DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING SAUSAGE PORTIONS

• US 20160143300A1
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Albert Handtmann Metallgusswerk GmbH & Company KG (Handtmann Beteiligungen GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Albert Handtmann Metallgusswerk GmbH & Company KG (Handtmann Beteiligungen GmbH)
• Inventors: Heim, Michael, Willburger, Peter, Reutter, Siegfried, Fischer, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 10,238,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 11/008 Conveying sausages in horizontal position conveying hanging sausages A22C15/001
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 17/0093 Handling, transporting or packaging pieces of meat
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 13/65 Sausages
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for transferring sausage portions with a supply transport device, at least one removal transport device, and at least one ejector for ejecting at least one sausage portion from the supply transport device onto the removal transport device. The removal transport device comprises a lower transport device and a holding device disposed thereabove between which the at least one sausage portion is transported.

Claims

1. A device for transferring sausage portions, comprising:

a supply transport device,

at least one removal transport device, and

at least one ejector for ejecting at least one sausage portion from said supply transport device onto said removal transport device,

said removal transport device comprising a lower transport device and a holding device disposed thereabove between which said at least one sausage portion is transported.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said holding device is arranged at least above a starting region of said transport device.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said holding device is formed as a circulating transport device, including a conveyor belt, a roller, a roller carpet, a sliding plate, or a resilient sliding plate.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said transport roller or said transport belt, has a surface profile.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between said holding device and said lower transport device is adjustable.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said supply transport device, at least in a transfer region, comprises a holding device above a transport device.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller actuating a drive of said removal transport device such that said removal transport device transports said sausage portions at a speed to adjust a predetermined distance between said sausage portions, where said speed depends on at least one of the following parameters:

a transport speed of said supply transport device, a clock frequency of said ejector, a speed of said ejector, a sausage caliber, a set nominal distance of said sausage portions in a direction of transport T₂ of said removal transport device, a number of ejected portions, and a set nominal distance of sausage groups in the direction of transport T₂.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein a sensor determines a position of said sausage portion and a sausage length at a point in time, and said controller in dependence of respective signals determines ejection timing and actuates said ejector.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said device comprises several successively arranged ejectors.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one removal transport device extends in a second direction of transport T₂ at an angle of 0 to 100°

relative to a direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one removal transport device comprises several adjacently disposed circulating conveyor belts.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein said ejector is configured and arranged such that said ejector is movable in a direction perpendicular to a direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device or in a direction having a component of motion perpendicular to the direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device and a component of motion opposite to the direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device, and comprises a pivot mechanism, or an ejection area of said ejector is oriented at an angle or parallel to the direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device and is movable linearly at an angle inclined relative to said supply transport device.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said device comprises a stop which is arranged at least in a starting region of said removal transport device and is positioned transverse to a direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device in order to decelerate said sausage portions in the direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device.

14. The device according to claim 1 wherein at least parts of said ejector are movable in or opposite to a direction of transport T₁ of said supply transport device.

15. A method for transferring sausage portions, comprising:

ejecting at least one sausage portion from a supply transport device laterally onto at least one removal transport device; and

holding and further transporting the at least one sausage portion between a lower transport device of the removal transport device and a holding device disposed thereabove.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein one or more sausage portions of the at least one sausage portion are ejected at several locations laterally from the supply transport device,

where n₁ sausage portions are ejected successively at a first location S₁ onto said removal transport device by actuating an ejector successively a number n₂ of times, and

where a certain number n₃ of sausage portions passing said first location S₁ without being ejected by said ejector is/are ejected at least at one further location by a respective ejector.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

detecting faulty products;

not transferring said faulty products onto said removal transport device;

discharging said faulty products at an end of said supply transport device; and

adjusting a speed of the supply transport device, a speed of the removal transport device, and/or a speed of the ejecting to balance a number of sausage portions.

18. The method according of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting a direction of a curvature of said at least one sausage portion; and

ejecting sausage portions having a certain direction of curvature onto a respective removal transport device.

19. A device for transferring sausage portions comprising:

a supply transport device;

at least one removal transport device, the removal transport device comprising a lower transport device and a holding device disposed thereabove between which at least one sausage portion is transported;

at least one ejector for ejecting the at least one sausage portion from the supply transport device onto the removal transport device; and

a controller including executable instructions in non-transitory memory for ejecting the at least one sausage portion via the ejector during the transfer from the supply transport device onto the removal transport device, and holding and further transporting the at least one sausage portion between the lower transport device of the removal transport device and the holding device disposed thereabove.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the executable instructions in non-transitory memory further include instructions for ejecting the at least one sausage portion at several locations laterally from the supply transport device.