SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING FOOD PRODUCTS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a system for processing food products, in particular meat products, sausage, cheese, ham and / or bacon, which includes a slicing device, which may in particular be designed as a high-performance slicer. The slicing device comprises a portioning section and a blade movable in a cutting plane, in particular a circular blade or a sickle blade rotating in the cutting plane, and is designed to cut slices from bar-shaped food products guided into the cutting plane and to form partial portions in the portioning section, which comprise one or more cut slices. Furthermore, the system includes a stacking device, which has at least one product support movable between a feed position and a discharge position, as well as a stacking section arranged below the product support.The stacking device is designed to place partial portions moved onto the product support onto the stacking section by moving the product support from the feed position to the deposit position and to form a food portion comprising several partial portions on the stacking section, in particular by stacking several partial portions moved one after the other onto the product support.

[0002] For example, a stacking device for stacking slices of a food product is known from US 4,405,186 A. This stacking device is designed to directly receive slices of a food product onto a stack support and form a portion of several slices on the stack support. After a portion is completed, the stack support is lowered to place the portion onto elements of a scale called vanes. The elements are connected to a load cell, which in turn is arranged in a load cell housing. The load cell housing is further supported by a weight on a frame, so that the portion weight can be determined after a portion is placed on the elements of the scale.Since, in this prior art, the portions are formed directly on the stack support of the stacking device, no separate formation of the portions at a portioning section of a cutting device is provided, and the portions are not first transferred from such a portioning section to a product tray of the stacking device.

[0003] In food processing, it is often necessary to slice bar-shaped food products into portions, comprising one or more of the sliced ​​portions, in order to offer the food products for sale. High product throughput can be achieved, in particular, through the use of high-performance slicers capable of cutting speeds of up to 2,000 slices per minute. To form the portions, such slicing devices may have a portioning section onto which the sliced ​​portions fall and are collected until the desired number of slices for portioning has been assembled. The portioning section may optionally be movable to allow the slices to be laid down overlapping and / or shingled, and may also allow for direct stacking of the slices.The finished portions, consisting of several slices, can be fed from the portioning section to further processing steps and, in particular, packaged, so that the food product can ultimately be sold pre-packaged in individual portions. While it may be intended, especially when selling the products to the end consumer, to package the slices portioned by the slicing device directly as a single portion and offer them for sale in this way, there may be a need, particularly for bulk purchasers such as restaurants or hotels, for larger food portions that can no longer be produced directly at the portioning section of the slicing device.In order to be able to form such large food portions as automatically as possible using a food portion processing system, it may be possible to form only partial portions at the portioning section of the cutting device and to combine several of these partial portions into a common food portion in subsequent processing steps.

[0004] In a food processing system, a stacking device may be provided to which the portions produced by the slicing device are fed. This device allows the received portions to be placed one after the other onto a stacking section, thus forming a food portion on the stacking section that comprises several portions produced by the slicing device and is ultimately intended for sale. The stacking device may include a product platform onto which the portions can be fed. By moving the product platform into a placement position on the stacking section, the portions are placed and, in particular, stacked on top of each other.After a predetermined number of partial portions have been placed, the completed food portion can be transported from the stacking section and, for example, packaged, so that food products can also be processed into large food portions comprising several partial portions using such a system.

[0005] To produce the most uniform food portions possible, a predetermined number of slices can be specified for each portion, and the slices can be cut to a predetermined thickness. However, particularly when processing natural products, the product's composition can vary along its length. For example, the fat content or the dimensions of a piece of meat can differ. This can lead to variations in the weight of the slices, even if they are cut to a consistent thickness. Consequently, the weight of the individual portions and the weight of the food portions formed from them can be subject to undesirable fluctuations.In particular, when processing involves producing food portions of a clearly defined weight, subsequent checks and, if necessary, manual addition or removal of slices are often required.

[0006] This problem arises particularly when processing products into food portions that comprise multiple sub-portions. To achieve a reasonable portion throughput when creating such food portions, despite the additional step of stacking the sub-portions compared to directly producing relatively small portions at the slicing device, the sub-portions must be produced as close together as possible. However, this results in the sub-portions being very close to each other, meaning that the finished sub-portions cannot be passed over a slicer control scale of the slicing device with sufficient spacing to determine the weight of individual sub-portions.Therefore, it is necessary to determine the weight of the food portions in a separate step and to make manual corrections, without, for example, dynamic adjustments to the cutting process being possible in order to achieve a uniform and automatic formation of the partial portions and the food portions with a predetermined weight.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to enable, in a system for processing food products by means of which large food portions comprising several partial portions formed by a cutting device can be produced, a check of the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portions and thus an improved process control.

[0008] This problem is solved by a system having the features of independent claim 1.

[0009] The system comprises a transport device connected to the portioning section, and the portioning section includes a conveying device designed to transfer the portions to the transport device. The transport device is designed to transport the portions received from the conveying device to the product platform of the stacking device. Furthermore, the system includes a scale for measuring the weight of the portions and / or the food portion, either in the transport device and / or the stacking device.

[0010] The transport device thus connects to the portioning section with respect to the conveying direction along which the portions are moved from the portioning section to the stacking device. The transport device and the portioning section therefore constitute separate units within the meaning of the present disclosure insofar as the portioning section, onto which the cut slices can fall, is understood as part of the slicing device, whereas sections on which the portions are subsequently moved between the portioning section and the stacking device are understood as part of the transport device. The portioning section may include a conveying device to transfer the collected slices to a subsequent section that is associated with the transport device.For example, the portioning section can include a continuously circulating conveyor belt on which the portions are formed and the slices cut off by the slicing device are deposited. In particular, such a conveyor belt can also be movable during the formation of the portions, for example, to stack the slices on top of each other in a shingled fashion. From this conveyor belt, the portions can be transferred to another conveyor belt associated with the transport device, so that the transition between the conveying device and the transport device can be formed, in particular, by a belt transition between a conveyor belt onto which the cut slices fall and a subsequent conveyor belt.

[0011] The transport system can also include, for example, one or more conveyor belts to transport the partial portions received from the portioning section's conveyor and / or a conveyor belt on which the separated slices are placed to the stacking device and move them onto the product platform of the stacking device. In principle, the portioning section's conveyor and the transport system can have a common drive or separate drives, so that the portioning section and its conveyor, on the one hand, and the transport system, on the other, are distinguished primarily by the fact that the slices are placed on the portioning section and the partial portions are formed there, whereas the transport system receives the complete partial portions and moves them to the stacking device.However, this does not preclude the possibility that, particularly with long portions, a front section of the portion may already be moved onto a first section of the transport device while slices are still being added to the portion.

[0012] By positioning the scale at the stacking device and / or the transport system, it is located downstream of the portioning section with respect to the conveying direction. This means that weighing only takes place in a section where the portions are already complete. The weight can therefore be determined in a section where, in particular, discs are not added at high speed, which would change the weight on the disc and generate high-frequency fluctuations during weight measurement, making precise measurement difficult. In this respect, measuring the weight of the portions at the portioning section would only be possible after a certain waiting period for the system to settle, which is not available given the required product throughput.By providing a downstream scale, the partial portions can be transferred directly to the transport system via the conveying system without waiting time, in order to determine the weight downstream and under more constant conditions.

[0013] Furthermore, the portions produced in close succession at the cutting device can be separated by the transport device, for example, and their distance from each other increased, so that after this separation, the time available for measuring the weight of the portions can be further and / or sufficiently increased. This can be achieved, for example, by selectively accelerating and / or decelerating the portions in sections, or the transport device can be designed to guide portions to the stacking device via different transport paths, so that the distance between portions successively along the transport paths can be greater than the distance between the portions when they are transferred from the portioning section to the transport device.Such transport routes can also be used, for example, as buffer sections to weigh the individual portions, then reassemble them and stack them at the rate specified by the cutting device, keeping them close together. To determine the weight of the food portion, the directly measured weights of the individual portions can be stored and / or added together.

[0014] For example, the transport system may include a distribution unit to distribute the portions onto different transport routes. The individual transport routes can initially diverge and then lead to the stacking device, so that the portions received by the conveyor are distributed across several transport routes by means of the distribution unit, but ultimately all lead to the stacking device. This distribution allows the spacing between the portions on the transport routes to be increased compared to the spacing of the portions received by the conveyor, thus enabling weighing of the portions on the transport routes. For this purpose, a scale can be arranged on each transport route between the distribution unit and the stacking device.For example, it may be possible to distribute the portions onto two, three, or four transport tracks using a distribution device to separate the portions and allow for weighing at the transport tracks. The distribution device may, for example, be designed as a seesaw, so that the transport tracks can run one above the other. The distribution device may, in particular, be pivotable about a horizontal axis. Alternatively, the transport tracks may, for example, be laterally offset from one another, and the distribution device may be designed to distribute the portions laterally.

[0015] Furthermore, the distribution device may be designed to sort out defective portions. For example, defective portions may be identifiable by visual inspection and could include, for instance, incorrectly cut slices. In particular, a distribution device designed as a rocker may be configured to sort out a defective portion by lowering it into a reject area, such as a reject container located below the rocker. Consequently, the scale may be positioned downstream of such a distribution device designed to sort out defective portions, particularly with respect to the conveying direction along which the portions are transported to the stacking device.

[0016] Furthermore, as an alternative or additional to weighing at the transport device, it may also be possible to measure the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion using the scale at the stacking device, to which the partial portions are successively transferred. For example, the partial portions are moved one after the other onto the product platform of the stacking device and rest there individually and in a controlled manner before being placed down, so that the weight of each partial portion can be determined at the product platform. After being placed down, the partial portions rest completely on the stacking section, allowing for weight determination there as well. In particular, the total weight resting on the stacking section can be determined, so that the weight of each recently placed partial portion can be calculated as a change in this total weight.Although the scale may register a fluctuation after a partial portion is placed on the dispensing tray, the time between successively placed partial portions is greater than the time between successively placed slices on the dispensing tray, thus allowing sufficient time for measurement. Furthermore, when weighing on the stacking tray, the total weight of the food portion can be measured directly, whereby only the total weight resting on the stacking tray can be determined and / or evaluated as the weight of the forming food portion.

[0017] In principle, the weight of each sub-portion can be determined at the stacking device and / or the transport system, whereby the weight of the food portion can be determined by adding the weights of the corresponding sub-portions and / or by direct measurement at the stacking section. However, it can also be provided that only the weight of the complete food portion is determined at the stacking section using a scale located there and / or taken into account for any process adjustments.

[0018] By positioning the scale downstream of the portioning section, allowing the weight of partial portions and / or food portions to be determined even when preparing large quantities, this weight can be used, in particular, for system control. For example, checking the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion can reveal if current settings of the slicing device are resulting in partial portions that are too light or too heavy, ultimately leading to incorrect weights in the final food portions. This information can then be used to correct the weight of a currently formed food portion and / or the formation of a subsequent food portion by adjusting the settings of the slicing device, the transport system, and / or the stacking device.For example, the stacking device can be controlled to automatically add another portion to a food portion already prepared according to the preset settings if it is detected that the food portion has not reached a predetermined weight. Corrections can thus be made automatically and promptly to influence a currently formed food portion and reduce the need for subsequent or manual adjustments. Furthermore, the measured weight can also be used to adjust the settings of the slicing device, particularly automatically, to, for example, change the slice thickness and ensure that subsequent portions and / or food portions achieve the correct weight.As an alternative to automatically adjusting the processing procedure, a notification can also be sent to the user if the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portions does not correspond to a specified target weight, so that the user can make adjustments to the settings himself without having to perform a manual check.

