Multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of fermentation tanks, in particular to a multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank which comprises a hollow tank body provided with a heating unit, and the hollow tank body is communicated with a water inlet and a water outlet; the stirring assembly is installed in the hollow tank body, and a driving part used for driving the stirring assembly to rotate is further fixed to the upper end of the hollow tank body; according to the invention, water is injected into the hollow tank body and is heated by the heating unit, so that the heating and heat preservation operation in the hollow tank body can be realized, the stability of the fermentation environment is optimized and improved, and in addition, the arranged stirring assembly stirs cocoa raw materials in the fermentation process so as to improve the fermentation effect of the cocoa raw materials. The arranged separation assembly is used for achieving solid-liquid separation operation on fermentation liquid and raw materials after fermentation is completed, so that the convenience of subsequent collection is improved, the functions are diversified, and different use requirements in the modern cocoa processing technology are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of fermentation tanks, in particular to a multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank. Background Art

[0002] The cocoa fruit is oval in shape and of varying lengths. The seeds are buried in the gelatinous pulp, usually 30 to 40 seeds, ovate or oval in shape, 1.8 to 2.6 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter. Each seed is covered with white gelatin, which can be removed by fermentation. Each seed or cocoa bean includes a cotyledon and embryo, surrounded by a seed coat. The color of the cotyledons ranges from white to dark purple, and the color of the cotyledons of different varieties is different.

[0003] In the cocoa bean processing, fermentation is a crucial link, which affects the final quality of cocoa beans. At present, the fermentation process is usually carried out in a fermentation tank or fermentation box, which has a single structure and is not conducive to internal heating and heat preservation, resulting in difficulty in temperature control during the fermentation process. During the fermentation period, the fermentation tank needs to be turned over at least once a day, which is labor-intensive. In addition, after the fermentation is completed, the solid-liquid separation operation is inconvenient, which affects the production efficiency and product quality. Therefore, the existing fermentation tank has poor applicability, and the structure and function of the fermentation tank need to be optimized to improve the versatility and ease of use of the fermentation. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the prior art such as single structure and poor applicability, and to propose a multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] Design a multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank, including:

[0007] A hollow tank body with a heating unit installed, wherein a water inlet and a water outlet are connected to the hollow tank body;

[0008] and a stirring assembly installed inside the hollow tank body, wherein a driving member for driving the stirring assembly to rotate is fixed to the upper end of the hollow tank body;

[0009] Among them, the upper end and the lower end of the hollow tank body are respectively connected with a feed pipe and a discharge pipe, and a separation component is also arranged below the hollow tank body. The separation component is driven to rotate by a rotating device to achieve connection and separation with the discharge pipe.

[0010] Furthermore, the heating unit includes a mounting box fixed to the inner side of the hollow tank body, and a heating body is fixedly mounted inside the mounting box.

[0011] Furthermore, the separation component includes a drain pipe, one end of which is fixedly mounted with a ring sleeve for sleeve-mounting the discharge pipe, and a filter cylinder is detachably connected to the inner side of the drain pipe.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotating device comprises a telescopic tube rotatably connected to the lower end of the hollow tank body, and a spring is fixedly connected between two tube sections of the telescopic tube;

[0013] Wherein, the liquid discharge pipe is fixed at the bottom end of the telescopic pipe.

[0014] Furthermore, the rotating device also includes a cylinder installed at the bottom of the hollow tank body, a transfer block is fixedly installed on the axial end of the cylinder, a rack is fixedly connected to the transfer block, wherein a gear meshing with the rack is fixedly installed at the bottom end of the telescopic tube.

[0015] Furthermore, a limiting groove is provided on the end surface of the rack, and a guide member located in the limiting groove is installed at the bottom of the hollow tank body;

[0016] Wherein, the cylinder is slidably connected to the bottom of the hollow tank body through a guide assembly.

[0017] Furthermore, the guide assembly includes a guide frame fixed to the bottom of the hollow tank body, at least two guide rods are horizontally connected to the inner side of the guide frame, a slide seat is fixedly installed at one end of the cylinder, the slide seat is slidably connected to at least two guide rods, compression springs are fixedly installed between both sides of the slide seat and the guide frame, switches are installed on both inner sides of the guide frame, and resistance members that resist the switch are also fixedly connected on both sides of the slide seat, and an electric ball valve electrically connected to the switch is installed inside the discharge pipe.

