METHOD OF DEPOSITING A PORTION IN A PRECISE POSITION OR PARTS THEREOF AND DEPOSITING DEVICE SUITABLE THEREFOR

Abstract

Instead of a loading line consisting only consisting of conventional belt conveyors or strap conveyors, the invention uses—in addition to a conventional feed conveyor unit (10)—a large number of vehicles (F) which move independently of one another, freely on a driving surface (3″), and are driven from below the driving surface (3″), which each carry a packaging element (V) such as a tray, which—loaded with a single slice (S) or a portion—very flexibly permit the specific assembly of portions (P), but also the buffering of partial portions.

The buffer possibility can be supplemented by a (known) buffer (17) in the form of a vertical buffer with a vertically movable storage rack (17).

Claims

1. A method of producing a portion in a precise position according to at least one predetermined portioning parameter from one or more parts, in particular slices, in the form of a foodstuff in or on a packaging element, in particular from slices which have been separated from a regularly or also irregularly shaped food piece, by placing or dropping the one part or the several parts one after the other on a in transport direction single-part or multi-part feed conveyor unit, the position and/or rotational position of the at least one part on the feed conveyor unit is detected, the at least one part is dropped from the feed conveyor unit onto the packaging element, wherein previously the packaging element has been positioned in a defined position on a vehicle, which is alone drive-less, the drive-less vehicle is driven from below the driving surface and is positioned with respect to position and/or rotational position below the discharge end of the feed conveyor unit at a catching position in such a way that the part discharged by the discharging feed conveyor of the feed conveyor unit hits the packaging element in the desired nominal position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the case of a portion consisting of several parts A) the portion or a partial portion consisting of several parts is formed on the feed conveyor unit by depositing several parts thereon, in particular successively and/or B) the portion or a partial portion consisting of several parts is formed on the packaging element by dropping one or more parts, in particular a partial portion, by means of the feed conveyor unit thereon, in particular successively.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the catching position for the vehicle is carried out taking into account catching parameters, in particular the detected actual position and/or rotational position of the at least one part on the feed conveyor and/or the ejection speed of the at least one part by the discharging feed conveyor and/or the detected weight of the at least one part on the infeed conveyor unit and/or the detected actual position of the preceding one or more parts on the discharging feed conveyor and/or the packing element and/or the trend of the change of the determined actual position of the one or more parts on the discharging feed conveyor and/or the packaging element.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the packaging element, in particular also the vehicle, is in motion when the part hits it, wherein speed and/or direction of the movement of the packaging element, in particular also of the vehicle, are determined at the catching position, taking into account the catching parameters.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one sorting parameter of the part is determined prior to dropping on the feed conveyor and is stored in association with the part, in particular during the stay on the feed conveyor, in particular the weight of the part and/or the size of the part in its main plane and/or transversely thereto and/or the curvature of the part and/or the color of the part and/or the elasticity of the part and/or the temperature of the part.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein for producing a portion from a plurality of parts a first part of the portion is deposited on the packaging element of the vehicle this vehicle) is parked apart, when a next part suitable for the portion in the sense of at least one portioning parameter is available on the discharging feed conveyor of the feed conveyor unit, in particular of several parts, which drops onto the vehicle this vehicle is moved to the catching position, this next part is deposited on the packaging element of this vehicle, the process is repeated until the desired portion is completed.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the suitability of the part for the portion and its portioning parameters is determined on the basis of one or more of the sorting parameters.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein upstream of the discharging feed conveyor, parts or portions are intermediate stored separately from one another, which, in particular, can be selectively transferred to the discharging feed conveyor, the next suitable part for the portion is made available on the discharging feed conveyor from an intermediate storage, in particular a stationary intermediate storage.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle maintains the rotational position of the vehicle unchanged when its direction of travel is changed, which is done in particular only by 90° in each case.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle, at least when stationary, is driven in rotation about a vertical axis of the vehicle, in particular on the stationary point.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is driven in rotation about a vertical axis of the vehicle during travel, in particular also during the change in its direction of travel and in particular as a function of the change in the direction of travel, and as a result cornering of the vehicle is effected with a change in its rotational position and/or the vehicle can be moved from a starting position in all directions of the usually two-dimensional driving surface.

