Method for adjusting width of food dough

Abstract

A dough sheet (F3) is conveyed by a conveyance conveyor (2) and a delivery conveyor (3) arranged downstream thereof, the two conveyors being driven at the same conveyance speed (Pa). A first measurement value (S1) corresponding to the width of the dough sheet is measured and stored in a control device (5) for each first predetermined time (T1) (Pb). An average value (SA) of the first measurement values during a second predetermined time (T2) is calculated, and a width setting value (SS) of the dough sheet is determined by the control device on the basis of the average value (Pc). After the width setting value is determined, a second measurement value (S2) corresponding to the width of the dough sheet is measured, and the width setting value and the second measurement value are compared (Pd). When the second measurement value is smaller than the width setting value, the conveyance speed (V3) of the delivery conveyor is made slower than the conveyance speed (V2) of the conveyance conveyor so as to widen the width of the dough sheet (Pe).

Description

Food dough width adjustment method

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for adjusting the width of a continuous dough sheet, such as bread dough, by means of a dough width adjustment system, and more particularly to a method for adjusting (or attempting to adjust) the width of a continuous dough sheet to a predetermined width or more.

[0002] Various methods for adjusting the width of continuous dough sheets have been proposed. The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a machine for producing strip-shaped food dough, and includes a dividing hopper for storing the food dough, a cutting device disposed at the lower opening of the dividing hopper, a conveying device disposed below the cutting device, an eccentric roller for intermittently pressing the food dough from above, and a forming hopper having a group of hopper rollers facing each other at the front and rear. The method disclosed in Patent Document 2 compresses continuously supplied dough to a constant thickness on a supply conveyor, reads the resulting change in dough width, and, based on the change data, changes the speed of the supply conveyor so as to supply a constant volume of dough to an output conveyor running at a constant speed. Furthermore, the dough is further stretched on the output conveyor, and continuous processing produces continuous dough of a constant thickness and width at a constant speed.

[0003] JP-A No. 11-289963 JP-A No. 03-210142

[0004] In the device of Patent Document 1, the overlapping portions of the dough rods conveyed by the conveying device (the portions where the rear end of a dough rod overlaps the front end of the next dough rod) are thicker and less stretchable than other portions because the dough rods are stacked vertically. Therefore, when the dough is formed into a sheet by the subsequent spreading device, the overlapping portions have a narrower dough width than the other portions. Furthermore, when the dough sheet is rolled up widthwise into a continuous rod by the winding device located downstream and then cut into dough pieces by the cutting device, the weight of the dough pieces, including the narrower portions, becomes lighter, resulting in loss of the dough pieces.

[0005] In the method of Patent Document 2, the change in dough width when the irregular dough is compressed with a rolling roller to keep the height of the irregular dough constant is measured, and the speed of the supply conveyor is changed based on the change in dough width. This requires a device such as a rolling roller, which makes the device complicated.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and reduce product loss, the present invention aims to provide a food dough width adjustment method for adjusting the width of continuous dough sheets to a predetermined width or more.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for adjusting the width of a continuous dough sheet by a dough width adjustment system, the dough width adjustment system including: a transport conveyor for transporting the continuous dough sheet; a transfer conveyor disposed adjacent to the transport conveyor on the downstream side; a measuring device disposed at the downstream end of the transport conveyor; and a control device, (a) driving the transport conveyor and the transfer conveyor at the same speed to transport the continuous dough sheet; (b) transmitting first measurement values ​​obtained by measuring the width of the continuous dough sheet by the measuring device to the control device and storing the first measurement values ​​in a memory means of the control device at first predetermined time intervals; and (c) calculating the width of the continuous dough sheet by a calculation means of the control device. (d) measuring the width of the continuous dough sheets conveyed by the transfer conveyor using the measuring device, and transmitting second measured values ​​to the control device; and (e) when the second measured value is smaller than the set value, a speed difference is set between the conveying speed of the transfer conveyor and the conveying speed of the delivery conveyor using the control means of the control device to adjust the width of the continuous dough sheets to be equal to or larger than the set value.

[0008] In the step (e), the transport speed of the transport conveyor is set to be faster than the transport speed of the delivery conveyor.

[0009] In the step (e), the transfer conveyor has a transport speed slower than that of the transport conveyor.

[0010] In the step (e), when the second measurement value becomes equal to or greater than the set value, the control means of the control device makes the conveying speed of the transport conveyor and the conveying speed of the delivery conveyor the same.

