Egg breaking apparatus and method for increasing the productivity of an egg breaking process

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the yield of an egg breaking process and to an egg breaking device for breaking eggs having a shell and a content comprising yolk and egg white, the egg breaking device comprising a plurality of egg breaking devices, each of which is suitable for holding, breaking and opening a single egg at a time, and the egg breaking device comprising an egg white collecting unit for collecting egg white remaining on the shell and / or the egg breaking devices after the egg content has been discharged under the influence of gravity. The egg white collecting unit comprises at least one collecting member having at least one opening suitable for allowing the passage of a fluid and at least one cover member suitable for covering the opening(s) in the collecting member(s). The collecting member(s) and / or the cover member(s) are movable between a first mutual position in which the cover member(s) covers the opening(s) and a second mutual position in which the opening(s) are not covered.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an egg breaking device for breaking eggs having a shell and a content comprising an egg yolk and an egg white, the egg breaking device comprising: a plurality of egg breaking devices, each of which is adapted to hold, break and open a single egg at a time, wherein the egg breaking devices are adapted to move along a travel direction during breaking and opening the eggs, and wherein the egg breaking devices are arranged in a plurality of columns and rows, each column extending substantially perpendicular to the travel direction, the plurality of rows extending in the travel direction of the egg breaking devices; at least one breaking activator, the at least one breaking activator being adapted to activate each egg breaking device to break and open the egg formed by the egg breaking device; The egg breaking device holds eggs; at least one egg content receiving device for receiving the contents of the eggs broken and opened by these egg breaking devices, said contents being discharged from the shells under the influence of gravity; and an egg white collecting unit for collecting the egg white remaining on the shells and / or the egg breaking devices after the egg contents have been discharged under the influence of gravity, said egg white collecting unit comprising at least one collecting member having at least one opening adapted to allow the passage of a fluid, said opening(s) being arranged in the outer surface of the collecting member(s). Such egg breaking devices are usually provided with a plurality of egg content receiving devices, each adapted to receive the contents of one egg at a time, said egg content receiving devices possibly being able to separate the yolk of the egg from the egg white. However, the device can also be designed for the production of whole egg products and have only one or a few common egg content receiving devices, such as trays or containers, arranged at the bottom of the device. The present invention relates to all such devices, regardless of the number of egg content receiving devices.

[0002] The invention further relates to a method for increasing the yield of an egg breaking process.

[0003] Such a method and such an apparatus are known from US 5,628,246 and have proven to work very well when used to collect a high percentage of egg content. However, according to the relatively strict regulations currently applied, for example, in the United States, the resulting egg white product cannot be approved for human consumption. Since the process also consumes a lot of energy, it is rarely profitable.

[0004] It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for collecting egg white remaining on the shell and / or on the egg breaking device, and a second object of the present invention to provide a method which allows the collection of egg white remaining on the shell and / or on the egg breaking device after the contents have been discharged under the influence of gravity in a more efficient manner, and which method will preferably also allow egg white products to be approved for human consumption in a wider range of jurisdictions.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the invention, the first object is achieved by an egg breaking device, wherein the egg white collecting unit further comprises at least one cover member adapted to cover (multiple) openings in the (multiple) collecting members, and wherein the (multiple) collecting members and / or the (multiple) cover members are movable between a first relative position and a second relative position, in which the (multiple) cover members cover the (multiple) openings and in which the (multiple) openings are not covered.

[0006] The term "fluid" is used as a general term and includes both liquids and gases, including ambient air and other mixtures. It is currently considered advantageous to use ambient air and establish an inward flow into the collection member(s) through the opening(s) by applying a negative pressure to the interior of the collection member(s). Other examples include the use of purified gas or sterile water, which is advantageously ejected from the opening(s) in the collection member(s) so that it acts as an air knife or water jet cutter.

[0007] In the present context, the term "covering" does not necessarily mean that the opening(s) are completely closed, it is sufficient that the cover member(s) are positioned relative to the collecting member(s) in such a way that the fluid flow through at least one opening in at least one collecting member is partially interrupted when compared to the second relative position. Similarly, the term "not covered" should not be understood as implying that no part of the cover member(s) can overlap with the opening(s), but only that a larger part of the opening(s) is available for use as a fluid channel compared to the first relative position and that this available opening area is sufficient to achieve the required fluid flow rate. In fact, having the cover member(s) cover part of the opening(s) even when in the second relative position can be used to adjust the fluid flow in response to different production requirements.

[0008] Further or additional regulation of the fluid flow through the opening(s) can be achieved by providing a fluid regulator adapted to regulate the amount of fluid supplied to / extracted from the collecting member. The fluid regulator can be, for example, a valve regulating the amount of air blown into or sucked from the collecting member, or a frequency converter on the pump.

[0009] For simplicity, reference will be made hereinafter to "collecting members" and "cover members", but devices having several collecting members and / or more than one cover member associated with the / each collecting member are also within the scope of the invention. It will therefore be understood that, unless otherwise stated, reference to a "collecting member" or "cover member" does not exclude the presence of more than one such member, and similar considerations apply to openings, wherein reference to an "opening" does not exclude the presence of a group or series of openings.

