Processing of food products

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for generating multiple streams of portions, each comprising one or more slices, which have been obtained by slicing food products by means of a slicing device, in particular a high-speed slicer, in which products lying next to one another in several lanes are arranged in a cutting plane moving cutting blade are fed to the slicing device, slices are cut off from the products by means of the cutting blade, portions are formed from the cut slices, and the portions are transported in several streams to a downstream unit, in particular a packaging machine, with the occupancy of the streams being recorded and the slicing is performed as a function of the detected occupancies.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for generating multiple streams of portions, each comprising one or more slices obtained by slicing food products using a slicing device, in particular a high-speed slicer. The invention also relates to a device comprising, among other things, a control unit configured to control the device according to a method according to the invention.

[0002] Such methods and devices are generally known. For example, EP 2 468 466 A1 discloses a method in which food products are fed in several lanes to a slicing device and sliced ​​by it. EP 3 120 981 A2 and EP 2 439 029 A1 also disclose methods for slicing food products. When slicing food products, i.e., when operating systems also referred to as production lines, which include one or more slicing devices, especially high-performance slicers, the slicing device has thus far been the "heart" of the system, insofar as its operation determines the processes of all other system components. In practice, this leads to problems that are either accepted or addressed with considerable design and control engineering effort.

[0003] For example, a continuous flow of portions towards a unit downstream of the slicing device (hereinafter also simply called the slicer), particularly a packaging machine, cannot be achieved if pauses or interruptions occur in the portion flow. Such interruptions inevitably occur, for example, when the slicer is loaded with new products. This is addressed primarily with so-called buffer devices between the slicer and the packaging machine, which, among other things, has the disadvantage that such devices increase the overall size of the system.

[0004] Maintaining a reasonably continuous portion flow is particularly challenging in a multi-lane system where the slicer simultaneously slices adjacent products in several lanes. Infeed variations in the individual lanes manifest themselves in the portion flows downstream of the slicer, primarily as gaps. Incomplete portion lines can occur, making further processing difficult or impossible for subsequent equipment. Current countermeasures include relatively long buffer sections and / or numerous cross-distributors along the conveyor and sorting lines. The higher the number of lanes in a system, the greater the effort required, particularly in terms of system complexity and cost.Even technically feasible solutions fail in practice either due to excessively high costs or insufficient portion throughput, as closing gaps in the portion flow is particularly time-consuming, especially for cross-distribution and the associated stopping of portions.

[0005] The improvements made in the past to slicers, particularly with regard to cutting speed and weight accuracy, can therefore also lead to disadvantages if the operation of a system is geared towards optimizing slicer operation.

[0006] The object of the invention is to remedy this situation and provide possibilities, particularly when using multi-lane slicing devices, to ensure the simplest and most continuous handling possible of the portions produced by the slicing device on their way to a downstream unit, especially a packaging machine, without unacceptable losses in cutting speed and weight accuracy. In particular, it should ensure that gaps in a portion stream, incomplete portion lines, and incomplete format sets do not occur in the first place, or at least that their number is minimized.

[0007] The general inventive idea with which this problem is solved consists in an intelligent operation of the cutting device or of a system containing one or more cutting devices, in which circumstances such as, in particular, special operating situations or special operating conditions are taken into account, which until now have played no or only a subordinate role, at least for the operation of the cutting device.

[0008] According to the invention, as defined in claims 1 and 6, in the method for generating multiple streams, in which products lying side by side in several lanes are fed to a cutting blade of the slicing device moving in a cutting plane, slices are cut from the products by means of the cutting blade, portions are formed from the cut slices, and the portions are transported in multiple streams to a downstream unit, in particular a packaging machine, it is provided according to the invention that the occupancy of the streams is detected and the slicing is carried out depending on the detected occupancy.

[0009] The "occupancy" of a portion stream refers to the number of portions contained within that stream, either per unit length of the transport path along which the portions flow, or per unit time during which portions enter the stream. Consequently, the occupancy of a stream can also be described as the fill level of the respective device or devices downstream of the cutting unit.

[0010] This concept of the invention presents a way to control the slicing process—that is, the operation of the slicing device—depending on a situation at one or more components of the overall system that are downstream of the slicing device. In short, this aspect of the invention involves controlling the slicer by the downstream transport system or a part thereof. For example, a so-called feeder, which forms part of the transport system, can control the product feed that forms part of the slicer. A feeder is designed to successively transfer multiple portion-containing format sets to a downstream unit, in particular a packaging machine.

[0011] For example, depending on the detected occupancy levels of the individual streams on the feeder, the control system can be configured so that the slicer increases the portion output in a product feed lane corresponding to a relatively under-occupied stream, or reduces the portion output in a product feed lane corresponding to a relatively over-occupied stream. In such a slicer control system, the occupancy levels of the streams, or a value derived from them, therefore constitute the controlled variable.

[0012] With this general concept of the invention, which involves slicing based on the detected contents, continuous portion flows towards the downstream unit can be achieved, at least on average. In particular, those components of the transport line between the slicer and the packaging machine that serve to buffer portions and form format sets from the portions can be operated optimally with continuous portion flows, especially with regard to throughput and accuracy, while simultaneously requiring minimal space. The same applies to the process of inserting the portions or format sets into packaging or transferring the portions or format sets to a packaging machine by a so-called inserter.

