FERMENTATION MACHINE COMPRISING AN ENCLOSURE AND A TROLLEY

Abstract

The invention relates to a fermentation machine (1) comprising an enclosure (2), a heating system (15), a blower (13) for blowing an air flow into the enclosure, and a trolley (3) adapted to be housed in the enclosure (2). The trolley has several stages (38) configured to receive product supports, a rear face (31) and a front face (32) through which said supports are adapted to be introduced into the trolley and extracted from the trolley. The rear face (31) of the trolley (3) is closed over at least 50% of its surface. The blower is located in the enclosure above the trolley when the trolley is housed in the enclosure. The outlet of the blower is oriented towards a rear wall of the enclosure so that at least part of the air leaving the blower passes between the rear wall of the enclosure and said rear face of the trolley. Figure for abstract: Fig.1

Description

Title of the invention: FERMENTATION MACHINE COMPRISING AN ENCLOSURE AND A TROLLEY FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to fermentation machines. PREVIOUS ART

[0002] Fermentation machines, usually called fermentation chambers, used in particular in the bakery sector, which allow a fermentation cycle to be carried out for dough, are known from the state of the art.

[0003] A fermentation chamber comprises an enclosure which houses one or more mobile trolleys. The fermentation chamber is also equipped with a blower and a heating system for obtaining fermentation of dough products inside the enclosure. The or each trolley is in the form of a rolling structure having several receiving levels, each allowing a support such as a removable grid or plate to be received, on which the dough products can be placed for fermentation in the enclosure.

[0004] The trolley allows the products to be moved from the preparation area to the fermentation machine enclosure, then from the machine enclosure to the cooking area.

[0005] However, it is desirable to improve the circulation of the air blown inside the enclosure, in particular to obtain good fermentation of the products.

[0006] Furthermore, known fermentation chambers have a significant bulk which can hinder their positioning near the cooking zone.

[0007] The aim of the present invention is to propose a new fermentation machine making it possible to overcome all or part of the problems set out above. Summary of the invention

[0008] To this end, the invention relates to a fermentation machine comprising: - an enclosure; - a heating system; - a blower to blow a flow of air into the enclosure; and - a trolley suitable for being housed in the enclosure; said trolley presenting: - several floors configured to receive product supports, such as grids or plates, - a rear face and a front face through which said supports are capable of being introduced into the trolley and extracted from the trolley, characterized in that the rear face of the carriage is closed over at least 50% of its surface ; and in that the blower is located in the enclosure above the trolley in the housed state of the trolley in the enclosure, the outlet of the blower being oriented towards a rear wall of the enclosure so that at least part of the air leaving the blower passes between the rear wall of the enclosure and said rear face of the carriage.

[0009] The fermentation machine may also comprise one or more of the following features taken in any technically admissible combination.

[0010] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the carriage and / or the enclosure is provided with a stop device making it possible to keep the rear face of the carriage spaced apart from the rear wall of the enclosure, when the carriage is housed in the enclosure.

[0011] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the trolley has a bottom face which is closed over at least 50% of its surface so that the air blown by the blower and which passes between the rear wall of the enclosure and the rear face of the trolley, also passes between the bottom face of the trolley and a bottom wall of the enclosure.

[0012] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the trolley has a top face which is closed over at least 50% of its surface.

[0013] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the carriage and / or the enclosure is provided in the upper part with a flow barrier system which, in the housed state of the carriage in the enclosure, extends between a top face of the carriage and the blower to oppose a passage of the air flow from the outlet to the inlet of the blower directly above the carriage.

[0014] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the trolley having two opposite lateral faces, each lateral face having an opening for each stage of the trolley to allow part of the flow of blown air to pass through the stages of the trolley.

[0015] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the upper half of the rear face of the carriage is closed, orifices being provided in the lower half of the rear face.

[0016] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the carriage having two opposite lateral faces, each lateral face comprises angles, arranged one above the other while being spaced from each other, the internal angle of each angle being oriented towards a top face of the carriage, so that a first wing of each angle of a lateral face forms with a first wing of an angle of the opposite lateral face, a stage for receiving a support, a second wing of each angle being oriented so as to form a part of the corresponding lateral face of the carriage.

