Apparatus and method for cutting food products

Abstract: The cutting apparatus includes an ultrasound cutting element (2) associated with a drive mechanism (4) which enables the rate of advance of the cutting element (2) through the product (A) being cut to be varied selectively and locally. The preferred application is for cutting layered food products (A).

Description: The present invention relates to apparatus for cutting food products according to the preamble to Claim 1 and to a method of cutting food products according to the preamble of Claim 6. Apparatus of this type is known, for example, from EP-A-0 614 733. This prior art document describes the presence of a pair of cutting devices (ultrasound blades) driven by a rod and crank mechanism on a member which can travel in synchronism with, and so as to follow food products which advance on a conveyor. This solution constitutes an example of the many conventional solutions used for cutting food products in industrial plants for the manufacture of such products. The operating criteria and types of such apparatus are in fact extremely varied. The automatic cutting of food products in such a context must take account of a series of factors which are becoming ever more important as conditions. In the first place, the productional capacities of such plants, and hence the rate at which it is necessary to carry out the cutting, tend to increase continuously. In the second place, the products treated are often delicate and cannot withstand very violent handling which could damage the product and/or cause the breaking away of fragments, crumbs and particles which can soil the plant itself. Yet again, many food products have an intrinsically non-homogeneous character in the sense that they are not constituted by a single food substance but rather by a combination of food substances which may be very different from each other: it suffices to think, for example, of filled and/or layered products. The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is able to satisfy all the requirements explained above in an excellent manner. According to the present invention this object is achieved by an apparatus having the characteristics claimed in Claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention form the subjects of Claims 2 to 5. The invention also relates to the associated method having the characteristics claimed in Claim 6. Advantageous developments of this method constitute the subjects of subclaims 7 to 10. The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the structure of cutting apparatus according to the invention, Figure 2 illustrates the structure of a first food product which can be cut by an apparatus according to the invention, Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the mode of operation of the apparatus according to the invention during the cutting of the product illustrated in Figure 2, Figure 4 illustrates the structure of another food product which can be cut by the apparatus of the invention, Figure 5 is a graph illustrating the mode of operation of the apparatus of the invention during the cutting of the product illustrated in Figure 4, and Figure 6 illustrates a possible variant of the mode of operation referred to in Figure 5. Cutting apparatus according to the invention, generally indicated 1 in Figure 1, comprises essentially the following elements: a cutting element 2 (blade or knife) preferably having a sharp form and a structure typical of the so-called "sonotrode" of an ultrasonic welding or cutting apparatus, a unit 3 (of known type) for generating and conveying ultrasounds which is able to supply a wave front at ultrasonic frequency, that is so-called "ultrasound", to the blade 2 at a frequency typically of the order of 45 Khz, a drive mechanism 4 which imparts a reciprocating movement to the blade 2 (with a selectively regulable velocity as more fully described below) relative to a plane P on which food products A to be cut are arranged and usually advanced (in a manner substantially like that described in EP-A-0 614 733), and a control unit 5 (for example a so-called PLC) which governs the operation of the unit 3 and the drive mechanism 4. In the embodiment illustrated here, this latter mechanism includes a rotary motor 6, for example an electric motor, which rotates a wheel 7 which carries a crank pin 8 at its periphery. One end of a connecting rod 9 is connected to the pin 8 while its opposite end acts on the blade 2 to reciprocate it along guide elements (indicated schematically at 10) arranged perpendicular to the plane P. This drive mechanism is substantially the same as the crank and connecting rod drive mechanism described in EP-A-0 614 733 to which reference may usefully be made for further constructional details. The reference to this particular type of drive mechanism should however be considered as purely exemplary in that the solution of the invention lends itself to being carried out with drive mechanisms (drive) for the blade 2 of very different types. To give several examples, one may consider linear drive mechanisms (including a movable member capable of imparting a reciprocating movement to the element 2 relative to the plane P) which is operated hydraulically, electromagnetically, or piezoelectrically, etc. In each case, the