System for supplying filling to food product

Abstract

The present application discloses a system for feeding a filling to a food product, comprising: at least one conveyor (20) for feeding a series of multiple rows (100) of food products (101) oriented in a direction transverse to an advancing path (K) along the advancing path (K); a dispensing head (40) for dispensing a filling onto or into each row of products of the series of multi-row food products; and a vibration station (60) for subjecting each row of products fed by the conveyor to an oscillating motion in order to unfold the dispensed filling, in which: at least some sections are arranged for receiving products in a free state, in which they rest simply on the conveying surface and are not constrained in any manner in a specific position; the system comprises a receiving unit (80) positioned above the conveyor and arranged for receiving the plurality of rows of products as they are subjected to an oscillating motion through the vibrating station. A method for supplying a filling to a food product is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for supplying a filling to a food product, the system comprising:

[0002] - at least one conveyor for feeding along the advancement path a series of multiple rows of food products oriented in a direction transverse to the advancement path;

[0003] - a dispensing head for dispensing the filling onto or into each row of a series of rows of food products; and

[0004] - a vibration station for subjecting the rows of products fed by said at least one conveyor to an oscillating movement in order to spread the dispensed filling. Background Art

[0005] A system of the type described above can be used, for example, for dispensing fillings onto oven-baked products, such as biscuits. With the system described above, the filling is dispensed onto the biscuit, for example into a cavity created in the biscuit, and then, due to the oscillating motion caused by the vibrating station, the filling is spread out so that it covers the entire cavity.

[0006] In solutions according to the prior art, the conveyor provided for feeding the products through the vibrating station comprises a plurality of supports provided with housings for receiving rows of products and keeping them in a corresponding ordered arrangement when the products are acted upon by the vibrating station.

[0007] However, the above-mentioned solution according to the prior art has the drawback that each time the system is envisaged to start operating on a new type of food product, the previous supports of the conveyor need to be replaced by new supports of appropriate shape. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In this context, the object of the invention is to provide a system of the type mentioned at the outset which improves the known solutions.

[0009] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a more versatile system.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that enables greater throughput.

[0011] One or more of the above objects are achieved by a system according to claim 1 .

[0012] The invention also relates to a method according to claim 11 .

[0013] The claims form an integral part of the teaching provided herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear from the ensuing description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided by way of non-limiting example only, in which:

[0015] - Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a system described herein; and

[0016] - Figure 2 Expressed Figure 1 A top plan view of a portion of the system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In the following description, various specific details are shown to provide a deeper understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments can be obtained without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail so as not to obscure aspects of the embodiments.

[0018] The references used herein are provided for convenience only and do not determine the scope or extent of the embodiments.

[0019] As stated above, the present invention relates to a system for supplying a filling to a food product.

[0020] It should be noted that this solution has been designed specifically for application with oven-baked products (in particular biscuits), but can in any case also be advantageously used with other types of food products, such as confectionery products (e.g. pralines) or filled wafers, ice cream, semi-frozen desserts, products of the pasta industry, products of the dairy industry, etc.

[0021] refer to Figure 1 and 2 The system described herein, generally designated by reference numeral 10 , comprises a conveyor 20 for supplying along an advancement path K a series of multiple rows 100 of food products 101 oriented in a direction transverse to the advancement path K.

[0022] According to an important feature of the system described herein, the conveyor 20 is arranged to receive the products 101 in a free state, wherein the products simply rest on the conveying surface and are not constrained in any way to a specific position.

[0023] In various preferred embodiments similar to the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor 20 comprises, in sequence, a first conveyor belt 21A, a second conveyor belt 21B and a third conveyor belt 21C having respective conveying surfaces 22A, 22B, 22C extending along the advancement path K.

[0024] The conveyor belt 21A is arranged for receiving on its conveying surface 22A rows of products 100 one after another from stations situated upstream.

[0025] The system 10 also includes a dispensing head 40 for dispensing filler onto or into the rows 100 of products 101 located on top of the conveying surface 22A of the conveyor belt 21A.

