APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING DRY ICE PELLETS INTO FRESH MEAT

Abstract

An apparatus for introducing dry ice pellets into fresh meat comprises a housing, in which an injection device for introducing dry ice pellets is arranged, and guide channels, which lead to a front face of the housing, for guiding a penetration needle, and a drive device for axially moving the penetration needle. A loading unit can be inserted between a rear portion and a front portion of the housing, which loading unit is provided with feedthroughs, which can be equipped with dry ice pellets and brought into a position in alignment with the guide channels. During operation of the apparatus, penetration channels are first produced, by means of the penetration needles, in a piece of meat to be cooled, into which penetration channels the dry ice pellets are subsequently introduced from the feedthroughs using the penetration needles. The feedthrough enables efficient introduction of dry ice pellets into the meat.

Claims

1. A device for introducing dry ice pellets into fresh meat, comprising: at least one injection means, which is received in a housing and has a rear guide channel extending longitudinally through a rear section of the housing and a front guide channel in alignment therewith that extends through a front section of the housing and exits at a front side of the housing, for guiding in an axially movable manner a piercing needle that is pointed at its distal end, and has a drive means for moving the piercing needle between a working position, in which it protrudes with its pointed distal end from the front side of the housing, and a rest position, in which it is received in the rear section of the housing; and a charging unit, which has at least one leadthrough that can be stocked with dry ice pellets and that can be detachably inserted into a charging receiver located between the rear section and the front section of the housing in such a manner that the leadthrough is in alignment with the rear guide channel and the front guide channel.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein located in the housing is a plurality of injection means, each of which has a rear leadthrough and a front leadthrough in alignment therewith, and the charging unit is equipped at least with a number of leadthroughs, which can be stocked with dry ice pellets, corresponding to the number of guide channels in mutual alignment.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of leadthroughs, which can be stocked with dry ice pellets and which are located at an equal radial distance from a longitudinal axis and at equal angular distances from one another, are provided in the charging unit.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the charging unit, when having been fitted, is received in the housing so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the charging unit, when having been fitted, is operatively connected to a turret mechanism in the housing, which is realized in such a manner that the charging unit, following an actuation of the drive means in which the piercing needle of the injection means, or the piercing needles of the of a plurality of injection means, can be brought automatically from a first position, in which a first leadthrough or a first group of leadthroughs is in alignment with the guide channels in the housing, into a second position, in which a second leadthrough or a second group of leadthroughs is in alignment with the guide channels in the housing.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging unit can be pushed laterally into a charging receiver of the housing and can be locked in the charging receiver

7. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, claim 1, wherein the drive means, for the purpose of moving the piercing needles into the working position and/or into the rest position, in each case comprises mechanical, pneumatic and/or electrical drive means.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the drive means, for the purpose of moving the piercing needles, comprises a servomotor or a linear motor.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein that the guide channels and the leadthroughs are in each case of the same diameter, of between 5 mm and 15 mm.

10. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, claim 1, wherein, in the housing, at least three, preferably between four and sixteen guide channels in mutual alignment are provided in each case in the rear section and in the front section, and at least six, preferably between eight and sixteen leadthroughs are provided in the charging unit.

11. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, claim 1, wherein the device is realized is a hand-held appliance.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention is now to be explained in greater detail on the basis of the drawing, in which, in schematic views:

[0032] FIGS. 1-3 show a device according to the invention, represented in part in longitudinal section, during different treatment phases,

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a charging unit for the device from FIG. 1, in a front view,

[0034] FIG. 5 shows the charging unit of another device according to the invention, in a front view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The device 1 represented in part in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a housing 2, within which a number of injection means 3, 4, 5, 6 are received. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, there are a total of six injection means within the housing 2, of which, however, only the injection means 3, 4 are shown in more detail here for reasons of clarity. and the injection means 5, 6 are merely indicated, because they are outside the sectional plane. Two further injection means are not shown, but are nevertheless present.

