Conveyor belt for conveying food products, and system for processing food products

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for processing food products, said system comprising: at least one work station for processing the food products; and a conveyor device which is designed to convey the food products to the at least one work station, wherein the conveyor device and / or the at least one work station comprises at least one conveyor belt which has at least one functional element that provides a readable identification assigned to the conveyor belt.

Description

[0001] Conveyor belt for conveying food products and system for processing food products

[0002] The invention relates to a conveyor belt for conveying food products along a conveying direction, which conveyor belt has a transport side onto which the food products can be placed, and a running side opposite the transport side, with which the conveyor belt can be brought into contact with a drive transmission element, in particular with at least one conveyor roller, for driving the conveyor belt.

[0003] Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for processing food products in which such a conveyor belt is used, and to a cleaning device for cleaning such a conveyor belt.

[0004] In the field of food processing, such conveyor belts can be used in a variety of applications or processing steps, for example, in which the food products are transported from one workstation to another in a processing line or moved within a workstation. For example, in such a processing line for processing food products, it may be provided that the food products are first fed, in particular by means of a conveyor belt of a product feed, to a slicing device, which cuts the food products into slices and forms portions comprising one or more slices.The portions formed in this way can then be conveyed further, in particular also by means of one or more conveyor belts, along a conveying direction of the processing line, for example to be fed via a scale to determine the portion weight and then to a packaging machine by means of which the portions can be packaged.

[0005] During operation of such processing lines, however, the conveyor belts can be exposed to a variety of stresses, for example from UV radiation, mechanical (tensile) stresses and / or biological stresses, such as contact with acidic foods. Furthermore, particularly in the food processing sector, strict hygiene standards apply, which require frequent cleaning of conveyor belts. However, such cleaning can expose the conveyor belts to chemical stresses, particularly as a result of the cleaning agents used, and / or thermal stresses due to the temperature prevailing during cleaning. Furthermore, the conveyor belts must be dismantled for cleaning and reassembled afterward, which can in turn subject the conveyor belts to mechanical stress.

[0006] In principle, such loads can limit the service life of conveyor belts – which can relate in particular to a potential useful life of the conveyor belt in operation and not to the absolute age of the conveyor belt. However, using conveyor belts beyond their service life can, for example, lead to damage to the conveyor belts during operation, which may even result in components of the conveyor belt coming into contact with the food products and / or being incorporated into packaging together with the food products. This can result in a recall of this packaging and thus considerable costs for the manufacturer. The tearing of a belt that was damaged but not replaced in time can also lead to the shutdown of the entire production line until a replacement belt is delivered, which can also incur considerable costs for the manufacturer.However, the service life of a conveyor belt is often difficult to predict, as it depends in particular on the loads the respective conveyor belt has experienced, so that, for example, conveyor belts that are cleaned more frequently may have a shorter service life than conveyor belts that are cleaned less frequently.

[0007] Furthermore, frequent disassembly and assembly of the conveyor belts may lead to incorrect installation of a conveyor belt, for example in the wrong position in a processing line. Such incorrect installation and the associated improper use of the conveyor belt may also lead to unwanted high loads and therefore to a reduction in the service life of the conveyor belt.

[0008] Therefore, it is generally necessary to maintain a large number of conveyor belts in stock so that replacements can be made at short notice if necessary. Furthermore, conveyor belt replacements often have to be carried out based on empirical values ​​regarding the expected service life or the age of the conveyor belt. However, an unusually heavily loaded conveyor belt, for example, can result in an unexpectedly short service life, which can lead to the aforementioned damage, including damage to the packaged products. Conversely, replacing and sorting conveyor belts very early for safety reasons can lead to an undesirably high level of material waste and correspondingly high costs.Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a conveyor belt for conveying food products, which enables the detection and / or verification of experienced loads in order to be able to predict, for example, a remaining service life as individually as possible based thereon.

[0009] This object is achieved by a system for processing food products having the features of claim 1.

[0010] The system comprises at least one workstation for processing the food products and a conveyor device configured to convey the food products to the at least one workstation. Furthermore, the conveyor device and / or the workstation comprise at least one conveyor belt, which has a transport side onto which the food products can be placed, and a running side opposite the transport side, with which the conveyor belt can be brought into contact with a drive transmission element, in particular at least one conveyor roller, for driving the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt has at least one functional element that provides a readable identifier associated with the conveyor belt.

[0011] In addition, the object is achieved by a conveyor belt which has a transport side onto which the food products can be placed, and a running side opposite the transport side, with which the conveyor belt can be brought into contact with a drive transmission element, in particular at least one conveyor roller, for driving the conveyor belt, wherein the conveyor belt has at least one functional element which provides a readable marking assigned to the conveyor belt.

[0012] In this respect, the conveyor belt is characterized in that the conveyor belt has at least one functional element which provides a readable identification assigned to the conveyor belt.

[0013] In particular, this can make it possible, for example, to uniquely identify the conveyor belt by reading the marking, in order to access data associated with the conveyor belt, which may, in particular, relate to and / or describe loads on the conveyor belt. For example, the marking can include an identification or labeling number of the conveyor belt, such as a serial number, so that by querying data associated with the identification number, information about the conveyor belt's service life can be retrieved, for example, to determine how long the conveyor belt has already been in operation.For example, by relying on average values, such as an average service life (again, as opposed to a mere conveyor belt age) of conveyor belts of the type in question, an expected value regarding the remaining service life of the conveyor belt in question can be determined before a replacement of the conveyor belt is necessary. Such data can, for example, be stored in a database and assigned to the readable marking there.

[0014] In particular, it can be provided that the functional element can be read by a suitable reading device. For this purpose, the marking can be provided on the conveyor belt, for example, as an optically readable code, in order to be able to retrieve information associated with the conveyor belt from a database after reading such a code using a reading device, in particular a smartphone. In this respect, the marking can be applied to the conveyor belt, for example, as a QR code, DataMatrix code, or barcode, so that the at least one functional element can also be designed as such a QR code or barcode.Furthermore, it can be provided that data assigned to the conveyor belt are displayed, for example after reading a conveyor belt, on a suitable application (app) of a smartphone that can function as a reading device, wherein the data can, for example, be stored locally on the reading device or can be retrieved by the reading device from a database.

[0015] In addition, such a readable label can also make it possible, conversely to retrieve information, for example before, during or after use of a conveyor belt and / or before, during or after cleaning the conveyor belt, to store information relating to the conveyor belt in a database in order to retrieve this information at a later time. For example, after reading and identifying the conveyor belt, it can be determined that the conveyor belt in question is used in a processing line for processing food products in order to assign a subsequent operating period to the conveyor belt as a service life and to store this additional service life after the end of operation of the processing line (or in the event of an interruption) as information assigned to the conveyor belt or its label.

[0016] Alternatively or in addition to such information regarding the service life, further information can also be assigned to the conveyor belt that relates to loads on the conveyor belt or based on which loads on the conveyor can be determined. For example, cleaning agents used during cleaning, temperatures prevailing during cleaning, and / or speeds at which the conveyor belt was moved during operation can be assigned to the marking and / or identification number. Such information can be used, in particular, to determine the remaining service life of the conveyor belt more accurately than by simply relying on average values, by predicting a service life of particularly heavily loaded conveyor belts as below average.In addition, it may be possible, for example, to inform the owner of the conveyor belt that a replacement of the conveyor belt will be necessary in the near future, so that the owner can react to such a situation in a timely manner, for example, by ordering new conveyor belts, without having to permanently maintain a large number of conveyor belts. Furthermore, the owner can schedule the replacement of the conveyor belt during downtimes, for example, during breaks or cleaning, thus eliminating the need for additional downtime for the replacement.

[0017] As a further possibility, which can be created by designing the conveyor belt with at least one functional element, the marking can be readable, for example, before the respective conveyor belt is assembled, and the conveyor belt can be assigned a specific installation location on a processing line. Such an installation location can, for example, also be stored in a database and / or a memory of a control device of the processing line and retrieved in order to be able to transmit information about the intended installation location to a person assembling the conveyor belt.

[0018] For example, a food processing line may use several similar conveyor belts, perhaps of approximately the same length. However, incorrect installation of the conveyor belts can lead to damage or significant stress, particularly mechanical stress. For example, installing a conveyor belt that is slightly too short can result in significant mechanical stretching, which can damage the conveyor belt and possibly even render it unusable. Such incorrect installations can be prevented, if possible, by displaying information about the intended installation location after reading the label.

[0019] In addition, the design of the conveyor belt with a functional element can make it possible to check whether a conveyor belt already used in a processing line has been arranged at the intended installation location. For this purpose, for example, after the conveyor belt has been installed in a processing line, information about an installation location assigned to the marking can be retrieved, in particular from a database, in order to compare this information with an actual installation location of the conveyor belt and, if necessary, to trigger a warning message if the actual installation location does not correspond to the retrieved intended installation location. This can, for example, prevent the processing line from being started up with conveyor belts positioned in the wrong installation locations, thus also preventing damage to the incorrectly positioned conveyor belts due to loads during operation.

[0020] In principle, it can be provided that the at least one functional element provides the readable marking for reading by a reading device, for example a smartphone or a scanner. However, the marking can also be in the form of a number applied to the conveyor belt or other optical marking that can be read directly by a person handling the conveyor belt and in particular by the human eye. For example, a numeric and / or letter code can be applied and / or printed on the conveyor belt, whereby such a code can include, for example, a serial number of the conveyor belt, but also a code for an installation location. In addition, in some embodiments, the marking can also include a color code that can be read and evaluated by the human eye, as explained in more detail below.

[0021] The marking can thus, in particular, enable identification of the conveyor belt. However, it can also be provided that the marking provides information about the condition of the conveyor belt, so that any loads on the conveyor belt do not have to be stored solely in a database, but can also be read and / or determined indirectly on the conveyor belt. Such a condition can ultimately also individually identify the conveyor belt in question. This will also be explained in more detail below.

[0022] Further embodiments can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

[0023] In some embodiments, the marking can be read by an external reading device.

[0024] Such an external reading device can, for example, be a smartphone and / or a handheld scanner, by means of which, in particular, optical markings can be read, for example by using a camera of the smartphone. However, such devices can also be designed to read electronically readable codes, for example via an RFID and / or an NFC connection. The functional element can therefore also be designed to hold the marking ready for such reading. Furthermore, reading can, for example, be provided via a radio connection, in particular a WLAN / WiFi connection, a mobile radio connection and / or a Bluetooth connection, for which purpose the functional module can, in particular, have a radio module for establishing the corresponding connection.

[0025] In addition, in some embodiments, a reading device can comprise reading devices that can be integrated into and / or are integrated into a processing line and, for example, can rely on cameras already provided on a processing line to monitor the operation of the processing line. In general, a reading device can also comprise an image processing device and / or a data processing device, for example, based on an optically read marking, to determine the information contained in the marking and / or to process electronically provided information.

[0026] Such cameras or readers can also detect a tape drifting sideways and issue a warning. If the tape drifts sideways, the edges of the tape can come into contact with stationary parts, which can lead to damage to the tape.

[0027] Furthermore, the reading device can, for example, comprise a reading device arranged on a processing line, by means of which, for example, conveyor belts or their functional elements can be read before installation into the processing line in order to subsequently provide information about a designated installation location. However, reading devices of a reading device arranged directly in the installation environment of the conveyor belt can also, for example, also perform the aforementioned check before operation starts, as to whether the conveyor belts are positioned at the designated installation locations.

[0028] In some embodiments, the marking can be read optically and / or electrically without contact. Alternatively, in some embodiments, it can also be provided that the marking can be read by a touch sensor, for example by attaching the marking to the conveyor belt using a haptically perceptible code. Contactless electrical reading can, for example, comprise reading via an RFID or NFC connection, a mobile phone connection, a WLAN / WiFi connection, and / or a Bluetooth connection. A marking provided for optical reading can, for example, as explained, be readable by an external reading device, such as a smartphone or a scanner, whereby such markings can also alternatively or additionally be readable by the human eye of a person handling the conveyor belt.

[0029] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can be arranged inside the conveyor belt—between the running side and the transport side—and can be printed on the conveyor belt, glued on the conveyor belt, and / or lasered on the conveyor belt. A glued-on functional element can, in particular, be glued on with an adhesive approved for processing food products.

[0030] Functional elements printed and / or glued onto the conveyor belt can be accessible for reading, particularly on the running side and / or the transport side of the conveyor belt, so that optically readable functional elements, in particular, can be attached to the conveyor belt in this way. On the other hand, a contactless, electrically readable functional element, for example, can be embedded in the conveyor belt as an RFID and / or NFC tag (can also be referred to as an RFID chip or NFC chip) and arranged inside it, so that the functional element cannot be accessed from the outside for direct mechanical contact and, for example, direct contact with transported food products, which could lead to damage to the food products and / or the functional element, can be avoided.

