Patent ID: 8904952

Claim:
A device for coating food products, comprising: a coating area; a coating conveyor adapted to drive the food products in a longitudinal direction; an application device adapted to apply a coating compound on the food products driven on the coating conveyor; and a drying area for the food products, the drying area including a drying conveyor adapted to drive the coated food products exiting the coating area in a direction of travel, the drying conveyor including a drying chassis, a plurality of driving devices adapted to drive the food products, and a motorized assembly adapted to move the driving devices in relation to the drying chassis in the direction of travel; wherein the coating conveyor includes a coating chassis, a plurality of rotary brushes arranged in the longitudinal direction relative to the coating chassis, and another motorized assembly adapted to drive the brushes in rotation around respective transverse axes relative to the coating chassis, the brushes arranged so as to define, together, a support and driving surface for the food products and adapted to make the food products roll during application of the coating compound; wherein the driving devices have, in the direction of travel, a space at least 10 mm wide between them for flow of air to dry the food products; wherein the driving devices are adapted to drive along the drying chassis in the direction of travel and are arranged such that the food products remain generally immobile relative to the driving devices when the driving devices move along the drying conveyor; wherein the driving devices are spaced apart from one another and the food products are wedged stably between the driving devices when the driving devices move along the drying conveyor; and wherein the drying conveyor has a transport segment and a return segment, the driving devices each adapted to move by the motorized assembly in the direction of travel with the food products along the transport segment from an upstream end thereof to a downstream end thereof, the driving devices adapted to be brought back along the return segment from the downstream end to the upstream end.