention are capable to load up to 20 carriages per work day in a mechanical way. It is evident that the problem solved by the machine is important in relation to the hnnn resources of the sauvage factory, sinoe it dllrvs, first, a redistribution of these resources, second, a better planning of of the production and fiiIIly a reaction of laboor direct costs that vEl allow a lower selling price.

As it has been said, the loading operation is done until now manually, there is not any machine or gadget to carry out this operation and mentioned any record of the invention. It is a conceptually a new machine, and the mechanical solution that presents is own and ingenious starting from handling and control elements related to the present technology, being all the merit of the invention in the ingenious system used and not of the particular way it has been mechanically solved The machine proposed by the inventor is prepared to place the bars with the hung sausages into the corresponding floor or level of the carriage, placing the appropriate number of bars in each floor ani setting w the levels - depending the size or length of the pieces being loaded.

To give the machine a wider selecting and operating capacity, it is controlled by a microprocessor with one or more programs, with all the possible variables tbat makes tbe machine operatively selective in function of the type (size and weigth) of the pieces to be loaded.

It incoporates, besides of the microprocessor, an inhibiting circuit that stops the automatic operative cycle when the workday is stopped and a carriage is not totally full, in such a way that the carriage can be inmediately moved to a cold chamber in order saintain the biological conditions of the sausage, avoiding not desired pbenonena that could negatively affect the product However, it is not this electronic part the purpose of this invention, bacause the used technology is conventional, both in the component and operative aspects of the complex.

The machine is fundamentally defined because it consists in a combination of two skids, both witb upstroke and downstroke, and one slave to the other which will be called the master.

The master skid incorporates two horizontal arms and in each arm there are two conveyor belts that advance in the same direction, in a synchronisation way, and without any inertia The slave skid, also ascending and descending, incorporates tilting forks, being its loading position always at the same height, while the upstroke and downstroke is determined by the position of work of the horizontal arms Both skids descnbe their upstroke and downstroke guided by columns and the elevation means could be pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or combined Column guides are supported in a bed of sic stiucre that that sents an opening at the skids opposite face allowing the pass of tbe curing carriage to be placed in the structure, remaining placed and retained.

Each curing carriage is constituted by two laterals and by a bracing system by crossbars; each lateral has at the same level two opposite wings; tbesewings have the mission of retaining tbe' spars the sausages are banged from. Out of the upper and lower crossbars, the carriage, once placed in the loader structure,renains placed and immobile. For this purpose, the structure presents at the level of the ground guide rails for the carriage which, as it has been said, is conventionally rolled and rseQxntly easily introduced to the top of the placing prepared in the loader structure, which is provided with retcntion means for the carriage, as for example hydraulic or pneumatic pistons.

Master skid arms pass in a free way up down inside the carriage, incorporating sensors that determine their placing in respect to the level of placing of the arms in relation with the arms prepared in tbe carriage, normally some centimeters above them.

By the other hand, the slave skid also incorporates sensors thanks to which it detects the position of the master skid wbatever it is its position The slave skid tilting forks receive always at the same loading level the spars from which the sausages are hung and a presence detector activates inmediately the elevation means of the skid until it achieves the azroyiat-e levd in respect to the master skid.The fork tilting means activate at the upstroke end, advancing in an ascending curve path to place the bar that institutes the spar, from which the sausages are hung, on the arms; the stroke end of the tilting fork is under the level of the horizontal arms in such a way that hefoce ad'i'evir this position the spar is free on the said arms.

It has been specified that the arms are provided with synchronized conveyor belts, so the spar loading the wsage remains r directly on the belts which are conven- tional and endless and preferably electrically activated by means of an electro motor which is ntrolledby amicroprocessor which program memory register the length of the supporting wings for the spar loading the sausages.It is enough to introduce a program option to allow the processor to establish the separation betweeen the spars and the number of spars for each floor or level, so, the endless belts of the arms advance step by step each time they receive a spar loading the sausage, in such a way that when the number of spars disposed in the belts is determined by the microprocessor, the slave skid remains non-operative while the master skid descends letting the spar loading the sausages supported on the wings prepared in the curing carriage.

The master skid downstroke is extended until the sensor detects another loading level, a level that it must not accessarw be the inmediately lower onc, but that one determined in the loading program.

With this selective intention, the microprocessor work program admits different options so each curing carriage can be loaded in a particular way depending on the production need.

