A Method For Optimizing The Yield Of An Egg Breaking Apparatus, An Eggshell Separator, And An Egg Breaking Apparatus

Abstract

A method for optimizing the yield of an egg breaking apparatus by improving the bacteriology of the egg product comprises the steps of: Leading egg content to a product outlet of the egg breaking apparatus and into an egg content inlet of an eggshell separator; passing the egg content through openings in a separator plate of the eggshell separator, said separator plate being configured for retaining eggshells on a first surface thereof; leading egg content to an egg content outlet; and moving an eggshell carrier over the separator plate, thereby carrying eggshells to an eggshell outlet.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing the yield of an egg breaking apparatus comprising the steps of: leading egg content to a product outlet of the egg breaking apparatus and into an egg content inlet of an eggshell separator; passing the egg content through openings in a separator plate of the eggshell separator, said separator plate being configured for retaining eggshells on a first surface thereof, leading egg content to an egg content outlet; and moving an eggshell carrier (4) over the first surface of the separator plate, thereby carrying eggshells to an eggshell outlet; wherein: eggs are fed individually to a plurality of egg breaking devices of the egg breaking apparatus; each egg breaking device holds and breaks single eggs; contents of eggs broken by the egg breaking devices are received by a plurality of egg receiving devices, each egg receiving device being designed to receive the contents of a single egg at a time, and each emu receiving device possibly comprising a cup for receiving the albumen of the egg and a holder for receiving the yolk of the egg; the eggshell of each egg and possible other remains are dumped in a waste receptacle, and egg content from the egg receiving devices is transferred to at least one product receptacle connected to the egg product outlet.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the carrier is automatically moved over the first surface at regular intervals.

3. The method according to claim 1, where a carrier comprising four plate-shaped carrier elements is moved by rotation, pausing after having moved over 45 degrees, such that each rotation of the carrier is divided in eight intervals.

4. (canceled)

5. An egg breaking apparatus, comprising: a plurality of egg breaking devices, each for holding and breaking single eggs; a feeder for feeding eggs individually to each egg breaking device; a plurality of egg receiving devices for receiving the contents of eggs broken by the egg breaking devices, each egg receiving device being designed to receive the contents of a single egg at a time; a waste receptacle for receiving the eggshell and possible other remains; at least one product receptacle for receiving egg content from the egg receiving devices; an egg product outlet at the bottom of the apparatus; and at least one eggshell separator mounted at the egg product outlet and configured for use in the method according to one claim 1, the eggshell separator comprising: an egg content inlet configured for receiving egg content from the egg product outlet; a separator plate with a plurality of openings; an egg content outlet, and a carrier configured for moving over the first surface of the separator plate and for carrying eggshells to an eggshell outlet, wherein: said separator plate is arranged between the egg content inlet and the egg content outlet, so that egg content entering the separator via the egg content inlet will flow through the openings in the separator plate before reaching the egg content outlet; and the separator plate is configured for retaining eggshells on a first surface, which is facing the egg content outlet when seen in the intended flow direction of the egg content.

6. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 5, where the eggshell separator is mounted with the separator plate positioned below the egg content inlet and above the egg content outlet so that egg content may pass from the egg content inlet to the egg content outlet under the influence of gravity.

7. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 5, where the carrier is configured for being moved by swinging or rotation and where the first surface of the separator plate has a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the path travelled by the carrier when swung or rotated.

8. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 7, where the eggshell separator further comprising a carrier wheel with two or more carrier elements mounted thereon.

9. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 7, where the radius of the movement of the carrier is 30-300 mm.

10. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 5 where the minimum distance between the carrier and the first surface is 0.5-7 mm.

11. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 5, where the openings in the separator plate are elongate with their longest dimension extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the carrier.

12. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 11, where the width of the elongate openings in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carrier is 5-20 mm.

13. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 20, where the central angle of the circular sector along the arc length of which the elongate opening(s) extend(s) is 90-180 degrees.

14. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 8, where each carrier element is a plate having its smallest dimension extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carrier.

15. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 5, where at least the first surface or the carrier is made from stainless steel.

16. The egg breaking apparatus breaking apparatus according to claim 5, where the eggshell separator further comprises an indexing mechanism controlling the movement of the carrier.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. The egg breaking apparatus of claim 5, each egg receiving device comprising a cup for receiving the albumen of the egg and a holder for receiving the yolk of the egg.

20. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 7, where the openings in the separator plate are elongate with their longest dimension extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the carrier.

21. The egg breaking apparatus according to claim 5, where at least the first surface and the carrier are made from stainless steel.

