LOADER ASSEMBLY FOR LONG PASTA WITH VIBRATING DESCENDER

Abstract

 A loader assembly (1) of long pasta able to be placed after a production line of the long pasta, following a conveyor able to direct the long pasta into the loader assembly (1), in order for said long pasta to be dosed and discharged into a packaging machine, comprising a vibrating descender (2), a rotor (3) suitable for pouring doses of long pasta, at least one weighing device (5) for the long pasta, and at least one basket for accumulating the long pasta, is described. The vibrating descender (2) comprises an internal vibrating descender (7) and an external vibrating descender (8). (Figure 3).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a loader assembly of long pasta with a vibrating descender.

[0002] Loader assemblies of long pasta placed after a production line of long pasta, following a conveyor able to direct the pasta therein, to be dosed and discharged in a packaging machine, are known.

[0003] Prior to being packaged, the pasta is to be suitably weighed so as to establish and control the amount provided for the packaging.

[0004] Loader assemblies in general are equipped with roughing and finishing channels into which dosing paddles are transversely inserted, each time defining the amount of pasta to send to the packaging machine.

[0005] A basket is located below the roughing channel and is provided with a weight meter for weighing the pasta contained in the basket itself. After the weighing, the weight meter emits an electronic signal corresponding to the weighing being complete, which suitably actuates an accurate dosing device associated with the finishing channel, to release a given amount of pasta. Such an amount is according to the weighing value acquired by the meter and is able to be added to the pasta dosed by the roughing channel so as to obtain the desired pasta dose which is to be sent to the packaging machine.

[0006] A loader assembly of the type described above is shown in EP-3142927 of the present applicant, wherein the long pasta, for example spaghetti, is introduced through a mouth into a roughing channel and into a finishing channel by oscillations due to a first vibrating device arranged on the upper part of the loader assembly.

[0007] The roughing channel is a descent channel useful for roughing the product and is connected to a second vibrating device to facilitate the descent of the pasta into the roughing channel. The finishing channel, with its accurate dosing device, is arranged adjacent to the roughing channel.

[0008] The subdivision, between the roughing channel and the finishing channel, of the long pasta incoming into the loader assembly takes place by taking advantage of a wedge-shaped upper end of an internal frame extending downwards with descending walls which form internal walls of the roughing channel and the finishing channel.

[0009] As mentioned above, the external wall of the roughing channel may oscillate by virtue of the second vibrating device, while the first vibrating device is placed upstream of said subdivision operation.

[0010] Disadvantageously, the wedge-shaped upper end, which is necessary for the subdivision of the long pasta, may generate misalignments of the long pasta or even stops, especially in the finishing channel.

[0011] Consequently, the packaging of the long pasta may be of poor quality (broken long pasta), undergo slowing down or even interruptions due to lengthy operations of freeing the long pasta in the roughing channel and/or in the finishing channel.

[0012] Italian Patent n. 1392947 describes vibrating descenders able to receive pasta from respective buckets of a bucket conveyor, in order to supply pasta doses to a weigher.

[0013] EP-2345330 describes a loader assembly with an inclined plane with movement means.

[0014] It is the object of the present invention to provide a loader assembly of long pasta comprising a vibrating descender which is provided with a roughing channel and a finishing channel, in which the descent of the long pasta is continuous and orderly in both channels.

[0015] It is a further object of the present invention that the vibrating descender allows a subdivision of the long pasta between the roughing channel and the finishing channel, while at least limiting the misalignment and breaking of the long pasta.

[0016] It is a further object again of the present invention for said vibrating descender to be integrable in a loader assembly provided with a dosing rotor downstream of the roughing channel.

[0017] According to the invention, said objects and further objects are achieved by a loader assembly of long pasta able to be placed after a production line of the long pasta, following a conveyor able to direct the long pasta into the loader assembly, in order for said long pasta to be dosed and discharged into a packaging machine, comprising a vibrating descender, a rotor suitable for pouring doses of long pasta, at least one weighing device for the long pasta, and at least one basket for accumulating the long pasta,

characterized in that

the vibrating descender comprises an internal vibrating descender and an external vibrating descender,

wherein the internal vibrating descender comprises a vibrating device able to vibrate an internal frame of both a roughing channel and a finishing channel included in the vibrating descender, and

wherein the external vibrating descender comprises a vibrating device able to vibrate an external frame of both the roughing channel and the finishing channel.