[0019] In principle, the slicing device may also include a scale, which may be located at the portioning section. However, in the system described here, at least one scale is always provided downstream of the slicing device and the portioning section, in particular a scale downstream of a distribution device for distributing the portions onto multiple transport lines, or a scale as part of the stacking device, in order to determine the weight of the portions and / or the food portion. This allows the system to be used flexibly, for example, to optionally produce only small portions, which are formed directly on the portioning section and for which the stacking device can be omitted. In such situations, a scale located at the portioning section can be used to measure the portion weight.In situations where large portions of food are to be produced with several sub-portions, the downstream scale can be used.

[0020] Further embodiments can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0021] The cutting device of the system can, in particular, include a product feed by means of which the bar-shaped food products can be moved into the cutting area. Such a product feed can, for example, comprise one or more conveyor belts or product grippers that engage a rear end of the food product and advance the food product into the cutting plane. Furthermore, the cutting device can be operated in a single-track or multi-track configuration, whereby in a multi-track cutting device several food products can be moved simultaneously into the cutting plane and slices can be cut from the food products. In particular, the cutting device can comprise one or more blades, especially one or more circular or sickle-shaped blades rotating in the cutting plane.

[0022] The slicing device can further be designed to perform blank cuts to separate the portions from one another. During these blank cuts, the knife completes a rotation, but no slice of the food product is removed. This can be achieved, for example, by interrupting the product feed and / or briefly moving the knife out of the cutting plane. To achieve the highest possible product throughput, however, it can be provided that a subsequent portion is already being formed while the previously completed portion is still at least partially on the portioning section.

[0023] Furthermore, the conveying device of the portioning section can be permanently driven, allowing the discs of a partial portion to be arranged offset and overlapping on the portioning section. This enables the partial portion to be moved towards the transport device and / or the stacking device while discs are still being added. Particularly with such long partial portions that are moved during disc addition, the portions can already partially rest on the transport device while discs are still being added. Additionally, the portioning section can be movable transversely to the conveying direction along which the partial portions can be transported to the stacking device, allowing the discs to be laid down in a staggered pattern or completely side-by-side without overlap.

[0024] Furthermore, the slicing device can include an interleaver, which allows a sheet or film to be inserted beneath the portions being produced. This makes it particularly easy for customers to separate the portions of a food serving. For example, with such an interleaver, a sheet of film can be inserted into the cutting plane before or during the cutting of the first slice of a portion, so that the blade can simultaneously cut off a sheet of this film, which is then placed underneath the first slice. Alternatively or additionally, the transport device can also be equipped with an underleaver to insert a sheet or film beneath a transported portion.

[0025] In some embodiments, the scale can be integrated into the stacking device. In such embodiments, the stacking device can thus be designed as a unit with an integrated scale, enabling it to be optionally connected to a slicing device and a transport system when the system is to be used to produce large food portions with multiple sub-portions provided by the slicing device. The scale of the stacking device can be connected to, or be connectable with, a control unit of the system and / or the slicing device, so that the scale's measurement results can be taken into account in process control, and in particular in controlling the slicing process for producing the sub-portions.

[0026] In some embodiments, the stacking section can include the scale, the scale being designed to determine the weight of the portions placed on the stacking section.

[0027] In particular, the stacking section can include a conveyor belt onto which the partial portions are placed one after the other, so that the completed food portion can be moved away from the stacking section and, for example, fed to further processing steps, especially a packaging machine. Specifically, the scale can be integrated into such a conveyor belt or a module that includes the conveyor belt. However, the scale can also be arranged on a support of the stacking section at the bottom, so that the weight of the stacking section, which changes as a result of a partial portion being placed on it, can be determined using the scale. The scale can be adjusted so that only the weight of the placed partial portions is displayed as a measured value.

[0028] To determine the weight of the placed portions, the scale can, for example, be designed to output a change in the measured weight as a reading, so that the weight of the last placed portion can be determined as the difference between the current weight on the stack section and a weight measured before that portion was placed. Alternatively, the scale can be designed to always zero out after outputting a reading in order to determine the weight of a subsequent portion. Furthermore, the weight of the portions can be stored, so that the weight of the food portion comprising the portions can be determined by adding these weights – possibly even during the preparation of the food portion.However, the scale can also be designed to determine and / or output a total weight of the portions placed on the stacking section, so that the weight of the food portion formed on the stacking section can be measured directly using the scale.

[0029] In some embodiments, the product support and / or the stacking section can be supported on the floor by a frame, with the scale being arranged on the frame below the product support and / or below the stacking section. In particular, the product support and the stacking section can be supported on the floor by a common frame.

[0030] The product tray and / or the stacking section can thus be supported on the floor, particularly via the scale. In principle, the weight of the components of the stacking device and the frame located above the scale can be determined using such a scale, so that it can be recorded when this weight increases as a partial portion is added to the product tray and / or the stacking section. For example, by positioning the scale on a frame that supports the product tray on the floor, the weight of a partial portion moved onto the product tray can be determined. Furthermore, by adding the weights of the partial portions moved successively onto the product tray, the weight of a food portion formed from these partial portions can be calculated.By arranging the scale on a frame that supports the stacking section, the weight of the successively placed portions and / or the food portion can also be measured, as explained above.

[0031] In some embodiments, the frame can have at least three, and in particular four, support sections by which the product support and / or the stacking section can be supported on the ground, with the scale being arranged on at least one of the support sections. In particular, the scale can comprise several load cells, with a respective load cell being arranged on each of the support sections.

[0032] In such embodiments, the scale can be arranged in the area of ​​one or more legs or feet of a frame, or integrated into such legs and / or feet, which support the product platform and / or the stacking section on the ground. This allows the weight of the product platform and / or the stacking section to be determined and any change in weight due to the addition of a partial portion to be registered. By arranging multiple load cells, the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portions can be determined, particularly via multiple measuring points, in order to, for example, detect and / or compensate for any rotational or tilting moments that may occur when the partial portions are not moved centrally onto the product platform and / or the stacking section.

[0033] In some embodiments, the stacking device may include a drive for moving the product support, whereby the drive may be supported by the scale on the floor. The scale may, in particular, be arranged such that it can measure the weight of the drive, the product support, and the portions moved onto the product support, in order to ultimately determine the weight of the portions. Specifically, the scale may be zeroed when only the drive and / or the product support are supported by the scale.

[0034] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the drive can comprise a motor and a shaft via which the product support is connected to the motor. The shaft can be supported on the stacking device via at least one bearing, and the scale can be arranged on this at least one bearing. In particular, the shaft can be supported on the stacking device via several bearings, with a respective load cell of the scale being arranged at each of the bearings.

[0035] By positioning the scale on the bearing, the weight of the shaft and the associated product support can be measured, thus enabling the detection of weight changes when a partial portion is moved onto the product support. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the motor can also be supported on the stacking device via the bearings and the scale, allowing the entire weight of the drive to act on the scale. In particular, the shaft and / or the motor can be supported on a stationary frame of the stacking device via the scale, so that the motor and / or the shaft can ultimately be supported on the ground via the scale.

[0036] In such embodiments, the product support can be moved from the feed position to the discharge position, particularly by rotating the shaft by 90°. The partial portions can, for example, be moved onto a horizontally oriented product support, which can then be rotated by 90° into a vertical orientation, allowing the partial portions to slide off the product support and be deposited onto the stacking section. For this purpose, the product support can be attached to the shaft, particularly on one side.

[0037] In some embodiments, the stacking device can further comprise two product supports attached to opposite outer sides of a respective shaft, together forming a product support surface. In such embodiments, the product supports can be moved from a horizontal to a vertical orientation and from the feed position to the discharge position by rotating the shafts in opposite directions, in order to deposit a partial portion. In particular, each of the shafts can be mounted on the stacking device and supported on the stacking device via at least one respective load cell of the scale.In principle, several product supports, for example two, three or four product supports, can be arranged on each of the shafts, so that by rotating the shafts by 90°, 120° or 180° to place a partial portion, the respective product supports can again be brought into a horizontal orientation to form a product support surface and be able to receive a partial portion.

[0038] In some embodiments, the transport device may have a first transport section and a second transport section, and the transport device may include a distribution device configured to selectively distribute partial portions received from the conveying device either to the first transport section or the second transport section. As already explained, by distributing the partial portions successively from the conveying device of the portioning section across two transport sections, the distance between them can be increased to facilitate weighing. For example, it may be provided that the partial portions are distributed alternately between the first and second transport sections.

[0039] In some embodiments, the first and second transport sections can function as buffer sections, whereby the partial portions can be separated by the distribution device and distributed between the first and second transport sections in order to be recombined at or before the stacking device to form a food portion. In particular, the partial portions can be weighed at the first and second transport sections, where they can be sufficiently spaced apart. Alternatively, however, it can also be provided that the partial portions are fed to the respective stacking devices via the first and second transport sections, as explained below.

[0040] The two transport sections can be formed, for example, by conveyor belts that run laterally offset from each other and / or one above the other. To selectively distribute the partial portions either onto a first transport section that runs at least partially above the second transport section, or onto the second transport section itself, the distribution device can, in particular, comprise a rocker arm pivotable about a horizontal axis, especially a pivotable conveyor belt, or a conveyor belt that can be raised and lowered. Alternatively, the distribution device can be designed to distribute the partial portions onto transport sections that are laterally offset from each other, for which purpose the distribution device or a conveyor belt of the transport device can, for example, be pivotable about a vertical axis.Furthermore, the distribution device and / or a conveyor belt of the transport system can be laterally displaceable in order to distribute centrally received portions laterally. The distribution device can also include a plate conveyor by means of which the portions can be distributed horizontally.

[0041] In particular, it may be planned to distribute the partial portions alternately between the first transport route and the second transport route.

[0042] Furthermore, additional process steps can be carried out on the first and second transport lines, for example, by adding a support layer under each portion using an underleaver. Distributing the portions across the transport lines can also free up more time for such process steps and facilitate access to the individual portions for carrying out the process steps, particularly for the necessary machinery.

[0043] Furthermore, the distribution device can also be designed to distribute the partial portions across more than two transport routes, for example, three, four, five, or six transport routes that the transport device may comprise. The transport routes can, for example, be paired together and the respective partial portions fed to a common stacking device, or it can be provided that all transport routes lead to a separate stacking device. It is also possible that all transport routes lead to the same stacking device.

[0044] In some embodiments, the system may comprise a first scale and a second scale, with the first scale being located on the first transport path and the second scale on the second transport path. In particular, the first scale and the second scale may be located between the distribution device and the stacking device.

