DK150721B - DEVICE FOR MANAGING A LUBRICATION TRANSPORT SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a butter transport system as further specified in the preamble of claim 1.

Due to high requirements for quality and durability 10, any infection of the butter must be avoided during transport from the butter core or a storage or collection container to the packaging machine. Therefore, a completely closed system is sought, whereby any contact between the unpacked butter and the surrounding air is avoided.

For these reasons, a so-called equalization container has been developed and installed for the manufacture of packaging machines to replace the open butter troughs used in the butter molding and packaging machines.

Such an equalization container can take up a certain amount of butter while the molding machine's plate makes a rotational movement. After the turning movement 25, a compressed air-loaded piston presses the butter into the molds.

Filling of the equalizing vessel is effected by a butter pump which is fed to the butter extracted from the storage vessel 30 by a motor driven auger. The performance of the butter pump must hereby be adjusted to the actual performance of the packing machine to ensure a continuous filling of the equalizing container. However, small changes in the texture of the butter can lead to significant fluctuations in the feed performance.

It is known to counteract these disadvantages of operating the butter pump by means of pole-switchable motors, the rpm of which is controlled by two end switches located on the equalizing vessel. However, this measure results in a still sudden change in speed with the resultant fluctuations in the weight of the butter pack. Furthermore, velocity changes produced by a pole-switchable motor are associated with additional energy consumption.

There may also be disturbances in the weight of the butter during the application of the butter to the butter pump. An excessive 15 rpm of the transport auger may cause structural changes in the butter, which in turn will result in quality deterioration. Furthermore, it can cause the embedding of air in the butter.

It is an object of the invention to provide a fully automatic control of the propulsion of the butter conveyor to a butter molding and packaging machine to avoid variations in the weight of the butter packages produced and to avoid mechanical deterioration of the consistency of the butter, since the butter feed can be controlled steplessly.

This object is achieved according to the invention by designing the apparatus in the manner specified in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The advantages of the invention are in particular one uniform application of the butter to the molding and packaging machine with a high accuracy of the weight of the butter packages produced and with little mechanical effect on the consistency of the butter. Furthermore, the apparatus according to the invention enables a high degree of automation. A further advantage is obtained by the flow of butter through the pipeline. Due to uniform feed rate, the silicate film deposited on the inner wall of the pipeline will be spared so that the butter will not adhere to the wall.

By designing the apparatus according to the invention as set forth in the characterizing part of claim 2, a very fine-tuning of the speed of each butter pump drive motor is obtained, so that the butter is always fed in a smooth sliding current corresponding to the performance of the molding and packaging machine.

Generally, systems of this kind are designed with a butter pump, but certain systems are designed with several pumps each with its own drive motor, as this provides greater operational safety. The control is carried out by several drive motors in the manner specified in claim 3, so that in normal operation all pumps supply butter to the equalizing vessel.

By designing the apparatus according to the invention as set forth in the characterizing part of claim 4, a very simple and reliable way of transmitting the position and direction of movement of the piston to the control unit in the form of electrical signals is obtained.

30

By designing the apparatus according to the invention as claimed in the characterizing part of claim 5, a precise, sequential transfer of the position and direction of movement of the piston to a pivotal movement which is transmitted to a potentiometer is obtained.

By designing the apparatus according to the invention as claimed in the characterizing part of claim 6, the necessary control interventions in the electric control of the butter conveyor system can be triggered in a simple manner / when the piston of the equalizing vessel reaches its upper or lower position.

By designing the apparatus according to the invention as defined in the characterizing part of claim 7, it is possible for a particularly rapid rotational adjustment of the transport auger and the butter pump / pumps / and thus a very delicate regulation.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention / shown in the drawing / in which fig. 1 schematically shows a butter pump in the apparatus 20 and how the transport of the butter is controlled / and FIG. 2 is a principle diagram of the transport regulation.

25

By it. in FIG. 1 illustrates a butter pump and conveyor control 1 denotes a weight of butter / in which the supply of butter is in the form of a butter roll 2. Pra butter roll 2 is lubricated by means of a conveyor screw 4, driven by an electronically infinitely controllable drive motor 3 / led to a butter pump 5. The butter pump 5 is designed as a piston pump with an equally infinitely controllable drive motor 6. Instead of one butter pump 5, two or more can also be used.