[0018] Furthermore, the telescopic tube includes an outer tube and an inner tube inserted into the outer tube, wherein at least one guide groove is opened on the outer side of the outer tube, a guide rod sliding in the guide groove is fixedly installed on the outer side of the inner tube, and a driving ring sleeved on the outer side of the outer tube is fixed on the outer end of the guide rod.

[0019] Furthermore, a support seat is fixedly installed at the bottom of the hollow tank body, a shift fork is pinned on the end surface of the support seat, the shift fork is provided with a avoidance opening for accommodating the outer tube, a traction rod is also fixed on the end surface of the cylinder, and a wedge block that abuts against the shift fork is fixed to the tail end of the traction rod.

[0020] Furthermore, an observation window and a sampling pipeline are arranged on the top of the hollow tank body, and the hollow tank body is supported and fixed by a platform.

[0021] A multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank proposed in the present invention has the following beneficial effects: in the present invention, by adopting a method of injecting water into the interior of the hollow tank body and heating it by a heating unit, the heating and insulation operation of the interior of the hollow tank body can be realized, thereby optimizing and improving the stability of the fermentation environment. In addition, the provided stirring component stirs the cocoa raw materials during the fermentation process to improve its fermentation effect. The provided separation component is used to realize the solid-liquid separation operation of the fermentation liquid and the raw materials after the fermentation is completed, so as to improve the convenience of subsequent collection. The functions are diversified and meet the different usage requirements in modern cocoa processing technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A perspective view of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the heating unit structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the hollow tank body of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 The structure of the rotating device of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ;

[0026] Figure 5 The structure of the rotating device of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the shift fork structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the support base structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of area A;

[0030] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the separation component structure of the present invention.

[0031] In the figure: 1. hollow tank; 11. water inlet; 12. water outlet; 13. feed pipe; 14. discharge pipe; 15. observation window; 16. sampling pipeline; 2. heating unit; 21. installation box; 22. heating body; 3. stirring assembly; 4. driving member; 5. separation assembly; 51. drain pipe; 52. sleeve; 53. filter cylinder; 6. rotating device; 61. telescopic pipe; 611. outer pipe; 612. inner pipe; 613. guide groove ; 614, guide rod; 615, drive ring; 616, support seat; 617, shift fork; 618, traction rod; 619, wedge block; 62, spring; 63, cylinder; 64, adapter block; 65, rack; 66, gear; 67, limit groove; 68, guide member; 7, guide assembly; 71, guide frame; 72, guide rod; 73, slide seat; 74, compression spring; 75, switch; 76, resistance; 77, electric ball valve; 8, platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0033] Reference Figure 1-9 An embodiment of the present invention discloses a multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank, which comprises a hollow tank body 1 equipped with a heating unit 2, and a water inlet 11 and a water outlet 12 are connected to the hollow tank body 1;

[0034] Specifically, in this embodiment, water is added to the interior of the hollow tank body 1 through the water inlet 11, and the water can be heated by the heating unit 2 to achieve heating and insulation operations inside the hollow tank body 1. Of course, in order to achieve temperature control, a temperature sensor can also be added to the hollow tank body 1, and the temperature sensor can be connected to an external controller, such as a PLC, to achieve temperature detection, so as to achieve heating start and stop control of the heating unit 2.

[0035] and a stirring assembly 3 installed inside the hollow tank body 1, and a driving member 4 for driving the stirring assembly 3 to rotate is also fixed to the upper end of the hollow tank body 1;

[0036] Reference Figure 3 In a preferred embodiment, the stirring component 3 described in the present invention is configured as a stirring rod. Of course, the driving member 4 can adopt a reduction motor, which is fixed to the upper end of the hollow tank body 1 and connected to the axial end of the stirring rod to achieve stirring of the cocoa during the fermentation process to improve the fermentation effect.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 , 5, wherein the upper end and the lower end of the hollow tank body 1 are respectively connected with a feed pipe 13 and a discharge pipe 14, and the feed pipe 13 and the discharge pipe 14 are sealed with a plugging member. Specifically, in the present embodiment, an electric ball valve 77 is used in the discharge pipe 14 for opening and closing operations. The specific control method will be described in detail later and will not be described here. A separation component 5 is also provided below the hollow tank body 1. The separation component 5 is driven to rotate by a rotating device 6 to achieve connection and separation with the discharge pipe 14. The separation component 5 is designed to separate the fermentation liquid and the raw material after the cocoa is fermented, and the design of the rotating connection method is intended to rotate the separation component 5 to keep it away from the discharge pipe 14 after the fermentation liquid is discharged. At this time, the pulp raw material can be directly discharged, thereby achieving the purpose of solid-liquid separation.

