BELT CONVEYOR FOR CONVEYING FOODSTUFF PRODUCTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a belt conveyor (1) for conveying products to be conveyed (e.g. food products), with a deflection (8), in particular as a rotatable deflection pulley (8), and a conveyor belt (2) which is guided around the deflection (8). The invention provides that the deflection (8) comprises a central circumferential annular groove (11), and the conveyor belt (2) comprises a centre bar (12) on the inside which engages in the annular groove (11) of the deflection (8).

Claims

1. A belt conveyor for conveying products to conveyed, in particular for conveying food products, comprising: a first deflection, in particular in the form of a rotatable first deflection pulley, and a first conveyor belt which is guided around the first deflection, wherein the first deflection comprises a central circumferential annular groove, and wherein the first conveyor belt comprises on the inside a centre bar which engages in the annular groove of the first deflection.

2. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising: a second deflection, in particular as a rotatable second deflection pulley, the second deflection being arranged next to the first deflection and being aligned coaxially with the first deflection, and the second deflection also having a central circumferential annular groove, and a second conveyor belt, wherein the second conveyor belt is guided around the second deflection, wherein the second conveyor belt comprises a centre bar on the inside which engages in the annular groove of the second deflection, and a gap between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, the width of the gap depending on the width of the two conveyor belts.

3. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt and/or the second conveyor belt comprises a T-shaped cross-section, or wherein the first conveyor belt and/or the second conveyor belt comprises a trapezoidal cross-section, or wherein the first conveyor belt and/or the second conveyor belt comprises a V-shaped cross-section, or wherein the first conveyor belt and/or the second conveyor belt comprises a semicircular cross section, the semicircular side forming the centre bar.

4. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising: a first support bar for supporting the first deflection, the first support bar running between the upper run and lower run of the first conveyor belt and forming the first deflection at its distal end, in particular having a bearing point for rotatably mounting the first deflection pulley, and/or b) a second support bar for supporting the second deflection, the second support bar running between the upper run and lower run of the second conveyor belt and forming at its distal end the second deflection, in particular with a bearing point for the rotatable mounting of the second deflection pulley.

5. The belt conveyor according to claim 4, wherein the first deflection is held only by the first support bar, and/or wherein the second deflection is held only by the second support bar.

6. The belt conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt projects with its support surface laterally beyond the first deflection, and/or wherein the second conveyor belt projects with its support surface laterally beyond the second deflection.

7. A food processing installation for processing food, characterized by a belt conveyor according to claim 1.

8. A food processing installation according to claim 7, wherein the food processing installation comprises a conveyor system with at least one conveyed-products carrier for discontinuously conveying the food products along a conveying path within a conveying surface, wherein the belt conveyor is arranged above the conveying surface and is optionally vertically pivotable, wherein the belt conveyor can be lowered with its infeed-side end onto the conveyed-products carrier in order to pick up the food products from the conveyed-products carrier, and wherein the belt conveyor can optionally be swivelled up with its infeed-side end in order to allow the conveyed-products carrier to pass.

9. The food processing installation according to claim 8, wherein the conveyed-products carrier comprises, on its upper side, a plurality of parallel and elongated recesses for the insertion of the conveyor belts of the belt conveyor when the conveyed product is removed from the conveyed-products carrier, and wherein the recesses in the conveyed-products carrier are optionally wider than the individual conveyor belts of the belt conveyor so that the individual conveyor belts of the belt conveyor can dive into the individual recesses in the conveyed-products carrier.

10. The food processing installation according to claim 9, wherein the conveyed-products carrier comprises, on its top side, a plurality of pins which project upwards from the conveyed-products carrier and enclose the recesses between them, wherein the pins are optionally arranged in a matrix in pin rows and pin columns, wherein the pin rows and the pin columns are optionally arranged at right angles to one another, wherein the directly adjacent pin rows optionally enclose the recesses between them in pairs in each case, wherein the immediately adjacent pin columns optionally each enclose the recesses between them in pairs, wherein the pins optionally all have the same length, and/or wherein the pins optionally project upwardly at right angles from the loading surface, and/or wherein the pins are optionally all aligned parallel to each other, and/or wherein the pins optionally each have a round or angular cross-section.