[0010] The movement between the first mutual position and the second mutual position can be achieved by moving the collection member relative to the cover member or by moving the cover member relative to the collection member, or by moving both the collection member and the cover member relative to each other synchronously, overlapping in time or one after another. In order to achieve this movement, the (multiple) collection member can be adapted to rotate, swing or shift relative to the (multiple) cover member, and / or the (multiple) cover member can be adapted to rotate, swing or shift relative to the (multiple) collection member. Although in the description of some embodiments below, the mutual movement of the collection member and the cover member relative to each other will be referred to as forward and backward movement, it should be understood that the relative movement can be a unidirectional rotational movement. For example, the cover member can rotate around the collection member in only one direction so that each time a complete rotation is completed, the cover member is brought into the second position. In another example, by arranging the opening on two opposite sides of the cover member, a half-turn rotation places the collection member and the cover member in the second relative position. The rotation can be continuous and timed with the operating speed of the rest of the device, or intermittent.

[0011] If the cover member and the collecting member move relatively close to each other during the mutual movement, and if the cover member is appropriately implemented, the cover member can be used to remove residues from the surface of the collecting member during the movement. In particular, it can be envisaged that the inner surface of the cover member facing the collecting member is essentially level with the outer surface of the collecting member and essentially completely covers the opening when in the first position, so that the cover member can scrape egg white and other residues, such as yolk chordae and shell fragments, from the outer surface of the collecting member. For this purpose, the cover member can be made with an edge of rigid material, which edge passes closely over the outer surface of the collecting member during the movement of the cover member from the second position and returning towards the first position. In another embodiment, the cover member is provided with an edge of softer material, which edge is in direct contact with the surface of the collecting member and thereby wipes off residual egg white or the like.

[0012] However, the cover member(s) may also be arranged on the inner side of the collecting member such that the outer surface of the cover member is adjacent to the inner surface of the collecting member. This may provide good protection for the cover member and any movable parts associated with the cover member.

[0013] In a particular embodiment of the invention, the collecting member is a tube having a generally circular cross-sectional shape, the tube being mounted so that it can rotate about its length axis, and the cover member is a stationary plate which is curved so that it follows the shape of the inner surface of the collecting member. When the collecting member rotates, the opening moves over the cover member. If the collecting member and the cover member are properly adjusted relative to each other, any egg white and other residues present on the surface of the cover member can be scraped off as described above.

[0014] Removing the egg white during the mutual movement will not only increase the yield of the process, but will also help prevent unintentional blockage of the opening(s) by egg white residues, vitelline chordae and shell debris.

[0015] The mutual movement of the cover member and the collecting member between the two positions can also be used to mechanically cut the yolk ties or albumen strings that are still connected to the egg shell halves or the egg breaking device.

[0016] In order to support the scraping and / or cutting effect of the cover member described above, it may be advantageous to use two cover members which are moved towards each other to cut the yolk lace or egg white string like a pair of scissors.

[0017] The scraped or cut egg white can fall onto the collecting tray below, especially when the cover member is located outside, or be sucked into the opening in the collecting member once the egg white collecting unit returns to the second mutual position in which the opening is uncovered.

[0018] During testing it has been found that the size and location of the openings and their total surface area are important to both the energy consumption of the apparatus and the quality of the egg white product produced.

[0019] In particular, it has been found to be advantageous to use a series of openings extending substantially perpendicularly to the direction of travel of the egg breaking devices, and wherein each opening in the series is preferably arranged below the row of egg breaking devices. This allows the amount of fluid used to collect the egg white to be kept to a minimum, since the fluid is only applied locally where it is most needed. If liquid is used, this means that the amount of liquid that may end up in the egg white product is kept to a minimum. If ambient air is used, the energy consumption will be relatively low and foam formation may be reduced.

[0020] The number of openings in the series will typically correspond to one, two or three times the number of egg breaking devices in each column. If two openings are used per row, these openings can be arranged under each half shell of the broken egg or consecutively to each other in the direction of travel of the egg breaking devices. It is of course also possible to use two separate egg white collecting units arranged one after the other in the direction of travel of the egg breaking devices, which will provide additional possibilities for recovering the egg white and allow the process to continue even if one collecting unit is defective.

[0021] Embodiments in which each row of egg breaking devices has a separate collecting member are also within the scope of the invention and will allow easy replacement in case the opening is unintentionally blocked. The same applies to embodiments in which each row of egg breaking devices has a separate cover member and combinations of these embodiments. However, when using negative pressure in the collecting member(s), it is currently considered advantageous to use a collecting member extending under several rows of egg breaking devices, preferably under at least half of these rows of egg breaking devices. With such an embodiment, the interior of the collecting member can advantageously be embodied as a channel adapted to guide the egg white sucked through the opening to the egg white receiving device.

[0022] In one embodiment, the collecting member(s) are connected to a vacuum source in such a way that ambient air and possibly egg white can be sucked in through the openings. Under the influence of the vacuum, egg white that breaks away from the egg shell halves and / or the egg breaking device can be drained along the outside of the collecting member and collected in a separate egg white receiving device, allowed to drip directly into the receiving device, or drawn through the openings and past the collecting member to the receiving device.

