Lotus seed decorticator with automatic centering function

Abstract

The application discloses a lotus seed core removing machine with automatic centering function, which comprises a rack, a feeding device, a core removing device, a centering and centering device, a feeding device and a control system, and has the following technical features: the centering and centering device can automatically adapt to lotus seeds of different sizes, and ensures that the core removing drill bit is aligned with the axis of the lotus seed, thereby improving the core removing quality of the lotus seed; the automatic processing mode combining sensing feedback and pneumatic control is adopted, thereby improving the production efficiency of the lotus seed core removing; in addition, the structure is simplified, the occupied area is reduced, and the manufacturing difficulty is low. The application can be used for high-quality and large-batch core removing of lotus seeds.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lotus seed processing, and in particular to a lotus seed de-coring machine with an automatic centering function. It belongs to the field of agricultural equipment technology. Background Technology

[0002] Lotus seeds are an important agricultural product with high edible and medicinal value, and are widely cultivated in southern my country. Lotus seeds consist of the kernel and the heart (lotus heart). The heart has a bitter taste and therefore needs to be removed before use as food. Dried lotus seeds have low moisture content and high hardness, so drilling is commonly used to remove the heart. Currently, heart removal involves both manual and mechanical methods. Manual methods rely on manual operation of a drill bit, which suffers from high labor intensity, inconsistent processing quality, low efficiency, high safety risks, and significant hygiene hazards. While mechanical methods significantly reduce labor intensity, they still have shortcomings: the fully automatic lotus seed heart removal machine disclosed in patent CN101716017B lacks an automatic centering function, resulting in incomplete heart removal due to varying lotus seed sizes and high processing losses. While a lotus seed heart removal machine with adaptive processing methods disclosed in patent CN103070455B addresses the automatic centering issue by proposing an adaptive processing method, its purely mechanical control results in a complex mechanical structure, high manufacturing costs, and low production efficiency. Therefore, it is particularly necessary to develop a lotus seed machine that combines the advantages of easy manufacturing and assembly, high degree of automation, and automatic alignment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a lotus seed core removal machine with automatic centering function.

[0004] The present invention adopts the following solution: a lotus seed de-coring machine with automatic centering function, comprising a frame, a feeding device, a de-coring device, a centering device, a feeding device, a control system, etc., characterized in that:

[0005] The feeding device is movably connected to the frame via a guide rail and is driven by a feeding cylinder to move the slide back and forth. When the feeding cylinder performs the feeding action, it switches between different throttle valves via a solenoid valve to adjust the air flow rate, thereby switching between the fast-forward mode and the working feed mode of the feeding device. Multiple sets of guide columns are installed on the slide, each guide column is equipped with a buffer mechanism, and multiple sets of core-removing devices are connected to the slide via multiple sets of guide columns. The core-removing device includes a core-removing motor, a drill bit, and a motor bracket. The drill bit is mounted on the spindle of the core-removing motor, the core-removing motor is mounted on the motor bracket, and the motor bracket is movably connected to the guide column via a guide sleeve.

[0006] The centering and centering device is composed of a base and a plurality of centering mechanisms and a plurality of compression and centering mechanisms, the number of which is the same as that of the core removing device, and is located between the core removing device and the feeding device; the centering mechanism includes a posture adjusting mechanism and a material blocking mechanism; the posture adjusting mechanism is movably installed on the base and includes a pair of centering wheels and a driving pulley, the centering wheels are driven to rotate in the same direction by a centering motor through a belt transmission; the material blocking mechanism is located above one side of the centering wheel and includes a surrounding block and a shutter; the surrounding block is fixed on the base; the shutter is driven by a material blocking cylinder to move up and down; when the shutter falls, the material blocking mechanism and the centering wheel form an enclosed space for pre-adjusting the posture of the lotus seed; when the shutter is lifted, the material blocking mechanism has an opening for the lotus seed to roll into the space between the two centering wheels for posture adjustment; the compression and centering mechanism includes a sliding rod, an upper connecting rod and a lower connecting rod; the sliding rod is movably installed on the top of the base through a linear bearing, the bottom of the sliding rod is provided with a compression wheel, the lotus seed between the compression wheel and the centering wheel is in contact; the upper connecting rod is hinged to the sliding rod, the lower connecting rod is hinged to the upper connecting rod and the bottom of the base respectively; a roller is arranged at the hinge between the upper connecting rod and the lower connecting rod; the motor support in the core removing device is overlapped on the roller; when the diameter of the lotus seed changes, the motor support moves up and down through the compression wheel, the sliding rod, the upper connecting rod, the lower connecting rod and the roller, so that the axis of the drill bit is aligned with the axis of the lotus seed; the front outer side of the sliding rod is provided with a discharging plate, the distance between the discharging plate and the end face of the centering wheel is greater than the maximum diameter of the lotus seed, a strip-shaped hole is formed in the discharging plate for the drill bit to pass through, the width of the strip-shaped hole is greater than the diameter of the drill bit and less than the minimum diameter of the lotus seed; when the drill bit exits from the strip-shaped hole after completing the drilling and core removing, the lotus seed is blocked on the inner side of the discharging plate, so that the lotus seed after core removing is automatically separated from the drill bit;