[0026] In the example shown, product 101 has a cavity 101A that will receive a filling dispensed by dispensing head 40. It should be noted that food products operable with the systems described herein do not necessarily have a cavity for receiving a filling; indeed, they may alternatively have only one surface to be coated with a filling.

[0027] The dispensing head 40 may be of any known type suitable for the purpose.

[0028] Preferably, the filler used is a viscous fluid material, for example characterized by a creamy consistency.

[0029] Downstream of the dispensing head 40 and in the region of the second conveyor belt 21B, the system 10 comprises a vibrating station 60 arranged to subject the rows of products 100 arranged on the conveying surface 22B of the conveyor belt 21B to an oscillating movement in order to spread the filling previously dispensed on the products 101 .

[0030] In this regard, reference Figure 2 , it can be noted how the filling of the products 101 of the row 100(I) that has just passed under the dispensing head 40 is essentially concentrated in the central area of ​​the cavity 101A of the products 101, and, conversely, how the filling of the products 101 of the row 100(II) that has passed the vibration station 60 spreads out and essentially coats the entire cavity 101A.

[0031] Typically, the action imparted by the vibrating station 60 has the function of spreading the filler over the product so that the filler coats a wider surface than it would have immediately after being dispensed by the dispensing head 40 .

[0032] Preferably, the vibrating station 60 is operatively connected to at least a section of the conveying surface 22B of the conveyor belt 21B so as to subject this section itself to an oscillatory movement which in turn will involve the rows of products 100 passing through said section.

[0033] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the vibration station 60 may even extend over the entire conveying surface 22B of the second conveyor belt 21B, in which case the vibrations generated by the vibration station 60 propagate to both opposite ends of the surface.

[0034] The vibration station 60 itself may also be of a known type suitable for the purpose.

[0035] The third conveyor belt 21C receives rows of products 100 from the second conveyor belt 21B in order to feed them to the subsequent stations of the production line; the respective products 101 have their fillings expanded as required.

[0036] According to a further important feature of the system described herein, the system comprises a containment unit 80 arranged to contain the rows of products 100 as they pass through the vibrating station 60 and are subjected to the above-described oscillating motion.

[0037] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the containment unit 80 is located above the conveyor 20 and in the area of ​​the vibration station 60 .

[0038] Preferably, the accommodation unit 80 extends from a position P1 upstream of the vibration station 60 to a position P2 downstream of the vibration station 60 with respect to the forward path K.

[0039] Even more preferably, the position P1 is in the area of ​​the first conveyor belt 21A, while the position P2 is in the area of ​​the third conveyor belt 21C.

[0040] In this way, as will become clearer below, the rows of products 100 are engaged and released by the receiving unit 80 in a position where they are definitely not subjected to the vibrations generated by the vibration station 60. In an alternative embodiment in which the vibration station 60 is limited to a section of the conveyor belt associated with it, for example by using damping or isolation devices capable of limiting the propagation of vibrations, the two positions P1 and P2, or at least one of these positions, can be located in the area of ​​said conveyor belt. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the use of three conveyor belts, as in the example shown, does not constitute an essential feature.

[0041] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the accommodating unit 80 includes a guide member 82 extending along a closed-loop path and having a preferably linear bottom extension section 82A, a first (preferably curved) reverse motion extension section 82B, a preferably linear top extension section 82C, and a second (preferably curved) reverse motion extension section 82D.

[0042] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the bottom extension 82A extends along the supply path K starting from position P1 to position P2.

[0043] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the receiving unit 80 further includes a plurality of units 84 movable along the guide 82 , each of the units 84 carrying a corresponding receiving component 90 .

[0044] The receiving member 90 has a function of providing a circumscribed space S in which the products 101 in the plurality of rows of products 100 advancing along the advancing path K through the vibration station 60 are each received.