[0023] In this embodiment, the provision of separate openings below the respective rows of egg breaking devices means that the amount of air sucked into the collecting member is kept to a minimum, which has been shown to have a number of advantages. Firstly, a much smaller vacuum pump can be used than in the prior art device known from US 5,628,246, thereby reducing the size of the entire device. Secondly, the energy consumed by the vacuum pump is reduced, and the same may apply to the noise generated by the pump. Thirdly, but perhaps most importantly, less air is mixed into the egg white product collected in the collecting member, resulting in a product with less foam. Less foam means that the product is more transparent and the presence of blood or other impurities is easier to detect, reducing the egg white denaturation associated with foam formation, and reducing the need for subsequent foam separation or sedimentation.

[0024] In another embodiment, fluid (such as ambient air or sterile water) is ejected from openings, which thus serve as nozzles for the fluid cutters. Such nozzle openings may be adapted to provide a stationary jet, a moving jet or an intermittent jet of fluid, and the jet may be linear, conical, fan-shaped or have any other shape as desired. If only a single opening is used, the fluid cutter will have to extend across the width of the collection member parallel to the row of egg breaking devices, or even across the entire width of the device.

[0025] Under the influence of the fluid from the fluid cutter, egg white cut away from the egg shell halves and / or the egg breaking device can be drained along the outside of the collecting member and collected in a separate egg white receiving device, or allowed to drip directly into the receiving device.

[0026] A tube or pipe for supplying fluid to the nozzle opening of the fluid cutter may be provided within or connected to the collecting member.

[0027] Using gas rather than liquid in a fluid cutter has the advantage that the risk of the fluid mixing with the egg white is relatively low, but care should be taken to avoid increased foam formation.

[0028] The size and shape of the opening(s) will depend on whether they are used as fluid cutter nozzles or vacuum nozzles, as also explained above. Where vacuum is used, it is presently considered advantageous that, when the apparatus is used to process eggs, for each egg breaking device in each column, the total surface area of ​​the opening(s) at level with the outer surface of the collecting member is 20 mm 2 Up to 100mm 2 Preferably, the total surface area for each egg breaking device in each column is 30 mm 2 Up to 60mm 2 , and still more preferably, the total surface area for each egg breaking device in each column is about 40 mm 2 With this dimensioning, a balance can be achieved in which both foam formation and the risk of unintentional blockage of the opening are kept to a minimum.

[0029] As explained above, a separate opening may be provided at each row of egg breaking devices, and providing such openings includes providing the openings in groups such that each egg breaking device passes through a plurality of openings. For example, two openings may be arranged consecutively to each other such that egg white not collected at a first opening may be collected at a second opening, wherein the type of fluid, the fluid flow rate and / or the fluid flow direction at the second opening is different from the type of fluid, the fluid flow rate and / or the fluid flow direction at the first opening. It is also possible to arrange an opening below each eggshell half (obtained by the opening of the egg), and if these two embodiments are combined, the openings may be arranged in a two-by-two configuration, wherein all four openings contribute to collecting egg white from the same egg.

[0030] According to a second aspect of the invention, the second object is achieved by a method, wherein at least one cover member covers at least partially spaced apart (multiple) openings in (multiple) collecting members by moving (multiple) collecting members and / or (multiple) cover members back and forth between a first relative position and a second relative position, wherein in the first relative position the (multiple) cover members cover the (multiple) openings and in the second relative position the (multiple) openings are not covered.

[0031] This mutual movement of the collecting member and the cover member can be performed each time the egg breaking device passes the opening. In this way, when an egg has passed, the fluid passage is closed, and when a new egg is above the opening, the fluid passage is reopened so that the fluid passes through the opening only when there is a possibility of collecting egg white.

[0032] Leaving the opening uncovered only when at least one opened egg is located above the collecting member may reduce the amount of energy required to drive the egg white collecting unit and thus make the entire process more efficient.

[0033] Another advantage of leaving the opening uncovered only when the broken egg is located above the collecting member may be to reduce the dynamic loads affecting the collected egg white, which in turn may reduce foam formation. Reduced foam formation facilitates inspection of the egg white and subsequent egg white processing as described above.

[0034] Yet another advantage of regularly covering the openings and leaving the openings uncovered is the scraping effect which can remove egg white residues, yolk chordae, shell fragments and other residues from the collecting member as described above.

[0035] However, as modern egg breaking equipment operates at very high speeds, it is presently preferred that the cover member(s) not be moved back and forth between the first and second positions each time an egg breaking device or array of egg breaking devices passes the collecting member(s), but that the length of the interval between bringing the cover member(s) into the first position is determined by the need to keep the collecting member(s) sufficiently clean. The specific length of the interval may depend on a number of factors, such as the age of the eggs, the quality of the eggs, and / or standards set by local food and health authorities, but it is presently contemplated that the interval is in the range of 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Preferably, the length of the interval can be adjusted by the operator of the equipment to meet changes in production speed or the characteristics of the eggs being processed.