[0007] The feeding device is composed of a hopper, a stirring mechanism and a material lifting mechanism; the stirring mechanism includes a stirring cylinder, a stirring shaft; the material lifting mechanism includes at least a set of lifting rod support, a material lifting cylinder and a lifting rod; the front of the hopper is provided with a plurality of discharge ports corresponding to the number of the core removing device, the outer side of each discharge port is provided with a discharge guide groove, a plurality of lifting rods are arranged on the back of the discharge port, and a plurality of collecting spaces corresponding to the lifting rods are arranged at the bottom of the hopper; the plurality of lifting rods are installed on the lifting rod support and driven by the material lifting cylinder to move up and down along the inner wall of the hopper; the upper end of the lifting rod is inclined and provided with a circular arc chute in the middle, the width of the chute and the thickness of the lifting rod are both less than 20 mm, the lifting rod is matched with the inner wall of the hopper to realize the grabbing of single lotus seed from the hopper; when the lifting rod rises to the highest position, the lowest point of the circular arc chute is higher than the bottom edge of the discharge port of the hopper, so that the lotus seed can automatically enter the discharge port from the circular arc chute; the stirring shaft is installed in the hopper, the stirring shaft is fixed with stirring blades and a stirring connecting plate, the stirring cylinder is hinged to the stirring connecting plate, the stirring cylinder is fixed on the hopper through a cylinder hinge support, and the stirring cylinder drives the stirring shaft to swing within a certain angle range when it extends and retracts to realize stirring movement and prevent the lotus seed from being lifted;

[0008] The control system comprises a PLC controller, electromagnetic valve group, proximity switch installed on each cylinder and other components, the PLC controller controls the on-off of each electromagnetic valve according to the coreless working process and the detected cylinder position information, so as to realize fast automatic coring.

[0009] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, each group of the pressing centering mechanism is connected in series by a linkage crossbar; the lifting cylinder is hinged to the linkage crossbar to drive the linkage crossbar to lift and lower, the linkage crossbar drives each group of the pressing centering mechanism to lift and lower at the same time, and the coring device is driven to lift and lower by the pressing centering mechanism to ensure that the drill bit is aligned with the center of the pressed lotus seeds.

[0010] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the centering mechanism is provided with a belt pulley on the centering motor, and the centering mechanism and the centering motor are connected through the belt transmission; the belt is tensioned by an idler wheel movably installed on the centering device.

[0011] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, a discharge hopper is installed below the rack, the lotus seeds fall into the discharge hopper from the centering device after being cored, and roll out of the machine along the inclined surface of the discharge hopper and enter an external collecting container; the rack is provided with casters at the bottom to facilitate the movement of the machine.

[0012] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the pneumatic system comprises a gas source, a three-way joint, a two-position five-way electromagnetic valve, a two-position three-way electromagnetic valve and a valve seat; the gas is connected to the inlet of the three-way joint filter from the gas source, flows out from the oil mist separator of the three-way joint after passing through the three-way joint, is connected to the valve seat through the gas pipe, and the common exhaust port of the valve seat is provided with a silencer to reduce the airflow disturbance and noise at the exhaust port; the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve is installed on the valve seat, the upper air holes of the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve are respectively connected to the corresponding air holes of each cylinder, wherein a throttle valve is arranged on each gas pipe connected to the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve to reduce or increase the gas pressure of each circuit to realize speed regulation of each actuator; a branch gas circuit is inserted into one of the gas circuits of the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve and the feeding cylinder, the branch circuit and the main circuit are connected by a two-position three-way electromagnetic valve, a throttle valve is arranged on each branch circuit, and the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve, the two-position three-way electromagnetic valve and the throttle valve cooperate to control the feeding device to switch between the fast feeding mode and the working feeding mode.

