Apparatus and method for the treatment of dough

Abstract

The invention relates to a dough treatment apparatus comprising a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises an outer drum and an inner drum. The outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder, which is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments, which are defined by through openings in the circular hollow cylinder. The outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis. The inner drum is in the form of a circular cylinder, and is moveably arranged on the frame, coaxially inside the outer drum. The inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion. The outer drum comprises multiple outer drum sections which are arranged one next to the other, wherein the combined multiple outer drum sections together define the hollow cylinder. The outer drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus.

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for the treatment of dough

[0002] BACKGROUND

[0003] The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the treatment of dough, in particular an apparatus comprising a rounding drum assembly for the production of balls of dough or similar material .

[0004] One of the di fferent operations that are carried out in the bread-making industry is the dividing of dough in multiple dough pieces and subsequently forming each one of said multiple dough pieces into a substantially spherical shape intended to then be subj ected to further processing, such as proving and / or baking .

[0005] The dividing operation and the successive phase of rounding operation the dough pieces are generally carried out automatically using machines of a well-known type, which are most often referred to under the names of dividers and rounders , in particular drum rounders . In a divider, such as for example described in NL 2035546 of the present applicant, the dough is divided into pieces of uniform and predetermined weight . Subsequently, the pieces are moved to a drum rounder and placed in appropriate cavities , referred to herein as dough treatment compartments , which are provided in the exterior wall of a rounding drum assembly . A rounding action, which will be detailed below, allows said dough pieces to be trans formed to have a substantially spherical profile .

[0006] The drum rounder essentially comprises three elements , namely a rotatable outer drum of cylindrical shape which has on its external wall a plurality of through openings which at least partially define the dough treatment compartments indicated above , an external conveyor belt which advances at the peripheral speed of rotation of the drum in order to contain and hold the dough pieces in position, and finally an inner drum mounted coaxially inside the aforementioned outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion which at least partially provides the rounding action .

[0007] For example , US 2005 / 0128862 Al discloses a dough treatment arrangement in which an outer drum is moved in relation to an inner drum with the scope of a rounding motion, in US 2005 / 0128862 referred to as ' kneading motion' . The disclosed dough treatment arrangement is provided with an adj usting device for adj usting a radius of a circular motion between the inner and outer drums relative to each other, for example in order to compensate for modi fications in the demands made on the dough treatment caused by modi fication of the si ze of the kneading compartments , for example for the treatment of dough pieces of di fferent si ze and weight .

[0008] In order to modify the size of the dough treatment compartments , the outer drum can be removed by sliding the outer drum away from the inner drum in an axial direction . Subsequently, an other outer drum with di fferent si ze of dough treatment compartments can be placed by sliding the other outer drum in the axial direction over the inner drum .

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A disadvantage of the known dough treatment apparatus with a rounding drum assembly is , that in order to provide interchangeable outer drums , on the one hand the apparatus must be arranged to provide sufficient space adj acent to the apparatus in order to slide the outer drum in axial direction over the inner drum at least over substantially the complete length of the outer drum, and on the other hand storage space needs to be provided for several cylindrical outer drums , each with a di f ferent si ze of the dough treatment compartments .

[0011] It is an obj ect of the present invention to provide and improved dough treatment apparatus of the type mentioned above , which in particular eliminate one or more of the above or below mentioned disadvantages at least partially .

[0012] According to a first aspect , the present invention provides a dough treatment apparatus comprising a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises : an outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder or cylindrical shell , wherein the outer drum is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are at least partially defined by through openings in the outer drum, wherein the outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis of the rounding drum assembly, an inner drum in the form of a circular cylinder, wherein the inner drum is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion; wherein the outer drum comprises multiple outer drum sections which are arranged one next to the other, wherein the combined multiple outer drum sections together define the cylindrical shell of said outer drum, wherein the outer drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus .

[0013] In the dough treatment apparatus of the present invention, the combined multiple outer drum sections together provide the cylindrical shell that defines the outer drum . Preferably, the outer drum sections can be separately removed and / or replace , one after the other, and / or individually and independent from each other . Due to the removable and / or replaceable outer drum sections in the dough treatment apparatus of the present invention, the working space in line with the rounding drum assembly can be much smaller as the outer drum does not need to slide in axial direction over the inner drum . Accordingly, at least the footprint of the dough treatment apparatus of the present invention, including its service area, at least in a direction parallel to the central axis , can be much smaller than that of the known drum rounders with substantially the same number of dough treatment compartments .

[0014] Furthermore , since the outer drum can be removed in sections , each section weighs less than the complete outer drum, which makes handling the removing and / or placing of an outer drum much more easy for an operator . In addition, the sectioning of the outer drum also allows to apply rounding drum assemblies with a larger diameter than usual and still having sections that are easily manageable by an operator . Such rounding drum assemblies with a larger diameter allow to obtain a larger productivity in providing dough pieces with a substantially spherical profile , at least when compared to known outer drums with substantially the same length of the outer drum .

[0015] It is noted that the drum sections can be arranged one next to the other in a direction parallel to the central axis of the rounding drum assembly, yielding multiple substantially ring shaped drum sections .

[0016] However, in a preferred embodiment, the outer drum comprises multiple drum sections which are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the drum, wherein the combined multiple drum section together define the cylindrical shell of said outer drum, wherein each drum section of said multiple drum sections is configured such that said drum section can individual ly be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus in a radial direction with respect to the central axis . This embodiment provides a further advantage in that the individual drum sections of an outer drum that have been removed from the dough treatment apparatus can be stacked on top of each other, which strongly reduces the amount of required storage space , at least when compared with the storage space for storing cylindrical outer drums .

[0017] In an embodiment , the multiple outer drum sections are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the outer drum, wherein each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections is configured such that said outer drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus

[0018] In an embodiment , the outer drum comprises multiple drum sections which are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the drum, wherein the combined multiple drum section together define the cylindrical shell of said outer drum, wherein each drum section of said multiple drum sections is configured such that said drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus in a direction with a component in a radial direction with respect to the central axis .

[0019] In an embodiment , each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections extends in the direction of the central axis over substantially the length of the outer drum, preferably wherein each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections comprises a substantially rectangular part of the cylindrical shell of the outer drum. Accordingly, each one of the multiple elongated drum sections of the outer drum extends as one continuous element over a length substantially equal to the length of the outer drum. Preferably, an interface between two adj acent drum sections of said multiple drum sections extends substantially parallel to a centre line of said outer drum . In the dough treatment apparatus of the present invention, substantially the whole width of the outer drum is easily accessible at the side of the drum between a dough output position, where the rounded dough pieces have been ej ected out of the dough treatment compartments , and a dough input position, where the to be rounded dough pieces are supplied to the dough treatment compartments . It is at this part of the dough treatment apparatus , that a drum section can easily be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus in the radial direction of the rounding drum assembly, preferably substantially without removal of other machine parts of the dough treatment apparatus . By using drum sections that extend over substantially the complete length of the outer drum, the number of drum sections that need to be removed or placed to remove of place a complete outer drum, and thereby the amount of work, can be limited .

[0020] In an embodiment , the rounding drum assembly comprises an outer drum frame , wherein a circumference of the outer drum frame in a plane perpendicular to the central axis comprises n sides , wherein the outer drum comprises one or more outer drum section ( s ) for attaching to the sides . In an embodiment , at least one outer drum section is attached to each one of said n sides . In an embodiment , n is equal or larger than three , preferably wherein n is equal to four . The drum frame allows an easy and correct mounting of the drum sections on the appropriate positions of the regular polygon . For example , each drum section may be mounted to cover a corner of the regular polygon such that an interface between adj acent drum sections is arranged halfway between adj acent corners of the regular polygon . In an alternative example , each drum section may be mounted to cover a side of the regular polygon such that an interface between adj acent drum sections is arranged substantially at a corner of the regular polygon . Furthermore , when n is three , the polygon is a regular triangle , when n is four, the polygon is a square , when n is five , the polygon is a regular pentagon, etc ...

