Tea constant-temperature fermentation device

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of tea leaf fermentation, and discloses a tea leaf constant-temperature fermentation device which comprises a plurality of tea trays placed in a fermentation box body, and a tea turning mechanism and a linear moving mechanism are arranged above each tea tray; the tea turning mechanism comprises a tea turning assembly and a driving assembly, and the tea turning assembly comprises a middle cross piece which is composed of two arc-shaped plates and is rotatably connected with each other through a rotating main shaft; the two sides of the side cross pieces and the two sides of the middle cross piece are each provided with two sets of side cross pieces, and every two adjacent cross pieces are hinged to each other. The two guide arc plates are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the middle cross piece; the middle cross piece and the groups of cross pieces on the two sides extend to form a hollow sphere; the driving assembly is used for driving the main shaft of the middle cross piece to rotate and further used for driving the whole tea turning assembly to rotate in the circumferential direction. Through the adjustable tea turning mechanism, fermentation requirements of different tea leaves can be met, the fermentation uniformity is improved, local overheating or insufficient fermentation is avoided, and therefore the tea leaf quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of tea fermentation, and in particular to a tea constant temperature fermentation device. Background Art

[0002] The key process in black tea production is fermentation, which involves enzymatic oxidation to convert polyphenols in tea leaves into theaflavins and thearubigins, resulting in the distinctive red tea leaves and red tea texture. This process is accomplished using a constant-temperature fermentation machine, precisely controlling temperature, humidity, and oxygen, to replace traditional natural fermentation.

[0003] In a constant temperature fermentation machine, although the equipment is set to a constant temperature, since the polyphenols in the tea will release heat during the enzymatic oxidation process, similar to the heating principle of compost, local or short-term temperatures may still exceed 28°C. Especially in a high humidity environment, the heat in the center of the tea pile is not easy to dissipate, which may cause the local temperature to be 3-5°C higher than the set value.

[0004] Different types of tea adapt differently to the increase in the ambient temperature of the tea pile. For example, black tea is a fully fermented tea, so the tea pile needs to be turned with medium force and low speed, and the tea pile should be turned every 1-2 hours. Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea, so the tea pile needs a stable microenvironment and needs to be turned slightly or even not at all. Excessive turning will interrupt the enzymatic reaction and lead to insufficient accumulation of aroma substances. Black tea is a post-fermented tea, so the tea pile needs to be turned with heavy force and completely replaced, and the tea pile should be turned every 3-5 days. White tea is a slightly fermented tea, so the tea pile only needs to be slightly stirred, and mechanical damage should be avoided.

[0005] However, most of the current constant temperature fermentation machines are just simple trays without a turning mechanism to turn the tea leaves. Some fermentation machines with a turning mechanism only have one turning method and cannot adapt to the turning requirements of different types of tea. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a constant temperature tea fermentation device which, through an adjustable tea turning mechanism, can adapt to the fermentation requirements of different teas, improve fermentation uniformity, avoid local overheating or insufficient fermentation, and thus improve the quality of tea.

[0007] The present application provides a constant temperature fermentation device for tea, comprising a plurality of tea trays placed in a fermentation box, wherein a tea turning mechanism and a linear moving mechanism for driving the tea turning mechanism to move horizontally and vertically in a plane are arranged above each of the tea trays; the tea turning mechanism comprises a tea turning assembly and a driving assembly, wherein the tea turning assembly comprises: an intermediate cross member, which is composed of two arc-shaped plates and is rotatably connected to each other through a rotating main shaft; a side cross member, which is also composed of two arc-shaped plates and is rotatably connected to each other through a rotating main shaft, and two groups of side cross members are arranged on both sides of the intermediate cross member Parts, each adjacent cross part is hinged to each other; there are two guide arc plates and they are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the middle cross part, the guide arc plates are provided with guide grooves along the arc line, the rotation main shaft of the farthest side cross part is rotatably connected to the end of the guide arc plate away from the end of the middle cross part, and the rotation main shaft of the side cross part adjacent to the middle cross part is inserted into the guide groove; wherein, the middle cross part and the cross parts of each group on both sides are stretched to form a hollow sphere; the driving assembly is used to drive the main shaft of the middle cross part to rotate, and is also used to drive the overall circumferential rotation of the tea turning assembly.

