Tea leaf steam fixation machine

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of tea preparation device, disclose a kind of tea steam fixation machine, it includes frame, frame is installed outer cylinder and coaxially arranged in the inner cylinder of outer cylinder inside, the inner cavity of inner cylinder is formed tea and is placed cavity and side wall is reticulated, steam delivery chamber is formed in the inside of outer cylinder, inner cylinder and outer cylinder end are respectively provided with inner cylinder drive shaft and outer cylinder drive shaft, outer cylinder drive shaft is sleeved on inner cylinder drive shaft, frame is also provided with for driving outer cylinder drive shaft rotation drive motor and for realizing the synchronous rotation of inner cylinder drive shaft and outer cylinder drive shaft clutch mechanism.The present application can realize the quick fixation of tea by intermittent stir-frying fixation, and make tea can fully absorb steam in steam fixation process, ensure that tea has certain moisture content, has better fixation effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a tea preparation apparatus, and more particularly to a tea steam fixation machine. Background Technology

[0002] Tea processing involves steps such as fixation, rolling, and drying. Fixation includes high-temperature fixation and low-temperature fixation. Low-temperature fixation is generally low-temperature steam fixation, which uses a steam generator to steam the tea leaves.

[0003] There are various types of steam fixation machines on the market. Generally, the tea leaves are placed inside the drum of the fixation machine, and then steam is introduced into the drum to fix the leaves. The tea leaves are continuously turned over to achieve rapid fixation.

[0004] Stirring the tea leaves during the withering process can help them wither quickly, but continuous stirring makes it difficult for the tea leaves to utilize the heat energy from the water vapor between the leaves, and there is also a risk of excessive water loss. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention addresses the problems existing in the tea fixing process in the prior art by providing a tea steam fixing machine.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A tea steam fixation machine includes a frame, an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder coaxially disposed inside the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder having a tea placing cavity inside and a mesh sidewall, and the outer cylinder having a steam injection cavity inside. The inner cylinder and outer cylinder are respectively provided with an inner cylinder drive shaft and an outer cylinder drive shaft at their ends, with the outer cylinder drive shaft sleeved on the inner cylinder drive shaft. The frame is also provided with a drive motor for driving the outer cylinder drive shaft to rotate and a clutch mechanism for realizing synchronous rotation of the inner cylinder drive shaft and the outer cylinder drive shaft.

[0008] The frame in this embodiment is a conventionally welded frame. The structure can be flexibly set according to actual needs. Its main function is to fix the drive motor, drive cylinder and support the outer cylinder. The frame needs to be equipped with a bearing seat for installing the drive shaft of the outer cylinder and a support ring that can support the rotation of the outer cylinder to ensure that the outer cylinder can rotate smoothly.

[0009] Preferably, the outer cylinder has an inlet / outlet at one end and a drive shaft at the other end; the inner cylinder has an inlet / outlet at the end facing the outer cylinder's inlet / outlet, and a drive shaft at the other end extends outward from the outer cylinder; a sealing door is provided at the outer cylinder's inlet / outlet. Both the outer and inner cylinders are horizontally oriented, so even without a sealing door at the inner cylinder's inlet / outlet, the tea leaves will not fall out during the stir-frying process. The sealing door at the outer cylinder effectively ensures the steam temperature and volume within the steam injection chamber, guaranteeing rapid completion of the withering process.

[0010] Preferably, the clutch mechanism includes a slide column coaxially arranged with the inner cylinder drive shaft, a push block sleeved on the slide column, and a locking member connected to the push block via a connecting rod. This locking member can retract or extend radially along the inner cylinder drive shaft. The inner wall of the outer cylinder drive shaft has a locking groove that mates with the locking member. A return spring is also provided on the slide column. The return spring drives the push block to pull the locking member back to the inner cylinder drive shaft via the connecting rod. This clutch mechanism allows for synchronous rotation of the inner cylinder during the withering process, enabling the tea leaves to be turned and stir-fried, ensuring rapid completion of the withering process.

[0011] Preferably, the sliding column is also connected to a guide post arranged perpendicularly to the sliding column. The snap-fit ​​component is located at the end of the guide post away from the sliding column, and the end of the snap-fit ​​component facing the axis of the inner cylinder drive shaft has a groove hole that allows it to slide along the guide post axially. The cooperation between the guide post and the groove hole ensures that the snap-fit ​​component can move accurately radially along the inner cylinder drive shaft, thereby ensuring that the snap-fit ​​component can accurately engage or disengage from the snap-fit ​​groove.

[0012] Preferably, the motor shaft of the drive motor is provided with an input pulley, and the outer cylinder drive shaft is provided with an output pulley. The input pulley and the output pulley are connected by a belt.

