Automatic slag discharge method for food processing machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method for kitchen appliances, and in particular to an automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine. The food processing machine includes a pulping chamber, a drainage component for controlling the opening and closing of the pulping chamber, and a steam generating device for introducing steam into the pulping chamber. The automatic slag discharge method for the food processing machine is characterized in that: after pulping is completed, when the drainage component is in an open state, the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber, and the steam drives the pulp residue out of the pulping chamber through the drainage component. A food processing machine using the above-mentioned slag discharge method can achieve the purpose of discharging pulp residue in the pulping chamber by steam without using washing water or using less washing water. In addition, this method can not only achieve automatic slag discharge of the food processing machine, but also achieve automatic cleaning without hand washing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a control method for kitchen appliances, in particular to an automatic slag discharge method for a food processor. Background Art

[0002] When preparing soy milk drinks with existing automatic soymilk machines, materials and water are generally added according to the required ratio. However, in actual use, consumers will add materials and water to the soymilk machine at will for simplicity and convenience. This may result in the addition of more materials and less water. After the soymilk machine finishes making soy milk, the soymilk is thick and contains a lot of residue. During the automatic discharge process, the fluid soymilk will be discharged quickly, while the fluid residue cannot be completely discharged and will remain in the grinding cup of the soymilk machine. Therefore, it is necessary to add water to the soymilk machine multiple times to flush out the residue, which not only consumes a lot of water, but also may cause the residue to not be discharged cleanly.

[0003] At the same time, the applicant has previously applied for invention applications with application numbers "CN201910481587.5" and "CN201910481588.X", respectively, and named "A self-cleaning method for a food processing machine" and "An automatic cleaning method for a food processing machine". The above patent applications disclose that during the cleaning process of the food processing machine, water is first injected and stirred to flush and soak the inner wall of the crushing chamber, and then the inner wall of the crushing chamber is fumigated with steam to soften the residue. Then, during the cleaning stage, the crushing blade drives the cleaning water to clean the crushing chamber and discharge it to the outside. In the above scheme, since an infiltration stage is provided before the steaming and fumigation, the steam can soften the residue well under the action of high temperature. However, the cleaning process still requires multiple water injections, and the stirring of the crushing blade is used to flush the inner wall of the crushing chamber in order to clean the residue. Therefore, the food processing machine in the above application needs to be cleaned with water multiple times, and the amount of cleaning water used is also relatively large. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine, which can discharge the pulp residue in the pulping chamber by steam without using cleaning water or using less cleaning water. This method can realize automatic slag discharge and automatic cleaning of the food processing machine.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: an automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine, the food processing machine comprising a pulping chamber, a liquid discharge assembly for controlling the opening and closing of the pulping chamber, and a steam generating device for introducing steam into the pulping chamber, characterized in that the automatic slag discharge method for the food processing machine comprises:

[0006] After the pulping is completed, when the drainage component is in the open state, the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber, and the steam drives the pulp residue to be discharged from the pulping chamber through the drainage component.

[0007] Furthermore, the pulping chamber is a closed structure, and the drainage assembly is the only outlet for steam discharge;

[0008] Alternatively, when the drainage assembly is in the open state, steam is continuously or intermittently introduced into the pulping chamber.

[0009] Furthermore, after the pulping is completed and before the slag discharge begins, a step of injecting water into the pulping chamber to flush the slag is provided.

[0010] Furthermore, during the slag discharge process, a step of injecting water into the pulping chamber to flush the slag is provided.

[0011] Furthermore, during the slagging process, water and steam are simultaneously fed into the pulping chamber;

[0012] Alternatively, during the slagging process, the water and steam are not fed into the pulping chamber synchronously.

[0013] Furthermore, during the slag flushing process, the drainage component is in an open state.

[0014] Furthermore, after the pulping is completed and before the slag discharge begins, a pressurization stage is provided: the liquid discharge component is closed, and the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber for pressurization.

[0015] Furthermore, during the pressurization stage, steam is continuously or intermittently introduced into the pulping chamber.

