Temperature regulation of the mass flow in a filling machine

The present invention relates to the method and filling machine described in the introduction of claims 1 and 14.

This type of filling machine, which fills the sausage jacket with the paste material, is already known. During the processing of certain types of filling materials, such as sausage raw materials, it is required to ensure that the temperature of the filling material does not fall below or exceed a predetermined temperature in the entire processing chain. If the filling material falls below or exceeds a predetermined temperature, the material cannot be further processed. For this reason, the temperature of the lump flow is currently obtained, but when a predetermined limit is reached, the worker must actively and manually intervene in the process. When the hopper is in a heated state, intervention will take place as long as the filling material is there. Since the filling material can no longer be processed, it may even be necessary to interrupt production and remove the filling material from the machine. However, discharging the filling material from the machine or cleaning the machine is expensive and correspondingly increased. Therefore, known filling machines require a predictive response. As a result, workers are required to be more focused.

Based on this, it is an object of the present invention to treat temperature sensitive types of fillers with minimal cost.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by the features of claims 1 and 14.

By measuring the temperature of the mass material in several parts of the filling machine, the temperature of the mass flow can be monitored, controlled and optimized for the entire residence period in the machine. Since it is difficult to access several parts for temperature measurement, the temperature may be measured indirectly. In this case, the temperature of the components through which the mass material flows and passes is measured. Therefore, the influence of the temperature on the filling material during manufacturing can be effectively corrected. This means that the heat dissipated from the filling machine, especially the influence of temperature such as the internal friction of the mass material that occurs in the transport mechanism or the influence of temperature due to room temperature, can be easily dealt with. Workers no longer have to anticipate and respond in advance, and they no longer have to intervene in the process, greatly reducing the burden on workers. Increased processing reliability and reduced downtime provide higher mechanical capacity.

In the process according to the present invention, the mass flow, which is the flow of the filling material that passes through the suction intake section, the injection hopper, the transport mechanism, and the filling pipe and is discharged from the filling pipe, can be controlled to a predetermined temperature. On the other hand, the method of the present invention can also be used for co-extruded mass flow.

In an advantageous embodiment, the temperature is measured at least in the injection hopper portion or the suction intake portion, and in or after the transfer mechanism. The suction intake section here means, for example, a suction tube or a container in the front stage such as, for example, a floor-mounted hopper. Therefore, the temperature control can be made to have already started successfully when the lump material enters the filling machine. If the temperature is further measured in or after the transfer mechanism, the effect of temperature as a result of internal friction can also be reliably obtained and corrected well. The latter part of the transport mechanism means, for example, a portion of a portion that continues from the outlet of the transport mechanism, such as a minced meat machine (eg, a mounted meat grinder) or a filling pipe.

According to the present invention, it is possible not only to obtain the temperature in a predetermined part, but also to control the temperature in one or several parts of the filling machine to a predetermined value by using an appropriate heating / cooling device. it can. Therefore, the target temperature of the lump flow can be ideally maintained without large fluctuations. In this way, the reliability of the process is further improved. Specifically, the temperature of the lumps in or there in the hopper and / or the temperature of the lumps in the transport mechanism, and / or the temperature of the lumps in the minced meat machine, and / or the lumps in the filling tube. The temperature and / or the temperature of the mass in or there in the suction take-in section can be controlled by utilizing a heating / cooling device.

In particular, during the preparation of the paste-like ingot, it is possible to set the temperature of the ingot before being fed into the filling machine according to the temperature measured in the filling machine. Therefore, the lump or filling material can exhibit a reasonably suitable temperature before arriving at the filling machine, and the heating / cooling device of the filling machine can control the temperature to an appropriate target value. This has the advantage that the maximum power of the heating / cooling device installed directly on the filling machine can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

According to the present invention, temperature control in individual parts can occur through a common heating / cooling circuit or through at least two separate heating / cooling circuits. The common heating / cooling circuit has a simpler configuration. On the other hand, a separate heating / cooling circuit, that is, a heating / cooling circuit provided individually for each different portion, promotes more accurate control of the bulk material temperature in each portion. So, for example, a lump in a transport mechanism, where the lump undergoes greater internal friction and absorbs more heat dissipated from the machine, but is cooler than, for example, in a filling tube or hopper. The degree can be increased.

