DK147902B

DK147902B - PROCEDURE AND MACHINE FOR INJECTING FLUID IN MEAT PRODUCTS

Info

Publication number: DK147902B
Application number: DK085080AA
Authority: DK
Inventors: Ray Theodore Townsend
Original assignee: Townsend Engineering Co
Priority date: 1978-12-04
Filing date: 1980-02-28
Publication date: 1985-01-07
Also published as: DE2857677T1; BR7808751A; SE8005537L; DE2857677C2; DK147902C; GB2048049B; DK85080A; SE439420B; WO1980001131A1; JPS5750457B2; JPS55501007A; GB2048049A

Description

147902147902

Den foreliggende opfindelse angår en fremgangsmåde og en maskine til injektion af væske i kødprodukter, og fremgangsmåden er af den i indledningen til krav 1 angivne art.The present invention relates to a method and a machine for injecting liquid into meat products, and the method is of the kind set forth in the preamble of claim 1.

I kødindustrien injiceres kødprodukter med en konserverende 5 opløsning for at konservere produktet. For at opnå passende konservering er det yderst ønskeligt, at en styret mængde væske injiceres og fordeles ensartet i produktet. I øjeblikket er den almindeligt godkendte metode at injicere produktet gennem en række nåle med en konserverende opløsning og derpå konservere produktet i et røghus.In the meat industry, meat products are injected with a preservative 5 solution to preserve the product. To achieve proper preservation, it is highly desirable that a controlled amount of liquid is injected and evenly distributed throughout the product. Currently, the commonly accepted method is to inject the product through a series of needles with a preservative solution and then preserve the product in a smokehouse.

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Det er som nævnt yderst ønskeligt at en kontrolleret væskemængde injiceres i produktet og den ønskede mængde eller procent vil variere med adskillige faktorer.As mentioned, it is highly desirable that a controlled amount of fluid is injected into the product and the desired amount or percent will vary with several factors.

Pra U.S.A. patentskrift nr. 3.862.556 kendes til injektion af væske 5 i kødprodukter en maskine, ved hvilken tilstræbtes at føle tykkelsen af produktet og at injicere en tilsvarende mængde væske i dette. I denne injektor bestemmes injektionsmængden af det tidrum, hvori kontrolventilen er åben, hvilket igen bestemmes af tykkelsen af produktet, f.eks. en bugdel.Pra U.S.A. U.S. Patent No. 3,862,556 is known for injecting liquid 5 into meat products a machine which sought to sense the thickness of the product and to inject a corresponding amount of liquid therein. In this injector, the amount of injection is determined by the length of time during which the control valve is open, which in turn is determined by the thickness of the product, e.g. a bugle.

I denne maskine bevæges en såkaldt stripperstang nedad og hviler på overlo fladen af produktet, og gennemsnitshøjden af den nævnte stang bestemmer den tid, hvori væsken kan flyde. En kam styrer ventilåbningstiden baseret på tykkelsen af bugdelen samt andre faktorer såsom blødningskarakteristik for en tyk bugdel sammenlignet med en tynd bugdel. Som nævnt er injektionsmængden i denne maskine afhængig af den tid, hvori ventilen er åben. Denne 15 tidsfaktor vil ikke variere i eksakt forhold til tykkelsen af bugdelen på grund af en krumtapvirkning, der bevæger væskemanifolden og nålene op og ned. Med andre ord vil nålene være længere i en 12 mm bugdel ved bunden af krumtapslaget end i en 12 mm bugdel ved midten af krumtapslaget. Derfor bliver tidsbestemmelsen af ventilåbningen en kompliceret sag og den styrende 2o kam bliver yderst vanskelig at etablere.In this machine, a so-called stripper rod is moved downward and rests on the overlooking surface of the product, and the average height of said rod determines the time during which the liquid can flow. A comb controls valve opening time based on the thickness of the abdominal portion as well as other factors such as bleeding characteristics of a thick abdominal portion compared to a thin abdominal portion. As mentioned, the amount of injection in this machine depends on the time the valve is open. This time factor will not vary in exact proportion to the thickness of the abdomen due to a crank action that moves the fluid manifold and the needles up and down. In other words, the needles will be longer in a 12 mm bug portion at the bottom of the crank stroke than in a 12 mm bug portion at the center of the crank stroke. Therefore, the timing of the valve opening becomes a complicated matter and the controlling 2o comb becomes extremely difficult to establish.

