Filling machine and method hereof
The invention relates to a filling machine for the filling of an amount of edible ice into a container. The machine includes: space for containing said edible ice, filling unit, which contains a piston and a volume with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, where these create connections respectively to the space and container for the filling unit, and at least one valve. The at least one valve is an integrated part of the filling unit. The invention also relates to a method for the filling of an amount of edible ice into a container with a filling machine, and the use hereof.
The present invention relates to a filling machine for the filling of an amount of edible ice or an amount of a mixture which contains edible ice into a container, a method and use hereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTIt is known to measure out a predetermined amount of edible ice in connection with transfer to a cup, ice boats, cone, freezing pockets or other similar containers.
Existing techniques for the measuring out and distribution of edible ice contains e.g. a piston and a cylinder for driving the mass forwards, and subsequent valves for opening and closing in the transfer of the edible ice, where the opening time and frequency of the valve determine respectively the volume of the edible ice which is distributed and containers which can be filled.
The independent functions make it complicated to get the individual components to work together, which makes this a troublesome and expensive process to establish. Moreover, several independent movable parts give rise to a greater uncertainty in the amount of edible ice which is measured and distributed in each case, which is undesirable when the demand is for many portions of sizes corresponding to one another. Also, a frequent cleaning of the components is necessary in order to ensure operational reliability, which is troublesome and delays the process.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention creates a filling machine for edible ice which does not involve the problems for the above-mentioned known technique. The invention especially creates a filling machine with a simple and efficient construction. The invention also creates an operationally reliable filling machine which doses the edible ice quickly and precisely into cups, ice boats, cone, freezing pockets and other similar containers.
Particularly, the invention comprises a filling machine where at least one valve is an integrated part of the filling unit.
The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems with the known technique by providing a filling machine for edible ice which has integrated filling/pumping and valve mechanism in one unit. It is hereby possible to create a filling machine with a simple and efficient construction.
With one embodiment, the piston is connected to drive means which can drive the piston to describe both linear and rotational movements, where the movements are simultaneous or one after the other, and each from a first position to a second position and vice versa. With the rotational movement of the piston, an advantageous possibility is achieved of being able to integrate a further functionality in the filling machine in addition to the pumping of the edible ice forwards to a container.
With one embodiment, at least a part of the piston has a circular cross-section and at least one longitudinal narrowing-down in the shape of the piston such as a notch or a groove in relation to the circular cross-section. Hereby opens possibility of defining a passage between the volume and the inlet or outlet when the piston moves in the volume, and herewith creating an advantageous, integrated filling/pumping and valve mechanism.
It shall be noted that the piston can be provided with other mechanisms than a narrowing-down for creating a valve mechanism in connection with the filling unit.
With one embodiment, the narrowing-down (12) in the shape of the piston can be up to 90% of the cross-sectional area of the piston, such as up to half and e.g. between 20 and 40% of the cross-sectional area of the piston. Hereby advantageous relations are achieved between the following conditions: distance that the piston has to rotate, necessary precision of the rotational movement and complete closing of the inlet or outlet and production of the piston. In particular there is also achieved a sufficiently large passage so that plugs of edible ice are avoided.
With one embodiment, the piston is provided with mixing means such as one or more projections placed on that part of the piston which is moved in said space. It is hereby possible to utilize the piston movement also for stirring the edible ice and for the stirring of other ingredients such as pieces of fruit, chocolate, nuts or other firm or fluid ingredients into the edible ice.
With one embodiment, the openings for said at least one inlet and at least one outlet in said volume are placed at the same or substantially the same level.
With one embodiment, the maximum amount of said volume corresponds to the amount of edible ice which is desired to be transferred to the container.
With one embodiment, said narrowing-down has a length which at least corresponds to the distance from the bottom of said volume to the openings for said least one inlet and/or least one outlet.
With one embodiment, said space, apart from said inlet, is e.g. a space closed with a cover where pressure can be applied to this closed space with pressure-creating means. There can hereby be created an overpressure in the space which presses edible ice or ice cream with higher viscosity more efficiently through the filling machine when this is allowed by the position of the piston.
The invention also comprises a method for use in connection with the filling machine.
With one execution of method, a rotation of a piston in the filling machine respectively opens and closes for a passage selected between inlet and outlet for edible ice to or from the filling machine's volume, while a linear movement of the piston presses edible ice for the volume through the passage for outlet.
With a second execution of method, a narrowing-down in the piston establishes said passage for inlet or outlet after the rotation of the piston from a first position to a second position.
With a further execution of method, a linear movement for pressing ice mass out of said volume is followed by a shorter linear movement in the opposite direction before a rotation of the piston. It is hereby possible to suck a possible remainder of edible ice out of the outlet so that this does not drip out of the filling machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSIn the following, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, where
A freezing pocket forms part of a mould unit for ice mass. The mould unit is hollow, where a coolant runs in the inside while a part of the surface consists of a number of moulds called freezing pockets. The freezing pockets are filled with edible ice, after which the coolant transfers cold through the material in which the freezing pockets are formed and herewith ensures a quick freezing-down of the edible ice. After the freezing-down, each edible ice items can be removed from their freezing pockets.
