• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A dosing unit (2, 2') for dosing a material (36) to an object (8) below the dosing unit (2, 2') is disclosed. The dosing unit (2, 2') has a longitudinal axis (X) and comprises a rotatably mounted rotating drum (20) provided with grooves (122) for receiving said material (36). The dosing unit (2, 2') comprises a drive unit (118) having a motor (16) and a drive unit shaft (40) arranged to drive the rotating drum (20). The rotating drum (20) comprises a shaft (46) connected to the drive unit shaft (40).
    公开号:DK201900938A1
    申请号:DKP201900938
    申请日:2019-08-11
    公开日:2021-03-19
    发明作者:Uldal Hansen Ruben
    申请人:Nord Machinery Aps；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    DK 2019 00938 A1 1 Dosing Unit and Dosing System comprising the Dosing Unit Field of invention The present invention relates to a dosing unit and a dosing system for dosing a material such as salt or a spice to foodstuff such as fish or meat. Prior art Dosing units are widely used to dose salt and spices to foodstuff such as fish or meat. The prior art dosing units are typically attached to the bottom portion of a tank above a conveyor arranged to transport the foodstuff to a position, in which the dosing unit is capable of dosing the material to be dosed to the foodstuff. The dosing unit typically comprises a rotating drum having a cylindrical structure provided with a plurality of axially extending grooves configured to receive, transport and release the material to be dosed. In the prior art, the rotating drum is driven by a motor that is connected to the rotating drum by means of a toothed belt. Moreover, the rotating drum is typically made in steel. Accordingly, the prior art rotating drums are heavy, expensive and difficult to manufacture (the grooves are typically machined). Therefore, it would be desirable to have a dosing unit which reduces or even eliminates the above- mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
    Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dosing unit that is easier to service and in which the rotating drum is lighter and easier to produce, In the prior art, it is not possible to distinguish between different areas of the foodstuff. This means that a fish having a thin region and a thick region will receive the same amount of material to be dosed (e.g. salt),
    DK 2019 00938 A1 2 This is a major disadvantage since it often is preferred that the material to be dosed is provided in a predefined concentration.
    Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a dosing system configured to distinguish between different areas of the foodstuff.
    Thus, is an object of the resent invention to have a dosing system configured to distinguish between different areas of the foodstuff and provide the dosing accordingly.
    Summary of the invention The object of the present invention can be achieved by dosing unit as defined in claim 1, a dosing system having the features as defined in claim 13 and by a method as defined in claim 18. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent subclaims, explained in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
    The dosing unit according to the invention is a dosing unit for dosing a material to an object below the dosing unit, wherein the dosing unit has a longitudinal axis and comprises a rotatably mounted rotating drum provided with grooves for receiving said material, wherein the dosing unit comprises a drive unit having a motor and a drive unit shaft arranged to drive the rotating drum, wherein the rotating drum comprises a shaft connected to the drive unit shaft.
    Hereby, it is possible to provide a simple, reliable and compact solution that is easier to service than the prior art solutions.
    The need of a toothed belt for driving the rotating drum is eliminated as the rotating drum is directly mechanically connected to the drive unit.
    By using a dosing unit according to the invention, it is possible to provide a dosing unit made as a one-piece body that can be removed and replaced as one piece if desired.
    This may be a major advantage if a malfunction is detected.
    In the prior art it would be necessary to stop the dosing system applying the dosing unit during the time of repair.
    By using the dosing unit according to the invention, however, the whole dosing unit
    DK 2019 00938 A1 3 may be replaced by another one in order to save time and avoid that the dosing system is interrupted for longer periods due to service, repair or replacements of components.
    The dosing unit has a longitudinal axis and a rotatably mounted rotating drum provided with grooves for receiving said material. The dosing unit is configured to dose a material such as salt, pepper or another spice to an object below the dosing unit. In a preferred embodiment, the dosing unit is configured to dose a dry material provided as a powder or granulate. Accordingly, the grooves are shaped to receive, transport and release the material to be dosed.
    The drive unit comprises a motor and a drive unit shaft arranged to drive the rotating drum, wherein the rotating drum comprises a shaft connected to the drive unit shaft. Hereby, it is possible to drive the rotating drum in an efficient manner.
    In one embodiment, the dosing unit comprises a gear assembly is arranged between the motor and the rotating drum. Hereby, it is possible to use a standard electrical motor and provide the desired rotational speed of the rotating drum. The gear assembly is used to change the rotational speed of the motor to a rotational speed that is within a predefined range.
    In one embodiment, the motor is an alternating current (AC) motor. In one embodiment, the motor comprises or is connected to a frequency converter.
