A plant or device for processing plants after pickling

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of processing, in particular to a plant or pickled plant processing device, wherein the processing device comprises a feeding module, a processing module, a waste separation module and a cleaning module arranged on the movement path of a cutting tool in the processing module, and a control module for controlling the feeding module, the processing module, the waste separation module and the cleaning module; the feeding module adopts a rotary table type feeding structure; the cutting tool in the processing module also adopts a rotary table type design, that is, a double-rotary-table mode cooperation, so that the working rhythm can be adjusted by controlling the cooperation between the two rotary tables, thereby adapting to the process requirements of different materials to be processed; the problem that the production line is frequently stopped due to cleaning after each processing, thereby causing time waste or efficiency reduction and increasing the cost, can be avoided; the device can adapt to different processing requirements of the materials to be processed; the application range of the whole device is improved, that is, the universality of the device is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of processing equipment technology, and in particular to a processing apparatus for plants or pickled plants. Background Technology

[0002] Vegetables, fruits, medicinal herbs, and other irregularly shaped plants, or pickled plants such as pickled mustard tubers, require different processing methods depending on their product shape, such as slicing, shredding, and shaping. However, since most of these materials have an outer skin, and sometimes even fibrous tissue within the skin, they usually need to be peeled before slicing, shredding, or shaping. For example, Chinese invention patent application CN109619606A discloses a ring-shaped pickled mustard tuber peeling device, which uses a guide cylinder to load the pickled mustard tubers, then uses a pressing and positioning block at the top to position the tubers, and sets multiple peeling robotic arms around the guide cylinder to peel them. Another example is Chinese invention patent application CN110522046A, which discloses a pickled mustard tuber peeling device that uses a positioning pin and grippers to position the tubers, then uses a cutting blade on a production line to longitudinally slice the tubers, and finally uses a peeling assembly to peel the cut tubers. However, with the development of extrusion processing technology, processes such as peeling and shredding can be achieved simultaneously, for example, guillotine cutting and extrusion cutting. Among these, extrusion cutting is widely used due to its high cutting efficiency and ability to cut materials in one step. Extrusion processing works by pushing the material to be processed into contact with a processing blade, causing the blade to cut the material. For example, Chinese invention patent application CN116277182A discloses a fully automated processing device for irregularly shaped biological materials. It uses a container tube to load the biological material and sets up an extrusion component and a side pressure limiting component to fix the material. Then, the extrusion component presses the material against the cutting blade to complete peeling and cutting. However, the above device can only hold one material at a time, which greatly reduces work efficiency. Usually, to increase work efficiency, a linear production line can be used. For example, a conveyor belt can be used to transport materials from loading to final cleaning, and multiple container tubes are placed at intervals on the conveyor belt so that materials can be continuously transported to the processing station. However, this method has the following problems: 1) Since the time required for processing a single material to produce a finished product is relatively short, the feeding staff needs to continuously feed the conveyor belt, which increases the labor intensity of the staff; and if any material is empty in any cylinder, the entire process may stop or run dry, resulting in huge losses; 2) During the operation of the equipment, additional staff need to be dispatched to check the operating status of the equipment and whether there are any abnormalities in each link; 3) The entire process uses conveyor belt feeding, but the cutting tool is also moving throughout the process, that is, the two moving mechanisms need to move synchronously. On the one hand, the installation position between the two moving mechanisms needs to be precisely set; on the other hand, to ensure the synchronous movement between the two moving mechanisms, a high-precision control algorithm is required, which greatly increases the cost of the entire system. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus that partially solves or alleviates the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art and is adaptable to the processing of materials with different characteristics.

[0004] To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] This invention provides a plant or pickled plant processing device, comprising: a feeding module, a processing module, and a waste separation module, a finished product discharge and cleaning module disposed along the movement path of the cutting tool in the processing module, and a control module for controlling the feeding module, the processing module, the waste separation module, the finished product discharge module and the cleaning module. The feeding module includes: a material turntable with multiple material cylinders evenly distributed along its circumference for holding the material to be processed; and a turntable drive mechanism connected to the control module, which drives the material turntable to rotate, thereby causing the multiple material cylinders on the material turntable to move at the feeding station. Switching between processing stations; preferably, in the initial state, at least one material cylinder is located at the loading station; the processing module includes: an extrusion mechanism for extruding the material to be processed in the material cylinder at the processing station, a tool turntable, a plurality of cutting tools evenly distributed circumferentially on the tool turntable and used to cooperate with the extrusion mechanism to cut the plant, and a tool drive mechanism for driving the tool turntable to rotate, thereby driving each cutting tool to rotate sequentially between the processing station, waste separation station, waste discharge station, finished product discharge station, and cleaning station; the processing station, waste separation station, waste discharge station, finished product discharge station, and cleaning station are located circumferentially on the material cylinder. The tool turntable is circumferentially arranged; the tool driving mechanism is connected to the control module; the waste separation module includes: a shovel for separating waste that has been processed and moves with the cutting tool to the waste separation station, and a scraper for removing the separated waste from the cutting tool; the cleaning module includes: an air blowing mechanism for providing high-pressure airflow to the cutting tool moving to the cleaning station, and a spraying mechanism for providing high-pressure water flow to the cutting tool moving to the cleaning station, the air blowing mechanism and the spraying mechanism being respectively connected to the control module; the control module is used to control the turntable driving mechanism to drive the material turntable to rotate, so that the multiple material cylinders rotate sequentially and periodically. The material is fed to the loading station and processing station for loading and extrusion processing; and the tool drive mechanism is controlled to drive the tool turntable to rotate, so that multiple cutting tools periodically rotate sequentially to the processing station, waste separation station, waste discharge station, finished product discharge station, and cleaning station; and when a preset number of processing cycles are completed, the cleaning module is controlled to simultaneously spray high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow onto the multiple cutting tools that have successively rotated to the cleaning station; wherein, a processing cycle is defined as the extrusion processing and finished product discharge of the material to be processed in the preset number of material cylinders loaded on the material turntable, and the preset loading number is greater than or equal to the total number of cutting tools, and less than or equal to the total number of all material cylinders on the turntable. Preferably, the total number of all material cylinders on the material turntable is greater than the total number of all cutting tools on the tool turntable.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control module specifically includes: a judgment unit, used to determine whether the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed on the material turntable is greater than or equal to a preset loading quantity, and whether the arrangement structure of the material cylinders loaded with material is a preset arrangement structure (preferably, the preset arrangement structure includes: material-loaded cylinders with at least one empty cylinder between two adjacent cylinders; or, all material-loaded cylinders are arranged adjacently); and a tool control unit, used to control the material turntable to rotate when the judgment unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed on the material turntable is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity, and the arrangement structure of the material cylinders is a preset arrangement structure, so that the preset loading quantity of material cylinders moves sequentially to the processing station, and controls the tool control unit to rotate the material turntable. The rotating tool turntable causes multiple cutting tools to sequentially rotate to the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station until a preset number of processing cycles are completed. At this point, the cleaning module is controlled to clean the cutting tools that have sequentially rotated to the cleaning station. The loading control unit is used to control the rotating material turntable to rotate when the judgment unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed on the material turntable is less than a preset loading quantity. This causes the unloaded material cylinders on the material turntable to move to the loading station and be loaded according to a preset arrangement structure until the control unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity and is arranged in a preset layout structure.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present invention, eight material cylinders are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction on the material turntable. Preferably, in the initial state, three of the material cylinders are located at the feeding station.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present invention, there are four cutting tools on the tool turntable, and the four cutting tools are evenly distributed along the circumference of the tool turntable, such that when any cutting tool is located at the processing station, the two adjacent cutting tools in the rotation direction are located at the finished product discharge station and the cleaning station, respectively.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present invention, the cleaning module further includes a mounting bracket, with the air nozzle of the blowing mechanism and the water nozzle of the spraying mechanism respectively disposed on both sides of the mounting bracket, and the air nozzle and the water nozzle located above the cutting tool. In some embodiments of the present invention, a limiting mechanism for clamping the material to be processed is provided inside the material cylinder. In some embodiments of the present invention, the waste separation module includes: a shovel for separating waste that moves with the cutting tool to the waste separation station and is connected to the finished product, and a scraper for removing the separated waste that moves to the waste discharge station. In some embodiments of the present invention, the discharge module includes: a pin mechanism for separating the finished product that moves with the cutting tool to the finished product discharge station from the cutting tool; and a pin drive mechanism for driving the pin mechanism to move up and down; the pin drive mechanism is connected to the control module.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, the cutting tool includes: a sliding blade holder, a plurality of first blades arranged side by side at equal intervals along a first direction, and a plurality of second blades arranged side by side at equal intervals along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The sliding blade holder includes a base plate and a sidewall disposed on the base plate, and a discharge hole penetrating the base plate is provided on the base plate. The first blades are provided with a plurality of slots spaced apart along their length, and the second blades are detachably engaged in the slots, thereby forming a plurality of cutting cavities between the plurality of first blades and the plurality of second blades. The lengths of the plurality of first blades and the plurality of second blades located at the edges gradually decrease, such that all the first blades and all the second blades form a blade group with a hexagonal cross-section.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the cutting tool further includes: blade clamping blocks located at both ends of the second blade, and blade covers located at both ends of the first blade, wherein the sidewall of the blade clamping block is provided with a plurality of mounting slots that cooperate with the cutting head of the second blade, and the sidewall of the blade cover is provided with a plurality of mounting slots that cooperate with the cutting head of the first blade; four blade corner clamping assemblies are disposed on the base plate for clamping the ends of the first blade and the second blade located at the edge, and the four blade corner clamping assemblies are respectively located at the four corners of a square limiting frame formed by the two blade covers and the two blade clamping blocks; the inscribed circle of the square limiting frame is coaxial with the discharge hole, and the diameter of the inscribed circle is less than or equal to the diameter of the discharge hole.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the height of the second blade is less than the height of the first blade, and a blade pad is provided below the blade tips at both ends of the second blade. The height of the blade pad is greater than or equal to the height difference between the first blade and the second blade, so that the upper surface of the blade clamp block located above the blade pad after installation is flush with the upper surface of the blade cover.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the blade clamp assembly includes an upper blade clamp and a lower blade clamp, wherein the upper blade clamp includes a first clamping arm extending along a first direction and a second clamping arm extending along a second direction, wherein the bottom of the first clamping arm is provided with an upper slot that can cooperate with a plurality of second blade heads located at the edge; the upper surface of the lower blade clamp is provided with a lower slot that extends along the second direction and cooperates with a plurality of first blade heads located at the edge.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plant or pickled plant processing device further includes a waste transport mechanism disposed below the waste outlet station. In some embodiments of the present invention, the plant or pickled plant processing device further includes a finished product transport mechanism disposed below the finished product outlet station. In some embodiments of the present invention, the plant or pickled plant processing device further includes a safety / feeding detection mechanism for detecting whether the material cylinder on the material turntable is loaded with material to be processed; and for detecting whether any human limbs are present in a specific area.

