An automated navel orange intelligent drying machine

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of fruit drying machine, especially to an automatic navel orange intelligent drying machine, comprising a drying machine body and the like. The automatic navel orange intelligent drying machine circulates airflow mechanism to form multiple hot air flow flowing areas flowing from bottom to top in the inner cabin with the air extraction pipe and the air injection pipe, independently processes the navel orange drying objects, and after the first drying object completes the drying process and blocks the corresponding air extraction pipe, the drying speed of the adjacent drying object is accelerated. Meanwhile, the light-sensitive sensor in the air extraction pipe is used to identify the drying process of the drying object, intelligently judge the drying completion status of all drying objects in the inner cabin, and determine the end time when all drying objects complete the drying process. The present application overcomes the problem that the drying effect of the hot air drying machine on different layers of drying objects is inconsistent, and the hot air drying machine cannot identify the drying status of each drying object, resulting in the collective drying mode requiring a large amount of processing time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fruit dryers, and more particularly to an automated intelligent navel orange dryer. Background Technology

[0002] Among the dried navel orange products, there are dried navel orange peels and dried navel orange slices. Both of these methods involve arranging the dried products directly on wire mesh trays, then placing multiple trays vertically into a hot air dryer. Each tray is dried simultaneously at set times. This method can process batches of dried products at the same time. However, because the drying airflow typically originates from nozzles installed at the bottom of the drying chamber and flows upwards, the upper layers of dried products are obstructed by the lower layers. Therefore, the drying speeds of different layers vary significantly, resulting in inconsistent drying effects. The hot air dryer cannot individually identify the drying status of each product and can only perform simultaneous, timed drying on all products. Consequently, the overall drying time for navel oranges is relatively long, impacting the overall production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the drawbacks of hot air dryers, such as inconsistent drying effects on different layers of dried goods and the inability of hot air dryers to individually identify the drying status of each dried item, which leads to a large amount of processing time required for collective drying, this invention provides an automated intelligent navel orange dryer.

[0004] An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to the present invention includes a drying body, a first fixed plate, a second fixed plate, an exhaust pipe, a jet pipe, a circulating airflow mechanism, and support rods. The drying body is provided with a door and an inner chamber. Several first fixed plates are fixedly connected to the inner chamber. A number of second fixed plates corresponding to the number of first fixed plates are slidably connected to the inner chamber. The first and second fixed plates are arranged alternately, with the second fixed plates located below the corresponding first fixed plates. Several exhaust pipes are fixedly connected to the first fixed plates. Several jet pipes are fixedly connected to the second fixed plates, with the jet pipes aligned vertically with the corresponding exhaust pipes. A circulating airflow mechanism is connected to the drying body. The circulating airflow mechanism delivers hot airflow to the inner chamber through each jet pipe. At the same time, the circulating airflow mechanism draws hot airflow from the inner chamber through each exhaust pipe, forming a circulating hot airflow within the inner chamber. The exhaust pipes and jet pipes are connected to the circulating airflow mechanism. Several sets of support rods are connected to the second fixed plate. Each set of support rods consists of several support rods, and each support rod in the set surrounds a corresponding jet pipe.

[0005] Preferably, a photosensitive sensor is installed inside the exhaust pipe; the dryer body is also equipped with a lighting system that provides illumination to the inner chamber.

[0006] Preferably, the circulating airflow mechanism includes a main exhaust pipe, exhaust branch pipes, a main jet pipe, jet branch pipes, and a circulating hot air fan; the dryer body has a built-in circulating hot air fan; the main exhaust pipe is fixedly connected to the first fixed plate; several exhaust branch pipes connected to the corresponding main exhaust pipe are fixedly connected inside the first fixed plate; the exhaust pipe is connected to the corresponding exhaust branch pipe; the main exhaust pipe is connected to the air inlet of the circulating hot air fan; the main jet pipe is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate; several jet branch pipes connected to the corresponding main jet pipe are fixedly connected inside the second fixed plate; the jet pipe is connected to the corresponding jet branch pipe; the jet branch pipe is connected to the air outlet of the circulating hot air fan.

