METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING THE CUTTING GAP OF A SLICING MACHINE AND SLICING MACHINE SUITABLE THEREFOR

Abstract

In order to detect if and when a blade contacts a front surface of a cutting frame, a no-load torque of a blade motor or of the blade itself is measured when the blade approaches the cutting frame in an axial direction and checked for an increase.

Claims

1. A method for automatically adjusting a cutting gap of a slicing machine for slicing strand-shaped product calibers from a food product into slices wherein the slicing machine includes a blade which can be driven in rotation about a blade axis by means of a blade motor and has a peripheral cutting edge which defines a blade plane a cutting frame with a counter edge for cooperation with the cutting edge, the method comprising steps of: a) moving the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction to approach the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame, b) stopping the approach movement of the blade, c) moving the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of the cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis, wherein in or before step a) a no-load torque of the blade motor or of the blade is measured, and in step b) the approach movement of the blade is stopped as soon as an increase of the no-load torque by at least a fixed 1st moment difference is detected or as soon as a defined absolute torque threshold value is detected.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a current supply to the blade motor in idle running is controlled in dependence on occurring changes of rotation speed of the blade during a complete blade revolution, and wherein the current supply to the blade motor is increased when a fixed tolerance difference between a lowest and a highest occurring rotation speed is exceeded during a complete blade rotation, if the rotation speed has dropped to an impermissibly high extent, and is reduced in an opposite case, in each case until the rotation speed is again within a permissible range.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current supply to the blade motor in idle running is controlled as a function of occurring changes of actual rotation speed from a desired rotation speed during a complete blade revolution and wherein the current supply to the blade motor is increased when a specified tolerance change is exceeded, if the rotation speed has dropped to an impermissibly large extent, and is reduced in an opposite case, in each case until the rotation speed is again within a permissible range.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step b) after the stopping of the approach movement several blade revolutions are carried out with unchanged current supply to the blade motor, it is checked whether during this time the no-load torque does not drop by more than a defined 2nd moment difference, only in a positive case a reverse motion is started according to step c).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the approach movement is carried out at an approach rate of at most 0.1 mm per blade revolution.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic adjustment is performed after each movement of the cutting frame, and/or before cutting of each new caliber.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step a) it is automatically checked whether, in each case within one revolution of the blade, the no-load torque- increases significantly in each case even before an entry angle is reached, in a positive case, a warning signal is emitted in order to check a parallel position of a front surface of the cutting frame to the blade plane in particular an operator is informed that an upper edge of the cutting frame is closer to the blade plane than a lower edge.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step a) it is automatically checked whether, in each case within one revolution of the blade, the no-load torque increases significantly in an approximately central region of a cutting segment, in a positive case, a warning signal is emitted so that a parallel position of a front surface of the cutting frame to the blade plane is checked in particular, an operator is informed that a lower edge of the cutting frame is closer to the blade plane than an upper edge.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step a) it is automatically checked whether, in each case within one revolution of the blade, the no-load torque increases significantly in each case within a 1st half of a cutting segment, in a positive case, a warning signal is emitted so that a parallel position of a front surface of the cutting frame to the blade plane is checked in particular an operator is informed that there is an inclination of the front surface about an axis of inclination parallel to a direction of immersion.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is carried out at a rotational speed of the blade of 50 rpm to 500 rpm.

11. A slicing machine comprising: a base frame, a blade which has a cutting edge and which can be driven in rotation about a blade axis by means of a blade motor, a counter edge formed on a cutting frame for a product caliber to be sliced, an adjustment device for adjusting the blade relative to the counter edge in a direction of the blade axis a control for controlling the adjustment device and the blade motor, a torque sensor for measuring torque delivered by the blade motor or torque with which the blade rotates, wherein the control is operable to move the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction toward the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame, stop the movement of the blade in the approach direction, and move the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of a cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis, wherein during or before the movement of the blade in the approach direction, a no-load torque of the blade motor or of the blade is measurable, and the control is operable to stop the approach movement of the blade as soon as an increase of the no-load torque by at least a fixed 1st moment difference is detected or as soon as a defined absolute torque threshold value is detected.

12. The slicing machine according to claim 11, wherein the cutting frame is movably attached to the base frame so that the cutting frame is movable transversely to an axial direction, and/or movable with respect to an angular position of its front surface relative to the blade plane.

13. The slicing machine according to claim 11, further comprising a rotation angle sensor for determining rotational position of the blade, the torque sensor and the control are capable of determining an angle of rotation of the blade within one revolution at which a significant increase in the no-load torque occurs.

