Gripper for a picker robot and picker robot

Abstract

A gripper (39) for a picker robot (33) for applying food portions (24, 26) to packaging locations provided by a packaging machine comprises two receiving blades (57), which are movable relative to each other along a transverse direction (Q) between a starting position (B) and a receiving position (A), and a folding device (59), wherein a food portion (24, 26) positioned in an intermediate space (63) between the receiving blades (57) can be received on the receiving blades (57) by movement of the receiving blades (57) into the receiving position (A). The folding device (59) is also designed to fold over a folding portion (27) of the received food portion (24, 26) in the direction of the receiving blades (57), said folding portion protruding beyond the receiving blades (57) along a longitudinal direction (L) oriented perpendicularly to the transverse direction (Q).

Description

[0001] Gripper for a picker robot and picker robot

[0002] The invention relates to a gripper for a picking robot for applying food portions, which comprise at least one slice separated from a food product and, in particular, several slices arranged in a shingled pattern, to packaging stations provided by a packaging machine. The gripper comprises two receiving blades movable relative to each other along a transverse direction between a starting position and a picking position, wherein the receiving blades are positioned transversely spaced apart from each other in the starting position and leave a gap between the receiving blades for positioning a food portion to be applied to the packaging station. The food portion positioned in the gap is picked up by moving the receiving blades into the picking position onto a receiving surface of the receiving blades.

[0003] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a picking robot with such a gripper, a packaging machine with such a picking robot, and a food processing line comprising a cutting device for forming food portions comprising at least one slice separated from a food product, such a packaging machine, and a transport device for moving the food portions to the packaging machine.

[0004] In the processing of food products, such as sausage or cheese, it may be necessary to create food portions using a slicing device. These portions consist of one or more slices separated from the respective food product (or products). High-speed slicers, capable of up to 2,000 slices per minute, are particularly useful for this purpose, enabling high product throughput and a high production rate of food portions containing one or more slices.

[0005] To offer these pre-packaged food portions for sale, it is usually necessary to transport them to a packaging machine for automated packaging. The packaging machine can provide designated packaging stations onto which the food portions are placed. For example, the packaging machines used may be thermoforming machines, which create trough-shaped depressions in a material web as packaging stations into which the food portions can be inserted.

[0006] To automate the process of placing food portions onto the packaging stations, so-called picker robots can be used in the packaging machine's work area. These picker robots can be equipped with a gripper to pick up (or grasp) the provided food portions, move them to the packaging stations, and place them there. This process can also be described as inserting the food portions into packaging.

[0007] To pick up the food portions, the gripper can first be moved into a position where the food portion is placed in the space between two picking blades. The picking blades can then be moved towards each other into a picking position where the food portion rests on the blades. The gripper can then be moved over the designated packaging station to place the picked food portion onto the packaging station by moving the picking blades apart.

[0008] However, in food processing, there is an increasing need to reduce the amount of packaging material required and to package food portions in a way that saves space and material. Currently, however, there are no known solutions for automatically reorienting food portions prepared by a slicing device into a more space-saving configuration. This necessitates manual intervention, which is associated with an undesirably high labor requirement. Such manual interventions can also be comparatively time-consuming and therefore negatively impact the achievable product throughput. Furthermore, it may also be desirable to change the orientation or arrangement of prepared food portions before packaging, for example, to reorient them into a more visually appealing configuration. However, this also currently requires manual intervention.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a means of automatically transferring food portions to be packaged into a modified and, in particular, more space-saving orientation, in order to be able to package the food portions in the modified orientation. This object is achieved by a gripper for a picking robot with the features of independent claim 1.

[0010] As already mentioned, the gripper has two picking blades that are movable relative to each other along a transverse direction between a starting position and a picking position. In the starting position, the picking blades are positioned transversely spaced apart from each other, leaving a gap between them for positioning a food portion to be placed on the packaging area. The food portion positioned in this gap can be picked up by moving the picking blades, in particular towards each other, into the picking position (at least partially or with a base section) onto a picking surface of the picking blades.

[0011] In addition, the gripper has a folding device which is designed to fold a folded section of the picked-up food portions, extending along a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the transverse direction and extending beyond the receiving blades, towards the receiving blades.

[0012] The gripper thus enables a food portion to be picked up onto the receiving blades, allowing the food portion to be transferred by the gripper to a packaging station provided by a packaging machine and placed there. Specifically, the receiving blades can be moved apart again to their starting position, allowing the food portion to slide off the receiving blades and be placed through the resulting gap between them.

[0013] Unlike conventional grippers, the picking blades are designed so that not the entire food portion is picked up. Instead, a folded section of the food portion can extend beyond the blades lengthwise, perpendicular to the direction of movement. The picking blades can therefore be designed to pick up a base section of the provided food portion on the picking surface, while allowing a folded section to extend lengthwise beyond the blades.For example, the receiving scoops may be designed to receive approximately half of the food portion to be received (before folding) as the base section of the food portion when viewed longitudinally, whereas approximately the other half of the food portion may extend beyond the receiving scoops as the folded section.

[0014] Because the folded section extends lengthwise beyond the receiving blades, it is possible to process this section, particularly by folding it back towards the receiving blades. Such a fold can reduce the size of the food portion in the plane defined by the transverse and longitudinal directions, ultimately resulting in more space-saving packaging. Furthermore, a folded food portion may be presented more attractively.

[0015] To automate this folding process, the gripper, in addition to its receiving blades, features a folding device, eliminating the need for manual intervention with the food portion. Thus, the gripper disclosed herein advantageously automates two functions with a single device: it is designed both to place the food portions onto the packaging stations provided by the packaging machine and to fold them, thereby reducing their size. By integrating the folding of the food portion into the gripper, prior steps for reducing the size of the food portion, and in particular manual folding, can be avoided.Furthermore, by integrating the folding process into the gripper that is already provided, it is also possible to forego providing any additional equipment for processing the food portions before transferring them to the gripper, and existing processing lines can be easily retrofitted with this function by simply replacing the gripper used in the picking robot and, if necessary, installing a software package to control the modified gripper.

[0016] Whereas previously it was necessary to consider manually folding the food portions during transport towards a picking robot to reduce their expansion, or even manually placing the food portions onto packaging stations to change their orientation during transport, such manual steps can now be eliminated. The food portions can be transported to the gripper, picked up by the gripper, folded, and placed onto the packaging stations. The desired processing of the food portions can thus be automated, simplifying and accelerating the process. Further embodiments are explained in the dependent claims, the description, and with reference to the drawing.

[0017] In some embodiments, the gripper can include a guide rail extending transversely above the receiving blades, along which the receiving blades are guided.

[0018] For example, the receiving blades can have at least one retaining arm extending away from the receiving surface, particularly upwards, which can transition into or be connected to at least two guide sections that overlap the guide rail, in order to guide the receiving blades during transverse movement. Furthermore, such overlapping of the guide rail can serve to suspend the receiving blades from the guide rail and hold them in a vertical position, particularly during gripper movement. In principle, a single guide rail can be provided for both receiving blades, or the guide rail can be designed in two parts, with each receiving blade having a guide section formed by a respective component extending in the transverse direction.

[0019] In the context of the present disclosure, an arrangement above the receiving blades can generally refer to an orientation of the gripper during operation, and thus an orientation in which a picked-up food portion contacts the receiving surface of the receiving blades from above, meaning that the food portion is also arranged above the receiving surface of the receiving blades. The guide rail can therefore extend, in particular, above the receiving surface in a transverse direction.

[0020] In some embodiments, the receiving blades can be connected to the respective end sections of a rotatable connecting rod by means of a respective articulated arm, wherein the respective articulated arm can be rotatably connected to the respective end section relative to that end section. The receiving blades can also be moved between the starting position and the receiving position by rotating the connecting rod.

[0021] In particular, such a connecting rod can enable both receiving blades to be moved laterally by driving a single element – ​​the connecting rod itself. Furthermore, by adjusting the length of the connecting rod to the two end sections, and thus by imparting an eccentricity to each end section, a desired coordination or synchronization between the movements of the two receiving blades can be achieved. Specifically, in some embodiments, the distance from the axis of rotation of the connecting rod to the two end sections can be the same, and the two articulated arms can also have corresponding lengths, so that the two receiving blades can be moved by rotating the connecting rod through the same distance but in opposite directions.