[0007] Preferably, a drying cylinder is provided inside the extraction pipe.

[0008] Preferably, the extraction pipe consists of an upper fixed pipe body and a lower movable pipe body, the drying cylinder is placed in the lower movable pipe body, and the upper fixed pipe body and the lower movable pipe body are detachably connected.

[0009] Preferably, all support rods on the same second fixed plate are fixedly connected to a connecting plate; an electric lifting push rod is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate; and the telescopic end of the electric lifting push rod is fixedly connected to the corresponding connecting plate.

[0010] Preferably, a thin needle is fixed to the support rod.

[0011] Preferably, the support rod is slidably connected to the corresponding first fixing plate; and a net is fixedly connected to all the support rods on the same second fixing plate.

[0012] Preferably, a sealing plate is connected inside the extraction pipe via a connector.

[0013] Preferably, the connecting component is a spring telescopic rod assembly.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides an automated intelligent navel orange dryer. The inner chamber of the dryer is equipped with multiple sets of corresponding exhaust pipes and jet pipes. A circulating airflow mechanism, in conjunction with the exhaust pipes and jet pipes, forms multiple upward-flowing hot airflow zones within the inner chamber. The navel oranges to be dried are placed sequentially in the support rod groups of each hot airflow zone for independent drying. The first dried item to complete the drying process promptly blocks the corresponding exhaust pipe, allowing the hot airflow from the corresponding jet pipe to enter the adjacent hot airflow zone, accelerating the drying speed of adjacent items. This not only improves the overall drying efficiency of all items in the inner chamber but also enhances the consistency of the overall drying effect. Simultaneously, a photosensitive sensor in the exhaust pipe individually identifies the drying status of each item, enabling intelligent judgment of the completion status of all items in the inner chamber and the end time when all items have completed drying, significantly shortening the overall drying time. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 The structural diagrams are provided to illustrate the present invention according to embodiments;

[0016] Figure 2 The following is a structural diagram of the inner cabin of the present invention, according to an embodiment;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal cabin structure of the present invention according to an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 4 The following is a structural diagram of the support rod of the present invention described according to an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the structure of the extraction tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the extraction pipe of the present invention according to an embodiment.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-Dryer body, 11-Door, 2-Inner chamber, 21-First fixed plate, 22-Second fixed plate, 3-Exhaust pipe, 31-Main exhaust pipe, 32-Branch exhaust pipe, 33-Photosensitive sensor, 34-Drying cylinder, 35-Connector, 36-Sealing plate, 4-Air jet pipe, 41-Main air jet pipe, 42-Branch air jet pipe, 5-Support rod, 51-Connecting plate, 52-Electric lifting push rod, 6-Fine needle, 7-Network support. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Example 1

[0023] An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges, such as Figures 1-6As shown, the device includes a dryer body 1, a first fixed plate 21, a second fixed plate 22, an exhaust pipe 3, an air jet pipe 4, a circulating airflow mechanism, a support rod 5, a connecting plate 51, and an electric lifting push rod 52. The dryer body 1 has a door 11 and an inner chamber 2. Several first fixed plates 21 are fixedly connected to the inner chamber 2 of the dryer body 1. Second fixed plates 22, corresponding to the number of first fixed plates 21, are slidably connected to the inner chamber 2 of the dryer body 1. The first fixed plates 21 and second fixed plates 22 are arranged alternately, with the second fixed plates 22 located below the corresponding first fixed plates 21. Several exhaust pipes 3 are fixedly connected to each first fixed plate 21. A photosensitive sensor 33 is installed on the lower side of each exhaust pipe 3. The dryer body 1 has a lighting system that provides illumination to the inner chamber 2. Several air jet pipes 4 are fixedly connected to each second fixed plate 22. The corresponding exhaust pipes 3 are aligned vertically; a circulating airflow mechanism is connected inside the dryer body 1, which delivers hot airflow to each jet pipe 4 into the inner chamber 2. At the same time, the circulating airflow mechanism draws in the hot airflow in the inner chamber 2 through each exhaust pipe 3, forming a circulating hot airflow in the inner chamber 2; all exhaust pipes 3 and all jet pipes 4 are connected to the circulating airflow mechanism; several sets of support rods 5 are slidably connected to each second fixed plate 22; each set of support rods 5 consists of four support rods 5, and each set of support rods 5 is surrounded by four support rods 5 on the outside of a corresponding jet pipe 4; the lower ends of all support rods 5 on the same second fixed plate 22 are fixedly connected to a connecting plate 51; two electric lifting push rods 52 are fixedly connected to each second fixed plate 22; the telescopic ends of the two electric lifting push rods 52 on the same second fixed plate 22 are fixedly connected to the corresponding connecting plate 51.