[0045] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown in the figures, each receiving member 90 includes a beam 92 that is arranged in a direction parallel to the conveyor belt 21 and oriented in a direction transverse to the advancement path K. Furthermore, the receiving member 90 includes a series of protrusions 94, all of which protrude from the beam 92 on one same side, and when the receiving member 90 and the corresponding movement unit 84 are positioned along the bottom extension 82A of the guide 82, the protrusions 94 are arranged to face the conveying surface 22B of the conveyor belt 21B.

[0046] The tab 94 defines a receiving surface 94A configured to delimit a circumscribed space S. As shown in FIG.

[0047] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the tabs 94 of one and the same receiving member 90 define, with their own receiving surfaces 94A, a series of V-shaped profiles oriented in or opposite the direction of the advancement path K. The usefulness of this V-shaped profile will become apparent hereinafter.

[0048] The series of receiving parts 90 provides a continuous alternation of a receiving part 90 having a receiving surface 94 defining a V-shaped profile oriented in the direction of the advancement path K and a receiving part 90 having a receiving surface 94 defining a V-shaped profile oriented in the opposite direction.

[0049] During operation of the system, the moving unit 84 with the corresponding containing part 90 moves along the guide 82 so that between the position P1 and the position P2 along the forward path K, each row of products 100 is accompanied by a containing part 90 (I) and another containing part 90 (II), wherein the containing part 90 (I) itself is arranged downstream of the row of products 100 along the forward path K, and the other containing part 90 (II) itself is arranged upstream of the same row of products along the forward path K.

[0050] The pair of two receiving parts 90 (I) and 90 (II) define the aforementioned circumscribed space S.

[0051] Extension 82A enables the movement unit 84 to follow the rows of products with the corresponding receiving members 90 along the advancement path K. Extensions 82B, 82C, 82D of the guide 82 enable the movement unit 84 to bring their corresponding receiving members 90 back to position P1 in order to operate on new rows of products coming from the dispensing head 40 .

[0052] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the system 10 includes a linear electric motor 86 extending along the guide 82 and arranged to move the movement unit 84 along the guide itself (at Figure 1 In the figure, for simplicity of representation, the electric motor 86 is only partially shown).

[0053] In particular, in one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the electric motor 86 includes a series of electric windings 86A arranged along the guide member 82 and a plurality of magnets 86B, which are fixed to the moving unit 84 and are configured to electromagnetically interact with the windings 86A to cause the moving unit 84 to move along the guide member 82.

[0054] This type of electric motor is known per se in the art, for example from document EP0939482B1, and has the advantage of providing a highly versatile motion system in which each motion unit can be moved independently of the other motion units; in particular, the motion parameters of each motion unit (such as position, velocity and acceleration) can be set independently of the other motion units.

[0055] According to an alternative embodiment, instead of the above-described electric motor 86 , the system 10 may include a plurality of electric motors, each provided on a corresponding movement unit 84 for driving its movement.

[0056] In one or more preferred embodiments as shown, the system includes a control unit 70 configured to drive an electric motor 86 .

[0057] In one or more preferred embodiments, the control unit 70 is arranged to drive the electric motor 86 as a function of a signal indicating the position of the rows of products 100 along the advancement path K in a section upstream of the containing unit 80 .

[0058] For this purpose, the system may for example comprise a camera 72 arranged above the first conveyor belt 21A and arranged to detect the rows of products 100 advancing along the advancement path K.

[0059] The control unit 70 of the system, or some other control unit, can use the data received from the camera 72 to generate data representative of the position of the rows of products 100 along the advancement path K.

[0060] In any case, the system may use other types of devices for detecting the position of multiple rows of products 100.

[0061] Referring now to the operation of the system 10, it is envisaged that rows of products 100 are fed row after row to the conveyor belt 21A.

[0062] The dispensing head 40 operates to dispense the filling within the cavities 101A of the products 101 as the rows of products 100 move beneath the dispensing head 40 itself.

[0063] In passing, it should be noted that the dispensing head 40 may be arranged to operate on only one row of products or on multiple rows of products simultaneously.

