Intelligent hot air circulation multilayer tunnel furnace for food production

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent hot air circulation multilayer tunnel furnace for food production, which comprises a tunnel furnace main body, a sealable furnace chamber is arranged in the tunnel furnace main body, a hot air circulation system and an environment monitoring system are arranged on the tunnel furnace main body, and the hot air circulation system is used for forming circulating hot air in the furnace chamber; the environment monitoring system is used for monitoring temperature states of different positions in the tunnel furnace main body; the invention discloses a multi-layer conveying structure and an intelligent control system. The multi-layer conveying structure is provided with a weight sensing unit and a position sensing unit, and the intelligent control system can allow temperature data of different positions on the multi-layer conveying structure to be adjusted in real time based on monitoring data generated by the weight sensing unit, the position sensing unit and the environment monitoring system. According to the technical scheme, the problems that in the actual using process of an existing tunnel furnace, temperature distribution in the furnace is not uniform, and dried products are single can be effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of tunnel furnaces, and in particular to an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production. Background Art

[0002] In the food processing industry, tunnel furnaces, as an important thermal processing equipment, have a long history of development. Early tunnel furnaces were mainly used for baking bread, cakes and other foods. The principle was relatively simple. The heating element generated heat to increase the temperature in the furnace, thereby heating the food. With the continuous development of the food industry, the application scope of tunnel furnaces has gradually expanded, and tunnel furnaces have begun to be widely used in the production and processing of various foods including biscuits, meat products, dried fruits, etc.

[0003] At present, traditional tunnel ovens usually adopt a single-layer or simple multi-layer design in structure, and the hot air circulation system is relatively simple, mostly relying on natural convection or simple fan drive, which makes the temperature distribution in the oven uneven, which has many adverse effects on the quality of food processing. For example, when baking bread, it may cause uneven color on the surface of the bread, with some areas being overcooked and some areas being undercooked; when drying dried fruits, the moisture content of the dried fruits may be inconsistent, affecting the taste and shelf life of the product. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to propose an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production, aiming to at least solve the technical problem of uneven temperature distribution in the furnace in the related technology.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production, comprising:

[0006] A tunnel furnace body, in which a sealable furnace cavity is provided, and a hot air circulation system and an environmental monitoring system are provided on the tunnel furnace body, wherein the hot air circulation system is used to form circulating hot air in the furnace cavity, and the environmental monitoring system is used to monitor the temperature status at different positions in the tunnel furnace body;

[0007] A multi-layer conveying structure, which is located in the oven cavity and is used to convey food;

[0008] A temperature regulating device, which is used to regulate the temperature in the furnace cavity; and

[0009] An intelligent control system, connected to the hot air circulation system, the multi-layer conveying structure and the temperature regulating device, for realizing intelligent control of the operation of the tunnel furnace;

[0010] Among them, the multi-layer conveying structure is provided with a weight sensing unit and a position sensing unit, and the intelligent control system can allow the temperature data of different positions on the multi-layer conveying structure to be adjusted in real time based on the monitoring data generated by the weight sensing unit, the position sensing unit and the environmental monitoring system.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the hot air circulation system comprises:

[0012] Hot air generator, circulating air duct, circulating fan and return air device;

[0013] Among them, the hot air generator is used to generate hot air, the circulating fan drives the hot air to circulate in the furnace cavity through the circulating air duct, and the return air device is used to recycle the air in the furnace cavity into the hot air generator or the circulating air duct.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the circulating air duct includes a plurality of air outlets, and the air outlets are evenly arranged on the side wall of the tunnel furnace body.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the multi-layer conveying structure comprises:

[0016] Multiple conveyor chains, each conveyor chain is parallel to each other and spaced apart in the vertical direction;

[0017] Wherein, each conveyor chain has an independent driving device, and the driving device is connected to the intelligent control system, and the conveying speed of the conveyor chain can be adjusted according to production requirements.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further comprises an anti-skid structure, and the anti-skid structure is located on the surface of the conveying chain;

