FR2633174A1 - AUTOMATIC COOKING DEVICE FOR FOOD PACKAGED IN A TRAY - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for automatic cooking of food characterized in that the insertion zone (12) comprises a cavity (22) suited for receiving a portion of food to be cooked, presented in an encapsulated pack (13), a device for removing the encapsulation or a cutting device (27) suited to removing at least part of the encapsulation of said display pack (13), the device (27) being preferably mobile between an operative position and a rest position, an oven (34) provided with a heating element (38) and suitable in a first position for receiving the food from the opened display pack (13) and cooking it, and in a second position for transferring the cooked food to an outlet zone (16) for said food. Such a device has in particular the advantage of increased hygiene, seeing that the food packed in a display pack remains sealed until cooking.

Description

Automatic cooking device for food
packaged in a tray "
The present invention relates to an automatic cooking device for food packaged in a tray. More particularly, the foods in question consist of frozen, pre-cooked fries.

 Automatic cooking devices for French fries are already known, in particular from patent PCT / NL 86/00016. In such devices precooked fries are placed manually in bulk, in a plurality of separate compartments, waiting, upstream of a cooking chamber. Following a command signal, one of the compartments filled with fries pours out, so that the fries it contains are introduced into the cooking chamber. The other compartments, constituting as many portions of fries, remain pending. A major drawback of such a system is that it does not allow perfect food hygiene since the waiting time for a portion of fries before cooking is completely indeterminate and can even be very long for lack of sufficient operation of the device.

 To overcome this drawback, the room in which the portions of french fries are placed on standby is insulated. Given, however, the presence of a relatively close cooking chamber, thermal insulation is a clearly insufficient solution.

 Of course, we can make a device in which the fries introduction area is refrigerated.

However, when this is the case, the refrigerating elements generally occupy a large volume, and greatly increase the cost price and the operating cost of such a device.

 On the other hand, the distribution of the fries in each compartment is carried out manually from precooked fries conditioned "in bulk". The unhygienic nature of such manipulation is obvious.

 Another major drawback of the known devices is that they employ elements making it possible to standardize the cooking of the fries. These elements tend, whatever their embodiment, to crush, crumble, chop the fries during their cooking, which is very harmful.

 The known automatic cooking devices for French fries are mainly intended for fast food services1 at cafes, etc. One of the primary criteria when purchasing them is the volume they occupy. The more they are small, compact, low noise, odorless and easy to maintain, the more they are sought after. However, due to the above-mentioned drawbacks (size of the cooling elements), the devices currently known do not meet all of these criteria.

 The object of the present invention is to alleviate all of these drawbacks and to create a hygienic automatic cooking device, not damaging the food during its cooking, of small volume, not very noisy, odorless and easy to maintain. In addition, such a device must allow the storage of the portions of french fries to be cooked in a refrigerated place until the time of their use so as to ensure correct food hygiene.

 To this end, the invention provides an automatic cooking device for food, of the type comprising, a food introduction zone, a cooking zone and a cooked food outlet zone, characterized in that the introduction zone comprises a cavity adapted to receive a portion of food to be cooked packaged in a sealed tray, an uncapping or cutting device adapted to at least partially uncapping said tray, an oven provided with heating elements and adapted in a first position to receiving the food from the uncapped container and cooking it, and in a second position pouring the cooked food towards the exit area of the cooked food.

 Preferably, the uncapping device is movable between an active position and a rest position.

 Thanks to these provisions, the food to be cooked is not handled before it is cooked and does not undergo a temperature variation detrimental to its quality before being cooked. In fact, the invention makes it possible to produce a continuous cold chain before cooking and thus ensures correct food hygiene because the food remains conditioned until it is cooked.

 In addition, these foods are not spoiled during cooking.

Other characteristic and advantageous objects of the invention will also emerge from the description which follows, given by way of example with reference to the appended drawings in which
Figure I is a perspective view of the device according to the invention.

 Figure 2 is a sectional view along line II II of Figure I.

 FIG. 3 is a rear view partially cut away, according to the arrow Iii in FIG. 1.

