Self-turning deblocking type tea fermentation tank

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-turning, stirring and deblocking type tea leaf fermentation tank which comprises a base tank, an external driving mechanism, an internal stirrer and a central controller, and the base tank is horizontally arranged and is driven by the external driving mechanism to rotate; the inner stirrer is provided with a stirring paddle which is coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the tank body and can rotate relative to the base tank and a plurality of outer comb teeth which are respectively fixed on the inner wall of the tank body, the stirring paddle is provided with a plurality of inner comb teeth which can be close to or far away from the inner wall of the tank body, and the inner comb teeth and the outer comb teeth are distributed in a staggered manner; the central controller is electrically connected with the outer driving mechanism and the inner stirrer, so that the tea fermentation quality can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of tea-making equipment, especially the technical field of tea fermentation tanks. Background Art

[0002] Fermentation is a tea-making step that changes the composition of tea leaves through enzymatic oxidation or microbial action to regulate their flavor, color, shelf life, and functional components; according to the degree of fermentation, tea can be divided into non-fermented tea (i.e., green tea, such as Longjing, Biluochun, and Maofeng, etc.), slightly fermented tea (i.e., yellow tea, such as Junshan Yinzhen and Huoshan Huangya, etc.), lightly fermented tea (i.e., white tea, such as Baihao Yinzhen and Shoumei, etc.), partially fermented tea (i.e., oolong tea, such as Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, and Phoenix Dancong, etc.), fully fermented tea (i.e., black tea, such as Lapsang Souchong and Keemun Black Tea, etc.), and post-fermented tea (i.e., dark tea, such as Pu'er ripe tea and Anhua dark tea, etc.).

[0003] To ensure uniform tea fermentation effect, tea leaves need to be stirred during fermentation; in traditional tea-making processes, this operation is usually manually completed by workers holding tools such as rakes and shovels; this not only has problems such as high labor intensity, poor working conditions, and low production efficiency, but also easily causes hygiene problems.

[0004] Based on this, some manufacturers choose to directly rotate the tank body containing tea leaves regularly in the tea fermentation tank, such as a black tea fermentation device with the publication number CN103283880B, so that the tea leaves can achieve position transformation and mixing (i.e., external stirring) during the rotation of the tank body; however, the control of the stirring uniformity of such a device for tea leaves is often limited, especially when the volume of the tank body is large and the amount of tea leaves loaded is large; in addition, when the tea leaves form lumps due to factors such as humidity and fermentation time, the rotating tank body cannot effectively break up the lumped tea leaves, thus affecting the fermentation effect; there are also some tea fermentation tanks that choose to stir the tea leaves separately by means of an internal stirring paddle (i.e., internal stirring), such as a black tea fermentation device with a tea-turning mechanism with the publication number CN116806901B; compared with external stirring, this stirring method can stir the tea leaves more specifically, thus improving the fermentation uniformity of the tea leaves to a certain extent; however, in actual applications, the single movement trajectory of the stirring paddle sometimes still makes it difficult to penetrate deep into the lumps and break them up, thus unable to ensure the fermentation quality of the tea leaves. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art and propose a self-stirring and lump-breaking tea fermentation tank, which can effectively improve the fermentation quality of tea leaves.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a self-turning, stirring and deblocking type tea fermentation tank, comprising a base tank, an external drive mechanism, an internal agitator and a central controller. The base tank is arranged horizontally and is driven to rotate by the external drive mechanism. The internal agitator has a stirring paddle coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the tank body and capable of rotating relative to the base tank, and a plurality of external comb teeth respectively fixed to the inner wall of the tank body. The stirring paddle is provided with a plurality of inner comb teeth that can approach or move away from the inner wall of the tank body, and the inner comb teeth are staggered with the outer comb teeth. The central controller is electrically connected to the external drive mechanism and the internal agitator respectively.

[0007] Preferably, the base tank comprises a tank body, a tank cover and a positioning plate, the tank body is in a horizontal cylindrical shape and one end of the tank body is closed by a detachable switch of the tank cover and the other end is closed by a positioning plate, and the positioning plate is rotatably connected to the tank body.

[0008] Preferably, the external drive mechanism includes an external drive motor, gears, gear sleeves, load-bearing guide rings and load-bearing pulleys. Several of the load-bearing guide rings are respectively mounted on the outside of the tank body. Each of the load-bearing guide rings is slidingly supported by a load-bearing pulley fixed on the base. The gears are indirectly connected to the base through the wheel frame and are driven to rotate by the external drive motor. The gear sleeves are mounted on the outside of the tank body and mesh with the gears.