22. An egg breaking apparatus, comprising: a plurality of egg breaking devices, each for holding and breaking single eggs; a feeder for feeding eggs individually to each egg breaking device; a plurality of egg receiving devices for receiving the contents of eggs broken by the egg breaking devices, each egg receiving device being designed to receive the contents of a single egg at a time; a waste receptacle for receiving the eggshell and possible other remains; at least one product receptacle for receiving egg content from the egg receiving devices; an egg product outlet at the bottom of the apparatus; and at least one eggshell separator mounted at the egg product outlet, the eggshell separator comprising: an egg content inlet configured for receiving egg content from the egg product outlet; a separator plate with a plurality of openings; an egg content outlet; and a carrier configured for moving over the first surface of the separator plate and for carrying eggshells to an eggshell outlet; wherein: said separator plate is arranged between the egg content inlet and the egg content outlet, so that egg content entering the separator via the egg content inlet will flow through the openings in the separator plate before reaching the egg content outlet; and the separator plate is configured for retaining eggshells on a first surface, which is facing the egg content outlet when seen in the intended flow direction of the egg content.

23. The egg breaking apparatus of claim 22, each egg receiving device comprising a cup for receiving the albumen of the egg and a holder for receiving the yolk of the egg.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In the following the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings where:

[0030] FIG. 1 is perspective view of an eggshell separator,

[0031] FIG. 2 shows the eggshell separator in FIG. 1 from an opposite side,

[0032] FIG. 3 is a perspective top view of the eggshell separator in FIGS. 1 and 2 where the top cover has been removed,

[0033] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the eggshell separator in FIGS. 1 and 2, but without the indexing mechanism,

[0034] FIG. 5 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of the eggshell separator in FIGS. 1 and 2 as indicated by the plane V in FIG. 2,

[0035] FIG. 6 is a perspective, partially cut-away view of an egg breaking apparatus with an eggshell separator mounted thereon, and

[0036] FIG. 7-9 are photos of an eggshell separator of the type shown in FIG. 1-6 during operation with the top cover removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] An eggshell separator 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It includes an egg content inlet 21 configured for receiving egg content from an egg breaking apparatus, and an egg content outlet 22 on the opposite side and below the inlet 21. Both the egg content inlet 21 and the egg content outlet 22 are provided on a main housing 23 and a top cover 24 is arranged on top of the main housing 23 in a manner so that an eggshell outlet 25 is formed between them.

[0038] Turning now also to FIGS. 3 and 4, a separator plate 3 and a carrier 4, which are located inside the housing formed by the main housing 23 and top cover 24 can be seen.

[0039] The separator plate 3 is configured for retaining eggshells on a first surface 31 by having seven elongate openings 32, the size of which is such that only egg content and possibly small eggshell fragments can pass through. As is seen in FIG. 3, the separator plate is positioned below the egg content inlet 21 and above the egg content outlet 22 so that egg content may pass from the egg content inlet to the egg content outlet under the influence of gravity only. It is, however, also possible to provide the eggshell separator with a pump (not shown) or to supply the egg content under pressure in order to force the egg content through the eggshell separator.

[0040] The carrier 4 is here adapted for being operated by rotation, comprising four plate-shaped carrier elements 41 (hereafter referred to as carrier plates) attached to a plate-shaped carrier wheel 42, which can be rotated about an axle 43. In this embodiment semi-circular recesses 261, 262 in the main housing 23 and the top cover 24, respectively, form bearings for the axle 43 on either side of the housing in the assembled state of the eggshell separator. This construction makes assembly and disassembly of the eggshell separator and hence cleaning and maintenance relatively easy as can be seen from FIG. 4, but other types of bearings may be employed.

[0041] As the carrier plates 41 will thus be following a circular path, the separator plate 3 is curved with a radius of curvature corresponding to the curvature of the path travelled by the carrier plates 41 during operation.

[0042] In this embodiment the separator plate is provided with a bend 33 at each end, said bends allowing the separator plate to hang on either side of the main housing 23. This provides for easy disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of the egg separator as also seen in FIG. 4, but other embodiments are of course possible. At one side, the bend 33 on the separator plate 3 forms a downwards inclining flange 251 forming a lowermost section of the eggshell outlet while a recess 252 in the top cover 24 defines the three other sides of the rectangular eggshell outlet 25. In other embodiments the inclining flange 251 may be formed wholly or partially by the main housing or the eggshell outlet may be formed entirely in the main housing 23 or entirely in the top cover 24, and it is to be understood that the eggshell outlet does not need to have a rectangular shape.

