Patent ID: 12208966

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG.1depicts a side view of a flighted conveyor with a sausage positioned at a center of a flight and a robot tool with suction cups in a position representing a pick approach for the sausage.

A food handling machine1, as shown inFIG.1, may include a pick-and-place robot10that is connected to a suitable vacuum system (not show). Once example of a food handling machine1with a pick-and-place robot10such as this is described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,207,830, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Implementations of a food handling machine1such as those of the present disclosure also include a flighted conveyor14, such as a bucket chain conveyor, that is positioned below a plurality of suction cups12of a pick-and-place robot10.

The bucket chain conveyor14includes a plurality of interconnected flights16that articulate and provide a chain for the bucket chain conveyor14. The flights16are connected at joints18that allow the flights16to pivot relative to each other as they are advanced by a motor system (not shown) of the food handling machine1. Tubular food products20, such as sausages, are positioned on a base of a flight16and between two adjacent flights of the bucket chain conveyor14. The flights16advance during operation so as to place the tubular food products20underneath suction cups12of the pick-and-place robot10.

During operation, as the bucket chain conveyor14advances, the pick-and-place robot10moves downward such that the plurality of suction cups12engage the tubular food products20positioned on the flights16. Due to the vacuum system connected to the pick-and-place robot10, when the suction cups12engage the food products20, the food products20are secured to the suction cups12and the pick-and-place robot10may move upward to remove the tubular food products20from the flights16for further processing. For example, the pick-and-place robot10may place the tubular food products20into packaging.

FIG.2depicts a side view of a flighted conveyor with a sausage that is positioned on a side of the flight. As shown inFIG.2, when the food product20is positioned on a base of a flight and between two adjacent flights16, a tubular food product may have a small enough diameter to allow it to be positioned to a side of the area between two adjacent flights16and not centered under a suction cup12of the pick-and-place robot10. As a result, the tubular food product20is not oriented to make a good seal with suction cup12, thereby preventing the tubular food product20from securing against the suction12for removal from the bucket chain conveyor15.

FIG.3illustrates a side view of a flighted conveyor with a sausage that is positioned centrally on a flight between two adjacent flights due to inserts of the present disclosure installed at sequential adjacent flights.

FIG.3illustrates a flighted conveyor14, such as a buck chain, having inserts22attached to flights16of bucket chain conveyor14that position a tubular food product20centrally between two adjacent flights16.FIG.4illustrates is a perspective view of a flighted conveyor with inserts22of the present disclosure installed at sequential flights16of a flighted conveyor14.FIG.5illustrates a perspective view of a flighted conveyor14with a first insert of the present removed from a first flight.FIG.6is a perspective view of one form of an insert22according to the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG.6, each insert22defines a first clip24positioned at a first side of the insert and a second clip26positioned at a second side of the insert that is opposite to the first side. The first and second clips24,26are configured to snap fit and attach the insert22to an associated flight16of the flighted conveyor14. In some implementations, the flight defines first and second apertures34,36to receive the first and second clips24,26of the insert22(SeeFIG.5).

In some implementations, the inserts22are made of a food grade polymer and have sufficient resilience to allow them to be easily snapped into a flight16and removed when the product size changes.

Each insert22defines a forward edge28that is configured for insertion through an aperture38of an associated flight16of the flighted conveyor14such that when the insert is attached to the flight, the forward edge28is positioned on a first side of the flight16. In some implementations, each insert22may also define one or more angled edges30adjacent to the forward edge28that facilitate insertion of the insert22into the aperture38of the flight16.

Each insert additionally defines a straight rear edge32that extends straight across at least part of the insert22. The rear edge32is configured such that when the insert22is attached to the flight16, the rear edge32is positioned on a second side of the flight16that is opposite to the first side of the flight16. It will be appreciated that when the inserts22are attached to the flights16, a barrier is present on either side of an open gap between two adjacent flights16that centrally positions the tubular food products20.

Referring toFIG.4, the inserts22position the food product20centrally underneath suctions cups12as the food product is positioned between the forward edge28of one insert22attached to a flight16and the rear edge of a second inert22attached to an adjacent flight16. As a result, the food product20is properly positioned for allowing a vacuum seal to be created when the suction cup12engages the food product. This assures that the food product20may be removed from between adjacent flights16by the pick-and-place robot10.

As discussed above, the inserts22are sized based upon the food product20being processed. The inserts22may be easily installed and removed due to clips24,26and the resilient material used to make the inserts22. As a result, different sized tubular food products20may be quickly and efficiently processed by changing the inserts22of the flighted conveyor14rather than by changing the flighted conveyor14altogether.

Another advantage of utilizing inserts to center tubular food product20between the flights16, rather than merely pushing it to one side of the flight is seen when the robot tool10attempts to pick the food product20. With the food product20positioned to one side of the flights16, it is likely that the suction cup12will scrape against a side of the flight16when approaching the food product20. The scraping may deform the suction cup12, so that it does not reliably create a seal when the suction cup12comes in contact with the food product20and causes a missed pick.

Furthermore, the low profile of the inserts22also prevents the inserts22from interfering with a larger diameter product within the product matrix. The inserts22provide a universal solution for all the food products20in the product matrix.

Although certain embodiments and implementations of the disclosure have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the disclosure be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law.