[0031] In addition, the functional element can be embedded, for example, during extrusion, when producing an end connection to form an endless conveyor belt from a flat belt and / or in milled recesses.

[0032] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the at least one functional element can be arranged on the transport side or on the running side of the conveyor belt.

[0033] In some embodiments, the marking can comprise an identification code that is uniquely assigned to the conveyor belt. As already explained, such an identification code can in particular enable unique identification of the conveyor belt, for example to be able to access information assigned to the conveyor belt, in particular information stored in a database, and / or to be able to assign such information, for example a service life, to the conveyor belt. An identification code can be stored, for example, as a sequence of numbers and / or letters, such as a serial number, wherein the identification code can also directly provide information about an intended installation location of the conveyor belt or an assignment to a device into which the conveyor belt can be used.

[0034] In some embodiments, the conveyor belt may have a plurality of functional elements providing the identification code, which are arranged offset from one another in the conveying direction.

[0035] For example, the conveyor belt may be provided with functional elements that provide the identification code and are equally spaced along the conveying direction. This can facilitate the reading of the identification code, in particular, because the corresponding functional element does not have to be located at a specific location on the conveyor belt. Furthermore, for example, during automatic reading of the marking during use of the conveyor belt, duplicating the functional element with the identification code can prevent the identification code from becoming unreadable due to a food product accidentally deposited on the functional element or due to contamination of the functional element.

[0036] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can have a QR code and / or barcode representing the identification code. In particular, the functional element can have a one-dimensional, optically readable barcode representing the identification code. Such a one-dimensional code can, in particular, ensure that an expected stretching of the conveyor belt in the conveying direction, with appropriate alignment of the code, does not lead to a change in the code that would corrupt the code, so that the code can still be read unchanged, for example, even after a prolonged period of use of the conveyor belt. The QR code and / or the barcode can therefore, in some embodiments, be aligned along a transverse direction of the conveyor belt, which is perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0037] In a barcode, the individual stripes of the barcode can point in particular in the conveying direction, while adjacent stripes can be offset from one another in the transverse direction. Stretching of the conveyor belt in the conveying direction can therefore lead to no change, or at most to a slight change, in the distance between adjacent barcode stripes, so that the barcode can be read essentially unchanged despite such stretching. Such an alignment of the code can therefore take into account the effect that stretching of the conveyor belt is to be expected, particularly in the conveying direction, whereas only minor mechanical stresses are to be expected in the transverse direction.

[0038] In some embodiments, the QR code and / or barcode can be arranged on the transport side of the conveyor belt. In particular, the QR code and / or barcode can thus be arranged on the side of the conveyor belt on which a food product can be placed, and thus, for example, still be visible after the conveyor belt has been installed in a processing line. Such an arrangement can therefore enable the identification code to be read even after the conveyor belt has been installed, for example, by a person operating the processing line or by a camera arranged on the processing line.

[0039] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element may comprise an active transponder, in particular an active RFID tag, or a passive transponder, in particular an NFC tag, with a memory in which the identification code is stored.

[0040] In particular, a functional element configured in this way can provide the identification code for contactless electrical reading by a reading device, in particular an RFID and / or NFC reader. RFID tags and / or NFC tags can, in particular, enable energy-efficient provision of a contactless, electrically readable identification. In the case of an NFC tag, the energy required to transmit the information stored in the memory can be provided, for example, directly by electromagnetic radiation emitted by a reading device that requests the information, so that such a passive transponder does not require its own power source.An active RFID tag, on the other hand, may have its own energy source for transmitting data via a radio connection, but this energy source can only be activated in response to a request from a reader, so that even with an active RFID tag, energy-efficient provision of information is possible.

[0041] In addition, information stored in the memory, in particular the identification code, can be encrypted, for example, so that the identification code can only be read by authorized persons. Therefore, in some embodiments, an authentication and / or identification check may be required to read the memory. This can be provided, in particular, if the memory of the functional element contains further data in addition to the identification code, as explained in more detail below.

[0042] In some embodiments, the transponder may be embedded in the conveyor belt on an outer side of the conveyor belt, wherein the outer side may be oriented perpendicular to the running side and perpendicular to the transport side and may connect the running side and the transport side to each other.

[0043] In addition, in some embodiments, several transponders can be provided that are offset from one another in the conveying direction.

[0044] In principle, however, the transponder can also be embedded in the conveyor belt at other locations, for example, on the transport side and / or the running side. However, the transponder can be embedded in the conveyor belt, particularly in the interior of the belt, i.e., between the transport side and the running side, and thus not be directly mechanically accessible from the outside.

[0045] In both embodiments, the marking may include status information about a status of the conveyor belt.

[0046] In particular, a respective conveyor belt can also be understood as being characterized by a condition of the conveyor belt, so that the condition information can ultimately be uniquely and individually assigned to the conveyor belt. For example, such condition information can relate to any loads experienced by the conveyor belt, so that the condition information can be used to verify, for example, the service life, cleaning agents, biological stresses and / or mechanical stresses to which the conveyor belt has already been exposed. In particular, the condition information can therefore be used to determine an expected service life or remaining running time as precisely as possible. In order to be able to provide the condition information, the at least one functional element can in particular have one or more sensors for determining or detecting specific loads, as explained in more detail below.

[0047] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can be configured to determine the status information. In particular, this can be done by appropriate sensors configured to detect any loads on the conveyor belt and, by outputting the corresponding status information, to describe the status of the conveyor belt with respect to these loads.

[0048] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element may comprise a temperature sensor configured to indicate a maximum and / or a minimum temperature to which the conveyor belt has been exposed.

[0049] For example, such a temperature sensor can be designed to visually display the maximum and / or minimum temperature, so that the temperature sensor and thus the at least one functional element can be optically read. For this purpose, the temperature sensor can be designed, for example, to immediately display a maximum temperature or a minimum temperature experienced by the conveyor belt in plain text. However, the temperature sensor can also have a color indicator, for example, wherein the color indicator can change color when the temperature sensor is exposed to a new maximum or minimum temperature and this new temperature lies within a previously unattained temperature range.Accordingly, different colors of the color indicator can be assigned to respective temperature ranges, for example, so that the color indicator can assume a specific color when the conveyor belt is first exposed to a temperature in the respective temperature range and then retain this color until the conveyor belt is exposed to a temperature in a subsequent range. Therefore, in some embodiments, the maximum and / or minimum temperature can represent an exact temperature specification, for example, in degrees Celsius, or include information that the conveyor belt was exposed to a temperature in a specific temperature range.

[0050] As an alternative to optical display, however, it can also be provided that the temperature sensor or the corresponding functional element has a readable memory in which the maximum and / or minimum temperature is stored. The functional element can be configured to update the information in the memory as a result of a change in the measured maximum and / or minimum temperature, for which purpose the at least one functional element can comprise a microprocessor, for example. In particular, such a memory can be readable by a reading device via an RFID or NFC connection.

[0051] For example, conveyor belts can be exposed to a relatively high temperature during cleaning to ensure a sufficiently thorough cleaning to meet hygiene requirements in the food industry. However, high temperatures can attack or damage conveyor belts, so maximum cleaning temperatures may be specified or at least recommended for certain conveyor belts. If the conveyor belt is equipped with a temperature sensor to determine the maximum temperature the conveyor belt has been exposed to, it can be determined whether the specified maximum temperature has been exceeded and the conveyor belt has therefore been improperly cleaned.The condition information can therefore also be taken into account in the event of any complaints about a conveyor belt, for example, to identify incorrect cleaning, particularly at excessively high temperatures, which have led to damage and a limited service life of the conveyor belt, and conversely to prove that proper cleaning has always been carried out. Alternatively or in addition to a maximum temperature, a minimum permissible temperature can also be specified for conveyor belts, so that checking the minimum temperature can also be used, if necessary, when verifying correct handling of the conveyor belt.

[0052] In some embodiments, the status information can therefore generally be used to determine or determinate a thermal load on the conveyor belt.

[0053] Sensors and techniques for determining temperature are generally known to those skilled in the art, so there is no need to go into them in detail here.

[0054] In some embodiments, the temperature sensor can be mounted on the running side of the conveyor belt and / or in an edge section of the conveyor belt, in particular relative to a transverse direction oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction. In particular, mounting the temperature sensor on the running side of the conveyor belt can prevent the temperature sensor from coming into contact with food products transported on the transport side of the conveyor belt and from interacting with these food products. An arrangement on an edge section of the conveyor belt, in particular optionally also on the transport side of the conveyor, can also serve to prevent contact between the temperature sensor and transported food products, which are usually placed centrally on the conveyor belt.In addition, an arrangement of the temperature sensor on the edge section can also enable the temperature sensor to be read by reading devices of a reading device arranged on a processing line, in that the temperature sensor is not covered by transported food products.

[0055] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element may comprise a strain sensor. In particular, such a strain sensor may be embodied as a strain gauge and / or a geometric pattern applied to the conveyor belt.

[0056] Configuring the functional element with such a strain sensor can, for example, make it possible to check the extent to which the strain sensor, and in particular a strain gauge and / or a geometric pattern, changes during the conveyor belt's service life when the conveyor belt, and thus also the strain sensor, is stretched due to mechanical loads or forces. Based on such status information, a mechanical load on the conveyor belt can be determined or determinable, which specifically affects the respective conveyor belt.

[0057] In some embodiments, the conveyor belt can have a plurality of strain sensors arranged offset from one another in the transverse direction (perpendicular to the conveying direction). In particular, such offset strain sensors can make it possible to determine a mechanical load on the conveyor belt as a function of a position in the transverse direction, in order to enable the most comprehensive possible inspection of the condition of the conveyor belt, but also to detect, for example, assembly errors or adjustment errors during operation of a processing line that lead to uneven loading of the conveyor belt.

[0058] In some embodiments, the strain sensor(s) can be arranged on the running side of the conveyor belt. In particular, this can prevent contact of the strain sensor(s) with transported food products.

[0059] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element may comprise a cleaning sensor which is designed to experience a change in state as a result of chemical exposure, in particular as a result of a cleaning agent.

[0060] For example, the cleaning sensor can be configured to experience a change in state depending on exposure to chlorine (or a chlorine-containing cleaning agent) and / or depending on the intensity of exposure to chlorine or another chemical. This change in state, or the state of the cleaning sensor after the change in state, can be determined by reading the label and the status information. This allows the cleaning sensor to check the level of the respective cleaning agent on the conveyor belt or the intensity of this level of exposure. In particular, the cleaning sensor can be configured to detect a respective chemical and to measure the pH value in order to assign a respective pH value, for example, to a specific cleaning agent.For example, during chlorine disinfection, a pH value of 7.1 - 7.4 can be expected and the cleaning sensor can therefore experience a change in state, for example a change in the color of a test field, when the relevant pH value is detected.

[0061] For example, after a certain intensity of exposure to a chemical cleaning agent has been reached, a conveyor belt may need to be replaced. The condition information determined by the cleaning sensor can be used, for example, to estimate the remaining service life of the conveyor belt until the maximum permissible load is reached or the remaining number of possible cleaning cycles. Furthermore, certain cleaning agents may be fundamentally unsuitable for use on conveyor belts and could lead to damage to such conveyor belts. A change in condition, which such a cleaning agent indicates, may also provide evidence of exposure to such a cleaning agent and thus improper cleaning.This can be checked, for example, in the event of any complaints. However, if such unsuitable cleaning agents are detected, a person handling the conveyor belt can also be informed, for example, after reading the marking or the status information, that other cleaning agents should be used to extend the service life of the conveyor belt. In some embodiments, the cleaning sensor can be designed to display the change in status, in particular as a color indicator. For example, by displaying a specific color on a color indicator, it can be shown that a cleaning agent that can be checked by the sensor but is not suitable for the conveyor belt has been used or that the conveyor belt has been loaded with such a cleaning agent. This can enable an immediate check of the condition of the conveyor belt with regard to the use of such cleaning agents.

[0062] As an alternative to displaying a color indicator, however, it can also be provided, for example, that the functional element is designed to display intensities of exposure to certain chemicals in plain text and / or to write them into a memory of the at least one functional element and to make them available for reading.

[0063] In some embodiments, the cleaning sensor can be arranged on the running side of the conveyor and / or on an edge section of the conveyor belt. In this respect, the cleaning sensor can also be positioned in such a way that direct contact with the food products transported on the conveyor belt can be excluded as far as possible.