[0022] To enable the transverse movement of the receiving blades due to the rotational movement of the connecting rod, the articulated arms can also be rotatably connected to the receiving blades (or to an element rigidly connected to the respective receiving blade) in order to create the degrees of freedom required to redirect the rotational movement of the connecting rod. Furthermore, in such embodiments, the guide rail mentioned above can act as a positive guide for the receiving blades to redirect the rotational movement of the connecting rod into the required linear traversing movement of the receiving blades.

[0023] The connecting rod can also be positioned, in particular, above the guide rail. This can make it possible to keep the space between the guide rail and the picking blades as clear as possible, in order to prevent unwanted contact between components of the gripper and a portion of food being picked up.

[0024] In some embodiments, the connecting rod can be rotatable about an axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to both the transverse and longitudinal directions. In this respect, the connecting rod can be rotatable, in particular, in a plane defined by the transverse and longitudinal directions, in order to allow the receiving vanes to move transversely in such a plane. For example, the transverse and longitudinal directions can extend in a horizontal plane if the gripper is oriented to pick up a portion of food also positioned in a horizontal plane.

[0025] In some embodiments, a linearly movable drive element, in particular a pneumatic cylinder, may be provided, by which the connecting rod can be set in rotation.

[0026] In particular, such a linearly movable drive element can act essentially tangentially on the connecting rod to rotate the connecting rod and thereby move the receiving vanes from the starting position to the receiving position (or vice versa). Such a linearly movable drive element can also be rotatably articulated to the connecting rod to allow rotation of the connecting rod relative to the drive element and to compensate for a changing component of the connecting rod's motion along the direction of travel of the drive element during rotation.

[0027] By designing the drive element, in particular as a pneumatic cylinder, a rapid movement of the receiving blades can be achieved. Since the receiving blades only need to be movable between the starting position and the receiving position, and thus to defined end positions, usually only these end positions need to be reached, and precise positioning of the connecting rod in intermediate positions is not required. Therefore, a pneumatic cylinder can offer a simple way to implement rapid movement of the receiving blades.

[0028] As an alternative to a method using a rotatable connecting rod, some embodiments may also provide that the receiving blades can be moved directly between the starting position and the receiving position by a linearly movable drive element. Furthermore, some embodiments may also provide a separate linearly movable drive element and / or a separate drive for each of the two receiving blades. For example, the receiving blades may be coupled to a pneumatic cylinder and moved by the pneumatic cylinder. Alternatively or additionally, control via an electric motor, in particular a servo motor, may also be provided.

[0029] In some designs, the receiving blades can be moved synchronously.

[0030] In particular, in such embodiments, the receiving blades can be moved from the starting position by the same distance to the receiving position, whereby the directions of movement of the two receiving blades can be opposite to each other in order to bring the receiving blades towards each other and close the gap. Furthermore, in such embodiments, the two receiving blades can also be moved simultaneously when they are moved from the starting position to the receiving position, so that they can reach the receiving position at the same time. As explained above, this can be achieved, for example, by moving the receiving blades via a rotatable connecting rod.Alternatively or additionally, a control-technical synchronization of the movements of the receiving blades can also be provided, for example by synchronously controlling the respective electric motors and / or pneumatic cylinders intended for moving the receiving blades.

[0031] In some designs, the receiving blades can be moved by a pneumatic drive.

[0032] As previously explained, the receiving blades can be moved, in particular, by a pneumatic cylinder, which can, for example, act on the aforementioned connecting rod – or directly on the receiving blades. This allows for a simple and quick movement of the receiving blades.

[0033] In some embodiments, the gripper may have at least one holding element designed to support a base section of the food portions located on the receiving blades during the folding of the folded section.

[0034] For example, such a holding element can be arranged on an end section of the receiving blades facing the folding device and / or form part of the receiving blades to support the base section at this end section during folding. The holding element can therefore also function, in particular, as a folding edge to support the food portion during folding, around which the folding section can be folded. For example, the holding element can be curved on a side opposite the receiving surface to define a radius for folding the food portion and to prevent breakage or tearing of the food portion during folding.Furthermore, such a holding element may also be designed to support the food portion picked up on the receiving blades above or opposite the receiving surface, particularly during movement of the gripper to place the food portion onto a packaging area.

[0035] In some embodiments, at least one holding element can be moved to exert pressure on the base section in the direction of the receiving surface.

[0036] In particular, such movement of the hold-down element can occur before the folding section is folded over, in order to fix the base section to the receiving surface and prevent movement or deflection of the base section during folding. Furthermore, such targeted application of pressure to the base section can reliably support the food portion picked up on the receiving blades, especially during the gripper's movement to place the food portion onto a packaging station.

[0037] In some embodiments, the at least one holding element can be pivoted about a holding pivot axis aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction, wherein the at least one holding element can have a pivot arm with a contact section facing away from the holding pivot axis for contacting a portion of food picked up on the receiving scoops. The at least one holding element can further be pivoted by a linearly movable drive element, in particular a pneumatic cylinder, acting between the holding pivot axis and the contact section.

[0038] In such embodiments, it can therefore be provided in particular that the holding element can be pivoted about the holding pivot axis by applying compressed air to a pneumatic cylinder in order to exert pressure on the received base section. By inserting a pneumatic cylinder, the holding element can be pivoted until a predetermined pressure is reached in a simple manner, especially independent of the size or height of the food portion.

[0039] The pneumatic cylinder for pivoting the hold-down element may differ in particular from a pneumatic cylinder which may be intended for moving the receiving blades.

[0040] In some embodiments, the receiving surface may have a raised structure to reduce the contact area for the food portion.

[0041] For example, such a raised structure can be designed as a ridge on the receiving blades, so that the picked-up food portion can only rest on raised sections of the raised structure, while there is no contact with the receiving surface between two adjacent raised sections. This reduction of the contact area can, in particular, reduce friction between the receiving surface and the food portion, which must be overcome both when picking up the food portion and when placing it onto the packaging area. In some embodiments, the folding device can include at least one folding blade, which is pivotable about a folding pivot axis parallel to the transverse direction to fold the folded section.

[0042] In such embodiments, the folded section can therefore, in particular, initially be picked up on the folding scoop so that, by subsequently pivoting the folding scoop about the folding pivot axis along its longitudinal direction, it can be folded onto a base section of the food portion located on the receiving scoops. During this folding process, the receiving scoops can, in particular, remain stationary. In other words, the at least one folding scoop can thus grasp the folded section from below in order to fold the folded section towards the base section by flipping the at least one folding scoop in the direction of the receiving scoops.

[0043] As explained in more detail below, the folding device can, in particular, have exactly one folding blade or exactly two folding blades. Furthermore, it can be provided, for example, that the at least one folding blade is brought into contact with the food portion together with or simultaneously with the receiving blades, so that the folded section can then be folded over by pivoting the at least one folding blade, or that the receiving blades are first moved into the receiving position, whereupon the at least one folding blade can be brought into contact with the folded section extending beyond the receiving blades.

[0044] In some embodiments, the folding device may include a rotary drive for pivoting the at least one folding blade. For example, such a rotary drive may be pneumatic and / or electric. In particular, the rotary drive may be configured to transmit a rotation about the folding pivot axis to the at least one folding blade, thereby enabling the folding blade to pivot.

[0045] In some embodiments, the rotary drive can have a linearly movable rack, in particular by means of a pneumatic cylinder, which can mesh with a gear coupled to the at least one folding blade. Therefore, in such embodiments, the at least one folding blade can be pivoted by linear movement of the rack.

[0046] With such a rack and pinion, a linear movement of the rack can therefore be easily converted into a pivoting movement of the folding shovel, allowing the rotary drive to be implemented by a linearly movable drive element that drives the rack. This can also be achieved, in particular, with a pneumatic cylinder, since the folding shovel only needs to pivot between its respective end positions, eliminating the need for precise control of intermediate positions. The pneumatic cylinder for driving the rack can, in particular, be another pneumatic cylinder that is not also used to drive the receiving shovel blades and / or a hold-down element. Alternatively, an electric motor, for example, can be used to move the rack instead of a pneumatic cylinder.