constructional details of the drive mechanism 4 for the blade 2 are not in themselves important for the purposes of carrying out the invention. With reference to the crank and connecting rod mechanism described here by way of example, one may readily appreciate that, if the motor 6 is rotated at a constant angular velocity, the element 2 will move with a harmonic motion relative to the plane P, that is, with a minimum velocity (in practice nil) at the end points, the so-called upper and lower dead points of its travel relative to the plane P, reaching maximum velocity at the median point of its travel. This is true in both directions of movement and, in particular, during its advancing movement, corresponding to its cutting action. It will readily be understood that, in this case, although the velocity of advance of the element 2 varies locally, there is no possibility of varying this velocity selectively as the law governing the change of velocity with time (harmonic motion) is fixed. The invention is based on a recognition of the fact that the basic requirements called for in the introduction to the specification may be satisfied almost ideally if recourse is made to the use, in combination, of an ultrasound cutting apparatus and a drive mechanism for the cutting element which is able to vary the speed of advance of the cutting element through the product A being cut selectively and locally (virtually point by point, whenever requirements necessitate it and, in any case, according to any law whatsoever, selected according to the applicational requirements). This is true particularly for the products A having non-homogeneous characteristics in the direction of cutting. Examples of products of this type are given in Figures 2 and 4. In both cases one is dealing with filled products with a layered structure. For example, Figure 2 shows a portion of a food product A including two layers of sponge S (possibly moistened with a sugar- or alcohol-based syrup) between which is a layer C of a creamy filling or paste constituted, for example, by a milk-flavoured cream. The product A illustrated in Figure 4, on the other hand, comprises an intermediate layer K of chocolate, mou (caramel) or like substance which is, on the whole, rather solid, interposed between two sponge layers S. Stated in other words, the two situations shown in Figures 2 and 4 are exactly complementary to each other. Indeed, in the product A of Figure 2, a generally "soft" layer C is interposed between the sponge layers S. In the case of the product A of Figure 4, however, a generally "hard" layer K is interposed between two sponge layers. The two examples of Figures 2 and 4 have been chosen appositely to illustrate two complementary situations. In any case, there is a practically infinite number of cases both with regard to products having fewer layers (for example, only two layers) and articles having more layers (which is the more frequent case): for example, as an illustration, a product such as that illustrated in Figure 2 having an upper coating of chocolate possibly with a granular material, such as chopped hazelnuts, shredded coconut, etc within it. The cutting systems most frequently used in the food sector, particularly in the confectionery sector, make use of mechanically-driven cutting elements, the automatic operation of which is designed to reproduce the cutting action that a baker or pastry chef can achieve with a kitchen knife or similar tool such as a bread knife. Experiments carried out by the applicant have shown, however, that these conventional solutions run the risk of being largely unsatisfactory for various reasons. For example, when a product A such as that illustrated in Figure 2 is cut with a purely mechanical action and it is wished to carry out the cutting extremely rapidly (one is talking of automatic cutters intended to operate in plants in which one is attempting to achieve as high an operating rate as possible), one of the more considerable risks is that of causing undesirable squashing of the soft filling layer C with the consequent possibility of the filling C spreading over the sides of the product, which is usually in the form of a "mat" of finite transverse dimensions (the so-called "squish" effect). If one attempts to limit this "squish" effect while using conventional systems by advancing the blade slowly throughout the cutting operation, this does indeed avoid the squeezing out of the soft filling C, but the cutting operation is slowed considerably, with the consequent need to reduce the production rate. Then for the "hard" layers, in addition to the possible squeezing of underlying softer layers, give rise to the further risk that, with too quick a movement down through this layer, it might splinter and form fragments and crumbs. Experiments carried out by the applicant have shown that in a wholly unexpected manner - the use of an ultrasound cutting element with a rate of advance that is variable selectively has shown to be beneficial both in relation to "soft" layers and in relation to "hard" layers. Even though the reasons for this are not entirely clear, one may hypothesise that, in the presence of "hard" layers, such as a layer of chocolate or like product, the ultrasound cutting element and the vibrational wave front propagated therefrom