[0064] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element may comprise a contamination sensor for detecting biological contamination.

[0065] In some embodiments, the contamination sensor can be designed to detect fats, oils and / or lactic acid impinging on the conveyor belt and, as a result of the detection, to output a contamination indication, in particular optically.

[0066] In general, the contamination sensor can be designed to detect contamination with certain biological components, for example, components escaping from food such as acids or salts, and in particular to output a contamination indication that reflects the intensity of such contamination. This can be achieved, for example, by outputting the contamination indication when a certain intensity threshold is exceeded, or the intensity of a biological contamination can be provided directly as a readable value.

[0067] In principle, such biological contamination can also impair the service life of conveyor belts, so that the service life of a conveyor belt of the same type can depend, for example, on the type of food products being transported. Therefore, such condition information can also be taken into account, for example, when determining a prognosis regarding the remaining service life or remaining operating time of the conveyor belt. Furthermore, the contamination indication can be used, for example, as an indication that the conveyor belt requires cleaning.

[0068] The contamination indication can be displayed, for example, on a color indicator and / or a color scale. Alternatively, the contamination indication can also be written into a memory of the functional element, for example, so that it can be read by an external readout device.

[0069] Sensors for detecting contact with chemicals or biological components are also generally known to those skilled in the art, whereby biological contamination can also be detected through pH value measurements.

[0070] In some embodiments, the contamination sensor can further be configured to measure the growth of microorganisms, in particular bacteria, and to output a detection indication regarding the presence and / or absence of the microorganisms. The presence of such microorganisms can, in particular, require cleaning of the conveyor belt, so that a person handling the conveyor belt and / or a processing line in which the conveyor belt is used can use the detection indication to check whether cleaning is necessary. For this purpose, the detection indication can, in particular, be output visually, for example as a color indication.In particular, however, the functional element and the contamination sensor can also be read out automatically by a reading device, in particular on the processing line, so that, for example, an indication can be automatically generated if it is recognized that cleaning is necessary based on the detection indication issued by the contamination sensor or the corresponding status information.

[0071] In some embodiments, the contamination sensor can be arranged on the transport side of the conveyor belt. In particular, the contamination sensor can be arranged such that contamination originating from food products and / or possibly also contamination originating from transported food products can be detected and / or displayed by the contamination sensor.

[0072] The contamination sensor can, in particular, be arranged on a transport side of the conveyor belt, essentially spanning the conveyor belt in a transverse direction oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction, and / or the contamination sensor can, in particular, be arranged centrally on the transport side, viewed in the transverse direction. Alternatively or additionally, the conveyor belt can, in particular, have a plurality of contamination sensors arranged offset in the conveying direction and / or in the transverse direction.

[0073] In particular, the contamination sensor or the plurality of contamination sensors can be arranged in such a way that contaminations can be detected over as large an area as possible in order to reliably detect such contaminations.

[0074] Sensors for detecting the growth of microorganisms are also generally known to the person skilled in the art from general technical knowledge.

[0075] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element may comprise a moisture sensor which is designed to determine information about a moisture content of the conveyor belt.

[0076] In particular, moisture in the conveyor belt can lead to slippage during conveyor belt operation, so checking the moisture content of the conveyor belt can determine whether the conveyor belt is in proper condition for use in a processing line. This information can therefore also be deliberately checked, for example, before the installation of a conveyor belt using a reader of a reading device. The moisture information can also be automatically checked as status information by an appropriately positioned reader before the start of operation or during operation on a processing line in which the conveyor belt is used.

[0077] In some embodiments, the moisture sensor can be arranged on the running side of the conveyor belt and / or centrally on the conveyor belt with respect to a transverse direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In this respect, it can be achieved in particular that a measurement of the moisture sensor is not affected by the moisture content of a transported food product, but rather the moisture sensor can actually detect any moisture content of the conveyor belt.

[0078] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can have a contamination indicator arranged on the transport side, in particular a geometric pattern formed on the transport side. In particular, a plurality of contamination sensors offset in the conveying direction can be arranged on the conveyor belt in order to be able to check for possible contamination of the conveyor belt at as many locations as possible. Such a contamination indicator can, in particular, be designed as a simple geometric pattern attached to the transport side of the conveyor belt, which may be at least partially concealed due to contamination of the conveyor belt and therefore not fully visible.Due to a contamination indicator that is not fully recognizable, a person handling the conveyor belt and / or a reading device can therefore conclude that the conveyor belt is dirty and can then, for example, carry out and / or recommend cleaning of the conveyor belt.

[0079] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can have at least one wear mark arranged between the running side and the transport side. This wear mark is preferably positioned in areas of the belt that are known to be subject to heavy wear.

[0080] Such loads can result from flexion, friction and stress influences, notch effects, pressure points of roller / groove / wall / web or contact with material areas and transitions.

[0081] Detecting such a wear mark can, in particular, indicate corresponding wear or tear of the conveyor belt, so that, as a result of detecting the wear mark, it can be determined, for example, that the conveyor belt needs to be replaced and is no longer suitable for use in a processing line.

[0082] In particular, the at least one functional element can have a plurality of wear markings applied to the conveyor belt at different depths, starting from the transport side in the direction of the running side. The wear markings can furthermore in particular differ from one another, so that upon detection of a respective wear marking, it can be concluded that sections of the conveyor belt with overlying wear markings have already been worn away and that the conveyor belt exhibits corresponding signs of use and / or is already worn out. For this purpose, the wear markings can, for example, be applied at different depths on an outer side of the conveyor belt. This can also make it possible, by detecting all of the originally applied wear markings on the outer side, to conclude that the conveyor belt still has its original thickness and is therefore subjected to little stress at all.However, if some wear marks are no longer visible, this indicates that the conveyor belt is worn.

[0083] In principle, the conveyor belt can have a plurality of functional elements that provide a respective one of the sensors and / or indicators explained above. Furthermore, a plurality of the aforementioned sensors and / or indicators can be arranged contiguously on the conveyor belt, for example, as a common test strip, so that in some embodiments, a functional element can also have a plurality of the aforementioned sensors and / or indicators.

[0084] Furthermore, it is fundamentally also possible for a plurality of functional elements or sensors to be connected to one another and / or to a microprocessor, and for the conveyor belt to have a memory into which the information from the plurality of functional elements can be written, for example a memory of an RFID or NFC tag. In this respect, in some embodiments, the conveyor belt can be designed with an electronic checking device, which can comprise a microprocessor and a plurality of functional elements with respective sensors (or a plurality of sensors) in order to be able to determine status information and to write it into a memory of the functional element and keep it available for reading, in particular by an external reading device. In such embodiments, the conveyor belt can thus be designed to be intelligent to a certain extent and have devices for determining, storing and / or processing status information.

[0085] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can have a color indicator for displaying the marking, in particular status information. This can, in particular, enable a person handling the conveyor belt to directly and, to a certain extent, at a glance determine the status of the conveyor belt and adjust the use of the conveyor belt accordingly.

[0086] In some embodiments, the at least one functional element can further comprise a writable memory. In particular, status information and / or any operating information can be written into such a memory, so that a functional element with such a writable memory can function, in a sense, as a tachograph, into which, for example, control data of a processing line in which a particular conveyor belt is used can also be written. This allows, for example, information about a service life of the conveyor belt, about movement speeds of the conveyor belt, and / or status information determined by one or more of the sensors explained above to be stored in the memory, so that all information relating to the conveyor belt can be accessed by reading the memory.In particular, the information mentioned above or below as being storable in a database can therefore also be stored or storable in such a memory of the functional element.

[0087] In general, a conveyor belt can be designed as a relatively wide belt spanning the entire width of the conveyor belt, or a conveyor belt can have several parallel conveyor belts that can be offset from one another perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0088] The invention further relates to a system for processing food products, which comprises at least one workstation for processing the food products and a conveyor device which is designed to convey the food products to the at least one workstation, wherein the conveyor device and / or the workstation comprises at least one conveyor belt according to one of the embodiments described above.

[0089] In particular, the system can comprise a processing line for processing food products, which comprises a plurality of workstations and a conveyor device, wherein the conveyor device is designed to convey the food products from a first workstation, for example, a slicing device, to a second workstation, for example, a packaging machine. For this purpose, the conveyor device can in particular comprise at least one conveyor belt according to one of the embodiments explained above.

[0090] For example, the at least one workstation can be a slicing device designed to cut food products into slices and to form portions from the severed slices. Such a slicing device can, for example, have a product feed, which can be designed to guide the food products into a cutting area of ​​the slicing device and which can, for example, have a conveyor belt according to one of the embodiments explained above. To form the portions, the slicing device can further have a portioning device, which can, in particular, have a conveyor belt according to one of the embodiments explained above, on which the severed slices can be collected to form a portion.

[0091] The portions formed can be transferred from the portioning device by driving the conveyor belt, in particular to a conveyor device having one or more conveyor belts according to one of the embodiments explained above. The conveyor device can be designed, in particular, to transport the portions to a packaging machine and to insert them there into provided packaging stations. In particular, the conveyor device can have an insertion belt, via whose downstream deflection the portions can reach the packaging stations, wherein the insertion belt can be designed, in particular, as a conveyor belt according to one of the embodiments disclosed herein. Alternatively, however, it can also be provided that the conveyor device has an insertion robot for inserting the portions.

[0092] In some embodiments, a scale can also be arranged between the slicing device and the packaging machine, which scale can have a conveyor belt according to one of the embodiments explained above and can, for example, be designed to weigh portions moved by means of the conveyor belt during the movement.

[0093] Conveyor belts according to the invention can also be used in front of a slicing device, for example in a product scanner, in a loading device and / or in a cheese divider.

[0094] Since at least one conveyor belt of the type described above can be provided in this system, the system can in particular use identifiable conveyor belts and / or conveyor belts for which additional information is provided and can be read by the at least one functional element. This can, for example, make it possible to install conveyor belts at the correct installation locations, to transmit information about incorrect installation locations to a person operating the system, and / or to determine the remaining service life of the conveyor belts used in the system in order to enable timely replacement of the conveyor belts. In addition, the need to clean the conveyor belt can be checked, for example, and a corresponding notification can be issued if necessary.In some embodiments, the system may comprise a readout device for reading the at least one functional element, as well as a control device to which the readout device is or can be connected. In particular, the readout device can be and / or can be connected to the control device wirelessly or by cable.

[0095] The system can thus comprise a device, in the form of a reading device, for automatically reading the marking provided by the functional element and incorporating the information obtained from it into the system's control system, for example, by transmitting it to the control device. This can, for example, make it possible to detect, by reading an identification code from the marking, if a conveyor belt has been installed in the wrong location, in order to issue a corresponding warning and / or prevent operation from starting.

[0096] For example, the reading device can comprise one or more cameras to read the functional element and, in particular, optically provided markings. However, the reading device can also comprise other sensors, such as an RFID reader or an NFC reader, to also read markings provided for contactless electrical reading, for example.

[0097] In some embodiments, the reading device can comprise a mobile reading device, in particular a handheld scanner. For example, such a design of the reading device can enable the functional element of a conveyor belt to be scanned and the marking read before installation, for example, in order to obtain information about a planned installation location and / or the condition of the conveyor belt and then be able to use the conveyor belt accordingly. Such a handheld scanner can also be implemented, for example, as a smartphone.In addition, a mobile handheld scanner can in principle be movable relative to the workstations of the system and communicate with the control device, for example, via a radio connection, or the mobile reader can be connected, for example, via a cable to the other devices of the system and, for example, an operating device of the system, such as a touchscreen, in order to be movable relative to the other components of the system only to a length of the cable.

[0098] In some embodiments, the reading device can have at least one reading device arranged in an installation environment of the conveyor belt, which reading device is designed and arranged to read at least one functional element of the conveyor belt when the conveyor belt is installed in the installation environment. For example, the reading device can have one or more cameras arranged at the workstation and / or the conveyor device in order to be able to read optically provided markings when a conveyor belt is installed in the respective installation environment. This can, for example, enable a check of a condition of the conveyor belt during operation and / or a check of the correct installation location of an already installed conveyor belt in order to take such information into account when controlling the system and, for example, to be able to issue a warning if a conveyor belt is in the wrong installation location orwas recorded in an incorrect installation environment.

[0099] In some embodiments, the system may comprise a plurality of conveyor belts according to one of the embodiments explained above, and the reading device may comprise, for each of the plurality of conveyor belts, a reading device arranged in an installation environment of the conveyor belt for reading the respective at least one functional element, which reading device is designed and arranged to read the at least one functional element of the conveyor belt when the conveyor belt is installed in the installation environment.

