Gripping device for a cutting machine

Abstract

Gripping device for gripping one end of a strand-shaped food product in a cutting machine, comprising a support frame (2) which can be detachably connected to a feed device (53) of a cutting machine (5) without the need for tools, and the support frame holds a first claw bar (31) and a second claw bar (32) such that they are arranged opposite one another and run parallel to one another, and the second claw bar (32) is mounted on the support frame (2) so as to be linearly movable in the direction of the first claw bar (31) or away from the first claw bar, wherein the two claw strips (31, 32) each have a plate-shaped base body (311, 321) which is connected at one end to the support frame (2) and has at its other end a plurality of tips (312, 322) for holding a strand-shaped foodstuff, wherein the tips of both claw strips are each angled relative to the plate-shaped base body (311, 321) and are arranged at a distance from the support frame (2) in the direction of a strand-shaped foodstuff to be held, characterized by that a third claw bar (33) is mounted on the support frame (2) in such a way that it is arranged at right angles to the first claw bar (31) and to the second claw bar (32).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a gripping device according to the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] In practice, such gripping devices are used to secure strand-like food products in a cutting machine or slicer. In a cutting machine, a driven cutting blade is used to cut individual slices from the strand-like food product. A slicer also uses a driven cutting blade to cut food products. However, a slicer typically operates at a much higher cutting speed, so a good gripping of the food product is particularly important in a slicer.

[0003] US Pat. No. 1,748,685 A discloses a gripping device for a cutting machine. It has two parallel claw bars for securing meat to a cutting carriage. The upper claw bar has a series of long points that can be moved toward the lower claw bar to hold pieces of meat.

[0004] From GB 391 717 A a gripping device for cutting machines is known which has three rows of gripping hooks which are pivotally mounted on a plate and can each be pivoted about a pivot axis for gripping meat or sausage.

[0005] DE 10 2005 010 184 A1 discloses a gripper for a slicer suitable for strand-shaped food products with rounded ends. This gripper has contact surfaces that engage positively with one end of the strand-shaped food product, as well as pivoting gripping hooks that hold the strand-shaped food product in place.

[0006] From US 1 276 135 A a gripping device for a cutting machine is known, which has a claw bar with a plurality of tips in order to hold strand-shaped foodstuffs.

[0007] DE 1 794 345 U discloses a gripping device for strand-shaped material to be cut, consisting of a plate to which a rounded end piece of the material to be cut can be attached. The gripping device comprises holders with prongs that grip the rounded end piece and hold it attached to the plate.

[0008] DE 20 2011 005 113 U1 shows a bread slicing machine for slicing loaves of bread with a gripping device with pivoting gripping hooks that hold the loaf of bread.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a gripping device for gripping an end piece of a strand-shaped foodstuff, which can be used in a cutting machine or a slicer and, in particular, grips differently shaped end pieces of strand-shaped foodstuffs in a stable and secure manner.

[0010] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a gripping device having the features of claim 1, as well as by a gripping device having the features of claim 10.

[0011] The gripping device according to the invention comprises a support frame that movably supports two mutually parallel claw bars. It is provided that the two claw bars each comprise a plate-shaped base body, which is connected to the support frame at one end and has claws with a plurality of tips at its other end for gripping a strand-shaped food item. The tips of both claw bars are each angled relative to the plate-shaped base body and spaced from the support frame in the direction of a strand-shaped food item to be gripped.

[0012] The tips of the claw bars, which are spaced apart from the support frame, allow the end of the product to be cut to engage a receiving space located between the support and the tips. This allows the tips to always engage a point on the food with a sufficiently large diameter, regardless of the shape or radius of the end of a strand-shaped food item to be gripped. This ensures that a sufficient holding force can always be transferred to the strand-shaped food, regardless of its end shape.

[0013] In particular, the support frame can be designed as a stop for the end piece of a strand-shaped food product or can have a stop for the end piece of a strand-shaped food product. This provides additional storage for the strand-shaped food product in the form of the stop.

[0014] The stable mounting of the gripping device also makes it possible to safely grip rigid foods, such as semi-frozen foods or hard sausages.

[0015] An embodiment according to the invention provides that the claw strips each have a plurality of tips for holding a strand-shaped food, wherein the tips are arranged at a distance from the support frame in the direction of a strand-shaped food to be held, and the support frame has a stop for a food strand and the distance between the stop and the tips is adjustable.