[0013] According to the invention, the cutting is carried out individually for each lane, depending on differences in the current loads of the individual currents. Differences in the current loads can therefore be taken into account during the operation of the cutting device.

[0014] Preferably, the cutting process is carried out in such a way as to minimize differences in the occupancy levels of the individual streams. In particular, control can therefore be implemented such that the individual recorded occupancy levels, or a value derived therefrom, constitute the actual value and thus serve as the controlled variable, while the intended minimization of differences in occupancy levels represents the setpoint and thus serves as the reference variable for the control system.

[0015] The invention does not specify a particular method for detecting the current occupancy. For example, the current occupancy can be detected by identifying gaps between the portions of a respective current. Alternatively or additionally, the current occupancy can be detected by determining the portion throughput in a respective current.

[0016] One advantage of the invention is that it can be integrated into the control system of existing systems purely via software. Data already collected during the conventional operation of a system can be used to determine a measure of the portion occupancy of the streams. Detecting gaps and determining the number of portions entering a stream per unit of time is known in itself, but has so far been used for other purposes. For example, detection devices are known that are arranged at one or more points along the transport path between the slicer and the packaging machine and are capable of distinguishing between the presence and absence of a portion at the respective point along the transport path. Consequently, it is possible not only to determine the presence of gaps themselves, but also, if necessary, how many gaps occur per unit of time at a specific point or location.be detected in a specific stream.

[0017] The portion throughput can be determined, for example, by counting the portions that pass one or more measuring points per unit of time. The method according to the invention can use this existing data to carry out the slicing or the operation of the slicing device in the manner according to the invention.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the occupancy in a given stream is changed by altering the portion output in a corresponding track of the cutting device. The portion output is the number of portions produced per unit of time. Consequently, increasing the portion output increases the occupancy of the respective stream, and vice versa.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, the occupancy in a respective stream can be changed by modifying at least one property of at least one portion in an assigned track of the cutting device.

[0020] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the occupancy in a respective stream is changed by altering the portion yield per product in an associated track of the cutting device.

[0021] Portion yield is the number of portions produced per product, i.e., the number produced without any loading interruptions that would reduce capacity. Therefore, increasing the portion yield increases the capacity of the relevant stream, and vice versa.

[0022] Furthermore, it may be provided that the occupancy in a respective stream is changed by changing the number of loading interruptions in an associated track of the cutting device.

[0023] Once a product has been fully sliced, a certain period of time elapses, also known as the "loading pause," during which the slicing process, and consequently the production of portions, is interrupted until the next product is sliced. Reducing the number of loading interruptions therefore increases the throughput in the respective stream, and vice versa.

[0024] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the occupancy in a respective stream is changed by altering a setpoint value for the portion weight in an associated track of the cutting device. At least one predetermined tolerance can be utilized here, in particular a tolerance for the portion weight and / or a tolerance for the total weight of a batch comprising a plurality of portions.

[0025] In this process, portions are deliberately produced that are either overweight or underweight, within a range permitted by one or more tolerances, which may be specified in particular by a regulation – e.g., a FPV (explained in more detail elsewhere). With overweight cutting, the next loading interruption occurs earlier, thus reducing the occupancy in the relevant stream. Conversely, with underweight cutting, the time until the next loading interruption is longer, thus increasing the occupancy in the relevant stream. This is because fewer portions can be produced with overweight cutting – relative to a given product length – than with underweight cutting, so the next loading interruption occurs accordingly earlier or later.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the invention, the occupancy in a respective stream can be changed by altering the product sequence in an associated track of the cutting device, taking into account one or more product criteria. A product criterion can be, for example, the product weight, product density, product contour, product structure, and / or product length.

[0027] In this process, the products to be sliced ​​are deliberately arranged in a specific sequence on the loading and / or feeding side, which, based on the recorded occupancy levels, leads to either more or less frequent loading interruptions. This can be achieved, for example, by combining, sorting, and rearranging the products. If, for instance, relatively heavy and / or relatively long products are sliced ​​consecutively, this reduces the number of loading interruptions, which increases the occupancy in the respective stream, and vice versa.

[0028] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the load in a given stream is changed by altering the product length in an associated track of the cutting device, in particular by combining, sorting, rearranging, cutting, and / or joining products. The product length can also be changed by interrupting the cutting process and then restarting it, whereby the remaining product portion present at the time of the interruption remains on the product holder.

[0029] In this process, the product length—and consequently the number of products cut per unit of time—is essentially "artificially" altered. When a product is cut, this necessitates an additional loading interruption, which would not have occurred without the product being cut. Alternatively, it is possible, for example, to combine two previously separate products in such a way that they can be cut as a single product without interrupting the loading process. The combination of two separate products can be achieved, for instance, by joining them together using suitable means, whether by force, form, or material bonding.

