A dicing module for a food processor and a food processor

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of food processing machine with dicing module and food processing machine, dicing module includes the dicing processing component for the dicing of food material, comprising: the knife cylinder that can rotate around its own axis, the knife cylinder is overall grid structure with dicing mesh;Extrusion roller, it is arranged in the interior of knife cylinder in a manner that can rotate around its own axis, during the rotation of knife cylinder, the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller can be extruded with the dicing blade of knife cylinder, to extrude the sheet food material falling into the inside of knife cylinder from inside to outside out of knife cylinder.The structure of dicing module reasonably utilizes the interior space of knife cylinder, both can be used as the buffer area of sheet food material, and can be used to place extrusion roller component, simplify the structure of dicing module, so that the overall volume of dicing module is more compact, facilitates user to take cleaning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of kitchen appliance technology, and in particular to a dicing module for a food processor and a food processor. Background Technology

[0002] A food processor is a kitchen appliance primarily used in the kitchen to process food (ingredients). Traditional food processors include slicers for cutting ingredients (such as slicing, slicing, or dicing) and meat grinders for processing meat. Currently, the processing steps for dicing fruits and vegetables in food processors generally involve first cutting the ingredients into slices, then cutting the slices into strips, and finally cutting the strips into cubes.

[0003] Chinese invention patent application CN201510222754.6 (publication number CN104827504A) discloses a dicing machine, including a support frame with a cylinder body inside. A feeding disc is located inside the cylinder body and is connected to the section of a first rotating shaft within the cylinder body. A slicing opening is located on the side wall of the cylinder body, and a slicing blade is positioned outside the opening. A second rotating shaft is located on the support frame, and a circular blade roller is mounted on the second rotating shaft. A third rotating shaft is located on the support frame, and a cross-cutting blade roller is mounted on the third rotating shaft. A hopper and a drive device are located on the support frame, and the first, second, and third rotating shafts are all linked to this drive device. A pressure plate is located on the side wall of the cylinder body corresponding to one side of the cross-cutting blade roller. The pressure plate has an arc-shaped cross-section, and its inner arc surface is in partial contact with the roller surface of the cross-cutting blade roller. During the dicing process, the ingredients are placed into the cylinder. Under the action of the feeding plate, the ingredients are sliced ​​by the slicing blades in the cylinder. The sliced ​​ingredients are then output from the cylinder and squeezed into strips by the circular blade roller. Finally, the strips are cut into chunks by the cross-cutting blade roller.

[0004] The dicing machine in the aforementioned patent application requires arranging the slicing blade (cylinder) for slicing, the circular blade roller for slicing strips, and the cross-cutting blade roller in sequence according to the feeding order of the ingredients. The combination of the above three different cutting blade components with the corresponding drive device makes the overall structure of the dicing machine relatively complex and large in size. In particular, it occupies a large placement space and is not suitable for use in home kitchens. It is mostly used as a commercial cutting and processing machine. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a dicing module for a food processor that is compact, small in size, and occupies little space, in light of the current state of the prior art.

[0006] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a food processing machine that applies the above-mentioned dicing module, in view of the current state of the prior art.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the first technical problem mentioned above is as follows:

[0008] A dicing module for a food processor includes a dicing processing component for dicing ingredients, the dicing processing component comprising:

[0009] A knife barrel that can rotate around its own axis, the knife barrel as a whole having a mesh structure with dicing holes, and dicing blades formed on the inner side of the knife barrel for dicing;

[0010] An extrusion roller is disposed inside the blade cylinder in a manner that allows it to rotate around its own axis. The extension direction of the extrusion roller is basically consistent with the extension direction of the blade cylinder. During the rotation of the blade cylinder, the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller can press and cooperate with the dicing blade of the blade cylinder to expel the sliced ​​food that falls into the blade cylinder from the inside out to form diced food.

[0011] To form a mesh-like blade cylinder structure, the blade cylinder includes annular blades arranged at intervals along its axial direction and strip blades arranged at intervals along the circumference of the blade cylinder and extending along the axial direction of the blade cylinder. Each strip blade is disposed inside the annular blade, thereby forming a mesh-like structure with dicing mesh holes as a whole.

[0012] To ensure the reliability and strength of the annular blade and the strip blade after assembly, each annular blade has a first groove opened sequentially along its circumference on its inner side, and each strip blade has a second groove opened sequentially along its length on its outer side. Each strip blade is embedded in the first groove of each annular blade located in the same straight direction through the second groove.

[0013] In order to enable the dicing module to directly slice the raw ingredients and then dice the sliced ​​ingredients, the blade cylinder is also equipped with a slicing blade for slicing the ingredients to be processed during the rotation of the blade cylinder. The blade cylinder has an inlet that is open inside and out near the slicing blade so that the sliced ​​ingredients cut by the slicing blade can enter the sliced ​​ingredients in the blade cylinder.

[0014] To ensure slicing effect, the slicing blade is disposed on the peripheral wall of the blade tube and extends along the length of the blade tube. The cross-section of the slicing blade is inclined from the outside to the inside in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the blade tube, and the blade edge of the slicing blade is exposed relative to the outer peripheral surface of the blade tube.

[0015] In order to form the above-mentioned sheet-like food inlet and to simplify the structure of the blade cylinder, each of the annular blades is a non-closed circular ring structure with a notch. The notches of each annular blade are arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the blade cylinder, so that each annular blade and the two adjacent strip blades at the notch together define the sheet-like food inlet.

[0016] In order to fix the strip blades, ensure the overall strength of the blade cylinder, and avoid deformation during the cutting process, the blade cylinder also includes two relatively spaced roller cutter holders, and the two ends of each strip blade along its length are respectively connected to the two roller cutter holders.