12. A storage device for the positionally accurate production of a portion according to at least one predetermined portioning parameter from one or more, in particular shape-containing, parts in the form of, in particular, a foodstuff in or on a packaging element comprising: an in the conveying direction single-part or multi-part feed conveyor unit which conveys the portion or a partial portion and includes an discharging feed conveyor, a vehicle system with a plurality of vehicles which alone are without drive, which is embodied in such a way that the vehicles travel on a travel surface or hover above a travel surface and can be driven independently of one another by a drive arranged below the travel surface and can thus be precisely positioned with regard to position and/or rotational position at a catching position below the discharging feed conveyor a control for controlling at least movable parts of the storage device.

13. The storage device according to claim 12, wherein each vehicle has a mounting device in order to be able to fasten to it on its upper side in a defined position, in particular in a form-fitting manner, a format plate which is matched to the packaging element to be arranged on its upper side, in particular is matched in a form-fitting manner, in particular the mounting device is embodied such that the same format plate can be arranged on the vehicle in at least two different positions, in particular rotated relative to one another about the vertical axis.

14. The storage device according to claim 12, wherein the driving surface is the closed and preferably closed and flat upper side of a driving plate made of easily cleanable material, in particular stainless steel.

15. The storage device according to claim 12, wherein the storage device comprises an additional intermediate storage for parts such as slices, in particular without a packaging element underneath the part, in particular in the form of a vertical intermediate storage with a vertically controlled movable storage shelf with compartments open on both sides in conveying direction and arranged one above the other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] Embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below by way of example. They show:

[0081] FIGS. 1a-e: a first design of the storage device in side view,

[0082] FIGS. 2a-f: a top view of the storage device of FIGS. 1a-e,

[0083] FIGS. 3a-c: a second design of the storage device in side view, and

[0084] FIG. 4a, b: the storage device of FIGS. 3a, b in top view, each in different functional states.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0085] As best shown in FIG. 1a and FIG. 2a, the storage device 1 consists of a vehicle system 2 and a feed conveyor unit 10 for loading the vehicles F, in that the feed conveyor unit 10 transporting in the conveying direction X can consist of several conveyors 10a, b in the conveying direction X, as shown, for example two, the foremost of which in the conveying direction X is a dropping conveyor 10a, which in such a height position and X-position relative to a vehicle F of the vehicle system 2 standing in a catching position or also travelling in the conveying direction X ends with its discharge end, so that parts T, in particular slice S, falling over the end of the driven discharge conveyor 10a come to lie on the vehicle F, in the case of flat parts T such as slice S preferably lying flat and not folded. One of the conveyors 10a, b is generally equipped with a scale 9 for weighing the part T lying thereon.

[0086] The vehicle system 2 comprises a plurality of vehicles F, in this case F1-F10, which are capable of being moved independently of each other in a controlled manner on the moving surface 3″, which is spanned by the X and Y directions and on which the vertical Z is preferably perpendicular.

[0087] However, the vehicles F do not have their own drive motor with which they can travel on any travel surface by means of wheels, for example, but are quasi-driveless, since the main part of their drive is located under the travel surface 3″ in the travel floor.

[0088] This consists, for example, as seen in plan view, of an electro-magnet as bottom magnet 4a—only indicated in FIG. 2a—arranged in a grid-like manner, preferably in the form of a rectangular grid oriented in the X and Y directions and preferably with only the smallest distance from one another, whose magnetic field generated in the activated state penetrates the driving surface 3a running above it, in that this consists of a magnetically permeable material such as a plate of stainless steel.

[0089] The vehicles F also have magnets on their underside, but preferably permanent magnets as vehicle magnets 4b, likewise distributed in a grid-like manner over the bottom surface of the vehicle F, preferably with the same grid orientation and preferably the same distances of the vehicle magnets 4b as those of the bottom magnets 4a. The vehicle F is thus moved in a desired direction by selectively actuating certain bottom magnets 4a in a time-delayed manner.

[0090] On the upper side of the vehicle F there are one or more fastening devices 6 which permit the fastening, preferably by form-fit attachment, of a format plate 5, the upper side of which allows form-fit attachment to the shape and dimension of the packaging element V to be placed thereon, in this case a tray V in the form of a trough.

[0091] The format plate 5 can also project laterally, even in all directions, over the vehicle F as seen in plan view, and in particular the fastening devices 6 are arranged in such a way that the format plate 5, as seen in plan view, can be placed and fastened on the vehicle F in a plurality of rotational positions which differ from one another, for example by 90°.

[0092] Where the feed conveyor unit 10 obtains the parts T to be transported by means of the vehicles F and also to be stored between them, and which parts of foodstuffs—be they whole food pieces or parts of food pieces—are involved, is irrelevant to the present invention.