    It may be an advantage that the dosing unit comprises a receiving structure, wherein the rotating drum is detachably attached to the receiving structure, wherein the receiving structure comprises a detachably arranged end wall having or being attached to a bearing
    DK 2019 00938 A1 4 housing, wherein the shaft of the rotating drum is rotatably and detachable attached to a bearing in the bearing housing. Hereby, it is possible to replace and service the rotating drum in an easy, quick and user-friendly manner. Moreover, it is easy to provide access to the bearing in the bearing housing. It may be advantageous that the end wall is detachably attached to remaining part of the receiving structure by means of fastenings means such as screws (e.g. finger screws), in such a manner that the end wall can be detached from the receiving structure by unscrewing the screws. Hereby, it is possible to remove and attach the end wall in a fast and reliable manner. In one embodiment, finger screws are used to detachably attach the end wall to the remaining part of the receiving structure arranged adjacent to and bearing against the end wall. It may be beneficial that the receiving structure comprises an additional end wall, wherein the gear assembly is attached to the additional end wall by means of a mounting flange provided in the distal end of the gear assembly. Hereby, it is possible to provide a construction, in which the gear assembly can be connected to the rotating drum in a reliable and secure manner. Besides this construction is fast to mount and dismount.
    It may be an advantage that the receiving structure comprises mounting structures extending along the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit and protruding from the remaining portion of the receiving structure in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Hereby, it is possible to insert the dosing unit into the desired position at the bottom side of a tank, if the tank is provided with corresponding track structures for receiving the dosing unit suspended thereto. In this way
    DK 2019 00938 A1 the dosing unit can be mounted on the tank in a reliable, fast and user- friendly manner. The mounting structures are configured to be detachably attached to 5 corresponding track structures are provided at each side of each of the opening in the bottom portion of the tank. It may be advantageous that the rotating drum comprises a cylinder at least partly made in polyurethane, wherein the rotating drum comprises an integrated shaft. Hereby, it is possible to reduce the weight of the rotating drum compared with the prior art rotating drums for dosing purposes. Moreover, it is possible to provide grooves having shapes that are difficult or impossible to machine in the prior art steel rotating drums.
    When the weight of the rotating drum is reduced, the required motor force during start-up is decreased. This is a major advantage because the rotating drum is being started and stopped repeatedly during the dosing process. Accordingly, energy can be saved, and a smaller motor can be used. In one embodiment, the rotating drum comprises a polyurethane cylinder and a shaft that are attached to each other during an injection moulding process. Hereby, it is possible to reduce the cost of the rotating drum compared to the prior art steel rotating drums. It may be beneficial that the rotating drum comprises a plurality of grooves provided with rounded corner structures. Hereby, it is possible to avoid clogging of the material to be dosed. The material to be dosed often tend to clog if the geometry of the grooves contains sharp corners.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 6 It may be an advantage that the grooves are evenly distributed along the periphery of the rotating drum. Hereby, it is ensured that the quantity of material contained by the grooves does not depend on the angular portion of the rotating drum.
    It may be beneficial that a slidable arranged cover is arranged to cover an end portion of the rotating drum, wherein the slidable arranged cover is connected to an actuator configured to move the cover along the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum. Hereby, it is possible to adjust the area from which the material to be dosed is dosed. Accordingly, the cover can be moved to dose only material to the desired areas of an object or to avoid that material is dosed to areas out of the object is dosed. Accordingly, waste of material can be avoided. In one embodiment, the actuator is connected by a control unit that receives information from one or more sensors configured to measure the height/thickness of the object, wherein the control unit is configured to regulate the actuator on the basis of height measurements made by the one or more sensors.
    It may be an advantage that a first slidable arranged cover is arranged to cover a first end portion of the rotating drum and that another slidable arranged cover is arranged to cover the opposite end portion of the rotating drum, wherein each slidable arranged cover is connected to an actuator configured to move the covers along the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum. Hereby, it is possible to provide an even more accurate adjustment of the area from which the material to be dosed is dosed. Thus, both covers can be moved to dose only material to the desired areas of an object or to avoid that material is dosed to areas out of the object is dosed. Therefore, waste of material can be avoided to an even higher extent. In a preferred embodiment, the actuator is connected by a control unit that receives information from one or more sensors configured to measure the height/thickness of the object,
    DK 2019 00938 A1 7 wherein the control unit is configured to regulate the actuator on the basis of height measurements made by the one or more sensors.
    In one embodiment, the dosing unit comprises a first sealing ring arranged to seal the rotating drum against the end wall.
    Hereby, the sealing ring can seal the rotating drum against the bearing within the bearing housing.
    In one embodiment, the dosing unit comprises a second sealing ring arranged to seal the opposite end of the rotating drum against the other end wall and thus a bearing provided within the opening in the mounting flange.
    It may be beneficial that a radially slidably arranged rod is arranged along the rotating drum, wherein the slidably arranged rod is configured to be radially displaced in order to adjust the distance between the rod and the periphery of the rotating drum.
    Hereby, it is possible to change the size of the gap between the periphery of the rotating drum and the rod so that the resistance with respect to the flow of material from the tank can be adjusted.
    In a preferred embodiment, the rod is mounted in a receiving portion of a body portion, wherein a spring is arranged to push the rod radially towards the periphery of the rotating drum, wherein an adjustment screw extends through the body portion and is inserted into a threaded bore in the rod.
