FR2730129A1 - DEVICE FOR THE RETURN OF CHEESES TRANSPORTED ON CLAIES - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for turning over cheeses transported on racks comprises several lifting pins which are arranged substantially vertical below an approaching rack and which are capable of being lifted through this rack. It comprises at least one turning lever (4) which is fixed to the turning shaft and which is arranged on this shaft, so as to pass through the lifting pins (2) and to turn over a carried cheese (6). by the lifting pins from its original orientation to a substantially opposite orientation. Application to the separation and turning of cheeses, in particular soft cheeses.

Description

i

  CHEESE REVERSING DEVICE

TRANSPORTED ON CLAES

  The present invention relates to a device for

  rollover of cheese transported on trays.

  Such reversing devices are already known from German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,853,433. In fact, they are used to turn over certain time intervals, cheeses which are in the process of drying or which are at the stage of maturity.

  to ensure a regular distribution of the cream.

  The reversing device known from German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,853,433 provides for lowering a turntable on a rack loaded with cheese and bringing it into the installation. The two trays are then used

  in a costly and mechanically

  complicated. The original rack can then be emptied up and the returned cheeses remain

  on the turntable. The known device pre-

  There are disadvantages because, especially for high density and easily deformable cheeses, there is a common development with the neighboring cheeses (Siamese cheeses). This has the consequence that cheeses that have developed in

  can not be separated in the course of

  or the exit of the rack and that a manual manipulation

  nuelle is necessary. During the hand-operated racking that was formerly practiced manually, cheeses that had developed in common could easily be

  separated from each other. With the devices of

  current tournaments that are automated, the separation of cheeses that have developed in common can not R \ 13300 \ 13393 DOC - 9 jave 1996 - 1/11

  more difficult to achieve with com-

plexes and expensive.

  The object of the present invention is precisely to provide a turning device for cheeses transported on trays, which is mechanically simple and which reliably separates from one another the cheeses that have developed in common.

(Siamese cheeses).

  This problem is solved according to the invention by a dis-

  positive rollover of cheese transported on trays comprising a plurality of lifting pins which are arranged substantially vertically below a rack in approach and which can be raised through this rack, and at least one turning lever which is attached to a turning shaft and is disposed on this shaft so as to pass through the lifting pins and to return a cheese carried by the lifting pins, from its original orientation

  to a substantially opposite orientation.

  The reversing device according to the invention

  sees, contrary to certain techniques, that the

  mages on the rack are returned individually.

  at least in rows. A possible link previously existing between the cheeses is thus destroyed. To make the turnaround, the lifting pins arranged below the trays are guided upwards between the bars of the trays, so that a cheese on the rack is raised. When the cheese is

  in this raised position, the arm or arms of the

  Turning is (are) operated together to grip the cheese that has come into contact with the lifting pins and bring it by a pivotal movement in a substantially opposite orientation. The process

  reversal is thus achieved in a simple way, com-

  compact, compact, economical and reliable, avoiding

  to use a mechanical turning device

  nically complex and expensive. In particular, in a particularly advantageous manner, two reversing levers are provided which

  are attached to a common turning shaft.

  It is preferably provided that the upper tip of the lifting pin has a diameter smaller than the distance between the bars next to a rack.

  Thanks to this characteristic, we obtain

  lift the lifting pins substantially without risk of collision with the bars of the trays. In addition, the lifting pins are advantageously fixed only at their lower end, while not being guided in the longitudinal axial direction, so that they bend in case of collision with

a bar of racks.

  The turning arms are advantageously distributed

  identical to the lifting pins or as a multiple of the distribution of the lifting pins. We are

  sure that the lifting pins are close to

  at least as narrow as the turning arms,

  in such a way that a cheese can be lifted

  gully over its entire width. The existence of several

  In principle, at least three lifting spindles are used to ensure even lifting. Two lifting arms are sufficient for the capture and

  guiding a cheese during the process of return-

  ment. The turning levers have a long

  axial enough to come to rest from below on the cheese in question at least below its center of gravity and to guide it. It is particularly advantageous if the distance over the width between adjacent lifting pins is greater than the width of the turning lever, so that the turning lever can pass easily through the

  intervals between the lifting pins.

