WO2006025730A1

WO2006025730A1 - Egg packaging device

Info

Publication number: WO2006025730A1
Application number: PCT/NL2005/000619
Authority: WO
Inventors: Geert Jan Menkhorst
Original assignee: Staalkat International B.V.
Priority date: 2004-08-30
Filing date: 2005-08-26
Publication date: 2006-03-09
Also published as: NL1026927C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for packaging eggs on a support with protuberances for accommodating the eggs. The device comprises a metering device (3) for storing and metering eggs supplied thereto, as well as a packer (1) having packer gates (1c) for forming rows of eggs to be placed in the support. The metering device comprises a conveying means, such as a conveyor belt (31), which is arranged in the device so as to be removable. The metering device can thus be cleaned in a better and simpler manner.

Description

EGG PACKAGING DEVICE

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

A device of this type is known from US 3,820,301. In this known device, the metering device comprises a chain conveyor which is fixedly attached to the device.

In practice, the device is located in the stalls of a poultry farmer. The eggs which are fed to the device have scarcely, if at all, been checked for quality or soiling. This means that wind eggs, damaged or broken eggs, feathers and traces of manure which adhere to the eggs are fed to the device. These eggs which cause soiling are only removed at the metering device. Therefore, during use the metering device will become most heavily soiled of all the parts of the device.

From the point of view of hygiene and food safety, it is important that the device is kept in clean condition. It is desirable for the device, and in particular the metering device, to be cleanable with water under high pressure. However, the fact that the packer adjoining the metering device usually comprises precision-engineering components which could be damaged by the high- pressure jet is a problem. Designing these components to be heavier and stronger so that they can withstand the high-pressure cleaning operation results in an excessively large and expensive device.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device for packaging eggs which can readily be cleaned. This object is achieved according to the invention by a device according to the preamble of claim 1, characterized in that the metering device comprises an endless conveying means, such as a conveyor belt, which is fitted in the device so as to be removable.

The device according to the invention offers the possibility of removing the metering device from the device and cleaning it at another location using a high-pressure cleaner or the like. Thus, the other components of the device and in particular the packer are not stressed or damaged. The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to a preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows a top view of a section of the device according to the invention, and

Fig. 2 diagrammatically shows a side view of the device according to the invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a section of the device for packaging eggs. The device comprises a metering device 3 for eggs and a packer 1 adjoining the latter. The packer 1 comprises partitions Ib which

^■ between them form packer gates Ic through which the eggs coming from the metering device 3 are conveyed in order to form rows. The partitions Ib can be folded, as is indicated by an arrow 21 in Fig. 2.

A removable profiled transition section is arranged between the packer 1 and the metering device 3, which profiled transition section preferably has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The purpose of the profiled transition section 2 is to support the eggs during the transfer from the metering device 3 to the packer 1.

In the embodiment shown, the metering device 3 comprises a conveyor belt 31 which runs over orbiting wheels (not shown) . The conveyor belt 31 is driven by a motor 25 via a gear wheel transmission with gear wheels 9 and 10 which are located near one end of the conveyor belt 31. In the embodiment shown, the motor 25 is attached to the packer 1. The gear wheel 9 is driven directly by the motor 25. The gear wheel 10 is coupled to one of the orbiting wheels by means of a shaft 10a in order to drive the conveyor belt 31 and is preferably located above the gear wheel 9, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to facilitate removal of the conveyor belt 31, as will become clear from the description below.

At the end 32, near the gear wheel transmission, the metering device 3 is supported by a bearing point 7. At the opposite end of the conveyor belt 31, the shaft 33 of the orbiting wheel of the conveyor belt 31 is mounted on a bearing bracket 8. The bearing bracket 8 has a substantially horizontal bearing surface 8a on which the shaft 33 rests. At the end of the bearing surface 8a on the feed side, the bracket 8 is designed in the shape . of a hook with a raised wall part 8b and a wall part 8c substantially parallel to the bearing surface 8a. In the mounted state, the shaft 33 is located inside this hook-shaped construction.