    Hereby, it is possible to adjust the size of the gap between the periphery of the rotating drum and the rod in an easy and reliable manner.
    The dosing system according to the invention is a dosing system that comprises an optical sensor assembly comprising one or more optical sensors arranged, and configured to emit light and hereby measure the
    DK 2019 00938 A1 8 height with respect to a predefined level of an object within the area, in which the light is emitted. Hereby, it is possible to measure the height (thickness) of the object such as a fish before the dosing unit doses the material to be dosed to the object.
    In one embodiment, the optical sensors are arranged in a line configuration extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit.
    In one embodiment, the optical sensors are arranged in a line configuration extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit.
    It may be an advantage that the dosing system comprises a tank provided with an outlet opening provided in the bottom portion of the tank, for allowing the material to be dosed to be received by the dosing unit, wherein a parallel track structure is provided at each side of the opening in the bottom portion of the tank. Hereby, it is possible to slidably attached the dosing unit to the bottom portion of the tank.
    It is preferred that each dosing unit is provided with corresponding mounting structures extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit, wherein the mounting structures are configured to be brought into engagement with the track structures in a manner in which the dosing units are slideably attached to the tank.
    It may be beneficial that the track structures are arranged and configured to allow the dosing units to be slidably attached to the bottom portion of the tank and that the dosing system comprising one or more structures (e.g. screws or a clamp) for fixing the engaging track structures and corresponding mounting structure on the dosing unit in a desirable position relative to each other.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 9 In one embodiment, the dosing system comprises a control unit connected to the optical sensor assembly and to the motor, wherein the control unit is configured to control the rotational speed of the rotating drum on the basis of measurements performed by the optical sensor assembly. Hereby, the dosing can be provided on the basis of height measurements. In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is configured to control (including, starting, stopping and changing the speed of the motor.
    It may be advantageous that the dosing system comprises a dosing unit according to the invention and a control unit connected to the optical sensor assembly and to the actuator, wherein the control unit is configured to control the actuator and thus the position of the cover on the basis of measurements performed by the optical sensor assembly. Hereby, it is possible to automatically dose the object according to its shape. This solution allows for performing a dosing a material such as salt to a fish in such a manner that the concentration (unit of salt per area unit) is equal. Thus, it is possible to salt in a way that ensures that the salt concentration is within a predefined limited range.
    It may be beneficial that the dosing system comprises a dosing unit having: - a first toothed belt and a second toothed belt; - a first wheel assembly comprising three wheels that are rotatably mounted and configured to rotate the first toothed belt being in engagement with the wheels of the first wheel assembly; - a second wheel assembly comprising three wheels that are rotatably mounted and configured to rotate the second toothed belt being in engagement with the wheels of the second wheel assembly and - a driving structure (e.g. an electric motor or a driving shaft attached thereto) configured to drive at least one wheel of each wheel assembly.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 10 Hereby, it is possible to provide a very accurate dosing of material such as salt, pepper or other powder or granulate type materials.
    It may be an advantage that the wheel assemblies are symmetrically arranged and comprise a guide element arranged to guide the toothed belt.
    In one embodiment, the dosing unit comprises two inclined (relative to vertical and horizontal) guide structures arranged to guide the material to be dosed from the tank to the toothed belts through an opening provided in the bottom portion of the tank.
    In one embodiment, each wheel assembly comprise two large wheels and one smaller wheel. In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the large wheels in each wheel assembly are connected to driving structure (e.g. an electric motor or a driving shaft attached thereto).
    It may be an advantage to apply a toothed belt that comprises a toothed portion provided at the inside surface of the toothed belt, wherein the toothed portion is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed teeth.
    It may be advantageous that the toothed belt comprises a grooved portion provided at the inside surface of the toothed belt, wherein the grooved portion is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed grooves. These grooves may preferably be elongated.
    In one embodiment, the grooves are shaped as rounded rectangle. In one embodiment, the toothed belt is produced in a rubber material or in polyurethane.
    The method according to the invention is a method for dosing a
    DK 2019 00938 A1 11 material to be dosed to an object by using a dosing unit comprising a rotatably mounted rotating drum provided with grooves, wherein the method comprises the following steps: - detecting the height/thickness of the object and - controlling the rotational speed of the rotating drum in dependency of the detected height/thickness of the object. Hereby, it is possible to dose the material in accordance with the detecting the height/thickness of the object.
    It may be an advantage that the detection of the height/thickness of the object is carried out by means of an optical sensor assembly comprising one or more optical sensors.
    It may be advantageous that the optical sensor assembly comprising a plurality of optical sensors, wherein the optical sensors are arranged in a line configuration. In one embodiment, the line configuration extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum. In one embodiment, the line configuration extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum.
