Partitioned beef sauce marinating production line and production method

Abstract

The invention provides a partitioned beef sauce marinating production line and a production method. The method comprises the complete process flow of unpacking, unfreezing, fine trimming and cutting, deep bloody water soaking, controllable rolling and kneading, static clean pickling, efficient blanching, accurate marinating and vacuum rapid cooling. According to the production line, traditional procedures are not simply centralized, but the original possibly dispersed or crossed beef sauced and marinated processing flow is thoroughly systematized and modularized through scientific and rigorous functional area division and flow reconstruction. According to the design, the production line is optimized, the material turnover and waiting time is shortened, the overall production efficiency is remarkably improved through independent control and collaborative operation of all the functional modules, and the quality of final products is fundamentally guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention specifically relates to the field of food processing machinery technology, particularly to large-scale continuous production equipment for braised meat products. More specifically, it relates to a novel, compact, and highly automated zoned beef braising production line and its supporting production method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the large-scale industrial production of traditional beef sauce and braised products is generally hampered by numerous technical challenges, including fragmented production line layouts, poor process coordination, reliance on extensive manual handling for material turnover, and difficulty in achieving precise zoning control of the production environment. This not only directly leads to low production efficiency and significant batch-to-batch fluctuations in product quality, but also risks affecting food hygiene and safety due to human error or cross-contamination, making it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of modern food industry for high efficiency, high standardization, and high safety. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention aims to address the shortcomings and defects of the existing technology, and specifically proposes a zoned beef sauce production line and a highly coordinated production method to match it. This solution, through modular and functional zoning and coupled with an intelligent material flow system, aims to achieve automated, continuous, and clean production throughout the entire process from raw material processing to finished product cooling.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives and desired technical effects, the present invention is implemented using the following specific technical solutions: A zoned beef sauce production line includes multiple functionally distinct and independently set areas, including an unpacking area, a thawing area, a trimming area, a soaking area, a tumbling area, a cleaning and marinating area, a blanching area, a braising area, and a vacuum cooling area with input and output ports. Guide rails and main conveyors are set on the outside of each area for conveying beef and carriers at the input and output ports. The loading area is equipped with a carrier conveyor line with its input and output ports. The carrier conveyor line is equipped with a loading position where packaged beef is loaded into the carrier. The output end of the carrier conveyor line is equipped with a first stacker to stack individual carriers into a carrier stack. The thawing area is equipped with two elevators corresponding to their input and output ports, and also includes a thawing rack between the two elevators, which is used to receive, store, and automatically transport the stacked carriers to the designated discharge station according to the instructions of the central control system. The trimming area has two input ports and one output port. One input port serves as the feed inlet and is equipped with a destacking machine. One output port serves as the empty carrier outlet and is equipped with a stacker. Robots are located near the feed inlet and the empty carrier outlet. The other input port serves as the empty carrier inlet and is equipped with a destacking machine. The other output port serves as the discharge outlet and is equipped with a stacker. The area also includes a trimming conveyor line and a carrier conveyor line. The input end of the trimming conveyor line corresponds to the destacking machine at the feed inlet. The output end of the trimming conveyor line connects to the carrier conveyor line. The input end of the carrier conveyor line connects to the destacking machine at the empty carrier inlet. The output end of the carrier conveyor line connects to the stacker at the discharge outlet. A water injector is located at the end of the carrier conveyor line. Elevators are installed at the inlet and outlet of the soaking zone, and a soaking rack is installed between the two elevators to receive, store, and automatically transport the stacked carriers to the designated discharge station according to the instructions of the central control system. The tumbling area is equipped with a track, on which two conveyors are installed for transferring and removing beef. Multiple tumbling machines are installed on one side of the track for needle tumbling and marinade addition. Material boxes and blood tanks are installed near the material inlet of the tumbling machines. A destacking machine and a robot with a robotic arm are installed at the input port of the tumbling area. A stacking machine and a robot with a robotic arm are installed at the output port of the tumbling area. Elevators are installed at the inlet and outlet of the cleaning and pickling area, and a cleaning and pickling rack is installed between the two elevators. The rack is used to receive, store, and automatically transport the stacked containers to the designated discharge station according to the instructions of the central control system. The blanching area also has two input ports and one output port. One input port serves as the raw material inlet and is equipped with a destacking machine. The other output port serves as the empty container outlet and is equipped with a stacker. Robots are located near the raw material inlet and the empty container outlet. A first blanching machine is also installed to perform preliminary blanching on the beef. A second blanching machine is connected to the outlet of the first blanching machine to perform a second, deeper blanching on the pre-treated beef. The area also includes a container conveyor line. The input end of the container conveyor line is equipped with a destacking machine, corresponding to the other input port. The container conveyor line passes through the outlet of the second blanching machine. The output end of the container conveyor line is equipped with a stacker, corresponding to the other output port. Guide rails are installed in the braising area and the vacuum cooling area, and a braising transfer machine is connected to the guide rails. Several cooking pots are neatly arranged on both sides of the guide rails for high-temperature cooking of beef. The vacuum cooling zone is equipped with a vacuum cooler, which is located in front of the cooking pot in the cooking zone and is also set on both sides of the guide rail. It is used to perform rapid and uniform vacuum cooling on the cooked beef.

[0005] Preferably, the container also includes a container cleaning area equipped with a carrier cleaning machine. A destacking machine is installed at the input of the container cleaning area. The destacking machine is connected to an empty tray input line. A flipping machine is installed at the output end of the empty tray input line and is connected to the input end of the carrier cleaning machine. An empty tray output line is installed at the output end of the carrier cleaning machine. An empty tray flipping machine is installed at the output end of the empty tray output line. The empty tray flipping machine straightens upside-down empty carriers, restoring them to their normal state with the opening facing upwards. The output end of the empty tray flipping machine is connected to a stacker machine for neatly stacking the cleaned empty carriers.

