Overhead conveyor system for conveying packaging trays
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B65B-001/00
B65G-037/00
B65G-047/00
B65G-017/20
B65B-007/16
B65G-047/61
B65G-047/76
B65G-047/84
출원번호
US-0145521
(2010-01-22)
등록번호
US-9181034
(2015-11-10)
우선권정보
NL-2002441 (2009-01-22)
국제출원번호
PCT/NL2010/000009
(2010-01-22)
§371/§102 date
20110720
(20110720)
국제공개번호
WO2010/085141
(2010-07-29)
발명자
/ 주소
Peters, Erik Hendrikus Werner
Hiddink, Wilbert
van den Nieuwelaar, Adrianus Josephes
출원인 / 주소
Marel Stork Poultry Processing B.V.
대리인 / 주소
Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
4
초록▼
A food processing system for processing food products includes a food processing device for processing food products, at least one filling station at which packaging trays are filled with those food products, and a conveyor system configured for conveying the packaging trays. The food processing sys
A food processing system for processing food products includes a food processing device for processing food products, at least one filling station at which packaging trays are filled with those food products, and a conveyor system configured for conveying the packaging trays. The food processing system also includes a distribution control system configured for linking product information, in the form of one or more characteristics of the packaging trays and/or the food products in said trays, to the respective packaging tray, and for activating the conveyor system, the at least one filling station and the food processing device, and for activating two or more export stations.
대표청구항▼
1. A food processing system for processing food products, comprising: a food processing device for processing food products;at least one filling station;an overhead conveyor system configured for conveying packaging trays, for food products from one or more import stations to at least one of multipl
1. A food processing system for processing food products, comprising: a food processing device for processing food products;at least one filling station;an overhead conveyor system configured for conveying packaging trays, for food products from one or more import stations to at least one of multiple export stations, wherein the packaging trays are at the at least one filling station filled with food products supplied by the processing device for processing food products, the overhead conveyor system comprising: an endless conveyor track comprising a rail extending in a direction of conveyance;a multiplicity of trolleys which are movably connected to the rail and are connected to one another;a multiplicity of tray carriers each coupled to the rail via at least one trolley for forming a chain of tray carriers, wherein each tray carrier is provided with a support platform configured for supporting at least one packaging tray, and wherein each tray carrier is suspendedly coupled to one or more trolleys in such a way that the support platform of each tray carrier is positioned below the rail and the packaging tray placed on the support platform is conveyed along the bottom of the rail;a drive device configured for continuously displacing the chain of tray carriers in the direction of conveyance along the conveyor track;at least one import station configured for importing the packaging trays into the tray carriers;multiple export stations located along the endless conveyor track and configured for selectively exporting the packaging trays from the tray carriers, each of the multiple export stations being provided with an export track extending in the direction of conveyance along a part of the endless conveyor track, wherein the export track has a horizontal support surface with respect to a ground level, corresponding to the support platform of a passing tray carrier, configured to receive the packaging tray released from the support platform of the passing tray carrier in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground level while the tray carriers are continuously moved along the endless conveyor track;an export device provided on each tray carrier and/or at each export station, configured for pushing a packaging tray from a tray carrier onto a corresponding export track in the horizontal direction while the tray carriers are continuously moved along the endless conveyor track; anda distribution control system configured for linking product information, in the form of one or more characteristics of the tray and/or the food products in said tray, to each individual packaging tray, and for activating the overhead conveyor system, the at least one filling station, the food processing device, and the export devices, the distribution control system comprising: a chain position determining device configured to determine the position of each of the tray carriers with respect to a fixed point along the endless conveyor track; anda receiving device configured to receive information about tray carriers and/or product information concerning the packaging trays and/or the contents of packaging trays, which information is received from an import station, an export station, and/or a treatment station; andan electronic memory storage device with a memory table comprising, for each tray carrier in the overhead conveyor system, at least one memory field for accommodating at least one item of data which is related to the packaging tray and/or contents of the packaging tray, and comprising at least one memory field for storing a variable which is representative of the tray carrier in which the packaging tray is placed at an import station. 2. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein the export device is configured for engaging with a packaging tray supported by a support platform of a tray carrier and for exerting an exporting force on said packaging tray for exporting said packaging tray in a controlled manner from the carrier at an export station. 3. The food processing system according to claim 2, wherein the export device is attached to the tray carriers in the form of at least one movable export member for exporting a packaging tray from the tray carrier at an export station. 4. The food processing system according to claim 3, wherein the export device is configured for interacting with an associated activation device of an export station. 5. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one import station comprises an import device for importing the packaging trays into the tray carriers, the import device also comprising an import track, which extends parallel to a part of the endless conveyor track and extends at a level substantially equal to the level of the support platform of a tray carrier in such a way that a packaging tray can be displaced in a substantially horizontal direction from a position on the import track to a position on the support platform of said tray carrier. 6. The food processing according to claim 5, wherein the import device is configured for engaging with a packaging tray in the at least one import station and exerting an importing force on said packaging tray for importing said packaging tray in a controlled manner into a tray carrier which tray carrier next to or above the import station is advanced in the direction of conveyance along the conveyor track, the import device being embodied as a series of rollers which are arranged in parallel and together form at least a part of the import track and which extend in a horizontal plane at an angle in such a way that when a packaging tray is moved over the rollers in the conveyance direction, the rollers exert a force on the packaging tray at an angle to the conveyance direction. 7. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein an import device is attached to the tray carriers in the form of an entrainment device configured to engage with a packaging tray, for importing a packaging tray into the tray carrier at an import station. 8. The food processing system according to claim 7, wherein the import device is configured for interacting with an associated activation device of an import station. 9. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein one or more tray carriers are provided with a positioning device configured to position a packaging tray on the support platform, the positioning device being a guide or positioning rib which engages with the side of the packaging tray when the packaging tray is slid into the tray carrier for guiding a packaging tray to a desired position while said packaging tray is imported into the tray carrier. 10. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein, in one or more tray carriers, the support platform or platform is connected to a roof part via just a wall in such a way that the packaging tray and/or any contents of said packaging tray is/are accessible from three sides to a treatment mechanism of a treatment device arranged along the conveyor track, for carrying out a treatment on the packaging tray and/or the contents thereof. 11. The food processing system according to claim 10, wherein the treatment station is arranged in line with the conveyor track and is configured for performing the action on a tray placed in a tray carrier and/or the food products placed in the tray. 12. The food processing system according to claim 1, also provided with one or more treatment stations arranged along the conveyor track, each comprising a treatment device for performing one or more of the following treatments on one or more of the passing packaging trays and/or the food products in said packaging trays: weighing the trays,sealing the tray with a film,applying a code to the tray,adding an edible additive,adding an object,filling trays with food products,adding a food product, andscanning the trays. 13. The food processing system according to claim 12, wherein a treatment station is arranged parallel to the conveyor track between an import station and an export station and is configured for exporting the packaging trays from the tray carriers via the export station prior to the treatment and importing packaging trays into the tray carriers via the import station following the treatment. 14. The food processing system according to claim 12, wherein a treatment station is activated by a control system configured for selectively exporting the packaging trays from the tray carriers and selectively importing the packaging trays into the tray carrier and wherein the exporting of the packaging tray from the conveyor track, and/or the treatment on the packaging tray and/or the contents thereof, is dependent on the information available in the memory of the control system about the tray and/or the contents of the tray. 15. The food processing system according to claim 1, in combination with one or more packaging trays. 16. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein the packaging trays are part of the final consumer packaging. 17. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal support surface of the export track is substantially level with the support platform of the tray carriers passing the corresponding export stations. 18. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein the support platform of each of the tray carriers maintains a horizontal orientation with respect to the ground level during importing the packaging trays at the import stations and during exporting the packaging trays at the multiple export stations. 19. The food processing system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution control system is further configured to select, for each packaging tray being transported, one of the multiple export stations and activate the selected export station to export the packaging tray from the corresponding tray carrier in which the packaging tray is transported, based on the data for each tray carrier saved in the electronic memory storage device. 20. A method comprising the steps of: providing the food processing system according to claim 1;processing a food product using the food processing device;filling the packaging tray with the food product at the filling station;importing the packaging tray with the food product into one of the tray carriers at the at least one import station;conveying the packaging tray with the food product along the conveying track; andexporting the packaging tray with the food product at one of the multiple export stations. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the packaging trays form part of the final consumer packaging, wherein one or more treatment stations are arranged along the conveyor track, and wherein one or more treatments are carried out on the food product in the packaging tray and/or on the packaging tray by the one or more treatment stations while the packaging tray is conveyed by a tray carrier along the conveyor track. 22. An abattoir provided with the food processing system according to claim 1. 23. A conveyor system configured for conveying packaging trays, for food products from one or more import stations to at least one of multiple export stations, the conveyor system comprising: an endless conveyor track comprising a rail extending in a direction of conveyance;a multiplicity of trolleys which are movably connected to the rail and are connected to one another;a multiplicity of tray carriers each coupled to the rail via at least one trolley for forming a chain of tray carriers, wherein each tray carrier is provided with a support platform configured for supporting at least one packaging tray, and wherein each tray carrier is suspendedly coupled to one or more trolleys in such a way that the support platform of each tray carrier is positioned below the rail and the packaging tray placed on the support platform is conveyed along the bottom of the rail;a drive device configured for continuously displacing the chain of tray carriers in the direction of conveyance along the conveyor track;at least one import station configured for importing the packaging trays into the tray carriers;multiple export stations located along the endless conveyor track and configured for selectively exporting the packaging trays from the tray carriers, each of the multiple export stations being provided with an export track extending in the direction of conveyance along a part of the endless conveyor track, wherein the export track has a horizontal support surface with respect to a ground level, corresponding to the support platform of a passing tray carrier, configured to receive the packaging tray released from the support platform of the passing tray carrier in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground level while the tray carriers are continuously moved along the endless conveyor track;an export device provided on each tray carrier and/or at each export station, configured for pushing a packaging tray from a tray carrier onto a corresponding export track in the horizontal direction while the tray carriers are continuously moved along the endless conveyor track; anda distribution control system configured for linking product information, in the form of one or more characteristics of the tray and/or the food products in said tray, to each individual packaging tray, and for activating the conveyor system and the export devices, the distribution control system comprising: a chain position determining device configured to determine the position of each of the tray carriers with respect to a fixed point along the endless conveyor track; anda receiving device configured to receive information about tray carriers and/or product information concerning the packaging trays and/or the contents of packaging trays, which information is received from an import station, an export station, and/or a treatment station; andan electronic memory storage device with a memory table comprising, for each tray carrier in the conveyor system, at least one memory field for accommodating at least one item of data which is related to the packaging tray and/or contents of the packaging tray, and comprising at least one memory field for storing a variable which is representative of the tray carrier in which the packaging tray is placed at an import station.
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