Vibratory conveyor, food processing line and method of processing food products

Abstract

A vibratory conveyor for shaking food products and conveying the food products in a horizontal direction, the conveyor includes at least one transport element configured to carry the food products and to allow draining of liquid through the at least one transport element, an actuator configured to cause a vibration of the at least one transport element, the actuator is configured to generate a stroke with an amplitude in a range of 8 mm to 16 mm, and a drip tray arranged below the at least one transport element and configured to receive the liquid draining through the at least one transport element.

Claims

1. A vibratory conveyor for shaking food products and conveying the food products in a horizontal direction, comprising: at least one transport element configured to carry the food products and to allow draining of liquid through the at least one transport element, an actuator configured to cause a vibration of the at least one transport element, wherein the actuator is configured to generate a stroke with an amplitude in a range of 8 mm to 16 mm, and a drip tray arranged below the at least one transport element and configured to receive the liquid draining through the at least one transport element.

2. The vibratory conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude is in a range of 8 mm to 15 mm, a range of 9 mm to 15 mm, a range of 9 mm to 14 mm, a range of 11 mm to 14 mm, or a range of 10 mm to 13 mm.

3. The vibrator conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to generate the stroke in a stroke direction, which is arranged at an angle to a horizontal direction.

4. The vibratory conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the angle is in a range of 60? to 80?, or in a range of 65? to 75? or is 70?.

5. The vibratory conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is an unbalanced motor, or an unbalanced electromagnetic motor.

6. The vibratory conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is a linear actuator, or an electromagnetic or hydraulic or pneumatic linear actuator.

7. (canceled)

8. The vibratory conveyor according to claim 1, wherein a total length in a range of 1 m to 6 m, or in the range of 2 m to 6 m.

9. A food processing line comprising an injection apparatus configured to inject the liquid into the food products, and a first conveyor configured to either directly or indirectly receive the food products from the injection apparatus, wherein the first conveyor comprises the vibratory conveyor according to claim 1.

10. The food processing line according to claim 9, wherein the food processing line comprises a second conveyor configured to receive the food products from the first conveyor, wherein the second conveyor comprises the vibratory conveyor.

11. The food processing line according to claim 10, wherein the food processing line comprises a liquid return line that is configured to return the liquid from the first and/or the second conveyor or from the drip tray of the first and/or second conveyor to the injection apparatus.

12. A method of processing food products, or meat pieces, in a food processing line, wherein the method comprises: injecting a liquid into the food products using an injection apparatus, receiving the food products by a vibratory conveyor from the injection apparatus, wherein the vibratory conveyor comprises at least one transport element that carries the food products and allows draining of the liquid through the at least one transport element, wherein the vibratory conveyor comprises a drip t arranged below be at least one transport element to receive the liquid draining through the at least one transport element, wherein an actuator causes vibration of the at least one transport element by generating a stroke with an amplitude in a range of 8 mm to 16 mm.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the food products are carried by the at least one transport element of the vibratory conveyor for a residence time in a range of 10 to 90 seconds, or in a range of 20 to 60 seconds, or in a range of 30 to 60 seconds, or in a range of 30 to 45 seconds.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the actuator causes a vibration of the at least one transport element with a frequency in a range of 10 Hz to 20 Hz, or 14 Hz to 17 Hz.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the food products, when carried by the vibratory conveyor receive a number of strokes in a range of 400 to 2000.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a food processing line according to an embodiment of the invention; and

[0039] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a vibratory conveyor according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a food processing line 10 according to the invention. The food processing line 10 is adapted to process heavy pieces of meat, e.g., pieces of ham with a weight in the range of 1 kg to 25 kg. The food processing line 10 comprises an injection apparatus 1 and a first conveyor 2 arranged downstream the injection apparatus 1 so as to receive food products from the injection apparatus 1.

[0041] The food products may be fed to the injection apparatus 1 via a product infeed. The injection apparatus comprises an array of needles which penetrate the food product. The needles eject a liquid, in particular a brine, into the food product where it distributes at least partially. After injection of the liquid in the injection apparatus 1, the food products are transferred from the injection apparatus 1 onto the first vibratory conveyor 2.

