A device for realizing rapid softening of traditional Chinese medicinal materials
By designing a device to control pressure and temperature, combined with the inner liner structure, the problems of long soaking time and loss of effective ingredients in Chinese medicinal materials are solved, achieving rapid softening and efficient soaking.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- JIANGXI JIANGZHONG WUNING TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE PIECES
- Filing Date
- 2024-05-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Existing herbal moistening equipment suffers from problems such as long processing time, unsatisfactory results, easy mold growth, and loss of effective components during the moistening process of Chinese medicinal materials.
A device comprising a softening cylinder, a pressurizing device, and a depressurizing device is used to achieve rapid softening of Chinese medicinal materials by controlling pressure and temperature, combined with the inner liner structure design.
It shortens the soaking time, improves the soaking efficiency, reduces the loss of effective ingredients and the risk of mold, and ensures the safety and efficacy of Chinese medicinal materials.
Smart Images
Figure CN118634153B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of medicinal herb softening equipment, and in particular to a device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal herbs. Background Technology
[0002] The process of processing Chinese medicinal herbs by washing, soaking, or moistening them with water or other liquid excipients can soften the herbs by allowing them to absorb a considerable amount of water without losing or with minimal loss of the active ingredients, making them easier to cut. This is one of the traditional techniques of processing Chinese medicinal herbs. Currently, for Chinese herbal medicine processing enterprises, the soaking of herbs is mostly done using traditional soaking pools or soaking machines. Traditional soaking pools typically use ambient temperature and pressure water for immersion, while soaking machines are divided into vacuum soaking machines, gas-phase replacement soaking machines, etc. Among them, vacuum moistening machines moisten medicines by simply increasing or decreasing pressure, and cannot even simultaneously increase temperature. Moistening by simply increasing or decreasing pressure and raising temperature is not ideal. For example, for Chinese medicinal materials such as areca nut, alisma, and sparganium, traditional moistening pools require more than 15 days to moisten, while vacuum moistening machines also require 10 days. The gas-phase displacement wetting machine utilizes the strong penetrability of gas to allow water vapor to replace the air inside the medicinal materials. However, it still has problems such as long wetting time and uneven softening. In addition, this wetting method makes the wetting medicinal materials prone to mold and loss of effective components, which seriously affects the safety and efficacy of the Chinese medicinal materials.
[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a device for moistening Chinese medicinal materials to solve the defects of the existing moistening equipment in actual use. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This application proposes a device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials, which has the advantages of effectively reducing the soaking time of Chinese medicinal materials and making it less likely for the effective components to be lost during the soaking process. This solves the problems of existing vacuum soaking machines having long soaking times and poor effects, and gas-phase displacement soaking machines causing the soaked medicinal materials to easily become moldy and lose their effective components.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: a device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials, comprising a moistening cylinder, a pressurizing device, and a depressurizing device. The moistening cylinder includes an outer shell, an inner liner, and an end cap. A heating device is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the outer shell, and a support frame for supporting the inner liner is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the outer shell. An end cap is snapped onto the top of the outer shell. An atmospheric pressure port valve, a depressurizing pressure port valve connected to the depressurizing device, and a pressurizing pressure port valve connected to the pressurizing device are fixedly installed on the top of the end cap. A pressure relief valve is also provided on the end cap. During operation, place the Chinese medicinal materials into the inner liner and tighten the end cap. At the same time, close the atmospheric interface valve and the pressurized interface valve, open the pressure reducing interface valve and trigger the pressure reducing device to operate, so that the inner cavity of the outer shell is in a negative pressure state, and then close the pressure reducing interface valve. Next, connect the other end of the atmospheric interface valve to the water tank and open the atmospheric interface valve to draw a certain amount of water into the inner cavity of the outer shell. Then close the atmospheric interface valve and trigger the pressurization device. At the same time, adjust the pressure valve to make the pressure in the inner cavity of the outer shell reach the set requirements. Finally, the heating device at the bottom of the inner cavity of the outer shell is triggered, and the heating temperature and time are set to moisten the Chinese medicinal materials in the inner liner. After the set heating time is reached, the pressurization port valve is closed and the atmospheric port valve is opened until the pressure in the inner cavity of the outer shell returns to atmospheric pressure.