[0008] Furthermore, the tea turning assembly also includes two brush plates, which are detachably connected to the ends of the guide arc plates on both sides away from one end of the middle cross piece.

[0009] Furthermore, the driving assembly includes: a support plate, connected to the linear moving mechanism, and the linear moving mechanism drives the support plate to move horizontally and vertically within a plane; a driving motor 1, installed on the support plate; a connecting shaft, coaxially connected to the output shaft of the driving motor 1, and coaxially connected to the rotating main shaft of the intermediate cross member.

[0010] Furthermore, the drive assembly also includes: a rotating table, rotatably arranged on the support plate, and the drive motor 1 is fixedly installed on the rotating table; the drive motor 2 is fixedly installed on the support plate and is located on one side of the drive motor 1; the gear 1 is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 2; the gear 2 is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 1, the gear 2 is meshed with the gear 1, and the gear 2 and the rotating table are fixedly connected.

[0011] Furthermore, the drive assembly also includes: a stand, fixedly mounted on one side of the support plate and extending above the drive motor 1; a slip ring, mounted on the stand and located directly above the drive motor 1, the slip ring being used for connecting the wiring harness of the drive motor 1.

[0012] Furthermore, the linear movement mechanism includes: a transverse screw assembly, installed on the inner wall of the fermentation box, the vertical frame is fixed on the moving seat of the transverse screw assembly, and the transverse screw assembly is used to drive the vertical frame to move horizontally and linearly on the horizontal plane; a vertical screw assembly, installed on the inner wall of the fermentation box, and used to drive the transverse screw assembly to move vertically and linearly on the horizontal plane.

[0013] Furthermore, both sides of the hollow sphere formed by extending the middle cross piece and the cross pieces on both sides are open.

[0014] One or more technical solutions provided in this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0015] The tea-turning component adopts a retractable hollow spherical structure, and its shape change and movement are controlled by a drive motor, realizing intelligent adaptation to the fermentation processes of different tea types: for black tea, heavy turning with fully extended clamping and displacement is adopted, for black tea, medium-force turning with rotation is implemented, and for white tea and oolong tea, gentle surface stirring in a contracted state is provided. Combined with the precise displacement control of the linear motion mechanism, it not only ensures the uniformity and temperature suitability of the fermentation of various types of tea, but also maintains the integrity of the tea leaves to the greatest extent, effectively solving the problem that traditional fermentation equipment cannot take into account the processing requirements of different types of tea, and significantly improves the tea quality and production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the tea tray, linear moving mechanism and tea turning mechanism in the constant temperature fermentation device for tea in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the tea turning mechanism in the embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional diagram of the middle structure mainly illustrates the connection structure of the drive assembly;

[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the middle part mainly illustrates the structure of the tea turning mechanism;

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle brush plate separating from the guide arc mixing;

[0021] In the figure: 1. Tea tray; 2. Tea turning mechanism; 3. Linear moving mechanism; 21. Tea turning assembly; 22. Drive assembly; 211. Middle cross member; 2111. Arc plate; 212. Side cross member; 2121. Guide groove; 213. Guide arc plate; 214. Brush plate; 221. Support plate; 222. Drive motor 1; 223. Connecting shaft; 224. Rotary table; 225. Drive motor 2; 226. Gear 1; 227. Gear 2; 228. Stand; 229. Slip ring; 31. Horizontal screw assembly; 32. Vertical screw assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The embodiment of the present application discloses a constant temperature fermentation device for tea, which realizes precise adaptation to the fermentation process of different tea types through the innovative design of the tea turning mechanism 2. The tea turning component 21 adopts a retractable hollow spherical structure, and its shape change is controlled by the drive motor 1 222: it can clamp tea leaves when extended and release tea leaves when contracted; with the rotation function driven by the detachable brush plate 214 and the drive motor 2 225, it can flexibly switch between the heavy turning of black tea, the medium turning of black tea, and the gentle turning mode of white tea and oolong tea. The linear moving mechanism 3 ensures that the tea turning component 21 moves in all directions within the tea tray 1, thereby meeting the differentiated requirements of different tea types for turning strength and frequency. This adjustable tea turning method not only improves the uniformity of fermentation and avoids the problems of local overheating or insufficient fermentation, but also maintains the integrity of the tea leaves to the greatest extent, significantly improving the fermentation quality and production efficiency of various types of tea.

