Automatic saucepan device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of automatic catering equipment, in particular to an automatic saucepan device, which comprises a saucepan with a heating assembly, a group of baskets and a driving mechanism for driving the group of baskets to circularly advance, and a feeding position and a discharging position of food materials are arranged on the advancing path of the baskets. At least one section of the advancing path between the feeding position and the discharging position is located in the saucepan, cooking of food materials such as noodles can be automatically completed, and therefore the number of workers is reduced, repeated labor is reduced, and the labor cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated catering equipment, and particularly relates to an automated cooking pot device. Background Art

[0002] In the traditional catering industry of our country, pasta foods account for a relatively large proportion, such as noodles, rice noodles (including rice vermicelli, rice noodles), vermicelli (bean vermicelli), dumplings, wontons, etc. During daily cooking, they need to be put into hot water in a pot for boiling. After being cooked, tools such as a strainer and a slotted spoon are used to fish them out and drain the water, and then subsequent seasoning work is carried out according to the requirements of customers.

[0003] In traditional restaurants, the boiling work of pasta foods is completely completed by manual labor. The back kitchen staff need to carry out a large amount of repetitive labor every day, which is easy to cause physical fatigue, affect work efficiency, and the degree of doneness of the food will also be affected by the proficiency of the back kitchen staff and other factors.

[0004] For the above reasons, the applicant proposes an automated cooking equipment that uses a manipulator to complete the feeding of ingredients, puts the ingredients into a cooking pot for cooking, and the cooking pot automatically completes the cooking and serving of the ingredients, thereby replacing manual labor to complete the repetitive work. At present, the above-mentioned cooking pot still needs to be designed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies in the above background art and provide an automated cooking pot device that can automatically complete the boiling of ingredients such as noodles, thereby reducing the number of workers, reducing repetitive labor, and lowering labor costs.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: An automated cooking pot device includes a cooking pot with a heating component, a group of baskets, and a driving mechanism that drives the group of baskets to travel in a cycle. There are a feeding position and a discharging position of ingredients on the traveling path of the baskets, and at least one section of the traveling path between the feeding position and the discharging position is located in the cooking pot.

[0007] Preferably, the cooking pot has an upward opening and is connected with a water replenishing pipeline and a drainage pipeline.

[0008] Preferably, the shape of the cooking pot is any one of U-shaped, C-shaped, V-shaped, and polygonal.

[0009] Preferably, the heating component is arranged on the inner cavity wall or the outer wall of the cooking pot, and a heating pipeline is used to heat the water in the inner cavity of the cooking pot. The heating pipeline is connected to a heat source, or an electric heating element is used to heat the water in the inner cavity of the cooking pot.

[0010] Preferably, a temperature measuring component is arranged in the cooking pot.

[0011] Preferably, the basket is formed by splicing two halves mounted on the opening and closing mechanism. When the opening and closing mechanism operates, the two spliced halves open to release the food in the basket.

[0012] Preferably, the opening and closing mechanism includes two rotating rods, an opening and closing cylinder, and a push block; the opening and closing cylinder is arranged at the discharging position, the push block is fixed on the top rod of the opening and closing cylinder, the two rotating rods are rotatably installed on the driving mechanism, one end of each of the two rotating rods is connected to the upper ends of the two halves of the basket one by one, and the other end is provided with a bent section bent at a certain angle in the direction of the push block. When the top rod extends, the push block is pushed into the space between the bent sections of the two rotating rods, so that the two rotating rods drive the two halves to rotate in opposite directions to open the basket.

[0013] Preferably, in the bent sections of the two rotating rods, at least the lower end of one bent section is bent outward at a certain angle, so as to form a triangular opening between the two bent sections, facilitating the push block to enter between the two bent sections and then push open the bent sections.

[0014] Preferably, the driving mechanism includes a base plate, a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a transmission member, a guide rail, a sliding member, and a track plate; The base plate is fixed on the frame, the driving wheel and the driven wheel are installed on the base plate, the transmission member is wound between the driving wheel and the driven wheel, and the driving wheel drives the transmission member to travel in a cycle in the horizontal plane under the drive of power; The group of baskets is arranged at a certain interval along the circumferential direction of the transmission member, and each basket is connected to the transmission member through a vertically arranged guide rail and a sliding member cooperating with the guide rail, and the sliding member is provided with rollers; The track plate is fixed on the base plate and extends parallel to the transmission member. The middle section of the track plate is at the discharging position of the food materials. One end of the middle section extends a certain distance against the traveling direction of the transmission member and the end forms a first slope with gradually decreasing height, and the other end of the middle section extends a certain distance along the traveling direction of the transmission member and the end forms a second slope with gradually decreasing height. During the traveling process of the basket, the rollers of the sliding member travel on the top surfaces of the middle section, the first slope, and the second slope.