[0093] Shown as parts T are the slices S of a food piece LS to be sliced, such as a piece of meat, which in this case is pushed forward obliquely downward in a forming tube 11, and the protrusion of which over the forming tube 11 is cut off by a blade 13 which is movable back and forth transversely to its direction of extension, in this case rotating, whereby the cut-off slice falls flat onto the beginning of the feed conveyor unit 10 due to the oblique position.

[0094] In order to determine the thickness of the slices S, the food piece LS, in this case the piece of meat, is pushed forward in the forming tube 11 by means of a longitudinal press stamp 12 until it reaches a stop plate 14, which together with the blade 13 can move back and forth transversely to the direction in which the forming tube 11 extends.

[0095] This food piece LS in the form of a piece of meat is shown again separately in side view at the top left of FIG. 1a in order to illustrate the problem of slices S1 to S30 of different size and thus different weight with the same thickness.

[0096] As a rule, such a piece of meat is not cuboidal, but has an increasing and decreasing cross section at the beginning and end, respectively, as schematically indicated.

[0097] Depending on whether the forward pushing by means of the longitudinal press stamp 12 results in a compression of the slice of meat LS or only in a forward pushing, the slice of meat LS also assumes in its initial and final sections the cross section of the forming tube in which it is accommodated, or only partially or not at all, so that with unchanged slice thickness the slices become of different weights.

[0098] Likewise, the initial part and the final part of the piece of meat may differ from the central uniform part also in other parameters, for example, its color, fat content, and the like.

[0099] Frequently, however, portions P are to be produced on the packaging element V from several, here in each case three, mutually partially overlapping, i.e., shingled slices as shown in FIG. 2c. In this case, however, at least the completely visible uppermost slice should always originate from the middle part of the piece of meat, and preferably also the next lower, here middle, of the three slices.

[0100] The slices S1 to S4 from the initial portion or S25 to S30 from the final portion, which have a different appearance and/or possibly a different weight or size, should not form the uppermost but rather the lowermost slice of the portion P on the packaging element V and must therefore be dropped first onto a vehicle F with the packaging element V, but then it is necessary to wait until slices from the middle portion S5 to S24 are cut open and are available.

[0101] The problem arises that the slice S can experience a deflecting force due to the direction of rotation of the blade 13, which leads to the separated slice S on the feed conveyor 10, in particular after transfer from one conveyor to the next in the case of a multi-part feed unit, on the ejecting conveyor 10a is not always in the exact nominal position and nominal rotational position (viewed from above), which is, however, the prerequisite for this slice being in the exact nominal position there after ejection on the packaging element V. This, in turn, is necessary so that the edge of the slice S is in the exact nominal position.

[0102] This in turn is necessary so that the edge of the packaging element V, in this case the tray, is not covered or soiled by the slice S, since it is to be tightly sealed after complete filling with sealing film, which is to be tightly sealed onto this edge. In order to save packaging material, the packaging element V is also dimensioned relatively close to the portion P to be deposited.

[0103] With the vehicles F which can be moved on the moving surface 3″—if necessary also floating, however preferably sliding on sliding feet—both the buffer problem existing with a desired sorting within the portion P and the positioning problem can be solved exclusively with the aid of the vehicle system 2 and without further aids as shown on the basis of the FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby, however, the FIGS. 1 and 2 corresponding to each other from the designation do not represent the analogous function state.

[0104] FIG. 1a, for example, shows the initial state in which the food piece LS has already been placed against the stop plate 14, but the first slice S1 has not yet been separated.

[0105] In FIG. 2a, however, this has already been done and the first slice S1 has already been dropped on the tray as packaging element V of the vehicle F1 by means of the feed conveyor unit 10, for which purpose the vehicle F1 was placed in the correct pick-up position, e.g., partially retracted under the drop end of the dropping feed conveyor 10a, by the control. It can be seen that this first separated slice S1 is smaller than the slice S15 from the middle area, here S15, shown separately in FIG. 2a for size comparison.

[0106] Furthermore, in FIG. 2a the food piece LS is again shown in side view for orientation purposes, since in the top view of FIG. 2 a constant width is assumed over the entire length.

[0107] Since slices from the central area with a uniformly large cross section of the food piece LS, i.e., from slice S5 to S24, are desired on the vehicle F1 as further slices of the triple portion, the vehicle F1 loaded only with slice S1 is then moved to a parking position as indicated, and one of the further vehicles F2 to F10 shown in the parking position with still empty packaging element V is used, for example the vehicle F2, as already shown according to FIG. 1b standing ready at the impact point, onto which the next pane S2 is just dropped by the dropping conveyor 10a.