impinges on the layer to be cut so as to destructure it and hence separate it along the desired cutting line, slightly downstream (in the direction of advance) of the cutting element proper. In other words, the substance being cut starts to separate, and in fact separates, along the desired cutting line even before it is in fact acted on by the mechanical cutting action proper of the cutting element itself. This fact has been verified systematically by the Applicant, noting that improved cutting results occur when the ultrasound generator 3 (it is not usually activated continuously in order to avoid undesirable ultrasonic noise): is activated slightly before the tip of the cutting element 2 actually touches the product A in its advance towards the product A, that is, when the element 2 is still a certain distance away from the product A, and/or when the generator 3 is deactivated slightly before the cutting element 2 has terminated its advance towards the plane P on which the product A rests, that is, when the element 2 is still a certain distance from the point P. Even though it is difficult to provide absolute indications in this respect, the term a certain distance " should be understood, with reference to usual thicknesses of food products such as confectionary items subjected to cutting (typical thicknesses are from 1 to 3 cm approximately), as relating to magnitudes of the order of a millimetre/several millimetres. With regard to the "soft" layers, the fact that the cutting element 2 is an ultrasound element has been found to be beneficial in that, with every probability of a microscopic shaking effect, the effects of adhesion of the material being cut to the cutting element 2 itself are minimised and virtually eliminated. This is true even for very adhesive or sticky materials, such as some food fillings (for example jam, icings, etc). In a combined and synergic manner, the fact that there is virtually point control of the rate of advance of the cutting element 2 enables this rate to be adapted to the characteristics of the layer being cut at any time, that is, in other words, the rate of advance of the ultrasound cutting element 2 can be varied locally in dependence on the local characteristics (whether the layer is more or less hard or soft) of the product A in the zone (layer) cut at the moment. A first result of this is that, in general, it is possible to advance quickly during the cutting of "soft" layers and slowly during the cutting of "hard" layers, thus without penalising the overall duration of the cutting operation as occurs in conventional systems where the rate of cutting is selected to be the minimum of those allowable for the various layers to be cut. Experiments carried out by the applicant have shown, however, that the criterion described above is not absolute and, in any case, the law of advance of the cutting element 2 through the product A must be determined experimentally according to the characteristics of a product under consideration at any time. For example, the graphs of Figures 3 and 5 show, on the ordinates, the rates of advance (in cm/sec.) which have been shown to be optimum during the cutting of the products A shown in Figures 2 and 4 respectively. In both of the graphs of Figures 3 and 5, the scale on the abscissa is given in centimetres of thickness of the product A, with the zero corresponding to the upper surface of the product, the points X 1 and X 2 corresponding to the interfaces between the various layers and the point X 3 corresponding to the plane P. By way of example, the graph of Figure 3 relates to experiments carried out on a product for which X 1 , X 2 , and X 3 correspond to values of 5, 10 and 15 mm respectively. In the graph of Figure 4, the respective values are 12, 17 and 29 mm on the other hand. From an examination of Figures 3 and 4 it may be noted, for example, that the law of variation of the rate of advance of the cutting element 2 in the case of Figure 5 is not only different but in fact is quite the opposite of that achievable by operation of the motor 6 at a constant angular velocity. Another interesting fact is that (for reasons not yet fully clarified) structurally identical layers, such as the sponge layers S are cut in an optimum way at different speeds according to their positioning within the layered structure of the product. Again, it has been noted that it is advisable to avoid a sharp change in the rate of advance at the interfaces X 1 , X 2 between the superposed layers in order to avoid any damage to the product. The changes between the various rates of advance are thus made (according to criteria known in the art of automatic control) in accordance with laws of connection, for example of the type currently defined "at sine 2 ". The graph of Figure 6 however is intended to show how, for a given product structure, the optimum laws of variation of the cutting rate could change even significantly. For example, the graph of Figure 6 corresponds to the law of variation which has been found to be the optimum for a product such as that of Figure 4 in which X 1 = 5 mm and X 3 = 28 mm. In this case it has been found that it is necessary to proceed very slowly (approximately 1 cm/s) at the beginning, when it is necessary to cut the sponge S while at the same time avoiding