11. The food processing installation according to claim 8, wherein the conveyor system comprises a contactless drive system for moving the conveyed-products carriers within the conveying surface, wherein the contactless drive system is optionally a magnetic levitation system, so that the conveyed-products carriers float contactlessly above the conveying surface, wherein the conveying path within the conveying surface is optionally freely programmable, so that the individual conveyed-products carriers are freely movable within the conveying surface without being bound to a fixed conveying path, wherein the conveyor system optionally comprises numerous modules which adjoin one another and together form the conveying surface, and wherein the individual modules of the conveyor system are optionally rectangular in order to be able to form the conveying surface without gaps.

12. The food processing installation according to claim 7, wherein the food processing installation comprises at least one of the following processing stations: a cutting device for cutting the food products into slices, and/or a weighing machine for weighing the food products or the slices of the food products, and/or a packaging machine for packaging the slices of the food products, in particular as a thermoforming machine or flow packer, and/or a product scanner for scanning the shape of the food products, and/or a press for pressing the food products.

13. The food processing installation according to claim 7, wherein the food processing installation comprises a gripper for gripping the food products lying on the belt conveyor, wherein the gripper is adjustable between a gripping position for gripping the food products and a release position for releasing the food products, wherein the gripper for gripping the food products can dive into the gap between the conveyor belts in order to under grip the food products lying on the belt conveyor, and wherein the food processing installation preferably comprises a robot for positioning the gripper.

Description

[0037] Other advantageous further embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims or are explained in more detail below together with the description of the preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the figures.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a belt conveyor according to the invention with two conveyor belts lying side by side.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a variation of FIG. 1 with a smaller distance between the adjacent conveyor belts.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a simplified perspective view of one of the two conveyor belts from FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a center bar for guiding the deflection pulley in the single conveyor belts according to FIGS. 1-3.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a deflection pulley with an annular groove.

[0043] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view through the deflection pulley according to FIG. 5.

[0044] FIG. 7 shows a side view of a conveyed-products carrier that can be moved by a contactless drive system.

[0045] FIG. 8 shows a top view of the conveyed-products carrier according to FIG. 7.

[0046] FIG. 9A shows a take-off conveyor according to the invention for taking off the food products from the conveyed-products carrier according to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0047] FIG. 9B shows the take-off conveyor of FIG. 9A in another pivoted position.

[0048] FIG. 10 shows a flow chart to illustrate the operating method according to the invention.

[0049] FIG. 11A shows an alternative embodiment with a robot-guided gripper that can remove food products from the belt conveyor according to the invention.

[0050] FIG. 11B shows the embodiment according to FIG. 11A in another position of the gripper.

[0051] FIG. 11C shows the embodiment according to FIGS. 11A and 11B, wherein the gripper has lifted the food product from the belt conveyor.

[0052] In the following, the embodiment of a belt conveyor 1 according to the invention is described, which can be used, for example, in a food processing installation for conveying food products (e.g. stacks of slices of cheese or sausage), as will be described in detail.

[0053] The belt conveyor 1 has several conveyor belts 2, 3, which are arranged next to each other and form a uniform conveying surface with their respective upper run 4, 5. In addition, the drawing shows a lower run 6 and 7, respectively, on the underside in each case. It should be mentioned here that the belt conveyor 1 also has a larger number of conveyor belts 2, 3 arranged side by side. For simplification, however, only the two conveyor belts 2, 3 are shown in the drawings.

[0054] The two conveyor belts 2, 3 are each guided around a deflection pulley 8 or 9, as is known per se from the prior art. The two deflection pulleys 8, 9 are arranged coaxially and can be rotated independently of one another about a rotation axis 10.

