Food molding mechanism for a food patty molding machine

Abstract

A food molding mechanism for a patty-forming machine that uses a servomotor to drive a crank arrangement. The crank arrangement drives a mold plate. The mechanism uses a reducer with a replaceable output shaft. The reducer engages a servomotor utilizing a double enveloping worm gear providing gear enmeshment across an arc portion of the servomotor main gear. A servomotor driven knockout apparatus comprises a cam and lever arrangement. Oil reservoirs for the knock-out cams are substantially sealed in the mold cover.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A molding mechanism, comprising:
 a multiple-cavity, cyclically operable mold plate which requires a given volume of food material in each cycle of operation mounted on a housing for longitudinal movement between a receiving position at which a plurality of mold cavities are aligned with an inlet and a discharge position at which the mold cavities are clear of the housing; 
 a mold cover positioned over said mold plate; 
 a knockout apparatus mounted on the mold cover; 
 a series of knockout cups operated by the knockout apparatus; said knockout cups are aligned over said mold cavities when the molding mechanism is in the discharge position; 
 a servo drive motor operatively connected to a reducer gearing; 
 a motion transfer mechanism operatively connected between the reducer and a center pivot shaft, the center shaft is journaled to pivot and is arranged horizontally and also transverse to the movement of the mold plate, 
 two rocker arms fixedly connected to the center pivot shaft and operatively connected to the mold plate, the rocker arms swing about the center pivot shaft between a forward and rearward position; and 
 the motion transfer mechanism rotates the center pivot shaft between a rearward position and a forward position to swing the rocker arms longitudinally between the forward and rearward position about the center pivot shaft to move the mold plate between the receiving position and the discharge position. 
 
     
     
       2. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1  comprising: two plate drive arms, two swing links; said plate drive arms connected to said mold plate; said plate drive arms also connected to said swing links at a position in front of said rocker arms; said rocker arms operatively connected to said servomotor. 
     
     
       3. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the center shaft has a first position and an inverted position. 
     
     
       4. A molding mechanism according to  claim 3 , said center shaft having a first keyway, a second keyway, and a midpoint; said first and second keyways are located on said center shaft, each equidistant from said midpoint in opposite directions. 
     
     
       5. A molding mechanism according to  claim 4 , wherein the rocker arms are connected to said center shaft at opposite ends of said center shaft; and wherein the motion transfer mechanism comprises a motor drive arm, the motor drive arm is connected to said center shaft at said first keyway. 
     
     
       6. A molding mechanism according to  claim 4 , wherein said center shaft engages said motor drive arm at said first keyway when installed in said normal first position; and the motion transfer mechanism comprises a motor drive arm, said center shaft engages the drive arm at said second keyway when installed in said inverted position. 
     
     
       7. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the reducer is connected to an output of the servo drive motor by a double enveloping worm gear. 
     
     
       8. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , comprising: a main gear; said main gear is mounted to a servomotor output shaft; said reducer is connected to said servomotor by said main gear and a double enveloping worm gear; said double enveloping worm gear enmeshes with said main gear across an arc portion of said main gear. 
     
     
       9. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein said servomotor is C-face mounted to said reducer. 
     
     
       10. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , in which said servomotor is water cooled. 
     
     
       11. A molding mechanism according to  claim 10 , comprising: a temperature monitoring system for measuring and monitoring an operating temperature of said servomotor. 
     
     
       12. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein said reducer has an output shaft; said output shaft removably attached to said reducer. 
     
     
       13. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein said reducer has a 20:1 reduction ratio. 
     