[0045] As previously explained, distributing the portions across the first and second transport sections increases the distance between them, thus enabling weighing at the transport sections. In such embodiments, the fact that the distance between successive portions along the transport sections can be increased compared to the distance between portions successively transferred from the portioning section's conveyor to the transport system by dividing them across two transport sections can be utilized, allowing the weight of the portions to be determined at the transport sections. Specifically, the first and second scales can be assigned to respective conveyor belts that form part of the first or second transport section, respectively.The weight of the individual portions can be determined while they are moving along the conveyor belt, or the conveyor belt can be briefly stopped for weighing. Such a stop can be achieved, in particular, by increasing the distance between the portions by distributing them across two transport sections, thus saving the time required for weighing. Furthermore, existing conveyor belt modules with integrated scales can be conveniently used along the transport sections to determine the weight of the portions being moved to the respective stacking devices. With more than two transport sections, each section can be assigned its own scale.

[0046] In some embodiments, the system may have a first stacking device and a second stacking device, wherein the transport device may be configured to move the partial portions via the first transport route to the product support of the first stacking device and via the second transport route to the product support of the second stacking device.

[0047] By distributing the portions onto two separate transport routes, the distance between the portions transported on each route can be increased compared to the distance between the portions successively transferred from the portioning section to the transport device. This also increases the time available for weighing the portions at the transport routes and / or the stacking devices. Specifically, a scale can be provided at each of the first and second transport routes, and / or a scale at each of the first and second stacking devices.Furthermore, by distributing the food portions between two stacking devices, the product throughput can also be increased, for example by not having to adapt the cutting process and the creation of the partial portions to a potentially slower stacking process on the stacking devices, but by allowing the partial portions to be created with maximum cutting speed and a small distance between them.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first stacking device and the second stacking device can each have a scale. In such embodiments, the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portions can thus be measured at the stacking devices, as explained above, with the respective measurement results being made available, in particular, to a control system for the slicing device and / or the system.

[0049] In some embodiments, the system may comprise a first scale and a second scale, wherein the first scale may be arranged between the distribution device and the first stacking device, and the second scale may be arranged between the distribution device and the second stacking device. In particular, the first scale may be integrated into the first transport section and the second scale into the second transport section.

[0050] In some embodiments, the system may include a control device designed to adjust the operation of the system, in particular settings of the cutting device and / or the transport device, depending on a measurement result of the scale.

[0051] For example, the control device can be configured to accelerate the transport device when a further portion of food needs to be added to reach a predetermined target weight, so that the additional portion can be provided as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the control device can be configured to adjust the number of slices comprising a portion based on the scale's measurement, for example, to increase the number of slices if it is determined that the weight of the portions is systematically too low. Alternatively or additionally, it can be configured to vary the thickness of the slices cut by the slicing device in order to influence the weight of the portions and / or the food portions.This can be particularly useful when a specific number of slices per portion and / or a specific number of slices per food portion is fixed, so that the weight of the food portion cannot be affected by adjusting the number of slices per portion or by adding another portion. To adjust the thickness of the slices, the speed of the product feed to the slicing device, which guides the food products into the cutting plane, and / or the speed of the blade movement can be adjusted.

[0052] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to adjust the number of slices in a sub-portion and / or the thickness of the separated slices depending on the measurement result of the scale. In particular, such adjustments, as explained above, can influence the weight of subsequently formed sub-portions if deviations from a target weight are detected in one or more previously produced sub-portions.

[0053] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to perform a control in which the number of slices of a partial portion or the thickness of the slices is the manipulated variable and the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion measured by means of the scale is the controlled variable.

[0054] With this type of system, the weight of the individual portions and / or the food portion can be determined using scales and fed back into a control loop. The control unit can compare the measured weight of the individual portions and / or the food portion with a target weight. If there is a deviation between the target weight and the measured weight, the control unit can adjust the number of slices in a individual portion or the thickness of the slices cut off, thereby influencing the weight of subsequently produced individual portions. After this adjustment, the weight of the individual portion and / or the subsequent food portion can again be determined using scales, allowing for further adjustments if the desired target weight is not reached despite the adjustments made.Such a regulation thus makes it possible to continuously and flexibly correct incorrect settings and to dynamically adjust system settings in order to react, for example, to changing product compositions, such as a fat content of the food product that varies over the product length, and to be able to produce food portions of a predetermined target food portion weight throughout the entire slicing process.

[0055] In some embodiments, the control device may be configured to perform trend control based on the weight of several successive partial portions and / or food portions.

[0056] With such a trend control system, adjustments to system settings are not made after every weight measurement where a deviation from a target weight is detected. Instead, minor and / or statistically distributed deviations can be accepted. Rather, trend control allows for monitoring whether the measured weight of successive partial portions and / or consecutively produced food portions is systematically lower or higher than a predefined target weight, in order to make adjustments only when such a systematic deviation is detected. This prevents, in particular, reacting to purely statistically caused weight deviations and thereby incorrectly altering fundamentally correct settings in a way that could exacerbate a subsequent, again statistically caused, deviation.

[0057] In some embodiments, the cutting device may include an optical scale configured to determine the surface structure and contour of the front end of the product facing the cutting plane. In such embodiments, the control device may be configured to determine, based on the determined surface structure and contour, a target thickness of the slice to be cut, at which the cut slice has a predetermined target weight.

[0058] In particular, the control device can be configured to determine the density of a slice to be cut from the front end of the product based on the determined surface structure, to determine a target thickness of the slice to be cut based on the determined density and the determined contour, at which the cut slice has a predetermined target weight, and to control the cutting device to cut the slice with the target thickness. Furthermore, the control device can be configured to adjust the determination of the density and / or the target thickness if the scale measurement deviates from a target weight for a partial portion determined by the number of slices and / or from a target weight for a food portion.

[0059] For example, the optical scale can include a camera to generate an image of the front end of the product. This image can be provided to the control unit, which can be configured to analyze the surface structure of the front end of the product based on the image in order to identify, for example, fat content, meat content, and / or bone content on the surface of the front end of the product. For this purpose, the control unit can, for example, be configured to perform an image analysis procedure.

[0060] Furthermore, the control unit can be configured to determine the density at the front end of the product based on the determined surface structure, in particular the determined fat, meat, and / or bone content. For this purpose, the control unit can, for example, access stored density values ​​for the respective components to determine an average density at the front end of the product, taking into account the areas or area fractions occupied by the respective components. Based on this average density and the determined contour of the front end of the product, which can, in particular, describe an outer edge of the product end, the control unit can then determine the thickness of a slice to be cut, at which the cut slice has a predetermined target weight. The control unit can also be configured to determine an area of ​​the front end of the product based on the contour.

[0061] In particular, such an optical scale makes it possible to compensate for variations in the product's density along its length when determining slice thickness. This allows for the production of slices with the specified weight and corresponding portions with a specified target weight, even when the product composition changes along its length, especially with varying fat, meat, and / or bone content. For example, the slice thickness can be increased if the fat content is higher, in order to cut a slice of the specified target weight despite the correspondingly reduced density.

[0062] While such an optical scale can account for variations in the structure of the processed products, the determination of the target thickness can be further improved by using the scale to measure the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion as a checkweigher for the optical scale. The weight of the partial portions predicted by the control unit via the optical scale, which may correspond to the target weight of the partial portions, and / or the predicted target weight of the food portion, are then compared with the actual weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion. Such a check can therefore make it possible to adjust the optical scale and / or the steps for determining the target thickness if the partial portions and / or the food portion do not have the expected weight.

[0063] To make such an adjustment, the control unit can, for example, be configured to adjust density values ​​stored in a memory based on a measurement taken by the scale. These values ​​are used to determine the density of the front end of the product and / or the target thickness of the disc. Furthermore, it can be designed to adjust an assignment rule for matching disc thicknesses to determined densities if the optical scale systematically determines that the portions weigh too little or too much, and consequently sets disc thicknesses that are too small or too large. Additionally, a correction factor can be introduced for determining the density, so that instead of directly adjusting individual stored density values, a determined average density and / or the stored density values ​​can be multiplied by a correction factor.Such a correction factor can, in particular, correspond to the ratio of the expected weight and the weight measured by the scale of the partial portions and / or the food portion.

[0064] As an alternative to determining the average density of the front end of the product as described above, the control device may also be configured to determine sections in the surface structure and their area fraction or the area occupied by each fraction. For example, the control device may be configured to identify fat, meat, and / or bone components in the surface structure and determine the corresponding area occupied by each component. To determine the target thickness of the slice to be cut, the control device may be configured to determine the density of each section and, based on the area fractions and densities of the sections, determine the target thickness as the thickness at which a slice composed of the sections has a predetermined target weight.Here too, to adjust the determination of the target thickness, in particular the stored section densities, for example stored densities for fat, meat and / or bone, can be changed or a correction factor can be introduced.

[0065] In some embodiments, the control device may be designed to determine, based on the surface structure, a fat content, a meat content and / or a bone content within the contour of the front end of the product and to calculate the density and / or the target thickness of the slice to be cut from the front end of the product depending on the respective content and / or content(s) and / or to look it up in a reference table.

[0066] For example, the system can include a memory, particularly a semiconductor memory, with a lookup table in which a specific density and / or target thickness of the slice is assigned to each proportion or combination of proportions. Alternatively, it can be provided that each proportion is assigned a specific density, allowing the control unit to calculate the average density at the product end and / or the target thickness of the slice to be cut. Furthermore, the control unit can be configured to determine the surface area of ​​each fat portion, meat portion, and / or bone portion based on its surface structure. The target thickness can then be determined by multiplying the respective areas by the section densities stored for the proportions and comparing the result to the target weight of the slice.

[0067] In some embodiments, the control unit can be configured to adjust parameters for calculating density and / or the lookup table depending on the scale's measurement. For example, stored density values ​​for individual sections or portions of the surface structure, such as fat, meat, and / or bone, can be adjusted based on the scale's measurement. If, for instance, it is determined that the density is systematically too high, particularly for a surface structure with a high meat content, and the slice thickness is consequently too low, resulting in portions that are too light, the stored density value for a meat portion can be increased to achieve a more accurate determination of the required target thickness.For this purpose, the control device can, for example, be designed to correlate systematic deviations from the target weight of the partial portion and / or the target weight of the food portion with certain proportions or ratios in order to draw conclusions about the incorrectly determined density value.

[0068] In some embodiments, the control unit can be configured to execute a self-learning algorithm for determining the density of the slice to be cut from the front end of the product and / or the target thickness, and to optimize this algorithm taking into account the scale measurement. In particular, the control unit can predict the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion based on the surface structure, the determined density, and the target thickness. This predicted weight can then be compared with the weight actually measured by the scale to train and optimize the self-learning algorithm.In principle, such a self-learning algorithm can also determine the target thickness of the slice to be cut from the front end of the product without relying on stored density values ​​or explicitly determining a density. This is achieved, for example, by determining certain parameters from an image provided by the optical scale, and then having the self-learning algorithm, such as a neural network, output a target thickness for a desired slice weight. Based on the scale's measurement result, it can then be checked whether the portions of slices cut to the target thickness also have the specified target weight per portion. Deviations can be reported back to continuously optimize the algorithm.The algorithm can be trained at the factory, so that the target thickness of the products to be cut can be reliably determined in the delivered system, while measuring results from the scale can still be used to optimize the algorithm and / or for process monitoring.

[0069] In some embodiments, the control unit may include a microprocessor and / or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control unit may have a modular design, allowing various tasks described herein to be performed by different units and / or microprocessors, which may even be arranged in separate locations. Alternatively, the control unit may be designed as a single, central unit, with all components housed in a common enclosure.