[0016] Furthermore, the food processor includes a pulp receiving cup. When discharging pulp, the pulp discharged into the pulp receiving cup is raw pulp that has not been boiled. In the process of discharging residue, the steam introduced into the pulping chamber heats the raw pulp to form foam, and the foam wraps the pulp residue and is discharged from the liquid discharge component.

[0017] Furthermore, the food processor further comprises a pulp receiving cup, into which the pulp residue is discharged;

[0018] Alternatively, the food processor further comprises a waste water box, wherein the pulp is discharged into the waste water box.

[0019] When a user uses a food processor to prepare a thick slurry, the fluidity of the thick slurry is poor. After the drainage component is opened, the slurry with good fluidity and a portion of the slurry residue that is evenly mixed with the slurry can be discharged from the slurry chamber through the drainage component. As the slurry in the slurry chamber becomes less and less, the accumulated slurry residue will be difficult to discharge from the drainage component. When the prepared thick slurry is raw slurry, since the slurry residue in the raw slurry is also rich in nutrients, if it cannot be discharged into the slurry receiving cup for boiling together, it will cause a great waste, and the slurry residue remaining in the slurry chamber is also difficult to clean. In the prior art, it is generally stirred and flushed by adding water multiple times, and finally the slurry residue and residue are discharged into the slurry receiving cup together with water for boiling. This not only requires multiple water flushing and rinsing, but also the slurry concentration in the slurry receiving cup will be greatly diluted after multiple flushing, which cannot meet the requirements of consumers who prefer a thick slurry taste.

[0020] In the food processing machine of the present invention, after the soymilk is discharged, when the drain assembly is in the open state, steam can be introduced into the soymilk chamber, and the steam is used to drive the remaining soymilk residue and impurities in the soymilk chamber to be discharged out of the soymilk chamber through the drain assembly. This not only effectively realizes the automatic discharge and cleaning functions of the food processing machine, but also, compared to existing fully automatic soymilk machines, does not require the use of cleaning water, or uses less cleaning water, and can also achieve the purpose of completely discharging the soymilk residue in the soymilk chamber.

[0021] There are several main reasons for this: First, when high-temperature steam enters the pulping chamber and encounters the cold chamber walls, it liquefies and condenses into water droplets. Under the action of gravity, the condensed water droplets wash the chamber walls and absorb the pulp residue and stains on the walls. Furthermore, when the water droplets gather at the chamber bottom wall, they further mix with the pulp residue on the chamber bottom wall, forming a more fluid slurry that is discharged through the drainage assembly. Second, after the food processor prepares the slurry, a layer of foam forms on the surface of the slurry, which clings to the chamber walls. When high-temperature steam enters the pulping chamber, the pressure inside the chamber continuously increases. Under the dual effects of high temperature and pressure, the fine foam will break and disappear, and under the scouring of the condensed water droplets, it will mix with the pulp residue on the chamber bottom wall. Furthermore, the drainage assembly is located at the bottom of the pulping chamber and is the main flow channel for steam discharge. Therefore, the steam will entrain the mixed slurry and pulp residue and be discharged through the drainage assembly. Third, when the food processor prepares raw slurry, the steam entering the slurry chamber is at a high temperature. The remaining raw slurry, heated by the high-temperature steam, will generate a large amount of foam and wrap around the slurry residue on the bottom wall of the chamber, greatly improving the fluidity of the slurry residue and facilitating its discharge. Therefore, even without adding water to the slurry chamber (mixing the slurry residue with water improves its fluidity), after a certain period of steam is introduced into the slurry chamber, the slurry residue and residue can be discharged from the slurry chamber through the drainage assembly under the multiple effects of the steam. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a food processing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a food processing machine according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Example 1:

