Conveyor system for food products
AssigneeGrupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V.
InventorJoaquin Alverde Trejo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method are disclosed for separating a pile of tortillas and individually depositing the tortillas on a conveyor to form a row of tortillas. The apparatus may include an accumulating device, an elevating device that is operable to remove a pile of tortillas from the accumulating device and elevate the pile of tortillas towards a vacuum conveyor. The vacuum conveyor is operable to continuously remove an uppermost tortilla from the pile of tortillas and transport the separated tortillas to a receiving conveyor. The separated tortillas are deposited on the receiving conveyor and may be transported to a subsequent processing operation.
Claims23
A tortilla transfer apparatus comprising:
- a tortilla accumulating device extendable between a retracted position and an extended position;
- an elevating table adjacent the accumulating device and extendable between a raised position and a lowered position, the accumulating device, in the extended position, being in intermeshing engagement with the elevating table in the lowered position;
- a vacuum conveyor disposed above the elevating table near the raised position of the elevating table, the vacuum conveyor comprising:
- a continuous belt disposed around at least two end rollers, said belt having a lower portion disposed above tortillas and moving longitudinally in a direction of movement of the tortillas;
- and
- a plurality of vents formed in the continuous belt;
- a vacuum system in fluid communication with the plurality of vents and operable to generate a vacuum with airflow through one or more of the vents into a vacuum suction plate disposed above the lower portion of the belt;
- and
- a receiving conveyor having a portion disposed below at least a portion of the vacuum conveyor and adapted to receive tortillas released from the vacuum conveyor.
A method for unstacking a plurality of tortillas and arranging the unstacked tortillas in a row, the method comprising:
- providing a stack of tortillas;
- extending the stack of tortillas towards a continuous belt disposed above the stack of tortillas;
- forming a vacuum;
- communicating the vacuum through a plurality of vents formed in the continuous belt disposed above the stack of tortillas;
- continuously adhering a tortilla from a top of the stack of tortillas to the continuous belt of a first conveyor with the vacuum communicated through vents adjacent the tortilla as the continuous belt is conveyed to form a row of tortillas on the continuous belt;
- conveying the tortillas to a release position above a receiving conveyor;
- sequentially releasing the tortillas from the continuous belt by blocking communication of the vacuum through vents adjacent the tortillas;
- and
- sequentially collecting the released tortilla on a receiving conveyor as the receiving conveyor is conveyed to form a row of tortillas thereon.
A system for forming a row of tortillas from a stack of tortillas, the system comprising:
- a tortilla transfer apparatus comprising:
- an accumulating device comprising a first plurality of vertical members having gaps formed between adjacent vertical members;
- an elevating device comprising:
- a second plurality of vertical members having gaps formed between adjacent vertical members, the first plurality of vertical members configured to intermesh with the second plurality of vertical members;
- a vacuum conveyor comprising:
- a continuous belt extending over a pair of rollers, the continuous belt circumscribing an interior space;
- a motor coupled to at least one roller and operable to drive the at least one roller and the continuous belt;
- and
- a plurality of vents formed in the continuous belt, a first end of the vacuum conveyor disposed above the elevating table;
- a vacuum system comprising:
- a vacuum apparatus operable to generate a vacuum;
- a suction plate in fluid communication with the vacuum apparatus and disposed in the interior space, the suction plate comprising a plurality of openings to communicate the vacuum to the vents formed in continuous belt;
- a receiving conveyor disposed below a second end of the vacuum conveyor;
- a first actuator operable to extend and retract the accumulating device between a retracted position and an extended position;
- and
- a second actuator operable to extend and retract the elevating table between a raised position and a lowered position;
- and
- a delivery conveyor operable to transport stacks of tortillas to a position adjacent the accumulating device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.