Device for the multi-track transporting of slices of food

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for the multi-track transporting of slices of food along a transport direction (T) with a first transport carriage (11) and a second transport carriage (22), wherein the first transport carriage (11) and the second transport carriage (22) are connected to one another by means of a pneumatic device (3) and can be moved relative to one another along a transverse direction (Q) perpendicular to the transport direction, wherein the first transport carriage (11) and the second transport carriage (22) are connected to one another by means of a safety coupling (13), wherein the safety coupling (13) can be reversibly released if a predefined force is exceeded.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] title

[0003] Device for multi-lane transport of food slices

[0004] State of the art

[0005] The invention relates to a device for multi-track transport of food slices along a transport direction with a first transport carriage and a second transport carriage.

[0006] Food sticks such as cheese or sausage are sliced ​​using slicing devices – so-called high-performance slicers – and then transported and packaged. Such devices are generally known from the prior art. The automated processing and transport of food slices may require the number of lanes for downstream units to be adjusted, particularly increased. To increase the number of lanes, transport trolleys can be used that can move transversely to the transport direction of the food slices or can divide / fork them. In this way, the number of lanes can be increased, for example, from two to three.

[0007] If transport trolleys are moved transversely to the direction of transport, a gap or space initially forms between the transport trolleys. This space can pose a danger to bystanders, as limbs are exposed to the risk of injury when the transport trolleys move together, i.e. when they are returned to their original position. Due to the risk of crushing, current technology provides for such devices, or at least danger points, to be shielded by a separate safety area or enclosure. However, separate safety areas and enclosures take up additional space and make access to the device and its components more difficult. Furthermore, an odd number of lanes can result in the problem that food slices are distributed unevenly across the downstream lanes.This results in the problem that certain lanes must be accessed by multiple transport carriages, which can result in collisions between the transport carriages and thus damage to the device. Furthermore, objects can fall into the gap between the transport carriages, which can also result in damage. Disclosure of the invention.

[0008] It is therefore the object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages mentioned in connection with the prior art and to provide a device of the type mentioned at the outset in which the risk of injuries and / or damage to the machine can be completely avoided or at least reduced.

[0009] The object of the present invention is achieved by a device for multi-track transport of food slices along a transport direction with a first transport carriage and a second transport carriage, wherein the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage are connected to one another by means of an actuator and are movable relative to one another along a transverse direction arranged perpendicular to the transport direction, wherein the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage are connected to one another by means of a safety coupling, wherein the safety coupling is reversibly releasable when a predefined force is exceeded.

[0010] The device according to the invention has the advantage over the prior art that the risk of limb injuries when the first and second transport carriages move together is eliminated or at least significantly reduced. This is because, when a predefined force is exceeded, the safety coupling is released, thus preventing the two carriages from moving together. This prevents crushing injuries or reduces their impact. Furthermore, damage to property, particularly to the device and / or its components, can be prevented. Overall, a shielded safety area or enclosure of the danger point can be dispensed with, thus saving costs. The device according to the invention also has the advantage that it can be used as an intermediate or distribution station.

[0011] The actuator can in particular be designed as a pneumatic device and have a cylinder and a cylinder rod, wherein the cylinder and the cylinder rod can be moved relative to one another, in particular translationally. The cylinder rod can be retracted into the cylinder and moved out of the cylinder. The direction of movement of the cylinder and the cylinder rod is arranged parallel to the transverse direction. The pneumatic device and the safety clutch, which can also be referred to as an overload clutch, can be connected in series. The safety clutch can also be released or opened in the transverse direction. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is provided that the actuator is connected to the first transport carriage via a first end by means of a fixed connection, wherein the actuator is detachably connected to the second transport carriage via a second end by means of a detachable connection.The device can be firmly connected to the first transport carriage via the first end, in particular by means of a screw connection. The detachable connection between the device and the second transport carriage via the second end can be realized in particular by means of the safety coupling. The first end can be formed on the cylinder of the device. Furthermore, the second end can be formed on the cylinder rod.

[0012] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the safety coupling is designed as a magnetic coupling. The magnetic coupling can comprise a first and a second half, wherein the first half is arranged on the pneumatic device, in particular on the cylinder rod, and the second half is arranged on the second transport carriage.