Det er upraktisk at bevæge nålene med konstant hastighed ind i et kødprodukt. Det er derfor almindeligt i denne teknik at anvende en kam eller en krumtap, hvormed nålene bevæges ind i og ud af kødproduktet med en krumtapfunktion. Dette betyder, at nålehastigheden varierer under ind-25 trængning- og tilbagetrækningsslagene. Hastigheden af nålene starter fra nul ved toppen af indtrængningsslaget og får maksimum halvvejs under dette, og, når maksimum af indtrængning er nået, bliver hastigheden nul og tilbagetrækningsslaget begynder, hvorunder hastighedskurven for indtrngningsslaget duplikeres.It is impractical to move the needles at a constant speed into a meat product. Therefore, it is common in this art to use a comb or crank with which the needles are moved into and out of the meat product with a crank function. This means that the needle speed varies during the penetration and retraction stroke. The velocity of the needles starts from zero at the top of the penetration stroke and gets a maximum halfway below this, and, when maximum penetration is reached, the velocity becomes zero and the retraction stroke begins, under which the velocity curve of the penetration stroke is duplicated.

3o Da hastigheden af en krumtapaktiveret nålehob varierer, vil en kon tinuerlig væsketilførselspumpe give en varierende væskemængde i forskellige lag af kødproduktet. De lag, hvorigennem nålene passerer hurtigst, vil få mindst væske, og de lag, hvorigennem nålene passerer langsommere, vil få mere væske. Herved tilsidesættes det oprindelige formål med ensartet fordeling 35 af væsken gennem hele kødproduktets tykkelse.As the speed of a crank-activated needle cluster varies, a continuous fluid supply pump will provide a varying amount of fluid in different layers of the meat product. The layers through which the needles pass the fastest will get the least fluid, and the layers through which the needles pass more slowly will get more fluid. Thereby, the original purpose of uniform distribution of the liquid throughout the entire meat product thickness is disregarded.

3 1479023 147902

Det er opfindelsens formål at tilvejebringe en fremgangsmåde med tilhørende maskine, hvormed denne ulempe kan afhjælpes.It is the object of the invention to provide a method and associated machine by which this disadvantage can be remedied.

Fremgangsmåden ifølge opfindelsen er ejendommelig ved det i den kendetegnende del af krav 1 anførte.The process according to the invention is characterized by the method of claim 1.

5 Herved opnås, at den beskrevne ulempe afhjælpes. En yderligere forøgelse af den tilstræbte effekt kan opnås ved de i denkendetegnende del af krav 2 anførte anvisninger.5 Hereby the disadvantage described is obtained to remedy. A further increase of the desired effect can be obtained by the instructions given in the characterizing part of claim 2.

En maskine til udøvelse af den omhandlede fremgangsmåde og af den i indledningen til krav 3 angivne art er ejendommelig ved det i den kendetegnende lo del af krav 3 anførte.A machine for carrying out the method according to the invention and of the kind specified in the preamble of claim 3 is characterized by the characterizing part of claim 3.