Temperature control can occur predictively according to the expected or measured velocity of the mass flow, in which case the cooling or heating force coming out of the heating / cooling device is controlled according to the flow velocity. Here, the flow velocity may be measured or input. This is to ensure adequate temperature control of the mass material already at the beginning of the process, for example, when the flow rate is high at the beginning of the process, compared to when the heating or cooling power of the heating / cooling device is low. Means that it is also set high. Similarly, temperature control can occur predictively depending on the expected or measured pressure of the mass, in which case the cooling or heating force generated by the heating / cooling device will be the pressure of the mass. It is controlled accordingly. The mass material pressure is the pressure of the mass material generated in the transport mechanism. When the lump pressure is high, the product heats up more significantly than when the lump pressure is low, which can be compensated for by proper control of the heating / cooling system. Similarly, temperature control can occur predictively depending on the expected or measured power consumption of the filler, in which case the cooling or heating power generated by the heating / cooling device is expected or measured. It is controlled according to the amount of power consumed.

When a co-extrusion device is further provided using the method according to the present invention, the mass flow subject to temperature control is a co-extrusion mass flow, for example, in a co-extrusion mass material uptake portion such as a co-extrusion hopper, and / Or the temperature at the part of the co-extrusion transfer mechanism and / or at the part of the co-extrusion head is measured. The temperature of the mass is then controllable using a heating / cooling device in at least one of these parts. Therefore, the lump flow of the co-extruded lump material can be reliably processed as described above.

The present invention facilitates recording temperature with respect to time and location. Such logs increase the reliability of the process and also facilitate the assurance that a well-defined temperature is maintained.

The filling machine according to the present invention has several temperature sensors arranged in each part of the filling machine, a heating / cooling device for heating or cooling the ingot, and controls the temperature of the ingot according to the measured temperature. It is equipped with a control device. Alternatively, the temperature can be controlled according to the expected temperature. In this case, the heating / cooling device can be placed at least partially on the injection hopper and / or on the transfer mechanism and / or on the filling tube and / or on the suction take-in section. If the filling machine is further equipped with a mounted meat grinder or minced meat machine, the heating / cooling device can also be placed here, at least partially. This makes it possible to control the temperature in each part. In an advantageous embodiment, the temperature sensor is located at least in a portion of the injection hopper or a portion of the suction intake and in or after the transfer mechanism. Filler heating / cooling devices that heat or cool in several parts can have a common cooling or heating circuit for these parts. The heating / cooling device can also have several independent units, each with a separate cooling or heating circuit.

According to a preferred embodiment, the device comprises a co-extrusion device having several parts such as a co-extrusion mass material uptake, a transfer mechanism, and a co-extrusion head, and a temperature sensor is attached to several parts of the co-extrusion device. Be placed. Therefore, the co-extrusion mass flow can also be accurately controlled to a predetermined temperature as described above, and in this case, various effects on each part of the co-extrusion device can be taken into consideration. The heating / cooling device can also be located in at least one part of the coextruding device.

In addition, the filling machine according to the invention preferably comprises a device for recording the measured temperature in terms of time and position.

Further, according to the present invention, the temperature measured in one or more parts can be included in the temperature control in another one or more parts. Therefore, predictive temperature control is possible, taking into account different temperature effects in different parts.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the filling machine 100 according to the present invention. The filling machine 100 includes, for example, an injection hopper 1 such as a vacuum hopper capable of generating a negative pressure. Further, the filling machine 100 includes a suction pipe 2, through which a paste-like mass material-hereinafter also referred to as a filling material-can be fed to the injection hopper 1. The suction pipe 2 is a part of the suction intake portion of the filling material. The floor-mounted hopper 16 in the previous stage may also be included in the suction intake section. Further, the filling machine also includes a transport mechanism 3 arranged at the lower end of the conical injection hopper 1. In a well-known scheme, this type of transfer mechanism 3 comprises, for example, a vane pump or screw conveyor, which pushes the filling material from the injection hopper 1 towards the filling pipe 4, whereby the filling material fills the pipe. Pushed into the sausage jacket through 4.

The filling machine 100 according to the present invention is therefore located after several parts, namely, the suction take-up section 2, the injection hopper 1, the transfer mechanism 3 and the transfer mechanism 3 described above, for example, the filling tube 4. Has a part.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is equivalent to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that the minced meat machine 5 is located at the outlet of the transport mechanism and the suction take-in section is shown in the figure for clarity. Is omitted from.

According to the present invention, the temperature sensor 7 is provided in each of several parts of the filling machine 100. In FIG. 1, for example, a temperature sensor 7a is placed above the injection hopper 1, and there is a temperature sensor 7b that measures the temperature of the filling material in the transport mechanism 3, where the temperature of the filling material in the filling tube 4 is measured here. There is also a temperature sensor 7c that measures.

Alternatively or additionally, as can be seen in FIGS. You can also do it. Although not shown, the temperature may also be measured in the minced meat machine 5.

