A honey concentration dryer capable of being reduced in size and automatically turned over and a method of operation
By designing an automatic rotating honey concentration and drying machine, and using infrared and humidity sensors to control the honey drying process, the problems of large size and low drying efficiency of traditional equipment have been solved, achieving a highly efficient and rapid honey drying process.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YANGEN UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2021-04-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-03
AI Technical Summary
Traditional honey drying equipment is bulky and difficult to turn manually, making it hard to simultaneously control harvesting time and quality. Furthermore, existing methods affect the aroma of the honey.
An automatic rotating honey concentration dryer was designed, which includes an infrared sensor, a humidity sensor, a rotating drying drum, and a motor. The spiral guide rod increases the contact area between the honey and the air, and the humidity sensor and infrared sensor automatically control the drying process to achieve automatic rotation and multiple drying of the honey.
It shortens the honey drying time, improves the drying quality, maximizes the use of space within a limited volume, and takes into account both the harvest time and the preservation of the honey's aroma.
Smart Images
Figure CN114082207B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a honey concentration and drying machine and its operation method that can be reduced in size and automatically rotated, belonging to the field of honey industry. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, the honey commonly consumed is produced by bees raised in captivity. Honey collected by bees typically contains 40% water. To remove this water, bees use their wings to continuously fan the honey, causing the water content to evaporate and achieve complete drying. However, this drying method is quite time-consuming, affecting the honey's harvesting and market availability. Therefore, some beekeepers use high-temperature hot air to blow the honey to a temperature of 100°C, allowing the water in the honey to evaporate completely and achieving rapid water removal. However, this method of removing water using high temperatures causes the honey to lose its aroma, affecting its sales.
[0003] Therefore, in order to lower the temperature of the hot air, some manufacturers place the honey in a low-pressure environment. Due to the effect of low pressure, the boiling point of water is lowered. Thus, the water in the honey can begin to evaporate and disappear under the blowing of hot air at a temperature of about 60°C, without having to reach a temperature of 100°C. Although this drying method can lower the temperature during hot air drying, it still causes the honey to lose some of its aroma and cannot achieve the best honey aroma. Moreover, low-pressure drying is quite expensive and bulky. Therefore, traditional honey drying methods cannot simultaneously take into account the harvesting time and quality, making them quite unsatisfactory in use. Furthermore, traditional transmission drying equipment is bulky, difficult to rotate manually, and cannot simultaneously take into account the harvesting time and quality.
[0004] In view of this, the inventor conducted in-depth research on the deficiencies in the prior art, and thus came to this invention. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a honey concentration and drying machine and operation method that can be reduced in size and automatically rotated, so as to solve the problems of traditional transmission drying devices being large in size, difficult to rotate manually, and difficult to simultaneously take into account harvesting time and quality.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a miniaturized and automatically tilting honey concentration and drying machine, comprising a honey dispensing valve, a sealing cap, an infrared sensor, a tilting drying drum, a connecting rod, a humidity sensor, a hollow rotating shaft, a motor, a controller, a support frame, a second honey placement trough, an exhaust fan, a guide rod, a first honey placement trough, and a control board. The top of the second honey placement trough and the bottom of the first honey placement trough are each provided with a plurality of perforations.
[0007] The infrared sensor has two parts, which are respectively installed in the second honey placement slot and the first honey placement slot, to detect whether there is still honey in the placement slot;
[0008] The tilting drying drum is made of stainless steel and has a long, hollow structure. It is mounted on a support frame via a hollow rotating shaft and is used to hold honey for drying.
[0009] A humidity sensor is installed on the tilting drying drum to detect the air humidity inside the drum and transmit the signal to the controller.
[0010] The controller is equipped with limit switches to control the start and stop of the equipment. The controller is located outside the tilting drying drum and is electrically connected to a humidity sensor and an infrared sensor to receive the sensing signals from the humidity sensor and the infrared sensor.
[0011] When the controller receives infrared sensing signals from the two infrared sensors, it indicates that the honey has completely flowed from the upper honey storage tank to the lower honey storage tank. Therefore, the controller can generate corresponding control commands based on the air humidity value. If the humidity value is higher than the predetermined value, the controller generates a motor operation command to perform another drying operation.