[0026] like Figure 1 The figure shows a food processing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a machine body 1, a grinding cup 2 installed in the machine body 1, and a cup cover 3 installed on the grinding cup 2. The cup cover 3 is provided with a silicone plug 31. The grinding cup 2 and the cup cover 3 enclose a non-enclosed pulping chamber. At the same time, a water tank 4 is installed on one side of the machine body 1, and a heating device (not shown in the figure) is provided in the water tank 4 to heat the water tank and generate steam. The wall of the grinding cup 2 is provided with a water and steam inlet nozzle 21 for introducing water or steam into the grinding cup 2. The water and steam inlet nozzle 21 is connected to the water tank 4 through a pipeline (not shown in the figure). The water tank 4 and the heating device form a steam generating device for introducing steam into the pulping chamber. In addition, a drain port (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the grinding cup 2, and a drain assembly 5 is installed at the drain port. The drain assembly 5 includes a drain pipe 51, and a pulp receiving cup 6 and a wastewater box (not shown) are provided below the drain pipe 51. The wastewater box is located in the installation cavity (not shown) of the machine body 1 and is arranged side by side with the pulp receiving cup 6. For the drain pipe 51 of this embodiment, it can rotate between the pulp receiving cup 6 and the wastewater box to discharge pulp and wastewater respectively.

[0027] The food processor of this embodiment has the following pulping steps:

[0028] 1) Pulping stage: The materials and water in the pulping chamber are beaten, crushed and boiled.

[0029] 2) Discharge stage: Open the drainage component and discharge the prepared slurry into the slurry receiving cup.

[0030] 3) Pressurization stage: the drainage assembly is closed, and the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber for pressurization.

[0031] 4) Cleaning stage: The drainage component is in the open state, and the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber. The steam drives the pulp residue remaining in the cavity wall to be discharged from the pulping chamber to the wastewater box through the drainage component.

[0032] In the food processor of this embodiment, during the cleaning phase, when the drain assembly is in the open state, steam can be introduced into the pulping chamber, and the steam is used to drive the remaining pulp residue in the pulping chamber to be discharged out of the pulping chamber through the drain assembly. This effectively realizes the function of automatic cleaning of the food processor, eliminating the need for hand washing. Compared with existing hand-free soymilk makers, it does not require the use of cleaning water and can still achieve the purpose of cleanly discharging the pulp residue in the pulping chamber.

[0033] There are several main reasons for this: First, when high-temperature steam enters the pulping chamber and encounters the cold chamber walls, it liquefies and condenses into water droplets. Under the action of gravity, the condensed water droplets wash the chamber walls and absorb the pulp residue and stains on the walls. Furthermore, when the water droplets gather at the chamber bottom wall, they further mix with the pulp residue on the chamber bottom wall, forming a more fluid slurry that is discharged through the drainage assembly. Second, after the food processor prepares the slurry, a layer of foam forms on the surface of the slurry, which clings to the chamber walls. When high-temperature steam enters the pulping chamber, the pressure inside the chamber continuously increases. Under the dual effects of high temperature and pressure, the fine foam will break and disappear, and under the scouring of the condensed water droplets, it will mix with the pulp residue on the chamber bottom wall. Furthermore, the drainage assembly is located at the bottom of the pulping chamber and is the main flow channel for steam discharge. Therefore, the steam will entrain the mixed slurry and pulp residue and be discharged through the drainage assembly. Third, in this embodiment, although the pulping chamber is a non-sealed structure, the drain assembly still serves as the primary channel for steam exhaust. During the pressurization phase, when the drain assembly is closed, the steam pressure within the pulping chamber will continue to increase. During the cleaning phase, the increased steam pressure will also accelerate the discharge of pulp residue, similar to the principle of a negative pressure toilet. Therefore, during the cleaning and residue discharge process, this embodiment does not require a large amount of cleaning water to clean the pulping chamber during the pulping process, and can still effectively discharge pulp residue.

[0034] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the steam generated by the steam generating device can be continuously or intermittently fed into the pulping chamber. Similarly, in this embodiment, during the pressurization stage, the steam can be continuously or intermittently fed into the pulping chamber.

[0035] Secondly, it should be noted that in this embodiment, after the pulping is completed and before the slag discharge begins, a step of flushing the slag by injecting water into the pulping chamber can be provided during the pulping process. Because after the pulping is completed, there is relatively more pulp slag at the bottom of the pulping chamber, and adding a small amount of water to the pulping chamber can quickly flush away the large amount of pulp slag at the bottom of the cavity wall. Therefore, during the slag flushing process, the drainage component can be in an open state. Of course, during the slag discharge process, a step of flushing the slag by injecting water into the pulping chamber can also be provided, which can also achieve the purpose of quickly flushing away the pulp slag at the bottom of the cavity wall. It should be pointed out that if slag flushing is performed during the slag discharge process, the injection of water and steam into the pulping chamber can be synchronized or asynchronous. During design, the design can be selected according to the actual effect. It should be pointed out that even for this embodiment, a step of flushing the slag is provided during the pulping process, but the amount of water required for the slag flushing process is still far less than the amount of water required for cleaning existing soymilk machines that do not require hand washing.