Denne maskine har et bord med en transportør til bevægelse af kødproduktet fra den ene ende til den anden. En væskemanifold bestående af et antal væskemanifolde er anbragt på enderne af frem og tilbage gående arme, der er leddet forbundet til bordet på en sådan måde, at væskemanifoldernes 15 injektionsnåle vil bevæges op og ned i forhold til kødproduktet. En fortrængningspumpe er gennem en ventil i væskeforbindelse med hver væskemanifold til forsyning dertil efter åbning af den pågældende ventil. Hver af pumperne er i væskeforbindelse med injektionsvæskekilden. En .produktføler er anbragt på hver manifold og bevages nedad hermed, til føleren samvirker 2o med overfladen på kødproduktet. Efter at denne produktføler har engageret kødproduktet, fortsætter manifolden med at bevæges i forhold hertil, så at nålene gennemborer kødet. Den fortsatte bevægelse af manifolden får en ventilaktivator på produktføleren til at åbne for den tilhørende ventil, så at den pågældende pumpe vil levere væske til manifolden. Hver af pumperne er 25 styret af en kamforbindelse, der drives fra samme krumtap, der driver manifolden op og ned. Hastigheden af væskestrøm gennem nålene koordineres med hastigheden af nålene, når de indtrænger og trækkes tilbage fra kødet.This machine has a table with a conveyor for moving the meat product from one end to the other. A liquid manifold consisting of a plurality of liquid manifolds is disposed on the ends of reciprocating arms connected to the table in such a way that the injection needles of the liquid manifolds 15 will move up and down relative to the meat product. A displacement pump is through a valve in fluid communication with each fluid manifold for supply thereof after opening the respective valve. Each of the pumps is in fluid communication with the source of injection fluid. A product sensor is disposed on each manifold and monitored downwardly until the sensor interacts with the surface of the meat product. After this product sensor engages the meat product, the manifold continues to move accordingly so that the needles pierce the meat. The continued movement of the manifold causes a valve actuator on the product sensor to open the associated valve so that the pump in question will supply fluid to the manifold. Each of the pumps is controlled by a cam connection driven from the same crank that drives the manifold up and down. The velocity of fluid flow through the needles is coordinated with the velocity of the needles as they penetrate and retract from the flesh.

Med fremgangsmåden og maskinen ifølge opfindelsen er der opnået ensartet fordeling af væsken i kødproduktet ved at ændre mængden af væske 3o leveret gennem nålene i forhold til den varierende hastighed af nålene, når de bevæges ind i og ud af kødet, idet væskestrømmen gennem nålene har en hastighed, der er proportional med nålehastigheden· 35 4 147902With the method and machine according to the invention, uniform distribution of the liquid in the meat product is achieved by changing the amount of liquid 30 delivered through the needles to the varying speed of the needles as they move in and out of the meat, the fluid flow through the needles having a speed proportional to needle speed · 35 4 147902

Opfindelsen forklares i det følgende nærmere under henvisning til tegningen, hvor fig. 1 viser en maskine ifølge opfindelsen set fra siden, fig. 2 samme set ovenfra, 5 fig. 3 et snit efter linien 3-3 i fig· 2, fig. 4 et snit efter linien 4-4 i fig. 3» fig. 5 i snit en del af konstruktionen til anbringelse af hver af produktf øleme, fig. 6 et delsnit i pumpekonstruktionen, lo fig. 7 samme med en lukket ventil, fig. 8 et snit efter linien 8-8 i fig. 7, fig. 9 skematisk væskekredsløbet, fig. lo i større målestok et udsnit efter linien lo-lo i fig. 1, fig. 11 et snit efter linien 11-11 i fig. lo og 15 fig. 12 skematisk og i perspektiv styringen af manifold- og pumpe delene.The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which 1 is a side view of a machine according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a top view; FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of the structure for positioning each of the product films; FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the pump structure; FIG. 7 is the same with a closed valve; FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the liquid circuit; FIG. on a larger scale, a section along the line lo-lo in fig. 1, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10 and FIG. 12 schematically and in perspective the control of the manifold and pump parts.

Den omhandlede maskine er betegnet med 10 og har væsentlige ligheder med de i USA patentskrifterne nr. 3 687 o58 og 3 863 556 beskrevne maskiner lo, så at den ikke behøver at beskrives i alle detailler.The machine in question is designated 10 and has significant similarities to the machines disclosed in United States Patent Nos. 3,687 o58 and 3,863,556, so that it does not need to be described in all details.