[0070] In some embodiments, a predetermined number of partial portions may be provided for the food portions, wherein the control device may be configured to control the stacking device to add another partial portion after the predetermined number of partial portions have been placed, if the weight of the predetermined number of partial portions measured by the scale is less than a target weight for the food portions.Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments the system may include a marking and / or signaling device, wherein the control device may be configured to activate the marking and / or signaling device when the weight of the predetermined number of portions measured by the scale deviates from the target weight of the food portions, marking the food portions and / or triggering a signal perceptible to a user.

[0071] In particular, the system can automatically add another portion if it is determined that the target weight of the food portion has not yet been reached after the predetermined number of portions have been placed on the stacking section. The weight of the food portion can thus be deliberately increased before it is removed from the stacking section and fed into further processing steps, especially a packaging machine. This prevents the need for subsequent manual addition of slices and also reduces the inspection effort. Alternatively, the system can use the marking and / or signaling device to indicate an underweight food portion or generate a user-perceived signal to alert the user that more slices need to be added to the respective food portion.A marking or signal output, for example an acoustically and / or visually perceptible signal, can also occur if the weight of the predetermined number of partial portions is higher than the target weight of the food portions, so that the user can remove one or more slices.

[0072] In some embodiments, the control device may be configured to, if the weight of the predetermined number of portions measured by the scale is less than a target weight for the food portions, either control the stacking device to add another portion or the marking and / or signaling device to mark the food portions and / or to trigger the signal perceptible to a user, depending on a difference between the weight measured by the scale and the target weight of the food portion.

[0073] For example, the system can automatically add another portion to the predetermined number of portions if the weight of the predetermined number of portions is significantly less than the target weight of the food portion and is, for instance, approximately the same as the weight of a single portion. This ensures that adding another complete portion does not, or at least not significantly, exceed the target weight of the food portion. Conversely, if the difference between the target weight of the food portion and the weight of the predetermined number of portions is small, a marker or signal can be triggered, allowing the user to add or remove individual portions. This prevents the creation of significantly overweight food portions while still achieving the highest possible level of automation.

[0074] In some embodiments, a minimum difference at which the control device activates the stacking device to add another partial portion can be set via an input device, in particular a touchscreen, of the control device.

[0075] For example, by setting the minimum difference via the input device, an acceptable excess weight for a food portion can ultimately be defined, so that another portion can be automatically added if the weight of the food portion, even after the addition of the further portion, falls below the defined acceptable excess weight. Furthermore, the weight of the potentially added further portion, as well as the weight of the predetermined number of portions, can be determined using the scale, so that the control device can also be configured to prevent the addition of another portion if it weighs too much and would exceed the acceptable excess weight, instead marking it or triggering a signal.In particular, the user can also choose to always add a partial portion if the weight of the predetermined number of partial portions is less than the target weight of the food portion, in order to achieve full automation and ensure that no underweight food portions are produced. This may be particularly useful if the pricing of food portions is weight-based, but a minimum weight, especially the target weight of the food portion, or a minimum number of partial portions or slices must not be undercut. Furthermore, setting the minimum difference allows for adaptation to different products or requirements regarding the accuracy of the weight of the produced food portions.

[0076] In some embodiments, the stacking device may include a measuring device for determining the height of portions placed on the stacking section, and the system may include a sorting device. In such embodiments, the control device may be configured to activate the sorting device to remove the placed portions if the measured height exceeds a predetermined or predefinable maximum height and the measured weight of the placed portions falls below a target weight for a food portion.

[0077] For example, it may be planned to package the food portions in a subsequent processing step, whereby the packaging may specify a maximum height for the food portions that can be accommodated. If this maximum height is already reached on the stacking section, but the weight of the placed partial portions is less than the target weight of the food portion, the target weight cannot be achieved without exceeding the maximum height. Therefore, the partial portions placed on the stacking section can be classified as unsuitable for producing a proper food portion.The discarded portions cannot be used for further processing steps, so the control unit can activate the sorting device to automatically remove them, particularly to prevent disruptions to the packaging process. The measuring device can, for example, include a distance sensor to determine the height of the discarded portions by measuring the distance between the sensor and the uppermost disc.

[0078] For sorting purposes, the stacking section can, for example, include a driven conveyor belt, allowing the portions to be sorted to move against a conveying direction along which complete food portions are fed to further processing steps, in order to move the portions, for instance, into a reject container. Alternatively, the system can include a distribution device downstream of the stacking device to separate food portions to be processed and portions to be discarded onto different tracks.

[0079] In some embodiments, the control device may be configured to adjust the cutting speed of the slicing device and / or the transport speed of the transport device depending on the measurement of the scale during the formation of a food portion.

[0080] In particular, it may be possible to increase the cutting speed of the slicing device and / or the transport speed of the conveying device if, during the formation of a food portion, it is already recognized that another portion will likely need to be added to reach the target weight of the food portion. In such cases, accelerating the slicing device and / or the conveying device can ensure that the additional portion reaches the stacking device sooner and that the overall time required to form the food portion with the additional portion is reduced. This is important, for example, to avoid disrupting the cycle time of subsequent processing steps and to ensure that the food portion can be formed completely within the time dictated by this cycle time.After completing such a food portion with another partial portion, the cutting speed of the slicing device and / or the transport speed of the transport device can be slowed down again to a predetermined speed.

[0081] In some embodiments, the system may include at least a first stacking device and a second stacking device, as well as a first scale for determining the weight of the portions moved to the first stacking device and / or the food portion formed at the first stacking device, and a second scale for determining the weight of the portions moved to the second stacking device and / or the food portion formed at the second stacking device. Furthermore, the transport device may include a distribution device for selectively distributing portions to the first stacking device or to the second stacking device, the control device being configured to control the distribution device based on measurements from the first and second scales.

[0082] In particular, in some embodiments the control device can be configured to control the distribution device and / or the cutting device in such a way that differences between the respective total weight of the portions moved to the first stacking device and to the second stacking device can be compensated for.

[0083] As previously explained, a system with two stacking devices can, for example, increase product throughput by eliminating the need to adjust the slicing speed of the cutting device and the formation of the portions to potentially slower stacking processes. However, to achieve uniform processing at both stacking devices, the total weight of the portions processed at each device can be determined. This can be achieved, for instance, by selectively increasing the thickness of slices fed to the first or second stacking device, where a lower total weight has been processed. This allows for the temporary processing of slightly heavier portions at that particular stacking device.Particularly with a known distribution scheme, and for example, an alternating distribution of the portions to the two stacking devices, every second portion can be selectively cut slightly overweight to achieve a uniform cumulative weight per stacking device. However, it is also possible to temporarily move more portions to the first or second stacking device by appropriately controlling the distribution device if a lower total weight of portions has been processed at one of the stacking devices.

[0084] In some embodiments, the scale may have one or more load cells. In particular, the weight of partial portions and / or the food portion can thus be measured at one or more measuring points. Similarly, when determining the weight at the transport device and / or the stacking section, several load cells can be arranged on a conveyor belt, for example, to determine the weight of a partial portion moved along or placed on this conveyor belt at multiple measuring points and to compensate for any rotational or tilting moments.

[0085] In some embodiments, the stacking section can include a continuously circulating conveyor belt driven by a motor. For example, the food portions formed on the stacking section can be moved away from the stacking section by driving the conveyor belt, in order to be fed to subsequent processing steps and, in particular, to a packaging machine.

[0086] In some embodiments, the system may comprise a further transport device and a packaging machine, in particular a thermoforming packaging machine, wherein the food portion can be transferred to the further transport device and the further transport device may be configured to transport the food portions to the packaging machine. In particular, the further transport device may be configured to feed the food portions from the packaging machine into packages or package components that can be moved by the packaging machine, and in particular to place the food portions into or onto packages or package components that can be moved by the packaging machine.

[0087] Using such a system, food products can be fully processed by slicing them using a cutting device and creating portions from one or more slices. These portions are then transferred from the conveyor to the transport device and moved from there onto the product platform of the stacking device, where they are placed on the stacking section to form a complete food portion. The food portion can then be transferred, particularly by a continuous conveyor belt on the stacking section, to the next transport device and transported to the packaging machine for placement in packages or package components, ultimately providing a fully packaged food portion.

[0088] Furthermore, a stacking device, in particular a stacking device for use in a system of the type described herein, can have at least one product tray movable between a feed position and a discharge position, as well as a stacking section arranged below the product tray, and be configured to place partial portions, which comprise at least one slice separated from a food product, in particular meat product, sausage, cheese, ham and / or bacon, by means of a slicing device, onto the stacking section by moving the product tray from the feed position to the discharge position, and to form a food portion comprising several partial portions on the stacking section, in particular by stacking the several partial portions on top of each other. The stacking device includes a scale for determining the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion.

[0089] As previously explained, such a stacking device with an integrated scale makes it possible, in particular, to determine the weight of the individual portions and / or the entire food portion, so that this weight can be used or taken into account when controlling a food processing system. A stacking device with an integrated scale can thus form a unit that can be optionally and flexibly integrated into such a system to enable advanced process control and / or monitoring.

[0090] In some embodiments, the stacking section can include the scale, which can be configured to determine the weight of the portions placed on the stacking section. In particular, the scale can also be configured to determine the weight of the food portion formed on the stacking section. As already explained, in principle, both the weight of the individual portions and the resulting food portion can be determined directly using the scale.

[0091] In some embodiments, the product support and / or the stacking section can be supported on the ground by a frame, in particular a common frame, with the scale being arranged on the frame below the product support and / or below the stacking section. The frame can thus be partially supported on the ground by the scale, allowing the scale to measure and determine the weight of this part of the frame and the components arranged above the scale when the weight increases by adding a partial portion.

[0092] In some embodiments, the frame can have at least three, and in particular four, support sections by which the product tray and / or the stacking section can be supported on the ground, with the scale being arranged on at least one of the support sections. In particular, the scale can comprise several load cells, with a load cell being arranged on each of the support sections. The support sections can be, in particular, the legs or feet of the frame, with each support section being assigned a load cell, and the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion being determinable from the measurement results of the several load cells.

[0093] In some embodiments, the stacking device may include a drive for moving the product support, wherein the drive may comprise a motor and a shaft on which the product support is mounted. The product support can be moved from the feed position to the discharge position by rotating the shaft. In particular, it may be possible to rotate the shaft 90° to move the product support from a horizontal to a vertical orientation in order to deposit a partial portion received in the horizontal orientation onto the stacking section. For this purpose, the product support may be attached to the shaft on one side.

[0094] In some embodiments, the shaft can be connected to a motor shaft of the motor via a friction clutch.

[0095] By connecting the motor shaft to the shaft on which the product support is located via a friction clutch, the rotation of the motor shaft can be transferred to the shaft through friction. Such a friction clutch also allows for the determination of the maximum torque that can be transmitted from the motor to the shaft and the product support by the shaft slipping relative to the motor shaft. This is achieved by allowing the shaft to slip relative to the motor shaft when a torque is applied to the shaft's rotation that exceeds the torque that can be transmitted from the motor shaft to the shaft through friction. The shaft can thus lock and stop, even though the motor shaft continues to rotate. Because of this slippage of the shaft, such a friction clutch can also be referred to as a slip clutch.

