GB2042063A - Metering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A metering or dispensing assembly for pasty products comprises a hopper (1) for a pasty product, a dispensing body (10) pivotally housed in a seat (3), and a plunger (13) reciprocable in body (10) and defining a metering chamber alternately registering with hopper (1) and dispensing duct (6). The plunger (13) is reciprocated by alternate engagement with a hooked reciprocating member (16) and a reciprocating pusher member (20). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Metering or dispensing assembly for pasty products This invention relates to a metering or dispensing assembly adapted for handling products which, although with different flowability, have a pasty consistency, and in particular for handling products of the same nature as those employed in the manufacture of concentrated broth cubes and tablets, the metered amounts of the product, delivered at the output end of the assembly, being ready for processing at a packaging station.

In comparison with such prior art assemblies, the assembly according to this invention concurrently achieves the following objects: -high output rates, while being also adapted for delivering several metered amounts at any one time; -formation of metered amounts where the product is well compacted, such as to include no trapped air and be free from voids, thus providing constant weight amounts; -prevention of excessive transfer steps, rubbing and prolonged retention between mechanical members, thus avoiding its deteriDra- tion; -simple and easily manufactured structure, easy to adjust and reliable and durable in operation, while also advantageous from the economical standpoint.

These and other objects, such as will be apparent herein below, are all achieved by a metering or dispensing assembly for pasty products, characterized in that it comprises: a seat located across the bottom of a hopper, said hopper being fed with the pasty product, the side surface of said seat being provided, at a first angular position, with a passage communicating with the bottom of said hopper and, at a second angular position, with at least one dispensing duct; a dispensing body pivotally housed in said seat and driven by reciprocating rotary motion with respect to said seat, with angular stroke limits and stops corresponding to said two angular positions; at least one bore radially extending through said body and carrying a respective plunger in sealed sliding relationship, thereby between one end of the plunger and a corresponding free section of the bore, there is defined a metering chamber, said metering chamber being, at said angular positions, respectively open to said passage and duct, whereas the second end of said plunger projects out of said bore and said seat through an angularly extending slot in the latter; a hook-like member reciprocating in a radial direction to said seat and body and at said first angular position and which, at that same position, is adapted for engaging said second end of said at least one plunger, simultaneously at a stop together with said body, and for entraining it out of said bore for sucking the product from said hopper to said metering chamber; a pusher reciprocating in the radial direction and at said second position which, at that same position, is effective to act on the second end of the plunger, simultaneously at a stop, and to urge it inwards to eject the metered amount of product through said related dispensing duct.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of the instant metering or dispensing assembly, illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawing, where the one figure shows schematically the assembly according to the invention, in a vertical cross-sectional representation.

With particular reference to the drawing figure, the instant metering or dispensing assembly, particularly for use in the field of the pasty products like extracts for producing concentrated broth cubes and tablets, comprises a product loading hopper 1; the hopper, in a manner known per se, and not shown, is equipped with a vertical rotary shaft of the auger type which is provided with a helix and possibly scrapers in a suitable manner for mixing and urging the product towards the bottom of the hopper itself.

Through a passage 2 of suitable shape, the bottom of the hopper communicates with the underlying seat 3, which is substantially cylindrical and has its axis horizontal and transversal to the hopper; the seat 3 is formed in the block 4, integral with the hopper, which along the side surface of that same seat, includes additionally to the passage 2 also a series of ports 5 of suitable shape. The series of ports 5 are aligned parallel with the axis of the seat 3 perpendicularly to the drawing plane and are at a height only slightly below the passage 2. To the outlet side of each port 5 is connected a respective dispensing duct 6 which is elbow-like configurated and the downward sloping end portion of which is of preference parallelepipedal; the various ducts 6 are integral with the plate 7, attached to the block 4.The outlets of the various ducts 6 are intended for shaving by a conventional cutter 8, controlled to oscillate about the axis 9.

In the seat 3, there is pivotally coupled in sealed relationship the roller 10, which is.

penetrated in a diametrical direction by a series of bores 11; the axes of these bores are coplanar to one another, whereas the plane which, being transversal to the roller, comprises the axis of one of the bores also comprises the axis of a corresponding port 5. The roller is driven by reciprocating rotary motion such that one end of a bore 11 moves from the angular position A, at which it faces the passage 2, to the angular position B, where it faces the corresponding port 5, and viceversa from B to A, upon reaching such angular positions the roller coming to a stop. The reciprocating rotation of the roller 11 is obtained by a control device, not shown, acting on one end of the roller 11.In each bore 11 is slidable in sealed relationship a respective plunger 13, which with its end opposite to the passage 2 and ports 5 protrudes from.the bore itseif and from the block 4, going through a respective slot 14 which extends in the block angularly about the axis of the seat 3 and lying perpendicular to that same axis.

The outer end of each plunger 1 3 carries a side-mounted roller 1 5. In the angular position A, the roller 1 5 (shown in dot-and-dash iines and indicated at 1 5A) engages with a respective fork-like member 1 6 which is open towards the angular position B and has its outermost arm extended to a portion 1 6a, almost to reach said position B and substantially concentrically curved with respect to the roller 10. The several forks 1 6 are attached to a slider 1 7 sliding in the guide 1 8 which extends in a radial direction to the roller 10 at the angular position A.The slider 1 7 is articulated at 1 9 to a linkage, by means of which the back-and-forth movement of the slider itself, as indicated by the arrow in the drawing, is determined by a cyclic cam; in a similar manner, the slider 20 is caused to slide in the guide 21, which extends radially to the roller 10 at the angular position B. The slider 20 acts as a pusher for the plungers 13, when the roller 10 is at a stop along with them in the position B; the slider 20 is adapted for contacting the outer end of each plunger through respective screws 22 which may be adjusted on the slider itself..

