WO2017145113A1

WO2017145113A1 - Prongs for handling food

Info

Publication number: WO2017145113A1
Application number: PCT/IB2017/051089
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lionel MARRIE
Original assignee: Jensen Industrial Limited
Priority date: 2016-02-26
Filing date: 2017-02-24
Publication date: 2017-08-31
Also published as: FR3048169A1

Abstract

Disclosed are prongs (1) comprising two pivoting arms (2). Each arm (2) has a base portion (2a) that is to be held by a user when the prongs (1) are used, and a free end portion (2b) that is to handle an object (100) jointly with the free end portion (2b) of the other arm (2). According to the invention: - each base portion (2a) is formed by a part that is separate from the associated free end portion (2b); - each free end portion (2b) is connected to the associated base portion (2a) exclusively by an electronic weighing sub-assembly (7) that is electrically connected to a processing unit (8); - the processing unit (8) includes a microcontroller that converts the electric currents transmitted by the weighing sub-assemblies (7) into weight values and adds the obtained values up to obtain a single weight value.

Description

PLIERS FOR FOOD ENTRY

The present invention relates to a gripper for gripping food.

It is well known to use a gripper to grasp food, whether it is to enter food in a hygienic manner, for example to place them on a plate during training, or it s It involves handling food, for example to turn over a piece of meat being cooked.

Such an existing clamp is simply formed by two branches connected to one another by one of their ends, pivotally, the branches thus being movable relative to each other between a mutual spacing position, in which these branches are able to be engaged around an object to be grasped, and a position of mutual reconciliation, in which these branches make it possible to grasp the object between them. A spring is arranged between the branches so as to maintain these branches in said mutual spacing position in the absence of manual gripping tending to bring the branches into said mutual approach position.

These existing clamps have the disadvantage of having uses limited to the simple seizure of an object. These clamps are otherwise commonplace and not very attractive to a consumer.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages by providing a gripper for the gripping of foods suitable for wider use, including additional functions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gripper having, in addition to its utility utility, an appeal of novelty for a consumer.

The clamp concerned comprises, in a manner known per se, two branches connected to one another by one of their ends, pivotally, the branches thus being movable relative to each other between a position of mutual spacing, in which these branches are able to be engaged around an object to be grasped, and a position of mutual reconciliation, in which these branches make it possible to grasp the object between them; each branch has a base portion, intended to be held by a user during the use of the clamp, and a free end portion intended, with the free end portion of the other branch, to grip said object.

According to the invention,

- Each base portion is formed by a separate part of the corresponding free end portion; - Each free end portion is connected to the corresponding base portion only by an electronic weighing subassembly, electrically connected to a processing unit; the electronic weighing subassembly comprises an elongated body, which is deformable in a first direction perpendicular to the length of the body and which is non-deformable in a second direction perpendicular to the length of the body, this second direction being perpendicular at said first direction; the electronic weighing subassembly also comprises, on each of the faces of the body which are perpendicular to said first direction, strain gauges capable of measuring a compression or a local stretching of the body; the electronic weighing subassembly is connected to the free end portion and to the base portion of the corresponding branch so that said first direction is parallel to the axis of pivoting of the branches and that said second direction is perpendicular to this pivot axis; and

the processing unit includes a microcontroller converting the electric currents transmitted by the weighing subsystems into weight values and adding the values obtained to a single weight value.

The compression and the local stretching of said body modify the electrical resistance of the strain gauges and therefore the characteristics of the electric current transmitted by the weighing subsystems to the processing unit, in particular the voltage of this current. This processing unit converts the electrical currents transmitted by the weighing subassemblies into weight values, and adds the values obtained from the two subassemblies at the moment of lifting an object seized to a single weight value. This value is transmitted to a display screen that can include the clamp, electrically connected to the processing unit, and is displayed on this screen. Alternatively, or cumulatively, the processing unit may include a wireless transmitter, which transmits the weight values to a portable electronic device, in particular a mobile phone, on which a display application of the obtained weight values is loaded.