[0006] Furthermore, the top of the inner liner is provided with three sets of U-shaped grooves, and a first connecting rod extending to the top of the inner cavity is pinned to the corresponding position of the U-shaped groove on the outer surface of the inner liner. A second connecting rod is movably sleeved at one end of the first connecting rod outside the inner liner, and a buoyancy block is fixedly installed at the end of the second connecting rod and contacts the inner ring groove opened at the top of the inner wall of the outer shell. A fan-shaped baffle is fixedly installed at the other end of the first connecting rod inside the inner cavity of the inner liner.
[0007] Furthermore, as the three sets of fan-shaped baffles rotate downwards, they can form a circular plate structure with the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the inner liner, thereby forming a complete barrier on the top of the inner cavity of the inner liner.
[0008] Furthermore, the top of the inner part of the outer shell is provided with an oblique hole that connects its inner cavity and outer surface, and a limit pin is movably connected inside the oblique hole. In the initial state, one end of the limit pin protrudes from the inner wall of the outer shell, and a locking hole corresponding to the oblique hole is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the end cap.
[0009] Furthermore, a drainage pipe is provided on one side of the outer surface of the outer shell, which connects to its inner cavity. After the Chinese medicinal materials are moistened once, the drainage pipe is opened to discharge the wastewater in the inner cavity of the outer shell.
[0010] This invention application has the following technical effects: 1. The device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application, compared with existing moistening devices, can simultaneously perform pressurization, depressurization and temperature adjustment operations on the outer shell and its structure, thereby effectively shortening the moistening time of Chinese medicinal materials and improving the efficiency of production preparation. At the same time, due to the shortened moistening time, it can also effectively reduce the loss of effective components of Chinese medicinal materials during the moistening process and reduce the content of fungal toxins produced by long soaking time, effectively ensuring the safety and efficacy of Chinese medicinal materials.
[0011] 2. The device provided in this application for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials utilizes the water absorbed by the inner liner and its structure. Under the buoyancy of the water, the buoyancy block is forced to move upward as the water level rises. Simultaneously, the second connecting rod is retracted, causing the first connecting rod and its fan-shaped baffle to rotate downward and squeeze the Chinese medicinal materials loaded in the inner liner, preventing them from floating on the water surface and thus avoiding the problem of poor softening effect of the device on the Chinese medicinal materials.
[0012] 3. The device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application, with its upper limit pin, inner liner, and locking hole on the end cap, allows the bottom of the limit pin to be squeezed and forced to move upward along the trajectory of the inclined hole when the buoyant block moves upward under the action of water buoyancy. This causes the top of the limit pin to enter the locking hole on the end cap, thereby locking the end cap, improving the snap-fit strength between the end cap and the outer shell, and effectively preventing the end cap from loosening during the pressurization of the inner cavity of the outer shell. Attached Figure Description
[0013] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments disclosed in this application and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles disclosed in this application.
[0014] This application can be more clearly understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the outer shell of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inner liner of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the end cap structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a front view of the structure of the present invention.