    Description of the Drawings The invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below. The accompanying drawings are given by way of illustration only, and thus, they are not limitative of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1A shows a side view of a dosing system according to the invention;
    DK 2019 00938 A1 12 Fig. 1B shows a perspective view of a dosing unit according to the invention; Fig. 2A shows a tank of a dosing system according to the invention; Fig. 2B shows a perspective view of a dosing unit according to the invention; Fig. 2C shows another perspective view of the dosing unit shown in Fig. 2B; Fig. 3A shows a side view of a dosing unit according to the invention; Fig. 3B shows a top view of the dosing unit shown in Fig. 3A; Fig. 3C shows a close-up view of portion of a rotating drum of the dosing unit shown in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B; Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of a dosing unit according to the invention; Fig. 5 shows an exploded view of components of the dosing unit shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6A shows a perspective view of a dosing unit of a dosing system according to the invention; Fig. 6B shows a top view of a dosing unit of another dosing system according to the invention; Fig. 6C shows a side view of a dosing unit of a dosing system according to the invention; Fig. 7A shows a front view of a dosing unit according to the invention; Fig. 7B shows a cross-sectional view of the dosing unit shown in Fig. 7A; Fig. 8A shows a cross-sectional view of a system according to the invention and Fig. 8B shows a perspective view of the toothed belt used in the dosing unit of the dosing system shown in Fig. 8A.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 13 Detailed description of the invention Referring now in detail to the drawings for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention, a dosing unit 2 of the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B.
    Fig. 1A illustrates side view of a dosing system 10 according to the invention and Fig. 1B illustrates a side view of a dosing unit according to the invention corresponding to the ones shown in Fig. 1A. The dosing system 10 comprises a tank 4 arranged on a support structure. The tank 4 is filled with a dosing material such as salt, pepper or other types spices. Two openings are provided in the bottom portion of the tank 4 so that the material contained in the tank 4 can be received by the two dosing units 2, 2’ that are detachably attached to the bottom portion of the tank 4.
    Two parallel track structures 12 are provided at each side of each of the two openings in the bottom portion of the tank 4. These track structures 12 are arranged and configured to allow the dosing units 2, 2’ to be slidably attached to the bottom portion of the tank 4. This can be done because each dosing unit 2, 2’ are provided with corresponding mounting structures 26, 26' extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit 2, 2’. The mounting structures 26, 26’ are configured to be brought into engagement with the track structures 12 in a manner in which the dosing units 2, 2’ are slideably attached to the tank 4.
    In one embodiment, the track structures 12 are provided as L-profiles (having an L-shaped cross-section). A conveyor 6 is arranged under the dosing units 2, 2’. It can be seen that a first fish 8 and a second fish 8’ are arranged on a belt structure of the conveyor 6. Accordingly, the first fish 8 and a second fish 8’ are being moved from the right to the left in a manner in which the dosing units 2, 2’ can dose salt 36 or another material contained in the tank 4 to the fishes 8, 8’. The dosing system
    DK 2019 00938 A1 14 10 comprises a control box 14, by which the user of the dosing system 10 can enter and change settings and control (including activating and deactivating) the conveyor 6 and/or the dosing units 2, 2".
    In Fig. 1B it can be seen that the dosing unit 2 comprises a gap 24 extending between the two end walls 22, 22’ and the mounting structures 26, 26’. The dosing unit 2 is configured to receive salt or another material contained by the tank 4 through the gap 24. When salt or another material enters the gap 24, the salt or other material 36 is received by groove structures extending axially along the periphery of a rotatably arranged rotating drum 20 of the dosing unit 2. When the rotating drum 20 is rotated, the salt or other material 36 in the groove structures of the rotating drum 20 will be released through an outlet area 34 to be dispensed to the fish 8’.
    The dosing system 10 comprises a detection unit (see Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B) configured to measure the thickness of the fishes 8, 8’. The dosing system 10 comprises a control unit (may be arranged in the control box 14) configured to control the rotational speed of the rotating drum 20 on the basis of the thickness measurements. In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is configured to control (including, starting, stopping and changing the speed of) the motor 16.
    Hereby, it is possible to provide any desired dosing concentration of the fishes 8, 87. It is, by way of example, possible to provide an even salt concentration by increasing and/or decreasing the rotational speed of the rotating drum 20 in correspondence with the thickness measurements.
    In a preferred embodiment, the dosing system 10 comprises two dosing units 2, 2’ arranged with opposite orientations so that the rotating drum 20 of the first dosing unit 2 and the rotating drum 20 of the other
    DK 2019 00938 A1 15 dosing unit 2’ are arranged to cover different areas of the conveyor 6. In a preferred embodiment, the first dosing unit 2 is arranged to cover and thus dose salt (or another material) to the left side of the conveyor 6, wherein the second dosing unit 2’ is arranged to cover and thus dose salt (or another material) to the right side of the conveyor 6. The dosing unit 2 has a longitudinal axis X. The rotating drum 20 comprises a shaft (not shown) that is mounted in a bearing housing (see Fig. 2C) in its distal end. The proximal end of the shaft, however, is attached to a gear assembly 18 that is mechanically connected to a motor 16 arranged next thereto. Accordingly, the dosing unit 2 is a configures to be removed e.g. for service without initially disassembling the motor, the gear assembly 18 or other mechanical driving means like in prior art dosing systems.