[0036] In addition, it should be noted that, compared to the aforementioned patent application CN201910481587.5, the pulp residue adhering to the pulping chamber wall in this embodiment has not been left to dry out for a long time, and its adhesion is relatively low, so it does not require special soaking and steam softening. This is because the step of using steam to clean the pulping chamber wall is performed after the pulp is discharged. At this time, the cavity wall is still in a moist environment. After the steam condenses into water droplets, it can easily wash off the pulp residue adhering to the cavity wall.

[0037] Example 2:

[0038] like Figure 2 The figure shows the structure of the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the cup lid lacks vents and a silicone plug, and the pulping chamber formed by the cup lid and the grinding cup is a sealed cavity. When steam is introduced into the pulping chamber, the drain assembly serves as the sole outlet for the steam.

[0039] The food processor of this embodiment can prepare thick soy milk. The pulping process has the following steps:

[0040] 1) Crushing stage: The crushing blade beats and crushes the mixture of material and water in the pulping chamber to prepare a thick raw pulp mixed with pulp juice and pulp residue.

[0041] 2) Discharge stage: Open the drainage component, and the slurry and the slurry residue mixed with the slurry are discharged from the drainage component into the slurry receiving cup.

[0042] 3) Slag discharge stage: The drainage component remains open, and the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber. The steam drives the remaining pulp residue to be discharged from the drainage component into the pulp receiving cup.

[0043] 4) Boiling stage: Heat and boil the raw pulp in the pulp cup until it is cooked.

[0044] In this embodiment, since the prepared slurry is a concentrated slurry with poor fluidity, when the drain assembly is opened, the fluid slurry and a portion of the slurry residue evenly mixed with the slurry can be discharged to the slurry receiving cup through the drain assembly. However, as the slurry in the slurry making chamber becomes less and less, the accumulated slurry residue will be difficult to discharge from the drain assembly. Since the slurry residue in the raw slurry is also rich in nutrients, if it cannot be discharged into the slurry receiving cup for cooking together, it will cause great waste. In addition, the slurry residue remaining in the slurry making chamber is difficult to clean. In the prior art, water is generally added multiple times to flush the slurry residue into the slurry receiving cup. This not only requires multiple water additions to flush the residue, but also significantly dilutes the slurry concentration in the slurry receiving cup after multiple flushings, which cannot meet the taste requirements of consumers who prefer a thick slurry.

[0045] In this embodiment, during the slag discharge phase, when high-temperature steam enters the pulping chamber and encounters the cold chamber walls, it liquefies and condenses into water droplets. Under the action of gravity, the condensed water droplets wash the chamber walls and absorb the pulp residue and stains on the walls. Furthermore, when the water droplets gather at the chamber bottom wall, they further mix with the pulp residue on the chamber bottom wall, thereby forming a slurry with good fluidity and being discharged through the drainage assembly. Furthermore, because the slurry prepared by the food processor is raw, uncooked slurry, the high-temperature steam introduced heats the slag-liquid mixture in the pulping chamber. As a result, the slurry mixed with the pulp residue is heated in the pulping chamber to form a large amount of foam that envelops the pulp residue. The envelopment of the pulp residue by the foam significantly enhances its fluidity. The highly fluid foam carries the pulp residue along with it and discharges it through the drainage assembly into the pulp receiving cup. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if water is not introduced into the pulping chamber to flush the residue during the slag discharge process, the pulp residue can be discharged through the drainage assembly under the action of steam after a certain period of steam introduction.