[0036] Alternatively, the movement may be performed each time a certain number of eggs have passed, taking advantage of the possibility of the cover member to clean any remaining egg white and other residues from the collecting member.

[0037] The opening can also be closed when production stops.

[0038] When there are a plurality of separate cover members and / or collecting members, it is generally preferred to activate the egg breaking devices in a row simultaneously when they pass over these cover members and / or collecting members, but they can also be controlled individually. In this case, the openings can be left uncovered only when the egg breaking device over the opening actually holds an egg and / or if the quality of the egg has previously been approved, as will be described in detail below.

[0039] As described above with reference to the first aspect of the invention, the relative movement of the cover member and the collecting member can be achieved by rotating, swinging or shifting the (multiple) collecting members and / or the (multiple) cover members relative to each other, and in one embodiment, when in the first relative position, the (multiple) cover members are parallel to the outer surface of the collecting member and substantially completely cover the (multiple) openings so that the passage of the fluid through the (multiple) openings is substantially blocked.

[0040] Further details about the properties of the cover member and the collecting member described above with reference to the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention also apply to the method according to the second aspect of the invention. Likewise, the use of the apparatus described with reference to the method according to the second aspect of the invention and the apparatus features associated therewith will also apply to the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0041] In particular, it is envisaged that the vacuum source is used to provide a negative pressure in the collecting member such that ambient air and possibly egg white are drawn in through the opening at least when the collecting member(s) and the cover member(s) are in their second relative position, the negative pressure possibly being regulated by a fluid regulator providing an alternating negative pressure.

[0042] When using a vacuum source and processing eggs, experiments have shown that a high yield and high quality egg white product can be achieved if the negative pressure in the collecting member causes an air velocity of 6 to 10 m / s at a distance of 10 mm above the opening / each opening.

[0043] The egg white product obtained by the method according to the invention will include less foam and is therefore very suitable for being inspected automatically or by an inspector to allow the removal of yolk and / or egg white that is unsuitable for human consumption. This improved inspection can itself produce a product that can be approved for human consumption in a wider range of jurisdictions.

[0044] The egg white collected by the egg white collecting unit may be considered as a separate product of the egg breaking process or, depending on local requirements, may be mixed with egg white products recovered under the influence of gravity and collected in the egg content receiving device(s).

[0045] In one embodiment, a respective egg content receiving device is associated with each egg breaking device, but it is also possible to use a common egg content receiving device which receives egg contents from a plurality of egg breaking devices (possibly even all egg breaking devices of the installation).

[0046] Experiments have shown that collecting the egg white remaining on the shell can potentially increase egg white yield by up to 0.5%.

[0047] In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic sketch of a device according to the invention seen from the side,

[0049] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of a portion of the device,

[0050] Figure 3 A first embodiment of an egg white collecting unit and an egg breaking device arranged above the egg white collecting unit is shown.

[0051] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the section marked IV in FIG. 1 and corresponds to FIG. 1 except that a different embodiment is shown. Figure 3 ,

[0052] Figure 5 Shown from another angle Figure 4 In the embodiment,

[0053] Figure 6 is a matrix showing different possible modes of movement of the collecting member and the cover member relative to each other, Figure 7 shows in perspective selected parts of the apparatus according to the invention and an operator, and

[0054] Figure 8 Shown from different angles Figure 7 in the Devices section.

[0055] Figure 1 An egg breaking device 1 with an egg feeding conveyor 5 is shown in FIG. The egg breaking device internally comprises a device mounted by Figure 1 The plurality of egg breaking devices on the first conveyor indicated by the dashed line 31 and mounted on the Figure 1 The plurality of egg content receiving devices on the second conveyor are indicated by the dotted lines 41 in FIG.

[0056] Figure 2 The egg breaking device 3 and the egg content receiving device 4 are shown how to be mounted on a first conveyor 31 and a second conveyor 41, which are both chain conveyors in this embodiment. The first conveyor 31 is adapted to move along a travel direction A, and the second conveyor 41 is adapted to move along a travel direction B.

[0057] Only the section 311 of the chain carrying the egg breaking device 3 is shown, but it should be understood that the chain is an endless chain extending between the two wheel drives 312, 313 and along the guide rails 314, 315. Similarly, the second conveyor is represented by only the section 411 of the chain carrying the egg content receiving device 4, but the chain actually extends between the two wheel drives 412, 413 and along the guide rails 414, 415. It should also be understood that although Figure 2 4, only a few egg content receiving devices 4 are shown, but the egg content receiving devices are evenly distributed along the second conveyor 41, and the egg breaking devices 3 are evenly distributed on the first conveyor 31. Here, rows of egg content receiving devices 4 are shown, each row having three devices extending perpendicular to the travel plane of the conveyor, and only a single egg breaking device 3 is shown in each row, but machines of the type shown will typically include a greater number of devices in each row, such as 18 or 24 devices in each row. The number of egg breaking devices 3 in each row will typically be the same as the number of egg content receiving devices 4 in each row.