[0013] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the electric control system comprises a direct current power supply, relays, a travel switch, a control terminal and physical switches; a group of physical switches are connected to the bus for controlling power-on and power-off of the electric control system; the centering motor is connected in series with a group of relays to the bus, and the control terminal controls the start and stop of the centering motor through the relays; the high-voltage section of the direct current power supply is connected in parallel with the centering motor to the bus; the low-voltage section of the direct current power supply is connected to the core removing motor and the control terminal respectively to realize power supply to the low-voltage part of the whole system; the core removing motors are connected in parallel in turn, and the second group of relays are connected in series with the core removing motors respectively, and the control terminal realizes start and stop control of all the core removing motors through the second group of relays; the input end of the control terminal receives signals from the travel switch to control the reversing of the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve and the two-position three-way electromagnetic valve connected to the output end of the control terminal, thereby realizing control of the actuators.

[0014] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the guide rail has two, a certain distance apart, the feeding cylinder is installed between the two guide rails to realize a more stable feeding process.

[0015] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the through hole of the material returning plate is a waist round hole to improve the tolerance of the small error during the centering of the drill bit.

[0016] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the pulley is a synchronous pulley, and the belt is a synchronous belt.

[0017] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the buffer device is composed of a linear guide column and a linear bearing.

[0018] As further optimization and limitation of the scheme, the control terminal can select a PLC integrated machine as the control terminal; an alarm is additionally installed at the output end of the control terminal to prompt the user of equipment failure and timely stop for maintenance; to prevent the control current of the second group of relays from being too large, a third layer of relays is additionally added to control the opening and closing of the second group of relays; to prevent the current between the direct current power supply and the core removing motor from being too large, a branch terminal row capable of bearing large current is additionally added to the circuit; a broken knife detection sensor can be additionally installed at the input end of the control terminal to ensure the safety of equipment operation; an external physical start and stop switch and a reset key are additionally installed to ensure normal use of the machine when the control terminal is black; inductance, reactance and appropriate resistance should be added to the electric control system to ensure stable operation of each circuit and prevent burning.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the application has the beneficial effects that: the application adopts pneumatic actuators to drive each process in the lotus seed core-removing process, modularizes and automates the devices for completing each process, can separately debug and speed up each process, is convenient for whole machine debugging and fault elimination before processing, and is convenient for later repair and upgrade. The application measures the real-time state of the cylinder by the sensors installed at different positions of the cylinder and sends the state to the control terminal, controls the corresponding electromagnetic valve and motor to make further actions after processing and analysis by the control terminal, so as to accurately control the timing of each process. The application can effectively improve the lotus seed core-removing efficiency, improve the operation speed, repairability and operation safety of the equipment while ensuring the correctness of the process timing, thereby effectively improving the lotus seed core-removing processing quality and greatly reducing economic loss and resource waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 is the overall axonometric view of the application;

[0022] Figure 2 is the partial enlarged view of Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 3 is the rear view of the application;

[0024] Figure 4 is the partial enlarged view of Figure 3 ;

[0025] Figure 5 is the perspective view of the centering and centering device in the application;

[0026] Figure 6 is the assembly view of the core-removing device and the feeding device in the application;

[0027] Figure 7 is the perspective view of the centering and centering device in the application;

[0028] Figure 8 is the sectional view of the centering and centering device in the application;

[0029] Figure 9 is the partial enlarged view of Figure 7 ;

[0030] Figure 10 is the perspective view of a single set of centering and centering devices in the application;

[0031] Figure 11 is the front view of the feeding device in the application;

[0032] Figure 12 is the control logic diagram of the application;

