DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CRUSHING DEEP-FROZEN FOODSTUFFS PROVIDED IN BLOCK FORM

Abstract

A device for shredding deep-frozen food products provided in block form comprises a tool which is rotated around an axis of rotation (X) and advanced towards the block, thereby scraping off layers from the block. The device comprises two drive motors for generating rotational and feed movements of the tool, which can be controlled separately, at least one being of variable-speed. The device also includes a gear arrangement coupled to the drive motors in such a way that only one of the drive motors rotates the tool and other drive motors together serve to feed the tool, in a way that at a certain rotational speed ratio of the two drive motors the tool is rotated without axial movement of the latter and, at other rotational speed ratios advancing or retracting movement of the tool along the axis of rotation (X) occurs.

Claims

1. Device for shredding, in particular pureeing or pacotizing, of deep-frozen food products provided in block form, comprising a shredding device (1) with a tool (2) for shredding at least part of the deep-frozen food products block, by rotating the tool (2) around a particularly vertical axis of rotation (X) and thereby advancing along the axis of rotation (X) in direction (S) towards the food products block, thereby scraping off layers of food from the food products block, wherein the shredding device (1) comprises a first drive motor (3) and a second drive motor (4) for generating the rotational movement and the feed movement of the tool (2), which drive motors are separately controllable and of which at least one is speed-variable, and wherein the shredding device (1) comprises a gear arrangement (5) which is coupled to the two drive motors (3, 4) and which is designed in such a way that only the first drive motor (3) serves to drive the rotation of the tool (2) and that both drive motors (3, 4) together serve to feed the tool, in such a way that at set directions of rotations of the two drive motors (3, 4) and at a specific ratio of the number of revolutions of the two drive motors (3, 4), the tool (2) is rotated without performing any axial movement along the axis of rotation X, and that, if this specific rotational speed ratio is exceeded or undercut, respectively, an advancing or retracting movement of the tool (2) along the axis of rotation (X) is generated, which advancing or retracting movement increases in speed with increasing exceeding or undercutting, respectively, of the rotational speed ratio.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the gear arrangement (5) of the shredding device (1) comprises a rotatable shaft (6) carrying the tool (2), which is supported in an axially displaceable manner and which is rotatable with the first drive motor (3), and a rotatable feed member (7) arranged concentrically to this shaft, which is supported in an axially stationary manner and which is rotatable with the second drive motor (4), wherein the shaft (6) and the feed member (7) are coupled to each other by means of a thread in such a way that a rotation of the feed member (7) relative to the shaft (6) causes an axial displacement of the shaft (6) with respect to the feed member (7).

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the shaft (6) is designed as a hollow shaft, and wherein the feed member (7) is designed as a concentric threaded spindle arranged therein.

4. Device according to claim 2, wherein the shaft is designed as a central threaded spindle and wherein the feed member is a feed nut arranged on this threaded spindle.

5. Device according to claim 2, wherein the feed member is designed as a hollow shaft with an internal thread, within which the shaft is arranged.

6. Device according to claim 2, wherein the first motor (3) is coupled to the shaft (6) via a first toothed belt (8) and wherein the second motor (4) is coupled to the feed member (7) via a second toothed belt (9).

7. Device according to claim 2, wherein the feed member (7) is supported in such a way that it can be displaced in the axial direction facing away from the tool (2) against the forces of a spring in the event of an axial overload.

8. Device according to claim 6, wherein the maximum possible axial displacement of the feed member (7) in the event of overload corresponds to at least two thirds of a width of the second toothed belt (9).

9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the belt wheel (10) on the feed member (7) comprises on the side facing the feed member (7) a toothing open to this side and wherein above the second toothed belt (9) a scraper device (11) is present, in particular a scraper bar (11), which scrapes the second toothed belt (9) from the belt wheel (10) on the feed member at an axial displacement of the feed member (7) in the direction towards the feed member (7) under overload.

10. Device according to claim 8, wherein the belt wheel on the feed member comprises a run-up shoulder for the toothed belt on the side facing the feed member and wherein the belt wheel on the second drive motor comprises a toothing on the side facing away from the feed member which is open towards this side, such that the second toothed belt runs off the belt wheel on the second drive motor at an axial displacement of the feed member under overload over the side facing away from the feed member.

11. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a container (12) with which, in the intended operation, the frozen food products are provided as a block of food products frozen in the container (12) and in which, in the intended operation, the shredding of at least a part of the deep-frozen food products block takes place by means of the shredding device (1).

12. Device according to claim 11, wherein the device is designed in such a way that the container (12) can be pressurized with a gas, in particular with air, during the shredding of the deep-frozen food products, in particular under an excess pressure of at least 1 bar.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the two drive motors (3, 4) are stationary with respect to a support structure of the device.

14. Device according to claim 1, wherein the number of revolutions of the at least one variable-speed drive motor (3, 4) is varied continuously in such a way that an intermittent forward and backward movement of the tool (2) along the axis of rotation (X) results.

15. Device according claim 3, wherein the first motor (3) is coupled to the shaft (6) via a first toothed belt (8) and wherein the second motor (4) is coupled to the feed member (7) via a second toothed belt (9).

16. Device according to claim 4, wherein the first motor (3) is coupled to the shaft (6) via a first toothed belt (8) and wherein the second motor (4) is coupled to the feed member (7) via a second toothed belt (9).