[0015] Beneficial effects: The linear assembly line method only considers work efficiency, but in actual work, it is also necessary to take into account the labor intensity of workers, costs, safety during operation, and work pace, etc. Therefore, this invention comprehensively considers the factors influencing the work cycle, such as the labor intensity and cost of workers, as well as the characteristics of the materials to be processed (e.g., the amount of residue left on the cutting tools due to the viscosity during processing). It proposes a new processing device that combines rotary feeding (allowing for multiple materials to be fed at once), rotary multi-cutting tools, and a dual-mode cleaning method (i.e., a coarse cleaning mode using a waste separation module and a fine cleaning mode combining high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow). This allows for the thorough cleaning of the tools after completing one processing cycle (i.e., the same batch of materials on the rotary table is finished and discharged), or even two processing cycles (e.g., processing materials with low or no viscosity). In other words, the coordinated operation of the rotary feeding cycle and the cleaning cycle results in higher production efficiency and avoids the problem of wasting time and reducing efficiency (indirectly increasing manufacturing costs) caused by cleaning the tools after each material processing and discharge, which leads to production line shutdowns.

[0016] In practice, it has been found that, on the one hand, the characteristics of the materials to be processed differ, such as their viscosity (generally, pickled materials are more viscous than unpickled materials), and the basic processing time from processing to finished product output varies for each material; on the other hand, since manual feeding is used, the labor intensity of the feeding staff needs to be considered, as well as whether there is spare time for other tasks such as equipment inspection during the processing flow; and the time from the feeding station to the finished product output station and the cleaning station, etc. Therefore, the processing cycle time for different materials to be processed is different. For example, for some materials with low viscosity and small volume, the processing cycle time may need to be more compact; while for some materials with high viscosity and large volume, the processing cycle time may need to be slower. To adapt to the needs of different processing cycles, this invention adopts a combination of a rotary feeding structure and a dual cleaning mode, allowing users to set different processing cycle parameters and cleaning cycles according to different materials to be processed, thereby achieving adjustment of the working cycle time.

[0017] Furthermore, in traditional linear assembly line operations, if any empty space appears in any of the material cylinders on the conveyor belt, the entire system will run idle (and if a void is manually detected, the entire system may even have to be stopped), resulting in losses. However, this invention employs a rotary table feeding module, allowing for arbitrary indexing by adjusting the turntable, i.e., adjusting the number and arrangement of material cylinders. This enables adjustments to the processing cycle and cleaning cycle, and ultimately, the process rhythm, to adapt to the needs of different product processing techniques, greatly expanding the application range of the entire device and thus increasing its versatility. In other words, to avoid idle operation or production line shutdowns, traditional assembly line operations do not allow empty spaces (i.e., empty material cylinders); however, in this invention, to adapt to the cleaning cycles in different material processing techniques, empty spaces on the turntable are permitted. Furthermore, by adjusting the position and / or number of empty spaces, different arrangement structures can be achieved, thereby adjusting the processing cycle and cleaning cycle for different materials, and ultimately, adjusting the processing rhythm.

[0018] The feeding module of this invention adopts a rotary feeding structure, which can simultaneously feed multiple cylinders at one time, thus giving the workers in the feeding operation enough free time to rest or conduct safety checks; at the same time, the rotary feeding structure simplifies the mechanical structure and floor space; and avoids the above-mentioned defects of conveyor belt feeding devices.

[0019] This invention employs a rotary feeding mode and the synergistic effect of rotary multi-cutting blades, enabling adjustments to various indexing intervals (an indexing interval is the angle between two adjacent material cylinders when multiple material cylinders are set on the material rotary table, or the angle between two adjacent cutting blades when multiple cutting blades are set on the cutting blade rotary table) and time cycles (such as processing cycles or cleaning cycles) by controlling the coordination of the material rotary table and the cutting blade rotary table, in order to adapt to the different requirements of various process cycles for the working cycle. Typically, to simply improve production efficiency, a corresponding number of cutting blades are set for each cylinder on the material turntable. However, as mentioned earlier, considering the different characteristics of different materials (e.g., different viscosity), the required cleaning cycles for the cutting blades vary, as do the working cycles. To improve efficiency while avoiding idle operation, a dual-turntable (material turntable and blade turntable) approach is used (e.g., setting different preset loading quantities and different arrangement structures based on the number of cutting blades to adjust the working cycle). This increases the adjustable range of the working cycle and processing cycle, thereby increasing the system's flexibility and enabling it to adapt to the processing of materials with more diverse characteristics. Compared to a single cutting blade approach, this method is more efficient.