[0006] Preferably, it also includes a temporary storage area 01, in which the output end of the stacker crane is connected to the inbound conveyor line. The output end of the inbound conveyor line is equipped with an inbound hoist, which is used to receive the stack of carriers from the lower inbound conveyor line and smoothly and vertically lift them to the support height of each layer of the temporary storage area. It also includes a temporary storage area, which is used to receive, store and automatically transport the stacked carriers to the designated outbound workers according to the instructions of the central control system.

[0007] Preferably, an outbound elevator is installed at the outbound workstation of the temporary storage warehouse. The outbound elevator is used to receive stacks of containers from higher storage locations and safely and vertically lower them to the lower operating height required by the production line.

[0008] Preferably, the temporary storage warehouse is equipped with multi-layered and independently controlled storage shelves. Each layer is equipped with a chain or roller conveyor with bidirectional power drive function. These devices can realize fully automated inbound and outbound management and material scheduling according to the instructions of the central control system.

[0009] Preferably, multiple cooking pots and vacuum coolers are provided, all of which adopt an upward-opening door structure design.

[0010] Preferably, the conveyor line uses one or more combinations of belt conveyors and roller conveyors to achieve flexible material conveying according to process requirements.

[0011] Preferably, the vehicle cleaning machine includes a pre-wash section, a main wash section, a rinsing section, a cleaning section, an air-drying section, and a drying section in sequence, forming a complete cleaning and drying process.

[0012] A production method using the aforementioned partitioned beef sauce production line includes the following detailed steps: Loading: The carrier conveyor line transports the carriers to the loading position, where packaged beef is loaded into the carriers. The first stacker at the output end stacks the individual carriers into a carrier stack, and at the output port, the carriers are transferred by a transfer machine to the elevator at the input port of the thawing area. Thawing: The elevator at the input port of the thawing area sends the stack of containers containing packaged beef into the thawing rack. The thawing rack receives, stores, and automatically transports the stacked containers to the designated position according to the instructions of the central control system. The containers are thawed by water vapor. After thawing, the containers are stacked to the discharge station. The elevator at the other end lowers the position of the container stack to correspond with the output port. Then, the conveyor moves it to the destacking machine at the input port of the trimming area. Trimming: The depalletizer at the input of the trimming area breaks down the stack of packaged beef into individual containers. A robot then picks up the individual containers and dumps the beef onto the trimming conveyor line. The empty containers are placed on the stacker at the output by the robot and stacked. On the trimming conveyor line, the beef is unpacked and trimmed into uniform sizes. The stacked empty containers are then transferred by a transfer machine to another input, where they are depalletized and transported by the container conveyor line. After receiving the trimmed beef, water is injected into the containers containing the beef. The stacker at the output of the trimming conveyor line stacks the beef and then transfers it to the elevator at the input of the soaking area by a transfer machine. Soaking: The elevator at the input port of the soaking zone lifts the carrier stack to correspond with each layer of the soaking rack. The soaking rack receives, stores, and automatically transports the stacked carriers to the designated workstation according to the instructions of the central control system. When discharging, the soaking rack is moved to the discharge workstation, and then the elevator at the output port of the soaking zone lowers the carrier stack to correspond with the output port. Then, the conveyor sends it to the destacking machine at the input port of the tumbling zone. Tumbling: The destacking machine at the input of the tumbling zone destackings the carrier stacks. The robot grabs the meat and pours the blood into the blood tank. The meat is placed into the material box. The empty carrier is placed at the stacker position at the output port and then transferred by a conveyor into the cleaning area for cleaning and storage. The meat in the material box is transferred by a conveyor into the tumbling machine for needle tumbling and marinating. After tumbling, the meat is poured into the material box and transferred by a conveyor to the vicinity of the output port. The robot places the meat at the stacker position at another output port for stacking and then transfers it to the elevator position in the cleaning and marinating area by a conveyor. Cleaning and Marinating: The elevator at the input of the cleaning and marinating area lifts the stack of carriers to correspond with each layer of the soaking rack. The cleaning and marinating rack receives, stores, and automatically transports the stacked carriers to the designated workstation according to the instructions of the central control system. When discharging, the cleaning and marinating rack is moved to the discharge workstation, and then the elevator at the output of the cleaning and marinating area lowers the stack of carriers to correspond with the output. Then, the conveyor sends them to the destacking machine at the input of the blanching area. Blanching: The destacking machine at the input of the blanching area breaks the stack of raw materials into individual containers. Then, a robot picks up an individual container and pours the beef into the first blanching machine. The empty containers are placed by the robot on the stacker at the output of the blanching area for stacking. The beef is then transferred to the cleaning area by a conveyor for cleaning and storage. After the first blanching is completed, the beef enters the second blanching machine for a second deep blanching. The destacking machine at the other input of the blanching area breaks the stack of containers transferred by the conveyor into individual containers and sends them to the container conveyor line. The container conveyor line passes through the outlet of the second blanching machine to load the blanched beef and transports it to the stacker at the other output of the blanching area for stacking. The beef is then transferred to the input of the braising area by a conveyor. Braising: In the braising area, a conveyor transports stacks of beef into a cooking pot for high-temperature braising. Vacuum cooling: After braising, the beef is transferred to a vacuum cooling machine by a conveyor to perform rapid and uniform vacuum cooling.

