Link cutter

A link cutter includes a support frame having a cutting zero, a first conveyor on one side of the cutting zone for sequentially conveying a plurality of links interconnected by twisted casing sections, a second conveyor on the opposite side of the cutting zone for receiving links from the first conveyor and stretching the twisted casing sections at the cutting zone. A sensor upstream of the cutting zone includes a source of electromagnetic waves directed across the path of the links and a device for sensing those waves which pass between the links adjacent the twisted casing sections so as to actuate a knife within the cutting zone to sever the sensed twisted casing section upon movement of the same to the cutting zone. The sensor may be a light source and photocell adjustably mounted relative to the cutting zone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for separating a 
plurality of interconnected links and more particularly to a cutter 
apparatus adapted to separate interconnected sausage links into lengths of 
one or more sausages. 
The output of most sausage making machines is a substantially continuous 
chain of sausage links interconnected by twisted casing sections. For 
shipping and/or packaging purposes, it is desirable that such chains of 
sausages be divided into cut lengths of a given number of sausages. 
Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to varying the number of sausages 
per cut length. Accordingly, there is a need for a machine for severing 
continuous chains of sausage links into lengths of one or more links. 
Prior link cutters have generally suffered from one or more of the 
following shortcomings. Since the commercial value of any given sausage 
link is substantially destroyed if the link itself is severed in two, it 
is important that the twisted casing sections between links be accurately 
sensed and that the timing between the sensing device and cutting knife be 
accurately set so that only the twisted casing sections between links are 
severed. Some prior link cutters have employed mechanical feeler arms for 
sensing the junction between links. Such mechanical sensors can be 
accidentally tripped by irregularities in the shapes of the sausage links 
with resultant severing of links. 
Another problem associated with link cutter devices is that of accurately 
positioning the sausages at the station for sensing the junction between 
them. If the sausages are not centered with respect to the intended 
conveying path, irregularities in the sausage shape are more likely to be 
misconstrued as junctions between links. 
Another problem associated with prior link cutters is that of accurately 
timing the feed conveyor with the product removal conveyor. These and 
other problems of the prior art are believed to be resolved by the link 
cutter of the present invention. 
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an improved 
link cutter. 
Another object is to provide an improved link cutter including a generally 
stationary sensor employing electromagnetic wave propagation and reception 
for detecting the junction between links. 
A related object is to provide an improved link cutter including a light 
source and photocell sensor. 
Another object is to provide a link cutter wherein the sensor is adjustably 
positioned relative to the cutting knife for varying the lead time for the 
knife response. 
Another object is to provide an improved link cutter wherein the link 
conveyors accurately position the sausage links relative to the cutting 
knife. 
Another object is to provide an improved link cutter including conveyors 
which are easily removable as integral units for cleaning purposes and the 
like. 
Another object is to provide an improved link cutter wherein the feed 
conveyor and product removal conveyor are accurately timed relative to one 
another independently of the speed of operation. 
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The link cutter of the present invention is adapted to operate continuously 
to sever a selected number of links from a generally continuous chain 
without any accidental destruction of individual links. To do so, the 
links are accurately positioned and advanced by the conveyors which 
include parallel runs of cupped belts to define a partially tubular 
conveying sleeve between them. The feed conveyor and product removal 
conveyor are operated by a single drive motor connected to the drive 
rollers of each conveyor for fixing the proportionate speed of said 
conveyors relative to one another independently of the actual conveying 
speed of one or the other. The photocell accurately senses the twisted 
casing sections between adjacent links without the shortcomings associated 
with mechanical feeler type sensors. Furthermore, the sensor is adjustably 
mounted relative to the knife to vary the lead time for knife response. 
Finally, both the feed conveyor and product removal conveyor are removably 
secured to the apparatus as integral assemblies to facilitate removal for 
purposes of cleaning and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The link cutter 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 supported on 
a wheeled cart 12. The link cutter includes a housing 14 having a product 
in-feed funnel 16 at one side thereof and a severed link receiving 
container 18 on the opposite side thereof. A control panel 20 displays a 
dial 22 for selecting the number of links per severed length and on-off 
switches 24 are provided for the conveyor and cutter motors. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 14 serves as a support frame for 
the conveyor drive apparatus. A single conveyor drive motor 26 is 
connected by a continuous belt 28 to first and seocnd output shafts 30 and 
32 which act through respective gear boxes 34 and output shafts 36 to 
drive the drive rollers 38 and 40 of the first and second conveyors 42 and 
44 respectively. 
