DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FILLING A FORMAT SET CONCERNING ONE OR MORE PORTIONING TUBES WITH A CHEESE CRUST / WHEY MIXTURE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cheese production and, in particular, to a device according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for filling a format set comprising one or more portioning tubes with a curd / whey mixture. A generic device is essentially disclosed in DE 696 07 297 T2.

[0002] When making cheese from a curd / whey mixture, a mixture of solid components - the curd - and liquid components - the whey - can be fed into a cheese-making device, which is why such processes are also known as "whey filling".

[0003] For this purpose, the cheesemaking device can comprise one or more straight portioning tubes arranged vertically parallel to one another in a predetermined grid. The upper end of each portioning tube is open, thus forming an inlet through which the respective portioning tube can be fed with curd and whey. The whey and curd can initially be present separately or as a mixture and fed to the inlet.

[0004] The portioning tube is used to compress the curd into a raw cheese by pressing it, for example, using gravity. The whey prevents or avoids the formation of air pockets in the curd, which forms a curd column in the portioning tube, allowing the production of a closed raw cheese with a minimal number of air pockets. Accordingly, such processes are used to produce hard semi-hard cheeses such as Gouda or similar cheeses. The lower the whey content of the curd / whey mixture, the more curd holes form in the cheese. Accordingly, the term "curd / whey mixture" in this context refers to a mixture of curd and whey, although the whey content can also be close to zero or even zero.

[0005] As already mentioned, the compaction of the curd can be achieved either solely through the weight of the curd column in the portioning tube or by additional measures that result in the compression of the curd in the respective portioning tube. To allow excess whey to drain from the portioning tubes, the portioning tubes can be perforated through which the whey can escape.

[0006] In order to be able to dispense the curd / whey mixture compacted in this way in a metered manner at the lower end of the portioning tubes and to fill it into cheese molds located below the portioning tubes, the portioning tubes can each have a metering device at their respective lower ends, each of which defines a portioning chamber whose volume corresponds to a quantity of the curd / whey mixture required to produce a cheese portion.

[0007] In order to be able to efficiently feed the individual portioning tubes of such a format set with a curd / whey mixture, the individual portioning tubes can be connected to one another at their respective upper ends by a horizontally aligned perforated plate, whereby the inlet of each portioning tube is aligned with a respective opening or hole in the perforated plate. The perforated plate forms the base or bottom plate of a container that is open at the top and is delimited on the circumference by a surrounding wall. Alternatively, the container can also be closed at the top in order to ensure greater microbiological safety. The curd / whey mixture can then be poured into the container formed in this way from above, so that it is distributed throughout the container and ultimately settles successively in the portioning tubes, which extend from the holes orOpenings in the base plate of the container extend downwards. The container in question thus forms a kind of filling funnel, as the adjoining portioning tubes can be filled with curd / whey mixture through this.

[0008] However, if the curd / whey mixture is filled into the container or hopper in a relatively uncontrolled manner as described above, this can lead to the curd / whey mixture being distributed unevenly within the container, which can result in uneven feeding of at least one portioning tube. In particular, the curd / whey ratio of the curd / whey mixture entering the individual tubes can differ due to an uneven distribution of the curd / whey mixture within the container or hopper. Furthermore, as a result of uncontrolled filling of the container, in which it is completely filled at once, the curd can settle in individual areas of the container, which can lead to undesirable agglomeration and possibly even to the blockage of individual portioning tubes.

[0009] The invention is therefore based on the object of ensuring that at least one portioning tube of a format set is fed with a curd / whey mixture as evenly as possible.

[0010] According to one aspect, this object is achieved with a device having the features of claim 1.

[0011] According to the invention, the curd / whey mixture is therefore not poured uncontrollably into the container serving as the filling funnel in the hope that it will be distributed as evenly as possible; rather, according to the present invention, the curd / whey mixture is already introduced evenly into the container by means of the flow device in question, the mixture being introduced into the container in different directions, wherein it is additionally provided that the point at which the curd / whey mixture flows out of the inlet pipe can be changed in order to ensure the most homogeneous feeding of the container and even mixing of the curd / whey mixture.