2o Maskinen lo har et bord 11 med en transportør 12 til at føre kød produktet fra højre til venstre i fig. 1.2o The machine 1o has a table 11 with a conveyor 12 for conveying the meat product from right to left in FIG. First

14 betegner en kraftkilde med en aksel 16, der driver en væskepumpe 18, og som har en kæde 2o til et kædehjul 24, se også fig. 12, på en aksel 26, der er drejelig anbragt på maskinen lo. Akslen 26 er forsynet med ekcen-25 trikker 28 og 3° ved modsatte ender. Frem og tilbage gående arme 32 og 34 er forbundet til hver sin af delene 28 og 3o og foroven leddet forbundet til manifoldbærearme 36 og 38, hvis ene ende er leddet forbundet til maskinen lo som vist. En manifold 4o er anbragt på de fri ender af armene 36 og 38 og beskrives nærmere i det følgende. Stænger 42 og 44 er også forbundet til 3o ekcentrikkerne 28 og 3o på sædvanlig måde og er virksomt forbundet til transportøren 12 til drift af denne.14 denotes a power source with a shaft 16 which drives a liquid pump 18 and has a chain 20 to a sprocket 24, see also FIG. 12, on a shaft 26 pivotally mounted on the machine 1o. The shaft 26 is provided with eccentrics 28 and 3 ° at opposite ends. Back and forth arms 32 and 34 are connected to each of the parts 28 and 30 and the top link is connected to manifold support arms 36 and 38, one end of which is connected to the machine lo as shown. A manifold 40 is disposed on the free ends of arms 36 and 38 and is described in greater detail below. Bars 42 and 44 are also connected to the eccentrics 28 and 30 in the usual manner and are operatively connected to the conveyor 12 for operation thereof.

En kam 46, se fig. 11 og 12, er anbragt på akslen 26. En aksel 48 er drejelig anbragt på maskinen lo og har en krumtaparm 5o fastgjort til den ene ende og en anden krumtaparm 52 fastgjort mellem enderne. En kamrulle 35 54 er fastgjort til armen 52 og samvirker med kamfladen på kammen 46.A comb 46, see FIG. 11 and 12 are mounted on shaft 26. A shaft 48 is pivotally mounted on the machine lo and has a crank arm 5o secured to one end and another crank arm 52 secured between the ends. A cam roller 35 54 is attached to the arm 52 and interacts with the cam surface of the cam 46.

5 1479025 147902

En stang 56 er leddet forbundet til enden af krumtaparmen 52 og går ned herfra til montering på en luft- eller fj eders tø dæmper 57, der tvinger armen 52 nedad, så at rullen 54 holdes i berøring med kamfladen på kammen 46.A rod 56 is articulated to the end of crank arm 52 and descends therefrom for mounting on an air or spring damper 57 forcing arm 52 downwardly so that roller 54 is held in contact with the cam surface of cam 46.

5 En stang 58 er forneden leddet forbundet med armen 5o og strækker sig op herfra som vist på tegningen. Som vist i fig. 1 og 11 har armen 5o en lang slidse 6o til indstillelig optagelse af stangen 58 for at muliggøre ændring af bevægelsen af stangen 58, hvis øverste ende er forbundet til et apparat, der som helhed er betegnet med 62, og som har lo en trekantet plade 64, der er stift forbundet til en aksel 68, der er drejelig anbragt på maskinen lo som vist i fig. 12, og hvorpå er fastgjort en konsol 72, der strækker sig nedad og er forbundet med et led til en omtrent vandret stang 74. En anden stang 76 er leddet forbundet med sin ene ende til pladen 64 og er omtrent parallel med stangen 74.5 A bar 58 is below the joint connected to the arm 5o and extends therefrom as shown in the drawing. As shown in FIG. 1 and 11, the arm 5o has a long slot 6o for adjustably accommodating the rod 58 to enable the movement of the rod 58, the upper end of which is connected to a device designated as a whole 62, which has a triangular plate 64, which is rigidly connected to a shaft 68 pivotally mounted on the machine 1o as shown in FIG. 12, and to which is attached a downwardly extending bracket 72 and connected by a link to an approximately horizontal bar 74. Another bar 76 is connected to its one end to the plate 64 and is approximately parallel to the bar 74.