[0033] Figure 13 Circuit diagram of pneumatic system of the application

[0034] In the figure: 1-frame; 2-feeding device; 3-core removing device; 4-centering and aligning device; 5-feeding device; 6-control system; 11-discharge hopper; 12-castor; 21-guide rail; 22-sliding table; 23-feeding cylinder; 31-guide post; 32-buffering mechanism; 33-core removing motor; 34-drill bit; 35-motor support; 41-base; 42-lifting cylinder; 43-linkage cross bar; 44-linear bearing; 45-pressing and aligning mechanism; 46-centering mechanism; 451-sliding rod; 452-upper connecting rod; 453-pressing wheel; 454-roller; 455-lower connecting rod; 456-unloading plate; 461-posture adjusting mechanism; 462-material blocking mechanism; 4611-centering wheel; 4612-belt; 4613-driving pulley; 4614-idler; 4615-centering motor; 4621-material blocking cylinder; 4622-shutter; 4623-enclosure; 51-hopper; 52-stirring mechanism; 53-ejecting mechanism; 54-discharge guide; 521-stirring cylinder; 522-stirring shaft; 5221-stirring blade; 5222-stirring connecting plate; 531-ejecting rod support; 532-ejecting cylinder; 533-ejecting rod; 612-triplet; 613-two-position five-way electromagnetic valve; 614-two-position three-way electromagnetic valve; throttle valve 615; 616-silencer; 617-valve seat; 624-control terminal; 625-physical switch; 7-lotus seed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] As Figure 1 , 2The application discloses a lotus seed kernel removing machine with automatic centering function, and belongs to the technical field of lotus seed kernel removing machines.The lotus seed kernel removing machine comprises a rack 1, a feeding device 2, a kernel removing device 3, a centering and centering device 4, a feeding device 5, a control system 6 and the like, and is characterized in that: the feeding device 2 is movably connected with the rack 1 through a guide rail 21 and is driven to move forward and backward by a feeding cylinder 23; when the feeding cylinder 23 performs a feeding action, the feeding cylinder 23 adjusts the air flow by switching different throttle valves 615 through electromagnetic valves, so that the feeding device 2 is switched between a fast feeding mode and a working feeding mode; a plurality of guide columns 31 are installed on the sliding table 22, each guide column 31 is provided with a buffer mechanism 32, and the plurality of kernel removing devices 3 are connected with the sliding table 22 through the plurality of guide columns 31; the kernel removing device 3 comprises a kernel removing motor 33, a drill bit 34 and a motor support 35, the drill bit 34 is installed on a main shaft of the kernel removing motor 33, the kernel removing motor 33 is installed on the motor support 35, and the motor support 35 is movably connected with the guide column 31 through a guide sleeve; the centering and centering device 4 comprises a base 41, a plurality of centering mechanisms 46 and a plurality of pressing and centering mechanisms 45, the number of the centering and centering device 4 is the same as that of the kernel removing device 3, and the centering and centering device 4 is located between the kernel removing device 3 and the feeding device 4; the centering mechanism 46 comprises a posture adjusting mechanism 461 and a material blocking mechanism 462; the posture adjusting mechanism 461 is movably installed on the base 41 and comprises a pair of centering wheels 4611 and a driving pulley 4613; the centering wheels 4611 are driven to rotate in the same direction by the centering motor 4615 through belt transmission; the material blocking mechanism 462 is located above one side of the centering wheels 4611 and comprises a surrounding block 4623 and a shutter 4622; the surrounding block 4623 is fixed on the base 41; the shutter 4622 is driven to move up and down by a material blocking cylinder 4621; when the shutter 4622 falls, the material blocking mechanism 462 and the centering wheels 4611 form a surrounding space for pre-adjusting the posture of lotus seeds 7; when the shutter 4622 is lifted, the material blocking mechanism 462 forms an opening for rolling the lotus seeds 7 into the space between the two centering wheels 4611 to adjust the posture; and the pressing and centering mechanism 45 comprises a sliding rod 451, an upper connecting rod 452 and a lower connecting rod 455; the sliding rod 451 is movably installed on the top of the base 41 through a linear bearing 44, the bottom of the sliding rod 451 is provided with a pressing wheel 453, the pressing wheel 453 is in contact with the lotus seeds 7 between the centering wheels 4611; the upper connecting rod 452 is hingedly connected with the sliding rod 451, and the lower connecting rod 455 is hingedly connected with the upper connecting rod 452 and the bottom of the base 41 respectively.The upper connecting rod 452 is hinged with the lower connecting rod 455 and is provided with a roller 454, the motor support 35 in the core removing device 3 is lapped on the roller 454, when the lotus seed 7 diameter changes, the motor support 35 is controlled to move up and down through the pressing wheel 453, the sliding rod 451, the upper connecting rod 452, the lower connecting rod 455 and the roller 454, the bit 34 axis is aligned with the lotus seed 7 axis, the front outer side of the sliding rod 451 is provided with a discharging plate 456, the distance between the discharging plate 456 and the end face of the centering wheel 461 is greater than the maximum lotus seed 7 diameter, the discharging plate 456 is provided with a strip-shaped hole for the bit to pass through, the width of the strip-shaped hole is greater than the bit diameter and less than the minimum lotus seed diameter, when the bit 34 exits from the strip-shaped hole after completing the drilling and core removing, the lotus seed 7 is blocked on the inner side by the discharging plate 456, so that the lotus seed 7 is automatically separated from the bit 34 after the core removing, the feeding device 5 is composed of a hopper 51, a stirring mechanism 52 and a material lifting mechanism 53, the stirring mechanism 52 comprises a stirring cylinder 521 and a stirring shaft 522, the material lifting mechanism 53 comprises at least a group of lifting rod supports 531, a material lifting cylinder 532 and a lifting rod 533, the hopper 51 is provided with a plurality of discharge ports corresponding to the number of the core removing device 3 in front of the hopper 51, a discharge guide groove 54 is installed on the outer side of each discharge port, a plurality of groups of lifting rods 533 are arranged on the back of the discharge port, the hopper 51 is provided with a plurality of material collecting spaces corresponding to the lifting rods 533 at the bottom of the hopper 51, the plurality of groups of lifting rods 533 are installed on the lifting rod supports 531 and are driven by the material lifting cylinder 532 to move up and down along the inner wall of the hopper 51, the upper end of the lifting rod 533 is inclined and is provided with a circular arc chute in the middle, the width of the circular arc chute and the thickness of the lifting rod 533 are both less than 20mm, the lifting rod 533 is matched with the inner wall of the hopper 51 to realize the grabbing of a single lotus seed 7 from the hopper 51, when the lifting rod 533 rises to the highest position, the lowest point of the circular arc chute is higher than the bottom edge of the discharge port of the hopper 51, so that the lotus seed 7 can automatically enter the discharge port from the circular arc chute, the stirring shaft 522 is installed in the hopper 51, the stirring shaft 522 is fixed with a stirring piece 5221 and a stirring connecting plate 5222, the stirring cylinder 521 is hinged with the stirring connecting plate 5222, the stirring cylinder 521 is fixed on the hopper 51 through a cylinder hinge support 5223, when the stirring cylinder 521 is stretched and contracted, the stirring shaft 522 is swung within a certain angle range to realize the stirring movement and prevent the lotus seed 7 from being in the air, the control system 6 comprises a PLC controller, a group of electromagnetic valves and proximity switches installed on each cylinder, the PLC controller controls the on-off of each electromagnetic valve according to the core removing working process and the detected cylinder position information to realize the rapid and automatic core removing.

