SAUSAGE FEEDING MACHINE

Abstract: Sausage feeding machine to convey haphazardly arriving sausages in ordered rows suitably spaced from each other. The machine has forward moving means (2, 3), which move at higher speed than the approaching sausages and converge towards each other so as to catch each sausage in turn and carry it with them. The machine can operate at high speed without production stops by clogging.

Description: SAUSAGE FEEDING MACHINE The invention relates to a sausage feeding machine to con¬ vey haphazardly arriving sausages in orderes rows and suit- ably spaced from each other. A machine of the stated type is known and is used to fill sausages into tins. At the top of the machine are arranged a number of parallel, sloping and vibrating troughs into which the sausages are tipped in haphazard fashion and, influenced by the vibration of the troughs, arrange them¬ selves lengthwise in these and slide down them into tubes arranges in extension of the troughs and thence into tins placed under the tubes. This machine has often caused production stops because the tubes have been clogged by the simultaneous arrival of two or more sausages. It is the object of the present invention to provide a ma¬ chine of the stated type which is able to operate at higher speeds and with greater reliability than previously known machines. This is obtained according to the present inven¬ tion in that the machine has conveyor means which move at higher speed than the approaching sausages and converge to¬ wards each other so as to catch each sausage in turn and carry it with them. As these means move at a higher speed than the approaching sausages they will tend to separate the sausages. Schould two sausages -arrive simultaneously, one on top of. the other, then the upper one will either slide down and fall behind the lower or be caught by the transport means and thrown clear of the machine and into, a suitably arranged collecting means. By choosing a suitably high speed for the transport means an increase in capacity is achieved compared to the pre¬ viously known machines in which the sausages were bound - i E At O PI to fall through the tubes at that speed which is determi by the force of gravity. According to the invention the transport means may consis of two elastic discs rotating in the same direction each on its side of and below a trough along which the sausage are transported and which are pressed together in front of the delivery end of the trough from which they then, together, move away. There is thus achieved a simple and robust machine that may easily be adapted to various forms of sausage and that may be extended to multiple rows of sausages simply by mounting several pairs of disc with each its trough, upon a common drive shaft. According to the invention the machine may be provided with a bottom piece between the discs at some distance from their edges and which enters between the discs be¬ fore the delivery end of the trough and emerges from be¬ tween them after the delivery end of the trough, reckon- ed in the direction of rotation of the discs. By insert¬ ing bottom-pieces of varying width and at different di¬ stances from the edge of the discs it is easy to adapt th machine to various' sizes and forms of sausage. According to the invention the bottom-piece, after its emergence from the discs, may at its lower end form a clo ed trough at the entrance to which is placed a wedge shap device with two working positions, where the wedge shaped device in one position closes the entry to the trough and forms the bottom of another trough leading away from the former trough ' .,and' in the other position forms an upward going extension of the trough. It is then by simple means possible to control the delivery of the sausages when th leave the discs. In the following the invention is described in more detai with reference to the drawing in which Pig. 1 shows, schematically, one form of a sausage feeding machine in accordance, with the inven¬ tion and seen from one side in a section fol¬ lowing lines I-I in Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 seen from above a set of discs of the machine shown in Fig. 1. The machine shown in the drawing has at the top a number of vibrating troughs 1, each of which has its exit between two elastic discs 2 and 3* which are pressed together by two devices 4 and 5 close to, and after the exit from trough 1, reckoned in the shown direction of rotation of the discs 2 and 3- A.bottom piece 7 forms together with the edges of the discs 2 and 3 an open trough which at its closed end extends into a closed trough 11. Over the clos¬ ed trough 11 is placed a wedge shaped device 10, which in the position shown in unbroken lines forms an extension of the one wall in the trough 11 so that the closed trough continues to that point at which the bottom piece emerges from the discs. In that position of the wedge shaped piece 10 shown in dotted lines it closes for entry to the closed trough 11 and, together with the two side pieces 12, forms an open trough leading away from the trough 11. The wedge shaped device 10 may be swung over from one to the other position by controlling means 14, which is in turn con- trolled by a counter, not shown, with probes 8 and 9• With use of the machine the sausages are tipped from above onto the vibrating troughs. Influenced by ' the vibrations the sausages fall lengthwise into the troughs and slide down between the discs 2 and 3 and further into the nar¬ rowed part of these between the devices 4 and 5 it is squeezed between the discs and carried forward by these at high speed and away from trough 1 and the following sausage. With the wedge shaped device 10 in the position shown in the drawing the sausage is then conveyed by the downward moving vertical part of the discs and away from these by the bottom piece 7 and the closed trough 11 and into a tin, not shown. When the counter has received a previously determined number of impulses answering to th required number of sausages in a filled tin, the arm l is activated and. the wedge shaped device swings over int the position shown in the drawing by the dotted lines. Thus, the following sausages are not guided into the clo ed trough 11 and further into a tin, but through trough onto a collecting device, not shown on the drawing, from which they are conveyed back onto the vibrating troughs Into the same collecting device are delivered sausages that have not fallen into place in the troughs 1, but reach the discs 2 and 3 lying across their feeding direc ion or on top of another sausage. It will be understood that the drawing shows only one of a large number of pai of discs mounted upon a common drive shaft in the machin and with each its closed trough leading to each its tin alternate racks under the machine. Such an alternative closed trough 13 is shown in the drawing behind the trou 11. When all the tins are filled they are transported to a closing station and a fresh row of tins is moved forwa and the wedge shaped device 10 and the corresponding devices at the other troughs again open for the feeding sausages into the tins. It will be understood that a machine according to the in vention may be constructed with various forms of conveyo means 1, or probing means 8 and 9, or control devices 10 to 14. In place of the electro-mechanical probes 8 and 9 it may often be advantageous to use optical or inductive probes. In place of the rotating discs 2 and 3, it may sometimes be advantageous to use linear conveyor means such as chains or belts or conveyor means ' equipped with fixed, wedge shaped, catching means.

Claims: C A I M S 1. Sausage ' feeding machine to convey haphazardly arriv¬ ing sausages in ordered rows suitably spaced from each other, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that it has con¬ veyor means which move at higher speed than the approach- ing sausages and converge towards each other so as to catch each sausage in turn and carry it with them. 2. Machine according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z ¬ e d i n that the conveyor means are formed of two elas- tic discs rotating in the same direction each on its side of and below a trough along which the sausages are conveyed and which are pressed together in front of the delivery end of the trough from which they then, together, move away. 3. Machine according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z - ' e d i n that it has a bottom piece between the discs at some distance from their edges and which enters between the discs before the delivery end of the trough and emerges from between them after the delivery end of the trough, reckoned in the direction of rotation of the discs. 4. Machine according to claim 3 3 c h a r a c t e r i z ¬ e d i n that the bottom piece after emerging from the discs forms a trough, closed at its lower end, at the entry to which is placed a wedge shaped device having two working positions, where the wedge shaped device, in a first posi¬ tion, closes for entry to the trough and forms the bottom of another trough leading away from the first trough and in a second position forms an upward going extension of the trough.

Inventors: JUUL H
Applicants: JUUL H
Application year: 1981
Main classification: B65B19
IPC codes: A22C11, B65B19