[0024] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the circulating airflow mechanism includes a main exhaust pipe 31, exhaust branch pipes 32, a main jet pipe 41, jet branch pipes 42, and a circulating hot air fan; the dryer body 1 has a built-in circulating hot air fan; each first fixed plate 21 has a main exhaust pipe 31 fixedly connected to it; each first fixed plate 21 has several exhaust branch pipes 32 fixedly connected to the corresponding main exhaust pipe 31; each exhaust pipe 3 is connected to the corresponding exhaust branch pipe 32; all main exhaust pipes 31 are connected to the air inlet of the circulating hot air fan; each second fixed plate 22 has a main jet pipe 41 fixedly connected to it; each Each of the second fixed plates 22 has several jet branch pipes 42 fixedly connected to the corresponding jet main pipe 41; the jet branch pipes 42 and the jet main pipe 41 are pluggable. When the staff pulls the second fixed plate 22 outward, the second fixed plate 22 can pull the jet branch pipes 42 away from the jet main pipe. When the staff pushes the second fixed plate 22 back inward, the second fixed plate 22 can pull the jet branch pipes 42 back into the jet main pipe; each jet pipe 4 is connected to the corresponding jet branch pipe 42; all jet branch pipes 42 are connected to the air outlet of the circulating hot air blower.

[0025] like Figure 6 As shown, each extraction pipe 3 contains a drying cylinder 34, which consists of a cylinder body and a desiccant filled inside. Both ends of the cylinder body have ventilation holes for airflow. Each extraction pipe 3 consists of an upper fixed pipe body and a lower movable pipe body. The drying cylinder 34 is placed inside the lower movable pipe body, and the upper fixed pipe body and the lower movable pipe body are fixed together by a threaded structure. This allows workers to easily remove the lower movable pipe body from the upper fixed pipe body and periodically replace the drying cylinder 34 inside the lower movable pipe body, improving the absorption efficiency of moisture in the airflow by the desiccant inside the drying cylinder 34. The process of placing the navel oranges to be dried in this automated intelligent navel orange dryer is described below.

[0026] After opening the hatch 11, the staff pulls out the second fixing plates 22 of each layer in sequence, moving the connected jet branch pipes 42, jet pipes 4, and support rods 5 outwards. Each item to be dried in the same batch is placed above the support rod group 5 corresponding to each jet pipe 4. The support rods 5 in each support rod group support the dried item above the jet pipe 4. The staff then pushes the second fixing plates 22 and the connected jet branch pipes 42, jet pipes 4, and support rods 5 back into the inner cabin 2, aligning the dried items on each support rod group 5 between the corresponding jet pipe 4 and the exhaust pipe 3. The staff then controls each electric lifting push rod 52 to pull the connected plate 51 upwards. The connected plate 51 pushes the support rod 5 to lift the dried item upwards, bringing it closer to the exhaust pipe 3 without contacting it. The staff then closes the hatch 11 and turns on the dryer 1 to begin drying. At this time, the lighting system inside the dryer 1 provides illumination to the interior of the inner cabin 2, and the photosensitive sensors 33 in each exhaust pipe 3 can detect the light provided by this illumination.

[0027] The drying process of the navel oranges was then carried out using the automated intelligent navel orange dryer of this invention.