[0021] In an embodiment , the inner drum comprises multiple inner drum sections which are arranged one next to the other, wherein the combined multiple inner drum sections together define the cylindrical shell of said inner drum, wherein the inner drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus , preferably, the inner drum sections can be removed and / or replace , one after the other, and / or individually and independent from each other . In the dough treatment apparatus according to this embodiment , the combined multiple inner drum sections together provide a cylindrical shell that defines the inner drum, and which provides the same advantages as described above in relation to the advantages of having multiple outer drum sections .

[0022] It is noted that the drum sections can be arranged one next to the other in a direction parallel to the central axis of the rounding drum assembly, yielding multiple substantially ring shaped drum sections .

[0023] However, in a preferred embodiment , the inner drum comprises multiple inner drum sections which are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the drum, wherein each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections is configured such that said inner drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus in a radial direction with respect to the central axis . When the outer drum has been removed, this embodiment also allows to remove and replace the inner drum . This is particularly advantageous when an outer surface of the inner drum is provided with a plurality of recesses , wherein each recess of said plurality of recesses is as signed to one o f the through openings in a corresponding outer drum . In this situation, the dough treatment apparatus comprises matching pairs of inner and outer drums , such that for each pair, the recesses in the inner drum match with the through openings of the outer drum . When replacing one outer drum with an other outer drum, than also the corresponding inner drums need to be replaced and having inner drums which comprise multiple inner drum section provides the same advantages as described above in relation to the advantages of having multiple outer drum sections .

[0024] It is noted that in case the inner drum comprises a substantially flat outer surface , the inner drum does need to be removed when exchanging one outer drum with an other outer drum . In this case the inner drum may be a cylindrical drum, thus without having inner drum sections as defined above .

[0025] In an embodiment , the outer surface of the inner drum is provided with a plurality of recesses , wherein each recess of said plurality of recesses is assigned to one of the through openings in a corresponding outer drum, wherein the outer surface of the inner drum around each one of the plurality of recesses comprises a rough or coarse surface area, preferably wherein said rough or coarse surface area comprises a plurality of ridges and / or teeth, preferably substantially blunt ridges and / or teeth, and / or wherein each recess of the plurality of recesses comprises a substantially circular shape , preferably wherein each recess of the plurality comprises a series of nested substantially circular recesses , preferably wherein the nested substantially circular recesses are arranged coaxially to each other .

[0026] The rough or coarse surface area ( s ) and / or the substantially circular shaped recesses , provides a better grip on a dough portion, making the working of the dough by the rounding motion of the inner drum more ef fective .

[0027] In an embodiment , each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections extends in the direction of the central axis over substantially the length of the inner drum, preferably wherein each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections comprises a substantially rectangular part of the cylindrical shell of the inner drum. This provides the same advantages as described above in relation to the advantages of having outer drum sections with the same features .

[0028] In an embodiment , the rounding drum assembly comprises an inner drum frame , wherein a circumference of the inner drum frame in a plane perpendicular to the central axis comprises m sides , wherein the inner drum comprises one or more inner drum section ( s ) for attaching to the sides . In an embodiment , at least one inner drum section is attached to each one of said m sides . In an embodiment , m is equal or larger than three , preferably wherein m is equal to four . This provides substantially the same advantages as described above in relation to the advantages of the outer drum frame .

[0029] In an embodiment , each one of the outer drum sections is provided with an RFID tag . The RFID tags allow to identi fy the outer drum sections belonging to the same outer drum, which may help in preventing that a drum section of another outer drum is combined with the outer sections of the outer drum intended to be mounted in the dough treatment apparatus . In addition or alternatively, the RFID tags allow to identi fy the correct sequence of mounting the outer drum sections in the dough treatment apparatus . Accordingly, due to the RFID tags , the correct outer drum sections belonging to one outer drum can be identi fied, even in case a mix-up of outer drum sections in a storage space for outer drums occurs .

[0030] In an embodiment where also the inner drum comprises multiple inner drum sections , also each one of the inner drum sections is provided with an RFID tag . This provides at least the same advantages as described above .

[0031] In an embodiment , the dough treatment apparatus , in particular the frame and / or the outer drum frame thereof , comprises an RFID reader that is configured to read information from the RFID tag ( s ) from the outer drum sections mounted or ready to be mounted on the dough treatment apparatus . Preferably, the RFID reader is connected to a controller of the dough treatment apparatus . Accordingly, the controller can be configured to identi fy the individual drum sections and preferably to establish that all mounted drum sections belong to the same rounding drum or rounding drum assembly . In addition the controller can be configured to identi fy the rounding drum assembly that is currently mounted in the dough treatment apparatus , and can tailor the control of the various components of the dough treatment apparatus to adapt the method of forming multiple dough pieces into rounded dough pieces in conformity with the identi fied rounding drum assembly .

[0032] According to a second aspect , the present invention provides a dough treatment apparatus compri sing a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises : an outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder or cylindrical shell , wherein the outer drum is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are at least partially defined by through openings in the outer drum, wherein the outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis of the rounding drum assembly, an inner drum in the form of a circular cylinder, wherein the inner drum is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion; wherein the dough treatment apparatus further comprises a counterweight which is movable at least in a linear direction parallel to the central axis , wherein the counterweight is configured to move synchronously with and opposite to at least the part of the rounding motion of the inner drum that is parallel to the central axis . The rounding motion of the inner drum substantially comprises an oscillation of the inner drum with respect to the frame of the dough proces sing apparatus , with a component in a direction parallel to the central axis of the rounding drum assembly . This oscillation produces an oscillating movement of the centre of mass of the rounding drum assembly, which may generate undesired vibrations . By providing a counterweight which is movable at least in a linear direction parallel to the central axis , wherein the counterweight is configured to move synchronously with and opposite to at least the part of the rounding motion of the inner drum that is parallel to the central axis , the generation of vibrations can be reduced or even nulli fied .

[0033] It is noted that there is also an oscillating movement in the rotation direction of the inner drum . But this does substantially not produce an oscillating movement of the centre of mass of the rounding drum assembly, and accordingly this oscillation produces usually much les s vibrations . The inventors found that any vibrations produced by oscillating movement in the rotation direction of the inner drum are of a level that compensation by a counter weight is not always necessary .

[0034] However, i f needed, the vibrations produced by oscillating movement in the rotation direction of the inner drum can be compensated in an embodiment , wherein the counterweight is configured to move synchronously with and opposite to the rounding motion of the inner drum . Accordingly, the oscillating movement o f the inner drum in both the direction parallel to the central axis and the rotation direction of the rounding drum assembly can be compensated .

[0035] In an embodiment the dough treatment apparatus according to this second aspect comprises one or more of the additional features of the dough treatment apparatus according to the first aspect or an embodiment thereof as described above , providing substantially the same advantages as described above . According to a third aspect , the present invention provides a dough treatment apparatus compri sing a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises : an outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder or cylindrical shell , wherein the outer drum is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are at least partially defined by through openings in the outer drum, wherein the outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis of the rounding drum assembly, an inner drum in the form of a circular cylinder, wherein the inner drum is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion; wherein the dough treatment apparatus comprises a first motor for driving a rotation of the outer drum and the inner drum around the central axis , and a second motor for driving the inner drum via a first transmission system such that a point on an outer surface of the inner drum performs a circular motion with respect to the outer drum, wherein the first transmission system comprises : a first drive shaft that is on the one hand coupled to the second motor, and on the other hand coupled to an input shaft of a first right angle transmission and to an input shaft of a speed modulation gearbox, wherein an output shaft of the speed modulation gearbox is coupled to an input shaft of a second right angle transmission, which is arranged adj acent to the first right angle transmission, wherein an output shaft of the first right angle transmission is coupled to a drive element, wherein the drive element comprises : an adj ustment element which is rotatably connected to the drive element, wherein a rotation axis of the adj ustment element is parallel and spaced apart from a centre line of the output shaft of the first right angle transmission, wherein the adj ustment element carries a connector for coupling to the inner drum, wherein the connector is spaced apart from the rotation axis of the adj ustment element, and wherein the adj ustment element carries gear teeth at its outer circumference, a first gear wheel which is rotatably connected to the drive element, wherein a rotation axis of the first gear wheel coincides with the centre line of the output shaft of the first right angle transmission, wherein the first gear wheel comprises a gear ring which is coupled to the gear teeth of the adj ustment element, the output shaft of the second right angle transmission is coupled to a second gear wheel , wherein the second gear wheel is coupled to the first gear wheel .