[0016] The adjustable stop allows the gripping device to be adapted to the dimensions or shape of one end of a strand-shaped food product. For strand-shaped food products with gently curved edges, the stop can be set to a smaller size without affecting the holding force. On the other hand, for strand-shaped food products with large radii or large curved edges, the stop can be adjusted to a large distance so that the tips of the claw strips can grip a sufficiently large diameter of the food product to ensure the strand-shaped food product is held securely. Since the end held by the grippers cannot be cut open in a cutting machine, this remainder counts as offcuts or waste. The adjustable stop makes it possible to keep this offcuts as low as possible.This results in particularly stable storage of a strand-shaped food product while minimizing waste and cuttings.

[0017] To achieve a particularly good holding force, the invention provides that a third claw bar is mounted on the support frame such that it is arranged at right angles to the first claw bar and the second claw bar. In particular, the third claw bar can have a plate-shaped base body that is connected to the support frame at one end and has claws with a plurality of tips at its other end for holding a strand-shaped food item, the tips being angled relative to the plate-shaped base body.

[0018] A stable yet compact design provides that the plate-shaped base body of the first claw bar is supported on an outer side, preferably on the underside of the support frame, and that the second claw bar is mounted on the support frame so as to be movable, in particular linearly displaceable toward or away from the first claw bar. The second claw bar can be locked or fixed in the desired position via a locking device arranged on the support frame. The locking device can preferably have a plurality of locking positions in order to fix the second claw bar virtually continuously at one of these locking positions.

[0019] In order to enable a comfortable insertion of cutting material or strand-shaped food into the gripping device in one embodiment, it can be provided that the second claw bar is detachably connected to the support frame via a coupling.

[0020] The coupling can have a bolt arranged on the claw bar, which engages, preferably in a form-fitting manner, in a recess arranged on the support frame. Alternatively, the coupling can have a bolt arranged on the support frame, which engages, preferably in a form-fitting manner, in a recess arranged on the claw bar.

[0021] Convenient and ergonomically favorable insertion of the product to be cut or the strand-shaped food is made possible in one embodiment by providing that the first and third claw bars have a plurality of tips that are inclined in the direction of a diagonal of the support frame. The product to be cut can, for example, be conveniently inserted into the gripping device after removal of the uppermost or second claw bar and pressed by pressure in a diagonal direction onto the tips of the first claw bar and the third claw bar. The uppermost claw bar can then be reconnected to the support frame via the coupling and, by lowering the uppermost or second claw bar towards the product to be cut, their tips can be pressed into the product to be cut.

[0022] In one embodiment, it can be provided that the stop is designed as a stop that is adjustable relative to the support frame, in that the support frame has a locking device with several spaced-apart locking positions and the stop can be fixed at one of these locking positions.

[0023] To facilitate easy cleaning, the gripping device is designed to be removable from a cutting machine or connected to a cutting machine without the use of tools. "Tool-free" means that the connection between the gripping device and the cutting machine can be released purely manually. In particular, a snap-in connection or a screw connection can be provided that can be released or tightened purely manually. To further improve cleanability, the stop is designed as a stop plate removably mounted on the support frame.

[0024] A good mounting of the stop plate can be achieved by providing that the stop plate is angled in the region of its first end and is held with the angled end resting on an outer side of the support frame, preferably on the upper side.

[0025] Preferably, the support frame can be provided with a pivotably mounted latch for releasably holding the stop plate. In an alternative embodiment, the stop plate can also be releasably held to the support frame in the region of its angled end by magnets.

[0026] A design which can be produced cost-effectively provides that the plate-shaped base body of a claw strip is formed in one piece with the tips of the claw strip, preferably formed in one piece from a steel sheet or metal sheet.

[0027] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures. They show: Fig. 1: a schematic side view of a cutting machine with a gripping device according to the invention; Fig. 2: a side view of the gripping device Fig. 3: a front view of the cutting device looking towards the claw bars; Fig. 4: a three-dimensional view of the gripping device with the stop in the frontmost position; Fig. 5: a representation of the gripping device from Fig. 4 with the stop in the rearmost position; Fig. 6: a representation of the gripping device, where the stop is held by magnetic force.

