A deep-frying robot

Abstract

This invention discloses a deep-frying robot, including a clamp (1) and a telescopic rod (10). The clamp (1) is composed of a clamping plate (2) and a frame (3). The upper end of the frame (3) is connected to a clamping mechanism (11) and the lower end is attached to the outer surface of the clamping plate (2). The clamping plate (2) is bent and has densely arranged holes (4). The lower end of the clamping plate (2) has a bend (5) that smoothly transitions to the outside. The clamp (1) is O-shaped with an open lower end. The outer surface of the clamping plate (2) is closely fitted with the frame (3) and the bend (5) at the lower end is smoothly transitioned. It has the advantages of being applicable to a wide range of food ingredients and being able to clamp large food ingredients, having high structural strength, and producing food ingredients with good integrity after deep-frying.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of frying equipment technology, and in particular to a frying robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of mechanization, various mechanized equipment has emerged in the field of frying. When food is fried, a lot of oil fumes are produced. The application of mechanization can greatly reduce the cost of manual labor and avoid workers from directly contacting the working environment full of oil fumes. Under the current technology, the equipment for loading and unloading food is basically a wire mesh frame structure. Although the wire mesh frame structure can easily fry and unload food, it is often limited by the size and shape of the food to be fried.

[0003] A Chinese patent, published on April 13, 2021, with publication number CN112640928A, discloses a tofu skin frying machine, including a worktable with a feeding point and a loading point, a robotic gripper, and a shaping and unloading mechanism. The robotic gripper and the shaping and unloading mechanism are the structures that fry the food. The robotic gripper includes a gripping bar that moves along the Y-axis and Z-axis and a gripping robotic arm that drives the gripping bar to move. The gripping bar is U-shaped. The loading robotic arm inserts the tofu skin into the middle of the U-shaped opening of the gripping bar through a suction nozzle on the worktable. The shaping and unloading mechanism includes an unloading frame with an unloading cylinder installed along the X-axis. The output shaft of the unloading cylinder is equipped with a pneumatic gripper. Two arc-shaped shaping pieces are installed on the pneumatic gripper. The two arc-shaped shaping pieces are cylindrical when the pneumatic gripper is closed. This structure uses a robotic gripper with a U-shaped clamping bar to hold the tofu skin, then deep-fry it. Finally, a pneumatic gripper reshapes and removes the tofu skin from the clamping bar, which solves the problem of deep-frying tofu skin very well. However, it is not universal and cannot be used to fry larger ingredients. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the limitations of existing frying robots in frying larger or irregularly shaped ingredients. The invention provides a frying robot with a reinforced frame that strengthens the gripper, and a bend in the clamping plate that provides some protection for the food. The gripper is an O-shaped structure with an open bottom to accommodate irregularly shaped ingredients. This invention has the advantages of being able to fry larger ingredients and having a wide range of applicability to various food types.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is a frying robot, including a clamp and a telescopic rod. The clamp consists of a clamping plate and a frame. The upper end of the frame is connected to a clamping mechanism, and the lower end is attached to the outer surface of the clamping plate. The clamping plate is curved and has densely arranged holes. The lower end of the clamping plate has a bend that smoothly transitions to the outside. Preferably, a clamp has two clamping plates. The main body of the clamping plates is bent inward and the two clamping plates are arranged opposite each other, so that the overall clamp is O-shaped with an opening at the bottom. This structure can use the lower end of the clamping plates to clamp the food. For irregular food, the space formed in the middle part of the clamping plates can accommodate larger parts. A skeleton is attached to the clamping plates. The skeleton fits the curved surface of the clamping plates on the outside, which increases the structural strength of the clamping plates. The clamping plates have dense holes. The more holes there are, the larger the contact area between the hot oil and the food, and the faster and more evenly it cooks. The lower end of the clamping plates has a bend that smoothly transitions to the outside. When clamping food, the food will not be broken due to the contact area between the clamp and the food being too small or too sharp, which greatly ensures the integrity of the food. The upper end of the clamp is connected to a clamping mechanism, which enables the clamp to perform opening, closing and clamping actions.