[0046] It should be noted that, for this embodiment, in order to speed up the efficiency and time of slag discharge, a step of introducing water into the pulping chamber to flush the slag can be set after the pulping stage is completed and before the slag discharge stage begins. In addition, the step of introducing water to flush the slag can also be set during the slag discharge process, that is, the simultaneous introduction of water and steam. Of course, for the slag flushing step of this embodiment, the number of slag flushing is obviously less than the multiple slag flushing times of the prior art, and in this embodiment, the water intake and steam intake can also be asynchronous. At the same time, in order to speed up the efficiency of slag discharge, a pressurization stage can also be set after the pulping stage and before the slag discharge stage, that is: the drainage component is closed, and the steam generating device continuously or intermittently introduces steam into the pulping chamber for pressurization. Since the pulping chamber is a sealed structure, after the pressurization stage is completed and the slag discharge stage is entered, under the action of pressure, the steam will drive the pulp slag through the drainage component into the pulp receiving cup, similar to the principle of a negative pressure toilet.

[0047] It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, the pulping chamber is a closed structure, and the slurry is drained slowly by gravity. Moreover, in the latter part of the drainage, the slurry cannot be discharged naturally. Therefore, during the drainage process, steam can be continuously or intermittently introduced to increase the pressure in the pulping chamber, and the steam pressure can be used to accelerate the discharge of the slurry. In addition, while using steam to drain the slurry, the steam will also condense into water droplets on the cavity wall, further washing away the slurry residue, slurry foam, and residue on the cavity wall. Of course, in this embodiment, for consumers who do not like the feeling of slag in their drinks, the slurry residue discharged by the drainage component can also be controlled to be discharged directly into the wastewater box during the slag discharge stage to achieve preliminary filtration of the slurry residue.

[0048] Similarly, it should be noted that, compared to the above-mentioned patent application CN201910481587.5, the pulp residue adhering to the wall of the pulping chamber in this embodiment has not been left to dry for a long time, and its adhesion is relatively small, and it does not require special infiltration and steam softening. Because the step of using steam to discharge the pulping chamber is carried out after the pulping is completed, and the pulping chamber is a closed structure, the pulping chamber is always in a humid environment, and the pulp residue adhering to the cavity wall is always in a moist and softened state. Therefore, when the steam condenses into water droplets, the pulp residue adhering to the cavity wall can be easily washed off.

[0049] It should be noted that, for the food processor of the present invention, the steam generated by the steam generating device may be high-purity steam. However, since part of the steam will immediately liquefy into water mist or water droplets when it is ejected from the water inlet nozzle, the steam of the present invention may also be a mixture of steam and water.

[0050] The food processor of the present invention can be a wall-breaking food processor with a motor located below, or a frame-type food processor. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention includes, but is not limited to, the contents described in the accompanying drawings and the above specific embodiments. Any modifications that do not deviate from the functional and structural principles of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for automatically discharging slag from a food processing machine, the method comprising: a pulping chamber, a liquid discharge assembly for controlling the opening and closing of the pulping chamber, and a steam generating device for introducing steam into the pulping chamber, wherein: After the automatic deslagging method for a food processing machine is applied to a food processing machine to prepare a concentrated slurry, the automatic deslagging method comprises: After the concentrated pulp is discharged, the drainage component is closed, and the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber for pressurization. After the pressurization is completed, the drainage component is opened, and the increased steam pressure in the pulping chamber drives the pulp residue to be discharged from the pulping chamber. When the drainage component is in the open state, the steam generating device introduces steam into the pulping chamber, and the steam drives the pulp residue to be discharged from the pulping chamber through the drainage component.

2. The automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pulping chamber is a closed structure, and the drainage assembly is the only outlet for steam discharge; Alternatively, when the drainage assembly is in the open state, steam is continuously or intermittently introduced into the pulping chamber.

3. The automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the pressurization process, steam is continuously or intermittently introduced into the pulping chamber.

4. The automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The food processor includes a pulp receiving cup. When discharging pulp, the thick pulp discharged into the pulp receiving cup is uncooked raw pulp. In the process of slag discharge, the steam introduced into the pulping chamber heats the raw pulp to form foam, and the foam wraps the pulp slag and is discharged from the liquid discharge component.

5. The automatic slag discharge method for a food processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The food processor further comprises a pulp receiving cup, into which the pulp residue is discharged; Alternatively, the food processor further comprises a waste water box, wherein the pulp is discharged into the waste water box.

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