[0001] The invention refers to a machine particularly to be used into the food department
stores which automatically effects the self-service distribution of the sausages.
Received the starting by means of keyboard, the machine intervenes on the wanted sausages,
making part of a set of sausages foreseen into the machine, and in succession it acts
the slicing, the weighing, the vacuum packing, the labelling, the stamping of weight
and price of the requested goods and last the packaging expulsion to be taken up by
the buyer. Actually for the retail of sausages it is necessary to use slicing machine
foreseen a circular rotated knife against which the operator keeps pressed the goods
placed on the movable part to be alternatively and manually moved for all the slicing
phase. The sliced sausage then must be taken away and weighed out to get to the wanted
quantity and then, before being delivered to the client, it must be packed and completed
with the checking details so to identify weight and price. This current procedure
creates a lot of drawbacks such the high operating cost of the distribution, owing
to the necessity to request persons who manually do all the procedures, the not whole
satisfaction of the client request for the possible presence of a bigger or smaller
quantity of goods in comparison with what requested or alternatively to have slicing
residues and last the no higienity of the different working procedures such the same
foresee the manual contact with the sausage. The drawback of the manual working for
the distribution of sausages is particular heavy into the supermarkets where it is
cause of long waiting for the customers and it can create crowd in the points where
the distribution is actuated, crowd which causes damages also to the self-service
distribution of other goods placed in near points. The above said drawbacks are avoided
by the invented machine which totaly excluded the manual work so to reduce the distribution
costs and times, it permits to the buyer to buy the exact wanted quantity and it packs
the goods hygienically and in a vacuum so to arrange the same for a longer conservation.
During the slicing, differently to the current procedure which foresees a machine
with a rotate disk against which the sausage is pressed being brought on movable part
to be alternatively moved by the operator, into the automatic unit of the invented
machine said sausage is kept pressed against a rotated runway and it is sliced by
two circular knives, inserted into the same runway, which rotate on own axis making
a circular motion. Said knives, held out the runway, slice the sausage each time they
come in contact with the same. The customer pushes the push-button corresponding to
the wanted sausage so putting in rotation, by a motor reducer and by a clutch, the
knives and a tumbler foreseen a set of cylindrical containers each of one to contain
a different kind of sausage. A selecting piston is foreseen to stop the container
with the wanted sausage into the cutting station where the sausage received a light
axial hydraulic thrust by a cylinder which maintains said sausage in adherence with
the rotated runway. Said runway rotates with the knife-holders and with the knives.
The knives being rotated on theselves by means of two epicycloidal multiplier groups
engaged with a fixed crown and held out from the running face of the runway running
on the sausage. Where the knives cut a sausage slice each time they get in touch with
it during their rotation. The slices fall down onto a balance. The balance, reached
the indicated weight, excites a microprocessor which put out the label with weight
and price, then it stops the motor reducer and it starts a packing device able to
vacuum closed the sliced sausage. To better describe the invented machine features,
the same machine is illustrated in schematic view in the drawings of sheets 1, 2,
3 and 4. In sheet 1 fig. 1 is section longitudinal view of the slicing machine without
the packing device. In sheet 2 fig. 2 is B-B' section view of the slicing machine
with the packing device. In sheet 3 fig. 3 is plan view of the slicing macine with
the packaging device. In sheet 4 fig. 4 is electric-pneumatic diagram to show the
operation of the machine with the packing device. The invented machine is able to
act with a pre-arranged set of sausages every one of them to be put into cylindrical
containers 1 engaged by means of hooks 2 into the machine. For requesting the wanted
sausage the customer digits on keyboard a selecting push-button 3 so permitting to
a microprocessor 4 to receive the given data. In the same time it is started a motor
reducer 5 moving a shaft 6 and a double crank 7 to bring knife-holder shafts 8 with
disk knives 9 put in rotation by two epicycloidal multiplier groups 10 as their pinion
comes to engage with the fixed crown 11. The two knife-holder shafts 8 are slightly
slanting compared to the shaft 6 so permitting to the disk knife 9 to hold out with
its cutting side to an open on the grilled rotating runway 12. Said runway 12 to be
supported by two pins 13 and by more tie rods 14 by means of which the thickness regulation
of the sausage slices to be cut is actuated. Simultaneously to the starting of the
motor reducer 5 also the clutch 15 si connected and the pneumatic cylinder 16 is started,
pneumatic cylinder 16 that is one of the set of cylinders to act each on a container
1. The shaft 17 transmits motion to the clutch 15 that, being engaged, carries away
in rotation the hollow shaft 18 with the set of cylindrical containers 1 with it connected.