[0064] At the same time, the conveyor belt 21A can be operated to cause a continuous movement of the rows of products 100 or a step-like movement thereof. In the latter case, the dispensing head 40 can be moved according to the tracking movement of the rows of products 100 along the advancement path K.

[0065] The rows of products 100 to which the filling has been dispensed are then moved, as a result of their advancement, onto the conveying surface 22B of the second conveyor belt 21B.

[0066] refer to Figure 1 and 2 Before a single row of products 100 is transferred from the first conveyor belt 21A to the second conveyor belt 21B, its products 101 are received in a circumscribed space S defined by a pair of receiving parts 90 of the receiving unit 80 .

[0067] In particular, just before the row of products 100 reaches position P1, the accommodating part 90 (I) is arranged on the forward path K downstream of the row of products 100 through the corresponding moving unit 84 (I), and just after the same row of products 100 exceeds position P1, another accommodating part 90 (II) is arranged on the forward path K upstream of the row of products 100 through the corresponding moving unit 84 (II).

[0068] Incidentally, it should be noted that the first reverse motion section 82D enables the two receiving parts 90(I), 90(II) to approach the conveying surface 22B and the row of products 100 according to the rotational movement from top to bottom, which helps to position the two receiving parts 90 upward to abut against the row of products 100 without interfering with it.

[0069] After the row of products 100 has been enclosed in the circumscribed space S defined by the two containing parts 90(I) and 90(II), these containing parts carried by the two moving units 84(I) and 84(II) move along the forward path K at a forward speed substantially the same as that of the row of products 100, so as to accompany the row of products during its forward progress and keep its products within the circumscribed space S.

[0070] At this point, the row of products 100 is transferred to the second conveyor belt 21B and subsequently passes through the vibrating station 60 .

[0071] When the row of products 100 is subjected to the above-described oscillating movement in the vibrating station 60 , the containment means 90 perform the function of retaining the products 101 within the circumscribed space S, thereby preventing the products 101 from being displaced in an uncontrolled manner from their predetermined positions.

[0072] In this regard, reference Figure 2It can be noted that there can be a certain gap between the containing surface 94A of the containing part 90 and the products 101, due to which the above-mentioned oscillating movement can cause the products 101 to be slightly displaced from their predetermined position, but in any case in a controlled manner again within the limits of the circumscribed space S.

[0073] Preferably, starting from position P3 downstream of the vibration station 60 and upstream of position P2, the receiving part 90 (I) is moved by the corresponding movement unit 84 (I) at a speed lower than the forward speed of the row of products 100, thereby obtaining a relative displacement between the receiving part 90 (I) and the products 101 so that the products 101 are supported on the receiving part itself and are aligned in the same direction across the forward path K.

[0074] It can now be noted that, due to the relative displacement between the containing part 90 (I) and the product 101, in addition to the above-mentioned alignment of the product in a direction transverse to the forward path, the V-shaped profile determined by the containing surface 94A enables the product to be centered on multiple reference axes Ki parallel to the forward path K.

[0075] Preferably, the position P3 is already located in the region of the third conveyor belt 21C downstream of the conveyor belt 21 B. In any case, the position P3 may also be located in the region of the second conveyor belt 21B, in particular if the propagation of vibrations along the conveying surface 22B is limited to a circumscribed extension.

[0076] In an alternative embodiment, the alignment and centering of the above-mentioned product 101 can be achieved in a completely similar manner by moving the moving unit 84 (II) and the corresponding receiving part 90 (II) at a speed higher than the forward speed of the product 101, also causing a relative displacement between the receiving part and the product.

[0077] Of course, the above-described operations for aligning and centering the product 101 are not considered necessary, especially if the receiving member 90 itself is arranged to have no gap or a negligible gap relative to the product 101 (so that the product 101 is actually fixed in place on the conveying surface 22B).

[0078] In any case, an alignment system of known type is also conceivable, which is arranged to operate in the region of the conveyor 20 downstream of the receiving unit 80 .