[0019] The anti-slip structure can be used to prevent the food from sliding or deflecting during transportation.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the intelligent control system includes a central processing unit and a communication module; and the environmental monitoring system includes a plurality of sensor modules;

[0021] The sensor module is used to monitor the temperature, wind speed, and food position parameters in the tunnel furnace in real time, and transmit the monitoring data to the central processor; and

[0022] The central processing unit allows the hot air circulation system, multi-layer conveying structure and temperature adjustment device to be controlled according to preset programs and monitoring data; the communication module is used to realize communication between the intelligent control system and external equipment to achieve remote monitoring and operation of the tunnel furnace.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor module comprises:

[0024] Temperature sensor, wind speed sensor, position sensor;

[0025] Among them, the temperature sensors are distributed at different positions of the furnace cavity to accurately measure the temperature distribution in the furnace cavity; the wind speed sensor is arranged in the circulating air duct to monitor the wind speed of the hot air; and the position sensor is arranged on the multi-layer conveying structure to monitor the position and conveying status of the food.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, the temperature regulating device comprises:

[0027] A heating element and a cooling element; the heating element is used for heating when the furnace cavity temperature is lower than a set value, and the cooling element is used for cooling when the furnace cavity temperature is higher than a set value.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, the heating element is electrically heated and / or gas heated; and the cooling element is air cooled and / or water cooled.

[0029] In summary, the present invention discloses an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production, which can process food at different levels at the same time through a multi-layer conveying structure, and the hot air circulation system ensures the uniform distribution of hot air in the furnace cavity. This allows each layer of food to receive the same degree of heat transfer, avoiding the temperature difference problem between the upper and lower layers common in traditional tunnel furnaces. And the temperature sensor in the intelligent control system can monitor the temperature at different positions in the furnace cavity in real time and accurately.

[0030] The central processor accurately adjusts the working state of the heating elements and cooling elements based on these data, stabilizing the temperature in the oven within the set range with minimal temperature fluctuations. At the same time, the hot air circulation system can adjust the flow rate and temperature of the hot air according to the processing requirements of different foods. A moderate hot air flow rate can quickly form a uniform dry shell on the surface of the food, locking in the internal moisture, thereby forming a good taste and appearance during the baking or drying process. Therefore, it can effectively improve the current problems of uneven temperature distribution in the tunnel oven and single drying product in actual use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0032] Figure 1A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production provided by the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a multi-layer conveying structure of an embodiment of an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production provided by the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the module structure of an intelligent control system of an embodiment of an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production provided by the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the working process of an intelligent control system of an embodiment of an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production provided by the present invention.

[0037] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0038] 100, tunnel furnace body; 101, furnace chamber; 102, input end; 103, output end; 104, furnace door; 110, first heating zone; 120, second heating zone; 130, third heating zone;

[0039] 200, multi-layer conveying structure; 210, anti-skid structure; 201, anti-skid protrusion; 220, tray; 221, notch;

[0040] 300, hot air circulation system; 310, hot air generator; 320, circulation air duct; 321, air outlet; 330, circulation fan;

[0041] 400, intelligent control system; 410, central processing unit; 420, communication module.

[0042] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] It should be noted that if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0045] See also Figures 1 to 5 The present invention proposes an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production, aiming to at least solve the technical problems of uneven temperature distribution in the furnace and single drying product in the related technology.

[0046] Specifically, the intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production provided by the present invention comprises at least a tunnel furnace body 100, a multi-layer conveying structure 200, a temperature regulating device and an intelligent control system 400. The intelligent control system is controllably connected to the multi-layer conveying structure 200 and the temperature regulating device, so as to adjust the operating speed of the multi-layer conveying structure 200 and the temperature data in the tunnel furnace body 100 through the intelligent control system.

