SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING FOODS

Abstract

A system (1) for producing foods, in particular a chocolate system, comprising at least one treatment station and at least one industrial robot (2, 3), which comprises at least one effector (4) having at least one receiving device for at least one product carrier (14) and comprises at least one manipulator (13) for transferring the at least one product carrier (14). The industrial robot (2, 3) additionally comprises at least one control device, preferably at least one associated processing device, and the control device is or can be set in such a way that the product carrier (14), preferably at and/or opposite a treatment station and/or between two treatment stations, can be shaken, spun, turned, rotated, slid, raised, lowered, blown at, suctioned out, cleaned, stacked and/or unstacked, cleared out by knocking, emptied, filled, temperature-controlled, and/or, in particular under sensor control, moved along a predetermined path.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A system for producing foodstuffs, having at least one treatment station and having at least one industrial robot comprising at least one effector having at least one receptacle for at least one product carrier and at least one manipulator for transferring the at least one product carrier, wherein the industrial robot additionally comprises at least one control installation, and the control installation is set or is able to be set in such a manner that the product carrier is able to be: shaken, and/or spun, and/or turned, and/or rotated, and/or displaced, and/or lifted, and/or lowered, and/or blown down, and/or suctioned, and/or cleaned, and/or stacked and/or unstacked, and/or cleared out by impact, and/or emptied, and/or filled, and/or temperature-controlled, and/or moved along a predeterminable path.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the industrial robot additionally comprises at least one processing installation being associated to the at least one control installation.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one control installation is set or is able to be set in such a manner that the product carrier at and/or in relation to a treatment station and/or between two treatment stations, is able to be shaken, and/or spun, and/or turned, and/or rotated, and/or displaced, and/or lifted, and/or lowered, and/or blown down, and/or suctioned, and/or cleaned, and/or stacked and/or unstacked, and/or cleared out by impact, and/or emptied, and/or filled, and/or temperature-controlled, and/or moved along a predeterminable path.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the product carrier is able to be moved with sensor control along a predeterminable path.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the treatment station is a mold heater, a cooling station, a casting station, a shell-forming station, an opening-forming station, a filling station, a capping station, a decorating station, a de-molding station, a stacking and/or unstacking station, a spraying station, a printer station, an insertion station, a packaging station, and/or a placing station.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processing installation is a shaking installation, a spinning installation, a turning installation, a displacing installation, a lifting and/or lowering installation, a rotating installation, a scraping installation, a rolling installation, a blowing installation, and/or a suction installation.

21. The system according to claim 15, wherein the treatment stations are at least in part mechanically independent of one another.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the treatment stations are able to be put into operation in a mutually independent manner.

23. The system according to claim 15, wherein the industrial robot is repositionable, or is fixedly anchored, at a spatial position.

24. The system according to claim 15, wherein the system has at least one cooling station.

25. The system according claim 15, wherein the system has at least one cooling station that is centrally disposed and is operable from more than one side.

26. The system according to claim 15, wherein the industrial robot is equipped with an installation for identification, namely with an indicator reader for reading an indicator that is attached to a product carrier and/or to a treatment station.

27. The system according to claim 15, wherein the control installation is computer-programmable.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the control installation is equipped with a computer program which permits an optimized transfer and processing sequence.

29. A method for transporting at least one product carrier between two treatment stations in a system for producing foodstuffs, wherein at least one product carrier is conveyed by an industrial robot, wherein the product carrier is subjected by the industrial robot to at least one of the following method steps: being shaken, being spun, being turned, being rotated, being displaced, being lifted, being lowered, being blown down, being suctioned, being cleaned, being stacked and/or unstacked, being cleared out by impact, being emptied, being filled, being temperature-controlled, and/or being moved along a predeterminable path.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising subjection the product carrier, via the industrial robot, to at least one of the method steps at and/or in relation to a treatment station and/or between two treatment stations.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein the product carrier is, by the industrial robot: removed from a treatment station, and/or transferred to a treatment station, and/or transported between treatment stations, and/or transferred to a further industrial robot, and/or acquired by a further industrial robot, and/or transferred to a further system, and/or acquired by a further system.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein in a treatment station, the product carrier is heated, a foodstuff mass is cast, at least one shell is formed, at least one opening is formed in at least one shell, at least one shell is filled, at least one cap is formed, at least one semi-finished product is decorated and/or printed, at least one mold is de-molded, at least one mold is sprayed, and/or at least one product is packaged.

33. The method according to claim 29, wherein the industrial robot detects a position of the at least one treatment station and determines an optimized method sequence.