[0038] Reference Figure 5 In some embodiments, the heating unit 2 in the present invention includes an installation box 21 fixed on the inner side of the hollow tank body 1, and a heating body 22 is fixedly installed inside the installation box 21. The heating body 22 can use a heating wire, and the heating wire is powered by an external power supply. The installation box 21 serves as a fixed base for the heating wire. Specifically, since the installation box 21 is installed on the inner side of the hollow cavity, after the hollow cavity is filled with water, the heating wire can heat the water source to achieve heating and insulation operations of the hollow tank body 1, thereby ensuring the fermentation environment inside the hollow tank body 1.

[0039] Reference Figure 5 , 6 9. In addition, in the present invention, the separation component 5 includes a drain pipe 51, and the drain pipe 51 is an L-shaped structure. One end of the drain pipe 51 is fixedly installed with a ring sleeve portion 52 for sleeve-mounting the discharge pipe 14. The ring sleeve portion 52 is used to sleeve the bottom of the discharge pipe 14 to avoid leakage. Of course, a sealing gasket can be provided on the inner side of the ring sleeve portion 52 to enhance the sealing performance. This technical solution is a conventional means for technicians in the field, and will not be described in detail here. In addition, a filter cylinder 53 is detachably connected to the inner side of the drain pipe 51. Preferably, the filter cylinder 53 described in this embodiment can be threaded. The filter cylinder 53 described in the present invention is connected to the end opening of the discharge pipe 51 in a manner. In addition, the filter cylinder 53 described in the present invention extends and protrudes upward so as to be plugged into the interior of the discharge pipe 14. The purpose of such a design is: by plugging the filter cylinder 53 into the interior of the discharge pipe 14, it is used to reduce the distance between it and the electric ball valve 77. In this way, it can be avoided that after the electric ball valve 77 is opened, the cocoa fruit falls into the space below the discharge pipe 14 and affects the separation effect. In a further embodiment, the filter cylinder 53 described in the present invention can contact the bottom of the electric ball valve 77 after plugging. In addition, the filter cylinder 53 is configured as a stainless steel part.

[0040] Reference Figure 5-9 On the basis of the above embodiment, the rotating device 6 in this embodiment includes a telescopic tube 61 rotatably connected to the lower end of the hollow tank body 1, and a spring 62 is fixedly connected between the two tube sections of the telescopic tube 61. The design of the telescopic tube 61 facilitates the subsequent upward movement of the discharge pipe 51;

[0041] The drain pipe 51 is fixed at the bottom end of the telescopic pipe 61 .

[0042] Reference Figure 5-9 Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the rotating device 6 also includes a cylinder 63 installed at the bottom of the hollow tank body 1, and a transfer block 64 is fixedly installed on the axial end of the cylinder 63, and a rack 65 is fixedly connected to the transfer block 64, wherein a gear 66 meshing with the rack 65 is fixedly installed at the bottom end of the telescopic tube 61.

[0043] That is to say, in the initial state, the above-mentioned drainage pipe 51 is rotating and deviating from the discharge pipe 14. When the fermentation is completed and the liquid and fruit need to be discharged, the cylinder 63 drives the rack 65 to move, and the meshing structure of the rack 65 and the gear 66 drives the telescopic tube 61 to rotate. After the rotation, the telescopic tube 61 can drive the entire drainage pipe 51 to rotate until it rotates to the bottom of the discharge pipe 14. After the telescopic tube 61 further lifts the drainage pipe 51 upward, the drainage pipe 51 and the discharge pipe 14 can be connected.

[0044] Reference Figure 5 , 7 On the basis of the above embodiment, in order to limit the movement of the rack 65, a limiting groove 67 is provided on the end surface of the rack 65 in the present invention, and a guide member 68 located in the limiting groove 67 is installed at the bottom of the hollow tank body 1. The guide member 68 can be set as a bolt threadedly connected to the bottom of the hollow tank body 1. As a further preferred embodiment, the limiting groove 67 and the guide member 68 in the present invention are both provided in pairs.

[0045] The cylinder 63 is slidably connected to the bottom of the hollow tank body 1 through a guide assembly 7 .