A second motor 46 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 for operating the knife 48 
which is rotatably supported within a knife guard housing 50. Knife 48 is 
supported on a knife shaft 52 for rotation within a bearing housing 54. 
The cutter motor 46 is connected to knife shaft 52 through a single 
revolution clutch 56. Clutch 56 is shown in FIG. 5 as including a device 
for preventing shock to the knife from suddenly stopping at the end of 
each revolution. A solenoid operated ratchet 58 is temporarily disengaged 
upon each actuation of clutch 56 whereupon knife 48 is rotated in the 
direction of arrow 60. At the end of each revolution, the ratchet 58 
re-engages but a plate 62 which is connected to knife 48 for pivotal 
movement therewith, permits limited pivotal movement beyond the stopping 
position against the urging of tension spring 64 which operates to return 
the knife 48 and plate 62 to the starting position indicating in FIG. 5. 
Knife 48 includes a sharpened end portion 66 which is adapted to sever the 
twisted casing section 68 interconnecting adjacent links supported by the 
first conveyor 42 at the cutting zone of knife 48. 
Referring to FIGS. 7-13, the first and second conveyors 42 and 44 are 
disclosed in greater detail. Both the feed conveyor 42 and product removal 
conveyor 44 each include a pair of continuous belt conveyors adapted to 
engage opposite sides of the links being conveyed. Since the product 
removal conveyor 46 is substantially the mirror image of the feed conveyor 
44, only conveyor 44 will be described in detail with like numerals 
referring to like parts of each. 
Each continuous belt conveyor includes one of the drive rollers 38, and an 
elongated idle roller support arm 68 having idle rollers 70 and 72 
rotatably supported at opposite ends thereof. A continuous belt 74 is 
trained about each drive roller 38 and its associated idle rollers 70 and 
72. 
The idle roller support arms 68 are mounted on the support frame for 
adjustment transversely of the path of links between them. For this 
purpose, a rack 76 includes a transverse shaft 78 rotatably supported 
thereon and having adjacent right and left hand threaded portions 80 and 
82 on which base portions 84 of the idle roller support arms 68 are 
threadably received. Accordingly, upon rotation of the transverse shaft 78 
by a handle 86 on the upper end thereof, the idle roller support arms 68 
may be moved close together to accommodate links of small diameter or 
shaft 78 may be rotated in an opposite direction to further separate the 
idle roller support arms as indicated by arrows 88 in FIG. 11 for 
accommodating links of increased diameter as indicated in FIG. 12. 
Note that the length of the idle roller support arms automatically adjust 
to take up the slack in the belts 74 in response to transverse adjustment 
of the support arms 68. For this purpose, each idle roller support arm 68 
includes first and second portions 90 and 92 telescopically slidably 
interconnected with a compression spring 94 compressed within them to urge 
the first and second portions apart. Thus tension in the belts 74 is 
maintained regardless of the spacing between the associated pair of idle 
roller support arms 68. The threaded connections between the support arms 
68 and transverse shaft 78 also serve to maintain the parallel disposition 
of the support arms 68 so that those portions of the belts 74 between the 
respective idle rollers 70 and 72 define a parallel run which engages and 
supports both the top and bottom surfaces of the link. 
FIG. 9 is a cross section of drive roller 38 but is also exemplitive of the 
cupped shape of the idle rollers 70 and 72 as well. Because the peripheral 
surface of drive roller 38 is both cupped and notched as indicated at 96, 
the notched belt 74 is also cupped so that the parallel run between idle 
rollers 70 and 72 defines a partially tubular sleeve between them as shown 
best in FIG. 10. The arcuate shape of the belts 74 thus provides a support 
for transversely centering the links between the belts 74 and thereby 
accurately positioning them for the link sensor described hereinbelow. 
