Breading Machine Floating Coupling and Recirculating Conveyor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food product breading machines face challenges in efficiently coating flaccid and frangible products without breaking or uneven coating, and struggle with loose breading adherence and difficult unloading of breading material, requiring significant space and complex disassembly for maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A breading machine design with side-by-side battering and breading units, featuring a conveyor system with a floating coupling for shaft engagement to allow misalignment, a locking latch system to maintain alignment, and a breading unit with a recirculating conveyor system to ensure even breading application and easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If flaccid products are handled on vertical conveyors in prior art machines, then the machine structure is simplified, but the products are folded or heaped causing uneven breading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable transfer mechanism that dynamically adjusts the transfer point between conveyors. This allows the system to adapt to different product types and handle flaccid products gently by adjusting the transfer location, preventing folding and heaping while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate transfer conveyor between the battering unit and breading unit. This intermediate conveyor acts as a mediator that receives products from the first conveyor and transfers them to the second conveyor, enabling gentle handling and preventing direct impact that causes folding and heaping.
2Area of stationary object
If flaccid products are dropped from one conveyor to another, then the machine footprint is reduced, but the products are broken up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a movable transfer mechanism that dynamically positions the transfer point. This allows the system to maintain a compact footprint while preventing product breakage by adjusting the transfer location to avoid harsh impacts, thus preserving product integrity during the transition between conveyors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cushioning elements or padded transfer surfaces at the conveyor transfer points. This beforehand cushioning protects flaccid products from impact when being transferred between conveyors, preventing breakage while maintaining the compact machine design.
3Area of stationary object
If rigid products are handled on vertical conveyors, then the machine is more compact, but breading material spills due to rough impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable transfer mechanism that dynamically adjusts the transfer point between conveyors. This allows the system to maintain compactness while reducing rough impacts on rigid products, thereby minimizing breading material spillage during the transfer process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs cushioning elements at the conveyor transfer points to cushion the impact of rigid products. This beforehand cushioning prevents rough impacts that would otherwise cause breading material to spill, while maintaining the compact machine footprint.
4Device complexity
If the entire breading reservoir is removed for unloading, then the machine structure is simpler, but the unloading process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the breading reservoir into separable components, allowing the reservoir body to remain in place while enabling easy access to the breading material. This segmentation permits unloading without removing the entire reservoir, reducing unloading time while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an extraction mechanism that allows breading material to be removed from the reservoir without taking out the entire reservoir structure. This extraction capability enables easy and quick unloading of breading material while maintaining the simplicity of the overall machine structure.
5Device complexity
If trap doors are used for breading unloading, then the machine structure is simplified, but breading material cannot be discharged from elevated reservoirs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable or adjustable unloading mechanism that can adapt to different reservoir positions. This dynamic mechanism allows breading material to be discharged from elevated reservoirs by adjusting the unloading point, providing versatility while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs an unloading mechanism that serves multiple functions: it can discharge breading material from various reservoir positions and configurations. This universal mechanism handles both elevated and low reservoirs, providing adaptability while keeping the machine structure simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A breading machine has a battering unit for applying a fluent batter to a food product. The battering unit includes a batter reservoir and a battering unit conveyor system for delivering food products from said batter reservoir to a battering unit conveyor discharge section that propels the food product from the battering unit. The combination units also include a breading unit for receiving food product from an associated battering unit. The breading unit includes a breading reservoir and breading unit conveyor system for applying particulate breading to the food product at a breading station by moving breading material from the breading material reservoir and food product coated with the batter to the breading station. A conveyor drive system includes a machine housing and a drive unit rotatably supported by the machine housing that provides motive power to the breading unit conveyor. A breading unit drive is coupled to the breading unit conveyor and is rotated by the drive unit to move said breading unit conveyor.