Eggplant box forming equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to an eggplant box forming device, which effectively solves the problem of mismatch between upper and lower layers during eggplant box processing; the technical solution thereof comprises a support cylinder, on which a vertical cylinder capable of intermittent rotation is mounted, a top plate is fixed at the upper end of the vertical cylinder, and four vertical sleeves are evenly distributed on the circumference of the top plate; the sleeve at the rear is the first station, and the remaining sleeves are the second station, the third station and the fourth station in clockwise order; a vertical feeding cylinder is arranged directly above the first station and the second station; a fixed bottom plate is provided at the lower end of the four sleeves, and a notch corresponding to the fourth station is provided on the bottom plate; a horizontal groove is provided on the upper part of each sleeve, wherein baffles are inserted in the grooves in the first station and the second station; four extruders corresponding to the sleeves are mounted on the vertical cylinder; the present invention can shape and extrude irregular eggplant boxes, thereby improving their appearance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of pre-prepared dishes, in particular to eggplant box forming equipment. Background Art

[0002] Eggplant wrappers, also known as eggplant sandwiches, are made by slicing eggplant, filling it with seasoned meat, coating it with batter, and deep-frying it. Eggplant wrappers are becoming increasingly popular among young people, leading some companies to begin pre-fabricating them. While sophisticated equipment for slicing, battering, and frying exists, forming the wrappers themselves is less sophisticated, leading some companies to rely on manual labor.

[0003] Some companies also use equipment similar to traditional sandwich food processing equipment to produce eggplant boxes. For example, Patent No. CN212345141U describes an automatic online biscuit sandwiching device, which uses both forward and reverse feed channels to feed the biscuits simultaneously. A sandwiching mechanism then applies the filling, and finally, a suction cup holds the biscuits in place. Patent No. CN112167285B also describes a sandwich bread production device, which uses a double-layer conveyor belt to clamp bread slices on both sides. Since biscuits and bread are pre-made to the same specifications, double-sided clamping simply requires placing the bread or biscuits in the mold to ensure the top and bottom sides align accurately. While these devices can also be used to process eggplant slices, due to the uneven shape of the eggplant and the varying sizes of the slices, a uniform mold cannot be used. This results in misalignment between the sides of the box after forming, compromising the quality of the box. Therefore, a device is currently needed to address this issue. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above situation, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an eggplant box forming device that can effectively solve the problem of mismatch between the upper and lower layers during eggplant box processing.

[0005] The technical solution is to include a support cylinder, on which a vertical cylinder capable of intermittent rotation is installed, a top plate is fixed at the upper end of the vertical cylinder, and four vertical sleeves are evenly distributed on the circumference of the top plate; the sleeve at the rear is the first station, and the remaining sleeves are the second station, the third station and the fourth station in clockwise order; a vertical feeding cylinder is provided directly above the first station and the second station; the lower ends of the four sleeves have a fixed bottom plate, and a notch corresponding to the fourth station is provided on the bottom plate; the upper part of each sleeve is provided with a horizontal groove, and the grooves in the first station and the second station are both inserted with baffles;

[0006] The vertical cylinder is equipped with four extruders corresponding to the sleeves one by one; when the extruders rotate between the second and third stations, they can squeeze the material in the vertical cylinder into the sleeves;

[0007] A plurality of air inlet nozzles and exhaust ports are installed on the side wall of each sleeve. The air inlet nozzles are divided into two layers, an upper layer and an lower layer. An air inlet pipe is provided directly above the third workstation. The gas in the air inlet pipe can enter the sleeve and the plurality of air inlet nozzles.

[0008] The extruder includes a first material pipe inserted into the vertical cylinder, a second material pipe is mounted on the first material pipe, the second material pipe can move back and forth along the first material pipe, and the first material pipe is connected to a reset spring; a shift rod is fixed to the second material pipe; an eccentric wheel is provided on the bottom plate, the outer edge surface of the eccentric wheel can squeeze the shift rod to move the second material pipe toward the sleeve, and the farthest point of the outline of the eccentric wheel is toward the middle position between the second and third stations; the outer ends of the first and second material pipes are both installed with one-way discharge valves; the outer end of the second material pipe can be inserted into the sleeve.