[0096] Designing the stacking device with a shaft connected to the motor shaft via a friction clutch can significantly increase the device's safety by allowing the torque transmissible to the product support to be adjusted and limited. This prevents, for example, the transmission of large forces through the product support and potential injury to the user when they intervene in the stacking device. Instead, further rotation in such a situation can be prevented by the user blocking the product support and the shaft's rotation, causing the shaft to slip relative to the motor shaft and stop despite the motor shaft continuing to rotate.

[0097] Therefore, such a friction clutch also makes it possible to forego otherwise necessary safety precautions to protect a user who might intervene in the stacking device during operation. In particular, conventional stacking devices require a relatively large enclosure to prevent any user from accessing the product supports in order to meet specified safety standards. While this reliably prevents user injuries, these enclosures must also be removed for maintenance and / or cleaning purposes, making such processes relatively time-consuming and cumbersome.By incorporating a friction clutch between the shaft and the motor shaft, safety standards can be met without the need for enclosures to prevent intervention during operation. This eliminates the need for enclosures altogether or allows them to be significantly reduced in size. This facilitates access to product trays, thereby accelerating cleaning processes, which are frequently required in food processing, and reducing downtime.

[0098] In view of the possibilities of increasing the safety of the stacking device by providing a friction clutch and / or eliminating the need for further safety precautions and thereby facilitating maintenance or cleaning work, the invention also relates – independently of a stacking device with an integrated scale – to a stacking device for creating food portions, which has at least one product support movable between a feed position and a deposit position and a stacking section arranged below the product support and which is designed to place partial portions onto the product support, comprising at least one slice cut from a food product, in particular meat product, sausage, cheese, ham and / or bacon, by means of a slicing device.by moving the product tray from the feed position to the drop position onto the stacking section and forming a food portion comprising several sub-portions on the stacking section, in particular by stacking the several sub-portions on top of each other, wherein the stacking device has a drive for moving the product tray, which comprises a motor and a shaft, wherein the product tray is arranged on the shaft and can be moved from the feed position to the drop position by rotating the shaft, and wherein the shaft is connected to a motor shaft of the motor via a friction clutch.

[0099] In some embodiments of the stacking device, particularly those with an integrated scale, at least one first product support and one second product support can comprise a common product support surface for the partial portions. The first and second product supports can be connected to a shaft on opposite outer sides, and the first and second product supports can be pivoted from the feed position to the discharge position by rotating the shafts in opposite directions. The drive can include a common motor for driving the shafts.

[0100] In particular, the drive can encompass both shafts. By driving both shafts via a common motor, synchronization of the shafts can be achieved. For this purpose, the two shafts can be connected, for example, by a belt, so that a drive applied to one shaft can be transmitted to the other shaft via the belt. Furthermore, such a belt connection also allows the shafts to be stopped synchronously if one of the shafts is connected to a motor shaft via a friction clutch and an excessive torque would have to be transmitted to one of the shafts to continue moving the respective product support. In this respect, if one of the product supports becomes blocked, both shafts can be stopped synchronously, so that after the blockage is cleared, both shafts can continue to be moved synchronously, or with the product supports arranged in the appropriate rotational positions.

[0101] Such a design of the stacking device with a first product support and a second product support and / or with a friction clutch can also be provided in a stacking device as described above in connection with a system for processing food.

[0102] In some designs, the drive unit and the product platform can be supported on the floor via the scale. The scale can thus measure the weight of the drive unit, the product platform, and the portions moved onto the product platform, in order to determine the weight of the portions and / or the food portion.

[0103] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the shaft can be supported on the stacking device via at least one bearing, with the scale being arranged on that at least one bearing. In particular, the shaft or shafts can be supported on the stacking device via several bearings, with a load cell being arranged on at least one, and in particular each, of the bearings. It can also be provided that the motor, and thus the scale, is also supported on the stacking device via the bearing(s).

[0104] The invention further relates to a method for operating a system for processing food products, in particular meat products, sausage, cheese, ham and / or bacon, and in particular a method for operating a system of the type disclosed herein. In this method, bar-shaped food products are fed into a cutting plane of a slicing device, and slices are cut from the food product by means of a knife movable in the cutting plane. Furthermore, partial portions are formed on a portioning section of the slicing device, comprising one or more cut-off slices.The portions are transferred from a conveying device in the portioning section, in particular a conveyor belt, to a transport device and moved by the transport device onto a product platform of a stacking device. The portions transported successively onto the product platform are then placed onto a stacking section of the stacking device, forming a food portion comprising several portions. The weight of the portions and / or the food portion is also measured at the transport device and / or the stacking device.

[0105] As already explained, weighing the individual portions and / or the food portion downstream of the portioning section and the slicing device allows the weight of the individual portions and / or the food portion to be taken into account when controlling the system, and especially the slicing device, even when assembling large food portions from several smaller portions. In contrast, measuring directly at the portioning section is generally not possible. The scale can be arranged, in particular, on the transport device and / or the stacking device downstream of the portioning section, as explained above.

[0106] In some embodiments, the thickness of the separated slices and / or the number of slices in a sub-portion can be adjusted depending on the measured weight of the sub-portions and / or the food portion. In particular, the thickness of the separated slices can be increased if the measured weight of the sub-portions is less than a target sub-portion weight, and the thickness can be decreased if the weight is greater than the target sub-portion weight.

[0107] Furthermore, in some embodiments, a control system can be implemented in which the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion is the controlled variable, and the thickness of the slices and / or the number of slices in a partial portion is the manipulated variable. The weight of the partial portions and / or the food portion can thus be repeatedly measured and compared with a target weight in a control loop in order to continuously adjust and optimize the processing, and in particular the slicing of the food products.

[0108] In some embodiments, a predetermined number of portions can be provided for the food portion, with another portion automatically added to the predetermined number of portions placed on the stacking section if the measured weight of the predetermined number of portions falls below a target food portion weight. Alternatively or additionally, the food portion can be marked if the measured weight of the predetermined number of portions falls below the target food portion weight. As already explained, automatically adding another portion eliminates the need for manual checks of the food portions and, if necessary, the manual addition of slices or portions.Furthermore, by marking a food portion, a user can be immediately notified if more slices or food portions need to be added or removed. It can also be provided that the user is alerted by a visual and / or audible signal that the target weight of the food portion has not been reached.

[0109] In particular, it can be provided that, depending on a difference between the weight of a predetermined number of portions and the target weight of the food portion, an additional portion is added and / or the food portion is marked. For example, a full additional portion can be added only if the difference is large, in order to prevent the creation of excessively heavy food portions. Furthermore, a user can set a minimum difference at which an additional portion is added.

[0110] In some embodiments, the height of the portions placed on the stacking section can be determined, and the food portion formed by these portions can be rejected if the determined height exceeds a predetermined maximum height and the measured weight of the food portion falls below a target weight for that food portion. In particular, this allows food portions that are already too tall to be placed in packaging but too light to be rejected.

[0111] The other measures described above in connection with the control unit of the food processing system can also be carried out as process steps in this procedure. In particular, the procedure can also include checking and / or adjusting an optical scale of the slicing device by measuring the weight of the partial portions and / or the food portions.

[0112] The invention is explained below purely by way of example with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Figs. 1A and 1Beine are perspective views of a food processing system comprising a slicing device for producing portions comprising one or more slices separated from a food product, a transport device, and a stacking device designed to stack the portions on a stacking section to form a food portion comprising several portions. Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of the slicing device. Fig. 3 shows a slice separated from the food product. Figs. 4A and 4Beine are perspective views and a front view of the stacking device with product trays in a feeding position, in which portions can be moved onto the product trays.Fig. 5A and 5Legs perspective view and a front view of the stacking device with product trays moved into a placement position, in which the partial portions moved onto the product trays can be placed on the stacking section, Fig. 6 a front view of another embodiment of the stacking device, Fig. 7 a front view of another embodiment of the stacking device, Fig. 8A and 8Legs perspective rear view of an embodiment of the stacking device as well as a perspective view of a drive of the stacking device for moving the product trays, Fig. 9A and 9Legs perspective view as well as a side view of another embodiment of a food processing system and Fig. 10 a schematic view of another embodiment of a food processing system.

[0113] The Fig. 1A and 1Bshow a system 17 for processing food products 19, which may in particular be meat products, sausage, cheese, ham and / or bacon (see also Fig. 2 und 3 The system 17 comprises a cutting device 21, which is schematically shown in Fig. 2 This illustrates the point.

[0114] The cutting device 21 has a product feed 23 by means of which the bar-shaped food product 19 can be guided into a cutting plane S in which a knife 25, which may in particular be designed as a circular knife or sickle knife, rotates and cuts slices 29 from the front product end 89. For this purpose, the product feed 23 in particular includes a product gripper 103, which engages the food product 19 at a rear product end 90 and pushes the food product 19 forward in the direction of the cutting plane S.

[0115] The slices 29 cut off by the knife 25 fall onto a portioning section 27, and the cutting device 21 is configured to form a partial portion 63 on the portioning section 27, comprising several slices 29 separated from the food product 19. The portioning section 27 includes a conveying device 33 with an endlessly circulating conveyor belt 99, so that the slices 29 collected on the portioning section 27 can be moved along a conveying direction F, while further slices 29 are cut off from the product 19 to arrange the slices 29 of the partial portion 63 in an overlapping arrangement.The portion 63 can thus already partially rest on a conveyor belt 99 of a transport device 31 downstream of the portioning section 27, while slices 29 are still being added to the portion 63, with the completed portion 63 ultimately being transferred to the transport device 31 by means of the conveyor device 33. To separate successive portions 63, the cutting device 21 can be configured to perform one or more blank cuts, during which the knife 25 completes one revolution, but no slice 29 is cut off. For this purpose, the product gripper 109 can, for example, briefly retract the food product 19 and / or the knife 25 can be moved out of the cutting plane S and removed from the food product 19.

[0116] The in Fig. 2 The illustrated cutting device 21 also has an optical scale 77, by means of which a target thickness D of a slice 29 to be cut off can be determined, at which the slice 29 has a predetermined target weight (see also Fig. 3 The optical scale 77 is designed to determine a surface structure 79 and a contour 81 of a front product end 89 of the food product 19, wherein a [missing information] in the Fig. 1A and 1BThe control device 43 of system 17, and in particular the cutting device 21, shown, can be configured to determine the target thickness D for the slice 29 to be cut off, based on the surface structure 79 determined by the optical scale 77 and the contour 81 of the front product end 89. The control device 43 can further be configured to control the cutting device 21 to cut off the slice 29 with the determined target thickness D, which can be achieved in particular by appropriately adjusting the speed of the product feed 23 and / or the cutting speed of the knife 25.

[0117] To determine the surface structure 79 and the contour 81 of the front product end 89, the optical scale 77 can include a camera and / or be configured as a camera by means of which an image of the front product end 89 can be generated. The control unit 43 can, in particular, be configured to determine a density at the front product end 89 by means of image analysis and to determine the target thickness D based on the determined density and the contour 81. Furthermore, the control unit 43 can also be configured to determine an area of ​​the front product end 89 based on the contour 81. The evaluation of the surface structure 79 and / or the contour 81 can be performed centrally at the Fig. 1A and 1BThe control device 43 shown can be used, or components of the control device 43 for evaluating an image generated by the optical scale 77 can be arranged directly on the optical scale 77 and / or integrated into the optical scale 77.

