A food processor

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of food processing machines, comprising: machine body, defines and places the chamber;For processing food material processing function module, it is connected in a detachable manner on the machine body, with working chamber and the inlet for food material material into the working chamber;The top of the placement chamber is also provided with a fixed cover for opening or covering the top opening, and the fixed cover has a feeding port, and the feeding port of the fixed cover in the covered state corresponds to the inlet of the function module in the placement chamber. The advantage is that the function module for food processing is completely independent, and the feeding port is provided on the fixed cover of the machine body, so that the function module is as simple as possible, and can be directly taken out for cleaning, ensuring the cleaning effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of kitchen appliance technology, and more particularly to 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 have relatively simple functions, mostly divided into slicers for cutting ingredients (such as slicing, dicing, or cutting) and meat grinders for processing meat. If users need to use these functions, they need to configure a separate machine, resulting in a large number of food processors in the home, taking up space, and increasing costs by configuring multiple machines, which cannot meet the needs of users.

[0003] To address this, Chinese invention patent application CN202110185637.2 (publication number CN112971557A) discloses a multi-functional food processor, comprising a main unit and an extension device. The main unit has an extension device mounting area and a product receiving area, with the product receiving area located below the extension device mounting area. The main unit has a built-in drive device, the transmission end of which extends into the extension device mounting area. The extension device can be a noodle-making device, a food shredder, a juicer, a meat grinder, or a food slicer. Users can assemble the noodle-making device, food shredder, juicer, meat grinder, or food slicer with the main unit to form a noodle machine, shredder, juicer, meat grinder, and slicer. With multiple functions, users can assemble the corresponding extension device with the main unit to meet different needs, save costs, and achieve the effect of multi-functionality.

[0004] The multi-functional food processor in the aforementioned patent application still has certain shortcomings. Although the expansion devices in the food processor can be disassembled from the main unit to achieve the effect of multiple uses in one machine, each expansion device only eliminates the power unit. The working components that are the main cutting and preparation functions are still placed in the corresponding housing and have independent feeding ports. That is, the structure of each expansion device is still relatively complex and not much different from the traditional single machine body. Therefore, when cleaning the expansion devices, the cleaning process is very inconvenient and relatively cumbersome, and the cleaning effect of each expansion module cannot be guaranteed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a food processor in view of the current state of the prior art, in which the functional modules can be easily removed for cleaning and the cleaning effect is good.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is: a food processing machine, comprising:

[0007] The body, which defines an open mounting chamber;

[0008] The functional module for processing food ingredients can be placed into the placement chamber through the opening of the machine body and taken out. The functional module has a working chamber and an inlet for food ingredients to enter the working chamber.

[0009] The top opening of the placement chamber is also provided with a fixed cover plate for opening or closing the top opening. The fixed cover plate has a feeding port. When the functional module is placed in the placement chamber, the feeding port of the fixed cover plate in the closed state is connected to the feeding port of the functional module.

[0010] To make it easier for users to add ingredients, it also includes:

[0011] The flow channel frame plate has vertically extending food flow channels. The upper port of the food flow channels is opposite to the feeding port of the fixed cover plate in the vertical direction, and the lower port is opposite to the feeding port of the functional module in the vertical direction.

[0012] Since the location and size of the feed inlet of different functional modules will be slightly different when using different functional modules, in order to adapt to and correspond with the feed inlets of different functional modules, the flow channel frame plate is slidably disposed at the top opening of the fixed cover plate or the machine body in a manner that allows it to move back and forth along the extension direction of the plane where the feed inlet is located and its position is adjustable.

[0013] Under normal circumstances, different functional modules can share a single food flow channel on a fixed cover plate. However, sharing a single food flow channel inevitably leads to hygiene problems. For example, sharing a single food flow channel can cause cross-contamination or odor mixing between meat and vegetables, which can harm human health and the user experience. Therefore, the flow channel frame plate has at least two food flow channels arranged sequentially along the moving direction of the flow channel frame plate. Each of the food flow channels can be moved to a position corresponding to and connected to the food inlet and food outlet.