[0079] When each of the two receiving members 90(I), 90(II) reaches the position P2, it releases the row of products 100 by a rotational movement from bottom to top caused by the advancement of the corresponding movement unit 84(I), 84(II) along the second reverse-movement extension 82B of the guide 82. In this case, it can also be noted that the movement from bottom to top caused by the reverse-movement extension 82B facilitates the separation of the receiving members 90 from the corresponding row of products 100 without any risk of disturbing the products 100.

[0080] The released row of products 100 can then be fed to a subsequent processing station arranged downstream of the system 10 described herein.

[0081] In view of the above, the row of products 100 is characterized by a perfectly ordered arrangement of the products.

[0082] The person skilled in the art will note that it is sufficient for the control unit 70 to be arranged for driving the electric motor 86 in a suitable manner in order to replicate the above-described operating mode of the containing unit 80 .

[0083] Moreover, in case it is necessary to start operation of the system on a different food product, it is sufficient for the control unit 70 to be arranged so that it causes a movement of the movement unit 84 which is advantageous for obtaining, by the receiving member 90, a circumscribed space S of a size suitable for the new product.

[0084] In this respect, it is pointed out again that the V-shaped profile determined by the receiving surface 94A of the receiving part 90 makes it possible to create a circumscribed space S which can be easily adapted to different product shapes, always ensuring in any case the effective receiving function of the receiving surface itself.

[0085] In view of the foregoing, it is therefore clear that the system described herein is capable of operating on food products of different sizes and / or types without requiring modification or replacement of components of the system, as is the case with the solutions according to the prior art presented at the beginning of this treatment.

[0086] Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary even considerably with respect to what is presented herein purely by way of non-limiting example, without departing from the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for supplying a filling to a food product, the system comprising: - at least one conveyor (20) for feeding along the advancement path (K) a series of multiple rows (100) of food products (101) oriented in a direction transverse to the advancement path (K); a dispensing head (40) for dispensing a filling onto or into each row (100) of food products in a series of multiple rows of food products; and a vibrating station (60) for subjecting the rows of food products fed by said at least one conveyor (20) to an oscillating movement in order to spread the dispensed filling, The system is characterized by: - the at least one conveyor (20) is at least partially configured to receive food products in a free state, wherein the food products in a free state simply rest on a conveying surface and are not constrained in any way to a specific position; and - The system comprises a receiving unit (80) positioned above the at least one conveyor (20) and arranged to receive a plurality of rows of food products (100) as they are subjected to an oscillating motion by passing through the vibrating station (60).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein: The accommodating unit (80) includes a series of accommodating components (90) that move along a forward path (K) and are configured to define a plurality of circumscribed spaces (S). When the food products (101) in the plurality of rows of food products (100) pass through the vibration station (60) and undergo the oscillating motion, the food products (101) in the plurality of rows of food products (100) are individually accommodated in the circumscribed spaces (S).

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein: The accommodating unit (80) includes at least one guide (82) and a plurality of moving units (84), wherein the guide (82) at least partially follows the forward path (K) of the at least one conveyor (20), and the moving units (84) move along the guide (82), and each of the moving units (84) carries a corresponding accommodating component (90) in the series of accommodating components (90).

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising: A linear electric motor (86) extends along the guide member (82) and is configured to move the movement unit (84) along the guide member (82).

5. The system of claim 4, wherein: The linear electric motor (86) includes a series of electric windings (86A) arranged continuously along the guide member (82) and a plurality of magnets (86B). The plurality of magnets (86B) are fixed to the plurality of moving units (84) and are configured to electromagnetically interact with the electric windings (86A) to cause the moving units (84) to move along the guide member (82).

6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: A control unit (70) is configured to control the movement of the series of receiving parts (90) so that each row of food products crossing the vibration station (60) is accompanied by a receiving part (90(I)) in the series of receiving parts (90) that is arranged downstream of the row of food products along the forward path (K) and another receiving part (90(II)) in the series of receiving parts (90) that is arranged upstream of the row of food products (100) along the forward path (K), the receiving part (90(I)) and the another receiving part (90(II)) determining an external space (S) for individually accommodating the row (100) of food products.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein: The control unit (70) is configured to move the receiving part (90(I)) and the further receiving part (90(II)) at a speed substantially the same as a speed of the row of food products (100) supplied by the at least one conveyor (20).