    The gear assembly 18 is attached to the end wall 22' by means of a mounting flange provided in the distal end of the gear assembly 18. The gear assembly 18 and the motor 16 constitute a drive unit 118.
    Fig. 2A is a perspective view of a tank 4 of a dosing system according to the invention. The tank 4 is provided with two pairs of parallel track structures 12. Each pair of track structures 12 is arranged to receive corresponding mounting structures 26, 26’ of the dosing unit 2 as the one shown in Fig. 2B and Fig. 2C. The dosing system 10 comprises a control box 14. The user of the dosing system 10 can enter and change settings and control (including activating and deactivating) the conveyor (shown in Fig. 1A) and/or the dosing units 2, 2’.
    Fig. 2B illustrates a perspective view of the dosing unit 2 shown in Fig.
    1A and Fig. 1B, whereas Fig. 2C illustrates a perspective view of the dosing unit 2’ shown in Fig. 1A. It can be seen that the dosing units 2, 2' are alike, however, orientated differently (in opposite directions).
    DK 2019 00938 A1 16 Each dosing unit 2, 2’ comprises a removably attached rotating drum
    20. The rotation drum 20 is rotatably attached and configured to be removed and replaced with another one by unscrewing the finger screws 30. Accordingly, replacement of the rotation drum 20 can be done fast, reliable and in a user-friendly manner. In one preferred embodiment, the mounting structures 26, 26’ are moveably attached to the end walls 22, 22’. Hereby, it Is possible to axially displace the mounting structures 26, 26’ in order to change the distance between the mounting structures 26, 26’ and the periphery of the rotation drum 20. Hereby, it is possible to adjust the position of the mounting structures 26, 26’ relative to the rotation drum 20 and thus the width of the structure (between the mounting structures 26, 26’ and the rotation drum 20) through which the salt or other material to be dosed by using the dosing unit 2. Fig. 3A illustrates a side view of the dosing unit 2 shown in Fig. 1B, whereas Fig. 3B illustrates the top view of the dosing unit 2 shown in Fig. 1B. The end wall 22 is detachably attached to the mounting structures 26, 26’ and the plate member 50 extending between the end walls 22, 22' by means of screws 30, 55. The plate member 50 extends along the lowest position of the rotation drum 20. The upper portions of the end walls 22, 22’ are attached to a body portion 52 that is attached to the mounting structure 26 by means of bolts 56. Fig. 3C is a close-up view of the rotating drum 20 shown in Fig. 3B. It can be seen that the rotating drum 20 comprises a plurality of parallel grooves 122 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum 20. The grooves 122 are provided with rounded corner portions
    120. In one preferred embodiment, the grooves 122 are shaped as
    DK 2019 00938 A1 17 rounded rectangle (the shape obtained by taking the convex groove of four equal circles of radius and placing their centers at the four corners of a rectangle). In one embodiment, the outer periphery of the rotating drum 20 is produced in a rubber material or in polyurethane by an injection moulding process.
    Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the dosing unit 2 shown in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B.
    It can be seen that the dosing unit 2 comprises a detachably attached rotating drum 20. In one embodiment the rotating drum 20 comprises a polyurethane cylinder and an axially extending shaft 46. The shaft 46 is mounted in a bearing arranged in a bearing housing 28. The dosing unit 2 comprises a receiving structure 48 that comprises two side units 42, 42’ each comprising a slide structures facing the rotating drum 20. The receiving structure 48 comprises an end wall 22 that is attached to two mounting structures 26, 26’ each comprising a body portion 52 provided with a receiving portion that has received a box- shaped rod 54, 54’. As it can be seen in Fig. 5, the rods 54, 54’ are moveably arranged in the receiving portion.
    The radial position of the rods 54, 54’ and thus the distance between the outer periphery of the rotating drum 20 and the portion of the rods 54, 54' positioned in the shortest distance therefrom can be adjusted by means of adjustment screws that are screwed into corresponding threaded bores provided in the rods 54, 54’. A spring is provided between the body portion 52 and the rods 54, 54’. A gap 24 is provided between the mounting structures 26, 26’. The dosing unit 2 comprises a motor 16 attached to a gear assembly 18 that is attached to a mounting flange 38 provided with an opening, through which a shaft extends.