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a cutting machine 5 for cutting strand-shaped foodstuffs, such as sausage, meat, or fish. The cutting machine 5 has a machine housing 51 in which a drive motor (not shown in the drawings) and a cutting blade driven by this drive motor are mounted. The cutting blade is driven in a planetary orbit by the motor and rotates in a cutting plane. The material to be cut is placed in a feed chute 52 of the cutting machine 5 and fed to the cutting plane via a feed device 53. The planetary orbiting cutting blade then cuts individual slices from the material to be cut, which fall downwards onto a conveyor belt 54. The conveyor belt 54 transports the cut slices out of the cutting area.In order to be able to transport the cutting machine 5 easily, it has several rollers 55 on the underside of its machine housing 51, which enable easy transport of the cutting machine 5.

[0029] In the Fig. 1, the feed chute 52 of the cutting machine 5 is shown open. During operation of the cutting machine, the feed chute 52 is closed by a cover. A gripping device 1 is removably attached to the feed device 53 arranged in the feed chute 52. The gripping device 1 has two fastening screws 11, each of which can be loosened manually to separate the gripping device 1 from the feed device 53. The gripping device 1 holds one end of the material to be cut in order to fix it in the feed chute 52 and feed it to the cutting plane via the feed device 53.

[0030] The gripping device 1 is in the Fig. 2-6. The Fig. Figure 2 shows the gripping device 1 in a side view. A fastening screw 11 is shown on the rear side of the gripping device 1, by means of which the gripping device 1 can be connected to the cutting machine 5. The gripping device 1 has a support frame 2, on which further components of the gripping device 1 are mounted. As can be seen from the Fig. As can be seen in Figures 3-6, the support frame 2 is designed as a rectangular base body consisting of a flat profile bent at the sides.

[0031] Three claw bars 31, 32, 33 are mounted on the support frame 2. A first claw bar 31 is mounted on the underside of the support frame 2. A claw bar 32 running parallel to the lower claw bar 31 is mounted in the upper area of ​​the support frame 2. The claw bar 32 is movably connected to the support frame 2 via a locking device 22. The locking device 22 has a lever 221, which serves to release the locking device 22 or to lock it again in a desired position. After releasing the lever 221, the locking device 22 can be adjusted in height together with the second, upper claw bar 32.

[0032] In the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the second claw bar 32 is shown in its uppermost position. In the Fig. In contrast, in Figure 4, the upper claw bar is shown in a middle position. The locking device 22 has a spring-loaded cam that engages a vertically extending rack arranged on the support frame 2. This rack is not shown in the figures, as it is housed inside the support frame 2.

[0033] As in Fig. 3, the support frame 2 has two vertically extending guide rods 28a and 28b, which serve to guide the vertically movable claw bar 32. As can be seen from Fig. 3, a third claw bar 33 is mounted on the support frame 2, which is arranged perpendicular to the first claw bar 31 and the second claw bar 32. The third claw bar 33 is arranged on one side of the support frame 22 in the vertical direction. As can be seen from the Fig. As can be clearly seen in Figure 4, the claw strips each have a plate-shaped base body 311, 331 or 321. One end of this plate-shaped base body is connected to the support frame 2. The end of this plate-shaped base body 311, 321, 331 of the claw strips 31, 32, 33 facing away from the support frame 2 has tips, wherein the tips are each beveled relative to the plate-shaped base body. Each of the claw strips 31, 32, 33 has a plurality of tips 312, 322, 332 running parallel to one another. These tips 312, 322, 332 are formed integrally with the base body 311, 321, 331 of the respective claw strip 31, 32, 33.

[0034] As in the Fig. 3, the tips 312 and 332 of the first claw bar 31 and the third claw bar 33 are inclined to each other and run approximately parallel to the Fig. 3. This inclination ensures that material to be cut, which is placed in the receiving space between the centers, can be pressed along the diagonal DD toward the centers and is held there securely.

[0035] The tips 322 of the second, upper claw bar 32 extend downwards in a vertical direction and can be sunk into the material to be cut by lowering the upper claw bar 32.

[0036] In order to be able to insert the material to be cut unhindered into the receiving space formed between the claw bars 31, 32, 33 and the stop 4, the upper claw bar 32 can be removed. For this purpose, the upper claw bar 32 has a coupling device 23a, 23b, by means of which it is detachably held on the support frame 2 or on the locking device 22. The coupling device 23a, 23b has a recess into which a bolt arranged on the upper claw bar 32 engages in a form-fitting manner. This bolt is not shown in the illustration of the figures, as it is accommodated inside the coupling device 23a or 23b. By laterally displacing the upper claw bar 32, this bolt is disengaged from the coupling device 23a or 23b, so that the claw bar 32 can be removed from the support frame 2.Removing the upper claw bar 32 facilitates access to the receiving space for the material to be cut, as the material can then be inserted directly into this receiving space from above. After inserting the material to be cut, the claw bar 32 can then be reconnected to the coupling device 23a and 23b and firmly attached to the support frame 2.