[0012] Several guide rods are arranged in concentric circles inside the tilting drying barrel and are installed inside the tilting drying barrel via connecting rods. The guide rods have a spiral structure, and the gentler the spiral, the slower the flow rate. The upper and lower ends of the guide rods correspond to the perforations at the top of the second honey placement tank and the bottom of the first honey placement tank, respectively, to guide the flow of honey.
[0013] Furthermore, the motor is embedded in the support frame, the motor is electrically connected to the controller, and the motor is located on the left side of the tilting drying drum and meshes with its left hollow rotating shaft.
[0014] Furthermore, the tilting drying drum is equipped with a transparent observation window.
[0015] Furthermore, the hollow rotating shaft has two shafts respectively mounted on the support frame, and the tilting drying barrel is mounted on the support frame via the two hollow rotating shafts.
[0016] Furthermore, the exhaust fan is located on the right side of the tilting drying drum and is mounted on the hollow rotating shaft.
[0017] Furthermore, the honey extraction switch valve has two valves respectively installed on the sealing cap, and the sealing cap has two valves respectively installed on the upper and lower ends of the flip-type drying barrel, and the sealing cap includes, but is not limited to, a flip-top type cap or a screw-on type cap.
[0018] Furthermore, the control panel has two parts that are respectively attached to the top of the second honey placement slot and the bottom of the first honey placement slot.
[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a honey concentration and drying machine that can be reduced in size and automatically rotated is provided, the steps of which include:
[0020] Step 1: Put honey into the first honey placement tank by opening the honey extraction switch valve and start the exhaust fan via the controller;
[0021] Step 2: Manually adjust the overlap between the control board and the bottom perforation of the first honey placement tank to control the honey flow rate. After the honey in the first honey placement tank has flowed through, the infrared sensor will transmit a signal to the controller.
[0022] Step 3: After receiving the signal from the infrared sensor, the controller will activate the humidity sensor to detect the humidity inside the tilting drying drum. If the humidity exceeds the standard, the motor will be activated to tilt the drying drum, causing the first honey placement slot and the second honey placement slot to be reversed for another drying process. Step 2 will be repeated. If the humidity does not exceed the standard, the exhaust fan will be turned off.
[0023] Step 4: Extract honey by opening the honey extraction valve.
[0024] Beneficial effects
[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are:
[0026] 1. The device is equipped with many spiral guide rods arranged longitudinally inside, allowing the honey to flow downwards along the surface of the spiral guide rods by gravity. This can effectively increase the contact area between the honey and the air to carry out one or more drying processes, thereby shortening the time required to reduce the moisture content of the honey and ensuring quality. In addition, the spiral guide rods can further reduce the length of the drying barrel and increase the contact area between the honey and the air, making the most of the limited volume.
[0027] 2. The tilting drying drum is equipped with a humidity sensor that can automatically detect the humidity of the honey, and an infrared sensor that can automatically detect the flow of the honey. If the humidity does not drop to the predetermined value, it can automatically tilt vertically to start the next drying process. It can also be automatically tilted vertically at set times by a timer, so as to carry out automatic drying work and take into account both the harvest time and quality. Attached Figure Description
[0028] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:
[0029] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the dryer in a single drying process according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the dryer in the secondary drying process of an embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] Figure 3 This is a top cross-sectional view of the tilting drying drum of a honey concentration and drying machine that can be reduced in size and automatically tilted according to the present invention.
[0032] Figure 4 This is a circuit block diagram of Embodiment 4 of the present invention;
[0033] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of a honey concentration and drying machine that can be reduced in size and automatically rotated according to the present invention.
[0034] In the diagram: Honey extraction switch valve-1, sealing cap-2, infrared sensor-3, tilting drying drum-4, connecting rod-5, humidity sensor-6, hollow rotating shaft-7, motor-8, controller-9, support frame-10, second honey placement tank-11, exhaust fan-12, guide rod-13, first honey placement tank-14, control board-15. Detailed Implementation
[0035] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.