[0047] Furthermore, a closable furnace chamber 101 is provided in the tunnel furnace body 100, and a hot air circulation system 300 and an environmental monitoring system are provided on the tunnel furnace body 100. The hot air circulation system 300 is used to form circulating hot air in the furnace chamber 101, and the environmental monitoring system is used to monitor the temperature state at different positions in the tunnel furnace body 100. An input end 102 and an output end 103 are provided at both ends of the tunnel furnace body 100, and a liftable furnace door 104 is provided at the input end 102 and the output end 103. By providing the liftable furnace door 104, the furnace chamber 101 in the tunnel furnace body 100 can be in a closed state.

[0048] The multi-layer conveying structure 200 is located in the oven cavity 101 and is used to convey food.

[0049] Specifically, the multi-layer conveying structure 200 is provided with two layers, and the conveying structure of each layer includes a plurality of conveying chains, and the conveying chains are parallel to each other and spaced apart in the vertical direction. Among them, each conveying chain has an independent driving device, and the driving device is connected to the intelligent control system 400, and the conveying speed of the conveying chain can be adjusted according to production requirements. For example, the driving device can allow the use of a servo motor, which has good controllability and can accurately adjust the operating speed of the conveying chain.

[0050] It should be noted that it is allowed to provide an anti-skid structure 210 on the conveyor chain, and the anti-skid structure 210 is located on the surface of the conveyor chain. By providing the anti-skid structure 210, it is possible to effectively prevent the food from sliding or shifting during the conveying process. For example, in some embodiments, it is allowed to provide a plurality of anti-skid protrusions 201 on the surface of the conveyor chain, and a tray 220 is provided on the conveyor chain. A notch 221 is provided on the bottom surface of the tray 220. Therefore, by clamping the notch 221 at the bottom of the tray 220 on the anti-skid protrusion 201, and placing the food on the tray 220, the hygienic performance and anti-skid property of the device during use can be improved.

[0051] The multi-layer conveying structure 200 is provided with a weight sensing unit and a position sensing unit. The intelligent control system 400 allows the temperature data of different positions on the multi-layer conveying structure 200 to be adjusted in real time based on the monitoring data generated by the weight sensing unit, the position sensing unit and the environmental monitoring system.

[0052] For example, a pressure sensing module and a position sensing module may be provided on the top of the anti-slip protrusion 201, and the pressure sensing module and the position sensing module are communicatively connected to the intelligent control system 400. Therefore, the intelligent control system 400 can obtain the weight data of the food on the corresponding tray 220 and the position of the tray 220 in the tunnel furnace through the pressure sensing module. By combining the environmental data in the tunnel furnace, the food weight data and the position of the tray 220 in the tunnel furnace, the temperature of the corresponding area is adjusted.

[0053] Furthermore, the hot air circulation system 300 includes a hot air generator 310, a circulating air duct 320, a circulating fan 330, and a return air device. The hot air generator 310 is used to generate hot air, the circulating fan 330 drives the hot air to circulate in the furnace cavity 101 through the circulating air duct 320, and the return air device is used to recycle the air in the furnace cavity 101 to the hot air generator 310 or the circulating air duct 320.

[0054] For the tunnel oven, its circulation air duct 320 includes a plurality of air outlets 321, and the plurality of air outlets 321 are evenly arranged on the side wall of the tunnel oven body 100. Therefore, through the plurality of air outlets 321, the uniformity of the temperature in the tunnel oven can be effectively adjusted to improve the actual drying effect of the food.

[0055] In some embodiments, the intelligent control system 400 includes a central processor 410 and a communication module 420, and the environmental monitoring system includes a plurality of sensor modules. The sensor module is used to monitor the temperature, wind speed, and food position parameters in the tunnel furnace in real time, and transmit the monitoring data to the central processor 410; and the central processor 410 can control the hot air circulation system 300, the multi-layer conveying structure 200, and the temperature adjustment device according to the preset program and monitoring data; the communication module 420 is used to realize the communication between the intelligent control system 400 and the external device, so as to realize the remote monitoring and operation of the tunnel furnace.