[0023] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0024] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 A constant temperature fermentation device for tea includes several tea trays 1 placed in a fermentation box, and a tea turning mechanism 2 and a linear moving mechanism 3 that drives the tea turning mechanism 2 to move horizontally and vertically in a plane are arranged above each tea tray 1.

[0025] Reference Figure 2-Figure 5The tea turning mechanism 2 is composed of a tea turning assembly 21 and a drive assembly 22. The tea turning assembly 21 includes a middle cross member 211, side cross members 212, a guide arc plate 213, and a brush plate 214. The middle cross member 211 is formed by two cross-hinged curved plates 2111, which can rotate around the main axis of rotation to form an "X" shape. Two groups of side cross members 212 are set on each side of the middle cross member 211. Each group is also formed by two cross-hinged curved plates 2111. Adjacent cross members are hinged to each other, making the whole body telescopic and deformable. Two guide arc plates 213 are provided, symmetrically arranged on either side of the central cross member 211. Guide grooves 2121 are defined along the arcs of the guide arc plates 213. The rotational spindle of the outermost side cross member 212 is rotatably connected to the end of the guide arc plate 213, while the rotational spindle of the side cross member 212 closest to the central cross member 211 slides within the guide grooves 2121, ensuring that the tea turning assembly 21 remains stable during extension and retraction. Two brush plates 214 are provided, each detachably connected to the end of the two side guide arc plates 213 away from the central cross member 211. The specific detachable connection method can be an interference fit plug-in method.

[0026] When the tea turning assembly 21 is fully extended, it stretches downward to form a hollow spherical structure with two open sides. During this process, it clamps the tea leaves in the tea tray 1. The linear motion mechanism 3 then drives the tea turning assembly 21 to move in a plane, completely replacing the tea leaves. When the tea turning assembly 21 is kept retracted, the linear motion mechanism 3 drives the tea turning assembly 21 to move in a plane, and the brush plate 214 on the guide arc plate 213 causes the tea leaves in the tea tray 1 to slightly stir. This allows for different tea types to be accommodated. Specifically, when the tea turning assembly 21 is fully extended, it can be used for heavy stirring of black tea. When the tea turning assembly 21 is kept retracted and fixed, and only driven in a plane by the linear motion mechanism 3, it can be used for light stirring of white tea.

[0027] Continue to refer to Figure 2-Figure 5The driving assembly 22 includes a support plate 221, a driving motor 1 222, a rotating table 224, a driving motor 2 25, a connecting shaft 223, a gear 1 226, a gear 2 27, a stand 228, and a slip ring 229. It is connected to the linear moving mechanism 3 and is driven by the linear moving mechanism 3 to move in the plane. The driving motor 1 222 is fixed on the supporting plate 221, and its output shaft is connected to the rotating main shaft of the intermediate cross member 211 through the connecting shaft 223, and is used to drive the tea turning assembly 21 to extend and retract. The rotating table 224 is rotatably mounted on the supporting plate 221, and the driving motor 1 222 is fixed on the rotating table 224. The driving motor 2 225 is fixed on the supporting plate 221, and its output shaft is connected to the gear 1 226. The gear 1 226 is meshed with the gear 2 227, and the gear 2 227 is fixedly connected to the rotating table 224. In the drive assembly 22, a stand 228 is fixedly mounted on one side of the support plate 221 and extends upward to a position above the first drive motor 222. A slip ring 229 is mounted on the top of the stand 228, facing the first drive motor 222. This slip ring 229 is a standard conductive slip ring. Its rotor is connected to the power cord of the first drive motor 222 via a connecting wire, while its stator is connected to an external power source. When the second drive motor 225 rotates the rotating platform 224 through a gear transmission, the first drive motor 222 and its connected cables rotate accordingly. At this time, the slip ring 229 ensures a continuous and stable power supply without cable entanglement.