[0047] Furthermore, it can also be provided, for example, that the rotary drive is designed to directly transmit rotational forces to at least one folding blade. This can be achieved, for example, by providing an electric drive with an electric motor, or a pneumatic drive can be designed in such a way that tangential forces can be exerted on an element connected to the folding blade by generating compressed air.

[0048] At least one folding scoop can have a raised structure to reduce the contact area of ​​the folded section. This reduces friction encountered when picking up the folded section and / or placing the food portion onto a designated packaging area, by minimizing the contact area between the food product and the scoop.

[0049] In some embodiments, the at least one folding shovel can be moved from a folding shovel starting position, in which the food portion positioned in the space and / or received on the receiving shovels is spaced apart from the at least one folding shovel, to a folding shovel receiving position, in which the folded section of the food portion can be received on the at least one folding shovel.

[0050] In particular, at least one folding scoop can initially be positioned at a distance from the food portion to be picked up, in order to arrange the two receiving scoops and the at least one folding scoop at a distance from the food portion to be picked up, for example by lowering the gripper. The receiving scoops and the at least one folding scoop can, in particular, already be arranged in the same plane as the food portion to be picked up. To then pick up the food portion onto the gripper, the receiving scoops can be moved into the picking position and the at least one folding scoop into the folding scoop picking position, so that, for example, a base section of the food portion can rest on the receiving scoops and the folded section of the food portion can rest on the at least one folding scoop.The folding section can then be folded over by pivoting at least one folding shovel.

[0051] For example, it may be provided that at least one folding scoop can be moved from the folding scoop starting position to the folding scoop picking position simultaneously with the picking scoops. Alternatively, it may be provided that the picking scoops are first moved from the starting position to the picking position, and the food portion, especially its base section, is picked up onto the picking scoops before the folding scoop is moved to the folding scoop picking position. With this procedure, the folding scoop may therefore still be in the folding scoop starting position when the picking scoops are already in the picking position.

[0052] In some embodiments, at least one folding blade can be moved along the transverse direction from the folding blade starting position to the folding blade receiving position. In other embodiments, however, at least one folding blade can be moved along the longitudinal direction from the folding blade starting position to the folding blade receiving position.

[0053] In particular, a folding bucket that can be moved transversely can be moved transversely together with the receiving buckets or synchronized with the receiving buckets. A folding bucket that can be moved longitudinally, however, can only be moved into the receiving position once the receiving buckets have already been moved into that position.

[0054] The at least one folding shovel can be moved by a pneumatic drive. This again allows for rapid movement of the folding shovel, which only needs to be moved between its respective end positions – the folding shovel start position and the folding shovel pick-up position. The at least one folding shovel can also be moved, in particular, by a pneumatic cylinder, whereby this pneumatic cylinder is intended exclusively for moving the at least one folding shovel between the folding shovel start position and the folding shovel pick-up position, and not, for example, for moving the pick-up shovels, a hold-down element, or for driving a rotary drive for the at least one folding shovel. The at least one folding shovel can be curved at an end facing away from the other folding shovels in the longitudinal direction.Such training can, in particular, take into account the corresponding shape of food portions to be applied to the packaging areas, since slices separated from the food portion can often also have a curved edge.

[0055] In some embodiments, the at least one folding shovel can be guided by at least one folding shovel guide rail extending above the at least one folding shovel. In particular, the folding shovel guide rail can also be formed integrally with the aforementioned guide rail for guiding the receiving shovels. As explained in more detail below, the folding shovel guide rail can also extend, in particular, along the longitudinal direction or along the transverse direction to guide the at least one folding shovel accordingly.

[0056] By forming the folding shovel guide rail in particular as a single unit with a guide rail for guiding the receiving shovels, a guide device with respective guide rails for guiding the receiving shovels and the at least one folding shovel can extend, in particular generally, above the receiving shovels and the at least one folding shovel.

[0057] In some embodiments, the folding device may have a first folding shovel and a second folding shovel which are movable along the transverse direction relative to each other between the folding shovel starting position and the folding shovel receiving position.

[0058] Therefore, the first folding blade and the second folding blade can be designed in a similar way to the two opposing receiving blades, in order to laterally pick up the folded section by moving it in a transverse direction before the folded section is folded over by pivoting the two folding blades towards the receiving blades. In particular, the two folding blades can be pivoted synchronously with each other to fold over the folded section.

[0059] In some embodiments, the folding blades can also be moved synchronously with each other. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, it can also be provided that the folding blades are moved synchronously with the receiving blades.

[0060] In particular, in some embodiments, the two folding blades can be moved synchronously to each other along the transverse direction from the folding blade starting position to the folding blade receiving position. Therefore, the two folding blades can, especially during such a process, cover the same distance in terms of absolute value, but move in opposite directions in order to receive the folded section.

[0061] Furthermore, the folding blades can be moved synchronously with the receiving blades. This ultimately enables a single-step operation for picking up food portions, as the receiving blades and folding blades can be moved to their respective receiving positions, or folding blade receiving positions, in a single, shared movement. For example, the drives for moving the receiving blades and folding blades can be synchronized. In particular, the pneumatic drives for moving the receiving blades and folding blades can be connected to a common pressure line to easily implement synchronous operation.Alternatively, control-related synchronization of drives, especially electric drives or pneumatic drives, for the receiving blades and the folding blades can also be considered.

[0062] Furthermore, the two folding blades can be pivoted synchronously with each other. This can be achieved, for example, by using a common rotary drive for both folding blades or by synchronizing individual rotary drives, for example, by connecting individual pneumatic cylinders to a common pressure line and / or by using control system synchronization.

[0063] In some embodiments, the folding shovels can be connected to a respective end section of a rotatable folding shovel connecting rod by a respective folding shovel articulated arm, wherein the respective folding shovel articulated arm can be rotatably pivoted to the respective end section. Furthermore, the folding shovels can be moved between the folding shovel starting position and the folding shovel receiving position by rotating the folding shovel connecting rod. In particular, the articulated arms can also be rotatably pivoted to the folding shovels or to elements rigidly connected to them.

[0064] Therefore, in such embodiments, a folding blade mechanism can be provided, as already explained above in connection with the receiving blades. Again, synchronization of the movement of the two folding blades can be easily achieved by moving both folding blades by rotating a common connecting rod. In particular, by attaching the two folding blade articulated arms to end sections that are at an identical distance from an axis of rotation of the folding blade connecting rod, synchronous movement of the folding blades over equal distances can be achieved.

[0065] In some embodiments, the folding shovel connecting rod can be rotatable about an axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to both the transverse and longitudinal directions. In particular, the axis of rotation of the folding shovel connecting rod can also be aligned parallel to and offset from the aforementioned axis of rotation of a connecting rod for moving the receiving shovels. Such an oriented axis of rotation allows the folding shovels to be moved by rotating the folding shovel connecting rod in a plane defined by the transverse and longitudinal directions between the folding shovel starting position and the folding shovel receiving position.

[0066] In some embodiments, the folding shovel connecting rod can be arranged offset along the longitudinal direction from a connecting rod for moving the receiving shovels. In particular, the folding shovel connecting rod can therefore be arranged offset from the aforementioned connecting rod for moving the receiving shovels.

[0067] In some embodiments, a linearly movable folding shovel drive element, in particular a pneumatic cylinder, can be provided, by which the folding shovel connecting rod can be set into rotation. Such a folding shovel drive element can also, in particular, act tangentially on the folding shovel connecting rod and / or be rotatably articulated to the folding shovel connecting rod in order to set the folding shovel connecting rod into rotation by linear movement. A design as a pneumatic cylinder can again enable rapid movement of the folding shovel between the relevant end positions, the folding shovel starting position and the folding shovel receiving position.