[0013] Preferably, the following detailed steps are also included: Container Cleaning: The transfer machine delivers used empty container stacks to the depalletizer at the container cleaning area input. The depalletizer breaks the stack into individual containers and sends them to the empty tray input line. The empty tray input line then sends the individual containers to the empty tray flipper, which completely flips the empty containers 180 degrees, placing them upside down. The flipped containers are then sent to the container cleaning machine. The container cleaning machine performs multi-stage processing on the containers that pass through in sequence, including pre-washing, main washing, rinsing, cleaning, air drying, and baking. The cleaned and dried containers are transported to the empty tray flipper via the empty tray output line. The flipper straightens the upside-down empty containers, restoring them to their normal position with the opening facing upwards. Subsequently, the stacker crane neatly stacks the clean empty containers into a stack. In the initial storage phase, clean pallets of containers are transported via the inbound conveyor line to the inbound elevator. The inbound elevator receives the pallets from the lower conveyor line and vertically lifts them to the designated support height for each level of the temporary storage warehouse. The elevator inputs the information based on the condition of the pallets on each level of the temporary storage warehouse. The temporary storage warehouse then receives and stores the pallets and automatically transports the pallets to the designated workstations according to the instructions. When production requires outbound shipment, the temporary storage warehouse receives the instructions and automatically transports the pallets to the designated outbound workstation. The outbound elevator then receives the pallets from the upper level and vertically lowers them to the lowest operating height required by the production line.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and positive effects of the present invention are as follows: This solution, by means of modular and functional area division, combined with an intelligent material flow system, aims to achieve automated, continuous and clean production from raw material processing to finished product cooling. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of the partitioned beef sauce production line provided by the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Partial layout diagram Figure 1 ; Figure 3 for Figure 1 Partial layout diagram Figure 2 ; Figure 4 for Figure 1 Partial layout diagram Figure 3 ; Figure 5 for Figure 1 Partial layout diagram Figure 4 ; The components and areas marked in the above figures are explained as follows: 01. Main transfer machine; 02. Auxiliary transfer machine; 03. Temporary storage area; 04. Inbound conveyor line; 05. Inbound elevator; 06. Temporary storage area; 07. Outbound elevator; 1. Unpacking area; 101. Input port; 102. Output port; 11. Carrier conveyor line; 12. First stacker crane; 13. Destacking machine; 2. Thawing area; 201. Input port; 202. Output port; 21. Elevator; 22. Elevator; 23. Thawing rack; 3. Trimming area; 301. Input port; 302. Output port; 303. Input port; 304. Output port; 31. Depalletizer; 32. Stacker; 33. Robot; 34. Depalletizer; 35. Stacker; 36. Trimming conveyor line; 37. Carrier conveyor line; 38. Water injection device; 4. Soaking area; 401. Inlet; 402. Outlet; 41. Lift; 42. Lift; 43. Soaking rack; 5. Tumbling zone; 501. Input port; 502. Output port; 51. Transfer machine; 52. Tumbling machine; 53. Material bin; 54. Blood collection bin; 55. Depalletizer; 56. Robot; 57. Stacker; 58. Robot; 6. Cleaning and curing area; 601. Input port; 602. Output port; 61. Elevator; 62. Elevator; 63. Cleaning and curing rack; 7. Blanching area; 701. Input port; 702. Output port; 703. Input port; 704. Output port; 71. Depalletizer; 72. Stacker; 73. Robot; 74. First blanching machine; 75. Second blanching machine; 76. Carrier conveyor line; 77. Depalletizer; 78. Stacker; 8. Braising area; 801. Input port; 802. Output port; 81. Conveyor line; 82. Transfer machine; 83. Cooking pot; 9. Vacuum cooling zone; 901. Inlet; 902. Outlet; 91. Vacuum cooler; 10. Container cleaning area; 1001. Inlet; 1002. Outlet; 101. Carrier cleaning machine; 102. Depalletizer; 103. Empty pallet input conveyor line; 104. Tilting machine; 105. Empty pallet output conveyor line; 106. Empty pallet tilting machine; 107. Stacker. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To better understand the above technical solutions, a detailed description of the solutions will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The description of the embodiments will cover specific recommendations for equipment selection, the connection methods of control logic between various stages, and other specific operational details. It should be noted that the following description is merely illustrative and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Example

[0018] A partitioned beef braising production line, see [link / reference] Figures 1 to 5 Based on the complete processing technology of beef sauce braising, the production line systematically plans and sets up multiple specialized work areas with clearly defined functions, independent physical spaces, and orderly collaborative operation. These core areas, in the processing sequence, include: raw material unpacking area 1 with dedicated input and output ports; low-temperature thawing area 2; fine trimming area 3; blood removal soaking area 4; tumbling area 5; static marinating area 6; grading and blanching area 7; braising area 8; and high-efficiency vacuum cooling area 9. To achieve precise and efficient material flow between functional areas, conveyors are configured on the outer track frame of each area of ​​the entire production line. The conveyors include a main conveyor 01 and an auxiliary conveyor 02. These conveyors are specifically responsible for the automated transport and scheduling of special carriers and their stacking forms for carrying beef raw materials between the input and output nodes of each area. In this embodiment, the carriers are stainless steel turnover boxes. The turnover boxes used in the raw material unpacking area 1, low-temperature thawing area 2, fine trimming area 3, blood removal soaking area 4, tumbling area 5, static cleaning and marinating area 6, and before grading and blanching are non-perforated turnover boxes. The turnover boxes used after blanching, in the braising area 8, and in the high-efficiency vacuum cooling area 9 are equipped with several holes.

