Oven Drive System
An oven drive system for use with commercial bakery ovens comprises a speed reducer and motor external to the bakery oven, a drive shaft extending from within the oven and operatively coupled to the speed reducer and the motor, and conveyor chain driving caterpillar located within the oven and operatively coupled to the draft shaft. The drive shaft is configured for minimal heat transfer to components external to the oven.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 12/237,185 filed Sep. 24, 2008 and entitled “Oven Drive System,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/975,642 filed Sep. 27, 2007, both hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis invention relates generally to drive systems for bakery ovens and more particularly to oven drive assemblies operable inside a commercial bakery oven.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONModern commercial bakeries of the type utilized in the manufacture of bread, rolls, and similar bakery products employ a large oven enclosure and a conveyor system extending therethrough. Uncooked dough is deposited into bakery pans which are transported by the conveyor through the oven. The speed of operation of the conveyor is coordinated with the length of the conveyor such that the dough is fully baked when a single pass through the oven has been completed.
Heretofore it has not been practical to position conveyor drive assemblies inside the oven because the elevated temperature within the oven would cause the component parts of the conveyor drive assembly to fail. Prior to the present invention oven conveyor chains have been driven by a single conveyor drive assembly located outside of the oven which overcomes the problem of excessive heat but is unsatisfactory because the entire length of the conveyor is pulled through the oven from a single location. This causes excessive load and chain pull on the conveyor chain as well as more stress on the chain bearings. Also, if the single conveyor drive assembly goes down the entire system is down.
The present invention comprises an oven drive system which overcomes the foregoing difficulties which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention oven drive assemblies for a bakery oven comprise a drive motor and a speed reducer located outside of the bakery oven, a drive shaft extending into the oven, and a conveyor chain drive caterpillar located inside the oven. The drive shaft preferably configured for minimal heat transfer through the drive shaft to the components of the oven drive assembly located external to the oven.
All of the components of the conveyor chain drive caterpillar and the drive shaft comprise materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion such that the components can withstand high temperatures within the oven while minimizing induced thermal stress caused by fluctuation in oven temperature. This facilitates the positioning of oven drive assemblies comprising the invention at substantially equally spaced intervals along the conveyor chain thereby reducing stress on the conveyor chain and maximizing conveyor chain life. Also, failure of one of the oven drive assemblies does not result in the entire system going down as has been the case previously. Rather, the remaining oven drive assemblies compensate for the increased load by operating at elevated stress levels until the failed oven drive assembly can be repaired.
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:
Referring now to
Outside the oven 14 the first segment 22 of the drive shaft 16 is coupled to a second segment 26 by a heat dissipating coupler 28. The first segment 22 of the drive shaft 16 may be provided with high thermal conductivity finned heat exchangers, and forced connective cooling across the shaft can be provided by means of a fan or by means of a temperature controlled enclosure. The second segment 26 is operatively connected to a motor 30 and speed reducer 32 by a drive chain 34 and sprockets 36. The upper end of the second segment 26 and therefore the entire drive shaft 16 is supported by bearings 37a and 37b. Bearing 37a is a tapered roller bearing or equivalent which supports the weight of the drive shaft 16. The bearing 37b allows for expansion of the second segment 26.
During operation of the oven 14 the first segment 22 of the drive shaft 16 is at or near the operating temperature of the oven 14 while the second segment 26 is at or near ambient temperature of the bakery. All components of the drive plate assembly 18 and drive shaft 16 comprise materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion such that the components can withstand high temperatures within the oven 14 while minimizing induced thermal stress caused by temperature fluctuations.
Referring again to
The expansion bearing 62 and bearings 70 of the caterpillar 18 may comprise sealed hybrid bearings, all steel bearings, or all ceramic bearings capable of withstanding substantially high temperatures and comprising lubricants and other components known in the art to be capable of withstanding substantially high temperatures. The component parts of the oven drive assembly 10 that are located inside the oven 14 are preferably selected from among the materials described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,943 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,525 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. An oven conveyor chain drive system for use with a bakery oven comprising:
- a caterpillar supported within the oven for operatively engaging a bakery conveyor chain extending therethrough;
- a drive shaft operatively coupled to the caterpillar;
- a speed reducer external to the bakery oven operatively coupled to the drive shaft; and
- a motor external to the bakery oven operatively coupled to the speed reducer.
2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the drive shaft comprises at least two segments, a first segment interior to and extending from the oven, a second segment exterior to the oven and operatively coupled to the speed reducer, and means for operatively coupling the first and second segments.
3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the means for coupling the first and second segments comprises an insulating coupler.
4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the drive shaft comprises at least one segment constructed from a ceramic material.
5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the caterpillar and the drive shaft comprise materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion.
6. An oven drive system for use with a bakery oven comprising:
- a caterpillar supported within the oven for operatively engaging a bakery conveyor chain;
- a drive shaft operatively coupled to and engaging the caterpillar, the drive shaft extending from within the bakery oven;
- a speed reducer external to the bakery oven and operatively coupled to the drive shaft; and
- a motor external to the bakery oven and operatively coupled with the speed reducer;
- wherein the drive shaft comprises at least two segments, a first segment interior to and extending from the oven, a second segment exterior to the oven and coupled to the transmission, and means for coupling the first and second segments.
7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the means for coupling the first and second segment segments comprises an insulating coupler.
8. The system according to claim 6 wherein the drive shaft comprises at least one segment constructed from a ceramic material.
9. The system according to claim 6 wherein the caterpillar and the drive shaft comprise materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion.
10. An oven drive system comprising:
- an oven having an interior for baking therein and an exterior for housing the oven drive system, the oven comprising a passageway between the interior and exterior thereof;
- a caterpillar positioned within the interior of the oven for operatively engaging a bakery conveyor chain;
- a drive shaft having a first and second end, the drive shaft operatively coupled to the caterpillar at the first end thereof at a position within the interior of the oven wherein the drive shaft extends from the interior of the oven through the passageway to the exterior thereof;
- a speed reducer operatively coupled to the second end of the drive shaft positioned at the exterior of the oven; and
- a motor operatively coupled to the speed reducer positioned at the exterior of the oven.
11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the drive shaft is self-cooling.
12. The system according to claim 10 wherein the drive shaft comprises a first and second segment, the first segment extending into the interior of the oven.
13. The system according to claim 12 further comprising an insulating coupler connecting the first segment of the drive shaft to the second segment of the drive shaft.
14. The system according to claim 10 further comprising a plurality of mechanical shaft coolers positioned axially along the drive shaft.
15. The system according to claim 10 wherein the caterpillar and the drive shaft comprise materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 7, 2011
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2011
Applicant: Stewart Systems Global, LLC (Plano, TX)
Inventors: Austin J. Kozman (Dallas, TX), Robert W. Middleton, JR. (Plano, TX), Keith A. Dietz (Allen, TX), Jose G. Ramiraz (Rio Medina, TX)
Application Number: 13/042,255
International Classification: B65G 23/06 (20060101);