[0046] Reference Figure 8Preferably, the guide assembly 7 in the present invention includes a guide frame 71 fixed to the bottom of the hollow tank body 1, at least two guide rods 72 are horizontally connected to the inner side of the guide frame 71, a slide seat 73 is fixedly installed at one end of the cylinder 63, the slide seat 73 is slidably connected to at least two guide rods 72, compression springs 74 are fixedly installed between the two sides of the slide seat 73 and the guide frame 71, switches 75 are installed on both inner sides of the guide frame 71, and resistance members 76 that resist the switch 75 are also fixedly connected on both sides of the slide seat 73, and an electric ball valve 77 electrically connected to the switch 75 is installed inside the discharge pipe 14.

[0047] That is, the present invention adopts a method in which the cylinder 63 can move forward and backward, so as to further realize the position movement after driving the rack 65;

[0048] When discharging liquid for solid-liquid separation: after the control cylinder 63 pushes out the rack 65 to drive the liquid discharge pipe 51 to be below the discharge pipe 14, the guide member 68 stops one inner end side of the limit groove 67, and the rack 65 cannot move. The cylinder 63 continues to extend and pushes itself backward until the abutment member 76 on the outer slide seat 73 abuts against the switch 75. At this time, the switch 75 controls the electric ball valve 77 inside the discharge pipe 14 to open, and the fermented liquid is discharged outward along the filter cylinder 53, and the cocoa raw materials remain inside the hollow tank body 1 to start the solid-liquid separation operation;

[0049] When the solid is discharged for complete unloading: after the solid-liquid separation is completed, the cylinder 63 is reset and drives the telescopic tube 61 to reset. At this time, the electric ball valve 77 is closed, and the guide member 68 stops the other inner end side of the limit groove 67. When the cylinder 63 further contracts and resets, due to the limitation of the guide member 68, the entire cylinder 63 will move forward further, and at this time it can resist another switch 75, and the electric ball valve 77 is opened. Since the discharge pipe 51 does not move at this time, the cocoa raw material can be directly discharged outward along the inside of the discharge pipe 14 to complete the solid unloading operation.

[0050] Reference Figure 3 , 6 , 7, 9, it should be noted that, as described above, only the rotational drive of the telescopic tube 61 can be achieved. In order to achieve the telescopic action of the telescopic tube 61 and to lift the discharge tube 51 upward to dock with the discharge tube 14, the telescopic tube 61 in the present invention includes an outer tube 611 and an inner tube 612 inserted into the outer tube 611, wherein at least one guide groove 613 is provided on the outer side of the outer tube 611, and a guide rod 614 sliding in the guide groove 613 is fixedly installed on the outer side of the inner tube 612, and a drive ring 615 sleeved on the outer side of the outer tube 611 is fixed on the outer side of the guide rod 614.

[0051] Reference Figure 6, 7 9. On the basis of the above embodiment, a support seat 616 is fixedly installed on the bottom of the hollow tank body 1, a shift fork 617 is pinned on the end surface of the support seat 616, a avoidance opening for accommodating the outer tube 611 is opened on the fork 617, and a traction rod 618 is also fixed on the end surface of the cylinder 63, and a wedge block 619 that abuts against the shift fork 617 is fixed to the tail end of the traction rod 618.

[0052] That is to say, in the step of discharging liquid for solid-liquid separation in the present invention, since the cylinder 63 will move further backward, it will pull the traction rod 618 and cooperate with the wedge block 619 to move. When the wedge block 619 moves, it will abut against the fork 617 and drive the fork 617 to rotate. In this way, when the fork 617 rotates, its end will abut against the drive ring 615 to move. The drive ring 615 drives the inner tube 612 to move upward inside the outer tube 611 through the guide rod 614, which can drive the entire discharge pipe 51 to move upward until the discharge pipe 51 is connected to the discharge pipe 14, thereby improving the sealing ability of the connection during solid-liquid separation.

[0053] Reference Figure 1 , 3 Furthermore, in order to intuitively check the fermentation situation inside the hollow tank body 1, an observation window 15 and a sampling pipe 16 are provided on the top of the hollow tank body 1 in the present invention. The sampling pipe 16 is a sampling pipe connected to the inside of the hollow tank body 1. During fermentation, the channel can be opened to take out some raw materials for sampling operations, thereby improving the convenience of monitoring the fermentation process. Secondly, the hollow tank body 1 in the present invention is supported and fixed by a platform 8.