 Figure 4 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, along the line IV, IV of Figure 2, showing the cutting device and the door of the device according to the invention.

 Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the opening of a tray by the cutting device.

 Figure 6 is a schematic view of the arrangement of the electronic control unit of the device according to the invention.

 According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the cooking device 10 according to the invention has inside it three distinct zones, namely - an introduction zone 12 adapted to receive a tray 13 containing food to be cooked 14, - a cooking zone 15 and, - an outlet zone for cooked food 16.

 The device according to the invention is, moreover, adapted to receive a tray 13, for example made of plastic. In the example shown ia tray 13 is in a parallelepiped shape and is adapted to contain a predetermined amount of pre-cooked frozen fries. A lid 29 hermetically closes this tray.

 The device according to the invention is in the form of a parallelepiped and has a cover 17, side walls 18 and 19, a rear wall 20 and a facade 21. The facade 21, (FIG. 1) has the area from top to bottom respectively introduction 12 provided with a cavity 22 for receiving a tray, a display panel 23 provided with a display device 47, a door 24 and an outlet compartment 25. A heat-insulated wall 26 (FIG. 2) separates the introduction zone 12 from the cooking zone 15.

 The introduction zone 12 includes the cavity 22, a cutting device 27 or uncapping presenting an active position (in broken lines, FIG. 4) and a rest position, a hatch 28 sliding between an active position (in broken lines, FIG. 4) and a rest position Sensors (not shown) make it possible to detect the presence or not of a tray in the cavity 22, as well as the active or rest position of the cutting device 27 and of the hatch 28.

 The insertion zone 12 also includes motors M1 and M2 (shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4) allowing the cutting device 27 and the hatch 28 to move from their active position to their rest position and vice versa.

 The introduction zone 12 also comprises means for operating (not shown) the device according to the invention.

 These motors and operating means are accessible to a user of the device after opening of the convercle 17 in the direction of the arrow F (FIG. 1).

 As shown in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cutting device 27 comprises a toothed blade 30 in the general shape of a U corresponding to the shape of the inner periphery of the rim of the tray, the other side of the cutting device not being not equipped with a cutting element.

 The toothed blade 30 of the cutting device is brought into the active position, thanks to an arm 31 pivoting about an axis A, driven by a motor MI (FIG. 4).

 The cutting device thus produced has an active position, in which the toothed blade cuts and enters the tray 13, along the inner edge thereof, and a rest position in which this toothed blade is spaced from the surface of the operculum.

 The hatch 28 is made of refractory material and has a section corresponding to or slightly greater than that of the container 13. This hatch slides, thanks to an M2 motor (FIG. 4) between a rest position where it closes an opening 32 in the wall insulated 26 and an active position in which it completely releases this opening.

 The trajectory of the hatch 28 during its sliding is guided along an inclined rail 33, so that in the rest position the hatch is firmly held across the opening 32.

 Seals 54 arranged over the entire periphery of the hatch are in contact with the insulated wall 26.

 The cooking zone 15 comprises an oven 34 and a rotation and pivoting mechanism 35 of a pan 37 forming a cooking receptacle.

 The oven consists on the one hand of a skirt 36 fixed to the lower surface of the heat-insulated wall 26 and on the other hand of the pan 37. The oven is further closed at its upper part by the heat-insulated wall 26.

 As is clearly visible in Figure 2, the plane P defined by the lower end of the skirt 36 is inclined relative to the horizontal by an angle i of the order of 21 and preferably between 18 and 23-.

 The pan 37 associated with the skirt 36 has the same inclination as this plane and is rotated about an axis C inclined at the same angle relative to the vertical. The free space between the circumference of the pan and the skirt is as small as possible so as to close the oven, while preventing contact or friction between these two elements.

 Inside the oven 34 thus produced and on the lower surface of the heat-insulated wall 26, are fixed heating elements 38, a reflector 39 and a fan 40.

The rotation and pivoting mechanism 35 comprises two bevel gears 41, 42 (FIG. 3) driven in rotation by a motor 43. Thanks to a connecting rod system 44, known per se, the pan 37 pivots around the axis
B (Figure 3) so as to be either in a so-called active position, shown in solid lines in Figures 2 and 3, or in a pouring position, shown in phantom.

