Claims
- 1. A dough processing machine, comprising:
- a first conveyor having an inlet end and an outlet end and a movable endless conveying surface between the inlet and outlet and being disposed to convey dough along a dough travel path;
- a cutter disposed at the outlet end of the first conveyor to cut the dough;
- first and second, generally opposed, movable supports supported on opposed sides of the conveying surface of the first conveyor, having first and second support surfaces, respectively, which are movable in a direction generally parallel to the dough travel path, the first and second movable supports being arranged such that the first and second support surfaces are positioned between the inlet end and the outlet end of the first conveyor and relative to the dough travel path to support opposing sides of the dough as the dough moves along the dough travel path;
- an infeed conveyor having a first and second end, the infeed conveyor and first conveyor being supported in end to end relation to convey a continuous elongated dough cylinder from the second end of the infeed conveyor to the inlet of the first conveyor;
- an infeed conveyor drive assembly coupled to the infeed conveyor;
- a first conveyor drive assembly coupled to the first conveyor;
- a controller coupled to the infeed conveyor and the first conveyor and configured to control the first conveyor to convey the dough at a speed based on a speed of the infeed conveyor; and the first and second movable supports being synchronously coupled to the first conveyor and driven substantially synchronously with the first conveyor; and
- the infeed drive assembly continuously operating the infeed conveyor to convey the dough at a substantially constant rate, and the controller being configured to control the first conveyor drive assembly to move the first conveyor in intermittent steps to convey the dough in intermittent steps, the cutter cutting the dough between intermittent steps, and the rate at which the intermittent steps are taken is determined based on the constant rate of the infeed conveyor.
- 2. The dough processing machine of claim 1 wherein the first movable support comprises a first continuous support conveyor and wherein the second movable support comprises a second continuous support conveyor.
- 3. The dough processing machine of claim 2 and further comprising:
- a motor coupled to the controller, the first conveyor and the first and second support conveyors to drive the first conveyor and the first and second support conveyors in response to a control signal from the controller, the controller providing the control signal based on the constant rate of the infeed conveyor.
- 4. The dough processing machine of claim 1 wherein the first conveyor comprises:
- a continuous belt conveyor having a continuous belt and a plurality of cleats disposed on the continuous belt for engaging the dough.
- 5. The dough processing machine of claim 1 wherein the first conveyor is configured to convey the dough from the inlet end first along a generally horizontal dough travel path and then in a direction generally downwardly offset from a horizontal line to the outlet end.
- 6. The dough processing machine of claim 1 and further comprising:
- a clamp disposed proximate to the outlet end to clamp the dough while the cutter cuts the dough; and
- a clamp actuator assembly coupled to the clamp and operable to intermittently clamp dough during cutting operation and release dough for advancing the dough between cutting operation.
- 7. The dough processing machine of claim 6 wherein the clamp comprises:
- first and second opposed clamping members movable in a first direction toward one another; and
- a power actuator, coupled to the clamping members and the controller, to drive the clamping members in the first direction in response to a clamp signal from the controller.
- 8. An indexer for moving dough between a dough processor and a dough cutter which executes cutting operations to cut the dough, the dough processor being driven by a driver, the indexer comprising:
- a first downwardly inclined, continuous conveyor having a movable conveying surface and operably supported relative to the dough processor to receive a continuous portion of the dough from the dough processor and carrying the dough along a downward dough travel path angled downwardly relative to a generally horizontal line;
- a motor coupled to the first continuous conveyor to drive the first continuous conveyor;
- a controller coupled to the motor and to the driver and providing a motor control signal to the motor to control the motor, the motor control signal controlling the motor to drive the first continuous conveyor between cutting operations and to stop the first continuous conveyor during cutting operation;
- a first side support supported on a first side of the conveying surface of the first conveyor having a first movable support surface movable in a direction generally parallel to the downward dough travel path and being disposed relative to the first continuous conveyor to support a first side of the dough along the downward dough travel path; and
- a second side support supported on a second side of the conveying surface of the first conveyor spaced from the first side support and having a second movable support surface movable in a direction generally parallel to the downward dough travel path and being disposed relative to the first continuous conveyor to support a second side of the dough, generally opposite the first side of the dough, along the downward dough travel path.
- 9. The indexer of claim 8 wherein the controller is configured to receive a movement signal from the driver indicative of movement of the driver, and wherein the controller is configured to control the motor based on the movement signal.
- 10. The indexer of claim 9 and further comprising:
- driving means, coupled to the first side support and the second side supports for driving the first and second side supports.
- 11. The indexer of claim 10 wherein the driving means comprises:
- an assembly coupled to the motor and the first and second side supports.
- 12. The indexer of claim 10 wherein the driving means comprises:
- a second motor coupled to the controller and the first and second side supports.
- 13. The indexer of claim 8 wherein the first and second side supports each comprise a continuous conveyor.
- 14. The indexer of claim 10 wherein the controller is coupled to the driving means to control the driving means and wherein the controller is configured to control the driving means and the motor to intermittently advance the dough along the dough travel path at a rate based on the movement signal to accommodate dough delivered by the dough processor.
- 15. The indexer of claim 8 and further comprising:
- a clamp disposed proximate the cutter and the first continuous conveyor, and controllable by the controller to clamp the dough during cutting of the dough.
- 16. A food processing machine, comprising:
- a first conveyor having an inlet end and an outlet end and having a movable conveying surface including a conveying portion configured to convey a continuous portion of food product along a food travel path in a direction downwardly offset from a generally horizontal line;
- an infeed conveyor having a first and second end, the infeed conveyor and first conveyor being supported in end to end relation to convey a continuous elongated dough cylinder from the infeed conveyor to the first conveyor;
- a cutter disposed at the outlet end of the first conveyor to execute cutting operations to cut the food product;
- first and second generally opposed continuous support conveyors disposed on opposed sides of the conveying surface of the first conveyor relative to the food travel path to support the food product along the food travel path; and
- a controller coupled to the infeed conveyor, the first conveyor and the first and second support conveyors, the controller being configured to control the infeed conveyor at a substantially constant rate, and the controller being configured to control the first conveyor and the first and second support conveyors to convey the food product between cutting operations at a speed based on a speed of the infeed conveyor, and to stop conveying the food product during the cutting operations.
- 17. The food processing machine of claim 16 and further comprising:
- a clamp coupled to the controller and disposed proximate the cutter and controllable by the controller to clamp the food product during cutting.
- 18. A processing machine for separating a continuous dough cylinder into separate pieces comprising:
- a conveyor having movable endless unobstructed conveying surface to convey an extruded dough cylinder along a travel path;
- a cutter operable coupled to the conveyor along the conveying surface to cut the extruded dough cylinder into separate pieces;
- first and second cutting supports supported on opposed sides of the movable conveying surface proximate the cutter for maintaining the shape of the dough cylinder supported along the conveying surface proximate to the cutter, the first and second cutting supports including moveable support belts; and
- drive assembly operably coupled to the conveyor and first and second movable support belts and configured to synchronously intermittently operate the conveyor and first and second movable support belts.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/461,303, filed Jun. 5, 1995 now abandoned. Priority of the prior application is claimed pursuant to 35 USC .sctn. 120.
US Referenced Citations (29)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2195892 |
Feb 1974 |
FRX |
2 195 892 |
Feb 1974 |
FRX |
2 401 079 |
Aug 1978 |
FRX |
43 38 232 A1 |
Nov 1995 |
DEX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
461303 |
Jun 1995 |
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