[0017] In order to slice the food in the food flow channel during the rotation of the blade cylinder, the slicing blade is provided on the peripheral wall of the blade cylinder and extends along the length of the blade cylinder. The cross-section of the slicing blade is inclined from the outside to the inside in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the blade cylinder, and the blade edge of the slicing blade is exposed relative to the cylindrical surface defined by the outer peripheral surface of the blade cylinder. The two ends of the slicing blade along the length direction are respectively connected to the two roller blade holders.

[0018] Generally speaking, the rotation of the cutter barrel and the rotation of the extrusion roller can be driven by two independent drive mechanisms, and the rotation directions of the two can be the same or opposite. However, in order to reduce the number of drive mechanisms, simplify the structure of the dicing module, make it more compact, and ensure the extrusion and dicing effect of the two during the rotation process, the cutter barrel and the extrusion roller are linked by a gear transmission assembly and can rotate synchronously in the same direction.

[0019] To simplify the structure of the gear transmission assembly and achieve synchronous rotation of the extrusion roller and the cutter barrel, the gear transmission assembly includes:

[0020] The first transmission gear is located inside the cutter barrel and is coaxially connected to the extrusion roller;

[0021] A first transmission gear ring is rotatably connected to the fixed base and connected to one end of the cutter barrel. The first transmission gear ring has an external toothed portion for transmission connection with an external drive mechanism and an internal toothed portion for meshing with the first transmission gear.

[0022] To ensure the stability of the extrusion roller during rotation and to guarantee the extrusion fit with the cutter cylinder, the two opposite sidewalls on the working chamber are referred to as the first sidewall and the second sidewall, respectively. The first end of the extrusion roller is rotatably connected to the first sidewall, and the second end of the extrusion roller is rotatably connected to the second sidewall through the first transmission gear ring. The first transmission gear is located adjacent to the second end of the extrusion roller.

[0023] To ensure the stability of the gear transmission assembly during transmission, the gear transmission assembly includes:

[0024] The first transmission gear is located inside the cutter barrel and is coaxially connected to the extrusion roller;

[0025] A first rotating disk is coaxially connected to the end of the cutter barrel, and the first rotating disk has transmission teeth for meshing with the first transmission gear;

[0026] The second transmission gear is rotatably connected to the fixed base and is connected to the first rotating disk through a transmission shaft, thereby driving the first rotating disk to rotate. The second transmission gear is used to drive the external drive mechanism.

[0027] To isolate the second transmission gear, which is used to connect to the external drive mechanism, from the internal space of the working chamber and to prevent food or food residue from contacting the second transmission gear, the two opposite sidewalls of the working chamber are referred to as the first sidewall and the second sidewall, respectively. The extrusion roller is rotatably connected to the first sidewall only at its first end. The first transmission gear is located at the second end of the extrusion roller. The fixed seat outside the second sidewall of the working chamber forms a gear chamber for placing the second transmission gear. The second transmission gear is located in the gear chamber. The transmission shaft is rotatably connected to the second sidewall of the working chamber via a third bearing.

[0028] To facilitate cleaning of the extrusion roller and reduce food residue residue on its surface, the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller is made of smooth material.

[0029] To ensure effective compression between the blade cylinder and the extrusion roller, and to prevent food residue from remaining in the dicing mesh of the blade cylinder, the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller is provided with radially outward protrusions. During the synchronous rotation of the extrusion roller and the blade cylinder, each of these protrusions on the extrusion roller can engage with the corresponding dicing mesh on the blade cylinder. The engagement between the protrusions on the extrusion roller and the dicing mesh on the blade cylinder also serves to transmit power, ensuring synchronous rotation between the extrusion roller and the blade cylinder.

[0030] To ensure that the sliced ​​ingredients can be smoothly fed into the extrusion roller via the blade cylinder for dicing and extrusion, both the blade cylinder and the extrusion roller extend horizontally. A vertical plane passing through the axis of the blade cylinder is designated as the first vertical plane. The feed inlet on the fixed base and the extrusion roller are located on opposite sides of this first vertical plane, with the extrusion roller positioned near the bottom of the blade cylinder. This structural design, where the feed inlet on the fixed base and the extrusion roller are located on opposite sides of the first vertical plane, allows the slicing and dicing processes to be completed in two separate, mutually distant areas. This sequential action prevents food accumulation and ensures optimal dicing results.

[0031] To achieve automatic feeding of ingredients during the cutting process and prevent the ingredients from shaking or jumping, the first vertical plane divides the rotating blade cylinder into a downward-rotating first zone and an upward-rotating second zone. The feed inlet is located at the top of the fixed base and on the side corresponding to the first zone of the blade cylinder. The working chamber of the fixed base also defines a guide channel that curves downwards towards the first zone of the blade cylinder. The feed inlet on the fixed base is offset to one side directly above the blade cylinder. By adopting a design where the cutting direction is in the same direction as the weight of the ingredients, automatic feeding of the ingredients can be achieved, thus eliminating the need for additional extrusion components to apply pressure during the feeding process.

[0032] To further facilitate the cleaning of the dicing module, the bottom of the fixing seat is open to form a discharge port for the food ingredients to be discharged after dicing.

[0033] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the second technical problem mentioned above is as follows:

[0034] A food processor includes a body and a functional module disposed on the body, wherein the functional module is the dicing module for the food processor described above.

[0035] To facilitate user feeding, the machine body is designed with a placement chamber for the dicing module. The top of the placement chamber is open, allowing the dicing module to be placed into and removed through the opening. The top opening of the placement chamber is also equipped with a cover plate assembly for opening or closing the opening. The cover plate assembly has a feeding port. When the dicing module is placed in the placement chamber, the feeding port of the cover plate assembly, when closed, is opposite to the inlet of the functional module.

[0036] Generally speaking, the dicing module can have its own drive mechanism, but in order to simplify the structure of the dicing module and facilitate cleaning, the machine body is also provided with a main drive mechanism. When the dicing module is placed in the placement chamber, the dicing processing component of the dicing module is connected to the power output end of the main drive mechanism.