[0030] According to claim 6, a device according to the invention for generating multiple streams of portions, each comprising one or more slices, comprises a slicing device, in particular a high-speed slicer, for generating the slices by slicing food products, at least one transport device for transporting the portions in multiple streams to a downstream unit, in particular a packaging machine, a detection device for detecting the occupancy of the streams, and a control device configured to control the device according to a method as explained above.

[0031] A significant advantage of the invention is that incomplete format sets and gaps in the portion flow, particularly at the feeder or buffer, can be avoided or at least minimized in terms of their frequency of occurrence. This is especially advantageous for multi-lane slicing devices with lane-specific product feed. The invention enables the creation of format sets and the closing of gaps to be carried out simply and quickly with minimal equipment, even when slicing is performed in two or more lanes and a two- or multi-lane transport section for the produced portions is present downstream of the slicing device, i.e., when the portions are fed in two or more streams to the downstream unit, which is in particular a packaging machine.

[0032] The invention significantly reduces technical complexity, particularly for the units downstream of a slicer used for format formation and buffering, as well as for inserting portions into packaging or transferring them to a packaging machine. Furthermore, it minimizes downtime that would otherwise result from manual adjustments to portion flows or format sets. Finally, it enables a high degree of overall system flexibility.

[0033] In particular, the invention can eliminate the need for a large number of cross-distributions of portions. Without the invention, gaps might occur in one of the streams, potentially leading to empty packs, at least when there are relatively large differences in occupancy between the individual streams in a buffer device, either due to under- or over-occupancy (in at least one of the streams). Without the invention, corresponding automation might avoid such negative phenomena. However, this would either involve very high technical costs or negatively impact the speed at which format sets can be formed.

[0034] The advantages of the invention therefore come into play particularly when multi-track, especially three- or four-track, cutting is required, or when a particularly variable format set formation is desired.

[0035] The invention can relieve the load on downstream processing units for portion streams following a slicing device and also ensure manageable technical effort for these downstream units. In general, the invention allows for particularly efficient multi-lane slicing and multi-lane formatting.

[0036] Depending on the specific design and control of a system, as well as the operating conditions, the occasional occurrence of a gap in the portion flow cannot be ruled out. However, investigations by the applicant have shown that this only occurs in extremely exceptional cases in practice, for example, when several factors coincide. A problem can arise, for instance, if no product pre-sorting takes place when loading a slicer, and one lane happens to receive light and short products while the other lane receives heavy and long products.

[0037] However, it has also been shown that the invention can drastically reduce the probability of gaps forming in the portion stream, so that from an economic point of view, manual correction is significantly cheaper than the manual or equipment-based effort required without the invention to eliminate or avoid negative phenomena such as gaps in a portion stream.

[0038] Further embodiments of the invention are given in the claims, the description and the drawing.

[0039] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the single figure which schematically shows a plant for processing food products.

[0040] The system includes a slicer 15 with two lanes in this example, which includes a loading device 39 and a product feed 37.

[0041] The loading device 39 is used to place food products to be sliced, such as sausage bars, cheese bars, ham or pieces of meat, into the slicer 15.

[0042] A product holder 38, also referred to as a product gripper, is schematically shown for each of the two lanes of the product feeder 37. This gripper is designed to engage with a rear end of the product in order to feed the product 13 towards a cutting plane 19 in which a cutting blade of the slicer 15 moves. The design and operation of a high-speed slicer will not be discussed in detail here, as this is generally known to those skilled in the art.

[0043] The slicer 15 and the downstream equipment, which will be discussed in more detail below, are each designed with multiple lanes, here with two lanes. This is indicated in the figure by the dashed line.

[0044] The system can additionally include upstream devices for the slicer 15, which are not shown in the figure. Such an upstream device can, in particular, be a so-called product scanner, with which the outer product contour and / or the internal product structure can be determined. This product data can be used by a central control unit 35 to control the product feed 37 in such a way that the portions 11 produced by slicing the products 13 have a specific portion weight, optionally within a predetermined tolerance. Since the products 13 fed to the two tracks can be different, the product holders 38 are movable independently of each other in the feed direction, at least within certain limits. In this context, those skilled in the art refer to a track-specific product feed 37.

[0045] The portions 11 are produced from the separated product slices on a portioning device 27 directly adjacent to the cutting plane 19. To ensure proper removal of a produced portion 11, one or more empty cuts are performed after the last slice of a portion has been separated. This is achieved by stopping the product feed 37 in the relevant lane while the cutting blade continues to move at the specified cutting rate. These empty cuts are therefore regular empty cuts within the context of portioned slicing.

[0046] The other components of the system shown in the figure are a grouping device 29, two buffer devices 31 and a feeder 33. These components need not be discussed in more detail here, as the structure, purpose and function of such devices are known to those skilled in the art.

[0047] The purpose of the entire system is ultimately to produce format sets consisting of several portions 11, which have a predetermined arrangement and orientation of the portions 11 relative to each other (in the figure, a 2 x 3 matrix) and which are fed to a packaging machine 21 by means of the inserter 33. This can be achieved, for example, by the inserter 33 placing individual format sets one after the other into packaging, which is, for example, in the form of plastic trays and which in practice are usually produced on-site in the packaging machine 21, for example, from a film using a thermoforming process.