[0036] As Figure 6 ,7 As shown, each group of the pressing and centering mechanism 45 is connected in series by the linkage crossbar 43; the lifting cylinder 42 is hinged to the linkage crossbar 43 to drive the linkage crossbar 43 to lift and lower, the linkage crossbar 43 drives each group of the pressing and centering mechanism 45 to lift and lower at the same time, the core removing device 3 is driven to lift and lower by the pressing and centering mechanism 45, and the drill bit 34 is aligned with the center of the pressed lotus seed 7.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3 , 4 , 7, 8, the centering mechanism 46 is provided with a pulley 4613 on the centering motor 4615, and the centering mechanism 46 and the centering motor 4615 are driven by the belt 4612; the belt 4612 is tensioned by the idler 4614 movably mounted on the centering and centering device 4.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1-4 , the rack 1 is provided with an outlet hopper 11 below, the lotus seed 7 is dropped into the outlet hopper 11 after the core is removed, and rolls out of the machine along the inclined surface of the outlet hopper 11 into the external collecting container; the rack 1 is provided with a castor 12 at the bottom, which facilitates the movement of the machine.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1 , 3, 4, 12, 13, the pneumatic system 61 includes gas source, three joint 612, two five-way solenoid valve 613, two three-way solenoid valve 614 and valve seat 617; gas from the gas source into the three joint 612 filter inlet, through the three joint 612 by its oil mist separator outflow, by the gas tube into the valve seat 617, the valve seat 617 common exhaust port is provided with a muffler 616, to reduce the exhaust port gas flow disturbance and noise; the valve seat 617 is provided with two five-way solenoid valve 613, the upper air hole of two five-way solenoid valve 613 is connected with the corresponding air hole of each cylinder respectively, wherein, each straight two five-way solenoid valve 613 gas pipe is provided with a throttle valve 615, to reduce or increase the pressure of each circuit, to realize the speed regulation of each actuator; two five-way solenoid valve 613 and one branch gas path is inserted in one of the gas path of the feed cylinder 23, the branch and the trunk are connected by two three-way solenoid valve 614, each branch is provided with a throttle valve 615, two five-way solenoid valve 613, two three-way solenoid valve 614 and throttle valve 615 cooperate to control the feed device 2 to realize the switching between fast feed and work feed mode; the electric control system 62 includes DC power supply 621, relay 622, travel switch 623, control terminal 624 and physical switch 625; a group of physical switch 625 is connected to the bus, used for controlling the power on and power off of the electric control system 62; the centering motor 4615 is connected in series with a group of relays 622 on the bus, and the control terminal 624 controls the start and stop of the centering motor 4615 through the relay 622; the high voltage section of the DC power supply 621 is connected in parallel with the centering motor 4615 on the bus; the low voltage section of the DC power supply 621 is connected to the core removing motor 33 and the control terminal 624 respectively, to realize the power supply of the low voltage part of the whole system; the core removing motors 33 are connected in parallel in turn, the second group of relays 622 and the core removing motors 33 are connected in series respectively, and the control terminal 624 realizes the start and stop control of all core removing motors 33 through the second group of relays 622; the input end of the control terminal 624 receives the signal from the travel switch 623, to control the reversing of two five-way solenoid valve 613 and two three-way solenoid valve 614 connected to the output end of the control terminal 624, thereby realizing the control of each actuator.

