Excited Frame Food Coating Apparatus Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food coating machinery struggles to achieve uniform and 'home-style' coating of various food products, particularly with delicate items like fish, and is prone to mechanical damage and equipment breakdowns, leading to inconsistent results and downtime.
Innovation Solution
An excited frame and pan assembly with a motorized vibrator operating at a specific frequency and amplitude, combined with a waterfall distributor and recycling system, to ensure uniform coating and handling of diverse food items while minimizing mechanical stress and equipment failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated coating machinery is used to increase productivity, then production efficiency is improved, but coating uniformity and home-style appearance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a motorized vibrator that imparts vibrational energy to the frame at a specific angle below horizontal, causing the pans to vibrate with longitudinal and vertical vector components. This vibration prevents coating material from packing under pressure and maintains free-flow properties, enabling uniform coating application while operating in automated continuous mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses springs mounted at an angle above horizontal to dynamically mount the pans to the frame, allowing the pans to respond to vibrational energy with controlled movement. This dynamic mounting system enables the coating process to adapt to different coating materials and maintain optimal coating conditions throughout the continuous operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If high amplitude and low frequency vibration is used to coat food products, then coating coverage is improved, but mechanical damage to delicate food items increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies operating the vibratory system at high frequency and low amplitude, which is the opposite of conventional approaches. This parameter change allows sufficient coating coverage to be achieved through rapid, gentle vibrations that do not mechanically damage delicate food items like fish, while still maintaining effective coating application.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple conveying belts are used to achieve consistent coating performance, then coating uniformity is improved, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the coating application function into a single pan system that receives vibrational energy, eliminating the need for multiple separate conveying belts. The vibrational mechanism ensures uniform coating distribution across the food products in one integrated system, reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining coating consistency.
4Quantity of substance
If flour mixtures are used for coating, then coating flavor and texture are improved, but free-flow properties decrease due to packing under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The vibrational energy applied to the pan prevents flour mixture particles from packing under pressure during the coating process. The high-frequency vibrations keep the coating material in a free-flowing state, allowing it to properly coat food products while maintaining its desirable flavor and texture characteristics.
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 solution enables efficient and uniform coating of a wide range of food products, including delicate items, with reduced mechanical stress and equipment downtime, achieving a 'home-style' appearance and maintaining product quality.
Implementation Method 1
a motorized vibrator mounted and adapted to impart energy to the first elongate frame, wherein the first and second elongate pans are adapted to vibrate having longitudinal and vertical vector components at a predetermined amplitude and frequency
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of springs adapted to mount the first elongate pan to the first elongate frame
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to an excited apparatus for coating food product with a coating. The apparatus includes an elongate pan having proximal and distal portions; a screen located in the distal portion and adapted to screen coating; an elongate frame; a motorized vibrator adapted to impart energy to the elongate frame at an angle β below horizontal; a plurality of springs mounting the elongate pan to the elongate frame, the springs being mounted at an angle θ above horizontal; another elongate frame; a plurality of dampeners mounting the two elongate frames; another elongate pan having proximal and distal portions, the elongate pan mounted to the other elongate pan and adapted to feed coating to the other elongate pan; a soft roller rotationally actuated by a ratchet assembly, the ratchet assembly engaged by the elongate pan; and, a recycle assembly for transferring screened coating to the elongate pans, wherein the elongate pan's vibrations have longitudinal and vertical vector components at a predetermined amplitude and frequency. The excited apparatus further includes a waterfall distributor member mounted to the elongate pan, the waterfall distributor including one or more transverse rows of a plurality of angular slots.