[0012] While it would be fundamentally possible for the inlet pipe to be a flexible hose with a nozzle or similar device at its downstream end as a flow device, allowing a cheese factory worker to evenly distribute the curd / whey mixture in the hopper using the inlet hose by moving the flow device in different directions, this method only reaches the areas of the curd / whey mixture closest to the surface of the container. This can lead to uneven settling of the curd near the container bottom, thus causing undesirable agglomeration.

[0013] Accordingly, according to a further embodiment, the inlet pipe can comprise a rigid or stiff, straight, substantially vertically oriented downstream pipe section, at the downstream end of which the flow element is provided. The length of the vertically oriented downstream pipe section corresponds at least to the fill level of the curd / whey mixture in the container, so that the inlet pipe, with its vertically oriented downstream pipe section, can be immersed into the curd / whey mixture in the container to such an extent that the flow element at least approximately reaches the container bottom.

[0014] The curd / whey mixture can thus be continuously fed into the cheesemaking device without causing an uneven distribution of the curd / whey mixture among the individual portioning tubes of the format set and without the desired agglomeration within the filling hopper. Rather, the curd can be reliably kept suspended in the whey due to the fact that the curd / whey mixture can be continuously fed to areas near the bottom at various points within the filling hopper. The flow created by the flow device at the downstream end of the feed pipe creates additional turbulence of the curd within the whey.Thus, during the entire feeding process of the at least one portioning tube, a homogeneous and uniform distribution of the curd / whey mixture within the container serving as the filling funnel can be ensured, as is desirable for the production of cheese blanks which each have the same quality.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, the object underlying the same is further achieved with a method having the features of claim 10 and in particular in that the container or filling hopper is fed with the curd / whey mixture via at least one feed pipe and the feed pipe, in particular the downstream end thereof, is moved in different directions inside and / or above the container during the feeding of the container with the curd / whey mixture.

[0016] In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention will be discussed, whereby further embodiments can also be derived from the dependent claims, the description of the figures and the drawings themselves.

[0017] Thus, according to one embodiment, it can be provided that the position of the flow element can be changed in all three spatial directions. In particular, it can be provided that at least the position of the flow element can be changed in the vertical direction to adjust the distance between the container bottom and the flow element. In this case, the maximum possible vertical stroke of the inlet pipe should be greater than the container height in order to be able to remove the flow element from the container on the one hand and to guide it as close as possible to the container bottom on the other.

[0018] Although the position of the flow element can be adjusted in all three spatial directions, allowing any location within the container to be reached with the flow element, it can also be provided that the flow element can rotate around a vertical axis and / or move in a circular path, for example, by pivoting the inlet pipe around a vertical axis. This would allow the position of the flow element to be relatively easily changed manually, especially during the filling process of the container with the curd / whey mixture, if deemed necessary by a cheese factory employee.

[0019] According to a further embodiment, the flow element can be designed as a nozzle. According to a further embodiment, the nozzle can be designed as a valve, preferably as a valve with a variable flow cross-section, wherein, in particular, it can be provided that the flow cross-section of the nozzle widens or tapers in the flow direction depending on the position of the valve closure part.

[0020] For example, the flow element can be designed as a poppet valve with a valve plate as the valve closure part and a valve seat formed by the free end of the inlet pipe, and in particular by the free end of the vertically oriented downstream pipe section of the inlet pipe. An annular gap is thus formed between the valve plate and the valve seat, through which the curd / whey mixture can exit the inlet pipe, resulting in an annular distribution of the curd / whey mixture exiting through the annular gap in question within the container.

[0021] The flow cross-section of the poppet valve can be changed by changing the distance between the valve plate and the valve seat, and thus the size of the annular gap. The smaller the size of the annular gap, the greater the speed of the curd / whey mixture escaping from the poppet valve. By reducing the flow cross-section of the poppet valve in this way, undesirable agglomeration of the curd / whey mixture within the container can be prevented, as the curd / whey mixture escaping from the flow device at a relatively high speed stirs up the curd in the whey and can thus be kept in suspension. Since the flow cross-section can also be reduced to zero using the valve in question, thus shutting off the valve, there is no need for an additional shut-off device in the inlet pipe to throttle or prevent the flow of the curd / whey mixture.can be interrupted.