[0013] An advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the second end of the actuator has a housing that includes a magnet arranged within the housing, wherein the magnet is designed as a permanent magnet. The housing can be rotationally symmetrical and connected to the cylinder rod, wherein the cylinder rod is concentrically connected to the housing. The magnet, which is designed in particular as a permanent magnet, can also be rotationally symmetrical, in particular in the shape of a circular disk, and arranged concentrically within the housing.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the safety coupling comprises the magnet and a coupling element corresponding to the magnet, wherein the coupling element is formed on the second transport carriage. The coupling element is, in particular, another magnet that can magnetically interact with the magnet arranged in the housing. Alternatively, the coupling element can be made of a ferromagnetic material and magnetized by a magnetic field of the magnet.

[0015] A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the predefined force is adjustable. The force required to release, i.e. open, the safety coupling can be variable. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing comprises a cover, wherein a position of the magnet in the housing and a distance between the magnet and the coupling element can be adjustable via a thread in the cover, wherein the distance determines the force. The thread can in particular be designed as an internal thread. The magnet can have an external thread and its position can be changed by rotation and interaction with the internal thread, as it were by screwing it in and out. Alternatively, the magnet can be pressed into the cover. As a result of the rotation of the cover, the magnet can move preferably parallel to the cylinder rod and thereby change the distance to the coupling element.The predefined force can be set or changed by adjusting the distance.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuator is designed as a pneumatic device, servo motor or servo drive.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the magnet is screwed to a cylinder rod of the actuator, which is designed as a pneumatic device. The housing, including the cover and the magnet, can be formed at the second end of the pneumatic device, in particular at the cylinder rod. In particular, the housing can be indirectly connected to the cylinder rod by means of the cover, which interacts mechanically with the magnet.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling element is designed as a separate component that is detachably screwed to the second transport carriage. Because the coupling element can be separated from and reconnected to the second transport carriage by screwing, the coupling element can be easily and non-destructively replaced, for example, in the event of wear.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, if the number of tracks is odd, food slices can be provided by the first and second transport carriages in each centrally arranged track. For example, in a three-track device, a second track can be served by both the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage, and in a five-track device, a second and fourth track can be served by both the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage. This makes it possible to achieve the advantage and technical effect of evenly distributing food slices across all tracks. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that, in order to maintain parallelism between the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage, the two transport carriages are connected to one another by means of at least one telescopic rail.A telescopic rail is designed to be retractable and extendable and consists of several elongated components that extend and move essentially parallel to the transverse direction.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it is provided that a broken connection between the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage can be restored by means of the safety coupling.

[0021] Further details, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The drawings merely illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention, which does not limit the essential inventive concept.

[0022] Short description of the drawings

[0023] Figure 1 shows an example of an embodiment of a device according to the invention, wherein a first transport carriage and a second transport carriage are forked.

[0024] Figure 2 shows the device from Figure 1, wherein the first transport carriage and the second transport carriage are moved together.

[0025] Figure 3 shows the device from Figure 1, wherein a safety coupling is released as a result of the crushing of an interfering object.

[0026] Figure 4 shows a schematic detailed view of a pneumatic device of the device from Figure 1.

[0027] Embodiments of the invention

[0028] In the various figures, identical parts are always provided with the same reference symbols and are therefore usually named or mentioned only once.

[0029] Figure 1 shows, by way of example, an embodiment of a device 1 according to the invention for the multi-track transport of food slices along a transport direction T, comprising a first transport carriage 11 and a transport carriage 22. The first transport carriage 11 and the second transport carriage 22 are connected to one another by means of a pneumatic device 3 and can be moved relative to one another along a transverse direction Q arranged perpendicular to the transport direction T. Furthermore, the two transport carriages 11, 22 are connected to one another by means of a safety coupling 13, wherein the safety coupling 13 can be reversibly released if a predefined force is exceeded.

[0030] In Figure 1, the two transport carriages 11, 22 are forked, i.e. they have been moved away from each other along the transverse direction Q. To implement the movement of the two transport carriages 11, 22, the pneumatic device 3 has a cylinder 31 and a cylinder rod 32, wherein the cylinder 31 is connected to the first transport carriage 11 via a first end by means of a fixed connection, here by means of a screw connection, and the cylinder rod 32 is detachably connected to the second transport carriage 22 via a second end by means of a detachable connection.