The eggs are supplied to the conveyor belt 31 by a supply device 5 which is, for example, provided with a bar belt 5a. The supply device 5 is provided with a guard cover 6 in order to prevent operators' limbs or garments becoming trapped. The guard cover 6 extends beyond the end of the bar belt 5a. In order to link the conveyor belt 31 of the metering device 3 and the bar belt 5a, the conveyor belt 31 partially extends inside the guard cover 6. A transition panel 4 is provided between the conveyor belt 31 and the bar belt 5a in order to support the eggs during the transfer from the bar belt 5a to the conveyor belt 31.

The metering device 3 is removably arranged in the device according to the invention. Removal of the metering device from the device is effected in the following manner: first, the partitions Ib of the gates Ic are folded up as is indicated in Fig. 2 by arrow 21. Then, the profiled transition section 2 is removed from the device, after which the end of the conveyor belt 31 at which the gear wheel 10 is located is lifted up, as is indicated in Fig. 2 by the curved arrow 22. In this case, the gear wheel 10 is lifted off the gear wheel 9. The lifted position of the metering device 3 is shown by a dashed line in Fig. 2. Subsequently, the end of the conveyor belt 31 containing the shaft 33 is moved over the bearing surface 8a in the direction of the packer 1, as is indicated by arrow 23 in Fig. 2. This results in the shaft 33 being moved out of the hook-shaped part of the bracket and coming to lie free so that it can then be lifted from the supporting surface 8a. The shaft 33 is moved over the supporting surface 8a by such a distance that the guard cover 6 no longer obstructs the removal of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt 31 is removed from the device and can then be cleaned at another location using a high-pressure cleaner or the like. Replacing the conveyor belt 31 in the device takes place in reverse order to that described above.

One advantage of the device according to the invention is the fact that the conveyor belt 31 can be removed in a simple manner without the use of tools, while the motor can remain in the device. To this end, the gear wheel transmission is designed in such a manner that the gear wheels can easily be lifted off one another during removal. When the conveyor belt 31 is replaced, the gear wheels 9 and 10 can easily be placed one on top of the other again for meshing engagement.

The above is a description of a preferred embodiment in which the metering device is lifted out of the device from above. However, it is also possible to design the metering device in such a manner that it can be removed from the device in another way in order to be cleaned, for example by sliding the conveyor belt out of the device using a lateral movement. However, this usually requires the detachment and removal of more components, such as the guard cover 6 of the supply device 5.

Claims

1. Device for packaging eggs on a support comprising protuberances for accommodating the eggs, which device comprises a metering device for storing and metering eggs supplied thereto, as well as a packer adjoining the metering device and having packer gates for forming rows of eggs to be placed in the support, characterized in that the metering device comprises a conveying means for the eggs, such as a conveyor belt, which is arranged in the device so as to be removable.

2. Device according to claim 1, in which the metering device can be removed from the device without the use of tools.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, in which the metering device can be removed from the device from the top.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the metering device has a bearing point at one end and a tilting point at another end, in such a manner that the metering device, when it is removed from the device, can be lifted at one end from the bearing point and can tilt relative to the tilting point in order subsequently to be lifted out of the device in its entirety.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the device comprises a motor and a transmission for driving the conveying means for the eggs, which transmission comprises two meshing gear wheels situated one on top of the other, the lower gear wheel being connected to the motor and the upper gear wheel being connected to the conveying means .

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which a removable profiled transition section is arranged between the metering device and the packer.

7. Method for cleaning a device for packaging eggs, which device comprises a metering device, in particular provided with a conveyor belt, for storing and metering eggs supplied thereto, as well as a packer adjoining the metering device and having packer gates for forming rows of eggs to be placed in the support, characterized in that the metering device is removed from the device in order to be cleaned, preferably using water under high pressure.

8. Method according to claim 7, comprising the following steps:

- partitions forming the packer gates are folded up,

- a profiled transition section which is between the metering device and the packer is removed,

- a conveyor belt of the metering device is lifted up at one end so that the conveyor belt is tilted,

- the other end of the conveyor belt is moved in the direction of the packer over an associated bearing surface until the corresponding end comes to lie free to such a degree that it can be lifted from the device without obstruction, - the conveyor belt is removed from the device and taken to a cleaning location, the conveyor belt is cleaned, preferably using a high- pressure cleaner or the like, and

- the conveyor belt is replaced in the device by performing the abovementioned steps in reverse order.