[0037] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: The dicing module for the food processor adopts a structural design consisting of a blade cylinder and a pressing roller disposed inside the blade cylinder. Its structure is compact and small, and it can press outwards to form diced ingredients. In a preferred embodiment, the blade cylinder is also equipped with a slicing blade for slicing the ingredients. During dicing, the ingredients are first sliced ​​by the slicing blade on the blade cylinder and enter the interior of the blade cylinder. The sliced ​​ingredients are pressed outwards by the pressing roller as the blade cylinder rotates, and then become diced ingredients and are discharged. This dicing module structure makes reasonable use of the internal space of the blade cylinder, which can serve as a buffer area for sliced ​​ingredients and also be used to house the pressing roller components. This greatly simplifies the structure of the dicing module, making the overall volume of the dicing module more compact and convenient for users to handle and clean. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the food processing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the structure after removing the cover plate assembly and functional modules;

[0040] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A vertical sectional perspective view cut along the front-back direction;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the food processor with a built-in dicing module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, cut along the left and right direction (with the auxiliary cover in the closed food inlet state).

[0042] Figure 5 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the food processor with a built-in dicing module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, cut along the left and right direction (the auxiliary cover is in the open food inlet state, and the food inlet is opposite to the first flow channel).

[0043] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the dicing module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the fixing base of the dicing module and the food processing component in a disassembled state according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 8 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the dicing module of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, cut along the axial direction of the blade barrel;

[0046] Figure 9 This is a vertical sectional view of the dicing module of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, cut along the radial direction of the blade barrel;

[0047] Figure 10 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the dicing module of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, cut along the radial direction of the blade barrel;

[0048] Figure 11 This is a perspective exploded view of the food processing components of the dicing module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 12 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the blade cylinder of the dicing module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 13 This is an exploded view of the blade cylinder of the dicing module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional perspective view of the blade cylinder of the dicing module of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, cut along its radial direction.

[0052] Figure 15 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the cover plate assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 16 for Figure 15 Cross-sectional perspective view at point AA (with the auxiliary cover in the closed food inlet position);

[0054] Figure 17 for Figure 15 Cross-sectional perspective view at point AA (with the auxiliary cover in the open food inlet position, and the food inlet opposite to the first flow channel);

[0055] Figure 18 for Figure 15 Cross-sectional perspective view of section AA (with the auxiliary cover in the open food inlet position, and the food inlet opposite to the second flow channel);

[0056] Figure 19 This is an exploded view of the cover plate assembly;

[0057] Figure 20 for Figure 15 Cross-sectional perspective view at point BB;

[0058] Figure 21 for Figure 15 Cross-sectional perspective view at point CC;

[0059] Figure 22 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the dicing module of Embodiment 2 of the present invention, taken along the axial direction of the extrusion roller.

[0060] Figure 23 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the dicing module of Embodiment 2 of the present invention, taken along the axial direction of the blade cylinder (wherein, the annular blade of the blade cylinder is not shown).

[0061] Figure 24 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the dicing module of Embodiment 3 of the present invention, taken along the axial direction of the blade cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0062] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0063] The specification and claims of this invention use terms indicating direction, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "side," "top," and "bottom," to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements of the invention. However, these terms are used herein merely for ease of explanation and are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be arranged in different orientations, these terms indicating direction are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations. For example, "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity. Example

[0064] See Figures 1-5 A food processor is shown, comprising a body 10 and detachable functional modules 50 mounted on the body 10. The body 10 defines a placement chamber 11 for housing one functional module 50 and a functional module placement area 12 for housing other unused functional modules 50. The placement chamber 11 has an opening at the top through which the functional module 50 can be placed and removed. The functional module placement area 12 is also a chamber structure with an opening at the top through which unused functional modules 50 can be placed and removed.

[0065] The food processor's body 10 has an overall cuboid structure. The placement chamber 11 is located at the front of the body 10, while the chamber corresponding to the functional module placement area 12 is located behind the placement chamber 11, and they are arranged sequentially along the front-to-back direction, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, there are two chambers corresponding to the functional module placement area 12, which respectively house the slicing module 50a and the meat grinding module 50b. See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 A dicing module for dicing is placed in the placement chamber 11.

[0066] The placement chamber 11 is covered by a left-right flip-up cover assembly 30. Specifically, the cover assembly 30 is rotatably connected to the top opening of the placement chamber 11 of the body 10 with its left side. The chamber structure of the functional module placement area 12 is covered by a front-back flip-up cover 120. Specifically, the cover 120 is rotatably connected to the rear side of the opening of the functional module placement area 12.

[0067] The machine body 10 also has a receiving area 13 located below the placement chamber 11, which is opposite to the discharge port 502 of the functional module 50. A receiving box 14 is placed in the receiving area 13, and the front side of the machine body 11 has a first opening 111 at a position corresponding to the receiving area 13. The receiving box 14 can be slidably connected to the side wall of the receiving area 13 of the machine body 11 via a slide rail assembly. The user can push or pull the receiving box 14 to allow it to enter and exit the receiving area 13 of the machine body 10 through the first opening 111.

[0068] The main drive mechanism 15 is provided on the body 10. Different functional modules 50, such as the vegetable cutting module and the meat grinding module, require different power (different rotational speeds at the transmission connection ends). Therefore, to adapt to the power requirements of different functional modules 50, the main drive mechanism 15 in this embodiment is a drive motor, which is connected to a gearbox. This gearbox has at least two transmission connection ends, combined with… Figure 2 and Figure 3 Two transmission connection ends are shown, designated as the first transmission connection end 150a and the second transmission connection end 150b, respectively. The first transmission connection end 150a is a horizontally placed (horizontal axis) gear structure, and the second transmission connection end 150b is a vertically placed (vertically extended axis) gear structure. Both the first transmission connection end 150a and the second transmission connection end 150b are located in the mounting chamber 11.