[0017] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, each lateral face of the carriage has uprights, each upright being produced by assembling a U-shaped section profile and an Omega-shaped section profile.

[0018] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the enclosure is provided with rails on the inside of the enclosure, preferably on side walls of the enclosure, for guiding the carriage in the enclosure.

[0019] According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the carriage has in the upper part guide wings capable of cooperating with the rails of the enclosure to guide the entry and / or exit of the carriage relative to the enclosure. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description, which is purely illustrative and non-limiting and must be read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

[0021] - [fig.l] figure 1 is a perspective view of a fermentation machine according to an embodiment of the invention comprising an enclosure and a trolley housed inside the enclosure,

[0022] - [fig.2] Figure 2 is a sectional view of a fermentation machine, such as that of figure 1, according to a vertical plane passing through an axis parallel to the direction of entry-exit of the trolley relative to the enclosure; the circulation of a part of the air flow inside the enclosure being shown diagrammatically by arrows, the door of the enclosure being closed;

[0023] - [fig.3] figure 3 corresponds to the perspective view of the enclosure of the machine of fermentation of figure 1, in the absence of the trolley;

[0024] - [fig.4] figure 4 corresponds to the sectional view of the iron machine enclosure mentation of figure 1, in the absence of the trolley;

[0025] - [fig.5] figure 5 is a front perspective view of the iron machine carriage mentation of figure 1;

[0026] - [fig.6] figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the iron machine carriage mentation of figure 1;

[0027] - [fig.7] figure 7 is a perspective view of part of an upright of the trolley of the fermentation machine in Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The inventive concept is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. However, this inventive concept may be embodied in work in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided so that this description is complete, and communicates the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art.

[0029] A reference throughout the specification to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the occurrence of the phrase "in an embodiment" at various locations throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0030] Embodiments of a fermentation machine are proposed below that allow for efficient circulation of the air blown inside the enclosure, through the trolley. It is thus possible to improve the homogenization of the fermentation in the enclosure and to protect the products present in the trolley from unsuitable temperatures, such as hot spots in certain areas of the enclosure. According to a particular aspect, the proposed fermentation machine has a reduced footprint compared to existing fermentation machines, which is made possible thanks to a particular structure of the trolley presented below.

[0031] Fermentation machine

[0032] The fermentation machine 1, also called a fermentation chamber, comprises an enclosure 2 and a trolley 3. The enclosure is generally parallelepiped in shape. The fermentation machine 1 also comprises a blower 13 to allow air to circulate in the enclosure, and a heating device 15 to heat said air.

[0033] The machine may also comprise a refrigeration system which comprises for example an evaporator and a refrigeration unit 12. Advantageously, the evaporator is located in the upper part of the enclosure and the refrigeration unit 12 is positioned on the enclosure. Alternatively, the refrigeration unit 12 may be remote. The fermentation machine may also comprise a humidification system.

[0034] The combination of the blower and the heating device, and possibly the refrigeration system and the humidification system, makes it possible to control the fermentation of the products inside the enclosure.

[0035] Pregnant

[0036] The enclosure comprises a set of walls which delimit between them a space intended to receive the trolley 3.

[0037] The enclosure 2 comprises a rear wall 21 and a front wall 22. The front wall is formed by a door. The enclosure also has a bottom wall 23 and a top wall 24. Two opposite side walls 25, 26 connect the bottom wall 23 and the top wall 24 together. The front and rear walls and the side walls are vertical, and the bottom and top walls are horizontal, when the enclosure is resting on horizontal ground.

[0038] Each wall may comprise an isothermal panel.

[0039] The blower 13 is located in the upper part of the enclosure. In the example illustrated in the figures, the blower 13 is fixed on the inside of the top wall of the enclosure. Advantageously, the blower 13 is located at the central part of the top wall 24. In particular, as visible in Figure 2, the blower 13 is located midway between the rear wall 21 and the front wall 22 formed by the door in the closed state of the door.