    This shaft 40 is arranged and configured
    DK 2019 00938 A1 18 to extend through an opening in the end wall 22 and be mechanically connected to the rotating drum 20. Accordingly, the motor 16 can drive the rotating drum 20. Fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of main components of the dosing unit 2 shown in Fig. 4. The dosing unit 2 comprises a first sealing ring 60 arranged to seal the rotating drum 20 against the end wall 22 and thus the bearing within the bearing housing 28. The dosing unit 2 comprises a second sealing ring 60’ arranged to seal the opposite end of the rotating drum 20, against the other end wall 22’ and thus the bearing provided within the opening in the mounting flange 38. It can be seen that the bearing housing 28 is configured to be attached to the end wall 22 by means of corresponding bolts 100 and nuts 102. Each body portion 52 is provided with a receiving portion 58 shaped to receive a corresponding rod 54. The rod 54 is box-shaped and provided with two threaded bores 104 configured to receive an adjustment screw
    106. A spring 108 is arranged between the rod 54 and the portion 52 so that the position of the rod 54 can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment screw 106. Hereby, it is possible to adjust the gap between the rods 54 and the periphery of the rotating rod 20. Fig. 6A illustrates a perspective view of a dosing system 2 according to the invention having a dosing unit 2 according to the one shown in Fig. 2B, Fig. 2C, Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B. A fish 8 is approaching the area below the dosing unit 2 by means of a transportation unit (not shown). The dosing system comprises a plurality of optical sensors 64 arranged and configured to emit a light signal 66 and conduct a measurement of the height of the fish 8 within the area, in which the light 66 is emitted. Hereby, it is possible to measure the height (thickness) of the fish 8 before the dosing unit 2 doses the material to be dosed to the fish 8. The optical sensors 64 are arranged in a line configuration extending
    DK 2019 00938 A1 19 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit 2. Fig. 6B illustrates a top view on another dosing system 2 according to the invention having a dosing unit 2 according to the one shown in Fig. 2B, Fig. 2C, Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B. A fish 8 is transported in a direction towards to the area below the dosing unit 2 by means of a transportation unit (not shown). The dosing system is provided with a plurality of optical sensors 64 arranged and configured to emit a light signal 66 and conduct a measurement of the height of the fish 8 within the area, in which the light 66 is emitted. Accordingly, the optical sensors 64 can measure the height (thickness) of the fish 8 before the dosing unit 2 doses the material to be dosed to the fish 8. The optical sensors 64 are arranged in a line configuration extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the dosing unit 2.
    Fig. 6C illustrates a front view of a fish 8 and a detection unit 110 comprising a plurality of optical sensors 64 corresponding to the one shown in Fig. 6B. The optical sensors 64 emit light 66 and measures the thickness of the fish 8. The fish 8 is transported from left to the right (as indicated with the arrow). Accordingly, the front end (the first two thirds) of the fish 8 is approximately twice as thick than the rear end (the last third) of the fish 8. When the detection unit 110 is connected to a control unit 70. The control unit 70 is connected to the motor 16 of the dosing unit 2 and is configured to regulate the rotational speed of the rotating drum 20 on the basis of the detected thickness of the fish
    8. In one embodiment, the control unit 70 is configured to generate an alarm (e.g. an emitted sound or a visual signal made by a lamp) if the detected thickness of the fish 8 is not within a predefined range. Thus, this alarm system may indicate malfunctions such as a folded fish 8 or two fishes 8 arranged on the top of each other by mistake.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 20 Fig. 7A illustrates a bottom view of a dosing unit 2 according to the invention.
    The dosing unit 2 comprises a first cover 72 and a second cover 72’ slidably arranged with respect to the rotating drum 20. The dosing unit 2 comprises a driving shaft 74 attached to driving means (not shown). Hereby, it is possible to rotate the rotating drum 20 in order to guide the material to be dosed from a tank arranged above the dosing unit 2 to foodstuff (not shown) arranged below the dosing unit 2. The rotating drum 20 is provided with a plurality of groove structures.
    In one embodiment, these groove structures extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum 20. An actuator 76 is arranged to move an arm 82 attached thereto by means of a joint 80. Another actuator (not shown) may be arranged to move the other arm 82’ and thus the other cover 72’. The actuator 76 is configured to displace the arm 82 along the axis Y indicated.
    A servo drive 78 is connected to the actuator 76. The servo drive 78 is configured to receives a command signal from the control unit (as shown in Fig. 6C), amplify the received signal, and transmit electric current to the actuator 76 in order to produce motion proportional to the command signal.
    In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to detect the width of the foodstuff (e.g. a fish) to receive the material to be dosed.
    Hereby, the cover 72, 72’ can be displaced into a position corresponding the width of the foodstuff (e.g. a fish). Accordingly, the dosing unit 2 can be controlled in a manner in which the material to be dosed is only dosed to the foodstuff (e.g. a fish) and not to the area adjacent to the foodstuff.
    Fig. 7B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the dosing unit 2 shown in Fig. 7A.
    The cross-section is indicated in Fig. 7A.
    It can be seen that the cover 72’ is provided with a concave surface that fits the convex geometry of the cylindrical rotating drum 20.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 21 Fig. 8A illustrates a dosing unit system 10 comprising a dosing unit 112. A tank 4 is arranged on the dosing unit 112. The dosing unit 112 comprises a first wheel assembly comprising three wheels 86, 86’, 90. These wheels 86, 86’, 90 are rotatably mounted and configured to rotate a toothed belt 84 that is brought into engagement with said wheels 88, 88’, 90’. The dosing unit 112 comprises a second wheel assembly comprising three wheels 88, 88’, 90’. These wheels 88, 88’, 90’ are rotatably mounted and configured to rotate a toothed belt 84” that is brought into engagement with said wheels 88, 88’, 90’.