Thus, with the gripper according to the invention, the gripping of an object between the free end portions of the clamp causes, when this object is lifted by means of the clamp, a slight deformation of the bodies of the weighing subassemblies. , which makes it possible to weigh the seized object.

Thanks to the non deformability of the bodies of the weighing subassemblies along said second direction, the two free end portions are not substantially movable apart from one another when an object is grasped between them; the structure of the clamp according to the invention therefore does not substantially reduce the ability of the gripper to grasp an object.

According to one embodiment of the invention, each electronic weighing subassembly comprises four strain gauges, divided into two pairs located at end portions of said body, and which are arranged to form a Wheatstone bridge. Each electronic weighing subassembly may especially be that marketed under the reference GPB140C by Xi'an Gavin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. No. 1302, Block C, Fengye Building, Gaoxin Road, Gaoxin District, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR, China.

Preferably, the clamp comprises a temperature sensor located on at least one of said free end portions of the branches, emitting an electric current whose characteristics vary as a function of the detected temperature, this sensor being connected to a unit for processing this current. identical to that mentioned above; this processing unit is in particular the same as that mentioned above.

This temperature sensor comes into contact with, or close to, the object seized and thus makes it possible to detect the temperature of this object. The processing unit includes a microcontroller converting the current (s) emitted by the temperature sensor (s) into temperature values; in the case of a plurality of sensors, the processing unit averages the values obtained in order to obtain a single temperature value; in the same way as above, the temperature value obtained is displayed on the display screen that includes the clamp, or the processing unit includes a wireless transmitter, which transmits this value to a portable electronic device, in particular a mobile phone, on which is loaded a display application of the temperature value obtained.

The temperature sensor is preferably of the thermistor type. It may especially be that marketed under the reference CIG-503F395F by SAM KYUNG CERAMICS CO. , LTD, Room 2-225, Dongil Techno Town, 889, Gwanyang 2-Dong, Dongan-Gu, South Korea.

The clamp, when it includes said display screen, may include several control buttons, particularly located near this display screen, in particular:

an ON / OFF button for turning on the electrical system and the display screen, and / or

a button Kg / Lbs to display the mass in grams or pounds, and / or - a C / F button to display the temperature in degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

the body of each electronic weighing subsystem is integral with a rigid plate connected to one of the longitudinal ends of this body and extending beyond this end, in the longitudinal direction of the body;

- The base portion of the corresponding branch comprises a tip of an elastically deformable material, such as an elastomer, fixed at its end, this end being traversed by said wafer; and

the wafer is connected to the free end portion of the branch.

This tip thus makes it possible to seal the end of the base portion in a watertight manner, in order to protect the weighing subassembly from the rinsing / cleaning water of the clamp, without however preventing an movement of the wafer in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the two branches extend, under the effect of the weight of the seized object, and thus without hindering the weighing of this object.

The invention will be better understood, and other features and advantages thereof will become apparent, with reference to the accompanying drawing, showing, by way of non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment of the clamp it relates.

Figure 1 is a view of this clamp in perspective, in the open position of two branches that includes the clamp;

Figure 2 is a view of the top clip;

Figure 3 is a side view;

Figure 4 is a view of the clamp similar to Figure 1, with the two branches which constitute the forceps fictitiously represented as being partially transparent, so as to reveal the details of components located inside the clamp;

FIG. 4A is a view of a detail of the clamp, on an enlarged scale, such that this clamp is represented in FIG. 4, and

Figure 5 is a view of the clamp similar to Figure 1, while this clamp captures a tomato.

The figures represent a gripper 1 for gripping food, for example a tomato 100 in the example shown in FIG.

The clamp 1 comprises two branches 2 connected to one another by one of their ends, pivotally, by means of an axis 3. The branches 2 are thus movable relative to each other between the mutual spacing position shown, in which these branches are able to be engaged around an object to be grasped, and a position of mutual approximation, in which these branches make it possible to grasp the object between them. A spring (not shown for the sake of clarity of the drawing) is arranged between the branches 2 so as to maintain these branches in said mutual spacing position in the absence of a manual gripping tending to bring the branches 2 into said position of mutual rapprochement. This spring may in particular be a pin spring engaged around the axis 3.