[0058] Each egg breaking device 3 is adapted to hold, break and open a single egg at a time, and each egg content receiving device 4 is used to receive the contents of the eggs broken and opened by the egg breaking device one at a time. However, it is also possible to omit the individual egg content receiving devices 4 and instead provide one or several common egg content receiving devices (not shown) that receive egg contents from eggs broken by all egg breaking devices 3 or from groups of egg breaking devices. Such a common egg content receiving device may, for example, be a container (not shown) arranged at the bottom of the egg breaking apparatus 1.

[0059] In a manner known to those skilled in the art (e.g. from WO 2007 / 095943), the eggs are transported to the egg breaking device 3 via a conveyor 5 and when the egg breaking device is in Figure 2 When the egg breaking device passes through the breaking activator at the position marked D in the figure, the egg breaking device is activated to break the shell of the egg held by the egg breaking device and open the egg. The contents of the egg (including egg yolk and egg white) are discharged from the shell under the influence of gravity to the egg content receiving device 4 which is now positioned below the egg breaking device.

[0060] Egg breaking devices of the above-mentioned type are well known to the person skilled in the art and therefore the construction and function with respect to the breaking of the eggs and the collection of the contents in the egg contents receiving device will not be described in further detail.

[0061] The device according to the invention further comprises Figure 3 An egg white collecting unit 6 is shown which is adapted to collect egg white remaining on the egg shell 21 of the egg 2 and / or on the egg breaking device 3 after the egg contents have been discharged into the egg contents receiving device 4 under the influence of gravity.

[0062] The egg white collection unit 6 comprises a cylindrical collection member 61 having two openings 62 on its outer surface. The hollow interior 60 of the collection member is connected to a vacuum source (not shown), such as a vacuum pump, which generates a negative pressure in the hollow interior. This requires the suction of ambient air through the openings 62 and further through the hollow interior of the collection member, such as Figure 3 As shown by the arrow U in FIG. 6 , a downward airflow is generated above each opening 62 .

[0063] When the egg breaking device 3 passes the egg white collecting unit 6 in direction A, two strings of egg white and / or yolk ligaments seen hanging from the egg shell 21 and / or attached to the egg breaking device 3 will pass through the two openings 62 in the collecting unit and be affected by the downward air flow. This will result in pulling the strings 22 of egg white and / or yolk ligaments (hereinafter only egg white for ease of explanation), which will help to pull the egg white and / or yolk ligaments away from the egg shell 21 and / or the egg breaking device 3. In this embodiment, the openings 62 are provided with sleeves 621, which will reduce the risk of the strings 22 of egg white and / or yolk ligaments being sucked into the hollow interior 60 of the collecting member 61, and thus most of the strings of egg white and / or yolk ligaments will fall into the egg white receiving device located below the cylindrical collecting member 61, as will be described later.

[0064] The invention has been described above with reference to the use of a vacuum, but it will be appreciated that it is also within the scope of the invention to provide a pressurized fluid and use that fluid to break free of or cut the strings 22 of egg white and / or vitelline ligaments. This can be accomplished by providing an overpressure in the tubular collecting member 61, which may be, for example, a cylindrical member as described above, and making the opening(s) 62 small enough to act as, for example, a flat fan nozzle. The flat fan nozzle provides a flat jet of fluid which, when properly directed, can cut the strings of egg white and / or vitelline ligaments. In Figure 3 The sleeve 621 disposed in the opening 62 may serve as a nozzle insert.

[0065] The pressurized fluid may be a gas (such as ambient air) or a liquid (such as sterile water). It is currently considered advantageous to use ambient air in order to avoid mixing of the egg white product with other substances.

[0066] In this embodiment, the collecting member 61 is provided with two openings 62 below the path followed by each egg breaking device 3, each opening being arranged directly below each of the knife parts 42, which are used to open the egg and remain on the half eggshell 21 during the emptying of the egg. The strings 22 of egg white and / or yolk ligaments are usually one hanging per half eggshell 21 or one hanging per knife part 42, and the opening will be positioned just to be used to disengage each of the strings of egg white and / or yolk ligaments in these strings. However, it is also possible to use only a single opening, which is centered below the egg breaking device. This may require a slightly higher fluid pressure, but since the number of openings can be minimized thereby, and since a higher pressure can help prevent the blocking of the opening, this may be a preferred solution. It is also possible to provide a plurality of openings arranged in succession to each other in the direction of travel A of the egg breaking device 3, so as to increase the variation of collecting the egg white and / or yolk ligaments firmly attached to the eggshell 21 or the egg breaking device 3.

[0067] It should be noted that although the invention is described herein with reference to two separate egg white strings suspended from the egg shell 21 and / or egg breaking device 3, the invention will also work where only a single string is present and where two strings meet below the egg breaking device.