The filling machine 1 further consists of a funnel 5 secured on top of a filling unit 6, which at the bottom terminates with a bottom-plate 7 and the earlier-mentioned outlet pipe 8. In the figure it is also shown that the end of a piston 4 protrudes out from the funnel 5.
The funnel 5 can be formed with a side length of at least 150 mm in the uppermost cross-section, such as 200 mm, with side lengths respectively at least 40 mm and at least 50 mm in the lowermost cross-section, such as 50 respectively 60 mm.
The piston 4 mainly has a circular cross-section with a diameter of at least 20 mm and a length of at least 350 mm, such as 30 respectively 450 mm.
Moreover, the inlet and the outlet have openings 21, 22 which can be in contact with the volume 13 through a narrowing-down 12 in a lowermost part of the side of the piston.
In the first end position shown in
In the second end position of the piston 4 as shown in
The end positions from
In
In
The inlet in the filling unit is shown as a closed passage down to an opening for inlet to the circular insides of the filling unit. The inlet can, e.g., be a vertical passage which is drilled down into the filling unit with said opening in the side.
Since the volume 13 becomes completely filled with edible ice by the upwards movement, the downwards movement of the piston will result in a transfer of a defined or measured amount of edible ice to the container under the outlet pipe 8.
The figure shows the means as two displaced plates which are secured at right-angles to the piston, where especially the linear movement of the piston will create movement in the edible ice, and thus stir the edible ice and mix possible further ingredients into the edible ice before it continues down into the filling unit. This movement and stirring are illustrated in the figure with the two thick arrows.
The mixing means can also consist of plates, blades, rods or the like attached to the piston 4, where these are angled in relation to the horizontal plane. It is hereby also possible to take advantage of the rotating/linear movements of the piston to create movement in the edible ice.
The thickness x will most often be between 20 and 40% of the piston's area in order to create a suitable passage for the edible ice, but in special embodiments can be right up to 80-90%. The diameter d of the piston can, e.g., be 30 mm at a length of 450 mm for the piston as a whole.
The fuctionality of this alternative embodiment is fundamentally the same as mentioned above in connection with FIGS. 3 to 6b. For example,
It shall be noted that the filling machine will most often be one among several filling machines placed side by side for simultaneous feeding of a number of containers which are conveyed successively by means of a conveyor belt or the like.
Claims
1. Filling machine for filling of an amount of edible ice or an amount of mixture containing edible ice into a container such as an ice cone or a freezing pocket, where said machine comprises:
- space for containing said edible ice,
- filling unit which contains a piston and an associated volume with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, where these respectively form connections to said space and container in the filling unit, and
- wherein
- the piston is connected to drive means which can drive the piston to describe both linear and rotational movements hereby integrating a valve functionality in the filling machine by opening and closing passages between the volume and the inlet and the outlet, respectively.
2. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein the linear and rotational movements of the piston are simultaneous, and each from a first position to a second position and vice versa.
3. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein the linear and rotational movements of the piston are one after the other, and each from a first position to a second position and vice versa.
4. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the piston has a circular cross-section and at least one longitudinal narrowing-down in the shape of the piston, such as a notch or an undercut in relation to the circular cross-section.
5. Filling machine according to claim 4, wherein the narrowing-down in the shape of the piston can be up to 90% of the cross-sectional area of the piston, such as up to half and e.g. between 20 and 40% of the cross-sectional area of the piston.
6. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein the piston is provided with mixing means such as one or more projections placed on that part of the piston which is moved in said space.
7. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein the openings for said least one inlet and at least one outlet in said volume are placed at the same or substantially the same level.
8. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein the maximum size of said volume corresponds to the amount of edible ice which is desired to be transferred to the container.
9. Filling machine according to claim 4, wherein said narrowing-down has a length which at least corresponds to the distance from the bottom of said volume to the openings for said least one inlet and/or said least one outlet.
10. Filling machine according to claim 1, wherein apart from said inlet, said space is a space closed with e.g. a cover where pressure can be applied to this closed space with pressure-creating means.
11. Method for the filling of an amount of edible ice or a mixture containing edible ice into a container with a filling machine according to claim 1.
12. Method according to claim 11, where a rotation of a piston in the filling machine respectively opens and closes for one passage selected between inlet and outlet for edible ice to or from the filling machine's volume, while a linear movement of the piston presses edible ice for the volume through the passage for outlet.
13. Method according to claim 12, where a narrowing-down in the piston establishes said passage for inlet or outlet after the rotation of the piston from a first position to a second position.
14. Method according to claim 11, where a linear movement for pressing edible ice out of said volume is followed by a shorter linear movement in the opposite direction before a rotation of the piston.
15. Method for simultaneous feeding of a number of containers which are conveyed successively which comprises the step of utilizing several filling machines according to claim 1 which are placed side by side.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 27, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 28, 2006
Inventor: Peter Thomsen (Skanderborg)
Application Number: 11/475,786
International Classification: B65B 57/02 (20060101);