Method and food slicing device with cutting force determination

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for operating a food slicing device in which a food cutting blade is controlled by a sensor, and a device for cutting food. The sensor is used to control the cutting operation of the device. When the sensor senses that the cutting blade is worn, a signal is sent to the apparatus motor to increase cutting force. When the senor detects the consistency and content of the material to be cut, a suitable cutting blade, rotation speed and force can be selected. The sensor can also determine the cutting quality of a cutting blade across its circumference by determining the localized bluntness of the blade edge.

Claims

1. A method for operating a food slicing device including a sensor device having a plurality of sensors, the method comprising: slicing, with a rotating cutting blade, a food product resting on a cutting bed; and sensing, with first and second sensors of said sensor device, forces exerted in two linearly independent directions, wherein said first sensor is on an upright portion of said cutting bed, and said second sensor is on a laterally extending portion of said cutting bed, and wherein said upright portion extends above said laterally extending portion; determining a cutting force exerted by said cutting blade via said food product onto said cutting bed based on said sensed forces, wherein blade sharpness of said cutting blade is identifiable based on said cutting force.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining said cutting force by said sensor device, and identifying blade geometry of said cutting blade from said determination of said cutting force by said sensor device.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising storing a curve of said cutting force over time in an electronic data processing system of said sensor device.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining a remaining service life of said cutting blade in dependency of said determined cutting force.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining a remaining service life of said cutting blade in dependency of a curve of said determined cutting force over time.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising setting at least one operating parameter of said food slicing device in dependency of a curve of said determined cutting force.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said at least one operating parameter comprises at least one of blade position, cutting blade speed, cutting bed position, or feed rate of said food product.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining load spectrums in a computer-aided manner using peak loads and/or load profiles over time that are determined by said sensor device, which load spectrums are used to determine values regarding the life span or maintenance intervals of wear and tear on parts.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said parts are bearings of shafts or drive parts.

10. A food slicing device for a food product comprising: a cutting bed for receiving the food product, said cutting bed having a laterally extending portion and an upright portion that extends above said laterally extending portion; a rotatable cutting blade for slicing the food product; and a sensor device that includes a plurality of sensors, said plurality of sensors including first and second sensors configured to sense forces exerted in two linearly independent directions, wherein said sensor device is configured to determine a cutting force exerted by said cutting blade via the food product onto said cutting bed during a slicing operation based on said sensed forces, wherein said sensor device is configured to determine blade sharpness of said cutting blade based on said determined cutting force, and wherein said first sensor is on said upright portion of said cutting bed, and said second sensor is on said laterally extending portion of said cutting bed.

11. The food slicing device according to claim 10, where at least one sensor of said plurality of sensors of said sensor device is provided at a cutting bed support.

12. The food slicing device according to claim 10, where said cutting blade is mounted at a blade head and one of said plurality of sensors of said sensor device is provided at said blade head.

13. The food slicing device according to claim 10 wherein at least one sensor of said plurality of sensors comprises at least one strain gauge.

14. The food slicing device according to claim 10 wherein at least one sensor of said plurality of sensors is an accelerometer sensor and said sensor device is configured to determine force exerted by said cutting blade onto said food product from a measured acceleration value using the known elasticities and masses of said food slicing device.

15. The food slicing device of claim 10, characterized in that at least one sensor of said sensor device is arranged at a blade mounting.

16. The food slicing device of claim 10, characterized in that at least one sensor of said plurality of sensors of said sensor device is arranged between a blade mounting and a drive shaft.

17. The food slicing device of claim 10, characterized in that at least one sensor of said plurality of sensors of said sensor device is arranged between said cutting bed and at least one associated bearing surface.

18. A method for operating a food slicing device including a sensor device having multiple sensors, the method comprising: slicing, with a rotating cutting blade, a food product resting on a cutting bed of the food slicing device; sensing, with first and second sensors of the sensor device, forces exerted in two linearly independent directions during the slicing; determining, using the sensor device, a cutting force exerted by the cutting blade onto the cutting bed via the food product based on the sensed forces; and determining blade sharpness of the cutting blade based on the cutting force; wherein the first sensor is on an upright portion of the cutting bed, and the second sensor is on a laterally extending portion of the cutting bed, and wherein the upright portion extends above the laterally extending portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 schematically shows a front view of a first food slicing device;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a front view of a further embodiment of the disclosure, in which one or more sensors can be disposed between the support surfaces and the cutting bed;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the disclosure, in which sensors are disposed in the region of the blade head, e.g. between the blade and the blade mounting; and

(4) FIG. 4 shows a side view of a further embodiment in which sensors are disposed between the blade mounting and a blade shaft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) In the embodiment shown, the device 1 comprises a cutting bed 2 having a horizontal bearing surface 3 and a vertical side support 4. Both are arranged at right angles to each other and, for example, integrally connected to each other.

(6) A food product 5, presently a sausage with a circular cross section, rests on the bearing surface 3 and laterally contacts the support 4, so that the sausage is positioned exactly in the corner between the bearing surface and the support. The connection between the bearing surface and the support can there be rounded.

(7) Below the cutting bed 2 is a cutting bed support 6 which serves as a mounting for the cutting bed. It can be fixed in a stationary manner.