[0009] The bottom plate is fixed on the ground via a plurality of supporting rods, and a gap is left between the upper end surface of the bottom plate and the lower end surface of the sleeve.

[0010] The upper end of the support cylinder and the lower end of the vertical cylinder are rotatably connected. The vertical cylinder is driven by a motor to rotate intermittently, and the vertical cylinder rotates a quarter of a circle each time. The interiors of the support cylinder and the vertical cylinder are communicated, and a feed valve is connected to the support cylinder.

[0011] The outer end of the baffle is bent and fixed on the bottom plate; wherein the baffle corresponding to the second station covers the second station and the area between the second station and the third station.

[0012] A cushion block is fixed between the upper end of the vertical cylinder and the top plate.

[0013] The top plate is equipped with multiple air storage tanks, each corresponding to the sleeves. The air storage tanks open upward, and the lower end of the air intake pipe can cover the sleeves and air storage tanks in the third station. Two front and rear air supply pipes are connected to the air storage tanks, and the air intake nozzles on the upper and lower layers are connected to the air supply pipes. Multiple exhaust ports are evenly distributed around the circumference, and the exhaust ports are positioned higher than the air intake nozzles. The nozzles on the upper and lower layers correspond to the upper and lower layers of tomato slices, respectively.

[0014] Advantages of this invention: 1. Simple and efficient, requiring no complex electrical coordination. 2. Ability to reshape and squeeze irregular eggplant boxes, improving appearance. 3. Ability to utilize baffle 14 to control the falling of eggplant slices, ensuring uniform and timely falling. 4. Ability to achieve automated cycle operation, improving efficiency and saving labor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a front cross-sectional view of the present invention (removing the feed barrel and the air intake pipe).

[0016] Figure 2It is a top view of the present invention (removing the feed barrel and the air intake pipe).

[0017] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 1 Middle AA section view.

[0018] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 1 Middle BB cross-section.

[0019] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the sleeve 4.

[0021] Figure 7 It is a main cross-sectional view of the vertical cylinder and the extruder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Depend on Figures 1 to 7 The present invention includes a support cylinder 1, on which a vertical cylinder 2 capable of intermittent rotation is installed, a top plate 3 is fixed to the upper end of the vertical cylinder 2, and four vertical sleeves 4 are evenly distributed on the circumference of the top plate 3; the sleeve 4 at the rear is the first station 5, and the remaining sleeves 4 are the second station 6, the third station 7 and the fourth station 8 in clockwise order; a vertical feeding cylinder 10 is provided directly above the first station 5 and the second station 6; a fixed bottom plate 11 is provided at the lower end of the four sleeves 4, and a notch 12 corresponding to the fourth station 8 is provided on the bottom plate 11; a horizontal groove 13 is provided on the upper part of each of the sleeves 4, wherein a baffle 14 is inserted into the groove 13 in the first station 5 and the second station 6;

[0024] The vertical cylinder 2 is equipped with four extruders 15 corresponding to the sleeves 4 one by one. When the extruders 15 rotate between the second station 6 and the third station 7, the material in the vertical cylinder 2 can be squeezed into the sleeve 4.

[0025] A plurality of air intake nozzles 16 and exhaust ports 17 are installed on the side wall of each sleeve 4. The air intake nozzles 16 are divided into two layers, an upper layer and an lower layer. An air intake pipe 18 is provided directly above the third workstation 7. The gas in the air intake pipe 18 can enter the sleeve 4 and the plurality of air intake nozzles 16.

[0026] In order to realize the extrusion feeding of the extruder 15, the extruder 15 includes a first material pipe 1501 inserted on the vertical cylinder 2, and the second material pipe 1502 is mounted on the first material pipe 1501. The second material pipe 1502 can move back and forth along the first material pipe 1501, and the first material pipe 1501 is connected to a reset spring 1503; a shift rod 1504 is fixed to the second material pipe 1502; an eccentric wheel 1505 is provided on the bottom plate 11, and the outer edge surface of the eccentric wheel 1505 can squeeze the shift rod 1504 to move the second material pipe 1502 toward the sleeve 4, and the farthest point of the contour line of the eccentric wheel 1505 is toward the middle position between the second workstation 6 and the third workstation 7; the outer ends of the first material pipe 1501 and the second material pipe 1502 are both installed with a one-way discharge valve 1506; the outer end of the second material pipe 1502 can be inserted into the sleeve 4.