[0068] Again, a separate pneumatic cylinder can be provided for rotating the folding shovel connecting rod, which is not also intended for moving other elements of the gripper. As already mentioned, however, to synchronize the movement of the folding shovels with the movement of the receiving shovels, it can be provided, for example, that a pneumatic cylinder for rotating the folding shovel connecting rod and a pneumatic cylinder for rotating the connecting rod for moving the receiving shovels are connected to a common pressure line in order to actuate both pneumatic cylinders simultaneously. The two pneumatic cylinders can therefore be considered components of a common pneumatic drive. In some embodiments, the folding shovels can be guided on a folding shovel guide rail extending transversely above the folding shovels.In particular, the folding shovel guide rail can be formed as a single unit with the aforementioned guide rail for guiding the receiving shovels.

[0069] Such a folding shovel guide rail can also serve, in particular, to redirect a rotary movement of the aforementioned connecting rod into a linear traversing movement of the folding shovels. However, a direct linear drive for moving the folding shovels can also be provided, so that the folding shovel guide rail can generally serve to guide the folding shovels. The folding shovels can also be held and guided on the folding shovel guide rail, for example, by retaining arms that extend upwards from the folding shovels like arms and transition into respective guide sections.

[0070] In some embodiments, at least one folding shovel can be moved along the longitudinal direction from the folding shovel starting position to the folding shovel receiving position by means of a linearly movable drive element, in particular a pneumatic cylinder.

[0071] In particular, in such embodiments, the folding device can have exactly one folding blade, which is movable along the longitudinal direction from the folding blade starting position to the folding blade receiving position. Since, in such embodiments, it is therefore not necessary for two folding blades to be movable relative to each other from the folding blade starting position to the folding blade receiving position, the folding blade can be moved, in particular, by a linearly movable drive element acting directly on the folding blade, especially a pneumatic cylinder specifically provided for this purpose.

[0072] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments the folding device can have exactly one folding shovel that can be moved along the longitudinal direction from the folding shovel starting position to the folding shovel receiving position.

[0073] In some embodiments, the folding shovel can be guided on at least one folding shovel guide rail extending above the folding shovel, and in particular on exactly two folding shovel guide rails extending above the folding shovel, thus guiding it on both sides. The at least one folding shovel guide rail can, in particular, be formed integrally with the aforementioned guide rail for guiding the receiving shovels. However, the at least one folding shovel guide rail can extend along the longitudinal direction to guide the at least one folding shovel along the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the folding shovel guide rail can also serve to suspend and hold the at least one folding shovel, with the at least one folding shovel being connected to the folding shovel guide rail by an upwardly extending retaining arm and respective guide sections that overlap the folding shovel guide rail.

[0074] In some embodiments, the gripper may also include a stabilizing and depositing plunger which is movable towards the receiving surface to stabilize the food portion and / or is designed to exert pressure on the food portion when a picked-up food product is placed on the packaging area.

[0075] In particular, such a stabilizing and placing stamp can therefore serve to stabilize a picked-up food portion while the gripper moves on the picking blades and to prevent the food portion from slipping or sliding off. Furthermore, by applying pressure to the food portion during placement on the packaging area, the placement process can be supported and stabilized by ensuring that the food portion is not simply dropped by the picking blades moving apart, but is guided by the stabilizing and placing stamp during this process.

[0076] In particular, the stabilizing and depositing plunger can be designed to exert pressure on the folded section in the direction of the receiving surface after the folded section has been folded over. In this respect, the stabilizing and depositing plunger can therefore differ from the aforementioned holding element, which can be designed to exert pressure in the direction of the receiving surface on a base section of the food portion located on the receiving blades, but not on the folded section itself.

[0077] In some embodiments, the folding device may have openings for the stabilizing and depositing stamp to pass through.

[0078] In particular, at least one folding blade can have such openings to allow the stabilizing and placing die to exert pressure on the folded section. This also allows the stabilizing and placing die to exert pressure on the folded section, especially when placing the folded food portion onto a packaging station, thus facilitating this process.

[0079] In some embodiments, the stabilizing and depositing punch can be pivoted about a punch pivot axis aligned parallel to the transverse direction.

[0080] Furthermore, in some embodiments a linearly movable drive element, in particular a pneumatic cylinder, may be provided for pivoting the stabilizing and depositing plunger.

[0081] Again, a pneumatic cylinder specifically designed for pivoting the stabilizing and placing plunger can be provided, without this pneumatic cylinder needing to perform any further functions. By pivoting the stabilizing and placing plunger with such a pneumatic cylinder, a predetermined pressure can be applied to the food portion to stabilize it during gripper movement. When the food portion is released as the picking blades move back to their starting position, the pneumatic cylinder, and thus the stabilizing and placing plunger, can be further moved to assist in placing the food portion onto a packaging station.

[0082] Opposite the folding device, in some embodiments a counter-stop for the food portion may be arranged.

[0083] In particular, such a counter-stop can be provided in embodiments where the folding device has at least one longitudinally movable folding blade, so that the food portion cannot be pushed off the receiving blades by moving the folding device longitudinally. Furthermore, the counter-stop can support and stabilize the food portion while the gripper is moving towards a packaging station.

[0084] In some embodiments, the gripper may also include a connecting section for connecting the gripper to a gripper suspension of the picker robot.

[0085] In particular, such a connecting section can be positioned centrally on the gripper with respect to the longitudinal and / or transverse direction in order to suspend the gripper as close as possible to its center of gravity on the gripper suspension. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the connecting section may be arranged coaxially to a pivot axis of a connecting rod for moving the receiving blades, particularly in embodiments where the folding device has a folding blade that is movable along the longitudinal direction between a folding blade starting position and a folding blade receiving position.

[0086] The invention also relates to a picker robot for applying food portions, which comprise at least one slice separated from a food product and in particular several slices separated from the food product arranged in a shingled pattern, on packaging stations provided by a packaging machine, which comprises a gripper of the type disclosed herein.

[0087] The picking robot can, for example, have a housing and a movable gripper mount to which the gripper can be attached. In particular, the picking robot can also be configured to transfer picked-up food portions to a designated packaging station by moving the gripper, and specifically to place or deposit the food portion onto the packaging station by moving the picking blades into the starting position. Such a picking robot can thus enable the automated folding of provided food portions as well as the automated placement of the folded food portions onto a designated packaging station of a packaging machine.

[0088] In some embodiments, the picker robot may have a control device configured to first move the picking blades from the starting position to the picking position and then to move at least one folding blade of the folding device along the longitudinal direction from a folding blade starting position to a folding blade picking position. Furthermore, the control device may be configured to pivot the at least one folding blade to fold the folded section.

[0089] Consequently, in such embodiments, it can be provided that the receiving scoops are first moved into the receiving position in order to, for example, pick up a base section of the food portion onto the receiving scoops. Subsequently, the at least one folding scoop, in particular precisely one folding scoop, can be moved along the longitudinal direction into the folding scoop receiving position in order to pick up the folded section extending beyond the receiving scoops onto the at least one folding scoop. By subsequently pivoting the at least one folding scoop, the folded section can then be folded over in the direction of the receiving scoops.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the picker robot can have a control device configured to move the picking blades from the starting position to the picking position and, synchronously, to move two folding blades of the folding device along the transverse direction – in particular towards each other – from a folding blade starting position to a folding blade picking position. In such embodiments, the control device can also be configured to pivot the folding blades to fold the section.

[0090] In such embodiments, the receiving blades and the two folding blades can thus be moved synchronously or simultaneously, so that the food portion positioned in the space between can be picked up onto the receiving blades and the two folding blades at the same time. Subsequently, by pivoting the folding blades, the folded section picked up onto them can be folded over towards the receiving blades.

[0091] In some embodiments, the control device can be configured to move a holding element towards the food portion before the folding section is folded over. The holding element can, in particular, form part of the gripper. As already explained, this can stabilize the food portion during the folding of the section and / or provide a folding contour around which the section can be folded.

[0092] In some embodiments, the control device can also be configured to move a stabilizing and depositing plunger towards the receiving surface after the folding section has been folded over, thus stabilizing the food portion. As already explained, this can also be used, in particular, to stabilize the food portion while the gripper is moving and / or to assist in depositing the food portion onto a packaging station.