17. Device according to claim 5, wherein the first motor (3) is coupled to the shaft (6) via a first toothed belt (8) and wherein the second motor (4) is coupled to the feed member (7) via a second toothed belt (9).

18. Device according to claim 3, wherein the feed member (7) is supported in such a way that it can be displaced in the axial direction facing away from the tool (2) against the forces of a spring in the event of an axial overload.

19. Device according to claim 4, wherein the feed member (7) is supported in such a way that it can be displaced in the axial direction facing away from the tool (2) against the forces of a spring in the event of an axial overload.

20. Device according to claim 7, wherein the maximum possible axial displacement of the feed member (7) in the event of overload corresponds to at least two thirds of a width of the second toothed belt (9).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Further advantages and applications of the invention result from the now following description based on the figures. Thereby show:

[0031] FIG. 1 a partially cut, perspective view of the shredding device of an device according to the invention; and

[0032] FIG. 2 an enlarged side view of the belt drive between the second drive motor and the feed member of the shredding device from FIG. 1.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a partially cut, perspective view of the shredding device 1 of an device according to the invention, together with a container 12 arranged thereon in the intended operation position, by means of which in the intended operation the deep-frozen food products areprovided as a frozen block of food in the container 12 and in which in the intended operation the shredding, in particular pureeing or pacotizing, of at least a part of the deep-frozen food products block takes place with the shredding device 1.

[0034] In this device, the shredding of the deep-frozen food products provided in block form (not shown) is performed by rotating the multi-winged knife 2 (tool according to the claims) around a vertical axis of rotation X and thereby advancing along this axis of rotation X towards the food products block in the direction S, whereby it scrapes off fine layers from the frozen food products block.

[0035] As can be seen, the shredding device 1 has a first electric drive motor 3 and a second electric drive motor 4 for generating the rotational movement and for generating the feed movement of the knife 2. Both motors 3, 4 can be controlled separately, have variable speeds and are attached to a stationary support structure of the device (not shown). Furthermore, the shredding device 1 comprises a gear arrangement 5, which is coupled to the two drive motors 3, 4 and designed in such a way that only the first drive motor 3 serves to rotate the knife 2 and that both drive motors 3, 4 together serve to feed the knife.

[0036] For this purpose, the gear arrangement 5 has a rotatable hollow shaft 6 carrying the knife 2, which is mounted in an axially displaceable manner.

[0037] This hollow shaft 6 is arranged concentrically in an axially displaceable manner in an axially stationary, rotatably supported, longitudinally toothed drive sleeve 13, with whose longitudinal toothing it forms a rotational form-lock, such that the hollow shaft 6 can be rotated about the axis of rotation X via the drive sleeve 13 with the first drive motor 3. For this purpose, the drive sleeve 13 has a belt wheel 14 on its outer circumference, which can be driven by the first drive motor 3 via a toothed belt 8.

[0038] Concentrically arranged in the hollow shaft 6 is a threaded spindle 7 which is supported in an axially stationary manner and which can be rotated around the axis of rotation X with the second drive motor 4. For this purpose, the threaded spindle 7 has a belt wheel 10 at its free end, which can be driven via a toothed belt 9 with the second drive motor 4.

[0039] The hollow shaft 6 has an internal thread section 15 which engages in the external thread of the threaded spindle 7. The hollow shaft 6 and the threaded spindle 7 are thereby coupled together in such a way that a rotation of the threaded spindle 7 relative to the hollow shaft 6 causes an axial displacement of the hollow shaft 6 relative to the axially stationary threaded spindle 7. In other words, a difference in rotational speed between the hollow shaft 6 and the threaded spindle 7 causes the hollow shaft 6 to be lowered or raised along the axis of rotation X and thus causes the knife 2 to be advanced or retracted, respectively, with respect to the to-be-shredded food products block. At identical rotational speeds of hollowshaft 6 and threaded spindle 7, the knife 2 is rotated without performing an axial movement along the axis of rotation X.

[0040] In other words, with set identical directions of rotation of the two drive motors 3, 4 and at a specific ratio of the number of revolutions of the two drive motors 3, 4, at which the rotational speeds of the hollow shaft 6 and the threaded spindle 7 are identical, the knife 2 is rotated without performing any axial movement along the axis of rotation X. If this specific rotational speed ratio is exceeded or undercut, an additional advancing of retracting movement, respectively, of the knife 2 along the axis of rotation X is generated, which increases or decreases in speed as the rotational speed ratio is exceeded or undercut, respectively.

[0041] As can be seen, the threaded spindle 7 is supported in such a way that, in the case of an axial overload, it can move against the forces of a spring 16 in an axial direction away from the knife 2. The maximum possible axial displacement under overload thereby corresponds to about one and a half times the width of the toothed belt 9.

[0042] As can be seen in particular in a synopsis with FIG. 2, which shows an enlarged side view of the belt drive between the second drive motor 3 and the threaded spindle 7, the belt wheel 10 of the threaded spindle 7 has open teeth on the side facing it. Above the toothed belt 9, there is a scraper bar 11 which retains the toothed belt 9 when the threaded spindle 7 moves axially upwards under axial overload, in which case the belt wheel 10 also moves upwards, and thereby scrapes it off the belt wheel 10.

[0043] While in the present application there are shown preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be clearly stated that the invention is not limited thereto and that it can be carried out in other ways within the scope of the following claims.