[0014] To facilitate user operation of the movable fixed cover and flow channel frame, the flow channel frame can be integrated into the fixed cover to form a cover assembly unit. The fixed cover includes a shell with a receiving chamber. The shell has a food inlet at a position corresponding to the top of the receiving chamber and a food outlet at a position corresponding to the bottom of the receiving chamber, which is opposite to the feed port of the functional module. The food inlet constitutes the feeding port of the fixed cover. The flow channel frame is slidably disposed in the receiving chamber of the fixed cover. As the position of the flow channel frame relative to the fixed cover changes, the upper port of each food flow channel is aligned with the food inlet of the fixed cover, and the lower port is aligned with the food outlet of the fixed cover.

[0015] In order to close the food inlet promptly after the food is added, and to achieve the purpose of protection, an auxiliary cover plate is also included, which is located at the food inlet of the fixed cover plate and can reciprocate along the extension direction of the plane where the food inlet is located. The auxiliary cover plate is used to block at least a part of the area of ​​the food inlet of the flow channel frame plate.

[0016] As an improvement, the flow channel frame plate has at least two food flow channels with different sizes of upper ports. The two food flow channels with different sizes of upper ports are referred to as the first flow channel and the second flow channel, respectively. At least one of the first flow channel and the second flow channel has an upper port area smaller than the food inlet area on the fixed cover plate.

[0017] During movement, the flow channel frame plate has a first position in which the upper port of the first flow channel is opposite to the food inlet of the fixed cover plate, and a second position in which the upper port of the second flow channel is opposite to the food inlet of the fixed cover plate. When the flow channel frame plate is in the first position, the auxiliary cover plate blocks the area of ​​the food inlet located outside the upper port of the first flow channel. When the flow channel frame plate is in the second position, the auxiliary cover plate blocks the area of ​​the food inlet located outside the upper port of the second flow channel.

[0018] Due to the limitations of the feeding and cutting processes of different functional modules, the required size of the food flow channels in the flow channel frame plate varies. Setting two or more food flow channels with different opening sizes on the flow channel frame plate can meet the feeding and cutting needs of different functional modules. Based on this, the opening area of ​​the food inlet on the fixed cover plate is generally equal to or greater than the upper port of the largest food flow channel on the flow channel frame plate. However, when using a food flow channel with a relatively small upper port, since the food inlet of the flow channel frame plate is larger than the upper port of the food flow channel, there will inevitably be an exposed area outside the food inlet, which affects the user's normal feeding. The reciprocating movement design of the auxiliary cover plate can cover the corresponding exposed area, which can better cooperate with the flow channel frame plate, meet the feeding requirements of different functional modules, and greatly improve the user experience.

[0019] In order to better match the reciprocating movement of the flow channel frame plate and the auxiliary cover plate, and to effectively simplify the structure of the fixed cover plate, the upper port of the first flow channel, the upper port of the second flow channel and the food inlet are all rectangles with the same length dimension. The upper port of the first flow channel and the upper port of the second flow channel have different width dimensions, and both of their width dimensions are smaller than the width dimension of the food inlet.

[0020] The “length dimension” mentioned above can be understood as the dimensions of the upper port of the first flow channel, the upper port of the second flow channel, and the food inlet in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the flow channel frame plate, which are rectangular in shape. The “width dimension” can be understood as the dimensions of the upper port of the first flow channel, the upper port of the second flow channel, and the food inlet in the direction of the moving direction of the flow channel frame plate.

[0021] Generally, the sum of the widths of the upper ports of the first and second flow channels can be less than or equal to the width of the food inlet. However, in order to make the "cover plate assembly" structure formed by the combination of the fixed cover plate, the flow channel frame plate and the auxiliary cover plate more compact, and to reduce the movement of the auxiliary cover plate, the sum of the widths of the upper ports of the first and second flow channels is greater than the width of the food inlet.

[0022] It is conceivable that, for the sake of structural simplification, the aforementioned "flow channel frame plate" can be omitted, and an auxiliary cover plate that can reciprocate along the extension direction of the plane where the feed port of the fixed cover plate is located can be included. The auxiliary cover plate can block different areas of the feed port of the fixed cover plate as its position changes.

