DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING AND DISCHARGING SEPARATE FOOD PORTIONS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a discharge device for food portions, in particular sausages, comprising two spaced-apart, circulating conveyor belts that can be driven by at least one drive. These conveyor belts form a belt pair and have a transport area that is moved in one transport direction during operation, and a return area. A food portion in the transport area is engaged between the two conveyor belts in a transport position and can be transported in the transport direction. The invention further relates to a transport device for transporting food portions and a system for processing pasty food mass.

[0002] The invention further relates to a method for discharging sausages, in which the sausages are engaged by parallel conveyor belts so that the sausages can be transported in a defined position in a specific transport direction.

[0003] For the industrial production of food portions from pasty food mass, such as sausages, so-called sausage lines are used. These lines combine various equipment such as filling machines, portioning machines, linking machines, and / or separating devices into a coordinated system. For transport along or between the various equipment, the food portions are placed on conveyor belts or interleaved between parallel belts or conveyors.

[0004] After the food portions are produced, they are usually further processed or packaged using packaging machines. Before packaging, it is necessary to remove unsuitable portions, such as burst sausages that have been previously detected, from the process to prevent these portions from being packaged (see document DE 37 31 051 A1).

[0005] The term "sausage" used below refers to all food portions consisting of a pasty food mass, preferably enclosed within a casing. The casing consists of natural, collagen, or cellulose casing, or is a (co-extruded) alginate casing.

[0006] With regard to the discharge of sausages, it is advantageous if this process takes place, if possible, during the transport of the sausages between the individual processing stations or systems of a more complex system, and in an automated process that avoids any delays in the transport of the sausages. It may be desirable for the discharged sausages to fall into a box after the discharge process and thus be easily removed from the production facility. To achieve this discharge, the sausages must be removed from the conveyor belt if the sausages are transported on / with a conveyor belt.

[0007] In conveyor belts with sausages resting on them, the position of the sausages is often undefined. Nevertheless, solutions for discharging the sausages have already been devised, for example the mechanical retraction of guide elements into the transport space and the resulting redirection of sausages to be sorted out. This sometimes requires complex mechanical constructions. When the sausages are transported via conveyor belts, they are transported in a defined position and at a defined distance. The latter can be adjusted as required by belt transmission. If sausages become jammed, a conveyor belt running below the sausages in the case of horizontal engagement makes a conveyor belt running below the sausages obsolete. This creates space below the conveyor belts for the sausages to fall out.A similar situation applies to vertical engagement of conveyor belts, where the areas to the sides of the conveyor belts are left free and the sausages can be released from the engagement of the conveyor belts using appropriate system components.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved discharge device for discharging sausages or other food portions. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide an improved transport device for sausages, an improved system for processing pasty food mass, and an improved method for discharging sausages.

[0009] The invention solves the problem in a first aspect in that the discharge device has at least one adjusting device for discharging a food portion in a discharge area, which is designed such that the distance between the conveyor belts from one another in the transport area can be varied at least partially such that (at least) one food portion is engaged by the conveyor belts in the transport position and the distance is increased in a discharge position such that a food portion is disengaged from the conveyor belts so that it can be discharged.

[0010] According to the invention, the device is designed such that the distance between the conveyor belts can be varied at least partially, i.e. locally or in sections or even completely, in order to establish or interrupt engagement between the food portion and the conveyor belts. If the engagement is present, the food portion is transported; if the engagement is interrupted, the food portion is no longer held and can be ejected. Gravity can be used here, so that the food portion falls down due to this. Alternatively, other aids are also possible to assist the ejection. Because the engagement effect is eliminated with an increased distance between the conveyor belts, the sausages, for example, fall down and can be collected, for example, in a collecting container.The discharge preferably takes place in an automatic process without delaying the rotational speed of the belts or the transport speed of the sausages. According to the invention, the discharge device, in particular its conveyor belts, can be designed so that the discharge takes place in the front area where the sausages are fed in, in a rear area where the sausages are to be discharged, or in a central area. The sausages are preferably transported and processed in a continuous process.

