A belt conveyor comprises a belt with a drive roller, a deflection roller that can be adjusted relative thereto upwardly and/or downwardly, and an upper run extending therebetween for transporting the food products. The belt conveyor comprises a deflection element arranged between the drive roller and the deflection roller and configured for adjustment in the direction of transport. The upper and/or the associated lower run of the belt transitions from a first longitudinal section running in the direction of transport to a second longitudinal section tilted relative thereto when the deflection roller has been adjusted. The second longitudinal section can be quickly tilted and flexibly adapted to the dimensions of the food products and their transport distances inbetween.

In order to keep the overall length of an insertion feed unit small despite high variability, a vertical paternoster buffer is used as a buffer therein.

The present invention relates to an assembly for transporting and separating live poultry birds, in particular chicks. According to the invention, this assembly comprises: a first conveyor (10) for conveying the poultry birds, a carousel (12) comprising a rotating platform (14), said carousel (12) being configured to ensure, during the rotation of this platform (14), a spatial separation of the poultry birds introduced at the entry thereof so as to place them in a single file, an ejector (18) for ejecting the poultry birds thus separated from the carousel (12) and aligning them towards a discharge conveyor (19).

The invention relates to a method for treating a food product by non-conventional resistive heating using. contact with spaced-apart electrically conductive electrodes connected to a power source that regulates current to the electrodes by pausing heating of the food product to a predetermined temperature. The electrodes are configured into two groups at a first distance from one another. Each electrode group has individual electrodes, similar to a comb-like set of needles, wherein neighboring needles of each group are at a second distance from one another that is greater than or equal to the first distance. Each set of needles penetrates the food product such that points of the needles leave penetration points, wherein the food product is accommodated in a space between two conveyor belts and the individual electrodes extend from at least one of the conveyor belts in the direction of the opposite conveyor belt.

A loading apparatus for use with tubular food articles. The loading apparatus comprises an input conveyor configured to convey the tubular food articles, an indexing conveyor positioned beneath the input conveyor and configured to operate in an intermittent motion, and a curved end member positioned in spaced arrangement to the input conveyor to permit the tubular food articles to pass between the input conveyor and the curved end member such that the curved end member retains the tubular food articles on the input conveyor. The input conveyor is configured to transfer the tubular food articles from the input conveyor directly to the indexing conveyor using gravity from a space between the input conveyor and the curved end member.

Disclosed is a continuous feeding mechanism including a transfer mechanism, wherein the transfer mechanism includes a rotatable indent roller circumferentially provided with a plurality of blanking grooves; a post pin is arranged in each blanking groove; the post pin is connected with a spring; the spring is arranged towards the interior of the indent roller; and the post pin can move along the blanking grooves; a feeding box, wherein the bottom of the feeding box is hollow, and the bottom is arranged above the indent roller or the bottom is fixedly connected with the indent roller; the continuous feeding mechanism is arranged above one side of the transfer mechanism; and an electromagnetic heating mechanism which includes a supporting frame, wherein the transfer mechanism is arranged in the supporting frame, and an electromagnetic coil is circumferentially arranged outside the supporting frame.

A configurable assembly is provided for conveying products along a longitudinal direction; the assembly has a supporting structure and at least two conveyor units; at least one of said units is provided with at least two tracks which receive, in use, respective products and diverge from or converge towards each other along a lateral direction, proceeding longitudinally from an inlet to an outlet; the units are movable with respect to the supporting structure by the action of an actuator device between a working area and at least one storage area, so as to selectively arrange one of said units in the working area.

The automated gripping tool enables a user to move a food product from a first position to a second position while maintaining the integrity and appearance of the food product. The automated gripping tool makes use of flexible gripping elements on the ends of banks of opposing pairs of gripping arms. The flexible gripping elements are positioned to cradle a stacked food product between them with sufficient force to allow the food product to be repositioned and without damaging the integrity of the food product.

An automated modular plant growing system includes a rack structure with primary guiding tracks and secondary guiding tracks transverse to each other, and upper guiding tracks in parallel and above the primary guiding tracks. The automated modular plant growing system also includes a plurality of mobile modules detachably connected to the upper guiding tracks and to a nutrient solution supply system.

A system for stock management for on-board catering for a vehicle, in particular for an aircraft, includes a galley which is provided with a control unit for controlling the galley, wherein the control unit is designed to make available stock management data of the galley; a service unit for transporting supplies within the vehicle, wherein the stock management data comprise a stock record of the supplies transported with the service unit; and at least one operator control element which is communicatively connected to the control unit of the galley via a wireless data connection and is designed to record removal of a supply item from the service unit and/or reception of a supply item into the service unit, and to bring about updating of the stock record of the transported supplies on the basis thereof.