阅读说明：本技术 用于压缩压制食物材料的旋转式压机 (Rotary press for compressing food material ) 是由 V·克伦贝克 R·莱尔 S·格鲁特 于 2020-04-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于将压制食物材料(M)如食物粉末压缩成食物片(T)的旋转式压机(1),该旋转式压机包括：进料系统(2),该进料系统包括用于连续供应压制食物材料(M)的进料器(20)和用于提供从进料器(20)接收的压制食物材料(M)的进料管(21)；压制系统(3),该压制系统包括旋转式模板(30),该旋转式模板可围绕旋转轴线(R)被驱动并且包括多个模腔(31)以用于连续接收由进料管(21)提供的一定量的压制食物材料(M),并且在旋转式模板(30)的模腔(31)相对于进料系统(2)进行旋转移动时通过冲头(32)在模腔(31)内部生产食物片(T)；传感器装置(4),该传感器装置用于检测进料管(21)中的压制食物材料(M)的填充水平(L)；和控制单元(5),该控制单元被配置为控制进料器(20)的进料速度以用于基于所检测的填充水平(L)连续供应压制食物材料(M),从而将填充水平(L)保持在定义的填充水平设定点(LSP)。本发明还涉及一种用于通过旋转式压机(1)压缩压制食物材料(M)如食物粉末来压制食物片(T)如汤羹块的方法。(The invention relates to a rotary press (1) for compressing pressed food material (M), such as food powder, into food tablets (T), comprising: a feeding system (2) comprising a feeder (20) for continuously supplying a compacted food material (M) and a feeding tube (21) for providing the compacted food material (M) received from the feeder (20); a pressing system (3) comprising a rotary die plate (30) drivable about an axis of rotation (R) and comprising a plurality of die cavities (31) for continuously receiving a quantity of pressed food material (M) provided by a feed tube (21), and producing food pieces (T) inside the die cavities (31) by means of punches (32) upon a rotary movement of the die cavities (31) of the rotary die plate (30) with respect to the feed system (2); -sensor means (4) for detecting the filling level (L) of the compacted food material (M) in the feeding duct (21); and a control unit (5) configured to control the feed speed of the feeder (20) for continuously supplying the compacted food material (M) based on the detected fill level (L) so as to maintain the fill level (L) at a defined fill Level Set Point (LSP). The invention also relates to a method for compressing food pieces (T), such as soup cubes, by compressing a compressed food material (M), such as food powder, by means of a rotary press (1).)

1. Rotary press (1) for compressing compacted food material (M), such as food powder, into food tablets (T), comprising:

a feeding system (2) comprising a feeder (20) for continuously supplying the compacted food material (M) and a feeding tube (21) for providing the compacted food material (M) received from the feeder (20),

-a pressing system (3) comprising a rotary die plate (30) drivable about an axis of rotation (R) and comprising a plurality of die cavities (31) for continuously receiving a quantity of pressed food material (M) provided by the feed tube (21) and producing food pieces (T) inside the die cavities (31) by means of punches (32) upon a rotary movement of the die cavities (31) of the rotary die plate (30) with respect to the feed system (2),

-sensor means (4) for detecting the filling level (L) of the compacted food material (M) in the feeding duct (21), and

-a control unit (5) configured to control the feeding speed of the feeder (20) for continuously supplying the compacted food material (M) based on the detected filling level (L) so as to maintain the filling level (L) at a defined filling level set point (L)_SP)；

Wherein the sensor device (4) comprises at least three digital sensors (41-45) comprising means for detecting being at the filling level set point (L)_SP) A first digital sensor (41) for detecting that the filling level (L) is above the filling level set point (L)_SP) Definition of (D) fill level Upper Limit (L)_UP) And a second digital sensor (42) for detecting that the filling level (L) is below the filling level setpoint (L)_SP) Definition of lower filling level limit (L)_LOW) And wherein the digital sensors (41-45) are LED infrared sensors.

2. A rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a press control unit (50) configured to control the speed of the pressing system (3) independently of the feed speed and the detected fill level (L), wherein the control unit (5) comprises the press control unit (50) or the control unit (5) and the press control unit (50) are arranged independently with respect to each other.

3. The rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (5) is configured to: if the sensor means (4) detect that the filling level (L) corresponds to the filling level setpoint (L), irrespective of the speed of the pressing system (3)_SP) The feed rate is kept constant, preferably at a defined set point speed.

4. The rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (5) is configured to: if the sensor means (4) detect that the filling level (L) is lower than the filling level setpoint (L), irrespective of the speed of the pressing system (3)_SP) -increasing said feed rate to a first rate, preferably, and if said sensor means (4) detect that said filling level (L) is higher than said filling level set point (L)_SP) The feed rate is preferably reduced to a second rate.

5. The rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement (4) further comprises an intermediate digital sensor (44,45) for detecting a transition between the fill level setpoint (L)_SP) With said upper and/or lower filling level limits (L)_UP、L_LOW) Filling level (L) between_I,UP)、(L_I,LOW) Wherein the control unit (5) is configured to: -detecting said filling if said sensor means (4), preferably at least said third digital sensor (43), detect said filling irrespective of the speed of said pressing system (3)The level (L) is reduced, preferably lowered below the lower filling level limit (L)_LOW) Increasing said feed rate, preferably to a third rate higher than said first rate; and if said sensor means (4), preferably at least said second digital sensor (42), detects an increase of said filling level (L), preferably exceeding said upper filling level limit (L)_UP) The feed rate is preferably reduced to a fourth rate lower than the second rate.