[0054] In summary, in the present invention, by injecting water into the interior of the hollow can body 1 and heating it by the heating unit 2, the heating and insulation operation inside the hollow can body 1 can be achieved, thereby optimizing and improving the stability of the fermentation environment. In addition, the stirring component 3 is provided to stir the cocoa raw material during the fermentation process to improve its fermentation effect. The separation component 5 is provided to achieve solid-liquid separation of the fermentation liquid and the raw material after the fermentation is completed, so as to improve the convenience of subsequent collection. The functions are diversified to meet the different usage requirements in modern cocoa processing technology.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical scheme and inventive concept of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank, characterized in that: include: A hollow tank body (1) equipped with a heating unit (2), wherein a water inlet (11) and a water outlet (12) are connected to the hollow tank body (1); and a stirring assembly (3) installed inside the hollow tank body (1); a driving member (4) for driving the stirring assembly (3) to rotate is also fixed to the upper end of the hollow tank body (1); The upper end and the lower end of the hollow tank body (1) are respectively connected to a feed pipe (13) and a discharge pipe (14), and a separation component (5) is also arranged below the hollow tank body (1). The separation component (5) is driven to rotate by a rotating device (6) to achieve connection and separation with the discharge pipe (14).

2. A multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating unit (2) comprises a mounting box (21) fixed to the inner side of the hollow tank body (1), and a heating body (22) is fixedly mounted inside the mounting box (21).

3. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The separation assembly (5) comprises a liquid discharge pipe (51), one end of which is fixedly provided with a ring sleeve (52) for sleeve-mounting the discharge pipe (14), and a filter screen cylinder (53) is detachably connected to the inner side of the liquid discharge pipe (51).

4. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotating device (6) comprises a telescopic tube (61) rotatably connected to the lower end of the hollow tank body (1), and a spring (62) is fixedly connected between two tube sections of the telescopic tube (61); Wherein, the liquid discharge pipe (51) is fixed at the bottom end of the telescopic pipe (61).

5. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotating device (6) further comprises a cylinder (63) mounted at the bottom of the hollow tank body (1), a transfer block (64) being fixedly mounted on the axial end of the cylinder (63), a rack (65) being fixedly connected to the transfer block (64), wherein a gear (66) meshing with the rack (65) is fixedly mounted at the bottom end of the telescopic tube (61).

6. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 5, characterized in that: A limiting groove (67) is provided on the end surface of the rack (65), and a guide member (68) located in the limiting groove (67) is installed at the bottom of the hollow tank body (1); Wherein, the cylinder (63) is slidably connected to the bottom of the hollow tank body (1) via a guide assembly (7).

7. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 6, characterized in that: The guide assembly (7) comprises a guide frame (71) fixed at the bottom of the hollow tank body (1), at least two guide rods (72) are horizontally connected to the inner side of the guide frame (71), a slide seat (73) is fixedly installed at one end of the cylinder (63), the slide seat (73) is slidably connected to the at least two guide rods (72), compression springs (74) are fixedly installed between the two sides of the slide seat (73) and the guide frame (71), switches (75) are installed on both inner sides of the guide frame (71), and abutment members (76) that abut against the switch (75) are also fixedly connected to the two sides of the slide seat (73), and an electric ball valve (77) electrically connected to the switch (75) is installed inside the discharge pipe (14).

8. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 6, characterized in that: The telescopic tube (61) comprises an outer tube (611) and an inner tube (612) inserted into the outer tube (611), wherein at least one guide groove (613) is provided on the outer side of the outer tube (611), a guide rod (614) sliding in the guide groove (613) is fixedly mounted on the outer side of the inner tube (612), and a driving ring (615) sleeved on the outer side of the outer tube (611) is fixedly mounted on the outer end of the guide rod (614).

9. The multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to claim 8, characterized in that: A support seat (616) is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the hollow tank body (1); a shift fork (617) is pinned on the end surface of the support seat (616); a relief opening for accommodating the outer tube (611) is provided on the shift fork (617); a traction rod (618) is also fixed on the end surface of the cylinder (63); a wedge block (619) that contacts the shift fork (617) is fixed at the tail end of the traction rod (618).

10. A multifunctional cocoa fermentation tank according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that: An observation window (15) and a sampling pipe (16) are arranged on the top of the hollow tank body (1), and the hollow tank body (1) is supported and fixed by a platform (8).

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