[0037] As in the Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the support frame 2 has two receiving hooks 27a and 27b at its left end, which serve to hold the upper claw bar 32 removed from the coupling device 23a and 23b while the material to be cut is inserted into the receiving space. This prevents the upper claw bar 32 from becoming lost.

[0038] In order to be able to variably adjust the distance between the tips of the claw strips 312, 322, 332 and the support frame 2, the support frame has a stop 4. The stop 4 is designed as a plate-shaped body 41 which is bent at a right angle in its upper region 42. The upper region 42 rests on the upper side of the support frame 2. The stop 4 can be adjusted relative to the tips 312, 322, 332 of the three claw strips 31, 32, 33 via a locking device. The locking device comprises notches arranged in the region of the upper end 42 and the lower end of the stop. In the region of the upper end 42, the stop 4 has notches in the form of spaced-apart openings 44 into which a bolt 43 arranged at the upper end of the support frame 2 engages.The base body 311 of the first lower claw bar 31 has notches in the form of several spaced-apart receiving openings 313, into which correspondingly shaped pins of the lower region of the stop 4 can engage. The distances between the recesses 313 and the openings 44 are coordinated so that the stop 4 can be adjusted parallel to the support frame 2.

[0039] In order to mechanically secure the stop 4 to the support frame 2, a removal lock is provided. Fig. 3 and Fig. In the variant of the gripping device 1 shown in Figure 6, this removal lock is formed by magnets 26a and 26b resting in the upper region 42 of the stop 4. These magnets 26a and 26b hold the stop 4 in place through their attractive force against the support frame 2.

[0040] In the Fig. 4 and Fig. In the variant of the gripper device shown in Fig. 5, a pivotable latch 25 is provided which is pivotably mounted on the upper side of the support frame 2 and in the position shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, overlaps the upper area 42 of the stop 4 at the edge in order to prevent the stop 4 from being removed.

[0041] The Fig. The gripper devices shown in Figures 2-6 are identical except for these differently designed holding devices for the stop 4.

[0042] As in the Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the third claw bar 33 has two screws by which it is connected to the side of the support frame 2. By loosening this screw connection, the claw bar 33 can be removed from the support frame 2, so that the latter can also be operated with only two claw bars, namely the lower claw bar 31 and the upper claw bar 32.

[0043] The Fig. The gripping device 1 shown in Figures 1 to 6 has increased holding force and is particularly well suited for gripping hard sliced ​​goods, such as hard sausages or frozen or semi-frozen sliced ​​goods. The easy removal of the gripping device 1 from the slicer 5 ensures simple and practical handling of the gripping device 1, even in the event of repair or conversion. List of reference symbols 1 gripping device 11 Fixing screw 2 support frames 22 locking device 221 locking lever 23a,b clutch 25 bars 26a,b Magnets 27a,b hook 28a,b guide rods 31 first (lower) claw bar 311 basic body 312 peaks 313 locking mount 32 second (upper) claw bar 321 basic body 322 peaks 33 third (lateral) claw bar 331 basic body 332 peaks 4 stop 41 Stop plate 42 stop angles 43 stop pins 44 stop openings 5 Cutting machine 51 housings 52 feed chute 53 Feeding device 54 Conveyor belt DD diagonal

