FR2692757A1 - Roller for receiving pastry ribbons - is separate from ribbon forming machine and operates via complementary action of horizontal and vertical belts - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic roller (14) for the food industry, partic. sheets of pastry, is located downstream and separate from a machine (1) for converting blocks of pastry into a ribbon. The pastry ribbon (2) is wrapped around the roller (14) by the complementary action of a horizontal endless conveyor (7) and a vertical belt (11), supported on rollers (12, 13) driven by a common motor (8). Pref. a capacitance proximity detector stops the ribbon forming machine (1) in the absence of the roller (14). The belts (7, 11) can only be driven during the final stages of flattening pastry and during rolling stage. USE/ADVANTAGE - Roller is used for rolling of pastry ribbons. Simple construction and operation. Low cost. Sepn. of roller and associated machine facilitates cleaning.

Description

 The present invention relates to an automatic winding device for the food industry, to be used in particular for winding ribbons of legs + eyelets or broken legs on a rolling pin.

 While the device in question can be used in any food sector to carry out the automatic winding of food products in the form of a ribbon, hereinafter we will refer in particular to the pastry sector, where the product ribbon is formed from puff pastry or shortcrust pastry already spread.

 This device and intended for Other combined with a rolling or flattening machine (spreading machine) which by a predetermined series of passages through flattening rollers, transforms a mass of dough in the form of a block placed on the horizontal conveyor belts of the flattening machine into a sheet of preset thickness.

 It is known that traditional flattening machines are provided, at both ends of the belt conveyors, with dough support planes on which the drip can descend during the flattening steps. In this case, as is known, the ribbon of dough is temporarily collected in superimposed layers arranged in a zigzag on the support planes to then be passed again through the flattening roller, and so on until when obtained a ribbon of paste of preset thickness.

 To wind the ribbon of dough thus obtained on a suitable winding roller (rolling pin) placed at the end of one of the belt conveyors of the flattening machine, devices are currently provided, according to known art, reels comprising pairs of rollers or a band surrounding in closed circuit two movable rollers in the same direction of advance as the belt conveyor of the flattening machine, which rollers are capable of moving between a horizontal rest position (parallel and substantially coplanar with the belt conveyor of the flattening machine) and a substantially vertical activation position in which these devices are adjacent to the rolling pin.

 One of these known devices is, for example, described and illustrated in German patent No. 27 18 383.

 Although these reel devices of known type are reliable from the point of view of their operation, they have certain drawbacks.

 all new, these winding devices are very complicated with regard to their construction and operation and therefore their cost is quite high.

 Another disadvantage of traditional art is represented by the fact that the winding device is fixed to one of the ends (right or left) of the flattening machine and therefore, after having developed the flattening machine, it is necessary to install the winding device to the right or to the left of the machine, at the request of the user, this entailing disadvantages of storage of the flattening machines and of the winding devices.

 Another drawback relates to the cleaning operation of the part placed below (underlying plane) of the belt conveyor of the flattening machine. In fact, the belt conveyor to which the device for winding the ribbon of pite is fixed on the rolling pin is very heavy and therefore hydraulic cylinders must be used when it has to be raised to gain access to the area placed below .

This makes the whole apparatus even more complicated, resulting in high cost and operating costs.

 The essential aim of the present invention is therefore that of overcoming the drawbacks mentioned relating to traditional flattening machines provided with devices for winding the tab tape, making available an automatic winding device which has cost and relatively low operation, allows easy intervention on the underlying plane of the flattening machine to perform cleaning, solves the problems associated with the storage of flattening machines and is also very reliable and simple with regard to its construction and operation.

 The aforementioned object and others still are all achieved by the winding device in question intended to be associated with a flattening machine capable of transforming a mass of pitiful food product into a tab tape of pre-established thickness, characterized in that '' it comprises a working unit separate from said flattening machine comprising a horizontal belt conveyor, placed downstream of said flattening machine and driven by a motor according to predetermined working steps, and further comprising a strip disposed substantially vertically, at the end of said horizontal belt conveyor, surrounding in closed circuit two rollers, one of which is driven by said motor; a rolling pin being capable of being placed at the end of said horizontal belt conveyor, on this roller being wound up the ribbon of food product, by virtue of the combined movement of said horizontal belt conveyor and said belt arranged vertically, according to said steps of predetermined work.

 According to another characteristic of the present invention, said predetermined working steps provide that said horizontal belt conveyor and said belt arranged substantially vertically are entrafées by said motor only during the last flattening or spreading of the dough and during the step of winding the product ribbon on said rolling pin.