[0019] Within the unpacking area 1, a carrier conveyor line 11 is installed along the material flow direction. This conveyor line corresponds to the input port 101 and the output port 102 of the unpacking area 1. A depalletizer 13 is installed at the input port 101 to break the carrier stack into individual pieces and convey them to the carrier conveyor line 11. A dedicated loading station is set up at a specific workstation on the carrier conveyor line 11, where operators neatly load frozen or chilled beef chunks with their original packaging into the transfer carriers. After loading is completed, the carrier conveyor line 11 transports them to the output end, which is equipped with a first stacker 12. This stacker is responsible for automatically stacking the individual fully loaded carriers into a structurally stable carrier stack according to a preset pattern, so as to facilitate batch and unitized transfer in subsequent processes.

[0020] The thawing zone 2 is equipped with a vertical lift 21 at its input port and a vertical lift 22 at its output port 202, for receiving the input stacks of containers and sending out the processed stacks of containers. Between the two lifts 21 and 22, a large-scale, automated thawing rack system capable of three-dimensional storage is installed. This thawing rack 23 can not only receive and temporarily store stacked containers from the unpacking zone 1, but also automatically and accurately transport designated stacks of containers to the set discharge station according to real-time instructions from the central control system, ensuring the orderly and controllable thawing process.

[0021] The trimming area 3 is designed with two independent input ports 301 and 303 and two corresponding output ports 302 and 304 to separate materials from empty containers. One input port 301 serves as the inlet for the beef to be trimmed, and a destacking machine 31 is installed next to it to break down the stack of containers into individual containers. The other output port 302 serves as the outlet for empty containers, and a stacker crane 32 is installed to collect and stack empty containers. Industrial robots 33 are positioned at key locations near the inlet and outlet to perform loading and unloading operations. The other input port 303 serves as the inlet for clean empty containers and is also equipped with a destacking machine 34. The other output port 304 serves as the outlet for the trimmed beef and is equipped with a stacker crane 35. The area also includes a trimming conveyor line and a material bin transfer conveyor line. The input end of the trimming conveyor line 36 connects to the destacking machine 31 at the inlet to receive the beef to be trimmed, and its output end connects to the carrier conveyor line 37 for transfer. The input end of the carrier conveyor line 37 connects to the destacking machine 34 at the empty carrier inlet to obtain clean empty carriers, and its output end connects to the stacker 35 at the outlet. In particular, an automatic water injection device 38 is installed at the end station of the carrier conveyor line 37 to soak the trimmed beef in blood water.

[0022] The soaking zone 4 is also equipped with dedicated elevators 41 and 42 at its inlet 401 and outlet 402, respectively. A multi-layer automated soaking storage rack is installed between the two elevators 41 and 42. This soaking rack 43 functions similarly to the thawing rack, receiving and storing the carrier stacks from the previous process, and automatically transferring the carrier stacks that have completed the soaking process to the designated discharge station in strict accordance with the instructions issued by the central control system, waiting to enter the next process.

[0023] The tumbling zone 5 is equipped with a fixed track, on which two movable conveyors 51 are deployed. These conveyors are responsible for moving the beef to be tumbled into the tumbling station and for transferring the processed beef. On one side of the track, multiple large tumbling machines 52 are installed side-by-side for piercing and tumbling the beef while simultaneously adding marinade. Near the feed inlet of each tumbling machine 52, a material bin 53 and a blood collection bin 54 are provided. At the input port 501 of the tumbling zone 5, a destacking machine 55 and an industrial robot 56 equipped with special clamps are installed to jointly complete the feeding; at the output port 502, a stacker crane 57 and another industrial robot 58 are symmetrically arranged to collaboratively complete the unloading and transfer.

[0024] The structure of the cleaning and marinating zone 6 is similar to that of the soaking zone 4, with elevators 61 and 62 respectively installed at its inlet 601 and outlet 602. A cleaning and marinating storage rack is connected between the two elevators 61 and 62. The cleaning and marinating rack 63 is responsible for receiving the stack of beef after tumbling, providing a stable environment for static marinating, and automatically conveying the cleaned material units to the designated output station according to the instructions of the central control system.

[0025] The blanching zone 7 also has two inlets 701 and 703 and two outlets 702 and 704 to achieve the separation and transfer of materials and containers. One inlet 701 serves as the entrance for raw beef and is equipped with a destacking machine 71; the other outlet 702 serves as the outlet for empty containers and is equipped with a stacker crane 72. Robots 73 are also positioned near the inlet and outlet to assist in the operation. The core equipment in this area includes a first blanching machine 74 and a second blanching machine 75 arranged in series: the first blanching machine 74 is used to perform a preliminary, short-term blanching treatment on the beef to remove surface impurities; its outlet is directly connected to the inlet of the second blanching machine 75, which performs a secondary, deeper blanching treatment on the pre-treated beef with controllable time and temperature. In addition, the area is equipped with a carrier conveyor line 76, with a destacking machine 77 at its input end and another input port 703 for inputting clean empty carriers. The conveyor line passes below the discharge port of the second blanching machine 75 to receive the blanched beef. At its output end, a stacker 78 is provided, with another output port 704 for outputting the carrier stack containing the blanched beef.

[0026] The braising zone 8 has an input port 801 and an output port 802. A conveyor line 81 is installed at the input port, and the output port 802 of the braising zone 8 serves as the input port 901 of the vacuum cooling zone 9. The braising zone 8 and the adjacent vacuum cooling zone 9 are connected by an extended guide rail system from the output port 802. One or more braising transfer machines 82 operate in conjunction with the guide rail. On both sides of the guide rail, several large cooking pots 83 with heating and temperature control systems are neatly arranged for high-temperature braising of the beef with precise temperature control and timed timing, ensuring that the beef is fully flavored and reaches a safe state for consumption.