[0028] The circulating hot air blower inside the dryer body 1 delivers hot air along the main jet pipe 41 and the branch jet pipe 42, while simultaneously spraying hot air upwards through each jet pipe 4. At the same time, the circulating hot air blower extracts air from each extraction pipe 3 along the main extraction pipe 31 and the branch extraction pipe 32. After the hot air is sprayed upwards into the inner chamber 2, it is promptly sucked away by the extraction pipe 3. This achieves the circulating hot air blower circulating and delivering hot air within the inner chamber 2 through each jet pipe 4 and the corresponding extraction pipe 3. At this time, the hot air forms multiple hot air flow zones between each jet pipe 4 and the corresponding extraction pipe 3, and the dried items on each set of support rods 5 are dried by the hot air in the corresponding hot air flow zones, allowing each item to be dried independently. During this period, the desiccant in the drying cylinder 34 dries the hot air flowing through the extraction pipe 3 in a timely manner. The moisture absorbed by the hot air during the drying process is transferred to the desiccant, keeping the hot air in a dry state and efficiently drying the items.

[0029] As the hot airflow in each of the hot airflow zones continuously and individually dries the corresponding items, the moisture content of the items will decrease significantly, and the overall weight of the items will be significantly reduced. When an item completes the drying process first, under the combined action of the suction force of the suction pipe 3 and the blowing force of the jet pipe 4, the weight of the item has been reduced to a level sufficient to be blown upwards by the blowing force until it is firmly attached to the bottom of the corresponding suction pipe 3. At this time, the photosensitive sensor 33 inside the suction pipe 3 is blocked by the light from the item and sends a completion signal to the dryer body 1 through the circuit system. The dryer body 1 can then recognize that the item has been dried. During the drying process, the amount of hot air drawn from the exhaust pipe 3 to the lower jet pipe 4 is greatly reduced because the exhaust pipe 3 is blocked by the adsorbed dried material. The hot air blown from the lower jet pipe 4 is also blocked by the dried material. Therefore, the hot air blown upward from the jet pipe 4 will flow to the adjacent exhaust pipe 3 and be drawn away. This hot air will join the drying process of the adjacent dried material, speeding up the drying speed of the adjacent dried material. This allows the adjacent dried material to complete the drying process more quickly and be adsorbed upward onto the exhaust pipe 3 by the blowing force of the hot air. This principle creates a chain reaction, which not only improves the overall drying efficiency of all dried materials in the inner chamber 2, but also enhances the consistency of the overall drying effect of all dried materials.

[0030] During this process, after each item is dried, it is blown upwards by the hot airflow from the corresponding hot airflow zone until it is close to the bottom of the corresponding exhaust pipe 3. With the signal feedback from the photosensitive sensor 33 to the dryer body 1, the dryer body 1 will count the total number of items that have completed the drying process. Since different items have different sizes and weights, heavier items will not be blown upwards to the bottom of the corresponding exhaust pipe 3 even after the drying process is completed. Therefore, when the dryer body 1 detects that 80% of the items have completed the drying process, it means that all items in the inner chamber 2 have completed the drying process, and the staff can be notified in time that the drying process of this batch of items has been completed. There is no need to use a long timed drying method to dry the items, which greatly shortens the overall drying time of all items in the inner chamber 2.

[0031] Additionally, if the dryer body 1 fails to identify that 80% of the dried items have completed the drying process within the specified time, it indicates that a large number of the dried items in this batch are relatively heavy, preventing the hot airflow from blowing them upwards. In this case, the electric lifting mechanism pulls the connecting plate 51 to move the support rods 5 upwards. The support rods 5 push the corresponding dried items upwards to adhere tightly to the bottom of the exhaust pipe 3. At this point, the dried items that have completed the drying process will be tightly adsorbed to the bottom of the exhaust pipe 3 under the action of the hot airflow. Then, the electric lifting mechanism pushes the connecting plate 51 to move the support rods 5 downwards away from the exhaust pipe 3. The dried items that have completed the drying process and are tightly adsorbed to the bottom of the exhaust pipe 3 will detach from the support rods 5, allowing the dryer body 1 to accurately identify that 80% of the dried items have completed the drying process.