squashing the product. Subsequently it is possible to increase the rate of cutting gradually, recovering the delay which has accumulated from the slow cutting during the initial phase. EP-A-0 614 733 describes in detail how a motor, such as the motor 6 can be piloted selectively so as to vary selectively the velocity of an element driven by the motor itself through a rod and crank mechanism, for example to drive this element at a constant velocity. In more general terms, in the embodiment illustrated here, the operational link between the rate of rotation V r = 2πn (rad/sec) of the motor 6 and the linear velocity of movement V t of the blade 2 can be expressed by the equation 2πn = V t /(Rsin(γ+β)cosβ) where: R = radius of the path of the pin of the connecting rod 8, γ = crank angle (cfr. Figure 1), and π = connecting rod angle (cfr. Figure 1 again). The formula (I) given above shows, however, that, for each value of γ and β (values detectable in known manner by sensors), and hence for each instantaneous position reached by the blade 2 relative to the plane P, it is possible to vary the angular velocity of the motor 6 selectively so as to impart a selectively determined velocity to the blade 2. All this may be achieved, according to criteria known per se, through suitable programming of the control unit 5. The associated constructional and programming details are well known per se to experts in the art (particularly in the programming of PLCs) and do not need to be explained here in detail, especially since they are not relevant for the purposes of an understanding of the invention. Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the constructional details and forms of embodiment may be varied widely with respect to that described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims: Apparatus for cutting food products (A), including an ultrasound cutting element (2) with an associated drive mechanism (4 to 7) for selectively controlling the advance of the cutting element (2) through the product (A) being cut, characterised in that the drive mechanism (4) carries associated control means (5) arranged to control selectively the rate of advance of the cutting element (2) through the product (A) being cut and to vary the rate of advance locally in dependence on the local characteristics of the product (A) in the zone being cut at that moment. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the ultrasound cutting element (2) operates at a frequency of around 45 Khz. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the cutting element (2) has an associated ultrasound source (3) that can be activated selectively so that it can be activated before the cutting element (2) comes into contact with the product (A) to be cut. Apparatus according to Claim 3, characterised in that the ultrasound source (3) can be deactivated before the cutting element (2) has completed its travel through the product (A) being cut. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the drive mechanism comprises a connecting rod (9) driven by a crank (8) which is rotatable (7) by drive means (6) and in that control means (5) are provided for selectively controlling the rate of rotation of the drive means (6) so as to vary selectively the rate of advance of the cutting element (2) through the product (A) being cut. A method of cutting food products (A) by means of an ultrasound cutting element (2) with an associated drive mechanism (4 to 7) for advancing the cutting element (2) selectively through the product (A) being cut, characterised in that it includes a step of controlling the drive mechanism (4) so as to vary selectively the rate of advance of the cutting element (2) through the product (A) being cut, the rate of advance being modified locally in dependence on the local characteristics of the product (A) in the zone being cut at that moment. A method according to Claim 6, characterised in that it includes the step of supplying the ultrasound cutting element (2) so that it operates with ultrasound at a frequency of around 45 Khz. A method according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, characterised in that it includes the step of activating the ultrasound cutting element (2) selectively before the cutting element (2) comes into contact with the product (A) to be cut. A method according to Claim 8, characterised in that it includes the step of deactivating the ultrasound cutting element (2) before the cutting element (2) has completed its travel through the product (A) being cut. A method according to any one of the preceding Claims 6 to 9, characterised in that it includes the operation of associating with the ultrasound cutting element (2) a drive mechanism comprising a rod (9) driven by a crank (8) which is rotatable (7) by drive means (6) and in that it includes the step of controlling the rate of rotation of the drive means (6) selectively so as to vary selectively the rate of advance of the cutting element (2) through the product (A) being cut.

Inventors: GIAMELLO BRUNO, GIAMELLO, BRUNO
Applicants: FERRERO OHG, FERRERO SPA, SOREMARTEC SA, FERRERO OFFENE HANDELSGESELLSCHAFT M.B.H., FERRERO S.P.A., SOREMARTEC S.A.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B26D7
IPC codes: A23G1, A23P1, B26D5, A21C11, B26D1, A21C15, B26D7, B26D3