[0027] The vacuum cooling zone 9 also has an inlet 901 and an outlet 902. Within the vacuum cooling zone 9, several vacuum coolers 91 are arranged along both sides of the guide rail in front of the cooking pot 83 array. These coolers 91 are used to rapidly and uniformly force-cool the beef that has just finished high-temperature braising, so that its temperature drops to a safe range in a short time, effectively inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and locking in the flavor, preparing it for subsequent packaging or storage.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the production line further includes a separate container cleaning area 10. This area is equipped with a fully automatic container cleaning machine 101, which is a tunnel-type cleaning machine used to thoroughly clean and disinfect used containers. At the material inlet 1001 of the container cleaning area 10, a depalletizer 102 is installed, connected to an empty tray input conveyor line 103. A flipper 104 is installed at the output end of the empty tray input line 103 to flip empty containers one by one and feed them into the inlet of the container cleaning machine. After cleaning, the clean empty containers output from the container cleaning machine 101 enter an empty tray output conveyor line 105. An empty tray flipper 106 is installed at the end of the empty tray output line 105, which automatically straightens the cleaned, upside-down empty containers, restoring them to a standard ready-to-use state with their openings facing upwards. The output end of the empty pallet flipper 106 is further connected to a stacker 107, which is responsible for re-stacking the cleaned and upright empty vehicles into a neat stack for temporary storage or retrieval.

[0029] The optimized scheme for the partitioned beef sauce production line specifically includes the setting of a temporary storage area 03. Within this temporary storage area 03, the output end of the stacker crane 107 is directly connected to a high-efficiency inbound conveyor line 04, and the end of this inbound conveyor line 04 is precisely connected to a fully functional inbound elevator 05. This elevator 05 is specifically responsible for receiving the stacked carriers from the lower-level inbound conveyor line 04 and precisely lifting them vertically to the preset support platform height of each layer in the temporary storage warehouse 06 in an extremely smooth and reliable manner. This system further includes a complete temporary storage system. The core function of the temporary storage warehouse 06 is to receive the carrier stacks delivered by the elevator, perform centralized and orderly storage, and, strictly following the real-time scheduling instructions of the central control system, automatically transport the neatly stacked carriers to the pre-designated outbound workstations.

[0030] As a preferred supporting measure, a high-performance outbound elevator 07 is installed at the outbound workstation of the temporary storage warehouse. This outbound elevator 07 is specifically designed to receive stacks of materials transported down from the upper levels of the temporary storage warehouse 06, and to vertically lower them in a safe and controllable manner from the higher storage position to the lower operating height required by the subsequent production line processes, thereby achieving seamless connection of material height between different processes.

[0031] A further preferred embodiment is that the internal structure of the temporary storage warehouse 06 adopts a multi-layered and modular design concept, constructing multiple storage racks, each of which can be independently controlled. Each rack is equipped with a high-efficiency conveyor system with bidirectional power drive, which can be a chain conveyor, a roller conveyor, or a customized combination according to specific needs. These conveyor systems operate entirely according to digital instructions issued by the central control system, enabling fully automated and intelligent inbound and outbound management and precise material scheduling, greatly improving the efficiency and accuracy of warehousing and logistics.

[0032] Furthermore, in the cooking and cooling stages of the production line, the cooking pot 83 and vacuum cooler 91 are designed in multiple parallel configurations to meet the needs of continuous, high-volume production. These devices preferably employ a top-opening structural design, which not only facilitates feeding, observation, and maintenance by operators but also enhances integration with automated loading and unloading equipment.

[0033] Regarding the flow of materials throughout the entire production line, each conveyor line flexibly adopts one type of equipment, such as belt conveyors or roller conveyors, or scientifically combines multiple types of conveyors according to the specific requirements of different production process stages for conveying methods, speeds, and load-bearing capacity. This forms a highly flexible and adaptable material conveying network, ensuring that materials of various forms can be smoothly and efficiently conveyed to designated workstations.

[0034] In the vehicle cleaning process, the vehicle cleaning machine 101 is designed as a complete assembly line processing unit, which sequentially includes a pre-wash section, a main wash section, a rinsing section, a cleaning section, an air-drying section, and a drying section. These six functional sections operate in sequence, forming a complete and efficient cleaning and drying process from initial decontamination to deep cleaning and thorough drying, ensuring the absolute hygiene of the vehicle before it is reused. Example

[0035] Another core objective of this invention is to provide a specific production method using the aforementioned partitioned beef sauce production line, comprising the following detailed operating steps: The first step is the loading process: a dedicated carrier conveyor accurately transports empty carriers to the loading station, where pre-packaged beef is loaded into the containers manually or by automated equipment. Once full, the containers are conveyed to the output end, where a first stacker crane neatly stacks the individual carriers into a stable stack. Subsequently, at the output port, a precision transfer machine grabs the entire stack and moves it to a dedicated elevator at the input port of thawing zone 2.

[0036] Next comes the thawing process: The elevator at the input of thawing zone 2 smoothly lifts the stack of packaged beef containers and delivers them into the multi-layer thawing racks within thawing zone 2. After receiving the stacks, the thawing racks store them and, according to instructions from the central control system, automatically transport the stacked containers to designated stopping positions within thawing zone 2. At these positions, the beef is thawed using a precisely controlled steam thawing process. After thawing, the thawing racks move the stacks to the discharge station, where another elevator at the other end of thawing zone 2 lowers the stacks, aligning their outlets with the external conveyor line. Then, another conveyor grabs the stacks and moves them to the depalletizer at the input of trimming zone 3.

