Automated production processes and associated systems, including automated bread making processes

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relates to automated production processes and associated systems, including automated bread making processes which enable the continuous production of baked bread. One aspect of the invention is directed toward a system for the continuous production of baked bread that includes an ingredient metering unit, a dough mixing unit coupled to the ingredient metering unit, a dough transport coupled to the dough mixing unit, an endless oven conveyor having a plurality of dough holders spaced apart from each other, and an oven unit coupled to the oven conveyor. The oven conveyor is configured to move the dough holders through the baking portion at a rate so the single batches of dough in the dough holders will be sequentially baked to form the baked products when the dough holder exit the oven unit.

1 . A system for the continuous production of baked product, comprising:
 a frame defining a system footprint;   a dry ingredient metering unit coupled to the frame and having a measuring portion and a first outlet for discharging a succession of metered volumes of dry ingredient, each volume of dry ingredient being used for the production of a batch of dough for a single unit of the baked product;   a liquid metering unit coupled to the frame and having a second outlet for discharging a metered amount of liquid for making the single unit of baked product;   a dough mixing unit coupled to the frame and having a mixing chamber and a mixing device in the mixing chamber, the mixing chamber being in communication with the first and second outlets, the mixing device configured to mix the volume of dry ingredient with the metered amount of liquid to form a batch of dough for the single unit of baked product;   a dough transport coupled to the frame and positioned to receive at a receiving portion a succession of the batches of dough discharged from the dough mixing unit and operative to transport the single batches of dough to a discharge portion;   an oven conveyor coupled to the frame and having a plurality of dough holders spaced apart from each other, each dough holder configured to contain a single batch of dough, the oven conveyor having a portion adjacent to the discharge portion of the dough transport and configured to sequentially move the dough holders through a position to receive a single batch of dough from the discharge portion of the dough transport; and   an oven unit coupled to the frame and having an oven inlet, an oven outlet, a baking portion, a prebaking portion, and a pathway extending through the prebaking and baking portions, at least a portion of the oven conveyor extending through the oven unit along the pathway, the oven unit having a heat diffuser adjacent to the baking portion to shield at least a portion of the prebaking portion and the dough holders from heat applied to the baking portion, the oven conveyor configured to move the dough holders through the baking portion at a rate so the single batches of dough in the dough holders will be sequentially baked to form the baked products when the dough holder exit the oven unit.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the prebaking portion is a proofing chamber and the baking portion is a baking chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the oven unit includes a heating element that provides heat to the baking portion and to the prebaking portion. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the oven unit includes a heating element intermediate the prebaking and baking portions and a portion of the heat diffuser is positioned between the heating element and the prebaking portion, and a second portion of the heat diffuser is positioned between the heating element and the baking portion. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the second portion of the heat diffuser is perforated. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a hopper configured to retain a plurality of volumes of dry ingredient, the hopper having a hopper outlet positioned to dispense one of the volumes of dry ingredient to the dry ingredient metering unit 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the hopper included an anti-bridging assembly that directs at least one flow of air into the hopper generally adjacent to the third outlet. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the metering unit having a first metering vessel configured to receive a first volume of dry ingredient sufficient for use making a single batch of dough in accordance with a first recipe, and a second metering vessel interchangeable with the first metering vessel and configured to receive a second volume of dry ingredient sufficient for use making a single batch of dough in accordance with a second recipe. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the metering unit having interchangeable first and second metering vessel configured to dry ingredient sufficient for use making a single batch of dough, the first and second metering vessel having the same external volume and having different internal volumes. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the first and second metering vessel are tubular vessels with substantially the same outer diameters and with different inside diameters. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a central computing system operably coupled to at least two of the dry ingredient metering unit, the liquid metering unit, the dough mixing unit, the dough transport, the oven conveyor, and the oven unit. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a frame coupled to the oven unit, and an adjustable leveling device connected to the frame. 
     