[0015] Preferably, a support rod is provided between the rotating shafts of the driving wheel and the driven wheel, and both ends of the support rod are connected to the corresponding rotating shafts through bearings.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: By controlling the traveling speed of the basket, the cooking time can be well controlled, so that the taste of the cooked food materials is stable. After the basket reaches the discharging position, it can be automatically opened under the action of the opening and closing mechanism to release the food materials without manual intervention; multiple baskets are provided in each cooking pot, and multiple food materials can be cooked simultaneously, with high working efficiency, which can effectively reduce the labor intensity and reduce the labor cost.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description, become apparent in part from the following description, or be learned through the practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present application, and therefore should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other related drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic side view structure diagram of the cooking pot device in the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the cooking pot device is installed on the rack, and the cooking pot is omitted.

[0020] Figure 2 It is one of the schematic three-dimensional structure diagrams of the cooking pot device in the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the cooking pot device is installed on the rack, and the cooking pot is omitted.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic top view structure diagram of the cooking pot device in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 It is the second schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the cooking pot device in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic installation structure diagram of the basket and the opening and closing mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 It is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the basket in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 It is a schematic structure diagram of the C-shaped cooking pot in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 It is a schematic structure diagram of the V-shaped cooking pot in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 9 It is a schematic structure diagram of the rectangular cooking pot in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] In the figure: there are a cooking pot device 600, a reduction motor 601, a driving wheel 602.1, a driven wheel 602.2, a bearing 603, a belt 604, a substrate 605, a support rod 606, a guide rail 607, a slider 608, a transmission gear set 609, a basket 610, a half part 610A, a pin shaft 610.1, a roller 611, a sliding member 612, a rotating rod 613, a triangular opening 614, a pushing block 615, an opening and closing cylinder 616, a track plate 620, an intermediate segment 620.1, a first slope 621.1, a second slope 621.2, a cooking pot 630, a drainage pipe 631, a water replenishing pipe 632, a feeding position 640, a discharging position 650, a frame 700, and a mounting position 701. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] To enable those of ordinary skill in the art to more clearly understand the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of the present invention, the following further elaborates on the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "front end", "rear end", "both ends", "one end", "the other end", etc., the orientation or positional relationship indicated is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0031] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, if there are terms such as "installation", "connection", "connection", "fixation", etc., they should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, this embodiment provides an automated cooking pot device. Each cooking pot device 600 includes a cooking pot 630 with a heating component, a group of baskets 610 for holding food ingredients, and a driving mechanism for driving the group of baskets 610 to circulate. There are a feeding position 640 and a discharging position 650 for food ingredients on the traveling path of the basket 610. A section of the traveling path between the feeding position 640 and the discharging position 650 is located in the cooking pot 630. When at the feeding position 640, the food ingredients are put into the basket 610, and then the basket 610 drives the food ingredients to travel in the cooking pot 630. After a period of time, when reaching the predetermined doneness, when reaching the discharging position 650, the food ingredients are released from the basket 610.

[0033] The opening of the cooking pot 630 faces upward. The cooking pot 630 is connected with a water replenishing pipe 632, which can replenish water into the cooking pot 630 before or during cooking. The cooking pot 630 is also connected with a drainage pipe 631, which can drain the soup in the pot during and after cooking. In addition, in some embodiments, the cooking pot is provided with a temperature measuring component, such as a water temperature sensor. According to the temperature feedback by the water temperature sensor, the operation of the heating component is controlled to adjust the water temperature in the pot. As Figures 3 to 4 shown, in this embodiment, the shape of the cooking pot 630 is U-shaped, and the driving mechanism of the basket 610 is arranged in the U-shaped opening, and the basket 610 travels around the opening.