14. The machine according to any of claim 11, wherein a largest radius of the blade is between 300 mm and 600 mm.

15. The slicing machine according to claim 11, wherein viewed in an axial direction, a contour of a peripheral edge of the blade is shaped and dimensioned in such a way and the blade axis of the blade relative to the cutting frame is arranged in such a way, in particular at such a distance, from the cutting frame that from a full 360° revolution of the blade is between ¼ and ⅓ of the full revolution the blade is not overlapping with the cutting frame.

16. The method according to claim 4, wherein the several blade revolutions comprise at least 3 blade revolutions.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the several blade revolutions comprise at least 5 blade revolutions.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the several blade revolutions comprise at least 10 blade revolutions.

19. The method according to claim 5, wherein the approach rate is at most 0.08 mm per blade revolution.

20. The method according to claim 5, wherein the approach rate is between 0.1 mm and 0.01 mm per blade revolution.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] Embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below by way of examples. They show in:

[0057] FIG. 1a: a slicing machine in the form of a slicer according to the prior art in perspective view,

[0058] FIG. 1b: in side view a simplified vertical longitudinal section through the slicing machine of FIG. 1a, in which the various conveyor belts can be seen more clearly, since the cover and cladding parts lying in front of them in the direction of view lie in front of the section plane, with the feed belt pivoted up into the slicing position,

[0059] FIG. 1c: a detailed enlargement from the longitudinal section of FIG. 1b, but with the infeed belt pivoted down into the loading position and the product caliber in an advanced state of slicing,

[0060] FIG. 2: a side view from the longitudinal section of FIG. 1c, but enlarged in comparison, showing the cutting of slices,

[0061] FIGS. 3a-c: different positions of the blade to the cutting frame in the side view,

[0062] FIGS. 4a-d: different rotational positions of the blade to the cutting frame viewed in the axial direction,

[0063] FIG. 5a: a torque diagram,

[0064] FIG. 5b: a speed diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] FIG. 1a shows a perspective view of a slicer 1 for simultaneous slicing of several product calibers K next to each other and, if necessary, depositing the slices S in shingled portions P, each consisting of several slices S—see FIG. 2—with a general horizontal direction of passage 10* of the material to be sliced through the slicer 1 from right to left.

[0066] FIG. 1b shows a vertical section through such a slicer 1—simplified by omitting details less important for the invention—cut in longitudinal direction 10, the feeding direction of the calibers K to the cutting unit 7 and thus the longitudinal direction of the calibers K lying in the slicer 1, and thus also cut in the general throughput direction 10*.

[0067] The basic structure of a slicer 1 according to the state of the art is that a cutting unit 7 with a sickle blade 3 driven in rotation about a blade axis 3′ by a blade motor 22 to which several, in this case four, product calibers K (not shown in FIG. 1a) lying next to each other transversely to the feeding direction 10 are fed by a feed unit 20, from the front ends of which the rotating sickle blade 3 simultaneously cuts off a slice S from each caliber K.

[0068] For this purpose, the feed unit 20 comprises a feed conveyor 4 in the form of an endless, circulating feed belt 4, the calibers K lying side by side thereon in the width of this feed conveyor 4 being positioned in this transverse direction 11 by elevations 15 projecting outwardly from the feed belt 4.

[0069] For the cutting of the product calibers K, the feed conveyor 4 is in the inclined position shown in FIGS. 1a, b, with the cutting side front end low and the rear end high—the cutting position—from which it pivots about a pivot axis 4′ extending in the first transverse direction 11, which is located in the vicinity of the cutting unit 7, the base frame 2 of the machine into an approximately horizontal loading position shown in FIG. 1c, in which new product calibers K are already placed on the feed conveyor 4, while the rest KR of the preceding calibers K are still held on the gripper 14 between the upper and bottom product guides 8, 9 and are ready to be sliced.

[0070] The rear end of each caliber K lying in the feed unit 20—see FIG. 1b—is held positively by a gripper 14a-d in each case by means of gripper claws 16. These grippers 14a- 14d, which can be activated and deactivated, are attached to a common gripper unit 13, which can be tracked in a controlled manner along a rod-shaped gripper guide 18 in the feeding direction 10, whereby, however, the specific feeding speed of the calibers K is effected by a so-called upper and bottom product guide 8, 9, which each consist of an endless, circulating guide belt and which engage on the upper side and lower side of the calibers K to be cut at their front end regions near the cutting unit 7, wherein all movable parts of the machine 1 are controlled by its control 1*.