[0022] According to a further embodiment, the valve stem of the poppet valve, which supports the valve disc, can extend partially within the inlet pipe, wherein the inlet pipe has an opening sealed against the valve stem, through which the valve stem extends outward from the inlet pipe. The valve stem is thus freely accessible, allowing the flow cross-section of the valve to be changed as needed, even during the filling process of the container with the curd / whey mixture.

[0023] Although longitudinally spaced guide projections through which the valve stem is guided could be provided within the inlet pipe, and in particular within the vertically oriented downstream pipe section of the inlet pipe, this would undesirably restrict the flow cross-section of the inlet pipe, a further embodiment can provide the inlet pipe with a valve guide at the opening through which the valve stem extends outward from the inlet pipe, which guides the valve stem purely in a translational manner. The valve guide in question can, for example, be a type of sleeve that is welded to the inlet pipe surrounding the opening in question and whose inner diameter essentially corresponds to the diameter of the valve stem.

[0024] In order to be able to guide the valve stem out of the inlet pipe, according to a further embodiment, it can be provided that the straight, essentially vertically oriented downstream pipe section is a section of the inlet pipe that is angled or bent relative to the remaining section of the inlet pipe. This makes it possible to guide the valve stem out of the inlet pipe. For this purpose, the previously mentioned opening, through which the valve stem can extend out of the inlet pipe, must be provided at the corresponding point where the valve stem meets the wall of the inlet pipe.

[0025] According to yet another embodiment, the device according to the invention can further comprise an actuator that is drive-coupled to the inlet pipe, by means of which the position of the flow element within the container can be changed according to a predetermined or predeterminable movement pattern. The inlet pipe, and in particular the flow element located at the downstream end of the inlet pipe, can thus be moved throughout the entire filling process within the container, and in particular within the already filled curd / whey mixture, thereby ensuring not only a deliberate swirling of the curd in the whey, but also, in particular, a uniform curd distribution throughout the entire filling process.

[0026] In the following, an embodiment of a device according to the invention for filling a format set comprising several portioning tubes with a curd / whey mixture will be explained by way of example with reference to the figures, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a cheese-making device for filling and dosing a curd / whey mixture; Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to the invention for filling a format set comprising several portioning tubes with a curd / whey mixture; and Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the device of Fig. 2 with a view into the interior of the container.

[0027] Before referring to the Fig. 2 and 3The device 10 according to the invention for filling a format set 14 comprising several portioning tubes 12 with a curd / whey mixture is explained first with reference to the Fig. 1 A cheesemaking device 16 with such a formatting set 14 is explained, in which the device 10 according to the invention can be used. Although the device shown here has several portioning tubes 12, the device according to the invention is also suitable for feeding a formatting set comprising only a single portioning tube with a curd / whey mixture.

[0028] The Fig. 1 The cheese preparation device 16 shown comprises several vertically aligned straight portioning tubes 12, which are aligned parallel to each other and arranged in a regular grid (see also the Fig. 3). The portioning tubes 12 serve to hold a curd / whey mixture 26, which is fed to them via a container 22 serving as a filling funnel, which is located above and upstream of the portioning tubes 12. The container base 24 of the container 22 is formed by a perforated plate, wherein the individual openings or holes of this perforated plate 24 are aligned with the upper end of the individual portioning tubes 12, which are welded to the underside of the container base 24 surrounding the respective holes and / or inserted into them. The individual portioning tubes 12 can also be slipped, inserted, screwed or screwed onto short tube sleeves, for example, which in turn are fastened, for example welded, to the underside of the container base 24 surrounding the respective holes.The container 22 thus serves as a filling funnel through which the individual portioning tubes 12 of the format set 14 can be fed with curd / whey mixture 26. Contrary to the embodiment shown here, in which the container bottom 24 is flat, the container bottom 24 can also be funnel-shaped.