[0048] The dots between the portioning unit 27 and the grouping unit 29, as well as between the two buffer units 31, indicate that further system components may be provided at these points. For example, a portion scale can be connected to the portioning unit 27, which informs the control unit 35 of the actual portion weight of each portion 11 produced. One or more additional buffer units 31 may be located between the two buffer units 31 shown.

[0049] The figure schematically indicates a practically possible state in product feed 37, in which a product 13 is still being cut in one lane - here the right one - while in the left lane a product has been fully cut and the cutting of the next product 13 has not yet begun.

[0050] Such an operating condition is one of many potential reasons why, in practice, there is no continuous portion flow after the slicer 15, i.e., gaps 23 occur in at least one lane, i.e., one of the two portion flows in the figure, as shown in the figure purely as examples once on the portioning device 27 and once on the grouping device 29.

[0051] In this respect, the figure depicts a situation that was previously unavoidable in the prior art. The invention, however, makes it possible to avoid the formation of such gaps.

[0052] As explained in the introduction, one aspect of the invention is to detect the contents of the individual portion streams and to slice the products 13 using the slicer 15 depending on the detected contents. The details of the invention presented in the introduction will not be discussed again here. Reference is made to the explanations in the introduction.

[0053] The figure and the preceding explanations illustrate the potentially occurring differences in the occupancy of the individual streams, which are actually avoided by the invention. At the fictitious time shown in the figure, fewer portions 11 have entered the left track than the right track since the production of the foremost portions 11 in insert 33. In other words, the fill level of the left stream is lower than the fill level of the right stream.

[0054] The occupancy of the individual streams or the differences in the occupancy of the individual streams can be detected using a detection device 25, which is shown schematically in the figure. The detection device 25 can either be configured to determine the number of portions 11 passing the relevant measuring point per unit of time or to distinguish the presence of a portion 11 on the grouping device 29 shown here as an example of the detection from the absence of a portion 11 – i.e., from a gap 23.

[0055] The detection device 25, as well as the other system components downstream of the slicer 15 and the packaging machine 21, is connected to the aforementioned central control unit 35 of the system.

[0056] Conventional food processing plants 13 are often already equipped with the hardware required to carry out the methods according to the invention, meaning that the invention can be integrated into existing plants without additional equipment. Such a conversion or retrofit requires programming the plant control system to implement the methods according to the invention, in order to utilize the data already collected during plant operation for the invention.

[0057] As mentioned in the introduction, targeted underweight or overweight cutting for a portion stream can be achieved by utilizing one or more predefined weight tolerances. The actual portion weight can be determined, for example, by a so-called FPV scale (FPV = Prepackaged Goods Ordinance), not shown in the figure, which serves as a checkweigher at the end of the entire cutting and packaging line. Within the permissible range for overweight or underweight portions or packages in a batch, as defined by the Prepackaged Goods Ordinance, the portions 11 can then be cut slightly heavier or slightly lighter for completion in the individual streams using the slicer 15.In particular, it can be exploited that within a batch a proportion of - depending on the relevant regulations - for example 2% of portions deviating from a specified portion weight is permitted.

[0058] For the operation of the slicer 15, this means that portions 11 for comparatively empty streams, which therefore have a "shortage" of portions 11, tend to be cut more easily, i.e., more portions 11 are obtained from a product 13 and a respective underweight of the portions 11 in question is accepted.

[0059] If, on the other hand, a portion stream has a relatively high fill level, the portions 11 tend to be cut with more weight. As a result, a product 13 yields a smaller number of portions 11. The deliberately created "excess weight" of the portions 11 during this over-cutting corresponds to the previously recorded situation in the stream in question.

[0060] Preferably, such over- or underweight slicing is carried out in combination with already known settings and parameters for portion formation on the slicer 15. These include, for example, portion completion, where missing slices from the last portion of a product are replaced by slices taken from the following product, or slice thickness control, particularly when a predetermined target number and thickness of slices cannot be maintained for certain reasons, and thus one or more slices are added to the portion or the portion is formed with one or more fewer slices. This can occur, for example, when slicing cheese if a predetermined number of slices or slice thickness cannot be maintained due to a relatively high number of holes in the cheese product.

[0061] The invention therefore makes it possible to "balance" the individual flows over time, particularly in the area of ​​the buffer devices 31, and still comply with the framework conditions of the Prepackaged Goods Ordinance (FPV) when producing a batch of portions.

[0062] As already explained in the introduction, differences in the occupancy of the individual streams can be compensated for by intelligent pre-sorting of the products to be cut before loading and cutting and / or intelligent pre-division or division of the products in a cutting program running in the control system before cutting.

[0063] If a "shortage" is detected in a stream, particularly at a buffer unit, and consequently a higher portion output is required in the corresponding lane (i.e., more product mass is requested), the system attempts to assign the heaviest available product to the loading unit or product feed of the lane in question. Conversely, if a stream is "overfilled" (i.e., has an "excess of product mass"), the portion output in the product feed 37 of the corresponding lane is reduced by assigning the lightest available product to be processed next.

