Patent GB-1009158-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to automatic slicing controls
Inventor: HARRINGTON GEORGE FOX
IPC: B26D7/28
Filed: 1964-05-01
Abstract: 1,009,158. Slicing machines. HYGRADE FOOD PRODUCTS CORPORATION. May 1, 1964, No. 18149/64. Heading A4C. A slicing machine 10, e.g. for a slab of bacon 19, comprises a rotary knife blade 18 motor-driven 17 through its shaft 14 at constant speed, a feed ram 21 hydraulically moved forwardly at automatically controlled speed, means for intermittently stopping and starting the ram movement whereby slices are formed in unit batches, and counting means controlling the number of slices in each batch and providing output signals to effect the intermittent ram movement, and includes probe means 73 which senses the first arrival of the moving slab 19 at a selected position ahead of the knife 18 causing an output signal to stop the ram movement and render the counting means thereafter in control of the stopstart motion, the first batch of sub-standard slices being limited in size according to the pre-selected position of the probe 73. A plurality of independently and laterally spaced pivoted fingers 25 ride on the top surface of the slab 19 whereby the slab height is sensed. Each finger 25 has an associated hydraulic cylinder 33 and piston 39 which responds to the finger movements thereby to discharge (or vice versa) fluid to a common manifold communicating via line 45 with a main cylinder 46 which continuously integrates the movement of the fingers 25 to provide a measure of average slab height. Fluid transfer is registered by movement of the piston 47, which is urged by tension springs 48 to its restricted position, and is transmitted by a rod 54 to rotate an arm 59 which in turn causes adjustment of a rotary valve (not shown) controlling the speed of the feed ram 21 and hence slice thickness in dependence upon slab height. A knob 60, acting through a worm co-operating with a toothed wheel, serves as a fine adjustment for ram speed. The probe mechanism 73 (Fig. 4) is associated with one of the fingers 25 and comprises a member 76 pivoted on the finger pivot shaft 28 and having three arms 77, 78, 79. A movable member 82 having a downwardly projecting lobe 92 is adjustably positioned on one arm 77 by an adjustment shaft 78 and another arm 79 serves to normally close a micro-switch 75. In operation, engagement of the lobe 92 by the leading edge of the slab 19 causes rotation of the three-armed member 76 relative to the finger 25 with consequential movement of the arm 79 away from contact with the micro-switch 75, the latter being carried on an arm 74 rigid with the finger 25. Actuation of the switch 75 stops movement of the feed ram 21 and renders subsequent stop-start movement of the feed ram 21 under the control of a counting device 97 of known type. A master control circuit of switches and relays is described (Fig. 11, not shown). The knife shaft 14 drives by means of a belt 100 the shaft 98 of the counting device and means is provided for rotating the counter shaft 98 relative to the knife shaft 14 whereby the stop-start ram movement is synchronized with the orientation of the knife blade 18 to ensure a correct thickness of the first slice of each batch.