[0011] In the step (e), the greater the difference between the second measured value and the set value, the greater the speed difference between the transport speed of the transport conveyor and the transport speed of the delivery conveyor.

[0012] The continuous dough sheet is characterized in that it is formed into a strip-like dough sheet by overlapping the rear end of a dough rod with the leading end of the next dough rod.

[0013] According to the present invention, the width of the continuous dough sheet can be adjusted to a predetermined width or more, thereby reducing the occurrence of product loss.

[0014] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a strip-shaped food dough forming device including a dough width adjustment system according to the present invention. It is a schematic plan view of a dough width adjustment system. It is a schematic plan view of a dough width adjustment system. It is a schematic plan view showing a modified example of a dough width adjustment system. It is a flowchart of a dough width adjustment method.

[0015] 1 to 4, the band-shaped food dough forming device 6 and the dough width adjustment system 1 will be described. In this embodiment, the dough sheet F3 is food dough such as bread dough or pastry dough.

[0016] The strip-shaped food dough forming device 6, which is arranged upstream of the dough width adjustment system 1, includes a main frame 60, a hopper 61, a dividing device 62 that divides the block of food dough F stored in the hopper 61 into stick-shaped food dough F1, a supply conveyor 63 that connects the stick-shaped food dough F1 and supplies continuous stick-shaped food dough F2 downstream, a forming roller device 64 that forms the continuous stick-shaped food dough F2 into strip-shaped food dough (continuous dough sheet) F3, and an unloading conveyor 65 that unloads the strip-shaped food dough (continuous dough sheet) F3.

[0017] The hopper 61 is disposed on the upper part of the main body frame 60 and is configured to accommodate a lump of food dough F. The hopper 61 includes a dough inlet disposed on the top and a dough outlet disposed on the bottom.

[0018] The dividing device 62 is disposed at the bottom of the hopper 61 and is configured to divide the dough block F contained in the hopper 61 into dough sticks F1 and transport the dough sticks F1 downward. In this embodiment, the dividing device 62 is a dividing cutter device, such as that described in Patent Document 1. The dividing cutter device includes two parallel star cutters 61a, each of which includes a rotating shaft and three cutter blades attached to the rotating shaft. The dough block F can be divided into dough sticks F1 by rotating the two rotating shafts in opposite directions by a predetermined angle (e.g., 120 degrees) so that the cutter blades approach each other from above. A detailed description of the dividing cutter device, which is a known technology, is omitted.

[0019] The supply conveyor 63 is positioned below the dividing device 62 and is a conveyor for connecting the rod-shaped food dough F1 that has been cut to a predetermined length by the dividing device 62 and carried out (dropped) downward, and is configured to transport the connected continuous rod-shaped food dough F2 in the conveying direction B.

[0020] The forming roller device 64 is disposed below the downstream end of the supply conveyor 63 and is configured to form the continuous rod-shaped food dough F2 into a band-shaped food dough (continuous dough sheet) F3 of approximately uniform thickness. The forming roller device 64 includes eight rotating rollers 64a arranged in a V-shape, and each of these rotating rollers 64a is configured to oscillate periodically while rotating. A detailed description of the forming roller device 64, which is a known technology, will be omitted.

[0021] The discharge conveyor 65 is configured to convey in the conveying direction A the strip-shaped food dough (continuous dough sheet) F3 formed to a substantially uniform thickness by the forming roller device 64.

[0022] Next, a description will be given of a dough width adjustment system 1 for carrying out the method according to the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the dough width adjustment system 1 includes a transport conveyor 2 for transporting a continuous dough sheet F3 in a transport direction A, a delivery conveyor 3 disposed downstream of and adjacent to the transport conveyor 2, a measuring device 4 for measuring the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3, and a control device 5.

[0023] The transport conveyor 2 is a belt conveyor having an endless transport belt 2a, and is disposed downstream of the strip-shaped food dough forming device 6. The transport belt 2a is driven to rotate at a transport speed V2 by a drive pulley 2b driven by a drive motor (not shown).

[0024] The transfer conveyor 3 is configured to transfer the continuous dough sheet F3 transferred from the transfer conveyor 2 to a subsequent winding device (not shown). The transfer conveyor 3 is a belt conveyor having an endless transfer belt 3a. The transfer belt 3a is configured to rotate at a transfer speed V3 using a drive pulley (not shown) driven by a drive motor (not shown). It is preferable that the transfer speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 and the transfer speed V3 of the transfer conveyor 3 are basically the same.

