Slicing Device Lane Combiner for Continuous Product Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slicing devices face inefficiencies and increased costs due to pauses or interruptions in product flow caused by loading new products or removing unusable parts, requiring complex and expensive solutions like rockers or divided conveyors.
Innovation Solution
A slicing device with a separating device and lane combiner that redirects usable portions, allowing for continuous product flow without complex rockers or divided conveyors, using a simple ejection mechanism or transverse conveyors to guide unusable parts into a reject container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rocker or divided upstream portioning conveyor is used to eject unusable product parts, then ejection reliability is improved, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of actively ejecting unusable parts with complex mechanisms, the invention inverts the approach by passively guiding usable portions along a defined path while allowing unusable parts to be naturally diverted. The lane combiner creates a situation where only properly positioned portions are directed to the output conveyor, while others fall through the separating device opening, achieving reliable ejection through geometric constraints rather than active ejection mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The lane combiner acts as an intermediary element between the first discharge conveyor and the output conveyor. It receives portions from multiple lanes, selectively directs usable portions to the output conveyor, and allows unusable parts to be separated through the opening. This intermediary structure simplifies the overall system by replacing complex rocker mechanisms with a straightforward geometric sorting approach.
2Reliability
If a rocker or complex ejection mechanism is implemented, then unusable parts can be reliably separated, but the conveying distance and installation area are extended
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension to the separation process by positioning the separating device with an opening that allows unusable parts to fall through to a reject container below. This vertical ejection path eliminates the need for extended horizontal conveying distances associated with rockers or divided conveyors, as separation occurs through a compact vertical drop rather than a lengthy horizontal transport path.
3Reliability
If complex ejection mechanisms like rockers are used, then unusable parts can be effectively removed, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces expensive, complex rocker mechanisms and divided conveyors with simple, inexpensive geometric structures. The lane combiner and separating device are constructed from basic conveyor components and open frameworks that can be easily manufactured and maintained, dramatically reducing production costs while maintaining effective separation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential separation function from complex mechanical systems and implements it through a simplified geometric arrangement. By removing the need for rockers, divided conveyors, and associated control systems, the design achieves effective unusable part removal using only the basic functions of conveyor belts, lane positioning, and a separating opening, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
4Productivity
If multiple conveyor tracks are used for continuous slicing, then productivity is improved, but the complexity of managing and combining lanes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the product flow into distinct lanes on the first discharge conveyor, with each lane handling portions from specific cutting positions. The lane combiner then systematically recombines these segmented lanes by directing portions from multiple input lanes to a single output conveyor through a structured geometric arrangement, maintaining continuous productivity while simplifying lane management through clear spatial organization.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A slicing device for the continuous slicing of products comprises a slicing unit with a movable cutting blade, a feeding device for feeding the products in multiple lanes to the slicing unit in order to cut slices from the products, and a discharge device for removing portions of cut slices along a transport direction. The discharge device has a first discharge conveyor and a second discharge conveyor downstream of the first discharge conveyor with respect to the transport direction.The cutting device comprises a rejection device for separated product parts to be rejected, provided between the first discharge conveyor and the second discharge conveyor, and a track combiner designed to successively take portions not to be rejected from a number of different conveyor tracks of the first discharge conveyor and combine them in a smaller number of tracks on the second discharge conveyor.