[0018] Advantageously, the vibration of both the internal walls and the external walls allows a constant descent of the long pasta, without misalignments or stops which generate breaks in the long pasta and/or production stops.

[0019] The vibrating descender is functionally independent from the rotor, that is, it may be associated with known loader assemblies with a dosing rotor.

[0020] These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a practical exemplary embodiment thereof, shown by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a loader assembly according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a top plan view of the loader assembly;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a vibrating descender of the loader assembly;

Figure 4 shows a sectional view according to line IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a vertical sectional view, similar to the one of Figure 4, of the vibrating descender alone;

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a shutter of the vibrating descender;

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an internal vibrating descender of the vibrating descender;

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of an external vibrating descender of the vibrating descender;

Figure 9 shows a side view of the shutter;

Figure 10 shows a side view of the internal vibrating descender;

Figure 11 shows a side view of the external vibrating descender.

[0021] A loader assembly 1 of long pasta, for example spaghetti, able to be placed after a production line of the long pasta, following a conveyor (for example a bucket conveyor) able to direct the pasta into the loader assembly (1), to be dosed and discharged into a packaging machine, comprises a vibrating descender 2, a rotor 3 able to pour doses of long pasta into a roughing basket 4, and weighing devices 5 able to weigh the long pasta in the roughing basket 4, in a possible finishing basket 6 placed downstream of the roughing basket 4, and a possible end basket 12 placed downstream of the finishing basket 6 (Figure 4).

[0022] The vibrating descender 2 (Figures 3 and 5) comprises an internal vibrating descender 7 (Figures 7 and 10) and an external vibrating descender 8 (Figures 8 and 11).

[0023] The internal vibrating descender 7 comprises a vibrating device 71 able to vibrate an internal frame 72 of both a roughing channel 21 and a finishing channel 22 included in the vibrating descender 2.

[0024] The internal frame 72 is formed by an internal wall 721 of the roughing channel 21 and an internal wall 722 of the finishing channel 22.

[0025] The internal walls 721, 722 meet each other in a preferably wedge-shaped top 723 where a subdivision of the incoming long pasta takes place through a mouth 23 of the vibrating descender 2.

[0026] The external vibrating descender 8 comprises a vibrating device 81 able to vibrate an external frame 82 of both the roughing channel 21 and the finishing channel 22.

[0027] The external frame 82 is formed by an external wall 821 of the roughing channel 21 and an external wall 822 of the finishing channel 22.

[0028] Preferably, the external walls 821, 822 have comb-like top ends 823 provided with through openings 824.

[0029] The comb-like top ends 823 develop vertically so as to allow a shutter 9 for the format change (Figures 6 and 9) to move between a first position in which the mouth 23 is open when the long pasta descends, and a second position in which the mouth 23 is closed, that is the long pasta may not descend along the vibrating descender 2.

[0030] The shutter 9 comprises a comb-like end 91 which extends horizontally, in which prongs 92 of the comb-like end 91 are able to slide through the through openings 824 of the comb-like top ends 823 of the external frame 82.

[0031] The comb-like end 91 is moved by a pneumatic piston 93.

[0032] Preferably, for at least a stretch descent of the long pasta, the internal walls 721, 821 and the external walls 722, 822 of the roughing channel 21 and of the finishing channel 22 run parallel in a zig-zag pattern to facilitate the descent of the long pasta, in particular immediately downstream of the subdivision of the long pasta, after the top 723 of the internal frame 72.

[0033] The rotor 3, which is placed downstream of the roughing channel 21, is provided with three loops 31 able to contain long pasta doses defined by a shutter 10 (preferably a paddle shutter) able to selectively obstruct the roughing channel 21 upstream of the rotor 3 (Figure 4).

[0034] A shutter 11 able to selectively obstruct the finishing channel 22 is placed close to the lower end of the finishing channel 22.