[0020] The combined extrusion sleeve structure in this invention can ensure the interchangeability and quick accessibility of the press head and the barrel, so as to adapt to different product sizes.

[0021] Compared to traditional integrated stainless steel cutting tool structures, this invention employs a bidirectional cross-fitting blade assembly structure, significantly reducing tool manufacturing costs (an integrated cutting tool structure costs approximately 20,000 yuan, while a blade assembly structure made of the same material costs approximately 2,000 yuan, resulting in a substantial cost reduction). Furthermore, even if a blade is damaged, the interlocking structure allows for the detachment of any blade unit, enabling individual replacement of any damaged blade instead of replacing the entire assembly, greatly reducing maintenance costs and improving tool reusability. The two sets of blades in the bidirectional cross-fitting blade assembly structure can be interlocked perpendicularly or at a certain angle, allowing for adjustments to the angle or spacing between the two sets of blades to suit different finished product shapes, thereby creating cutting cavities of varying shapes and greatly expanding the applicability of the blade assembly structure.

[0022] Furthermore, due to the use of a blade assembly structure, in order to remove foreign objects such as residual ribs between the blades, a waste separation module (e.g., a scraper) is used to separate finished products and waste materials and complete waste discharge. Then, a cleaning module is used to provide high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow to clean the blades, thereby removing residues and corrosive components from the blades. In other words, the waste separation module achieves the first cleaning of the cutting blades, and the cleaning module achieves the second cleaning of the cutting blades to remove residues and corrosive components from the cutting blades, greatly improving the service life of the cutting blades.

[0023] Secondly, because it uses a combination of high-pressure airflow and high-pressure waterflow, it has a higher cleaning power than high-pressure waterflow alone. Therefore, when processing some low-viscosity materials, it is not necessary to clean them immediately after each processing cycle. Instead, cleaning can be performed after one or two processing cycles (such as processing some viscous materials or materials with very low viscosity), which greatly saves time and cost losses caused by the shutdown of the entire production line due to cleaning the cutting tools.

[0024] Furthermore, a safety and material loading detection system is installed. The corresponding process flow will only proceed when material is detected in the cylinder, avoiding wasted time due to the station running idle when there is no material. Safety detection ensures the safety of personnel operation and equipment operation. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. The elements or parts in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1a A first-view perspective structural diagram of a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 1b This is a perspective view of a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus, which is an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 1c for Figure 1b Top view of the plant or pickled plant processing equipment shown;

[0029] Figure 2a and Figure 2b This is an assembly diagram of the limiting mechanism inside the material cylinder in a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 An exploded view of the extrusion mechanism in a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4a An exploded view of a cutting tool in a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4b To reflect Figure 4a A schematic diagram of the blade assembly of a medium-sized cutting tool;

[0033] Figure 4c To reflect Figure 4b A schematic diagram showing two sets of blades interlocked together to form a cutting cavity array;

[0034] Figure 4d reflect Figure 4a A schematic diagram showing the engagement of the upper and middle blade angle clamp with the cutting heads of the three second blades located at the edge;

[0035] Figure 4e for Figure 4a Top view of the cutting tool;

[0036] Figure 4f for Figure 4b A schematic diagram of the first blade in the middle;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the assembly for mounting the shovel blade;

[0038] Figure 6a To reflect Figure 1a A schematic diagram showing the distribution of cutting tools on the cutting tool turntable;

[0039] Figure 6b for Figure 6a Exploded view;

[0040] Figure 7a This is a schematic diagram from a first perspective of a cleaning module in a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 7b This is a schematic diagram from a second perspective of a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 8a This is a structural diagram of the finished product discharge module in a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 8b and Figure 8c for Figure 8a The diagram shows the mounting structure of the ejector pin array.

[0044] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing plants or pickled plants as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure reference numerals: 1. Feeding module: 11 turntable, 12 material cylinder, 141 clamping block, 142 elastic component, 143 mounting bracket, 144 guide sleeve, 1411 clamping end, 1412 limiting part; 2. Machining module: 20 tool turntable, 21 cutting tool, 211 sliding tool holder (base plate 2111, side wall 2112, discharge hole 2113), 212 first blade, 213 second blade, 214 cutting edge, 215 blade slot, 216 tool cover, 217 tool clamping block, 218a upper tool angle clamp (2181 first clamping arm, 2182 second clamping arm, 2183 upper slot), 218b lower tool angle clamp (lower slot 2184), 219 mounting slot, 210 cutting cavity, 2120a first guide positioning pin, 21 20b Second guide positioning pin, 2121 Blade pad; 22 Extrusion mechanism: 221 Drive motor, 222 Electric cylinder, 223 Guide column, 224 Extrusion component, 225 Mounting bracket; 31 Shovel, 32 Scraper, 311 First mounting beam, 314 Notch; 4 Cleaning module: 411 Air knife, 412 Air pipe connector, 421 Water nozzle, 422 Isolation plate, 43 Mounting plate, 44 Protective cover, 46 Connecting plate, 47 Rotary shaft, 460 Connecting rod, 461 Drive block, 462 Drive device; 5 Control module; 6 Finished product discharge module: 61 Ejector pin array, 62 Ejector pin drive mechanism, 63 Ejector pin mounting plate, 64 Ejector pin pad, 65 Ejector pin base, 67 Scraper; 7 Detection mechanism, 8 Waste material transport mechanism; 9 Finished product transport mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. In this document, suffixes such as "module," "component," or "unit" used to represent elements are only for the purpose of illustrative purposes and have no specific meaning in themselves. Therefore, "module," "component," or "unit" can be used interchangeably. In this document, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "front," "rear," "one end," "the other end," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. In this document, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances. "And / or" in this document includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed related items. "A plurality" in this document means two or more, i.e., it includes two, three, four, five, etc. "Plant" in this document refers to materials that require peeling (including stems) and cutting into a certain shape (e.g., strips or slices) during processing, such as irregularly shaped vegetables, fruits, medicinal herbs, etc. "Pickled plant" in this document refers to pickled materials whose processing requires peeling (including stems) and cutting into a certain shape (e.g., strips or slices), such as irregularly shaped pickled mustard greens, etc. For ease of description, "plants" and "pickled plants" will be referred to as "materials to be processed" or "plants to be processed" in this article.

[0047] Example 1: Referring to Figures 1-8, these are structural diagrams and module diagrams of a plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the plant or pickled plant processing apparatus includes: a feeding module 1, a processing module 2, a waste separation module, a finished product discharge module 6, and a cleaning module 4 disposed on the movement path of the cutting tool 21 in the processing module 2, and a control module 5 for controlling the feeding module 1, the processing module 2, the waste separation module, the finished product discharge module 6, and the cleaning module 4.

[0048] In some embodiments, the feeding module 1 includes: a material turntable 11 mounted on a frame, a plurality of material cylinders 12 for holding materials to be processed (e.g., pickled mustard tubers with a certain degree of stickiness) are evenly spaced along its circumference on the material turntable 11, and a turntable drive mechanism connected to the control module 5, the turntable drive mechanism being used to drive the turntable 11 to rotate, thereby allowing the material cylinders to switch between the feeding station and the processing station.

[0049] In some embodiments, the total number of material cylinders on the material turntable is N times the total number of cutting tools, where N is greater than 1 and is an integer. Initially, at least one material cylinder is located at the loading station. Preferably, eight material cylinders 12 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the material turntable 1, and initially, three material cylinders 12 are simultaneously located at the loading station. In some embodiments, the turntable drive mechanism is a motor, the output shaft of which is connected to the rotating shaft of the material turntable 11.