[0009] Preferably, the positioning plate is fixed to the base, and a plurality of joints are provided on the positioning plate, which are connected to the outside world and the inner cavity of the tank respectively.

[0010] Preferably, the stirring paddle also includes a core shaft, an electric telescopic rod, a tooth seat, a support rod and a stirring blade. The core shaft is driven to rotate by an internal drive motor. Several electric telescopic rods and support rods are respectively arranged around the core shaft along the length direction. Each of the electric telescopic rods is detachably mounted with several inner comb teeth at the free end through the tooth seat. Each of the support rods is provided with several stirring blades extending in different directions along the length direction.

[0011] Preferably, the inner comb teeth include a tooth sleeve, a slider, a convex strip and a spring. A sliding groove is provided in the tooth sleeve, and the slider is slidably connected in the sliding groove. The convex strip can slide relative to the tooth sleeve through the slider. The spring is built into the sliding groove and has an elastic tendency to push the convex strip outward through the slider.

[0012] Preferably, the slide groove is detachably closed by a cover and a fastener, and the slider is threadedly connected to the convex strip through a block screw rod passing through the cover.

[0013] Preferably, the end of the gear sleeve away from the convex strip is further provided with a sleeve screw, the gear seat includes a suspension and a suspension plate, the suspension plate has a plate hole for the sleeve screw to pass through to install a fastener, and the suspension is arranged between the suspension plate and the electric telescopic rod.

[0014] Preferably, the hanging plate is an arc-shaped plate and the curvature is adapted to the inner wall of the tank.

[0015] Preferably, the electric telescopic rod comprises a socket and a rod connected at one end thereof, and the socket and the rod are extended and retracted by magnetic repulsion or magnetic attraction between an electromagnet and a permanent magnet.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention: 1) Synergistic stirring of the tea leaves inside and outside to improve fermentation uniformity: This invention uses an external drive mechanism to drive the horizontal base tank to achieve external stirring of the tea leaves, and also causes the stirring paddle of the internal stirrer to rotate relative to the base tank within the tank body cavity to achieve internal stirring of the tea leaves. Thus, the synergistic effect of internal and external stirring can be used to drive the movement of the tea leaves more comprehensively, significantly improving the stirring uniformity of the tea leaves and ensuring a uniform fermentation effect of the tea leaves. This effectively improves the problem of insufficient tea fermentation uniformity caused by the traditional single stirring method. 2) Staggered comb teeth design for efficient lumping: In this application, the stirring paddle is equipped with inner comb teeth, and the inner wall of the tank is fixed with outer comb teeth, and the inner and outer comb teeth are staggered. When the base tank and the stirring paddle rotate relative to each other, the staggered comb teeth structure can penetrate deep into the tea lumps like a comb, thereby effectively breaking up the clumped tea leaves through the tearing and squeezing effect generated by the relative movement, preventing clumping from affecting the fermentation quality of the tea and ensuring the consistency and stability of the tea fermentation. 3) Electric telescopic adjustment to adapt to different working conditions: By arranging the inner comb teeth on the electric telescopic rod, the electric telescopic rod can be controlled to extend or retract according to the state of the tea leaves (such as the amount of tea leaves and the degree of agglomeration) and the fermentation stage. (When strong deagglomeration is required, the electric telescopic rod can be used to move the inner comb teeth closer to the tank wall; when the tea leaves are relatively loose, the electric telescopic rod can be used to retract the inner comb teeth to avoid excessive stirring and damage to the tea leaves.) This adjustable structural design allows the fermentation tank to adapt to different tea-making needs and working conditions, improving the versatility and flexibility of the equipment. 4) Elastic rib structure protects tea quality: The ribs of the inner comb teeth are slidably connected to the tooth sleeve via a slider, and the tooth sleeve has a built-in spring. Therefore, if the ribs encounter resistance from clumped tea leaves during their extension, the elastic action of the springs will retract the ribs into the chute, reducing the impact of the ribs on the outside world and preventing them from excessively squeezing the tea leaves and causing them to break. Compared with traditional rigid de-agglomeration structures (such as spike rakes), this is more conducive to maintaining the appearance and quality of the tea leaves. 5) Detachable design for easy maintenance and replacement: In this application, the inner comb teeth and the tooth base are connected by a sleeve screw rod, a suspension plate and fasteners, and the opening of the chute is closed by a cover and fasteners; on the one hand, these detachable designs enable the components such as the convex strips, sliders and springs to be easily disassembled and replaced during equipment maintenance, thus reducing the maintenance difficulty and cost, and on the other hand, also enable users to adjust the installation position and quantity of the inner comb teeth according to actual needs, making the equipment more maintainable and scalable.

