Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26F—PERFORATING; PUNCHING; CUTTING-OUT; STAMPING-OUT; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING
  • B26F3/00—Severing by means other than cutting; Apparatus therefor
  • B26F3/004—Severing by means other than cutting; Apparatus therefor by means of a fluid jet
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
  • A21B—BAKERS' OVENS; MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR BAKING
  • A21B7/00—Baking plants
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
  • A21C—MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING OR PROCESSING DOUGHS; HANDLING BAKED ARTICLES MADE FROM DOUGH
  • A21C11/00—Other machines for forming the dough into its final shape before cooking or baking
  • A21C11/10—Other machines for forming the dough into its final shape before cooking or baking combined with cutting apparatus
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
  • A21C—MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING OR PROCESSING DOUGHS; HANDLING BAKED ARTICLES MADE FROM DOUGH
  • A21C15/00—Apparatus for handling baked articles
  • A21C15/04—Cutting or slicing machines or devices specially adapted for baked articles other than bread
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
  • B26D3/00—Cutting work characterised by the nature of the cut made; Apparatus therefor
  • B26D3/24—Cutting work characterised by the nature of the cut made; Apparatus therefor to obtain segments other than slices, e.g. cutting pies
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
  • B65B25/06—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a process for cutting culinary preparation into portions and packaging of said portions and to its device.
• Freezing has long been known as a means of preserving food and ready meals.
• the rapid defrosting devices microwaves or others have allowed the development of the very important market of catering from frozen products.
• cakes, pies, pizzas or others are frozen whole and wrapped so that their movements are very limited and the presentation is not affected.
• cakes for example are cut at the end of manufacture, before freezing, then each portion is placed in a package, and frozen; and operations must remain manual to ensure good quality of the finished product, which results in high prices.
• the invention aims to resolve these drawbacks. To this end, it proposes to completely automate the process of cutting cakes or other similar products into portions having an integrity presentation and their packaging.
• the subject of the invention is a process for cutting culinary preparation into portions and for packaging said portions, continuously, characterized in that successively: - the preparation is placed on a cutting station, comprising a succession of cutting stations,
• the preparation is cut - by a cutting line - by means of a device provided with at least one very fine water jet at very high pressure,
• the process is also remarkable for the following characteristics: - before cutting, the preparations are frozen, and the cutting and packaging operations are carried out in a few minutes in an atmosphere at ambient or low temperature of the order of a few degrees above zero so that freezing is not affected.
• each portion is brought before a packaging tray, on which it is placed before cover it with a cover, the base and the cover being provided to immobilize the portion.
• the invention also relates to the device for continuously cutting and packaging culinary preparations for carrying out the process defined above, characterized in that it comprises:
• - a cutting station with at least:. an entry station for culinary preparations,
• a cutting station exit station .
• a very high pressure water jet cutting unit comprising at least one jet
• the feed device comprises at the end of the journey a thrust member which ensures the loading of the preparation on the cutting station;
• the cutting station includes a support which moves in front of the cutting stations
• the cutting station has a fixed support in front of the cutting stations which move, the support comprises at least one rigid surface element having at least one recess, each recess being intended to receive a cutting plate,
• each cutting tray present at. minus a through slit, intended for the passage of the water jet
• the face of the tray intended to receive the culinary preparation, or upper face comprises at least two ribs or flat bosses which extend longitudinally on the tray and are separated by a slot, each boss being a support on which the preparation rests,
• the bosses extend upwards on a height determining a space under the preparation, for the passage of a gripping member for the preparation,
• the cutting unit comprises at least one projection nozzle, the cutting path of which is rectilinear,
• the cutting unit comprises a plurality of nozzles, one at each station, mechanically linked together so that the cuts are simultaneous
• - the loading, transport and unloading station comprises at least two gripping devices connected together by a joint, mounted on a guide and transport rail,
• each gripping device comprises a bracket whose vertical upright carries a horizontal member in the form of a shovel or fork, the finger being movable vertically on the upright and the upright being movable horizontally on the cross member,
• the support is a table, mounted rotating around its center, - the table has a plurality of recesses regularly distributed over a circumference, so that the angle in the center, between two recesses, determines the angle rotation of the table between two successive workstations, this angle also determining the size of the portion,
• Each plate is circular and has at least one rectilinear slot passing through the center and extending over the same distance on either side thereof.