15 Mellem stængerne 74 og 76 er fastgjort en aksel 78, hvortil er forbundet pumpestænger 8o, 82, 84, 86, 88 og 9o fra fortrængningspumper 92, 94, 96, 98, loo og lo2, der er ens, hvorfor kun en enkelt med dens tilhørende dele vil blive beskrevet nærmere.Between shafts 74 and 76 is mounted a shaft 78, to which are connected pump rods 8o, 82, 84, 86, 88 and 9o from displacement pumps 92, 94, 96, 98, loo and lo2, which are the same, so that only one with its associated parts will be described in more detail.

I fig. 6, 7 og 8 er vist det typiske fortrængningspumpeapparat.In FIG. 6, 7 and 8 are shown the typical displacement pump apparatus.

2o En fortrængningspumpe 92 er anbragt i en ramme lo4 og har et stempel lo6, der er forbundet med stangen 8o til bevægelse med denne. Som vist i fig. 6 har stemplet lo6 en pakning lo8 ved den inderste ende til samvirk-ning med indervæggen i pumpen 92, hvis indre rum er betegnet llo og har en vægdel 112 med en åbning 114, der står i forbindelse med en boring 25 116, der går nedad til forbindelse med en åbning 118 i et ventilhus 12o, hvori en ventil 122 er bevægeligt anbragt og forbundet med en fjeder 124, der tvinger ventilen fra den i fig. 6 viste stilling til den i fig. 7 viste. Ventilen 122 har en spoleformet ringformet del 126 mellem sine ender, hvoaf den yderste er betegnet med 128. Ben inderste ende af ventilhuset 12o 3o er i forbindelse med et væskekammer 13o, der er i forbindelse med en injektionsvæskekilde under tryk. Ventilhuset 12ο har en udgangsåbning 132, der står i forbindelse med en ledning 134, som udgår herfra.2o A displacement pump 92 is disposed in a frame lo4 and has a piston lo6 connected to the rod 8o for movement therewith. As shown in FIG. 6, the piston l06 has a gasket l08 at its innermost end for interaction with the inner wall of the pump 92, the inner space of which is designated l10 and has a wall portion 112 with an aperture 114 communicating with a downwardly bore 25 116 for connection with an opening 118 in a valve housing 12o, in which a valve 122 is movably arranged and connected to a spring 124 forcing the valve from the valve shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 7. The valve 122 has a coil-shaped annular portion 126 between its ends, the outermost of which is designated 128. The inner end of the valve housing 12o 3o is in communication with a fluid chamber 13o which is in contact with a pressurized fluid source. The valve body 12ο has an outlet opening 132 which communicates with a conduit 134 which originates therefrom.

Fed indstilling af stangen 58 i slidsen 6o kan væskemængden fra hver af pumperne omhyggeligt reguleres og indstilles.Bold adjustment of the rod 58 in the slot 6o allows the amount of fluid from each of the pumps to be carefully adjusted and adjusted.

6 147902 Væskemanifolden 4o omfatter seks enkelte væskemanifolde 136, 138, 14o, 142, 144 og 146, der er udformet og understøttet ens, hvorfor kun manifolden 146 med tilhørende dele vil blive beskrevet i enkeltheder, men de bevæges op og ned som en enhed på grund af anbringelsen på armene 5 36 og 38, og de har hver et antal nåle 15o til gennemboring af kødproduktet 152.The liquid manifold 4o comprises six single liquid manifolds 136, 138, 14o, 142, 144 and 146 which are designed and supported similarly, so that only the manifold 146 and associated parts will be described in detail, but they are moved up and down as a unit of because of the arrangement on the arms 5 36 and 38, and they each have a number of needles 15o for piercing the meat product 152.