[0032] The reason why this invention uses a photosensitive sensor 33 to monitor the adsorption state of the dried material, instead of a pressure sensor to monitor its weight, is that the pressure sensor can only be installed in the contact area between the support rod 5 and the dried material. During the drying process, the dried material will secrete a large amount of juice, such as sugary juice. Once this juice adheres to the pressure sensor, it will seriously affect the accuracy of the pressure sensor's weight measurement of the dried material. Moreover, the hot airflow ejected upward from the jet pipe 4 will also exert an upward thrust on the dried material. This unstable thrust will also interfere with the weight measurement of the dried material. By using the photosensitive sensor 33 to monitor the adsorption state of the dried material, no precise measurement is required, and there are fewer interference factors, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of monitoring the adsorption state of the dried material.

[0033] like Figure 4 As shown, when the dried product is navel orange slices, each support rod 5 is fixed with a fine needle 6. Since the fine needles 6 are all designed as upward-contracting pointed cone structures, under the combined action of the suction force of the suction pipe 3 and the blowing force of the jet pipe 4, the dried navel orange peel can smoothly detach from the pointed cone structure of the fine needles 6 and walk away.

[0034] Because the navel orange slices are thin and slippery, when the hot airflow blown from the jet pipe 4 is strong, the slices are easily blown away and fall off the support rod 5. Therefore, the staff needs to insert the navel orange slices into the fine needles 6 of each support rod 5 beforehand. The fine needles 6 restrict the left and right displacement of the navel orange slices, so that the slices can be smoothly adsorbed upward into the corresponding exhaust pipe 3 after the drying process is completed. Example 2

[0035] Based on Example 1, such as Figures 1-6As shown, in this embodiment, all the support rods 5 on the same second fixing plate 22 are fixedly connected to the upper end of the net 7.

[0036] Even if the orange slices detach from the fine needles 6 or fall off after being adsorbed upwards, they will all fall onto the tray 7. Since the tray 7 is always located between the suction pipe 3 and the jet pipe 4, the orange slices can be fully dried by the hot airflow flowing between the suction pipe 3 and the jet pipe 4, so that the orange slices that fall onto the tray 7 can also complete the corresponding drying process smoothly. Example 3

[0037] Based on Embodiment 2, each suction pipe 3 in this embodiment is connected to a sealing plate 36 via a connector 35, and the sealing plate 36 is flush with the bottom of the suction pipe 3; the connector 35 is a spring telescopic rod component, which consists of a telescopic rod and a spring sleeved on the outer surface of the telescopic rod.

[0038] When the dried material is navel orange peel, the peel should be placed on the support rod 5 with its center arched upwards. Under the combined action of the suction force of the suction pipe 3 and the blowing force of the jet pipe 4, the dried peel is drawn upwards to the bottom of the suction pipe 3. At this time, the arched part in the center of the peel will push the sealing plate 36, causing the connector 35, which is composed of a spring telescopic rod, to compress upwards. This allows the arched part in the center of the peel to smoothly enter the suction pipe 3, avoiding interference from the sealing plate 36. After the center of the peel enters the suction pipe 3, it can improve the overall blockage effect of the peel on the suction pipe 3, preventing the peel from being blocked due to a large air leakage structure between it and the pipe 3. This ensures that the peel is firmly adsorbed in the suction pipe 3.

[0039] When the dried material is navel orange slices, and the rib structure in the middle of the slices has been removed beforehand, the middle of the slices will have a hollow structure. Under the combined action of the suction force of the suction pipe 3 and the blowing force of the jet pipe 4, the dried navel orange slices are adsorbed upwards to the bottom of the suction pipe 3. After the navel orange slices are dried, the hollow structure in the middle of the slices will likely shrink outwards to form a larger hollow structure. When the dried navel orange slices are adsorbed upwards to the bottom of the suction pipe 3, the hollow holes formed in the middle of the slices will immediately come into close contact with the sealing plate 36 in the suction pipe 3. Therefore, the sealing plate 36 can reduce the size of the air leakage structure formed by the hollow structure in the middle of the slices, reduce the damage to the adsorption effect of the air leakage in the middle of the slices, and ensure that the navel orange slices can be adsorbed to the bottom of the suction pipe 3 under sufficient suction force.