[0108] The now foremost slice S3 of the piece of meat is already in contact with the stop 14 and is ready to be cut off by the blade 13 in order to then be deposited by the infeed conveyor unit 10 on the vehicle F3 and its packaging element V and to then also move the vehicle F2 into a parking position as shown in FIGS. 1c and 2b.

[0109] However, the following slice S4 is the last slice of the front end area of the piece of meat. This is deposited on the vehicle F4, for example, but since slices S5 and S6 now follow from the uniform middle section, these can be separated immediately afterwards and also deposited on the vehicle F4, as can be seen in FIGS. 1c and 2b, and then the vehicle F4, which is now carrying a complete portion P, can be moved away—in this case out of the visible range of the figures—for further processing of the tray V with the finished portion P in it.

[0110] Then, according to FIG. 2c, one of the parked vehicles loaded with only one slice from the initial area, in this case F3 with slice S3, is moved to the impact point under the discharge end of the discharge conveyor 10a and thereupon loaded one after the other—of course with movement of vehicle F3 in conveying direction X in between, i.e., to the correct collection point—with the next slices S7 and S8 from the middle area and can then drive away with complete portion P for further processing.

[0111] In the same way, the portions are then completed on the vehicles F2 and F1, for which the slices S9, S10 and S11, S12 are used.

[0112] After this, there may be no more part portions to be completed on vehicles, so that now the remainder of the central part with slices separated in each case in sequence can also be created in portions deposited in sequence in a vehicle, as shown in FIG. 1d for vehicle F5 and the slices S13 to S15 therein.

[0113] FIG. 1d also shows how the next slice S16 is already separated from the food piece LS and falls onto the rearmost conveyor 10b of the feed conveyor unit 10.

[0114] The last vehicle which can be completely loaded with slices from the center section is the vehicle F8 carrying the slices S22 to S24, as shown in FIG. 2d.

[0115] Here it can be seen that the last slice S24—merely as an example—was lying twisted on the discharging conveyor 10a, which is why the vehicle F8 for collecting the slice S24 is also positioned at an analogous angle and, if necessary, not at the same transverse position in the conveying direction as the discharging conveyor 10a at the collection point, in order to produce a portion P consisting of shingled slices S22 to 24 which are exactly aligned with one another.

[0116] The position and rotational orientation on the dropping conveyor 10a has previously been determined by the position detector 8, preferably a camera 8 suspended above this dropping conveyor 10a, and reported to the control.

[0117] The next slice S25 subsequently waiting to be separated from the piece of meat LS is the first slice of the rear end region and is already somewhat smaller than the slices S5 to S24 of the middle region and, according to FIG. 1e, has already been deposited on a vehicle F9 and the packaging element V there, and the vehicle F9 has been moved to the parking position loaded only with this one slice S25 as a part portion, and to perform the same subsequently also for the slices S26, S27, S28 as shown in FIG. 2e and furthermore also for the slices S29 and S30 as shown in FIG. 2f.

[0118] Since in this case the rear end section is longer than the front end section and comprises a total of six slices, six of the total of ten available vehicles are used in this condition for intermediate buffering of one slice each of the rear end section.

[0119] Subsequently, the procedure is the same as described for the beginning of the piece of meat LS, but with the following difference:

[0120] While in the first slice of meat LS after slice S12 no more vehicles with unfinished portions were in waiting position, now from the end of the first slice of meat LS, e.g., six vehicles are in waiting position, each loaded with a smaller slice from the rear end area. Each of them, starting from slice S13 of the middle area, is again driven under the dropping conveyor 10a and two slices, e.g., S13 and S14, are deposited thereon one after the other in order to complete a portion there on three slices, for which all slices up to slice S24 of the middle area are required until the last of the six buffering vehicles.

[0121] Then the slices of the rear end section of the next piece of meat LS are again buffered individually on one vehicle each and this is moved to a parking position.

[0122] Depending on how long the initial and final sections of such a piece of meat are, a relatively large number of vehicles F of the vehicle system 2 may be required merely for the intermediate buffering of, for example, one slice each from the final section.

[0123] Since the vehicles F are expensive to purchase and, in particular, the required parking space is expensive since it must also be occupied by bottom magnets 4a, it may be worthwhile to provide another buffer instead of and/or in addition to the vehicles F of the vehicle system 2.

