Method for slicing foodstuff into portions of precise weight

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for slicing a block of food into portions of precise weight.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for slicing a food bar into portions according to the preamble of claim 1, as known, for example, from EP 0 127 463 A1.

[0002] Food bars, such as sausage, cheese, and / or ham bars, often need to be cut into portions for sale, consisting of at least one, preferably several, food slices. This slicing is usually done on so-called slicers, where the food bar rests on a support that transports it continuously or intermittently towards a cutting blade, which cuts food slices from the front end of the food bar. The thickness of each slice is preferably determined by the feed speed in relation to the rotational speed of the cutting blade. The cut slice(s) is / are transported away in portions, whereby the weight of the packaging must comply with the Prepackaged Goods Ordinance. As a result, the packages, especially on average, must be heavier than the specified minimum weight.This additional weight is known to those skilled in the art as "giveaway" and is undesirable or should be kept to a minimum because it limits the profitability of food production. Another problem with prior art methods is the large number of incompletely sliced ​​portions, i.e., portions that do not meet a specified nominal weight and / or a specified number of slices.

[0003] It was therefore the object of the present invention to provide a method and a device in which this "give away" per portion is as low as possible and / or in which as few incomplete portions as possible are produced.

[0004] The problem is solved by a method for cutting a food bar into portions with a predetermined nominal weight according to patent claim 1.

[0005] The present invention relates to a method for slicing a food bar into portions, each having at least a certain nominal weight, for example 100 grams. The food bar preferably has a constant cross-section. The food is preferably a sausage or cheese with a substantially constant caliber. In the method according to the invention, the weight and length of the food bar are first determined. For this purpose, the food bar can, for example, be weighed or the weight is taken from a database. The length is determined using a light barrier during transport of the food bar to the slicing device. Furthermore, the length of the initial cut, which is cut off and disposed of or used for another purpose before portions are created, and the length of the end piece, which is usually penetrated by a gripper, are determined.From this data, the length of the food bar available for portioning is determined, and from this, the length to be cut from each portion, which preferably all have the same length, is determined. This length is then divided into a predetermined number of slices and / or the minimum and maximum slice thickness is specified, resulting in the number of portions. In the method according to the invention, the local contour of the food bar is preferably not determined.

[0006] It is also possible for the control to be based not on the thickness of the slices but on the number of slices.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment, the length and weight of the initial cut and the remaining piece are determined based on empirical values. Historical values ​​are used as a basis. In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the length and weight of the initial cut and the final piece are determined not based on a measurement of the food bar to be sliced, but rather based on an analysis of historical data or data originating from an upstream production process.

[0008] When calculating the length of each portion, the cutting dust generated during slicing is preferably taken into account.

[0009] According to a further preferred embodiment, the average cross-sectional area of ​​the food bar is determined.

[0010] Furthermore, a dimension of the end surface of the slices is preferably determined by a means, for example, calculated. However, a means, such as a camera, can also be present that determines at least one dimension of the end surface of at least one slice of the food bar to be sliced. A further dimension can, for example, be calculated from this. The result of the dimension determination can be used to determine the length to be cut in portions.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one portion of a sliced ​​food bar and / or at least one portion of a specific batch is weighed and the result is used to calculate the length of the average portion to be sliced ​​by correcting the average length to be severed.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the thickness of the cut slices is > 2 mm. Preferably, the thickness of the slice is > 10 mm, particularly preferably > 20 mm, and most preferably > 25 mm. This can result in end pieces with a thickness that significantly exceeds the specified thickness of the end piece. This becomes even more serious the greater the nominal thickness of the slices.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the length of the end piece is fixed and the proportion of the thickness of the end piece by which the fixed thickness is exceeded is distributed over all portions to be cut.

[0014] According to another preferred embodiment, the thickness of the end piece is fixed and the gate is extended by the proportion of the thickness of the end piece by which the fixed thickness is exceeded.

[0015] According to a further preferred embodiment, the thickness of the end piece is fixed and the portion of the thickness of the end piece by which the fixed thickness is exceeded is used as a shorter additional disc.