[0013] Preferably, a clutch drive mechanism is also included. This mechanism includes a push rod for pushing the push block to move axially along the slide column. One end of the push rod is sleeved outside the slide column, and the other end is connected to a drive cylinder via a spring damping mechanism. The clutch mechanism is controlled by the drive cylinder, allowing the operator to set the start and end times and engagement / disengagement time of the clutch mechanism to reasonably control the stirring time of the tea leaves in the tea-holding chamber.

[0014] Preferably, the spring damping mechanism includes a push rod connecting plate and a piston rod connecting plate, which are respectively connected to the push rod and the piston rod of the drive cylinder. The push rod connecting plate and the piston rod connecting plate are each equipped with a spring post, one end of which is fixed to the piston rod connecting plate and the other end of which extends through the push rod connecting plate. A damping spring is fitted onto the spring post, with its two ends respectively abutting against the push rod connecting plate and the piston rod connecting plate. The spring damping mechanism makes the clutch mechanism operate more stably and reduces the clutch mechanism's damage rate.

[0015] Preferably, the inner wall of the outer cylinder is provided with multiple steam nozzles arranged at intervals along the length of the inner cylinder for introducing steam into the steam injection chamber. The steam nozzles are located on the rotatable outer cylinder, so that when the outer cylinder rotates relative to the inner cylinder, steam can be sprayed evenly onto the tea leaves in the inner cylinder, ensuring uniform withering.

[0016] This invention, by adopting the above technical solutions, has significant technical effects:

[0017] This invention achieves rapid fixation of tea leaves through intermittent stir-frying, and allows the tea leaves to fully absorb steam during the steam fixation process, ensuring that the tea leaves have a certain moisture content and resulting in a better fixation effect. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A sectional view.

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Exploded view of the installation of the clutch mechanism.

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the clutch mechanism.

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the clutch drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] A tea steam fixation machine, such as Figures 1-5 As shown, the machine includes a frame (not shown in the figure), on which an outer cylinder 2 and an inner cylinder 1 coaxially disposed inside the outer cylinder 2 are mounted. The inner cylinder 1 forms a tea placing cavity 101 with a mesh sidewall. The outer cylinder 2 forms a steam injection cavity 201. The inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 2 are respectively provided with an inner cylinder drive shaft 102 and an outer cylinder drive shaft 202 at their ends. The outer cylinder drive shaft 202 is sleeved on the inner cylinder drive shaft 102. The frame is also provided with a drive motor 4 for driving the outer cylinder drive shaft 202 to rotate and a clutch mechanism 5 for realizing the synchronous rotation of the inner cylinder drive shaft 102 and the outer cylinder drive shaft 202.

[0026] During the withering process, steam is supplied to the steam injection chamber 201 through the steam generator, and the drive motor 4 is started at the same time. In the initial state, the clutch mechanism 5 needs to be closed, that is, the push block 502 is pushed to squeeze the return spring 506. The push block 502 pushes the snap-fit ​​piece 504 towards the snap-fit ​​groove 505 through the connecting rod 503, and finally snaps into the snap-fit ​​groove 505. At this time, the outer cylinder drive shaft 202 and the inner cylinder drive shaft 102 form a whole. The drive motor 4 drives the outer cylinder drive shaft 202 to rotate through the pulley, and drives the inner cylinder drive shaft 102 to rotate synchronously. Then, the outer cylinder 2 and the inner cylinder 1 are rotated synchronously. During the rotation of the inner cylinder 1, the tea leaves inside are stir-fried, and the tea leaves are quickly withered.

[0027] As the tea leaves gradually dehydrate, the clutch mechanism 5 needs to be disengaged. At this time, the push block 502, under the action of the return spring 506, pulls the snap-fit ​​piece 504 out of the snap-fit ​​groove 505 through the connecting rod 503 and retracts into the inner cylinder drive shaft 102. At this time, the outer cylinder drive shaft 202 can rotate outside the inner cylinder drive shaft 102. The drive motor 4 drives the outer cylinder drive shaft 202 to rotate through the pulley, while the inner cylinder 1 does not rotate. At this time, the tea leaves do not need to be stir-fried, allowing the tea leaves to fully absorb the steam in the steam injection chamber 201 and the steam heat of the tea leaves during the steam fixation process, maintaining a certain moisture content in the tea leaves, resulting in a better fixation effect. After the tea leaves are in this state for a period of time (this time should not be too long, otherwise the moisture content will be too high), the clutch mechanism 5 is closed again, and the tea leaves are stir-fried again, continuing this intermittent stir-frying fixation process.