[0118] As in Fig. 3 As illustrated, the surface structure 79 of the slice 29 to be separated, or of the front product end 89 of the food product 19, can be determined by a fat content 83, a meat content 85, and a bone content 87. The control device 43 can be configured to identify the fat content 83, the meat content 85, and the bone content 87 in an image provided by the optical scale 77 and to determine a density of the front product end 89. For this purpose, for example, respective density values ​​for the fat content 83, the meat content 85, and the bone content 87 can be stored in a memory 91, so that the control device 43 can determine an average density at the front product end 89, taking into account the respective size or area of ​​the components 83, 85, and 87.The target thickness D can then be determined based on this density and the area of ​​the front product end 89 defined by the contour 81, such that the slice 29 to be cut off has the specified target weight for a slice 29. Alternatively, instead of calculating an average density, the target thickness D can also be determined by determining the respective area fractions or areas occupied by the fat content 83, the meat content 85, and the bone content 87, and multiplying them by the respective stored density values ​​to determine the target thickness D by comparison with the target weight. The density values ​​and the other parameters required to determine the target thickness D can be stored, in particular, in a memory 91 of the control unit 43, especially a semiconductor memory.Furthermore, the memory may also contain assignment tables, from which a density and / or the target thickness D can be determined as a function of the determined surface structure 79 and the contour 81.

[0119] As already mentioned, the conveying device 33 of the portioning section 27 is configured to transfer the partial portion 63 along the conveying direction F to a transport device 31 of the system 17 downstream of the portioning section 27, which in turn comprises several conveyor belts 99. The transport device 31 is configured to transfer the partial portions 63 received from the conveying device 33 to a stacking device 11 and, in particular, to move them onto product supports 51 and 53 of the stacking device 11, which together form a product support surface 15 for the partial portions 63 in a feed position Z (see also Fig. 4A bis 8B ).

[0120] The stacking device 11 is based on the Fig. 4A bis 8B illustrated in more detail. The product supports 51 and 53 are horizontally aligned in the feed position Z, in which partial portions 63 can be placed onto the product supports 51 and 53 (see figure). Fig. 4A and 4B Furthermore, the product supports 51 and 53 are connected to shafts 41 on their respective outer sides 55 and 57, wherein the product supports 51 and 53 can be moved into a depositing position A by rotating the shafts 41 in opposite directions, in which the partial portions 63 moved onto the product supports 51 and 53 can be deposited below the product supports 51 and 53 on a stacking section 69 of the stacking device 11 (cf. Fig. 5A and 5BIn particular, in the embodiment shown, the product supports 51 and 53 can be moved from the feed position Z to the deposit position A and into a vertical alignment by rotating the shafts 41 by 90°, so that partial portions 63 positioned on the product supports 51 and 53 slide along the product supports 51 and 53 and fall onto the stacking section 69.

[0121] As the Fig. 5B bis 7 To illustrate, by means of the stacking device 11, several partial portions 63 produced by the cutting device 21 can be successively placed on the stacking section 69 and, in particular, stacked on top of each other, so that a food portion 67 comprising several partial portions 63 can be formed on the stacking section 69. The completed food portion 67, which here by way of example comprises four partial portions 63, can be transferred from the stacking section 69, which for this purpose includes a driveable conveyor belt 97, to a [missing information - likely a specific device or component]. Fig. 1A and 1BThe food portion 67 shown can be transferred to a further transport device 105, which can transfer the food portion 67, for example, to a packaging machine not shown, so that the food portions 67 can be placed in respective packages or package parts and packaged in order to be offered for sale.

[0122] System 17 can thus enable the complete processing of food products 19 by first slicing them into portions 29, forming sub-portions 63 from several portions 29, and then combining several sub-portions 63 into a single food portion 67 using the stacking device 11, which can then be packaged and sold. While, when processing food products 19 for sale to end consumers, it may be possible to package and offer for sale the portions 29 directly as portions assembled by the slicing device 21, such creation of food portions 67 with several sub-portions 63 may be particularly suitable for sales to bulk purchasers, such as restaurants or hotels.In this process, films or sheets of paper can be inserted below the portions 63 on the cutting device 21, in particular by means of an underleaver (not shown), to enable easy separation of the portions 63 of a food portion 67 when removing them from the packaging.

[0123] However, such a system requires, on the one hand, achieving a high product and portion throughput, and on the other hand, carrying out the process in a controlled manner, whereby a predetermined target weight for the food portions 67 may need to be achieved. While with slicing devices 21 for forming smaller portions it is usually provided that the weight of the separated slices 29 is determined directly at the portioning section 27 and thereby checked whether the portions formed there have a predetermined weight, such a check is usually not possible when processing the food products 19 into larger food portions 67 comprising several sub-portions 63.

[0124] In particular, to achieve the desired high throughput, the portions 63 must be produced by the cutting device 21 as consecutively as possible and transferred to the transport device 31 at close intervals, so that, for example, the rear end of a first portion 63 can still be resting on the portioning section 33 while a subsequent portion 63 is already being formed. Furthermore, in Fig. 2 This illustrates that the partial portions 63 can often have a length where part of the discs 29 is already resting on the transport device 31, while the partial portion 63 is still formed by further discs 29. Therefore, the partial portions 63 often do not rest completely, or at least not completely, on the portioning section 27 for a sufficient duration to allow their weight to be measured. Consequently, the weight of the food portions 67 can often only be checked subsequently, meaning that discs 29 may need to be manually added or removed to achieve the target weight of the food portion. Similarly, any misalignment of the optical scale 77 or incorrect readings from the control unit 43 usually cannot be corrected.

[0125] To address this problem and still allow for a verification of the weight of partial portion 63 and / or food portion 67, the following is to be incorporated into the Fig. 4A bis 5B The illustrated stacking device 11 incorporates a scale 35, which is designed to measure the weight of the partial portions 63 and / or the food portion 67 formed from the partial portions 63. The scale 35 comprises four load cells 37, which are arranged on respective support sections 75 of a frame 71 of the stacking device 11 and below the product supports 51 and 53 and the stacking section 69, so that the product supports 51 and 53 and the stacking section 69 are supported on the ground via the load cells 37 and thus the scale 35. The scale 35 can therefore determine the weight of the product supports 51 and 53 and the stacking section 69, so that a change in weight resulting from a partial portion 63 being placed on the product supports 51 and 53 and / or the stacking section 69 can be detected by the scale 35. In particular, the stacking device 11 exhibits, based on the Fig. 4A bis 5B The illustrated embodiment shows a common frame 71 for product supports 51 and 53 and the stacking section 69.

[0126] For example, the scale 35 integrated into the stacking device 11 can be used to determine the weight of each of the partial portions 63 moved to the stacking device 11, since the weight measured by the scale 35 changes as soon as a partial portion 63 is moved onto the product supports 51 and 53. The weight of the partial portion 63 is thus determined by the difference between the weight registered by the scale 35 before and after moving the partial portion 63 onto the product supports 51 and 53. However, the scale 35 arranged on the stacking device 11 also makes it possible to determine the total weight of the partial portions 63 that are already stacked on the stacking section 69, so that the total weight of the ultimately formed food portion 67 can also be measured directly.Alternatively, the total weight of the deposited portions 63 and / or the food portion can also be determined by adding the previously measured weights of the individual portions 63.

[0127] By providing a scale 35 at the stacking device 11, it is therefore not necessary to determine the weight of the partial portions 63 directly at the portioning section 33. Instead, the weight of the partial portions 63 can be determined at the stacking device 11 downstream of the portioning section 27, where the partial portions 63 are received sequentially. At the stacking device 11, the partial portions 63 thus rest in a controlled and complete manner on the product supports 51 and 53 and the stacking section 69, allowing sufficient time for weighing. In contrast, at the portioning section 27, discs 29 are added at high speed, and the weight on the product changes accordingly.In addition, the transport device 31 can, for example, be designed to separate the portions 63 and increase their distance from each other during transport from the portioning section 33 to the product supports 51 and 53, in order to further increase the time available for measuring the weight at the stacking device 11.

[0128] By measuring the weight of the partial portions 63 and / or the food portion 67, process monitoring and / or control can be improved in particular, by using the weight measured at the stacking device 11, for example, by the control unit 43 to adjust settings of the cutting device 21 and / or the transport device 31.

[0129] For example, the control device 43 may be configured to perform a control operation in which the weight of the partial portions 63 and / or the food portion 67 measured at the stacking device 11 is the controlled variable, and the thickness of the slices 29 and / or the number of slices 29 per partial portion 63 is the manipulated variable. In particular, it may be continuously monitored during the process whether the partial portions 63 reach a target partial portion weight and / or whether the food portions 67 reach a target food portion weight, in order to adjust the slice thickness and / or the number of slices per partial portion 63 as necessary and to compensate for any deviation.In particular, the control device 43 can perform a trend control, for example to make an adjustment only if a weight that is too low or too high is systematically detected in a given number of partial portions 63 and / or food portions 67.

[0130] The control device 43 can, in particular, be configured to adjust the thickness of the discs 29 and / or the number of discs 29 per portion 63 depending on the measured weight of the portions 63 and / or the food portion 67, regardless of whether a control is being carried out.

[0131] Furthermore, in system 17, a predetermined number of partial portions 63 can be specified for a food portion 67 according to a basic setting. However, the control unit 43 can be configured to activate the stacking device 11 to add another partial portion 63 to the predetermined number of partial portions already placed on the stacking section 69 if the weight of the predetermined number of partial portions 63 is less than a predetermined target weight for the food portion, thus increasing the number of partial portions 63 for this food portion 67 compared to the predetermined number. This can be achieved, in particular, by the control unit 43 activating the stacking device 11 to delay the removal of the predetermined number of partial portions 63 and instead placing a subsequently received partial portion 63 on top of the partial portions 63 already stacked on the stacking section 69.This reliably and automatically prevents the production of food portions 67 with insufficient weight.

[0132] Furthermore, the stacking device 11, as shown in Fig. 4B and 5B schematically illustrated, have a marking and / or signaling device 93, wherein the control device 43 can be configured to control the marking and / or signaling device 93 to mark a food portion 67 with insufficient weight and / or to trigger a signal perceptible to a user, in particular an acoustically and / or visually perceptible signal, when the weight of the specified number of portions 63 deviates from the target food weight, so that the user can manually add or remove slices 29.

[0133] Furthermore, it may be possible, in particular, to automatically add a portion 63 or to mark the food portion 67 if the weight of the specified number of partial portions 63 is too low, depending on the difference from the target food portion weight. This allows the user to manually add slices 29. For example, a portion 63 can be added if the difference is relatively large, whereas for only small differences, the user can be shown that one or more slices 29 should be added manually. In particular, taking such a difference into account can prevent the creation of significantly overweight food portions 67, which would otherwise occur if, for example, a complete additional portion 63 is added for only a small difference.

[0134] It can also be provided that a minimum difference at which another partial portion 63 is added to the predetermined number of partial portions 63 can be specified by a user via an input device 107, in particular a touchscreen, to the control device 43. In particular, a user can also set that a partial portion 63 should always be added if the weight of the predetermined number of partial portions 63 is below the target weight of the food portion. This can be provided, for example, if a weight-dependent selling price is set for the food portions 67, but a predetermined minimum weight or the target weight of the food portion must not be undercut.