[0040] The working process of the lotus seed kernel removing machine with automatic centering function is as follows: the equipment is powered on, and self-checking is performed after starting. After confirming that each device is in the starting position, the control terminal 624 is pressed to start the button. The centering motor 4615 and the kernel removing motor 33 start rotating and remain, the centering wheel 4611 and the drill bit 34 rotate and remain. The lotus seeds 7 are poured into the hopper 51 from above the feeding mechanism 5, and are swept into the material collecting space by the stirring blade 5221. The top feeding cylinder 532 drives the top feeding mechanism 53 to push the lotus seeds 7 out of the hopper 51 from the feeding port. The lotus seeds 7 slide into the blocking mechanism 462 through the discharge guide groove 54, and are rolled on the centering wheel 4611 in the blocking mechanism 462 due to the blocking of the shutter 4622. Then the blocking cylinder 4621 drives the shutter 4622 to rise, the blocking mechanism 462 is opened, and the lotus seeds 7 roll into the two centering wheels 4611 to continue rolling and centering. At this time, the lifting cylinder 42 drives the pressing and centering mechanism 45 to fall down, the lotus seeds 7 are pressed, the centering wheel 4611 and the pressing wheel 453 jointly make the lotus seeds 7 rotate around the center axis, at this time, the motor support 35 falls down with the pressing and centering mechanism 45, so that the drill bit 34 is aligned with the kernel. The feeding cylinder 23 drives the kernel removing device 3 to move forward along the guide rail 21, and the drill bit 34 drills into the kernel. After the kernel removing device 3 moves to the limit position, the lifting cylinder 42 drives the self-adaptive mechanism 35 to lift up, the feeding cylinder 23 drives the kernel removing device 3 to retreat, the retreat plate 456 blocks the lotus seeds 7, the drill bit 34 exits from the lotus seeds 7, and the kernel removed lotus seeds 7 fall into the external material collecting container from the discharge hopper 11. The whole kernel removing process of the lotus seeds 7 is controlled by the control system 6.