Som vist i fig. 4 er hver injektionsnål 15o anbragt forskydelig i boringer, der er forbundet med ledningen 134. Hver af manifoldene har en produktføler 154 bevægeligt fastgort herpå som vist i fig. lo 3 og 4. Føleren 154 har e'fc antal åbninger, gennem hvilke nålene 15o går, og en opadgående del 156 med en stang 158 fastgjort foroven og gående ind i en cylinder 16ο.As shown in FIG. 4, each injection needle 15o is slidably disposed in bores connected to conduit 134. Each of the manifolds has a product sensor 154 movably attached thereto as shown in FIG. lo 3 and 4. The sensor 154 has an equal number of openings through which the needles 15o pass, and an upwardly extending portion 156 with a rod 158 fixed at the top and entering a cylinder 16ο.

Som vist i fig. 5 har stangen 158 ved sin øverste ende et stempel l6o, der samvirker med indervæggen i cylinderen 16ο, som er fastgjort med bolte 15 166 til en understøtning 164, der er fastgjort på væskemanifolden til bevægelse med denne. En ventilaktivatorarm 168 er forneden leddet forbundet til pladen 154 som vist i fig. 4, og en rulle 172 samvirker med dens overflade 174 og er drejelig anbragt på understøtningen 164. En overflade 176, se fig. 4, på armen 168 samvirker med en af pumpernes ventiler. Rullen 2o 172 er beregnet på at finde sæde i et hak 172Λ i armen 168, hvorunder ingen væske vil flyde gennem ventilen 122.As shown in FIG. 5, the rod 158 at its upper end has a piston 106 which cooperates with the inner wall of the cylinder 16ο which is secured with bolts 15 166 to a support 164 which is secured to the fluid manifold for movement therewith. A valve actuator arm 168 is connected below the link to plate 154 as shown in FIG. 4, and a roller 172 interacts with its surface 174 and is pivotally mounted on the support 164. A surface 176, see FIG. 4, the arm 168 cooperates with one of the pump valves. The roller 202 is intended to find a seat in a notch 172Λ in the arm 168, under which no liquid will flow through the valve 122.

En bugdel 152 kan anbringes på transportøren 12 med motoren 14 igang, der også driver pumpen 18, så at injektionsvæske fødes til kammeret 13o og akslen 26 drejes, så at manifolden 4o bevæges op og ned og stængerne 25 42 og 44 går frem og tilbage, så at transportøren 12 flytter kødproduktet fra den ene ende til den anden under de op og nedad gående manifolde.A paddle 152 may be placed on the conveyor 12 with the motor 14 running, also operating the pump 18, so that injection fluid is fed to the chamber 13o and the shaft 26 is rotated so that the manifold 4o is moved up and down and the rods 25 42 and 44 reciprocate. so that the conveyor 12 moves the meat product from one end to the other during the up and down manifolds.

Hed manifolden 4o i øverste stilling er stillingen af kammen 46 i forhold til armen 52 sådan, at stangen 58 er i sin øverste stilling og stængerne 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 og 9o trukket ud fra cylidrene i pumperne, 3o så at væske vil passere fra kammeret 13o gennem den inderste ende af ventilhuset 12o opad gennem boringen 116 gennem åbningen 114 ind i rummet llo, hvilket er muligt da fjederen 124 tvinger ventilen 122 til højre og da manifolden 4o er i øverets stilling vil aktivatorarmen 168 ikke samvirke tilstrækkeligt med den yderste ende af ventilen til at tvinge denne indad.With the manifold 40 in the upper position, the position of the cam 46 relative to the arm 52 is such that the rod 58 is in its upper position and the rods 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 and 9o are pulled out of the cylinders in the pumps, will pass from the chamber 13o through the inner end of the valve housing 12o upwardly through the bore 116 through the aperture 114 into the space 11, which is possible since the spring 124 forces the valve 122 to the right and as the manifold 4o is in the upper position, the activator arm 168 will not cooperate sufficiently with the outer end of the valve to force it inward.

