US 12,465,053 B2
Hydraulic control for a food baking apparatus
Filip Keereman, Zwalm (BE); Emmanuel Petre, Ghent (BE); and Johan Van De Vijver, Zottegem (BE)
Assigned to INCOMEC-CEREX NV, Brakel (BE)
Appl. No. 17/766,026
Filed by INCOMEC-CEREX NV, Brakel (BE)
PCT Filed Oct. 12, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/078621
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 1, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/069741, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019/5686 (BE), filed on Oct. 11, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0338485 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. A21B 5/00 (2006.01); A21B 1/42 (2006.01); A23P 30/10 (2016.01)
CPC A21B 5/00 (2013.01) [A21B 1/42 (2013.01); A23P 30/10 (2016.08)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A food baking apparatus comprising:
a hydraulic drive system comprising at least three hydraulic cylinders; and
two dies at an adjustable distance (d) from each other, the two dies being configured for a food product to be baked between the two dies, the two dies being operable to be opened or closed by adjustment of the adjustable distance (d) by the hydraulic drive system,
wherein:
each of the at least three hydraulic cylinders comprises a double-acting piston and a position sensor;
each of the at least three hydraulic cylinders has a respective stroke; and
the at least three hydraulic cylinders cooperate with one another and are fixedly joined to one another in line in an integral block assembly determined by a length L;
one of the at least three hydraulic cylinders in the integral block assembly is provided to adjust the adjustable distance (d) of the dies for opening or closing the dies; and
the other two of the at least three hydraulic cylinders in the integral block assembly are simultaneously movable from the position sensor till the end of the respective stroke toward each other, thereby shortening the length L of the integral block assembly and generating expansion room in between the dies while increasing the adjustable distance (d).