[0036] {A shrinkable and automatically rotating honey concentration and drying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention}
[0037] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a miniaturized and automatically tilting honey concentration and drying machine, the structure of which includes a honey dispensing switch valve 1, a sealing cover 2, an infrared sensor 3, a tilting drying drum 4, a connecting rod 5, a humidity sensor 6, a hollow rotating shaft 7, a motor 8, a controller 9, a support frame 10, a second honey placement tank 11, an exhaust fan 12, a guide rod 13, a first honey placement tank 14, and a control board 15. The top of the second honey placement tank 11 and the bottom of the first honey placement tank 14 are respectively provided with several perforations.
[0038] Infrared sensor 3, two of which are respectively installed in the second honey placement slot 11 and the first honey placement slot 14, are used to detect whether there is still honey in the placement slot;
[0039] The tilting drying drum 4 is made of stainless steel and has a long, hollow structure. It is mounted on the support frame 10 via a hollow rotating shaft 7 and is used to hold honey for drying.
[0040] Humidity sensor 6 is installed on the tilting drying drum 4 to detect the air humidity inside the tilting drying drum 4 and transmit the signal to the controller 9.
[0041] The controller 9 is equipped with a limit switch to control the start and stop of the equipment. The controller 9 is located outside the tilting drying drum 4 and is electrically connected to the humidity sensor 6 and the infrared sensor 3 to receive the sensing signals from the humidity sensor 6 and the infrared sensor 3.
[0042] When the controller 9 receives infrared sensing signals transmitted by the two infrared sensors 3, it indicates that the honey has completely flowed from the upper honey storage tank to the lower honey storage tank. Therefore, the controller 9 can generate corresponding control commands based on the air humidity value. If the humidity value is higher than the predetermined value, the controller generates a motor 8 operation command to perform another drying operation.
[0043] Several guide rods 13 are arranged in concentric circles inside the tilting drying barrel 4 and are installed inside the tilting drying barrel 4 via connecting rods 5. The guide rods 13 have a spiral structure. The gentler the spiral, the slower the flow rate. The upper and lower ends of the guide rods 13 correspond to the perforations at the top of the second honey placement tank 11 and the bottom of the first honey placement tank 14, respectively, to guide the flow of honey.
[0044] More preferably, the motor 8 is embedded in the support frame 10, the motor 8 is electrically connected to the controller 9, the motor 8 is located on the left side of the tilting drying drum 4 and meshes with its left hollow rotating shaft 7. This technology automatically controls the motor 8 through the electrical connection between the controller 9 and the motor 8, and enables it to tilt automatically through the infrared sensor 3 and the humidity sensor 6.
[0045] Even better, the tilting drying tank 4 is equipped with a transparent observation window, which allows the flow of honey to be observed and adjustments made conveniently.
[0046] More preferably, the hollow rotating shaft 7 is provided with two shafts respectively mounted on the support frame 10, and the tilting drying barrel 4 is mounted on the support frame 10 through the two hollow rotating shafts 7. This technology makes the tilting drying barrel 4 suspended between the support frames 10 through the arrangement of the two hollow rotating shafts 7.
[0047] More preferably, the exhaust fan 12 is located on the right side of the tilting drying drum 4 and is installed on the hollow rotating shaft 7. This technology uses the hollow rotating shaft 7 to extract air and guide the internal moisture. The shape or power of the exhaust fan 12 is not particularly limited. As long as it can produce an extraction effect, it can be applied to this invention.
[0048] More preferably, the honey extraction switch valve 1 has two valves respectively installed on the sealing cover 4, and the sealing cover 2 has two valves respectively installed on the upper and lower ends of the flip-type drying barrel 4. The sealing cover 2 includes, but is not limited to, a flip-top cover or a screw-on cover. The control plate 15 has two valves respectively attached to the top of the second honey placement tank 11 and the bottom of the first honey placement tank 14. This technology allows the flow rate of honey to be adjusted as needed by setting the control plate 15.
