Production facility and method for control of weight of coating material on an ice cream product
AssigneeGram Equipment A/S
InventorJan Kjær Larsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a production facility for coating ice cream products a plurality of carriers are used for transport of the ice cream products from the supply station to a coating station where coating, for example chocolate, is applied to the product. The production facility includes weight equipment configured for automatically weighing the ice cream products before and after application of the coating, which is used in a feedback loop for adjusting the coating parameters, for example chocolate temperature.
Claims12
A method for control of weight of coating material on an ice cream product in a production facility for coated ice cream products, each coated ice cream product comprises an ice cream block on a stick;
- the production facility comprising a supply station for providing ice cream products and a plurality of carriers for transport of the ice cream products from the supply station to a coating station, wherein the carriers are arranged one carrier after the other in a cyclic arrangement for pickup of new ice cream products at the stick for coating after a transport cycle;
- each carrier comprising at least one clamp for holding a stick during transport of the ice cream product to the coating station and during application of the coating to the ice cream block;
- wherein the production facility comprises a weight equipment configured for automatically weighing the ice cream product and after application of the coating, the weight equipment being connected to an electronic controller with a computer unit and configured for receiving weight data from the weight measurements by the weight equipment to the controller;
- wherein the controller is configured for receiving the weight data from the weight equipment repeatedly during production and for automatically comparing the weight of the coating of the ice cream product to predetermined values and configured for changing coating parameters for the coating procedure when the weight of the coating deviates from predetermined values;
- wherein the production facility is configured for change of coating parameters by the controller during production and without a necessity of halting production;
- wherein parameter adjustment on the basis of the weight data is arranged as a feedback loop for repeatedly adjustment of the parameters on the basis of the weight data from weight measurements of subsequent ice cream products;
- wherein the method comprises in an automated sequence:
- providing the ice cream products by the supply station and picking up the ice cream products by their sticks by the clamps and transporting the ice cream products to the coating station;
- before or after the transport but before application of the coating, weighing the ice cream products;
- coating the ice cream block while the ice cream stick is held by the clamps on a carrier of the plurality of carriers;
- weighing the ice cream product after application of the coating;
- transmitting weight data from the weight measurements to the controller;
- by the controller receiving the weight data from the weight measurements and comparing the weight of the coating of the ice cream product to predetermined values and changing coating parameters for the coating procedure when the weight of the coating deviates from the predetermined values and using the changed coating parameters in a feedback loop for subsequent coating,
- wherein the steps of comparing, changing coating parameters, and using the changed coating parameters are effected during production and without halting production.
6 The method according to claim 5, wherein the production facility is configured for decoupling each stick from the weight cell during transportation of the product the supply station to the coating station, wherein the method comprises:
- coupling the weight cell the stick only after pickup from the supply station and decoupling the weight cell prior to the dipping.
A production facility for coated ice cream products, the production facility comprising a supply station for providing ice cream products and a plurality of carriers for transport of the ice cream products from the supply station to a coating station, wherein the carriers are arranged one carrier after the other in a cyclic arrangement for pickup of new ice cream products by a stick for coating after a transport cycle;
- each carrier comprising at least one clamp for holding the stick during transport of the ice cream product to the coating station and during application of the coating to the ice cream block;
- wherein the production facility comprises a weight equipment configured for automatically weighing the ice cream product before and after application of the coating, the weight equipment being connected to an electronic controller with a computer unit and configured for receiving weight data from the weight measurements by the weight equipment to the controller;
- wherein the controller is configured for receiving the weight data from the weight equipment repeatedly during production and for automatically comparing the weight of the coating of the ice cream product to predetermined values and configured for changing coating parameters for the coating procedure when the weight of the coating deviates from predetermined values;
- wherein the production facility is configured for change of coating parameters by the controller during production and without a necessity of halting production;
- wherein the parameter adjustment on the basis of the weight data is arranged as a feedback loop for repeated adjustment of the parameters on the basis of the weight data from weight measurements of subsequent ice cream products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.