Said rotation goes on as long as the activated pneumatic cylinder 16, running with
its stem onto the selection sleeve 19, meets the hole corresponding to the wanted
sausage so stopping the same in the cutting station to be foreseen under the mouth
of the container 1. Simultaneously the pneumatic cylinder 16 disengages the clutch
15 and excites the cylinder 20 which presses the sausage on the rotating runway 12
so the sausage getting in touch with the cutting side of the disk knife 9. It begins
the production of the sausage slices 21 which fall down onto the loading cell 22 on
which a plastic film is laid coming from a feed reel 23 and from a roll 24. When the
loading cell 22 reaches the indicated weight, the same loading cell utters an electric
impulse stopping the motor reducer 5 and deenergizing the cylinder 20. The electric
impulse transmits the data to the microprocessor 4 which prints the label with weight
and price and it excites the without stem cylinder 25. On the without stem cylinder
25 two pneumatic cylinders 26 are connected which, with the end part of the stem needle
shaped, keeps back the film previous jointed with the film coming from the feed reel
27. Starting the without stem cylinder 25 carries away the plastic film and the sliced
product under the welding device 28. The cylinder 29 is then excited. The cylinder
29 brings in lowering the welding device 28. Going down the welding device 28 excites
the other cylinder 30 producing the vacuum into the packaging through the needles
of the pneumatic cylinders 26. After a short break the needles are taken out from
the plastic film and the vacuum welding of the packaging is actuated. In withdrawal
the pneumatic cylinders 26 excite the without stem cylinder 25. In advancement the
without stem cylinder excites, at end of stroke, the pneumatic cylinders 26 which
with their needle shaped stems keep the plastic film cut by the welding group 28.
After a short break the without stem cylinder 25 excites the cylinder 29 which raises
the welding device 28 while the cylinder 30 returns in position. At the end of the
procedures the cylinder 29, coming to its upper end of stroke, excites an ejecting
cylinder 31 so determining the getting out from the machine of the vacuum packaging
of sausage.
1. Automatic machine for slicing, vacuum packing and self-service distributing sausages
acting with a set of sausages one by one to be put into cylindrical containers (1)
and providing a selecting push-button (3) to be digited by the customer on keybord
to request the wanted sausage which permits to a microprocessor (4) to receive the
given data, characterized in that the pressing of the selecting push-button (3) puts
in rotation, by a motor reducer (5) and a clutch (15), the disk knives (9) and the
set of cylindrical containers (1) each of one to contain a different sausage; the
selecting pneumatic cylinder (16) already moved then stops the container with the
wanted sausage in the cutting station where the sausage received a light axial hydraulic
thrust by a cylinder (20) which maintains the sausage in adherence with the grilled
rotating runway (12); said runway rotates with the knife-holders and with the disk
knives (9) also rotating on their axis which cut a sausage slice (21) each time they
get in touch with it during their rotation; the slices (21) fall down onto a loading
cell (22), on which a plastic film is laid, which reached the wanted weight utters
and electric impulse which excites the microprocessor (4) for printing of the label,
stops the motor reducer (5) and it starts a packaging device where a cylinder (29)
brings in lowering the welding device (28) which going down excites an other cylinder
(30) producing the vacuum packaging through the needles of the pneumatic cylinder
(26).
2. Automatic machine for slicing, vacuum packing and self-service distributing sausages,
as per claim 1), characterized in that the knife-holder shafts (8) with the disk knivew
(9) to be put in rotation by two epicycloidal multiplier groups (10) as their pinion
comes to engage with the fixed crown (11).
3. Automatic machine for slicing, vacuum packing and self-service distributing sausages,
as per claim 1), characterized in that the grilled rotating runway (12) to be supported
by two pins (13) and by more tie rods (14) by means of which the thickness regulation
of the sausage slices to be cut is actuated.
4. Automatic machine for slicing, vacuum packing and self-service distributing sausages,
as per claim 1), characterized in that the plastic film, laid onto the loading cell
(22), comes from a feed reel (23) and for the packaging it is previous jointed with
a second plastic film coming to a second feed reel (27).
5. Automatic machine for slicing, vacuum packing and self-service distributing sausages,
as per claim 1), characterized in that for the vacuum packaging the without stem cylinder
(25) is started on which two pneumatic cylinder (26) are connected with the end part
of the stem needle shaped, said without stem cylinder (25) carries away the plastic
film and the sliced product under the welding device (28); the cylinder (29) is then
excited and it brings in lowering the welding device (28) which going down excites
an other cylinder (30) producing the vacuum into the packaging through the needles
of the pneumatic cylinders (26); after a short break the needles are taken out from
the plastic film and the pneumatic cylinders (26) in withdrawal excite the without
stem cylinder (25) which advancing excites again, at end of stroke, the pneumatic
cylinders (26) which with their needle shaped stems keep the plastic film cut by the
welding device (28); after a short break the without stem cylinder (25) excites the
cylinder (29) which raises the welding device (28) while the cylinder (30) returns
in position.
6. Automatic machine for slicing, vacuum packing and self-service distributing sausages,
as per claim 1), characterized in that at the end of the packaging the cylinder (29),
coming to its upper end of stroke, excites an ejecting cylinder (31) so determining
the getting out from the machine of the vacuum packaging of sausage.