[0028] Finally, when the withering process is nearing its end, the clutch mechanism 5 is disengaged, so that the inner cylinder 1 stops rotating, allowing material to be removed without stopping the machine. The outer cylinder 2 continues to rotate, and the remaining steam inside can still be evenly distributed, so that the outer cylinder 2 can be directly and evenly withered in the initial state without preheating it for the next batch of tea.

[0029] In this embodiment, one end of the outer cylinder 2 is provided with an outer cylinder inlet / outlet 203, and the other end is used to fix the outer cylinder drive shaft 202; the end of the inner cylinder 1 facing the outer cylinder inlet / outlet 203 is provided with an inner cylinder inlet / outlet 103, and the other end of the inner cylinder 1 is used to fix the inner cylinder drive shaft 102, which extends out of the outer cylinder 2 from the inside to the outside; both the outer cylinder inlet / outlet 203 and the inner cylinder inlet / outlet 103 are provided with a sealing door 204.

[0030] The drive motor 4 has an input pulley 401 on its motor shaft and an output pulley 402 on the outside of the outer cylinder drive shaft 202. The input pulley 401 and the output pulley 402 are connected by a belt.

[0031] In addition, no sealing door 204 is installed at the inlet and outlet of the inner cylinder 1, so that when the outer cylinder 2 is opened, the tea leaves in the inner cylinder 1 can be directly put in and taken out with tools, thereby realizing operation without stopping the machine.

[0032] In this embodiment, in order to ensure the installation stability of the inner cylinder 1 inside the outer cylinder 2, a support ring is provided on the outer side wall of the tea inlet and outlet of the inner cylinder 1, which is connected to the inner side wall of the outer cylinder 2. A corresponding support groove is provided on the inner side wall of the inner side wall of the outer cylinder 2. The support ring and the support groove can be L-shaped or T-shaped to achieve mutual rotation and axial positioning between the outer cylinder 2 and the inner cylinder 1.

[0033] The clutch mechanism 5 in this embodiment includes a slide column 501 coaxially arranged with the inner cylinder drive shaft 102. A push block 502 is sleeved on the slide column 501. A snap-fit ​​member 504 that can retract or extend radially along the inner cylinder drive shaft 102 is connected to the push block 502 via a connecting rod 503. A snap-fit ​​groove 505 that cooperates with the snap-fit ​​member 504 is provided on the inner side wall of the outer cylinder drive shaft 202. A return spring 506 is also provided on the slide column 501. The return spring 506 is used to drive the push block 502 to pull the snap-fit ​​member 504 back to the inner cylinder drive shaft 102 via the connecting rod 503.

[0034] Furthermore, a guide post 507 is connected to the slide post 501 and is arranged perpendicularly to the slide post 501. A snap-fit ​​member 504 is provided at the end of the guide post 507 away from the slide post 501, and the end of the snap-fit ​​member 504 facing the axis of the inner cylinder drive shaft 102 is provided with a sliding groove hole 508 that can slide along the axial direction of the guide post 507.

[0035] This embodiment also includes a clutch drive mechanism 6, which includes a push rod 601 for pushing the push block 502 to move axially along the slide column 501. One end of the push rod 601 is sleeved outside the slide column 501, and the other end is connected to the drive cylinder 602 through a spring damping mechanism 3.

[0036] The spring damping mechanism 3 includes a push rod connecting plate 603 and a piston rod connecting plate 604 that are respectively connected to the piston rod of the push rod 601 and the drive cylinder 602. The push rod connecting plate 603 and the piston rod connecting plate 604 are provided with a spring post 605 that is fixed at one end to the piston rod connecting plate 604 and can pass through the push rod connecting plate 603 at the other end. The spring post 605 is fitted with a damping spring 606 that abuts against the push rod connecting plate 603 and the piston rod connecting plate 604 at both ends.

[0037] During the driving process, the drive cylinder 602 does not act directly on the push block 502, but pushes the push block 502 through the spring damping mechanism 3. This converts the force of the drive cylinder 602 into the damping spring 606, which pushes the push rod 601 through the push rod connecting plate 603. This flexible force transmission makes the drive of the clutch mechanism 55 more stable and reduces the damage rate of the clutch mechanism 55 to a certain extent.

[0038] In this embodiment, the inner wall of the outer cylinder 2 is provided with a plurality of steam nozzles arranged at intervals along the length of the inner cylinder 1 for inputting steam into the steam injection chamber 201. The position of the steam nozzles enables the outer cylinder 2 to uniformly spray steam onto the inner cylinder 1 when it rotates.