[0027] In order to achieve the support of the bottom plate 11 on the material in the sleeve 4, the bottom plate 11 is fixed to the ground via a plurality of support rods, and a gap is left between the upper end surface of the bottom plate 11 and the lower end surface of the sleeve 4.

[0028] In order to realize the rotation of the vertical cylinder 2, the upper end of the support cylinder 1 and the lower end of the vertical cylinder 2 are rotatably connected, and the vertical cylinder 2 is driven by a motor to rotate intermittently, and the vertical cylinder 2 rotates a quarter of a circle each time; the interiors of the support cylinder 1 and the vertical cylinder 2 are connected, and a feed valve is connected to the support cylinder 1.

[0029] In order to realize the installation of the baffle 14 and block the materials in the first workstation 5 and the second workstation 6; the outer end of the baffle 14 is bent and fixed on the base plate 11; wherein the baffle 14 corresponding to the second workstation 6 covers the second workstation 6 and the area between the second workstation 6 and the third workstation 7.

[0030] In order to place the extruder 15 in the middle of the sleeve 4 to avoid interference with the baffle 14 above, a cushion block 20 is fixed between the upper end of the vertical cylinder 2 and the top plate 3.

[0031] To enable the air intake nozzles 16 to adjust the position of the upper and lower slices and to compress the slices, the top plate 3 is equipped with multiple air storage tanks 21 corresponding one to one with the sleeves 4. The air storage tanks 21 open upward, and the lower end of the air intake duct 18 can cover the sleeve 4 in the third station 7 and the air storage tanks 21. Two front and rear air supply pipes 22 are connected to the air storage tanks 21, and the air intake nozzles 16 on the upper and lower layers are connected to the air supply pipes 22. Multiple exhaust ports 17 are evenly distributed around the circumference and are positioned higher than the air intake nozzles 16. The nozzles on the upper and lower layers correspond to the slices on the upper and lower layers, respectively.

[0032] The present invention has four workstations, each of which corresponds to a sleeve 4. The first workstation 5 is located directly behind, and the second workstation 6, the third workstation 7, and the fourth workstation 8 are located clockwise. A feeding barrel 10 is provided above the first workstation 5 and the second workstation 6, and the feeding barrel 10 is vertical. The cut eggplant slices can be neatly placed in the feeding barrel 10. As the vertical barrel 2 rotates, the vertical barrel 2 will drive multiple sleeves 4 to rotate together, and during the rotation process, the eggplant slices will fall into the sleeve 4.

[0033] Since each sleeve 4 is provided with a groove 13, and baffles 14 are provided in the grooves 13 at the first station 5 and the second station 6, the baffles 14 can block the eggplant slices and prevent the slices from falling directly to the bottom of the sleeve 4; and due to the design of the baffles 14, it can also be ensured that only one eggplant slice can fall at a time. Since the thickness of the eggplant slices at the cutting point of the slicer is almost the same, it is sufficient to ensure that the gap between the upper end surface of the baffle 14 and the lower end surface of the feed barrel 10 is greater than the thickness of one slice and less than the thickness of two eggplant slices.

[0034] The following is an explanation of the processing sequence, that is, as the vertical cylinder 2 rotates, the sleeve 4 rotates from the first station 5 to the fourth station 8 in sequence.

[0035] See attached Figure 2 and 5 It can be seen that when it is at the first station 5, the feeding cylinder 10 directly above the first station 5 will drop a piece of eggplant slice onto the baffle 14 in the sleeve 4 corresponding to the first station 5; then it continues to rotate; since there is no baffle 14 in the area between the first station 5 and the second station 6, when the sleeve 4 on the first station 5 rotates to the gap between the first station 5 and the second station 6, the slices in the sleeve 4 at this time will no longer be blocked by the baffle 14, and will directly fall to the bottom of the sleeve 4 and be received by the bottom plate 11; they become the bottom layer of eggplant slices in the eggplant box.