[0011] According to a further development of the invention, the discharge device has at least one adjusting device, which is or has a pneumatic unit, whereby the discharge device can be actuated according to the invention using simple technical means and compressed air generally available in factories. According to a further development of the invention, each pneumatic unit has a pneumatic cylinder as a drive or actuating element.

[0012] According to a further development of the invention, a pneumatic unit, particularly preferably each pneumatic unit with a pneumatic cylinder, is assigned to at least one conveyor belt and is configured to increase or decrease the distance of the conveyor belt in the transport area from the opposite conveyor belt, at least in certain sections. Upon the generation of an ejection signal, the pneumatic cylinder retracts, locally changing the belt path and the distance between the conveyor belts, so that the sausages are disengaged from the conveyor belts.

[0013] According to the invention, the ejection device is connected to a controller which is connected to a sensor device for detecting a feature of the food portion, in particular a shape feature, wherein the controller provides a signal to control the adjusting device(s) of the ejection device. The sensor device thus enables automated or autonomous ejection of sausages not suitable for further processing. The sensor device is coupled to the controller by means of electrical lines or a radio connection so that signals can be reliably transmitted to the controller. The controller serves to control the ejection device and is designed such that the adjusting device(s), in particular its drive(s), can be controlled to trigger an actuation for ejection.The control system can alternatively be a separate control system only for the discharge device or the control system, for example, of a filling machine or the control system of another food processing device, for example a twisting device, a crimper, a separating device for producing separate sausages or an alignment device for aligning sausages. Various sensor devices can be used according to the invention and are already known per se from the prior art in order to be able to detect certain features or defects in sausages. Several sensor devices or several sensors can also be used in order to be able to detect features of the sausages, in particular defects in the sausages, and to provide signals to the control system. For example, a sensor device can be designed as a light sensor, an infrared light sensor or an imaging sensor.

[0014] According to a further development of the invention, the ejection device additionally comprises a support device in the ejection area, preferably an air jet nozzle or a mechanical actuating device, which is arranged and configured such that an additional force can be applied to the food portion to assist the ejection. The support device serves to support the ejection without reducing the transport speed of the sausages. In particular, an air jet nozzle can be arranged above the transport path of the food portions, and a vertically downward force can be applied to the food portion by an air stream, which preferably acts in conjunction with the force of gravity.Alternatively, it is also possible according to the invention to apply a force to the food portion by means of a support device to support the discharge, which force is directed in a different direction, for example horizontally.

[0015] The invention solves the problem in a further aspect with a transport device which has a discharge device according to one of claims 1 to 5 and at least one further belt pair which is coupled to the belt pair of the discharge device by means of a gear (43), preferably a belt gear, in such a way that different transport speeds in the transport direction can be set for the two belt pairs.

[0016] The different transport speeds in the transport direction allow the distance between the sausages to be adjusted during transport.

[0017] The invention solves the problem in a further aspect with a system for processing pasty food mass, characterized in that the system comprises a transport device according to claim 6 as well as a filling machine and at least one food processing device, preferably a twisting device, a separating device and / or one or more aligning devices for aligning individual sausages. According to the invention, a food processing device is a device or machine - known per se - for further processing and treating food, in particular food portions such as sausages. This can be a twisting device, a so-called crimper, a separating device for producing separate sausages from a previously connected sausage chain, or an aligning device for aligning sausages.

[0018] The invention solves the problem in a further aspect with a method for discharging sausages, in which the sausages are engaged by parallel conveyor belts, so that the sausages can be transported in a preferably defined position in a specific transport direction, in that the distance between the parallel conveyor belts can be changed in sections or at least partially so that the sausages are no longer engaged by the conveyor belts and are discharged from the transport area, wherein the discharge device is connected to a controller which is connected to a sensor device for detecting a feature of the food portion, in particular a shape feature, wherein the controller provides a signal to control the adjusting device(s) of the discharge device.

