Transporting element for accommodating and transporting eggs, and cooking appliance, pasteurizer or cooling unit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing transport elements for eggs in cooking, pasteurizing, or cooling devices do not effectively wet the entire surface of spherical or egg-shaped objects, particularly during pasteurization, as they are designed to minimize eggshell contact with fixation elements, limiting the area that can be sprayed with heated water.

Innovation Solution

A channel-shaped transport element with curved, part-circular recesses that pivot 180°, allowing the entire egg surface to be wetted by heated water, featuring slit-shaped recesses and longitudinal webs for stability and mounting elements for pivotable attachment along a conveyor path.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the transport element uses fixation elements to hold eggs, then the eggs are securely positioned during transport, but the eggshell surface area available for spraying with heated water is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveegg positioning stabilityVSAvoidsprayable eggshell surface area
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The transport element is designed to pivot 180° between uphill and downhill sections of the meandering conveyance path. This dynamic movement causes eggs to roll within the recesses, changing their orientation and exposing different surface areas to spray nozzles at different positions along the path, thereby increasing the overall sprayable surface area while maintaining secure positioning through the curved recess geometry

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The transport element divides the eggholding function into multiple segments along the meandering path, with each recess positioned to exploit different gravitational orientations. This segmentation allows different portions of the egg surface to be exposed to spray at different locations, effectively increasing total sprayable area while maintaining reliable egg holding at each segment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Duration of action of moving object

If the conveyance path is designed to be meandering to allow sufficient treatment time, then eggs receive adequate pasteurization, but the device becomes larger and more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepasteurization treatment timeVSAvoidconveyance path configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The meandering path is designed with uphill and downhill sections that utilize gravitational potential energy. Eggs are passively accelerated downhill and decelerated uphill, creating natural speed variations that extend the residence time in the pasteurization chamber without requiring additional mechanical speed control mechanisms, thereby achieving adequate treatment time with simpler device architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #12Equipotentiality

3Area of stationary object

If the transport element pivots 180° through meandering sections, then the entire egg surface can be wetted with heated water, but the egg may become unstable during pivoting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewetted egg surface areaVSAvoidegg stability during pivoting
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The recesses are designed with curved, arc-shaped bottoms that conform to the spherical geometry of eggs. This curvature creates a natural rolling path for eggs during pivoting, ensuring they remain centered and stable within the recesses while still being able to rotate sufficiently to expose their entire surface to spray, thereby maintaining stability during the dynamic pivoting motion

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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

Ensures even treatment of eggs by allowing the entire surface to be sprayed with heated water during transport, maintaining egg stability and allowing for efficient use of compact device designs.

Implementation Method 1

the transport route is designed in a meandering manner around the horizontally covered conveying path in order, due to gravity, to be able to pivot the transport element by 180° from a first position, for example in an uphill section of the transport section, into a second position in a downhill section of the transport section

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitational force: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP3087017B1Transporting element for accommodating and transporting eggs, and cooking appliance, pasteurizer or cooling unit
Publication Date: 2017.11.01 BERGMEIER GERD
  • EP3087017B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3087017B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3087017B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

A transporting element for accommodating and for transporting spherical, cylindrical or egg-shaped articles, in particular foodstuffs, in particular eggs, along a conveying route, having a plurality of mounts arranged one beside the other along the longitudinal extent, wherein the transporting element is designed in the form of a channel-like body (1) with an accommodating space (2) which is curved in the form of part of a circle, as seen in cross section, and encloses an angle (α) of at least 180°, wherein the mounts are designed in the form of slot-form apertures (3) in that region of the channel-like body (2) which is curved in the form of part of a circle, said apertures extending parallel to one another, and transversely to the longitudinal extent of the channel-like body (2), as far as longitudinal crosspieces (5) on either side, these forming a respective longitudinal periphery.