    The wheel assemblies are symmetrically arranged and comprise a guide element 94, 94’ arranged to guide the toothed belt 84, 84’. The dosing unit 112 comprises two inclined guide structures 92, 92’ arranged to guide the material to be dosed 36 from the tank 4 to the toothed belts 84, 84' through an opening 116 provided in the bottom portion of the tank 4.
    Each wheel assembly comprise two large wheels 86, 86’, 88, 88' and one smaller wheel 90, 90’. In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the large wheels 86, 86’, 88, 88’ in each wheel assembly are connected to driving structure (e.g. an electric motor or a driving shaft attached thereto). Hereby, the wheels are driven in the direction indicated by the arrows. Accordingly, the material 36 to be dosed is dosed in a very accurate position at the bottom of the dosing unit 112.
    The toothed belts 84, 84’ are shaped like the one shown in Fig. 8B. It can be seen that the toothed belt 84 comprises a toothed portion provided at the inside surface of the toothed belt 84. The toothed portion is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed teeth 98.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 22 Moreover, the toothed belt 84 comprises a grooved portion provided at the outside surface of the toothed belt 84. The grooved portion is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed grooves 96. The grooves 96 are elongated. In one embodiment, the grooves 96 are shaped as rounded rectangle (the shape obtained by taking the convex groove of four equal circles of radius and placing their centers at the four corners of a rectangle). In one embodiment, the toothed belt 84 is produced in a rubber material or in polyurethane.
    The grooves 96 provided at the grooved portion at the outside surface of the toothed belt 84 are configured to receive, transport and dose the material to be dosed.
    In one embodiment, the dosing unit system 10 comprises two wheel assemblies that are not symmetrical. Moreover, the length of the adjacent toothed belt portions may differ. In one embodiment, the adjacent toothed belt portions extend along a direction that is angled relative to vertical. In one embodiment, the widths of the toothed belts are different from one another.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 23 List of reference numerals 2,2 Dosing unit 4 Tank 6 Conveyor 8, 8' Foodstuff Dosing system 12 Track structure 14 Control box 16 Motor 10 18 Gear assembly 20 Rotating drum 22, 22' End wall 24 Gap 26, 26' Mounting structure 28 Bearing housing 30 Screw 32 Cable 34 Outlet area 36 Material to be dosed 38 Mounting flange 40 Shaft 42, 42' Side unit 44 Slide structure 46 Drum shaft 48 Receiving structure 50 Plate member 52 Body portion 54, 54’ Rod 55 Screw 56 Bolt 58 Receiving portion 60, 60’ Sealing ring
    DK 2019 00938 A1 24 62 Bearing 64 Optical sensor 66 Light 68 Wire 70 Control unit
    72,72’ Cover 74 Driving shaft 76 Actuator 78 Servo drive
    80 Joint 82, 82' Arm 84, 84’ Toothed belt 86, 86’, 88, 88’, 90 Wheel 92, 92’ Guide structure
    94 Guide element 96 Groove 98 Tooth 100 Bolt 102 Nut
    104 Threaded bore 106 Adjustment screw 108 Spring 110 Detection unit 112 Dosing unit
    114 Housing 116 Opening 118 Drive unit 120 Rounded portion 122 Groove
    X Longitudinal axis Y, Z Axis
    权利要求:
    Claims (20)
    [1] 1. A dosing unit (2, 2’) for dosing a material (36) to an object (8) below the dosing unit (2, 27), wherein the dosing unit (2, 27) has a longitudinal axis (X) and comprises a rotatably mounted rotating drum (20) provided with grooves (122) for receiving said material (36), wherein the dosing unit (2, 2’) comprises a drive unit (118) having a motor (16) and a drive unit shaft (40) arranged to drive the rotating drum (20), characterised in that the rotating drum (20) comprises a shaft (46) connected to the drive unit shaft (40).
    [2] 2. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to claim 1, characterised in that a gear assembly (18) is arranged between the motor (16) and the rotating drum (20).
    [3] 3. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the dosing unit (2, 2") comprises a receiving structure (48), wherein the rotating drum (20) is detachably attached to the receiving structure (48), wherein the receiving structure (48) comprises a detachably arranged end wall (22) having or being attached to a bearing housing (28), wherein the shaft (46) of the rotating drum (20) is rotatably and detachable attached to a bearing in the bearing housing (28).
    [4] 4. A dosing unit (2, 2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the end wall (22) is detachably attached to remaining part of the receiving structure (48) by means of screws (30), in such a manner that the end wall (22) can be detached from the receiving structure (48) by unscrewing the screws (30).
    [5] 5. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to one of the preceding claims 2-4, characterised in that the receiving structure (48) comprises an additional end wall (22'), wherein the gear assembly (18) is attached to the additional end wall (227) by means of a mounting flange provided in
    DK 2019 00938 A1 26 the distal end of the gear assembly (18).