  Advantageously, the distance between two arms of

  turnaround is less than one of the dimensions

  usual cheese. Thanks to this characteristic

  tick, we obtain a dimension of the distance of the lever R \ 13300 \ 13393 DOC - 9 d-v 1996 -3/11

  turning point which is a function of each type of

made mage.

  The lifting pins and the turning levers advantageously extend over the entire width of the rack, to turn the cheese in rows. This

  embodiment is provided so that the cheeses can

  extend in rows from one edge to the other of the rack. The lifting pins are arranged in a sufficient number to allow the gripping of a cheese in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction below the cheese and they extend substantially over the entire width of the rack. In the same way, the turning levers also extend over the entire

  width of the rack so that you can grasp

  matching the cheeses raised by the pins of the-

  husbandry. In the area of the overturning levers, there is provided a conveyor belt for receiving the returned cheeses. The conveyor belt is used for the evacuation of the returned cheese either back on the racks or

  for their manipulation for other purposes.

  The conveyor belt is advantageously guided towards a feed strip of the trays, in order to be able to carry back the cheeses returned on the rack

original or on another rack.

  In the area of the turning shaft, is arranged

  a centering device in order to correct any

  position of the cheeses during the return

  is lying. The centering member preferably comprises two

  centering discs, which are arranged on the shaft of

  in such a way that the cheeses are

  tible to be centered during the turnaround. For this purpose, the centering discs are particularly provided chamfered to ensure a centering, of such

  exact positioning of the cheeses is pos-

  on the conveyor belt for cheeses

  Fun. It is advantageous that in the forward direction of the trays, before the lifting pins, there is arranged a cheese release station, which comprises release pins and disks. retainers. The cheese release station serves to release cheeses that have developed in common by interpenetrating in a particularly solid manner and which must be separated before the actual turning process. For this purpose, there are arranged in a row release pins in the direction of the width of the trays, these pins used to lift the cheeses, while in a row

  adjacent to each other are holding devices, which come

  the cheeses of the next row, to ensure effective separation

  release pins from the next row.

  Other purposes, advantages and features appear

  reading the description of a way of reali-

  The invention is a non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a turning device according to the invention; - Figure 2 shows a fragmentary schematic view of a detail of the reversing device according to the invention; and - Figure 3 shows a side view of the detail of

Figure 2.

  The reversing device represented on the

  gures presents a conveyor belt 26 for trays

  cheeses, which are guided between an organ of

  20 and a stacking member 22. On a shelf

  individual mages 12, are placed in the direction of the

  in the transverse direction of the cheeses 6, which

  are moved with the rack in the direction of

carrying the conveyor belt 26.

  In the device shown in FIG. 1, the trays 12 are first brought to a release station

  cheeses, this item consisting of release pins

  16 in the transverse direction and R 13300 \ 13393 DOC 9Jvie 1996 - 5/11

  retainers 18 disposed immediately behind.

  The release pins 16 guided from below to above cooperate with the retainers 18 guided from top to bottom such that between two rows of neighboring cheeses lying on a rack, the contact points are separated. Retention members 18 press the cheeses down one row, while the separation pins 16 push up the cheeses of the next row, so that

  these are separated from the cheeses held below.

  In the drawing of Figure 1, the cheeses held down are given the reference "5", while the

  cheeses raised by the separation pins are

numbered "6".

  The conveyor belt is moved step by step, so that the rack arrives in the effective area of the turning station. At this station are provided, below the conveyor belt 26 lifting pins 2 fixed at one end and guided and which can be lifted, in order to grasp, through the bars of the trays, the cheese that is on these bars and lift these cheeses. At least three lifting spindles 2 are provided, in order to regularly lift an individual cheese 6. Just before or just after the completion of the lifting process, are actuated

  reversing levers 4 attached to a return shaft

  10, so that these levers pass between the lifting pins 2 and pass the cheese grasped, from its initial orientation to the position where it is on the lifting pins 2, by a pivoting movement oriented above the pivot shaft, up to a

  substantially opposite direction, that is to say the

  turned. The turning shaft 10 is approximately

  at the height of the upper lifting point of the

  mage, so that the overturning levers 4

  the cheeses are in a substantially horizontal position.

