Maintenance and Safety System for a Food Article Slicing Machine

摘要

A slicing apparatus and a weighing and classifying conveyor combination with cleanup position wherein, the elevated food article feed mechanism can be collapsed to a maintenance position, the weighing and classifying conveyor is oriented at a distance from the slicing apparatus and the slicing head cover is automatically lifted to an open cleanup position. The machine has laser intrusion detectors that are used to shut down systems when an unwanted intrusion by a person or object is detected.

主权项

1. A food article slicing machine, comprising:
a slicing station comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade in a cutting plane; a machine base that includes panels that encloses electronic equipment and includes a base top panel; a food article feed apparatus supporting one or more food articles for longitudinal movement along one or more corresponding food article paths intersecting the cutting plane, wherein the food article food apparatus is moveable between a raised position, in which the one or more food article paths have an inclined orientation with an elevated end raised above the machine base and a lower end adjacent to the cutting plane, and a lowered position, in which the elevated end is lower than when in the raised position; a light beam emitting device connected to and moveable with the food article feed apparatus, wherein the light beam emitting device generates a safety curtain by a sweep of light beams across an arc, the safety curtain of light beams oriented to substantially cover a vertical space between the food article paths and the machine base on at least one lateral side of the machine; and a sensor connected to and moveable with the food article feed apparatus, wherein the sensor is responsive to intrusions by an object into the safety curtain, wherein when a light beam is incident on the object, the light beam is reflected back and received by the sensor, and the sensor calculates the time between sending the light beam and receiving the reflection to calculate the distance of the object to determine the presence of an intrusion.