[0100] In this respect, some embodiments can provide for the most complete monitoring possible of the conveyor belts used in the system by providing an associated reading device for each of the conveyor belts used in order to be able to read the respective functional element or the respective functional elements of the conveyor belt. In this case, for example, a reading device, such as a camera, can be designed and arranged to read the functional elements of several conveyor belts. For example, a camera can be used to monitor a belt transition between successive conveyor belts in order to be able to register any optically readable markings of both conveyor belts when the functional elements are moved along a respective deflection of the conveyor belts in the region of the belt transition.Alternatively, in some embodiments, the reading device may also comprise a respective reading device for each of the plurality of conveyor belts, which is assigned to the conveyor belt and arranged in its installation environment.

[0101] In addition, in some embodiments, the reading device can comprise a reading device arranged in the vicinity of a drive transmission element of the conveyor belt, which reading device can be designed, in particular, to read functional elements arranged on the running side of the conveyor belt. In particular, the conveyor belt can be inserted into a belt cassette which has two deflections onto which the conveyor belt can be clamped and which can form a support structure for the conveyor belt. In addition, a reading device, for example a scanner and / or an RFID reader or NFC reader, can be arranged in such a belt cassette, in particular in a space between opposite running sides of the endlessly circulating conveyor belt, in order to be able to read a functional element arranged on the running side.

[0102] In some embodiments, the reading device can be designed to read out an identification code of the conveyor belt provided by the at least one functional element.

[0103] In such embodiments, the reading device can therefore be designed in particular to automatically identify a respective conveyor belt used in the system in order to be able to access information associated with the conveyor belt, for example.

[0104] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to display information about an intended installation location of the conveyor belt based on the extended identification code. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the control device can be configured to issue a warning based on the read identification code if the conveyor belt is arranged at an unintended installation location.

[0105] For example, it can be provided that the identification code is read out before the installation of a conveyor belt, in particular by means of a mobile reading device of the reading device, whereupon a person operating the system can be shown information about where the conveyor belt is to be installed in the system, for example on a display device, in particular a display, of the system. For this purpose, the control device can be designed in particular to read out a database in which information associated with the conveyor belt, in particular information regarding the intended installation location, is stored. By transmitting such information, correct installation of the conveyor belt in the system can be ensured in order to prevent incorrect installation of conveyor belts, which could lead to damage to the conveyor belts, and to facilitate the assembly of the conveyor belt.

[0106] In addition, the control device can be designed to issue a warning if the conveyor belt is arranged at an unintended installation location. For this purpose, the control device can interact in particular with a reader of the reading device arranged in an installation environment of the conveyor belt, which reader can read the identification code of the installed conveyor belt. The control device can then determine, in particular based on information associated with the identification code in a database, whether the conveyor belt is arranged at the intended installation location in order to issue a warning if the conveyor belt has not been installed correctly. This can, for example, prevent the system from being operated with incorrectly installed conveyor belts in order to prevent damage to conveyor belts that could occur as a result.Therefore, it can also be provided, in particular, that the control device is configured to activate the reading device for reading the identification codes of the respective conveyor belts before operation starts, in order to first check whether the conveyor belts are arranged at the intended installation locations, and to only start operation when only correctly installed conveyor belts have been detected. In general, a warning signal can be triggered visually, acoustically, and / or haptically by the control device.

[0107] In some embodiments, the control device can be designed to read out additional information associated with the conveyor belt from a database and / or to write it into the database depending on the identification code read out.

[0108] For example, such additional information may be the aforementioned intended installation location of the conveyor belt, which can be displayed to a person operating the system after reading the identification code and before the conveyor belt is installed. However, such additional information may also relate, for example, to a previous service life of the conveyor belt and / or other status information. Accordingly, the control device may in particular also be designed to store status information about the conveyor belt read by the reading device as additional information in the database in order to enable the most precise monitoring of the condition of the conveyor belt by querying information associated with the identification code in the database.

[0109] In some embodiments, the control device can further be designed to transmit status information read out by the reading device as additional information to the database. As already explained above, such status information can in particular relate to thermal, mechanical, chemical and / or biological stress on the conveyor belt. The control device can also be designed to transmit information about an installation location of the conveyor belt to the database. In particular, it is therefore also possible to trace in the database if the conveyor belt was installed in the wrong installation location and operation was nevertheless started, for example in order to be able to refer to this in the event of any complaints. Conversely, however, it can be appropriately documented that the conveyor belt was always used as intended and therefore failed, for example, due to a defect.

[0110] In principle, a non-intended installation location can be an incorrect installation location within a particular processing line, for example, if a conveyor belt intended for product feed to a slicing device was instead used on a conveyor system for moving portions from the slicing device to a packaging machine. However, respective conveyor belts can also be assigned to respective processing lines, so an incorrect installation location can also result, for example, from the installation of a conveyor belt in a processing line not assigned to the conveyor belt.

[0111] In some embodiments, the additional information may relate to the service life of the conveyor belt. In particular, the previous service life may be stored in the database. However, the control device may also be configured, for example, to determine the service life of a conveyor belt used in the system between the start and stop of operation and transmit it to the database, so that the service life stored there can be constantly updated.

[0112] Additional information could also include information on the composition and sustainability of the conveyor belt used. This information can, for example, be extracted and used for sustainable recycling of belts after their service life has been reached – if planned and technically feasible.

[0113] Furthermore, this extracted information could also be used to determine and verify the use of recycled and sustainable conveyor belts. Certification information can also be included in the additional information.

[0114] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the additional information can relate to control data of the system. For example, the speeds traveled during operation of the conveyor belt, a number of start / stop processes and / or a type of product processed, an average running time and / or reference values ​​for loads on the conveyor belt can be transmitted to the database as control data in order to be able to use the control data in calculating a remaining service life. Reference values ​​for the loads experienced by the conveyor belt can include, for example, a number of cleaning cycles, information about a motor current of a conveyor belt drive, speeds of a motor driving the conveyor belt, data on the respective operating states of the system, or other control data of the individual workstations.In addition, a conveyor belt can be subjected to a load due to the weight of the transported food products and / or portions, whereby such data and / or positions of the food products on the conveyor belt can also be transmitted to the database. In general, such control data can also be understood as system information, since it ultimately primarily concerns the operation of the system, but can also influence the condition of the conveyor belt.

[0115] In some embodiments, the control device can also be designed to transmit a reason for the change as additional information to the database when the conveyor belt is changed.

[0116] For example, the control device may have a user interface, such as a touchscreen, to provide an opportunity to indicate the reason why a conveyor belt was changed when a conveyor belt is changed.

[0117] In particular, it is possible that the conveyor belt is rejected due to stress during operation, but it may also be due to an operating error that requires the conveyor belt to be replaced.

[0118] Such communication of information about a reason for a change of the conveyor belt can, for example, make it possible to weight the service life of the conveyor belt in question when calculating average service lives of conveyor belts or, for example, to exclude conveyor belts that have been rejected due to operating errors from such calculations in order to avoid, for example, burdening forecasts about a remaining service life of a conveyor belt of the same type by taking into account improperly used conveyor belts.

[0119] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to determine a prognosis regarding the remaining running time of the conveyor belt based on the additional information read (from the database) and / or based on status information read by the readout device. Therefore, in some embodiments, the control device can also be configured to determine a prognosis regarding the remaining running time of the conveyor belt based on status information read by the readout device, independently of a configuration for communicating with a database for receiving and / or writing additional information.

[0120] In particular, the additional information read from the database can also include status information previously entered into the database. However, the additional information read can, in particular, be a service life of the conveyor belt, so that this service life can be compared, for example, with the average service life of conveyor belts of the same type in order to predict the remaining service life of the conveyor belt in question and, as a first approximation, to determine, for example, the difference between the average service life and the service life already achieved by the conveyor belt.

[0121] However, by also incorporating extracted condition information, the forecast can be determined not only by comparing the service life with an average service life, but also by taking into account the specific loads the conveyor belt under investigation was exposed to. In this respect, the predicted remaining service life can be shortened, for example, if it is determined that the conveyor belt under investigation was exposed to specific loads that indicate earlier wear of the conveyor belt.

[0122] In addition, the forecast can also be calculated taking into account condition information stored in the database for conveyor belts of the same type. This involves comparing the condition of the conveyor belt, including its previous service life, with corresponding condition information from other conveyor belts. This allows, for example, a conveyor belt with a similar service life and condition to be identified in the database. The forecast can be determined, for example, from the remaining service life of this conveyor belt (known and / or determinable from the database).

[0123] In particular, determining and / or issuing such a forecast may make it possible to procure a replacement for conveyor belts that are to be replaced at a sufficiently early stage without having to keep a large stock of such conveyor belts on hand.

[0124] Therefore, the invention also independently relates to a method for determining a prognosis of a remaining service life of a conveyor belt, in which: an identifier is read from at least one functional element of the conveyor belt, which identifier comprises status information about the conveyor belt; an already completed service life of the conveyor belt is determined, in particular read from a database, and the prognosis of the remaining service life is determined as a function of the service life and the read status information.

[0125] In this method, in some embodiments, one or more of the steps explained above can be performed and / or one or more of the features explained above can be implemented. For example, in some embodiments, the status information can therefore relate to a mechanical load, a thermal load, a biological load, and / or a chemical load on the conveyor belt. In particular, several of the aforementioned status information items can be taken into account.

[0126] Furthermore, in some embodiments, an average service life of similar conveyor belts can be taken into account when determining the forecast, whereby the average service life can also be retrieved from the database, for example. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the forecast can be determined based on a difference between the average service life and the service life, taking into account the condition information.

[0127] In addition, in some embodiments, system information or operating information and / or control data of a system in which the conveyor belt was used may also be taken into account when determining the forecast and / or the forecast may be determined depending on such information or data.

[0128] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the forecast can be output and / or a notification can be issued if the forecast remaining operating time is less than a predefined and / or predeterminable limit. In particular, such an output can enable a conveyor belt owner to ensure a timely replacement of a conveyor belt that is due to be replaced in the near future, without having to maintain a permanent supply of conveyor belts.

[0129] It can also be provided that, depending on the determined forecast, an order for a replacement conveyor belt is automatically executed if the forecast remaining operating time is less than a predetermined and / or predeterminable limit period. The conveyor belt for which the forecast is determined can also be designed in particular according to one of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0130] In general, the control device of the system can comprise several units, so that the evaluation of the additional information and / or status information can, for example, take place on a server and does not necessarily have to take place on the control device that also directly controls the conveyor device and / or the workstation. However, it can generally be provided that the control device for controlling the workstations and / or the conveyor device of a processing line directly has appropriate software in order to be able to determine the forecast for the remaining running time. Furthermore, in some embodiments in which the conveyor belt has a microprocessor and the functional elements and / or sensors are linked to one another, it can also be provided that the microprocessor, as part of the control device, is designed to determine the forecast and write it to a memory of the conveyor belt.

[0131] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to read runtime information about similar conveyor belts from the database and to take this into account when determining the forecast, in particular an average runtime. In the simplest case, the forecast can thus be made by comparing the runtime of the conveyor belt under investigation with the average runtime, although this forecast can be made more precise, particularly by taking into account status information about the conveyor belt under investigation.

[0132] In some embodiments, the control device can be designed to output a notification to perform cleaning depending on status information read by the reading device and / or depending on additional information read out. For example, the control device can access information from a contamination sensor included in the at least one functional element, which can be read out by the reading device. The need for cleaning can therefore be displayed or communicated, for example, if biological contamination of the conveyor belt is detected. In addition, cleaning can be recommended, for example, after a contamination indicator has been read out. The notification can be perceptible, in particular, visually, acoustically and / or haptically.In some embodiments, the control device may further be designed to adjust the conveyor device and / or the work station depending on status information determined by the reading device.

[0133] For example, the control device can be designed to reduce a tension exerted on a conveyor belt that is already subjected to a high mechanical load when it is installed in the system, and, for example, to reduce a distance between respective deflections for the conveyor belt in order to reduce loads exerted on the conveyor belt during operation.

[0134] Furthermore, the control device can also be designed to adjust the conveyor device and / or the work station depending on additional information read from the database in order to be able to react, for example, to a heavily loaded condition of a conveyor belt in question and to avoid further loads.

[0135] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to generate a warning depending on status information determined by the readout device. Likewise, in some embodiments, the control device can be configured to generate such a warning after reading the additional information from the database. The warning can be perceptible, for example, visually, acoustically, and / or haptically.

[0136] For example, the control device can be configured to generate a warning if a conveyor belt that is already subject to heavy mechanical stress is detected based on the status information and / or additional information associated with an identification code, in order to prevent the installation of this conveyor belt into the system or the start of operation with this conveyor belt. Furthermore, such warnings can also be triggered, in particular, if contamination of the conveyor belt is detected, to alert a person operating the system that the conveyor belt must first be cleaned.