[0050] In some embodiments, the material cylinder 12 is provided with a limiting mechanism for clamping the material to be processed. This limiting mechanism includes clamping blocks 141 evenly spaced along the circumference of the cylinder wall of the material cylinder 12. The clamping blocks 141 are rotatably disposed on the cylinder wall of the material cylinder 12. Specifically, see... Figure 2a and Figure 2b The material cylinder 12 has multiple mounting holes evenly spaced along its circumference. The top end of the clamping block 141 is rotatably connected to one of the mounting holes via a rotating shaft. Its clamping end 1411 extends into the material cylinder 12 to clamp the material. An elastic component 142 (e.g., a spring) is connected to the protruding limiting portion 1412 on its outer side. The other end of the elastic component 142 is fixed to a mounting bracket 143 on the outside of the mounting hole. When the clamping end 1411 is subjected to an external force (e.g., the squeezing action of the material to be processed in the material cylinder), the elastic component 142 provides tension, so that the bottom of the clamping block 141 is always in a clamping state, thereby being able to clamp the material.

[0051] In some embodiments, the processing module 2 includes: an extrusion mechanism 22 for extruding the material to be processed in the material cylinder 12 at the processing station; a tool turntable 20 mounted on the frame; a plurality of cutting tools 21 mounted on the tool turntable 20 for cutting the material to be processed under the extrusion action of the extrusion mechanism 22; and a tool drive mechanism for driving the tool turntable 20 to rotate, thereby causing the plurality of cutting tools 21 to rotate sequentially between the processing station, the waste separation station and the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station; the tool drive mechanism is connected to the control module 5. The plurality of cutting tools 21 are distributed circumferentially along the tool turntable, such that the movement paths of the plurality of cutting tools are the same. Preferably, there are four cutting tools 21, evenly distributed along the circumference of the tool turntable. Correspondingly, when one cutting tool is at the processing station, the two adjacent cutting tools in its rotation direction are located at the finished product discharge station and the cleaning station, respectively, allowing multiple processes to proceed simultaneously and greatly improving production efficiency. Furthermore, multiple tools share the processing module, waste separation module, finished product discharge module, and cleaning module, significantly improving equipment utilization. Correspondingly, another cutting tool symmetrically positioned to the one at the processing station is located at the tool maintenance station, facilitating the inspection, maintenance, and installation of the cutting tools.

[0052] In some embodiments, see Figure 4a to Figure 4f The cutting tool 21 includes a sliding tool holder 211 and a blade assembly disposed within the sliding tool holder 211. The sliding tool holder 211 includes a base plate 2111 and a side wall 2112 disposed on the base plate 2111. The base plate 2111 has a discharge hole 2113 penetrating the base plate 2111. Preferably, the base is annular, and the side wall extends vertically upward from its outer edge to form an annular wall surrounding the base, forming a space with the base for accommodating the blade assembly. The blade assembly includes: a plurality of first blades 121 arranged side-by-side at equal intervals on a base plate 2111 along a first direction; and a plurality of second blades 213 arranged side-by-side at equal intervals on the base plate 2111 along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Each first blade 212 has a plurality of slots 215 spaced apart along its length at its upper end. The second blades 213 are detachably engaged in the slots 215, forming a plurality of cutting cavities 210 between the plurality of first blades (212) and second blades (213). The lengths of the plurality of first blades and the plurality of second blades located at the edges gradually decrease, forming a blade assembly with a hexagonal cross-section. Preferably, there are three blades (first blades or second blades) located at each of the four edges of the blade assembly. The two blades closest to the edge have the same length and are shorter than the length of the other blade, which is shorter than the length of the blade in the non-edge area. See [reference needed]. Figure 4b and Figure 4cThe blade clamping blocks 217 are located at both ends of the second blade 213, and the blade covers 216 are located at both ends of the first blade 212. The blade clamping blocks 217 have multiple mounting slots 219 on their sidewalls near the blade assembly, which mate with the cutting heads of the second blade 213. The blade covers 216 have multiple mounting slots 219 on their sidewalls near the blade assembly, which mate with the cutting heads of the first blade 212. Four blade corner clamping assemblies are mounted on the base plate 2111 to clamp the ends of the first blade 212 and the second blade 213 located at their edges. These four blade corner clamping assemblies are located at the four corners of the square limiting frame formed by the two blade covers 216 and the two blade clamping blocks 217. (See [reference]). Figure 4a and Figure 4e .

[0053] In some embodiments, see Figure 4b When establishing a coordinate system with the length extension direction of the first blade as the X-axis, the length extension direction of the second blade as the Y-axis, and the height direction of the first or second blade as the X-axis, the Y-axis is the first direction and the X-axis is the second direction.

[0054] In some embodiments, see Figure 4e The inscribed circle of the aforementioned square limiting frame (side length L1) is coaxial with the discharge hole, and its diameter D1 is less than or equal to the diameter of the discharge hole (the diameter D2 of the base plate is the largest). The inscribed circle of this square limiting frame is actually the actual cutting area of ​​the machining tool. Although the shapes of various materials are irregular, in practical applications, it has been found that only this cutting area actually performs the cutting function. The four corners of the rectangular limiting frame are mostly unused, and long-term idleness may lead to dust accumulation. Therefore, in this embodiment, a hexagonal blade assembly is designed, and the four corners are used to install and fix the blade assembly while simultaneously covering the unused four corner areas, making it more hygienic and easier to clean the tool, and also saving materials. In some embodiments, L1 is 120mm, D1 is 120mm, and D2 is 200mm.

[0055] In some embodiments, see Figure 4b Since the groove for engaging with the second blade is only provided at the upper end of the first blade 212, the height of the second blade 213 is less than the height of the first blade 212. Preferably, its height is the same as the height of the groove on the first blade, so that when the second blade is engaged with the first blade, the cutting edges of the second blade and the first blade are flush. Furthermore, since the height of the second blade is lower than that of the first blade, in order to fix the blade assembly, blade pads 2121 are provided below the cutting heads at both ends of the second blade 213. That is, by placing the blade pads between the base plate and the blade clamping block, and providing a mounting groove on the blade clamping block to engage with the cutting head of the second blade, the second blade is firmly installed directly above the discharge hole (that is, the inner circle of the blade assembly is coaxial with the discharge hole).

[0056] In some embodiments, the height of the blade pad 2121 is greater than or equal to the height difference between the first blade 212 and the second blade 213, such that the upper surface of the blade clamping block 217 located above the blade pad 2121 after installation is flush with the upper surface of the blade cover 216.

[0057] In some embodiments, see Figure 4a The blade clamp assembly includes an upper blade clamp 218a and a lower blade clamp 218b. The upper blade clamp 218a includes a first clamping arm 2181 extending in a first direction and a second clamping arm 2182 extending in a second direction. The bottom of the first clamping arm 2181 is provided with an upper slot 2183 (extending in the first direction) that can mate with the cutting head of the second blade 212 located at the edge. See [reference needed]. Figure 4d The upper surface of the lower blade angle clamp (218b) is provided with a lower groove 2184 (extending in the second direction) that extends in the second direction and engages with the first blade 212 located at the edge.

[0058] In some embodiments, the machining tool assembly further includes: a first guide positioning pin 2120a located on the base plate, disposed on both sides of the blade angle clamp assembly, and passing through mounting holes coaxially disposed on the tool clamp block 217 and the tool pad 2121; and a second guide positioning pin 2120b passing through mounting holes disposed on the tool cover 216. See [reference] Figure 4a .

[0059] In some embodiments, the cutting cavity 210 formed between the first blade and the second blade is square. Preferably, the spacing between the plurality of first blades 212 is 6 mm, and the spacing between the plurality of second blades 213 is 6 mm, that is, forming a square cutting cavity with a side length of 6 mm. See [link to documentation]. Figure 4c .

[0060] In some embodiments, the tip height of the plurality of first blades 212 located at the edge is less than the tip height of the remaining (i.e., non-edge) first blades 212.