[0023] The reciprocating movement of the aforementioned flow channel frame plate and auxiliary cover plate can be achieved by manual adjustment. However, in order to better improve the user experience and achieve automatic adjustment of the position of the flow channel frame plate and auxiliary cover plate, the fixed cover plate also includes a first drive mechanism for driving the flow channel frame plate to move and a second drive mechanism for driving the auxiliary cover plate to move.

[0024] To facilitate the user's access to and from the functional modules within the housing chamber of the machine body, the fixed cover can be tilted up and down around its position where it is partially connected to the side of the top opening of the machine body, thereby opening or closing the top opening of the machine body.

[0025] To facilitate the collection and removal of ingredients after processing by the functional module, the bottom of the functional module has a discharge port for the processed ingredients to flow out.

[0026] The machine body also has a receiving area located below the placement chamber and opposite to the discharge port of the functional module. The receiving area is equipped with a receiving box. The side of the machine body has a first opening at a position corresponding to the receiving area. The receiving box can move in and out of the receiving area through the first opening in a way that allows it to be pushed and pulled relative to the machine body.

[0027] To further simplify the structure of the functional module, the functional module includes a fixed base and a food processing component. The fixed base has a working chamber for housing the food processing component. The top of the fixed base has the inlet, and the bottom of the fixed base has the outlet.

[0028] Since the internal structure of the functional module's mounting base only contains food processing components, the structure is simpler and more compact. In particular, the inlet and outlet of the functional module are located at the top and bottom of the mounting base, respectively, making the functional module a hollow structure that allows users to easily remove the functional module for rinsing under a tap or soaking it in a sink, greatly improving the user experience.

[0029] Generally speaking, the power device used to drive the food processing component of the functional module can be located on the functional module itself. However, in order to simplify the structure of the functional module, make the overall functional module more compact, and facilitate the cleaning of the functional module, the machine body is provided with a main drive mechanism. When the functional module is placed on the machine body, the food processing component of the functional module is connected to the power output end of the main drive mechanism.

[0030] Different functional modules, such as the vegetable cutting module and the meat grinding module, require different power (different rotation speeds at the transmission connection ends). Therefore, in order to adapt to the power requirements of different functional modules, the main drive mechanism has at least two transmission connection ends. There are at least two functional modules. When each functional module is placed in the placement chamber, the food processing component of the functional module can be connected to any one of the transmission connection ends.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0032] Firstly, in this invention, the feeding port and food flow channel of the food processor are located on a fixed cover plate of the machine body, meaning the functional module for food processing is completely independent. This simplifies the structure of the functional module as much as possible and avoids limiting the cleaning process of the functional module due to additional housings, feeding ports, and food flow channels. The functional module structure of this invention is simpler, smaller, and more compact, allowing for easy removal and cleaning, thus ensuring effective cleaning.

[0033] Secondly, in the preferred embodiment, the fixed cover plate adopts a variable flow channel design with a reciprocating flow channel frame plate and a reciprocating auxiliary cover plate working together. Setting two or more food flow channels with different opening sizes on the flow channel frame plate can meet the feeding and cutting needs of different functional modules, avoiding cross-contamination or flavor mixing of meat and vegetables caused by sharing a single food flow channel, thus improving the user experience. Furthermore, when using a food flow channel with a relatively small upper port, the reciprocating auxiliary cover plate can cover the exposed area outside the upper port of the food flow channel at the food inlet, preventing food leakage during feeding. This effectively complements the flow channel frame plate, meeting the feeding requirements of different functional modules and greatly improving the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram after omitting the fixed cover plate and functional modules;

[0036] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A vertical sectional view taken along the left and right directions (with the auxiliary cover in the closed food inlet position);

[0037] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A vertical sectional view 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 second flow channel);

[0038] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A vertical sectional view cut along the front-to-back direction;

[0039] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A structural diagram omitting the fixed cover plate and functional modules;

[0040] Figure 7 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of a food processor with a built-in dicing module, cut along the left and right directions according to an embodiment of the present invention (with the auxiliary cover in the closed food inlet state).

[0041] Figure 8 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of a food processor with a built-in dicing module, cut along the left and right direction according to an embodiment of the present invention (the auxiliary cover is in the open food inlet state, and the food inlet is opposite to the first flow channel).