[0029] Downstream or below the format set 14, a dosing device 18 is provided, which serves to separate individual portions from the curd columns forming in the portioning tubes 12 and to fill them into a cheese mold 20 arranged below or downstream of the dosing device 18 for further maturation. The specific design of the dosing device 18 is of only minor importance for the present invention, which is why it need not be discussed in detail below. In principle, however, the dosing device 18 can have several slides spaced apart from one another in the flow direction, so that a defined amount of the curd / whey mixture can be filled into the cheese mold 20 by alternately opening and closing these slides.

[0030] If the container 22 is completely filled at once and the curd / whey mixture 26 filled into the container 22 remains in the container 22 for an extended period of time, the curd may settle in the whey, which may lead to undesirable agglomeration within the container 22. Furthermore, the curd may be distributed unevenly within the container 22, which may undesirably lead to differences in the curd / whey ratio of the curd / whey mixture 26 that enters the individual portioning tubes 12.

[0031] Although homogenization of the curd / whey mixture 26 in the container 22 could be achieved, for example, by means of a mechanical agitator, such an agitator would undesirably destroy the internal structure of the curd, which is why the use of such agitators is not recommended.

[0032] According to the invention, it is therefore proposed for the first time to introduce the curd / whey mixture into the container 22 by means of an inlet pipe 32 (see the Fig. 2 and 3 ), wherein the inlet pipe 32 and in particular the downstream end 34 thereof is moved in different directions inside and / or above the container 22 during the charging of the container 32 with the curd / whey mixture 26, as shown in the Fig. 2 and 3 is indicated by the double arrows X, Y, Z, which illustrate that the inlet pipe 32 can move freely within the container 22 in all three spatial directions X, Y, Z. A superposition of the individual directions of movement is also possible, whereby any desired movement pattern of the inlet pipe 32 and in particular of the downstream end 34 thereof within the container 22 can be represented.

[0033] Again Fig. 2can be removed, the inlet pipe 32 has a bend 36 in the form of two oppositely curved sections approximately in its center. The function and advantages of this bend 36 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0034] At its upstream end 34, the inlet pipe 32 can be connected to a horizontally oriented pipe section 38, which is only indicated schematically here and which is drive-effectively coupled to an actuator (not shown here), by the actuation of which the position of the inlet pipe 32 within the container 22 can be moved according to a predetermined or predeterminable movement pattern.

[0035] Again Fig. 2can also be removed, a flow element in the form of a poppet valve 42 is provided at the downstream end 34 of the inlet pipe 32 and in particular at the straight, vertically oriented pipe section 40 located downstream of the bend 36, the valve seat 44 of which is formed by the free end 34 of the inlet pipe 32 or the downstream pipe section 40 of the inlet pipe 32. The poppet valve 32 further comprises a valve plate 46, the distance of which from the free end of the inlet pipe 32 can be adjusted to change the flow cross-section of the poppet valve 42.In other words, the size of the annular gap between the valve plate 46 and the valve seat 44 can be changed so that as the size of the annular gap is reduced, the exit velocity of the curd / whey mixture from the plate valve 42 increases, as may be desirable in order to swirl the curd / whey mixture 26 already in the container 22 and thus keep the curd suspended in the whey.

[0036] The poppet valve 42 further includes a valve stem 48, which may be formed integrally with the valve plate 46 and which extends within the vertically oriented pipe section 40 downstream of the bend 36. The curd / whey mixture thus flows in the annular gap formed between the valve stem 48 and the wall of the downstream pipe section 40.

[0037] Again Fig. 2can also be removed, the valve stem 48 extends outwards from the inlet pipe 32 so that the poppet valve 42 can be manually manipulated during charging of the container 22. More precisely, the valve stem 38 extends outwards from the interior of the inlet pipe 32 in the region of the downstream curved section of the bend 36, for which purpose the inlet pipe 32 has an opening which is sealed off from the valve stem 48 and through which the valve stem 48 extends outwards. To guide the valve stem 48, a sleeve 50 surrounding the opening in question is welded to the inlet pipe 32, the inner diameter of which sleeve 50 essentially corresponds to the outer diameter of the valve stem 48, so that the latter is guided purely in a translational manner and thus cannot become inclined.