[0055] The two deflection pulleys 8, 9 each have a circumferential annular groove 11 in the center, as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 5 and 6. The two conveyor belts 2, 3 each have a corresponding centre bar 12 or 13 on their inner side, which engages in the associated annular groove 11, the interlocking of the centre bars 12, 13 on the one hand and the annular groove 11 on the other hand resulting in guidance of the two conveyor belts 2, 3, as a result of which lateral displacement of the two conveyor belts 2, 3 on the associated deflection pulleys 8, 9 is prevented.

[0056] The guidance of the two conveyor belts 2, 3 by the interlocking of the centre bars 12, 13 on the one hand and the annular groove 11 on the other hand makes it possible to use conveyor belts 2, 3 of different widths, as can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, FIG. 1 shows a variant with a relatively large distance a between the adjacent conveyor belts 2, 3, whereas FIG. 2 shows a variant with a relatively small distance a between the two adjacent conveyor belts 2, 3. In the variant shown in FIG. 2, the two conveyor belts 2, 3 also project laterally beyond the associated deflection pulleys in 8, 9.

[0057] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a support bar 14 for guiding the deflection pulley 8. At the end of the support bar 14 there is a bearing point 15 which forms a plain bearing for the rotatable mounting of the deflection pulley 8. Furthermore, it can be seen from FIG. 3 that the support bar 14 is elongated and runs between the upper run 4 and the lower run 6 of the conveyor belt 2.

[0058] It has already been briefly mentioned above that the belt conveyor according to the invention as shown in FIGS. 1-6 can be used, for example, in a food processing installation. In the following, therefore, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9B, the use of the belt conveyor 1 in such a food processing installation will be described.

[0059] For example, FIGS. 7 and 8 show various embodiments of a conveyed-products carrier 16, such as is known per se from the prior art and is also referred to as a mover or shuttle in accordance with the usual technical terminology. With regard to the structural design and the mode of operation of the conveyed-products carrier 16, reference is made by way of example to the German patent application DE 10 2020 105 678.8, the contents of which are to be fully attributed to the present description. In addition, it should be mentioned that the conveyed-products carrier 16 can be designed in the same way as is the case with the drive system marketed by the German company Beckhoff Automation GmbH under the product name XPlanar.

[0060] At this point, it is only necessary to mention that the conveyed-products carrier 16 is moved without contact by a magnetic levitation system 17, whereby the magnetic levitation system 17 consists of several rectangular modules 18, 19, which are assembled to form a continuous conveying surface 20. The conveyed-products carrier 16 can be moved within the conveying surface 20 along a conveying path 21, whereby the conveying path 21 is only shown as an example in FIG. 8 and is freely programmable.

[0061] On the upper side of the conveyed-products carrier 16 there are numerous pins 22, which are arranged in a matrix in pin rows and pin columns, the adjacent pin columns each enclosing a recess 23, while the adjacent pin rows also enclose a recess 24.

[0062] In conveying operation, a food product 25 rests on the pins 22, which may be, for example, a stack of slices comprising a plurality of slices of sausage or slices of cheese, to give just one example.

[0063] Removal of the food products 25 from the conveyed-products carrier 16 is accomplished in the manner shown in FIG. 9A. For this purpose, a take-off conveyor 26 is used, which is designed in the manner described above, the take-off conveyor 26 being vertically pivotable about a pivot axis 27, as indicated by the double arrow in FIG. 9A.

[0064] The take-off conveyor 26 comprises a plurality of adjacent conveyor belts which, in the position shown in FIG. 9A, enter the recesses 23 or 24 between the pins 22 in order to engage under the food product 25 lying on the conveyed-products carrier 16. Subsequently, the food product 25 can then be discharged from the take-off conveyor 26 in the direction of the arrow.

[0065] FIG. 9B shows a pivoted position of the take-off conveyor 26 which allows the food product carrier 16 to pass the upwardly pivoted take-off conveyor 26.

[0066] In the following, the flow chart shown in FIG. 10 will now be described, explaining the mode of operation already described above.