[0017] The features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail through embodiments in conjunction with the drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 is the front view of the self-turning and deblocking type tea fermentation tank of the present invention; Figure 2 is the right view when the tank body, the stirring paddle and the outer comb teeth of the self-turning and deblocking type tea fermentation tank of the present invention are assembled; Figure 3 is the front view when the inner comb teeth, the electric telescopic rod and the tooth base of the self-turning and deblocking type tea fermentation tank of the present invention are assembled; Figure 4 is the cross-sectional view of the inner comb teeth of the self-turning and deblocking type tea fermentation tank of the present invention.

[0019] In the figures: 1 - base tank, 11 - tank body, 12 - tank cover, 13 - positioning plate, 131 - joint, 2 - external drive mechanism, 21 - external drive motor, 22 - gear, 23 - tooth sleeve, 24 - weight-bearing guide ring, 25 - weight-bearing pulley, 3 - inner stirrer, 31 - inner drive motor, 32 - core shaft, 33 - inner comb teeth, 331 - tooth sleeve, 3311 - chute, 3312 - sleeve screw rod, 332 - slider, 3321 - block screw rod, 333 - convex strip, 334 - spring, 335 - cover, 34 - outer comb teeth, 35 - electric telescopic rod, 351 - socket, 352 - plug rod, 353 - electromagnet, 354 - permanent magnet, 36 - tooth base, 361 - suspension, 362 - suspension plate, 37 - support rod, 38 - stirring blade, 4 - base. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0020] Refer to Figures 1 to 4The self-turning, stirring and deblocking tea fermentation tank of the present invention comprises a base tank 1, an external drive mechanism 2, an internal agitator 3 and a central controller. The base tank 1 is horizontally arranged and driven to rotate by the external drive mechanism 2. The internal agitator 3 has a stirring paddle coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the tank body and capable of rotating relative to the base tank 1, and a plurality of outer comb teeth 34 respectively fixed on the inner wall of the tank body. The stirring paddle is provided with a plurality of inner comb teeth 33 which can approach or move away from the inner wall of the tank body, and each of the inner comb teeth 33 and the outer comb teeth 34 are staggered. The central controller is electrically connected to the external drive mechanism 2 and the internal agitator 3 respectively; wherein, the base tank 1 and the stirring paddle can adopt the same or opposite direction of rotation, preferably, the base tank 1 and the stirring paddle have opposite directions of rotation; compared with the same direction of rotation, the reverse rotation can more effectively break the stacking state of the tea leaves, so that the tea leaves form stronger convection and mixing in the inner cavity of the tank body, thereby ensuring the full progress of the fermentation process.

[0021] The base tank 1 includes a tank body 11, a tank cover 12 and a positioning plate 13. The tank body 11 is horizontal and cylindrical, one end of which is detachably opened and closed by the tank cover 12 and the other end is closed by the positioning plate 13. The positioning plate 13 is rotatably connected to the tank body 11.

[0022] The external drive mechanism 2 includes an external drive motor 21, a gear 22, a gear sleeve 23, a weight-supporting guide ring 24 and a weight-supporting pulley 25. Several weight-supporting guide rings 24 are respectively mounted on the outside of the tank body 11. Each weight-supporting guide ring 24 is slidably supported by a weight-supporting pulley 25 fixed on the base 4. The gear 22 is indirectly connected to the base 4 through the wheel frame and is driven to rotate by the external drive motor 21. The gear sleeve 23 is mounted on the outside of the tank body 11 and meshes with the gear 22. Specifically, two weight-supporting guide rings 24 can be matched with one gear sleeve 23 to make At the same time, the gear sleeve 23 is arranged in the middle of the tank body 11, and the two weight-supporting guide rings 24 are respectively arranged on both sides of the gear sleeve 23; for the external drive mechanism 2, during operation, the external drive motor 21 can first drive the gear 22 to rotate, and the gear 22 can indirectly drive the tank body 11 to rotate through the gear sleeve 23 engaged therewith; during this period, each of the weight-supporting guide rings 24 will slide with the corresponding weight-supporting pulley 25 to support and guide the tank body 11, thereby ensuring that the tank body 11 can rotate more smoothly.

[0023] The positioning plate 13 is fixed to the base 4, and a plurality of joints 131 are provided on the positioning plate 13 for connecting the outside with the inner cavity of the tank respectively; wherein the joints 131 can be connected to the ventilation and humidification system to introduce air or water vapor into the inner cavity of the tank.