[0093] In some embodiments, the control unit can be configured to perform the folding of the folded section at different (and / or adjustable and / or selectable) times. For very delicate products, the folding can, for example, take place on a conveyor belt where the food product is fed to the picking robot. Conversely, if the focus is on the throughput of a processing line, the folding can occur while the food portion is moving to the packaging station, in order to utilize the time required for this movement for folding the food portion as well. For this purpose, the control unit can be configured—or, in other words, selectable—to determine whether the folding of the food portion should occur before the gripper moves toward the packaging station or during such a movement.For example, in some embodiments, corresponding operating modes can be selected or set on the control device with regard to the time of folding.

[0094] As an alternative to an adjustable or selectable time, some embodiments may also provide that a time for folding the folded section of the food portion relative to the start of a gripper movement towards the packaging area is predetermined, and that the control device is configured to activate the folding device to fold the food portion before the gripper begins moving towards the packaging area. Alternatively, in such embodiments where the time for folding is predetermined, the control device may also be configured to activate the folding device to fold the food portion after the gripper has begun moving towards the packaging area, and thus, in particular, during this movement.For example, in such embodiments, the control device can be designed to activate the folding device immediately after the gripper begins to move towards the packaging area to fold the portion of food.

[0095] In some embodiments, the control device can therefore be configured to control the folding device, in particular the at least one folding blade, before the food portion is lifted by the gripper for a movement towards the packaging location to fold over the folding section, or the control device can be configured to control the folding device, in particular the at least one folding blade, during the movement of the food portion by means of the gripper to the packaging location to fold over the folding section.

[0096] In some embodiments, the control device can further be configured to move the gripper across a packaging station and to place the food portion onto the packaging station, in particular by moving the picking blades apart. The picking blades can then be moved back to their starting position. Furthermore, in some embodiments, pressure can be exerted on the food portion by the aforementioned stabilizing and placing die to assist its placement on the packaging station. The invention also relates to a packaging machine for packaging food portions, in particular a thermoforming packaging machine, which includes a picking robot of the type disclosed herein.In particular, the packaging machine can be trained to provide packaging stations, and the picking robot can be trained to place provided food portions onto the provided packaging stations.

[0097] A thermoforming packaging machine can be specifically designed to draw in cavities at a forming station in a provided material web, for example, a packaging film. These cavities form packaging positions into which individual food portions can be placed by a picking robot. At a sealing station, such cavities can be closed, for example, by a material web fed from above. The packaging machine can also include a separating station to separate the finished packages from one another.

[0098] As an alternative to a thermoforming packaging machine, it can also be provided, for example, that the food portions are placed directly onto positions defined as packaging stations on a provided material web or into provided trays, whereby such packaging stations can then be closed at a sealing station by means of another material web fed from above and the respective packages can be separated from each other at a separating station.

[0099] The picking robot of the packaging machine can be supported directly on a support structure of the packaging machine, but alternatively, it can also be provided that the picking robot has a housing which is positioned in such a way as to be close to an insertion area of ​​the packaging machine in which the packaging places are provided, that the gripper of the picking robot can be moved into the insertion area to place the food portions onto the packaging places.

[0100] The invention further relates to a food processing line comprising a slicing device designed to cut slices from provided food products and to form food portions comprising at least one cut slice. The food processing line also includes a packaging machine of the type mentioned above and a transport device for moving the food portions to the packaging machine.

[0101] In particular, such a food processing line enables the complete processing of provided food products by dividing the food products into portions by cutting off slices, which can then be automatically packaged by the packaging machine. Furthermore, by using a packaging machine with a picking robot that has a gripper of the type disclosed herein, the food processing line can automatically package folded food portions, thus enabling space-saving packaging with reduced material consumption.

[0102] In some embodiments, the slicing device can be configured to produce food portions with shingled slices. For example, the slices can be placed on a movable portioning belt of the slicing device, so that a shingled portion can be created by appropriately moving the portioning belt while slicing a food product.

[0103] The invention also relates to a method in which food portions, consisting of one or more slices separated from a food product, are folded by a gripper of a picking robot and then placed by the gripper onto a packaging station provided by a packaging machine. In this method, one or more of the steps already mentioned above can be implemented. Furthermore, the gripper and / or the picking robot can have one or more of the features already mentioned above.

[0104] In particular, the folding of the food portion can take place before the gripper is moved towards the packaging station or during the movement of the gripper towards the packaging station.

[0105] The invention will below be explained purely by way of example with reference to the drawings.

[0106] They show:

[0107] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a food processing line with a slicing device which forms food portions by cutting slices from provided food products; with a transport device which transports the food portions to a packaging machine; and with a picking robot which has a gripper by means of which the food portions are folded and placed on packaging stations provided by the packaging machine.

[0108] Figs. 2A to 6B show respective representations of a first embodiment of a gripper of the picker robot to illustrate the picking up and folding of a provided portion of food.

[0109] Fig. 7 shows a schematic representation of the gripper with the gripper's receiving blades positioned in a picking position and a folding blade of the gripper positioned in a folding blade picking position, wherein a base section of the food portion is positioned on the gripper's receiving blades and a folded section of the food portion is positioned on the folding blade, and

[0110] Figs. 8A to 8D show respective representations of a further embodiment of a gripper for the picker robot for picking up, folding, and placing a portion of food onto a packaging station.

[0111] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a food processing line 1 1 in which rod-shaped food products 17 are cut into slices 23 by a slicing device 13 and food portions 24 are formed from the separated slices 23, each portion comprising one or more of the separated slices. By way of example, the slices 23 of a food portion 24 are arranged here overlapping or shingled.

[0112] The slicing device 13, which may in particular be a so-called high-speed slicer, has a product feed 15 with a product gripper 19, which holds a rod-shaped food product 17 at a rear end section and guides it into a cutting plane S in which a knife 21 is arranged for slicing the slices 23. For example, the knife 21 may be designed as a circular or sickle-shaped knife and rotate in the cutting plane S during operation.

[0113] The food portions 24 formed by the slicing device 13 are fed by means of a transport device 29 to a packaging machine 31, which provides packaging stations 53 onto which the food portions 24 can be placed. The packaging machine 31 is here exemplified as a thermoforming packaging machine, in which a web of material 43 is unwound from a roll 137 and first fed to a forming station 47, by means of which, for example by thermoforming, recesses 55 are drawn into the web of material 43. The recesses 55 then form the aforementioned packaging stations 53, into which subsequently provided food portions 24 can be placed by means of a picking robot 33.

[0114] As explained in more detail below, the picking robot 33 has a gripper 39 with two picking blades 57 for picking up a food portion 24 provided by the transport device 29. The gripper 39 is held by a connecting section 41 on a gripper suspension 37 of the picking robot 33 and supported above it on a housing 35 of the picking robot 33, so that the gripper 39 can be moved by means of the gripper suspension 37 to the packaging station 53 in order to place a picked-up food portion 24 into the trough 55. As also explained in more detail below, the gripper 39 is also designed to fold the food portions 24 before or during placement at a packaging station 53, so that ultimately folded food portions 26 are placed into the troughs 55.The gripper 39 allows the food portions 24 to be folded into a smaller shape, thus enabling packaging with less material. Since the gripper 39 can fold and place the food portions 24 into the trays 55 or onto the packaging stations 53, these processing steps can be automated by a single device – the gripper 39 – without requiring manual intervention in the food processing line 1. Furthermore, the picking robot 33 has a control unit 61 to direct the gripper 39 to perform the necessary steps.

[0115] After the food portion 26 is inserted, the packaging stations 53 are moved along the material web 43 to a sealing station 49, where the packaging stations 53 or trays 55 are sealed by an upper material web 45 pulled from a roll 139 to create a finished package 51. The completed packages 51 with the food portions 26 contained therein can then be fed, for example, to a separation station (not shown) to separate the packages 51 and offer individually packaged food portions 26 for sale.