[0019] According to a further development of the method, the sausages pass through at least two pairs of belts, with a difference in the transport speed between the pairs of belts, so that the gap between the sausages can be adjusted due to the translation between the pairs of belts.

[0020] According to a further development of the method, the discharge of sausages in the discharge device is supported by the support device, preferably by air pressure.

[0021] The method according to the invention is preferably carried out with a previously described discharge device according to the invention and its preferred features, the mode of operation and advantages of which are applied accordingly to the method; in this respect, reference is made to the disclosure of the discharge device according to the invention and, to avoid repetition, reference is made to the relevant descriptions.

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail below using preferred embodiments. In the following: Fig.1 a system comprising several machines as well as an inventive discharge device and transport device in a perspective view Fig.2 an enlarged section of the in Fig.1 shown system with the discharge device Fig.3 the transport device comprising the discharge device in a plan view Fig.4 an enlarged section of the discharge device from Fig.3Fig.5 Parts of the system and the ejection device with a partially enlarged distance between two conveyor belts in a perspective view Fig.6 Parts of the system and the ejection device with a partially enlarged distance between two conveyor belts, wherein one of the sausages is disengaged from the conveyor belts and falls downwards, in a perspective view Fig.7 Parts of the system and the ejection device with a partially enlarged distance between two conveyor belts, wherein a second sausage is disengaged from the conveyor belts and falls downwards, in a perspective view Fig.8 Parts of the system and the ejection device with a partially enlarged distance between two conveyor belts near the transition of the ejection device to a subsequent belt pair in a plan view Fig.9Parts of the system and the discharge device with a partially enlarged distance between two conveyor belts near the transition from a processing station of the system coming first in the transport direction to the discharge device in a plan view Fig.10Parts of the system and the discharge device with a vertically acting engagement of the conveyor belts with the sausages.

[0023] The Fig.1The system 100 shown is used to produce food portions, in particular elongated sausages 1. The system 100 comprises a filling machine 3 with a filling funnel 5 for receiving a pasty food mass such as sausage meat for filling the sausage meat into a casing, in particular a natural casing. Furthermore, the system 100 comprises at least one further food processing device, particularly preferably a twisting device 7 for twisting and thus creating twist points between individual sausages 1 and thus food portions, and a separating device 9 for producing individual sausages 1. The filling machine 3, twisting device 7, and separating device 9 can be selected and combined depending on the application.

[0024] Following the separating device 9, the system 100 has, in the transport direction 11, an inventive discharge device 13 for discharging sausages 1, by means of which the inventive method can be carried out. Furthermore, the system 100 can be combined with one or more subsequent alignment devices 19.

[0025] The discharge device 13 for discharging sausages 1 is additionally shown in an enlarged section in Fig.2 and has the conveyor belts 15.1 and 15.2, which form a belt pair 17.1.

[0026] In the Fig.3In the embodiment shown, the components of the transport device 23 can be seen with the discharge device 13. The sausages are transported between the conveyor belts 15.1 and 15.2 or the belt pair 17.1 and the belt pairs 17.2 and 17.3, with the sausages passing through a transport area 35 in the discharge device 13. Once a section of the conveyor belt 15.1 or 15.2 has passed through the transport area 35 during operation, the former is returned to the starting position of the transport area in a return area 37. For a step-by-step adjustment of the transport speed, the belt pair 17.1 of the discharge device 13 and the belt pair 17.2 following in the transport direction 11 are preferably connected to one another via a gear 43.

