Bread Slicer Pallet Recess Cleaning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bread slicers face issues where cut bread parts, such as crusts, fall between the bagging pallet and the bottom of the receiving compartment, obstructing the pallet's movement and hindering the slicer's functioning.
Innovation Solution
A method that includes a cleaning step before cutting, where the bread is moved to push remaining parts onto a recess, and a sensor detects these parts to determine if a cleaning is necessary, along with a bagging pallet that can be rotated to access the recess and a pusher that reverses movement to return the pallet to the receiving position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the bagging pallet is moved to the bagging position for packaging, then packaging efficiency is improved, but cut bread parts may fall between the pallet and bottom surface causing obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
A cleaning step is performed before the cutting operation begins. The pusher moves the loaf forward to push any remaining bread parts into the recess, clearing the area where the pallet will later move. This preliminary cleaning action prevents obstruction during subsequent pallet movements to the bagging position.
Solution Approach 2:
A recess is created in the bottom surface of the receiving compartment to extract and isolate the problem area. Bread parts that fall during operation are directed into this recess, separating them from the pallet's movement path and preventing obstruction of the pallet's motion between receiving and bagging positions.
2Reliability
If a cleaning step is added to remove bread parts, then pallet movement is ensured, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loaf itself is used as the cleaning tool. During the cleaning step, the pusher moves the loaf forward, and the loaf's own movement pushes remaining bread parts into the recess. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate cleaning mechanisms, brushes, or additional devices, maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliable pallet movement.
3Reliability
If the loaf is moved forward during cleaning, then bread parts are pushed into recess, but loaf position control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher moves the loaf forward beyond the normal cutting position during the cleaning step, excessively advancing it to ensure that all remaining bread parts are pushed into the recess. After cleaning, the loaf is returned to the correct position. This partial excessive action ensures complete cleaning while allowing precise position control to be restored afterward.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and slicer for cutting a loaf of bread into slices, wherein, as it moves from a loading compartment (1) to a receiving compartment (4), the loaf (3) is cut into slices (16) which are advanced until they are on a bagging pallet (10) held in a receiving position. After the loaf (3) has been completely sliced, the bagging pallet (10) is moved to the bagging position, releasing a recess (11) in the bottom (5) of the receiving compartment (4). Before slicing a loaf, the pusher (6) is moved to the receiving compartment (4) to push any remaining portions (13) of a sliced loaf until they fall into the recess (11). The movement of the pusher (6) is then reversed, and the bagging pallet (10) is returned to the receiving position.