(8) The cutting bed 2 is associated with a cutting blade 7 that rotates about an axis 8. In the case illustrated, the cutting blade is a sickle blade, the blade edge of which at the perimeter comprises a varying distance to the cutting axis. During rotation of the cutting blade, the cutting blade penetrates into the material to be cut and with the blade edge crosses the entire cross-sectional area of the material to be cut, presently the food product 5. In the case illustrated, the cutting blade rotates in a clockwise direction.

(9) The cutting blade 7 is positioned with its axis 8 such that the food product resting on the cutting bed is during the cutting process pressed into the angular arrangement of the cutting bed.

(10) To be able to sever slices in succession from the food product, the product is subjected to a certain feed motion feed which, for example, occurs continuously during cutting. This can be effected in that the food product 5 is conveyed in the forward direction on the cutting bed by a feed element 9.

(11) The cutting blade is with its cutting plane positioned slightly in front of the cutting bed 2 so that it sweeps by the front side of the cutting sample during the cutting process and severs a slice from the food product 5.

(12) Sensors 10 can be arranged in the cutting bed 2 to determine the cutting force of the cutting blade. These sensors can be disposed at appropriate locations of the cutting bed 2, or the cutting bed support 6, for example, in the area of the support 4, the bearing surface 3 oras already mentionedon the support 6 for the cutting bed. Furthermore, it is conceivable to associate a plurality of sensors to the cutting blade 7 itself, for example, on the blade head, on the axis 8 at the drive shaft of the cutting blade, or at the mounting of the cutting blade.

(13) These sensors can be associated with an EDP-system 11 which comprises, for example, a memory and an evaluation unit.

(14) The sensor device 12 according to the disclosure can comprise one or more of the aforementioned sensors 10. The position and the number of sensors 10 is determined by the desired recording quality and the optimum placement of these sensors.

(15) The sensor device is used to determine the cutting force being applied during the slicing of the food product by the cutting blade 7 via the food product 5 onto the cutting bed 2. By determining the cutting force, conclusions can be drawn regarding the sharpness of the cutting blade. This is done by comparison of reference data that are determined, for example, by empirical tests. Possible blade wear, which can also be given across only part of the blade perimeter, can thereby be determined.

(16) Furthermore, determination of the cutting force can serve to perform a selection among different cutting blades, namely in regard to the material itself to be cut. The latter will usually vary greatly, depending on whether it is meat, sausage, cheese or other material to be cut. The consistency and the internal structure of the material to be cut are also decisive for the quality of the slicing. The optimum blade speed can likewise be determined. The EDP-system of the sensor device can be used for illustrating the curve of the cutting force over time, and to draw conclusions therefrom for the optimal design of the blade, its rotational speed, the remaining service life in dependency of the wear already experienced etc.

(17) Since the EDP-system creates the possibility to store and evaluate the cutting performance over time, process errors during slicing and deviations from operating parameters can also be recorded.

(18) Furthermore, it is possible to determine the influences of ambient conditions during slicing, such as moisture, temperature and elasticity of the material to be cut and the room conditions of the processing room.

(19) The forces measured during the cutting process by the sensor device can also during operation of the device serve to adjust operating parameters, meaning to reset them. This pertains in particular to the position of the cutting blade relative to the food product, or the cutting bed, respectively. This additionally pertains, for example, to the position of the food product on the cutting bed. This can furthermore pertain to the cutting speed of the cutting blade, the rotational speed thereof, and to the feed motion.

(20) In the drawing, for example, forces F.sub.1, F.sub.2 and F.sub.M are shown. F.sub.1 represents the horizontal force that is detected by the sensor located in support 4. F.sub.2 determines, for example, the vertical force F.sub.2 arising in support 6. The same applies to the sensor 10 that is arranged below the bearing surface 3. It also determines vertical forces F.sub.3.

(21) Force F.sub.M symbolizes the force which is determined by the blade head during the cutting operation. It provides a counterforce to the force acting upon the cutting bed.

(22) Strain gauges can for instance be used as sensors. Accelerometer sensors are also conceivable which determine the force being exerted by the cutting blade 7 onto the food product 5 from the measured acceleration value using the known elasticities and masses of the food slicing device.

(23) In addition, pressure or force sensors are conceivable that transform the signals detected into electric values and forward them.

(24) These sensors can use physical capacitive or piezoelectric effects.

(25) In the embodiment of FIG. 2, sensors, for example, force or pressure sensors can be disposed between the cutting bed and 2 and the support surfaces 13. They can be associated with the cutting bed and also be oriented e.g. horizontally or also vertically.

(26) In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the food product is located between two conveyor belts 5 that together form the feed element 9. Upstream of this element is the cutting bed 2. Between it and a support surface 13, a sensor 10 is arranged which, for example, records the vertical forces.

(27) Alternatively or cumulatively, respectively, it is also possible to arrange at least one sensor in the blade mounting itself, as can be seen from the partial sectional view of the blade. The sensors can, for example, be arranged at the front end of the axis 8 associated with the cutting blade.

(28) It is also conceivable to accommodate them within the mounting assembly 14.

(29) FIG. 4 shows a similar solution. The cutting blade 7 comprises a blade mounting 15. Sensors 10 can also be disposed between the latter and the blade shaft 8.