Food freezing conveyor system

• US 5,520,013 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 05/28/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Kuo, Ju-Chia
• Primary Examiner(s): Kilner, Christopher B.
• Application Number:
  US08/461,981
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 62/378, 62/380, 62/381, 62/382, 62/63, 198/347.4, 198/463.3, 198/607, 198/952
• US Class Current: 62/380
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/001 Details of apparatus, e.g. for transport, for loading or unloading manipulation, pressure feed valves
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/361 the materials being transported through or in the apparatus, with or without shaping, e.g. in form of powder, granules, or flakes moving on the spot only A23L3/363
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/362 with packages or with shaping in form of blocks or portions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 13/067 with circulation of gaseous cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/30 Quick freezing
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/04 by conveyors in general B65G

Abstract

A food freezing conveyor system includes a conveying apparatus consisting of multiple tiers of conveyors, a lower horizontal conveying mechanism, a lifting conveying mechanism, an upper horizontal conveying mechanism and a dropping conveying mechanism. Food products to be frozen are transported along an inverted-U shaped path within a freezing chamber. The lifting conveying mechanism and the dropping conveying mechanism are respectively provided with multiple tiers of choke plates on both sides. Each tier of choke plates and each tier of conveyors jointly define a plurality of inter-connected airflow passages, dividing a freezing operation zone and a manhole maintenance space. Two sets of evaporators and fan devices disposed diagonally on opposite sides of the freezing chamber generate a freezing air flow of a suitable temperature, which is induced into the airflow passages to flow past an upper freezing zone and a lower freezing zone to complete a circulation cycle, in which the freezing air speed in the upper freezing zone is greater than that in the lower freezing zone.

Claims

1. A food freezing conveyor system, comprising:

an air-tight freezing chamber;

a conveyor apparatus consisting of multiple tiers of conveyors, a lower horizontal conveying mechanism, a lifting conveying mechanism, an upper horizontal conveying mechanism and a dropping conveying mechanism, all mounted in said freezing chamber for conveying food products to be frozen along a substantially inverted-U shaped path;

a plurality of evaporators and a plurality of fan devices for generating freezing air currents of a suitable temperature for freezing food products;

said lifting conveying mechanism and said dropping conveying mechanism being respectively provided with multiple tiers of choke means thereon, each tier of said choke means and each tier of said conveyors commonly define a plurality of inter-communicating freezing air passages, separating freezing operation zones and non-freezing operation zones, and

said evaporators and said fan devices being disposed substantially diagonally on opposite sides of said freezing chamber in such a way that at least one of said evaporators and at least one of said fan devices are arranged together at one side of said freezing chamber, with at least one of said evaporators and at least one of said fan devices provided together at the other side of said freezing chamber, the freezing air currents generated by said evaporators and said fan devices being drawn into each of said freezing air passages to flow through an upper zone of said lifting conveying mechanism, an upper zone of said dropping conveying mechanism, a lower zone of said dropping conveying mechanism, and a lower zone of said lifting conveying mechanism to complete an airflow cycle, the speed of the freezing air in said upper zone of said lifting conveying mechanism and said dropping conveying mechanism being higher than that of the freezing air in said lower zone of said lifting conveying mechanism and said lower zone of said dropping conveying mechanism.

2. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lifting conveying mechanism and said dropping conveying mechanism respectively consist of two side chain sets, drive sprocket sets for driving said side chain sets, and equally spaced apart angle bars secured on said side chain sets, each tier of said angle bars respectively supporting each tier of said conveyors to displace perpendicularly when said two side chains sets are being driven by said drive sprocket sets, and each tier of said choke means being respectively provided just above each tier of said angle bars.

3. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said angles bar is provided with insert grooves in both sides of a vertical wall thereof, and each of said choke means has an inverted-U shaped clamp plate at a bottom side thereof, which may be disengageably fitted onto said vertical wall of said angle bar.

4. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each tier of said choke means is directly secured on said two side chains, and each tier of said choke means has a deflecting plate at a bottom side thereof, said deflecting plate bending forwardly and extending downwardly to overlap each tier of said angle bars.

5. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each tier of said choke means is a single choke plate having a length equivalent to that of each tier of said conveyors.

6. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each tier of said choke means has a length equivalent to that of each tier of said conveyors and consists of multiple overlapping plates, each of which being provided with a deflecting plate at one side thereof for overlapping one side of an adjacent plate.

7. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said evaporators and said at least one of said fan devices disposed on a same side of said freezing chamber are arranged one on top of the other.

8. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said evaporators and said at least one of said fan devices disposed on a same side of said freezing chamber are horizontally arranged with one in the front and the other at the back.

9. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper horizontal conveying mechanism and said lower horizontal conveying mechanism respectively comprise two side guide rails having a substantially C-shaped cross section for supporting each tier of said conveyors, two side chains provided with spaced projections, drive sprocket for driving said side chains to turn in a cycle, and vertical push plates secured between projections of said two side chains and in contact with an edge of each of said conveyors, said vertical push plates pushing each of said conveyors to progress transversely when said drive sprockets drive said side chains.

10. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 9, wherein a plurality of support elements and rollers are respectively provided on both sides of each tier of conveyors, each of said rollers being supported on the bottom surface of said side guide rails, so that said conveyors may be precisely positioned and supported by said side guide rails.

11. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of thermal conductive fins extend downwardly from a bottom side of each tier of said conveyors and are parallel to the direction of flow of the freezing air.

12. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conveyors severally consist of a multiplicity of inter-connected thermal conductive plates, each of said thermal conductive plates being provided with a plurality of lugs alternately and equally spaced apart on both sides thereof, each of said lugs being provided with a coaxial hole such that when two of said thermal conductive plates are arranged adjacent to each other with said lugs of one of said thermal conductive plates meshing those of the other of said thermal conductive plates, a spindle may be passed through the respective coaxial holes of said lugs to join the two adjacent thermal conductive plates together.

13. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 12, wherein are thermal conductive plates are transversely and longitudinally inter-connected to form a conveyor with a determined length and width.

14. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of said thermal conductive plates is provided with a plurality of thermal conductive fins extending from a bottom side thereof and being parallel to the direction of the flow of freezing air.

15. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of said thermal conductive plates is die cast from materials of good thermal conductivity such as aluminum or other metals or non-metals.

16. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an entrance and an exit of said freezing chamber are respectively provided with an auxiliary freezing chamber for reducing dissipation of freezing air through said entrance and said exit.

17. A food freezing conveyor system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said fan devices is driven by a drive motor provided on the outside of said freezing chamber.