The mode of operating of the instant assembly will be apparent and understood from the above description. As the roller 10, caused to rotate by the control device (not shown), comes to a stop at the position A together with the plungers, the latter are in a condition of full insertion into the bores 11, as indicated by dot-and-dash lines, and their rollers 1 5 are engaged by the forks 16; the slider 1 7 is controlled to complete its stroke in the direction of withdrawal of the plungers 13 from the bores 11: thus, the product present at the bottom of the hopper 1 is drawn into the metering chambers, which in the bores 11 are defined by the plungers and open towards the passage 2.The slider 1 7 is then controlled to complete a portion of the inward stroke of the plungers 13, thereby compaction of the product drawn into said chambers is achieved.

This compaction stroke may also be effected following a partial rotation of the roller 10 in which the metering chambers are at least partially closed by the peripheral wall of the seat 3 between the openings 2 and 5. At this time, the control device, not shown, causes the roller 10 to complete its full angular stroke in a clockwise direction, thereby the plungers move from the position A to the position B, and at the end of that same stroke the roller comes to a stop; during the angular stroke of the roller, the rollers 1 5 of the plungers are against the respective portion 1 6a of the forks 16, thus preventing the plungers, which are biased by the product present in said chambers, from sliding with respect to the roller 10, since they are held by the fork 1 6a of the slider 1 7 at an intermediate position between the full withdrawal and full insertion.As the plungers 1 3 with said intermediate axial position reach the angular position B, instead of the rollers 1 5 resting on the portions 1 6a, the outer ends of the plungers themselves are caused to rest against the respective screws 22 of the slider 20, carried by its own control linkage to a coordinated position at which the screws 22 happen to be in the paths of the"outer ends of the plungers: the slider 17, therefore, moves forward idly and completes said stroke in the direction of its insertion; the slider 20 completes instead its active stroke and causes the plungers 1 3 to be drawn in and the ejection through the ducts 6 of the metered amounts of. product contained in the chambers of the bores 11, the cutter 8 being at a position in which the outlets of said ducts are uncovered. Thereafter, the control device, not shown, causes the roller 10 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, thereby the roller 10 brings the plungers 13- back to the position A, where the rollers 1 5 find the forks 1 6 ready for re-engaging them. The cutter 8 intersecates the outlets of the ducts 6 to separate the metered amourits of product which, being respectively ejected from the same, are caused to drop for transport to the packaging station. While the slider 1 7 begins a fresh cycle by completing the active stroke of withdrawal by suction of the product in the hopper 1, the slider 20 performs the return stroke as described, and the cutter 8 frees the ducts 6.

The invention as herein described thus achieves its objects.

It is susceptible to many modifications and variations, all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the instant inventive concept; moreover, all of the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent details.

In practicing the invention, the materials used, as well as the shapes and dimensions may any ones to suit individual applicational requirements.

Claims (5)

1. A metering or dispensing assembly for pasty products, characterized in that it comprises: a seat located across the bottom of a hopper, said hopper being fed with the pasty product, the side surface of said seat being provided, at a first angular position, with a passage communicating with the bottom of said hopper and, at a second angular position, with at least one dispensing duct; a dispensing body pivotally housed in said seat and driven by reciprocating rotary motion with respect to said seat, with angular stroke limits and stops corresponding to said two angular positions; at least one bore radially extending through said body and carrying a respective plunger in sealed sliding relationship, thereby between one end of the plunger and a corresponding free section of the bore, there is defined a metering chamber, said metering chamber being, at said angular positions, respectively open to said passage and duct, whereas the second end of said plunger projects out of said bore and said seat through an angularly extending slot in the latter; a hooklike member reciprocating in a radial direction to said seat and body and at said first angular position and which, at that same position is adapted for engaging said second end of said at least one plunger, simultaneously at a stop together with said body, and for entraining it out of said bore for sucking the product from said hopper to said metering chamber; a pusher reciprocating in the radial direction and at said second position which, at that same position, is effective to act on the second end of the plunger, simultaneously at a stop, and to urge it inwards to eject the metered amount of product through said related dispensing duct.

2. An assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that said hook-like member is controlled such that, being entrained said plunger in the outward direction, sequentially completes one portion of the stroke in the reverse direction, to cause partial withdrawal of the plunger and compaction of the product drawn by suction into said metering chamber, while afterwards, upon said body reaching said second angular position, terminates said stroke in the reverse direction, said hook-like member having an arcuate lug on which said second end of said plunger is caused to rest during the reciprocating rotation of said body.

3. An assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that for each of said plungers said pusher has a related adjustable active portion.

4. A metering or dispensing assembly for pasty products, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

5. Any novel element, or combination of elements, herein described and/or shown in the accompanying drawing, irrespective of whether the present claim is within the scope of, or relates to the same invention as, any of the preceding claims.