Method and devices for cutting a food item into several smaller pieces

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for cutting a food item into several smaller pieces, the method comprising: providing the food item on a die located below a cutting unit; moving the die relative to the cutting unit and / or moving the cutting unit relative to the die so that the food item is pressed from below through the cutting unit, as a result of which the food item is cut into several smaller pieces that lie next to each other; and lifting the several smaller pieces by means of a gripper. According to another variant, the food item can be pressed from above through the cutting unit. The invention also relates to a device for cutting a food item into several smaller pieces, said device comprising: at least one cutting unit; at least one die for pressing the food item through the cutting unit; and at least one gripper, wherein the gripper can be moved into a region above the cutting unit in order to deposit the food item e.g. on the top side of the cutting unit or in order to pick up the several smaller pieces.

Description

[0001] Method and device for cutting a piece of food into several smaller pieces

[0002] The invention relates to a method and a device for cutting a piece of food into several smaller pieces. In particular, the invention relates to a method and a device for cutting a slice of cheese into several cheese cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder.

[0003] A device is known from the prior art which is designed to produce cheese cubes from a cheese bar, i.e. a relatively large, cuboid-shaped piece of cheese. For this purpose, the cheese bar is first pressed through a cutting grid in a horizontal direction of movement and is cut in the front. When the cut cheese bar has been pressed far enough through the cutting grid that a defined cube edge length of the cut cheese bar protrudes from the back of the cutting grid, the cheese bar is cut into cubes by means of a knife moving in a vertical direction. This device has the disadvantage that the cheese cubes are not arranged next to one another in an orderly manner, i.e. in a grid arrangement, but fall off the cheese bar in a random manner.

[0004] In addition, a device is known for producing cheese cubes from a cheese slice, which has usually been cut from a cheese bar by a slicer. The cheese slice is placed by hand on a cutting grid and then pressed by hand from above through a horizontally arranged cutting grid using a stamp. The use of this device has the advantage that the cheese cubes can be placed in an orderly manner, i.e. in a grid arrangement, on a packaging, for example on a tray, and can therefore be presented in a visually appealing and space-saving manner in the packaging. However, the use of this device has the disadvantage that the manual placement of the cheese slices and the manual production of the cheese cubes requires relatively long cycle times and generates high personnel costs.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device which enable the produced pieces, in particular cheese cubes, to be presented in a grid arrangement in a package and yet can be produced quickly and without great personnel expenditure. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device which enable at least one shape cut out of at least one piece of food, e.g. a shape of a face, to be produced quickly and without great personnel expenditure. This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims define embodiments of the invention.

[0006] An inventive concept common to the independent claims is to provide a gripper to automate the cutting of food pieces by means of a cutting unit, in particular the cutting of a cheese slice by means of a cutting grid to produce cheese cubes.

[0007] A gripper within the meaning of this application is a technical unit designed to hold or grip objects, lift them, set them down, or drop them, and release them. The gripper can have several gripping elements that are movable relative to one another, preferably to grip the piece of food, several smaller pieces, or a cut-out shape laterally. Alternatively, the gripper can also be designed, for example, as a vacuum gripper. In this case, the piece of food, the several smaller pieces, or the cut-out shape can be held from above. The gripper can also comprise one or more scoops to grip the piece of food, the several smaller pieces, or the cut-out shape from underneath.

[0008] The gripper is preferably attached to a movement unit, for example, a robot arm or a 3-axis positioning system, i.e., a delta robot. The gripper can be moved by means of the movement unit, preferably fully automatically, i.e., without manual intervention. Any gripping movement or other activation of the gripper can also be fully automatic. More precisely, the gripper grips the piece of food—in whole or sliced ​​form—preferably automatically, and preferably automatically places the piece of food. The gripper can thus be fully controlled by a control device and move according to a predefined program sequence.

[0009] Specifically, the object is achieved, inter alia, by a method for cutting at least one piece of food, for example a slice of cheese or a stack of cheese slices, into several smaller pieces, for example into several smaller cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, comprising:

[0010] Providing the piece of food on a support structure arranged below a cutting unit, for example a cutting grid or a cutting mold,

[0011] Moving a stamp relative to the support structure to lift the food piece from the support structure,

[0012] Moving the stamp relative to the cutting unit and / or moving the cutting unit relative to the stamp, so that the piece of food is pressed from below through the cutting unit and thereby the piece of food is cut into smaller pieces, for example several adjacent cubes or at least one cut-out shape and a remainder,

[0013] Lifting the multiple smaller pieces, or at least one of the smaller pieces, using a gripper. In this case, the gripper is used to lift the multiple smaller pieces, usually arranged in a grid pattern, created by cutting, or at least one of the smaller pieces, from the top of the stamp and place them, for example, on or in a package, such as a tray.

[0014] The above-mentioned method, in which the piece of food, in particular the slice of cheese, is pressed through the cutting grid from below, has several advantages: Firstly, any marks on the smaller pieces, which may arise, for example, from pressing with the stamp, are not visible to the customer in the package because the marks are on the side facing the packaging, i.e. the side hidden from the customer. Furthermore, compared to pressing the piece of food from above through the cutting grid onto a packaging support, any crumbs that may be present depending on the type of food fall away when the piece of food is cut using the cutting grid or transported downwards using the gripper, so that fewer crumbs end up in the packaging.

[0015] In general, it would also be conceivable to carry out the above-mentioned method without using a gripper. In this case, the plurality of smaller pieces, or at least one of the pieces, could be pushed off the surface of the stamp, for example, using a slider. This method without a gripper is also the subject of the present disclosure and can be combined with any feature described in this application that does not relate to the gripper.

[0016] Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the support structure is or can be coupled to a mover of a transport system. The transport system preferably describes at least one closed transport path, i.e., a circular route along which the mover moves. Providing the food item can comprise transporting the food item lying on the support structure by means of the transport system below the cutting unit. The cutting unit can be designed, for example, as a cutting grid or as a cutting mold. This has the advantage, among other things, that the food item can be provided in a simple yet safe manner.

[0018] The transport system is preferably based on a so-called LSM drive, i.e., a drive by linear synchronous motors. The at least one mover of the transport system can be equipped with at least one permanent magnet. In order to drive the at least one mover along the transport track, the transport track can be designed to generate an electromagnetic traveling field. Such a transport system or drive principle is also described, for example, in WO 2003 / 029651 A2 and WO 2010 / 085670 A1. Reference is hereby made to these documents with regard to the disclosure of a possible drive or

[0019] Functional principle for the invention is expressly referred to.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the food item can be transported by the transport system, lying on the support structure that is coupled or can be coupled to a mover of a transport system, to a position above the plunger, i.e., over the plunger. This allows the plunger to lift the food item from the support structure by a preferably exclusively vertical movement.

[0021] In order to further reduce the cycle time for providing the piece of food, a plurality of support structures can be provided. Preferably, a plurality of movers are provided. At least one of the support structures can be coupled or coupleable to one of the movers of the transport system. In other words, each mover can hold at least one support structure or accommodate a support structure. Then, a plurality of food pieces can be provided by the transport system transporting the food pieces one after the other, lying individually on one of the support structures, below the cutting unit, for example the cutting grid or the cutting mold. Alternatively or additionally, the food pieces can be transported one after the other, lying individually on one of the support structures, by the transport system over the stamp.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the movement of the stamp relative to the support structure in order to lift the food item from the support structure comprises engaging the stamp in at least one recess in the support structure. To ensure a secure position of the food item on the support structure and the stamp, it is advantageous if the support structure has several recesses into which the stamp can engage in order to lift the food item from the support structure. The recesses are preferably slot-shaped and / or arranged parallel to one another.

[0023] According to one embodiment, several support structures can be coupled to a mover. For example, two or four support structures, i.e., spaces for a slice or portion, can be coupled to a mover. This can increase throughput. The support structures can be formed integrally with one another.

[0024] According to a first alternative embodiment, the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces or of at least one of the smaller pieces can be carried out by means of a mechanical gripper. The plurality of smaller pieces can be held together by the gripper in that the gripper grips the smaller pieces together from two opposite, in particular lateral, directions. For this purpose, the gripper preferably has two gripping elements that can be moved relative to one another. The mechanical gripper can, for example, be driven pneumatically or electrically. In other words, the gripping elements can be driven pneumatically or by means of an electric motor in order to carry out a gripping movement. This alternative is suitable, for example, for holey cheese or other food products that cannot be lifted reliably using vacuum grippers.

[0025] According to a further alternative embodiment, the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces can be carried out by means of a vacuum gripper. Preferably, each of the plurality of smaller pieces can be lifted by means of exactly one suction element of the vacuum gripper. For this purpose, exactly one suction element can be provided for each section of the cutting unit, in particular the cutting grid or the cutting mold.

[0026] To maintain a certain distance between the smaller pieces, the suction elements can be moved relative to each other. This allows the several smaller pieces to be placed in a package at a distance from each other in a simple and reliable manner, thus giving the customer the impression that there are several smaller pieces in the package.

[0027] Alternatively, the pieces can be slightly spaced apart during production, for example, by using a convex or angled stamping surface. These can be picked up and placed separately, i.e., spaced apart, by a vacuum gripper.

[0028] In general, the gripper can place or drop the multiple smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces onto or into a package, in particular insert it into a package, for example a tray or a thermoformed film, or drop it into a package. Inserting means that the multiple smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces are already touching the packaging before the gripper releases the multiple smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces. In contrast, dropping means that the multiple smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces are not yet touching the packaging when the gripper releases the multiple smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces, and thus the multiple smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces fall at least a short distance onto the packaging.

[0029] The smaller pieces, or at least one of the smaller pieces, can be dropped in an orderly fashion, i.e., in a grid pattern. Alternatively, the smaller pieces can be dropped in a random fashion, i.e., without forming a grid pattern. For example, the smaller pieces can be dropped from a height that causes the grid pattern to disintegrate during the fall and / or upon impact with an impact surface.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, means could be provided to break up the grid arrangement. For example, the gripper could comprise a punch or ejector that, when ejected by the gripper, presses down on the smaller pieces from above to break up the grid arrangement. The punch or ejector can be equipped with an uneven impact surface, for example, a rounded impact surface or a wedge-shaped impact surface. This easily breaks up the grid arrangement of the smaller pieces.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, the means for breaking up the grid arrangement may comprise an inclined impact surface, i.e., a neither horizontal nor vertical impact surface, for example in the form of a funnel. Such an inclined impact surface may serve to break up an arrangement of the smaller pieces and guide the smaller pieces.

[0032] In addition, such an inclined impact surface, particularly in the form of a funnel, can serve to bring the smaller pieces together on a smaller surface area if they should be distributed over a larger area, for example due to a high discharge height.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, the means for breaking up the grid arrangement may comprise at least one deflection element configured to break up the grid arrangement of the smaller pieces in flight by causing at least some of the smaller pieces to strike the deflection element as they fall. The at least one deflection element may be configured, for example, as a grid or a single rod, as a wedge- or conical-shaped element, as a driven shaft similar to a folding shaft on a slicer (cylindrical or wedge-shaped), or as a combination of these elements.

[0034] According to one embodiment, a stripping device can be provided. The stripping device can strip at least a subset of the plurality of smaller pieces from the cutting unit. The stripping device can comprise a stripping element that is movable along the cutting unit. Preferably, the stripping device comprises at least one spring element that is coupled to the stripping element to generate the movement of the stripping element. The at least one spring element can be preloaded during the cutting of the food piece and can be released again during the stripping of a smaller piece from the cutting unit. Preferably, the at least one spring element is preloaded by the plunger pressing at least one of the smaller pieces against the stripping element while the plunger pushes the food piece through the cutting unit.Preferably, the spring element and the stripping element coupled to the spring element press this at least one of the smaller pieces, once the food piece has been completely cut into the plurality of smaller pieces, in the opposite direction to the cutting direction, so that at least one of the smaller pieces is stripped off the cutting unit. The stripping device is particularly helpful when the cutting unit has one or more blades or cutting blades, since soft food products in particular can easily stick to their surfaces.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the punch is fixedly mounted on a machine frame. In other words, the punch itself is movable, in particular in the vertical direction, but is not attached to a movable element such as a mover. When moving the punch relative to the support structure, the punch can be moved exclusively in the cutting direction and counter to the cutting direction, preferably exclusively in the vertical direction. The object is also achieved, among other things, by a method for cutting a piece of food, for example a slice of cheese, into several smaller pieces, for example into several smaller cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, comprising:

[0036] Placing or throwing the piece of food by means of a gripper onto an upper side of a cutting unit, in particular a cutting grid or a cutting mold, or an upper side of a structure movable by the cutting unit, and

[0037] Moving a stamp relative to the cutting unit and / or moving the cutting unit relative to the stamp, so that the piece of food is pressed from above through the cutting unit and thereby the piece of food is cut into several, in particular adjacent, smaller pieces.

[0038] In this variant, the gripper is used to pick up the food item, such as a slice of cheese, and place it either directly onto the cutting grid or onto the top surface of a structure that can be moved through the cutting grid. This saves time and personnel costs compared to manually placing the food item.

[0039] This variant has the advantage, among other things, that the weight of the plunger supports the movement of the plunger, pushing the food item through the cutting grid from above. This allows for a lower-power drive for the plunger compared to the variant in which the food item is pushed through the cutting grid from bottom to top.

[0040] The food piece can be placed using a mechanical gripper or a vacuum gripper.

[0041] The punch can be fixed or stationary if the cutting grid is moved relative to the punch. Alternatively, the punch can be mounted on a machine frame so that it can move, in particular exclusively, in the cutting direction and counter to the cutting direction, for example, if the cutting grid is fixedly attached to the machine frame. The cutting direction preferably extends along a straight line.

[0042] According to a further alternative, the punch can be attached to a robot arm, in particular a robot arm moving the gripper. If the torque normally applied by the robot arm to push the piece of food through the cutting grid using the punch arranged on the robot arm is insufficient, a stationary support surface or coupling point can be provided to which the robot arm can rest or couple itself in order to increase the effective torque on the punch. A punch, which can be pneumatically driven, for example, can be provided next to or on the gripper on the robot arm. The robot can in particular be a delta robot or a so-called picking robot.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the gripper can function as a stamp. For example, the gripper can be designed as a vacuum gripper and also serve to push the food piece through the cutting grid.