[0025] The measuring device 4 includes a dough width sensor 4a that detects the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3. The dough width sensors 4a are preferably photoelectric distance sensors arranged on both sides (ends) in the width direction of the transport conveyor 2. The position of the dough width sensor 4a in the transport direction A is preferably the downstream end of the transport conveyor 2, but may be any position as long as it can detect the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3.

[0026] The control device 5 is configured to control the operations of the dough width adjusting system 1 and the strip-shaped food dough forming device 6, and includes, for example, a computer. The control device 5 includes a memory unit (not shown) that stores data received from the dough width sensor 4a of the measuring device 4, a calculation unit (not shown) that performs calculations using each piece of data, and a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the transport conveyor 2 (conveying speed V2, etc.), the operation of the delivery conveyor 3 (conveying speed V3, etc.), and the operation of the strip-shaped food dough forming device 6.

[0027] Next, the operation of the strip-shaped food dough forming device 6 will be described. A lump of food dough F is supplied to a hopper 61 at the top of the strip-shaped food dough forming device 6 and divided into stick-shaped food dough F1 by a dividing device 62 located at the bottom of the hopper 61. The divided stick-shaped food dough F1 is supplied to a supply conveyor 63 below the dividing device 62 and transported in the conveying direction B by the supply conveyor 63. After the stick-shaped food dough F1 is moved a predetermined distance and the supply conveyor 63 is stopped, the next stick-shaped food dough F1 divided by the dividing device 62 is supplied to the supply conveyor 63. At this time, the leading end of the next stick-shaped food dough F1 is supplied so that it overlaps the trailing end of the previous stick-shaped food dough F1. This allows a continuous stick-shaped food dough F2 to be supplied to the forming roller device 64. The continuous rod-shaped food dough F2 is shaped into a belt-shaped food dough (continuous dough sheet) F3 by a shaping roller device 64. The belt-shaped food dough (continuous dough sheet) F3 is transported by a discharge conveyor 65 to the transport conveyor 2 of the downstream dough width adjustment system 1.

[0028] In this embodiment, the continuous dough sheet is, for example, a dough sheet formed into a strip by overlapping the rear end of a dough rod with the leading end of the next dough rod and connecting them together. In other words, the continuous dough sheet is a continuous dough sheet having a portion where the leading end of a dough rod overlaps the rear end of the next dough rod (an overlapping portion). However, the continuous dough sheet is not limited to this and can be any type of continuous dough sheet. For example, it may be a continuous dough sheet supplied from an extruder or continuous mixer capable of discharging a continuous dough sheet, and it does not have to have an overlapping portion.

[0029] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a process of controlling (adjusting) the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 to a predetermined width (set dough width FS) or more in the dough width adjusting system 1 will be described.

[0030] The transfer conveyor 2 and the delivery conveyor 3 are driven by the control device 5 at the same conveying speeds V2 and V3 to convey the continuous dough sheet F3 in the conveying direction A (Pa).

[0031] The width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is measured by a dough width sensor 4a disposed at the downstream end of the transfer conveyor 2. The dough width sensor 4a transmits a measurement value (first measurement value S1) corresponding to the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 to the control device 5. The continuous dough sheet F3 is transported from the transfer conveyor 2 to the delivery conveyor 3. The width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is measured by the dough width sensor 4a and the first measurement value S1 is repeatedly transmitted to the control device 5. The control device 5 receives the first measurement value S1 and stores the first measurement value S1 in a memory unit every first predetermined time T1 (Pb).

[0032] Next, using the stored multiple first measurement values ​​S1, the calculation unit calculates the average value SA of the width FW of the continuous dough sheets F3 over a second predetermined time T2. The average value SA is set as the width setting value SS corresponding to the set dough width FS of the continuous dough sheets F3 (Pc). The first predetermined time T1 is, for example, 1 second. The second predetermined time T2 is, for example, 60 seconds. The first predetermined time T1 and the second predetermined time T2 are not limited to these values ​​and can be changed arbitrarily. Furthermore, instead of using the average value SA as the width setting value SS, a value obtained by correcting the average value SA (based on the average value SA) according to the properties of the food dough may be used as the width setting value SS (Pc).

[0033] The properties of food dough (hardness, stretchability, etc.) inevitably vary depending on the preparation state. Therefore, in this embodiment, the set dough width FS (set width value SS) is not determined in advance, but rather the width of the actual continuous dough sheet F3 is measured as described above, and the average value SA calculated based on the measured width is used as the set width value SS. This automatically reflects the dough properties during production in the device, eliminating the need for the operator to re-enter the set dough width FS each time.