34. A method for converting a system for producing foodstuffs having at least one treatment station, said method comprising the following steps: dismantling an existing transportation device for conveying product carriers, installing at least one industrial robot which comprises at least one effector having at least one receptacle for at least one product carrier and at least one manipulator for transferring the at least one product carrier, wherein the industrial robot additionally comprises at least one control installation, and the control installation is able to be set in such a manner that the product carrier is able to be: shaken, spun, turned, rotated, displaced, lifted, lowered, blown down, suctioned, cleaned, stacked and/or unstacked, cleared out by impact, emptied, filled, temperature-controlled, and/or moved along a predeterminable path.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the industrial robot additionally comprises at least one processing installation being associated with the at least one control installation.

Description

[0062] The invention will be described hereafter by means of a preferred exemplary embodiment in conjunction with the drawing in which:

[0063] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a preferred arrangement of a system according to the invention;

[0064] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1;

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a further perspective view of the system of FIG. 1;

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a third perspective view of the system of FIG. 1; and

[0067] FIG. 5 shows a perspective side view of the system of FIG. 1.

[0068] A system 1 for producing chocolate pralines is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, said system 1 comprising two industrial robots 2 and 3. The industrial robots 2 and 3 are configured as robotic arms 13 having a gripping portion 4 and are disposed in a locationally fixed manner. A product carrier 14 in the form of a casting mold 14 is able to be gripped by way of the gripping portion 4 (wherein for the sake of clarity only one product carrier is provided with a reference sign). The industrial robot 2 or 3, respectively, furthermore permits the handling of the product carrier 14 such that the product carrier 14 is able to be moved or rotated, respectively, in different directions or about different axes, respectively.

[0069] A plurality of treatment stations 5-12 are disposed within reach of the industrial robot 2 or 3, respectively. The treatment stations are a shell-forming station 5, a casting station 6, a mold heater 7, a stacking and unstacking station 8, a de-molding station 9, a decorating station 10, a filling station 11, and a cooling station 12.

[0070] The cooling station 12 is disposed in a central manner and can be served in each case by one industrial robot 2 or 3, respectively, from a respective side. For example, the product carriers 14 after a processing step can be pushed into the cooling station 12 by the industrial robot 2, and can be removed on the opposite side by the industrial robot 3, optionally once the product carrier 14 and/or the (semi-finished) products contained therein have reached a predetermined temperature or once a predetermined temperature-control time has been reached.

[0071] The cooling station 12 can have a plurality of cooling zones such that the corresponding cooling/temperature-control can take place after a processing step without an additional cooling station being required.

[0072] On account of the free arrangement of the treatment stations 5-12, the latter can be disposed according to the requirements. Also, the treatment stations can be arranged in a different manner, or additional treatment stations can be added, or treatment stations that are not required can be removed, depending on the product.

[0073] In the case of this exemplary embodiment, a product carrier 14 is moved by the industrial robot 3 from the stacking and unstacking station 8 to the mold heater 7. The product carrier 14, after heating, is then conveyed by the industrial robot 2 to the casting station 6 where chocolate is cast in order for shells to be formed. The product carrier 14 is subsequently conveyed by the industrial robot 2 to the shell-forming station 5, where the shell is formed by moving the product carrier 14 in relation to a die (not shown), and subsequently to the cooling station 12. When the product carrier 14 is conveyed from the casting station 6 to the shell-forming station 5, the industrial robot 2 can likewise move the product carrier 14 and at least partially carry out the forming of the shells.

[0074] Once the shells have been cooled, the product carrier 14 is removed from the cooling station by the industrial robot 3 and is transported to the filling station 11 where the shells are filled, and said product carrier 14 is subsequently moved back to the cooling station 12.

[0075] Moreover, a cap can be attached at a capping station or at the filling station 11. The filling station 11 can also be a one-shot station where a shell and a filling are simultaneously dispensed.

[0076] Once the finished pralines have been cooled, the product carrier 14 can be conveyed by the industrial robot 3 to the decorating station 10 where the pralines are decorated.

[0077] The pralines are removed from the product carrier 14 by means of the de-molding station 9 and further processed, for example packaged. Packaging can also be performed by means of a treatment station that is configured to this end and that is served by the industrial robot 2 or 3. At the de-molding station 9, the industrial robot 3 can rotate the product carrier 14 and optionally move the latter in such a manner that the finished pralines are removed from the product carrier 14.

[0078] The empty product carrier 14, optionally after cleaning, is subsequently conveyed by the industrial robot 3 to the stacking and unstacking station 8.