[0071] For slicing, the front ends of the calibers K are each guided through a so-called product opening 6a-d provided for each caliber, which are formed in a plate-shaped cutting frame 5, the cutting plane 3″ running directly in front of the front end face of the cutting frame 5, which faces obliquely downwards, in which cutting plane the sickle blade 3 rotates with its cutting edge 3a and thus cuts off the projection of the calibers K from the cutting frame 5 as slices S. The cutting plane 3″ runs perpendicular to the upper run of the feed conveyor 4 and/or is defined by the two transverse directions 11, 12.

[0072] The upper product guide 8 is displaceable in the second transverse direction 12—which runs perpendicular to the surface of the upper run of the feed conveyor 4 folded up into the cutting position—for adaptation to the height H of the caliber K in this direction, which can be determined by a height sensor 19. Furthermore, at least one of the product guides 8, 9 can be designed to be pivotable about one of its idler pulleys 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b in order to be able to change the direction of the run of its conveyor belt resting against the caliber K to a limited extent.

[0073] The slices S, which stand at an angle in the space corresponding to the inclined position of the feed unit 20 and cutting plane 3″ during separation, fall—see FIG. 2—onto a discharge unit 17, which begins below the cutting frame 5 and runs in the throughput direction 10* and in this case consists of several conveyors 17a, b, c arranged one behind the other with their upper runs approximately aligned in the throughput direction 10*, one of which can also be embodied as a weighing unit.

[0074] Below the feed unit 20 there is also an approximately horizontally running endpiece conveyor 21, which starts with its front end below the cutting frame 5 and directly below and/or behind the discharge unit 17 and with its upper run transports end-pieces falling thereon from there to the rear against the throughput direction 10*.

[0075] For this purpose, at least the first end piece conveyor 17a in the throughput direction 10* can be driven with its upper run in the opposite direction to the throughput direction 10*, so that an end piece KR falling thereon, for example, can be transported to the rear and falls onto the lower-lying end piece conveyor 21.

[0076] After separation, the slices S are falling either directly onto these conveyors 17a-c, as shown in FIG. 1b, or, as shown in FIG. 2, onto a packing element V resting thereon, such as a carrier carton or a flat plastic tray.

[0077] When a slice S is cut, the cutting edge 3a runs at a small distance, the cutting gap 100 shown in FIG. 3a, along the front surface of the cutting frame 5 facing the blade 3, and in doing so sweeps over the entire cross section of the respective frame opening 6, from which the product caliber K—which is not shown in FIG. 3a for reasons of clarity—protrudes.

[0078] The cutting edge 3a advances in the direction of immersion 25 from the upper edge 5b of the front surface 5.1 of the cutting frame 5 further and further along the front surface 5.1, whereby, viewed in the axial direction 10 according to FIGS. 4a to c, the direction of immersion 25 is defined as a radial axis from the blade axis 3′ at right angles towards the upper edge 5b of the cutting frame 5.

[0079] In this case, the circumferential edge of the product opening 6 on the front side of the cutting frame 5 acts as a counter edge 5a for the cutting edge 3a, at least over part of the circumference of the product opening 6.

[0080] The cutting gap 100 is necessary, above all, so that the blade 3 with its cutting edge 3a does not slide along the front surface of the cutting frame 5 with every cut, since this would, on the one hand, cause the cutting edge 3a to become blunt very quickly and, on the other hand, damage the front surface and, in particular, the counter edge 5a of the cutting frame 5.

[0081] On the other hand, too large a cutting gap 100 prevents the counter edge 5a from having sufficient effect on the cutting edge 3a and worsens the cutting result.

[0082] For this reason, the cutting gap 100 is often controlled by readjustment, in that the—preferably rotating—blade 3 according to FIG. 3a is moved closer and closer to the cutting frame 5 in the approach direction 10a, which is parallel to the blade axis 3′, by means of an adjustment device 23—without there being a product caliber in it for cutting—until the blade 3 makes contact with the front surface of the cutting frame 5, which is indicated to the control 1* of the machine by the fact that a parameter automatically monitored in this respect, for example the no-load torque ML of the blade 3 or of the blade motor 22 driving it, increases.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 5a, the no-load torque ML, which always varies slightly, even during one revolution of the blade 3, will increase from a pre-contact average no-load torque ØML. If this is a relative increase by a 1st moment difference MD1 or an absolute increase above an absolutely defined moment threshold MS, the control 1* interprets this as contact between blade 3 and cutting frame 5 and stops the approach movement in approach direction 10a.