[0036] The injection means 3, 4, 5, 6 are each of the same design and are located inside the housing 2 at equal angular distances and at equal radial distance from a longitudinal axis 7 of the housing 2. Each of the injection means 3, 4, 5, 6 comprises a piercing needle 8, 9, each of which is received in an axially movable manner in two guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b in mutual alignment within the housing 2, the guide channels 11a, 12a extending in a rear section 13 and the guide channels 11b, 12b extending in a front section 14 of the housing. The guide channels 11b, 12b extending in the front section 14 exit the housing 2 at a front side 15 thereof.

[0037] Typically, the guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b have an inner diameter of between 5 mm and 15 mm; the outer diameter of the piercing needles 8, 9 is slightly smaller and is selected in such a manner that it is possible for the piercing needles 8, 9 to slide frictionlessly in the axial direction within the guide channels 11a, 11; 12a, 12b.

[0038] The piercing needles 8, 9 are each operatively connected to a drive means, which is received in the rear section 13 of the housing 2. The drive means each comprises a propulsion means 16, 17 and a return means 18, 19. The propulsion means 16, 17 are means operated, for example, pneumatically, e.g. by means of compressed air, or electromagnetically, by means of which the piercing needles 8, 9 are pushed to a limited extent, in axial direction, out of the mouth openings of the guide channels 11b, 12b located on the front side 15. In the exemplary embodiment, the return means 18, 19 are spring means by means of which the piercing needles 8, 9 are automatically retracted into the guide channels 11a, 12a after having been pushed to a limited extent out of the mouth openings of the guide channels 11b, 12b. However, pneumatic or electromagnetic means may also be used in the return means 18, 19; it is also conceivable to use an electric motor, such as a servomotor, which, by means of a suitable transmission, for instance a screw mechanism, both pushes the needles 8, 9 out of the guide channels 11b, 12b and automatically returns them into the guide channels 11a, 12a.

[0039] Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment shown here, the device 1 is realized as a hand-held appliance that can be held by an operator, at a handle 21, and manually operated by the operator, at a trigger 22.

[0040] A charging unit 25 is located between the rear section 13 and the front section 14 of the housing 2, in a charging receiver 23 connecting the two sections 13, 14. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the charging unit 25 is a circular-cylindrical component that is detachably connected to the charging receiver 23 of the housing 2 and is supported so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis, which in the exemplary embodiment shown here corresponds to the longitudinal axis 7 of the housing. The charging unit 25 has a number of leadthroughs 26a, 26b located at equal angular distances, which extend through the charging unit 25 along its entire length. The inner diameter of the leadthroughs 26a, 26b and their radial distance from the longitudinal axis 7 correspond to the inner diameter and the radial distance, respectively, of the guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the number of leadthroughs 26a, 26b is a multiple of the number of pairs of guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b, for example twelve. However, the same number of leadthroughs 26a, 26b as pairs of guide channels 11a, 12a, or 11b, 12b, may also be provided. By means of a turret mechanism, not shown here, the charging unit 25 can be moved from a first position, in which a first group of leadthroughs 26a is in alignment with the guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b, into a second position, in which a second group of leadthroughs 26b is in alignment with the guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b.

[0041] When the device 1 is in use, a charging unit 25 is first loaded with dry ice pellets 27, with only every second leadthrough (26b) being stocked with one carbon dioxide pellet 27 in each case, while the rest of the leadthroughs (26a) remain empty, as shown in FIG. 4. The length and the diameter of the dry ice pellets 27 is matched to the length and inner diameter of the leadthroughs 26a, 26b, for example, the length of the pellets (and thus of the charging unit 25) is between 5 cm and 10 cm, and their diameter between 4.9 mm and 14.9 mm. The injection means 3, 4, 5, 6 are brought into an operating position in which the piercing needles 8, 9 are retracted in the guide channels 11a, 12a in the rear section 13 of the housing 2. The charging unit 25 is then inserted into the housing 2, in such a manner that the leadthroughs 26a that are not stocked with carbon dioxide pellets 27 are in alignment with the guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b.