[0061] In some embodiments, the length L3 of the first blade 212 is greater than the length L4 of the second blade 213. Preferably, the length of the second blade 213 is 130mm-140mm (preferably 136mm); the maximum length of the first blade 212 is 140mm-145mm (preferably 143mm), and the height H1 of the first blade 212 is 10mm-15mm (preferably 13.5mm), and the height H2 of the second blade 213 (i.e., the height of the groove on the first blade) is 6mm-7mm (preferably 6.5mm).

[0062] Of course, in other embodiments, the shape of the cutting cavity formed between the first and second blades can be adapted to the cutting of products of different shapes by adjusting the angle between the first and second directions (e.g., the first and second directions form an acute angle). Furthermore, the spacing between the blades can also be adjusted to accommodate the cutting of even more products of different shapes.

[0063] In some embodiments, the extrusion mechanism 22 includes an electric cylinder 222 mounted on a bracket via a mounting bracket 225. An extrusion component 224 is mounted on the top of the electric cylinder 222. The electric cylinder 222 is driven by a drive motor 221 to drive the extrusion component 224 to reciprocate vertically. Correspondingly, the area below the extrusion component 224 is the processing station. Therefore, when the cutting tool 21 rotates to the area below the extrusion component (i.e., rotates to the processing station), it can cooperate with the extrusion mechanism to simultaneously complete peeling and cutting.

[0064] In some embodiments, the tool drive mechanism includes: a drive motor whose output shaft is coaxially connected to the rotation shaft of the tool turntable 20, or the tool turntable is directly mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor, thereby driving the tool turntable to rotate by the drive motor. Preferably, four cutting tools are evenly distributed circumferentially on the tool turntable, see [reference needed]. Figure 1c and Figure 6a , Figure 6b .

[0065] In some embodiments, the waste separation module includes: a scraper 31 for separating waste (which is connected to strip-shaped or sheet-shaped finished products) that moves to the waste separation station following the cutting tool 21, the scraper 31 extending radially along the tool turntable; and a scraper 32 for removing the separated waste that moves to the waste discharge station, the scraper 32 being located between the waste separation station and the finished product discharge station.

[0066] In some embodiments, see Figure 5 The first mounting beam 311 for mounting the shovel is fixed to the frame of the processing device by a mounting plate. Both ends of the shovel 31 are respectively mounted on the bottom of the first mounting beam 311 by a right-angle mounting block. A notch 314 is provided at the bottom of the first mounting beam 311 corresponding to the position of the shovel 31, allowing waste material separated by the shovel 31 to exit through the notch 314. Preferably, the height and tilt angle of the shovel 31 can be adjusted by adjusting the height and tilt angle of the mounting bracket on the frame.

[0067] In some embodiments, see Figure 1cThe scraper 32 is fixed to one side of the finished product discharge module 6 by a mounting bracket. Typically, after most materials are cut by the cutting blade, waste materials, such as ribs, are still attached to the finished product. Therefore, a scraper alone may not be able to effectively separate the waste from the cutting blade, resulting in a large amount of waste remaining on the cutting blade. Furthermore, this scraping method significantly shortens the scraper's lifespan and accumulates a large amount of residual waste on it. Therefore, in this embodiment, a spatula is used to first separate the waste from the finished product, and then the scraper is used to scrape the separated waste off the surface of the cutting blade. This not only successfully separates the waste but also greatly reduces the amount of waste residue on the cutting blade.

[0068] In some embodiments, the scraper 31 and the scraper blade 32 are positioned between the processing station and the finished product discharge station, with the scraper blade 32 serving as the waste discharge station. Correspondingly, a waste receiving hopper is provided below the scraper blade 32 to transfer waste material to the waste transport mechanism 8. Specifically, when the cutting tool 21 moves towards the finished product discharge station, it passes through the waste discharge station. Since the waste material has already separated from the finished product, it enters the waste transport mechanism 8 through the waste receiving hopper and is transported out.

[0069] In some embodiments, the cleaning module 4 includes: an air blowing mechanism that provides high-pressure airflow to the cutting tool 21 rotating to the cleaning station, and a spraying mechanism that provides high-pressure water flow to the cutting tool 21 moving to the cleaning station, wherein the air blowing mechanism and the spraying mechanism are respectively connected to the control module 5.

[0070] In some embodiments, the cleaning module 4 further includes a mounting plate 43 disposed on the rack, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 7a and Figure 7b The high-pressure gas / high-pressure spray module includes: a mounting plate 43, an air blowing mechanism that provides high-pressure airflow to the cutting tool 21 moving to the cleaning station, and a spraying mechanism that provides high-pressure water flow to the cutting tool 21 moving to the cleaning station. The air knife 411 of the air mechanism and the water nozzle 421 of the spraying mechanism are respectively disposed on both sides of the mounting plate 43, and when the cutting tool 21 rotates to the cleaning station, the air knife 411 and the water nozzle 421 are located above the cutting tool 21. Further, to avoid mutual interference, a partition plate 422 is provided between the water nozzle 421 and the air knife 411. Preferably, the air knife and the water nozzle are integrated into a single compartment and separated by the partition plate 422. Preferably, the spraying mechanism and the air blowing mechanism are disposed at one end of the mounting plate 43, and the other end of the mounting plate 43 is fixed to the frame by a mounting bracket.

[0071] To facilitate maintenance and installation of the cleaning module, the mounting plate 43 is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket, allowing the cleaning module to be flipped. Specifically, two connecting plates 46 (rotatably connected to the mounting bracket via a rotating shaft 47) are rotatably connected to the mounting bracket. The two connecting plates 46 are parallel to the mounting plate 43 and are located on opposite sides of the mounting plate 43. Two connecting rods 460 are fixedly connected between the two connecting plates 46 to fix the mounting plate 43. The two connecting rods 460 penetrate the mounting plate 43 perpendicularly, and their ends are fixedly connected to the connecting plates 46, thus fixing the mounting plate to the connecting plates. Therefore, when the mounting plate 43 or the connecting plates 46 are rotated under external force, the cleaning module also rotates accordingly. On the other hand, by setting the working cycle or cleaning cycle, the cleaning module can be rotated for maintenance or inspection when cleaning of the cutting tool is not required. That is, maintenance, inspection, or even replacement of the cleaning module can be achieved without affecting other processes, further improving equipment utilization and production capacity.

[0072] Furthermore, to better clean the cutting tool, a drive block 461 is provided on the aforementioned mounting bracket to drive the mounting plate 43 to reciprocate on the connecting rod 46, and a drive device 462 (e.g., a cylinder) to drive the drive block 461 to reciprocate along the connecting rod axis. Under the action of the drive device and the drive block, the cleaning module can move radially along the cutting tool, thereby achieving better cleaning. Moreover, by using the cleaning module to move, the cutting tool can stop rotating when it reaches the cleaning station, allowing the cutting tools located at the processing station and the finished product unloading station to simultaneously complete their respective processes. In some embodiments, the cleaning module 4 further includes a water tank and a water supply pipe connected to the water tank and the spray mechanism.

[0073] In some embodiments, the discharge module 6 located at the finished product discharge station specifically includes: an ejector pin array 61 for separating the finished product, which follows the cutting tool 21 to the finished product discharge station, from the cutting tool 21; and an ejector pin drive mechanism 62 for driving the ejector pin array 61 to move up and down; the ejector pin drive mechanism 62 is connected to the control module 5. Specifically, referring to FIG8, the ejector pin array 61 includes a circular array formed by a plurality of ejector pins, and each ejector pin corresponds to a cutting cavity 210. Specifically, the diameter of the circular ejector pin array is the same as the diameter of the circular cutting area (or the inscribed circle of the square limiting frame) in the cutting tool.