[0043] In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the carrier comprises only one plate element which is instead swung back and forward over the first surface 31 of the separator plate 3 in a pendulum movement, possibly using an axle 43 as the one shown in the drawing. In that case, eggshell outlet openings 25 may be provided at both sides of the eggshell separator.

[0044] The eggshell separator 1 is intended for being mounted on a product outlet of an egg breaking apparatus 6 of the type comprising a plurality of egg breaking devices, each for holding and breaking single eggs, a plurality of egg receiving devices for receiving the contents of eggs broken by the egg breaking devices, and a number of product receptacles for receiving the contents of the egg receiving device as shown in FIG. 6. Another product outlet 61 without an eggshell separator is seen at the right-hand side of FIG. 6, though partially cut-away.

[0045] When the eggshell separator 1 is in operation, egg contents 71 entering via the egg content inlet 21 will follow the flow direction indicated by the arrows F in FIGS. and 7, so that egg contents pass through the openings 32 in the separator plate and exit via the egg content outlet 22. The carrier 4 rotates about axle 43 in the direction indicated by the arrows C in FIGS. 5 and 9. In this way the carrier plates 41 pass over the first surface 31 of the separator plate and an eggshell 72 found on the separator plate will be carried upwards over the side of the separator plate to the eggshell outlet 25. In FIG. 5 the eggshell outlet is located at the right-hand side and in FIGS. 7-9 it is located uppermost. It is noted that in this embodiment the eggshell outlet 25 is located substantially at level with the axle 43, which is considered advantageous as it allows maximum time for egg content 71 to drain from the eggshell 72, but that it may be positioned lower in other embodiments.

[0046] As is seen in FIGS. 7-8, the curvature of the separator plate 3 and the fact that the egg content inlet 21 is positioned at the centre of the eggshell separator 1 means that the egg content 71 substantially only comes into contact with a centre section 34 of the separator plate indicated by broken lines S in FIGS. 5, 8 and 9. When a carrier plate 41 passes the inlet, it passes through the flow of egg contents 71 and carries the eggshell 72 upwards over a side section 35 of the separator plate, which is substantially free from egg content. Since this the openings 32 in the separator plate continue over the side section 35, egg content may drain from the eggshell 72 while it passes the side section. When using an indexing mechanism 5 for moving the carrier 4 it may be designed such that each carrier plate 41 stops for a short period at the side section 35 allowing egg content 71 to drain off the eggshell 72 before continuing to the eggshell outlet 25.

[0047] The fact that the openings 32 in the separator plate 3 are elongate with their longest dimension extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement C of the carrier 4 allows an optimal draining of egg content from the eggshells 72 as drainage may continue substantially uninterrupted until the eggshell eventually reaches the eggshell outlet 25. Another advantage of this shape and orientation of the openings is that there is only one opening edge extending perpendicular to the direction of movement C of the carrier in the path travelled by the eggshell 72, thus reducing the risk of small shell fragments breaking off due to the eggshell coming into contact with such edges. The use of openings having other shapes and/or directions is, however, not excluded, and contact with opening edges may be advantageous in that any chalaza or other egg content 71 still connected to the eggshell 72 may be broken off instead of being discharged with the eggshell. It is also noted that the number of openings may be different from what is shown.

[0048] In the embodiment shown, the rotation of the carrier axle 43 and thus the carrier wheel 42 is achieved be means of an indexing mechanism 5 including a ratchet wheel 51, a locking pawl 52, and a pneumatic cylinder 53 as is seen in FIG. 2. The pneumatic cylinder is supplied with compressed air via air inlet 531 and the piston 532 pushes on the ratchet wheel forcing it to move in the direction marked by the arrow C. Such systems are well known by the skilled person and will therefore not be described in further detail here.

[0049] The ratchet wheel 51 is here provided with eight teeth and the carrier with four equidistanced carrier plates 41. This means that the 90-degree movement of a carrier plate from the lowermost point, where it is contact with the flow of egg contents 71 and potentially picks up an eggshell 72, to the eggshell outlet 25 will be divided in two steps. In other words, each carrier plate 41 will pause mid-way, thus providing a time interval where egg contents may drain from the egg shell while the carrier plate is inclined so that draining is facilitated. This combination of the use of plate-shaped carrier elements 41 and a carrier 4 performing a circular movement divided in eight 45-degree steps is presently considered particularly advantageous and this applies independent of other features of the eggshell separator. Particularly it applies independently of the embodiment of openings in the separator plate.

[0050] Other means of causing the axle 43 to rotate may of course also be employed, including a crank axle system (not shown), which may be used for a inducing a continuous movement of the carrier.