The loading action starts in the upper level and the horizontal arms are placed above this level, in such a way that once the upper level is saturated, the lower levels are also loaded, and afterwards all the complex remains in repose, since the means that retain the carriage to the loader set free.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWiNGS The invention is further described belov by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. I shows a schematic view of the carriage loader, plus the curing carriage according to a specific realization.

Fig. 2 shows a rear elevation view of the carriage loader according to the view of Fig 1.

F. 3 shows a lateral elevation view raised of the carriage loader carriage according to Figs. 1 and 2.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INV iTION Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises two skids 1 and 2 both with upstroke and downstroke by the guides 3 and 4.

The skid 1 that plays in the guides 3 is slave of the skid 2 or master skid that play in the column guides 4. The master skid 2 incorporates two horizontal arms 5 with an endless conveyor belt 6 in each one; both belts 6 are synchronized and advance step by step, and each step to advance is determined by the control of a microprocessor.The technology of the microprocessor, its program and the variables introduced in it are not significant for the purpose of the invention It is significant the fact that the number of steps to advance in an advance cycle of the endless conveyor belts 6 is the result of dividing a constant -the length of the supporting guides of the carriage by the number of spars deposited on theguides, and that the number of spars is a variable to be introduced in eacb carriage admission loading level It is not necessary that the electrical motor that activates the belt to be of the type step-by-step.It is enough a common motor to which it is connected an advancing and direction sensor to control the advance and its direction So, the master skid 2 is a complex ascending and descending by guide columns 4 , incorporating sensors 7 that indicate the level, a level that it is indicated by the reception wings that conventionally exist in a loading carriage.

The horizontal arms 5 are disposed on bracings 8 and rigidified by diagonal bracings 9.

The slave skid 1 that plays in the column guide 3 presents forks 10 that tilt by mechanical means with an hydraulic of pneumatic actioning, ended in supporting terminals 11 for the skids loading the sausages 12 from which are hung the pieces 13 salamiforexample.

In the case of the example, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 14 acts as an elevating mean of the master skid 2 the cylinder 15 activates the slave skid 1.

The column guides 3 and 4 are located in a bed 16 integrated in a structure 17 with an upper semi-bed 18 that rigidifies the complex, a complex that allows a rearaccess indicated by an arrow '19 where the carriage 20 is introduced.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, the carriage 20 presents in its laterals supporting arms 21 where the spars loading sa 12 with the pieces 13 are placed appropriately separated by the division action at a constant step of the endless conveyor belts, In the spar 16 it has been prepared two guide rails 22 for the wheeks 23 of the carriage 20 so when this carriage 20 is placed it remains at line and at level; slso, it has been prepared two TOtOntioD means 24, constituted, for example, by persons, peuratic or hydraulic means that immobilize the curing carriage acting automaticaly when the sensors, for example pholoelectric cells, note the presense of the carriage 20.

According to what it has been said and referred in the drawings, first we will introduce the empty carriage into the machine, in order to be detected by the sensors and consequently immobilize the carriage 20.

In an immédiate sequence, the master skid 2 is elevated automatically towards the upper level Of the carriage defined by the supporting wings 21 which will be detected by sensors not not in the dri to set the horizontal arms 3 approximately three centimeter above the plans of the supporting wings 21 Simultaneously, by the microprocessor electronic means of the machine control panel 25, and according to the introduced option, it will be decided the loaded density, a density that can be modified at any loading level during the loading process of the same carriage 20 .

The spars 12 loaded with the sausage pieces 13 will be disposed in the supporting terminals 11 of the forks 10, spar detectors, not represenled in the drawings detectors that could be optical or mechanical by contact- will activate the skid 1 which will move to the beight where the skid '2 is with the arms 5 tilting the forks to deposit the spar 11 with its load on the endless belts 6 placed in the arms 5 , which, according to the program option introduced, will advance a step while the slave skid 1 will return to the starting point, it will take a new load and it will repeat the cycle until the saturation of the loading leveL When the loading level, according to what it has been prepared, is completed, the master skid will descend to meet the lower level that could be or not the iaiediate one, depending on the variable loading introduced in the electronic control system.

When the master skid 2 is descending,tbe spars 12 with their load will be retained in the supporting wings 21 of the carriage 20 .

When the master carriage 2 detects that it is in the late floor of the lower level of the carriage 20 and once completed the load it will remain in repose, it will set free the level and it will unsink the means of retention of the carriage 20 that could be extracted in order to start a new loading cycle.