[0074] In some embodiments, each array unit of the ejector pin array 61 matches the shape of the cutting cavity in the cutting tool, so that when the ejector pin drive mechanism 62 drives the ejector pin array to move towards the cutting tool, each array unit on the ejector pin array 61 pushes into the corresponding cutting cavity to push the finished product away from the cutting tool, thereby achieving automatic material discharge. Of course, the finished product discharge station is located below the ejector pin array, and a finished product receiving cylinder is provided below this station, so that the finished product that has detached from the cutting tool enters the finished product receiving cylinder under gravity and is guided by the receiving cylinder into the finished product transport mechanism 9. In some embodiments, see... Figure 8b and Figure 8c The pin array 61 is mounted on the output end of the pin drive mechanism 62 via the pin base 65. The pin base 65 is connected to the pin mounting plate 63, and the pin mounting plate 63 is also provided with a scraper 67. The scraper 67 is slidably connected to the pin base 65 and the pin mounting plate 63. When the pin base 65 rises, the scraper 67 will not rise synchronously under the action of gravity, thus moving relative to the pin array and peeling off the plant material adhering to the surface of the pin array.

[0075] In some embodiments, both the waste transport mechanism and the finished product transport mechanism employ conveyor belt drive mechanisms. In some embodiments, the ejector pin drive mechanism employs an adjustable stroke cylinder; each array unit employs a T-shaped ejector pin with a spherical end to prevent material sticking. In some embodiments, the plant or pickled plant processing device further includes a safety / feeding detection mechanism 7 for detecting whether the material cylinders 12 on the material turntable 11 are loaded with material. For example, after device initialization, the detection mechanism detects whether all material cylinders on the turntable 11 contain material, and when it detects that all material cylinders on the turntable 11 are loaded with material, it triggers the control module 5 to start the processing flow. Alternatively, when it detects that a preset number of material cylinders are loaded with material to be processed and arranged in a preset layout, it triggers the control module to start the processing flow. In some embodiments, the safety / feeding detection mechanism may employ multiple visual sensors, such as cameras, spaced at intervals along the circumference of the turntable at the feeding / processing station. Of course, it may also employ corresponding material sensors, such as pressure sensors, in each material cylinder.

[0076] In some embodiments, the control module 5 controls the turntable drive mechanism to drive the material turntable 11 to rotate, so that multiple material cylinders 12 rotate sequentially and periodically to the loading station and the processing station for loading and extrusion processing; and controls the rotation of the tool turntable 20 in the processing module 2, thereby driving multiple cutting tools 21 on the tool turntable 20 to perform cyclical motion, and sequentially rotate between the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station, so that multiple processes (e.g., processing process, finished product discharge process, and cleaning process) can be performed simultaneously. Specifically, since multiple cutting tools are evenly distributed along the circumference of the tool turntable, correspondingly, the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station are also distributed along the circumference of the tool turntable, that is, set on the movement path of the cutting tools. And since the movement paths of multiple cutting tools are all the same cyclic motion, each of the multiple stations corresponds to a cutting tool at the same time, thereby ensuring that multiple processes are performed simultaneously. Preferably, a maintenance station is also provided between the finished product discharge station and the cleaning station.

[0077] In some embodiments, whenever any of the cutting tools 21 rotates to the processing station, the material turntable 11 is controlled to rotate so that the next material cylinder 12 moves to the processing station; and when a cleaning cycle is reached (i.e., after completing a preset number of processing cycles, such as one or two processing cycles), the cleaning module 4 is controlled to simultaneously spray high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow onto the cutting tools 21 that rotate to the cleaning station in succession, so as to perform concentrated cleaning on the cutting tools.

[0078] In some embodiments, the control module specifically includes: a human-machine interaction module, used by the user to set corresponding cleaning cycles (i.e., set the number of preset processing cycles to be completed) according to different materials to be processed, and preset processing cycle parameters, such as preset loading quantity and the arrangement structure of each material cylinder; a judgment unit, used to receive detection data detected by the safety / feeding detection mechanism to determine whether the number of material cylinders loaded with materials to be processed on the turntable is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity, and whether the arrangement structure of each material cylinder loaded with materials is the preset arrangement structure; and a tool control unit, used to control the material turntable to rotate when the judgment unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with materials to be processed on the material turntable is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity, and the arrangement structure of each material cylinder is the preset arrangement structure, so that the preset... Each loaded material cylinder moves sequentially to the processing station, and the tool turntable is controlled to rotate, causing multiple cutting tools to circulate in a circular motion between the processing station, waste separation station, waste discharge station, and finished product discharge station, until a preset cleaning cycle is reached. At this point, the cleaning module is controlled to clean all the cutting tools that have rotated to the cleaning station. The loading control unit is used to control the material turntable to rotate when the above judgment unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed on the turntable is less than the preset loading quantity. This causes the unloaded material cylinders on the material turntable to move to the loading station and be loaded according to the preset arrangement structure, until the control unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity and is in the preset arrangement structure.

[0079] In some embodiments, the control module further includes a safety detection unit, configured to determine, based on detection data detected by the safety / feeding detection mechanism, whether any human limbs are located in a specific area before the material turntable is rotated by the feeding control unit or the tool control unit; if so, to stop the material turntable from rotating; if no human limbs are located in the specific area, to rotate the material turntable. The specific area includes the area where the feeding station is located and the area where the processing station is located.

[0080] In some embodiments, the aforementioned tool control unit is specifically used to determine, based on detection data, whether the current material cylinder at the current processing station is loaded with material to be processed; if it is loaded with material to be processed, the control system controls multiple cutting tools to rotate sequentially to the processing station (i.e., only one cutting tool is at the processing station at any given time, cooperating with the extrusion mechanism to cut), and controls the extrusion mechanism to move downwards to cooperate with the cutting tools in extruding the material to be processed; and after the extrusion processing is completed, the control unit controls the tool turntable to rotate, so that the current cutting tool that has completed the cutting passes sequentially through the waste separation station and the waste discharge station, thereby completing the automatic separation and discharge of waste, and then rotates to the finished product processing station. The system includes a finished product discharge station; and when the current cutting tool moves to the finished product discharge station, it controls the ejector pin array to discharge the finished product; and when the finished product discharge is completed, it determines whether the preset cleaning cycle (i.e., the preset number of processing cycles) has been reached. If so, it controls the air blowing mechanism and the spraying mechanism to simultaneously provide high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow to the cutting tools that move to the cleaning station in succession to clean the cutting tools; if the cleaning cycle has not been reached, it controls the tool turntable to rotate so that the next cutting tool rotates to the processing station to process the next material to be processed. This cycle continues until the preset cleaning cycle is reached, and the cleaning module controls the multiple cutting tools that rotate to the cleaning station in succession to clean them.

[0081] Specifically, an initial variable cylinder count is set and assigned an initial value of 0. Each time extrusion processing or finished product is completed, the initial variable cylinder count is incremented by one until the value of the initial variable cylinder count is equal to the product of the preset loading quantity and the preset number of processing cycles minus one (that is, when there is only one material left to be processed among all the materials to be processed within the preset number of processing cycles). At this point, it is determined that the cleaning cycle has been reached. Then, the cleaning module is controlled to clean the multiple cutting tools that rotate to the cleaning station one after another until the last material to be processed is finished. Then, the initial variable cylinder count is set to 0 and the counting starts again. Otherwise, it is determined that the cleaning cycle has not been reached.

