Batter Coating Machine Leveling and Viscosity Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing batter machines in food process lines face challenges in maintaining consistent batter viscosity and level, particularly at the discharge end, leading to inefficiencies and potential waste due to thicker batter buildup, which affects the coating process and product quality.

Innovation Solution

A four-legged cam system adjusts the submerging conveyor height, a dual-lobed mixing tank with variable rotor configurations, a viscosity management system, and radar-based batter-pool height sensors to maintain consistent batter viscosity and level, along with a recirculation system to redistribute excess batter, ensuring uniform coating application.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the submerging conveyor pushes down on food-product pieces to prevent floating, then the food products remain submerged and maintain conveyance traction, but the batter viscosity becomes inconsistent and thicker buildup occurs at the discharge end

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconveyance tractionVSAvoidbatter viscosity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The submerging conveyor height is made dynamically adjustable through a cam system that allows the conveyor to move between different vertical positions. This enables the system to adapt the submerging depth based on the specific needs of different food products while maintaining consistent batter viscosity through the recirculation system that redistributes excess batter from the discharge end back to the intake end.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Radar-based batter-pool height sensors provide continuous feedback on the batter level and viscosity conditions in the pool. This feedback is used by the control system to adjust the recirculation pump operation and cam system positioning, ensuring that batter viscosity remains consistent despite variations in food product characteristics and submerging conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If the main conveyor plunges through the batter pool in a shallow-V shaped path, then food products are coated as they pass through, but thicker batter buildup occurs at the discharge end leading to waste

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating applicationVSAvoidbatter waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The recirculation system captures the thicker batter buildup that would otherwise be wasted at the discharge end of the main conveyor. The recirculation pump collects this excess batter and redistributes it back to the intake end of the batter pool, where it can be reused for coating additional food products. This recovery process eliminates batter waste while maintaining continuous productive coating operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Solution Approach 2:

The recirculation system ensures continuous utilization of the batter by constantly redistributing excess batter from the discharge end back to the intake end. This creates a closed-loop system where the batter remains in continuous circulation, maintaining consistent coating application throughout the process without interruption or waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Measurement precision

If radar-based sensors are used to detect batter-pool height, then consistent batter level can be maintained, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebatter-pool height detectionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical level measurement systems with radar-based sensors that use electromagnetic waves to detect batter-pool height. This substitution provides more precise and reliable measurement while actually reducing mechanical complexity, as radar sensors have no moving parts and require minimal maintenance compared to traditional mechanical float or probe systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system ensures consistent batter viscosity and level, improving coating efficiency and reducing waste by redistributing excess batter, thereby enhancing the quality and uniformity of coated food products.

Implementation Method 1

radar-based batter-pool height sensors to maintain consistent batter viscosity and level

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadar: Radar

Implementation Method 2

a recirculation system to redistribute excess batter

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid recirculation:

Data Source

PatentUS20260047594A1Batter machines for food process line machines

Publication Date: 2026.02.19 GURNEE JR REX R

AI summary

Improvements in batter coating machines for automatic food process lines include improvements at least in connection with (1) a variable height adjustment system for the submerging conveyor, (2) a batter mixing tank for mixing fresh batter, (3) a viscosity management system, (4) a batter pool leveling system, a (5) a dual batter pump and three-way valve system for pumping fresh batter or for recirculation, (6) a ‘waste’ conveyor for removing ‘waste’ material (albeit still food grade) from the main batter pool, (7) an auxiliary accurate feed machine of dry ingredients and wet ingredients (presumably water, but other things like milk or egg whites and so on are not excluded), and the like.