[0036] After continuing to rotate, the feeding cylinder 10 on the second station 6 will continue to drop the tomato slices, but at this time the tomato slices will be blocked by the baffle 14, that is, the upper tomato slices fall into the sleeve 4, but do not fall directly to the bottom of the sleeve 4.

[0037] When the second and third stations 6 and 7 are reached, the eccentric wheel 1505 compresses the lever 1504 on the second tube 1502, causing it to move toward the sleeve 4 and into the sleeve 4. After passing the eccentric wheel 1505, the second tube 1502 is reset by the return spring 1503, achieving the reciprocating motion of the second tube 1502. Because the outer ends of the first and second tubes 1501 and 1502 are each equipped with a one-way discharge valve 1506, each reciprocating motion of the second tube 1502 draws the filling from the vertical cylinder 2 and extrudes it. During this process, the outer end of the second tube 1502 is positioned within the sleeve 4, and the second tube 1502 is higher than the eggplant slices within the sleeve 4, causing the filling to fall onto the bottom layer of eggplant slices within the sleeve 4. The addition of fillings is achieved; at the same time, when the second material tube 1502 is in the initial position, it will not extend into the sleeve 4, so when no fillings are added, the second material tube 1502 will not block the normal falling of the eggplant slices.

[0038] After rotating to the third station 7, the baffle 14 is no longer positioned within the groove 13, so the upper slices fall onto the filling, creating a double-layered effect. However, when they fall naturally, the upper and lower slices are not aligned accurately, and the two layers are not squeezed together. At the third station 7, high-pressure gas in the air intake duct 18 enters the interior of the sleeve 4, using the high-pressure gas to press down on the upper slices, squeezing the upper and lower slices together. Simultaneously, the high-pressure gas also enters the gas storage tank 21 and then flows through the gas pipe 22 into the air intake nozzles 16 of the upper and lower layers. Because the positions of the upper and lower air intake nozzles 16 are set according to the thickness of the slices, the upper and lower air intake nozzles 16 blow on the slices of the upper and lower layers respectively, causing the slices to move to opposite sides and achieve alignment of the upper and lower layers. This achieves alignment and pre-squeezing of the upper and lower layers of the slices, thus completing the eggplant box processing. In addition, since eggplant slices are light, the gas pressure does not need to be too high to avoid damaging the eggplant slices and blowing away the fillings.

[0039] Finally, the box rotates to the fourth station 8, where it falls from the notch 12 onto the conveyor belt and moves to the next step. This cycle continues, achieving mechanized continuous processing of the box.

[0040] The benefits of the present invention are as follows:

[0041] 1. It can greatly reduce space occupation. Multiple devices can be set up on one assembly line and run synchronously, thereby doubling work efficiency.

[0042] 2. This device can complete all actions by setting a circumferentially uniform distribution method and rotating the vertical cylinder 2 through a motor. It does not require complex electrical coordination, is simple and efficient, and is easy to maintain.

[0043] 3. This device controls the thickness of the material by setting a baffle 14, which can ensure that the materials are fed one by one to avoid mistakes. At the same time, the baffle 14 can also control the timing of the eggplant slices falling in the sleeve 4. After the filling is squeezed by the extruder 15, it falls to form the eggplant box sandwich. This form is novel, stable, and has few dependencies and stable operation.

[0044] 4. This device innovatively designs an air intake duct 18 and an air intake nozzle 16 on the side wall of the sleeve 4. The air from above is used to squeeze the eggplant boxes, and the air intake nozzle 16 on the side aligns the eggplant boxes; it can make irregular eggplant boxes regular and beautiful, and improve the appearance.

[0045] 5. The extruder 15 in this device has a simple structure and is driven to move back and forth by the eccentric wheel 1505 to extrude and discharge the materials in sequence. The discharge amount is stable, and the end of the extruder 15 is placed in the sleeve 4 to discharge the materials, so that the fillings can fall evenly on the slices of the bottom layer.