[0064] This concept can utilize various auxiliary devices, such as a loading buffer, a loading magazine, or an operator display, for example, a traffic light system that provides recommendations for manual loading, removal, replenishment, or reordering, particularly following product scanning. A product scale can also be included as a further aid.

[0065] In principle, it is also possible to design the product feed or the areas upstream of the product feed, which are generally referred to as feeders, at least in some areas, in such a way that the products can change lanes.

[0066] In principle, a fully automatic product selection for the individual lanes depending on the respective operating situation is also conceivable, so that the system itself can determine the cutting sequence in the lanes from an existing "pool" of products with properties known for this purpose.

[0067] If products are intentionally cut before slicing to alter the composition of the subsequent flow of material from the slicer, then it is preferable to perform prior product measurement to enable intelligent cutting based on the relevant product data. For cheese slicing in particular, conventional X-ray scanners can be used to detect holes.

[0068] Simultaneously, the product data obtained through measurement can be used for regular, lane-specific product feeding in the slicer. An additional product scanner is then not required.

[0069] All relevant product characteristics can generally serve as the basis for this use of product data, in particular product weight, product density, product contour (external shape), product length, and internal product structure. Product structure is generally determined by the distribution of the individual product components. Even holes in a cheese product can be considered a product component in this sense, since the number, size, and distribution of the holes determine how the product can be sliced ​​and portioned, which must meet predefined conditions such as slice thickness, slice weight, number of slices per portion, and portion weight. Other relevant product components include fat and other additives, the proportion and distribution of which in the product are determined and can be used to control product feed.

[0070] In a preferred embodiment, the inserter 33 controls the slicer and the device for slicing the products. This means that the slicing of the products in the feeding area can already take into account the requirements in the individual lanes or streams with regard to potentially thicker or thinner slices.

[0071] Pre-cutting products is, in itself, state of the art. However, the devices used for this purpose are currently inflexible, meaning they operate with a fixed setting. Consequently, product scanning has so far only been performed after the products have been cut, meaning that the cutting process itself could not be influenced by the data obtained from product measurement.

[0072] When considering the operating state in this way, it is possible to differentiate between individual flows of the respective downstream devices, to differentiate between differences between individual flows, or to differentiate between the individual downstream devices themselves. Alternatively, the total occupancy with portions downstream of the cutting device can be considered without differentiating between individual flows, differences between individual flows, or individual downstream devices.

[0073] According to another embodiment, the portion output and / or the format set output and / or the occupancy of an insert can be considered as an operating condition.

[0074] Furthermore, it may be provided that the results of a product measurement are taken into account, which is carried out in the product feed path before the cutting device or at least before the cutting plane.

[0075] According to another embodiment, it can be provided that operating conditions are changed when portioning is interrupted.

[0076] To avoid disrupting the uninterrupted slicing of entire products, changes to the operating conditions can therefore be postponed until after a whole product has been completely sliced. In particular, foreseeable or planned changes to the operating conditions—that is, changes not necessitated by random events—can be implemented specifically during an inevitable interruption in portioning (between two whole products) or a planned interruption (between two sections of a product).

[0077] It may also be provided that, when slicing two immediately consecutive sections of a product, at least one compensating slice not belonging to a portion is removed from the second section before portioning. This ultimately results in a slicing process similar to that conventionally performed when slicing begins at a front end of the product.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, such a compensating disc can also be removed after an unforeseen interruption. Due to the aforementioned effects of the product's compression and relaxation, there is a high probability that the first disc after an interruption will not meet the desired quality. Therefore, consistent cutting quality can be achieved by using such compensating discs, which are subsequently removed from the process.

[0079] According to a further embodiment, the operation of the cutting device is carried out depending on the occupancy of the portion streams. In particular, the inventive method for generating multiple portion streams described at the outset can be used.

[0080] The method described at the outset for generating multiple streams of portions, in which the occupancy of the streams is detected and the cutting is carried out depending on the detected occupancy, can therefore be considered a further development or supplement, particularly in the sense of a "refinement," of the general idea of ​​the invention concept presented here, namely to make uninterrupted cutting—apart from regular empty cuts—generally dependent on an operating state. This operating state can be either differences in occupancy between the individual portion streams or an overall occupancy of the downstream system components that is independent of occupancy differences.

[0081] A general advantage of this invention concept is that the time between production and processing, particularly packaging, of the portions is minimized, since an entire product or a predefined product part is continuously cut open. This ultimately guarantees that the resulting sequence of portions can be processed immediately by the downstream system components. In other words, this ensures that the portions produced are not exposed for as long as can be the case with prior art methods.

[0082] With relatively long products, the continuous production of portions can reach its limits, depending on the design and control system of the respective machine. In such cases, the products can be divided into several sections from a control perspective. These product sections are then treated as if they were separate, whole products during the cutting process. Potentially uneven slices can be sorted out as compensation slices, as described above.

[0083] The invention also relates to a plant for processing food products, comprising a device for slicing the products, in particular a high-speed slicer, one or more devices downstream of the slicing device for handling portions, each comprising one or more slices obtained by slicing, and a control device configured to operate the plant according to one of the methods of the invention described above for operating a plant for processing food products.