[0116] Figures 2A to 6B illustrate a first embodiment of the gripper 39, which enables the folding of food portions 24 and the placement of the folded food portions 26 onto provided packaging stations 53. The illustrated gripper has two receiving blades 57, which are shown in a starting position B in Figures 2A, 2B, and 6B. In the starting position B, the receiving blades 57 are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction Q, so that a gap 63 remains free between the receiving blades 57, and a food portion 24 to be placed on a packaging station 53 can be positioned in the gap 63. As explained in more detail below, the receiving blades 57 can be moved towards each other along the transverse direction Q into a receiving position A, in which a food portion 24 positioned in the space 63 can then be picked up on the respective receiving surfaces 65 of the receiving blades 57 (see below).(also Figs. 3A to 6A for the recording position A).

[0117] Furthermore, Figures 2A and 6B in particular show that, in addition to the receiving blades 57, the gripper 39 has a folding device 59 with a folding blade 96 to enable the aforementioned folding of the food portion 24. Furthermore, a stabilizing and placing plunger 129, pivotable about a pivot axis T, is provided to stabilize a food portion 24 picked up on the receiving blades 57 during its movement to a designated packaging station 53 and to assist in placing the food portion 24 on the packaging station 53. This will also be explained in more detail below.

[0118] To receive a food portion 24 positioned in the space 63, the receiving scoops 57 can, as mentioned, be moved towards each other along the transverse direction Q into the receiving position A. Figures 3A and 3B illustrate the receiving scoops 57 after being moved into the receiving position A and also show the folding scoop 96 in a folding scoop receiving position C, in which a base section 25 of a received food portion 24 is arranged on the receiving surface 65 of the receiving scoops 57 and a folding section 27, which extends in the longitudinal direction L beyond the receiving scoops 57, is arranged on the folding scoop 96 (see also Figure 7).

[0119] To move the receiving blades 57 into the receiving position A, the receiving blades 57 are connected by a respective articulated arm 71 to a connecting rod 69, which is rotatable about a pivot axis E1 oriented perpendicular to the transverse direction Q and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L. The articulated arms 71 are rotatably connected to the respective end sections 73 and 75 of the connecting rod 69 and to the receiving blades 57. The gripper 39 also has a guide rail 67 extending above the receiving blades 57 in the transverse direction Q, on which the receiving blades 57 are held and guided. The connecting rod 69 also features the aforementioned connecting section 41 for connecting the gripper 39 to the gripper suspension 37, such that the connecting section 41 is positioned centrally on the gripper 39 and coaxial with the pivot axis E1.

[0120] A pneumatic cylinder 79, acting as a linearly movable drive element 77 of a pneumatic drive 81, engages the connecting rod 69. The pneumatic cylinder 79 is also rotatably mounted to the connecting rod 69 relative to it. As shown in Figures 2A and 3A, the connecting rod 69 can therefore be rotated about the axis of rotation E1 by extending the pneumatic cylinder 79, allowing the receiving blades 57 to be moved along the transverse direction Q from the starting position B to the receiving position A. For this purpose, the pneumatic cylinder 79 engages the connecting rod 69 tangentially, and the guide rail 67 acts as a positive guide for the receiving blades 57, converting the rotational movement of the connecting rod 69 into the linear movement of the receiving blades 57 along the transverse direction Q.

[0121] Furthermore, it can be seen, for example, from Figs. 2B, 3B and 6B, that the folding shovel 96 of the folding device 59 can be moved along the longitudinal direction L from the folding shovel starting position D shown in Fig. 2B to the folding shovel receiving position C shown in Fig. 3B by means of a pneumatic drive 1 11 and a drive element 125 designed as a pneumatic cylinder 127.

[0122] Fig. 7 schematically illustrates the arrangement of a food portion 24 to be applied to a packaging station 53 by the gripper 39, after the receiving blades 57 have been moved to the receiving position A and the folding blade 96 to the folding blade receiving position C. By this process of the receiving blades 57 and the folding blade 96, a food portion 24, initially positioned in the space 63 shown in Fig. 2A, can be picked up onto the receiving blades 57 and the folding blade 96, such that a base section 25 of the food portion 24 is picked up onto the receiving blades 57, and in particular their receiving surface 65, whereas a folded section 27 of the food portion 24 extends along the longitudinal direction L beyond the receiving blades 57 and is therefore picked up onto the folding blade 96.This arrangement of the food portion 24 makes it possible to fold the folded section 27 towards the receiving blades 57 and the base section 25 by pivoting the folding blade 96 about a folding pivot axis F, so that this folding can be automated in the gripper 39. Furthermore, Fig. 7 illustrates that respective hold-down elements 83 can be formed on the receiving blades 57, which stabilize the base section 25 and can, in particular, act as a folding edge for folding the folded section 27. While the Fig.Figures 3A and 3B show the folding shovel 96 directly in the folding shovel receiving position C. For example, the control unit 61 of the picker robot 33 may be configured to first move the receiving shovels 57 along the transverse direction Q from the starting position B to the receiving position A, and only then to move the folding shovel 96 along the longitudinal direction L from the folding shovel starting position D to the folding shovel receiving position C. Furthermore, a counter-stop 135 is provided on the gripper 39 facing away from the folding device 59, in order to prevent the food portion 24 from being pushed down when the folding shovel 96 moves into the folding shovel receiving position C and to support the food portion 24 during its transfer towards the packaging station 53.Furthermore, the receiving blades 57 have a raised structure 93 and a folding blade raised structure 109 is formed on the folding blade 96 in order to reduce the respective (folding blade) contact area for the food portion 24 and thus the friction to be overcome when picking up the food portion 24.

[0123] After the food portion 24 has been picked up on the receiving shovels 57 and the folding shovel 96 as illustrated in Fig. 7, the folding section 27 can be folded over by pivoting the folding shovel 96 about the folding pivot axis F and the gripper 39 can be moved into the orientation illustrated with reference to Figs. 4A and 4B.

[0124] To enable this pivoting of the folding shovel 96, the gripper 39 has a rotary drive 99. The rotary drive 99 comprises a rack 105 and a gear 107 meshing with the rack 105, which in turn is rotatably connected to the folding shovel 96. Furthermore, the rack 105 is connected to a drive element 101, which can be linearly movable along the longitudinal direction L and may also be designed as a pneumatic cylinder 103, so that the rack 105 moves along the longitudinal direction L and the gear 107 can thereby be rotated about the folding pivot axis F. Therefore, by extending the pneumatic cylinder 103 accordingly, the folding shovel 96 can be pivoted and the folding section 27 folded over.

[0125] Figures 5A and 5B further illustrate that, after the folding section 27 has been folded over, the aforementioned stabilizing and depositing plunger 129 can be pivoted about the plunger pivot axis T by means of a pneumatic cylinder 133 in order to exert pressure on the picked-up and folded food portion 24. This allows the food portion 24, and in particular the folding section 27, to be subjected to pressure in the direction of the receiving blades 57, so that the food portion 24 can be supported during transfer towards the packaging station 53. To allow access to the food portion 24, through-openings 131 are formed on the folding blade 96, through which the stabilizing and depositing plunger 129 extends.

[0126] Fig. 6A further illustrates the process of depositing a food portion 24 picked up by the gripper 39, whereby the receiving blades 57 can first be retracted to the starting position B, so that a picked-up food portion 24 can be deposited as a folded food portion 26 between the receiving blades 57. The previously mentioned raised structure 93 of the receiving blades 57 can serve to reduce the friction to be overcome during depositing, thus facilitating the process. In addition, Fig. 6A shows that the stabilizing and depositing plunger 129 extends further through the through-openings 131 during the depositing of a food portion 24 or after the receiving blades 57 have been retracted to the starting position B, in order to assist the depositing of the food portion 24 or 26 by exerting appropriate pressure.

[0127] Starting from the position illustrated in Fig. 6A, the folding shovel 96 can also be pivoted back around the folding pivot axis F and moved back into the folding shovel starting position D, for example after depositing the food portion 24, in order to transfer the gripper 39 into the orientation shown in Fig. 6B as well as Figs. 2A and 2B and to be able to pick up a subsequent food portion 24.

