Method for automatically adjusting the cutting gap of a slicing machine and slicing machine suitable therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11911925-B2
Application number	US-202117381352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2021
Priority date	Jul 21, 2020
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A method is provided for automatically adjusting a cutting gap of a slicing machine for slicing strand-shaped product calibers from a food product into slices, wherein the slicing machine includes a blade motor for driving a blade about a blade axis, wherein the blade has a peripheral cutting edge which defines a blade plane, and a cutting frame with a counter edge for cooperation with the cutting edge. Under control by a controller and without contact of the blade to the food product to be cut, the method comprises: a) moving the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction to approach the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame, b) stopping the approach movement of the blade, and c) moving the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of the cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for automatically adjusting a cutting gap of a slicing machine for slicing strand-shaped product calibers from a food product into slices, under control by a controller of the slicing machine, wherein the slicing machine includes
a blade motor for driving a blade about a blade axis, wherein the blade has a peripheral cutting edge which defines a blade plane, and
a cutting frame with a counter edge for cooperation with the cutting edge,

wherein, under control by the controller and without contact of the blade to the food product to be cut, the method comprises steps of:
a) moving the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction to approach the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame,
b) stopping the approach movement of the blade,
c) moving the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of the cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis,
wherein, in the method,
in or before step a),
without contacting the food product to be cut, an idle torque of the blade motor or of the blade is measured and supplied to the controller, and
in step b),
the approach movement of the blade is stopped
when an increase of the idle torque by at least a fixed 1st moment difference is detected and suppled to the controller,
or when a defined absolute torque threshold value is detected and supplied to the controller,

wherein in step a)
the method comprises automatically checking whether, within one revolution of the blade, the idle torque increases significantly even before an entry angle of the blade into the cutting frame is reached,
if the idle torque increases significantly, a warning signal is emitted in order to check a parallel position of a front surface of the cutting frame to the blade plane,
or an operator is informed that an upper edge of the cutting frame is closer to the blade plane than a lower edge.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
a current supply to the blade motor in idle running is controlled in dependence on occurring changes of rotation speed of the blade during a complete blade revolution, and wherein
the current supply to the blade motor is increased when a fixed tolerance difference between a lowest and a highest occurring rotation speed is exceeded during a complete blade rotation, in accordance with a determination that the rotation speed has dropped to an impermissibly high extent, and is reduced in an opposite case, in each case until the rotation speed is again within a permissible range.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the current supply to the blade motor in idle running is controlled as a function of occurring changes of actual rotation speed from a desired rotation speed during a complete blade revolution, and wherein
the current supply to the blade motor is increased when a specified tolerance change is exceeded in accordance with a determination that the rotation speed has dropped to an impermissibly large extent, and is reduced in an opposite case, in each case until the rotation speed is again within a permissible range.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in step b) after the stopping of the approach movement,
several blade revolutions are carried out with unchanged current supply to the blade motor,
the method further comprises checking whether, during the several blade revolutions, the idle torque does not drop by more than a defined 2nd moment difference,
only when the idle torque does not drop by more than the defined 2nd moment difference, a reverse motion is started according to step c).

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the several blade revolutions comprise at least 3 blade revolutions.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the several blade revolutions comprise at least 5 blade revolutions.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the several blade revolutions comprise at least 10 blade revolutions.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the approach movement in step a) is carried out at an approach rate of at most 0.1 mm per blade revolution.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the approach rate is at most 0.08 mm per blade revolution.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the approach rate is between 0.1 mm and 0.01 mm per blade revolution.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic adjustment is performed
after each movement of the cutting frame,

and/or
before cutting of each new caliber.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out at a rotational speed of the blade of 50 rpm to 500 rpm.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the automatically checking whether, within one revolution of the blade, the idle torque increases significantly comprises checking whether the idle torque increases by more than a predetermined value.

14. A method for automatically adjusting a cutting gap of a slicing machine for slicing strand-shaped product calibers from a food product into slices, under control by a controller of the slicing machine, wherein the slicing machine includes
a blade motor for driving a blade about a blade axis, wherein the blade has a peripheral cutting edge which defines a blade plane, and
a cutting frame with a counter edge for cooperation with the cutting edge,

wherein, under control by the controller and without contact of the blade to the food product to be cut, the method comprises steps of:
a) moving the blade along the blade axis in an approach direction to approach the cutting frame until contact with the cutting frame,
b) stopping the approach movement of the blade,
c) moving the blade back in a spacing direction by a distance corresponding to a desired size of the cutting gap, measured in a direction of the blade axis,
wherein, in the method,
in or before step a),
without contacting the food product to be cut, an idle torque of the blade motor or of the blade is measured and supplied to the controller, and
in step b),
the approach movement of the blade is stopped
when an increase of the idle torque by at least a fixed 1st moment difference is detected and suppled to the controller,
or when a defined absolute torque threshold value is detected and supplied to the controller,

wherein in step a)
the method comprises automatically checking whether, within one revolution of the blade, the idle torque increases significantly in an approximately central region of a cutting segment,
if the idle torque increases significantly, a warning signal is emitted so that a parallel position of a front surface of the cutting frame to the blade plane is checked,
or an operator is informed that a lower edge of the cutting frame is closer to the blade plane than an upper edge.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein
a current supply to the blade motor in idle running is controlled in dependence on occurring changes of rotation speed of the blade during a complete blade revolution, and wherein
the current supply to the blade motor is increased when a fixed tolerance difference between a lowest and a highest occurring rotation speed is exceeded during a complete blade rotation, in accordance with a determination that the rotation speed has dropped to an impermissibly high extent, and is reduced in an opposite case, in each case until the rotation speed is again within a permissible range.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein
the current supply to the blade motor in idle running is c

Assignees

• Multivac Haggenmueller Kg

Inventors

• Hartmann Albert
• Kast Alexander

Classifications

• B26D7/2628 Primary

  Means for adjusting the position of the cutting member · CPC title

• B26D1/28

  and rotating continuously in one direction during cutting · CPC title

• B26D2210/02

  for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers · CPC title