[0137] In some embodiments, the control device can be designed to write status information read by the reading device and / or system information, in particular control data of the system, into a memory of the at least one functional element, in particular into a memory of a functional element designed as an active or passive transponder. As already explained above, in such embodiments, the functional element can function, in a sense, as a tachograph, into which a variety of information relating to the conveyor belt can be written. For example, system information can include information about operating speeds and / or start / stop processes, information about installation locations of the conveyor belt and / or transported products. In addition, the control device can also be designed to write additional information read from the database into the memory.

[0138] By equipping the conveyor belt with such a writable memory, all information relating to the conveyor belt can be read directly from the memory of the conveyor belt or the functional element, in order to be able to check, for example in the event of complaints, whether the conveyor belt has been used correctly.

[0139] In some embodiments, the system may comprise a motor for driving the conveyor belt, wherein the control device may be configured to determine status information about a mechanical load on the conveyor belt based on a motor current measured during operation of the conveyor belt. In particular, by detecting slippage, for example, it may be determined that the conveyor belt is already relatively stretched and thus subject to heavy mechanical stress. This information may also be used, for example, to determine a forecast regarding the remaining service life of the conveyor belt and / or transmitted to the database and / or written into a memory of the at least one functional element.

[0140] In some embodiments, the system may further comprise a cleaning device for cleaning the conveyor belt, and the cleaning device may be configured to perform cleaning of the conveyor belt depending on an identification code read by the reading device and / or depending on status information read by the reading device. The cleaning device may also be configured to perform cleaning depending on additional information read from the database.

[0141] In this respect, the cleaning of the conveyor belt by the cleaning device can be adapted, for example, to the load and / or contamination of the conveyor belt. For this purpose, the status information determined by the reading device can be transmitted to the cleaning device, for example, via the control device, or the reading device can have a reading device assigned to the cleaning device or arranged on the cleaning device, so that the cleaning device can, to a certain extent, determine the relevant status information itself. For example, it can be provided to extend and / or intensify cleaning for heavily soiled conveyor belts, whereas only slightly soiled conveyor belts can be cleaned for a shorter time or less intensively.In particular, this can minimize stress on the conveyor belts during cleaning, for example thermal and / or chemical stress, by allowing cleaning to be adapted to the respective conveyor belt.

[0142] The invention therefore also relates, independently of the system for processing food products, to a cleaning device for cleaning a conveyor belt of the type disclosed herein, having at least one functional element that provides a readable identification, wherein the cleaning device has a reading device for reading the at least one functional element and is designed to carry out cleaning of the conveyor belt as a function of an identification code read by the reading device and / or as a function of status information determined by the reading device.

[0143] In particular, the cleaning device or its reading device can have one or more cameras to read the at least one functional element of a conveyor belt to be cleaned. In some embodiments, the cleaning device or its reading device can also have one or more RFID and / or NFC readers.

[0144] In some embodiments, the cleaning device can be designed to adapt a cleaning duration, a concentration and / or a temperature of a cleaning agent, a number of cleaning passes, a pressure exerted on the conveyor belt during cleaning, a rotational speed of brushes of the cleaning device and / or a drying time of the conveyor belt depending on the read identification.

[0145] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cleaning device can be designed to store cleaning information on a cleaned conveyor belt, confirming that cleaning has been carried out. For example, the cleaning device can apply corresponding information externally to the conveyor belt, for example by printing or affixing a corresponding QR code. Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that the cleaning device is designed to store the cleaning information in a memory of the functional element and, for example, an RFID tag or NFC tag. In addition, it can also be provided that the cleaning device is designed to transmit the cleaning information to a database with the identification code of the conveyor belt, so that a corresponding query to the database can be used to check whether the conveyor belt has been properly cleaned.

[0146] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the conveyor belt in the cleaning device can be mounted on at least two deflection rollers, and the cleaning device can have rotating brushes for cleaning the mounted conveyor belt on its transport side and its running side. In particular, in some embodiments, the deflection rollers of the cleaning device can also be designed as brushes. Furthermore, the brushes can be movable along the conveyor belt and / or the conveyor belt can be driven via the deflection rollers in the cleaning device, for which purpose the cleaning device can have a corresponding drive.

[0147] In some embodiments, the cleaning device can be configured to receive information from the system's control device and / or read it from its database in order to adapt cleaning of the conveyor belt depending on this information. For example, the cleaning device can be configured to perform UV cleaning or to forgo such cleaning depending on the received information and / or depending on read status information. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cleaning device can be configured to perform a test run after receiving a conveyor belt, for example to check for biological contamination of the conveyor belt and to carry out cleaning depending on the result of this test.For this purpose, the cleaning device can, for example, have a hyperspectral camera in order to detect any contamination with bacteria or similar microorganisms.

[0148] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cleaning device can be configured to transmit information about successful cleaning to the system's control device. The control device can use this information, for example, to verify that only conveyor belts for which information about successful cleaning is available are installed in the system.

[0149] For example, the cleaning device can have a dancer roller over which the conveyor belt can be tensioned. Furthermore, the conveyor means for driving the conveyor belt during cleaning can be clamped between two drive rollers of the cleaning device.

[0150] In some embodiments, the cleaning device can comprise a nozzle bar, by means of which a cleaning agent can be sprayed and / or squirted onto the conveyor belt. Alternatively or in addition to squirting or spraying the cleaning agent, the nozzle bar can also be configured to generate compressed air for drying the conveyor belt, so that the conveyor belt can also be dried via the nozzle bar.

[0151] In addition, in some embodiments, deflections of the cleaning device, onto which the conveyor belt can be clamped for cleaning, can be designed to eject cleaning agent and / or compressed air.

[0152] In some embodiments, the cleaning device can therefore comprise one or more porous rollers connected to a line for cleaning agent, onto which the conveyor belt can be clamped, in order to enable cleaning of the conveyor belt by directing cleaning agent through such porous rollers. In principle, a cleaning agent can also be provided and / or referred to as a rinsing fluid.

[0153] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cleaning device can be configured to store readable cleaning information about a completed cleaning on the conveyor belt, in particular to write it into a memory of the conveyor belt and / or to print and / or affix it to the conveyor belt. As already explained, this information can be read out, in particular, by the reading device, for example, to permit the use of only cleaned conveyor belts in the system.

[0154] The features of the cleaning device explained above can in principle be provided both in the aforementioned cleaning device of the system and in a cleaning device designed independently of a system.

[0155] In summary, the invention can thus be realized in particular by the following embodiments, wherein, for the sake of clarity, the reference numerals used in the following description of the figures are indicated. However, as usual, these reference numerals serve merely for illustrative purposes, without limiting the features of the embodiments described generally here to the specific designs of the elements designated by the reference numerals in the figures.

[0156] 1 . Conveyor belt (11) for conveying food products (117) along a conveying direction (F), which has a transport side (T) onto which the food products (117) can be placed, and a running side (L) opposite the transport side (T), with which the conveyor belt (11) can be brought into contact with a drive transmission element (13), in particular at least one conveyor roller (15), in order to drive the conveyor belt (11), characterized in that the conveyor belt (11) has at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) which provides a readable identification (K) assigned to the conveyor belt (11).

[0157] 2. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 1, wherein the marking (K) can be read by an external reading device (35).

[0158] 3. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the marking (K) can be read optically and / or electrically without contact.

[0159] 4. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) is arranged in an interior of the conveyor belt (11) - between the running side (L) and the transport side (T) -, is lasered and / or printed onto the conveyor belt (11) and / or is glued onto the conveyor belt (11), in particular with an adhesive approved for the processing of food products (117).

[0160] 5. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the marking (K) comprises an identification code (I) which is uniquely assigned to the conveyor belt (11).

[0161] 6. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 5, wherein the conveyor belt (11) has a plurality of functional elements (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) providing the identification code (I), which are arranged offset from one another in the conveying direction (F).

[0162] 7. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 5 or 6, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a QR code and / or barcode (37) representing the identification code (I).

[0163] 8. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 7, wherein the QR code and / or the barcode (37) is aligned along a transverse direction (Q) of the conveyor belt (11), which is aligned perpendicular to the conveying direction (F).

[0164] 9. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 7 or 8, wherein the QR code and / or the barcode (37) is arranged on the transport side (T) of the conveyor belt (11).

[0165] 10. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of embodiments 5 to 9, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has an active transponder (39), in particular an active RFID tag, or a passive transponder (39), in particular an NFC tag, with a memory (43) in which the identification code (I) is stored.

[0166] 11. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 10, wherein the transponder (39) is embedded in the conveyor belt (11) on an outer side (41) of the conveyor belt (11), wherein the outer side (41) is oriented perpendicular to the running side (L) and perpendicular to the transport side (T) and connects the running side (L) and the transport side (T) to one another.

[0167] 12. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the marking (K) comprises status information (Z) about a status of the conveyor belt (11).

[0168] 13. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 12, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) is designed to determine the status information (Z).

[0169] 14. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a temperature sensor (45) which is designed to display a maximum and / or a minimum temperature to which the conveyor belt (11) has been exposed.

[0170] 15. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 14, wherein the temperature sensor (45) is attached to the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or an edge section (47) of the conveyor belt (11).

[0171] 16. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) comprises a strain sensor (49), in particular a strain gauge and / or a geometric pattern (92) applied to the conveyor belt (11).

[0172] 17. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 16, wherein a plurality of strain sensors (49) arranged offset from one another in the transverse direction (Q) are arranged on the conveyor belt (11).

[0173] 18. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 16 or 17, wherein the strain sensor (49) or the strain sensors (49) are arranged on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11).

[0174] 19. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a cleaning sensor (71) which is designed to experience a change in state as a result of a chemical load, in particular by a cleaning agent.

[0175] 20. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 19, wherein the cleaning sensor (71) is designed to represent the change in state, in particular by means of a color indicator (77).

[0176] 21. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 19 or 20, wherein the cleaning sensor (71) is arranged on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or on an edge section (47) of the conveyor belt (11).

[0177] 22. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a contamination sensor (79) for detecting biological contamination. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 22, wherein the contamination sensor (79) is designed to detect fats, oils, and / or lactic acid impinging on the conveyor belt (11) and, as a result of the detection, to output a contamination indication (83), in particular optically. Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 22 or 23, wherein the contamination sensor (79) is designed to measure the growth of microorganisms, in particular bacteria, and to output a detection indication (87) regarding the presence and / or absence of the microorganisms.Conveyor belt (11) according to one of embodiments 22 to 24, wherein the contamination sensor (79) is arranged on the transport side (T) of the conveyor belt (11), in particular wherein the contamination sensor (79) is arranged on the transport side (T) of the conveyor belt (11) so as to substantially span the conveyor belt (11) in a transverse direction (Q) oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction (F); and / or in particular wherein the contamination sensor (79) is arranged centrally on the transport side (T) as viewed in the transverse direction (Q); and / or in particular wherein the conveyor belt (11) has a plurality of contamination sensors (79) arranged offset in the conveying direction (F) and / or in the transverse direction (Q). Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a humidity sensor (89) which is designed to determine information about a humidity of the conveyor belt (11).Conveyor belt (11) according to embodiment 26, wherein the moisture sensor (89) is arranged on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or centrally on the conveyor belt (11) with respect to a transverse direction (Q) oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction (F). Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a contamination indicator (91) arranged on the transport side (T), in particular a geometric pattern (92) formed on the transport side (T). 29. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has at least one wear mark (93) arranged between the running side (L) and the transport side (T).

[0178] 30. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a color indicator (77) for displaying the marking (K).

[0179] 31. Conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a writable memory (43).

[0180] 32. System (51) for processing food products (117), comprising at least one workstation (53) for processing the food products (117) and a conveyor device (81) which is designed to convey the food products (117) to the at least one workstation (53), wherein the conveyor device (81) and / or the at least one workstation (53) comprises at least one conveyor belt (11) according to one of the preceding embodiments.

[0181] 33. System according to embodiment 32, wherein the system (51) comprises a read-out device (35) for reading the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) and a control device (95) to which the read-out device (35) is connected.

[0182] 34. System according to embodiment 33, wherein the reading device (35) comprises a mobile reading device (125), in particular a handheld scanner (127).