[0049] {A method for operating a honey concentration and drying machine that can be reduced in size and automatically rotated according to an embodiment of the present invention}
[0050] Please see Figure 5 According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a honey concentration and drying machine that can be reduced in size and automatically rotated is provided, the steps of which include:
[0051] Step 1: Put honey into the first honey placement tank 14 by opening the honey dispensing switch valve 1 and start the exhaust fan 12 via the controller 9;
[0052] Step 2: Manually adjust the overlap between the control board 15 and the bottom perforation of the first honey placement tank 14 to control the honey flow speed. After the honey in the first honey placement tank 14 has flowed through, the infrared sensor 3 will transmit a signal to the controller 9.
[0053] Step 3: After receiving the signal from the infrared sensor 3, the controller 9 will activate the humidity sensor 6 to detect the humidity inside the tilting drying barrel 4. If the humidity exceeds the standard, the motor 8 will be activated to tilt the tilting drying barrel 4, causing the positions of the first honey placement tank 14 and the second honey placement tank 11 to be reversed, and the drying process will be repeated. If the humidity does not exceed the standard, the exhaust fan 12 will be turned off.
[0054] Step 4: Extract honey by opening honey extraction valve 1.
[0055] {Example 1}
[0056] In practical use, the user can first lift the sealing cover 2 and pour the honey to be dried into the upper first honey placement slot 14, then turn on the exhaust fan 12, and then close the sealing cover 2. When the honey flows into and is collected in the lower second honey placement slot 11, the first drying process of the present invention is completed. The humidity sensor 6 detects the moisture content. If the honey moisture content does not meet the standard, the controller 9 can cause the motor 8 to drive the tilting drying barrel 4 to tilt vertically, so that the lower second honey placement slot 11 and the upper first honey placement slot 14 are reversed. This means that the honey collected in the second honey placement slot 11 is moved to the top, so that the honey can flow into the drying barrel again through the perforations and flow down along the densely distributed and parallel spiral guide rods 13, and flow into the lower first honey placement slot through the perforations, thereby completing the second drying process. In other words, by repeatedly manually tilting the drying barrel, multiple drying processes can be performed to reduce the moisture content of the honey. After the drying process is completed, the user can open the lower honey dispensing valve 1 to allow the honey to flow out.
[0057] {Example 2}
[0058] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the controller 9, infrared sensor 3, and humidity sensor 6 may be omitted from the present invention. In this embodiment, the motor 8 may be driven by a timer, for example, to vertically rotate the drying drum at specific times or cycles. Therefore, in this embodiment, the drying drum of the present invention can be rotated, for example, every 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the timer setting, to perform multiple drying processes.
[0059] {Example 3}
[0060] In another embodiment, the hollow rotating shaft 7 is provided with an air inlet pipe, but not limited to, extending to the inner bottom side of the tilting drying barrel 4, preferably surrounding the inner bottom. The gas inlet of the air outlet pipe is preferably, but not limited to, extending to the inner top side of the tilting drying barrel 4, preferably surrounding the inner bottom. This allows the dry gas introduced into the tilting drying barrel 4 from the outside to be drawn in from one side of the tilting drying barrel 4 and then drawn out from the other side. This allows the dry air to come into more full contact with the honey. The outer side of the air inlet pipe may have an air filter or a moisture-absorbing filter to filter out moisture and odors in the external dry air. Alternatively, it may have, for example, an electronic dehumidifier to provide dry air. Therefore, when the exhaust device is operating, the external dry air can be drawn into the drying barrel to further remove the moisture contained in the honey.
[0061] {Example 4}
[0062] In another embodiment, the flip-top drying bin 4 may be equipped with a solar panel to provide power to the exhaust fan 12 after honey harvesting in the wild. If an electronic dehumidifier is installed, the solar panel can also provide power to the electronic dehumidifier. The flip-top drying bin 4 may also be equipped with a battery, which can be charged by mains power or a solar panel, making it convenient to carry outdoors.
[0063] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
[0064] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.