[0035] Operatively, the long pasta is introduced into the vibrating descender 2 through the mouth 23.

[0036] The vibration generated by the vibrating device 71 of the internal vibrating descender 7 allows a continuous movement of the top 723 which, in conjunction with the continuous movement induced by the external vibrating descender 8, promotes the descent of the long pasta, partly into the roughing channel 21 and partly into the finishing channel 22.

[0037] The shutter 10 obstructs the roughing channel 21 so that a predefined dose of pasta is accumulated, which is poured into the cavity 31 of the rotor 3 and then into the roughing basket 4, in which a weighing control takes place: if the long pasta is not enough, the shutter 11 frees the descent of the long pasta into the finishing channel 22 so that the missing long pasta accumulates in the finishing basket 6. A final control weighing takes place in the successive end basket 12 before the long pasta leaves the loader assembly 1 in the direction of the packaging machine.

[0038] The number of baskets varies as needed. A single basket into which the long pasta is conveyed both from rotor 3 and from the finishing channel 22, may also be provided.

[0039] Basket means any container able to contain a dose of pasta and to be weighed by a weighing device.

[0040] Advantageously, the vibration of both the internal walls 721, 722 and the external walls 821, 822 allows a constant descent of the long pasta, without misalignments or stops which generate breaks in the long pasta and/or stops in production.

[0041] The internal vibrating descender 7 and the external vibrating descender 8 are independent, that is they may operate together or alternately, with different vibration type, also to optimize the energy consumption of the loader assembly 1.

[0042] The subdivision area of the long pasta between the roughing channel 21 and the finishing channel 22 does not disturb the descent of the long pasta: the vibration of the top 723 allows a quick deviation without breaks in the long pasta.

[0043] The vibrating descender 2 is functionally independent from the rotor 3, that is it may be associated with known loader assemblies with a dosing rotor with weighing baskets.

[0044] The vibrating devices 71, 81 are preferably of the magnetic type.

Claims

1. Loader assembly (1) of long pasta able to be placed after a production line of the long pasta, following a conveyor able to direct the long pasta into the loader assembly (1), in order for said long pasta to be dosed and discharged into a packaging machine, comprising a vibrating descender (2), a rotor (3) suitable for pouring doses of long pasta, at least one weighing device (5) for the long pasta, and at least one basket (4, 6, 12) for accumulating the long pasta,

characterized in that

the vibrating descender (2) comprises an internal vibrating descender (7) and an external vibrating descender (8),

wherein the internal vibrating descender (7) comprises a vibrating device (71) able to vibrate an internal frame (72) of both a roughing channel (21) and a finishing channel (22) included in the vibrating descender (2), and

wherein the external vibrating descender (8) comprises a vibrating device (81) able to vibrate an external frame (82) of both the roughing channel (21) and the finishing channel (22).

2. Loader assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the internal frame (72) is formed by an internal wall (721) of the roughing channel (21) and an internal wall (722) of the finishing channel (22), wherein the internal walls (721, 722) meet in a top (723) where a subdivision of the incoming long pasta takes place through a mouth (23) of the vibrating descender (2).

3. Loader assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the external frame (82) is formed by an external wall (821) of the roughing channel (21) and an external wall (822) of the finishing channel (22).

4. Loader assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a shutter (9) for the format change able to move between a first position in which the mouth (23) is open when the long pasta descends, and a second position in which the mouth (23) is closed.

5. Loader assembly (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the external walls (821, 822) have comb-like top ends (823) provided with through openings (824), wherein the comb-like top ends (823) develop vertically, wherein the shutter (9) comprises a comb-like end (91) which extends horizontally, wherein prongs (92) of the comb-like end (91) are able to slide through the through openings (824) of the comb-like top ends (823).

6. Loader assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, for at least a stretch of the descent of the long pasta, the internal walls (721, 821) and the external walls (722, 822) of the roughing channel (21) and of the finishing channel (22) run parallel in a zig-zag pattern.

7. Loader assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the internal vibrating descender (7) and the external vibrating descender (8) are independent.

8. Loader assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the top (723) is wedge-shaped.

Drawing