[0028] The driving motor 1 222 directly drives the rotating main shaft of the intermediate cross member 211 through the connecting shaft 223, driving the tea turning assembly 21 composed of multiple groups of cross-hinged arc plates 2111 to achieve telescopic deformation, forming a hollow sphere when extended and a hemisphere when contracted; at the same time, the driving motor 2 225 drives the rotating table 224 and the driving motor 1 222 fixed thereon to rotate as a whole through a gear transmission mechanism, which is composed of a gear 1 226 and a gear 2 227 that are meshed with each other. The gear transmission mechanism drives the rotating table 224 and the driving motor 1 222 fixed thereon to rotate as a whole, so that the tea turning assembly 21 can rotate circumferentially while telescopically deforming.

[0029] Reference Figure 1The linear motion mechanism 3 uses a precision screw drive system, consisting of a transverse screw assembly 31 and a vertical screw assembly 32 forming a two-dimensional planar motion platform. The transverse screw assembly 31 is fixed to the inner surface of the side wall of the fermentation box via a high-strength aluminum alloy mounting base. The assembly includes a precision-ground ball screw, a matching linear guide, and a servo drive motor. The screw nut seat is directly fixed to the stand 228 on the support plate 221 of the tea turning mechanism 2 via a rigid connector. When the servo motor is running, it drives the ball screw to rotate through the coupling, thereby driving the tea turning mechanism 2 to achieve precise linear displacement along the length of the tea tray 1. The vertical screw assembly 32 also uses a ball screw structure and is mounted on the inner surface of the side wall of the fermentation box via a heavy cast iron bracket. Its moving platform is rigidly connected to the integral mounting base of the transverse screw assembly 31. This assembly is equipped with a servo motor with a braking function. The screw is driven to rotate by a reducer, driving the transverse screw assembly 31 and the tea turning mechanism 2 on it to move along the width of the tea tray 1, and the travel covers the entire working surface of the tea tray 1.

[0030] The linear motion mechanism 3 comprises a transverse screw assembly 31 and a vertical screw assembly 32. The transverse screw assembly 31 is mounted on the inner wall of the fermentation chamber, with its movable base connected to the support plate 221, and is used to drive the transverse movement of the tea turning mechanism 2. The vertical screw assembly 32 is mounted on the inner wall of the fermentation chamber and is used to drive the transverse screw assembly 31 to move vertically, so that the tea turning mechanism 2 can cover the entire tea tray 1.

[0031] This application can explain its functional principles through the following operation methods:

[0032] The tea turning assembly 21 of the present application changes shape via a drive motor 222 within the drive assembly 22. In the extended state, when the drive motor 222 is activated, it rotates the intermediate cross member 211, causing the tea turning assembly 21 to extend into a hollow spherical structure for gripping tea leaves. In the contracted state, when the drive motor 222 is reversed, the tea turning assembly 21 retracts into a hemispherical shape, allowing the tea leaves to fall naturally. The tea turning assembly 21 can be configured in different shapes to suit different tea types.

[0033] When the tea tray 1 contains black tea, which is a post-fermented tea, turning the tea pile requires heavy force and complete replacement. First, remove the brush plate 214 in the tea turning component 21, and then start the drive motor 1 222. The tea turning component 21 will extend downward and form a hollow spherical structure with openings on both sides. During this process, the tea leaves in the tea tray 1 will be clamped, and then the linear moving mechanism 3 will drive the tea turning component 21 to move in a plane, so that the tea leaves are moved to another position. Then the tea turning component 21 will be retracted and retracted into a hemispherical shape. The tea leaves will fall into the tea tray 1. The position will be continuously changed, and finally the tea leaves in the tea tray 1 can be completely replaced.

[0034] When the tea tray 1 contains white tea or oolong tea, the tea turning component 21 is kept in a contracted state, and the brush plate 214 is inserted into the tea turning component 21. The linear moving mechanism 3 drives the tea turning component 21 to move in a plane, and the brush plate 214 moves on the surface of the tea pile, thereby adapting to the slight turning of the white tea.

[0035] When black tea is placed in the tea tray 1, the tea turning assembly 21 is kept in a contracted state, and the brush plate 214 is inserted into the tea turning assembly 21. The driving motor 225 is then turned to drive the tea turning assembly 21 to rotate as a whole. At the same time, the linear moving mechanism 3 drives the tea turning assembly 21 to move in a plane, so that the brush plate 214 on the tea turning assembly 21 moves in a plane and rotates circumferentially at the same time. As a result, the brush plate 214 on the tea turning assembly 21 moves horizontally and rotates circumferentially at the same time, which can adapt to the stirring of black tea with medium strength.