[0128] Figures 8A to 8D illustrate another embodiment of a gripper 39 for a picker robot 33, which enables the folding of a picked-up food portion 24 and the application of the folded food portion 26 to a packaging station 53.

[0129] In this embodiment, two receiving scoops 57 are also provided, which are shown in Fig. 8A in a starting position B, in which the receiving scoops 57 are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction Q, leaving a gap 63 in which a food portion 24 can be positioned. Unlike the first embodiment, however, this embodiment provides a first folding scoop 97 and a second folding scoop 98, which, starting from the folding scoop starting position D shown in Fig. 8A, can be moved along the transverse direction Q to a folding scoop receiving position C in order to receive a folded section 27 of a food portion 24 (see, for example, Fig. 8B).

[0130] As in the first embodiment, the transfer of the receiving blades 57 from the starting position B to the receiving position A can be accomplished by driving a rotatable connecting rod 69, to which the receiving blades 57 are connected via rotatably articulated joint arms 71. Furthermore, a guide rail 67 extending in the transverse direction Q is again provided for guiding the receiving blades 57.

[0131] In addition, this embodiment also provides a folding shovel connecting rod 117 for moving the folding shovels 97 and 98. This connecting rod is rotatable about a pivot axis E2 by a pneumatic drive 111 with a linearly movable folding shovel drive element 119, which is designed as a further pneumatic cylinder 121. The folding shovels 97 and 98 are connected to the respective end sections 115 of the folding shovel connecting rod 117 by respective folding shovel articulated arms 113, the folding shovel articulated arms 113 also being rotatably articulated to the respective end sections 115. The folding shovel connecting rod 117 is arranged offset along the longitudinal direction L relative to the connecting rod 69, and the pivot axis E2 is aligned parallel to the pivot axis E1 of the connecting rod 69.Furthermore, a folding shovel guide rail 123 extending in the transverse direction Q is provided for guiding the folding shovels 97 and 98 and for redirecting the rotary movement of the folding shovel connecting rod 117 into the linear movement of the folding shovels 97 and 98 along the transverse direction Q. This guide rail is formed integrally with the guide rail 67 for guiding the receiving shovels 57. According to this embodiment, the connecting section 41 for connecting the gripper 39 is also formed centrally on the gripper 39 between the axes of rotation E1 and E2.

[0132] In particular, it can be provided that the receiving scoops 57 and the folding scoops 97 and 98 can be moved synchronously to each other by means of the control device 61, for which purpose the pneumatic cylinders 121 and 79 can, for example, be connected by a common pressure line. This can make it possible in a single step to move the receiving scoops 57 from the starting position B to the receiving position A and at the same time the folding scoops 97 and 98 from the folding scoop starting position D to the folding scoop receiving position C, in order to pick up the entire food portion 24 on the receiving scoops 57 and the folding scoops 97 and 98.

[0133] In the orientation of the gripper 39 shown in Fig. 8B, a food portion 24 can be picked up, particularly as illustrated in Fig. 7, with the difference that, according to the embodiment of Figs. 8A to 8D, in contrast to Fig. 7, not a single folding scoop 96, but two folding scoops 97 and 98 are provided. Here too, however, a base section 25 of the food portion 24 can be arranged on the receiving scoops 57 and a folding section 27 on the folding scoops 97 and 98, in order to pivot the folding scoops 97 and 98 about the folding-pivoting axis.

[0134] F can be folded in the direction of the base section 25.

[0135] Furthermore, Figures 8A and 8B show that in this embodiment, a holding element 83 associated with each receiving vane 57 is movable and can be pivoted to exert pressure on the base section 25 held on the receiving vanes 57 at the food portion 24. The holding element 83 has a contact section 87 for contacting the food portion 24 and a pivot arm 85 and is pivotable about a holding pivot axis N. In addition, a drive element 89, designed as a further pneumatic cylinder 91, is provided, which engages the holding element 83 between the pivot axis N and the contact section 87 in order to pivot the holding element 83.Therefore, the holding element 83 can again serve to support and stabilize a portion of food 24 that has been taken up during movement towards a packaging station 53 or during the folding of the folding section 27.

[0136] Fig. 8C illustrates that after the receiving blades 57 are moved into the receiving position A and the folding blades 97 and 98 are moved into the folding blade receiving position C, the folding blades 97 and 98 can be pivoted about the folding blade pivot axis S by appropriately actuating a rotary drive 99, so that the folded section 27 can be folded towards the base section 25 of the food portion 24. In this embodiment as well, the rotary drive 99 can be pneumatically operated, in particular, to generate tangential forces by means of compressed air and to pivot the folding blades 97 and 98.

[0137] Fig. 8D illustrates the gripper 39 in an orientation for depositing a folded food portion 26. This is achieved by pulling the receiving blades 57 apart in the transverse direction Q and moving them into the starting position B, so that a folded food portion 26 can slide off the receiving blades 57 and be placed onto a packaging station 53 through the gap 63 that is created between the receiving blades 57. Subsequently, the folding blades 97 and 98 can, for example, be pivoted back about the folding blade pivot axis F and then moved in the transverse direction Q into the folding blade starting position D in order to pick up a subsequent food portion 24, fold over its folded section 27, and place the folded food portion 26 onto a packaging station 53. (See list of reference symbols.)

[0138] 11 Food processing line

[0139] 13 Cutting device

[0140] 15 Product supply

[0141] 17 Food product

[0142] 19 product grippers

[0143] 21 knives

[0144] 23 discs

[0145] 24 food portions

[0146] 25 Basic section

[0147] 26 folded food portions

[0148] 27 Folding section

[0149] 29 Transport equipment

[0150] 31 Packaging machine

[0151] 33 Picker Robots

[0152] 35 cases

[0153] 37 Gripper suspension

[0154] 39 grippers

[0155] 41 Connecting section

[0156] 43 Material track

[0157] 45 Upper material track

[0158] 47 Forming station

[0159] 49 Sealing Station

[0160] 51 Packaging

[0161] 53 Packing station

[0162] 55 trough

[0163] 57 Pickup shovel

[0164] 59 Folding device

[0165] 61 Control unit

[0166] 63 space

[0167] 65 recording area

[0168] 67 Guide rail for guiding the receiving blades

[0169] 69 Stabilizer link

[0170] 71 articulated arm

[0171] 73 End section of the connecting rod

[0172] 75 End section of the connecting rod

[0173] 77 Drive element for moving the receiving blades

[0174] 79 pneumatic cylinders

[0175] 81 Pneumatic drive of the receiving blades

[0176] 83 Holding element

[0177] 85 Swivel arm

[0178] 87 Contact section

[0179] 89 Drive element for pivoting the hold-down element

[0180] 91 pneumatic cylinders

[0181] 93 Survey structure

[0182] 96 Folding shovel

[0183] 97 first folding shovel

[0184] 98 second folding shovel

[0185] 99 Rotary drive

[0186] 101 Drive element

[0187] 103 pneumatic cylinders

[0188] 105 Rack and pinion

[0189] 107 gear

[0190] 109 Folding shovel lifting structure 111 Pneumatic drive of the folding shovel

[0191] 113 Folding shovel articulated arm

[0192] 115 End section of the folding bucket coupling rod

[0193] 117 Folding shovel coupling rod

[0194] 119 Folding shovel drive element

[0195] 121 pneumatic cylinders

[0196] 123 Folding shovel guide rail

[0197] 125 Drive element

[0198] 127 pneumatic cylinders

[0199] 129 Stabilization and depositing stamps

[0200] 131 Through-hole

[0201] 133 pneumatic cylinders

[0202] 135 counterattack

[0203] 137 rolls

[0204] 139 rolls

[0205] A recording position

[0206] B Starting position

[0207] C Folding shovel mounting position

[0208] D Folding shovel starting position

[0209] E1 axis of rotation

[0210] E2 axis of rotation

[0211] F Folding swivel axle

[0212] L Longitudinal direction

[0213] N Hold-down swivel axis

[0214] Q transverse direction

[0215] S cutting plane

[0216] T-stamp swivel axis

Claims

Claims 1. Gripper (39) for a picker robot (33) for applying food portions (24, 26), which comprise at least one slice (23) separated from a food product (17) and in particular several shingled, separated slices (23) arranged, to packaging stations (53) provided by a packaging machine (31), comprising: two receiving blades (57) movable relative to each other along a transverse direction (Q) between a starting position (B) and a receiving position (A), and a folding device (59), wherein the receiving blades (57) are positioned spaced apart from each other in the starting position (B) in the transverse direction (Q) and leave a gap (63) between the receiving blades (57) for positioning a food portion (24, 26) to be applied to the packaging station (53), wherein the food portion (24, 26) positioned in the gap (63)26) by moving the receiving blades (57) into the receiving position (A) on a receiving surface (65) of the receiving blades (57), and wherein the folding device (59) is configured to fold a folded section (27) of the received food portion (24, 26) extending beyond the receiving blades (57) along a longitudinal direction (L) oriented perpendicular to the transverse direction (Q) in the direction of the receiving blades (57).