[0068] Figure 4 A second embodiment of the egg white collecting unit 6 is shown. Figure 2 A magnified view of the segment marked IV in FIG. Figure 3 The same reference numerals are used for components having substantially the same function. In this embodiment, a series of openings 62 are provided at the upper side of a cylindrical collecting member 61. Figure 3 The series of openings means that the collecting unit is suitable for collecting egg whites from rows of egg breaking devices 3, each row of egg breaking devices extending in the direction of movement A being associated with a pair of openings. It should be understood that the above reference to Figure 3 The description given also applies to this embodiment, and vice versa, which means that Figure 2 The embodiments in may also be provided with a series of openings.

[0069] The fact that the opening 62 in this embodiment has no sleeve increases the likelihood that the egg white will be drawn into the cylindrical collecting member 61, whereupon the hollow interior 60 is connected to an egg white receiving device, as will be described later.

[0070] exist Figures 4 to 5 In the embodiment of the present invention, each opening 62 is substantially circular and has a diameter of about 5 mm, resulting in a diameter of about 40 mm. 2It has been found that this total opening area per egg is suitable for all embodiments providing negative pressure in the collection member and where the number of openings per egg does not exceed three. It has also been found that for circular openings, an opening diameter of 5 mm provides a good balance between the desire to keep the amount of ambient air sucked in through the opening to a minimum while at the same time keeping the risk of the opening becoming blocked to a minimum. Opening diameters of less than 2 mm are generally not considered appropriate because the risk of blockage is relatively high.

[0071] It is also possible to provide an elongated opening that spans under more than one egg breaking device, but this embodiment is not currently preferred as it would have a relatively large opening area and therefore result in a high fluid volume through the opening.

[0072] When using ambient air and creating negative pressure in the collecting member(s), it is presently preferred to maintain the total surface area of ​​the opening(s) level with the outer surface of the collecting member(s) at 50 mm for each egg breaking device in each column. 2 Below, and at a distance of 10 mm above the opening / each opening, the air velocity is 6 to 10 m / s.

[0073] If the apparatus comprises a large number of rows and a large number of egg breaking devices 3, it may be advantageous to provide two separate egg white collecting units 6, one on each side of the apparatus, so that each egg white collecting unit will only need to collect egg whites from half of the egg breaking devices. This will not only make it easier for inspectors to inspect the egg white product, but will also make it easier to achieve a substantially uniform pressure at all openings of the collecting member.

[0074] Now also refer to Figure 5 The egg white collecting unit 6 further includes a cover member 64 capable of covering the opening 62. The cover member 64 can move from a first position covering the opening 62 to a second position where the opening is not covered as shown by the double arrow C. Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown.

[0075] When the egg breaking device 3 has passed the cylindrical collecting member 61, the cover member 64 can be moved to its first position so that ambient air is not sucked into the collecting member 61 while waiting for the arrival of the next egg breaking device 3. Of course it is inevitable that a small amount of ambient air is sucked into the collecting member together with the egg white, but the movement of the cover member and the size of the opening 62 can be chosen so that the amount of air is kept to a minimum. It is also possible to keep the cover member 64 in the second position as long as the machine is in operation and only bring it into the first position during stops. However, it is presently preferred that the cover member is brought to the first position at regular intervals so that it can clear any residual egg white and other residues on the outside of the collecting member, as will be further described below.

[0076] The optimum size of the opening 62 depends on several factors, such as the type and age of the eggs being processed, which factors affect the viscosity of the egg white, but can be determined experimentally. Slightly oversizing the opening and allowing the cover member to partially cover the opening even when in the second position will allow the effective opening size to be adapted, even during operation of the device.

[0077] The combined effects of vacuum suction and gravity may be sufficient to break the string 22 of egg white and / or yolk ligament, but if this does not occur, the string of egg white and / or yolk ligament may be mechanically cut when the cover member 64 is moved to the first position.

[0078] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the embodiment of the present invention, the inner surface of the cover member 64 facing the collecting member 61 is level with the outer surface of the collecting member. This not only means that the cover member substantially completely covers the opening when in the first closed position. It also means that during the movement between the first position and the second position, the front edge 66 of the cover member moves closely along the outer surface of the collecting member 61 or the sleeve (if any), thereby scraping off any egg white, yolk ligament, shell fragments or other residues from the collecting member. This significantly helps to reduce the risk of the opening being blocked by such substances and thus contributes to a more reliable egg white collecting unit.

[0079] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the cover member 64 has a comb shape with one tooth 69 extending towards / across each of the openings 62 in the egg white collecting member 61 , but it will be appreciated that other embodiments including plate-shaped cover members are possible.

[0080] In general, the mutual movement between the cover member 64 and the collecting member 61 may be achieved by rotating, swinging or displacing the cover member, by rotating, swinging or displacing the collecting member, or by moving both the cover member and the collecting member. Figure 6 Several examples of how this can be implemented with a plate-shaped cover member are shown.

[0081] Features with the same functionality are Figure 6 All examples are given with Figures 1 to 5 The same reference numerals as in the reference numerals in the drawings.

[0082] exist Figure 6 , columns A, B, C and D respectively illustrate embodiments in which the cover member 64 rotates, swings, shifts and remains stationary, and rows E, F, G and H respectively illustrate embodiments in which the collecting member 61 rotates, swings, shifts and remains stationary.