[0027] Furthermore, the transport device 23 has a sensor device 31 which is connected to a control 33, which in turn is connected to the adjustment devices 21, which can be seen in detail in Fig.4, in order to control them. The controller 33 is connected by means of electrical lines or wirelessly to the sensor device 31, which is designed to detect a feature of the food portion and is further designed to provide the controller with a signal in order to control the adjusting device(s) of the ejection device. Alternatively, in a manner not shown in more detail, the controller 33 can be a separate controller only for the ejection device 13 or the controller, for example, of the filling machine 3 or the controller of another food processing device, for example the twisting device 7 or the separating device 9. Various sensor devices can be used to be able to detect certain features or defects in sausages. Several sensor devices or several sensors can also be used.For example, the - at least one - sensor device 31 can be designed as a light sensor, as an infrared light sensor or as an imaging sensor.

[0028] As the example in Fig.4shows, the adjusting devices 21 preferably have pneumatic units 25, by means of which a partial change in the distance between the conveyor belts in the discharge device 13 can be achieved. The pneumatic units 25 have pneumatic cylinders 27, each of which is pivotally connected at the tip to one end of a lever 26. The lever 26 can be rotated about the axis of rotation 28. At the other end of the lever 26, a deflection roller 30 is attached, via which a conveyor belt 15 is deflected. If the adjusting devices 21 receive an discharge signal from the controller 33, the pneumatic cylinders 27 retract, so that the lever 26 rotates about the axis of rotation 28 and the deflection roller 30 moves in the adjustment direction 39.1 or 39.2. Consequently, the distance between the conveyor belts 15.1 and 15.2 of the respective belt pair 17.1 increases locally. The discharge device 13 is thus in the discharge position.The support device 29, here in the form of an air jet nozzle, additionally supports the ejection process of the sausages 1 in the ejection area 41.

[0029] The discharge to be achieved by means of the discharge device 13 is again clarified in Fig. 5 to Fig.7. Fig.5 shows an embodiment in which, after generating an ejection signal, the distance between the conveyor belts 15.1 and 15.2 of the belt pair 17.1 was locally increased by movement in the adjustment directions 39.1 and 39.2. By increasing the distance, all sausages 1 to be sorted out are disengaged from the conveyor belts 15.1 and 15.2 and fall downwards, as shown in Fig.6 and Fig.7 . The support device 29 exerts additional downward pressure on the sausages 1 to be ejected, thereby assisting the ejection.

[0030] In Fig. 8 to Fig. 10Further different embodiments of the discharge device 13 are shown. The embodiment according to Fig.8 corresponds to the embodiment of the discharge device 13 shown in the preceding figures, in which the adjusting devices 21 are arranged near the transition to the belt pair 17.2 following in the transport direction 11, so that the partial change in the distance between the conveyor belts 15.1 and 15.2 can take place in this area. In the embodiment according to Fig.9In contrast, the adjustment devices 21 are arranged near the transition from a processing station of the system 100, which comes first in the transport direction 11, to the discharge device 13, so that the distance between the conveyor belts can be varied in this area. Thus, sausages 1 can already be discharged in this area. The discharge device 13 or the associated method for discharging defective sausages can thus be designed according to various embodiments such that the discharge takes place in the front area, where the sausages are fed in, in a rear area, where the sausages are to be discharged again, or in a central area.

[0031] The Fig.1 to Fig.9The embodiments shown show ejection devices 13 in which the engagement with the sausages 1 takes place horizontally. An embodiment with a vertically acting engagement and the adjustment directions 39.3 and 39.4 is shown in Fig.10 The structure of the transport device 23 corresponds to that shown in Fig.8 and Fig.9 shown embodiment with the exception that the discharge device 13 and the belt pair 17.2 following in the transport direction 11 are rotated by 90°. List of reference symbols

[0032] 100System 1Sausage 3Filling machine 5Filling hopper 7Linking device 9Separating device 11Transport direction 13Ejection device 15.1First conveyor belt of the ejection device 15.2Second conveyor belt of the ejection device 17.1Belt pair of the ejection device 17.2Belt pair following the ejection device in the transport direction 17.3Belt pair coming before the ejection device in the transport direction 19Alignment device 21Adjustment device 23Transport device 25Pneumatic unit 26Lever 27Pneumatic cylinder 28Rotation axis 29Support device (air jet nozzle) 30Deflection roller 31Sensor device 33Control system 35Transport area 37Return area 39.1First adjustment direction 39.2Second Adjustment direction 39.3Third adjustment direction 39.4Fourth adjustment direction 41Ejection area 43Gearbox