2. Gripper (39) according to claim 1, further comprising a guide rail (67) extending above the receiving blades (57) in the transverse direction (Q) on which the receiving blades (57) are guided.

3. Gripper (39) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving blades (57) are connected by a respective articulated arm (71) to respective end sections (73, 75) of a rotatable connecting rod (69), wherein the respective articulated arm (71) is rotatably connected to the respective end section (73, 75), and wherein the receiving blades (57) are movable between the starting position (B) and the receiving position (A) by rotating the connecting rod (69).

4. Gripper (39) according to claim 3, wherein the connecting rod (69) is rotatable about a rotation axis (E1) oriented perpendicular to the transverse direction (Q) and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (L).

5. Gripper (39) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a linearly movable drive element (77), in particular a pneumatic cylinder (79), is provided by which the connecting rod (69) can be rotated.

6. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving blades (57) are synchronously movable.

7. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving blades (57) are movable by a pneumatic drive (81).

8. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripper (39) has at least one holding element (83) which is designed to support a base section (25) of the food portion (24, 26) located on the receiving blades (57) during the folding of the folding section (27).

9. Gripper (39) according to claim 8, wherein the at least one hold-down element (83) is movable to exert pressure on the base section (25) in the direction of the receiving surface (65).

10. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving surface (65) has a raised structure (93) for reducing a contact area for the food portion (24, 26).

11. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the folding device (59) comprises at least one folding blade (96, 97, 98) which is pivotable about a folding pivot axis (F) aligned parallel to the transverse direction (Q) for folding the folding section (27).

12. Gripper (39) according to claim 1 1 , wherein the folding device (59) comprises a rotary drive (99) for pivoting the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98).

13. Gripper (39) according to claim 12, wherein the rotary drive (99) has a linearly movable rack (105), in particular by means of a pneumatic cylinder (103), which meshes with a gear (107) coupled to the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98), wherein the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98) is pivotable by linear movement of the rack (105).

14. Gripper (39) according to one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the at least one folding blade (96, 97, 98) has a folding blade elevation structure (109) for reducing a folding blade contact area for the folding section (27).

15. Gripper (39) according to one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98) can be moved from a folding shovel starting position (D), in which the food portion (24) positioned in the space (63) and / or received on the receiving shovels (57) is spaced apart from the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98), to a folding shovel receiving position (C), in which the folded section (27) of the food portion (24) can be received on the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98).

16. Gripper (39) according to claim 15, wherein the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98) is movable along the transverse direction (Q) or along the longitudinal direction (L) from the folding shovel starting position (D) to the folding shovel receiving position (C).

17. Gripper (39) according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98) is movable by a pneumatic drive (1 11 ).

18. Gripper (39) according to one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98) is guided on at least one folding shovel guide rail (123) extending above the at least one folding shovel (96, 97, 98), wherein the folding shovel guide rail (123) in particular is designed in one piece with a guide rail (67) for guiding the receiving vanes (57).

19. Gripper (39) according to one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the folding device (59) has a first folding shovel (97) and a second folding shovel (98) which are movable along the transverse direction (Q) relative to each other between the folding shovel starting position (D) and the folding shovel receiving position (C).

20. Gripper (39) according to claim 19, wherein the folding blades (97, 98) are movable synchronously with each other and / or wherein the folding blades (97, 98) are movable synchronously with the receiving blades (57).

21. Gripper (39) according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the folding shovels (97, 98) are connected by a respective folding shovel articulated arm (1 13) to respective end sections (1 15) of a rotatable folding shovel connecting rod (117), wherein the respective folding shovel articulated arm (1 13) is rotatably articulated to the respective end section (115), and wherein the folding shovels (97, 98) are movable between the folding shovel starting position (D) and the folding shovel receiving position (C) by rotating the folding shovel connecting rod (117).

22. Gripper (39) according to claim 21, wherein the folding shovel connecting rod (1 17) is arranged offset along the longitudinal direction (L) to a connecting rod (69) for moving the receiving shovels (57).

23. Gripper (39) according to claim 21 or 22, wherein a linearly movable folding shovel drive element (119), in particular a pneumatic cylinder (121), is provided, by which the folding shovel connecting rod (117) can be rotated.

24. Gripper (39) according to one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the at least one folding shovel (96) is movable along the longitudinal direction (L) from the folding shovel starting position (D) to the folding shovel receiving position (C) by means of a linearly movable drive element (125), in particular a pneumatic cylinder (127); and / or wherein the folding device (59) has exactly one folding shovel (96) movable along the longitudinal direction (L) from the folding shovel starting position (D) to the folding shovel receiving position (C).

25. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a stabilizing and depositing plunger (129) which is movable in the direction of the receiving surface to stabilize the food portion (24, 26) and / or is designed to exert pressure on the food portion (24, 26) when the food portion (24, 26) is placed on the packaging area (53).

26. Gripper (39) according to claim 19, wherein the folding device (59) has through-openings (131) for a through-reach of the stabilizing and depositing punch (129).

27. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a counter stop (135) for the food portion (24, 26) is arranged opposite the folding device (59).

28. Gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a connecting section (41) for connecting the gripper (39) to a gripper suspension (37) of the picker robot (33).

29. Picker robot (33) for applying food portions (24, 26), which comprise at least one slice (23) separated from a food product (17) and in particular several shingled separated slices (23) arranged, on packaging stations (53) provided by a packaging machine (31), comprising a gripper (39) according to one of the preceding claims.

30. Picker robot (33) according to claim 29, wherein the picker robot (33) has a control device (61) which is configured to first move the receiving vanes (57) from the starting position (B) to the receiving position (A) and then to move at least one folding vane (96) of the folding device (59) along the longitudinal direction (L) from a folding vane starting position (D) to a folding vane receiving position (C), wherein the control device (61) is further configured to pivot the at least one folding vane (96) to fold over the folding section (27).

31. Picker robot (33) according to claim 29, wherein the picker robot (33) has a control device (61) which is configured to move the picking blades (57) from the starting position (B) to the picking position (A) and synchronously to move two folding blades (97, 98) of the folding device (59) along the transverse direction (Q) from a folding blade starting position (D) to a folding blade picking position (C), wherein the control device (61) is further configured to pivot the folding blades (97, 98) to fold over the folding section (27).

32. Picking robot (33) according to claim 30 or 31, wherein the control device (61) is configured to move a holding element (83) in the direction of the picked-up food portion (24, 26) before folding the folding section (27).

33. Picking robot (33) according to one of claims 30 to 32, wherein the control device (61) is configured to move a stabilizing and depositing stamp (129) in the direction of the receiving surface after the folding section (27) has been folded over, in order to stabilize the food portion (24, 26).

34. Packaging machine (31 ) for packaging food portions (24, 26), in particular thermoforming packaging machine, comprising a picker robot (33) according to one of claims 29 to 33.

35. Food processing line (11) comprising: a slicing device (13) configured to cut slices (23) from provided food products (17) and to form food portions (24) comprising at least one cut slice (23), a packaging machine (31) according to claim 34 and a transport device (29) for moving the food portions (24) to the packaging machine (31).

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