US 4,503,995 AGranted

Quantity-metering depositor for flowable food products

AssigneeWerner Lehara, Inc.

InventorJoseph R. Anderson

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Abstract

A positive-displacement volumetric metering depositor particularly but not exclusively useful in food production equipment has a continuously-rotating cylinder with a diametrically-disposed metering piston or plunger having the general form of an elongated, relatively narrow rectangular geometric solid of a desired height which moves cyclically across the diametral cylinder passage during its rotation to receive a measured volume of media at the top of cylinder rotation and discharge such volume at the bottom of cylinder rotation. Cams and cam followers control such cyclic piston movement, and are adjustable to vary the volume of the measured charge by changing the relative positions of a pair of complementary component piston parts together defining the composite metering piston. The ejected volumetric charges of media enter a common discharge area and are forced downwardly through a series of mutually distinct shaping die orifices, at which incrementally-advancing media may be sheared transversely to the die orifice to form a succession of identical discrete quantities.

For use in a repetitive, cycling, depositor apparatus of the type having at least one piston mounted for reciprocal movement within a piston passage and defining therewith a chamber whose volume determines and meters a discrete quantity of flowable material, a piston and cylinder assembly comprising:

a rotatable member and means mounting such member for rotation about an axis, said member generating a cylinder of revolution when rotated about said axis;
said rotatable member having at least one piston passage extending transversely of said member and opening out of different side portions thereof, said piston passage being positioned generally diametrically of said cylinder of revolution and orthogonal of its said axis of rotation;
a shuttle-like slide piston disposed for alternating back-and-forth movements within each of said piston passages;
said shuttle-like pistons and transverse passages defining a metering chamber at the end of each piston, such chamber being located to receive a charge of flowable material at one extremity of piston movement and to eject such charge of material at the other extremity of shuttle-like piston movement, said shuttle-like piston comprising at least two separate but mutually coupled piston components, and including means for rigidly linking said piston components together for unitary movement during their alternating back-and-forth shuttle-like piston movements;
and means for adjusting the effective stroke length of at least certain of said two-component pistons by adjustably changing the relative position of one such piston component with respect to the other while within their respective piston passages and while rigidly coupled together to thereby change the volume of the metering chamber defined by such pistons and passages, said means including gear teeth on each of said piston components in the form of a rack and gear means engaging said rack teeth to move the associated piston component relative to the other piston component by geared movement of its rack teeth.

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Abstract

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