[0024] The stirring paddle further includes a core shaft 32, an electric telescopic rod 35, a tooth seat 36, a support rod 37, and a stirring blade 38. The core shaft 32 is driven to rotate by an internal drive motor 31. A plurality of the electric telescopic rods 35 and the support rods 37 are respectively arranged around the core shaft 32 along the length direction. Each electric telescopic rod 35 is detachably installed with a plurality of inner comb teeth 33 at the free end through the tooth seat 36. A plurality of stirring blades 38 extending in different orientations are respectively arranged along the length direction on each support rod 37. Among them, for the stirring blades 38 on the same support rod 37, the stirring blade 38 on the side close to the core shaft 32 is relatively long. The inner comb teeth 33 include a tooth sleeve 331, a slider 332, a rib 333, and a spring 334. A chute 3311 is provided inside the tooth sleeve 331. The slider 332 is slidably connected in the chute 3311. The rib 333 can slide relative to the tooth sleeve 331 through the slider 332. The spring 334 is built in the chute 3311 and has an elastic tendency to push the rib 333 outwards through the slider 332. When the rib 333 extends outwards and encounters resistance, it can be retracted into the chute 3311 to reduce the impact force on the outside world, thereby avoiding excessive extrusion of the clumped tea leaves. In addition, a transition arc structure can be added at the adjacent ends of the inner comb teeth 33 and the outer comb teeth 34 to play a certain protective role (to avoid breaking the whole tea leaves). Taking the inner comb teeth 33 as an example, a transition round head can be provided at the free end of the rib 333.

[0025] The opening of the chute 3311 is detachably closed by a cover 335 and a fastener. The slider 332 is threadedly connected to the rib 333 through a block screw rod 3321 passing through the cover 335. During maintenance, the cover 335 can be removed and the slider 332 and the spring 334 can be disassembled and replaced. The rib 333 can also be unscrewed from the screw rod 3321 for replacement.

[0026] A sleeve screw rod 3312 is further provided at one end of the tooth sleeve 331 away from the rib 333. The tooth seat 36 includes a suspension 361 and a suspension plate 362. The suspension plate 362 has a plate hole through which the sleeve screw rod 3312 can pass to install the fastener. The suspension 361 is arranged between the suspension plate 362 and the electric telescopic rod 35. Since the inner comb teeth 33 and the tooth seat 36 are connected together through the sleeve screw rod 3312, the suspension plate 362, and the fastener, the user can adjust the installation position and the installation quantity of the inner comb teeth 33 according to needs, and can also easily replace the whole inner comb teeth 33.

[0027] The suspension plate 362 is an arc-shaped plate and the radian is adapted to the inner wall of the tank.

[0028] The electric telescopic rod 35 has a socket 351 and a plug rod 352 with one end inserted into each other. Between the socket 351 and the plug rod 352, magnetic repulsion or magnetic adsorption is achieved through an electromagnet 353 and a permanent magnet 354 to realize telescoping. Specifically, the electric telescopic rod 35 retracts the inner comb teeth 33 by making the electromagnet 353 attract the permanent magnet 354 and magnetically pulling the plug rod 352 further into the socket 351. The electric telescopic rod 35 extends the inner comb teeth 33 by making the electromagnet 353 repel the permanent magnet 354 and magnetically pushing the plug rod 352 out along the socket 351. This magnetic drive method has the advantages of simple structure, stable operation, no mechanical wear, and fast response speed compared with traditional mechanical drives. At the same time, the magnetic drive is not easily affected by debris such as tea debris, which can ensure the reliability and stability of the electric telescopic rod 35 during long-term use, reduce the occurrence of equipment failures, and improve production efficiency. In addition, soft pads can be added to the adjacent surfaces of the socket 351 and the plug rod 352 for buffering.

[0029] Working process of the present invention: Before starting fermentation, first open the tank cover 12 and pour a certain amount of tea to be fermented into the inner cavity of the tank, and then close the tank cover 12 again. During the fermentation process, on the one hand, the base tank 1 will directly drive the internal tea to rotate forward under the external drive of the external drive mechanism 2, and on the other hand, the stirring paddle will rotate reversely and stir the tea in the inner cavity of the tank under the internal drive of the internal drive motor 31. In addition, when each electric telescopic rod 35 extends, the outer comb teeth 34 and the inner comb teeth 33 respectively arranged on the base tank 1 and the stirring paddle will jointly break up the agglomerated tea on the inner wall of the tank during the relative rotation process.