[0044] Preferably, the methods described above are used to cut a food slice, in particular a cheese slice, separated from a food bar by means of a slicer into several smaller pieces, in particular cube-shaped pieces or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder. For example, the food slice can have a width between 10 mm and 30 mm. Thus, for example, food cubes can be produced which have an edge length between 10 mm and 30 mm. Alternatively, a food slice, in particular a cheese slice, can be produced with a shape, for example a shape of a face such as a bear face, which has a thickness between 10 mm and 30 mm.It would also be conceivable to cut several slices of food lying on top of each other, which are usually referred to as a portion, into several smaller pieces using the cutting unit, for example into at least one shape and a remainder.

[0045] To use the gripper as efficiently as possible, multiple cutting units can be provided per gripper. "Per gripper" preferably means per gripper or robot cell. The gripper or robot cell can be defined by a barrier, such as an acrylic enclosure, or by its number of independent robot arms.

[0046] The procedure may then include the following steps:

[0047] Moving a first punch relative to a first cutting unit and / or moving the first cutting unit relative to the first punch to cut a first piece of food into first smaller pieces, and in parallel

[0048] Moving a second punch relative to a second cutting unit and / or displacing the second cutting unit relative to the second punch to cut a second piece of food into second smaller pieces.

[0049] In other words, two pieces of food can be cut into smaller pieces simultaneously, at at least partially overlapping time intervals, by different cutting units. The cutting of the pieces of food can be started and finished at different times or at the same time. These first and second smaller pieces can then, for example, be lifted one after the other by one gripper. Alternatively, one gripper can place two pieces of food simultaneously or one after the other, onto the first cutting unit and the second cutting unit, or onto first and second structures that can be moved by the cutting unit. This can increase the output per gripper. According to one embodiment, the plurality of cutting units can be moved along a circular path. The cutting units can move section by section synchronously with the movers in a conveying direction.The cutting units can divide the respective food piece into several smaller pieces, while the corresponding mover with support structure, the punch, the corresponding cutting unit, and the food piece resting on the support structure move synchronously with each other in the conveying direction. Alternatively, the cutting units and corresponding punches can move synchronously with the packaging in a section, and the corresponding punch can push the food piece through the cutting unit from above, while the cutting unit, the punch, the food piece, and the packaging move in the conveying direction. Generally speaking, the cutting units can move along a circular path, with part of the circular path extending parallel to a transport path for the food pieces.

[0050] According to a variant that is structurally simpler to implement, the cutting units do not move with the food pieces, but are fixed or move only perpendicular to the conveying direction, for example in the cutting direction and against the cutting direction.

[0051] The object is also achieved by a device for cutting a piece of food into a plurality of smaller pieces, in particular into a plurality of smaller cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, comprising: at least one cutting unit, in particular a cutting grid or a cutting shape, at least one stamp for pressing the piece of food through the cutting unit, and at least one gripper, wherein the gripper is movable into an area above the cutting unit in order to deposit the piece of food on the upper side of the cutting unit or on a support surface that can be moved by the cutting unit or in order to pick up the plurality of smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces from the upper side of the cutting unit or on a support surface that can be moved by the cutting unit.

[0052] The device can be designed in two ways. Either the plunger pushes the food piece from bottom to top through the cutting unit. In this case, the gripper can serve to pick up, i.e., lift, the several smaller pieces or at least one of the smaller pieces, for example, from the top of the plunger. Or the plunger pushes the food piece from top to bottom through the cutting unit. In this case, the gripper serves to place the food piece directly onto the cutting unit or onto a support surface that can be moved downwards by the cutting unit before cutting.

[0053] What both alternatives have in common is the provision of a gripper for handling the food product. This makes it possible to fully automatically cut food slices into smaller pieces in such a way that the outer shape of the food slice is retained, i.e., the smaller pieces created from the food slice remain in their grid arrangement. The device also makes it possible to cut shapes, such as a face shape, from a piece of food or from a stack of food slices.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the cutting unit comprises at least one cutting grid. Alternatively or additionally, the cutting unit comprises at least one cutting die. The cutting grid, in which the cutting edges intersect, is well suited for producing smaller food cubes, such as cheese cubes. The cutting die, in which the cutting edges preferably do not intersect, is suitable for cutting shapes, such as a face shape, from a piece of food or from a stack of food slices.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the support surface is a surface, in particular an end face, of the stamp.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the gripper is designed as a mechanical gripper and / or a vacuum gripper. The gripper can be designed as described above or below. The gripper can be coupled to a movement unit, e.g., a robot arm or a 3-axis positioning system. The gripper can preferably be moved into the area above the cutting grid by means of the movement unit.

[0057] To enable the removal of adhering food from the gripper, the gripper can have a release aid. For example, the gripper can be formed on at least one holding surface with at least one outlet opening through which gas can flow, in order to release a food product adhering to the holding surface from the holding surface using compressed air or gas. Alternatively or additionally, the gripper can comprise at least one release plunger, which can be moved out of a holding surface of the gripper in order to release a food product adhering to the holding surface from the holding surface.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the device, in particular the gripper, comprises a stripping device. The stripping device serves to strip at least a portion of the plurality of smaller pieces from the cutting unit.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the cutting unit defines a plurality of substantially horizontally arranged cutting edges during operation. The punch can be movable substantially perpendicular to the cutting edges, i.e. in the present case, vertically movable. The punch can be mounted in such a way that it can be moved from bottom to top and from top to bottom. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of the cutting edges can be arranged at an angle to the horizontal. If the punch is moved perpendicular to the horizontal, the oblique arrangement of the cutting edges can reduce the required cutting force because the piece of food is initially partially cut. In principle, it would also be conceivable to align the cutting edges at an angle to the horizontal and to move the punch perpendicular to the cutting edges.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the stamp has a stamping surface, wherein grooves corresponding to the cutting unit are provided in the stamping surface. The grooves are designed so that the cutting unit engages the grooves when the piece of food has been pushed through the cutting unit, thus preventing the cutting unit from colliding with the stamp.

[0061] Preferably, the stamp surface forms a plurality of partial stamp surfaces surrounded by the grooves. At least some of the partial stamp surfaces, in particular all partial stamp surfaces, can have a corner-free, in particular circular, periphery. In other words, peripheral surfaces of portions of the stamp defining partial stamp surfaces can be designed without edges. This makes it easier to clean the grooves of the at least one stamp.

[0062] To make the stamp lighter, at least some of the partial stamps can be hollow. However, the partial stamps can still have a full-surface, i.e., a closed, partial stamp surface. According to a lightweight and particularly easy-to-clean variant, the partial stamps can comprise a partial stamp plate, in particular a full-surface one, which is held in position by several legs. Generally, lateral openings can be provided that connect the area surrounding the partial stamps with a respective interior of the partial stamps.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the plunger has a drive. In other words, the plunger is or can be coupled to a drive in order to move the plunger in the cutting direction, in particular in the vertical direction. The drive is preferably designed to independently push the piece of food through the cutting grid. The plunger is preferably fixedly connected to a part of the drive, so that the drive can effect movement of the plunger in the cutting direction and counter to the cutting direction.

[0064] The punch drive can be configured as a servo motor or a pneumatic drive. The servo motor has the advantage that the punch speed can be varied / controlled throughout the cutting process, for example, to initially slow down the punch during cutting and then accelerate it again.

[0065] The drive of the stamp can be fixed to a fixture frame or to at least one mover.

[0066] Preferably, the plunger and the drive are arranged together in a fixed location. In this case, the plunger can be designed to be moved relative to a support structure in order to lift the piece of food from the support structure and push it through the cutting unit.

[0067] Alternatively, only the drive can be stationary, but the punch can be arranged on the mover. In order to reliably couple a stationary drive and a punch moving along a transport path during operation, centering means can be provided which, when the drive, in particular a drive element such as a cylinder, is coupled to the punch, center the punch relative to the drive. For example, at least one centering means, e.g. a conical pin, can be provided on each punch, which engages in a centering means, e.g. a bore, on the drive element. Alternatively, at least one centering means, e.g. a conical bore, can be provided on each punch, into which a centering means, e.g. a conical pin, on the drive element engages. Preferably, two centering means are provided on the punch, which interact with two corresponding centering means on the drive element.This also allows for correcting any rotational misalignment of the punch relative to the drive. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various types of centering devices are conceivable.

[0068] In order to reduce the maximum feed force required for the punch, it is advantageous if the cutting unit has a plurality of cutting edges arranged at a distance from one another in the direction of movement of the punch. In other words, the cutting edges can be arranged on different levels, so that the piece of food first comes into contact with a first group of cutting edges and only then comes into contact with a second group of cutting edges once the first group of cutting edges has already penetrated the piece of food. Preferably, the cutting unit, in particular the cutting grid, has longitudinal cutting edges and transverse cutting edges. In other words, the cutting grid has first cutting edges and second cutting edges aligned transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the first cutting edges. For example, the longitudinal cutting edges can be arranged on one level and the transverse cutting edges on another level.According to one embodiment, the longitudinal cutting edges can be arranged at different levels. Alternatively or additionally, the transverse cutting edges can be arranged at different levels.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the cutting grid is designed as a wire grid comprising a plurality of wires. In other words, the cutting edges of the cutting grid are preferably formed by wires. The use of wires has, among other things, the advantage of reducing cutting resistance and thus the maximum feed force required for the punch. To further reduce the maximum feed force required for the punch, at least some of the wires of the wire grid can be arranged spaced from one another in the direction of movement of the punch. The cutting grid preferably has longitudinal cutting wires and transverse cutting wires. For example, the longitudinal cutting wires can be arranged on one level and the transverse cutting wires on another level. According to one embodiment, the longitudinal cutting wires can be arranged on different levels below one another.Alternatively or additionally, the cross-cutting wires can be arranged at different levels.

[0070] According to an alternative embodiment, the cutting unit, in particular the cutting grid or the cutting die, is formed by blades. Blades within the meaning of this application are cutting elements that, when used as intended, can be bent only slightly in the cutting direction by contact with the piece of food. For this purpose, the blades can have an extension in the cutting direction that is a multiple of the width of the blade. To minimize friction, the blades can be subjected to vibrations in the ultrasonic range. For this purpose, the device can comprise a vibration generator. If the cutting unit is designed as a cutting die, it is advantageous to form the cutting die from blades, since it is easier to create curved cutting edges with blades.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the wires of the cutting grid are each attached to two spaced-apart suspensions. To reduce the maximum required feed force for the punch, one of the suspensions, in particular at least one suspension per wire, can be designed to be flexible.

[0072] According to one embodiment, a pneumatic element or a hydraulic element is provided, which causes the at least one suspension to be flexible. Alternatively, a spring element can be provided, which causes the suspension to be flexible. For a detailed description of how the wires of the cutting grid can be designed to be flexible, reference is made to German patent application DE 10 2019 108 452. To save installation space, two wires of the cutting grid, in particular two wires of the cutting grid arranged parallel to one another and directly next to one another, can be coupled to the same pneumatic element, hydraulic element, or spring element, so that a movement of the pneumatic element, hydraulic element, or spring element allows a curvature of the two wires. Preferably, the two wires are coupled to a common suspension, which is designed to be flexible by a pneumatic element, hydraulic element, or spring element.The suspension can be pivoted to compensate for differences in tension between the two wires.

[0073] According to one embodiment, all wires of the wire mesh are each attached to two spaced-apart suspensions. The suspensions of the wires of the wire mesh can be connected to each other via a frame.

[0074] The cutting frame can be removable from the rest of the device and / or attachable to the rest of the device. Preferably, the cutting frame can be removed from the rest of the device and / or attachable to the rest of the device without tools, i.e. without having to use tools. In order to be able to move the frame into an inactive position, for example in order to process other foods with the device or to clean the frame, the frame can be arranged on a machine frame so that it can pivot about a defined pivot axis. For example, the frame can be arranged in a receptacle which is arranged on the machine frame so that it can pivot relative to the machine frame. The pivot axis can be arranged vertically or horizontally during operation.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the frame has grooves in which the wires are located. The grooves are preferably adapted in terms of width to the wires, so that they provide lateral guidance for the wires. This can reduce lateral movement of the wires and increase cutting precision.

[0076] According to one embodiment, at least one of the wires of the wire mesh is clamped between the suspensions under tensile stress. A force measuring device can be provided to measure the tensile stress acting on the wire. Alternatively or additionally, force control means can be provided to control a restoring force acting on the wire. Force control means could also be provided to regulate the restoring force acting on the wire.

[0077] According to one embodiment, means for detecting damage to the wire mesh are provided. The means for detecting damage to the wire mesh can be designed and configured to detect a tearing of one of the wires. For example, a sensor can be provided that detects a pressure increase or pressure drop in a pneumatic or hydraulic chamber in order to detect damage to the wire mesh. The pressure increase or pressure drop measured by the sensor can also be used to detect how long the cutting process will take or when the cutting process will be finished. For example, different types of food, different external conditions such as temperature and humidity, and / or different properties of the wires can lead to different cutting times.In order to dynamically adapt the subsequent process steps to the cutting times, the pressure measured by the sensor can be evaluated and, from certain threshold values, for example a drop in pressure above a certain threshold value, a subsequent process step can be initiated, such as a picker starting up, e.g. to deposit a new piece of food or to pick up cut pieces of food, a mover starting up, etc.