 In the outlet zone 16 of the device according to the invention and in the lower part of the facade 21, a cutout 45 is made. This cutout makes it possible to introduce either a tray (FIG. 2) into the outlet area, or a plate ( figure 3) in this same area.

 A fan (Figure 1) advantageously provided with a filter 50, creates a vacuum inside the device according to the invention. Optical sensors check the position of each movable member of the device and are adapted to send appropriate movement commands to these movable members.

 The operation of such a device is described below.

 The user lifts the cover 17 and energizes the device according to the invention.

 The position detectors, in the example shown, these are optical sensors, verify that the toothed blade 30 and that the hatch 28 are in the rest position, that is to say that the blade 30 is recessed by relative to the cavity 22 and that the hatch 28 closes the opening 32.

 Other sensors check the rotation of the pan 37 around the C axis, and the tilting of the pan around the B axis.

 Likewise, it is checked that the fan putting the device under vacuum is activated and that the ventilation of the oven is not obstructed.

 During the verification of each of the above-mentioned parameters, the display device 47 placed on the display panel 23 indicates which parameters are verified. If one of the parameters is wrong, the device is automatically switched off and the display device indicates which is the wrong parameter.

 If all the parameters are checked and compliant, the oven is reheated to a standby temperature.

If this standby temperature cannot be reached within a given time, the device is switched off.

 A standby temperature availability message is displayed. As long as a tray is not introduced into the device, the standby temperature is maintained in the oven.

 A frozen tray 13, previously thawed in a refrigerator, is taken out of the refrigerator and placed in the cavity 22 of the introduction zone.

 If the tray 13 is correctly introduced into the cavity 22, the associated optical detector (not shown) triggers the rise in temperature of the oven, up to a cooking temperature.

When the cooking temperature is reached, which is automatically checked by a probe S (Figure 6), the opening of the flap 28 is controlled by the motor
M2. The hatch is opened along the inclined rail 33. The cutting device is then brought into the active position (high position) and thus cuts the cover 29 of the tray 13 on three of its sides. The cutting device is then returned to the rest position.

 By gravity the fries release the cover and pass through the cutting device then the opening 32 released by the hatch 28. When all the fries have thus fallen, an optical detector (not shown) or a time delay, sends a signal of closing the hatch 28. The fallen fries are collected directly by the pan 37. When the hatch 28 is in its active position, the oven 34 is completely closed and waiting for the food to be cooked. The pan is rotated along the C axis so that the fries it contains are distributed automatically by sliding along the inclined bottom of the pan, throughout cooking and without using any means of mechanical mixing.

 The angle of inclination and the speed of rotation of the pan are chosen so as to ensure a uniform distribution of the fries on the bottom of the pan. Preferably, the speed of rotation and the angle of inclination are respectively of the order of 10 to 50 rev / min (preferably 30 rev / min) and 21-.

 The combination of the angle of inclination and the speed of rotation is essential, as explained below.

 If the angle of inclination is correct and the speed of rotation is too high, food may risk.

to be improperly cooked. On the other hand, if the rotation speed is too low, the fries remain piled up in the same zone of the pan.

 Likewise, if the speed of rotation is correct, and the angle of inclination is too large, the fries will settle at the lowest point of the pan. On the other hand, if the angle of inclination is too small, there is no uniform distribution of the fries.

 A rise in temperature of the oven is then controlled, for a given time. During the whole cooking phase of the fries, several successive temperature increases are carried out and this for adjustable adjustable times. When the cooking is finished (after about 1 min) the pan 37 is moved away from the skirt 36, by rotation down around the axis B thanks to the connecting rod mechanism 44, which causes the fries cooked to fall in the direction of funnel 46.

 It should be noted that the pan is tilted to a position (dotted line) which is beyond its vertical position, so that no fries can remain in the pan.

 The pan is then returned to its initial position, that is to say it comes to close the oven 34 (position shown in solid lines in Figures 2 and 3).