Claims

1. Lotus seed decorticator with automatic centering function, comprising a frame (1), a feeding device (2), a decortication device (3), a centering device (4), a feeding device (5), and a control system (6), characterized in that: the feeding device (2) is movably connected with the frame (1) through a guide rail (21) and is driven by a feeding cylinder (23) to move forward and backward; when the feeding cylinder (23) performs a feeding action, the flow rate of the outlet gas is adjusted by switching different throttle valves (615) through an electromagnetic valve to switch between the fast feeding mode and the work feeding mode of the feeding device (2); a plurality of guide columns (31) are installed on the sliding table (22), a buffer mechanism (32) is attached to each guide column (31), and a plurality of decortication devices (3) are connected with the sliding table (22) through the plurality of guide columns (31); the decortication device (3) comprises a decortication motor (33), a drill bit (34), and a motor support (35), the drill bit (34) is installed on the main shaft of the decortication motor (33), the decortication motor (33) is installed on the motor support (35), and the motor support (35) is movably connected with the guide column (31) through a guide sleeve. ​ The centering and centering device (4) is composed of a base (41) and a plurality of centering mechanisms (46) and a plurality of compression centering mechanisms (45), the number of which is the same as that of the core removing device (3), and is located between the core removing device (3) and the feeding device (5); the centering mechanism (46) includes a posture adjusting mechanism (461) and a material blocking mechanism (462); the posture adjusting mechanism (461) is movably mounted on the base (41) and includes a pair of centering wheels (4611) and a driving pulley (4613); the centering wheels (4611) are driven to rotate in the same direction by the centering motor (4615) through belt transmission; the material blocking mechanism (462) is located above one of the centering wheels (4611) and includes a surrounding block (4623) and a shutter (4622); the surrounding block (4623) is fixed on the base (41); the shutter (4622) is driven by the material blocking cylinder (4621) to move up and down; when the shutter (4622) falls, the material blocking mechanism (462) and the centering wheel (4611) form an enclosed space for pre-adjusting the posture of the lotus seed (7); when the shutter (4622) is lifted, the material blocking mechanism (462) has an opening for the lotus seed (7) to roll into the space between the two centering wheels (4611) for posture adjustment; the compression centering mechanism (45) includes a sliding rod (451), an upper connecting rod (452) and a lower connecting rod (455); the sliding rod (451) is movably mounted on the top of the base (41) through a linear bearing (44), and the bottom of the sliding rod (451) is provided with a compression wheel (453); the compression wheel (453) is in contact with the lotus seed (7) between the centering wheel (4611); the upper connecting rod (452) is hinged to the sliding rod (451), and the lower connecting rod (455) is hinged to the upper connecting rod (452) and the bottom of the base (41) respectively; a roller (454) is arranged at the hinge between the upper connecting rod (452) and the lower connecting rod (455); the motor support (35) in the core removing device (3) is overlapped on the roller (454); when the diameter of the lotus seed (7) changes, the motor support (35) moves up and down through the compression wheel (453), the sliding rod (451), the upper connecting rod (452), the lower connecting rod (455) and the roller (454), so that the axis of the drill bit (34) is aligned with the axis of the lotus seed (7); the front outer side of the sliding rod (451) is provided with a discharging plate (456), the distance between the discharging plate (456) and the end face of the centering wheel (4611) is greater than the maximum diameter of the lotus seed (7), and a strip-shaped hole is formed in the discharging plate (456) for the drill bit to pass through, the width of which is greater than the diameter of the drill bit and less than the minimum diameter of the lotus seed (7); when the drill bit (34) exits from the strip-shaped hole after completing the drilling and core removing, the lotus seed (7) is blocked on the inner side by the discharging plate (456), so that the lotus seed (7) is automatically separated from the drill bit (34) after the core removing; The feeding device (5) is composed of a hopper (51), a stirring mechanism (52) and a ejection mechanism (53); the stirring mechanism (52) comprises a stirring cylinder (521) and a stirring shaft (522); the ejection mechanism (53) comprises at least a set of ejection rod supports (531), an ejection cylinder (532) and ejection rods (533); the hopper (51) is provided with a plurality of discharge ports corresponding to the number of the core-removing devices (3) in front of the hopper (51), each discharge port is provided with a discharge guide groove (54) on the outside thereof, a plurality of sets of ejection rods (533) are arranged on the back of the discharge port, and the hopper (51) is provided with a plurality of material collecting spaces corresponding to the ejection rods (533) at the bottom thereof; the sets of ejection rods (533) are installed on the ejection rod supports (531) and are driven by the ejection cylinder (532) to move up and down along the inner wall of the hopper (51); the upper end of the ejection rod (533) is beveled and is provided with a circular arc chute in the middle, the width of the chute and the thickness of the ejection rod (533) are both less than 20 mm, the ejection rod (533) is matched with the inner wall of the hopper (51) to realize the grabbing of single lotus seeds (7) from the hopper (51); when the ejection rod (533) rises to the highest position, the lowest point of the circular arc chute is higher than the bottom edge of the discharge port of the hopper (51), so that the lotus seeds (7) can automatically enter the discharge port from the circular arc chute; the stirring shaft (522) is installed in the hopper (51), the stirring shaft (522) is fixed with stirring blades (5221) and a stirring connecting plate (5222), the stirring cylinder (521) is hinged to the stirring connecting plate (5222), the stirring cylinder (521) is fixed to the hopper (51) through a cylinder hinge support (5223), and the stirring cylinder (521) drives the stirring shaft (522) to swing within a certain angle range to realize stirring movement when the stirring cylinder (521) is extended or retracted, thereby preventing the lotus seeds (7) from being lifted; The control system (6) comprises a PLC controller, a set of electromagnetic valves and a travel switch (623) installed on each cylinder, the PLC controller controls the on-off of each electromagnetic valve according to the core-removing working process and the cylinder position information fed back by the travel switch (623), and rapid automatic core-removal is realized.