• the central cutting unit comprises at least two arms each carrying a jet nozzle, which move in parallel above two neighboring recesses so that the jets each pass vertically simultaneously through a slot, the angular offset between the recesses forming the portions,
• the recesses and the plates have respective positioning marks to ensure the rigorous positioning of the plates relative to the cutting jets.
• the transport rail has a circular loading end which wraps around a recess and a straight end which extends in front of the packaging station, and the gripping members are oriented towards the center of the winding of the rail.
• the invention also relates to the uses of the method and its device. Indeed the process can be applied, on the one hand to the cutting and packaging of fresh products whose consistency allows a cutting not followed by deformation or spreading, on the other hand to the cutting of frozen products (or frozen).
• FIG. 1 is a schematic overview of the device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a top view of the device according to the invention
• FIG. 3 is a top view of a cutting plate
• FIG. 4 is a side view of the plate of Figure 3 with partial section along III-III
• FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the gripping member
• FIG. 6 is a schematic detailed view in perspective of the articulation and transport device of the gripping members of FIG. 5,
• FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d illustrate the movement of the gripping member
• FIG. 8 is a diagram of a variant cutting support according to the invention.
• the example of embodiment illustrated below relates to the cutting of cakes 1 of circular shape: sponge cakes, pies or the like.
• the device as can be seen in FIG. 1, includes a storage and supply device 2 where the cakes are stored and then, one by one, led into the cutting installation 3.
• the installation comprises a frame 4 on which are mounted the cutting station, that is to say the support 5 carrying the cakes with an input station A and cutting stations B, C, D, ... and the cutting center 6, then the loading, transport and unloading 7 and the packing station 8.
• the supply device is a conveyor belt 9 of a type known per se. Its movement is controlled by presence sensors not shown so that the cakes 1 are immobilized at the end of the journey always in the same predetermined location.
• the device comprises at the end of the journey a pushing member 10 whose function is to push the cake laterally in order to disengage it from the conveyor belt and to load it on the cutting station.
• the cutting station consists of a rigid support 5 on which the cakes 1 are placed, which moves continuously in successive steps, in front of work stations. Each time a cake arrives in front of a station, the support stops, when the job is finished the support moves to the next work station, etc.
• the support 5 comprises, as shown in the variant of FIG. 8, at least one rigid surface element 50, each having at least one recess 14.
• the support consists of a flat and rigid flat table 11 disposed between two parallel longitudinal members 29, 30 of the chassis 4. This table is mounted in rotation around its central axis 12 and rotates according to arrow 13 ( Figure 2) counterclockwise. Rotation constitutes the means of movement of the support 5 within the meaning of the invention.
• the table has a series of recesses 14 distributed over a circumference at the periphery of the table.
• the recesses are identical, preferably circular and pass through the table: these are holes. These recesses are intended to receive a plate 15, of corresponding circular shape.
• the recesses are distributed regularly so that the same angle at the center 16 separates them.
• the table has eight recesses spaces between them with an angle at the center of forty five degrees.
• Each tray corresponds to a workstation.
• the plates 15 have the shape of a circular disc: the lower face 17 has at its periphery a shoulder 18 bearing on the edge of the recess. Means known per se and not shown (ribs and grooves) are provided on the edges of the recesses and plates in order to be able to position them very rigorously (positioning marks).
• the plates have a plurality of slots 19 which pass through the entire thickness; in the example they all have four.
• the slots are rectilinear, pass through the center 20 of the disc and extend over the same distance 21 on either side of the latter 20.
• the length of slots is greater than or equal to the diameter of the cake.
• the slots are regularly spaced by an angle 24 of the same value as the angle 16 spacing two consecutive recesses. In the example of embodiment the angle 24 is forty five degrees.
• the trays have eight surface portions 25 which determine eight cake portions.
• the upper face 22 has a plurality of ribs or bosses 23. Each of these bosses is flat, parallel to the general surface of the plate and extends longitudinally on the plate in a radial direction. They constitute a support on which the preparation rests.
• the upper face has at least one boss 23 between two neighboring slots 19.
• the bosses extend upward over a substantial height 26, for example of the order of 1 to 4 millimeters, in order to reserve a space 27 for the passage of a gripping member 28 of the portion of cut cake. .
• the cutting unit is a device whose operation is known per se: it essentially comprises a water supply, a very high pressure setting device (of the order of 4.10 6 Pascals or 4000 bars), one or more nozzles 32 outlet of very fine jets, mounted at the end of support arms 31.