[0042] Actuation of the propulsion means 16, 17 causes the piercing needles 8, 9 to be pushed through the leadthroughs 26a and the guide channels 11b, 12b. The piercing needles 8, 9, pointed at their respective front ends 28, 29, push into a piece of meat 30, for example a ham, located in front of the front side 15 of the housing 2, where they form a ring of pierce channels 31, 32. For example, the pierce channels 31, 32 are made around a bone present in the piece of meat 30.

[0043] Following the formation of the pierce channels 31, 32, the piercing needles 8, 9 retract back into the guide channels 11a, 12a located in the rear section 13 of the housing under the action of the return means 18, 19. The charging unit 25 is then rotated about the longitudinal axis 7, in the direction of the arrow 33, until a new group of leadthroughs 26b is in alignment with the guide channels 11a, 11b; 12a, 12b. As these leadthroughs 26b are each stocked with a carbon dioxide pellet 27, there is now a carbon dioxide pellet 27 in front of each front end 28, 29 of each piercing needle 8, 9, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0044] Following the renewed-manually or automatically triggered-actuation of the propulsion means 16, 17, the piercing needles 8, 9 push the dry ice pellets 27 into the pierce channels 31, 32. The piercing needles 8, 9 are then returned to their previous position under the action of the return means 18, 19, while the dry ice pellets 27 remain in the pierce channels 31, 32. In this way, a plurality of dry ice pellets 27 are placed in large volume in the piece of meat 30, for example between the upper leg part and lower leg part of a ham, and as a result a uniform cooling of the piece of meat 30 is achieved.

[0045] The charging unit 25 is then removed from the housing 2, loaded with dry ice pellets 27, in a means not shown here, and then reinserted or replaced by another charging unit stocked with dry ice pellets.

[0046] The charging unit 35 shown in FIG. 5 differs from the charging unit 25 in that the leadthroughs 36 that can be stocked with dry ice pellets, unlike the leadthroughs 27, are not rotationally symmetrical about an axis, but are arranged in mutually offset rows. Consequently, the charging unit 35 is also not supported in a rotationally symmetrical manner in the charging receiver of a device according to the invention—not shown here-but it is inserted laterally into the device, for example in the direction of the arrow 37. For this purpose, the charging unit 35 has fastening means, for example holes 38, at which the charging unit is fastened to a guide carriage, not shown here, by means of which the charging unit 35 can be inserted into the device. The associated device has a corresponding number of guide channels that, after the charging unit 35 has been inserted, are in alignment with its leadthroughs 36. With such a device it is possible, in particular, to introduce a large number of dry ice pellets 27 simultaneously and very close to each other into a piece of meat 30.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0047] 1 device [0048] 2 housing [0049] 3 injection means [0050] 4 injection means [0051] 5 injection means [0052] 6 injection means [0053] 7 longitudinal axis [0054] 8 piercing needle [0055] 9 piercing needle [0056] 10- [0057] 11a, 11b guide channel [0058] 12a, 12b guide channel [0059] 13 rear section [0060] 14 front section [0061] 15 front side [0062] 16 propulsion means [0063] 17 propulsion means [0064] 18 return means [0065] 19 return means [0066] 20- [0067] 21 handle [0068] 22 trigger [0069] 23 charging receiver [0070] 24 charging unit [0071] 25- [0072] 26a, 26b leadthrough [0073] 27 dry ice pellets [0074] 28 front end [0075] 29 front end [0076] 30 piece of meat [0077] 31 pierce channel [0078] 32 pierce channel [0079] 33 arrow [0080] 34- [0081] 35 charging unit [0082] 36 leadthroughs [0083] 37 arrow [0084] 38 hole