Adjustable Stop Unit for Food Slicer Product Feed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slicing devices face challenges in achieving precise product feed and guidance, particularly in multi-lane configurations, where structural limitations prevent the upper traction belt from reaching directly in front of the cutting plane, leading to potential deformations or damage to longer products due to uneven handling of products of different lengths.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an adjustable stop unit attached to the upper guide unit, which can pivot between a stop position to block the product feed path and a release position to allow precise feeding, enabling closer proximity to the cutting plane and accommodating products of varying lengths by acting as a stop, deflector, and lateral guide.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the upper traction belt is extended to reach directly in front of the cutting plane, then product feed precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to structural constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The upper guide unit is made adjustable in the feed direction, allowing it to dynamically change its position between a retracted state (when not in use) and an extended state (when needed for precise feeding). This dynamic adjustment enables the system to achieve high product feed precision only when necessary, without permanently increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The position of the upper guide unit is changed as a variable parameter. By adjusting the feed direction position of the upper guide unit, the system can adapt to different product lengths and feeding requirements, achieving precise product feed without fixed complex structure.
2Device complexity
If the rear product support is made passive (sliding surface or free-running belt), then device complexity is reduced, but product guidance precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The upper guide unit is designed to be movable in the feed direction, transitioning between active engagement (when extended to guide products precisely) and passive retraction (when not needed). This dynamic behavior allows the system to achieve precise product guidance only when the upper guide unit is positioned appropriately, without maintaining constant complex active support.
3Device complexity
If products of different lengths are fed through a common rear product support, then device complexity is reduced, but product deformation increases due to uneven handling
Solution Approach 1:
The upper guide unit can be adjusted in the feed direction to adapt to different product lengths. For longer products, it extends to provide additional guidance and prevent deformation; for shorter products, it retracts to avoid interference. This dynamic adjustment allows a single common rear product support to handle varying product lengths without causing deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the upper guide unit is varied according to product length. By changing the feed direction position of the upper guide unit, the system adapts to different product dimensions, ensuring proper guidance and preventing deformation across various product sizes while using a unified support structure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the upper guide unit is made adjustable in the feed direction, then adaptability to different product lengths is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper guide unit incorporates adjustability in the feed direction, allowing it to move between retracted and extended positions. This dynamic capability enables the system to adapt to different product lengths without requiring multiple fixed guide structures, achieving versatility through a single movable component rather than multiple static ones.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for slicing food products, in particular high-performance slicers, with a single-lane or multi-lane product feed that either feeds one product in one lane or simultaneously feeds several products lying next to each other in parallel lanes in a feed direction to a cutting plane in which a cutting blade moves, in particular rotating and/or circumferentially, wherein the product feed comprises a product support and a product guide arranged above it, wherein the product guide comprises at least one upper guide unit with an engagement surface facing the product support and extending in the feed direction, which is designed to engage with the upper side of a product lying on the product support when it is fed in, wherein the product guide additionally comprises at least one adjustable stop unit which is attached to the upper guide unit.which, in a stop position, fulfills a stop function for the front end of a product moving against the stop unit by blocking the product's feed path to the cutting plane, thus blocking the product and preventing further movement of the product to the cutting plane; which, in a release position different from the stop position, releases the feed path to the cutting plane for the product; and which is adjustable relative to the upper guide unit between the stop position and the release position.