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US 12,708,123 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for dosing and feeding a fluid or pasty mixture into moulds, in particular a chocolate-based mixture
AssigneeSoremartec S.A.
InventorsGiorgio Catalano, Winfried Stork
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid mixture, for example, a chocolate-based mixture, is dosed and fed to forming moulds through two cavities arranged on diametrically opposite sides of a longitudinal axis and having respective opposite inlets. The cavities are rotated in unison and in a stepwise manner around a longitudinal axis between an inlet opening for the mixture and an outlet opening for the mixture and dosed while keeping the volume of both cavities unchanged. One of the cavities is filled with a predefined quantity of fluid mixture and the other cavity is simultaneously emptied while keeping the cavities in angularly fixed positions around the longitudinal axis.
Claims13
An apparatus for dosing and feeding a fluid or pasty mixture into moulds, in particular a chocolate-based mixture, the apparatus comprising:
- an external body fixed against rotation and delimiting a cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber having a longitudinal axis thereof, an inlet opening for said mixture to flow into said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber, and a single outlet opening for said mixture to flow out of said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber;
- a dosing and feeding device housed in said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber to receive the mixture from said inlet opening and to feed the mixture through said single outlet opening, said dosing and feeding device comprising two variable volume cavities;
- and
- a motorized assembly comprising:
- a rotatable cylindrical support core coaxial with said longitudinal axis and elongated along said longitudinal axis;
- a pair of cylindrical sectors partially surrounding said core coaxially with said longitudinal axis and connected in a fluid-tight manner to the core, said core and said cylindrical sectors delimiting said two opposing variable volume cavities between them and inside said chamber and arranged to rotate said cavities around said longitudinal axis and to vary their volume, said cavities having respective inlets opposed and diametrically opposite each other with respect to said longitudinal axis, said motorized assembly being configured to rotate said cavities simultaneously and in a stepwise manner around the longitudinal axis between a receiving position for receiving said mixture from said inlet opening and a sending position for transferring said mixture through said single outlet opening, keeping the volume of said cavities constant, and varying the volume of each said cavity while keeping the cavities in angularly fixed positions relative to one another around said longitudinal axis;
- a first motorized actuator to rotate said core and said cylindrical sectors in a stepwise manner around said longitudinal axis;
- a second motorized actuator to rotate both said cylindrical sectors one with respect to the other at a same angular speed in opposite directions around said longitudinal axis during volume variation of said cavities;
- and
- an electronic control and command unit being electrically connected to said first and second motorized actuators and configured to synchronize said first and second motorized actuators with one another.
7 more elements
An apparatus for dosing and feeding a fluid or pasty mixture into moulds, in particular a mixture, the apparatus comprising:
- an external body delimiting a cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber having a longitudinal axis thereof, an inlet opening for said mixture to flow into said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber, and a single outlet opening for said mixture to flow out of said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber;
- and
- a dosing and feeding device housed in said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber to receive the mixture from said inlet opening and to feed the mixture through said single outlet opening, said dosing and feeding device comprising two variable volume cavities;
- and
- a motorized assembly comprising:
- a rotatable cylindrical support core coaxial with said longitudinal axis and elongated along said longitudinal axis;
- a pair of cylindrical sectors partially surrounding said core coaxially with said longitudinal axis and connected in a fluid-tight manner to the core, said core and said cylindrical sectors delimiting said two opposing variable volume cavities between them and inside said chamber and arranged to rotate said cavities around said longitudinal axis and to vary their volume, said cavities having respective inlets opposed and diametrically opposite each other with respect to said longitudinal axis, said motorized assembly being configured to rotate said cavities simultaneously and in a stepwise manner around the longitudinal axis between a receiving position for receiving said mixture from said inlet opening and a sending position for transferring said mixture through said single outlet opening, keeping the volume of said cavities constant, and varying the volume of each said cavity while keeping the cavities in angularly fixed positions relative to one another around said longitudinal axis;
- a first motorized actuator to rotate said core and said cylindrical sectors in a stepwise manner around said longitudinal axis;
- a second motorized actuator to rotate both said cylindrical sectors one with respect to the other at a same angular speed in opposite directions around said longitudinal axis during volume variation of said cavities;
- and
- an electronic control and command unit being electrically connected to said first and second motorized actuators and configured to synchronize said first and second motorized actuators with one another;
- a pouring plate separate from said external body located downstream of said single outlet opening, and
- a releasable connection to removably connect said pouring plate to said external body.
10 more elements
An apparatus for dosing and feeding a fluid or pasty mixture into moulds, in particular a chocolate-based mixture, the apparatus comprising:
- an external body delimiting a cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber having a longitudinal axis thereof, an inlet opening for said mixture to flow into said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber, and a single outlet opening for said mixture to flow out of said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber;
- and
- a dosing and feeding device housed in said cylindrical dosing and feeding chamber to receive the mixture from said inlet opening and to feed the mixture through said single outlet opening, said dosing and feeding device comprising two variable volume cavities;
- and
- a motorized assembly comprising:
- a rotatable cylindrical support core coaxial with said longitudinal axis and elongated along said longitudinal axis;
- a pair of cylindrical sectors partially surrounding said core coaxially with said longitudinal axis and connected in a fluid-tight manner to the core, said core and said cylindrical sectors delimiting said two opposing variable volume cavities between them and inside said chamber and arranged to rotate said cavities around said longitudinal axis and to vary their volume, said cavities having respective inlets opposed and diametrically opposite each other with respect to said longitudinal axis, said motorized assembly being configured to rotate said cavities simultaneously and in a stepwise manner around the longitudinal axis between a receiving position for receiving said mixture from said inlet opening and a sending position for transferring said mixture through said single outlet opening, keeping the volume of said cavities constant, and varying the volume of each said cavity while keeping the cavities in angularly fixed positions relative to one another around said longitudinal axis;
- a first motorized actuator to rotate said core and said cylindrical sectors in a stepwise manner around said longitudinal axis;
- a second motorized actuator to rotate both said cylindrical sectors one with respect to the other at a same angular speed in opposite directions around said longitudinal axis during volume variation of said cavities;
- an electronic control and command unit being electrically connected to said first and second motorized actuators and configured to synchronize said first and second motorized actuators with one another;
- and
- one collar coupled in a fluid-tight manner to said core for each cylindrical sector, each said cylindrical sector stably carrying, connected at one end thereof, said respective collar and having an opposite end arranged in abutment against the collar of the other cylindrical sector.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.