[0069] Each functional module 50 has a transmission mating part that matches the first transmission connection end 150a or the second transmission connection end 150b. When different functional modules 50 are placed in the mounting chamber 11, they can be connected to one of the two transmission connection ends.

[0070] See Figures 15-19 As shown, the cover plate assembly 30 includes a cover plate housing 31, a flow channel frame plate 32, an auxiliary cover plate 33, a first drive mechanism 341, and a second drive mechanism 342.

[0071] The cover plate housing 31 forms a support structure for the other components. Specifically, the cover plate housing includes an upper housing 311 and a lower housing 312 that are fastened together in the vertical direction. After the upper housing 311 and the lower housing 312 are fastened together, they together define a receiving chamber 310 for placing the flow channel frame plate 32.

[0072] like Figure 19 As shown, the upper shell 311 has a food inlet 313, and the lower shell 312 has a food outlet 314 at a position corresponding to the food inlet 313. The aforementioned food inlet 313 constitutes the feeding port of the cover assembly 30.

[0073] The auxiliary cover 33 is slidably connected to the upper housing 311 by the second drive mechanism 342, and can open or close at least a portion of the food inlet 313. After the food is fed in, the auxiliary cover 33 can close the food inlet 313 in time to achieve the purpose of protection. Of course, the auxiliary cover 33 can also cooperate with the flow channel frame plate 32 to block part of the food inlet 313 to facilitate feeding of food channels with different opening sizes (details are explained below).

[0074] The auxiliary cover 33 is located inside the food inlet 313 of the upper housing 311 and slides back and forth in the left-right direction. Specifically, the auxiliary cover 33 has downwardly extending limiting baffles 331 on its front and rear sides. These two limiting baffles 331 are respectively limited on the left and right sides of the top of the flow channel frame plate 32, that is, the flow channel frame plate 32 can support the auxiliary cover 33 and limit its movement in the front-back direction. See also Figure 19 The auxiliary cover 33 has a rearwardly extending second support plate 332 on the limiting baffle 331 on its rear side, and the second drive mechanism 342 is disposed on the second support plate 332. Specifically, the second drive mechanism 342 includes a second drive motor 3421 and a second gear 3422, the second gear 3422 being connected to the output shaft of the second drive motor 3421. The inner wall of the upper housing 311 is provided with a second rack 3423 extending in the left-right direction, and the second gear 3422 can mesh with the aforementioned second gear 3422. When the second drive motor 3421 rotates in both directions, the auxiliary cover 33 (and the second drive motor 3421 and the second gear 3422 disposed thereon) can reciprocate left and right through the meshing of the second gear 3422 and the second rack 3423.

[0075] The flow channel frame plate 32 is driven by the first drive mechanism 341 and slides in the receiving chamber 310 of the cover plate housing 31 in the left and right direction. The flow channel frame plate 32 has a food flow channel that runs vertically through the food. When the upper port of the flow channel frame plate 32 is moved to be opposite to the food inlet 313, the lower port is opposite to the food outlet 314.

[0076] See Figure 20 The inner wall of the upper housing 311 has a laterally extending third support plate 3110. The first drive mechanism 341 is fixed to the third support plate 3110. Specifically, the first drive mechanism 341 includes a first drive motor 3411 and a first gear 3412. The first drive motor 3411 is fixed to the bottom of the third support plate 3110, and its output axis extends upward through the third support plate 3110 and connects with the first gear 3412. The side wall of the flow channel frame plate 32 is provided with a first rack 3413 extending in the left-right direction, which meshes with the first gear 3412.

[0077] To ensure the smooth left-right movement of the flow channel frame plate 32, the inner wall of the cover plate housing 31 also has limiting ribs 315 extending in the left-right direction. Correspondingly, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 20 The front and rear side walls of the flow channel frame plate 32 have limiting grooves 323 extending in the left and right directions. The aforementioned limiting ribs 315 and the edges of the third support plate 3110 are respectively slidably constrained in the two limiting grooves 323.

[0078] Generally, different functional modules 50 can share a single food flow channel on the cover assembly 30. However, sharing a single food flow channel inevitably presents hygiene problems. For example, sharing a single food flow channel can cause cross-contamination or mixing of flavors between meat and vegetables, endangering human health and affecting the user experience. On the other hand, due to the characteristics of the feeding and cutting processes of different functional modules 50, the required size of the food flow channel in the flow channel frame plate 32 is different. Therefore, to avoid contamination from food sharing the same food flow channel and to meet the feeding and cutting needs of different functional modules 50, the flow channel frame plate 32 in this embodiment has at least two food flow channels arranged sequentially along the moving direction of the flow channel frame plate 32. Figure 17 As shown, the flow channel frame plate 32 has two food flow channels arranged sequentially in the left-right direction, namely the first flow channel 321 and the second flow channel 322. The upper port of the first flow channel 321 is larger than the upper port of the second flow channel 322; that is, the width of the first flow channel 321 in the left-right direction is greater than the width of the second flow channel 322 in the left-right direction. See also... Figure 18 The width of the food inlet 313 of the upper shell 311 in the left-right direction is greater than the width of the first flow channel 321 in the left-right direction.

[0079] Since the location and size of the inlet 501 of different functional modules 50 will vary slightly when using different functional modules 50, the flow channel frame plate 32 is driven by the first drive mechanism 341 to slide in the left and right direction to adjust its position in order to adapt to the inlet 501 of different functional modules 50. Specifically, during the movement, the flow channel frame plate 32 has a first position in which the upper port of the first flow channel 321 is opposite to the food inlet 313 of the cover shell 31, and a second position in which the upper port of the second flow channel 322 is opposite to the food inlet 313 of the cover shell 31.