[0084] After this, a specified number of further revolutions of the blade are performed and a check is made to see whether there is again a sharp drop of more than a 2nd moment difference MD2 from the maximum achieved no-load torque MLmax. If this is not the case, the increase was also not caused by a particle, such as a meat fiber, getting between the blade 3 and the cutting frame 5, which was then flung away again, but by direct contact of the blade 3 with the cutting frame 5.

[0085] Then the blade 3 is moved axially back again in spacing direction 10b by a distance corresponding to the desired cutting gap 100.

[0086] From this contacting axial position, the control 1* causes the blade 3 to move back in spacing direction 10b by the distance of the desired cutting gap 100.

[0087] As long as the blade plane 3″ defined by the cutting edge 3a is parallel to the front surface 5.1 of the cutting frame 5, the cutting gap 100 set in this way is uniformly maintained during the entire cutting movement of the blade 3—in which there is an overlap of blade 3 and cutting frame 5 as viewed in the axial direction 10.

[0088] However, if these two surfaces are not parallel to each other—i.e., if they are at an angle to each other by more than a tolerance angle to be specified—it is not possible to set a cutting gap 100 that remains constant throughout the cutting movement, and a warning signal should be emitted by the control so that the operator first re-establishes the parallelism of the cutting plane 3″ to the front surface 5.1 of the cutting frame 5.

[0089] As a rule, the course of the blade axis 3′ is not adjustable and the blade 3 is flat in that its cutting edge 3a defines a blade plane 3″.

[0090] Thus, only the front surface 5.1 of the cutting frame 5 can be adjusted in its position. In case of lack of parallelism, this front surface 5.1 is at a difference angle β about an inclination axis 26 oblique to the blade plane 3″ which should be eliminated or at least minimized.

[0091] If the 1. transverse direction 11, the width direction of the slicer 1, is the oblique position axis 26a—i.e., lies transverse to the direction of immersion 25 of the blade 3—and the upper edge 5b of the front surface 5.1 adjacent to the cutting axis 3′ is further away from the cutting plane 3″ than the lower edge 5c facing away from the cutting axis 3′, the situation shown in FIG. 3b results:

[0092] When the blade 3 approaches axially in the approach direction 10a, the rapidly rotating blade 3 will be the first to reach the front surface 5.1 with its cutting edge 3a at or near its lower edge 5c—as shown in FIG. 4b—and when it is pressed on further by means of the adjustment device 23, the monitored no-load torque ML will increase, but due to the pliability of the blade 3 much more slowly than when the blade 3 is applied to the front surface 5. 1 simultaneously over their entire overlap area, which can make it difficult for an evaluation unit of the control 1* to detect contact between the blade and the cutting frame 5 in good time.

[0093] If, on the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3c, the axis of inclination 26b is the second transverse direction 12, i.e., parallel to the immersion direction 25, then when the rotating blade 3 approaches axially in the approach direction 10a, the blade 3 reaches the front side 5.1 of the cutting frame 5 for the first time with its cutting edge 3a either at the left or at the right end of the cutting frame 5, measured transversely to the immersion direction 25, i.e., in the 1. transverse direction 11, thus shortly after the rotational position shown in FIG. 4a or shortly before the rotational position shown in FIG. 4b, which in both cases leads to the fact that during the sliding along the product opening 6 or the several product openings 6a, b by the cutting edge 3a the cutting gap 100 adjusted during contacting would be too large.

[0094] FIGS. 4a to 4d show the cutting segment of the cutting unit 7 in relation to a specific blade 3 used in the process.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 4a, the cutting edge 3a penetrates for the first time in the axial direction 10 into the cross section of a first of the product openings 6a, 6b, here the product opening 6b, in a rotational position of the blade 3 in which a radial reference line 27—here the radial axis from the blade axis 3′ to the beginning of the cutting edge 3a, at which this has the smallest distance to the blade axis 3′—is distanced by an entry angle al from the direction of immersion 25—the perpendicular to the upper edge 5b of the cutting frame 5 through the blade axis 3′.

[0096] With further rotation, the cutting edge 3a first reaches the lower edge 5c of the cutting frame 5 as shown in FIG. 4b, and a little later the cutting edge 3a emerges from the cross section of the first product opening 6b in the direction of rotation of the blade, although this sequence can also be reversed depending on the size ratios and design of the cross section of the product openings 6a, b and of the blade 3.

[0097] At least shortly before reaching the rotational position according to FIG. 4c, the circumferential edge of this product opening 6b acts as a counter edge 5a to the cutting edge 3a, as shown in FIG. 3a and FIG. 4d.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 4d, the cutting edge 3a then emerges from the cross section of the last product opening 6a in the direction of rotation of the blade 3 during further rotation at an exit angle α2, and again, before this rotational position is reached, the peripheral edge of this product opening 6a acts as a counter edge 5a to the cutting edge 3a.