Further, the filling machine according to the present invention includes a heating / cooling device 8 that enables closed-loop control of the temperature of the filling material within a predetermined target value or target value range. The heating / cooling device 8 is arranged in several parts of the filling machine 100. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a portion 8a of the heating / cooling device is placed around the injection hopper 1, i.e., around its outer wall. Part 8b of the heating / cooling device is arranged to cool the filling material in the transport mechanism 3. Further, a part 8c of the heating / cooling device is arranged on the filling tube 4 so that the filling material in the filling tube 4 can be heated or cooled. In addition, a heating / cooling device 8d is arranged around the suction take-in section, ie, the suction tube and / or the floor mount hopper 16. Preferably, the heating / cooling device 8 is provided in at least two parts.

The heating / cooling device 8 is formed as a heat exchanger, for example, a continuous flow heat exchanger, and includes a corresponding heating or cooling set 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the filling machine 100 has the meat minced machine 5, the minced machine can also have the corresponding heating / cooling device 8i.

The filling machine 100 further includes a machine control unit 12 having a closed loop control device 6 that controls the temperature of the filling material according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 7. Further, the filling machine according to the present invention includes a device 10 for continuously recording the measured temperature with respect to time and position. This type of device for recording can have a storage medium and / or a suitable printer for printing out measurement logs. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the heating / cooling device 8 heats or cools the filling material in parts 8a, 8b, 8c, and a common cooling circuit or heating circuit is provided for these parts. That is, these portions are heated or cooled to a predetermined common temperature.

However, it is also possible that the heating / cooling device has several independent units 8a, b, c, each with separate cooling or heating circuits, which facilitates more accurate adaptation.

Due to structural reasons, the heating / cooling device 8d in the area of the suction take-in section is separated from the areas 8a, b, and c.

Further, the filling machine according to the present invention can have a sensor 9 for measuring the pressure of the filling material and a device 15 for measuring the power consumption of the filling machine.

During production, the filling material is affected by various temperatures. These effects can be the heat dissipated from the filling machine, the internal friction of the filling material, and the temperature effect due to room temperature. On the other hand, during the processing of a particular type of filling material, such as a sausage raw material, care must be taken that the temperature of the filling material does not exceed a predetermined temperature in the entire processing chain. Similarly, during the processing of cheese to be filled in the sausage jacket, the filling material temperature must not drop below, for example, a predetermined temperature. To ensure this, according to the method according to the invention, the temperature is measured by temperature sensors 7 in several parts of the filling machine 100. In the closed loop controller 6, the appropriate acquired temperature is then compared with the corresponding target value entered in advance depending on the product to be processed. Depending on the measured temperature, that is, according to the comparison between the target value and the sensor detection value, the temperature of the filling material is then controlled by the heating / cooling device 8 to a predetermined temperature. The filling material temperature is measured in several parts, and the automatic heating or cooling of the filling material occurs in several parts, so that the temperature of the mass flow can be kept in an ideal way without large fluctuations. Can be maintained. An integrated closed-loop control circuit inside the filling machine allows the temperature of the mass flow during the entire residence period inside the filling machine to be monitored, controlled and optimized. Therefore, even a temperature-sensitive type of filling material can be reliably processed.

In particular, during the processing of the paste-like lump material, it is possible to set the temperature of the filling material according to the temperature measured by the filling machine 100 before being sent to the filling machine. This is because the filling material is already at a predetermined appropriate temperature at the time of being fed to the hopper 1, so that the heating / cooling device can quickly bring the filling material to a predetermined target temperature range without large fluctuations. Has the advantage of being able to heat or cool. To achieve this, the closed loop controller 6 may be connected, for example, to a heating / cooling device that heats or cools the filling material before it is fed into the filling machine. On the other hand, it is also possible to display the temperature or temperature range in which the filling material should be before being fed to the filling machine on a display unit (not shown).

According to the present invention, it is also possible to predictively realize temperature control according to predetermined parameters, in which case the cooling or heating power of the heating / cooling device 8 or its heating / cooling set 11 is these parameters. It is controlled according to. That is, the cooling or heating power of the heating / cooling device can be controlled according to, for example, the pressure of the filling material that can be measured by the pressure measuring device 9 in the transport mechanism 3. When the pressure of the filling material is high, it is expected that the filling material will be considerably heated due to internal friction. Therefore, for example, it is necessary to relatively increase the cooling power of the heating / cooling device 8. On the other hand, the expected packing material pressure can also be input via the appropriate input unit. The cooling force or the heating force of the heating / cooling device 8 can also be controlled according to the flow velocity, and in this case as well, the flow velocity can be input or measured. For example, when the flow velocity is high, the cooling must be stronger than when the flow velocity is low, so that the cooling force or the heating force can already be controlled to an appropriate value at the start of the treatment. Temperature control can also be achieved predictively depending on the power consumption of the filler predicted or measured by the sensor 15. In this case, the cooling or heating power of the heating / cooling device 8 is closed-loop controlled according to the predicted or measured power consumption. When the power of the machine is higher, the filling material heats up more significantly, so for example, the cooling power needs to be increased.