[0039] In specific configuration, a steam chamber can be set on the side wall of the outer cylinder 2, and a steam nozzle can be set at the steam chamber. An air inlet connected to the steam chamber can be set on the outer cylinder 2. The air inlet is connected to the steam generator through a pipe. Considering that the pipe may become entangled during the rotation of the outer cylinder 2, a high-temperature resistant and sufficiently long flexible hose is needed to connect the air inlet. Alternatively, the air inlet can be set at the closed door 204 of the outer cylinder 2 and connected to the steam generator through a rotary joint.

[0040] It is readily understood that those skilled in the art can combine, split, or reorganize the embodiments provided in this application to obtain other embodiments, none of which exceed the protection scope of this application.

[0041] In summary, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the claims of the present invention should be covered by the present invention.

Claims

1. A tea steam fixation machine, comprising a frame, characterized in that: An outer cylinder (2) and an inner cylinder (1) coaxially disposed inside the outer cylinder (2) are mounted on the frame. The inner cylinder (1) forms a tea placing chamber (101) with a mesh sidewall. The outer cylinder (2) forms a steam injection chamber (201). The inner cylinder (1) and the outer cylinder (2) are respectively provided with an inner cylinder drive shaft (102) and an outer cylinder drive shaft (202). The outer cylinder drive shaft (202) is sleeved on the inner cylinder drive shaft (102). The frame is also provided with a drive motor (4) for driving the outer cylinder drive shaft (202) to rotate and a clutch mechanism (5) for realizing the synchronous rotation of the inner cylinder drive shaft (102) and the outer cylinder drive shaft (202). The mechanism (5) includes a slide column (501) coaxially arranged with the inner cylinder drive shaft (102). A push block (502) is sleeved on the slide column (501). A snap-fit ​​component (504) that can retract or extend radially along the inner cylinder drive shaft (102) is connected to the push block (502) via a connecting rod (503). A snap-fit ​​groove (505) that cooperates with the snap-fit ​​component (504) is provided on the inner side wall of the outer cylinder drive shaft (202). A return spring (506) is also provided on the slide column (501). The return spring (506) is used to drive the push block (502) to pull the snap-fit ​​component (504) to retract the inner cylinder drive shaft (102) via the connecting rod (503). When the clutch mechanism (5) is in the closed state, the outer cylinder (2) and the inner cylinder (1) rotate synchronously. The clutch mechanism (5) is in the closed state when the tea is initially in the killing state and when the tea is being stir-fried. When the clutch mechanism (5) is in the disengaged state, the outer cylinder (2) rotates and the inner cylinder (1) does not rotate. The clutch mechanism (5) is in the disengaged state when the tea absorbs steam and when the tea picks up materials. The outer cylinder (2) has an outer cylinder inlet and outlet (203) at one end and is used to fix the outer cylinder drive shaft (202) at the other end; the inner cylinder (1) has an inner cylinder inlet and outlet (103) at the end facing the outer cylinder inlet and outlet (203), and the inner cylinder (1) is used to fix the inner cylinder drive shaft (102) at the other end. The inner cylinder drive shaft (102) extends out of the outer cylinder (2) from the inside to the outside; a closed door (204) is provided at the outer cylinder inlet and outlet (203).

2. The tea steam fixation machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide column (501) is also connected to a guide column (507) arranged perpendicularly to the slide column (501). The snap-fit ​​part (504) is located at the end of the guide column (507) away from the slide column (501), and the end of the snap-fit ​​part (504) facing the axis of the inner cylinder drive shaft (102) is provided with a sliding groove hole (508) that can slide along the axial direction of the guide column (507) on the guide column (507).

3. The tea steam fixation machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive motor (4) has an input pulley (401) on its motor shaft and an output pulley (402) on the outside of the outer cylinder drive shaft (202). The input pulley (401) and the output pulley (402) are connected by a belt.

4. A tea steam fixation machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a clutch drive mechanism (6), which includes a push rod (601) for pushing the push block (502) to move axially along the slide column (501). One end of the push rod (601) is sleeved outside the slide column (501), and the other end is connected to the drive cylinder (602) through a spring damping mechanism (3).

5. A tea steam fixation machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The spring damping mechanism (3) includes a push rod connecting plate (603) and a piston rod connecting plate (604) that are respectively connected to the piston rod of the push rod (601) and the drive cylinder (602). The push rod connecting plate (603) and the piston rod connecting plate (604) are provided with a spring column (605) with one end fixed on the piston rod connecting plate (604) and the other end able to pass through the push rod connecting plate (603). The spring column (605) is fitted with damping springs (606) with both ends abutting against the push rod connecting plate (603) and the piston rod connecting plate (604) respectively.

6. A tea steam fixation machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the outer cylinder (2) is provided with a plurality of steam nozzles arranged at intervals along the length of the inner cylinder (1) for inputting steam into the steam injection chamber (201).

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