[0040] It should be understood that this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that after reading the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art can make various alterations or modifications to the invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges, comprising: a drying body (1); the drying body (1) is provided with a door (11) and an inner chamber (2); Its characteristics are: It also includes a first fixed plate (21), a second fixed plate (22), an exhaust pipe (3), a jet pipe (4), a circulating airflow mechanism, and a support rod (5); several first fixed plates (21) are fixedly connected inside the inner compartment (2); a number of second fixed plates (22) corresponding to the number of first fixed plates (21) are slidably connected inside the inner compartment (2), the first fixed plates (21) and the second fixed plates (22) are arranged alternately up and down, and the second fixed plates (22) are located below the corresponding first fixed plates (21); several exhaust pipes (3) are fixedly connected to the first fixed plate (21); several jet pipes (4) are fixedly connected to the second fixed plate (22), and the jet pipes (4) Aligned with the corresponding exhaust pipe (3) vertically; a circulating airflow mechanism is connected inside the dryer body (1), which delivers hot airflow to each jet pipe (4) into the inner chamber (2), and at the same time, the circulating airflow mechanism draws hot airflow from the inner chamber (2) through each exhaust pipe (3) to form a circulating hot airflow in the inner chamber (2); the exhaust pipe (3) and the jet pipe (4) are connected to the circulating airflow mechanism; several sets of support rods (5) are connected to the second fixed plate (22); each set of support rods (5) consists of several support rods (5), and each support rod (5) in the set of support rods (5) surrounds a corresponding jet pipe (4); A photosensitive sensor (33) is installed inside the exhaust pipe (3); the dryer body (1) is also equipped with a lighting system that provides illumination to the inner chamber (2); All the support rods (5) on the same second fixed plate (22) are fixedly connected to the connecting plate (51); an electric lifting push rod (52) is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate (22); the telescopic end of the electric lifting push rod (52) is fixedly connected to the corresponding connecting plate (51).

2. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to claim 1, characterized in that: [the machine operates on a circulating system]. The airflow mechanism includes a main exhaust pipe (31), a branch exhaust pipe (32), a main jet pipe (41), a branch jet pipe (42), and a circulating hot air blower; the dryer body (1) has a built-in circulating hot air blower; the main exhaust pipe (31) is fixedly connected to the first fixed plate (21); several branch exhaust pipes (32) connected to the corresponding main exhaust pipe (31) are fixedly connected inside the first fixed plate (21); the exhaust pipe (3) is connected to the corresponding branch exhaust pipe (32); the main exhaust pipe (31) is connected to the air inlet of the circulating hot air blower; the main jet pipe (41) is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate (22); several branch jet pipes (42) connected to the corresponding main jet pipe (41) are fixedly connected inside the second fixed plate (22); the jet pipe (4) is connected to the corresponding branch jet pipe (42); the branch jet pipe (42) is connected to the air outlet of the circulating hot air blower.

3. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to claim 1, characterized in that: A drying cylinder (34) is installed inside the exhaust pipe (3).

4. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extraction pipe (3) consists of an upper fixed pipe body and a lower movable pipe body. The drying cylinder (34) is placed in the lower movable pipe body, and the upper fixed pipe body and the lower movable pipe body are detachably connected.

5. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to claim 1, characterized in that: A thin needle (6) is fixed to the support rod (5).

6. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support rod (5) is slidably connected to the corresponding first fixed plate (21); all the support rods (5) on the same second fixed plate (22) are fixedly connected to the net (7).

7. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: A sealing plate (36) is connected inside the air extraction pipe (3) via a connector (35).

8. An automated intelligent drying machine for navel oranges according to claim 7, characterized in that: The connector (35) uses a spring telescopic rod component.

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