[0099] The intermediate angle between α1 and α2 thus represents the cutting segment α2-α1.

[0100] With reference to the cutting segment α2-α1, the following statements can thus be derived with the blade 3 in contact, rotating, but axially stopped:

[0101] If, within one revolution of the blade 3, the no-load torque ML increases in each case even before the entry angle α1 is reached, the upper edge 5b of the cutting frame 5 is closer to the cutting plane 3″ than the lower edge 5c, with an inclined position about the axis of inclination 26a.

[0102] If the no-load torque ML increases within the cutting segment α2-α1 already within the first half, in particular the first third, or only in the second half, in particular the third third, of the cutting segment α2-α1, there is an inclination of the front surface 5.1 about the second axis of inclination 26b and the right or the left end of the cutting frame 5 is contacted first by the blade 3.

[0103] If the no-load torque ML increases approximately in the middle of the cutting segment α2-α1, there is again an inclination of the front surface 5.1 about the first axis of inclination 26a, but then the lower edge 5c is closer to the cutting plane 3″ than the upper edge 5b.

[0104] These automatically determinable statements can be given to the operator for the readjustment of the cutting frame 5 by the control 1*, e.g., via the display of the control 1*.

[0105] Of course, the front surface 5.1 can also be inclined about an axis of inclination running obliquely to the two transverse directions 11 and 12. Then several of the above statements apply cumulatively.

[0106] FIGS. 4a to 4d further show that—viewed in the axial direction 10—the contour of the circumferential edge of the blade is shaped and dimensioned in such a way and the axis of rotation 3′ of the blade 3 to the cutting frame 5 is arranged in such a way, in particular at such a distance, to the cutting frame 5 that of a full 360° revolution of the blade 3 this is between ¼ and ⅓ of a full revolution without overlapping with the cutting frame 5.

[0107] FIG. 5b shows the possible variation change δv of the rotation speed v of the idling blade 3 during a complete revolution, so that the actual rotational speed actual-v mostly oscillates around the desired rotational speed desired-v and the speed of the blade motor 22 is controlled in dependence thereon.

[0108] If the relative variation change δv are greater than a specified tolerance difference δvD, the current supply is increased during speed control if the rotation speed has dropped to an unacceptable extent, and reduced in the opposite case, in each case until the rotation speed is again within the permissible range.

[0109] If the absolute variation change from the set rotation speed set-v are greater than a specified tolerance deviation Tol-δv, the current supply is increased during speed control if the rotation speed has dropped to an impermissibly high level, and reduced in the opposite case until the rotation speed is within the permissible range again.

REFERENCE LIST

[0110] 1 slicing machine, slicer [0111] 1* control [0112] 2 base frame [0113] 3 blade [0114] 3′ blade axis [0115] 3″ blade plane, cutting plane [0116] 3a cutting edge [0117] 4 feed conveyor, feed belt [0118] 4′ pivot axis [0119] 5 cutting frame, cutting frame [0120] 5.1 front surface [0121] 5a counter edge [0122] 6, 6a-d product opening [0123] 7 cutting unit [0124] 8 upper product guide [0125] 8a, b idler pulley [0126] 9 bottom product guide [0127] 9a, b idler pulley [0128] 10 axial direction, feeding direction [0129] 10a approach direction [0130] 10b spacing direction [0131] 11 1. transverse direction (slicer width) [0132] 12 2. transverse direction (height-direction caliber) [0133] 13 gripper unit, gripper slide [0134] 14, 14a-d gripper [0135] 15 elevation [0136] 16 gripper claw [0137] 17 discharge unit [0138] 17a, b, c portioning belt, conveyor [0139] 18 gripper guide [0140] 19 height sensor [0141] 20 feed unit [0142] 21 end piece conveyor [0143] 22 blade motor [0144] 23 adjustment device [0145] 24 torque sensor [0146] 25 direction of immersion [0147] 26a, b axis of inclination [0148] 100 cutting gap [0149] α1 entry angle [0150] α2 exit angle [0151] α2-α1 cutting segment [0152] β difference angle [0153] K caliber, product caliber [0154] MD1 1. moment difference [0155] MD2 2. moment difference [0156] MLmax maximum achieved no-load torque [0157] MS moments threshold [0158] ØML average no-load torque [0159] S slice [0160] V packing element [0161] v rotation speed [0162] δv variation change [0163] δvD tolerance difference of the circulation speed [0164] Tol-δv tolerance deviation of the circulation speed