7 147902 Når manifolden 4o bevæges nedad, bevæges pladerne 154 nedad med hver sin tilhørende manifold på grund af modstanden af stemplet 162 i cylinderen 16o og standser, når de berører overfladen på produktet 152, medens væskemanifolden fortsætter med at bevæges nedad. Når væskemanifolden passerer 5 pladen 154 vil rullen 172 få armen 168 til at bevæges mod uret, fig. 4, hvorved ventilen 122 bevæges indad i huset 12o, så at væske kan passere fra rummet llo, gennem åbningen 114, boringen 116, åbningen 118, åbningen 132 ind i ledningen 134 på grund af ventilens stilling, fig. 6. Hvis intet andet blev gjort ville væske ikke nu føres til manifolden, da der ikke er lo tryk i rummet llo før pumpen bevæges til højre i fig. 6 og denne bevægelse styres af kammen 46 som tidligere beskrevet for at koordinere pumpebevægelsen med bevægelsen af manifolden. Når kammen 46 derfor får pumpestængerae til at bevæges indad, vil pumpen fortrænge et forud fastsat væskerumfang til manifolden og denne væskemængde er afhængig af den væskemængde, som man lader 15 passere ventilen 122. Hvis en særlig tyk bugdel føles af føleren 154* vil rullen 172 dreje armen 168 tidligere under nedadbevægelsen af manifolden, så at en yderligere væskemængde føres til manifolden. Rullen 172 hviler normalt i hakket 172A til nålene går ind i produktet og efter tilbagetrækningen, så at væskestrømmen standses.As the manifold 4o moves downwardly, the plates 154 move downwardly with their respective manifolds due to the resistance of the piston 162 in the cylinder 16o and stop as they touch the surface of the product 152 while the liquid manifold continues to move downward. As the fluid manifold passes the plate 154, the roller 172 causes the arm 168 to move counterclockwise. 4, whereby the valve 122 is moved inwardly into the housing 12o so that liquid can pass from the space 10, through the opening 114, the bore 116, the opening 118, the opening 132 into the conduit 134 due to the position of the valve; 6. If nothing else was done, liquid would not now be fed to the manifold as there is no pressure in the room llo before the pump is moved to the right in FIG. 6 and this movement is controlled by the cam 46 as previously described to coordinate the pump movement with the movement of the manifold. Therefore, when the cam 46 causes the pump shaft axis to move inward, the pump will displace a predetermined volume of fluid to the manifold and this amount of fluid is dependent on the amount of fluid which is allowed to pass the valve 122. If a particularly thick piston is sensed by the sensor 154 *, the roller 172 rotate the lever 168 earlier during the downward movement of the manifold so that an additional amount of fluid is fed to the manifold. The roller 172 normally rests in the notch 172A until the needles enter the product and after withdrawal to stop the flow of liquid.

2o Ved tilvejebringelse af et antal produktfølere og pumper er det muligt at føle tykkelsen af produktet på en mere akkurat måde som illustreret i fig. 3.2o By providing a plurality of product sensors and pumps, it is possible to sense the thickness of the product in a more accurate manner as illustrated in FIG. Third

Det nedadgående slag af nålene betegnes her som ihdtrængningsslaget og det opadgående slag af nålene som tilbagetrækningsslaget. Nålene gennem-25 trænger kun i kødet under den nederste del af både indtrængnings- og tilbagetrækningsslaget. Hastigheden af nålene er størst midtvejs mellem hvert slag og er i et øjeblik nul ved enden af hvert slag.Here, the downward stroke of the needles is referred to as the penetration stroke and the upward stroke of the needles as the retraction stroke. The needles penetrate the flesh only during the lower part of both the penetration and retraction stroke. The velocity of the needles is greatest midway between each stroke and for a moment is zero at the end of each stroke.

Kammen 46 gør det muligt at sende væske gennem nålene både under indtrængningsslaget og tilbagetrækningsslaget. Brugen af en krumtaparm i stedet 3o for en kam ville kun tillade at væsken flød under det ene slag, men ikke under det andet. Som nævnt er der sørget for midler til kun at få væsken til at flyde gennem nålene, når disse er indeni kødproduktet. Den vigtige foreteelse af kammen 46 og pumpens evne til at levere væske gennem nålene med en hastighed proportional med nålehastigheden eksisterer også, hvis 35 væske tillades at flyde under hele indtrængnings- og tilbagetrækningsslaget, og ikke kun når nålene er indeni produktet.The cam 46 allows fluid to pass through the needles both during the penetration stroke and the retraction stroke. The use of a crank arm instead of a comb would only allow the fluid to flow under one stroke, but not under the other. As mentioned, means have been provided to make the liquid flow through the needles only when they are inside the meat product. The important feature of the cam 46 and the pump's ability to deliver fluid through the needles at a rate proportional to the needle speed also exist if the liquid is allowed to flow throughout the penetration and retraction stroke, and not only when the needles are inside the product.