FIG. 13 illustrates that the second conveyor 44 operates at a faster rate 
of travel than the first conveyor 42 with the result that as a link 98 
becomes engaged by the second conveyor 44 the twisted casing section 100 
between that link 98 and trailing link 102 becomes stretched in the 
cutting zone between said conveyors to facilitate severing of the twisted 
casing section 100 by knife 48. The difference in operating speeds of the 
first and second conveyors 42 and 44 is achieved by providing a larger 
diameter drive pulley 104 on the first conveyor drive shaft 30 as compared 
to the smaller diameter drive pulley 106 on the drive shaft 32 for the 
second conveyor. The relative sizes of these drive pulleys are illustrated 
in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
In FIG. 7, it is seen that a link sensor 108 is positioned on the upstream 
side of the cutting zone 110 between first and second conveyors 42 and 44 
for detecting the presence of a twisted casing section 100 between 
adjacent links. Referring to FIG. 14, it is seen that the sensor 108 
includes a light source 112 and photocell 114 supported on an arm 116 on 
one side of the path of links through the first conveyor 42 and a 
reflective surface 118 of chrome or the like carried on an arm 120 on the 
opposite side of the path of links. The light source 112 directs a beam of 
light indicated by arrows 122 in FIG. 14 into the path of links through 
first conveyor 42 at a position displaced from the center thereof so as to 
be reflected back to the photocell 114 whenever a twisted casing section 
100 is positioned between the light source 112 and reflective surface 118. 
The beam of light 122 is of course interrupted whenever a link is moved 
into position between the light source and reflective surface. 
In FIG. 14 it is seen that the photocell 114 is electrically connected to a 
switch 124 which, in turn, is electrically connected to the single 
revolution clutch 56 to actuate the knife when a twisted casing section is 
sensed by the photocell 114. 
The support arms 116 and 120 for the photocell and reflective surface 
respectively are connected at their opposite ends to a base member 126 
threadably received on a shaft 128 carried on housing 14 at a position 
spaced from and generally parallel to the path of links through the first 
conveyor 42. Accordingly, rotation of shaft 128 by handle 130 shown in 
FIG. 7 is operative to adjust the position of the light souce 112, 
photocell 114 and reflective surface 118 longitudinally of the path of 
links thereby to adjust the lead time for knife response. 
A further feature of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 16 wherein it is 
seen that each rack 76 for the first and second conveyors is removable as 
a unit from the housing 14 to facilitate cleaning and the like. The lower 
portion of each rack includes a fastener adapted to be slide fit within a 
generally U-shaped bracket 130 and a pair of posts on an upper portion of 
the rack are axially receivable within a pair of collars 132 on the 
housing sidewall. The pins are removably fastened within the collars by 
appropriate spring pins 134. 
In operation, an operator trips switches 24 to actuate both the conveyor 
drive motor 26 and knife drive motor 46. Dial 22 is then adjusted to 
select the desired number of links per each product length cut by the link 
cutter apparatus 10. A continuous chain of links is then fed from the 
product in-feed funnel 16 to the first conveyor 42 which accurately 
positions the links and advances them toward th cutting zone 110. As each 
twisted casing section moves past the link sensor 108, the beam of light 
122 from light souce 112 is reflected by surface 118 to the photocell 114 
which thus provides an electrical signal to the switch 124 associated with 
the counter of dial 22. After the selected number of casing sections have 
been counted, the switch 124 electrically actuates the single revolution 
clutch 56 to rotate the knife 48 through the cutting zone thereby severing 
the sensed twisted casing section 100. The link sensor 108 is adjustable 
longitudinally of the path of links so as to fine tune the response time 
for the knife for the purpose of accurately severing the twisted casing 
sections in half. Likewise, the handles 86 on the top of the housing 14 
may be rotated to adjust the spacing between the idle roller support arms 
of the first and second conveyors to accommodate links of a given 
diameter. When the link cutter has completed its operation, it is an easy 
matter to pull the spring pins 134 on the conveyor racks 76 and to remove 
the belts 74 from the drive rollers 38 and 40 so that the racks 76 may be 
removed from the housing 14 for cleaning purposes. 
Whereas a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and 
described herein, it will be apparent that many modifications, 
substitutions and alterations can be made without departing from the 
intended broad scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 
For example, whereas visible light is preferred for detecting the presence 
of the twisted casing sections 100, it is apparent that sensors using 
other forms of electromagnetic waves may be substituted in other 
embodiments for the light source and photocell disclosed herein. 
Thus there has been shown and described a link cutter which satisfies at 
least all of the stated objects.