[0042] The first vibratory conveyor 2 comprises at least one transport element 21 that carries the food product and allows draining of the liquid through the transport element 21, see FIG. 2. The first vibratory conveyor 2 further includes an actuator 22 which causes vibration of the transport element 21 by generating a stroke with an amplitude in the range of 8 mm to 16 mm. Preferably the amplitude of the stroke generated by actuator 22 is in the range of 8 mm to 15 mm, preferably in the range of 9 mm to 15 mm, more preferably in the range of 9 mm to 14 mm, in particular in the range of 11 mm to 14 mm or in the range of 10 mm to 13 mm. The food processing line according to the embodiment is capable of processing large pieces of meat due to the amplitude of the stroke generated by actuator 22. Such amplitude results in removal of excess brine after injection which prevents drip loss further downstream in the line. Brine that remains to/within the meat will be intensively shaken to stimulate optimal brine distribution. Beside shaking the meat product, the meat product is also transported by the first vibratory conveyor 2.

[0043] Optionally, the food processing line 10 comprises a second vibratory conveyor 3 configured to receive food products from the first vibratory conveyor 2. According to the embodiment, the second conveyor 3 is identical in type to the first vibratory conveyor 2. The first vibratory conveyor 2, and optionally the second vibratory conveyor 3, shake the food products in order to further distribute liquid inside the food products and to release excess liquid from the food products. Excess liquid is collected by the respective vibratory conveyors 2, 3 and fed back via a liquid return line 4, 4 to the injection apparatus 1.

[0044] In the following, further details of the vibratory conveyors 2, 3 of the food processing line 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0045] The vibratory conveyor 2, 3 has a total length L2 in the range of 2 m to 6 m, here in the range of 2.5 m to 3 m. The vibratory conveyor 2, 3 comprises multiple transport elements 21, here exactly five transport elements 21, that are arranged in series along a transport direction of the vibratory conveyor 2, 3. The transport elements 21 are implemented as a belt or a mesh or a plate. A food product can be fed to an entry side of the conveyor, here the right side in FIG. 2, so as to be received by a first transport element 21. Due to the vibration of the transport elements 21 caused by the actuator 22, the food product moves toward the neighboring transport element 21 in the transport direction, here from the right side in FIG. 2 to the left side in FIG. 2. The total length L1 of all transport elements 21 in series is slightly smaller than the total length of the conveyor 2, 3, here it is in the range of 2.5 m to 3 m.

[0046] The actuator 22 is configured to generate the stroke in a stroke direction S which is arranged at an angle A to the horizontal direction H. The angle A is in the range of 60? to 80?, in particular in the range of 65? to 75?, e.g., 70?. According to the embodiment, the actuator 22 is an unbalanced motor, in particular an unbalanced electromagnetic motor. The actuator 22 is held by a support structure 23 of the vibratory conveyor 2, 3 and actuates all transport elements 21 of the conveyor 2, 3 simultaneously. According to an alternative embodiment not shown in the figures, the actuator 22 is a linear actuator, in particular an electromagnetic or hydraulic or pneumatic linear actuator.

[0047] The vibratory conveyor 2, 3 further includes a drip tray 24 arranged below the transport elements 21 so as to receive liquid draining through the transport elements 21. The liquid accumulates in the drip tray and may be fed back to the injection apparatus via the liquid return line 4, 4.

[0048] The vibratory conveyors 2, 3 can be used in a method of processing food products, in particular meat pieces, wherein the food product is carried by the transport elements 21 of each of the vibratory conveyors 2, 3 for a residence time in the range of 10 to 90 seconds, in particular in the range of 20 to 60 seconds, preferably in the range of 30 to 60 seconds, more preferably in the range of 30 to 45 seconds. The actuator 22 may cause a vibration of the transport elements 21 with a frequency in the range of 10 Hz to 20 Hz, in particular 14 Hz to 17 Hz. Accordingly, the food products when carried by the respective vibratory conveyor 2, 3, each receive a number of strokes in the range of 400 to 2000.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0049] 1 injection apparatus [0050] 2 first vibratory conveyor [0051] 3 second vibratory conveyor [0052] 10 food processing line [0053] 21 transport element [0054] 22 actuator [0055] 23 support structure [0056] 24 drip tray [0057] A angle [0058] L1 length [0059] L2 length [0060] H horizontal direction [0061] S stroke direction