From the butter pump 5, a pipeline 7 leads to a butter molding and packaging machine 8 indicated in the drawing with a compensating container 9 for receiving the butter fed through the pipeline 7. In this equalization container 9, a certain amount of butter can be accommodated when the butter plate and packaging machine 8 not shown in the drawing performs a rotational movement. A compressed air-loaded piston 10, upon completion of the turning of the mold plate, presses the butter 10 exactly dosed into molds which are subsequently packaged.

To monitor the degree of filling of the compensating vessel 9, there is an adjustable resistor in the form of a rotary potentiometer 11 which is controlled by a rack 12 connected to the piston 10 of the compensating vessel 9 and gives corresponding correction signals to the control unit described in the following. At both the upper and lower positions of the piston 10, abutment switches 13 and 14 are respectively provided, of which the upper abutment switch 13 interrupts the butter pump 5, and the lower abrupt switch interrupts the butter-molding and packaging machine 8. Between the two end positions of the compensating vessel 9 piston 10 takes over the rotary potentiometer 11 (the correction potentiometer), which is guided by the rack 12 for the center position either in the positive (+) or negative (-) direction, the optimal control of the butter pump 5.

For fully automatic control of the butter transport there is a control unit 15 consisting of two separate control circuits 16 and 17. Of these, the control circuit 16 is inserted in front of the drive motor 6 of the butter pump 5 and the other control circuit 16 in front of the drive motor drive motor 3.

The control is carried out by a constant comparison between the actual and required values of the components / influencing the feed, taking into account the correction values K given from the rotary potentiometer 11 on the basis of the state of the compensating vessel 9. Hereby, a stepless control of the conveyor screw drive means is dependent on the instantaneous performance of the butter pump 5 and of the butter pump 5 depending on the instantaneous degree of filling of the compensating container 9 and the packaging performance of the butter molding and packaging machine 8, respectively.

The operation of this control is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2 in connection with FIG. 1 / where the same bodies are designated by the same reference numerals.

Above a selector 18 for the required value in the control circuit 16, the speed of the drive motor 6 of the butter pump 5 is pre-selected and the drive motor is connected to the required value Sp over a line 19. A control means 20 arranged in connection with the drive motor 6 in the control circuit 16 transmits over an encoder 21 (for the actual value) of a structure known per se 25 - electrical impulses across a line 22 back to the electronics. The pulses correspond to the actual speed of the drive motor 6 of the butter pump 5 and represent the actual value lp. This actual value lp is now electronically compared to the required 30 value Sp. Depending on the comparison result, the speed of the driving means 20 of the drive motor 6 is automatically changed steplessly or brought in accordance with the required value Sp # so that a sustained predetermined speed or performance of the butter pump 5 is obtained.

When setting the selector 18 for the required value, the compensating container 9 over the pipeline 7 5 is filled from the butter pump 5. Depending on the performance of the butter molding and packaging machine 8, a certain amount of butter will be present. If the packaging performance is reduced, the filling capacity of the compensating container 9 increases. In this case, the rotary potentiometer 10 11 will adversely affect the required value Sp, so that the speed of the butter pump 5 is automatically reduced. By increasing the packaging performance, the required value Sp changes in a positive direction and the pump performance increases accordingly. Taking into account the correction value K, the total required value Sp-two is now set.

After stopping the butter molding and packaging machine 8, e.g. as a result of paper replacement, the piston 10 will be in the top position and the butter pump 5 will be switched off by the stop switch 13. When the stop switch 13, after starting the butter molding and packaging machine 8, re-closes the circuit to the butter pump 5, this work will reduce the speed by 25 rpm. This speed corresponds to a smaller total required value Sp-two, that is, the required value Sp of the selector 18 minus the negative correction value K for the rotary potentiometer 11. Calculated from the center position of the rotary potentiometer 11. The butterfly pump's 5 drive motors 6 will adapt after a certain time. automatically for the packaging performance of the butter molding and packaging machine. If the packaging machine is further equipped with an automatic weight control, the consequent correction of the packaging performance will be carried out immediately. As the packaging machine as such only packs in volume, weight variations e.g. due to varying air contents, re-regulate the butter pump 5 5.

Additional disturbance functions may also occur in the butter weight 1 when feeding the butter to the butter 10 pump 5. For example. produces a too high rpm of the transport auger 4 changes in consistency in the butter and thereby affecting the quality. Also, it can cause a change in the air content.