[0078] The pressure increase or pressure drop measured by the sensor can also be used to identify which type of food product, for example which type of cheese, is currently being processed, provided the consistency of the food products to be distinguished differs sufficiently from one another. According to an alternative embodiment, the cutting unit is designed as at least one cutting die with at least one cutting blade. The cutting die can comprise a plurality of cutting blades. For example, two substantially circular cutting blades can be provided, which cut out the eyes of a face from the piece of food. In addition, a mouth-shaped cutting blade can be provided, which cuts out the mouth of a face from the piece of food. In general, the cutting blades of the cutting die can be curved and / or have a closed peripheral shape.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the cutting blades may have intersecting cutting edges or non-intersecting cutting edges, for example in a face shape.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the support structure is or can be coupled to a mover of a transport system. The transport system can be configured to transport the food item lying on the support structure under the cutting unit and / or over the plunger. Preferably, the plunger is movable vertically relative to the support structure in order to lift the food item from the support structure and push it through the cutting unit. In this embodiment, the support structure can be manufactured particularly cost-effectively, and thus the transport system can also be manufactured particularly cost-effectively.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the support structure comprises at least one recess. Preferably, the support structure has multiple recesses. The at least one recess can be designed such that the plunger extends through it to lift the piece of food from the support structure and push it through the cutting unit. The at least one recess can be designed as an elongated, in particular rectangular, recess. If multiple recesses are formed in the support structure, these can be designed as rectangular recesses aligned parallel to one another.

[0082] According to one embodiment, a plurality of support structures and a plurality of movers are provided. At least one of the support structures can be coupled or can be coupled to one of the movers of the transport system. For example, each mover can be equipped with one support structure, exactly two support structures, or exactly four support structures. The support structure or structures can be permanently connected to the respective mover. The transport system is preferably designed to transport the food items one after the other, lying individually on one of the support structures, under the cutting unit and / or over the stamp.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the device is designed to cut a plurality of food pieces simultaneously by a first food piece being pushed through a first cutting unit by means of a first stamp, while a second food piece is pushed through a second cutting unit by means of a second stamp. This can increase the throughput of the device. The gripper can be designed to place the first and second food pieces onto the respective cutting unit, i.e. the first and second cutting units. The gripper can also be designed to place the first and second food pieces onto a respective support surface that can be moved by the respective cutting unit. This support surface can be designed like a stamp surface and can move back counter to the cutting direction when cut by the cutting unit.Alternatively, the gripper may be configured to lift first smaller pieces cut from the first piece of food or at least one of the first smaller pieces and second smaller pieces cut from the second piece of food or at least one of the second smaller pieces.

[0084] For example, the gripper may be designed to lift the first smaller pieces or at least one of the first smaller pieces and the second smaller pieces or at least one of the second smaller pieces one after the other.

[0085] The first food piece and the second food piece can each rest on a separate stamp while being pressed from below by the cutting unit. Alternatively, the first food piece and the second food piece can each rest on a separate cutting unit or a separate structure movable by the cutting unit, and can be subjected to the respective stamp from above.

[0086] The device preferably comprises an alignment unit for aligning the piece of food to be cut to match the orientation of the cutting unit. The alignment unit can be arranged in front of the cutting unit, as seen in the transport direction. Alternatively, the alignment unit can be integrated into the cutting frame.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the alignment unit comprises two substantially L-shaped alignment elements that can be moved diagonally toward the food item. This allows one leg of each alignment element to come into contact with a side surface of the food item, thus aligning the food item. To prevent deformation of the corner edges of food items with sharp corner edges, the alignment elements can have a recess in a transition area between the legs, preventing the corner edges of the food items from coming into contact with the respective alignment element.

[0088] The alignment unit can be controlled such that the alignment unit performs an alignment movement for each piece of food, i.e., regardless of whether the piece of food is already correctly aligned or not. Alternatively, a detection device, e.g., a camera, can detect an alignment of the respective piece of food, and the alignment unit can only be activated when the piece of food is aligned so obliquely that a correction of the alignment of the piece of food is necessary. Preferably, a threshold value for a permissible deviation in the alignment of the piece of food can be set on the device. According to one embodiment, the cutting unit comprises a cutting die for an outer contour and one or more cutting dies for inner contours. The one or more cutting dies for inner contours can be arranged on the gripper and move with the gripper.Preferably, the at least one cutting die for internal contours is designed to fix the at least one smaller piece while the smaller piece is moved by the gripper.

[0089] The invention also relates to a food processing line comprising a device as described above or below and a slicer, a sorting and conveying line and / or a packaging machine.

[0090] The object is also achieved, inter alia, by a method for cutting a piece of food, in particular a slice of cheese, into several smaller pieces, in particular into several smaller cubes, comprising:

[0091] Providing the piece of food on a stamp arranged below a cutting grid,

[0092] Moving the stamp relative to the cutting grid and / or moving the cutting grid relative to the stamp so that the piece of food is pressed through the cutting grid from below and thereby the piece of food is cut into several adjacent, smaller pieces,

[0093] Lifting off several smaller pieces using a gripper.

[0094] In this case, the gripper is used to lift the several smaller pieces produced by cutting, which are usually arranged in a grid, from the top of the stamp and to place them, for example, on or in a packaging, such as a tray.

[0095] The above-mentioned method, in which the piece of food, in particular the slice of cheese, is pressed through the cutting grid from below, has several advantages: Firstly, any marks on the smaller pieces, which may arise, for example, from pressing with the stamp, are not visible to the customer in the package because the marks are on the side facing the packaging, i.e. the side hidden from the customer. Furthermore, compared to pressing the piece of food from above through the cutting grid onto a packaging support, any crumbs that may be present depending on the type of food fall away when the piece of food is cut using the cutting grid or transported downwards using the gripper, so that fewer crumbs end up in the packaging.

[0096] In general, it would also be conceivable to carry out the above-mentioned method without using a gripper. In this case, the several smaller pieces could be pushed off the surface of the stamp, for example, using a slider. This method without a gripper is also the subject of the present disclosure and can be combined with any feature described in this application that does not concern the gripper. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the stamp is coupled or can be coupled to a mover of a transport system. The transport system preferably describes at least one closed transport path, ie, a circular route along which the mover moves. Providing the food item can comprise transporting the food item lying on the stamp by means of the transport system beneath the cutting grid. This has the advantage, among other things, that the food item can be provided in a simple yet safe manner.

[0098] The transport system is preferably based on a so-called LSM drive, i.e., a drive by linear synchronous motors. The at least one mover of the transport system can be equipped with at least one permanent magnet. To drive the at least one mover along the transport track, the transport track can be designed to generate an electromagnetic traveling field. Such a transport system or drive principle is also described, for example, in WO 2003 / 029651 A2 and WO 2010 / 085670 A1. These documents are hereby expressly incorporated by reference with regard to the disclosure of a possible drive or functional principle for the invention.

[0099] To further reduce the cycle time for preparing the food item, multiple punches can be provided. Preferably, multiple movers are provided. At least one of the punches can be coupled or connectable to one of the movers of the transport system. In other words, each mover can accommodate at least one punch. Then, multiple food items can be prepared by transporting the food items one after the other, lying individually on one of the punches, by the transport system underneath the cutting grid.

[0100] According to one embodiment, multiple stamps can be coupled to a mover. For example, two stamps can be coupled to a mover.

[0101] According to a first alternative embodiment, the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces can be carried out by means of a mechanical gripper. The plurality of smaller pieces can be held together by the gripper in that the gripper grips the smaller pieces together from two opposite, in particular lateral, directions. For this purpose, the gripper preferably has two gripping elements that are movable relative to one another. The mechanical gripper can, for example, be driven pneumatically or electrically. In other words, the gripping elements can be driven pneumatically or by means of an electric motor in order to perform a gripping movement. This alternative is suitable, for example, for holey cheese or other food products that cannot be reliably lifted using vacuum grippers.According to a further alternative embodiment, the lifting of the several smaller pieces can be carried out by means of a vacuum gripper. Preferably, each of the several smaller pieces can be lifted by means of exactly one suction element of the vacuum gripper. For this purpose, exactly one suction element can be provided for each section of the cutting grid.

[0102] To maintain a certain distance between the smaller pieces, the suction elements can be moved relative to each other. This allows the several smaller pieces to be placed in a package at a distance from each other in a simple and reliable manner, thus giving the customer the impression that there are several smaller pieces in the package.

[0103] Alternatively, the pieces can be slightly spaced apart during production, for example, by using a convex or angled stamping surface. These can be picked up and placed separately, i.e., spaced apart, by a vacuum gripper.

[0104] In general, the gripper can place or drop the multiple smaller pieces onto a package, in particular, insert or drop the multiple smaller pieces into a package, such as a tray or a thermoformed film. Inserting means that the multiple smaller pieces are already touching the packaging before the gripper releases them. In contrast, dropping means that the multiple smaller pieces are not yet touching the packaging when the gripper releases them, and thus the multiple smaller pieces fall at least a short distance onto the packaging.

[0105] The smaller pieces can be dropped in an orderly fashion, i.e., in a grid pattern. Alternatively, the smaller pieces can be dropped in a random fashion, i.e., without forming a grid pattern. For example, the smaller pieces can be dropped from a height that causes the grid pattern to disintegrate as they fall and / or upon impact with an impact surface.

[0106] Alternatively or additionally, means could be provided to break up the grid arrangement. For example, the gripper could comprise a punch or ejector that, when ejected by the gripper, presses down on the smaller pieces from above to break up the grid arrangement. The punch or ejector can be equipped with an uneven impact surface, for example, a rounded impact surface or a wedge-shaped impact surface. This easily breaks up the grid arrangement of the smaller pieces.

[0107] Alternatively or additionally, the means for breaking up the grid arrangement can comprise an inclined impact surface, i.e., one that is neither horizontal nor vertical, for example in the form of a funnel. Such an inclined impact surface can serve to break up the arrangement of the smaller pieces and guide the smaller pieces. Furthermore, such an inclined impact surface, particularly in the form of a funnel, can serve to bring the smaller pieces together onto a smaller surface area if they should be distributed over a larger area, for example, due to a great drop height.

[0108] Alternatively or additionally, the means for breaking up the grid arrangement may comprise at least one deflection element configured to break up the grid arrangement of the smaller pieces in flight by causing at least some of the smaller pieces to strike the deflection element as they fall. The at least one deflection element may be configured, for example, as a grid or a single rod, as a wedge- or conical-shaped element, as a driven shaft similar to a folding shaft on a slicer (cylindrical or wedge-shaped), or as a combination of these elements.

[0109] The object is also achieved, inter alia, by a method for cutting a piece of food, in particular a slice of cheese, into several smaller pieces, in particular into several smaller cubes, comprising:

[0110] Placing the piece of food onto an upper side of a cutting grid or an upper side of a structure movable through the cutting grid by means of a gripper, and moving a stamp relative to the cutting grid and / or moving the cutting grid relative to the stamp, so that the piece of food is pressed through the cutting grid from above and thereby the piece of food is cut into several adjacent, smaller pieces.

[0111] In this variant, the gripper is used to pick up the food item, such as a slice of cheese, and place it either directly onto the cutting grid or onto the top surface of a structure that can be moved through the cutting grid. This saves time and personnel costs compared to manually placing the food item.

[0112] This variant has the advantage, among other things, that the weight of the plunger supports the movement of the plunger, pushing the food item through the cutting grid from above. This allows for a lower-power drive for the plunger compared to the variant in which the food item is pushed through the cutting grid from bottom to top.

[0113] The food piece can be placed using a mechanical gripper or a vacuum gripper. The punch can be stationary if the cutting grid is moved relative to the punch. Alternatively, the punch can be mounted on a machine frame, in particular exclusively, so that it can move in the cutting direction and counter to the cutting direction, for example, if the cutting grid is fixedly attached to the machine frame. The cutting direction preferably extends along a straight line. According to a further alternative, the punch can be mounted on a robot arm, in particular a robot arm that moves the gripper.If the torque normally applied by the robot arm to push the piece of food through the cutting grid by means of the stamp arranged on the robot arm is not sufficient, a stationary support surface can be provided on which the robot arm can rest in order to increase the effective torque on the stamp.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the gripper can function as a stamp. For example, the gripper can be designed as a vacuum gripper and also serve to push the food piece through the cutting grid.

[0115] Preferably, the methods described above are used to cut a food slice, in particular a cheese slice, separated from a food bar by a slicer into several smaller pieces, in particular cube-shaped pieces. For example, the food slice can have a width between 10 mm and 30 mm. Thus, for example, food cubes can be produced with an edge length between 10 mm and 30 mm.

[0116] To ensure the most efficient use of the gripper, multiple cutting grids can be provided per gripper. "Per gripper" preferably means per gripper or robot cell. The gripper or robot cell can be defined by a barrier, such as an acrylic glass enclosure.

[0117] The procedure may then include the following steps:

[0118] Moving a first punch relative to a first cutting grid and / or moving the first cutting grid relative to the first punch to cut a first piece of food into first smaller pieces, and parallel thereto

[0119] Moving a second punch relative to a second cutting grid and / or moving the second cutting grid relative to the second punch to cut a second piece of food into second smaller pieces.

[0120] In other words, two pieces of food can be cut into smaller pieces simultaneously, at overlapping time intervals, by different cutting grids. The cutting of the food pieces can be started and finished at different times or at the same time. These first and second smaller pieces can then, for example, be lifted one after the other by one gripper. Alternatively, one gripper can place two pieces of food one after the other, onto the first cutting grid and the second cutting grid, or onto first and second structures movable through the cutting grids. This can increase the output per gripper.

[0121] According to one embodiment, the plurality of cutting grids can be moved along a circular path. The cutting grids can move in sections synchronously with the movers in a conveying direction. The cutting grids can divide the food piece into several smaller pieces, while the corresponding mover with stamp, the corresponding cutting grid, and the food piece lying on the stamp move synchronously with one another in the conveying direction. Alternatively, the cutting grids and corresponding stamps can move in a section synchronously with the packaging, and the corresponding stamp can press the food piece through the cutting grid from above, while the cutting grid, the stamp, the food piece, and the packaging move in the conveying direction. Generally speaking, the cutting grids can move along a circular path, with part of the circular path extending parallel to a transport path for the food pieces.

[0122] According to a variant that is structurally simpler to implement, the cutting grids do not move with the food pieces, but are arranged in a fixed position or move only perpendicular to the conveying direction, for example in the cutting direction and against the cutting direction.