Finally, it is not considered necessary to extend this description since any specialist in this matter will understand the scope of this invention and the important advantages derived from it, understanding that the materials, sbape, size and disposifon of the elements could be varied if it not produce an alternation of the essence of the invention which description must be understood in a wide and non-limitalive sense.

Preferred or otherwise optional features of the invention uay be summarized as follows.

1. A sausage loading machine for curing carriages that have been prepared to be used with conventional curing carriages (20) that admit spars (12) with saussges (13) hung from. It is characterized because it is consituted by two skids, the master (2) and the slave (1) which transfers to the skid (2) by tilting the spars (12) with the sausage load, being the skid (2) provided with horizontal arms (5) provided with endless conveyor belts (6) on which it is disposed the spars (12), belts (6), that are activated by micro-electro motors controlled w conventional means for the advance steps that result from dividing the useful length of the wing (21) of supporting of the carriage (20) by the number of spars (12) to dispose there, being the skids (1 and 2) disposed in guide columns (3 and 4) jointed to a spar (16) and a semi-spar (18) that rigidifies a structure (17) with an access (19) in front of the guide rail (22) where it is centered and placed the carriage (20), which remains immobile by means of retention (24) prepared in the structure (17).

L A sausage loading machine for curing carriages according to a 1, charac- terized because the master carriage (2)starts its working cycle elevating above the upper loading level of the curing level (20) and holding the load on the endless belts (6) until the completion of the prepared loading, depositing the totality of the load on the supporting wings (21) prepared in the curing carriage (20) in a descending movemenL 3.A sausage loading machine for curing carriage accoding to Summary 1, characte- rived because the slave skid (1) is provided with tilting forks (10) in which ends there are supporting terminals (11) with loading sensors that activate the activa ting means when they detect the spar (12) loading pieces (13), being the slave skid (1) provided with an descending movement to achieve the level where the arms (5) of the master carriage (2) are, and with a descending movement towards a loading admission level which is a constant.

4. A sausage loading machine for curing carriage according to Summary 1 and 3, characterized because the tilting f (10) dede a tilting towards tbe horizontal arms (5) of the master skid (2) that elevate the spar (12) above the said arms and finally deqositing tbe spar an them.

5. A sausage loading machine for curing carriage according to Summary 1, characte- rized beca'sethe tilting forks (10) of the slave skid act inside the arms(5) of the masterskid, remaininginside thelight (arc) determined by the wings (12) of the curing carriage.

Claims (6)

1. A machine for loading sausages into curing carriages, comprising: a framework having an opening for entry of a curing carriage into the framework, means for guiding the curing carriage in through the opening, means for securing the curing carriage at a predetermined position in the framework, first and second guide means with which the framework is provided, first and second carriers guided in upward and downward directions by the first and second guide means respectively, the first carrier means including limbs for receiving elongate members carrying sausages, which limbs can be pivoted for loading of such elongate members onto said limbs and for transfer of such elongate members to the second carrier means, the second carrier including horizontally extending arms provided with endless conveyors for receiving said elongate members transferred from the first transfer means, means for advancing the conveyor means in discrete steps corresponding in length to a desired distance between the elongate members when loaded onto the curing carriage, means for moving the first carrier upwardly and downwardly between a level at which said elongate members can be loaded onto said limbs to one or more levels at which said elongate members can be transferred from said limbs to said conveyors, means for moving the second carrier means upwardly and downwardly between different levels for receiving said elongate members from the first carrier and for transferring said elongate members, spaced apart by said step-wise movement of the conveyor means, to the curing carriage.

2. A machine acording to claim 1 wherein during loading of a curing carriage, the first carrier means is held at successively lower levels for receiving elongate members following each previous transfer of elongate members to the curing carriage.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the limbs of the first carrier are provided with sensors for detecting an elongate member being loaded onto said limbs, detection of such loading causing such limbs to pivot and the first carrier to move to a level at which said elongate member can be transferred to the conveyor means of the second carrier.

4. A machine according to any of claims 1 to 3, and wherein the curing carriages comprise supports for the elongate members, the machine including sensors for detecting the level of such supports and means for controlling the level of the second carrier in accordance with said detected levels of the supports.

5. A machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the conveyor means comprises a pair of conveyor belts.

6. A machine for loading sausages into curing carriages substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.