 The main advantages resulting from the use of the device in question are essentially the following: a) the winding device is completely separate from the flattening machine and therefore the manufacturers can keep n flattening machines and n winding devices in stock combine with the machines either on their right or left cttb; b) this new winding device has significantly lower cost and operating prices than those of known type devices; c) the reel device in question can be combined with a flattening machine even in a second step d) the size of the device in question is not greater than that of a support plane currently placed at the end of the flattening machine; e) while the machine is flattening the device in question remains stationary and it does not start until the last flattening pass. Consequently there is a saving with regard to energy consumption and also in terms of wear of its component elements; f) the rolling pin can always remain pressed against the winding device since it in no way interferes with the operation of the flattening machine, contrary to what occurs with traditional systems.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the following detailed description of an embodiment illustrated simply by way of nonlimiting example with the aid of the appended drawings, in which: - Figure t schematically shows the terminal part of a flattening machine and the winding device in question during the spreading of a ribbon of dough; - Figure 2 schematically shows the component elements illustrated in Figure r during the step of winding the ribbon of pite on the rolling pin; - Figure 3 shows again schematically the component elements illustrated in Figure 1 but in the absence of the rolling pin.

 The automatic winding device in question is intended to be associated with a flattening machine 1 which transforms a block of dough into a strip of lug of predetermined thickness. The machine 1 is of the traditional type and therefore will not be described in detail here.

 The accompanying drawings show its terminal part comprising a horizontal belt conveyor 3, provided with reciprocating movement in both directions, and an underlying plane 4 supported by a support structure 5.

 The winding device comprises a working unit 6 completely separate from the flattening machine. This working unit 6 consists of a horizontal belt conveyor 7 placed downstream of the machine 1, driven by a motor 8 according to predetermined working steps through a drive chain 9 winding on the roll of training 10.

 At 11 there is indicated a strip arranged in a vertical position at the end of the belt conveyor 7, which surrounds in closed circuit two rollers 12 and 13, one of which, here the roller 12, is driven by the motor 8 through the chain 9.

 At the end of the conveyor 7 adjacent to the strip 11 there is a rolling pin 14, supported at the ends by supports 1S, on which the tape 2 is rolled up (see FIG. 2), free of charge. combined movement of the conveyor 7 and the belt 11, according to said predetermined working steps.

 A capacitive proximity sensor is associated with the rolling pin 14 and it is intended to signal the presence or absence (as in the case shown in Figure 3) of the rolling pin 14 and in the latter case to stop the machine d flattening 1 by means of an electrical signal sent to the computer (not shown) which manages all the working steps before this machine performs the last flattening pass.

 The predetermined work steps managed by the computer provide that the conveyor 7 and the belt II are not entarné by the motor 8 only during the last flattening pass and obviously during the step of winding the tab tape 2 on the rolling pin 14 (see Figure 2).

 In the situation illustrated in FIG. 1, the conveyor 7 and the belt II are stationary, owing to the fact that the machine l is in the process of spreading the dough ribbon 2, and in this case the belt conveyor 7 is leads like a traditional support plane for the ribbon of dough 2 which is collected on the latter temporarily in superimposed layers.

 The invention achieves the aims.

 Obviously during its practical implementation the invention may take forms and configurations different from those illustrated above without departing from its protective framework.

 In addition1 all details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements and the dimensions, shapes and materials used may be any as required.

Claims (3)

R E V E N D I C R TI ~ QN S  1. Automatic winding device for the food industry, in particular for winding puff pastry and broken pasta on a rolling pin (14), intended to be associated with a flattening machine (1) transforming a mass of pitiful food product in a strip (9) of tab of predetermined thickness, characterized in that it comprises a working unit (6) separate from said flattening machine (1) comprising a horizontal belt conveyor (7), placed downstream of said flattening machine (1) and driven by a motor (8) according to predetermined working steps, and further comprising a band (11) disposed substantially vertically at the end of said horizontal belt conveyor (7) and surrounding in closed circuit two rollers (12-13), one of which (19) is entrained by said motor (8); a rolling pin (14) being capable of being arranged at the end of said horizontal belt conveyor (7), on this roller (14) being wound up the ribbon (2) of food product, serious to the combined movement of said conveyor horizontal strip (7) and said strip (11) arranged vertically, according to said predetermined working steps.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a capacitive proximity sensor (16) is associated with said rolling pin (14), this sensor being intended to signal the presence or absence of the rolling pin (14) and in the latter case stopping said flattening machine (1) before the latter performs the last flattening pass.  3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said predetermined working steps provide that said horizontal belt conveyor (7) and said belt arranged substantially vertically (11) are not driven by said motor (8) until the last pass for flattening or spreading the product and during the step of winding the product ribbon (2) on said rolling pin (14).