[0034] After the set fabric width FS (set width value SS) is determined, the width FW of the continuous fabric sheet F3 is measured by the fabric width sensor 4a, and the measurement value (second measurement value S2) corresponding to the width FW is transmitted to the control device 5.

[0035] The calculation unit of the control device 5 compares the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the successive dough sheets F3 with the aforementioned set dough width FS (width setting value SS) (Pd). In this embodiment, the width FW of the dough sheets F3 tends to be narrower in the overlapping portions. When the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the successive dough sheets F3 is narrower (smaller) than the set dough width FS (width setting value SS) (FW<FS), the control unit of the control device 5 makes the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 faster than the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 (V2>V3) (Pe). That is, the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 is made slower than the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2. Specifically, the calculation unit determines a correction value using the difference between the set dough width FS (width setting value SS) and the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the successive dough sheets F3, and determines the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2. The correction value can be changed appropriately depending on the properties of the continuous dough sheet F3. Specifically, when the set dough width FS (set width value SS) is set to 400 mm, if the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the continuous dough sheet F3 is 380 mm, the control device 5 changes the conveying speed V2 of the transport conveyor 2 from 2 m / min to, for example, 3.2 m / min, without changing the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 from 2 m / min.

[0036] In this way, when the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the continuous dough sheet F3 is narrower (smaller) than the set dough width FS (set width value SS) (FW<FS), the control unit of the control device 5 makes the conveying speed V2 of the transport conveyor 2 faster than the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3. In addition, the control unit of the control device 5 may control the conveying speed V2 of the transport conveyor 2 to be faster the greater the difference between the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the continuous dough sheet F3 and the set dough width FS (set width value SS). Specifically, when the set dough width FS (set width value SS) is set to 400 mm, if the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the continuous dough sheet F3 is 350 mm, the control unit changes the conveying speed V2 of the transport conveyor 2 from 2 m / min to, for example, 5 m / min, without changing the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 from 2 m / min.

[0037] When the conveying speed V2 of the conveying conveyor 2 is made faster than the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3, the continuous dough sheet F3 is pushed from upstream to downstream when passing from the conveying conveyor 2 to the delivery conveyor 3. This allows the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 to be widened in the width direction C perpendicular to the conveying direction A.

[0038] Thereafter, when the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the continuous dough sheet F3 becomes equal to or greater than the set dough width FS (set width value SS) (FW≧FS), the control unit of the control device 5 changes the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 to the same speed as the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 (V2=V3) (Pf). This change is preferably made immediately. If the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 is made faster than the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3, and the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 continues to increase, the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 will increase too much by the time the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 is made equal to the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3.

[0039] The present invention aims to widen the narrow portion of the dough sheet. When the width FW (second measurement value S2) of the continuous dough sheet F3 detected by the dough width sensor 4a is equal to or greater than the set dough width FS (set width value SS) (FW≧FS), the control unit of the control device 5 maintains the conveying speed V2 of the transport conveyor 2 and the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 at the same speed (V2=V3) to prevent the width of the dough sheet from changing.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, a dough recovery system 7 may be provided on the delivery conveyor 3. The dough recovery system 7, which is a known system, includes a cutting device that cuts off the dough FE on both sides that are outside (extending beyond) the set dough width FS. If the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is wider (larger) than the set dough width FS (FW > FS), it is necessary to cut off the dough FE on both sides that are outside (extending beyond) the set dough width FS. By recovering the dough FE on both sides with the dough recovery system 7, it can be reused, and the recovered dough is not wasted.

[0041] This configuration makes it possible to supply continuous dough sheets F3 having a width FW equal to or greater than the set dough width FS to the subsequent winding device from the delivery conveyor 3. This allows continuous dough sheets F3 having a width FW equal to or greater than the set dough width FS to be formed by the subsequent winding device, thereby reducing product loss.

[0042] The food dough width adjusting method according to the embodiment of the present invention has been generally described above, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present invention, the strip-shaped food dough forming device overlaps the rear end of a strip-shaped food dough with the front end of the next strip-shaped food dough. As a variation, a conveyor may be provided upstream of the transport conveyor 2, and the rear end of the strip-shaped food dough may be manually joined to the front end of the next strip-shaped food dough on the conveying surface of the conveyor to form a continuous dough sheet with overlapping portions.

[0044] In the embodiment described above, the fabric width sensor 4 a is a photoelectric distance sensor, but is not limited to this and may be a camera or the like disposed above the transport conveyor 2 .

