System and method for weighing products
A system for producing sausage-shaped products that includes a filling machine for filling a tubular casing with viscous or granular stuff, a clipping machine for dividing the filled tubular casing into sausage-shaped products and closing the sausage-shaped products by closing means; and a transportation device for discharging the sausage-shaped products out of the clipping machine and transporting the sausage-shaped products along a transport path for storing them on rod-like elements, being positioned in an automatic hanging line for accommodating the rod-like elements; wherein the transport path extends from the clipping machine to the distal end of said smoking rod.
1. A system for producing sausage-shaped products, comprising:
a filling machine for filling a tubular casing with viscous or granular stuff, in particular sausage meat;
a clipping machine for dividing the filled tubular casing into sausage-shaped products and closing the sausage-shaped products by closing means;
a transportation device for discharging the sausage-shaped products out of the clipping machine and transporting the sausage-shaped products along a transport path for storing them on rod-like elements, in particular smoking rods, being positioned in an automatic hanging line for accommodating the rod-like elements, wherein the transport path extends from the clipping machine to the distal end of said smoking rod, and
a weighing device for sensing the weight of at least one of the sausage-shaped products, wherein the weighing device is positioned along the transport path of sausage-shaped products for receiving a sausage-shaped product to be weighed and wherein the weighing device is adapted to transfer the weighed sausage-shaped product to the rod-like element being positioned in the automatic hanging line.
2. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the weighing device is positioned at the end of the transport path of sausage-shaped products.
3. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:
a drive for linearly movement of the weighing device between a weighing position in which at least one sausage-shaped product is positioned on the weighing device, and a retracted position in which no sausage-shaped product is positioned on the weighing device.
4. The system according to claim 3 further comprising:
a piston-cylinder-assembly which allows the linear movement of the weighing device between the weighing position and the retracted position.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the weighing device comprises a stud-like projection on which the at least one sausage-shaped product is positioned for the weighing process.
6. The system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the stud-like projection comprises a tapered end facilitating the transfer of the sausage-shaped product on the weighing device.
7. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:
a deflector urging the at least one weighed sausage-shaped product from the weighing device after the weighing process.
8. A method for controlling a system for producing sausage-shaped product, with the steps of:
providing a tubular casing;
filling said tubular casing with viscous or granular stuff, in particular sausage meat;
dividing the filled tubular casing into sausage-shaped products and closing the sausage-shaped products by closing means in a clipping machine;
discharging at least one sausage-shaped product out of the clipping machine by a transportation device and transporting the sausage-shaped products along a transport path for storing them on rod-like elements, in particular smoking rods, being positioned in an automatic hanging line for accommodating the rod-like elements, wherein the transport path extends from the clipping machine to the distal end of said smoking rod, and
sensing the weight of at least one of the sausage-shaped products using a weighing device which is positioned along the transport path of sausage-shaped products for receiving a sausage-shaped product to be weighed and transferring the weighed sausage-shaped product to the rod-like element being positioned in the automatic hanging line.
9. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the weighing device is linearly moved between a weighing position in which at least one sausage-shaped product is positioned on the weighing device and a retracted position in which no sausage-shaped product is positioned on the weighing device.
10. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the at least one sausage-shaped product is urged from the weighing device onto the rod-like element when the weighing device is moved from the weighing position into the retracted position.
11. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the at least one weighed sausage-shaped product is urged from the weighing device onto the rod-like element by a deflector.
12. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the weight of the at least one sausage-shaped product is sensed by a sensing element being part of the weighing device.
13. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the sum of weights of all sausage-shaped products stored on the rod-like element is calculated on the basis of the weight of the sensed weight of the at least one sausage-shaped product.
14. The method according to claim 8 ,
wherein a tendency for the development of the weight of the sausage-shaped products is derived on the basis of the weight of a single sausage-shaped product.