[0030] The above embodiments are illustrative of the present invention, not limiting of the present invention. Any scheme obtained by simply transforming the present invention belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Self-stirring and deblocking type tea fermentation tank, characterized in that: The invention comprises a base tank (1), an external drive mechanism (2), an internal stirrer (3) and a central controller, wherein the base tank (1) is arranged horizontally and is driven to rotate by the external drive mechanism (2), the internal stirrer (3) comprises a stirring paddle coaxially arranged in the inner cavity of the tank body and capable of rotating relative to the base tank (1), and a plurality of external comb teeth (34) respectively fixed to the inner wall of the tank body, the stirring paddle is provided with a plurality of internal comb teeth (33) which can approach or move away from the inner wall of the tank body, and each of the internal comb teeth (33) and the external comb teeth (34) are staggered and distributed, and the central controller is electrically connected to the external drive mechanism (2) and the internal stirrer (3) respectively.

2. The self-stirring and lump-breaking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 1, wherein: The base tank (1) comprises a tank body (11), a tank cover (12) and a positioning plate (13); the tank body (11) is in a horizontal cylindrical shape and one end of the tank body (11) is detachably opened and closed by the tank cover (12) and the other end is closed by the positioning plate (13); the positioning plate (13) is rotatably connected to the tank body (11).

3. The self-stirring and lump-breaking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 2, wherein: The external drive mechanism (2) includes an external drive motor (21), a gear (22), a gear sleeve (23), a weight-supporting guide ring (24) and a weight-supporting pulley (25). Several weight-supporting guide rings (24) are respectively mounted outside the tank body (11). Each weight-supporting guide ring (24) is slidably supported by a weight-supporting pulley (25) fixed on the base (4). The gear (22) is indirectly connected to the base (4) through a wheel frame and is driven to rotate by the external drive motor (21). The gear sleeve (23) is mounted outside the tank body (11) and meshes with the gear (22).

4. The self-stirring and lump-breaking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 3, characterized in that: The positioning plate (13) is fixed to the base (4), and a plurality of joints (131) are provided on the positioning plate (13) for connecting the outside world with the inner cavity of the tank.

5. The self - stirring and lump - breaking type tea fermentation tank according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The stirring paddle further comprises a core shaft (32), an electric telescopic rod (35), a tooth seat (36), a support rod (37) and a stirring blade (38), wherein the core shaft (32) is driven to rotate by an internal drive motor (31), and a plurality of the electric telescopic rods (35) and the support rods (37) are respectively arranged around the core shaft (32) along the length direction, and each of the electric telescopic rods (35) is detachably mounted with a plurality of inner comb teeth (33) at the free end through the tooth seat (36), and each of the support rods (37) is provided with a plurality of stirring blades (38) extending in different directions along the length direction.

6. The self-stirring and deblocking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner comb teeth (33) include a tooth sleeve (331), a slider (332), a convex strip (333) and a spring (334). A sliding groove (3311) is provided inside the tooth sleeve (331). The slider (332) is slidably connected in the sliding groove (3311). The convex strip (333) can slide relative to the tooth sleeve (331) through the slider (332). The spring (334) is built into the sliding groove (3311) and has an elastic tendency to push the convex strip (333) outward through the slider (332).

7. The self-stirring and lump-breaking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 6, characterized in that: The slide groove (3311) is detachably closed by a cover (335) and a fastener, and the slider (332) is threadedly connected to the convex strip (333) via a block screw rod (3321) passing through the cover (335).

8. The self-stirring and lump-breaking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 7, characterized in that: One end of the tooth sleeve (331) away from the convex strip (333) is also provided with a sleeve body lead screw (3312). The tooth seat (36) includes a suspension (361) and a suspension plate (362). The suspension plate (362) has a plate hole through which the sleeve body lead screw (3312) can pass through to install a fastener. The suspension (361) is arranged between the suspension plate (362) and the electric telescopic rod (35).

9. The self-stirring and lump-breaking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 8, characterized in that: The suspension plate (362) is an arc-shaped plate and the radian is adapted to the inner wall of the tank body.

10. The self-stirring and deblocking type tea fermentation tank according to claim 5, wherein: The electric telescopic rod (35) has a socket (351) and a plug rod (352) inserted at one end thereof. Between the socket (351) and the plug rod (352), magnetic repulsion or magnetic adsorption is achieved through an electromagnet (353) and a permanent magnet (354) to realize expansion and contraction.

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