[0084] A significant advantage of the invention is that incomplete format sets and gaps in the portion flow, particularly at the inserter or buffer, can be avoided or at least minimized in terms of their frequency of occurrence, which is particularly advantageous in multi-lane slicing devices with lane-specific product feed.

[0085] The invention makes it easy and quick to create format sets and close gaps with minimal equipment effort, even when slicing is done in two or more lanes and a two or more lane transport path for the produced portions is located downstream of the slicing device, i.e., when the portions are fed to the downstream unit, which is in particular a packaging machine, in two or more streams.

[0086] The invention significantly reduces technical complexity, particularly for the units downstream of a slicer used for format formation and buffering, as well as for inserting portions into packaging or transferring them to a packaging machine. Furthermore, it minimizes downtime that would otherwise result from manual adjustments to portion flows or format sets. Finally, it enables a high degree of overall system flexibility.

[0087] In particular, the invention can eliminate the need for a large number of cross-distributions of portions. Without the invention, gaps might occur in one of the streams, potentially leading to empty packs, at least when there are relatively large differences in occupancy between the individual streams in a buffer device, either due to under- or over-occupancy (in at least one of the streams). Without the invention, corresponding automation might avoid such negative phenomena. However, this would either involve very high technical costs or negatively impact the speed at which format sets can be formed.

[0088] The advantages of the invention therefore come into play particularly when multi-track, especially three- or four-track, cutting is required, or when a particularly variable format set formation is desired.

[0089] The invention can relieve the load on downstream processing units for portion streams following a slicing device and also ensure manageable technical effort for these downstream units. In general, the invention allows for particularly efficient multi-lane slicing and multi-lane formatting.

[0090] Depending on the specific design and control of a system, as well as the operating conditions, the occasional occurrence of a gap in the portion flow cannot be ruled out. However, investigations by the applicant have shown that this only occurs in extremely exceptional cases in practice, for example, when several factors coincide. A problem can arise, for instance, if no product pre-sorting takes place when loading a slicer, and one lane happens to receive light and short products while the other lane receives heavy and long products.

[0091] However, it has also been shown that the invention can drastically reduce the probability of gaps forming in the portion stream, so that from an economic point of view, manual correction is significantly cheaper than the manual or equipment-based effort required without the invention to eliminate or avoid negative phenomena such as gaps in a portion stream.

[0092] Further embodiments of the invention are given in the claims, the description and the drawing.

[0093] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the single figure which schematically shows a plant according to the invention for processing food products, which can be operated according to a method according to the invention.

[0094] The system according to the invention comprises a slicer 15, in this example having two lanes, which includes a loading device 39 and a product feed 37.

[0095] The loading device 39 is used to place food products to be sliced, such as sausage bars, cheese bars, ham or pieces of meat, into the slicer 15.

[0096] A product holder 38, also referred to as a product gripper, is schematically shown for each of the two lanes of the product feeder 37. This gripper is designed to engage with a rear end of the product in order to feed the product 13 towards a cutting plane 19 in which a cutting blade of the slicer 15 moves. The design and operation of a high-speed slicer will not be discussed in detail here, as this is generally known to those skilled in the art.

[0097] The slicer 15 and the downstream equipment, which will be discussed in more detail below, are each designed with multiple lanes, here with two lanes. This is indicated in the figure by the dashed line.

[0098] The system according to the invention can additionally comprise devices upstream of the slicer 15, which are not shown in the figure. Such an upstream device can, in particular, be a so-called product scanner with which the outer product contour and / or the internal product structure can be determined. This product data can be used by a central control unit 35 to control the product feed 37 in such a way that the portions 11 produced by slicing the products 13 have a specific portion weight, optionally within a predetermined tolerance. Since the products 13 fed to the two tracks can be different, the product holders 38 are movable independently of each other in the feed direction, at least within certain limits. In this context, those skilled in the art refer to a track-specific product feed 37.

[0099] The portions 11 are produced from the separated product slices on a portioning device 27 directly adjacent to the cutting plane 19. To ensure proper removal of a produced portion 11, one or more empty cuts are performed after the last slice of a portion has been separated. This is achieved by stopping the product feed 37 in the relevant lane while the cutting blade continues to move at the specified cutting rate. These empty cuts are therefore regular empty cuts within the context of portioned slicing.

[0100] The other components of the system shown in the figure are a grouping device 29, two buffer devices 31 and a feeder 33. These components need not be discussed in more detail here, as the structure, purpose and function of such devices are known to those skilled in the art.

[0101] The purpose of the entire system is ultimately to produce format sets consisting of several portions 11, which have a predetermined arrangement and orientation of the portions 11 relative to each other (in the figure, a 2 x 3 matrix) and which are fed to a packaging machine 21 by means of the inserter 33. This can be achieved, for example, by the inserter 33 placing individual format sets one after the other into packaging, which is, for example, in the form of plastic trays and which in practice are usually produced on-site in the packaging machine 21, for example, from a film using a thermoforming process.

[0102] The dots between the portioning unit 27 and the grouping unit 29, as well as between the two buffer units 31, indicate that further system components may be provided at these points. For example, a portion scale can be connected to the portioning unit 27, which informs the control unit 35 of the actual portion weight of each portion 11 produced. One or more additional buffer units 31 may be located between the two buffer units 31 shown.