[0036] Preferably, wherein the first transmission system a first drive train between the second motor and the adj ustment element , in particular via the first drive shaft and the first right angle transmission, and a second drive train between the second motor and the second gear wheel , in particular via the speed modulation gearbox and the second right angle transmission and the second gear wheel , are configured such that the second gear wheel is driven with the same speed as the adj ustment element , when dough treatment apparatus is operated with a constant radius of a circular rounding motion of the inner drum with respect to the outer drum . In order to change the radius of the circular rounding motion, the speed modulation gearbox is activated to provide a speed di fference between the second gear wheel and the drive element, which results in a movement of the adj ustment element and the connector to change the distance between the connector and the centre line of the output shaft of the first right angle transmission, which distance defines the radius of the rounding motion .

[0037] It is noted that EP 0580197 discloses a device for the production of balls of dough or similar material with a rounding drum assembly, wherein the device comprises a first motor for driving a rotation of the outer drum and the inner drum around a central axis of the concentrically arranged inner and outer drum, and a second motor for driving the inner drum via a first transmission system, such that a point on an outer surface of the inner drum performs a circular motion with respect to the outer drum. Contrarily to the present invention, the device as described in EP 0580197 comprises a linear drive ( treaded rod) for adj usting a radius of the circular motion, which linear drive is arranged in the first transmission system and performs substantially the same circular motion as the inner drum. The linear drive is connected to the second motor via a second transmission system and a di fferential drive , such that when the second transmission system has the same angular velocity as the circular motion of the linear drive , the linear drive is not activated . By activating the di fferential drive to provide an angular velocity to the second transmission system that is di fferent from the angular velocity of the circular motion of the linear drive , the linear drive is activated to change the radius of the circular motion of the inner drum. A disadvantage of the arrangement of EP 0580197 is that the arrangement of the linear drive inside the circular drive for the seat for the ball j oint for driving the inner cylinder, and the circular drive inside the casing of the rotational drive of the outer and inner drum, results in a complex arrangement di fficult to manufacture , to maintain and to repair .

[0038] In the first transmission system according to this aspect of the invention, the first right angle transmission, for providing the circular rounding motion to the inner drum with respect to the outer drum, is arranged adj acent to the second right angle transmission, for changing the radius of the circular rounding motion of the inner drum with respect to the outer drum . Accordingly, the drive for providing the circular rounding motion and the drive for changing the radius of the circular rounding motion are not as nested and / or interlocked as in the prior art arrangement , which makes manufacturing, maintenance and / or repair much more easy and less complicated .

[0039] In an embodiment the dough treatment apparatus according to this third aspect comprises one or more of the additional features of the dough treatment apparatus according to the first and / or second aspect or an embodiment thereof as described above , providing substantially the same advantages as described above .

[0040] In an embodiment, at least the first right angle transmission with the drive element , and the second right angle transmission with the second gear wheel are configured to rotate together with the inner and outer drum .

[0041] In an embodiment , the first right angle transmission and the second right angle transmission are arranged substantial ly on the central axi s o f the rounding drum assembly . In an embodiment , the first and second right angle transmissions are arranged one behind the other in a direction along the central axis .

[0042] In an embodiment , the second right angle transmission is arranged between the second motor and the first right angle transmission, wherein the first drive shaft passes through the second right angle transmission . In an embodiment , the input shaft of the second right angle transmission comprises a hollow shaft , wherein the first drive shaft passes through the hollow shaft .

[0043] According to a fourth aspect , the present invention provides a dough treatment apparatus compri sing a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises : an outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder or cylindrical shell , wherein the outer drum is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are at least partially defined by through openings in the outer drum, wherein the outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis of the rounding drum assembly, an inner drum in the form of a circular cylinder, wherein the inner drum is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion; wherein the dough treatment apparatus comprises a belt conveyor comprising a conveyor belt that extends along a conveyance path, wherein said conveyance path extends along a part of the circumference of the outer drum, wherein the conveyor belt is substantially rigid and / or stif f in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path .

[0044] As already mentioned above , the known drum rounders comprises an external conveyor belt which is arranged to abut against the outer surface of the outer drum along a part of the circumference of the outer drum, and which advances at the peripheral speed of rotation of the drum in order to contain and hold the dough pieces in position in the dough treatment compartments of the outer drum . During operation, the inner drum rotating relative to the outer drum exerts a rounding effect on the pieces of dough located in the dough treatment compartments , so that the pieces of dough are gradually converted into an approximately spherical shape . A problem already recogni zed in the prior art is , that the dough pieces require more space in the height direction towards the end of the rounding process than at the beginning of the rounding process . Accordingly, towards the end of the rounding process , the conveyor belt may press the dough flat . In order to solve this problem, DE7834943U1 proposed to provide a series of support rods , which are fastened at both ends to an endless chain, which chains are guided along guides along the section of the drum circumference . The course of the guide is configured so that the surfaces of the support rods facing the circumference of the outer drum or an endless cloth laid loosely over all the support rods , can be trough into contact with the circumference of the outer drum at least at the part of the drum where the rounding process starts . Towards the end of the rounding process , a narrow crescent-shaped gap between the surfaces of the support rods and the circumference of the outer drum is created .

[0045] The present invention according to this fourth aspect provides an alternative for the round support rods and the cloth, by providing a substantially rigid and / or stiff conveyor belt , which is substantially rigid and / or stiff in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path, and which some flexibility in a direction parallel to the conveyance path .

[0046] In an embodiment , the conveyor belt comprises a rubber belt with internal reinforcement elements , wherein the internal reinforcement elements comprises substantially rigid cords , rods or plates which are arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path, and which preferably extend over substantially the whole width of the conveyor belt . Preferably the internal reinforcement elements are relatively narrow in a direction parallel to the conveyance path, and are spaced apart in order to provide a desired amount of flexibility in the direction parallel to the conveyance path such that the conveyor belt can move around the pulleys or drums of the belt conveyor . Because the rubber belt , and in particular the surface of the rubber belt that is facing the outer drum, is substantially continues , the conveyor belt according to this embodiment provides a better support surface for the dough pieces , at least when compared to the round support rods of the prior art , which have a triangular-shaped gap in between each pair of adj acent rods due to their round surface .

[0047] In an embodiment , the conveyor belt comprises a series of elongated, substantially rigid support members or links , which links extend transverse to the conveyor belt and are placed in series one behind the other in the direction of the conveyor belt , wherein two links that are adj acent in the direction of the conveyor belt are interconnected by means of a hinge connection with a rotation axis the extends parallel to the links . In an embodiment , the links are at least partially inserted into each other, wherein the parts that are inserted into each other are provided with a through-opening that extends substantially transverse to the conveyance path and wherein the through-openings are placed substantially in line for providing an accommodation space for a connecting rod for connecting the adj acent links to each other, wherein the connecting rod provides a hinge connection and wherein a rotation axis of said hinge connection extends substantially transverse to the conveyor belt . Because adj acent links are at least partially inserted into each other, the modular conveyor belt provides a better support surface for the dough pieces , at least when compared to the round support rods of the prior art , which have a triangular-shaped gap in between each pair of adj acent rods due to their round surface .

[0048] In an embodiment the dough treatment apparatus according to this fourth aspect comprises one or more of the additional features of the dough treatment apparatus according to the first , second and / or third aspect or an embodiment thereof as described above , providing substantially the same advantages as described above .

[0049] In an embodiment , a distance between the surface of the modular conveyor belt that faces the outer drum and an outer surface of the outer drum is adj ustable . This allows to set a gap between the surface of the support members or links that is facing the outer drum, and the circumference of the outer drum.

[0050] In an embodiment, said belt conveyor is a first belt conveyor and wherein the conveyance path is a first conveyance path that extends along a first part of the circumference of the outer drum, wherein said first part is a lower part of the circumference of the outer drum, preferably below a hori zontal plane through the central axis of the rounding drum assembly, and wherein the dough treatment apparatus comprises a second belt conveyor comprising a second conveyor belt that extends along a second conveyance path, wherein said second conveyance path extends along a second part of the circumference of the outer drum, wherein, as viewed in a direction of the rotation of the outer drum, said second part is arranged upstream to the first part .