[0124] Thus, FIGS. 3a, b, c in side view and FIGS. 4a, b in plan view show a design of the storage device 1 in which there is an additional vertical intermediate storage 17 consisting of a plurality of compartments 7a to 7x arranged one above the other, open in and against the direction of conveyance X, which are fixedly connected to one another to form a storage rack 7 which is connected to each desired storage compartment, e.g., 7k, by means of controllably drivable transport elements, in this case drive rollers 15 which engage laterally with the upright side cheeks 16 of the storage rack 7 lying in the conveying direction X and are rotatable about a horizontal axis. 7k, for example, to such a height that the conveyor 10b loading and unloading the intermediate storage 17 directly upstream in the conveying direction X for this purpose can deposit a part, for example a slice S, therein.

[0125] For this purpose, as seen in plan view, this upstream conveyor 10b extends from its upstream end in conveying direction X into the intermediate storage 17 up to its downstream end, whereby the slice S is located in the longitudinal area of the intermediate storage 7 in the X-direction, as shown in FIG. 4a.

[0126] This is possible in that—as shown in the enlargement in FIG. 4a—the shelves 18 of the storage compartments 7a to 7x consist of spaced support bars 19 which are connected to each other only at their downstream ends and can therefore move vertically between individual, endless straps 20 which circulate in vertical planes lying in the direction of conveyance X. The straps 20 are driven in synchronism with each other.

[0127] The cooperating conveyor 10b, which is designed as a belt conveyor, consists of these synchronously driven straps 20.

[0128] The straps 20 rotate at their upstream end outside the bearing shelf 7 over a common driven deflection drum 20a extending over the entire width of the conveyor 10b. At its downstream front end projecting into the bearing rack 7, each strap 20 rotates over its own separate deflecting roller 20b, which are not connected to each other in the transverse direction Y, but are each connected to each other by a not shown deflecting roller 20b running in the conveying direction X. The deflecting rollers 20b and 20b are driven by the conveyor 10b, upstream of the storage rack 7, the free distance in the transverse direction Y between the individual deflection pulleys 20b, as seen in plan view, being large enough for one support bar 19 each to be able to move through them in the vertical Z.

[0129] By raising the storage rack 7 in such a way that a shelf 18, which previously was with the upper side of its support bars 19 still below the upper side of the upper spaces of the straps 20 of the conveyor 10b—as shown in FIG. 3a—passes these upwards, as indicated by the vertical arrow in FIG. 3a, and takes the slice S lying on it upwards according to FIG. 3b, the conveyor 10b is free to transport the next slice into the intermediate storage 7.

[0130] In this way, the storage rack 7 can be filled with, e.g., a slice S, starting with the uppermost compartment 7a and from there continuously downwards, until they are required again.

[0131] For removal, a shelf 18 on which a slice S lies is moved analogously in reverse to just below the upper side of the tops of the straps 20 of the conveyor 10b, so that the slice S is then driven in the direction of rotation on the conveyor 10b whose straps 20 are then driven in the direction of rotation, whereby the slice S is transferred to the following downstream conveyor 10a in alignment, as can be seen in FIG. 3c and FIG. 4b, and can be dropped onto a vehicle F standing by at the collection position.

[0132] In this way, the intermediate storage 17 can be emptied compartment by compartment, but as can be seen only in the order of the filled compartments from bottom to top, so that such an intermediate storage 17 can only be operated according to the last-in-first-out principle.

REFERENCE LIST

[0133] 1 storage device [0134] 2 vehicle system [0135] 3 driving plate [0136] 3a driving plate flooring [0137] 3″ driving surface [0138] 4 drive [0139] 4a bottom magnet [0140] 4b vehicle magnet [0141] 5 format plate [0142] 6 mounting device [0143] 7 compartment [0144] 8 position sensor, camera [0145] 9 scale [0146] 10 feed conveyor unit [0147] 10a discharging feed conveyor [0148] 11 forming tube [0149] 12 longitudinal press stamp [0150] 13 blade [0151] 14 stop plate [0152] 15 drive roller [0153] 16 side wall [0154] 17 intermediate storage [0155] 18 shelf [0156] 19 support bar [0157] 20 strap [0158] 20a deflecting drum [0159] 20b deflecting roller [0160] F1-F10 vehicle [0161] LS food piece [0162] P portion [0163] S slice [0164] T part [0165] V packaging element, tray [0166] X transport direction, 1. horizontal direction [0167] Y 2nd horizontal direction