Claims

147902 θ

A method of injecting preservative liquid into meat products and the like by means of a pump coupled to a liquid manifold having a plurality of needles arranged to intermittently be fed into and withdrawn from the product, the rate of introduction 5 and withdrawal of the needles can be varied depending on the product, the liquid being supplied to the product from the pump, through the manifold and the needles, for at least a portion of the time the needles are in the product, characterized in that liquid is supplied in an amount per unit of time which is proportional to the speed of the needles, lo

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the speed of the needles is greatest during the middle part of their movements.

Machine for injecting liquid into meat products according to claim 1 with a support for the product (152), a liquid manifold (40), which is arranged above the support and can be moved between an upper and lower position, a plurality of injection needles (150), projecting down r from the manifold (40) and adapted to penetrate the product (152) when the manifold (40) is moving to its lowest position, characterized by a pump (lo4) in fluid communication with a source 2o for injection (18, 13o) and the manifold (4o), a power source (14) on the support for moving the manifold (4o) between its upper and lower positions, to operate the pump (lo4) and to change the insertion and retraction rate of the needles ( relative to said product (152), control means (12o, 168) operatively connecting the pump (lo4) and the manifold 25 (40) for supplying liquid to the product (152) from the pump (lo4) through the manifold (4o) and the needles (105) during at least a portion of the time during which the needles (l5o) is introduced into the product (l52) at a rate proportional to the speed of the needles (l5o) relative to the product (l52), whereby the fluid velocity in the product (l52) is greater at greater speeds of the needles (l5o) and less at less velocities of the needles (105), as well as adjusting means (5o, 58, 60) for adjusting the amount of fluid supplied by the pump (lo4) to the needles (15o) during each cycle of movement of the manifold (4o) from top to bottom position, connected to the pump 55 (lo4). 147902

Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the control means have a product sensor (154 ·) attached to the manifold (4o) and arranged to feel the thickness of the product (152), a valve (100) on the pump (lo4) and a cam (l68) on the manifold (4o) and in operative interaction with the valve (l2o) for controlling the flow of fluid from the pump (lo4) to the product (l52).

Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the control means (l2o, 168) carry further means (154) for supplying liquid through the needles (l5o) only when the needles (l5o) are introduced into the product (l52).

Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the pump (lo4) is a piston displacement pump (92, -94, 96, 93, 10o, lo2). lo

Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the adjusting means (58, 5o) include means (60) for adjusting the stroke length of the pump (92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 100).

Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that a product sensor 13 (154) is operatively connected to the manifold (4o) for movement therewith during at least the beginning of the downward movement of the manifold (4o) and that the manifold (4o) is arranged to moved downwardly relative to the sensor (154) for passing it, after the sensor (154) has sensed the product (152), a valve actuator (l68) operatively connected to the sensor (154) and moved to activator position during the passage, conduits (l2o, 134) for fluidly connecting the pressure side of the pump (lo4) with the manifold (4o), a valve (122) in the conduit means (l2o, 134), the valve actuator (l68) being adapted to open the valve (l22) during the passage for injection of injection fluid from the pump (lo4) * 25

Machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the valve actuator (168) has a long arm (168) which is connected at one end to the sensor (154), that the manifold (40) has means (172) of to cooperate with the arm (l68) to rotate it to a first position during passage, 3o, the valve (122) being actuated by the arm (l68) when in its first position to open the valve (122). lo. Machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the arm (168) has a curved cam surface (174) and the manifold (40) has a roll-shaped part (172) applied to it in cooperation with the cam surface (174).