Multi-type food processing device and method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and device for processing food. The device comprises at least two food slicing devices adapted to each produce partial portions, and a combination device disposed downstream of each food slicing device to combine the partial portions to a multi-type portion. A sensor assembly may be provided to determine at least one property of the partial portions, wherein a control device is provided to control the operation of the food slicing devices based on the properties of the respective partial portions to adjust the weight of the partial portions. A control device is alternatively provided to synchronize the timing of the slicing operation of the food slicing devices. A buffering device is alternatively provided between at least one food slicing device and the combination device to retain and release partial portions based on a control signal from a control device.

Claims

1. A food processing device comprising: at least two food slicing devices which are configured to each produce partial portions, a sensor assembly which comprises a scale and is configured to determine at least a weight of said partial portions produced by a first food slicing device of said at least two food slicing devices, a combination device configured to receive said partial portions from said food slicing devices and to combine said partial portions from different food slicing devices of said at least two food slicing devices into a multi-type portion, and a control device configured to control an operation of at least a second food slicing device of said at least two food slicing devices based on said weight of said respective partial portions of said first food slicing device in order to adjust a weight of said partial portions to each other such that a target weight of the multi-type portion can be obtained with greater accuracy.

2. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor assembly is disposed downstream of at least one of said food slicing devices and upstream of said combination device with respect to a direction of movement of said partial portions produced by said at least one of said food slicing devices.

3. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor assembly comprises a scanning device disposed between a feeder and at least one of said food slicing devices.

4. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device and said food slicing devices are adapted such that the operation of at least one of said food slicing devices is controlled in that a slice thickness of the partial portions is adjusted.

5. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device and said food slicing devices are adapted such that the operation of at least one of said food slicing devices is controlled in that a number of food slices of a partial portion is adjusted.

6. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is provided in one of said food slicing devices.

7. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said food slicing devices are in communication via a communication device.

8. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said food slicing devices are arranged to deposit respective partial portions onto different sections of a conveying device.

9. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said food slicing devices are arranged to deposit respective partial portions onto different parallel conveying devices.

10. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein a scanning device is disposed between a feeder and at least one of said food slicing devices which is adapted to determine properties of partial portions prior to their slicing operation, wherein said control device is adapted to take into account said properties determined when said slicing operation of said other food slicing device is controlled.

11. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said combination device is a loader which is adapted to arrange said partial portions with another partial portion on a product carrier.

12. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein said combination device is a pick and place robot which arranges said partial portions produced by said food slicing devices on a deposit section.

13. The food processing device according to claim 1, wherein a transport device is provided to transport and rotate the multi-type portions for placement on a deposit section.

14. A food processing device comprising: first and second food slicing devices which are each configured to produce partial portions; a sensor assembly configured to determine a weight of a first partial portion produced by the first food slicing device; a combination device disposed downstream of the first and second food slicing devices relative to a respective direction of movement of the partial portions produced by each of the first and second food slicing devices and configured to combine the first partial portion from the first food slicing device and a second partial portion from the second food slicing device into a multi-type portion; and a control device configured to control an operation of the second food slicing device based on the weight of the first partial portion from the first food slicing device in order to adjust weight of the second partial portion from the second food slicing device so that a target weight of the multi-type portion can be accurately obtained.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a food processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the arrangement of the components of an embodiment of a food processing device according to the disclosure; and

(3) FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the arrangement of the components of a further embodiment of a food processing device according to the disclosure.

(4) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a food processing device according to the disclosure. The food processing device comprises food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 arranged downstream of each other which each have a downstream sensor assembly 4, 5, 6 in the form of a scale. Furthermore, food slicing device 3 has a scanning device 7 arranged upstream, in particular in the form of an X-ray scanner which can determine the internal composition of products passing it, in particular food products, e.g. food bars.

(5) In particular, the different food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 are via a respective feeder 11, which is only illustrated for food slicing device 3, supplied food bars or other food products which are then sliced in food slicing devices 1, 2, 3. Food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 are in particular so-called slicers. Food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 each slice partial portions that are in the overall food processing device farther downstream combined to multi-type portions.

(6) After the slicing operation, the weights of the respective partial portions are first determined by use of scales 4, 5, 6. Alternatively or in addition to scale 6, scanning device 7 is provided as a sensor assembly which also enables determining the weight of the partial portion not yet sliced in that the density and the volume of the portion of the food bar or the food product to be sliced is determined.

(7) Once food slicing device 1 has by use of scale 4 determined the weight of a partial portion that it produced, this information is used in particular for the slicing operation of food slicing device 2 and/or food slicing device 3. If the food portion produced by food slicing device 1 is slightly underweight, the slice thickness of the partial portion produced by food slicing device 2 can in particular be increased or the weight of the food portion produced by food slicing device 3 can be increased, respectively. In particular the weight of the partial portion produced by food slicing device 3 can be adjusted depending on the preceding partial portion produced by food slicing device 1 and the partial portion then produced by food slicing device 2.