Due to the aforementioned influences, according to the invention, the rpm of the transport auger 4 is controlled in dependence on the instantaneous performance of the butter pump 5. The electronically infinitely controllable drive motor 3 of the transport auger 4 is adjusted by means of a selector 20 23 for the required value in the control circuit 17 to a basic speed, which is supplied to the drive motor 3. A drive motor 3 is connected to the control means 25 in the control circuit 17 over a line 24 as required value Srp. emits over an impulse 26 for the actual value, and which in effect e.g. corresponds to the pulse generator 21 of the control circuit 20, electrical pulses over a line 27 back to the electronics, which corresponds to the actual speed of the drive motor 3, that is, an actual value 1 ^.

30

The actual rpm of the butter pump 5 drive motors 6, the actual value lp, is now connected to the basic turnover number of the transport auger 4 drive motors 3, as also shown in fig. 1 at line 28. This results in an increase in the speed of the auger with the total required value Sy-to. If several electromotor driven butter pumps 5 with corresponding control circuits 16 and drive motors 6 are found, the same control is carried out.

5 Since the required value Sy and Sy-two for the conveyor screw 4 of the transport screw 4 is limited in size, the actual value lp using several butter pumps 5 is added, proportionally reduced and only then the required value of the transport screw 10 4 is added as indicated by the connections. a, b, c, in fig. 2. Therefore, when a butter pump 5 is stopped, the speed of the conveyor screw is reduced.

15 In the following, the magnitude of the propulsion control and its functional context are again stated: required value pump (Sp) + correction sizes (K) 20 = actual value tnpp> total (Sp-to) actual value pump (lp) + required value- ^ rajjspQ ^ gjjgg ^ (Sy) - required valuex ^ j ^ sports auger total (Sy two).

25 An optical control of the control values, in particular the actual values lp and shelter, can be obtained over additional measuring lines 29 and 30, fig. 2, which is connected to corresponding marking means 31 and 32 in the control unit 15.

30 In the operation control described above, shown in detail in FIG. 2, 33-36 denote control amplifiers, electronic controllers, universal amplifiers and Thyristor's stage of conventional construction 1507ft 10 1, respectively, in combination with balancing resistors. A circuit design other than that shown can also be designed and used.

Claims (6)

150721 Apparatus for controlling a butter conveyor system with a butter molding and packaging machine (8) # at 5, which butter is conveyed from a storage container or butter weight (1) by means of a motor driven auger (4) and at least one rpm adjustable butter pump (5) supply to a butter forming machine's compensating vessel (9) # which regulates the amount of butter supplied to the butter molding and packaging machine / characterized by an electric control unit (15) comprising at least two separate control circuits (16,17) # of which one control circuit (16) is inserted in front of the lubricating pump / pumps (5) of the butter pump (s) (6) and the second control circuit (17) is inserted in front of the drive motor (3) drive motor (3) # which control circuits (16 # 17) are arranged for stepless regulation of the transport screw ( 4) propulsion motor (3) as a function of the instantaneous performance of the butter pump / pumps (5) and of the drive motor / motors (6) of the butter pump / pumps (5) as a function of the filling degree of compensating The packaging container (9) and the packing performance of the butter mold and packaging machine (8) respectively. 25 1 PATENT REQUIREMENT Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the magnitude of the actuating forces is constituted by a selector for the required value (18 and 23, respectively) and an encoder for the actual value (21 30 and 26, respectively) # and that the apparatus is otherwise arranged thus # that the actual value (lp) of the speed of each butter pump (5) drive motor (6) can be switched on • the required value (S «p # Sip — to) of the rpm of the transport auger and the compensating contents of the holder (9) as the correction value (K) for the drive motors (6) required of each butter pump (5) required (Sp / Sp-to). Apparatus according to claims 1 and 2 with more than one electromotor driven butter pump # characterized in # that the driving motor (6) of each butter pump (5) has a control circuit (16) # and that the control unit is thus arranged # that the actual values (lp ) for the butter pump rpm numbers are generated by an impulse sensor (21) at each butter pump and added and reduced proportionally to the number of butter pumps, after which the control unit supplies the required value (S ^) of the rpm of the transport auger drive. 15 Apparatus according to claims 1-3 # characterized in that the compensating container has a pressure-loaded piston (10) and that a correction size (K) dependent on the filling degree or piston stroke of the compensating container (9) is provided. ) coupled rotary potentiometer which # when, from a center position, is guided in the direction of increased piston stroke # gives for each butter pump (5) a performance degrading # negative correction value (K) # 25 and when it is directed toward smaller piston stroke # gives for each butter pump ( 5) performance increasing positive correction value (K) to the control circuit (16). Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the rotary potentiometer (11) is actuated by a rack (12) which can be displaced by the piston (10). Apparatus according to one or more of claims 1-5 # characterized by # electrical switches