[0006] The clamping mechanism has a telescopic rod at its upper end and a fixed long bolt and a push rod at its lower end. The push rod is parallel to the fixed long bolt and is located inside the fixed long bolt. Preferably, the lower end of the clamping mechanism is connected to a clamp, which acts on the clamp. The upper end is fixed to the telescopic rod, which extends and retracts in the vertical direction. The lower end of the clamping mechanism has a push rod, with both ends of the push rod sleeved on the inner side of the frame. A fixed long bolt is located on the outer side of the push rod. The two ends of the fixed long bolt are sleeved on the outer side of the contact position between the frame and the two ends of the push rod. The fixed long bolt is also sleeved on the lower end of the clamping mechanism. In this way, the frame can be fixed at the lower end of the clamping mechanism and rotate around the fixed long bolt. The push rod is responsible for applying a downward force at the end of the frame to complete the opening and closing action of the lower end of the clamp. In order for this operating structure to operate normally, the push rod and the fixed long bolt must be parallel to each other and their axial direction must be consistent with the plane direction of the curved surface of the clamping plate.

[0007] The clamping mechanism includes a pushing block, which is sleeved inside the main body of the clamping mechanism in the same direction as gravity. The pushing rod has a thread in the middle, and the lower end of the pushing block is sleeved on the pushing rod and fixed by the thread. Preferably, the clamping mechanism has a pushing block in the middle, the lower end of the pushing block extends outward and has a cylindrical through-hole in the same axial direction as the pushing rod, and the through-hole has a thread in the middle. The pushing rod also has a thread in the middle, and the pushing rod is sleeved on the through-hole and firmly fixed inside the pushing block by the thread.

[0008] The upper end of the frame is forked, and the upper end of the fork is fitted onto the two ends of the fixing bolt and the push rod. The lower end of the frame has a gap in contact with the clamping plate. Preferably, the upper end of the frame is forked, and the frame is fitted onto the push rod and fixing bolt at the fork and fixed together. The lower end of the frame has a gap in the middle. This gap is designed to minimize contact between the frame and the clamping plate without reducing structural rigidity, allowing as many of the elongated holes in the clamping plate as possible to be exposed, maximizing the contact area between the food and the hot oil, resulting in more even and thorough cooking.

[0009] The clamping plate has a connecting plate at its upper end, which is tightly fitted and fixed to both sides of the frame. The holes in the clamping plate are elongated. Preferably, the clamping plate has a connecting plate at its upper end, which is perpendicular to the clamping plate, rectangular in shape, and placed on each side of the frame that is fitted with the clamping plate. This fixes the clamping plate to the frame and facilitates subsequent replacement and cleaning of the clamping plate. The holes in the clamping plate are long and narrow, and neatly arranged. Compared to round holes, when the holes are densely arranged and have a small area, the strip shape has less tension on the oil, allowing the oil to pass through the holes more easily, ensuring that the food is cooked evenly and shortening the frying time.

[0010] The upper end of the clamping plate bends inward, and the lower end of the skeleton fits tightly against the clamping plate at the upper part of the bend. Preferably, the upper end of the clamping plate bends inward, which means that the two main parts of the clamping plate are bent inward and arranged opposite each other, so that the overall clamp is O-shaped with an open bottom. This allows the clamp to grip irregular food items. The skeleton extends downward on the outside of the clamping plate, but does not exceed the bend of the clamping plate. Because the bend is in direct contact with the food, the absence of the skeleton interfering with the contact between the food and the hot oil allows the food to cook more evenly. Any part of the skeleton on the clamping plate is tightly fitted to the outside of the clamping plate, which is also for structural reinforcement.