[0040] Advantageously, the inlet of the blower 13 is oriented towards the front wall 22, that is to say towards the door in the closed state of the enclosure 2, while the outlet of the blower 13 is oriented towards the rear wall 21 of the enclosure.

[0041] In the example illustrated in the figures, the heating device 15 is located downstream of the blower 13, preferably in the upper rear part of the enclosure.

[0042] According to a particular aspect, the enclosure is provided with a deflector 14 located between the outlet of the blower 13 and the rear wall 21 of the enclosure to, preferably, guide the air towards the corridor defined between the rear wall 21 of the enclosure and the rear wall 31 of the carriage 3, in the direction of the lower zone of the enclosure 2 so that this air can also pass into the corridor defined between the bottom wall 23 of the enclosure and the bottom wall 33 of the carriage 3, then rise along the front wall 22 of the enclosure to be sucked again by the inlet of the blower 13 located on the side of the upper front zone of the enclosure 2 (see air flow direction arrows in Figure 2).

[0043] The side walls 25, 26 of the enclosure are provided, on the inside of the enclosure, with rails 27 for guiding the carriage so as to allow the insertion and exit of the carriage relative to the enclosure. These rails 27 extend parallel to the side walls 25, 26 of the enclosure. Each side wall preferably comprises a rail in the upper part and a rail in the lower part. Advantageously, the rails are located on the front side of the enclosure.

[0044] This enclosure can accommodate the particular trolley presented below.

[0045] Cart

[0046] The trolley 3 can be made of folded sheet metal. The trolley 3 obtained is compact and suitable for being housed in the enclosure 2 of the fermentation machine 1, in order to optimize the useful volume / general size ratio.

[0047] The carriage 3 comprises a rear face 31 and a front face 32 through which supports, such as plates or grids, serving as product support. Advantageously, said products are products made in the form of dough, using flour. The products are intended to ferment in enclosure 2 of the fermentation machine.

[0048] The carriage 3 also comprises a bottom face 33 and a top face 34, as well as two side faces 35, 36 connecting the top and bottom faces 33, 34.

[0049] The rear face 31 and the front face 32 as well as the side faces 35, 36 extend vertically, while the top and bottom faces 33, 34 extend horizontally, when the trolley is resting on horizontal ground.

[0050] The rear face 31 of the carriage 3 is mostly closed. In other words, the rear face 31 is closed over at least 50% of its surface. In particular, it may be provided that the upper half is closed and that orifices are provided in the lower half.

[0051] The carriage also comprises a stop device for keeping the rear of the carriage spaced apart from the rear wall of the enclosure. In the example illustrated in the figures, the stop device includes rear stops 31 allowing a space to be maintained between the rear face 31 of the carriage and the rear wall 21 of the enclosure 2. Alternatively, the stops may be provided in the enclosure of the machine and not on the carriage. In other words, the stops may be located on the rear wall 21 of the enclosure to ensure the spacing with the carriage.

[0052] In the example illustrated in the figures, the rear stops 311 are formed by two portions of lower side members 330 of the carriage 3 which extend parallel to the lateral faces 35, 36 and which extend projecting from the rear face 31 of the carriage.

[0053] The rear stops 311 are thus located on the lower side of the carriage in the example illustrated in the figures. Alternatively, the stops could also be located on the upper side or at another height of the carriage. It is understood that the rear stops 311 form a spacer between the rear face 31 of the carriage 3 and the rear wall 21 of the enclosure 2.

[0054] Side faces of the carriage

[0055] Each lateral face of the carriage 3 is provided with at least two uprights 37, preferably three uprights.

[0056] Each upright 37 comprises two parts 37A, 37B preferably assembled to each other by welding. One part 37A has a U-shaped section and the other 37B has an Omega-shaped section applied to the U (See Figure 7), so that each upright 37 is in the form of a closed-section profile.