[0067] In a first step S1, the food product 25 is first loaded onto the conveyed-products carrier 16. For example, this can be done in a slicing station (slicer) where food products are sliced into slices which then fall onto the conveyed-products carrier 16 and form a stack of slices.

[0068] In a further step S2, the loaded conveyed-products carrier 16 is then moved to the pivotable take-off conveyor 26.

[0069] In the next step S3, the take-off conveyor 26 is then pivoted downwards onto the conveyed-products carrier 16, with the individual conveyor belts of the take-off conveyor 26 diving into the recesses 23 and 24, respectively, and engaging under the food product 25 lying on the conveyed-products carrier 16.

[0070] In the next step S4, the food product 25 on the product carrier 16 is then discharged by the take-off conveyor 26, FIG. 9A.

[0071] In the next step S5, the take-off conveyor 26 is then pivoted upwards again, as shown in FIG. 9B, so that the take-off conveyor 26 then does not hinder the free movement of the individual food product carriers 16 within the conveying surface 20.

[0072] FIGS. 11A-11C show an alternative embodiment for the use of a belt conveyor 28 according to the invention with an upper run 29 and a lower run 30, which move in the direction of the arrow during operation. In this case, a food product 31 lies on the belt conveyor 28 and can be conveyed in the direction of the arrow.

[0073] A gripper 31 can be positioned above the belt conveyor 28, wherein the gripper 31 can be guided by a robot, as is known from the earlier patent application WO 2010/011237 A1, so that the content of this earlier patent application is fully attributable to the description of this embodiment.

[0074] The gripper 31 has two pivotable gripper arms 33, 34, which can be swung open or closed in the direction of the double arrows. At the end of each of the two gripper arms 33, 34 there is a product support 35 or 36 for gripping under the food product 31. For this purpose, the gripper 31 is lowered onto the belt conveyor 28, with the two gripper arms 33, 34 diving into the gap between the adjacent conveyor belts of the belt conveyor 28.

[0075] Subsequently, the gripper arms 33, 34 are then pivoted together, as shown in FIG. 11B, so that the product support 35, 36 engage under the food product 31.

[0076] Finally, the gripper 31 is then lifted by the robot, lifting the food product 31 off the belt conveyor 28, as shown in FIG. 11C.

[0077] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, the invention encompasses a variety of variants and variations which also make use of the inventive concept and therefore fall within the scope of protection. In particular, the invention also claims protection for the subject matter and the features of the dependent claims independently of the claims referenced in each case and, in particular, also without the features of the main claim. The invention thus comprises various aspects of the invention which enjoy protection independently of each other.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0078] 1 Belt conveyor [0079] 2, 3 Conveyor belts [0080] 4, 5 Upper run of conveyor belts [0081] 6, 7 Lower run of the conveyor belt [0082] 8, 9 Deflection pulley of the conveyor belt [0083] 10 Rotation axis of the deflection pulleys [0084] 11 Annular groove in the deflection pulley [0085] 12, 13 Centre bar of the conveyor belt [0086] 14 Support bar [0087] 15 Bearing point at the end of the center web for supporting the deflection pulley [0088] 16 Conveyor belt support [0089] 17 Magnetic levitation system [0090] 18, 19 Modules of the drive system [0091] 20 Conveying surface [0092] 21 Conveyor path [0093] 22 Pins on the top of the conveyed-products carrier [0094] 23, 24 Recesses between the pins [0095] 25 Food product on the conveyed-products carrier [0096] 26 Take-off conveyor for taking off the food products from the product carrier [0097] 27 Pivot axis of the take-off conveyor [0098] MS Centre bar for holding the return pulley [0099] 28 Belt conveyor [0100] 29 Upper run of the belt conveyor [0101] 30 Lower run of the belt conveyor [0102] 31 Food product [0103] 32 Gripper [0104] 33, 34 Gripper arms of the gripper [0105] 35, 36 Product supports of the gripper arms [0106] b Width of the conveyor belt [0107] a Distance between adjacent conveyor belts