[0037] The trimming process then begins: A depalletizer at the input of trimming area 3 breaks down the incoming stacks of thawed packaged beef into individual containers. An industrial robot then picks up each container, dumps the beef into the starting point of the trimming conveyor line, and the empty containers are placed by the robot onto another stacker at the output of the same area for re-stacking. On the trimming conveyor line, operators or automated equipment unpack the beef and trim it into uniformly sized pieces. Simultaneously, the stacked empty containers are transferred by a conveyor to another input in the area, where a depalletizer further breaks them down into individual boxes. These boxes are then transported by a dedicated conveyor line to receive the trimmed beef pieces. After the trimmed beef pieces are loaded into the containers, a suitable amount of water is injected into the boxes. Next, the vehicles loaded with beef are transported to the stacker at the output of the trimming conveyor for stacking. The stacked vehicles are then transferred by a transfer machine to the elevator at the input of the soaking zone 4.

[0038] In the soaking process: The elevator at the input port of soaking zone 4 lifts the carrier stack to a height precisely corresponding to the conveyor lines of each layer of the soaking rack, and then pushes it in. The soaking rack is responsible for receiving and storing the carrier stacks, and automatically conveying them to the designated workstations within soaking zone 4 for soaking treatment according to the instructions of the central control system. During discharge, the soaking rack moves the soaked carrier stacks to the discharge station, and then the elevator at the output port of soaking zone 4 lowers the height of the carrier stacks to match the height of the external output port. Subsequently, the transfer machine grabs them and sends them to the depalletizer at the input port of tumbling zone 5.

[0039] The next step is the tumbling process: the depalletizer at the input of tumbling zone 5 depalletizes the fed carrier stacks. Individual carriers are picked up by a robot, and the blood is poured into a dedicated blood collection tank, while the beef is placed into a dedicated tumbling feed bin. The empty carriers are placed at the stacker at the output of tumbling zone 5, and after stacking, they are transferred by a conveyor to the subsequent cleaning area for cleaning, ready for reuse. The feed bins containing beef are then conveyed into the tumbling machine for needle-piercing tumbling and marinating. After the tumbling process, the beef is returned to the feed bin and conveyed to the vicinity of the output of tumbling zone 5. A robot then places it at another output of the stacker for re-stacking. The stacked carriers are then conveyed to the elevator at the input of the cleaning and marinating zone 6.

[0040] The next step is the cleaning and marinating process: The elevator at the input of cleaning and marinating zone 6 lifts the stack of carriers to a height precisely corresponding to the conveyor lines of each layer of the cleaning and marinating rack and sends it in. The cleaning and marinating rack is responsible for receiving and storing the stacks of carriers and automatically conveying them to the designated workstations within cleaning and marinating zone 6 for static marinating according to instructions from the central control system. During discharge, the cleaning and marinating rack moves the completed stacks of carriers to the discharge station, where the elevator at the output of cleaning and marinating zone 6 lowers the stacks to match the height of the external output port. Then, a conveyor grabs the stacks and delivers them to the destacking machine at the input of blanching zone 7.

[0041] The blanching process involves several steps: In blanching zone 7, a depalletizer at the input breaks down the stack of raw materials into individual containers. A robot then picks up each container and pours the beef into the first blanching machine for initial blanching. Empty containers are then placed on a stacker at the output of blanching zone 7 and stacked. The stacked containers are then transferred by a conveyor to the cleaning area for washing and storage. After initial processing in the first blanching machine, the beef automatically enters the second blanching machine for a second, deeper blanching to ensure optimal results. Simultaneously, a depalletizer at another input in blanching zone 7 disassembles the stacks of materials transferred by the conveyor to receive the blanched beef, preparing them for subsequent processes. The arrived stacks are broken down into individual containers and smoothly transported to the container conveyor line. The conveyor line passes the outlet of the second blanching machine, where the beef in the container is blanched and loaded. It then continues to the outlet at the other end of the blanching area 7, where a stacker crane re-stacking the loaded containers. Subsequently, a transfer machine moves this stack of beef containers to conveyor line 81 in the braising area 8.

[0042] In the braising process: the transfer mechanism in the braising area 8 accurately delivers the stack of beef-carrying containers into the designated cooking pot, where the beef is thoroughly braising through a high-temperature process.

[0043] Vacuum cooling process: After the beef has finished braising, it is transferred to a vacuum cooling machine by a conveyor. In the vacuum cooling machine, the cooked beef undergoes rapid and uniform vacuum cooling to quickly reduce the product temperature.

[0044] As a preferred implementation, the process also includes the following more detailed steps: Container cleaning process: The transfer machine transports the empty pallet stacks to the depalletizer at inlet 10 of the container cleaning area. The depalletizer breaks down the stacks into individual pallets and feeds them into the empty pallet input line. The empty pallet input line sequentially transports the individual pallets to the empty pallet tilter, which completely flips the empty pallets 180 degrees, placing them upside down. The tilted pallets are then sent to the pallet cleaning machine.

[0045] The carrier cleaning machine performs a systematic, multi-stage cleaning and drying process on each carrier in sequence, including pre-washing, main washing, rinsing, cleaning, air drying, and a final drying stage. The cleaned and dried carriers are transported via an empty tray output line to another empty tray tilting machine, where the tilting machine rights the inverted empty carriers, restoring them to their normal upright position with the opening facing upwards. Subsequently, the stacker crane neatly stacks these clean empty carriers into a stack.

[0046] Inbound Temporary Storage: Clean pallets of containers are transported to the inbound elevator via the inbound conveyor line. The inbound elevator receives pallets from the lower conveyor lines and vertically lifts them to the designated support height for each level of the temporary storage warehouse. The system then inputs the lifted pallets into the corresponding storage locations based on the current storage status of each level of the temporary storage warehouse. The temporary storage warehouse is responsible for receiving and storing pallets and, according to instructions from the central control system, automatically transports pallets in a stacked state to designated downstream workstations.