[0051] In an embodiment, the second belt conveyor comprises a moveable roller which is movably arranged on the frame and an actuator for moving the moveable roller with respect to the frame , wherein the actuator is configure for tensioning the second conveyor belt, preferably wherein the moveable roller is a drive roller of said second belt conveyor .

[0052] According to a fi fth aspect , the present invention provides a dough treatment apparatus compri sing a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises : an outer drum comprising a right circular hollow cylinder or cylindrical shell , wherein the outer drum is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are at least partially defined by through openings in the outer drum, wherein the outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis of the rounding drum assembly, an inner drum in the form of a right circular cylinder, wherein the inner drum is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion; wherein the through openings in the outer drum comprises a maximum tangential width in a circumferential direction of the outer drum, and a maximum axial width in a direction parallel to the central axis , wherein the maximum tangential width is larger than the maximum axial width .

[0053] Accordingly, the dough treatment compartments have a shape that is somewhat elongated in the circumferential direction . This allows to arranged more dough treatment compartments next to each other in the axial direction over the length of the outer drum, at least when compared to conventional outer drums which have dough treatment compartments with substantially the same surface area, but where the maximum tangential width in the circumferential direction of the outer drum and a maximum axial width in the direction parallel to the central axis is substantially equal to each other . More dough treatment compartments next to each other yields a higher productivity .

[0054] In an embodiment the dough treatment apparatus according to this fi fth aspect comprises one or more of the additional features of the dough treatment apparatus according to the first , second, third and / or fourth aspect or an embodiment thereof as described above .

[0055] According to a sixth aspect , the present invention provides a method for forming multiple dough pieces into rounded dough pieces with a substantially spherical shape, using a dough treatment apparatus or an embodiment thereof as described above, wherein the method comprise the steps of : arranging one or more dough piece ( s ) of said multiple dough pieces in a corresponding one or more dough treatment compartment ( s ) of the rounding drum assembly at a dough input position; rotating the rounding drum assembly from the dough input position to a dough output position, and during the rotation of the rounding drum driving the inner drum with respect to the outer drum such that a point on an outer surface of the inner drum performs one or more substantially circular or elliptical motion ( s ) with respect to the outer drum in order to obtain one or more rounded dough piece ( s ) ; and allowing the rounded dough piece ( s ) to exit the one or more dough treatment compartment ( s ) at the dough output position .

[0056] According to a seventh aspect , the present invention provides a method for exchanging an outer drum of a dough treatment apparatus or an embodiment thereof as described above, wherein the method comprises the steps of : removing the multiple drum sections of the outer drum one by one, by : removing a drum section at a section exchange position of the rounding drum assembly, rotating the rounding drum assembly to move a next drum section to the section exchange position, repeat the above steps until all drum sections of said multiple drum sections have been removed from the dough treatment apparatus ; placing the multiple drum sections of the same or another outer drum one by one, by : placing a drum section at an empty section position at a section exchange position of the rounding drum assembly, rotating the rounding drum assembly to move a next empty section position to the section exchange position, repeat the above steps until all drum sections of said multiple drum sections have been placed in the dough treatment apparatus .

[0057] The various aspects and features described and shown in the specification can be applied, individually, wherever possible . These individual aspects , in particular the aspects and features described in the attached dependent claims , can be made subj ect of divisional patent applications .

[0058] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] The invention will be elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment shown in the attached drawings , in which :

[0060] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-section view of an example of a dough treatment apparatus of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 2A shows the cross-section view of the rounding drum assembly of figure 1 in more detail ;

[0062] Figure 2B shows a detail of the dough treatment compartments in the rounding drum assembly of the example of figure 1 ;

[0063] Figure 3A shows a schematic view of an example of an outer drum according to the invention and for use in the dough treatment apparatus of figure 1 ;

[0064] Figure 3B shows a schematic view of a stack of single outer drum sections for the outer drum of figure 3A;

[0065] Figure 4A shows a schematic view of an example of an inner drum according to the invention and for use in the dough treatment apparatus of figure 1 ;

[0066] Figure 4B shows a schematic view of a stack of single inner drum section for the inner drum of figure 4A;

[0067] Figures 5A, 5B and 5C show schematic crosssection views of a drum section for di fferent rounding drum assemblies for the processing of di fferent si zed dough pieces ;

[0068] Figure 6 shows a schematic view of an example of a belt conveyor with a series of interlinked elongated, rigid support members ;

[0069] Figure 7 shows a schematic cross-section view of an example of a rounding drum assembly with a movable counterweight ;

[0070] Figure 8 shows a schematic example of a drive assembly for the dough treatment apparatus of the present invention;

[0071] Figure 9 shows a schematic view of a part of the drive assembly of figure 8 which is responsible for driving the rounding motion of the inner drum with respect to the outer drum;

[0072] Figure 10 shows a schematic detailed view of the adj ustment element of the drive assembly of figure 9 ; and

[0073] Figure 11A and 11B schematically show di fferent positions of the excentre of the drive assembly of figure

[0074] 9.

[0075] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0076] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-section view of an example of a dough treatment apparatus 1 of the present invention . The dough treatment apparatus 1 comprises a frame , of which a frame part 2 is shown in figure 1 , a rounding drum assembly 3 , and a conveyor belt assembly comprising a first conveyor belt 5 and a second conveyor belt 4 arranged adj acent to a part of an outward facing surface of the rounding drum assembly 3 . A first conveyance path of the first conveyor belt 5 the extends along a first part of the circumference of the outer drum 7 , wherein said first part is a lower part of the circumference of the outer drum 7 , in particular below a hori zontal plane through the central axis 13 of the rounding drum assembly 3 . The second conveyor belt 4 extends along a second conveyance path, wherein said second conveyance path extends along a second part of the circumference of the outer drum 7 , wherein, as viewed in a direction of the rotation of the outer drum 7 , said second part is arranged upstream to the first part .

[0077] The second belt conveyor 4 comprises a moveable roller 46 which is movably arranged on the frame (not shown) and an actuator 47 for moving the moveable roller 46 with respect to the frame , wherein the actuator 47 is configure for tensioning the second conveyor belt 49. As schematically shown in figure 1 , the moveable roller 46 is connected to a drive motor 48 for driving the moveable roller 46 of said second belt conveyor 4 .

[0078] In addition, as also schematically shown in figure 1 , a supply belt conveyor 6 is provided for supplying dough pieces to the dough treatment compartments 8 of the rounding drum assembly 3 . The cross-section extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the rounding drum assembly 3 and thereby also shows schematically the inner parts of the rounding drum assembly at the cross-section plane .

[0079] As also shown in figure 2A in more detail , the rounding drum assembly 3 comprises an outer drum 7 in the form of a circular hollow cylinder or a cylindrical shell . The outer drum 7 is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments 8 , which are at least partially defined by through openings 9 in the outer drum 7 . The outer drum 7 is connected to a rotatable flange 10 which is rotatably arranged on the frame part 2 . The flange 10 is connected to a first drive motor 11 , via a drive belt 12 , for driving a rotation of the outer drum 7 around a central axis 13 of the rounding drum assembly 3 .

[0080] Furthermore , the rounding drum assembly 3 comprises an inner drum 14 in the form of a circular cylinder, which is arranged coaxially inside the outer drum 7 . Preferably, an outward facing surface of the inner drum 14 is arranged adj acent to and / or abutting an inward facing surface of the outer drum 7 . The inner drum 14 is moveably arranged on the frame part 2 in order to rotate along with the outer drum 7 , and in addition to perform a rounding motion with respect to the outer drum 7 that will be explained in more detail below . In use , on the one hand, the outer drum 7 and the inner drum 14 are driven to rotate around the central axis 13 in the direction Rl , as shown schematically in figure 2B . On the other hand, the inner drum 14 is driven to make a substantially circular motion R2 with respect to the outer drum 7 to provide the rounding motion for transferring a piece of dough inside a through opening 9 into a substantially spherical shape .

[0081] The outer drum 7 comprises multiple outer drum sections 7a, 7b, 7c, ... , which are arranged one next to the other . The combined multiple outer drum sections 7a, 7b, 7c, ... , together define the cylindrical shell of the outer drum 7 . The outer drum sections 7a, 7b, 7c, ... , are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus 1 .