[0056] Specifically, the sensor module includes a temperature sensor, a wind speed sensor, and a position sensor. The temperature sensors are distributed at different positions of the oven cavity 101 to accurately measure the temperature distribution in the oven cavity 101; the wind speed sensor is arranged in the circulating air duct 320 to monitor the wind speed of the hot air; and the position sensor is arranged on the multi-layer conveying structure 200 to monitor the position and conveying status of the food.

[0057] In some embodiments, a temperature regulating device is further provided, and the temperature regulating device includes a heating element and a cooling element. The heating element is used to heat when the temperature of the furnace cavity 101 is lower than a set value, and the cooling element is used to cool when the temperature of the furnace cavity 101 is higher than a set value. The temperature regulation can be achieved quickly through the temperature regulating device.

[0058] For example, in some embodiments, the heating element adopts electric heating and / or gas heating; and the cooling element adopts air cooling and / or water cooling. However, it is not limited thereto and can be determined according to actual needs.

[0059] It should be noted that for a tunnel furnace, multiple heating zones are allowed to be set up inside it. Different heating zones are independently controlled by temperature regulating devices. Therefore, the temperature range in different heating zones can be adjusted in real time according to the process requirements of different foods.

[0060] For example, in some embodiments, the heating area may include a first heating zone 110 , a second heating zone 120 , and a third heating zone 130 .

[0061] Among them, during the actual heating process of food, the intelligent control system 400 can allow the temperature state of the tunnel furnace to be adjusted in real time according to different food requirements, so that the temperature in the tunnel furnace is in an optimized state.

[0062] See also Figure 5 ,In the actual baking process, the intelligent control system performs at least the following steps.

[0063] Step S10, obtaining food category and weight data.

[0064] It is allowed to place food on the tray, and the weight data of the food on the tray is acquired by the weight acquisition unit.

[0065] Step S20, based on the category and weight data of the food, obtain the corresponding calorie data.

[0066] The heat data required for heating the food is generated based on the category of food and the preset food category-specific heat capacity and temperature change range comparison table.

[0067] The required heat can be defined as Q, and obtained by Q = m × c × ΔT, where Q represents the specific heat capacity of the food (in joules / (kg·degrees Celsius)), c represents the mass of the food (in kilograms), and ΔT represents the temperature change during food processing (in degrees Celsius).

[0068] Based on the heat Q and the temperature obtained by the sensor, the flow rate V of the hot air can be obtained.

[0069] Specifically, the formula Where ρ represents the air density (in kg / m3, c p Characterizes the constant pressure specific heat capacity of air (in joules / (kg·°C)), and ΔT air Characterizes the difference between the hot air temperature and the inlet air temperature (in degrees Celsius).

[0070] Step S30, determining the running speed of the conveyor chain, generating a hot air-position-temperature comparison table, and adjusting the hot air and temperature of the corresponding position of the food in real time based on the comparison table.

[0071] Specifically, the intelligent control system obtains the position of the tray in the tunnel furnace in real time through the position sensor module, and adjusts the temperature data in the corresponding area and the hot air flow rate V in real time based on the position of the tray in the conveyor belt and its corresponding hot air flow rate V. Therefore, the tunnel furnace can effectively heat foods with different heat requirements, which can effectively improve the applicability of the tunnel furnace. And meet the simultaneous heating requirements of different foods.