[0047] When the production line needs to call up carriers, the temporary storage warehouse receives the outbound instruction and automatically transports the stacked carriers to the designated outbound workstation. The outbound elevator receives the stack of carriers from the higher storage location and lowers them vertically to the lower operating height required by the production line for subsequent production use.

[0048] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A zoned beef braising production line, characterized in that: The production line includes several functionally distinct and independently set areas, including unpacking area with input and output ports, thawing area, trimming area, soaking area, tumbling area, cleaning and marinating area, blanching area, braising area, and vacuum cooling area. Guide rails and main conveyors are set on the outside of each area for conveying beef and carriers at the input and output ports. The loading area is equipped with a carrier conveyor line with its input and output ports. The carrier conveyor line is equipped with a loading position where packaged beef is loaded into the carrier. The output end of the carrier conveyor line is equipped with a first stacker to stack individual carriers into a carrier stack. The thawing area is equipped with two elevators corresponding to their input and output ports, and also includes a thawing rack between the two elevators, which is used to receive, store, and automatically transport the stacked carriers to the designated discharge station according to the instructions of the central control system. The trimming area has two input ports and one output port. One input port serves as the feed inlet and is equipped with a destacking machine. One output port serves as the empty carrier outlet and is equipped with a stacker. Robots are located near the feed inlet and the empty carrier outlet. The other input port serves as the empty carrier inlet and is equipped with a destacking machine. The other output port serves as the discharge outlet and is equipped with a stacker. The area also includes a trimming conveyor line and a carrier conveyor line. The input end of the trimming conveyor line corresponds to the destacking machine at the feed inlet. The output end of the trimming conveyor line connects to the carrier conveyor line. The input end of the carrier conveyor line connects to the destacking machine at the empty carrier inlet. The output end of the carrier conveyor line connects to the stacker at the discharge outlet. A water injector is located at the end of the carrier conveyor line. Elevators are installed at the inlet and outlet of the soaking zone, and a soaking rack is installed between the two elevators to receive, store, and automatically transport the stacked carriers to the designated discharge station according to the instructions of the central control system. The tumbling area is equipped with a track, on which two conveyors are installed for transferring and removing beef. Multiple tumbling machines are installed on one side of the track for needle tumbling and marinade addition. Material boxes and blood tanks are installed near the material inlet of the tumbling machines. A destacking machine and a robot with a robotic arm are installed at the input port of the tumbling area. A stacking machine and a robot with a robotic arm are installed at the output port of the tumbling area. Elevators are installed at the inlet and outlet of the cleaning and pickling area, and a cleaning and pickling rack is installed between the two elevators. The rack is used to receive, store, and automatically transport the stacked containers to the designated discharge station according to the instructions of the central control system. The blanching area also has two input ports and one output port. One input port serves as the raw material inlet and is equipped with a destacking machine. The other output port serves as the empty container outlet and is equipped with a stacker. Robots are located near the raw material inlet and the empty container outlet. A first blanching machine is also installed to perform preliminary blanching on the beef. A second blanching machine is connected to the outlet of the first blanching machine to perform a second, deeper blanching on the pre-treated beef. The area also includes a container conveyor line. The input end of the container conveyor line is equipped with a destacking machine, corresponding to the other input port. The container conveyor line passes through the outlet of the second blanching machine. The output end of the container conveyor line is equipped with a stacker, corresponding to the other output port. Guide rails are installed in the braising area and the vacuum cooling area, and a braising transfer machine is connected to the guide rails. Several cooking pots are neatly arranged on both sides of the guide rails for high-temperature cooking of beef. The vacuum cooling zone is equipped with a vacuum cooler, which is located in front of the cooking pot in the cooking zone and is also set on both sides of the guide rail. It is used to perform rapid and uniform vacuum cooling on the cooked beef.

2. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a container cleaning area equipped with a carrier cleaning machine. A destacking machine is installed at the input of the container cleaning area. The destacking machine is connected to an empty tray input line. The output end of the empty tray input line is equipped with a flipping machine, which is connected to the input end of the carrier cleaning machine. An empty tray output line is installed at the output end of the carrier cleaning machine. An empty tray flipping machine is installed at the output end of the empty tray output line. The empty tray flipping machine straightens upside-down empty carriers, restoring them to their normal state with the opening facing upwards. The output end of the empty tray flipping machine is connected to a stacker machine for neatly stacking the cleaned empty carriers.

3. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a temporary storage area 01, in which the output end of the stacker crane is connected to the inbound conveyor line. The output end of the inbound conveyor line is equipped with an inbound hoist, which is used to receive the stack of carriers from the lower inbound conveyor line and smoothly and vertically lift them to the support height of each layer of the temporary storage area. It also includes a temporary storage area, which is used to receive, store and automatically transport the stacked carriers to the designated outbound workers according to the instructions of the central control system.

4. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 3, characterized in that: An outbound elevator is installed at the outbound workstation of the temporary storage warehouse. The outbound elevator is used to receive stacks of containers from higher storage locations and safely and vertically lower them to the lower operating height required by the production line.

5. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 3, characterized in that: The temporary storage warehouse is equipped with multi-layered and independently controlled storage shelves. Each layer is equipped with a chain or roller conveyor with bidirectional power drive. These devices can achieve fully automated inbound and outbound management and material scheduling according to the instructions of the central control system.

6. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple cooking pots and vacuum coolers are provided, all of which adopt an upward-opening door structure design.

7. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveyor line uses one or more combinations of belt conveyors and roller conveyors to achieve flexible material transport according to process requirements.

8. The partitioned beef sauce braising production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle cleaning machine includes a pre-wash section, a main wash section, a rinsing section, a cleaning section, an air-drying section, and a drying section, forming a complete cleaning and drying process.

9. A production method using the partitioned beef sauce production line as described in claims 2-8, characterized in that: The following detailed steps are included: Loading: The carrier conveyor line transports the carriers to the loading position, where packaged beef is loaded into the carriers. The first stacker at the output end stacks the individual carriers into a carrier stack, and at the output port, the carriers are transferred by a transfer machine to the elevator at the input port of the thawing area. Thawing: The elevator at the input port of the thawing area sends the stack of containers containing packaged beef into the thawing rack. The thawing rack receives, stores, and automatically transports the stacked containers to the designated position according to the instructions of the central control system. The containers are thawed by water vapor. After thawing, the containers are stacked to the discharge station. The elevator at the other end lowers the position of the container stack to correspond with the output port. Then, the conveyor moves it to the destacking machine at the input port of the trimming area. Trimming: The depalletizer at the input of the trimming area breaks down the stack of packaged beef into individual containers. A robot then picks up the individual containers and dumps the beef onto the trimming conveyor line. The empty containers are placed on the stacker at the output by the robot and stacked. On the trimming conveyor line, the beef is unpacked and trimmed into uniform sizes. The stacked empty containers are then transferred by a transfer machine to another input, where they are depalletized and transported by the container conveyor line. After receiving the trimmed beef, water is injected into the containers containing the beef. The stacker at the output of the trimming conveyor line stacks the beef and then transfers it to the elevator at the input of the soaking area by a transfer machine. Soaking: The elevator at the input port of the soaking zone lifts the carrier stack to correspond with each layer of the soaking rack. The soaking rack receives, stores, and automatically transports the stacked carriers to the designated workstation according to the instructions of the central control system. When discharging, the soaking rack is moved to the discharge workstation, and then the elevator at the output port of the soaking zone lowers the carrier stack to correspond with the output port. Then, the conveyor sends it to the destacking machine at the input port of the tumbling zone. Tumbling: The destacking machine at the input of the tumbling zone destackings the carrier stacks. The robot grabs the meat and pours the blood into the blood tank. The meat is placed into the material box. The empty carrier is placed at the stacker position at the output port and then transferred by a conveyor into the cleaning area for cleaning and storage. The meat in the material box is transferred by a conveyor into the tumbling machine for needle tumbling and marinating. After tumbling, the meat is poured into the material box and transferred by a conveyor to the vicinity of the output port. The robot places the meat at the stacker position at another output port for stacking and then transfers it to the elevator position in the cleaning and marinating area by a conveyor. Cleaning and Marinating: The elevator at the input of the cleaning and marinating area lifts the stack of carriers to correspond with each layer of the soaking rack. The cleaning and marinating rack receives, stores, and automatically transports the stacked carriers to the designated workstation according to the instructions of the central control system. When discharging, the cleaning and marinating rack is moved to the discharge workstation, and then the elevator at the output of the cleaning and marinating area lowers the stack of carriers to correspond with the output. Then, the conveyor sends them to the destacking machine at the input of the blanching area. Blanching: The destacking machine at the input of the blanching area breaks the stack of raw materials into individual containers. Then, a robot picks up an individual container and pours the beef into the first blanching machine. The empty containers are placed by the robot on the stacker at the output of the blanching area for stacking. The beef is then transferred to the cleaning area by a conveyor for cleaning and storage. After the first blanching is completed, the beef enters the second blanching machine for a second deep blanching. The destacking machine at the other input of the blanching area breaks the stack of containers transferred by the conveyor into individual containers and sends them to the container conveyor line. The container conveyor line passes through the outlet of the second blanching machine to load the blanched beef and transports it to the stacker at the other output of the blanching area for stacking. The beef is then transferred to the input of the braising area by a conveyor. Braising: In the braising area, a conveyor transports stacks of beef into a cooking pot for high-temperature braising. Vacuum cooling: After braising, the beef is transferred to a vacuum cooling machine by a conveyor to perform rapid and uniform vacuum cooling.

10. The production method according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes the following detailed steps: Container Cleaning: The conveyor transports the used empty container stacks to the depalletizer at the container cleaning area input port. The depalletizer breaks the container stacks into individual containers and sends them to the empty tray input line. The empty tray input line sends the individual containers to the empty tray flipper, which completely flips the empty containers 180 degrees and places them upside down. The flipped containers are then sent to the container cleaning machine. The container cleaning machine performs multi-stage processing on the containers that pass through in sequence, including pre-washing, main washing, rinsing, cleaning, air drying, and drying. The cleaned and dried containers are transported to the empty tray flipper via the empty tray output line. The flipper then straightens the upside-down empty containers, restoring them to their normal state with the opening facing upwards. Subsequently, the stacker crane neatly stacks the clean, empty containers into piles; In the initial storage phase, clean pallets of containers are transported via the inbound conveyor line to the inbound elevator. The inbound elevator receives the pallets from the lower conveyor line and vertically lifts them to the designated support height for each level of the temporary storage warehouse. The elevator inputs the information based on the condition of the pallets on each level of the temporary storage warehouse. The temporary storage warehouse then receives and stores the pallets and automatically transports the pallets to the designated workstations according to the instructions. When production requires outbound shipment, the temporary storage warehouse receives the instructions and automatically transports the pallets to the designated outbound workstation. The outbound elevator then receives the pallets from the upper level and vertically lowers them to the lowest operating height required by the production line.

Images