[0082] In the example shown in figure 1 and figure 2A, the outer drum 7 comprises eight outer drum sections 7a, 7b, 7c, ... , each one comprising two rows of dough treatment compartments 8 . The outer drum sections 7a, 7b, 7c, ... , are combined in pairs to form four large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, which are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the rounding drum assembly 3 . Each one of said large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, is configured such that said large outer drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus 1 in a radial direction with respect to the central axis 13 , thus in a direction perpendicular to the central axis 13 . Each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections 7a, 7b, 7c, ... , and thereby also each large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, extends in the direction of the central axis 13 over substantially the complete length of the outer drum 7 , wherein each large outer drum section 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, comprises a substantially rectangular part of the cylindrical shell of the outer drum 7 .

[0083] As schematically shown in figure 2B, the through openings 9 in the outer drum 7 comprises a maximum tangential width TW in a circumferential direction of the outer drum 7 , and a maximum axial width AW in a direction parallel to the central axis 13 , wherein the maximum tangential width TW is larger than the maximum axial width AW . Accordingly each through opening 9 has an elongated shape, in particular elongated in the circumferential direction .

[0084] In addition, each dough treatment compartment 8 of this example comprises a through opening 9 in the outer drum 7 . Furthermore , the outer surface 20 of the inner drum 14 is provided with a plurality of recesses 19 , wherein each recess 19 of said plurality of recesses is assigned to one of the through openings 9 in a corresponding outer drum 7 . The outer surface 20 of the inner drum 14 comprises a rough or coarse surface area 21 , which rough or coarse surface area 21 comprises a plurality of ridges and / or teeth, preferably substantially blunt ridges and / or teeth, in order to improve the grip on a dough piece that is placed in said dough treatment compartment 8 , so that said dough piece is correctly subj ected to the rounding motion for forming said dough piece into a substantially spherical shape .

[0085] Furthermore , each recess 19 of the plurality of recesses comprises a substantially circular shape . As schematically shown in figure 2B , each recess 19 of the plurality comprises a series of nested substantially circular recesses , wherein the nested substantially circular recesses are arranged coaxially to each other . Also these nested substantially circular shaped recesses 19 , and in particular the substantially circular edges provided by the nested recesses , provides a better grip on a dough portion, making the working of the dough by the rounding motion of the inner drum more ef fective .

[0086] Accordingly, the inner drum 14 and the pattern on or in its outer surface 20 , is speci fically designed for use with a corresponding outer drum 7 . When the outer drum 7 is replaced by an other outer drum, than also the inner drum 14 needs to be replaced by an other inner drum that corresponds to the other outer drum .

[0087] In order to more easily replace also the inner drum 14 , the inner drum 14 of the example in figure 1 and figure 2A, comprises multiple inner drum sections , wherein the inner drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus 1 . In particular, the inner drum 14 comprises four inner drum sections 14 a, 14b , 14c, 14d, wherein the combined multiple inner drum sections 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, together define the cylindrical shell of said inner drum 14 . The inner drum sections 14 a, 14b, 14 c, 14d, are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the rounding drum assembly 3 . The inner drum sections 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, can be removed and / or replace , one after the other and / or individually and independent from each other . Preferably, each of said inner drum sections 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus 1 in a radial direction with respect to the central axi s 13 . Each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections 14 a, 14b , 14c , 14d, extends in the direction of the central axis 13 over substantially the complete length of the inner drum 14 , wherein each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, comprises a substantially rectangular part of the cylindrical shell of the inner drum 14 .

[0088] As schematically shown in figure 2A, the rounding drum assembly 3 comprises an inner drum frame 15, wherein a circumference of the inner drum frame 15 in a plane perpendicular to the central axis 13 comprises multiple sides , in particular four sides 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d . As indicated above, the inner drum 14 of this example comprises four inner drum sections 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, for attaching to the four sides of the inner drum frame 15. Accordingly, one inner drum section is attached to one of said four sides .

[0089] The dough treatment apparatus , and in particular the rounding drum assembly, further comprises a counterweight 16 which is movable at least in a direction paral lel to the central axis 13 , wherein the counterweight 16 is configured to move synchronously with and opposite to at least the part of the rounding motion of the inner drum 14 that is parallel to the central axis 13 . In the example of figure 2A, two interconnected counterweights 16 are provided at opposite sides of the central axis 13 , which counterweights 16 are mounted on and moveable along guiding rails 17 arranged on an outer surface of an inner drum axle 18 of the rounding drum assembly 3 . The inner drum axle 18 is rotatably and coaxially arranged around a rounding drum centre axle 25 .

[0090] Figure 3A shows a schematic view of an example of an outer drum 7 according to the invention and for use in the dough treatment apparatus 1 of figure 1 . Each one of the large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 70, 7D, comprises end ring sections 23 , 23 ' at the axial opposite ends of the large outer drum sections . On the one hand, these end ring sections 23 , 23 ' interconnect two smaller outer drum sections 7a, 7b, into one large outer drum section 7A. On the other hand, the end ring sections 23 , 23 ' are provided with slots 22 for accommodating alignment and / or holding pins of an outer drum frame (not shown) in order to correctly position the large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 70, 7D, on said outer drum frame of the rounding drum assembly 3 . When removed from the rounding drum assembly 3 , the large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 70, 7D, can be stacked as schematically shown in figure 3B . In this stack 7 ' of nested large outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 70, 7D, requires much less storing space , when compared to a complete cylindrical drum.

[0091] Figure 4A shows a schematic view of an example of an inner drum 14 according to the invention and for use in the dough treatment apparatus 1 of figure 1 . When removed from the rounding drum assembly 3 , the inner drum sections 14A, 14B, 140, 14D, can be stacked as schematically shown in figure 4B . In this stack 14 ' o f inner drum sections 14A, 14B, 140, 14D, requires much less storing space , when compared to a complete cylindrical inner drum.

[0092] As schematically shown in figures 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, the drum sections are all marked with a symbol 'B' in order to indicate that they all belong to one rounding drum assembly . In addition or alternatively, each one of the outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and / or inner drum sections 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D is provided with an RFID tag (not shown in detail ) , which is preferably arranged at or near the symbol 'B' , in or on the corresponding drum section .

[0093] In addition, the frame part 2 comprises an RFID reader (not shown) that is configured to read information from the RFID tag ( s ) from the outer drum sections and / or the inner drum section . In the example of figure 1 , the RFID reader is mounted inside the frame part 2 at a position 24 , at or near the position around the rounding drum assembly, where drum sections are removed from and / or placed on the dough treatment apparatus 1 , as schematically shown in figure 1 .

[0094] Figures 5A, 5B and 5C show schematic crosssection views of a drum section for di fferent rounding drum assemblies for the processing of di fferent si zed dough pieces .

[0095] In the example of figure 5A, the rounding drum assembly comprise four inner drum sections 141 and four outer drum sections 71 . In the circumferential direction of the rounding drum assembly, each outer drum section 71 comprises four rows of through openings 91 , and each inner drum section 141 comprises four rows of recesses 191 . Thus the whole circumference of an outer drum made by these outer drum sections 71 comprises sixteen rows of through openings 91 , and the whole circumference of an inner drum made by these inner drum sections 141 comprises sixteen rows of recesses 191 .

[0096] In case larger dough portions need to be transformed to have a substantially spherical profile , larger dough treatment compartments are required . Accordingly, in the example of figure 5B, the rounding drum assembly comprise four inner drum sections 142 and four outer drum sections 72 . In the circumferential direction of the rounding drum assembly, each outer drum section 72 comprises three rows of through openings 92 , and each inner drum section 142 comprises three rows of recesses 192 . Thus the whole circumference of an outer drum made by these outer drum sections 72 comprises twelve rows of through openings 92 , and the whole circumference of an inner drum made by these inner drum sections 142 comprises twelve rows of recesses 192 .

[0097] In case even larger dough portions need to be transformed to have a substantially spherical profile , even larger dough treatment compartments are required . Accordingly, in the example of figure 5C, the rounding drum assembly comprise four inner drum sections 143 and four outer drum sections 73 . In the circumferential direction of the rounding drum assembly, each outer drum section 73 comprises two rows of through openings 93 , and each inner drum section 143 comprises two rows of recesses 193 . Thus the whole circumference of an outer drum made by these outer drum sections 73 comprises eight rows of through openings 93 , and the whole circumference of an inner drum made by these inner drum sections 143 comprises eight rows of recesses 193 .