(8) The partial portions are via buffering devices 12, 13 supplied to a conveying device 14. Respective loaders 15, 16, 17 are provided for this which allow the partial portions to be arranged on conveying device 14 or on portion carriers, so-called trays, respectively. When at least one partial portion is at loaders 16, 17 already present on conveying device 14 or in the tray arranged thereontop, respectively, loaders 16, 17 represent combination devices that allow the partial portions to be combined to a preliminary or completed multi-type portion. The partial portions are for this arranged on top of each other, namely in particular superimposed on each other, or offset, i.e. partly superimposed, respectively. A buffering device 18 is arranged downstream of loader 15 on conveying device 14 on which the partial portions are buffered until loader 16 is supplied a further partial portion so that a preliminary multi-type portion is formed. A buffering device 19 is arranged downstream of loader 16 in which the partially completed multi-type portions are buffered until loader 17 is at a loading point supplied a further partial portion to complete a multi-type portion. Downstream of loader 17, conveying device 14 leads in particular to a packaging machine 23 in which the multi-type portions are packaged.

(9) In particular a control device 50 is provided which is adapted to control the operation of food slicing device 1, 2, 3 via communication devices (wired or wireless) 51, 52, 53, based on the weight of the respective partial portions in order to adjust the weight of the partial portions. Partial portions which are matched in terms of their weight are therefore combined in loaders 16, 17 and a multi-type portion with high weight accuracy can thus be obtained. Although the control device 50 is shown in FIG. 1 positioned outside of the food slicing devices 1, 2, 3, a control device 50 may be provided in one or more of the food slicing devices 1, 2, 3, as shown for example in FIG. 2.

(10) Furthermore, buffering devices 12, 13, 18, 19 and the associated partial portion insertion sections 8, 9 and 10 can be controlled such that only partial portions are released to loaders 15, 16, 17 that in terms of their weight match each other such that a multi-type portion is obtained having high weight accuracy.

(11) Finally, it is also possible that the operation of the food slicing devices is synchronized such that the entire system can be operated in a clocked manner whereby buffering capacity in buffering devices 12, 13, 18, 19 can be saved.

(12) FIG. 2 schematically shows a food processing device that is similar to the one in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 in particular shows further feeders 20, 21 for food slicing devices 1, 2. Upstream of feeders 20, 21 and 11, as shown in FIG. 1 only for feeder 11, scanning devices 7 can be provided so that a respective property of the food sticks or food products, in particular of their future partial portions, can be determined prior to slicing. This information is transmitted to a central control that controls food slicing device 1, 2, 3 accordingly.

(13) Furthermore, no buffering device is in the embodiment of FIG. 2 provided immediately downstream of the first food slicing device 1. In other embodiments, however, a buffering device can be provided so that food portions produced by food slicing device 1 can be buffered. This can be particularly advantageous where food slicing device 1 temporarily produces no partial portions, for example, when food slicing device 1 is newly loaded or is temporarily serviced.

(14) As shown in FIG. 2, a further buffering device 22 can be provided at the end of conveying device 14 which is in particular configured as a conveyor belt, prior to the completed multi-type portions being supplied to packaging machine 23. Before loaders 16, 17, an upstream partial portion insertion section or introduction section, respectively, is provided with which in particular partial portions from buffering devices 12, 13 are held back or released, and in which the partial portions to be combined with each other are arranged above each other on conveyor belts. The partial portions to be combined are oriented as desired on top of each other before the partial portion is deposited by the upper conveying device onto the lower conveying device, which is formed, for example, by conveying device 14, so that it is in the desired manner arranged relative to the other partial portions in a multi-type portion. Here as well, trays or other product carriers can be used. Furthermore, an intermediate sheet of paper or plastic can in the loader be placed between the individual partial portions to separate the partial portions from each other.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of a food processing device according to the disclosure. In this embodiment, food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 are arranged in parallel, where they again have upstream feed conveyors 20, 21, 11 and downstream scales 4, 5, 6. The scales are each followed by buffering devices 24, 12, 13, which each lead to a provision section 24, 25, 26. In provision sections 24, 25, 26, several partial portions are respectively held available, where their properties, in particular their weights, are determined by the sensor assemblies in the form of scales 4, 5, 6 or scanning devices 7. At least several pick and place robots 27, 28 are advantageously provided for provision sections 24, 25, 26 which pick up the partial portions and place them in a deposit section 29. Certain partial portions are there respectively selected by the control device and combined such that a multi-type portion having the desired target weight is obtained. In particular the weight is determined for all partial portions of food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 and the position of the partial portions is monitored up to the provision section so that selective picking of the desired portions can then be performed. Provision sections 24, 25, 26 and deposit section 29 are in the present embodiment formed by conveying devices, in particular conveyor belts.

(16) The capacity of buffering device 24, 12, 13 can there again be saved if the production of the partial portions in food slicing devices 1, 2, 3 is synchronized.

(17) Furthermore, provision sections 24, 25, 26 also form buffering devices, where pick and place robots 27, 28 are combination devices which are adapted to grip and to combine the partial portions released by the control device onto provision sections 24, 25, 26.

(18) The pick and place robots are in particular delta robots which each comprise bendable arms 30 and grippers 31.

(19) The completed multi-type portions can be buffered in a buffering device 22 before they are packaged in packaging machine 23.

(20) In particular no scales must be provided downstream of the food slicing devices, where determining the properties of the partial portions can be performed exclusively by the scanning devices respectively arranged upstream of the food slicing devices and can determine the properties of the future partial portions already prior to slicing so that the control of the food slicing devices is effected as a pilot control already upstream of the production of portions or the transfer of portions onto the conveying device.