[0183] 35. System according to embodiment 33 or 34, wherein the reading device (35) has at least one reading device (129) arranged in an installation environment (E) of the conveyor belt (11), which reading device is designed and arranged to read the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) of the conveyor belt (11) when the conveyor belt (11) is installed in the installation environment (E).System according to one of embodiments 33 to 35, wherein the system (51) has a plurality of conveyor belts (11) according to one of embodiments 1 to 31, wherein the reading device (35) for each of the plurality of conveyor belts (11) has a reading device (129) arranged in an installation environment (E) of the conveyor belt (11) for reading the respective at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33), which is designed and arranged to read the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) of the conveyor belt (11) when the conveyor belt (11) is installed in the installation environment (E). System according to one of embodiments 33 to 36, wherein the reading device (35) comprises at least one camera (131), a scanner and / or an RFID and / or NFC reader.System according to one of embodiments 33 to 37, wherein the reading device (35) is designed to read an identification code (I) of the conveyor belt (11) provided by the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33). System according to embodiment 38, wherein the control device (95) is designed to display information about an intended installation location of the conveyor belt (11) based on the read identification code (I); and / or wherein the control device (95) is designed to output a warning based on the read identification code (I) if the conveyor belt (11) is arranged at an installation location that is not intended.System according to embodiment 38 or 39, wherein the control device (95) is designed to read out a respective item of additional information (B) assigned to the conveyor belt (11) from a database (133) and / or to write it into the database (133) as a function of the read-out identification code (I). System according to embodiment 40, wherein the control device (95) is designed to transmit a piece of status information (Z) read out by the read-out device (35) to the database (133) as additional information (B). System according to embodiment 40 or 41, wherein the additional information (B) relates to a service life of the conveyor belt (11). System according to one of embodiments 40 to 42, wherein the additional information (B) relates to control data of the system (51).System according to one of embodiments 40 to 43, wherein the control device (95) is designed to transmit a reason for the change as additional information (B) to the database (133) when the conveyor belt (11) is changed. System according to one of embodiments 40 to 44, wherein the control device (95) is designed to determine a forecast about a remaining running time of the conveyor belt (11) on the basis of the read-out additional information (B) and / or on the basis of status information (Z) read out by the read-out device (35). System according to embodiment 45, wherein the control device (95) is designed to read out running time information about similar conveyor belts from the database (133) and to take this into account when determining the forecast, in particular an average running time.System according to one of embodiments 40 to 46, wherein the control device (95) is designed to output an instruction to carry out cleaning as a function of status information (Z) read out by the reading device (35) and / or as a function of additional information (B) read out. System according to one of embodiments 32 to 47, wherein the control device (95) is designed to adjust the conveyor device (81) and / or the workstation (53) as a function of status information (Z) determined by the reading device (35). 49. System according to one of embodiments 32 to 48, wherein the control device (95) is designed to generate a warning as a function of status information (Z) determined by the reading device (35).

[0184] 50. System according to one of embodiments 32 to 49, wherein the control device (95) is designed to write a state information item (Z) read out by the reading device (35) and / or a system information item (51), in particular control data of the system (51), into a memory (43) of the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33), in particular into a memory (43) of a functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) designed as an active or passive transponder (39).

[0185] 51. System according to one of embodiments 32 to 50, wherein the system (51) comprises a motor (155) for driving the conveyor belt (11), wherein the control device (95) is designed to determine status information (Z) about a mechanical load on the conveyor belt (11) based on a motor current (155) measured during the driving of the conveyor belt (11).

[0186] 52. System according to one of embodiments 32 to 51, wherein the system (51) has a cleaning device (137) for cleaning the conveyor belt (11), wherein the cleaning device (137) is designed to carry out a cleaning of the conveyor belt (11) as a function of an identification code (I) read out by the reading device (35) and / or as a function of a status information item (Z) determined by the reading device (35).

[0187] 53. System according to embodiment 52, wherein the cleaning device (137) is designed to store readable cleaning information about a completed cleaning on the conveyor belt (11), in particular to write it into a memory (43) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or to print it on the conveyor belt (11). 54. Method for determining a prognosis of a remaining service life of a conveyor belt (11), in particular of a conveyor belt (11) according to one of embodiments 1 to 31, in which: an identification (K) is read from at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) of the conveyor belt (11), which identification comprises status information (Z) about the conveyor belt (11); a service life already completed of the conveyor belt (11) is determined, in particular read from a database (133); and the forecast of the remaining service life is determined depending on the service life and the read-out condition information (Z).

[0188] The invention is explained below purely by way of example using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. They show:

[0189] Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a conveyor belt for conveying

[0190] Food products along a conveying direction, which has a transport side onto which the food products can be placed, and a running side opposite the transport side, with which the conveyor belt can be brought into contact with a drive transmission element for driving the conveyor belt,

[0191] Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the transport side of the conveyor belt,

[0192] Fig. 3 is a schematic bottom view of the running side of the conveyor belt,

[0193] Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of a system for processing

[0194] Food products with a processing line which has several workstations for processing the food products and a conveyor system for conveying the food products, and

[0195] Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of a cleaning device for

[0196] Cleaning the conveyor belt.

[0197] Fig. 1 shows a conveyor belt 11 which is designed to transport food products 117 along a conveying direction F, wherein the food products 117 can be placed on a transport side T of the conveyor belt F (see also Fig. 4). Opposite the transport side T, the conveyor belt 11 has a running side L, with which the conveyor belt 11 can be brought into contact with drive transmission elements 13 in order to be able to drive the conveyor belt 11 in the direction of the conveying direction F. In particular, the drive transmission elements 13 are designed as conveyor rollers 15, wherein at least one of the conveyor rollers 15 can be driven by a drive (not shown), so that the conveyor belt 11 can rotate endlessly around the conveyor rollers 15 and can thereby transport food products 117 placed on the transport side T along the conveying direction F.

[0198] In addition, Fig. 1 shows that in an interior of the conveyor belt 11, on its outer side 41, four functional elements 17 are arranged at equal distances from one another along the conveying direction F, which functional elements provide a readable identification K assigned to the conveyor belt 11. In particular, the functional elements 17 are designed as transponders 39, in particular as active RFID tags or passive NFC tags, and have a memory 43 in which an identification code I is stored, by which the conveyor belt 11 can be uniquely identified.

[0199] By having the conveyor belt with such functional elements 17, which provide the identification code I for reading by a reading device 129, in particular an RFID reader 141, of a reading device 35, the conveyor belt 11 can be uniquely identified, and information associated with the conveyor belt 11, for example, which may relate to a service life of the conveyor belt 11, can be retrieved from a database 133, for example, in order to check the status of the conveyor belt 11 (see also Fig. 4). This will be explained in more detail below in connection with Fig. 4.

[0200] In addition, wear markings 93 are applied to the outer side 41 of the conveyor belt 11. In particular, such wear markings 93 can make it possible to determine, as a result of the detection of a respective wear marking 93, that the thickness of the conveyor belt 11, for example due to material removal and / or due to a significant stretching of the conveyor belt 11, has already been reduced to such an extent that the conveyor belt 11 can still be reliably used to transport food products 117. In this respect, the detection or recognition of one of the wear markings 93 can provide an indication that the conveyor belt 11 should be replaced.

[0201] Even though wear may not be so severe in many cases that the thickness of the conveyor belt 11 changes significantly, the wear marks 93 can be useful for detecting whether abrasion is occurring. This is so fine that it may not be detected during final inspection. If the wear mark 93 begins to wear, it can also be checked whether the belt system is incorrectly adjusted and the belt 11 is rubbing somewhere, causing wear.

[0202] Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the transport side T of the conveyor belt 11, wherein further functional elements 19, 23, 31 and 33 are arranged on the transport side T, which also hold a respective marking K assigned to the conveyor belt 11 and readable for reading.

[0203] In particular, four functional elements 19 are also arranged in a respective edge section 47 of the transport side T of the conveyor belt 11, which provide the identification code I as a QR code and / or barcode 37 for optical reading. By arranging the QR code or barcode 37 in the edge section 47, the barcode 37 can in particular also be readable when food products 117 arranged centrally on the conveyor belt 11 are transported by means of the conveyor belt 11, so that identification of the conveyor belt 11 is also possible during operation by reading one or more of the functional elements 19 and the identification code I. For this purpose, one or more cameras 139 can be provided in particular on a reading device 35 designed to read the marking K in order to scan the QR code or barcode 37 and identify the associated conveyor belt 11.In addition, it can also be provided that the optically readable identification code I provided on the functional elements 19 is read by a mobile reading device 125 and / or a smartphone in order to be able to retrieve information assigned to the conveyor belt 11 (see also Fig. 4).

[0204] The QR codes or barcodes 37 are furthermore aligned in particular along a transverse direction Q oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction F. This ensures, in particular, that mechanical loads on the conveyor belt 11, which are primarily expected in the conveying direction F, do not lead to falsification of the QR codes or barcodes 37, so that the identification code I can be reliably read over the entire service life of the conveyor belt 11.

[0205] Furthermore, functional elements 23 are arranged on the transport side T, which provide status information Z for reading. In particular, the functional elements 23 each have a contamination sensor 79, by means of which biological contamination of the conveyor belt 11 can be detected. For example, the contamination sensor 79 can be designed to output and / or display a contamination indication 83 as a result of contamination by acidic and / or salty food products 117, so that by reading the status information Z of the functional element 23, such biological contamination of the conveyor belt 11 can be detected, in order to subsequently, for example, subject the conveyor belt 11 to timely cleaning.

[0206] In addition, the contamination sensor 79 can, for example, be designed to determine the presence or absence of microorganisms on the conveyor belt 11, for example to detect the presence of bacteria on the conveyor belt 11. Upon detection of such microorganisms, the contamination sensor 79 can, for example, output a detection indication 87, so that by reading the functional element 23 and the status information Z, information can be obtained again as to whether the conveyor belt 11 needs to be cleaned, in particular in order to meet the hygiene requirements in the food processing sector. Unlike what is shown in Fig. 2, the contamination sensor 79 can be arranged centrally on the conveyor belt 11, since this is where the products usually rest and therefore where the risk of contamination is greatest.

[0207] For example, the contamination sensor 79 can be configured to experience a change in state as a result of such biological contamination and to indicate this, for example, by means of a color indicator, so that a change in color of the contamination sensor 79 or the functional element 23 can be used to determine that the conveyor belt 11 has experienced biological contamination and needs to be cleaned. By cleaning and removing the biological contamination, the contamination sensor 79 can, in a sense, be reset, so that it can experience the change in state again due to a subsequent renewed contamination.By arranging three contamination sensors 23 on the transport side T of the conveyor belt 11, which spanned the transport side T in particular in the transverse direction Q, a reliable detection of biological contamination can be achieved, since such biological contamination can be detected in a relatively large area on the transport side T.

[0208] In addition, three further functional elements 31 are arranged on the transport side T, which also span the conveyor belt 11 in the transverse direction Q on the transport side T and which each have a contamination indicator 91, which is designed in particular as a recognizable geometric pattern 92. Due to the arrangement of such a contamination indicator 91, which is in particular visually recognizable, contamination of the conveyor belt 11 can be detected if, for example, the geometric pattern 92 cannot be fully detected due to dirt lying above it, in particular by a camera 139 of the reading device 35 (cf. Fig. 4). In this respect, as a result of one or more at least partially unrecognizable contamination indicators 91 or geometric patterns 92, it can be detected, for example, that cleaning of the conveyor belt 11 is necessary.

[0209] In the edge section 47 of the conveyor belt 11, on the transport side, a further functional element 33 is also arranged, which can be used, for example, to detect slippage between the conveyor belt 11 and the drive transmission element 13 when the conveyor belt 11 has already experienced strong mechanical loads and is therefore greatly expanded. For example, the functional element 33 can comprise a tension sensor for this purpose. The functional element 33 can also be detected as the belt rotates, for example, by a camera 139 or a reader 141. If the functional element has been read twice, the actual distance traveled can be measured and compared with the traveled motor distance. If the actual distance is less than the motor distance, this is an indication of slippage. This functionality can also be implemented with functional elements of a different design.

[0210] Fig. 3 shows a view of the running side L of the conveyor belt 11, wherein functional elements 21, 25, 27, and 29 are also arranged on the running side L. Again, the functional elements 21, 25, 27, and 29 can, in particular, provide an identification K for reading, which is assigned to the conveyor belt 11, wherein the identifications K of the functional elements 21, 25, 27, and 29, in particular, comprise a respective item of status information Z of the conveyor belt 11.