[0098] As shown in figures 5A, 5B and 5C, for the processing of larger dough portions , the thickness of the outer drum sections increases , and thereby the height of the dough treatment compartments . At the same time , the radius of the outer surface of the inner drum sections decreases and the outer surface of the inner drum sections is arranged closer to the centre of the rounding drum assembly . However, the diameter of the dough portions in the approximately spherical shape for the larger dough portions will also be larger and accordingly, the larger the dough portions , the more space is required by the approximately spherical shaped dough portions , and accordingly a gap between the outer surface of the outer drum and the external conveyor is created, which gap needs to be increased for larger dough portions . In addition, the larger dough portions also have a larger weight and therefore also a more stable support for the larger dough portions , at least towards the end of the rounding process and for transportation of the rounded dough portions away from the rounding drum assembly, is desired . Accordingly, as schematically shown in figures 1 and 6, the dough treatment device 1 of this example comprises a belt conveyor 5 which comprises a substantially rigid and / or stif f conveyor belt 50 , which is substantially rigid and / or sti ff in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction Tl , and which has some flexibility in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction Tl .

[0099] In a first example, the conveyor belt 50 comprises a rubber sheet with internal reinforcement elements ( schematically presented by the parallel lines 52 ) . These internal reinforcement elements comprises substantially rigid cords , rods or plates which are arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction Tl , and which preferably extend over substantially the whole width W of the conveyor belt 50 . The internal reinforcement elements are preferably relatively narrow metal cords , rods or plates , preferably having a width in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction Tl in a range between 1 - 50 mm, and are spaced apart in order to provide a desired amount of flexibility in the direction parallel to the conveyance direction Tl such that the conveyor belt 50 can move around the pulleys or drums of the belt conveyor 5.

[0100] In an alternative example, the belt conveyor 5 comprises a conveyor belt 50 that comprises a series of elongated, substantially rigid support members 51 or links , which support members 51 extend transverse to the modular conveyor belt 5 and are placed in series one behind the other in a transport direction Tl of the conveyor belt 50 . Two support members 51 that are adj acent in the transport direction T of the conveyor belt 5 connected to each other by means of a hinge connection ( schematically indicated by the lines 52 ) , wherein a rotation axis of said hinge connection lies in the plane of the conveyor belt 50 and extends in a direction substantially transverse to the transport direction T1 of the conveyor belt 50 . In a preferred example the interlinked elongated, rigid support members 51 are at least partially inserted into each other, wherein the parts that are inserted into each other are provided with a through-opening that extends substantially transverse to the conveyor belt 50 and wherein the through- openings are placed substantially in line for providing an accommodation space for a connecting rod for connecting the adj acent support member 51 to each other, wherein the connecting rod provides the hinge connection, schematically indicated in figure 6 by the lines 52 . Such a linked or modular conveyor belt is for example also described in WO 2016 / 137316 Al which is incorporated herein by reference . However, contrarily to the open structure of the support members in WO 2016 / 137316 Al , the support members 51 in the conveyor belt 50 for the dough treatment apparatus of the example of figure 6 , comprises a substantially closed carrying surface . The substantially rigid support members 51 with interconnections between adj acent support members 51 which are provided over the complete length of the support members 51 , provide a stable conveying surface 53 .

[0101] As schematically shown in the cross-section of figure 1 , the framework 54 of the second conveyor belt 5 is provided with guiding members 55 that extend in the transport direction T of the conveyor belt 5 , wherein the part of the guiding member 55 that in the apparatus of figure 1 is arranged under the rounding drum assembly 3 comprises a curved surface at a side of said guiding member 55 that faces the rounding drum assembly, wherein said curved surface is configured to provide a narrow crescentshaped gap between the outer surface of the rounding drum assembly 3 and the support members 51 of the conveyor belt 5 that slide over said guiding member 55 . I f necessary, multiple guiding members 55 can be distributed over de width W of the conveyor belt 5 . The guiding members 55 further stabilise the conveying surface 53 and substantially prevents any sagging of the conveying surface 53 , even when the apparatus is used for rounding large dough portions with a relatively large weight .

[0102] As indicated above, the diameter of the dough portions in the approximately spherical shape for the larger dough portions will also be larger and accordingly, the larger the dough portions , the more space is required by the approximately spherical shaped dough portions , and accordingly a gap between the outer surface of the outer drum and the external conveyor is created, which gap needs to be increased for larger dough portions . Accordingly, in the example of figure 1 , the distance between the surface of the conveyor belt 50 that faces the rounding drum assembly 3 and an outer surface of the rounding drum assembly 3 is adj ustable, for example by moving the framework 54 of the conveyor belt 50 with respect to the frame part 2 .

[0103] Figure 7 shows a schematic cross-section of an example of the inner workings of a rounding drum assembly with a movable counterweight 16. The schematic crosssection shows an inner drum axle 18 which is rotatably and coaxially arranged around a rounding drum centre axle 25 .

[0104] The outer drum frame 30 is fixedly connected to the rounding drum centre axle 25 and comprises , in this example, wheel-like structures which are arranged at opposite ends of the rounding drum assembly, wherein at or near a rim-part 31 of the wheel-like structures mounting members (not shown) are provided for mounting the end ring sections 23 , 23 ' of outer drum sections 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, as schematically shown in figure 3A, to said outer drum frame 30 .

[0105] The inner drum axle 18 is provided with guiding rails 17 for carriages 26, 27 which can substantially freely travel along said guiding rails 17 . As schematically shown in figure 7 , the inner drum frame 15 comprises inner drum frame holders 15' which are fixedly connected to carriages 26 , and accordingly, the complete inner drum frame 15 can as a whole travel along the guiding rails 17 . At one end, the inner drum frame 15 is connected to a driving arm 41 , preferably by means of a rod end bearing or rose j oint 42 .

[0106] In use , the driving arm 41 is driven to perform a rounding motion 43 which comprises a substantially circular motion around a radial line 44 with respect to the rounding drum centre axle 25. This circular motion comprises an axial component (parallel to the central axis 13 ) and a tangential component (parallel to a tangent of the rounding drum at the position of the rose j oint 42 , which in figure 7 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the figure ) . The axial component provides an axial reciprocal movement 45 of the inner drum frame 15 along the guiding rails 17 , and the tangential component provides a rotational reciprocal movement of the inner drum axle 18 around the rounding drum centre axle 25 . Together, the axial and tangential component provide to rounding motion R2 of the inner drum 14 with respect to the outer drum 7 , as shown in figure 2B .

[0107] As further schematically shown in figure 7 , the interconnected counterweights 16 are arranged on carriages 27 and are also moveable along the guiding rails 17 . The interconnected counterweights 16 are connected to the inner drum frame 15 by a reversing mechanism comprising a reversing arm 29 which is rotatable around a rotation point 29' which is substantially fixed with respect to the centre axle 25 . One end of the reversing arm 29 is connected to one end of a first crank arm 28 via a first pivot j oint 282 . The first crank arm 28 is connected to the inner drum frame 15 via a second pivot j oint 281 at a second end of the first crank arm 28 , opposite to the first end of the first crank arm 28 . The other end of the reversing arm 29 opposite to the one end, is connected to one end of a second crank arm 28 ' via a third pivot j oint 282 ' . The second crank arm 28 ' is connected to the interconnected counterweights 16 via a fourth pivot j oint 281 ' at a second end of the second crank arm 28 ' , opposite to the first end of the second crank arm 28 ' . A movement of the inner drum frame 15 and the first crank arm 28 to the left will result in a movement of the second crank arm 28 ' and the interconnected counterweights 16 to the right , and vice versa . Accordingly, reversing mechanism is configure to move the interconnected counterweights 16 synchronously with and opposite to the part of the rounding motion 43 of the inner drum frame 15 that is parallel to the central axis 13 .

[0108] The driving arm 41 is part of a drive assembly 60 of which an example is described below in more detail with reference to figures 8 - 11 .

[0109] Figure 8 shows a schematic example of a drive assembly 60 for the dough treatment apparatus of the present invention . As already mentioned above , the drive assembly 60 comprises a first drive motor 11 which is coupled to the flange 10 via a drive belt 12 , for driving a rotation (R1 in figure 2B ) of the rounding drum assembly 3 .