Claims

1. An ejector device (13) for food portions, in particular for sausages (1), comprising two circulating and spaced-apart conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2) which can be driven by means of at least one drive means, and which form a belt pair (17.1) and have a conveying area (35) which in operation is moved in a conveying direction (11), and a return area (37), wherein a food portion in the conveying area (35) between the two conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2) is engaged by the latter in a conveying mode and can be conveyed in the conveying direction (11), characterized in that the ejector device (13) has at least one adjustment mechanism (21) for ejecting a food portion in an ejection area (41), which is so designed that the distance of the conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2) from each other in the conveying area (35) can be varied at least partially, in such a way that (at least) one food portion is engaged by the conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2) in the conveying mode and that said distance is increased in an ejection mode in such a way that a food portion is taken out of engagement with the conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2) in such a way that it can be ejected, and in that the ejector device (13) is connected to a controller (33) which is connected to a sensor unit (31) for detecting a feature of the food portion, in particular a shape feature, wherein the controller (33) provides a signal to control the adjustment mechanism(s) (21) of the ejector device.

2. The ejector device (13) according to claim 1, characterized in that the ejector device (13) has at least one adjustment mechanism (21) that is or has a pneumatic unit (25).

3. The ejector device (13) according to claim 2, characterized in that each pneumatic unit (25) has a pneumatic cylinder (27).

4. The ejector device (13) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a pneumatic unit (25), particularly preferably each pneumatic unit (25) having a pneumatic cylinder (27), is assigned to at least one conveyor belt (15.1 , 15.2) and is configured to increase or reduce the distance of said conveyor belt (15.1, 15.2), at least in sections thereof, from the opposite conveyor belt (15.1) or (15.2) in the conveying area (35).

5. The ejector device (13) according to any one of claim 1 to claim 4, characterized in that the ejector device (13) additionally includes a supporting device (29) in the ejection area (41), preferably an air jet nozzle or a mechanical actuating means, which is arranged and configured in such a way that an additional force supporting ejection can be applied to the food portion.

6. A conveyor device (23) for conveying food portions, characterized in that the conveyor device (23) has an ejector device (13) according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6 and at least one further belt pair (17.2) coupled by means of a transmission gear (43), preferably a belt drive, to the belt pair (17.1) of the ejector device (13) in such a way that different conveying speeds in the conveying direction can be set for the two pairs of belts (17.1) and (17.2).

7. System (100) for processing a pasty food mass, characterized in that the system (100) has a conveyor device (23) according to claim 6 and a staffing machine (3) and at least one food treatment device, preferably a twist linking device (7), a separating device (9) and / or one or more alignments device(s) (19).

8. A method for ejecting food portions in which the food portions are engaged by a parallel conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2), such that the food portions can be conveyed in a preferably defined position in a particular conveying direction (11), characterized in that the distance between the parallel conveyor belts (15.1, 15.2) can be changed in sections or at least partially in such a way the food portions are no longer engaged by the conveyor belts and can be ejected from the conveying area (35), wherein the ejector device (13) is connected with a controller (33), which is connected to a sensor unit (31) for detecting a feature of the food portion, in particular a shape feature, wherein the controller (33) provides a signal to control the adjustments mechanism(s) (21) of the ejector device.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that The food portions pass through at least two pairs of belts (17.1, 17.2), with a difference in the conveying speed between the pairs of belts (17.1, 17.2), such that the gap between the food portions can be adjusted on the basis of the transmission ratio between the pairs of belts (17.1, 17.2).

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the ejection of food portions in the ejector device (13) is supported by the supporting device (29), preferably by air pressure.