[0057] The trolley comprises wheels 339. The bottom face 33 of the trolley is thus moved away from the bottom wall 23 of the enclosure by the wheels 339 which preferably extend under the bottom face 33 of the trolley 3.

[0058] In the example illustrated in the figures, each lateral face is closed substantially on half of its surface. In particular, each lateral face 35, 36 is closed by angles 38 which are spaced from each other in the direction of the height of the lateral face by a distance corresponding to the height of an angle branch considered in cross section. In other words, each lateral face has an alternation of days, that is to say openings 39, and angles 38.

[0059] The opening angles of the corner pieces are oriented towards the inside and the top of the trolley. Thus, each bracket, in cooperation with a bracket arranged at the same height on the other lateral face, forms a level for receiving a product support, such as a plate or grid. The trolley thus comprises a set of corner pieces 38 forming levels which receive supports on which the products are placed.

[0060] Underside

[0061] According to a particular aspect, the bottom face 31 of the carriage is also mostly closed. The bottom face 31 may comprise one or more plates 332 for closing the face.

[0062] Top face

[0063] Advantageously, the top face of the carriage is also mostly closed. The upper face is provided with a barrier system 343 preventing a short circuit of the air flow between the outlet of the blower and the inlet of the blower. The barrier system can also be provided in the enclosure and not on the carriage itself.

[0064] The barrier system 343 comprises at least one wing, preferably two wings. The or each wing extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the carriage. The longitudinal axis of the carriage is defined as the axis perpendicular to the rear and front faces. In other words, the barrier system 343 extends substantially parallel to the front and rear faces of the carriage.

[0065] The barrier system 343 thus prevents air from circulating directly above the carriage between the outlet of the blower and the inlet of the blower, passing through the space between the blower and the top face of the carriage.

[0066] The at least partial closure of the rear face, and preferably of the top and / or bottom faces of the trolley, makes it possible to benefit from ducting of the air flow allowing better circulation of air in the enclosure.

[0067] It may be provided that the carriage is provided with spacers 300 making it possible to maintain a spacing between the lateral faces and to improve the rigidity of the carriage. These spacers may be produced in the form of rods extending parallel to the front face of the carriage and horizontally.

[0068] Guide wings

[0069] The carriage comprises at its upper face two guide wings 344 which extend parallel to each other and to the lateral faces 35, 36.

[0070] In the example illustrated in the figures, each guide wing 344 is located on the side of one lateral face of the carriage, the other being located on the side of the opposite lateral face of the carriage. These wings are intended to cooperate with the rails 27 for guiding the carriage relative to the enclosure 2.

[0071] Such a design of the trolley using the uprights and the angles fixed to the uprights gives it good compactness allowing it to be housed in an enclosure of limited dimensions, and therefore with a reduced footprint, while retaining sufficient product capacity.

[0072] This gives a good ratio of floor space to storage volume.

[0073] The presence of the trolley and the trolley guidance system inside the enclosure provides good ergonomics for handling the products intended to be positioned in the trolley.

[0074] Air circulation inside the enclosure and through the trolley

[0075] The air discharged by the blower 13 follows the following path. It passes from the outlet of the blower to the rear of the enclosure by circulating in the corridor defined between the rear face of the enclosure and the rear face of the carriage, then passes under the carriage between the bottom face of the enclosure and the bottom face of the carriage, then rises to the level of the front face of the carriage between the front face and the door, then is swallowed in the upper zone by the inlet of the blower 13.

[0076] A portion of the air flow expelled towards the rear face of the enclosure also passes through the space provided between a side wall of the enclosure and a side face of the carriage and passes through the carriage to the space provided between the other side face of the carriage and the other side face of the enclosure, to rise towards the upper face of the enclosure on the side of the suction inlet of the blower.

[0077] Use of the fermentation machine

[0078] The user can bring the trolley 3 close to the product manufacturing area and load said products into the trolley 3 on corresponding supports. After fermentation, the user can bring the trolley close to the cooking area. The user can then unload the supports from the trolley one by one close to the cooking area, which provides good ergonomics for handling the products, in particular in the context of multiple cooking operations spread out over the day.