According to the present invention, the temperature measured in one part or a plurality of parts can be included for temperature control in another part.

FIG. 3 shows a possible functional block diagram for the method according to the invention. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the measured temperature values, here three temperature values as an example, are sent to the closed loop controller 6. The measured temperature is compared with the corresponding target value S. As described above, flow velocity and / or filling material pressure and / or mechanical power can be included as additional control parameters. The closed loop controller 6 then controls the heating / cooling device 8 or its heating / cooling set 11. The cooling or heating device 8 then cools or heats the filling material to an appropriate target value or target value range. In order to realize this, for example, the temperature, the flow velocity, etc. of the heat exchanger medium can be adjusted. FIG. 3 shows a common heating / cooling circuit for the heating / cooling device 8 corresponding to each part of the filling machine 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the one hand, separate heating / cooling circuits can also be used for each unit 8a, b, c, d of the heating / cooling device corresponding to each part. In this case, the temperature of the filling material can be adjusted with higher accuracy, in which case the heating or cooling is increased or decreased correspondingly in the part where the filling material is affected by the larger temperature. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessarily large temperature fluctuations. Closed-loop control of the filling material temperature by the individual heating / cooling circuits is here achieved in each case in response to at least one measured temperature.

It should be noted that several, here three, independent closed-loop control circuits can be used to control the filling material temperature in each portion. In this case, each control unit sets its own target value. Along with this, the corresponding units of the heating / cooling device 8 can be controlled separately as well.

Furthermore, several units 8a, 8b, 8c have a common heating / cooling circuit as described in FIG. 3, while one or several other units, such as 8d, have FIG. 4 As described in, a separate heating / cooling circuit may be provided.

FIG. 5 shows yet another possible embodiment according to the present invention. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the filling machine also has a so-called co-extruding device 21. This type of co-extrusion device is used to discharge the paste-like mass around the paste-like mass discharged from the filling tube 4. Thus, for example, the sausage jacket can be overlaid on the filling material, or the second pasty mass, i.e., the second filling material, is overlaid on the inner filling material discharged from the filling tube 4. Can be done. This type of co-extruded device comprises, in a well-known manner, a device for supplying a paste-like mass material-hereinafter referred to as a co-extruded mass material. Here, the device 18 is formed as an injection hopper. Further, the coextrusion device 21 includes, for example, a transfer mechanism 19 in the form of a vane pump or a gear pump. Finally, the co-extrusion device 21 Provided a co-extrusion head 17 for discharging the co-extrusion mass material. Just like the mass flow described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, this co-extruded mass flow is affected by similar parameters such as external temperature, heat dissipated from the filling machine, internal friction of the filling material, and so on. For this reason, the filling machine also includes one or several temperature sensors 7f, 7g, 7h of this mass flow in several parts, namely at least two of the injection hopper, the transfer mechanism and the co-extrusion head. Then have. The coextruding device 21 also has suitable heating / cooling devices 8f, 8g, 8h in at least one of the respective parts. As mentioned in connection with the first mass flow, the filling machine may have separate heating / cooling devices having separate corresponding heating / cooling circuits 8f, 8g, 8h in these parts. Alternatively, it may have one heating / cooling circuit for several parts. In other respects, this embodiment relating to the mass flow of the co-extruded mass is similar to the embodiment described in relation to the mass discharged through the filling tube 4. This specifically includes the closed-loop control method shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the forecast or measured power consumption of the filler or the forecast of bulk material pressure or co-extruded bulk material measured within the transport mechanism 19. It relates to predictive temperature control according to the flow velocity.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the temperature of the first lump flow and the temperature of the co-extruded lump flow are controlled separately from each other, and each is controlled to an appropriate target temperature. However, it is also possible to control two different mass flows in a mutually dependent manner.

According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure that an appropriate temperature limit can be maintained without the need for manual intervention of workers during the full filling process. Therefore, the reliability of processing can be significantly improved. By reducing downtime, machine capacity can be improved. It reduces the burden on workers and enables continuous recording.

<figref num="1">An embodiment of a filling machine according to the present invention is schematically shown.</figref><figref num="2">Yet another embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown.</figref><figref num="3">The functional block diagram of one embodiment of the method according to the present invention is shown schematically.</figref><figref num="4">A functional block diagram of yet another embodiment of the method according to the invention is schematically shown.</figref><figref num="5">Yet another embodiment according to the present invention is schematically shown.</figref>