[0011] The telescopic rod has a track drive mechanism at its upper end and a rotating mechanism at its lower end. The upper end of the rotating mechanism is fixedly connected to the track drive mechanism, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the telescopic rod. Preferably, the upper end of the telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the rotating mechanism, the lower end of the rotating mechanism is fixedly connected to the telescopic rod, and the upper end is fixedly connected to the track drive mechanism. The rotating mechanism allows the food to move in the oil tank, allowing the food to come into contact with different areas of the oil tank. Because the hot oil will exchange heat with the food after it comes into contact with it, the hot oil on the surface of the food is often lower in temperature than the hot oil in other areas of the oil tank. The upper end of the track drive mechanism is connected to a guide rail, which allows the robot to travel along the guide rail to sequentially complete operations such as taking food from the storage box, frying it in the oil tank, and then taking it out, which require changing positions.

[0012] The rotating mechanism has a motor in the middle and is divided into two sections with the motor as the center. Preferably, the rotating mechanism is divided into upper and lower sections with a motor in the middle. The motor drives the lower section of the rotating mechanism to rotate, and the upper section of the rotating mechanism is fixed to the lower end of the track drive mechanism.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) The use of a frame and a clamping plate improves the structural strength of the clamp; (2) The clamp is O-shaped with an open bottom, which gives the clamp the ability to stably clamp irregular ingredients; (3) The lower end of the clamping plate is provided with a smooth bend to protect the integrity of the fried ingredients; (4) The bend is not provided with a frame, and the contact part between the ingredients and the clamp is filled with dense strip-shaped holes, so that the ingredients are cooked more evenly; (5) The rotating mechanism and the guide rail drive mechanism allow the ingredients to move in the oil tank and come into contact with hot oil in different areas, so that they are cooked faster. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is an appearance drawing of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a side view of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a diagram of the clamp of the present invention in its open state.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the clamp of the present invention in its closed state.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the clamping mechanism of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the working state of the present invention.

[0020] In the diagram: 1. Fixture, 2. Clamping plate, 3. Frame, 4. Hole, 5. Bend, 6. Fixed long bolt, 7. Push rod, 8. Push block, 9. Fork, 10. Telescopic rod, 11. Clamping mechanism, 12. Gap, 13. Connecting plate, 14. Track drive mechanism, 15. Rotating mechanism, 16. Guide rail, 17. Oil tank, 18. Storage box. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The specific implementation of the technical solution of the present invention will be further described below through examples and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] exist Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5In Embodiment 1 shown, a deep-frying robot includes a clamp 1 at the bottom. The clamp 1 consists of a frame 3 and clamping plates 2, which are symmetrically arranged. A connecting plate 13 is provided at the upper end of the clamping plate 2. The connecting plate 13 fits tightly against the frame 3 on both sides, firmly fixing the frame 3 to the outer surface of the clamping plate 2. The upper end of the frame 3 has a fork 9, and the lower end has a gap 12. The gap 12 increases the number and proportion of holes 4 on the clamping plate 2, allowing oil to exchange heat with the food through the holes 4. The lower end of the frame 3 is located above the bend 5 of the clamping plate 2. The bend 5 also has densely arranged holes 4, allowing the part of the clamp 1 in contact with the food to exchange heat with the hot oil. The bend 5 bends outward. The curved and rounded transition prevents food from being broken due to excessive pressure on the contact surface when clamped. The main body of clamp 2 bends inward, making the entire clamp 1 appear as an O-shape with an open bottom. This allows the middle part of clamp 1 to accommodate irregular parts of food, making clamp 1 more versatile. The frame 3 is on the outside of clamp 2 and fits completely against the outer surface of clamp 2, transferring a large portion of the force on the clamp to the frame 3, increasing structural strength. The upper end of clamp 1 is equipped with a clamping mechanism 11, which is composed of a push block 8, a push rod 7, and a fixing bolt 6. The push rod 7 passes through both sides of the push block 8 and is sleeved at both ends by the forks 9 provided by the frame 3. There is a gap between the forks 9 and the sleeved part of the push rod 7. The push rod 7 is relative to the frame. The position of 3 changes as the push rod 7 moves. A fixed long bolt 6 is also provided on the outside of the push rod 7, passing through both sides of the clamping mechanism 11 and connecting to the bifurcated positions 9 of the frame 6 at both ends. The push block 8 is located in the middle of the clamping mechanism 11 and is vertically connected to the main body of the clamping mechanism 11. A power source is provided at the upper end of the push block 8, allowing it to perform a piston-like up-and-down movement within the main body of the clamping mechanism 11 according to instructions. When the push block 8 presses down, its downward movement causes the push rod 7 to press down on the end of the frame 3, causing the frame 3 to rotate around the fixed long bolt 6. The lower end of the frame 3 drives the clamping plate 2 to open and close. It is worth noting that when the clamp 1 is in the closed state, the push block 8 does not move, and at this time the push rod 7... Above the upper part of the frame 3, and tightly fitted to the upper end of the sleeve part, the clamping mechanism 11 is provided with a telescopic rod 10 at its upper end, which can move the clamp 1 up and down. A rotating mechanism 15 is fixedly connected above the telescopic rod 10, which can drive the telescopic rod 10 and thus drive the clamp 1 to move around the rotation axis of the rotating mechanism 15, so that the food clamped by the clamp 1 can be changed to different areas in the oil tank 17 at any time. A guide rail drive mechanism 14 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating mechanism 15. The guide rail drive mechanism 14 moves along the guide rail 16, driving the clamp 1 to move along the guide rail 16. This allows the robot to complete operations that require changing the position of the robot, such as taking food from the storage box 18 and putting it into the oil tank 17 to fry the food, or taking the food out of the oil tank 17 after it is cooked, or moving the food in the oil tank 17.