[0034] The heating component can be arranged around the inner cavity wall or at the bottom of the cooking pot 630, directly contacting the water in the pot, with a faster heating speed; it can also be arranged around the outer wall or at the bottom, not directly contacting the water in the pot, but using the pot wall to conduct heat to the water in the pot, which can effectively reduce the phenomenon of sticking to the pot. The heating method of the heating component can be to heat the water in the inner cavity of the cooking pot 630 by using a heating pipe, and the heating pipe is connected to a heat source. The heat source can be high-temperature steam, heat-conducting oil, etc., or directly use an electric heating element to heat the water in the inner cavity of the cooking pot 630, such as an electric heating pipe, a heating sheet, a heating plate, etc. Which specific heating method to adopt can be determined according to the application scenario.

[0035] Obviously, in some embodiments, it is only necessary to ensure that the basket 610 can enter the cooking pot 630 during travel and come out of the cooking pot 630 after a period of time, and the basket 610 can open to release the ingredients. Therefore, the shape of the cooking pot 630 can also adopt other shapes, such as Figure 7 shown in the embodiment, the shape of the cooking pot 630 is C-shaped, and the driving mechanism of the basket 610 is arranged in the C-shaped opening, and the basket 610 travels around the opening. Its working mode is similar to that of the U-shaped cooking pot 630, and the discharging position 650 is arranged on the side of the C-shaped opening. As Figure 8 shown in the embodiment, the shape of the cooking pot 630 is V-shaped. Similar to the U-shaped and C-shaped cooking pots 630, the driving mechanism of the basket 610 is also arranged in the V-shaped opening, and the discharging position 650 is arranged on the side of the V-shaped opening. Similarly, the shape of the cooking pot 630 can also be a polygon, such as Figure 9 shown in the embodiment, the cooking pot 630 is rectangular, and the driving mechanism of the basket 610 is arranged on one side of the long side of the cooking pot 630. For the remaining polygons, such as a triangle or a pentagon, etc., the driving mechanism of the basket 610 is arranged at one side edge of the cooking pot 630.

[0036] As Figures 1 to 6As shown, the driving mechanism includes a base plate 605, a driving wheel 602.1, a driven wheel 602.2, a transmission member, a guide rail 607, a sliding member 612, and a track plate 620.

[0037] The base plate 605 is fixed to the installation position 701 of the machine frame 700 by fixing members such as screws. Since the machine frame 700 in this embodiment is a column type, holes can be drilled in the base plate 605, and the base plate 605 can be sleeved on the column and then fixed. The driving wheel 602.1 and the driven wheel 602.2 are both vertically installed on the base plate 605. The transmission member is wound between the driving wheel 602.1 and the driven wheel 602.2. The driving wheel 602.1 drives the transmission member to travel in a horizontal plane under the drive of power. In this embodiment, the transmission member uses a belt 604 (synchronous belt). To increase stability, a support rod 606 is provided between the rotating shafts of the driving wheel 602.1 and the driven wheel 602.2. Both ends of the support rod 606 are connected to the corresponding rotating shafts through bearings 603. In Figure 7 the C-shaped cooking pot 630 shown as well as Figure 8 in the V-shaped cooking pot 630 shown, there are two or more driven wheels 602.2, and support rods 606 can also be provided between the driven wheels 602.2 according to the needs of the application scenario.

[0038] The set of baskets 610 are arranged at a certain interval along the circumference of the transmission member. Generally, they are arranged at equal intervals, and the number of baskets is determined according to the actual application scenario. Each basket 610 is connected to the transmission member through a vertically arranged guide rail 607 and a sliding member 612 that cooperates with the guide rail 607 through a slider 608. There is a certain distance between the basket 610 and the transmission member, so as to avoid the side wall of the cooking pot 630 during the traveling process. The sliding member 612 can slide vertically, and rollers 611 are provided at the bottom of the sliding member 612.

[0039] The track plate 620 is fixed vertically on the substrate 605 and extends parallel to the transmission member. The middle segment 620.1 of the track plate 620 is at the discharging position 650 of the food ingredients. The middle top is flat. One end of the middle segment 620.1 extends a certain distance against the traveling direction of the transmission member, and the end forms a first slope 621.1 with a gradually decreasing height. The other end of the middle segment 620.1 extends a certain distance along the traveling direction of the transmission member, and the end forms a second slope 621.2 with a gradually decreasing height. During the traveling process of the basket 610, the rollers 611 of the sliding member 612 travel on the top surfaces of the middle segment 620.1, the first slope 621.1, and the second slope 621.2. When the rollers 611 of the basket 610 travel on the first slope 621.1, the sliding member 612 drives the basket 610 to gradually rise. At this time, the basket 610 gradually separates from the water surface of the cooking pot 630. After reaching the middle segment 620.1, it has completely separated from the water surface and maintains a stable height to facilitate the release of food ingredients at the discharging position 650. When the basket 610 travels on the second slope 621.2, the sliding member 612 drives the basket 610 to gradually lower. At this time, the basket 610 enters the cooking pot 630 and travels smoothly in the cooking pot 630 after separating from the second slope 621.2. The lengths and slopes of the first slope 621.1 and the second slope 621.2 are determined according to the actual application scenario. Generally, the first slope 621.1 has a larger length, so that the draining time of the basket 610 can be increased and the moisture of the food ingredients can be drained as much as possible.