Claims
1. A honey concentration and drying machine with a shrinkable size and automatic tilting mechanism, characterized in that: Its structure includes a honey extraction switch valve (1), a sealing cap (2), an infrared sensor (3), a tilting drying drum (4), a connecting rod (5), a humidity sensor (6), a hollow rotating shaft (7), a motor (8), a controller (9), a support frame (10), a second honey placement tank (11), an exhaust fan (12), a guide rod (13), a first honey placement tank (14), and a control board (15). The top of the second honey placement tank (11) and the bottom of the first honey placement tank (14) are respectively provided with several perforations. Infrared sensors (3) are provided, two of which are installed in the second honey placement slot (11) and the first honey placement slot (14) respectively, to detect whether there is still honey in the placement slot; The tilting drying barrel (4) is made of stainless steel and has a long strip structure with a hollow interior. It is installed on the support frame (10) through a hollow rotating shaft (7) and is used to hold honey for drying. A humidity sensor (6) is installed on the tilting drying drum (4) to detect the air humidity inside the tilting drying drum (4) and transmit the signal to the controller (9); The controller (9) is equipped with a limit switch to control the start and stop of the equipment. The controller (9) is located outside the flip-type drying drum (4) and is electrically connected to the humidity sensor (6) and the infrared sensor (3) to receive the sensing signals from the humidity sensor (6) and the infrared sensor (3). When the controller (9) receives the infrared sensing signal transmitted by the two infrared sensors (3), it indicates that the honey has completely flowed from the upper honey placement tank to the lower honey placement tank. Therefore, the controller (9) can generate a corresponding control command based on the air humidity value. If the humidity value is higher than the predetermined value, the controller generates a motor (8) operation command to perform another drying operation. Several guide rods (13) are arranged in concentric circles inside the tilting drying barrel (4) and installed inside the tilting drying barrel (4) via connecting rods (5). The guide rods (13) have a spiral structure. The gentler the spiral, the slower the flow rate. The upper and lower ends of the guide rods (13) correspond to the perforations at the top of the second honey placement tank (11) and the bottom of the first honey placement tank (14), respectively, to guide the flow of honey. The motor (8) is embedded in the support frame (10). On the ), the motor (8) is electrically connected to the controller (9). The motor (8) is located on the left side of the tilting drying barrel (4) and meshes with its left hollow rotating shaft (7). The hollow rotating shaft (7) has two parts respectively installed on the support frame (10), and the tilting drying barrel (4) is installed on the support frame (10) through the two hollow rotating shafts (7). The control board (15) has two parts respectively attached to the top of the second honey placement slot (11) and the bottom of the first honey placement slot (14).
2. The honey concentration and drying machine with shrinkable size and automatic tilting function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilting drying drum (4) is equipped with a transparent observation window.
3. The honey concentration and drying machine with shrinkable size and automatic tilting as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust fan (12) is located on the right side of the tilting drying drum (4) and is mounted on the hollow rotating shaft (7).
4. The honey concentration and drying machine with shrinkable size and automatic tilting function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The honey extraction switch valve (1) has two valves respectively installed on the sealing cover (2). The sealing cover (2) has two valves respectively installed on the upper and lower ends of the flip-type drying barrel (4). The sealing cover (2) is a flip-type cover or a screw-type cover.
5. A method for operating a miniaturized and automatically rotating honey concentration and drying machine, employing the miniaturized and automatically rotating honey concentration and drying machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step 1: Put the honey into the first honey placement tank (14) by opening the honey extraction switch valve (1) and start the exhaust fan (12) by the controller (9); Step 2: Manually adjust the overlap between the control board (15) and the bottom perforation of the first honey placement tank (14) to control the honey flow rate. After the honey in the first honey placement tank (14) has flowed, the infrared sensor (3) will transmit a signal to the controller (9). Step 3: After receiving the signal from the infrared sensor (3), the controller (9) will activate the humidity sensor (6) to detect the humidity inside the tilting drying barrel (4). If the humidity exceeds the standard, the motor (8) will be activated to tilt the tilting drying barrel (4) so that the positions of the first honey placement slot (14) and the second honey placement slot (11) are reversed to perform another drying operation and repeat step 2. If the humidity does not exceed the standard, the exhaust fan (12) will be turned off. Step 4: Extract honey by opening the honey extraction switch valve (1).