[0016] In the following, the invention is described with reference to the Figure 1-2 These explanations are merely exemplary and do not limit the general concept of the invention. Figure 1 shows a slicing device with which the method according to the invention can be carried out. Figure 2 shows a food bar to be cut open

[0017] Figure 1shows a slicing device 5 with which the method according to the invention can be carried out. The slicing device 5 has a cutting blade 11 that cuts a food product 2 into food slices 12. For this purpose, each food product 2 is transported continuously or intermittently in the direction of the cutting plane of the blade 11 by a conveyor 4, here two conveyor belts 4. The lower conveyor belt 4 also serves as a product support. The cutting blade 11 is attached to a rotating blade holder 3 and interacts with a cutting edge, which is provided, for example, at the front end of a product support 4 and which together define the cutting plane. Between the blade 11 and the cutting edge there is a so-called cutting gap, which should be as small as possible, but must be large enough that the blade does not touch the cutting edge. This gap must be adjusted regularly.This can be achieved by moving the knife and / or the cutting edge. Furthermore, the cutting edge must be aligned parallel to the knife. After cutting, the food slices usually fall onto a deposit table 1, which is equipped with transport means, for example a conveyor belt or conveyor belt, on which they are each configured into a portion 14, in this case a stack. The finished portions 14 are then transported away from the cutting knife area and then packaged. A shim can be provided beneath the transport means of the deposit table, which in particular prevents the transport means from becoming excessively long. The slice thickness results from the feed distance of the food product between two cuts. At a constant knife rotation speed, the slice thickness is controlled via the feed speed of the food product.The slicing device can have a gripper per feed path, which grips the rear end of the food product 2 before or during slicing and stabilizes it during slicing, particularly toward the end of the slicing, and discards the end piece that cannot be sliced. Each gripper is preferably provided on a gripper carriage (not shown), which moves the grippers back and forth, particularly parallel to the feed direction of the food product.

[0018] Preferably, the slicing device is provided with multiple tracks, meaning that several food products 2 are sliced ​​by one knife, in particular at least temporarily simultaneously or at least temporarily sequentially. For this purpose, the device has a separate track for each food product, along which it is transported toward the knife 11.

[0019] In the method according to the invention for slicing a food bar into portions, the weight and length of the food bar 2 are first determined. For this purpose, the food bar can be weighed, for example, or the weight can be taken from a database or a label and made available to the slicing device. The length 9 is determined during the transport of the food bar to the slicing device using a light barrier. Furthermore, the length and weight of the initial cut 6, which is cut off and disposed of or used for another purpose before the portions are created, and the length and weight of the end piece 7, which is usually penetrated by a gripper, are determined. From this data, the length 8 of the food bar available for portioning is determined, and from this, the length to be cut off each portion 14, which preferably all have the same length, is determined.This length is then divided into a predetermined number of slices and / or the minimum thickness of a slice is specified. In the method according to the invention, the local contour of the food bar is preferably not determined. The measured and calculated data are used to control the slicing process of the respective food bar.

[0020] Figure 2 shows a food bar 2 with a first cut 6 and an end piece 7. The usable length 8 is divided, for example, into portions 14 in such a way that as many portions as possible with the desired nominal weight are produced without cutting an incomplete portion. For this purpose, the resulting portions may, for example, be less than the nominal weight within the legally permissible limits, or the nominal weight of some portions may be exceeded, but no incomplete portion is created.

[0021] Optionally, a means 13 is provided, for example a camera, with which at least one dimension of the cross-sectional area of ​​the end face of the food bar can be determined. This analysis can be performed for each slice, for one or more slices per portion, or for one or more slices per food bar. The analysis can be incorporated into the calculation of the length to be cut off per portion. List of reference symbols:

[0022] 1Storage table 2Food product 3Knife holder 4Support surface, product support, conveyor belt 5Slicing device 6First cut 7End piece 8Available length of the food bar 9Total length of the food bar 10Length of each portion 11Knife, cutting knife, circular knife, sickle knife 12Food slices 13Medium, camera medium 14Portion, food portion consisting of several slices

Claims

1. Method for slicing a food block (2) into portions (14) consisting of several slices and having a predetermined nominal weight, wherein the length and the weight of the food block are determined, wherein the determination of the length is carried out during a transport of the food block (2) to a slicing device by means of a light barrier, characterized in that - the length and the weight of the first slice (6) and of the end piece (7) are determined, and - the available length (8) and the average length (10) to be sliced for each portion are calculated therefrom.

2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the number of slices per portion is predetermined.

3. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the slice thickness is predetermined.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the length and / or the weight of the food block and / or the length and / or the weight of the first slice and / or of the main piece are determined on the basis of empirical values.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the average cross-section area of the food block is determined.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one dimension of the surface of the slices is determined using a means.

7. Method according to Claim 6, characterized in that the result of the dimensional determination is input into the determination of the length to be sliced into portions.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sliced portion is weighed and the result is input into the calculation of the length of the average portion to be sliced.

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that slices having a slice thickness > 2 mm are sliced.

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