[0038] Thus, not only can the position of the inlet pipe 32 and in particular the position of the poppet valve 42 at the downstream end 34 of the inlet pipe 32 be changed during the filling process of the container 22 in order to ensure the most homogeneous curd / whey mixture 26 possible within the container 22; rather, the nozzle effect of the poppet valve 42, through which the curd / whey mixture 26 is discharged into the container 22 in a radial direction with an annular distribution, can generate a turbulent flow within the container 22, which leads to a swirling of the curd in the whey in the desired manner and thus to a homogeneous curd distribution within the container 22. List of reference symbols

[0039] 10Device 12Portioning tube 14Format set 16Cheese preparation device 18Dosing device 20Cheese mold 22Container 24Container base / perforated plate 26Cheese curd / whey mixture 32Inlet pipe 34Downstream end of 32 36Bend 38Horizontal pipe section 40Downstream pipe section 42Flow element / disk valve 44Valve seat 46Valve disk 48Valve stem 50Valve guide X, Y, Z movement directions

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for filling a format set (14) comprising one or more portioning tubes (12) with a curd / whey mixture (26), said apparatus (10) comprising: - a container (22) for receiving the curd / whey mixture (26) comprising a container base (24) which has one or more openings for dispensing the curd / whey mixture (26) into respective portioning tubes (12); and - at least one feed tube (32) for loading the container (22) with the curd / whey mixture (26); wherein a flow member (42) is provided at the downstream end of the feed tube (32) and deflects the curd / whey mixture (26) flowing in the feed tube (32) in several directions, the position of said flow member (42) being variable relative to the container (22), characterized in that the position of the flow member (42) can be varied in at least two spatial directions (X, Y, Z) during the loading of the container (22) with the curd / whey mixture (26).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the flow member (42) is variable in all three spatial directions (X, Y, Z), wherein it is in particular provided that the position of the flow member (42) is variable in the vertical direction (Z) for setting the spacing between the container base (24) and the flow member (42).

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flow member (42) is configured as a nozzle.

4. An apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the flow member (42) is configured as a valve having a variable flow cross-section.

5. An apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the flow member (42) is configured as a poppet valve (42) having a valve disk (46) and a valve seat (44) which is formed by the free end (34) of the feed tube (32), wherein it is in particular provided that the size of the annular gap between the valve disk (46) and the valve seat (44) is settable.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the poppet valve (42) has a valve shaft (48) supporting the valve disk (46) and extending partly within the feed tube (32), wherein the feed tube (32) has an opening through which the valve shaft (48) extends outwardly from the feed tube (32), wherein it is in particular provided that the feed tube (32) has, at the opening, a valve guide (50) which guides the valve shaft (48) in a translatory manner.

7. An apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed tube (32) comprises a straight, substantially vertically oriented downstream tube section (40) at whose downstream end the flow member (42) is provided.

8. An apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the downstream tube section (40) is a section of the feed tube (32) that is angled or cranked with respect to the remaining section of the feed tube (32).

9. An apparatus according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus (10) further comprises an actuator drive-effectively coupled to the feed tube (32) for varying the position of the flow member (42) within the container (22) according to a predefined or predefinable movement pattern.

10. A method for filling a format set (14) comprising one or more portioning tubes (12) with a curd / whey mixture (26) from a container (22) which has a container base (24) having one or more openings for dispensing the curd / whey mixture (26) into respective portioning tubes (12), wherein the container (22) is loaded with the curd / whey mixture (26) via at least one feed tube (32) and the downstream end of the feed tube (32) is moved within and / or above the container (22) in at least two spatial directions (X, Y, Z) during the loading of the container (22) with the curd / whey mixture (26).