[0082] Example 2: See Figure 9Based on the above-mentioned plant or pickled plant processing device, the present invention also provides a method for processing plants or pickled plants, comprising the following steps: S101, the control module receives detection data fed back by the safety / feeding detection mechanism, and determines, based on the detection data, whether the number of material cylinders loaded with the material to be processed on the material turntable in the feeding module is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity, and whether the arrangement structure of each material cylinder loaded with the material is the preset arrangement structure; if so, proceed to step S102; otherwise, proceed to step S103. In some embodiments, the user pre-sets the corresponding preset processing cycle parameters (preset loading quantity and preset arrangement structure) and cleaning cycle on the human-machine interface of the control module according to the working rhythm of the material to be processed. Preferably, the adjustment of the cleaning cycle can also be achieved by the coordination between the indexing setting on the material turntable (such as the angle between two adjacent materials loaded with material) and the indexing of the cutter turntable (such as the angle between two adjacent cutters). In some embodiments, a processing cycle is defined as the completion of processing, waste separation, waste discharge, and finished product discharge of multiple material cylinders on a turntable with a preset loading quantity and a preset arrangement. The preset arrangement includes adjacent or spaced arrangement; the preset loading quantity is greater than or equal to the total number of cutting tools and less than or equal to the total number of material cylinders on the turntable; and the total number of material cylinders on the turntable is greater than the total number of cutting tools. For example, taking the setting of four cutting blades evenly distributed around the circumference of the cutting blade turntable as an example, and eight material cylinders evenly distributed around the circumference of a material turntable, for materials with long cleaning cycles (e.g., each cutting blade needs to be thoroughly cleaned after processing three materials) and fast processing speed (with low viscosity), the user can pre-set a processing cycle parameter on the user interface of the control module: the preset loading quantity is eight material cylinders (i.e., all material cylinders are loaded with materials, and the preset loading quantity is equal to the total number of material cylinders, which is twice the total number of cutting blades of 4), the preset arrangement structure is: adjacent arrangement; the cleaning cycle is: cleaning once after each processing cycle is completed, that is, cleaning is required after each blade processes two materials. For example, consider a material turntable with four cutting blades evenly distributed around its circumference. Eight material cylinders are evenly distributed around the turntable. For materials with short cleaning cycles (e.g., thorough cleaning is required after each cutting blade processes one piece of material) and a slow processing pace (high viscosity), a preset processing cycle of four material cylinders (i.e., a preset loading quantity) is established in the control system. The preset arrangement is an intermittent arrangement, meaning there is an empty cylinder between two cylinders loaded with material. Because the processing pace is slow, an adjacent arrangement is used, resulting in a relatively long processing interval and cleaning cycle interval between materials, thus adjusting the overall processing pace.

[0083] S102, the control module controls the material turntable to rotate, causing each pre-loaded number of cylinders to move sequentially to the processing station. The control module also controls the tool turntable to rotate via the tool drive mechanism, causing multiple cutting tools to cyclically move to the processing station in sequence to cooperate with the extrusion mechanism for material processing. S104 is then executed. In some embodiments, before controlling the tool turntable to rotate, the following step is included: determining whether the cylinder currently at the processing station is loaded with material to be processed based on detection data detected by the safety / detection mechanism. If it is, the control system controls the tool turntable to rotate, causing the cutting tools to rotate to the processing station. Otherwise, the control module controls the material turntable to rotate, causing the next cylinder to move to the processing station, and again determines whether the cylinder is loaded with material to be processed. This process is repeated until it is determined that the cylinder at the processing station is loaded with material to be processed. Then, the control module controls the tool turntable to rotate, causing the corresponding cutting tool to move to the processing station. Preferably, initially, there is one cutting tool at the processing station.

[0084] S103, the control module drives the material turntable to rotate through the turntable drive mechanism, so that the unloaded material cylinder rotates to the loading station and is loaded according to the preset arrangement structure, thus executing step S101.

[0085] S104, control the extrusion mechanism and the cutting tool to work together to simultaneously peel and cut the material to be processed, and execute step S105. In some embodiments, the control module typically receives a feedback signal from the tool drive mechanism indicating that the cutting tool is in place, and then initiates the coordinated action of the extrusion mechanism and the cutting tool. Of course, in other embodiments, the extrusion mechanism and the cutting tool can also be started simultaneously.

[0086] S105, the control module controls the rotation of the tool turntable via the tool drive mechanism, thereby driving the currently processed cutting tool to rotate sequentially along the circumference of the tool turntable to the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, and the finished product discharge station for waste separation, discharge, and finished product discharge, thus executing step S106. In some embodiments, the control module receives a feedback signal from the extrusion mechanism indicating that processing is complete, and then controls the rotation of the tool turntable, thereby driving multiple cutting tools so that when the currently processed cutting tool rotates to the finished product discharge station, the next cutting tool rotates to the processing station. Simultaneously, as mentioned above, when the cutting tool rotates to the finished product discharge station, another cutting tool is located at the cleaning station.

[0087] S106, the control module controls the ejector pin array to discharge material via the lifting mechanism, and executes step S107. In some embodiments, the control module receives a feedback signal from the processing module indicating that the cutting tool is in place at the finished product discharge station, and then controls the ejector pin array to descend for material discharge.

[0088] S107, the control module determines whether the preset cleaning cycle has been reached. If yes, proceed to step S108; otherwise, proceed to step S109. In some embodiments, an initial variable cylinder count is preset and assigned an initial value of 0. After each extrusion process is completed (e.g., after completing steps S104, S105, or S106), the initial variable cylinder count is incremented by one. Therefore, the initial variable cylinder count N0 can be compared with the product of the preset number of processing cycles Q and the preset loading quantity N1 corresponding to each processing cycle: Q×N1. If N0 equals Q×N1-1, it is determined that the preset number of processing cycles has been completed; otherwise, it is determined that it has not been completed. Here, the cleaning cycle refers to the period within the preset Q processing cycles, from the first material to be processed until the second to last material to be processed is discharged as a finished product (or the last material to be processed enters the processing station), at which point the multiple cutting tools on the tool turntable can be cleaned centrally. To avoid idling, when there is only one material left to be processed within Q processing cycles, the cutting tool currently located in the cleaning module can be cleaned, and the cleaning module can be controlled to clean other cutting tools that will rotate to the cleaning station next until all cutting tools are cleaned; or, the cutting tool that is about to enter the cleaning station can be cleaned until all cutting tools are cleaned.

[0089] As mentioned earlier, different materials have different processing cycles and require different cleaning times. For example, some highly viscous materials require four processing cycles to reach the finished product, meaning they need to be cleaned after one processing cycle. Conversely, some very low-viscosity or non-viscous materials require twelve processing cycles to reach the finished product before cleaning. Therefore, the cleaning cycle needs to be set in advance based on the actual needs of different materials during processing (e.g., low-viscosity materials can be cleaned after two or more processing cycles, while highly viscous materials can be cleaned after one processing cycle).

[0090] In some embodiments, it can be determined whether the preset cleaning cycle has been reached after step S102 or step S104 is completed. In other embodiments, each cutting tool and barrel can be pre-numbered, so that the control module can calculate the barrel number corresponding to each cutting tool based on the cutting tool and barrel number and the processing cycle parameters. Thus (if the cutting tool with the smallest number is located at the processing station in the initial state), when the cutting tool with the largest number rotates to the processing station and the last material to be processed rotates to the processing station, the cleaning module is controlled to start cleaning the cutting tools.

[0091] S108, the control module controls the rotation of the tool turntable and the material turntable through the tool drive mechanism and the turntable drive mechanism respectively, so that when any cutting tool on the tool turntable rotates to the processing station, the next material cylinder loaded with material on the material turntable rotates to the processing station, and step S104 is executed. Of course, in some embodiments, when the next material cylinder rotates to the processing station, it is also necessary to first determine whether the material cylinder is loaded with material to be processed. If so, step S104 is executed; otherwise, the material turntable is controlled to continue rotating until it is determined that the material cylinder currently located at the processing station is loaded with material, and then step S104 is executed.