[0042] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the dicing module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 10 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 an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 11 This is a vertical sectional perspective view of the dicing module of this invention, cut along the axial direction of the blade barrel.

[0045] Figure 12 for Figure 5 A three-dimensional structural diagram of one of the mounting side panels of the meat cutting module in a disassembled state;

[0046] Figure 13 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the fixed cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 14 for Figure 13 A sectional perspective view at point AA (with the auxiliary cover in the closed food inlet position);

[0048] Figure 15 for Figure 13 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);

[0049] Figure 16 for Figure 13 Cross-sectional perspective view at point AA (with the auxiliary cover in the open food inlet position, and the food inlet opposite to the second flow channel);

[0050] Figure 17 An exploded view of the fixed cover plate;

[0051] Figure 18 for Figure 13 Cross-sectional perspective view at point BB;

[0052] Figure 19 for Figure 13 Cross-sectional perspective view at point CC;

[0053] Figure 20 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the upper shell of the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0055] 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.

[0056] Figures 1-20 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 into and removed. See details. Figure 5 .

[0057] 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 6 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 3 The placement chamber 11 contains a meat-cutting module for cutting meat. For example... Figure 20 As shown, a dicing module for dicing is placed in the placement chamber 11.

[0058] 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 second cover 120. Specifically, the second cover 120 is rotatably connected to the rear side of the opening of the functional module placement area 12.

[0059] See Figure 6The 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 11 through the first opening 111.

[0060] 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 has at least two transmission connection ends, combined with… Figure 2 and Figure 6 The diagram shows two transmission connection ends, denoted 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 (vertical axis) gear structure.

[0061] 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.

[0062] See Figures 13-20 As shown, the cover plate assembly 30 includes a fixed cover plate 31, a flow channel frame plate 32, an auxiliary cover plate 33, a first drive mechanism 341, and a second drive mechanism 342.

[0063] The fixed cover plate 31 forms a support structure for the other components. The fixed cover plate 31 is a shell structure with a recessed chamber, specifically including an upper shell 311 and a lower shell 312 that snap together in the vertical direction. After the upper shell 311 and the lower shell 312 are snapped together, they together define a receiving chamber 310 for placing the flow channel frame plate 32.

[0064] 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 food inlet 313 and the food outlet 314 are arranged opposite to each other in the vertical direction.

[0065] The auxiliary cover 33 is slidably connected to the upper housing 311 by the second drive mechanism 342 and can block at least a part 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).

[0066] 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 to the outer 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 17 The limiting baffle 331 on the rear side of the auxiliary cover 33 has a rearwardly extending second support plate 332, 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. Correspondingly, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 20 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 plate 33 (and the second drive motor 3421 and the second gear 3422 mounted thereon) can move back and forth left and right through the meshing of the second gear 3422 and the second rack 3423.

[0067] The flow channel frame plate 32 is driven by the first drive mechanism 341 and is slidably disposed in the receiving chamber 310 of the housing 31 in the left-right direction. The flow channel frame plate 32 has a food flow channel that runs vertically through the upper and lower parts. 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.

[0068] 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 to connect with the first gear 3412. See also Figure 17The side wall of the flow channel frame plate 32 is provided with a first rack 3413 extending in the left and right direction, which meshes with the first gear 3412 mentioned above.

[0069] To ensure the smooth left-right movement of the flow channel frame plate 32, the inner wall of the housing 31 also has limiting ribs 315 extending in the left-right direction. Correspondingly, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 18 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 edge of the third support plate are respectively slidably constrained in the two limiting grooves 323.

[0070] Generally, different functional modules 50 can share a single food flow channel on the fixed cover plate 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 ports of both the first flow channel 321 and the second flow channel 322 are rectangular, and the food inlet 313 of the shell is also rectangular. More specifically, 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 15 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. Furthermore, the sum of the width of the first flow channel 321 in the left-right direction and the width of the second flow channel 322 in the left-right direction is greater than the width of the food inlet 313 of the upper shell 311 in the left-right direction.

[0071] 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 housing 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 housing 31.