[0123] The object is also achieved by a device for cutting a piece of food into a plurality of smaller pieces, in particular into a plurality of smaller cubes, comprising: at least one cutting grid, at least one stamp for pressing the piece of food through the cutting grid, and at least one gripper, wherein the gripper is movable into an area above the cutting grid in order to deposit the piece of food on an upper side of the cutting grid or a support surface movable through the cutting grid or in order to pick up the plurality of smaller pieces from the upper side of the cutting grid or a support surface movable through the cutting grid.

[0124] The device can be designed in two ways. Either the plunger pushes the food piece from bottom to top through the cutting grid. In this case, the gripper can serve to pick up the several smaller pieces, for example, from the top of the plunger, i.e., lift them off. Or the plunger pushes the food piece from top to bottom through the cutting grid. In this case, the gripper serves to place the food piece directly onto the cutting grid or onto a support surface that can be moved downwards through the cutting grid before cutting.

[0125] What both alternatives have in common is that a gripper is provided to handle the food product. This makes it possible to fully automatically cut food slices into smaller pieces in such a way that the outer shape of the food slice is maintained, i.e., the smaller pieces created from the food slice remain in their grid arrangement.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the gripper is designed as a mechanical gripper and / or a vacuum gripper. The gripper can be designed as described above or below. The gripper can be coupled to a movement unit, e.g., a robot arm or a 3-axis positioning system. The gripper can preferably be moved into the area above the cutting grid by means of the movement unit.

[0127] To enable the removal of adhering food from the gripper, the gripper can have a release aid. For example, the gripper can be formed on at least one holding surface with at least one outlet opening through which gas can flow, in order to release a food product adhering to the holding surface from the holding surface using compressed air or gas. Alternatively or additionally, the gripper can comprise at least one release plunger, which can be moved out of a holding surface of the gripper in order to release a food product adhering to the holding surface from the holding surface.

[0128] According to one embodiment, the cutting grid defines a plurality of substantially horizontally arranged cutting edges during operation. The punch can be movable substantially perpendicular to the cutting edges, i.e. in the present case, vertically movable. The punch can be mounted in such a way that it can be moved from bottom to top and from top to bottom. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of the cutting edges can be arranged at an angle to the horizontal. If the punch is moved perpendicular to the horizontal, the oblique arrangement of the cutting edges can reduce the required cutting force because the piece of food is initially partially cut. In principle, it would also be conceivable to align the cutting edges at an angle to the horizontal and to move the punch perpendicular to the cutting edges.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the stamp has a stamping surface, wherein grooves corresponding to the cutting grid are provided in the stamping surface. The grooves are designed so that the cutting grid engages the grooves when the food item has been pushed through the cutting grid, thus preventing the cutting grid from colliding with the stamp.

[0130] Preferably, the stamp surface forms a plurality of partial stamp surfaces surrounded by the grooves. At least some of the partial stamp surfaces, in particular all partial stamp surfaces, can have a corner-free, in particular circular, periphery. In other words, peripheral surfaces of portions of the stamp defining partial stamp surfaces can be designed without edges. This makes it easier to clean the grooves of the at least one stamp.

[0131] In order to make the stamp lighter, at least some of the partial stamps can be hollow. However, the partial stamps can still have a full-surface, i.e. a closed, partial stamp surface. According to a variant that is light and particularly easy to clean, the partial stamps can comprise a partial stamp plate, in particular a full-surface, which is held in position by a plurality of legs. In general, lateral openings can be provided which connect the area around the partial stamps with a respective interior of the partial stamps. According to one embodiment, the stamp has a drive. In other words, the stamp is or can be coupled to a drive in order to move the stamp in the cutting direction, in particular in the vertical direction. The drive is preferably designed to independently press the piece of food through the cutting grid.

[0132] The punch drive can be configured as a servo motor or a pneumatic drive. The servo motor has the advantage that the punch speed can be varied / controlled throughout the cutting process, for example, to initially slow down the punch during cutting and then accelerate it again.

[0133] The drive of the stamp can be fixed to a fixture frame or to at least one mover.

[0134] In order to reliably couple a stationary drive and a punch moving along a transport path during operation, centering means can be provided which, when the drive, in particular a drive element such as a cylinder, is coupled to the punch, center the punch relative to the drive. For example, at least one centering means, e.g. a conical pin, can be provided on each punch, which engages in a centering means, e.g. a bore, on the drive element. Alternatively, at least one centering means, e.g. a conical bore, can be provided on each punch, into which a centering means, e.g. a conical pin, on the drive element engages. Preferably, two centering means are provided on the punch, which interact with two corresponding centering means on the drive element. This also makes it possible to correct a rotational misalignment of the punch relative to the drive.The person skilled in the art will recognize that various types of centering devices are conceivable.

[0135] In order to reduce the maximum feed force required for the punch, it is advantageous if the cutting grid has a plurality of cutting edges arranged at a distance from one another in the direction of movement of the punch. In other words, the cutting edges can be arranged on different levels, so that the piece of food first comes into contact with a first group of cutting edges and only then comes into contact with a second group of cutting edges once the first group of cutting edges has already penetrated the piece of food. The cutting grid preferably has longitudinal cutting edges and transverse cutting edges. In other words, the cutting grid has first cutting edges and second cutting edges aligned transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the first cutting edges. For example, the longitudinal cutting edges can be arranged on one level and the transverse cutting edges on another level.According to one embodiment, the longitudinal cutting edges can be arranged at different levels. Alternatively or additionally, the transverse cutting edges can be arranged at different levels.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the cutting grid is designed as a wire grid comprising a plurality of wires. In other words, the cutting edges of the cutting grid are preferably formed by wires. The use of wires has, among other things, the advantage of reducing cutting resistance and thus the maximum feed force required for the punch. To further reduce the maximum feed force required for the punch, at least some of the wires of the wire grid can be arranged spaced from one another in the direction of movement of the punch. The cutting grid preferably has longitudinal cutting wires and transverse cutting wires. For example, the longitudinal cutting wires can be arranged on one level and the transverse cutting wires on another level. According to one embodiment, the longitudinal cutting wires can be arranged on different levels below one another.Alternatively or additionally, the cross-cutting wires can be arranged at different levels.

[0137] According to an alternative embodiment, the cutting grid is formed by blades. Blades, as defined in this application, are cutting elements that, when used as intended, can only be bent slightly in the cutting direction by contact with the piece of food. For this purpose, the blades can have an extension in the cutting direction that is a multiple of the width of the blade. To minimize friction, the blades can be subjected to vibrations in the ultrasonic range. For this purpose, the device can comprise a vibration generator.

[0138] According to one embodiment, the wires of the cutting grid are each attached to two spaced-apart suspensions. To reduce the maximum required feed force for the punch, one of the suspensions, in particular at least one suspension per wire, can be designed to be flexible.

[0139] According to one embodiment, a pneumatic element or a hydraulic element is provided, which causes the at least one suspension to be flexible. Alternatively, a spring element can be provided, which causes the suspension to be flexible. For a detailed description of how the wires of the cutting grid can be designed to be flexible, reference is made to German patent application DE 10 2019 108 452. To save installation space, two wires of the cutting grid, in particular two wires of the cutting grid arranged parallel to one another and directly next to one another, can be coupled to the same pneumatic element, hydraulic element, or spring element, so that a movement of the pneumatic element, hydraulic element, or spring element allows a curvature of the two wires. Preferably, the two wires are coupled to a common suspension, which is designed to be flexible by a pneumatic element, hydraulic element, or spring element.The suspension can be pivoted to compensate for differences in tension between the two wires.

[0140] According to one embodiment, at least one of the wires of the wire mesh is prestressed or can be prestressed. Adjustment means can be provided for adjusting, in particular automatically, the tensile stress applied to the wire by the suspensions. According to one embodiment, all wires of the wire mesh are each attached to two spaced-apart suspensions. The suspensions of the wires of the wire mesh can be connected to one another via a frame.

[0141] The cutting frame can be removable from the rest of the device and / or attachable to the rest of the device. Preferably, the cutting frame can be removed from the rest of the device and / or attachable to the rest of the device without the need for tools.

[0142] For example, to be able to move the frame into an inactive position, for example, to process other foodstuffs with the device or to clean the frame, the frame can be mounted on a machine frame so that it can pivot about a defined pivot axis. For example, the frame can be arranged in a mount that is mounted on the machine frame so that it can pivot relative to the machine frame. The pivot axis can be arranged vertically or horizontally during operation.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the frame has grooves in which the wires are located. The grooves are preferably adapted in terms of width to the wires, so that they provide lateral guidance for the wires. This can reduce lateral movement of the wires and increase cutting precision.

[0144] According to one embodiment, at least one of the wires of the wire mesh is clamped between the suspensions under tensile stress. A force measuring device can be provided to measure the tensile stress acting on the wire. Alternatively or additionally, force control means can be provided to control a restoring force acting on the wire. Force control means could also be provided to regulate the restoring force acting on the wire.

[0145] According to one embodiment, means for detecting damage to the wire mesh are provided. The means for detecting damage to the wire mesh can be designed and configured to detect a tearing of one of the wires. For example, a sensor can be provided that detects a pressure increase or pressure drop in a pneumatic or hydraulic chamber in order to detect damage to the wire mesh. The pressure increase or pressure drop measured by the sensor can also be used to detect how long the cutting process will take or when the cutting process will be finished. For example, different types of food, different external conditions such as temperature and humidity, and / or different properties of the wires can lead to different cutting times.In order to dynamically adapt the subsequent process steps to the cutting times, the pressure measured by the sensor can be evaluated and, from certain threshold values, for example a drop in pressure above a certain threshold value, a subsequent process step can be initiated, such as a picker starting up, e.g. to deposit a new piece of food or to pick up cut pieces of food, a mover starting up, etc.

[0146] The pressure increase or pressure drop measured by the sensor can also be used to identify which type of food product, for example which type of cheese, is currently being processed, provided that the consistency of the food products to be distinguished differs sufficiently from each other.

[0147] According to one embodiment, the plunger is or can be coupled to a mover of a transport system. The transport system can be configured to transport the food item lying on the plunger beneath the cutting grid. The plunger can be movable vertically relative to the mover to push the food item through the cutting grid. A drive can be provided to move the plunger relative to the mover.

[0148] According to one embodiment, a plurality of stamps are provided. A plurality of movers can also be provided. At least one of the stamps can be coupled or coupleable to one of the movers of the transport system. For example, each mover can have coupling means for exactly one stamp or exactly two stamps. The coupling means can be designed as a frame, for example. The frame can have at least one opening or recess defined by the frame. A corresponding fixing means of the stamp can be insertable into the opening or recess. The transport system can be designed to transport the food pieces one after the other, either lying individually on one of the stamps or lying next to one another on several stamps coupled to a mover, beneath the cutting grid.

[0149] According to one embodiment, the device is designed to cut a plurality of food pieces simultaneously by a first food piece being pushed through a first cutting grid by means of a first stamp, while a second food piece is pushed through a second cutting grid by means of a second stamp. This can increase the throughput of the device. The gripper can be designed to place the first and second food pieces onto the respective cutting grids, i.e. the first and second cutting grids. The gripper can also be designed to place the first and second food pieces onto a respective support surface that can be moved through the respective cutting grid. This support surface can be designed like a stamp surface and can move back against the cutting direction when cutting through the cutting grid.Alternatively, the gripper can be configured to pick up first smaller pieces cut from the first food piece and second smaller pieces cut from the second food piece. For example, the gripper can be configured to pick up the first smaller pieces and the second smaller pieces one after the other.

[0150] The first food piece and the second food piece can each rest on a separate die while being pushed through the cutting grid from below. Alternatively, the first food piece and the second food piece can each rest on a separate cutting grid or a separate structure movable through the cutting grid, and can be subjected to the respective die from above.

[0151] The device preferably comprises an alignment unit for aligning the food item to be cut according to the orientation of the cutting grid. The alignment unit can be arranged in front of the cutting grid, as seen in the transport direction. Alternatively, the alignment unit can be integrated into the cutting frame.

[0152] According to one embodiment, the alignment unit comprises two substantially L-shaped alignment elements that can be moved diagonally toward the food item. This allows one leg of each alignment element to come into contact with a side surface of the food item, thus aligning the food item. To prevent deformation of the corner edges of food items with sharp corner edges, the alignment elements can have a recess in a transition area between the legs, preventing the corner edges of the food items from coming into contact with the respective alignment element.

[0153] The alignment unit can be controlled such that the alignment unit performs an alignment movement for each food item, i.e., regardless of whether the food item is already correctly aligned or not. Alternatively, a detection device, e.g., a camera, can detect the alignment of the respective food item, and the alignment unit can only be activated when the food item is so obliquely aligned that a correction of the alignment of the food item is necessary. Preferably, a threshold value for a permissible deviation in the alignment of the food item is adjustable on the device.

[0154] The invention also relates to a food processing line comprising a device as described above or below and a slicer, a sorting and conveying line and / or a packaging machine.