[0080] like Figure 17As shown, when the flow channel frame plate 32 is in the first position, the left edge of the first flow channel 321 is flush with the left edge of the food inlet 313. Since the width of the food inlet 313 is greater than the width of the first flow channel 321, the auxiliary cover plate 33 is moved to the right side by the second drive mechanism 342, and blocks the exposed area of ​​the food inlet 313 on the right side of the first flow channel 321 (that is, at least part of the area of ​​the second flow channel 322), thereby ensuring that when feeding the first flow channel 321, the food does not fall into other areas outside the first flow channel 321. Similarly, see Figure 18 When the flow channel frame plate 32 is in the second position, the right edge of the second flow channel 322 is flush with the right edge of the food inlet 313. Since the width of the food inlet 313 is greater than the width of the second flow channel 322, the auxiliary cover plate 33 is moved to the left position by the second drive mechanism 342 and blocks the exposed area of ​​the food inlet 313 on the right side of the second flow channel 322 (that is, at least part of the area of ​​the first flow channel 321), thereby ensuring that when feeding the second flow channel 322, the food is prevented from falling into other areas outside the second flow channel 322.

[0081] The stopping positions of the first flow channel 321 and the second flow channel 322 of the aforementioned flow channel frame plate 32 are adapted to the corresponding functional modules 50. For example... Figure 5 As shown, when the flow channel frame plate 32 is in the first position, it can correspond to the feed port 501 of the dicing module.

[0082] Functional module 50 generally includes a fixed base 51 and a food processing component 53 disposed within the fixed base 51. The fixed base 51 has an inlet 501 at its top and an outlet 502 at its bottom. (See also...) Figures 6-14 The diagram shows a dicing module as a functional module 50. Specifically, the dicing module includes a base 51 and a dicing blade assembly disposed in the base 51.

[0083] The mounting base 51 has a cuboid structure and a working chamber 510 for accommodating the dicing blade assembly. The top of the mounting base 51 has an inlet 501, and the bottom has an open outlet 502. Specifically, the mounting base 51 also has a guide channel 503 for guiding food from the inlet 501 to the dicing blade assembly. The top of the mounting base 51 has the aforementioned handle 52. When the handle 52 is in the retracted state, it is offset to one side of the inlet 501, thereby preventing contamination of the handle 52 as food enters the dicing module's inlet 501 from the food flow channel.

[0084] The dicing tool assembly includes a tool barrel 60, an extrusion roller 65, and a gear transmission assembly 64.

[0085] The cutter barrel 60 extends horizontally within the fixed base 51, with its two axial ends being open. One end is rotatably connected to the fixed base 51 via a second bearing 662, and the other end is fixed to the first transmission gear ring 642 of the gear transmission assembly via a pin. The first transmission gear ring 642 is also rotatably connected to the fixed base 51 via another second bearing 662. See also Figure 11 The first transmission gear ring 642 has an internal toothed portion 6422 on the side adjacent to the cutter barrel 60, and an external toothed portion 6421 on the side away from the cutter barrel 60. After the dicing module is placed in place, the external toothed portion 6421 of the first transmission gear ring can mesh with the transmission connection end (gear) on the machine body 10, and the internal toothed portion 6422 can mesh with the second transmission gear 68 coaxially connected on the extrusion roller 65.

[0086] The blade barrel 60 has an overall mesh structure with dicing holes 602, and dicing blades 603 for dicing are formed on its inner sidewall. Specifically, the blade barrel 60 includes a roller cutter holder 600, a slicing blade 61, an annular blade 62, and a strip blade 63. The roller cutter holder 600 is annular and has two oppositely arranged parts.

[0087] To form a mesh-like blade cylinder structure, multiple annular blades 62 are arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the blade cylinder 60. Correspondingly, multiple strip blades 63 are also arranged sequentially at intervals along the circumference of the blade cylinder 60, and each strip blade 63 extends along the axial direction of the blade cylinder 60. The two ends of the strip blades 63 are fixed by inserting them into two roller cutter holders 600. To ensure the reliability and strength of the annular blades 62 and strip blades 63 after assembly, each annular blade 62 has a first groove 620 sequentially opened along its circumference on its inner side, and each strip blade 63 has a second groove 630 sequentially opened along its length on its outer side. Each strip blade 63 is embedded in the first groove 620 of each annular blade 62 located in the same straight direction through the second groove 630, thereby forming a blade mesh structure with dicing mesh 602 as a whole. Both the inner sides of the strip-shaped blade 63 and the inner sides of the annular blade 62 have cutting edges. Therefore, after the strip-shaped blades 63 and the annular blades 62 are assembled together, the cutting edges on the strip-shaped blades 63 and the annular blades 62 together constitute the dicing blade 603 of the blade cylinder 60. See details... Figure 13 .

[0088] See Figure 13Each annular blade 62 is a non-closed annular structure, meaning it has a notch. After being assembled with the strip blade 63, the notches of each annular blade 62 are aligned on the same straight line. The slicing blade 61 is correspondingly positioned at the notches of each annular blade 62, extending along the length of the blade cylinder 60. Both ends of the slicing blade 61 are fixed to two roller cutter holders 600. Due to the notches of each annular blade 62, an internally and externally penetrating inlet 601 for sheet-like food is formed near the slicing blade 61. During the rotation of the blade cylinder 60, the slicing blade 61 cuts the food located in the guide channel 503, and the sheet-like food formed by the slicing blade 61 enters the blade cylinder 60 through the sheet-like food inlet 601.

[0089] As another feasible embodiment, the slicing blade 61 may have two or more arranged sequentially at intervals along the circumference of the blade barrel 60, thereby effectively improving the slicing speed. In this case, the notches of each of the above-mentioned annular blades 62 also correspond to two or more, that is, the annular blades 62 may be composed of two or more arc blades arranged sequentially at intervals along the circumference.