[0103] The figure schematically indicates a practically possible state in product feed 37, in which a product 13 is still being cut in one lane - here the right one - while in the left lane a product has been fully cut and the cutting of the next product 13 has not yet begun.

[0104] Such an operating condition is one of many potential reasons why, in practice, there is no continuous portion flow after the slicer 15, i.e., gaps 23 occur in at least one lane, i.e., one of the two portion flows in the figure, as shown in the figure purely as examples once on the portioning device 27 and once on the grouping device 29.

[0105] In this respect, the figure depicts a situation that was previously unavoidable in the prior art. The invention, however, makes it possible to avoid the formation of such gaps.

[0106] As explained in the introduction, one aspect of the invention is to detect the contents of the individual portion streams and to slice the products 13 using the slicer 15 depending on the detected contents. The details of the invention presented in the introduction will not be discussed again here. In this regard, and also with regard to the other aspects of the invention, reference is made to the explanations in the introduction.

[0107] The figure and the preceding explanations illustrate the potentially occurring differences in the occupancy of the individual streams, which are actually avoided by the invention. At the fictitious time shown in the figure, fewer portions 11 have entered the left track than the right track since the production of the foremost portions 11 in insert 33. In other words, the fill level of the left stream is lower than the fill level of the right stream.

[0108] The occupancy of the individual streams or the differences in the occupancy of the individual streams can be detected using a detection device 25, which is shown schematically in the figure. The detection device 25 can either be configured to determine the number of portions 11 passing the relevant measuring point per unit of time or to distinguish the presence of a portion 11 on the grouping device 29 shown here as an example of the detection from the absence of a portion 11 – i.e., from a gap 23.

[0109] The detection device 25, like the other system components downstream of the slicer 15 and the packaging machine 21, is connected to the aforementioned central control unit 35 of the system. Conventional food processing plants 13 are often already equipped with the hardware required to carry out the methods according to the invention; that is, the invention can be integrated into existing plants without additional equipment. Such a conversion or retrofit requires programming the plant control system to implement the methods according to the invention in order to utilize the data already acquired during plant operation for the invention.

[0110] As mentioned in the introduction, targeted underweight or overweight cutting for a portion stream can be achieved by utilizing one or more predefined weight tolerances. The actual portion weight can be determined, for example, by a so-called FPV scale (FPV = Prepackaged Goods Ordinance), not shown in the figure, which serves as a checkweigher at the end of the entire cutting and packaging line. Within the permissible range for overweight or underweight portions or packages in a batch, as defined by the Prepackaged Goods Ordinance, the portions 11 can then be cut slightly heavier or slightly lighter for completion in the individual streams using the slicer 15.In particular, it can be exploited that within a batch a proportion of - depending on the relevant regulations - for example 2% of portions deviating from a specified portion weight is permitted.

[0111] For the operation of the slicer 15, this means that portions 11 for comparatively empty streams, which therefore have a "shortage" of portions 11, tend to be cut more easily, i.e., more portions 11 are obtained from a product 13 and a respective underweight of the portions 11 in question is accepted.

[0112] If, on the other hand, a portion stream has a relatively high fill level, the portions 11 tend to be cut with more weight. As a result, a product 13 yields a smaller number of portions 11. The deliberately created "excess weight" of the portions 11 during this over-cutting corresponds to the previously recorded situation in the stream in question.

[0113] Preferably, such over- or underweight slicing is carried out in combination with already known settings and parameters for portion formation on the slicer 15. These include, for example, portion completion, where missing slices from the last portion of a product are replaced by slices taken from the following product, or slice thickness control, particularly when a predetermined target number and thickness of slices cannot be maintained for certain reasons, and thus one or more slices are added to the portion or the portion is formed with one or more fewer slices. This can occur, for example, when slicing cheese if a predetermined number of slices or slice thickness cannot be maintained due to a relatively high number of holes in the cheese product.

[0114] The invention therefore makes it possible to "balance" the individual flows over time, particularly in the area of ​​the buffer devices 31, and still comply with the framework conditions of the Prepackaged Goods Ordinance (FPV) when producing a batch of portions.

[0115] As already explained in the introduction, differences in the occupancy of the individual streams can be compensated for by intelligent pre-sorting of the products to be cut before loading and cutting and / or intelligent pre-division or division of the products in a cutting program running in the control system before cutting.

[0116] If a "shortage" is detected in a stream, particularly at a buffer unit, and consequently a higher portion output is required in the corresponding lane (i.e., more product mass is requested), the system attempts to assign the heaviest available product to the loading unit or product feed of the lane in question. Conversely, if a stream is "overfilled" (i.e., has an "excess of product mass"), the portion output in the product feed 37 of the corresponding lane is reduced by assigning the lightest available product to be processed next.

[0117] This concept can utilize various auxiliary devices, such as a loading buffer, a loading magazine, or an operator display, for example, a traffic light system that provides recommendations for manual loading, removal, replenishment, or reordering, particularly following product scanning. A product scale can also be included as a further aid.