[0040] As Figure 5 , Figure 6 shown, the basket 610 is formed by splicing two halves 610A mounted on the opening and closing mechanism. Both halves 610A are of a hollow structure, and the bottom is preferably made into an arc bottom or a pointed bottom. When the opening and closing mechanism operates, the two spliced halves 610A open to release the food in the basket 610. The opening and closing mechanism can use an existing structure, for example, using a cylinder to directly push and pull the two halves 610A to achieve opening and closing.

[0041] In this embodiment, the opening and closing mechanism includes two rotating rods 613, an opening and closing cylinder 616, and a push block 615. The opening and closing cylinder 616 is arranged on the lower side of the discharging position 650. The push block 615 is fixed on the top rod of the opening and closing cylinder 616. The two rotating rods 613 are rotatably mounted on the sliding member 612 of the driving mechanism. One end of each of the two rotating rods 613 is connected to the upper ends of the two halves 610A of the basket 610 one by one, and the other end is provided with a bent section (as Figure 5 , Figure 6 shown, bent into the vertical plane) that bends at a certain angle in the direction of the push block 615. When the top rod extends, the push block 615 is pushed into the bent sections between the two rotating rods 613, so that the two rotating rods 613 drive the two halves 610A to rotate in opposite directions to open the basket 610.

[0042] In order to better insert the push block 615 between the bent sections, the lower end of at least one of the two bent sections is bent outward at a certain angle, thereby forming a triangular opening 614 between the two bent sections, and the top of the push block 615 is formed in a triangular shape, so that the push block 615 can easily enter between the two bent sections and push the bent sections open, and the torque of the bent sections is used to rotate the upper end of the rotating rod 613, thereby opening the two halves 610A of the basket 610. In order to reduce the interference between the two halves 610A when the basket 610 is opened, in this embodiment, the upper ends of the two halves 610A are hinged together by a pin 610.1.

[0043] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the loading position 640 can be determined according to the actual application scenario, such as Figure 3 As shown, the loading position 640 can be set to the position when the basket 610 just enters the boiling pot 630, or it can be the position when the basket 610 has entered the water. In this embodiment, the electrical components are all controlled by the control host.

[0044] The working principle of this embodiment is: Manual or mechanical hands put the food into the basket 610 at the loading position 640 according to the command of the control host; The reduction motor 601 drives the driving wheel 602.1 to rotate through the transmission gear set 609, and the driving wheel 602.1 rotates with the belt 604 in the circumferential direction. The basket 610 on the belt 604 also moves with the belt 604. The rotation process can be uniform or intermittent. The speed of the belt 604 can be set to control the cooking time of the food in the cooking pot 630. The belt 604 of different cooking pots 630 can have different speeds to adapt to different food. When the belt 604 brings the basket 610 to the first slope 621.1 of the track plate 620, the roller 611 contacts the first slope 621.1. As the belt 604 continues to move, the roller 611 is gradually lifted by the slope, and the sliding member 612 brings the basket 610 to slide upward along the guide rail 607, so that the basket 610 gradually leaves the water surface of the cooking pot 630. In this process, the food can be drained. When it reaches a certain height or reaches the middle section 620.1 of the track plate 620, the bottom of the basket 610 is completely higher than the edge of the cooking pot 630, so that it can be rotated out of the cooking pot 630 to the material discharge position 650. After the basket 610 reaches the discharging position 650, the ejector rod of the opening and closing cylinder 616 ejects, and the pushing block 615 is pushed into the triangular opening 614 of the rotating rod 613, so that the two halves 610A of the basket 610 are opened from below, and the food materials fall downward under the action of gravity. At this time, a bowl can be used to catch the food materials, and then subsequent operations such as soup preparation and seasoning can be carried out; after the ejector rod of the opening and closing cylinder 616 retracts, the rotating rod 613 loses the external acting force, and the two halves 610A of the basket 610 are re-closed under the action of gravity; As the belt 604 continues to move forward, the rollers 611 of the basket 610 travel from the middle section 620.1 towards the feeding position 640. When on the second slope 621.2, the height of the rollers 611 gradually decreases, and the sliding block drives the basket 610 to gradually lower its height. During this process, the basket 610 re-enters the cooking pot 630. When the basket 610 reaches the feeding position 640, the food material feeding operation can be carried out; All the baskets 610 can work in the above manner to cook the food materials.