6. The rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper fill level limit (L)_UP) And said lower filling level limit (L)_LOW) Defining a filling level detection range (D) preferably extending over a detection length extending between the feeder (20) and the pressing system (3), said detection length being comprised between 20mm and 100mm, preferably between 25mm and 40mm, more preferably about 35 mm.

7. A rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein

-adjacent sensors of said set of sensors are distanced from each other along a feeding direction (F) extending between said feeder (20) and said pressing system (3) by a distance in the range between 10mm and 40mm, preferably between 15mm and 30mm, more preferably 18mm, and/or

A plurality or all of the sensors of the sensor group are jointly arranged on or attached to a common support (40).

8. The rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor device (4) is configured such that the fill level setpoint (L) is such that_SP) Is movable with respect to the feeding pipe (21) to increase or decrease the filling level setpoint (L)_SP) Wherein said movement is provided by said sensor device (4), preferably said support (40), being movable with respect to said feeding pipe (21)And/or the control unit (5) is configured to select any sensor of the set of sensors as the first digital sensor.

9. A rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed pipe (21) has a Feed Length (FL) extending between the feeder (20) and the pressing system (3) of between 50mm and 4,000mm, preferably between 100mm and 2,000mm, preferably between 200mm and 1,500mm, more preferably between 500mm and 1,000mm, and most preferably 700 mm.

10. A rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed pipe (21) is vibrated or stirred.

11. The rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mould cavities (31) are arranged around the axis of rotation (R) and preferably evenly distributed around the axis of rotation, and/or

Wherein the die cavity (31) has a polygonal cross-section, such as rectangular or square, for pressing a soup block or a soup tablet, as seen in a pressing direction (P) of the punch (32).

12. A rotary press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the feed system (2) further comprises:

-a hopper (22) for pouring a compacted food material (M) to the feeder (20), and/or

-a sieve (23) arranged between the feeder (20) and the feeding pipe (21) to sieve the supplied compacted food material (M), the sieve (23) preferably being movable or stationary, and/or

-a press feeder (25), such as a feeding floor preferably with a feeding pusher, for distributing the pressed food material (M) provided by the feeding tube (21) to the moulding cavities (31), and arranged between the feeding tube (21) and the moulding cavities (31) of the rotary die plate (30) so as to allow a defined feeding of the moulding cavities (31) through the feeding tube (21) upon a rotational movement of the moulding cavities (31) of the rotary die plate (30) with respect to the feeding system (2), and/or wherein the feeder (20) comprises a screw or vibration feeder and/or an electric motor (24) so that the feeder (20) operates at a defined feeding speed controlled by the control unit (5), and/or wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a screw or vibration feeder and/or an electric motor (24) so as to cause the feeder (20) to operate at a defined feeding speed controlled by the control unit (5), and/or

Wherein the pressing system (3) further comprises:

-a pressing station (33) for applying a pressing force (S) to the punch (32), and/or

-a tablet discharge station (34) for discharging compressed food tablets (T), preferably soup cubes or soup tablets.

13. Method for compressing food pieces (T), such as soup cubes, by compression of compressed food material (M), such as food powder, by a rotary press (1), the method comprising the steps of:

a) continuously supplying the compacted food material (M) to a feed pipe (21) of a feed system (2) of the rotary press (1) by means of a feeder (20), wherein a filling level (L) of the compacted food material (M) in the feed pipe (21) is detected by a sensor device (4),

b) -continuously receiving a quantity of compacted food material (M) provided by the feed pipe (21) in a plurality of moulding cavities (31) of a rotary die plate (30) of a compacting system (3) while the rotary die plate (30) is drivable about an axis of rotation (R) for a rotary movement with respect to the feed system (2), and

c) producing food pieces (T) inside the die cavity (31) by means of a punch (32) while the rotary movement of the rotary die plate (30) is performed, wherein the feeding speed of the feeder (20) is controlled based on the detected filling level (L) while the compressed food material (M) is continuously supplied to the feeding tube (21), thereby maintaining the filling level (L) at a defined filling level set point (Ll)_SP) And wherein saidThe sensor device (4) comprises a digital sensor group having at least three digital sensors (41-45) with a sensor for detecting that the filling level set point (L) is present_SP) A first digital sensor (41) for detecting that the filling level (L) is above the filling level set point (L)_SP) Definition of (D) fill level Upper Limit (L)_UP) And at least one second digital sensor (42) for detecting that the filling level (L) is below the filling level setpoint (L)_SP) Definition of lower filling level limit (L)_LOW) At least one third digital sensor (43) of the filling level (L), the method further comprising the steps of:

-if said sensor means (4), preferably at least said third digital sensor (43), detects a decrease of said filling level (L), preferably falling below said lower filling level limit (L), irrespective of the speed of said pressing system (3)_LOW) Increasing said feed rate, preferably to a third rate higher than said first rate; and detecting an increase of said filling level (L), preferably exceeding said upper filling level limit (L), if said sensor means (4), preferably at least said second digital sensor (42), do not take into account the speed of said pressing system (3)_UP) Then the feed rate is preferably reduced to a fourth rate lower than the second rate and wherein the digital sensors (41-45) are LED infrared sensors.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the feed pipe (21) is vibrated or stirred.