[0072] 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 15 As 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 of the food inlet 313 by the second drive mechanism 342, and covers 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. This is suitable for cutting operations (such as slicing, shredding, dicing, etc.) of fruits and vegetables, that is, the functional module adopts a slicing module, shredding module or dicing module for slicing, shredding or dicing fruits and vegetables, such as... Figure 8 The diagram shows a schematic of a structure in which a dicing module is provided in the mounting chamber 11 of the body 10, and the flow channel frame plate 32 of the fixed cover plate 30 moves to a matching first position. Similarly, see [reference needed]. Figure 16 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 side of the food inlet 313 by the second drive mechanism 342, and covers 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 into the second flow channel 322, the food does not fall into other areas outside the second flow channel 322. This is suitable for cutting operations (such as slicing, mincing, etc.) of meat ingredients, that is, the functional module adopts a meat cutting module for slicing meat ingredients or a meat mincing module for mincing meat ingredients, such as... Figure 4 The diagram shows a structural schematic of a meat-cutting module housed in the mounting chamber 11 of the body 10, with the flow channel frame 32 of the fixed cover 30 moving to a matching second position.

[0073] See Figures 9-12 The 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 a working chamber 510 for housing the food processing component 53. The top of the fixed base 51 has an inlet 501 communicating with the working chamber 510, and the bottom has an outlet 502 communicating with the working chamber 510. Since the fixed base 51 of the functional module 50 only houses the food processing component 53, the structure is simpler and more compact. In particular, the inlet 501 and outlet 502 of the functional module 50 are located at the top and bottom of the fixed base 51 respectively, creating a hollow structure that allows users to easily remove the functional module for rinsing under a tap or soaking it in a sink, greatly improving the user experience.

[0074] To facilitate the placement and retrieval of the functional module 50, a handle 52 is provided on the mounting base 51 of the functional module. The handle 52 is rotatably connected to the top of the mounting base 51 and has a first state of being closed relative to the mounting base 51 and a second state of being open relative to the mounting base 51. Figure 9 As shown, the top of the fixed base 51 has a second receiving groove 512 for the handle 52 to be received in the first state. After the handle 52 is received in the second receiving groove 512, the handle 52 is basically flush with the top wall of the fixed base 51. This ensures that after the functional module 50 is placed in the placement space of the machine body 10, the space above the functional module 50 can be fully utilized, making the arrangement of the various parts or components of the food processor more compact and realizing the miniaturization design of the whole machine.

[0075] The functional module 50 also has a gear assembly for transmission connection with the active drive mechanism 15 on the body 10, such as... Figure 12 A perspective view of the meat-cutting module with one mounting side plate 513 in a disassembled state is shown. It can be seen that the food processing component 53 of this meat-cutting module engages with the first transmission connection end 150a of the active drive mechanism 15 on the body 10 via a vertically placed gear 500. See also... Figure 10 and Figure 11 The food processing component of the dicing module is also engaged with the first transmission connection end 150a of the active drive mechanism 15 on the body 10 through a transmission gear ring 642.

[0076] See Figures 9-11 The diagram shows a dicing module as a functional module 50. Specifically, the dicing module includes a base 51 and a dicing blade assembly (i.e., food processing assembly 53) disposed in the base 51.

[0077] The mounting base 51 also has a feed channel 503 for guiding food from the feed inlet 501 of the mounting base 51 to the dicing blade assembly. The top of the mounting base 51 has the aforementioned handle 52, which is biased to one side of the feed inlet 501 when it is in the retracted state, thereby preventing the handle 52 from being contaminated when food enters the feed inlet of the dicing module from the food channel.

[0078] The dicing tool assembly includes a tool barrel 60, an extrusion roller 65, and a gear transmission assembly.

[0079] See Figure 10 and Figure 11 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. The first transmission gear ring 642 has an internal tooth portion 6422 on the side adjacent to the cutter barrel 60, and an external tooth portion 6421 on the side away from the cutter barrel 60. After the dicing module is placed in position, the external tooth portion 6421 of the first gear ring can mesh with the transmission connection end (gear) on the machine body 10, and the internal tooth portion 6422 can mesh with the first transmission gear 641 coaxially connected to the extrusion roller 65.