As shown in the figures, each branch has a base portion 2a and a free end portion 2b. The base portions 2a are intended to be held by the hand of a user when using the clamp 1; the free end portions 2b are intended to grasp the object to be grasped between them.

With reference more particularly to FIGS. 4 and 4A, it appears that each free end portion 2b is connected to a wafer 5 by means of an assembly pad 6, this wafer 5 being connected to one end of a elongate subassembly 7, itself attached to the corresponding base portion 2a. This elongated subassembly is an electronic weighing subassembly 7, connected by electrical wires (not shown for the sake of clarity) to a processing unit 8 and to a display 9 that comprises one of the branches 2.

The plate 5 is rigid and is in particular of a metallic material, so that a force transmitted to it by the free end portion 2b when this free end portion supports the grasped object, is transmitted to the body 1 1 of the Electronic weighing subassembly 7. The plate 5 passes through a duct formed in a nozzle 12 in an elastically deformable material, such as an elastomer, fixed to the end of the base portion 2a. This tip 12 makes it possible to seal the end of the base portion 2a in a watertight manner, in order to protect the electronic weighing subassembly 7 from the rinsing / cleaning water of the clamp 1, without however to hinder a movement of the wafer 5 in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the two branches 2 extend, under the effect of the weight of the grasped object.

As is particularly shown in FIG. 4A, the body 11 is in the form of a parallelepipedal bar and is pierced transversely of a duct 13. This duct 13 confers on this body 11 a longitudinal flexibility in a first direction, perpendicular to the length of the body 1 1 and perpendicular to the axis of the leads 13; the body 1 1 is against non-deformable in a second direction, perpendicular to the length of the body and parallel to the axis of the conduit 13.

The body 1 1 comprises four strain gauges 15 distributed in two pairs located at end portions of the body January 1 and located, for two of them, on the face of the body 1 1 on which is fixed the plate 5 , therefore on the upper face of the body 1 1 as shown in Figures 4 and 4A, and for the other two of them, on the face of the body 1 1 opposite to this face, so on the lower face of the body 1 1 as shown in Figures 4 and 4A. These strain gages 15 are arranged to form a Wheatstone bridge.

Each electronic weighing subassembly 7 may especially be that marketed under the reference GPB140C by Xi'an Gavin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. No. 1302, Block C, Fengye Building, Gaoxin Road, Gaoxin District, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR, China.

The processing unit 8 includes a microcontroller converting the electric currents transmitted to it by the weighing subsystems 7 into weight values, and which adds up the values obtained from these subsets at the moment of the lifting of the an object entered. The value resulting from this addition is transmitted to the display screen 9 and is displayed on the latter. The processing unit 8 may also include a wireless transmitter, which transmits the summed value to a portable electronic device, in particular a mobile phone, on which a display application of the obtained weight value is loaded.

The display is of the liquid crystal type and is associated with three control buttons 16 located close to it, namely:

- an ON / OFF button for turning on the electrical system and the display screen,

a button Kg / Lbs to display the mass in grams or pounds, and

- a C / F button to display the temperature in degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit.

Referring still to FIG. 4, it appears that each free end portion 2b comprises a temperature sensor 20 close to its free end, also electrically connected to the unit 8 and to the screen 9. These sensors 20 are thermistor type, especially those sold under the reference CIG-503F395F by SAM KYUNG CERAMICS CO. , LTD, Room 2-225, Dongil Techno Town, 889, Gwanyang 2-Dong, Dongan-Gu, South Korea. They emit electric currents whose characteristics vary according to the detected temperature, which are treated by the unit 8 so as to be converted into averaged temperature values, displayed on the screen 9 or transmitted to a portable electronic device, as previously described.

Thus, with the gripper 1, the gripping of an object 100 between the free end portions 2b causes, when this object is lifted by means of the clamp, a slight deformation of the bodies 1 1 of the weighing subsystems 7; the variation of the electrical resistance of the strain gauges resulting from the compression or localized stretching of these bodies makes it possible, by means of the unit 8 for processing the transmitted electric currents, to establish weighing values of the object seized at means of this clamp 1.