[0015] In the diagram: 1. Outer shell; 2. Heating device; 3. Support frame; 4. Drainage pipe; 5. Inner ring groove; 6. Inclined hole; 7. Limiting pin; 8. Inner liner; 9. U-shaped groove; 10. First connecting rod; 11. Second connecting rod; 12. Fan-shaped baffle; 13. Buoyancy block; 14. End cap; 15. Locking hole; 16. Atmospheric interface valve; 17. Pressure reducing interface valve; 18. Pressurized interface valve. Detailed Implementation
[0016] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0017] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 5 As shown, a device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal herbs includes a moistening cylinder, a pressurizing device, and a depressurizing device. The moistening cylinder includes an outer shell 1, an inner liner 8 for loading the Chinese medicinal herbs, and an end cap 14. A heating device 2 is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the outer shell 1, and a support frame 3 for supporting the inner liner 8 is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the outer shell 1. The end cap 14 is snapped onto the top of the outer shell 1. An atmospheric pressure port valve 16, a depressurizing pressure port valve 17 connected to the depressurizing device, and a pressurizing pressure port valve 18 connected to the pressurizing device are fixedly installed on the top of the end cap 14. A pressure valve is provided at the connection between the pressurizing device and the pressurizing pressure port valve 18 to regulate the pressure inside the outer shell 1. At the same time, a pressure relief valve is provided on the end cap 14, which automatically performs a pressure relief operation when the pressure inside the outer shell 1 exceeds its maximum withstand pressure. During operation, place the Chinese medicinal materials into the inner liner 8 and tighten the end cap 14. At the same time, close the atmospheric interface valve 16 and the pressurized interface valve 18, open the pressure reducing interface valve 17 and trigger the pressure reducing device to operate, so that the inner cavity of the outer shell 1 is in a negative pressure state, and then close the pressure reducing interface valve 17. Then, connect the other end of the atmospheric interface valve 16 to the water tank and open the atmospheric interface valve 16 to draw a certain amount of water into the inner cavity of the outer shell 1. Then close the atmospheric interface valve 16 and trigger the pressurization device. At the same time, adjust the pressure valve so that the pressure in the inner cavity of the outer shell 1 reaches the set requirement. Finally, the heating device 2 at the bottom of the inner cavity of the outer shell 1 is triggered, and the heating temperature and time are set to moisten the Chinese medicinal materials in the inner liner 8. After the set heating time is reached, the pressurization interface valve 18 is closed and the atmospheric interface valve 16 is opened until the pressure in the inner cavity of the outer shell 1 returns to atmospheric pressure.
[0018] like Figure 3 As shown, in this technical solution, the top of the inner liner 8 is provided with three sets of U-shaped grooves 9 arranged in a ring array, and a first connecting rod 10 extending to the top of the inner cavity of the inner liner 8 is pinned to the corresponding position of the U-shaped grooves 9 on the outer surface of the inner liner 8. A second connecting rod 11 is movably sleeved at one end of the first connecting rod 10 outside the inner liner 8, and a buoyancy block 13 with a ring structure is fixedly installed at the end of the second connecting rod 11, which contacts the inner ring groove 5 opened at the top of the inner wall of the outer shell 1. A fan-shaped baffle 12 is fixedly installed at the other end of the first connecting rod 10 inside the inner cavity of the inner liner 8. When a certain amount of water is drawn into the inner cavity of the outer shell 1, the buoyancy block 13 can move upward as the water level rises. While retracting the second connecting rod 11, it drives the first connecting rod 10 and its fan-shaped baffle 12 to rotate downward and squeeze the Chinese medicinal materials loaded in the inner cavity of the inner liner 8 downward, preventing them from floating on the water surface and causing the problem of poor moistening effect of the medicine device on the Chinese medicinal materials.
[0019] In this technical solution, the three sets of fan-shaped baffles 12 can form a circular plate structure with the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the inner liner 8 during the downward rotation process. This can form a complete barrier on the top of the inner cavity of the inner liner 8, which can further effectively prevent the Chinese medicinal materials loaded in the inner liner 8 from floating on the water surface and thus causing poor moistening effect.
[0020] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 As shown, in this technical solution, the top of the inner cavity of the outer shell 1 is provided with a number of oblique holes 6 arranged in a ring array and connecting its inner cavity and outer surface. A limiting pin 7 is movably connected inside the oblique hole 6. In the initial state, one end of the limiting pin 7 protrudes from the inner wall of the outer shell 1, and a locking hole 15 corresponding to the oblique hole 6 is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the end cover 14. Furthermore, when the buoyancy block 13 moves upward under the action of water buoyancy, it can squeeze the bottom of the limiting pin 7 and force it to move upward along the trajectory of the inclined hole 6, causing the top of the limiting pin 7 to enter the locking hole 15 on the end cover 14, so as to lock the end cover 14, improve the snap-fit strength between the end cover 14 and the outer shell 1, and effectively avoid the phenomenon of the end cover 14 loosening during the process of pressurizing the inner cavity of the outer shell 1; When the water in the inner cavity of the outer shell 1 is discharged through the drainage pipe 4 after the hydration operation is completed, the buoyancy block 13 loses the buoyancy of the water and returns to its initial position under the action of gravity. At the same time, the limit pin 7 returns to its initial position under the action of gravity because it loses the pressure of the buoyancy block 13, and actively releases the locking operation on the end cover 14.