[0211] In particular, the functional element 21 has a cleaning sensor 71, which is designed to detect chemical loads on the conveyor belt 11. For example, the cleaning sensor can be designed to detect certain chemicals that can be used in various cleaning agents, for example chlorine. Furthermore, the cleaning sensor can be designed, for example, to determine the intensity of such a load on the conveyor belt 11 with a certain cleaning agent or a certain chemical. The cleaning sensor 71 also includes a color indicator 77 in order to be able to indicate on the color indicator 77 when the conveyor belt 11 is loaded with a certain chemical and / or a certain intensity of this load has been exceeded.In particular, such a cleaning sensor 71 can therefore make it possible to determine whether the conveyor belt 11 has always been properly cleaned, or whether unsuitable cleaning agents or chemicals were used during cleaning of the conveyor belt 11. This can, for example, make it possible in the event of complaints to either prove that damage to a conveyor belt 11 was due to improper cleaning, or to prove that the conveyor belt 11 has always been properly cleaned.

[0212] Furthermore, reaching a certain intensity of exposure to a certain chemical, possibly also a designated cleaning agent, may require replacement of the conveyor belt 11, so that, based on the status information Z provided by the cleaning sensor 71, for example, information about a remaining service life of the conveyor belt 11 or a required replacement of the conveyor belt 11 can also be obtained.

[0213] In addition, a temperature sensor 45 is formed in the edge section 47 on the running side L on the functional element 25, which temperature sensor is designed to detect a maximum and / or a minimum temperature to which the conveyor belt 11 has been exposed.

[0214] For example, the temperature sensor 45 can have a color indicator to provide a color indication upon reaching a maximum temperature and / or upon reaching a temperature within a specific temperature range for the first time. This can also make it possible to record the temperatures to which the conveyor belt 11 was exposed, in order to be able to prove, for example, improper or proper handling of the conveyor belt 11, particularly in the event of complaints. Furthermore, the temperature sensor 45 can also be designed to display the maximum and / or minimum temperature in plain text.

[0215] Furthermore, on the running side L, three functional elements 27 are arranged offset from one another in the transverse direction Q, each with a respective strain sensor 49, which can be, for example, a strain gauge or geometric pattern. By analyzing the strain sensor 49, it is therefore possible to detect, for example, mechanical loads on the conveyor belt 11 that have caused the conveyor belt 11 to stretch, particularly in the conveying direction F, in order to determine whether the conveyor belt 11 is still suitable for use or is already so stressed that a replacement of the conveyor belt 11 is necessary.

[0216] In addition, a functional element 29 with a moisture sensor 89 is arranged approximately centrally on the running side L of the conveyor belt 11, which is designed to detect the moisture content of the conveyor belt 11 and to provide corresponding status information Z for reading out. In particular, moist conveyor belts 11 can prevent a drive of the conveyor belt

[0217] 11 and result in slippage between the conveyor belt 11 and the drive transmission element 13, so that only dried conveyor belts 11 should be used in operation. Therefore, after reading the status information Z provided by the moisture sensor 89 or functional element 29, a warning can be issued, for example, if the conveyor belt 11 is not sufficiently dry for use.

[0218] In general, the status information Z for the aforementioned functional elements 17 to 33 is provided in a particularly optically readable manner. Alternatively or additionally, however, it may also be provided that the status information Z is written into the memory 43 of one or more of the functional elements 17 in order to be able to be electrically read out without contact. For this purpose, the functional element 17 or the functional elements 17 can be connected, in particular, to the respective sensors for determining the status information Z.

[0219] Fig. 4 further shows a system 51 for processing food products 117, which comprises a processing line 52 with several work stations 53.

[0220] In particular, the processing line 52 or the system 51 has a slicing device 55 with a product feed 57, which is designed to guide a food product 117 to be processed into a cutting plane S, in which a knife 65 rotates and cuts slices 75 from the food product 117. For this purpose, the product feed 57 comprises a conveyor belt 61, in particular one of the type explained above, which is drivable by an electric motor 135 and on whose transport side T the food product 117 rests (see in particular also Fig. 1). In addition, the product feed 57 comprises a gripper 59 guided along a guide 119, which grips and stabilizes the food product 117 at one product end.

[0221] The slices 75 cut by the knife 65 are collected at a portioning device 67, which can also be understood as part of the slicing device 55, to create portions 73 comprising one or more slices 75. A conveyor belt 69 is also arranged on the portioning device 67 in order to transfer finished portions 73 to a conveyor device 81, which again has a conveyor belt 63, but in particular several conveyor belts, for moving the portions 73. The conveyor device 81 moves the portions 73 in the conveying direction F and, finally, the conveyor device 81 has an insertion belt 85, from which the portions 73 are inserted into packaging stations 123 provided by a packaging machine 121. The insertion belt 85 can also be designed, in particular, as a conveyor belt.

[0222] In the embodiment shown, the packaging machine 121 is designed, by way of example, as a thermoforming packaging machine in which a material web 101 is drawn from a material web roll 99 and fed to a forming station 107, in which troughs 109 are drawn into the material web 101, forming the packaging stations 123. After a portion 73 has been inserted into a trough 109, the trough 109 with the inserted portion 73 is fed to a sealing station 111, at which the trough 109 is closed by means of an upper material web 105, also drawn from a material web roll 103. Furthermore, one or more separating stations can be connected to the sealing station 111 in order to be able to separate the completely produced packages 113.

[0223] In order to be able to control the processing line 52 and in particular its workstations 53 and the conveyor system 81, the processing line 52 also has a control device 95. The control device 95 comprises a display and operating device 97, at which commands from a person controlling the processing line can be received or instructions for the person can be displayed.

[0224] In the processing line 52, a plurality of conveyor belts, in particular the conveyor belts 61, 63, 69 and 85, are thus used, wherein these conveyor belts 61, 63, 69 and 85 are designed in particular as explained above in connection with Figs. 1 to 3 and can have one or more functional elements 19 to 33 which provide a marking K for reading.

[0225] In order to be able to use the information provided by the marking K, the system 51 has the aforementioned reading device 35, which initially comprises a mobile reading device 125, in particular a handheld scanner 127. This can make it possible, for example, to read one of the functional elements 17 and / or the functional elements 19 before the installation of a conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85 and thereby to record the identification code I (see also Figs. 1 and 2). The reading device 125 is connected to the control device 45 via a cable, although, deviating from the illustration in Fig. 4, a wireless connection can also be provided. The control device 95 can be designed to transmit the read identification code I to a database 133 in order to read additional information B, which is assigned to the respective conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85, from the database 133.For example, depending on the transmitted identification code I, the control device 95 can be provided with information about an intended installation location of the respective conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85, whereupon this information can be displayed in particular on the display and operating device 97 so that a person operating the processing line 52 can install the conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85 at the intended installation location and thereby prevent incorrect installation of the processing line 52.

[0226] The communication between the control device 95 and the database 133 can take place in particular via an Internet connection, although the database 133 can alternatively also be stored in a local memory connected to the control device 95.

[0227] In addition to the mobile reader 125, the reading device 35 comprises further readers 129, which are arranged in respective installation environments of the conveyor belts, here, for example, the conveyor belts 63, 69, and 85. In particular, the reading device 35 comprises, for example, two cameras 139 and an RFID reader 141. Similarly, the reading device 35 can also be provided with a reader assigned to the slicing device 55 and / or the product feed 57 in order to be able to read conveyor belts used in the product feed 57.

[0228] The reading devices 129 arranged in the respective installation environments E of the conveyor belts 63 and 85 can, for example, be provided to read the identification code I directly in the installation environment E and transmit it to the control device 95. A warning can, for example, be output on the display and operating device 97 if one of the conveyor belts 63, 69, or 85 has been detected at an incorrect installation location. In particular, such a check can be performed before the start of operation in order to prevent operation with incorrectly installed conveyor belts 63 or 85 and to avoid loads on the conveyor belts 63, 69, and 85 caused by such incorrect installation.

[0229] Furthermore, the reading devices 129 arranged in the installation environment E, but also the mobile reading device 125, can be configured to read status information Z from the functional elements 17 to 33 in order to determine any loads on the conveyor belts 61, 63, 69, and 85 and, for example, to output a warning on the display and operating device 97 if a conveyor belt 61, 63, 69, or 85 that is too heavily loaded for operation has been used. Furthermore, the control device 95 can be configured to output a warning to perform cleaning after evaluating status information Z read by the reading device 35, for example, after reading a contamination indication 83, a detection indication 87, or a contamination indicator 91 (see also Figs. 2 and 3).

[0230] Furthermore, the control device 95 can be designed to determine a forecast of a remaining running time of the respective conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85 based on the status information Z read out by the reading device 35, the identification code I and / or the additional information B received from the database 133.

[0231] For example, the additional information B can comprise an average service life of similar conveyor belts, wherein the identification state I in the database 133 can also be assigned a service life of the respective conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85, so that a forecast of a remaining service life can be output as a first approximation, a difference between the average service life of similar conveyor belts and the service life already achieved of the respective conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85. However, the control device 95 can also be designed to use determined state information Z, which, for example, allows one to infer a particular mechanical load on one of the conveyor belts 61, 63, 69 and 85, when determining the forecast.

[0232] Such forecasts can be used, for example, to give a person operating the processing line 62 an indication that one of the conveyor belts 61, 63, 69, or 85 will likely need to be replaced at a certain interval, in order to enable timely ordering of new conveyor belts without always having to maintain a large supply of conveyor belts. In principle, the control device 95 for determining such a forecast can be designed as a control device 95 comprising several units, so that the forecast can be determined, for example, on an external server, and the remaining running time can also be stored in the database 133 so that it can be optionally read out by an owner of the processing line 52.Such a remaining running time can therefore also be transmitted as additional information B to the control device 95 and displayed on the operating and / or display device 97 in order to inform a person operating the system 51 accordingly. In addition, a comparison with the inventory level can be performed, and if necessary, a notice appears directly on the control element indicating that the belt needs to be ordered. The order for the affected belt can be initiated directly via the control element.

[0233] The control device 95 can further be configured to write status information Z read by the readout device 35, additional information B obtained from the database 133, and / or any system information, for example, operating settings, information about processed products, and / or runtimes, into the memory 43 of the functional element 17 (see Fig. 1). This can make it possible to use the functional element 17 as a kind of tachograph, so that by reading the memory 43 of the functional element 17, the history of the conveyor belt 11 (or one of the conveyor belts 61, 63, 69, and 85) can ultimately be traced, for example, to determine whether the conveyor belt 11 was always handled properly.

[0234] In addition, reading out status information Z can also make it possible to adapt the operation of the system 11 depending on status information Z. For example, provision can be made for adjusting a distance between deflection rollers of conveyor belts 61, 63, 69 or 85 that are already subject to heavy mechanical stress and, for example, for increasing the distance in the case of highly stretched conveyor belts 61, 63, 69 and 85, in order to thereby achieve proper driving of the conveyor belt 61, 63, 69 or 85 in question.

[0235] As already explained, reading the functional elements 17 to 33 can, in particular, make it possible to issue an indication if cleaning of the conveyor belt 11 is necessary. To perform such cleaning, the system 51 can, in particular, comprise a cleaning device 137, illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0236] The cleaning device 137 has two deflection rollers 143 onto which the conveyor belt 11 can be clamped. The deflection rollers 143 are designed as a respective brush 145 to enable cleaning of the conveyor belt 11 on the running side L. Furthermore, the cleaning device 137 comprises a further brush 155, which is provided for cleaning the conveyor belt 11 on the transport side T.

[0237] Furthermore, the cleaning device 137 also includes readers 129 for reading the functional elements 17 to 33 of the conveyor belt 11. In this respect, the cleaning device 137 can have a reading device 35 for reading the functional elements 17 to 33, or readers 129 of the reading device 35 of the system 51 shown in Fig. 4 can be arranged on the cleaning device 137. In particular, a camera 139 and an RFID reader 141 are arranged on the cleaning device 137 for this purpose.

[0238] For example, it can be provided that the reading devices 129 on the cleaning device 137 read the functional elements 17 to 33 in order to determine the condition of the conveyor belt 11 and to be able to perform adequate cleaning. In particular, the cleaning time for only slightly soiled conveyor belts 11 can be reduced compared to the cleaning time for heavily soiled conveyor belts 11 in order to minimize the stress on the conveyor belt 11 during cleaning as much as possible and thus extend the service life of the conveyor belt 11.In addition, in particular, the RFID reader 141 can also be designed to write information about a completed cleaning into the memory 43 of the functional element 17, so that, for example, during a subsequent use of the conveyor belt 11 in the system 51, it can first be checked by reading the memory 43 whether the conveyor belt 11 has been properly cleaned and is therefore suitable for use in the processing line 52.

[0239] To perform the cleaning, the cleaning device 137 also comprises a nozzle bar 147, which is designed to eject cleaning agent 149, for example, as a rinsing fluid. Furthermore, the nozzle bar 147 is also designed to eject compressed air 151, so that the conveyor belt 11 can also be supported on the nozzle bar 147, for example, for drying. Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that the deflection rollers 143 are formed with openings and are connected to a device for providing cleaning agent and / or rinsing fluid, so that the cleaning agent can be guided through the porous deflection rollers 143 to the conveyor belt 11.