[0090] See Figure 9 A slicing blade 61 is disposed at the notch position of each annular blade 62 in the blade cylinder 60 and extends along the length direction of the blade cylinder 60. The cross-section of the slicing blade 61 is inclined from the outside to the inside in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the blade cylinder 60, and the cutting edge of the slicing blade 61 is exposed relative to the cylindrical surface defined by the outer peripheral surface of the blade cylinder 60.

[0091] The extrusion roller 65 is disposed inside the cutter cylinder 60, and the extending direction of the extrusion roller 65 is substantially consistent with the extending direction of the cutter cylinder 60. Specifically, the two ends of the extrusion roller 65 are respectively supported by the first bearing 661 on the two opposite side walls of the fixed base 51 (i.e., Figure 8 The extrusion roller 65 is located on the first sidewall 5101 and the second sidewall 5102 of the working chamber 510 and can rotate around its own axis. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extrusion roller 65 is arranged lower inside the cutter cylinder 60, that is, near the bottom of the cutter cylinder 60. A second transmission gear 68 is coaxially connected to the extrusion roller 65. This second transmission gear 68 is located at the end of the extrusion roller 65 and meshes with the inner teeth 6422 of the first transmission gear ring 642 of the cutter cylinder 60, thereby enabling the extrusion roller 65 and the cutter cylinder 60 to rotate synchronously in the same direction. Specifically, after the dicing module is placed in place inside the machine body 10, the outer teeth 6421 of the first transmission gear ring 642 connected to the end of the cutter cylinder 60 can be connected to the corresponding transmission connection end of the main drive mechanism 15 of the machine body 10, thereby inputting the power to drive the cutter cylinder 60 to rotate. During the synchronous and co-rotation of the extrusion roller and the blade 60, the extrusion roller and the dicing blade 603 of the blade 60 work together to squeeze the sliced ​​ingredients that fall into the blade 60 out of the blade 60, forming diced ingredients.

[0092] Both ends of the extrusion roller 65 are rotatably connected to the two opposite side walls of the working chamber 510 of the fixed base 51 via the first bearing 661, ensuring the secure installation of the extrusion roller 65 on the fixed base 51. It is conceivable that, while ensuring the secure fixing of the extrusion roller 65, the extrusion roller 65 could also be rotatably connected to the fixed base 51 at only one end via the first bearing.

[0093] See Figure 9 The vertical plane passing through the axis of the blade cylinder 60 is denoted as the first vertical plane 60a. The feed inlet 501 (center position) on the fixed base 51 and the extrusion roller 65 (center position) are located on opposite sides of the first vertical plane 60a. Specifically, the first vertical plane 60a divides the rotating blade cylinder 60 into a downward-rotating first region 6001 and an upward-rotating second region 6002. The feed inlet 501 is located at the top of the fixed base 51 and on the side corresponding to the first region 6001 of the blade cylinder 60. The guide channel 503 of the fixed base 51 extends downwards towards the first region 6001 of the blade cylinder 60. The feed inlet 501 of the fixed base 51 is designed to be offset from the top of the blade cylinder 60, allowing the cutting direction of the slicing blade 61 of the blade cylinder 60 (e.g., ...) to be adjusted. Figure 9 As indicated by the arrow in the diagram, the direction of gravity of the ingredients is basically the same, enabling automatic feeding of the ingredients, thus eliminating the need for additional extrusion components to apply pressure to the ingredients during the feeding process. On the other hand, the structural design described above, where "the inlet 501 on the fixed base 51 and the extrusion roller 65 are located on opposite sides of the first vertical plane 60a," also allows the slicing process and the dicing process of the sliced ​​ingredients to be completed in two mutually distant areas. After the ingredients are sliced, they can be smoothly carried into the position of the extrusion roller 65 through the blade cylinder 60 to achieve the dicing and extrusion operation. This ensures that the slicing and dicing actions can be performed sequentially, avoiding the problem of ingredient accumulation and guaranteeing the dicing effect.

[0094] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller 65 can have a smooth wall structure. However, in order to ensure the extrusion effect between the cutter cylinder 60 and the extrusion roller 65 and to avoid food residue in the dicing mesh 602 of the cutter cylinder 60, preferably, a plurality of radially outward protrusions 650 are provided on the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller 65. Each protrusion 650 on the extrusion roller 65 corresponds to each dicing mesh 602 on the cutter cylinder 60. During the synchronous rotation of the extrusion roller 65 and the cutter cylinder 60, each protrusion 650 on the extrusion roller 65 can be embedded into the corresponding dicing mesh 602 of the cutter cylinder 60. This effectively avoids the problem of food residue in the dicing mesh 602, especially the problem of material residue in the last piece of sliced ​​food.

[0095] The dicing module in this embodiment is used as follows:

[0096] The ingredients are fed into the feed channel 503 of the dicing module through the feed port of the cover plate assembly 30. The ingredients are first cut into slices by the slicing blade 61 on the blade cylinder 60 and enter the inside of the blade cylinder 60. The sliced ​​ingredients fall between the extrusion roller 65 and the inner wall of the blade cylinder 60 during the rotation process. They are squeezed outward by the extrusion roller and then become diced and fall out of the blade cylinder 60 from the inside to the outside to form diced ingredients.

[0097] In this embodiment, the structure of the squeezing roller 65 and the blade cylinder 60 working together internally and externally greatly simplifies the structure of the dicing module, making the overall size of the dicing module more compact and facilitating its placement and removal within the machine body 10, thus meeting the needs of miniaturization design for modular food processors. Furthermore, the hollow structure design of the dicing module allows it to be directly placed under a tap for rinsing, ensuring a clean cleaning effect. Example

[0098] See Figure 22 and Figure 23 The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller 65 in this embodiment is a smooth wall surface, and the gear transmission mechanism between the extrusion roller 65 and the cutter cylinder 60 is different, as detailed below:

[0099] The gear transmission assembly includes a second transmission gear 68, a first rotating disk 67, and the second transmission gear 68.

