Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Measuring – testing – or controlling by inanimate means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-01
2001-04-03
Yeung, George C. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Measuring, testing, or controlling by inanimate means
C073S433000, C073S863510, C099S487000, C177S050000, C177S145000, C426S516000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210727
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to machines for extruding food products, for example, from corn meal, and more particularly relates to a method and means for controlling such a machine with improved bulk density sampler techniques for selective sampling of extruded material flowing in a material processing stream.
2. The Prior Art
The prior art is exemplified by machines of the type manufactured and sold by the assignee of the present application, one exemplification of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,738 issued Sep. 1, 1992 and entitled “Computerized Food Product Extrusion Machine and Method.”
Bulk density sampler arrangements occur in the prior art. For example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,384 issued Oct. 8, 1996 wherein a receptacle of known volume is intermittently interposed into and out of a stream of flowing material to gather a supply of the formed extruded material. After the receptacle is withdrawn from the product stream, special instrumentalities must be provided to measure the weight of the gathered formed product. First, the receptacle is weighed when it is empty and it is weighed again when it is full. Means are provided to restore the sample product into product stream.
Additionally, the mechanism must be provided with a housing for protection of the sampling assembly and receptacle from the product stream and other debris which may be present in the operating environment.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention contemplates the utilization of a method and means of controlling a food extruder wherein raw material is extruded to make formed product. The formed product is discharged and flowed into a material processing stream.
At one point in the stream the formed product flows through a permanent stationary confined calibrated passage of prescribed known volumetric size. One end of the calibrated passage is selectively obstructed so that formed product will be collected and accumulate in the confined passage. Sensing means are utilized to sense when a quantum of accumulated formed product has been collected in the calibrated passage equal to the pre-determined known volume, whereupon the collected known volume of formed product is weighed to generate a control signal which is a function of the of the bulk density of the collected formed product.
The control signal is then fed to a programmable logic computer (PLC) which controls the operation of the extruder to constantly monitor, control and display speed, head gap position, temperature, feed rate and target moisture.
The end of the permanent stationary collection passage is simply cleared of the temporary obstruction so that the formed product accumulated within the passage, as well as the formed product continuously flowing through the product stream, may proceed downstream without further incident in the material processing stream.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5143738 (1992-09-01), Nordin
patent: 5423216 (1995-06-01), Kitamura et al.
patent: 5563384 (1996-10-01), Marlow et al.
Miller Donovan Z.
Miller Henry Z.
American Extrusion International Corp.
Santen James Van
Yeung George C.
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