Food article end detection system for a food article slicing machine

• US 8,336,434 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Provisur Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Formax Incorporated
• Inventors: Sandberg, Glenn, Pasek, James E., Hancock, David, Lamartino, Salvatore, Wolcott, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alie, Ghassem
• Application Number:
  US12/255,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20090148577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 834/351.6, 834/22, 83/13, 83/23, 83/79, 831/559, 831/55, 834/51, 83/84, 83/86, 834/12, 83/763, 838/59, 83/27, 834/351.9, 831/68, 835/221.2, 834/682, 839/32, 834/21, 534/71, 533/91, 532/661, 534/334.93, 995/37, 994/85, 993/86, 198/860.1, 198/809, 198/463.3, 426/518
• US Class Current: 83/364
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 17/0093 Handling, transporting or packaging pieces of meat
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/02 having a stationary cutting member B26D1/547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/143 rotating about a stationary axis B26D1/20 - B26D1/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/157 rotating about a movable axis B26D1/20 - B26D1/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/165 for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/36 and rotating continuously in one direction during cutting, e.g. mounted on a rotary cylinder for flying cutting B26D1/62
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2007/011 by clamping claws, e.g. in high speed slicers for food products
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2210/02 for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2210/08 Idle cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/00 Arrangements for operating and controlling machines or devices for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/08 Means for actuating the cutting member to effect the cut
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/32 with the record carrier formed by the work itself
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/34 scanning being effected by a photosensitive device
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/42 with interrelated action between work feed and clamp work clamping arrangements B26D7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/00 Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting cutters B26D1/00; arrangements for guiding hand cutting tools B26B29/06; punching tools or dies, cutting-out knives or dies B26F
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/06 Arrangements for feeding or delivering work of other than sheet, web, or filamentary form feeding or discharging sheets, webs, or filaments B65H
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0608 by pushers B26D7/0616, B26D7/0625 and B26D7/0641 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0625 by endless conveyors, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0683 specially adapted for elongated articles
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/088 by cleaning or lubricating sterilizing B26D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/18 : Means for removing cut-out material or waste
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/22 : Safety devices specially adapted for cutting machines safety devices in general F16P
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/225 : for food slicers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/24 : arranged to disable the operating means for the cutting member
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/30 : for weighing cut product
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/32 : for conveying or stacking cut product means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/144 : using light grids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 83/932 : Edible
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 409/30392 : with means to protect operative or machine [e.g., guard, safety device, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/04 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0467 : By separating products from each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/061 : With manually actuated means to disturb cyclic operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/081 : With randomly actuated stopping means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/166 : Removable element carries program
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/182 : With means to weigh product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2048 : By movement of stack holder
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2137 : And alternatively movable to or from operating position
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2192 : Endless conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/242 : With means to clean work or tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/531 : With plural work-sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/647 : With means to convey work relative to tool station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6536 : By carriage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6563 : With means to orient or position work carrier relative to tool station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6577 : With means to adjust additional means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6579 : With means to press work to work-carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6582 : Tool between tandem arranged work carrying means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6616 : Having means to actuate pusher
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/662 : Lever, cam, or link actuated pusher
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6668 : Interrelated work-feeding means and tool-moving means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6945 : With passive means to guide tool directly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/741 : With movable or yieldable guide element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/768 : Rotatable disc tool pair or tool and carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7868 : Tool element selectively operative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/85 : Signal; e.g., alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/95 : Machine frame

Abstract

A food article end location detecting system for a food article slicing machine. The system includes a sensor located so that each food article passes a sensing range of the sensor as the food articles are loaded onto a food article feed apparatus. The system has instructions for calculating the length of each food article based on a location value provided by the sensor. The system also comprises a food article end disposal mechanism. The disposal mechanism has a transport for receiving said food article ends and for removing said food article ends from said food article path. The disposal mechanism also has a paddle for displacing food article ends from the transport.

Claims

1. A food article slicing machine, comprising:

a slicing station comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade in a cutting plane;

a food article feed apparatus supporting a plurality of food articles for movement along a plurality of food article paths intersecting the cutting plane;

a sensor for determining a location of an end of each food article loaded onto said food article feed apparatus by measuring a distance between the sensor and the end of each food article and providing a value associated with the location;

a lift tray located adjacent to the food article paths of the food article feed apparatus; and

,

a food article transfer mechanism having a sweep supported above the lift tray, the sweep configured to laterally move the plural food articles together from the lift tray to said food article feed apparatus, wherein said sensor is located so that each food article passes a sensing range of the sensor as the plurality of food articles are moved from the lift tray to said food article feed apparatus.

2. The food article slicing machine of claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a laser distance-measuring sensor.

3. The food article slicing machine of claim 1, comprising a machine control having instructions for associating the value provided by the sensor with one path of said plurality of paths on said food article feed apparatus, wherein the food article is supported on said one path for slicing.

4. The food article slicing machine of claim 1, comprising a machine control having length calculating instructions for calculating a length of one or more loaves loaded onto said food article feed apparatus based on a location value provided by the sensor.

5. A food article slicing machine, comprising:

a slicing station comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade in a cutting plane;

a food article feed apparatus supporting a plurality of food articles for movement along food article paths intersecting the cutting plane; and

a means for determining a location of an end of each food article loaded onto said food article feed apparatus by measuring a distance between the sensor and the end of each food article;

a lift tray located adjacent to the food article paths of the food article feed apparatus; and

,

a food article transfer mechanism having a sweep supported above the lift tray, the sweep configured to laterally move the plurality of food articles together from the lift tray to said food article feed apparatus, wherein said sensor is located so that each food article passes a sensing range of the sensor as the plurality of food articles are moved from the lift tray to said food article feed apparatus.

6. The food article slicing machine of claim 5, wherein said means comprises a laser distance-measuring sensor for measuring a location of an end of each food article loaded onto said food article feed apparatus.

7. The food article slicing machine of claim 5, comprising a sensor signal-connected to the machine control, the sensor for determining a distance between said sensor and an end of said food article.