    [6] 6. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the receiving structure (48) comprises mounting structures (26, 26’) extending along the longitudinal axis (X) of the dosing unit (2, 2’) and protruding from the remaining portion of the receiving structure (48) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (X).
    [7] 7. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rotating drum (20) comprises a polyurethane cylinder and an integrated shaft (46).
    [8] 8. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to claim 7, characterised in that the polyurethane cylinder and the shaft (46) are attached to each other during an injection moulding process.
    [9] 9. A dosing unit (2, 2) according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the rotating drum (20) comprises a plurality of grooves (122) provided with rounded corner structures (122).
    [10] 10. A dosing unit (2, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a slidable arranged cover (72, 72’) is arranged to cover an end portion of the rotating drum (20), wherein the slidable arranged cover (72, 72") is connected to an actuator (76) configured to move the cover (72, 72’) along the longitudinal axis (Y) of the rotating drum (20).
    [11] 11. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a first slidable arranged cover (72) is arranged to cover a first end portion of the rotating drum (20) and that another slidable arranged cover (72') is arranged to cover the opposite end
    DK 2019 00938 A1 27 portion of the rotating drum (20), wherein each slidable arranged cover (72, 72") is connected to an actuator (76) configured to move the covers (72, 72") along the longitudinal axis (Y) of the rotating drum (20).
    [12] 12. A dosing unit (2, 2’) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a radially slidably arranged rod (54) is arranged along the rotating drum (20), wherein the slidably arranged rod (54) is configured to be radially displaced in order to adjust the distance between the rod (54) and the periphery of the rotating drum (20).
    [13] 13. A dosing system (10) comprising a dosing unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the dosing system (10) comprises an optical sensor assembly comprising one or more optical sensors (64) arranged and configured to emit light (66) and hereby measure the height with respect to a predefined level of an object (8) within the area, in which the light (66) is emitted.
    [14] 14. A dosing system (10) comprising a dosing unit according to claim 13, characterised in that the dosing system (10) comprises a tank (4) provided with an outlet opening provided in the bottom portion of the tank (4) for allowing the material (36) to be dosed to be received by the dosing unit (2, 2’), wherein a parallel track structure (12) is provided at each side of the opening in the bottom portion of the tank (4).
    [15] 15. A dosing system (10) according to claim 13, characterised in that the dosing system (10) comprises a control unit (70) connected to the optical sensor assembly and to the motor (16), wherein the control unit (70) is configured to control the rotational speed of the rotating drum (20) on the basis of measurements performed by the optical sensor assembly.
    DK 2019 00938 A1 28
    [16] 16. A dosing system (10) according to claim 13 or 15, characterised in that the dosing system (10) comprises a dosing unit (2, 2’) according to claim 10 and a control unit (70) connected to the optical sensor assembly and to the actuator (76), wherein the control unit (70) is configured to control the actuator (76) and thus the position of the cover (72, 72") on the basis of measurements performed by the optical sensor assembly.
    [17] 17. A dosing system (10) according to one of the preceding claim 13- 16, characterised in that the dosing system (10) comprises a dosing unit (112) having: - a first toothed belt (84) and a second toothed belt (847); - a first wheel assembly comprising three wheels (86, 86’, 90) that are rotatably mounted and configured to rotate the first toothed belt (84) being in engagement with the wheels (88, 88’, 90’) of the first wheel assembly; - a second wheel assembly comprising three wheels (88, 88’, 90’) that are rotatably mounted and configured to rotate the second toothed belt (847) being in engagement with the wheels (88, 88’, 90") of the second wheel assembly and - a driving structure (e.g. an electric motor or a driving shaft attached thereto) configured to drive at least one wheel of each wheel assembly.
    [18] 18. A method for dosing a material (36) to be dosed to an object (8) by using a dosing unit (2, 2, 112) comprising a rotatably mounted rotating drum (20) provided with grooves (122), characterised in that the method comprises the following steps: - detecting the height/thickness of the object (8) and - controlling the rotational speed of the rotating drum (20) in dependency of the detected height/thickness of the object (8).
    [19] 19. A method according to claim 18, characterised in that the
    DK 2019 00938 A1 29 detection of the height/thickness of the object (8) is carried out by means of an optical sensor assembly comprising one or more optical sensors (64).
    [20] 20. A method according to claim 19, characterised in that the optical sensor assembly comprising a plurality of optical sensors (64), wherein the optical sensors (64) are arranged in a line configuration.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    DK180617B1|2021-10-14|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    法律状态:
    2021-03-19| PAT| Application published|Effective date: 20210212 |
    2021-10-14| PME| Patent granted|Effective date: 20211014 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    DKPA201900938A|DK180617B1|2019-08-11|2019-08-11|Dosing Unit and Dosing System comprising the Dosing Unit|DKPA201900938A| DK180617B1|2019-08-11|2019-08-11|Dosing Unit and Dosing System comprising the Dosing Unit|
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