[0155] The invention is described below using purely exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of comparison between the various embodiments, corresponding components are labeled with the same reference numerals. They show:

[0156] Fig. 1 A is a perspective view of a device according to the invention according to a first embodiment with the cutting unit hidden in a preparation stage;

[0157] Fig. 1B is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1A with the cutting unit shown in the preparation stage; Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1A with the cutting unit hidden after a cutting process;

[0158] Fig. 2B is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1A with the cutting unit shown after the cutting process;

[0159] Fig. 3A is a side view of the device of Fig. 1A in the deployment stage;

[0160] Fig. 3B is a side view of the device of Fig. 1A after the cutting process;

[0161] Fig. 3C is a side sectional view of the device of Fig. 3B;

[0162] Fig. 4A is a perspective view of a device according to the invention according to a second embodiment in a preparation stage;

[0163] Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 4A after a cutting operation;

[0164] Fig. 5A is a side view of the device of Fig. 4A in the deployment stage;

[0165] Fig. 5B is a detailed view of Fig. 5A;

[0166] Fig. 6A is a side view of the device of Fig. 4A in a lift-off stage;

[0167] Fig. 6B is a side view of the device of Fig. 4A in a cutting stage;

[0168] Fig. 7A is a side view of the device of Fig. 4A after the cutting process;

[0169] Fig. 7B is a side view of the device of Fig. 4A with the punch lowered;

[0170] Fig. 8A is a perspective detailed view of a stripping device of the device of Fig. 4A in an initial position;

[0171] Fig. 8B is a perspective detail view of a stripping device of the device of Fig. 4A in a depressed position;

[0172] Fig. 9A is a perspective detailed view of a stamp of the device of Fig. 4A in an initial position;

[0173] Fig. 9B is a perspective detail view of the punch of the device of Fig. 4A in a depressed position;

[0174] Fig. 10 is a perspective detailed view of a gripper and a cutting unit of the device of Fig. 4A;

[0175] Fig. 11 is a frontal sectional view of a device according to the invention according to a further embodiment in a preparation stage;

[0176] Fig. 12 is a side sectional view of the device of Fig. 11;

[0177] Fig. 13 is a frontal sectional view of the device of Fig. 11 after a cutting stage;

[0178] Fig. 14 is a frontal sectional view of the device of Fig. 11 in a lifting stage;

[0179] Fig. 15 is a plan view of a portion of a food processing line including the apparatus of Fig. 11;

[0180] Fig. 16 is a frontal sectional view of a device according to the invention according to another further embodiment in a laying stage;

[0181] Fig. 17 is a frontal sectional view of the device of Fig. 16 in a stamping movement stage;

[0182] Fig. 18 is a front sectional view of the device of Fig. 16 in a cutting stage; Fig. 19A is a plan view of a portion of a food processing line using the device of Fig. 16;

[0183] Fig. 19B is a side detail view of the device of Fig. 19A;

[0184] Fig. 20A is a view of a stamping surface according to a first embodiment;

[0185] Fig. 20B is a representation of the stamping surface of Fig. 20A together with a corresponding cutting frame;

[0186] Fig. 21 A is a view of a stamping surface according to a second embodiment;

[0187] Fig. 21 B is a representation of the stamping surface of Fig. 21 A together with a corresponding cutting frame;

[0188] Fig. 22A is a side view of a cutting frame according to a first embodiment;

[0189] Fig. 22B is a side view of a cutting frame according to a second embodiment;

[0190] Fig. 22C is a perspective view of gripping elements defining holding surfaces according to a first embodiment;

[0191] Fig. 22D is a perspective view of gripping elements defining holding surfaces according to a second embodiment;

[0192] Fig. 23A is a perspective side view of a vacuum gripper;

[0193] Fig. 23B is a side view of an exemplary movement unit for a gripper;

[0194] Fig. 24A is a side sectional view of a compliant wire suspension according to a first embodiment;

[0195] Fig. 24B is a side sectional view of a compliant wire suspension according to a second embodiment;

[0196] Fig. 25A is a schematic side view of a holder for a cutting frame; and

[0197] Fig. 25B is a detailed view of a variant of the device of Fig. 11 , in which on the one hand

[0198] Centering means between a punch and a drive element are shown and, on the other hand, hollow partial punches are shown.

[0199] Figures 1A to 3C show a first embodiment of a device 10 for the automated cutting of a piece of food 12a into several smaller pieces 12b. This device 10 is designed to produce several smaller cubes 12b from a piece of food 12a, e.g., a slice of cheese.

[0200] Figures 1A to 2B show perspective views of the device 10. The device 10 comprises a transport system 24 for transporting food pieces 12a beneath a cutting unit 18 (see Fig. 1B). The transport system comprises a plurality of movers 22, which can also be called transport movers. An example of such a transport system with transport movers is the Weber ShuttleSystem (WSS). This system is based on a so-called LSM drive, i.e. a drive by linear synchronous motors. In an LSM drive, the magnetic field of a rotor is provided by permanent magnets. In the present example, the movers 22 each comprise a rotor 22a that interacts with a transport track 26, i.e., the stator. Each of the rotors 22a is equipped with at least one permanent magnet PM. In order to drive the movers 22 along their transport track 26, the transport track 26 is designed to generate an electromagnetic traveling field.The drive principle of an LSM drive can be imagined as follows: the mover 22 provided with the permanent magnet PM is pulled along the transport path 26 by the magnetic field moving along the transport path 26.

[0201] Guide rails 78 designed as angled plates (see Fig. 3A) serve as guides for the mover 22. These guide rails run in slots 80 formed on the left and right side surfaces of the runner 22a of the mover 22. However, the guides of the transport track 26 for the mover 22 can also be designed differently.

[0202] The movers 22 each comprise a support structure 22b. The support structure 22b forms a flat support surface for the food item 12a. As shown in the figures, two support structures 22b can be provided per mover 22. Alternatively, it is conceivable to provide four support structures, i.e., four spaces for a food item 12a, per mover.

[0203] Elongated recesses 124 (see Fig. 1A) are formed in the support structure 22b in a region of the support surface. The recesses 124 extend from an underside of the support structure 22b to an upper side of the support structure 22b. In other words, the recesses 124 extend through the support structure 22b. As can be seen by comparing Figs. 1A and 2A, the recesses 124 are designed to be penetrated by a punch 20.

[0204] In the embodiment shown, the punch 20 is arranged in a stationary manner. When the support structure 22b has been moved by means of the transport system 24 such that the support structure 22b is arranged above the punch 20, the punch 20 can be moved from below through the support structure 22b (cf. Fig. 2A) in order to lift the piece of food 12a from the support structure 22b. For this purpose, the punch 20 has a plurality of grooves 48 which are designed to receive webs 49 of the support structure 22b which delimit the recesses 124. The punch 20 is coupled to a drive 50 which serves to move the punch 20 in the vertical direction. In the present case, the drive 50 is designed as a servomotor. However, the drive 50 can also be designed as a pneumatic drive, for example.

[0205] Figures 1B and 2B show the cutting unit 18 of the device 10. In the present embodiment, the cutting unit 18 is designed in the form of a cutting grid. A detailed view of the cutting grid is shown in Figure 21B. The cutting grid 18 is formed by a plurality of longitudinal wires 52 and a plurality of transverse wires 52, wherein the longitudinal wires 52 are preferably arranged at right angles to the transverse wires 52. The longitudinal wires 52 form longitudinal cutting edges 44a, and the transverse wires 52 form transverse cutting edges 44b.

[0206] The wires 52, i.e., the longitudinal wires and the transverse wires, are clamped in a rectangular frame 62, also called a cutting frame. Grooves 64 are formed on the frame 62, each of which accommodates one of the wires 52. The width of the grooves 64 is adapted to the thickness of the wire 52 and serves to guide the wires 52 laterally. This improves cutting accuracy.

[0207] The wires 52 are prestressed by pneumatic elements 58, in particular pneumatic cylinders. This makes the wires 52 flexible, which can significantly improve the service life of the wires 52. Fig. 24B shows in detail how the respective wire 52 can bend due to the flexible suspension. To save pneumatic elements 58 and thus save installation space, two wires can be coupled to one pneumatic element 58, so that one pneumatic element 58 prestresses two wires 58. Preferably, the wires 58 are connected to a suspension 54 on opposite sides with respect to a piston axis of the pneumatic element 58 in order to avoid bending moments on the pneumatic element 58. The suspension 54 can be pivotally coupled to the pneumatic element 58, preferably about a vertical axis, in order to compensate for differences in tensile stress between the wires 52 connected to the pneumatic element 58.

[0208] The grooves 48 in the punch 20 serve, in addition to receiving the webs 49 of the support structure 22b, also to receive the cutting grid 18 and thus prevent a collision between the punch 20 and the cutting grid 18 during a cutting process.

[0209] Figures 3A to 3C show the movement of the punch 20 during the cutting process from a side view. In Fig. 3A, the mover 22 is in a position along the transport path 26 in which the support structure 22b is arranged between the punch 20 and the cutting unit 18. As can be seen from a comparison of Figs. 3A and 3B, the drive 50 then moves the punch 20 from a lowered position upwards in a vertical direction. The punch 20 first picks up a piece of food 12a (not shown) lying on the support structure 22b and then presses the piece of food 12a completely from below through the cutting unit 18, which in the present example is designed as a cutting grid. As a result, the piece of food 12a is cut into a plurality of smaller pieces 12b, for example cubes, arranged in a grid arrangement.

[0210] As can be seen from Fig. 3C, at the end of the cutting process, the plurality of smaller pieces 12b arranged in a grid lie on the stamping surface 46 and can be lifted from the stamping surface 46 by means of a gripper 14 not shown in Fig. 3C, for example, a mechanical gripper 14a or a vacuum gripper 14b. Subsequently, the stamping surface 20 is moved back into its lowered position, for example, by means of the drive 50. This releases the mover 22, allowing the mover 22 to continue moving along the transport path 26 and make room for the next mover 22.

[0211] To ensure that the support structure 22b is correctly positioned beneath the punch 20 and / or is securely held during the cutting process, at least one guide 27 may be provided to position and / or hold the support structure 22b in position. Figures 4A to 10 show a further embodiment in which the piece of food 12a is pressed through a cutting unit 18 to cut the piece of food 12a into several smaller pieces 12b. In this embodiment, too, the piece of food 12a is pressed from below through the cutting unit 18. However, in this embodiment, the piece of food 12a is not cut into several smaller cubes, but rather into a cut-out shape, namely a bear face, and a remainder. For this purpose, the device comprises a cutting die 18' as the cutting unit 18.The cutting die 18' comprises an outer contour die 18a' fixedly coupled to a machine frame 99 and a plurality of inner contour dies 18b', preferably coupled to a gripper 14 (see, for example, Fig. 10). In Figures 4A to 10, only the inner contour dies 18b' for creating the eyes are shown. However, it is understood that inner contour dies 18b' are also provided for the nose and mouth in order to be able to completely cut the face out of the food piece 12a.

[0212] Fig. 4A shows - corresponding to Fig. 1B - a perspective view of the mover 22 below the cutting unit 18'. The transport system 24 including the support structure 22 corresponds to the transport system 24 of the previously described first embodiment. Thus, the transport system 24 can be used for both applications, namely for producing cubes 12b and for producing shapes 12b. The system thus allows the device to be exchanged from a cutting unit for cubes to a cutting unit for shapes without having to make changes to the transport system, e.g. without having to replace the support structure. As shown in the present embodiments, an interface can be provided by means of which the cutting units 18 can be exchanged by removing them from the machine frame 99 and attaching another cutting unit 18' to the machine frame 99.

[0213] Fig. 4B shows—corresponding to Fig. 2B—a perspective view in which the punch 20 has moved into an upper end position. In this punch position, the gripper 14 can lift a cut-out mold 12b from the punch surface 46. In the present case, the device 10 is designed so that a gripper 14 can reach laterally under the mold 12b, thereby safely lifting the mold 12b from the punch surface 46.

[0214] Fig. 5A shows the device 10 including gripper 14. As can be seen from Fig. 5A, the gripper 14 comprises two shovel-like gripping elements directed toward one another, which can be moved toward one another to grip the mold 12b from underneath from two opposite sides. To deposit the mold 12b, the gripper elements are moved away from each other again in the opposite direction. However, it would also be conceivable to lift the mold 12b using a different type of gripper, for example, a vacuum gripper.

[0215] Figures 5B to 7B show a cutting process for producing the mold 12b from a

[0216] Food piece 12a is shown. Fig. 5B shows a preparation stage in which the food piece 12a is arranged lying on the support structure 22b between the punch 20 and the cutting unit 18'.

[0217] Subsequently, as shown in Fig. 6A, the stamp 20 is moved from below through the support structure 22b, so that the stamp 20 partially engages through recesses 124 in the support structure 22b and lifts the piece of food 12a from the support structure 22b.

[0218] The punch 20 is then moved further upwards, as shown in Fig. 6B, so that the food piece 12a comes into contact with the cutting die 18'. The cutting die 18' cuts the food piece 12a into a shape 12b and a remainder. During the cutting process, the remainder 12b comes into contact with at least one stripping element 126a of a stripping device 126 and presses this stripping element 126a in the cutting direction, i.e. upwards in the present case, against a spring force of a spring element 126b. This applies to the part of the remainder that arises outside an outer contour of the shape 12b, but also to all parts of the remainder that arise within an inner contour, e.g. punched-out eyes. Figures 8A and 8B show the stripping element 126a for the remainder outside the outer contour in the starting position and, in comparison, in the pressed-in position.

[0219] As can be seen from Fig. 7A and the comparison of Figs. 9A and 9B, the punch 20 has a resilient section or region 20a. The punch 20 also defines an outer contour 20c (see Fig. 9A), which is shaped according to the outer contour shape 18a of the cutting unit 18, and inner contours 20d, which correspond to the inner contour shapes 18b of the cutting unit 18. This allows the inner contour shapes 18b of the cutting unit 18 to engage the inner contours 20d of the punch 20 during cutting.

[0220] The flexible section 20a corresponds to an area outside the outer contour for the mold. In order to be able to push the cut-out mold 12b through the cutting unit 18', as shown in Fig. 7A, so that the mold 12b can be removed from the top of the cutting unit 18', the flexible section 20a is designed such that it can be moved against the cutting direction, i.e. downwards in this case, against a spring force of a spring element 20b (see Fig. 6B). As a result, the edge of the punch 12 does not block the movement of the rest of the punch 12 in the cutting direction. In addition, the remainder 12b that arises outside the outer contour of the mold 12b can be held between the stripping element 126a for the remainder 12b and the flexible section 20a.

[0221] After the mold 12b has been lifted from the punch surface 46, the punch 20 can be moved back against the cutting direction, in this case downward. This allows the stripping elements 126a to be moved back to their starting position by the spring elements 126b, whereby the remainder 12b is stripped off the cutting unit 18'. The remainder 12b can come to rest partially or completely on the support structure 22b and be transported away by the transport system 24. The flexible section 20a of the punch 20 is also moved back to its starting position in the cutting direction by the corresponding spring elements 20b.