[0080] The blade cylinder 60 has a mesh structure with dicing holes 602, and dicing blades 603 for dicing are formed on its inner wall. The blade cylinder 60 has an axially extending and through-hole inlet 601 for feeding sheet-like ingredients. A slicing blade 61 is located at the inlet 601. During the rotation of the blade cylinder 60, the slicing blade 61 cuts the ingredients located in the guide channel. The sheet-like ingredients formed by the slicing blade 61 enter the blade cylinder 60 through the inlet 601. (See details...) Figure 7 .

[0081] The extrusion roller 65 is located inside the cutter cylinder 60, and its extension direction is substantially the same as that of the cutter cylinder 60. Specifically, the two ends of the extrusion roller 65 are supported on opposite side walls of the fixed base 51 by first bearings 661, and can rotate around its own axis. 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 first transmission gear 641 is coaxially connected to the extrusion roller 65. The first transmission gear 641 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 transmission gear ring 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] The dicing module in this embodiment is used as follows:

[0084] The flow channel frame plate 32 of the fixed cover plate 30 moves to the first position corresponding to the first flow channel 321 and the food inlet 501 of the functional module. At this time, the upper port of the first flow channel 321 is connected to the food inlet of the shell. The food to be processed is put into the feeding port of the fixed cover plate (that is, the food inlet of the shell). The food enters the guide flow channel of the dicing module along the first flow channel 321. After the auxiliary cover plate 33 moves to close the feeding port of the fixed cover plate, the main drive mechanism of the machine body is started, driving the extrusion roller 65 and the blade cylinder 60 to rotate. The food is first cut into slices by the slicing blade 61 on the blade cylinder 60 and enters the inside of the blade cylinder 60. The sliced ​​food will fall between the extrusion roller 65 and the inner wall of the blade cylinder 60 during the rotation. It is squeezed out of the blade cylinder 60 by the extrusion roller and then becomes diced and falls from the blade cylinder 60 from the inside to the outside to form diced food. The diced food falls into the receiving box 14 of the receiving area 13 below.

[0085] 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.

[0086] Based on the above embodiments, other embodiments can be obtained by replacing and improving the relevant technical features. For example, the flow channel frame plate of the cover plate assembly can also be omitted, and the purpose of adapting to different functional modules can be achieved simply by the sliding cooperation between the fixed cover plate and the auxiliary cover plate.

[0087] 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 food processing machine, comprising: a machine body (10) defining a placement chamber (11) with an open top; a functional module (50) for processing food materials, capable of being placed into and removed from the placement chamber (11) through the open top of the machine body (10), the functional module (50) having a working chamber (510) and a material inlet (501) for the food materials to be processed to enter the working chamber (510); characterized in that the placement chamber (11) is further provided with a fixed cover plate (31) for opening and closing the open top of the placement chamber (11), the fixed cover plate (31) having a material feeding opening, and in that the material feeding opening of the fixed cover plate (31) in the closed state is in communication with the material inlet (501) of the functional module (50) when the functional module (50) is placed in position in the placement chamber (11); further comprising: a flow channel frame plate (32) having upper and lower food material flow channels (321; 322), the upper end of the food material flow channels (321; 322) being opposite the material feeding opening of the fixed cover plate (31) in the closed state in the vertical direction, and the lower end being opposite the material inlet of the functional module (50) in the vertical direction; the flow channel frame plate (32) being slidably arranged on the fixed cover plate (31) or the open top of the machine body (10) in a reciprocating and position-adjustable manner along the extension direction of the plane of the material feeding opening of the fixed cover plate (31); the flow channel frame plate (32) having at least two food material flow channels (321; 322) arranged in sequence along the moving direction of the flow channel frame plate (32), each of the food material flow channels (321; 322) being capable of moving to a position in communication with the material feeding opening of the fixed cover plate (31) as the position of the flow channel frame plate changes.

2. The food processor of claim 1, wherein: the fixed cover plate (31) comprising a housing having a receiving chamber (310), the housing being formed with a food material inlet (313) at a position corresponding to the top of the receiving chamber (310) and a food material outlet (314) opposite the material inlet (501) of the functional module (50) at a position corresponding to the bottom of the receiving chamber (310), the food material inlet (313) constituting the material feeding opening of the fixed cover plate (31), the flow channel frame plate (32) being slidably arranged in the receiving chamber (310) of the fixed cover plate (31), and the flow channel frame plate (32) being capable of causing the upper end of each food material flow channel (321; 322) to be opposite the food material inlet (313) of the fixed cover plate (31) and the lower end to be opposite the food material outlet (314) of the fixed cover plate (31) as the position of the flow channel frame plate relative to the fixed cover plate (31) changes.