[0072] In summary, the present invention discloses an intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production, which can process food at different levels at the same time through a multi-layer conveying structure, and the hot air circulation system ensures the uniform distribution of hot air in the furnace cavity. This allows each layer of food to receive the same degree of heat transfer, avoiding the temperature difference problem between the upper and lower layers common in traditional tunnel furnaces. And the temperature sensor in the intelligent control system can monitor the temperature at different positions in the furnace cavity in real time and accurately. The central processing unit accurately adjusts the working state of the heating element and the cooling element according to these data, stabilizes the temperature in the furnace within a set range, and the temperature fluctuation is extremely small. At the same time, the hot air circulation system can adjust the flow rate and temperature of the hot air according to the processing requirements of different foods. A moderate hot air flow rate can quickly form a uniform dry shell on the surface of the food, lock the internal moisture, and thus form a good taste and appearance during baking or drying. Therefore, the current tunnel furnace can effectively improve the uneven temperature distribution and technical problems in the actual use process.

[0073] The above description is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

[0074] In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production, characterized in that: include: A tunnel furnace body, in which a sealable furnace cavity is provided, and a hot air circulation system and an environmental monitoring system are provided on the tunnel furnace body, wherein the hot air circulation system is used to form circulating hot air in the furnace cavity, and the environmental monitoring system is used to monitor the temperature status at different positions in the tunnel furnace body; A multi-layer conveying structure, which is located in the oven cavity and is used to convey food; The temperature regulating device is used to regulate the temperature in the furnace cavity; as well as An intelligent control system, connected to the hot air circulation system, the multi-layer conveying structure and the temperature regulating device, for realizing intelligent control of the operation of the tunnel furnace; Among them, the multi-layer conveying structure is provided with a weight sensing unit and a position sensing unit, and the intelligent control system can allow the temperature data of different positions on the multi-layer conveying structure to be adjusted in real time based on the monitoring data generated by the weight sensing unit, the position sensing unit and the environmental monitoring system.

2. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The hot air circulation system comprises: Hot air generator, circulating air duct, circulating fan and return air device; Among them, the hot air generator is used to generate hot air, the circulating fan drives the hot air to circulate in the furnace cavity through the circulating air duct, and the return air device is used to recycle the air in the furnace cavity into the hot air generator or the circulating air duct.

3. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The circulating air duct includes a plurality of air outlets, and the air outlets are evenly arranged on the side wall of the tunnel furnace body.

4. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-layer conveying structure comprises: Multiple conveyor chains, each conveyor chain is parallel to each other and spaced apart in the vertical direction; Wherein, each conveyor chain has an independent driving device, and the driving device is connected to the intelligent control system, and the conveying speed of the conveyor chain can be adjusted according to production requirements.

5. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 4 is characterized in that: It also includes an anti-skid structure, which is located on the surface of the conveyor chain; The anti-slip structure can be used to prevent the food from sliding or deflecting during transportation.

6. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent control system includes a central processing unit and a communication module; and the environmental monitoring system includes a plurality of sensor modules; The sensor module is used to monitor the temperature, wind speed, and food position parameters in the tunnel furnace in real time, and transmit the monitoring data to the central processor; and The central processing unit allows the hot air circulation system, multi-layer conveying structure and temperature adjustment device to be controlled according to preset programs and monitoring data; the communication module is used to realize communication between the intelligent control system and external equipment to achieve remote monitoring and operation of the tunnel furnace.

7. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sensor module comprises: Temperature sensor, wind speed sensor, position sensor; Among them, the temperature sensors are distributed at different positions of the furnace cavity to accurately measure the temperature distribution in the furnace cavity; the wind speed sensor is arranged in the circulating air duct to monitor the wind speed of the hot air; and the position sensor is arranged on the multi-layer conveying structure to monitor the position and conveying status of the food.

8. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temperature regulating device comprises: A heating element and a cooling element; the heating element is used for heating when the furnace cavity temperature is lower than a set value, and the cooling element is used for cooling when the furnace cavity temperature is higher than a set value.

9. The intelligent hot air circulation multi-layer tunnel furnace for food production according to claim 8, characterized in that: The heating element is electrically heated and / or gas heated; and the cooling element is air cooled and / or water cooled.

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