[0045] In the above embodiment, when the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is narrower (smaller) than the set dough width FS (FW<FS), the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 is increased (V2>V3) without changing the conveying speed V3 of the transfer conveyor 3. However, conversely, the conveying speed V3 of the transfer conveyor 3 may be made slower than the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 (V3<V2) without changing the conveying speed of the transfer conveyor 2.

[0046] In the dough width adjustment system 1, the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is set to be equal to or greater than the set dough width FS by providing a speed difference between the conveying speed V2 of the conveying conveyor 2 and the conveying speed V3 of the delivery conveyor 3 at the transition between the conveying conveyor 2 and the delivery conveyor 3. However, as shown in Figure 4, the delivery conveyor 3 may be omitted and the spreader 8 may be provided on the conveying conveyor 2. In this case, when the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is smaller than the set dough width FS (FW<FS), the control device 5 narrows the gap between the conveying conveyor 2 and the spreader 8 to spread the continuous dough sheet F3 so that the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 is greater than the set dough width FS.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the dough width sensor 4a is located at the downstream end of the transfer conveyor 2. In addition, a dough width confirmation sensor for measuring the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 after the dough width has been adjusted using the above method may be located on the delivery conveyor 3. This dough width confirmation sensor can confirm that the width FW of the continuous dough sheet F3 after the dough width adjustment is wider (larger) than the set dough width FS. It is also possible to change the correction value that determines the conveying speed V2 of the transfer conveyor 2 by comparing how much the dough width has changed (adjusted) before and after the dough width adjustment.

[0048] 1 Dough width adjustment system 2 Transport conveyor 3 Delivery conveyor 4 Measuring device 5 Control device A Transport direction F3 Continuous dough sheet (strip-shaped food dough) FS Set dough width FW Width of continuous dough sheet S1 First measured value S2 Second measured value SA Average value SS Set width value T1 First predetermined time T2 Second predetermined time V2 Transport speed of transport conveyor V3 Transport speed of delivery conveyor

Claims

1. A method for adjusting the width of a continuous dough sheet (F3) in a dough width adjustment system (1) that conveys the continuous dough sheet (F3) by a transport conveyor (2) and a delivery conveyor (3) disposed adjacent to the transport conveyor on the downstream side, the method comprising: (a) transporting the continuous dough sheet (F3) by the transport conveyor (2) and the delivery conveyor (3) driven at the same transport speed; (b) measuring a first measurement value (S1) corresponding to the width of the continuous dough sheet (F3) by the measurement device (4) at the downstream end of the transport conveyor (2), and storing the first measurement value (S1) in the control device (5) at every first predetermined time (T1); (c) using the stored first measurement value (S1), calculate an average value (SA) of the first measurement value (S1) during a second predetermined time (T2), and determine a width setting value (SS) corresponding to a set dough width (FS) of the continuous dough sheets based on the average value (SA) by the control device (5); (d) after determining the width setting value (SS), measure a second measurement value (S2) corresponding to the width of the continuous dough sheets (F3) by the measuring device (4) at the downstream end of the transfer conveyor (2), and compare the width setting value (SS) with the second measurement value (S2) by the control device (5); (e) When the second measurement value (S2) is smaller than the width setting value (SS), the control device (5) makes the conveying speed (V3) of the delivery conveyor (3) slower than the conveying speed (V2) of the transfer conveyor (2) so as to widen the width of the continuous dough sheet (F3).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in (e), the conveying speed (V3) of the transfer conveyor (3) is made slower than the conveying speed (V2) of the conveying conveyor (2) by increasing the conveying speed (V2) of the conveying conveyor (2) without changing the conveying speed (V3) of the transfer conveyor (3).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in (e), the conveying speed (V3) of the transfer conveyor (3) is slowed down without changing the conveying speed (V2) of the transport conveyor (2), thereby making the conveying speed (V3) of the transfer conveyor (3) slower than the conveying speed (V2) of the transport conveyor (2).

4. (f) After (e), when the second measurement value (S2) becomes equal to or greater than the width setting value (SS), the control device (5) makes the conveying speed (V2) of the transport conveyor (2) and the conveying speed (V3) of the delivery conveyor (3) the same, as described in claim 1.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein in step (e), the greater the difference between the second measurement value (S2) and the width setting value (SS), the greater the difference between the conveying speed (V2) of the transport conveyor (2) and the conveying speed (V3) of the delivery conveyor (3).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the continuous dough sheet (F3) is a strip-shaped dough sheet formed by overlapping the rear end of a dough rod with the leading end of the next dough rod.

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