3. The food processor of claim 2, wherein: further comprising an auxiliary cover plate (33) arranged at the food material inlet (313) of the fixed cover plate (31) and capable of reciprocating along the extension direction of the plane of the food material inlet (313), the auxiliary cover plate (33) being used to shield at least part of the food material inlet (313) of the flow channel frame plate (32).

4. The food processor of claim 3, wherein: The flow channel frame plate (32) has at least two upper ports of different sizes of food material flow channels, and the two upper ports of different sizes of food material flow channels are respectively referred to as a first flow channel (321) and a second flow channel (322), and at least one of the first flow channel (321) and the second flow channel (322) has an upper port with an area smaller than that of the food material inlet (313) of the fixed cover plate (31); 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 material inlet (313) of the fixed cover plate (31), and a second position in which the upper port of the second flow channel (322) is opposite to the food material inlet (313) of the fixed cover plate (31), and when the flow channel frame plate (32) is in the first position, the auxiliary cover plate (33) shields the area outside the upper port of the first flow channel (321) corresponding to the food material inlet (313), and when the flow channel frame plate (32) is in the second position, the auxiliary cover plate (33) shields the area outside the upper port of the second flow channel (322) corresponding to the food material inlet (313).

5. The food processor of claim 4, wherein: The upper port of the first flow channel (321), the upper port of the second flow channel (322), and the food material inlet (313) are all rectangular with consistent length dimensions, the width dimensions of the upper port of the first flow channel (321) and the upper port of the second flow channel (322) are different, and the width dimensions of both are smaller than the width dimension of the food material inlet.

6. The food processor of claim 5, wherein: The sum of the width dimensions of the upper port of the first flow channel (321) and the upper port of the second flow channel (322) is greater than the width dimension of the food material inlet.

7. The food processor of claim 1, wherein: The auxiliary cover plate (33) can reciprocate along the extension direction of the feeding port of the fixed cover plate, and the auxiliary cover plate (33) can shield different areas of the feeding port of the fixed cover plate by changing its position.

8. The food processor of claim 3, wherein: The fixed cover plate (31) further comprises a first driving mechanism (341) for driving the movement of the flow channel frame plate (32) and a second driving mechanism (342) for driving the movement of the auxiliary cover plate (33).

9. A food processor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The fixed cover plate (31) can be deflected up and down around the position where it is partially connected to the side of the top opening of the machine body (10), thereby opening or closing the top opening of the machine body (10).

10. A food processor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The bottom of the functional module (50) has a discharge port (502) for the outflow of processed food materials; The machine body (10) further has a dish receiving area (13) located below the accommodation chamber (11) and opposite to the discharge port (502) of the functional module (50), and a dish receiving box (14) is placed in the dish receiving area (13), and the side of the machine body (10) has a first opening (111) corresponding to the dish receiving area (13), and the dish receiving box (14) can be pushed and pulled relative to the machine body (10) to enter and exit the dish receiving area (13) through the first opening (111).

11. A food processor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The functional module (50) comprises a fixing seat (51) and a food processing assembly (53), the fixing seat (51) has a working chamber (510) for accommodating the food processing assembly (53), the top of the fixing seat (51) is provided with the feeding port (501), and the bottom of the fixing seat (51) is provided with a discharging port (502).

12. The food processor of claim 11, wherein: The main driving mechanism (15) is arranged on the machine body (10), and the food processing assembly (53) of the functional module (50) is in transmission connection with the power output end of the main driving mechanism (15) in the state that the functional module (50) is placed on the machine body (10).

13. The food processor of claim 12, wherein: The main driving mechanism (15) has at least two transmission connection ends, and the functional module (50) has at least two, and the food processing assembly (53) of the functional module (50) can be connected with any transmission connection end in correspondence in the state that different functional modules (50) are placed in the accommodating chamber (11).

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