Slicing machine with product recognition device
AssigneeMultivac Sepp Haggenmueller SE & Co. KG
InventorAlbert Hartmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In order to reliably detect, without supplying electric current or any other type of energy to a gripper, whether a rear end of a product caliber is in a grippable position close to a gripper base body and/or gripper claws are extended into the product caliber, i.e., are activated, a signal transmitter may be moved into an activated position via a purely mechanical operative connection between a sensing element, which detects the approach of the product caliber to the gripper base body in a contacting manner, which position can be detected by a sensor arranged far behind the gripper at a base frame of the machine.
Claims20
A slicing machine for slicing a product caliber, comprising:
- a cutting unit,
- a feed unit for feeding the product caliber to the cutting unit in a feeding direction,
- a gripper, which is movable along the feed direction and is movable
- between an engagement position in which it holds the product caliber, and
- a release position in which it does not hold the product caliber,
- a controller for controlling moving parts of the slicing machine, and
- a product detection device connected to the controller and configured to detect whether or not the gripper is holding a product caliber,
- wherein the product detection device includes
- a sensing element movably disposed on the gripper so as to be movable from a normal position to an activated position by one end of the product caliber,
- a signal transmitter which is pivotably attached to the gripper and operatively connected to the sensing element in such a way that it is in an activated position when the end of the product caliber is at least in contact with the sensing element and is otherwise in a rest position, and
- a sensor unit arranged away from the gripper and adapted to detect whether or not the signal transmitter is in the activated position.
A slicing machine for slicing a product caliber, comprising:
- a cutting unit,
- a feed unit for feeding the product caliber to the cutting unit in a feeding direction,
- a gripper, which is movable along the feed direction and is movable
- between an engagement position in which it holds the product caliber, and
- a release position in which it does not hold the product caliber,
- a controller for controlling moving parts of the slicing machine, and
- a product detection device connected to the controller and configured to detect whether or not the gripper is holding a product caliber,
- wherein the product detection device includes
- a sensing element movably disposed on the gripper so as to be movable from a normal position to an activated position by one end of the product caliber,
- a signal transmitter which is operatively connected to the sensing element in such a way that it is in an activated position when the end of the product caliber is at least in contact with the sensing element and is otherwise in a rest position, and
- a sensor unit arranged away from the gripper and adapted to detect whether or not the signal transmitter is in the activated position,
- and wherein the slicing machine further comprises a spring that biases the signal transmitter toward the rest position.
A slicing machine for slicing a product caliber, comprising:
- a cutting unit,
- a feed unit for feeding the product caliber to the cutting unit in a feeding direction,
- a gripper, which is movable along the feed direction and is movable
- between an engagement position in which it holds the product caliber, and
- a release position in which it does not hold the product caliber,
- a controller for controlling moving parts of the slicing machine, and
- a product detection device connected to the controller and configured to detect whether or not the gripper is holding a product caliber,
- wherein the product detection device includes
- a sensing element movably disposed on the gripper so as to be movable from a normal position to an activated position by one end of the product caliber,
- a signal transmitter which is operatively connected to the sensing element in such a way that it is in an activated position when the end of the product caliber is at least in contact with the sensing element and is otherwise in a rest position, and
- a sensor unit arranged away from the gripper and adapted to detect whether or not the signal transmitter is in the activated position, wherein the sensor unit comprises a contactless optical sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.