[0110] In addition, the drive assembly 60 comprises a second motor 62 for driving the inner drum via a first transmission system such that a point on an outer surface 20 of the inner drum 14 performs a circular motion R2 with respect to the outer drum 7 ( see figure 2B) . In the example of figures 9 - 11 , said first transmission system comprises a first drive shaft 63 that is on the one hand coupled to the second motor 62 , and on the other hand coupled to an input shaft 81 of a first right angle transmission 65 , which input shaft 81 passes through a hollow input shaft 82 of a second right angle transmission 64 , as schematically shown in figure 11A. The first drive shaft 63 is provided with a first pulley 68 , which is connected to an input pulley 69 of a speed modulation gearbox 70 via a first belt 83 . An output pulley 71 of the speed modulation gearbox 70 is connected to a second pulley 72 , via a second belt 84 , wherein the second pulley 72 is arranged on the hollow input shaft 82 of the second right angle transmission 64 .

[0111] As schematically shown in figures 9, 11A and 11B, the second right angle transmission 64 is arranged adj acent and connected to the first right angle transmission 65 . In particular, in the present example , the first and second right angle transmission 64 are arranged in series on behind the other, such that a centre line of the input shaft 81 of the first right angle transmission 65 and the hollow input shaft 82 of the second right angle transmission 64 are arranged on the central axis 13 . The second right angle transmission 64 is arranged between the second motor 62 and the first right angle transmission 65.

[0112] The first and / or second right angle transmission 65, 64 are configured such that , in use, the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65 turns in an opposite direction with respect to the output shaft 85 of the second right angle transmission 65 .

[0113] As schematically shown in figures 11A and 11B, a drive element 66 is mounted on the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65 . The drive element 66 comprises an adj ustment element 78 which is rotatably connected to the drive element 66 , wherein a rotation axis 80 of the adj ustment element 78 is parallel and spaced apart OC from a centre line of the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65 . The adj ustment element 78 carries a connector 67 for coupling to the inner drum, in particular to the inner drum frame 15 , via a driving arm 41 . As schematically shown in figure 10 , the connector 67 is spaced apart from the rotation axis 80 of the adj ustment element 78 . The adj ustment element 78 is provided with gear teeth 79 at its outer circumference .

[0114] The drive element 66 further comprises a first gear wheel 77 which is rotatably connected to the drive element 66 , in particular at the circumference of the drive element 66 , such that a rotation axis of the first gear wheel 77 coincides with the centre line of the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65. The first gear wheel 77 comprises a gear ring 76 which is facing towards the adj ustment element 78 , wherein the gear teeth of the gear ring 76 mesh at a coupling position 87 with the gear teeth 79 of the adj ustment element 78 . Accordingly, when the first gear wheel 77 rotates with respect to the drive element 66, the adj ustment element 78 is driven to rotate around its rotation axis 80 , which moves the connector 67 around the rotation axis 80 of the adj ustment element 78 , which changes the distance between the connector 67 and the centre line of the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65 , and which changes the radius RA of the circular motion of the connector 67 around the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65.

[0115] As schematically shown in figures 11A and 11B, a second gear wheel 73 is mounted on the output shaft 85 of the second right angle transmission 64 . The gear teeth 74 at the circumference of the gear wheel 73 mesh at a coupling position 88 with the gear teeth 75 at the circumference of the first gear wheel 77 .

[0116] A first drive train for driving the adj ustment element 66 via the first drive shaft 63 , the input shaft 81 and the first right angle transmission 65 , and a second drive train for driving the second gear wheel 77 via the speed modulation gearbox 70 , the hollow input shaft 82 , the second right angle transmission 64 and the second gear wheel 73 , are configured such that the second gear wheel 77 is driven with the same speed as the drive element 66, and the radius RA of the circular motion of the connector 67 does not change .

[0117] In order to change the radius RA, the speed modulation gearbox 70 is activated to provide a speed di fference between the second gear wheel 77 and the drive element 66. This results in a rotation of the adj ustment element 78 around its rotation axis 80 , and the connector 67 is also rotated around the rotation axis 80 of the adj ustment element 78 . Accordingly, a distance RA between the connector 67 and the centre line of the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65 is changed, which distance defines the radius of the rounding motion .

[0118] In the example as shown in figure 10 , the gear ratio between the first gear wheel 77 and second gear wheel 73 is 1 : 1 . Accordingly, the first gear train and the second gear train are configured to drive the output shaft 86 of the first right angle transmission 65 and the output shaft 85 of the second right angle transmission 64 at the same speed, but in opposite direction, when dough treatment apparatus is operated with a constant radius of a circular rounding motion of the inner drum with respect to the outer drum.

[0119] It is noted, at the first right angle transmission 65 with the drive element 66 , and the second right angle transmission 64 with the second gear wheel 73 are configured to rotate around the central axis 13 in the direction R1 ( see figure 2B, together with the inner drum and outer drum, thus together with the rounding drum assembly 3 , as schematically shown in figure 8 .

[0120] It is further noted, that in stead of meshing gear wheels , the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel may also be replaced by pulleys with a transmission belt or timing belt, and that the belt transmissions to and from the speed modulation gearbox 70 may be replaced by meshing gear wheels .

[0121] It is to be understood that the above description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiments and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention . From the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art that would yet be encompassed by the scope of the present invention .

[0122] In summary, the invention relates to a dough treatment apparatus comprising a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises an outer drum and an inner drum. The outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder, which is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are defined by through openings in the circular hollow cylinder . The outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis . The inner drum is in the form of a circular cylinder, and is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum . The inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion . The outer drum comprises multiple outer drum sections which are arranged one next to the other, wherein the combined multiple outer drum sections together define the hollow cylinder . The outer drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus .

Claims

C L A I M S1 . A dough treatment apparatus comprising a frame and a rounding drum assembly which comprises : an outer drum comprising a circular hollow cylinder or cylindrical shell , wherein the outer drum is provided with a plurality of dough treatment compartments , which are at least partially provided by through openings in the outer drum, wherein the outer drum is rotatably arranged on the frame around a central axis of the rounding drum assembly, an inner drum in the form of a circular cylinder, wherein the inner drum is moveably arranged on the frame , coaxially inside the outer drum, wherein the inner drum is moveable with respect to the outer drum within the scope of a rounding motion; characteri zed in that the outer drum comprises multiple outer drum sections which are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the outer drum, wherein the combined multiple outer drum sections together provide the cylindrical shell of said outer drum, wherein the outer drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus , wherein each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections is configured such that said outer drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus .2 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections is configured such that said outer drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus in a radial direction with respect to the central axis .3 . The dough treatment apparatus according toclaim 2 , wherein each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections extends in the direction of the central axis over substantially the length of the outer drum, preferably wherein each outer drum section of said multiple outer drum sections comprises a substantially rectangular part of the cylindrical shell of the outer drum.4 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the rounding drum assembly comprises an outer drum frame , wherein a circumference of the outer drum frame in a plane perpendicular to the central axis comprises n sides , wherein the outer drum comprises one or more outer drum section ( s ) for attaching to the sides , preferably one outer drum section to each one of said n sides , preferably wherein n is equal or larger than three, more preferably wherein n is equal to four .5 . The dough treatment apparatus according to any one of the claims 1 - 4 , wherein the inner drum comprises multiple inner drum sections which are arranged one next to the other, wherein the combined multiple inner drum sections together provide the cylindrical shell of said inner drum, wherein the inner drum sections are removable from and / or placeable in the dough treatment apparatus , preferably wherein the inner drum sections can be removed and / or replace , one after the other, and / or individually and independent from each other .