     
       14. A molding mechanism comprising: a multiple-cavity, cyclically operable mold plate which requires a given volume of food material in each cycle of operation mounted on a housing for longitudinal movement between a receiving position at which a plurality of mold cavities are aligned with a an inlet and a discharge position at which the mold cavities are clear of the housing; a mold cover positioned over said mold plate; a knockout apparatus for driving formed patties out of said cavities of said mold plate, said knockout apparatus mounted on the mold cover; said knockout apparatus comprising a series of knockout cups, a knockout cam, a rocker arm, a knockout cam shaft and a servomotor; the knockout cups have a raised position and a lowered position; the knockout cups operatively connected to a first portion of the rocker arm, the rocker arm riding on a surface portion of the knockout cam at a second portion of the rocker arm opposite the first portion, the knockout cam is fixed to the knockout cam shaft, the knockout cam shaft extends transverse to the longitudinal movement of the mold plate, the servomotor is operatively connected to the knockout cam shaft and the servomotor is mounted co-axial with the knockout cam shaft; the servomotor rotating the cam to pivot the rocker arms and reciprocate the knockout cups between the raised position and the lowered position; and said knockout cups are aligned over said mold plate cavities when the molding mechanism is in the discharge position. 
     
     
       15. A molding mechanism according to  claim 14 , wherein said knockout apparatus comprises: a plurality of oil reservoirs, a plurality of oil reservoir top covers, and a plurality of wicks, said oil reservoirs are mounted to said mold cover and are substantially sealed by said oil reservoir top covers except that said oil reservoir top covers comprise a plurality of windows through which said wicks extend from the oil reservoir to contact and lubricate various portions of the knockout apparatus. 
     
     
       16. The molding mechanism according to  claim 14 , comprising a spring, and the knockout cam having a notch in the surface portion, the spring is connected to the rocker arm and to a spring support, the spring biases the knockout cups toward the lowered position, the rocker arm is in the lowered position when the rocker arm is in the notch. 
     
     
       17. The molding mechanism according to  claim 14 , wherein the knockout cam rotates on a cam rotation axis and the an output of the servo motor is located on the cam rotation axis. 
     
     
       18. A molding mechanism, comprising:
 a multiple-cavity, cyclically operable mold plate which requires a given volume of food material in each cycle of operation mounted on a housing for longitudinal movement between a receiving position at which a plurality of mold cavities are aligned with an inlet and a discharge position at which the mold cavities are clear of the housing; 
 a mold cover positioned over said mold plate; 
 a knockout apparatus mounted on the mold cover and configured to drive formed patties out of said cavities of said mold plate; 
 a series of knockout cups operated by the knockout apparatus; said knockout cups are aligned over said mold cavities when the molding mechanism is in the discharge position; 
 a servo drive motor operatively connected to a reducer gearing; 
 a motion transfer mechanism operatively connected between the reducer and a crank mechanism; the crank mechanism pivots about a pivot axis of a center pivot shaft, the center shaft is journaled to pivot and is arranged horizontally and also transverse to the movement of the mold plate, the crank mechanism comprises the center shaft and two rocker arms fixedly connected to the center pivot shaft and operatively connected to the mold plate, the rocker arms swing about the pivot axis of a center pivot shaft between a forward and rearward position; and 
 the motion transfer mechanism drives the crank mechanism to swing the rocker arms longitudinally between the forward and rearward position about the center pivot shaft to move the mold plate between the receiving position and the discharge position. 
 
     
     
       19. The molding mechanism of  claim 18 , wherein said knockout apparatus comprises a knockout cam, at least one rocker arm, and a servomotor;
 the knockout cups have a raised position and a lowered position; 
 the knockout cups operatively connected to a first portion of the rocker arm, the rocker arm riding on a surface portion of the knockout cam at a second portion of the rocker arm opposite the first portion, the servomotor rotating the knockout cam to pivot the rocker arms and reciprocate the knockout cups between the raised position and the lowered position; and 
 said knockout cups are aligned over said mold plate cavities when the molding mechanism is in the discharge position. 
 
     
     
       20. A molding mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the center shaft has a first position and an inverted position, and the center shaft has opposite first and second ends and a pivot axis that extends between the opposite first and second ends; when the center shaft is in the first position, the first end is in a first location and the second end is in a second location; when the center shaft is in the inverted position, the first end is in the second location and the second end is in the first location.