[0036] Therefore, by utilizing the constant temperature tea fermentation device of the present application, the differentiated requirements of different tea fermentation processes are effectively solved through the adjustable tea turning mechanism 2, ensuring fermentation uniformity, avoiding local overheating or insufficient fermentation, and significantly improving the quality of tea.

[0037] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

[0038] The above is only a preferred specific implementation method of the embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes based on the technical solution and concept of the present application within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and they should be covered by the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A constant temperature tea fermentation device, comprising a plurality of tea trays (1) placed in a fermentation box, characterized in that: A tea turning mechanism (2) and a linear moving mechanism (3) for driving the tea turning mechanism (2) to move horizontally and vertically within a plane are provided above each tea tray (1); the tea turning mechanism (2) comprises a tea turning component (21) and a driving component (22), wherein the tea turning component (21) comprises: an intermediate cross member (211), consisting of two arc-shaped plates (2111) rotatably connected to each other via a rotating main shaft; The side cross members (212) are also composed of two arc-shaped plates (2111) and are rotatably connected to each other via a rotating main shaft. Two groups of the side cross members (212) are provided on both sides of the middle cross member (211), and adjacent cross members are hinged to each other. Two guide arc plates (213) are provided and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the middle cross member (211); the guide arc plates (213) are provided with guide grooves (2121) along the arc line; the rotation main shaft of the farthest side cross member (212) is rotatably connected to the end of the guide arc plate (213) away from the middle cross member (211); the rotation main shaft of the side cross member (212) adjacent to the middle cross member (211) is inserted into the guide groove (2121); The middle cross member (211) and the cross members (211) on both sides are stretched to form a hollow sphere; the driving assembly (22) is used to drive the main shaft of the middle cross member (211) to rotate, and is also used to drive the entire tea turning assembly (21) to rotate circumferentially.

2. A tea constant temperature fermentation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tea turning assembly (21) further includes two brush plates (214) provided thereon and detachably connected to the ends of the guide arc plates (213) on both sides away from one end of the middle cross piece (211).

3. A tea constant temperature fermentation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly (22) comprises: A support plate (221) is connected to the linear motion mechanism (3), and the linear motion mechanism (3) drives the support plate (221) to move horizontally and vertically within a plane; A driving motor (222) is mounted on the support plate (221); The connecting shaft (223) is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the first driving motor (222) and is coaxially connected to the main rotating shaft of the intermediate cross member (211).

4. A tea constant temperature fermentation device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The drive assembly (22) further includes: A rotating platform (224) is rotatably mounted on the support plate (221), and the driving motor (222) is fixedly mounted on the rotating platform (224); A second driving motor (225) is fixedly mounted on the support plate (221) and is located on one side of the first driving motor (222); Gear 1 (226), coaxially connected to the output shaft of the driving motor 2 (225); Gear 2 (227) is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the driving motor 1 (222), the gear 2 (227) is meshed with the gear 1 (226), and the gear 2 (227) and the rotating platform (224) are fixedly connected.

5. A tea constant temperature fermentation device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The drive assembly (22) further includes: A stand (228) is fixedly mounted on one side of the support plate (221) and extends above the first drive motor (222); A slip ring (229) is mounted on the stand (228) and is located directly above the drive motor 1 (222). The slip ring (229) is used for connecting the wiring harness of the drive motor 1 (222).

6. A tea constant temperature fermentation device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The linear movement mechanism (3) comprises: A transverse screw assembly (31) is mounted on the inner wall of the fermentation box, and the vertical frame (228) is fixed on a movable seat of the transverse screw assembly (31). The transverse screw assembly (31) is used to drive the vertical frame (228) to move horizontally and linearly on a horizontal plane. The vertical screw assembly (32) is mounted on the inner wall of the fermentation box and is used to drive the horizontal screw assembly (31) to move vertically and linearly on a horizontal plane.

7. A tea constant temperature fermentation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two sides of the hollow sphere formed by stretching the middle cross piece (211) and the cross pieces (211) on both sides are open.

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