 The fries are received by a tray or a dish placed in the exit zone 16.

 The tray 13 emptied of its precooked fries is removed from the cavity 22 during the cooking of the fries, it can optionally be reused to be placed in the outlet compartment 25, so as to collect the fries after cooking.

 Pending the introduction of another tray of frozen french fries into the cavity 22, the cooking temperature is maintained in the oven 34 for a determined time (of the order of 15 min). If after 15 mm of waiting no new tray has been introduced into the cavity 22, the value of the oven temperature is reduced to its standby value.

 One of the primary advantages of the invention is that no portion of fries remains in the device while waiting for cooking. Food hygiene is therefore fully respected.

 The individual portions of frozen precooked fries are, in fact, first placed in a refrigerator to be thawed, then removed from the refrigerator only when it is desired to cook the fries and where they are introduced into the device.

This avoids any heat storage of thawed fries.

 One of the advantages of the preferred form of the present invention is further that, by opening the tray of frozen fries on three of these sides only, the cover 29 closing this tray remains attached to the tray and cannot fall with the fries in the baking oven. Furthermore, when the empty tray 13 is withdrawn from the cavity 22, this cover is not liable to come off and is removed at the same time as the tray.

 It should be noted that the cutting of the cover along three of these sides must be very well adjusted so that after cutting no cover element remains on the walls of the tray. Thus no fried e risk of remaining retained in the tray.

 It should be noted that no element comes into contact with the fries during their cooking to ensure their distribution. Indeed, this distribution is advantageously carried out by the inclination of the pan itself.

 Likewise, it should be noted that thanks to the presence of the fan making it possible to carry out a depression in the whole of the device, the cooking odors are necessarily captured and treated before being rejected into the atmosphere.

 After several uses, for example every evening, the device according to the invention can be cleaned. To do this, simply open the door 24 of the front 21 and the user then has direct access to the oven 34. The pan 37 can be detached from the rotation and tilting mechanism 35 very easily, because the connection between these two elements is achieved by simple clipping. The pan can thus be cleaned. It is also possible to use a pan covered with Teflon, to facilitate cleaning. If necessary, the skirt of the oven1, preferably made of stainless steel, and the cooking zone 15 can also be cleaned. It is the same for the introduction zones 12 and outlet 16. The filter associated with the fan creating a vacuum in the device is also easily accessible and can be cleaned.

 As a variant, the device according to the invention is provided with a safety device holding the door 24 for access to the cooking zone 15, closed as long as the temperature prevailing in this zone is not reduced to a low value.

 To allow rapid cooling of the cooking zone a mini cleaning program is provided.

This cleaning program controls the opening of the hatch 28 and the tilting of the pan 37 so as to open the oven 34 as much as possible and thus cause a rapid drop in temperature inside.

 After cleaning, the device can be restarted.

 It should be noted that all the parts in contact with the food to be cooked are made of so-called "food" materials, for example stainless steel. For reasons of ease of cleaning most of the other parts of this device are also made of stainless steel.

 The entire device described above is relatively small and can be, for this purpose, placed on a coffee counter for example. Such a device is provided with handles to facilitate its gripping. For its operation only one electricity supply is necessary. it is also not very noisy because it is soundproof and odorless. In addition, cooking is carried out without adding fat.

 It is of course possible to use sensors other than optical sensors to check and control the position of the various moving parts.

 It should be noted that all of the operations for controlling the movement of the mobile members and for verifying the positions of these different members are managed by a microprocessor. This microprocessor is mounted on an electronic card placed in an electronic box 51 for controlling the device (fig 6). This box is advantageously placed inside and near the rear face of the device in an area which is not liable to heat up.

 All the necessary connections (known in themselves) for this electronic unit have not been shown so as not to overload FIGS. 1 to 5.

 FIG. 6 schematically shows that the essential organs of the device according to the invention are connected to position sensors 52 or to temperature probes S, which are themselves connected to the electronic control unit 51 of the device. Only the main organs have been represented, so as not to overload the figure.