[0083] All embodiments are shown in cross-sectional view and all collecting members 61 have only a single opening 62, but the opening(s) may be implemented differently, as will be explained in detail later. Figure 6 The sketch in the figure is intended only to illustrate the principle of the mutual movement between the cover member 64 and the collecting member 61, and therefore the dimensions of the components shown are not necessarily applicable to the actual device according to the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that Figure 6 The different shapes of the cover member 64 and the collecting member 61 shown in the different embodiments may be combined in other ways as long as the cover member is able to cover the opening(s) 62 in the collecting member.

[0084] In column A, the cover members 64 are all cylindrical and surround the collecting members 61 so that they can rotate about the axis a in one direction or in a forward and backward movement. The collecting members 61 are also all cylindrical, but they are mounted in different ways. In row E, the collecting members 61 are adapted to rotate about the axis a in one direction or in a forward and backward movement, in row F, the collecting members are adapted to swing about the axis a, in row G, the collecting members are adapted to be displaced along the axis a as indicated by the arrow d, and in row H, the collecting members are stationary. Due to the fact that the cover members are cylindrical here, these cover members do not provide reference Figures 1 to 5 The scraping effect described by the front edge 66 of the cover member in FIG. 1 is eliminated, but if the inner surface of the cover member is in close contact with the outer surface of the collecting member, the outer surface of the collecting member will be well protected.

[0085] In columns B, C, and D, the cover members 64 each have Figures 1 to 5 The cross-section of the cylinder in the embodiment is shaped like a plate, so if the distance between the cover member 64 and the collecting member 61 is appropriately selected, these cover members can provide the above-mentioned scraping effect. In these embodiments, the collecting member 61 and the cover member 64 are shown in the second open position, while the embodiment in column A is shown in the first closed position.

[0086] In column B, the cover members 64 are all adapted to swing about axis a. In row E, the collecting member 61 is cylindrical and adapted to rotate about axis b, in row F, the collecting member has a rectangular cross-sectional shape and adapted to swing about axis b, in row G, the collecting member is adapted to be displaced as indicated by arrow d, and in row H, the collecting member is stationary, with a concave upper surface. Making the outer surface that may come into contact with the egg white convex as in row E will allow the egg white to flow out under the influence of gravity and drip into the collecting tray below the collecting unit ( Figures 1 to 6 On the other hand, a concave surface (such as the concave surface in row G) will cause the egg white to flow towards the opening in the collection member 61, which may be advantageous when a vacuum is used.

[0087] In column C, the cover members 64 are all adapted to be displaced as indicated by arrow e. In row E, the collecting members 61 are cylindrical and adapted to rotate about axis b, in row F, the collecting members have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, have a convex top surface and are adapted to swing about axis b, in row G, the collecting members are cylindrical and adapted to be displaced as indicated by arrow d, and in row H, the collecting members are stationary and have a rectangular cross-section.

[0088] In row D, the cover member 64 is stationary and the collecting members 61 are cylindrical. In row E, the collecting members 61 are adapted to rotate about axis b, in row F, they are adapted to oscillate about axis b, and in row G, they are adapted to be displaced as indicated by arrow d.

[0089] The actual movement of the cover member 64 and / or the collecting member 61 can be achieved by attaching one or both ends of the cover member and / or the collecting member to an actuator (not shown). If, for example, it is desired to achieve a rotational movement of the collecting member 61, a pin at the end of the collecting member can be connected to an electric motor that rotates the pin and thus the collecting member. Such a mechanical connection to a motor or similar actuator is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail.

[0090] Now go to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , shows selected parts of the device according to the invention from two different angles. Figures 1 to 6 The same reference numerals are used throughout the entire disclosure and features having the same reference numerals have the same function unless otherwise stated.

[0091] The egg breaking device 3 carrying the egg 2 and the egg content receiving device 4 are shown as Figure 2 Shown are arranged in a row one above the other and below them collecting trays 8 for collecting the strings 22 of egg white and / or yolk lace which have escaped from the egg shell halves or from the egg breaking device but have not landed in the egg content receiving device.

[0092] Here, the egg white collection unit 6 comprises a collection member 61, a fluid connection tube 63 adapted to be connected to a vacuum source, a settling tank 67 and a tank outlet 68. The tank outlet 68 is arranged above the collection tray 8 so that the egg white can flow out onto the collection tray, where it is inspected by an inspector 9 and then discharged to an egg white receiving device (e.g., a storage tank (not shown)) via the tray outlet 81. In some jurisdictions, human inspection is necessary in order for the egg white product to be approved for human consumption, but the tank outlet 68 may also be connected directly to the storage tank.

[0093] exist Figure 7 and Figure 8In the embodiment of the present invention, the fluid connection tube 63 is provided at the top of the settling tank 67 so as to prevent the egg white from being sucked out through the tube and the egg white leaves the settling tank 67 under the influence of gravity through the tank outlet 68. This means that if foam forms on the collected egg white product, the foam will tend to stay in the settling tank until the foam bubbles burst, and the product coming out through the tank outlet 68 will consist mainly of liquid egg white, which can be more easily inspected.

