WO1998032660A1

WO1998032660A1 - Dosage machine

Info

Publication number: WO1998032660A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/000086
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karl-Gunnar Engman
Original assignee: Engman Karl Gunnar
Priority date: 1997-01-24
Filing date: 1998-01-21
Publication date: 1998-07-30
Also published as: AU5787498A; SE9700202L; SE9700202D0; SE508385C2

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of dosage of foodstuff into a consumer package, preferably minced meat into trays in a food shop, the procedure of transferring the foodstuff from a feeding out station to the consumer packages and of feeding the packages forwards and taking away the same being made in an automatic way. According to the invention the method is characterized by the combination of the following steps: one package (6) at a time from a pile with empty packages in a cassette (4) arranged in a frame (3) is fed down onto an essentially horizontal surface of the frame; the package (6) is further taken to a feeding out end of a meat mincer (1) or the like, at which end minced meat or some similar foodstuff is fed down into the package, at the same time as this one is taken away from the feeding out end; a new package (11) is fed forwards to the mentioned feeding out end at the same time as the package (17), filled with the foodstuff, is taken away for making room for the new package. The invention also relates to a machine for carrying out the method.

Description

This invention relates to a method of dosage of food-stuff into a consumer package, preferably minced meat into trays in a food shop, the procedure of transferring the food-stuff from a feeding out station to the consumer package being made in an automatic way.

According to the technique utilized in food shops today, the packaging of minced meat is made in that way that a person is standing at the feeding out end of the meat mincer and manually with his hand cuts off the string of the minced meat when a sufficient amount of meat has been fed out. This work is both time-consuming and stressful, especially if the dosage, i.e. the putting of minced meat into the tray, should be made as quickly as the meat mincer feeds out minced meat. Therefore there exists a great need in the market of a machine carrying out the dosage in a mechanized and automatized way.

The purpose of this invention is to meet the mentioned needs and to provide such a machine, which shall be described more closely in the following description and in the accompanying claims. A preferred embodiment of the invention shall be described with refer- ence to the accompanying drawings, where Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the machine with certain parts taken away, Fig. 2 shows a view of an essentially complete machine, seen in the direction of the arrows II-II in Fig. 1, Fig. 2a shows a rocker means being an integral part of the machine, Fig. 3 shows a part of the machine, seen in the direction of the arrows III-III, in a first sequence, Fig. 4 shows the same view as Fig. 3, but in a second sequence, and Fig. 5 shows a detailed design of a portion of the machine.

The method of function of the new machine is described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

The machine is connected to a meat mincer 1 , which is fixed against a rod or a pipe 2, which projects up from a frame 3 positioned on the floor, and comprises a cassette 4 with trays, which cassette is also fastened on one 5 or more rods which projects up from the floor frame 3.

From the cassette 4 is one tray 6 at a time intended to be brought down onto an essentially horizontal surface comprising of two rails 7, 8, positioned at a distance from each other, on which the tray 6 is intended to be able to slide in the direction towards the meat mincer. This linear sliding movement on the rails 7, 8 is carried out by means of a first 9 and a second 10 driver arm, the first arm 9 being intended to be in a contact with a tray 11, which is in a position between the meat mincer and the cassette, and which when the arm 9 makes a linear movement moves to a position under the meat mincer. The second driver arm 10 is intended to go into contact with that tray 6 which has been fed down from and is positioned under the cassette, the tray 6 being moved to that position the tray 11 had before its movement to the position under the meat mincer.

The driver arms 9, 10 are arranged on a driver device 12 which is forced to the linear movement by means of a compressed-air cylinder 13, the piston 14 of which is connected with the mentioned driver device 12. The piston 14 is also connected with a device 15 which is intended to push away that tray which has been provided with minced meat, and which has been fed forwards on a roller conveyor 16 in a direction which is essentially perpendicular to the linear movement direction of the trays 6 and 11. According to the invention that tray 17 that shall be filled with minced meat is fed forwards on the roller conveyor 16 to that position it has when it is pushed away by the expulsion device 15, by means of the string itself of minced meat 18 (see Figs. 3, 4), the movement being made by the fact that the string of minced meat exerts a pressure against the front edge of the tray 17. In order that the movement of the tray on the roller conveyor shall be made in a right way, the machine is provided with two horizontal guides 19, 20, one at each side of the tray 17, and a vertical guide 21.

When the tray 17 has moved the intended distance (Fig. 4), a signal is received from a photocell means 22. This signal controls a knife means 23, driven by a compressed air, which goes down and cuts off the string of minced meat 18 towards the edge of a slide plate 24.

On the mentioned signal also the compressed-air cylinder 13 for the linear movement is reacting and pushes forward partly the driver arms 9, 10, partly the expulsion device 15. As is apparent from Fig. 1, there is in neutral position a certain distance between the front portion of the device 15 and the roller conveyor. The time it takes for the expul- sion device 15 to cover this distance is the same as or longer than the time it takes for the knife means 23 to cut off the string 18 of minced meat. Therefore, the cutting off procedure is terminated when the expulsion device 15 hits the tray 17.