• the cutting unit comprises four separate nozzles 32, that is to say as many as slots on a plate; they are mounted fixed, each at the end of a rigid arm and connected to the same distribution box 33; the position of the nozzles relative to the housing is fixed.
• the distribution box is slidably mounted on parallel rectilinear rails 34 which are themselves mounted fixed on the chassis perpendicular to the longitudinal members 29 and 30. In this way the nozzles move all with the displacement of the box on the rails.
• the nozzles are arranged so that their vertical jet falls exactly into a slot in a tray. They are located on a circumference 35 which moves above the table in a rectilinear movement parallel to the rails 34 for moving the housing, limited to the length of the slot.
• the nozzles are plumb with the center of the plates (middle of the slit), the center of the circumference is at the center 12 of the table and we see that the nozzles are angularly spaced at an angle of 45 degrees ( Figure 2).
• Each nozzle 32 constitutes a cutting station, and the four nozzles, which move simultaneously, and at the same time produce four cutting lines, on four cakes which follow one another, placed on four successive trays.
• the plates being located on the same circumference and separated by an angle at the center of forty five degrees, their linear displacement on this circumference, between two successive stations is accompanied by a rotation of the plate by forty five degrees relative to a point fixed, of the chassis and in particular with respect to the following nozzle.
• the second cutting line will form an angle of forty five degrees with the first.
• the displacement of the nozzle being at most equal to the length of the slot on obtains two opposite portions; and so on: in four lines the cutting is completed.
• the device operates continuously: at each stop of the table each station performs an operation: the input station A takes care of a cake, the cutting stations B, C, D, E respectively numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 make their cutting line,
• the next station F is a control station: it is indeed necessary to check the correct regularity of the cuts before packaging.
• the next station G is the station for leaving the portions towards the packing station.
• the next station H is a rest station without any particular work, intended to allow rapid interventions on a tray at the end of the cycle: tray change, cleaning, ...
• the two control stations F and rest H are not essential for operation and the device can only operate with (n + 4) / 2 stations, n being even and equal to the number of portions desired, the number of recesses being equal to n.
• the loading, transport and unloading station comprises a guide and transport rail 36 on which a train 37 of gripping devices circulates.
• the rail is located above the level of the table and has a circular end section 38 which surrounds the outer periphery of the recess located at the outlet station, and a straight end section 39, so that the rail has one end wound on itself.
• the gripping device comprises a bracket 40, which carries a horizontal member 28 elongated in the form of a fork 41.
• the fork is movable vertically on the vertical upright 42 of the bracket, while the upright is movable horizontally on the horizontal crosspiece 43.
• the brackets 40 are perpendicular to the rail 36 and the members are mounted on the brackets all on the same side, inside the circular part of the rail, that is to say oriented towards the plate or the recess of the station G.
• Each bracket is mounted in an upper frame 44; the chassis are connected one after the other by articulated rods 45, the articulations being provided with rollers 46 or the like allowing movement on the rail.
• the whole forms a train of suspended gallows. The distance between each member is determined so that, when the train is wrapped around a platform, each member is exactly opposite a portion.
• the gripper train has eight brackets, each for loading a portion of cake.
• the gripping member comprises a horizontal plate 47 located below the horizontal crosspiece.
• This plate is flat, generally triangular in shape, the acute top being oriented towards the end of the fork, and has edges folded down.
• the plate is a stop for immobilizing the portion, it is a stop plate.
• the handling station works as follows:
• the supply device can be a vertical column compartmentalized, each compartment containing a culinary preparation.
• the column descends from a compartment at each step.
• the table can be replaced by a horizontal support consisting of a plurality of identical shelves, or surface element, each comprising a recess, each tablet circulating in a closed circuit ensuring the continuity of the process.
• the circuit can be horizontal or in a vertical plane, the shelves can circulate like a conveyor belt, without end.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Forests & Forestry (AREA)
• Perforating, Stamping-Out Or Severing By Means Other Than Cutting (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9417278

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (8)

• 1991
  • 1991-09-25 FR FR9111797A patent/FR2681576A1/fr active Granted
• 1992
  • 1992-09-25 WO PCT/FR1992/000890 patent/WO1993006010A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 1992-09-25 AU AU27643/92A patent/AU2764392A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (8)

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