[0222] Fig. 10 shows a detailed view of the gripper 14, by means of which the mold 12b can be lifted from the punch 20. In this variant of the gripper 14, the inner contour shapes 18b' of the cutting mold 18' are connected to the gripper 14 and therefore move with the gripper 14. The gripper 14 is designed to grip the mold 12b while the inner contour shapes 18b' penetrate the mold 12b, e.g., bear-shaped cheese slices. The inner contour shapes 18b' thus form fixations for the mold 12b during transport with the gripper 14. To release the mold 12b from the inner contour shapes 18b', a release punch 42, for example, can be provided. The detachment punch may be movable relative to the inner contour shapes 18b' to detach the cut-out shape 12b from the inner contour shapes 18b'.

[0223] Figures 11 to 15 show a further embodiment of a device 10 for the automated cutting of a piece of food 12a into several smaller pieces 12b.

[0224] Fig. 11 shows a cross-section, i.e. a section perpendicular to the conveying direction 36, through a transport system 24 of the device 10. The transport system 24 comprises a plurality of movers 22, which can also be called transport movers. An example of such a transport system with transport movers is the Weber ShuttleSystem (WSS). This system is based on a so-called LSM drive, i.e. a drive by linear synchronous motors. In an LSM drive, the magnetic field of a rotor is provided by permanent magnets. In the present example, the movers 22 each comprise a rotor 22a which interacts with a transport track 26, i.e. the stator. Each of the rotors 22a is equipped with at least one permanent magnet PM. In order to drive the movers 22 along their transport track 26, the transport track 26 is designed to generate an electromagnetic traveling field.The drive principle of an LSM drive can be imagined as follows: the mover 22 provided with the permanent magnet PM is pulled along the transport path 26 by the magnetic field moving along the transport path 26.

[0225] Guide rails 78, designed as angled plates, serve as guides for the mover 22. These guide rails run in slots 80 formed on the left and right side surfaces of the runner 22a of the mover 22. However, the guides of the transport track 26 for the mover 22 can also be designed differently.

[0226] The movers 22 each comprise a support structure 22b for a carrier 19. A punch 20 is arranged on the carrier 19. Coupling means 70 are provided on the support structure 22b of the mover 22 in order to hold the carrier 19 and the punch 20 vertically movable, but otherwise fixed, to the support structure 22b. For this purpose, the coupling means 70 comprise an opening in the support structure 22b, the inner circumferential shape of which corresponds to an outer circumferential shape of a fixing means 72 attached to the carrier 19. The carrier 19 and the punch 20 are thereby movable in the vertical direction, but for example in the horizontal direction and are fixed against rotational movements to the support structure 22b. The carrier 19 has an outer circumference that is larger than the opening, so that the carrier 19 is securely held by the support structure 22b and cannot fall downward through the opening.

[0227] Fig. 11 also schematically shows a drive 50 for moving the punch 20 in the vertical direction. In the present case, the drive 50 is designed as a servo motor. However, the drive 50 can also be designed as a pneumatic drive. In the present case, the drive 50 is arranged in a stationary manner below a likewise stationary cutting grid 18. Alternatively, the drive could also be attached to the mover 22 and move accordingly with the mover 22. Once the punch 20 has been placed below the cutting grid 18 by the mover 22, the drive 50 moves a drive element 50a; e.g., a cylinder, against an underside of the fixing means 72 firmly connected to the punch 20. As a result, the punch 20 is lifted and pressed in the direction of the cutting grid 18.

[0228] In principle, it is conceivable for the drive element 50a to press with a flat upper side against a flat underside of the fixing means 72. An alternative to this is shown in Fig. 25B. In this variant, first centering means 106, for example at least one conical pin, are formed on the drive element 50a, and corresponding second centering means 108, for example at least one conical recess, are formed on the underside of the fixing means 72. As a result, the punch 20 can be aligned through contact with the drive 50.

[0229] In the variants described above, the drive element 50a can come into direct contact with the fixing means 72. According to a further alternative—not shown—it is conceivable that the drive element 50a presses from below against a deformable sliding plate, and the sliding plate thereby forms a ramp over which the punch 20 can slide and is thereby lifted.

[0230] In order to pre-lift the ram 20 and thus shorten the stroke of the drive 50, a lifting rail 76 can be provided. For this purpose, the lifting rail 76 is shaped such that the lifting rail 76 comes into contact with an underside of the carrier 19 and is lifted by a movement of the carrier 19 in the conveying direction 36.

[0231] Fig. 12 shows a schematic side view of the transport system 24 of Fig. 11. This view shows that the punch 20 is positively coupled to the carrier 19 by means of two undercuts 21. However, it would also be conceivable to manufacture the carrier 19 and the punch 20 as one piece or to couple them together in some other way.

[0232] The stamp 20 serves to press the piece of food 12a, for example a slice of cheese, resting on the stamp 20, more precisely on a stamp surface 46, upwards through the cutting grid 18 in the cutting direction 74 and thereby produce cube-shaped smaller pieces 12b.

[0233] In Fig. 13, the device 10 is shown at a stage in which the food piece 12a has been completely pressed through the cutting grid 18, thus producing the cube-shaped, smaller pieces 12b. The smaller pieces 12b now lie on the stamping surface 46 in a grid arrangement, ie, with their side surfaces aligned against one another.

[0234] Now, as can be seen in Fig. 14, a gripper 14 belonging to the device 10 can collectively lift the cube-shaped smaller pieces 12b arranged in the grid arrangement and place them in a package 28 for the cube-shaped smaller pieces 12b. A movement unit 16, here a robot arm 30, is provided to move the gripper 14 between the stamping surface 46 and the package 28.

[0235] The stamp 20 can then be lowered again and the mover 22 can be moved further along the transport track 26.

[0236] Fig. 15 shows a plan view of a section of a food processing line 100 with the device 10 for cutting a piece of food 12a into several smaller pieces 12b. The food processing line 100 includes the transport system 24 with the transport track 26. As can be seen in Fig. 15, the transport track 26 extends along a circular path. The movers 22 move along the circular path in the conveying direction 36.

[0237] On a high-performance slicer (not shown), food pieces 12a are cut in the form of slices from a food block, for example, a block of cheese. These pieces are transported via a transport unit, for example, a conveyor belt 82, to the transport track 26 and there, as can be seen at the bottom left in Fig. 15, deposited or dropped onto stamping surfaces 46 of the stamps 20 coupled to the movers 22.

[0238] To ensure that the food pieces 12a rest correctly centered and aligned on the stamp 20, an alignment unit 112 is provided. The alignment unit 112 comprises two L-shaped alignment elements 112a, 112b per track, i.e., per stamp 20 attachable to the mover 22. These can be moved from diagonally arranged positions against side surfaces of the respective food piece 12a lying on the stamp 20 in order to correctly align the food piece 12a on the stamp 20. To ensure that the alignment elements 112a, 112b do not contact the food piece 12a in a corner region of the food piece 12a, a recess 116 is formed in a transition region between perpendicularly aligned contact surfaces of the alignment elements 112a, 112b.

[0239] According to one variant, each of the food pieces 12a can be contacted by the alignment elements 112a, 112b. Alternatively, a detection device 113 can be provided, which is designed to detect incorrectly aligned food pieces 12a. In this case, only those food pieces 12a whose position on the stamp 20 is outside an acceptable deviation can be contacted by the alignment elements 112a, 112b. The food pieces 12a are then transported to a gripper cell 34, lying on the stamp surfaces 46.

[0240] A plurality of cutting grids 18 are provided in the gripper cell 34. As previously described with reference to Figs. 11 to 14, one of the drives 50 is arranged below each of the cutting grids. When the mover 22 loaded with the food piece 12a has reached the cutting grids 18 and the punches 20 are thus arranged below the cutting grids 18, the mover 22 stops. The respective drive 50 then pushes the respective punch 20 and the food piece 12a lying on the punch from bottom to top through the cutting grid 18, so that individual smaller pieces 12b are produced from the food piece 12a. The gripper 14 is then moved over the smaller pieces 12b by means of the movement unit 16 and grips the smaller pieces 12b together. The gripper 14 is then moved to a further conveyor 84 on which packaging 28, for example trays or L-boards, is arranged. The smaller pieces 12b are placed on these packages 28.The smaller pieces 12b are then transported to a packaging machine lying on the packaging 28.

[0241] After the smaller pieces 12b have been lifted from the stamping surface 46 by the gripper 14, the respective stamp 20 is moved back to its starting position. The mover 22 can then move further along the transport path 26 to pick up more food pieces 12a. In the present case, each mover 22 can be coupled to two stamps 20. However, it would also be conceivable for the movers to be coupled to only one stamp or to more than two stamps.

[0242] In the left half of Fig. 15, a mover 22 is shown without a stamp, whereby the frame-shaped support structures 22b with the coupling means 70 are visible, which serve to hold the stamp 20 vertically movable, but otherwise fixed, on the support structure 22b.

[0243] Figures 16 to 19B show a further embodiment of a device 10 for the automated cutting of a piece of food 12a into several smaller pieces 12b. In contrast to the embodiment shown in Figures 11 to 15, in the further embodiment now described, the piece of food 12a is cut by being pushed from top to bottom through a cutting grid 18.

[0244] For this purpose, in a first step, shown in Fig. 16, the piece of food 12a is placed on the top side of a cutting grid 18 by means of a gripper 14. In a second step, shown in Fig. 17, a punch 20 is moved in the cutting direction 74 and pressed from above onto the piece of food 12a. As a result, the piece of food 12a lying on the top side of the cutting grid 18 is pressed from above through the cutting grid 18 (see Fig. 18). Once the piece of food has been completely pressed through the cutting grid 18, the several smaller pieces 12b produced from the piece of food 12a can fall onto a packaging 28 arranged below the cutting grid. The drop height should be as low as possible so that the several smaller pieces 12b retain their arrangement relative to one another, i.e. their grid arrangement.

[0245] In the present example, the packaging 28 rests on a carrier 19 of a mover 22. The mover 22 is part of a transport system 24 based on the so-called LSM drive described above. However, the packaging could also rest on a conveyor belt, for example.

[0246] Fig. 19A shows a plan view of a partial section of a food processing line 100 with the device 10 according to the second embodiment.

[0247] As in the first embodiment, food pieces in the form of slices 12a are cut from a food block, for example, a block of cheese, on a high-performance slicer (not shown). These slices are delivered via a transport unit 24, for example, a conveyor belt 82, to another transport unit 24, which provides the food pieces 12a to the gripper 14. In the present example, the gripper 14 is designed as a vacuum gripper 14b. However, the gripper 14 could also be designed as a mechanical gripper 14a.

[0248] The gripper 14 grips one of the provided food pieces 12a and places it on top of one of the cutting grids 18. The plunger 20 is then pressed from above against the food piece 12a. With regard to the design of the drive for the plunger 20, many possibilities are conceivable, two of which are shown here as examples. Fig. 19A shows a variant in which the plunger 20 is movably attached to a stationary bearing, a machine frame 99, and is pivotable relative to this stationary bearing in order to press a food piece 12a resting on the cutting grid through the cutting grid 18. Fig. 19B shows a further variant in which the plunger 20 is arranged on the gripper 14, specifically in which the plunger 20 and the gripper 14 represent a common component. In this variant, the force for cutting the piece of food 12a is provided by the movement unit 16 of the gripper 14, ieby a robot arm 30. In other words, the punch 20 is moved by a drive force applied by the robot arm 30. In order to minimize the moments acting on the robot arm 30, a support device 86 can be provided on the robot arm 30, by means of which the robot arm 30 can be supported on a support surface 32, for example, a roof support of a production hall.

[0249] Fig. 19B also optionally shows a variant in which a structure 102 is provided which extends through the cutting grid 18 from below and forms a support surface 104 onto which the gripper 14 can place the food piece 12a. This structure 102 can, for example, be movable downwards synchronously with the punch 20 and support the food piece 12a from below during the cutting process or be lowered to place the food piece 12a on the cutting grid 18. Figures 20A and 20B, on the one hand, and Figures 21A and 21B, on the other hand, show various variants of the design of the punch 20.

[0250] Fig. 20A shows a plan view of a stamping surface 46, i.e. the surface of the stamp 20 which comes into contact with the piece of food 12a during cutting. The stamping surface 46 is divided into several partial stamping surfaces 46a-g etc., which are arranged in a matrix in rows and columns. Grooves 48 are formed between the partial stamping surfaces 46a-g. More precisely, the partial stamping surfaces 46a-g etc. are bordered by two longitudinal grooves 48 and two transverse grooves 48. The grooves 48 serve, as can be seen in Figs. 14 and 20B, to receive the cutting grid 18 and thus prevent a collision between the stamp 20 and the cutting grid 18. In Figs. 20A and 10B, the partial stamping surfaces 46a-g have a square circumference with rounded corners.

[0251] To facilitate cleaning of the stamp 20, the variant shown in Figs. 21 A and 11 B was developed. Here, the partial stamp surfaces 46a-g, etc., have a corner-free, particularly circular, periphery.

[0252] Fig. 25B shows various variants of partial punches 118 forming partial punch surfaces 46. According to a first variant, partial punch 118a can be solid. Alternatively, partial punches 118b, 118c can be hollow. At 118b, a partial punch with an outwardly open interior space or cavity 120a is shown. At 118c, a partial punch with a closed interior space or cavity 120b is shown, ie, one defined circumferentially by partial punch 118c.

[0253] Figures 20B and 21B show a variant in which the cutting grid 18 is formed from wires 52. Each wire forms either a longitudinal cutting edge 44a or a transverse cutting edge 44b. For this purpose, each of the wires 52 is clamped either longitudinally or transversely in a rectangular frame 62, also called a cutting frame. Grooves 64 are formed on the frame 62, in each of which one of the wires 52 lies. The width of the grooves 64 is adapted to the thickness of the wire 52 and serves to guide the wires 52 laterally. This improves cutting accuracy.

[0254] Figs. 22A and 22B show variants of the cutting grid 18 in which the longitudinal cutting edges 44a are arranged at different levels in order to reduce the maximum required feed force for the punch 20 by ensuring that the food piece 12a first comes into contact with a first group of cutting edges 44a and only then comes into contact with a second group of cutting edges 44a when the first group of cutting edges 44a has already penetrated the food piece 12a. Alternatively or additionally, it would be conceivable to arrange the transverse cutting edges 44b spaced apart from one another in the cutting direction 74. Figs. 22C and 22D show variants of detachment aids that serve to prevent food 12 from adhering to gripping elements 15a of mechanical grippers 14a. In Fig. 22C, a variant is shown in which the gripping elements 15a have outlet openings 40 in holding surfaces 38 that can be brought into contact with the food 12.The outlet openings 40 are connected to channels that can be pressurized with compressed air by the device 10. This allows a compressive force to be applied to the food item 12 in order to release the food item 12 from the respective gripping element 15a.