[0100] The first rotating disk 67 is connected to the end of the cutter barrel 60 (i.e., connected to the hobbing holder 600 of the cutter barrel 60) by a pin, and seals the port of the cutter barrel 60. Specifically, the outer periphery of the first rotating disk 67 has an annular wall 6721 extending axially toward the cutter barrel 60, and the inner peripheral wall of the annular wall 6721 has internal teeth (i.e., transmission teeth 6722 for meshing with the second transmission gear 68 described below). The two opposing side walls of the working chamber 510 are referred to as the first side wall 5101 and the second side wall 5102, respectively. The fixed base 51 also forms a gear chamber 511 for housing the second transmission gear 68 outside the second side wall 5102 of the working chamber 510.

[0101] The second transmission gear 68 is disposed in the gear chamber 511 and is used to engage with the drive mechanism on the machine body 10 (such as...). Figure 3The first transmission connection end 150 is connected. Specifically, the gear chamber 511 has a protrusion 5111 on the side facing the second sidewall 5102, and the second transmission gear 68 is rotatably connected to the protrusion 5111 via a fourth bearing 664. In addition, the second transmission gear 68 also has a coaxially arranged transmission shaft 681 (i.e., gear shaft), which passes through the second sidewall 5102 of the working chamber 510 and is connected to the middle of the first rotating disk 67, thereby driving the first rotating disk 67 to rotate. The transmission shaft 681 of the second transmission gear 68 is rotatably connected to the second sidewall 5102 of the working chamber 510 via a third bearing 663, and the second sidewall 5102 of the working chamber 510 has a bearing mounting hole 6630 for mounting the third bearing 663.

[0102] The extrusion roller 65 has only its first end rotatably connected to the first sidewall 5101 via the first bearing 661, while its second end is suspended and used to connect with the second transmission gear 68. The first rotating disk 67 has transmission teeth 6722 for meshing with the second transmission gear 68. Example

[0103] See Figure 24 One difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 2 is that the gear shaft 681 of the second transmission gear 68 also passes through the first rotating disk 67 and protrudes from the inner wall of the first rotating disk 67. The portion of the gear shaft 681 of the second transmission gear 68 protruding from the inner wall of the first rotating disk 67 forms a support shaft 6811. The third transmission gear 644 is rotatably mounted on this support shaft 6811 via the fifth bearing 665. Specifically, the end of the support shaft 6811 limits the third transmission gear 644 axially via the second limiting baffle 72. Another difference is that multiple protrusions 650 protruding radially outward are provided on the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller 65, which is consistent with Embodiment 1.

[0104] The extrusion roller 65 is disposed inside the cutter cylinder 60, and the extension direction of the extrusion roller 65 is substantially consistent with the extension direction of the cutter cylinder 60. Specifically, in this embodiment, only the first end of the extrusion roller 65 is rotatably connected to the first side wall 5101 of the working chamber 510 and can rotate around its own axis. The second end is coaxially connected to the first transmission gear 641. Specifically, the second end of the extrusion roller 65 limits the first transmission gear 641 in the axial direction through the first limiting baffle 71. In this embodiment, the first transmission gear 641 meshes with both the transmission teeth 6722 of the first rotating disk 67 and the third transmission gear 644. That is, in the radial direction of the first rotating disk 67, the first transmission gear 641 is located between the third transmission gear 644 and the annular wall 6721 of the first rotating disk 67. This makes the force on the first transmission gear 641 in the radial direction more uniform during rotation, ensuring the stability of the rotation process.

[0105] The term "transmission connection" as used in this invention refers to a direct connection between two components or an indirect connection through a transmission mechanism.

Claims

1. A dicing module for a food processor, comprising dicing processing components for dicing ingredients. Its features are, The dicing processing component includes: A knife barrel (60) that can rotate around its own axis, the knife barrel (60) is generally a mesh structure with dicing mesh (602), and the inner side of the knife barrel (60) is formed with dicing blades (603) for dicing; An extrusion roller (65) is disposed inside the blade cylinder (60) in a manner that allows it to rotate around its own axis. The extension direction of the extrusion roller (65) is consistent with the extension direction of the blade cylinder (60). During the rotation of the blade cylinder (60), the outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller (65) can press and cooperate with the dicing blade (603) of the blade cylinder (60) to extrude the sheet-like food that falls into the blade cylinder (60) from the inside out to form diced food. The blade cylinder (60) is also provided with a slicing blade (61) for slicing the food to be processed during the rotation of the blade cylinder (60). The blade cylinder (60) forms a through-hole inlet (601) near the slicing blade (61) for the sliced ​​food cut by the slicing blade (61) to enter the sliced ​​food inlet (601) into the blade cylinder (60). The blade barrel (60) includes two relatively spaced roller holders (600), and a slicing blade (61) extends along the length of the blade barrel (60). The two ends of the slicing blade (61) are fixed on the two roller holders (600).

2. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blade barrel (60) includes annular blades (62) arranged sequentially at intervals along its axial direction and strip blades (63) arranged sequentially at intervals along the circumference of the blade barrel (60) and extending along the axial direction of the blade barrel (60). Each strip blade (63) is disposed inside each annular blade (62), thereby forming a mesh structure with dicing mesh (602) as a whole.

3. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the annular blades (62) has a first slot (620) sequentially opened along its circumference on its inner side, and each of the strip blades (63) has a second slot (630) sequentially opened along its length on its outer side. Each strip blade (63) is embedded in the first slot (620) of each of the annular blades (62) located in the same straight direction through each second slot (630).

4. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The slicing blade (61) is disposed on the peripheral wall of the blade cylinder (60) and extends along the length direction of the blade cylinder (60). The cross-section of the slicing blade (61) is inclined from the outside to the inside in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the blade cylinder (60), and the blade of the slicing blade (61) is exposed relative to the outer peripheral surface of the blade cylinder (60).

5. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the ring blades (62) is a non-closed ring structure with a notch. The notches of each ring blade (62) are arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the blade cylinder (60), so that each ring blade (62) and the two adjacent strip blades (63) at the notch together define the feed port (601) of the sheet-like food.

6. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two ends of each strip-shaped blade along its length are respectively connected to the two hobbing holders (600).

7. The dicing module for a food processor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Also includes: The fixed base (51) has a working chamber (510) and an inlet (501) for the food to be processed to enter into the working chamber (510). The knife cylinder (60) is rotatably disposed in the working chamber (510) of the fixed base (51).

8. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cutter barrel (60) and the extrusion roller (65) are linked by a gear transmission assembly (64) and can rotate synchronously in the same direction.

9. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 8, characterized in that: The gear transmission assembly (64) includes: The first transmission gear (641) is located inside the cutter barrel (60) and coaxially connected to the extrusion roller (65); The first transmission gear ring (642) is rotatably connected to the fixed base (51) and connected to one end of the cutter barrel (60). The first transmission gear ring (642) has an external tooth portion (6421) for transmission connection with an external drive mechanism and an internal tooth portion (6422) for meshing with the first transmission gear (641).

10. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 9, characterized in that: The two opposite sidewalls of the working chamber (510) are respectively referred to as the first sidewall (5101) and the second sidewall (5102). The first end of the extrusion roller (65) is rotatably connected to the first sidewall (5101), and the second end of the extrusion roller (65) is rotatably connected to the second sidewall (5102) through the first transmission gear ring (642). The first transmission gear (641) is disposed adjacent to the second end of the extrusion roller (65).

11. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 8, characterized in that: The gear transmission assembly (64) includes: The first transmission gear (641) is located inside the cutter barrel (60) and coaxially connected to the extrusion roller (65); A first rotating disk (67) is coaxially connected to the end of the cutter barrel (60), and the first rotating disk (67) has a transmission tooth (6722) for meshing with the first transmission gear (641). The second transmission gear (68) is rotatably connected to the fixed base (51) and connected to the first rotating disk (67) via a transmission shaft to drive the first rotating disk (67) to rotate. The second transmission gear (68) is used to drive the external drive mechanism.

12. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 11, characterized in that: The outer periphery of the first rotating disk (67) has an annular wall (6721) extending toward the cutter barrel (60) for connection with the end of the cutter barrel (60), and the transmission teeth (6722) are formed on the inner side of the annular wall (6721).

13. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 12, characterized in that: The second transmission gear (68) also has a support shaft (6811) extending axially toward the inside of the cutter barrel (60) at its center. A third transmission gear (644) that can rotate freely relative to the support shaft (6811) is coaxially connected to the support shaft (6811) and meshes with the first transmission gear (641).

14. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 11, characterized in that: The two opposing sidewalls of the working chamber (510) are respectively referred to as the first sidewall (5101) and the second sidewall (5102). The extrusion roller (65) is rotatably connected to the first sidewall (5101) only at its first end. The first transmission gear (641) is located at the second end of the extrusion roller (65). The fixed seat (51) constructs a gear chamber (511) outside the second sidewall (5102) of the working chamber (510) for placing the second transmission gear (68). The second transmission gear (68) is located in the gear chamber (511). The transmission shaft is rotatably connected to the second sidewall (5102) of the working chamber (510) through a third bearing (663).

15. The dicing module for a food processor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller (65) is a smooth wall surface.

16. The dicing module for a food processor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The outer peripheral wall of the extrusion roller (65) is also provided with protrusions (650) that protrude outward in the radial direction. During the synchronous rotation of the extrusion roller (65) and the cutter barrel (60), each of the protrusions (650) on the extrusion roller (65) can be embedded into the corresponding dicing mesh (602) on the cutter barrel (60).

17. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 7, characterized in that: Both the cutter barrel (60) and the extrusion roller (65) extend horizontally. The vertical plane passing through the axis of the cutter barrel (60) is denoted as the first vertical plane (60a). The feed port (501) on the fixed base (51) and the extrusion roller (65) are located on both sides of the first vertical plane (60a), and the extrusion roller (65) is disposed near the bottom of the cutter barrel (60).

18. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 17, characterized in that: The first vertical plane (60a) divides the rotating cutter barrel (60) into a first area (6001) rotating downward and a second area (6002) rotating upward. The feed inlet (501) is located at the top of the fixed base (51) and on the side corresponding to the first area (6001) of the cutter barrel (60). The working chamber (510) of the fixed base (51) also defines a guide channel (503) that curves and extends downward toward the first area (6001) of the cutter barrel (60).

19. The dicing module for a food processor according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bottom of the fixed seat (51) is open, thus forming an outlet (502) for the food ingredients to be discharged after cutting.

20. A food processing machine, comprising a body (10) and a functional module (50) disposed on the body (10), characterized in that: The functional module (50) is the dicing module for the food processor according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. The food processing machine according to claim 20, characterized in that: The body (10) defines a placement chamber (11) for placing the dicing module. The top of the placement chamber (11) has an opening. The dicing module can be placed into the placement chamber (11) and taken out through the opening. The top opening of the placement chamber (11) is also provided with a cover plate assembly (30) for opening or closing the top opening. The cover plate assembly (30) has a feeding port. When the dicing module is placed in the placement chamber (11), the feeding port of the cover plate assembly (30) in the closed state is opposite to the feeding port (501) of the functional module (50).

22. The food processing machine according to claim 21, characterized in that: The body (10) is also provided with a main drive mechanism (15). When the dicing module is placed in the placement chamber (11), the dicing processing component of the dicing module is connected to the power output end of the main drive mechanism (15).

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