[0094] The invention has been described above with reference to a number of different embodiments, and it should be understood that features described with reference to these embodiments may be combined or replaced in different ways without necessarily departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An egg breaking device for breaking an egg having a shell and contents including an egg yolk and an egg white, the egg breaking device comprising: a plurality of egg breaking devices, each egg breaking device being adapted to hold, break and open a single egg at a time, wherein the egg breaking devices are adapted to move along a direction of travel during breaking and opening of the eggs, and wherein the egg breaking devices are arranged in a plurality of columns and rows, each column extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel, and the plurality of rows extending in the direction of travel of the egg breaking devices, at least one breaking activator adapted to activate each egg breaking device to break and open an egg held by the egg breaking device, at least one egg content receiving device for receiving the contents of eggs broken and opened by these egg breaking devices, said contents being discharged from the shells under the influence of gravity, at least one egg white collecting unit for collecting egg white remaining on the shell and / or the egg breaking device after the egg contents have been discharged under the influence of gravity, said egg white collecting unit comprising at least one collecting member having at least one opening adapted to allow the passage of a fluid, said opening being arranged in an outer surface of said collecting member, Characterized in that the egg white collecting unit further comprises at least one cover member, which is adapted to cover the opening in the collecting member, and the collecting member and / or the cover member can be moved between a first mutual position in which the cover member covers the opening and a second mutual position in which the opening is not covered.

2. The egg breaking device according to claim 1, wherein: The collecting member is adapted to rotate, swing or shift relative to the cover member and / or wherein the cover member is adapted to rotate, swing or shift relative to the collecting member.

3. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When in the first mutual position, the inner surface of the / each cover member facing the / each collecting member is substantially level with the outer surface of the collecting member and substantially completely covers said opening.

4. Egg breaking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a series of openings extending substantially perpendicularly to the direction of travel of the egg breaking means.

5. The egg breaking device according to claim 4, wherein: The number of openings in the series corresponds to one or two times the number of egg breaking devices in each column.

6. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A single collecting member extends beneath the multiple rows of egg breaking devices.

7. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The collecting member is connected to a vacuum source in such a way that ambient air and possibly egg white can be sucked in through the openings.

8. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: For each egg breaking device in each column, the total surface area of ​​the openings at the level of the outer surface of the collecting member is 20 mm 2 Up to 100 mm 2 .

9. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The egg breaking device further comprises a fluid regulator adapted to regulate the amount of fluid supplied to / extracted from the collecting part.

10. An egg breaking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of egg content receiving means, each egg content receiving means being adapted to receive the contents of one egg at a time, or comprising one common egg content receiving means arranged at the bottom of the apparatus.

11. The egg breaking device according to claim 4, wherein: Each opening in the series is arranged below a row of egg breaking devices.

12. The egg breaking device according to claim 6, wherein: The single collecting member extends beneath at least half of the row of egg breaking devices.

13. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: For each egg breaking device in each column, the total surface area of ​​the openings at the level of the outer surface of the collecting member is 30 mm 2 Up to 60mm 2 .

14. The egg breaking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: For each egg breaking device in each column, the total surface area of ​​the openings at the level of the outer surface of the collecting member is 40 mm 2 .

15. A method for increasing the yield of an egg breaking process, wherein: feeding eggs with shells and contents comprising yolk and albumen to a plurality of egg breaking devices, each of which is adapted to hold, break and open a single egg at a time, wherein the egg breaking devices move along a direction of travel during breaking and opening of the eggs, and wherein the egg breaking devices are arranged in a plurality of columns and rows, each column extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel, and the plurality of rows extending in the direction of travel of the egg breaking devices, at least one breaking activator activates the egg breaking devices to break and open the eggs, the contents of the eggs broken and opened by these egg breaking devices are received by at least one egg contents receiving device, said contents being discharged from the shells under the influence of gravity, collecting, by means of an egg white collecting unit, egg white remaining on the shells and / or the egg breaking device after these contents have been drained out under the influence of gravity, by passing a fluid through at least one opening provided in the outer surface of at least one collecting member, so as to separate the strings of egg white from these shells, It is characterized in that At least one cover member covers at least partially spaced openings in the collecting member by moving the collecting member and / or the cover member back and forth between a first relative position in which the cover member covers the opening and a second relative position in which the opening is not covered.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: Each time a row of egg breaking devices passes the collecting member, or at intervals of 30 seconds to 2 minutes, the collecting member and / or the cover member are moved from the first mutual position to the second mutual position and back to the first mutual position.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: The collecting member and / or the cover member are rotated, swung or displaced relative to each other.

18. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: The cover member is used to remove egg white residues, yolk chordae and / or shell fragments from the outer surface of the collecting member during movement between the first mutual position and the second mutual position.

19. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: A vacuum source is used to provide an underpressure in the collecting member such that ambient air and possibly egg white are sucked through the opening at least when the collecting member and the cover member are in their second mutual position.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: At least when the collecting member and the cover member are in their second mutual position, the underpressure in the collecting member causes an air velocity of 6 to 10 m / s at a distance of 10 mm above the / each opening.

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