[0255] Fig. 22D shows a variant of a mechanical gripper 14a, which is provided with detachment stamps 42 in the holding surface 38. These stamps can be moved out of the holding surface 38 in order to reduce the contact area between the food 12 and the gripping element 15a and thus detach the food 12 from the gripping element 15a. As a rule, such a detachment aid is not necessary for vacuum grippers. However, for processing sticky food products, it would also be conceivable to provide a detachment aid for vacuum grippers, for example, by generating excess pressure in the vacuum channels.

[0256] Figures 23A and 23B show one possible configuration of the gripper 14 as a vacuum gripper 14b. The vacuum gripper 14b has a plurality of suction elements 15b arranged in rows and columns, each of which is designed to suck up and hold one of the pieces 12b. The suction elements 15b have suction openings 88 on their front sides, by means of which a suction force can be applied to the pieces 12b. In order to be able to place the smaller pieces 12b at a distance from one another, the suction elements 15b can be designed so that their spacing from one another is adjustable. For example, servomotors can be provided to adjust the suction elements 15b relative to one another.

[0257] To enable the vacuum gripper 14b to also be used as a stamp 20, grooves 48 are provided between the suction elements 15b, into which the cutting grid 18 can be inserted. In addition, the peripheral surfaces of the suction openings 88 serve as stamp surfaces 46. Thus, the vacuum gripper 14b can be used as a stamp 20.

[0258] Fig. 23B shows a possible embodiment for the movement unit 16. The movement unit 16 comprises arms of a delta robot. However, the movement unit 16 can take any possible shape that allows the gripper 14 to be moved back and forth between its various positions.

[0259] 24A and 24B show two variants of how wires 52 forming cutting grids 18 can be designed to be resilient. For this purpose, the wires 52 of the cutting grid 18 are connected on two opposite sides to a suspension 54, for example, a frame 62. At least one of the suspensions 54 can yield when the wire 52 is loaded by the food product 12. For this purpose, the suspension 54 has a movably guided part 54a to which the wire 52 is attached. The movably guided part 54a is connected via a spring 56 to a stationary part 54b of the suspension 54. Upon a movement 92 of the movable part 54a relative to the stationary part 54b, the spring 56 generates a restoring force 90 on the movable part 54a of the suspension 54.

[0260] Fig. 24B shows a second variant of how the wires 52 forming the cutting grid 18 can be made flexible. Instead of a classic mechanical spring, this variant uses a pneumatic element 58 to create the flexibility of the suspension 54. In this variant, the wire 52 is coupled to a piston 92. When the wire 52 is loaded by the piece of food 12a, the piston 92 of the pneumatic element 58 gives way, i.e., it moves in the direction of the wire 52. This compresses air in a cylinder 96 of the pneumatic element 58, whereby a counterforce acts on the piston 92. By adjusting means 60 in the form of a pump, a base pressure and thus a tension force on the wire 52 can be increased or decreased. The tension force applied to the wire 52 can be regulated by a pressure sensor 66 inside the cylinder 96. In addition, the pressure sensor 66 could also determine whether the wire 52 is broken.This would be the case if the pressure in cylinder 96 falls below a threshold value. Alternatively, separate means 68 for detecting damage to the respective wire 52 can be provided. For this purpose, cylinder 96 can have an outlet opening 98, which is opened when piston 92 is pressed against an end face 92a remote from the wire by the pressure in cylinder 96. If an air flow through the outlet opening 98 is detected by the means 68 for detecting damage to the respective wire 52, a signal can be output indicating that wire 52 has broken.

[0261] Fig. 25A shows a possible embodiment of a holder 114 for the frame or cutting frame 62. The holder 114 serves to hold the frame 62 securely and in a defined manner during operation. For this purpose, the holder 114 defines a support plane 124, which is preferably oriented horizontally during operation and on which the frame 62 can be placed. The holder 114 is designed such that the frame 62 can be removed from the holder 114, for example in order to be exchanged for another frame 62. For this purpose, adjustable holding means 122, for example pivotable, displaceable and / or movable by a screw movement, are provided on the holder 114, which can be adjusted between a holding position (see holding means 122 on the left) and a release position (see holding means 122 on the right) in order to optionally fix the frame 62 or release the frame 62.To make adjusting the holding means 122 as easy as possible, the holding means 122 can be adjustable and / or lockable without tools. To allow a user of the device 10 to gain easier access to the frame 62, the receptacle 114 is preferably pivotally mounted about a pivot axis 110. The pivot axis 110 can extend horizontally, as shown in Fig. 25A. Alternatively, the pivot axis 110 can extend vertically, for example. List of reference symbols.

[0262] 10 Device 12 Food 12a Piece of food

[0263] 12b Pieces 14 Gripper 14a Mechanical gripper 14b Vacuum gripper 15a Gripping element

[0264] 15b Suction element 16 Movement unit 18 Cutting unit 18a Outer contour form 18b Inner contour form

[0265] 19 Carrier 20 Stamp 20a Flexible section 20b Spring element 20c Outer contour

[0266] 20d Inner contour 21 Undercut 22 Mover 22a Runner 22b Supporting structure

[0267] 24 Transport system 26 Transport track 27 Guide 28 Packaging 30 Robot arm

[0268] 32 Support surface 34 Gripper cell 36 Conveying direction 38 Holding surface 40 Outlet opening

[0269] 42 Release punch 44 Cutting edge 44a Longitudinal cutting edge 44b Cross cutting edge 46 Punch surface

[0270] 46a-g Stamp faces 47 Circumference 48 Groove (stamp) 49 Webs 50 Drive (stamp)

[0271] 50a Drive element 52 Wire 54 Suspension 54a Movable part 54b Fixed part

[0272] 56 Spring element 58 Pneumatic element 60 Adjustment means 62 Frame 64 Groove (frame)

[0273] 66 force control devices

[0274] 68 means of detecting damage

[0275] 70 coupling agents

[0276] 72 Fixatives

[0277] 74 Cutting direction

[0278] 76 lifting rail

[0279] 78 Guide rail

[0280] 80 slots

[0281] 82 Conveyor belt

[0282] 84 Conveyor system

[0283] 86 Support device

[0284] 88 Suction opening

[0285] 90 restoring force

[0286] 92 pistons

[0287] 92a frontal surface

[0288] 94 Counterforce

[0289] 96 cylinders

[0290] 98 Exit opening

[0291] 99 Machine frame

[0292] 100 food processing line

[0293] 102 Structure

[0294] 104 contact surface

[0295] 106 Centering devices

[0296] 108 centering devices

[0297] 110 Swivel axis

[0298] 112 Alignment unit

[0299] 112a Alignment element

[0300] 112b Alignment element

[0301] 113 Detection device

[0302] 114 recording

[0303] 116 Recess

[0304] 118 partial stamps

[0305] 120 interior

[0306] 122 holding devices

[0307] 124 recess

[0308] 126 scraper device

[0309] 126a scraper element

[0310] 126b Spring element (scraper device)

[0311] 128 flexible section

[0312] PM permanent magnet

Claims

Claims 1 . A method for cutting at least one piece of food (12a) into several smaller pieces (12b), in particular into several smaller cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, comprising: Providing the piece of food (12a) on a support structure (22b) arranged below a cutting unit (18), in particular a cutting grid (18) or a cutting mold (18'), Moving a stamp (20) relative to the support structure (22b) to lift the food piece (12a) from the support structure (22b), Moving the stamp (20) relative to the cutting unit (18) and / or moving the cutting unit (18) relative to the stamp (20) so that the piece of food (12a) is pressed from below through the cutting unit (18) and thereby the piece of food (12a) is cut into smaller pieces (12b), in particular several adjacent cubes or at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, Lifting off the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) or at least one of the smaller pieces (12b) by means of a gripper (14).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the support structure (22b) is or can be coupled to a mover (22) of a transport system (24) and wherein the provision of the food piece (12a) comprises transporting the food piece (12a) lying on the support structure (22b) by means of the transport system (24) under the cutting unit (18), in particular under the cutting grid (18) or under the cutting mold (18').

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support structure (22b) is coupled or can be coupled to a mover (22) of a transport system (24) and wherein the provision of the food piece (12a) comprises transporting the food piece (12a) lying on the support structure (22b) by means of the transport system (24) over the stamp (20).

4. Method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a plurality of support structures (22b) and a plurality of movers (22) are provided, and wherein at least one of the support structures (22b) is coupled or can be coupled to one of the movers (22) of the transport system (24), and a plurality of food items (12a) are provided by the food items (12a) lying one after the other individually on one of the support structures (22b) from the transport system (24) under the Cutting unit (18), in particular the cutting grid (18) or the cutting form (18'), and / or via the punch (20).

5. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement of the stamp (20) relative to the support structure (22b) in order to lift the food piece (12a) from the support structure (22b) comprises engagement of the stamp (20) in at least one recess (124) of the support structure (22b).

6. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) or of at least one of the smaller pieces (12b) is carried out by means of a mechanical gripper (14a), in particular wherein the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) are held jointly by the gripper (14a) in that the gripper (14a) grips the smaller pieces (12b) jointly from two opposite, in particular lateral, directions.

7. Method according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) or of at least one of the smaller pieces (12b) is carried out by means of a vacuum gripper (14b), in particular wherein each of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) is lifted by means of exactly one suction element (15b) of the vacuum gripper (14b).

8. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripper (14) deposits or drops the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) or the at least one of the smaller pieces (12b) onto or into a packaging (28), for example a tray or a particularly deep-drawn film.

9. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein a stripping device (126) is provided and wherein the stripping device (126) strips at least a subset of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) from the cutting unit (18), in particular wherein the stripping device (126) comprises a stripping element (126a), wherein the stripping element (126a) is driven by at least one spring element (126b) and is moved along the cutting unit (18) and thereby strips the subset of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) from the cutting unit (18).

10. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the punch (20) is fixedly mounted on a machine frame (99) and, during the movement of the punch (20) relative to the support structure (22b), the punch (20) is moved exclusively in the cutting direction (74) and counter to the cutting direction (74), preferably exclusively in the vertical direction.

11. A method for cutting at least one piece of food (12a) into several smaller pieces (12b), in particular into several smaller cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, comprising: Placing or throwing the piece of food (12a) by means of a gripper (14) onto an upper side of a cutting unit (18), in particular a cutting grid (18) or a cutting mold (18'), or an upper side of a structure movable by the cutting unit (18), and Moving a stamp (20) relative to the cutting unit (18) and / or moving the cutting unit (18) relative to the stamp (20), so that the piece of food (12a) is pressed from above through the cutting unit (18) and thereby the piece of food (12a) is cut into several, in particular adjacent, smaller pieces (12b).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the placing or throwing of the food piece (12a) is carried out by means of a mechanical gripper (14a) or by means of a vacuum gripper (14b).

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the punch (20) is mounted on a machine frame (99) in a fixed manner or so as to be movable exclusively in the cutting direction (74) and counter to the cutting direction (74), or the punch (20) is mounted on a robot arm (30), in particular a robot arm (30) moving the gripper (14).

14. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one piece of food (12a) comprises a food slice, in particular a cheese slice, separated from a food bar by means of a slicer, in particular wherein the piece of food (12a) is exactly one food slice, in particular a cheese slice, separated from a food bar by means of a slicer, or wherein the at least one piece of food (12a) comprises a plurality of food pieces (12a) in the form of a plurality of food slices, in particular cheese slices, lying on top of one another.

15. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein several cutting units (18) are provided per gripper (14), and wherein the method comprises: Moving a first punch (20) relative to a first cutting unit (18) and / or moving the first cutting unit (18) relative to the first punch (20) to cut a first piece of food (12a) into first smaller pieces (12b), and parallel thereto Moving a second punch (20) relative to a second cutting unit (18) and / or moving the second cutting unit (18) relative to the second punch (20) to cut a second piece of food (12a) into second smaller pieces (12b).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of cutting units (18) are moved along a circular path, a part of the circular path extending parallel to a transport path for the food pieces.

17. Device (10) for cutting at least one piece of food (12a) into a plurality of smaller pieces (12b), in particular into a plurality of smaller cubes or into at least one cut-out shape and a remainder, comprising: at least one cutting unit (18), in particular a cutting grid (18) or a cutting shape (18'), at least one punch (20) for pressing the piece of food (12a) through the cutting unit (18), and at least one gripper (14), wherein the gripper (14) is movable into a region above the cutting unit (18) in order to deposit the piece of food (12a) on the upper side of the cutting unit (18) or on a support surface (104) movable by the cutting unit (18) or in order to pick up the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) or at least one of the smaller pieces (12b) from the upper side of the cutting unit (18) or on a support surface (104) movable by the cutting unit (18).

18. Device (10) according to claim 17, wherein the support surface (104) represents a surface, in particular an end face, of the stamp (20).

19. Device (10) according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the gripper (14) is designed as a mechanical gripper (14a) and / or as a vacuum gripper (14b) and / or wherein the gripper (14) is coupled to a robot arm (30), and the gripper (14) is movable by means of the robot arm (30) into the area above the cutting unit (18).

20. Device (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims 17 to 19, wherein the gripper (14) has at least one holding surface (38) and wherein at least one outlet opening (40) through which gas can flow is formed in the holding surface (38) in order to detach a food item (12) adhering to the holding surface (38) from the holding surface (38) by means of compressed air or gas and / or wherein the gripper (14) comprises at least one detachment stamp (42) which can be moved out of the holding surface (38) in order to detach a food item (12) adhering to the holding surface (38) from the holding surface (38).

21. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the device (10), in particular the gripper (14), comprises a stripping device (126) for stripping at least a subset of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) from the cutting unit (18), in particular wherein the stripping device (126) comprises a stripping element (126a), wherein the stripping element (126a) is driven by at least one spring element (126b) and can be moved along the cutting unit (18) in order to strip the subset of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) from the cutting unit (18).

22. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the cutting unit (18) defines, during operation, a plurality of substantially horizontally arranged cutting edges (44) and the punch (20) is movable substantially perpendicular to the cutting edges (44).

23. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the stamp (20) has a stamp surface (46), and wherein grooves (48) corresponding to the cutting unit (18) are provided in the stamp surface (46), into which grooves the cutting unit (18) dips when the piece of food (12a) has been pressed through the cutting unit (18).

24. Device (10) according to claim 23, wherein the stamping surface (46) forms a plurality of partial stamping surfaces (46a-g) surrounded by the grooves (48) and wherein at least some of the partial stamping surfaces (46a-g) have a corner-free, in particular circular, circumference (47) and / or wherein at least some partial stamps forming the partial stamping surfaces (46a-g) are hollow.

25. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 24, wherein the at least one stamp (20) is coupled or can be coupled to a drive (50) in order to move the stamp (20) in order to press the piece of food (12a) through the cutting unit (18), in particular wherein the stamp (20) is fixedly coupled to a part of the drive (50).

26. Device (10) according to claim 25, wherein the drive (50) is designed as a servo motor or as a pneumatic drive.

27. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 26, wherein the cutting unit (18) has a plurality of cutting edges (44) arranged spaced apart from one another in the direction of movement of the punch (20).

28. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 27, wherein the cutting unit is designed as a cutting grid (18), in particular wherein the cutting grid (18) is designed as a wire grid having a plurality of wires (52).

29. Device (10) according to claim 28, wherein the wires (52) of the cutting grid (18) are each fastened to two suspensions (54) arranged at a distance from one another, and wherein at least one of the suspensions (54), in particular at least one suspension per wire (52), is designed to be flexible.

30. Device (10) according to claim 29, wherein a pneumatic element (58) or a hydraulic element is provided which causes the at least one suspension (54) to be flexible.

31. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 28 to 30, wherein all wires (52) of the wire grid are each fastened to two suspensions (54) arranged at a distance from one another and the suspensions (54) of the wires (52) of the wire grid are connected to one another via a frame (62), in particular wherein the frame (62) is removable from the rest of the device (10) and / or fastenable to the rest of the device (10), for example without tools, and / or wherein the frame (62) is arranged on the machine frame (99) so as to be pivotable about a defined pivot axis (110) relative to a machine frame (99).

32. Device (10) according to claim 31, wherein the frame (62) has grooves (64) in which the wires (52) lie, and in particular wherein the grooves (64) are adapted to the wires (52) with regard to their width.

33. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 28 to 32, wherein means (68) for detecting damage to the wire mesh are provided, in particular wherein the means (68) for detecting damage to the wire mesh are designed and configured to detect a tearing of one of the wires (52).

34. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 27, wherein the cutting unit (18) is designed as at least one cutting mold (18') with at least one cutting blade, in particular wherein the cutting mold (18') comprises a plurality of cutting blades.

35. Device (10) according to claim 34, wherein the cutting blades have intersecting cutting edges or non-intersecting cutting edges, for example in a face shape.

36. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 35, wherein a support structure (22b) is coupled or can be coupled to a mover (22) of a transport system (24) and the transport system (24) is designed to move the piece of food (12a) lying on the support structure (22b) under the cutting unit (18) and / or via the stamp (20), in particular wherein the stamp (20) is movable in the vertical direction relative to the support structure (22b) in order to lift the piece of food (12a) from the support structure (22b) and to press it through the cutting unit (18).

37. Device (10) according to claim 36, wherein the support structure (22b) comprises at least one recess (124), in particular a plurality of recesses (124), through which the punch (20) can reach in order to lift the piece of food (12a) from the support structure (22b) and to push it through the cutting unit (18).

38. Device (10) according to claim 36 or 37, wherein a plurality of support structures (22b) and a plurality of movers (22) are provided, and wherein at least one of the support structures (22b) is coupled or can be coupled to one of the movers (22) of the transport system (24), and wherein the transport system (24) is designed to transport the food pieces (12a) one after the other, lying individually on one of the support structures (22b), under the cutting unit (18) and / or over the stamp (20).

39. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 38, wherein the device (10) is designed to cut a plurality of food pieces (12a) simultaneously by pressing a first food piece (12a) through a first cutting unit (18) by means of a first stamp (20), while a second food piece (12a) is pressed through a second cutting unit (18) by means of a second stamp (12a), and in particular wherein the gripper (14) is designed to place the first and second food pieces (12a) on the upper side of the cutting unit (18) or the support surface (104) movable by the cutting unit, or to lift first smaller pieces (12b) cut from the first food piece (12a) or at least one of the smaller pieces (12b) from the upper side of the cutting unit (18) or the support surface (104) movable by the cutting unit.

40. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 17 to 39, wherein the device (10) comprises an alignment unit (112) for aligning the piece of food (12a) to be cut with the cutting unit (18).

41. Food processing line (100) with a device (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims 17 to 40 and a slicer, a sorting and conveying line and / or a packaging machine.

42. A method for cutting a piece of food (12a) into several smaller pieces (12b), in particular into several smaller cubes, comprising: Providing the piece of food (12a) on a stamp (20) arranged below a cutting grid (18), Moving the stamp (20) relative to the cutting grid (18) and / or moving the cutting grid (18) relative to the stamp (20) such that the piece of food (12a) is pressed from below through the cutting grid (18) and thereby the piece of food (12a) is cut into a plurality of adjacent, smaller pieces (12b), lifting the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) by means of a gripper (14).

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the stamp (20) is coupled or can be coupled to a mover (22) of a transport system (24) and wherein the provision of the food piece (12a) comprises transporting the food piece (12a) lying on the stamp (20) by means of the transport system (24) under the cutting grid (18).

44. Method according to claim 43, wherein a plurality of stamps (20) and a plurality of movers (22) are provided, and wherein at least one of the stamps (20) is coupled or can be coupled to one of the movers (22) of the transport system (24), and a plurality of food pieces (12a) are provided in that the food pieces (12a) are transported one after the other, lying individually on one of the stamps (20), by the transport system (24) under the cutting grid (18).

45. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims 42 to 44, wherein the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) is carried out by means of a mechanical gripper (14a), and wherein the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) are held jointly by the gripper (14a) in that the gripper (14a) grips the smaller pieces (12b) jointly from two opposite, in particular lateral, directions.

46. ​​Method according to at least one of claims 42 to 45, wherein the lifting of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) is carried out by means of a vacuum gripper (14b), in particular wherein each of the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) is lifted by means of exactly one suction element (15b) of the vacuum gripper (14b).

47. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims 42 to 46, wherein the gripper (14) deposits or drops the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) onto or into a packaging (28), for example a tray or a particularly deep-drawn film.

48. A method for cutting a piece of food (12a) into several smaller pieces (12b), in particular into several smaller cubes, comprising: Placing or throwing the piece of food (12a) by means of a gripper (14) onto an upper side of a cutting grid (18) or an upper side of a structure movable through the cutting grid, and Moving a stamp (20) relative to the cutting grid (18) and / or moving the cutting grid (18) relative to the stamp (20) so that the piece of food (12a) is pressed from above through the cutting grid (18) and thereby the piece of food (12a) is cut into several smaller pieces (12b) lying next to one another.

49. Method according to claim 48, wherein the placing or throwing on of the food piece (12a) is carried out by means of a mechanical gripper (14a) or by means of a vacuum gripper (14b).

50. Method according to claim 48 or 49, wherein the punch (20) is mounted on a machine frame (99) in a stationary manner or so as to be movable exclusively in the cutting direction (74) and counter to the cutting direction (74), or the punch (20) is mounted on a robot arm (30), in particular a robot arm (30) moving the gripper (14).

51. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims 42 to 50, wherein the piece of food (12a) is a food slice, in particular a cheese slice, separated from a food bar by means of a slicer.

52. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims 42 to 51, wherein several cutting grids (18) are provided per gripper (14), and wherein the method comprises: Moving a first punch (20) relative to a first cutting grid (18) and / or moving the first cutting grid (18) relative to the first punch (20) to cut a first piece of food (12a) into first smaller pieces (12b), and parallel thereto Moving a second punch (20) relative to a second cutting grid (18) and / or moving the second cutting grid (18) relative to the second punch (20) to cut a second piece of food (12a) into second smaller pieces (12b).

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the plurality of cutting grids are moved along a circular path, a portion of the circular path extending parallel to a transport path for the food pieces.

54. Device (10) for cutting a piece of food (12a) into several smaller pieces (12b), in particular into several smaller cubes, comprising: at least one cutting grid (18), at least one stamp (20) for pushing the piece of food (12a) through the cutting grid (18), and at least one gripper (14), wherein the gripper (14) is movable into an area above the cutting grid (18) in order to deposit the piece of food (12a) on the upper side of the cutting grid (18) or a support surface (104) movable through the cutting grid or in order to pick up the plurality of smaller pieces (12b) from the upper side of the cutting grid (18) or a support surface (104) movable through the cutting grid (18).

55. Device (10) according to claim 54, wherein the gripper (14) is designed as a mechanical gripper (14a) and / or as a vacuum gripper (14b) and / or wherein the gripper (14) is coupled to a robot arm (30), and the gripper (14) is movable by means of the robot arm (30) into the area above the cutting grid (18).

56. Device (10) according to claim 54 or 55, wherein the gripper (14) has at least one holding surface (38) and wherein at least one outlet opening (40) through which gas can flow is formed in the holding surface (38) in order to detach a food item (12) adhering to the holding surface (38) from the holding surface (38) by means of compressed air or gas and / or wherein the gripper (14) comprises at least one detachment stamp (42) which can be moved out of the holding surface (38) in order to detach a food item (12) adhering to the holding surface (38) from the holding surface (38).

57. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 54 to 56, wherein the cutting grid (18) defines, in operation, a plurality of substantially horizontally arranged cutting edges (44) and the punch (20) is movable substantially perpendicular to the cutting edges (44).

58. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 54 to 57, wherein the stamp (20) has a stamp surface (46), and wherein grooves (48) corresponding to the cutting grid (18) are provided in the stamp surface (46), into which grooves the cutting grid (18) dips when the piece of food (12a) has been pressed through the cutting grid (18).

59. Device (10) according to claim 58, wherein the stamping surface (46) forms a plurality of partial stamping surfaces (46a-g) surrounded by the grooves (48) and wherein at least some of the partial stamping surfaces (46a-g) have a corner-free, in particular circular, circumference (47) and / or wherein at least some partial stamps forming the partial stamping surfaces (46a-g) are hollow.

60. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 54 to 59, wherein the at least one stamp (20) is coupled or can be coupled to a drive (50) in order to move the stamp (20) in order to press the piece of food (12a) through the cutting grid (18), in particular wherein centering means (106, 108) are provided in order to center the stamp (20) relative to the drive (50) when the stamp (20) and the drive (50) are coupled during operation.

61. Device (10) according to claim 60, wherein the drive (50) is designed as a servo motor or as a pneumatic drive.

62. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 54 to 61, wherein the cutting grid (18) has a plurality of cutting edges (44) arranged spaced apart from one another in the direction of movement of the punch (20).

63. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 54 to 62, wherein the cutting grid (18) is designed as a wire grid having a plurality of wires (52).

64. Device (10) according to claim 63, wherein the wires (52) of the cutting grid (18) are each fastened to two suspensions (54) arranged at a distance from one another, and wherein at least one of the suspensions (54), in particular at least one suspension per wire (52), is designed to be flexible.

65. Device (10) according to claim 64, wherein a pneumatic element (58) or a hydraulic element is provided which causes the at least one suspension (54) to be flexible.

66. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 63 to 65, wherein all wires (52) of the wire grid are each fastened to two suspensions (54) arranged at a distance from one another and the suspensions (54) of the wires (52) of the wire grid are connected to one another via a frame (62), in particular wherein the frame (62) is removable from the rest of the device (10) and / or fastenable to the rest of the device (10), for example without tools, and / or wherein the frame (62) is arranged on the machine frame (99) so as to be pivotable about a defined pivot axis (110) relative to a machine frame (99).

67. Device (10) according to claim 66, wherein the frame (62) has grooves (64) in which the wires (52) lie, and wherein the grooves (64) are adapted to the wires (52) in terms of their width.

68. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 63 to 67, wherein means (68) are provided for detecting damage to the wire mesh, in particular wherein the means (68) for detecting damage to the wire mesh are designed and configured to detect a tearing of one of the wires (52).

69. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 54 to 68, wherein the stamp (20) is or can be coupled to a mover (22) of a transport system (24) and the transport system (24) is designed to transport the piece of food (12a) lying on the stamp (20) under the cutting grid (18), in particular wherein the stamp (20) can be moved in the vertical direction relative to the mover (22) in order to press the piece of food (12a) through the cutting grid (18).

70. Device (10) according to claim 69, wherein a plurality of stamps (20) and a plurality of movers (22) are provided, and wherein at least one of the stamps (20) is coupled or can be coupled to one of the movers (22) of the transport system (24), and wherein the transport system (24) is designed to transport the food pieces (12a) one after the other, lying individually on one of the stamps (20), under the cutting grid (18).

71. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 53 to 70, wherein the device (10) is designed to cut a plurality of food pieces (12a) simultaneously by pressing a first food piece (12a) through a first cutting grid (18) by means of a first punch (20), while a second food piece (12a) is pressed through a second cutting grid (18) by means of a second punch (12a), and in particular wherein the gripper (14) is designed to place the first and the second food piece (12a) on the respective cutting grids (18) or to lift off first smaller pieces (12b) cut from the first food piece (12a) and second smaller pieces (12b) cut from the second food piece (12a).

72. Device (10) according to at least one of claims 53 to 71, wherein the device (10) comprises an alignment unit (112) for aligning the piece of food (12a) to be cut with the cutting grid (18).

73. Food processing line (100) with a device (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims 53 to 72 and a slicer, a sorting and conveying line and / or a packaging machine.

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