[0031] The detachable connection between the pneumatic device 3 and the second transport carriage 22 is realized by means of the safety coupling 13, which is designed as a magnetic coupling. The second end of the pneumatic device 3 has a housing 5, which comprises a magnet 7 arranged within the housing 5, wherein the magnet 7 is designed as a permanent magnet. Furthermore, a coupling element 9 corresponding to the magnet 7 is formed on the second transport carriage 22. The coupling element 9 is a further magnet that magnetically interacts with the magnet 7 arranged in the housing 5. The housing 5 comprises a cover 10, wherein a position of the magnet 7 in the housing 5 and a distance between the magnet 7 and the coupling element 9 can be adjusted via a thread in the cover 10. The distance between the magnet 7 and the coupling element 9 determines the magnetic force between the magnet 7 and the coupling element 9.

[0032] Figure 2 shows the device 1 from Figure 1, wherein the first transport carriage 11 and the second transport carriage 22 have been moved together. In other words, the two transport carriages 11, 22 have been moved towards each other along the transverse direction Q. Figure 3 also shows the device 1 from Figure 1, wherein the safety coupling 13 has been released as a result of an interfering object being crushed. If the moving together of the two transport carriages 11, 22 is made more difficult by an interfering object 40, in particular limbs, arranged between the two transport carriages 11, 22, crushing can occur. In this respect, the invention provides that the magnetic connection between the magnet 7 and the coupling element 9 is released as soon as a predefined force resulting from the distance between the magnet 7 and the coupling element 9 in the connected state of the safety coupling 13 is exceeded.In this way, injuries can be avoided or at least their effects reduced.

[0033] Figure 4 shows a schematic detailed view of the pneumatic device 3 of the device 1 from Figure 1. The distance between the magnet 7 and the coupling element 9 for changing the predefined force at which the safety coupling 13 is released can be adjusted using a cover 10. For this purpose, the cover 10 has a thread.

[0034] List of reference symbols

[0035] 1 device

[0036] 3 Actuator / Pneumatic device

[0037] 5 housings

[0038] 7 Magnet

[0039] 9 Coupling element

[0040] 10 lids

[0041] 11 First transport vehicle

[0042] 13 Safety coupling

[0043] 22 Second transport vehicle

[0044] 31 cylinders

[0045] 32 cylinder rod

[0046] 40 Disturbance object

[0047] T Transport direction

[0048] Q transverse direction

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Device (1) for the multi-track transport of food slices along a transport direction (T) with a first transport carriage (11) and a second transport carriage (22), wherein the first transport carriage (11) and the second transport carriage (22) are connected to one another by means of an actuator (3) and are movable relative to one another along a transverse direction (Q) arranged perpendicular to the transport direction (T), wherein the first transport carriage (11) and the second transport carriage (22) are connected to one another by means of a safety coupling (13), wherein the safety coupling (13) is reversibly releasable when a predefined force is exceeded.

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the actuator (3) is connected to the first transport carriage (11) via a first end by means of a fixed connection, wherein the actuator (3) is detachably connected to the second transport carriage (22) via a second end by means of a detachable connection.

3. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the safety coupling (13) is designed as a magnetic coupling.

4. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second end of the actuator (3) has a housing (5) which comprises a magnet (7) arranged within the housing (5), wherein the magnet (7) is designed as a permanent magnet.

5. Device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the safety coupling (13) comprises the magnet (7) and a coupling element (9) corresponding to the magnet (7), wherein the coupling element (9) is formed on the second transport carriage (22).

6. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the predefined force is adjustable.

7. Device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the housing (5) comprises a cover (10), wherein a position of the magnet (7) in the housing (5) and a distance between the magnet (7) and the coupling element (9) are adjustable via a thread in the cover (10), wherein the distance determines the force.

8. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator (3) is designed as a pneumatic device, servo motor or servo drive.

9. Device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the magnet (7) is screwed to a cylinder rod (32) of the actuator (3) designed as a pneumatic device.

10. Device (1) according to one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the coupling element (9) is designed as a separate component which is releasably screwed to the second transport carriage (22).

11. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, in the case of an odd number of tracks, food slices can be provided by the first and the second transport carriage (11, 22) in a centrally arranged track.

12. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in order to maintain parallelism between the first transport carriage (11) and the second transport carriage (22), the two transport carriages (11, 22) are connected to one another by means of at least one telescopic rail.

13. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a broken connection between the first transport carriage (11) and the second transport carriage (22) can be restored by means of the safety coupling (13).

Images