     
         16 . A system for the continuous production of baked product, comprising:
 an ingredient metering unit having a measuring portion and an outlet for discharging a succession of metered volumes of ingredients, each volume of ingredients being used for the production of a batch of dough for a single unit of baked product;   a dough mixing unit coupled to the ingredient metering unit and having a mixing chamber and a mixing device in the mixing chamber, the mixing chamber being in communication with said outlets, the mixing device configured to mix the volume of ingredients to form a batch of dough for the single unit of baked product;   a dough transport coupled to the dough mixing unit and positioned to receive a succession of the batches of dough discharged from the dough mixing unit and operative to transport the single batches of dough to a discharge portion;   an endless oven conveyor having a plurality of dough holders spaced apart from each other, each dough holder configured to contain a single batch of dough, the oven conveyor having a portion adjacent to the discharge portion of the dough transport and configured to sequentially move the dough holders through a position to receive a single batch of dough from the discharge portion of the dough transport; and   an oven unit coupled to the oven conveyor and having an oven inlet, an oven outlet, a baking portion, a prebaking portion, and a pathway extending through the prebaking and baking portions, at least a portion of the oven conveyor extending through the oven unit along the pathway, the oven unit having a heat diffuser adjacent to the baking portion to shield at least a portion of the prebaking portion and the dough holders from heat applied to the baking portion, the oven conveyor configured to move the dough holders through the baking portion at a rate so the single batches of dough in the dough holders will be sequentially baked to form the baked products when the dough holder exit the oven unit.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the ingredient metering unit is a dry ingredient metering unit. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a liquid metering unit positioned to deliver a metered amount of liquid to the mixing unit. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A system for the continuous production of baked bread, said system comprising:
 a flour metering unit having an inlet for receiving flour and at least one outlet for discharging a succession of metered amounts of said flour, each metered amount of flour so discharged having a volume suitable for the production of a single batch of bread dough;   at least one dough mixing unit having a mixer inlet and a mixer outlet, said dough mixing unit for:
 receiving through said mixer inlet a succession of metered amounts of flour discharged from said metering unit; 
 mixing and kneading each metered amount of flour so received with a liquid to produce a lump of dough; and, 
 discharging each lump of dough so produced through said mixer outlet; 
   a dough resting and forming unit comprising:
 a first conveyor positioned to automatically receive a succession of lumps of dough discharged from said dough mixing unit and operative to transport the same away from said dough mixing unit to a distal end of said first conveyor; 
 a second conveyor positioned to automatically receive said succession of lumps of dough from the distal end of said first conveyor and operative to transport the same away from said first conveyor to a distal end of the second conveyor; and, 
 a dough former positioned above said second conveyor to operatively bear down upon and form said lumps of dough as said lumps are being transported by said second conveyor; 
   and,   an oven unit, said oven unit comprising:
 an oven unit inlet; 
 an oven unit outlet; and, 
 an oven unit conveyor for transporting baking pans located at spaced intervals along said oven unit conveyor through said oven unit from said oven unit inlet to said oven unit outlet,
 said oven unit conveyor being positioned and said baking pans being spaced along said oven unit conveyor to automatically receive said succession of lumps of dough from the distal end of said second conveyor into discrete ones of said baking pans. 
 
   
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , comprising a plurality of said dough mixing units and wherein said metering unit comprises a plurality of outlets, each of said outlets for discharging a succession of metered amounts of flour into an associated one of said dough mixing units. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21  wherein said metering unit comprises:
 a hopper, said hopper comprising said inlet for receiving flour and a hopper outlet for discharging flour; 
 a platform support, said support including an opening extending through the support from a flat upper surface of the support to said mixer inlet; and, 
 a platform assembly pivotally mounted below the hopper atop the platform support, said assembly comprising:
 an upper platform having a flat upper surface; 
 a lower platform spaced apart from said upper platform and having a flat lower surface in slidable communication with the upper surface of said support; and, 
 a chamber for metering flour, said chamber extending between and through said platforms from an upper opening in the upper surface of the upper platform to a lower opening in the lower surface of the lower platform, said platform assembly being pivotable between a first position where said chamber is aligned with said hopper outlet to a second position where said chamber is aligned with said mixer inlet;
 wherein the lower opening of said chamber is closed by the upper surface of said base when the platform assembly is in said first position, and wherein the hopper outlet is closed by the upper surface of said upper platform when the platform assembly is in said second position. 
 
 
 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 21  wherein said dough former comprises a continuous belt positioned above said second conveyor, said belt having an underside bearing surface continuously moveable in a direction traveling counter to the direction of movement of said second conveyor while bearing down upon and thereby forming said lumps of dough. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising a central computing system operably coupled to at least one of the flour metering unit, the at least one dough mixing unit, the dough resting and forming unit, and the oven unit. 
     
     
         28 - 33 . (canceled)