[0092] S109, the control module drives the cutting tool on the tool turntable to move from the finished product discharge station to the cleaning station through the tool drive mechanism. When the cutting tool is in position at the cleaning station (e.g., when the positioning signal is received from the tool drive mechanism), the control module controls the air blowing mechanism and the spraying mechanism to simultaneously provide high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow to the cutting tool to clean it. After cleaning is completed (e.g., when the control module receives feedback signals from the air blowing mechanism and the spraying mechanism indicating that cleaning is complete), the control module drives the cutting tool to rotate to the processing station through the tool drive mechanism. At the same time, the control module controls the material turntable to rotate through the turntable drive mechanism, so that the next material cylinder rotates to the processing station, i.e., step S101 is executed again.

[0093] In this embodiment, the control module controls the rotation of the tool turntable, causing each cutting tool on the turntable to move in a circular motion and sequentially pass through the processing station, waste separation station, waste discharge station, finished product discharge station, and cleaning station set in the circumferential direction. After each processing cycle is completed, the control module performs high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow to clean the multiple cutting tools that have rotated to the cleaning station. Compared with the linear assembly line mode, which cleans after each processing and stops the entire production line during cleaning, a lot of idle time is saved.

[0094] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a preferred implementation. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a computer terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for plants or pickled plants, characterized in that, include: The system includes a feeding module, a processing module, a waste separation module, a finished product discharge module, and a cleaning module disposed along the movement path of the cutting tool in the processing module, and a control module for controlling the feeding module, the processing module, the waste separation module, the finished product discharge module, and the cleaning module. The feeding module includes: a material turntable, on which multiple material cylinders for loading materials to be processed are evenly distributed along the circumference, and a turntable drive mechanism connected to the control module. The turntable drive mechanism is used to drive the material turntable to rotate, thereby allowing the material cylinders to switch between the feeding station and the processing station. The processing module includes: an extrusion mechanism for extruding the material to be processed in the barrel at the processing station; a tool turntable; a plurality of cutting tools evenly distributed circumferentially on the tool turntable and used to cooperate with the extrusion mechanism to cut the plant; and a tool drive mechanism for driving the tool turntable to rotate, thereby causing each cutting tool to rotate sequentially between the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station; the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station are arranged circumferentially along the tool turntable; the tool drive mechanism is connected to the control module; The waste separation module includes: a shovel for separating the processed waste that moves to the waste separation station after following the cutting tool; and a scraper for removing the separated waste from the cutting tool. The cleaning module includes: an air blowing mechanism for providing high-pressure airflow to the cutting tool moving to the cleaning station, and a spraying mechanism for providing high-pressure water flow to the cutting tool moving to the cleaning station, wherein the air blowing mechanism and the spraying mechanism are respectively connected to the control module. The discharge module includes: an ejector mechanism for separating the finished product, which follows the cutting tool to the finished product discharge station, from the cutting tool; and an ejector drive mechanism for driving the ejector mechanism to move up and down; the ejector drive mechanism is connected to the control module. The control module is used to control the turntable drive mechanism to drive the material turntable to rotate, so that the multiple material cylinders rotate sequentially and periodically to the loading station and the processing station for loading and extrusion processing; and to control the tool drive mechanism to drive the tool turntable to rotate, so that the multiple cutting tools rotate sequentially and periodically to the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station; and When a preset number of processing cycles are completed, the cleaning module is controlled to simultaneously spray high-pressure airflow and high-pressure water flow onto the cutting tools that rotate to the cleaning station. A processing cycle is defined as the extrusion and discharge of the material to be processed in the preset number of material cylinders on the material turntable. The preset number of material cylinders is greater than or equal to the total number of cutting tools and less than or equal to the total number of material cylinders on the material turntable. The total number of material cylinders on the material turntable is greater than the total number of cutting tools on the cutting tool turntable.

2. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module specifically includes: The judgment unit is used to determine whether the number of material cylinders loaded with materials to be processed on the material turntable is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity, and whether the arrangement structure of each material cylinder loaded with materials is the preset arrangement structure. The tool control unit is used to control the rotation of the material turntable when the judgment unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with material to be processed on the material turntable is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity, and the arrangement structure of each material cylinder is in the preset arrangement structure. This causes the preset loading quantity of each material cylinder to move to the processing station in sequence, and the tool turntable is controlled to rotate so that multiple cutting tools rotate to the processing station, the waste separation station, the waste discharge station, the finished product discharge station, and the cleaning station in sequence, until the preset number of processing cycles are completed. Then, the cleaning module is controlled to clean the cutting tools that have rotated to the cleaning station in sequence. The feeding control unit is used to control the material turntable to rotate when the judgment unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with materials to be processed on the material turntable is less than the preset loading quantity. This causes the material cylinders that have not yet been loaded to move to the feeding station and be loaded according to the preset arrangement structure until the control unit determines that the number of material cylinders loaded with materials to be processed is greater than or equal to the preset loading quantity and is in the preset arrangement structure.

3. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material turntable has eight material cylinders, and the preset arrangement structure includes: material-loaded cylinders with at least one empty cylinder between any two adjacent cylinders; or, all material-loaded cylinders arranged adjacent to each other; and / or... The cutting tools on the cutting tool turntable are four in number and are evenly distributed around the circumference of the cutting tool turntable, such that when any one of the cutting tools is located at the processing station, the two adjacent cutting tools in its rotation direction are located at the finished product discharge station and the cleaning station, respectively.

4. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning module further includes a mounting bracket, the air knife of the air blowing mechanism and the water nozzle of the spraying mechanism are respectively disposed on both sides of the mounting bracket, and a partition is provided between the air knife and the water nozzle; and / or, a limiting mechanism for clamping the material to be processed is provided inside the material cylinder.

5. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cutting tool includes: a sliding blade holder, a plurality of first blades arranged side by side at equal intervals along a first direction, and a plurality of second blades arranged side by side at equal intervals along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The sliding blade holder includes a base plate and a side wall disposed on the base plate. The base plate is provided with a discharge hole penetrating the base plate. The first blades are provided with a plurality of slots spaced apart along their length direction. The second blades are detachably engaged in the slots, thereby forming a plurality of cutting cavities between the plurality of first blades and the plurality of second blades. The lengths of the plurality of first blades and the plurality of second blades located at the edges gradually decrease, thereby forming a blade group with a hexagonal cross-section.

6. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The cutting tool also includes: The blade clamping blocks are located at both ends of the second blade, and the blade covers are located at both ends of the first blade. The blade clamping blocks have multiple mounting slots on their side walls that mate with the blade tips of the second blade, and the blade covers have multiple mounting slots on their side walls that mate with the blade tips of the first blade. Four blade corner clamps are provided on the base plate for clamping the ends of the first blade and the second blade located at the edge. The four blade corner clamps are respectively located at the four corners of the square limiting frame formed by the two blade covers and the two blade clamping blocks. The inscribed circle of the square limiting frame is coaxial with the discharge hole, and the diameter of the inscribed circle is less than or equal to the diameter of the discharge hole.

7. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The height of the second blade is less than the height of the first blade, and a blade pad is provided below the blade head at both ends of the second blade. The height of the blade pad is greater than or equal to the height difference between the first blade and the second blade, so that the upper surface of the blade clamp block located above the blade pad after installation is flush with the upper surface of the blade cover.

8. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The blade clamp assembly includes an upper blade clamp and a lower blade clamp. The upper blade clamp includes a first clamping arm extending in a first direction and a second clamping arm extending in a second direction. The bottom of the first clamping arm is provided with an upper slot that can cooperate with a plurality of second blade heads located at the edge. The upper surface of the lower blade clamp is provided with a lower slot that extends in the second direction and cooperates with a plurality of first blade heads located at the edge.

9. The plant or pickled plant processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The waste transport mechanism is located below the waste discharge station; and the finished product transport mechanism is located below the finished product discharge station; and / or, a safety / loading detection mechanism is used to detect whether the material cylinder on the material turntable or the material cylinder of the processing station is loaded with material to be processed, and to detect whether any human limbs are present in the area of ​​the loading station and the area of ​​the processing station.

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