Due to the non deformability of the bodies 1 1 in the direction transverse to the length of the branches 2, the two free end portions 2b are not substantially movable apart from each other when said object is grasped between them; the structure of the clamp according to the invention therefore does not reduce the ability of the clamp 1 to grasp an object.

Simultaneously with the weighing, the clamp 1 makes it possible, by means of the sensors 20, to detect the temperature of the grasped object. The averaged value of this temperature, established by the unit 8, is also displayed on the screen 9, with switching between the weight value and the temperature value, controlled by means of the corresponding buttons 16.

The invention thus provides a gripper 1 for gripping food, having, compared to prior art homologous forceps, the decisive advantages of having wider uses, including additional functions, and of having, in addition to its utilitarian interest, an attraction of novelty for a consumer.

This clip has been described above with reference to figures showing a preferred embodiment of this clip, by way of example; it goes without saying that it is not limited to this embodiment and that only the appended claims define the protection conferred.

Claims

1. Gripper (1) for gripping food, comprising two branches (2) connected to one another by one of their ends, pivotally, the legs (2) being thus movable relative to one another at the other between a mutual spacing position, in which these branches (2) are able to be engaged around an object (100) to be grasped, and a position of mutual approximation, in which these branches (2) allow to enter the object (100) between them; each branch (2) has a base portion (2a), intended to be held by a user during the use of the clamp (1), and a free end portion (2b) intended for use with the portion of free end (2b) of the other branch (2), to grasp said object (100);

characterized in that

- Each base portion (2a) is formed by a separate part of the corresponding free end portion (2b);

- Each free end portion (2b) is connected to the corresponding base portion (2a) only by an electronic weighing subassembly (7), electrically connected to a processing unit (8); the electronic weighing subassembly (7) comprises a body (1 1) of elongate shape, which is deformable in a first direction perpendicular to the length of this body (1 1) and which is non-deformable in a second direction perpendicular to the length of this body (1 1), this second direction being perpendicular to said first direction; the electronic weighing subassembly (7) also comprises, on each of the faces of the body (1 1) which are perpendicular to said first direction, strain gauges (15) able to measure a compression or a local stretching of the body ( 1 1); the electronic weighing subassembly (7) is connected to the free end portion (2b) and to the base portion (2a) of the corresponding branch (2) so that said first direction is parallel to the pivot axis of the branches (2) and that said second direction is perpendicular to this pivot axis; and

the processing unit (8) includes a microcontroller converting the electric currents transmitted by the weighing subsystems (7) into weight values and adding the values obtained to a single weight value.

2. Clip (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a display screen (9), electrically connected to the processing unit (8).

3. Clip (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the processing unit (8) includes a wireless transmitter, which transmits the weight values established by it to a portable electronic device, in particular a mobile phone, on which is loaded a display application of these weight values.

4. Gripper (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each electronic weighing subassembly (7) comprises four strain gauges (15), divided into two pairs located at portions of portions. ends of said body (1 1), and which are arranged to form a Wheatstone bridge.

5. Pliers (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a temperature sensor (20) located on at least one of said free end portions (2b) of the branches (2), emitting an electric current which the characteristics vary according to the detected temperature, this sensor (20) being connected to a processing unit (8) of this current, identical to that mentioned above; this processing unit (8) is in particular the same as that mentioned above.

6. Clip (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the temperature sensor (20) is of the thermistor type.

7. Gripper (1) according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that it includes a plurality of control buttons (16), in particular located near the display screen (9), in particular:

an ON / OFF button for turning on the electrical system and the display screen (9), and / or

a button Kg / Lbs to display the mass in grams or pounds, and / or

Gripper (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that:

the body (1 1) of each electronic weighing subassembly (7) is integral with a rigid plate (5) connected to one of the longitudinal ends of this body and extending beyond this end, in the longitudinal direction of the body (1 1);

- The base portion (2a) of the corresponding branch (2) comprises a tip (12) of an elastically deformable material, such as an elastomer, fixed at its end, this endpiece (12) being traversed by said plate (5). ); and

- The wafer (5) is connected to the free end portion (2b) of the branch (2).