8. The system of claim 7, wherein: The control unit (70) is configured to move the containing part (90(I)) or the other containing part (90(II)) at a speed lower or higher than the speed of the row of food products supplied by the at least one conveyor (20) after the row of food products has been subjected to the oscillating motion in the vibration station (60) so as to obtain a relative displacement between the containing part (90(I)) or the other containing part (90(II)) and the row (100) of food products (101) so as to support the row (100) of food products (101) on the containing part (90(I)) or the other containing part (90(II)) and align them in the same direction across the forward path (K).

9. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein: Each receiving member (90) in the series of receiving members (90) has a receiving surface (94A) configured to define the circumscribed space (S) defining a V-shaped profile oriented in the direction of the forward path or in the opposite direction.

10. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein: Each receiving member (90) in the series of receiving members (90) includes a beam (92) and a series of protrusions (94), wherein the beam (92) is arranged in a direction parallel to the at least one conveyor and is oriented in a direction across the forward path (K), and the series of protrusions (94) all protrude on a same side of the beam (92) and define a receiving surface (94A) arranged to define the circumscribed space (S).

11. A method for supplying a filling to a food product (101), the method comprising: - feeding along the advancement path (K) a series of rows of food products (101) oriented in a direction transverse to the advancement path (K) by means of at least one conveyor (20); - dispensing the filling onto or into each of the rows of food products in the series of rows of food products via a dispensing head (40); and - subjecting the rows of food products (100) supplied by the at least one conveyor (20) to an oscillating movement, by means of a vibrating station (60), in order to spread the dispensed filling; wherein feeding the series of rows of food products (100) via the at least one conveyor (20) includes receiving the food products on the conveyor in a free state, wherein the food products in the free state simply rest on a conveying surface and are not constrained in any way to a particular position; The method includes containing the rows of food products (100) as they are subjected to oscillatory motion by the vibrating station (60) via a containing unit (80) positioned above the at least one conveyor (20).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Accommodating multiple rows of food products (100) includes individually accommodating the food products (101) in the multiple rows of food products (100) in multiple circumscribed spaces (S), which are defined by a series of accommodating components of the accommodating unit (80) moving along a forward path (K).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Individually accommodating food products (101) in a plurality of rows of food products (100) in a plurality of circumscribed spaces (S) comprises: accompanying each row of food products (100) as they advance through the vibration station (60) by a accommodating member (90(I)) disposed downstream of the row of food products (100) along the advancement path (K) and another accommodating member (90(II)) disposed upstream of the row of food products (100) along the advancement path (K), The receiving part (90(I)) and the further receiving part (90(II)) define a circumscribed space (S) for individually receiving the row (100) of food products.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Accompanying each row of food products (100) advancing through the vibrating station (60) includes causing the receiving member (90(I)) and the further receiving member (90(II)) to move along the advancement path (K) at a speed substantially the same as the speed of the row of food products (100) advancing along the advancement path (K).

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising: After the row of food products has been subjected to the oscillating motion by passing through the vibration station (60), the containing part (90(I)) or the further containing part (90(II)) is moved at a speed lower or higher than the speed of the row of food products advancing along the advancement path (K) so as to obtain a relative displacement between the containing part (90(I)) or the further containing part (90(II)) and the row of food products so that the row of food products is supported on the containing part (90(I)) or the further containing part (90(II)) and aligned in the same direction across the advancement path (K).

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: During the relative displacement between the containing part (90(I)) or the other containing part (90(II)) and the row of food products, the row of food products is engaged by the containing surface (94A) of the containing part (90(I)) or the other containing part (90(II)) so that the row of food products is centered on multiple reference axes parallel to the forward path (K), and the containing surface (94A) determines a V-shaped profile oriented in the direction of or in the opposite direction of the forward path (K).

Images