  In the direction of movement of the trans-

  carrier 26 behind the turning shaft 10, is a conveyor belt 24 which is driven by a transport roller 14. This conveyor belt 24 is guided back on the belt 26 so that the returned cheeses 6 on the original rack 12, from which they were seized, are likely to be brought back. This original rack 12

  free of cheeses, advance in synchronism and approxi-

  at the speed of the conveyor belt 24. The cheeses 6 brought back onto the rack 12 then reach

the stacking member 22.

  FIGS. 2 and 3 show details of the

turning device.

  As can be seen in Figure 2, the lifting pins 2 are arranged over the width and length of a cheese 6 (shown in dashed lines) and in fact in this case three times three pins have been drawn. Between the longitudinal rows consisting of three lifting pins 2, there are provided two turning levers 4, which are fixed directly on the turning shaft 10

  in such a way that they grab, between long rows

  of the lifting pins 2 passing through the cheese 6 which is there and which is carried by the lifting pins 2, and that they can return it by

a pivoting movement.

  Axially outside the two levers of return-

  4 are also attached to the

  turn 10 two centering discs 8, which are chan-

  braked in opposition in the cross section to center the cheese 6 during the turnaround. Position changes during the manufacture of the

  6 cheese can thus be compensated.

  FIG. 3 represents the turning device

  in different working positions. A lever of re-

  turn 4 is shown in its lower resting position below the cheese 6, then in its return grip position of 900 with the cheese 6 and finally in its end position again turned 90 in which the cheese 6 is positioned on the strip R \ 13300 \ 13393 DOC -91aner1996-7 / 11 conveyor. The lifting pins 2 are shown in their raised position, in which they extend upwards through the bars of the rack 12.

  lifting pins 2 present in this embodiment

  a substantially circular cross section. The conveyor belt 24 is guided around a conveyor roller 14 whose axis is fixed below the shaft

  reversal 10 and above the plane of the trays under

close 12.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited

  to the embodiments described and shown,

  but it is susceptible to many variants of

  to the person skilled in the art, without departing from

the spirit of the invention.

R \ 13300 \ 13393 DOC-9p9nvio 1996 - / It

Claims (10)

  1.- Cheese turning device (6) transported on racks (12), comprising a plurality of lifting pins (2), which are arranged substantially vertically below a rack (12) on approach and which are susceptible to be lifted through this rack, and at least one turning lever (4) which is fixed to a turning shaft (10) and which is arranged on this shaft so as to pass through the lifting pins (2) and turning a cheese (6) carried by the lifting pins (2) from its original orientation to an orientation substantially opposite.   2.- turning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper tip of the lifting pins (2) has a diameter less than the   distance between the bars next to a rack (12).   3.- turning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the turning arms (4) are distributed identically to the lifting pins (2) or in a multiple of the distribution of the lifting pins (2).   4.- reversal device according to claim 3, characterized in that the distance between the neighboring turning arms (4) is less than one of cheese dimensions.   5.- Turning device according to one of   preceding claims, characterized in that the   lifting pins (2) and the turning lever (4) extend substantially the full width of the rack   (12) to return the cheeses (6) in rows.   6.- Turning device according to any one   of the preceding claims, characterized in that   comprises, in the area of the turning lever (s) (4), a conveyor belt (24) intended to receive the returned cheese (6).   7.- Turning device according to claim 6, characterized in that the conveyor belt (24) is guided to a feed strip (26) of the trays (26). (12). 8.- Turning device according to any one   of the preceding claims, characterized in that   comprises in the area of the turning shaft (10) a centering member (8).   9.- turning device according to claim 8, characterized in that the centering member comprises two centering discs (8) which are arranged on the turning shaft (10) such that a cheese (6) is likely to be centered during its turnaround. 10.Reversion device according to one   any of the preceding claims, characterized in that   it comprises, in the direction of advance of the trays (12) and before the lifting pins (2), a cheese separating station (16, 18), comprising pins   separator (16) and retaining members (18).   R \ 13300 \ 13393 DOC-9 javr 1996- 10 / I11