[0024] Example 2

[0025] exist Figure 1 Figure 6 In Embodiment 2 shown, three robotic arms are connected to the guide rail 16 via the guide rail drive mechanism 14. Below the guide rail 16, from left to right, are a food storage area, an oil tank 17, and a food placement area. The food storage area has a storage box 18, which is divided into several storage spaces and separated by partitions. The partitions are tilted to one side so that softer food can lie on the partitions in good shape, making it easy for the gripper 1 to grab and ensuring the shape of the food. The robotic arms use the gripper 1 to pick up the food, and the guide rail drive mechanism 14 transports the gripper 1 and the food along the guide rail 16 to the upper end of the oil tank 17. The telescopic rod 10 extends downward, and the food is thrown into the hot oil in the oil tank 17 to start frying. During frying, the rotating mechanism 15 and the guide rail drive mechanism 14 begin to move slightly to allow the food to fully contact the hot oil in different areas of the oil tank 17. After frying, the food is placed in the food placement area or drained of excess hot oil. The rest is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0026] The assembly method and operation of the frying robot of the present invention are as follows:

[0027] During assembly, first connect the guide rail drive mechanism 14 with the guide rail 16 so that the guide rail 16 can move along the guide rail drive mechanism 14 without falling off. Then, align the upper end of the rotating mechanism 15 with the lower end of the guide rail drive mechanism 14 and fix them together with short bolts. Next, fix a telescopic rod 10 to the lower end of the rotating mechanism 15. Fix the lower end of the telescopic rod 10 to the main body of the clamping mechanism 11. First, place the fork 9 of the frame 3 at the through holes on both sides of the clamping mechanism 11. Then, pass the fixing long bolt 6 through one side of the fork 9, then through both sides of the clamping mechanism 11, and then through the fork. On the other side of 9, use a nut to secure the long bolt 6 to ensure that the frame 3 will not fall off. Then, align the hole at the upper end of the fork 9 with the hole provided in the push block 8 inside the clamping mechanism 11. Pass the push rod 7 through one side of the fork 9 and then rotate it along the thread until the push rod 7 passes through the other side of the fork 9. After installation, attach the clamping plate 2 to the frame 3 and fix it at the mounting plate. The assembly is complete. During operation, the guide rail drive mechanism 14 moves from the left side of the guide rail 16 to the right side and stops when the clamp 1 is aligned with the food to be fried. Then, the telescopic rod 10 moves downward. The extension mechanism pushes block 8 downwards, pressing down on the upper end of frame 3. Frame 3, along with clamping plate 2, opens the lower opening of clamp 1, allowing it to fall to the designated position above the food. Block 8 is pushed upwards, and frame 3 causes clamping plate 2 to close, clamping the food. Telescopic rod 10 retracts upwards, moving the food away from storage box 18 and other obstacles that might touch the food during operation. Then, guide rail drive mechanism 14 continues to move until it is above oil tank 17. Telescopic rod 10 extends downwards, completely immersing the food in hot oil. Guide rail drive mechanism 14 and rotating mechanism 15 begin to move slightly. The food is moved, allowing it to contact different areas of the oil tank 17 until the set time ends. At this point, the guide rail drive mechanism 14 and the rotating