In order that the linear movement of the trays on the rails 7, 8 shall be made in the intended way, the first driver arm 9 has to be able partly to be raised from an essential hori- zontal position to that position it has in Fig. 2, partly to be lowered from the last mentioned position to the essentially horizontal position. This is made by the fact that the driver arm 9 partly is pivotally journalled in the driver device 12, partly is fixedly connected with a rocker means 25, which is intended to slide against the underside of the rail 8. This rocker means 25 has the design of a rectangle, the upper long side of which is bevelled towards both directions when going out from the mid point of the long side, having a radius.

When making a linear movement forwards, the one bevelling 26 of the rocker means will be in a contact with the underside of the rail 8, which means that the driver arm 10 takes the position, directed obliquely upwards, whereas the other bevelling 27 of the rocker means is laid in contact with the underside of the rail 8 when the driver arm 12 makes a returning movement, which results in an essentially horizontal position for the driver arm 10. In order that the rocker means 25 shall have a good contact with the underside of the rail 8 so that there is a sufficient friction between them, a spring means 28 is arranged which forces the driver device 12 and by that the rocker means 25 vertically upwards.

In Fig. 5 is shown a device for drawing down a tray, placed in the cassette, to a position where the tray rests on the two rails 7, 8. This device comprises a vertically positioned and compressed-air controlled piston means 29, which at its top part is provided with a sucking cup 30. This sucking cup is intended to go into engagement with the lowerest lying tray in the cassette in that moment when the driver device 12 has returned to its resting position, i.e. that position it has in Figs. 1, 2, the piston means with the sucking cup drawing down the tray towards the top side of the rails 7, 8.

Claims

1. A method of dosage of food-stuff into a consumer package, preferably minced meat into trays in a food shop, the procedure of transferring the food-stuff from a feeding out station to the consumer packages and of feeding the packages forwards and taking away the same being made in an automatic way, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the combination of the following steps:

- One package at a time from a pile with empty packages in a cassette arranged in a frame is fed down onto an essentially horizontal surface of the frame;

The package is further taken to a feeding out end of a meat mincer or the like, at which end minced meat or something similar food-stuff is fed down into the package, at the same time as this one is taken away from the feeding out end;

- A new package is fed forwards to the mentioned feeding out end at the same time as the package, filled with the food-stuff, is taken away for making room for the new package; and - The package into which the food-stuff is fed down is taken away from the mentioned feeding out end by the force that the food-stuff itself, fed out, generates.

2. A machine for dosage of food-stuff into a consumer package, preferably minced trays meat into trays in a food shop, the procedure of transferring the food-stuff from a feeding out station to the consumer packages and of feeding the packages forwards and taking them away being made in an automatic way, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the combination of the following features:

- The machine comprises a frame (3) carrying up a cassette (4) with empty packages (6) which shall be filled with a food-stuff and a device for feeding out the food-stuff to the mentioned packages; - The machine is designed in that way that one package at a time can be fed down onto the frame and be taken to the feeding out end of the mentioned device where the package is filled with food-stuff;

- The machine is designed in that way that the package 17, filled with food-stuff, is taken away in a direction which is essentially perpendicular to the direction in which the empty package is fed forwards, at the same time as an empty package

(11) is fed forwards to the mentioned feeding out end; - The machine comprises means (23) which on a signal from a sensor (22) cuts off the food-stuff (18), fed out, and other means (9, 10, 12-15), which at the same time take away the package (17) filled with food-stuff and feed forwards an empty package (6).

3. A machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the means taking away the package, filled with food-stuff, and feeding forward an empty package comprises a first (9) and a second (10) driver arm, which are arranged on a driver device (12), which is movable to and from by means of a compressed-air cylinder (13), the piston (14) of which is connected with the mentioned driver device (12), and that the piston (14) also is connected with an expulsion device (15) for the package.

4. A machine according to claim 2 or 3, the empty packages (6, 11) being intended to slide on the surface comprising two parallel rails (7, 8), arranged at a distance from each other, characterized in that the first driver arm (9) is pivotally journalled in the driver device (12) and fixedly connected with a rocker means (25), which is intended to slide against the underside of the rail (8) and has the design of a square or a rectangle, the upper longside of which is bevelled towards both directions when going out from the midpoint of the long side having a radius.

5. A machine according to any one of the claims 2-4, characterized in that the feeding down of a package (6) onto the frame (3) is made by means of a compres- sed-air controlled piston means (29), which is movable in the vertical direction and provided with a suction cup (30) at its top part, which suction cup is intended to go into engagement with the lowerest lying package (6) in the cassette (4).

6. A machine according to anyone of the claims 2-5, characterized in that the movement of the cutting means (23) is made by a compressed-air driven piston means.