[0118] In principle, it is also possible to design the product feed or the areas upstream of the product feed, which are generally referred to as feeders, at least in some areas, in such a way that the products can change lanes.

[0119] In principle, a fully automatic product selection for the individual lanes depending on the respective operating situation is also conceivable, so that the system itself can determine the cutting sequence in the lanes from an existing "pool" of products with properties known for this purpose.

[0120] If products are intentionally cut before slicing to alter the composition of the subsequent flow of material from the slicer, then it is preferable to perform prior product measurement to enable intelligent cutting based on the relevant product data. For cheese slicing in particular, conventional X-ray scanners can be used to detect holes.

[0121] Simultaneously, the product data obtained through measurement can be used for regular, lane-specific product feeding in the slicer. An additional product scanner is then not required.

[0122] All relevant product characteristics can generally serve as the basis for this use of product data, in particular product weight, product density, product contour (external shape), product length, and internal product structure. Product structure is generally determined by the distribution of the individual product components. Even holes in a cheese product can be considered a product component in this sense, since the number, size, and distribution of the holes determine how the product can be sliced ​​and portioned, which must meet predefined conditions such as slice thickness, slice weight, number of slices per portion, and portion weight. Other relevant product components include fat and other additives, the proportion and distribution of which in the product are determined and can be used to control product feed.

[0123] In a preferred embodiment, the inserter 33 controls the slicer and the device for slicing the products. This means that the slicing of the products in the feeding area can already take into account the requirements in the individual lanes or streams with regard to potentially thicker or thinner slices.

[0124] Pre-cutting products is, in itself, state of the art. However, the devices used for pre-cutting are currently inflexible, meaning they operate with a fixed setting. Consequently, product scanning has so far only been performed after the products have been pre-cut, meaning that the cutting process itself could not be influenced by the data obtained from product measurement.

[0125] This procedure, known from the prior art, is therefore reversed by this further development of the invention. Reference symbol list

[0126] 11 Portion 13 Product 15 Slicer 19 Cutting plane 21 Subordinate unit, packaging machine 23 Gap 25 Detection device 27 Portioning device 29 Grouping device 31 Buffer device 33 Inserter 35 Control device 37 Product feeder 38 Product holder 39 Loading device 41 Format set

Claims

1. A method of producing a plurality of streams of portions (11) which each comprise one or more slices which have been obtained by slicing food products (13) by means of a slicing apparatus (15), in particular by means of a high-speed slicer, in which - products (13) disposed next to one another in a plurality of tracks are fed to a cutting blade of the slicing apparatus (15) moving in a cutting plane (19); - slices are cut off from the products (13) by means of the cutting blade; - portions (11) are formed from the cut-off slices; and - the portions (11) are transported in a plurality of streams to a unit (21) arranged downstream, in particular to a packaging machine, characterized in that the occupations of the streams are detected and the slicing is carried out in dependence on the detected occupations, wherein the occupation of a portion stream is the number of portions which are located in a stream, and indeed with respect to a unit of length of the transport path along which the portions stream and / or with respect to a unit of time within which portions enter into the stream, wherein the slicing is carried out individually per track in dependence on differences in the occupations of the individual streams.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the slicing is carried out such that differences in the occupations of the individual streams are minimized.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the occupations of the streams are each detected by recognizing gaps (23) between the portions (11) of a respective stream and / or by determining the portion throughput in a respective stream; and / or in that the occupation in a respective stream is changed by changing the portion output and / or at least one property of at least one portion (11) in an associated track of the slicing apparatus (15); and / or in that the occupation in a respective stream is changed by changing the portion yield per product (13) in an associated track of the slicing apparatus (15); and / or in that the occupation in a respective stream is changed by changing the number of loading interruptions in an associated track of the slicing apparatus (15).

4. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the occupation in a respective stream is changed by changing a desired value for the portion weight in an associated track of the slicing apparatus (15), preferably using at least one predefined tolerance, in particular a tolerance for the portion weight and / or a tolerance for the total weight of a batch comprising a plurality of portions (11).

5. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the occupation in a respective stream is changed by changing a product sequence before the cutting plane in an associated track of the slicing apparatus (15), taking into account product criteria, in particular product weight, product density, product contour, product structure and / or product length; and / or in that the occupation in a respective stream is changed by changing the product length in an associated track of the slicing apparatus (15), in particular by combining, sorting, rearranging, dividing and / or joining products (13).

6. An apparatus for producing a plurality of streams of portions (11) which each comprise one or more slices, said apparatus comprising - a slicing apparatus (15), in particular a high-speed slicer, for producing the slices by slicing food products (13); - at least one transport device (27, 29, 31, 33) for transporting the portions (11) in a plurality of streams to a unit (21) arranged downstream, in particular to a packaging machine, characterized in that said apparatus has the following, additional devices: - a detection device (25) for detecting the occupations of the streams, wherein the occupation of a portion stream is the number of portions which are located in a stream, and indeed with respect to a unit of length of the transport path along which the portions stream and / or with respect to a unit of time within which portions enter into the stream, and - a control device (35) which is configured to control the apparatus in accordance with a method in accordance with any one of the claims 1 to 5.

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