Claims

1. An edible box forming device, comprising a support cylinder (1), characterized in that: A vertical cylinder (2) capable of intermittent rotation is installed on the support cylinder (1), a top plate (3) is fixed on the upper end of the vertical cylinder (2), and four vertical sleeves (4) are evenly distributed on the circumference of the top plate (3); the sleeve (4) at the rear is the first station (5), and the remaining sleeves (4) are the second station (6), the third station (7) and the fourth station (8) in clockwise order; a vertical feeding cylinder (10) is provided directly above the first station (5) and the second station (6); the lower ends of the four sleeves (4) have a fixed bottom plate. (11), a notch (12) corresponding to the fourth station (8) is provided on the bottom plate (11); a horizontal groove (13) is provided on the upper portion of each sleeve (4), wherein baffles (14) are inserted into the grooves (13) in the first station (5) and the second station (6); the outer ends of the baffles (14) are bent and fixed on the bottom plate (11); wherein the baffle (14) corresponding to the second station (6) covers the second station (6) and the area between the second station (6) and the third station (7); The vertical cylinder (2) is equipped with four extruders (15) corresponding to the sleeves (4) one by one. When the extruders (15) are rotated between the second station (6) and the third station (7), the materials in the vertical cylinder (2) can be squeezed into the sleeves (4). A plurality of air inlet nozzles (16) and air exhaust ports (17) are installed on the side wall of each sleeve (4), and the air inlet nozzles (16) are divided into two layers, an upper layer and an lower layer. An air inlet pipe (18) is provided directly above the third station (7), and the gas in the air inlet pipe (18) can enter the sleeve (4) and the plurality of air inlet nozzles (16).

2. The eggplant box forming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extruder (15) includes a first material tube (1501) inserted into the vertical cylinder (2), a second material tube (1502) is mounted on the first material tube (1501), the second material tube (1502) can reciprocate along the first material tube (1501), a return spring (1503) is connected to the first material tube (1501), the outer end of the return spring (1503) is connected to the inner end of the second material tube (1502), and the inner end of the return spring (1503) is connected to the inner end of the first material tube (1501); the second material tube (1502) is connected to the inner end of the return spring (1503); A shift rod (1504) is fixed thereto; an eccentric wheel (1505) is provided on the bottom plate (11); the outer edge surface of the eccentric wheel (1505) can squeeze the shift rod (1504), so that the second material pipe (1502) moves toward the sleeve (4), and the outermost point of the contour line of the eccentric wheel (1505) is toward the middle position between the second work station (6) and the third work station (7); the outer ends of the first material pipe (1501) and the second material pipe (1502) are both installed with a one-way discharge valve (1506); the outer end of the second material pipe (1502) can be inserted into the sleeve (4).

3. The eggplant box forming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base plate (11) is fixed to the ground via a plurality of support rods, and a gap is left between the upper end surface of the base plate (11) and the lower end surface of the sleeve (4).

4. The eggplant box forming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the support cylinder (1) and the lower end of the vertical cylinder (2) are rotatably connected, and the vertical cylinder (2) is driven by a motor to intermittently rotate, and the vertical cylinder (2) rotates a quarter of a turn each time; the interiors of the support cylinder (1) and the vertical cylinder (2) are connected, and a feed valve is connected to the support cylinder (1).

5. The eggplant box forming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cushion block (20) is fixed between the upper end of the vertical cylinder (2) and the top plate (3).

6. The eggplant box forming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top plate (3) is provided with a plurality of air storage tanks (21) corresponding to the sleeves (4) one by one. The air storage tanks (21) are opened upward, and the lower end of the air intake pipe (18) can cover the sleeve (4) and the air storage tank (21) in the third workstation (7); the air storage tank (21) is connected to two front and rear air delivery pipes (22), and the upper and lower air intake nozzles (16) are connected to the air delivery pipes (22); the exhaust ports (17) are evenly distributed around the circumference, and the exhaust ports (17) are higher than the position of the air intake nozzles (16).

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