[0135] By measuring the weight at the stacking device 11, it is not only possible to measure the weight of the finished food portion 67, but also to determine how the weight of the partial portions 63 stacked on the stacking section 69 changes during the formation of the food portion. This allows, for example, a prediction to be made during the formation of the food portion 67 as to whether the specified number of partial portions 63 will reach the target weight of the food portion or whether another partial portion 63 will likely need to be added.This forecast can be generated in particular by the control unit 43 and used to accelerate the cutting device 21 and / or the transport device 31 if it becomes apparent that another partial portion 63 will likely need to be added to the originally specified number of partial portions 63 in order to reach the target weight of the food portion. The time required to produce this food portion 67 can be reduced by such acceleration, so that the food portion 67 can still be completed within a certain cycle time or a specified time, despite the addition of the further partial portion 63.

[0136] Furthermore, the scale 35 can also function as a checkweigher for the optical scale 77 by, for example, comparing the expected weight of the partial portions 63 and / or the food portion 67, which is determined by the number of slices 29 and their target weight, with the actual weight measured by the scale 35. If deviations are detected between the actual weight of the partial portions 63 or the food portion 67 and the expected weight, this can be used to correct the determination of the density of the front product end 89 and / or the target thickness D of the slice to be cut off by the control unit 43 based on the surface structure 79 and contour 81 of the front product end 89 detected by the optical scale 77, and, for example, to adjust density values ​​stored in the memory 91.Furthermore, the control device 43 can also be designed to execute a self-learning algorithm for determining the target thickness D, which can be continuously optimized for a wide variety of food products 19, for example various sausage and cheese products, by comparing the expected weight with the weight actually determined by the scale 35.

[0137] As the Fig. 4A bis 5B Furthermore, the stacking device 11 includes a measuring device 45, for example a distance sensor, which is configured to determine the height H of the partial portions 63 stacked on the stacking section 69 and also of the complete food portion 67 by measuring L. In particular, a maximum height can be specified for the food portion 67, which can be determined, for example, by a package into which the food portion 67 is to be packed. By additionally determining the weight of the partial portions 63 stacked on the stacking section 69, the control device 43 can be configured to reject partial portions 63 stacked on the stacking section 69 whose height H, determined by the measuring device 45, already exceeds the maximum height, while their total weight is still below the target weight for a food portion.In this case, the target weight of the food portion can no longer be achieved without exceeding the specified maximum height of the food portion 67, meaning that the partial portions 63 are unsuitable for further processing and can therefore be sorted out. For this purpose, the system 17 includes a sorting device 95, which can be formed by the additional transport device 105, so that the control unit 43 can, for example, control the additional transport device 105 to sort out an unusable number of partial portions 63 stacked on the stacking section 69. Alternatively, it can also be provided that unusable partial portions 63 are not transferred from the stacking section 69 to the additional transport device 105, but are instead guided in the opposite direction into a reject container (not shown) by driving the conveyor belt 97.

[0138] Fig. 6 Figure 1 shows a further embodiment of the stacking device 11, in which the product supports 51 and 53 are supported by a frame 71, whereas the stacking section 69 is supported by its own frame 73. In this embodiment, load cells 37 of a scale 35 are arranged in the respective support sections 75 of the frame 73, so that in this embodiment the stacking section 69 includes the scale 35 and the weight of the partial portions 63 and / or the food portion 67 on the stacking section 69 can be measured.

[0139] At the in Fig. 7 In the illustrated embodiment of the stacking device 11, the shafts 41, to which the product supports 51 and 53 are attached, are supported on the frame 71 by means of respective load cells 37, the load cells 37 being arranged particularly in the area of ​​the respective bearings 47 of the shafts 41 or on the bearings 47. The weight of the shafts 41 and the product supports 51 and 53 can thus be determined via the load cells 37, which together form the scale 35, so that the weight of the partial portions 63 can be measured when the partial portions 63 are on the product supports 51 and 53. By adding the weight of the individual partial portions 63, the weight of the complete food portion 67 can also be determined in this embodiment.

[0140] The Fig. 8A und 8B further illustrate a drive 39 by means of which the product supports 51 and 53 can be moved between the feed position Z and the discharge position A by rotating the shafts 41. In contrast to the ones based on the Fig. 4A bis 7 The illustrated embodiment is in the Fig. 8A und 8B In the embodiment shown, two product supports 51 and 53 are arranged on each of the shafts 41, so that, starting from the feed position Z, by rotating the shafts 41 by 180°, two product supports 51 and 53 can again be arranged facing each other in the feed position Z to form a product support surface 15 and to receive the subsequent partial portion 63. A corresponding drive 39 can, however, also be used in the embodiments shown in the Fig. 4A bis 7 The stacking devices 11 shown are provided, wherein in these embodiments rotations of the shafts 41 by 360° are required to move the product supports 51 and 53 back into the feed position Z. Alternatively, the shafts 41 can be rotated back 90° from the deposit position A to move the product supports 51 and 53 back into the feed position Z. In Fig. 8A Furthermore, a drive 101 for the conveyor belt 97 of the stacking section 69 is visible.

[0141] How especially Fig. 8B As shown, a motor 59 is provided to drive the shafts 41, so that the shafts 41 can be driven together by a single motor 59. For this purpose, the shafts 41 are connected to each other via a belt 61, the belt 61 being guided over a deflection pulley 111 such that the shafts 41 can be driven by the motor 59 to rotate in opposite directions. To transmit rotation to the shafts 41, a motor shaft 113 of the motor 59 is connected to one of the shafts 41, with the transmission of torque from the motor shaft 113 to the shaft 41 taking place via a friction clutch 103. A maximum torque that can be transmitted to the shaft 41 can be set via this friction clutch 103, and it can be ensured, in particular, that the shaft 41 slips relative to the motor shaft 113 if the shaft 41 or the product support 53 is blocked. Shaft 41 can therefore be stopped, even though motor shaft 113 continues to rotate.The synchronization of the shafts 41 causes the friction clutch 103, which can also be called a slip clutch, to slip, and also when the product supports 51 arranged on the other shaft 41 are blocked, so that both shafts 41 can be stopped synchronously and with the product supports 51 and 53 respectively oriented in the same rotational position.

[0142] In particular, this can increase the safety of the stacking device 11, since the shafts 41 can be stopped, for example, if a user intervenes during operation by blocking the product supports 51 and 53. This prevents injury to the user from the transmission of strong forces. This safety feature, in particular, prevents the following: Fig. 1A and 1BThis shows that enclosures for the stacking device 11, which would otherwise have to be installed to prevent access to the product supports 51 and 53, are not required. This allows, in particular, direct access to the product supports 51 and 53, so that they can be easily reached for maintenance and / or cleaning purposes, for example, and such work can be carried out simply and less time-consumingly.

[0143] The Fig. 9A and 9BFigure 1 shows a further embodiment of the system 17 for processing food products 19, in which a first stacking device 11 and a second stacking device 49 are provided. The transport device 31 also includes a distribution device 65, which is configured to selectively move partial portions 63 either to the first stacking device 11 or to the second stacking device 49, so that the partial portions 63 can be selectively moved onto the product supports 51 and 53 of the first stacking device 11 or the second stacking device 49. The partial portions 63 can be distributed by the distribution device 65 onto a first transport path T1 or a second transport path T2, with the first transport path T1 leading to the first stacking device 11 and the second transport path T2 leading to the second stacking device 49.

[0144] By means of such a distribution device 65, which here is designed as a rocker or conveyor belt 99 pivotable about a horizontal axis, the partial portions 63 can thus be distributed onto the superimposed transport sections T1 and T2. The distance between successive partial portions 63 on the transport sections T1 and T2 can be increased, for example, by alternately distributing partial portions 63 onto the transport sections T1 and T2, compared to the distance between the partial portions 63 at the transfer from the portioning section 27 to the transport device 31. Due to this increased distance, the weight of the partial portions 63 can be determined, particularly on the transport sections T1 and T2, and thus between the distribution direction 65 and the first stacking device 11 or the second stacking device 49, since sufficient time is now available for a precise measurement.

[0145] The system 17 comprises two scales 35 and 36. Scale 35 is arranged between the distribution device 65 and the first stacking device 11 to determine the weight of partial portions 63 moved towards this stacking device 11. The second scale 36 is arranged between the distribution direction 65 and the second stacking device 49 on the second transport section T2 to determine the weight of the partial portions 63 moved towards the second stacking device 49. Scales 35 and 36 can be integrated into their respective conveyor belts 99, and a measurement can be taken while the partial portions 63 are moving on the respective conveyor belt 99. Alternatively, the respective conveyor belt 99 can be briefly stopped to determine the weight of the partial portion 63.

[0146] In this embodiment, the partial portions 63 can thus be distributed across the transport sections T1 and T2, enabling the determination of the weight of the partial portions 63 and also of the food portions 67 formed at the respective stacking devices 11 and 49. As explained above, this weight can be taken into account, in particular, when controlling the slicing device 21 and / or the transport device 31. Furthermore, the control device 43 can be configured to distribute partial portions 63 between the first transport section T1 and the auxiliary transport section T2 in such a way that at least approximately the same total weight of food products 19 is processed at the two stacking devices 11 and 49.For this purpose, for example, an overweight partial portion 63 can be specifically generated and guided to the respective stacking device 11 or 49 if a lower weight was processed on one of the transport lines T1 or T2 compared to the other transport line T2 or T1.

[0147] Fig. 10 Figure 1 schematically shows another embodiment of a system 17 for processing food portions 19, wherein the individual components can basically be designed as shown in the further figures. In this embodiment, as in the one based on the Fig. 9A and 9BIn the illustrated embodiment, a transport device 31 with a distribution device 65 is provided to distribute partial portions 63 produced by a cutting device 21 onto a first transport path T1 and a second transport path T2. The distribution device 65 is schematically shown to be movable along a double arrow P in order to distribute the partial portions 63 onto the laterally offset transport paths T1 and T2, although a design similar to the one shown in the Fig. 9A and 9B The system 17 shown can be configured as a seesaw. In this embodiment as well, the partial portions 63 are formed on a portioning section 27 of the cutting device 21 and transferred by a conveying device 33 of the portioning section 27 to the transport device 31.