2. The lotus seed decorticator with automatic centering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The centering and centering device (4) further comprises a lifting cylinder (42) and a linkage cross bar (43); each set of the pressing and centering mechanism (45) is connected in series by the linkage cross bar (43); the lifting cylinder (42) is hinged to the linkage cross bar (43) to drive the linkage cross bar (43) to lift, the linkage cross bar (43) drives each set of the pressing and centering mechanism (45) to lift simultaneously, the core-removing device (3) is driven to lift due to the lapping with the pressing and centering mechanism (45), and the drill bit (34) is ensured to be aligned with the center of the lotus seed (7) after being pressed.

3. The lotus seed decorticator with centering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The centering mechanism (46) and the centering motor (4615) are provided with a driving pulley (4613), and the centering mechanism (46) and the centering motor (4615) are driven through a belt (4612); the belt (4612) is tensioned by an idler (4614) movably installed on the centering and centering device (4).

4. The lotus seed decorticator with automatic centering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rack (1) is provided with an outlet hopper (11) below, the lotus seeds (7) are dropped into the outlet hopper (11) from the centering and centering device after being dehulled, and are rolled out of the machine along the inclined surface of the outlet hopper (11) and into an external collecting container; the rack (1) is provided with casters (12) at the bottom, facilitating movement of the machine.

5. The lotus seed decorticator with automatic centering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system (6) further comprises a pneumatic system (61); the pneumatic system (61) comprises a gas source, a three-way joint (612), a two-position five-way electromagnetic valve (613), a two-position three-way electromagnetic valve (614) and a valve seat (617); gas is connected to the three-way joint (612) filter inlet from the gas source, flows out from the oil mist separator of the three-way joint (612) after passing through the three-way joint (612), and is connected to the valve seat (617) from the gas pipe; the valve seat (617) is provided with a silencer (616) at the common exhaust outlet to reduce airflow disturbance and noise at the exhaust outlet; the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve (613) is installed on the valve seat (617), and the upper air holes of the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve (613) are respectively connected to the corresponding air holes of each cylinder; each gas pipe connected directly to the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve (613) is provided with a throttle valve (615) to reduce or increase the gas pressure of each circuit; a branch gas circuit is inserted into one of the gas circuits of the feeding cylinder (23), and the branch circuit and the main circuit are connected by a two-position three-way electromagnetic valve (614); each branch circuit is provided with a throttle valve (615), and the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve (613), the two-position three-way electromagnetic valve (614) and the throttle valve (615) cooperate to control the feeding device (2) to switch between fast feeding and work feeding modes.

6. The lotus seed decorticator with automatic centering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system (6) further comprises an electric control system (62); the electric control system (62) comprises a DC power supply (621), a relay (622), a travel switch (623), a control terminal (624) and a physical switch (625); the control terminal (624) comprises a PLC controller; a group of physical switches (625) are connected to the bus for controlling power-on and power-off of the electric control system (62); the centering motor (4615) is connected in series with a group of relays (622) to the bus, and the control terminal (624) controls the start and stop of the centering motor (4615) through the relays (622); The high-voltage section of the DC power supply (621) is connected in parallel to the bus with the centering motor (4615); The low-voltage section of the DC power supply (621) is connected to the dehulling motor (33) and the control terminal (624) respectively to realize power supply to the low-voltage part of the entire system; the dehulling motors (33) are connected in series, a second group of relays (622) are connected in series with the dehulling motors (33) respectively, and the control terminal (624) realizes start and stop control of all the dehulling motors (33) through the second group of relays (622); the input end of the control terminal (624) receives signals from the travel switch (623) to control the switching of the two-position five-way electromagnetic valve (613) and the two-position three-way electromagnetic valve (614) connected to the output end of the control terminal (624).

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