[0240] List of reference symbols

[0241] II Conveyor belt

[0242] 13 Drive transmission element

[0243] 15 conveyor roller

[0244] 17 Functional element

[0245] 19 Functional element

[0246] 21 Functional element

[0247] 23 Functional element

[0248] 25 functional element

[0249] 27 Functional element

[0250] 29 Functional element

[0251] 31 functional element

[0252] 33 functional element

[0253] 35 Reading device

[0254] 37 QR or barcode

[0255] 39 transponders

[0256] 41 Outside

[0257] 43 storage

[0258] 45 Temperature sensor

[0259] 47 marginal section

[0260] 49 Strain sensor

[0261] 51 System

[0262] 52 processing line

[0263] 53 workstations

[0264] 55 Cutting device

[0265] 57 Product feed

[0266] 59 grippers

[0267] 61 Conveyor belt

[0268] 63 Conveyor belt

[0269] 65 knives

[0270] 67 Portioning device

[0271] 69 Conveyor belt

[0272] 71 Cleaning sensor

[0273] 73 servings

[0274] 75 slice

[0275] 77 Color indicator

[0276] 79 Contamination sensor

[0277] 81 conveyor system

[0278] 83 Contamination indication

[0279] 85 inlay tape

[0280] 87 Detection indication

[0281] 89 Humidity sensor

[0282] 91 Pollution indicator

[0283] 92 geometric pattern

[0284] 93 Wear mark

[0285] 95 Control device

[0286] 97 Display and control device

[0287] 99 material rolls

[0288] 101 Material web

[0289] 103 Material roll

[0290] 105 Upper material web

[0291] 107 Forming station

[0292] 109 trough

[0293] III Sealing Station

[0294] 113 Packaging 117 Food product

[0295] 119 Guide

[0296] 121 Packaging machine

[0297] 123 packaging station

[0298] 125 mobile reader

[0299] 127 handheld scanners

[0300] 129 reader

[0301] 131 Camera

[0302] 133 Database

[0303] 135 electric motor

[0304] 137 Cleaning device

[0305] 139 Camera

[0306] 141 RFID readers

[0307] 143 pulley

[0308] 145 Brush

[0309] 147 nozzle bars

[0310] 149 cleaning products

[0311] 151 Compressed air

[0312] 155 Brush

[0313] B Additional information

[0314] E Installation environment

[0315] F Conveying direction

[0316] I Identification code

[0317] K marking

[0318] L Running side

[0319] Q transverse direction

[0320] T Transport side

[0321] Z Status information

Claims

Claims 1. System (51) for processing food products (117), comprising at least one work station (53) for processing the food products (117) and a conveyor device (81) which is designed to convey the food products (117) to the at least one work station (53), wherein the conveyor device (81) and / or the at least one work station (53) comprises at least one conveyor belt (11) which has a transport side (T) onto which the food products (117) can be placed, and a running side (L) opposite the transport side (T), with which the conveyor belt (11) can be brought into contact with a drive transmission element (13), in particular at least one conveyor roller (15), for driving the conveyor belt (11), wherein the conveyor belt (11) has at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) which Conveyor belt (11) assigned readable marking (K).

2. Conveyor belt (11) according to claim 1, wherein the marking (K) can be read optically and / or electrically without contact.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the system (51) comprises a read-out device (35) for reading the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) and a control device (95) to which the read-out device (35) is connected.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein the reading device (35) comprises a mobile reading device (125), in particular a handheld scanner (127).

5. System according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the reading device (35) has at least one reading device (129) arranged in an installation environment (E) of the conveyor belt (11), which is designed and arranged to read the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31 , 33) of the conveyor belt (11) when the conveyor belt (11) is installed in the installation environment (E).

6. System according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the system (51) comprises a plurality of conveyor belts (11), wherein each of the conveyor belts (11) has at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) which provides a readable identification (K) assigned to the conveyor belt (11), wherein the reading device (35) for each of the plurality of conveyor belts (11) has a reading device (129) arranged in an installation environment (E) of the conveyor belt (11) for reading the respective at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33), which is designed and arranged to read the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31 , 33) of the conveyor belt (11 ) when the conveyor belt (11 ) is installed in the installation environment (E).

7. System according to one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the reading device (35) comprises at least one camera (131), a scanner and / or an RFID and / or NFC reader.

8. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the marking (K) comprises status information (Z) about a status of the conveyor belt (11).

9. System according to claim 8, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) is designed to determine the status information (Z).

10. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) is arranged in an interior of the conveyor belt (11) - between the running side (L) and the transport side (T) -, is lasered and / or printed onto the conveyor belt (11) and / or is glued onto the conveyor belt (11), in particular with an adhesive approved for the processing of food products (117).

11. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the marking (K) comprises an identification code (I) which is uniquely assigned to the conveyor belt (11).

12. System according to claim 11, wherein the conveyor belt (11) has a plurality of functional elements (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) providing the identification code (I), which are arranged offset from one another in the conveying direction (F).

13. System according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a QR code and / or barcode (37) representing the identification code (I).

14. System according to claim 13, wherein the QR code and / or the barcode (37) is aligned along a transverse direction (Q) of the conveyor belt (11) which is aligned perpendicular to the conveying direction (F).

15. System according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the QR code and / or the barcode (37) is arranged on the transport side (T) of the conveyor belt (11).

16. System according to one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) comprises an active transponder (39), in particular an active RFID tag, or a passive transponder (39), in particular an NFC tag, with a memory (43) in which the identification code (I) is stored.

17. System according to claim 16, wherein the transponder (39) is embedded in the conveyor belt (11) on an outer side (41) of the conveyor belt (11), wherein the outer side (41) is oriented perpendicular to the running side (L) and perpendicular to the transport side (T) and connects the running side (L) and the transport side (T) to one another.

18. System according to one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the reading device (35) is designed to read the identification code (I) of the conveyor belt (11) held by the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33).

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control device (95) is configured to display information about an intended installation location of the conveyor belt (11) based on the read identification code (I); and / or wherein the control device (95) is configured to output a warning based on the read identification code (I) if the conveyor belt (11) is arranged at an unintended installation location.

20. System according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the control device (95) is designed to read out a respective item of additional information (B) associated with the conveyor belt (11) from a database (133) and / or to write it into the database (133) as a function of the read-out identification code (I).

21. System according to claim 20, wherein the control device (95) is designed to transmit status information (Z) read out by the reading device (35) as additional information (B) to the database (133).

22. System according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the additional information (B) relates to a service life of the conveyor belt (11).

23. System according to one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the additional information (B) relates to control data of the system (51).

24. System according to one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the control device (95) is designed to transmit a reason for the change as additional information (B) to the database (133) when the conveyor belt (11) is changed.

25. System according to one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the control device (95) is designed to determine a prognosis about a remaining running time of the conveyor belt (11) on the basis of the read-out additional information (B) and / or on the basis of status information (Z) read out by the read-out device (35).

26. System according to claim 25, wherein the control device (95) is designed to read out running time information about similar conveyor belts from the database (133) and to take it into account when determining the forecast, in particular an average running time.

27. System according to one of claims 3 to 26, wherein the control device (95) is designed to output an instruction to carry out a cleaning as a function of a status information (Z) read out by the reading device (35) and / or as a function of a read out additional information (B).

28. System according to one of claims 3 to 27, wherein the control device (95) is designed to adjust the conveyor device (81) and / or the work station (53) in dependence on status information (Z) determined by the reading device (35).

29. System according to one of claims 3 to 28, wherein the control device (95) is designed to generate a warning message as a function of status information (Z) determined by the reading device (35).

30. System according to one of claims 3 to 29, wherein the control device (95) is designed to write a state information (Z) read out by the reading device (35) and / or a system information (51), in particular control data of the system (51), into a memory (43) of the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33), in particular into a memory (43) of a functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) designed as an active or passive transponder (39).

31. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) comprises a temperature sensor (45) which is designed to indicate a maximum and / or a minimum temperature to which the conveyor belt (11) has been exposed.

32. System according to claim 31, wherein the temperature sensor (45) is mounted on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or an edge portion (47) of the conveyor belt (11).

33. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) comprises a strain sensor (49), in particular a strain gauge and / or a geometric pattern (92) applied to the conveyor belt (11).

34. System according to claim 33, wherein a plurality of strain sensors (49) arranged offset from one another in the transverse direction (Q) are arranged on the conveyor belt (11).

35. System according to claim 33 or 34, wherein the strain sensor (49) or the strain sensors (49) are arranged on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11).

36. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a cleaning sensor (71) which is designed to experience a change in state as a result of a chemical load, in particular by a cleaning agent.

37. System according to claim 36, wherein the cleaning sensor (71) is designed to represent the change in state, in particular by a color indicator (77).

38. System according to claim 36 or 37, wherein the cleaning sensor (71) is arranged on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or on an edge portion (47) of the conveyor belt (11).

39. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a contamination sensor (79) for detecting biological loads.

40. System according to claim 39, wherein the contamination sensor (79) is designed to detect fats, oils and / or lactic acid impinging on the conveyor belt (11) and, as a result of the detection, to output a contamination indication (83), in particular optically.

41. System according to claim 39 or 40, wherein the contamination sensor (79) is designed to measure a growth of microorganisms, in particular bacteria, and to output a detection indication (87) about the presence and / or absence of the microorganisms.

42. System according to one of claims 39 to 41, wherein the contamination sensor (79) is arranged on the transport side (T) of the conveyor belt (11), in particular wherein the contamination sensor (79) is arranged on the transport side (T) of the conveyor belt (11) so as to substantially span the conveyor belt (11) in a transverse direction (Q) oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction (F); and / or in particular wherein the contamination sensor (79) is arranged centrally on the transport side (T) when viewed in the transverse direction (Q); and / or in particular wherein the conveyor belt (11) has a plurality of contamination sensors (79) arranged offset in the conveying direction (F) and / or in the transverse direction (Q).

43. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a humidity sensor (89) which is designed to determine information about a humidity of the conveyor belt (11).

44. System according to claim 43, wherein the moisture sensor (89) is arranged on the running side (L) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or centrally on the conveyor belt (11) with respect to a transverse direction (Q) oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction (F).

45. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a contamination indicator (91) arranged on the transport side (T), in particular a geometric pattern (92) formed on the transport side (T).

46. ​​System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has at least one wear mark (93) arranged between the running side (L) and the transport side (T).

47. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a color indicator (77) for displaying the marking (K).

48. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) has a writable memory (43).

49. System according to one of claims 3 to 48, wherein the system (51) comprises a motor (155) for driving the conveyor belt (11), wherein the control device (95) is designed to determine status information (Z) about a mechanical load on the conveyor belt (11) on the basis of a motor current (155) measured during the driving of the conveyor belt (11).

50. System according to one of claims 3 to 49, wherein the system (51) has a cleaning device (137) for cleaning the conveyor belt (11), wherein the cleaning device (137) is designed to carry out a cleaning of the conveyor belt (11) as a function of an identification code (I) read out by the reading device (35) and / or as a function of a status information item (Z) determined by the reading device (35).

51. System according to claim 50, wherein the cleaning device (137) is designed to store readable cleaning information about a cleaning that has been carried out on the conveyor belt (11), in particular to write it into a memory (43) of the conveyor belt (11) and / or to print it onto the conveyor belt (11).

52. A method for determining a forecast of a remaining running time of a conveyor belt (11), in which: a marking (K) consisting of at least one functional element (17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) of the conveyor belt (11) is read out, which comprises status information (Z) about the conveyor belt (11); a service life of the conveyor belt (11) that has already elapsed is determined, in particular read out from a database (133); and the forecast of the remaining service life is determined as a function of the service life and the read-out status information (Z).

53. Method according to claim 52, wherein an average service life of similar conveyor belts is taken into account when determining the forecast, 54. The method of claim 53, wherein the average lifetime is retrieved from a database (133).

55. Method according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the prognosis is determined on the basis of a difference between the average service life and the service life, taking into account the condition information (Z).

56. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein system information, operating information and / or control data of a system in which the conveyor belt (11) was used are taken into account when determining the prognosis.

57. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the forecast is output and / or wherein a notice is output if the forecast remaining running time is less than a predetermined and / or predeterminable limit duration.

58. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, depending on the determined forecast, an order for a replacement conveyor belt is automatically carried out if the forecast remaining running time is less than a predetermined and / or predeterminable limit duration.

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