[0148] In contrast to the embodiment of the Fig. 9A and 9B is at the in Fig. 10 The system shown provides only a stacking device 11, to which the respective portions 63 received from the distribution device 65 are conveyed via transport sections T1 and T2. However, the distance between the portions 63 on transport sections T1 and T2 is increased compared to the distance between the portions 63 at the transition between the conveying device 33 of the portioning section 27 and the transport device 31, so that the portions 63 can be weighed by means of scales 35 and 36 arranged on transport sections T1 and T2, and the weight of the portions 63 can be taken into account by a control device 43 as explained above. Bezugszeichenliste

[0149] 11 Stacking device 15 Product support surface 17 System 19 Food product 21 Slicing device 23 Product feed 25 Knife 27 Portioning section 29 Slice 31 Transport device 33 Conveyor device 35 Scale 36 Scale 37 Load cell 39 Drive 41 Shaft 43 Control device 45 Measuring device 47 Bearing 49 Second stacking device 51 First product support 53 Second product support 55 Outside 57 Outside 59 Motor 61 Belt 63 Partial portion 65 Distribution device 67 Food portion 69 Stacking section 71 Frame 73 Frame 75 Support section 77 Optical scale 79 Surface structure 81 Contour 83 Fat content 85 Meat content 87 Bone content 89 Front product end 90 Rear product end 91 Storage 93 Marking and / or signaling device 95 Sorting device 97 Conveyor belt 99 Conveyor belt 101 Drive 103 Friction clutch 105 Further transport device 107 Input device 109 Product gripper 111 Deflection roller 113 Motor shaft A Deposit position D Target thickness F Conveying direction H Height L Measurement P Double arrow S Cutting plane T1 FirstTransport route T2, second transport route Z, feed position

Claims

1. System (17) for processing food products (19), in particular meat products, sausage, cheese, ham, and / or bacon, comprising - a slicing apparatus (21), in particular a high-performance slicer, which has a portioning section (27) and a blade (25) movable in a cutting plane (S), in particular a circular blade or scythe-like blade revolving in the cutting plane (S), and which is configured to cut-off slices (29) from bar-shaped food products (19) guided into the cutting plane (S) and to form part portions (63) in the portioning section (27), which comprise one or more cut-off slices (29), - a transport device (31) adjoining the portioning section (27), wherein the portioning section (27) comprises a conveying device (33) which is configured to transfer the part portions (63) to the transport device (31), and - a stacking apparatus (11) which has at least one product support (51, 53) movable between a feed position (Z) and a placement position (A) and a stacking section (69) arranged below the product support (51, 53), wherein the stacking apparatus (11) is configured to place part portions (63) moved onto the product support (51, 53) onto the stacking section (69) by moving the product support (51, 53) from the feed position (Z) to the placement position (A) and to form a food portion (67) comprising a plurality of part portions (63) on the stacking section (69), in particular by stacking a plurality of part portions (63) moved one after the other onto the product support (51, 53) on top of one another, wherein the transport device (31) is configured to transport the part portions (63) received from the conveying device (33) onto the product support (51, 53) of the stacking apparatus (11), and wherein the transport device (31) and / or the stacking apparatus (11) has / have a scale (35) for measuring the weight of the part portions (63) and / or the food portion (67).

2. System (17) according to claim 1, wherein the scale (35) is integrated into the stacking apparatus (11); and / or wherein the stacking section (69) comprises the scale (35), wherein the scale (35) is configured to measure the weight of the part portions (63) placed on the stacking section (69); and / or wherein the product support (51, 53) and / or the stacking section (69) may be supportable on the ground via a frame (71, 73), in particular via a common frame (71), wherein the scale (35) is arranged beneath the product support (51, 53) and / or beneath the stacking section (69) at the frame (71, 73), wherein the frame (71, 73) has in particular at least three, in particular four, support sections (75) via which the product support (51, 53) and / or the stacking section (69) may be supportable on the ground, wherein the scale (35) is arranged at at least one of the support sections (75), in particular wherein the scale (35) comprises a plurality of load cells (37), wherein a respective load cell (37) is arranged at each of the support sections (75).

3. System (17) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stacking apparatus (11) has a drive (39) for moving the product support (51, 53), wherein the drive (39) and / or the product support (51, 53) may be supportable on the ground via the scale (35); in particular wherein the drive (39) comprises a motor (59) and a shaft (41) via which the product support (51, 53) is connected to the motor (59), wherein the shaft (41) is supported at the stacking apparatus (11) via at least one bearing (47), and wherein the scale (35) is arranged at the at least one bearing (47).

4. System (17) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport device (31) has a first transport path (T1) and a second transport path (T2), and wherein the transport device (31) comprises a distribution device (65) which is configured to selectively distribute part portions (63) received from the conveying device (33) to the first transport path (T1) or the second transport path (T2); in particular, wherein the system (17) has a first scale (35) and a second scale (36), wherein the first scale (35) is arranged at the first transport path (T1) and the second scale (36) is arranged at the second transport path (T2).

5. System (17) according to claim 4, wherein the system (17) comprises a first stacking apparatus (11) and a second stacking apparatus (49), wherein the transport device (31) is configured to move the part portions (63) via the first transport path (T1) onto the product support (51, 53) of the first stacking apparatus (11) and via the second transport path (T2) onto the product support (51, 53) of the second stacking apparatus (49), wherein the first stacking apparatus (11) and the second stacking apparatus (49) each have a respective scale (35).

6. System (17) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system (17) comprises a control device (43) which is configured to adjust the operation of the system (17), in particular settings of the slicing apparatus (21) and / or the transport device (31), in dependence on a measurement result of the scale (35); wherein the control device (43) is configured in particular to adjust a number of slices (29) of a part portion (63) and / or a thickness of the cut-off slices (29) in dependence on the measurement result of the scale (35); and / or wherein the control device (43) is in particular configured to perform a regulation in which the number of slices (29) of a part portion (63) or the thickness of the slices (29) is the control variable and the weight of the part portions (63) and / or the food portion (67) measured by the scale (35) is the regulation variable; and / or wherein the control device (43) is configured in particular to perform trend regulation based on the weight of a plurality of consecutive part portions (63) and / or food portions (67); and / or wherein the control device (43) is in particular configured to adjust a cutting speed of the slicing apparatus (21) and / or a transport speed of the transport device (31) during the formation of a food portion (67) depending on the measurement of the scale (35).

7. System (17) according to claim 6, wherein the slicing apparatus (21) comprises an optical scale (77) that is configured to determine a surface structure (79) and a contour (81) of a front product end (89) of the food product (19) facing the cutting plane (S), wherein the control device (43) is configured - to determine a density of the slice (29) to be cut off from the front product end (89) based on the determined surface structure (79), - to determine a desired thickness (D) of the slice (29) to be cut off based on the determined density and the determined contour (81), at which desired thickness (D) the cut-off slice (29) has a predefined desired weight, and - to control the slicing apparatus (21) to cut off the slice (29) with the desired thickness (D), wherein the control device (43) is further configured to adapt the determination of the density and / or of the desired thickness (D) in the event of a deviation of the measurement of the scale (35) from a desired part portion weight determined by the number of slices (29) and / or from a desired food portion weight, wherein the control device (43) is configured in particular to execute a self-learning algorithm for determining the density and / or the desired thickness (D) of the slice (29) to be cut-off from the front product end (89) and to optimize it taking into account the measurement of the scale (35).

8. System (17) according to claim 7, wherein the control device (43) is configured to determine a fat proportion (83), a meat proportion (85), and / or a bone proportion (87) within the contour (81) of the front product end (89) based on the surface structure (79) and to calculate the density and / or the desired thickness (D) of the slice (29) to be cut off from the front product end (89) in dependence on the respective proportion and / or the respective proportions and / or to look up the density and / or the desired thickness (D) of the slice (29) to be cut off from the front product end (89) in a look-up table, wherein the control device (43) is configured in particular to adapt parameters for calculating the density and / or the look-up table depending on the measurement of the scale (35).

9. System (17) according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein a predetermined number of part portions (63) is provided for the food portions (67), wherein the control device (43) is configured to control the stacking apparatus (11) to add a further part portion (63) after the predetermined number of part portions (63) has been placed, if the weight of the predetermined number of part portions (63) measured by the scale (35) is less than a desired food portion weight provided for the food portions (67); and / or wherein the system (17) has a marking and / or signaling device (93), wherein the control device (43) is configured to control the marking and / or signaling device (93) to mark the food portion (67) and / or to trigger a signal perceptible to a user if the weight of the predetermined number of part portions (63) measured by the scale (35) deviates from the desired food portion weight; in particular wherein the control device (43) is configured to, if the weight of the predetermined number of part portions (63) measured by the scale (35) is less than a desired food portion weight specified for the food portions (67), in dependence on a difference between the weight measured by the scale (35) and the desired food portion weight, either control the stacking apparatus (11) to add a further part portion (63) or to control the marking and / or signaling device (93) to mark the food portion (67) and / or trigger the signal perceptible to a user; and / or in particular, wherein a minimum difference at which the control device (43) controls the stacking apparatus (11) to add a further part portion (63) can be set via an input device (107), in particular a touch screen, of the control device (43).

10. System (17) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the stacking apparatus (11) has a measuring device (45) for determining a height (H) of part portions (63) placed on the stacking section (69), and wherein the system (17) comprises a sorting-out device (95), wherein the control device (43) is configured to control the sorting-out device (95) for sorting out the placed part portions (63) when the determined height (H) exceeds a predetermined or predeterminable maximum height and the measured weight of the placed part portions (63) falls below a desired weight for a food portion.

11. System (17) according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the system (17) comprises at least a first stacking apparatus (11) and a second stacking apparatus (49) as well as a first scale (35) for determining the weight of the part portions (63) moved to the first stacking apparatus (11) and / or the food portion (67) formed at the first stacking apparatus (11), and a second scale (36) for determining the weight of the part portions (63) moved to the second stacking apparatus (49) and / or the food portion (67) formed at the second stacking apparatus (49), wherein the transport device (31) has a distribution device (65) for selectively distributing the part portions (63) to the first stacking apparatus (11) or to the second stacking apparatus (49), wherein the control device (43) is configured to control the distribution device (65) in dependence on measurements of the first scale (35) and the second scale (36), wherein the control device (43) is configured in particular to control the distribution device (65) and / or the slicing apparatus (21) such that differences between a respective total weight of the part portions (63) moved to the first stacking apparatus (11) and to the second stacking apparatus (49) can be compensated.

12. Method for operating a system (17) for processing food products (19), in particular meat products, sausage, cheese, ham, and / or bacon, in particular for operating a system (17) according to one of claims 1 to 11, in which - bar-shaped food products (19) are guided into a cutting plane (S) of a slicing apparatus (21) and slices (29) are cut off from the food product (19) by means of a blade (25) movable in the cutting plane (S), - part portions (63) that comprise one or more cut-off slices (29) are formed on a portioning section (27) of the slicing apparatus (21), - the part portions (63) are transferred from a conveying device (33) of the portioning section (27), in particular a conveyor belt (99), to a transport device (31) and are moved by means of the transport device (31) onto a product support (51, 53) of a stacking apparatus (11), - the part portions (63) successively transported onto the product support (51, 53) are placed on a stacking section (69) of the stacking apparatus (11) and a food portion (67) is formed that comprises a plurality of part portions (63), and - the weight of the part portions (63) and / or of the food portion (67) is measured at the transport device (31) and / or the stacking apparatus (11).

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein a thickness of the cut-off slices (29) and / or a number of slices (29) of a part portion (63) is adapted in dependence on the measured weight of the part portions (63) and / or the food portion (67); and / or wherein a regulation is performed in which the weight of the part portions (63) and / or the food portion (67) is the regulation variable and the thickness of the slices (29) and / or the number of slices (29) of a part portion (63) is the control variable; and / or wherein a predetermined number of part portions (63) is provided for the food portion (67), wherein a further part portion (63) is automatically added to the predetermined number of part portions (63) placed on the stacking section (69) or wherein the food portion (67) is marked when the measured weight of the predetermined number of part portions (63) falls below the desired weight of the food portion; and / or wherein a height (H) of the part portions (63) placed on the stacking section (69) is determined, and wherein the food portion (67) formed by the placed part portions (63) is sorted out if the determined height (H) exceeds a predetermined maximum height and the measured weight of the food portion (67) falls below a desired food portion weight.