[0079] According to a particular aspect, the fermentation machine 1 makes it possible, thanks to the ducting of the air flow obtained by cooperation between the enclosure and the trolley, to ensure quality fermentation control (regular and without crusting) for any type of flour.

[0080] In fact, the fermentation machine provides sheathing of the air flow and protection against turbulence. The sheathing is enabled by at least partial closure of the rear face of the trolley. Advantageously, at least partial closure of the top and bottom faces makes it possible to form protection around the products.

[0081] The invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Accordingly, it should be understood that, where the features mentioned in the appended claims are followed by reference signs, these signs are included solely for the purpose of improving the intelligibility of the claims and are in no way limiting the scope of the claims.

[0082] Furthermore, the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps. Furthermore, features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the embodiments set forth above may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments set forth above.

Claims

Claims

1. 1. Fermentation machine (1) comprising: - an enclosure (2); - a heating system (15); - a blower (13) for blowing an air flow into the enclosure; and a trolley (3) adapted to be housed in the enclosure (2); said trolley (3) having several stages (38) configured to receive product supports, such as grids or plates, a rear face (31) and a front face (32) through which said supports are adapted to be introduced into the trolley and extracted from the trolley, the blower (13) is located in the enclosure (2) above the trolley in the housed state of the trolley (3) in the enclosure (2), characterized in that the rear face (31) of the trolley (3) is closed over at least 50% of its surface and the trolley (3) also has a bottom face (33) which is closed over at least 50% of its surface;and in that the carriage (3) and / or the enclosure (2) is provided with a stop device (311) making it possible to keep the rear face (31) of the carriage (3) spaced apart from the rear wall (21) of the enclosure (2), in the state in which the carriage is housed in the enclosure, and the outlet of the blower (13) is oriented towards a rear wall (21) of the enclosure (2) so that at least part of the air leaving the blower (13) passes between the rear wall (21) of the enclosure and said rear face (31) of the carriage (3), and also passes between the bottom face (33) of the carriage and a bottom wall (23) of the enclosure.;

2. 2. Fermentation machine (1) according to claim 1, in which the carriage (3) has a top face (34) which is closed over at least 50% of its surface.

3. 3. Fermentation machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims in which the trolley (3) and / or the enclosure (2) is provided in the upper part with a flow barrier system (343) which, in the housed state of the trolley in the enclosure, extends between a top face (34) of the trolley and the blower (13) to oppose a passage of the air flow from the outlet to the inlet of the blower (13) directly above the trolley (3).

4. 4. Fermentation machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims in which, the carriage having two opposite lateral faces (35, 36), each lateral face (35, 36) has a opening (39) for each stage (38) of the carriage (3) to allow part of the blown air flow to pass through the stages of the carriage.

5. 5. A fermentation machine (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper half of the rear face (31) of the carriage (3) is closed, with orifices being provided in the lower half of the rear face (31).

6. 6. Fermentation machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which, the carriage having two opposite lateral faces (35, 36), each lateral face (35, 36) comprises angles (38), arranged one above the other while being spaced from each other, the internal angle of each angle (38) being oriented towards a top face (34) of the carriage, so that a first wing of each angle (38) of a lateral face (35) forms with a first wing of an angle (38) of the opposite lateral face (36), a stage for receiving a support, a second wing of each angle (38) being oriented so as to form a part of the corresponding lateral face of the carriage.

7. 7. Fermentation machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which each lateral face (35, 36) of the carriage has uprights (37), each upright being produced by assembling a U-shaped section profile and an Omega-shaped section profile.

8. 8. Fermentation machine (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure (2) is provided with rails (27) on the inner side of the enclosure, preferably on side walls (25, 26) of the enclosure (2), for guiding the carriage (3) in the enclosure (2).

9. 9. Fermentation machine (1) according to claim 8, in which the carriage has in the upper part guide wings (344) capable of cooperating with the rails (27) of the enclosure (2) to guide the entry and / or exit of the carriage relative to the enclosure.

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