[0021] like Figure 2 As shown, in this technical solution, a drainage pipe 4 is provided on one side of the outer surface of the outer shell 1, which is connected to its inner cavity. After the Chinese medicinal materials are moistened once, the drainage pipe 4 is opened to discharge the wastewater in the inner cavity of the outer shell 1.
Claims
1. A device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal herbs, comprising a moistening cylinder, a pressurizing device, and a depressurizing device, characterized in that: The humidifying cartridge includes an outer shell (1), an inner liner (8), and an end cap (14). A heating device (2) is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the outer shell (1), and a support frame (3) for supporting the inner liner (8) is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the outer shell (1). An end cap (14) is snapped onto the top of the outer shell (1). An atmospheric interface valve (16), a pressure reducing interface valve (17) connected to a pressure reducing device, and a pressure increasing interface valve (18) connected to a pressure increasing device are fixedly installed on the top of the end cap (14). At the same time, a pressure relief valve is provided on the end cap (14). During operation, place the Chinese medicinal materials into the inner liner (8) and tighten the end cap (14). At the same time, close the atmospheric interface valve (16) and the pressurized interface valve (18), open the pressure reducing interface valve (17) and trigger the pressure reducing device to operate, so that the inner cavity of the outer shell (1) is in a negative pressure state and then close the pressure reducing interface valve (17). Then, connect the other end of the atmospheric interface valve (16) to the water tank and open the atmospheric interface valve (16) to draw a certain amount of water into the inner cavity of the outer shell (1). Then close the atmospheric interface valve (16) and trigger the pressurization device. At the same time, adjust the pressure valve so that the pressure in the inner cavity of the outer shell (1) reaches the set requirements. Finally, the heating device (2) at the bottom of the inner cavity of the outer shell (1) is triggered, and the heating temperature and time are set to moisten the Chinese medicinal materials in the inner liner (8). After the set heating time is reached, the pressurized interface valve (18) is closed and the atmospheric interface valve (16) is opened again until the pressure in the inner cavity of the outer shell (1) returns to atmospheric pressure. The top of the inner liner (8) is provided with three sets of U-shaped grooves (9), and a first connecting rod (10) extending to the top of the inner cavity of the inner liner (8) is pinned to the corresponding position of the U-shaped grooves (9) on the outer surface of the inner liner (8). A second connecting rod (11) is movably sleeved at one end of the first connecting rod (10) outside the inner liner (8), and a buoyancy block (13) is fixedly installed at the end of the second connecting rod (11) and contacts the inner ring groove (5) opened at the top of the inner wall of the outer shell (1). A fan-shaped baffle (12) is fixedly installed at the other end of the first connecting rod (10) inside the inner cavity of the inner liner (8). As the three sets of fan-shaped baffles (12) rotate downwards, they can form a circular plate structure with the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the inner liner (8), thereby forming a complete barrier on the top of the inner cavity of the inner liner (8).
2. The device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the inner cavity of the outer shell (1) is provided with an oblique hole (6) that connects its inner cavity and outer surface, and a limit pin (7) is movably connected inside the oblique hole (6). In the initial state, one end of the limit pin (7) protrudes from the inner wall of the outer shell (1), and a locking hole (15) corresponding to the oblique hole (6) is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the end cover (14).
3. The device for rapidly softening Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the outer shell (1) is provided with a drainage pipe (4) that connects to its inner cavity. After the Chinese medicinal materials are moistened once, the drainage pipe (4) is opened to discharge the wastewater in the inner cavity of the outer shell (1).