 The control unit 51 comprises in particular timing means, programming devices and operating programs of the device according to the invention. The display device 47 is directly connected to the electronic unit. Such a device makes it possible to display at any time any indication necessary for the operation of the system (verification of the parameters, temperatures, waiting messages, etc.).

 It should be noted that the device according to the invention has been presented as allowing the cooking of fries, but it is also suitable for cooking any type of food presented in the form of snacks.

However, these foods should not be soft or pasty, even liquid, because in this case there is no guarantee that the pan will be completely emptied of food cooked in the previous cycle when a new cooking cycle is started again. Any food of almost solid nature is perfectly suitable for the device according to the invention.

 The device according to the invention can advantageously, as a variant, be provided with an automatic device for ejecting the tray 13 as soon as the latter has been emptied of its contents. Likewise, as a variant, the cutting device can be fixed and protrude inside the cavity 22, in the hold that, by the introduction of a tray into this cavity, the cover is automatically opened. In this case, a door to access the cavity 22 is added so as to allow access to this cavity, only when the oven is at cooking temperature and when the door 28 releases the opening 32 for access to the oven.

 It should be noted that the device according to the invention may be provided with a means for retaining the cover 29, preventing the latter from falling into the oven if the cover is detached from the tray during uncapping.

 As a variant, the position of introduction of the tray 13 may be different from the position in which this tray is located during the dumping of the fries, or during the uncapping.

 Of course the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and encompasses all variants within the reach of ordinary skill in the art. In particular, such a device can have several receptacle cavities of trays and several ovens in parallel.

In addition the cutting of the lid of the tray can be carried out on more or less three sides provided that the passage for food is sufficient and that the lid does not fall into the cooking zone.

Claims (18)

 1. Automatic cooking device for food, of the type comprising a food introduction zone (12), a cooking zone (15) and an outlet zone (16) for cooked food, characterized in that the introduction (12) comprises a cavity (22) adapted to receive a portion of food to be cooked packaged in a sealed tray (13), an uncapping or cutting device (27) suitable for at least partially uncapping said tray (13 ), an oven (34) provided with a heating element (38) and adapted in a first position to receive the food coming from the uncapped container (13) and to cook it, and in a second position to pour out the cooked food to an outlet zone (16) for cooked food.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said uncapping device (27) is movable between an active position and a rest position.  3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said uncapping device (27) comprises a cutting blade (30) adapted to come, in an active position, to cut a cover (29) closing the tray (13) and in a rest position to be distant from said cover (29).  4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the uncapping device (27) comprises a cutting blade (30) U-shaped, on three of its sides, said three sides being provided with sharp elements.  5. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the uncapping device has a shape such that the cutting elements (30) protrude into the cavity (22) when the device (27) is in the active position and are set back relative to this cavity (22) when the device (27) is in the rest position.  6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said oven (34) comprises a skirt (36) and a pan (37) driven in rotation about an axis C, inclined relative to the vertical of an angle given.  7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the lower end of said skirt defines a plane (P) inclined relative to the horizontal of said given angle i.  8. Device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that between the skirt (36) and the pan (37) a minimum free space is left.  9. Device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that it is the pan (37) of the oven (34) which has a first position in which it is adapted to receive food from the tray and a second position in which it pours the cooked food towards said outlet zone.  10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that said second position is beyond the vertical position.  11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a hatch (28) for access to the food in the oven (34), said hatch has an active position and a rest position and is disposed between the introduction zone (12) and the cooking zone (15).  12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a display device (47) connected to position sensors of the tray (13), of the cutting device (27), hatch (28) and pan (37), as well as temperature sensors.  13. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that any mobile element of the device is connected to a sensor (52)  14. Device according to claim 12 or 13 characterized in that the operation of the device is managed by a microprocessor, receiving via said sensors and temperature probes signals representative of the state of the cavity (22), of the cutting device (27>, of the hatch (28), of the pan (37) and of the oven (34) and sending to each of these elements control signals so that the entire device is fully automated.  15. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with a door (24) so as to allow easy access to the various components of the oven (.34).  16. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said pan (37) is removable.  17. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with a fan and with a filter (50).  18. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with a cover (17) and is entirely dismantled to allow cleaning.