Claims

[1] Gripping device for gripping one end of a strand-shaped foodstuff in a cutting machine, comprising a support frame (2) which can be detachably connected to a feed device (53) of a cutting machine (5) without the use of tools, and the support frame holds a first claw bar (31) and a second claw bar (32) such that they are arranged opposite one another and run parallel to one another, and the second claw bar (32) is mounted on the support frame (2) so as to be linearly movable in the direction of the first claw bar (31) or away from the first claw bar, wherein the two claw strips (31, 32) each have a plate-shaped base body (311, 321) which is connected at one end to the support frame (2) and has at its other end a plurality of tips (312, 322) for holding a strand-shaped foodstuff, wherein the tips of both claw strips are each angled relative to the plate-shaped base body (311, 321) and are arranged at a distance from the support frame (2) in the direction of a strand-shaped foodstuff to be held, characterized by , that a third claw bar (33) is mounted on the support frame (2) in such a way that it is arranged at right angles to the first claw bar (31) and to the second claw bar (32). [2] Gripping device according to claim 1, characterized bythat the third claw strip (33) has a plate-shaped base body (331) which is connected at one end to the support frame (2) and has at its other end a plurality of tips (332) for holding a strand-shaped food product, wherein the tips (332) are angled relative to the plate-shaped base body (331). [3] Gripping device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the plate-shaped base body (311) of the first claw bar (31) is held resting on an outer side, preferably on the underside of the support frame (2) and the second claw bar (32) is mounted on the support frame (2) so as to be linearly displaceable in the direction towards or away from the first claw bar (31) and can be fixed in the desired position on the support frame (2) via a locking device (22). [4] Gripping device according to claim 3, characterized bythat the locking device (22) has a plurality of locking positions and the second claw bar (32) can be locked at one of these locking positions. [5] Gripping device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the second claw bar (32) is detachably connected to the support frame (2) via a coupling (23a, 23b). [6] Gripping device according to claim 5, characterized by that the coupling (23a, 23b) has a bolt arranged on the second claw bar (32) which engages, preferably in a form-fitting manner, in a recess arranged on the support frame (2). [7] Gripping device according to claim 5, characterized by that the coupling (23a, 23b) has a bolt arranged on the support frame (2) which engages, preferably in a form-fitting manner, in a recess arranged on the second claw bar (32). [8] Gripping device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the first and third claw strips (31, 33) each have a plurality of tips (312, 332) which are inclined in the direction of a diagonal (DD) of the support frame (2). [9] Gripping device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the tips (312, 322, 332) of the claw strips (31, 32, 33) are arranged at a distance from the support frame (2) and the support frame forms and / or has a stop (4) for a food strand and the distance between the stop (4) and the tips (312, 322, 332) is adjustable. [10] Gripping device for gripping one end of a strand-shaped foodstuff in a cutting machine (5), comprising a support frame (2) which can be detachably connected to a feed device (53) of a cutting machine without the use of tools, and the support frame (2) holds a first claw bar (31) and a second claw bar (32) such that they are arranged opposite one another and run parallel to one another, and the second claw bar (32) is mounted on the support frame (2) so as to be linearly movable in the direction of the first claw bar (31) or away from the first claw bar, where, the claw strips (31, 32) each have a plurality of tips (312, 322) for holding a strand-shaped food, wherein the tips (312, 322) are arranged at a distance from the support frame (2) in the direction of a strand-shaped food to be held, and the support frame forms and / or has a stop (4) for a food strand, and the distance between the stop (4) and the tips (312, 322) is adjustable, characterized by , that the stop (4) is designed as a stop plate detachably held on the support frame (2). [11] Gripping device according to claim 10, characterized by that a third claw bar (33) is mounted on the support frame (2) in such a way that it is arranged at right angles to the first claw bar (31) and to the second claw bar (32) [12] Gripping device according to claim 9 or according to one of claims 10 or 11, characterized bythat the stop (4) is designed as a stop which is adjustable relative to the support frame (2), in that the support frame (2) has a locking device (43, 44, 313) with a plurality of spaced-apart locking positions and the stop can be fixed at one of these locking positions. [13] Gripping device according to claim 9, characterized by that the stop (4) is designed as a stop plate detachably held on the support frame (2). [14] Gripping device according to one of claims 10 to 12 or claim 13, characterized by that the stop plate (4) is angled in the region of its first end (42) and is held with the angled end (42) resting on an outer side of the support frame (2). [15] Gripping device according to one of claims 10 to 12 or 13 or 14, characterized by that the support frame (2) has a pivotably mounted latch (25) for releasably holding the stop plate (4). [16] Gripping device according to claim 14, characterized by that the stop plate (4) is releasably held on the support frame (2) in the region of its angled end (42) via magnets (26a, 26b). [17] Gripping device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the plate-shaped base body (311, 321, 331) of a claw strip (31, 32, 33) is formed in one piece with the tips (312, 322, 332) of the claw strip, preferably formed in one piece from a steel sheet or metal sheet. [18] Cutting machine for cutting strand-shaped foodstuffs, with a driven cutting blade and a feeding device (53) for feeding a strand-shaped foodstuff to the cutting blade and with a gripping device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping device (1) is releasably mounted on the feeding device (53) without tools.

Images