[0045] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic boiling pot device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a cooking pot (630) with a heating component, a group of baskets (610), and a driving mechanism for driving the group of baskets (610) to move in a circular motion; a loading position (640) and a discharging position (650) for food materials are arranged on the moving path of the baskets (610); at least a section of the moving path between the loading position (640) and the discharging position (650) is located in the cooking pot (630).

2. The automatic boiling pot device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The boiling pot (630) is opened upward and is connected to a water supply pipe (632) and a drainage pipe (631).

3. The automatic boiling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooking pot (630) is in any one of a U-shape, a C-shape, a V-shape, and a polygonal shape.

4. The automatic boiling pot device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating component is arranged on the inner wall or outer wall of the boiling pot (630), and a heating pipe is used to heat the water in the inner cavity of the boiling pot (630), and the heating pipe is connected to a heat source, or an electric heating element is used to heat the water in the inner cavity of the boiling pot (630).

5. The automatic boiling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A temperature measuring component is arranged in the cooking pot.

6. The automatic boiling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The basket (610) is composed of two halves (610A) mounted on an opening and closing mechanism. When the opening and closing mechanism is activated, the two halves (610A) are opened to release the food in the basket (610).

7. The automatic boiling pot device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The opening and closing mechanism comprises two rotating rods (613), an opening and closing cylinder (616) and a push block (615); the opening and closing cylinder (616) is arranged at the material discharging position (650); the push block (615) is fixed on the top rod of the opening and closing cylinder (616); the two rotating rods (613) are rotatably mounted on the driving mechanism; one end of the two rotating rods (613) is connected to the upper ends of the two half parts (610A) of the basket (610) in a one-to-one manner; the other end is provided with a bent section bent at a certain angle in the direction of the push block (615); when the top rod is extended, the push block (615) is pushed into between the bent sections of the two rotating rods (613), so that the two rotating rods (613) drive the two half parts (610A) to rotate in opposite directions, thereby opening the basket (610).

8. The automatic boiling device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lower end of at least one of the bent sections of the two rotating rods (613) is bent outward at a certain angle, thereby forming a triangular opening (614) between the two bent sections, which facilitates the push block (615) to enter between the two bent sections and push open the bent sections.

9. The automatic boiling device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The driving mechanism comprises a base plate (605), a driving wheel (602.1), a driven wheel (602.2), a transmission member, a guide rail (607), a sliding member (612) and a track plate (620); The base plate (605) is fixed on the frame (700), the driving wheel (602.1) and the driven wheel (602.2) are installed on the base plate (605), the transmission member is wound between the driving wheel (602.1) and the driven wheel (602.2), and the driving wheel (602.1) drives the transmission member to circulate in a horizontal plane under the driving force; The group of baskets (610) are arranged at a certain interval along the circumference of the transmission member, and each basket (610) is connected to the transmission member via a vertically arranged guide rail (607) and a sliding member (612) matched with the guide rail (607), and a roller (611) is provided on the sliding member (612); The track plate (620) is fixed on the base plate (605) and extends parallel to the transmission member. The middle section (620.1) of the track plate (620) is located at the material discharge position (650). One end of the middle section (620.1) extends a distance in the opposite direction of the travel of the transmission member and forms a first slope (621.1) with a gradually decreasing height at the end. The other end of the middle section (620.1) extends a distance in the direction of the travel of the transmission member and forms a second slope (621.2) with a gradually decreasing height at the end. When the basket (610) is moving, the roller (611) of the sliding member (612) moves on the middle section (620.1) and the top surfaces of the first slope (621.1) and the second slope (621.2).

10. The automatic boiling pot device according to claim 9, characterized in that: A support rod (606) is provided between the rotating shaft of the driving wheel (602.1) and the rotating shaft of the driven wheel (602.2), and both ends of the support rod (606) are connected to the corresponding rotating shafts via bearings (603).

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