6. The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the multiple inner drum sections are arranged one next to the other in a direction in the circumference of the inner drum, wherein each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections is configured such that said inner drum section can individually be removed from and / or placed in the dough treatment apparatus in a radial direction with respect to thecentral axis .7 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections extends in the direction of the central axis over substantially the length of the inner drum, preferably wherein each inner drum section of said multiple inner drum sections comprises a substantially rectangular part of the cylindrical shell of the inner drum.8 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 5, 6 or 7 , wherein the rounding drum assembly comprises an inner drum frame , wherein a circumference of the inner drum frame in a plane perpendicular to the central axis comprises m sides , wherein the inner drum comprises one or more inner drum section ( s ) for attaching to the sides , preferably one inner drum section to each one of said m sides , preferably wherein m is equal or larger than three , more preferably wherein m is equal to four .9 . The dough treatment apparatus according to any one of the claims 1 - 8 , wherein the outer surface of the inner drum is provided with a plurality of recesses , wherein each recess of said plurality of recesses is as signed to one o f the through openings in a corresponding outer drum, wherein the outer surface of the inner drum around each one of the plurality of recesses comprises a rough or coarse surface area, preferably wherein said rough or coarse surface area comprises a plurality of ridges and / or teeth, preferably substantially blunt ridges and / or teeth, and / or wherein each recess of the plurality of recesses comprises a substantially circular shape , preferably wherein each recess of the plurality comprises a series ofnested substantially circular recesses , preferably wherein the nested substantially circular recesses are arranged coaxially to each other .10 . The dough treatment apparatus according to any one of the claims 1 - 9 , wherein each one o f the outer drum sections is provided with an RFID tag .11 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the dough treatment apparatus , in particular the frame and / or the outer drum frame thereof , comprises an RFID reader that is configured to read information from the RFID tag ( s ) from the outer drum sections mounted or ready to be mounted on the dough treatment apparatus .12 . The dough treatment apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 or any one of the claims 1 - 11 , wherein the dough treatment apparatus further comprises a counterweight which is movable at least in a direction paral lel to the central axis , wherein the counterweight is configured to move synchronously with and opposite to at least the part of the rounding motion of the inner drum that is parallel to the central axis .13 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the counterweight is configured to move synchronously with and opposite to the rounding motion of the inner drum, both in the direction parallel to the central axis and in the rotation direction of the rounding drum assembly .14 . The dough treatment apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 or any one of the claims 1 - 13 , wherein the dough treatment apparatus comprises a first motor for driving a rotation of the outer drum and theinner drum around the central axis , and a second motor for driving the inner drum via a first transmission system such that a point on an outer surface of the inner drum performs a circular motion with respect to the outer drum, wherein the first transmission system comprises : a first drive shaft that is on the one hand coupled to the second motor, and on the other hand coupled to an input shaft of a first right angle transmission and to an input shaft of a speed modulation gearbox, wherein an output shaft of the speed modulation gearbox is coupled to an input shaft of a second right angle transmission, which is arranged adj acent to the first right angle transmission, wherein an output shaft of the first right angle transmission is coupled to a drive element, wherein the drive element comprises : an adj ustment element which is rotatably connected to the drive element, wherein a rotation axis of the adj ustment element is parallel and spaced apart from a centre line of the output shaft of the first right angle transmission, wherein the adj ustment element carries a connector for coupling to the inner drum, wherein the connector is spaced apart from the rotation axis of the adj ustment element, and wherein the adj ustment element carries gear teeth at its outer circumference, a first gear wheel which is rotatably connected to the drive element, wherein a rotation axis of the first gear wheel coincides with the centre line of the output shaft of the first right angle transmission, wherein the first gear wheel comprises a gear ring which is coupled to the gear teeth of the adj ustment element, the output shaft of the second right angle transmission is coupled to a second gear wheel , wherein the second gear wheel is coupled to the first gear wheel .

15. The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein at least the first right angle transmission with the drive element , and the second right angle transmission with the second gear wheel are configured to rotate together with the inner and outer drum .16 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 14 or 15 , wherein the first right angle transmis sion and the second right angle transmission are arranged substantially on the central axis of the rounding drum assembly, preferably wherein the first and second right angle transmis sions are arranged one behind the other in a direction along the central axis .17 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the second right angle transmission is arranged between the second motor and the first right angle transmission, wherein the first drive shaft passes through the second right angle transmission, preferably wherein the input shaft of the second right angle transmission comprises a hollow shaft , wherein the first drive shaft passes through the hollow shaft .18 . The dough treatment apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 or any one of the claims 1 - 17 , wherein the dough treatment apparatus comprises a belt conveyor comprising a conveyor belt that extends along a conveyance path, wherein said conveyance path extends along a part of the circumference of the outer drum, wherein the conveyor belt is substantially rigid and / or sti ff in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path .19 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the conveyor belt comprises a rubber belt with internal reinforcement elements , wherein the internalreinforcement elements comprises substantially rigid cords , rods or plates which are arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path, and which preferably extend over substantially the whole width of the conveyor belt , preferably wherein the internal reinforcement elements are relatively narrow in a direction parallel to the conveyance path, and are spaced apart in order to provide a desired amount of flexibility in the direction parallel to the conveyance path .20 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the conveyor belt comprises a modular conveyor belt comprising a series of elongated, substantially rigid support members or links , which links extend transverse to the conveyance path of the modular conveyor belt and are placed in series one behind the other in the direction of the conveyance path of the conveyor belt, wherein two links that are adj acent in the direction of the conveyance path of the conveyor belt are at least partially inserted into each other, wherein the parts that are inserted into each other are provided with a through- opening that extends substantially transverse to the conveyance path of the conveyor belt and wherein the through-openings are placed substantially in line for providing an accommodation space for a connecting rod for connecting the adj acent links to each other, wherein the connecting rod provides a hinge connection and wherein a rotation axis of said hinge connection extends substantially transverse to conveyance path the modular conveyor belt .21 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 18 , 19 or 20 , wherein a distance between the surface of the conveyor belt that faces the outer drum and an outer surface of the outer drum is adj ustable .22 . The dough treatment apparatus according to any one of the claims 18 - 21 , wherein said belt conveyor is a first belt conveyor and wherein the conveyance path is a first conveyance path that extends along a first part of the circumference of the outer drum, wherein said first part is a lower part of the circumference of the outer drum, preferably below a horizontal plane through the central axis of the rounding drum assembly, and wherein the dough treatment apparatus comprises a second belt conveyor comprising a second conveyor belt that extends along a second conveyance path, wherein said second conveyance path extends along a second part of the circumference of the outer drum, wherein, as viewed in a direction of the rotation of the outer drum, said second part is arranged upstream to the first part .23 . The dough treatment apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the second belt conveyor comprises a moveable roller which is movably arranged on the frame and an actuator for moving the moveable roller with respect to the frame , wherein the actuator is configure for tensioning the second conveyor belt , preferably wherein the moveable roller is a drive roller of said second belt conveyor .24 . The dough treatment apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 or any one of the claims 1 - 23 , wherein the through openings in the outer drum comprises a maximum tangential width in a circumferential direction of the outer drum, and a maximum axial width in a direction parallel to the central axis , wherein the maximum tangential width is larger than the maximum axial width .

25. A method for forming multiple dough pieces into rounded dough pieces with a substantially spherical shape, using a dough treatment apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims , wherein the method comprisethe steps of : arranging one or more dough piece ( s ) of said multiple dough pieces in a corresponding one or more dough treatment compartment ( s ) of the rounding drum assembly at a dough input position; rotating the rounding drum assembly from the dough input position to a dough output position, and during the rotation of the rounding drum driving the inner drum with respect to the outer drum such that a point on an outer surface of the inner drum performs one or more substantially circular or elliptical motion ( s ) with respect to the outer drum in order to obtain one or more rounded dough piece ( s ) ; and allowing the rounded dough piece ( s ) to exit the one or more dough treatment compartment ( s ) at the dough output position .

26. A method for exchanging an outer drum of a dough treatment apparatus according to any one of the claims 1 - 24 , wherein the method comprises the steps of : removing the multiple drum sections of the outer drum one by one, by : removing a drum section at a section exchange position of the rounding drum assembly, rotating the rounding drum assembly to move a next drum section to the section exchange position, repeat the above steps until all drum sections of said multiple drum sections have been removed from the dough treatment apparatus ; placing the multiple drum sections of the same or another outer drum one by one, by : placing a drum section at an empty section position at a section exchange position of the rounding drum assembly, rotating the rounding drum assembly to move anext empty section position to the section exchange position, repeat the above steps until all drum sections of said multiple drum sections have been placed in the dough treatment apparatus .-o-o-o-o-o- o-o-o-

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