mechanism 15 stop moving. Then, the telescopic rod 10 retracts upwards, lifting the food to the top of the oil tank 17 and away from it. The guide rail drive mechanism 14 continues to move until the food placement area stops. The telescopic rod 10 then extends downwards until the food contacts the food placement area, and simultaneously, the clamping mechanism 11 opens the lower end of the clamp 1, causing the food to fall. The telescopic rod 10 retracts, and the guide rail drive mechanism 14 continues to move along the guide rail (the guide rail 16 is closed). Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 6 (Only a part is drawn in the middle), until returning to the food storage area, ready to continue the frying operation, and so on.

Claims

1. A deep-frying robot, comprising a clamp (1) and a telescopic rod (10), characterized in that, The clamp (1) consists of a clamping plate (2) and a frame (3). The upper end of the frame (3) is connected to a clamping mechanism (11), and the lower end is attached to the outer surface of the clamping plate (2). The clamp (2) is bent and has densely arranged holes (4), and the lower end of the clamp (2) has a bend (5) that smoothly transitions to the outside. The clamping mechanism (11) includes a push block (8), a push rod (7) and a fixed long bolt (6). The push block (8) moves downward, causing the push rod (7) to press down on the end of the frame (3), so that the frame (3) rotates around the fixed long bolt (6). The lower end of the frame (3) drives the clamping plate (2) to open and close. The lower end of the frame (3) is closely fitted with the clamp (2) at the upper part of the bend (5).

2. The frying robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism (11) is provided with a telescopic rod (10) above it, and a fixed long bolt (6) and a push rod (7) are provided at the lower end of the clamping mechanism (11). The push rod (7) is parallel to the fixed long bolt (6) and is inside the fixed long bolt (6).

3. The frying robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The push block (8) is sleeved inside the main body of the clamping mechanism (11), with the sleeve direction being the same as the direction of gravity. The push rod (7) has a thread in the middle, and the lower end of the push block (8) is sleeved on the push rod (7) and fixed by the thread.

4. The frying robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The upper end of the frame (3) is provided with a fork (9), the upper end of the fork (9) is sleeved on both ends of the fixed long bolt (6) and the push rod (7), and the lower end of the frame (3) has a gap (12) in contact with the clamp (2).

5. The frying robot as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The upper end of the clamp (2) is provided with a connecting plate (13), which is closely attached to and fixed to both sides of the frame (3). The holes (4) provided in the clamp (2) are long strips.

6. The frying robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the clamp (2) bends inward.

7. The frying robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The upper end of the telescopic rod (10) is provided with a track drive mechanism (14), and the lower end of the track drive mechanism (14) is provided with a rotating mechanism (15). The upper end of the rotating mechanism (15) is fixed to the track drive mechanism (14), and the lower end is fixed to the telescopic rod (10).

8. The frying robot as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The rotating mechanism (15) has a motor in the middle and is divided into two sections with the motor as the center.

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