Automatic cooked wheaten food processing, boiling and soup adding integrated production line

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of food processing, and discloses an automatic cooked wheaten food processing, cooking and soup adding integrated production line which comprises a noodle maker, the noodle maker is placed on a control cabinet, a noodle outlet of the noodle maker is in butt joint with a noodle cooking device and used for conveying processed raw noodles into the noodle cooking device for cooking, and the noodle cooking device is of a circulating noodle cooking structure. An industrial robot used for taking noodles is installed in the middle of the automatic soup bowl lifting device, the industrial robot places cooked noodles on a soup bowl on the automatic soup bowl lifting device, an induction soup placing device is arranged beside the automatic soup bowl lifting device, and soup is added to the soup bowl from the automatic soup bowl lifting device end to the induction soup placing device manually. A controller is arranged in the control cabinet and is used for controlling the operation of the noodle maker, the noodle cooking device, the industrial robot, the automatic soup bowl lifting device and the induction soup placing device. According to the automatic soup adding machine, full-automatic soup adding is carried out from noodle wadding processing to noodle cooking and taking out of a pot in cooperation with little manual participation, the noodle discharging efficiency is improved, and the product consistency is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food processing, and in particular to an automated production line that integrates noodle processing, cooking, and soup preparation. Background Technology

[0002] Noodles are a type of noodle made primarily from wheat flour and water, through a process of kneading, pressing, and cutting into strips. To cook them, a pot is filled with water to 80% capacity, brought to a boil, and fresh noodles are added and cooked until boiling again. The noodles are then drained and placed in a bowl. Since the noodles are scooped out manually by feel, the quantity may vary, requiring the broth to be manually added to the bowl.

[0003] Currently, in large-scale dining venues such as school cafeterias, noodle processing and serving still primarily rely on a semi-automated model of "manual supervision with simple mechanical assistance." Even with the adoption of specialized equipment such as automatic noodle machines and noodle cookers, the coordination between different stages is poor, failing to address the core issues of "low efficiency, inconsistent performance, and heavy reliance on manual labor." Although some catering establishments have introduced noodle cookers, manual processes such as adding noodles, picking up cooked noodles, and ladling soup are still required, making it difficult to achieve efficient automation. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a production line that integrates noodle processing, continuous cooking, automatic noodle scooping, and soup preparation to improve production efficiency and product quality. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line that realizes fully automated soup-adding from noodle processing to noodle cooking and serving with minimal human intervention, thereby improving noodle production efficiency and ensuring product consistency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: An automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line includes a noodle machine placed on a control cabinet. The noodle machine's noodle outlet is connected to a noodle cooking device to convey the processed raw noodles to the cooking device for cooking. The cooking device is a circulating cooking structure with an industrial robot installed in the middle for picking up the noodles. The industrial robot places the cooked noodles into a soup bowl on an automatic soup bowl lifting device. A sensor-activated soup-adding device is installed next to the automatic soup bowl lifting device. Soup is added manually from the automatic soup bowl lifting device to the sensor-activated soup-adding device. The control cabinet contains a controller that controls the operation of the noodle machine, the noodle cooking device, the industrial robot, the automatic soup bowl lifting device, and the sensor-activated soup-adding device.

[0006] Preferably, the noodle cooking device includes a rectangular trough, a heating element, a chain-type circulating conveyor, a main motor, a water tap, and a mounting frame. The rectangular trough is a closed U-shaped trough. The heating element is fixedly installed on the bottom inner side of the rectangular trough. The chain-type circulating conveyor is installed on the top inner side of the rectangular trough for moving the noodles. The main motor is installed at the input end of the chain-type circulating conveyor to provide power. The main motor is fixedly installed below the rectangular trough. A water tap is fixedly installed on one side of the rectangular trough for filling the rectangular trough with water. A mounting frame is welded to the middle of the rectangular trough for mounting an industrial robot.

[0007] Preferably, the chain-type circulating conveyor includes sprockets, chains, slide rails, carrier plates, rollers, cover plates, positioning posts, Z-shaped tubes, and a flour basket. The sprockets are rotatably mounted at the four corners of the inner ring of the rectangular groove via bearings. One sprocket is coaxially connected to the main motor, and the four sprockets are fitted with chains. A slide rail is fixed on the rectangular groove outside the chain, and the slide rail and chain are nested together. Multiple equidistant carrier plates are evenly distributed on the slide rail. The carrier plates move along the slide rail via bottom rollers. One side of the carrier plate is fixedly mounted to the chain to provide power to the carrier plate. A cover plate is fixedly mounted on the carrier plate. A positioning post is welded to the center of the top surface of the cover plate. The top of the positioning post is conical, and a Z-shaped tube is inserted into the positioning post. A flour basket is welded to the bottom of the Z-shaped tube, and the flour basket is located inside the rectangular groove.

[0008] Preferably, the industrial robot is a multi-joint industrial robot, with an electric gripper fixedly installed at its far end, and a gripper installed at the output end of the electric gripper.

[0009] Preferably, the automatic soup bowl lifting device includes a ball screw linear slider module, a lifting frame, a diffuse infrared sensor, an infrared proximity sensor A, and a touch plate. Four ball screw linear slider modules are installed inside the housing of the automatic soup bowl lifting device. A lifting frame is fixedly installed on the lifting end of each ball screw linear slider module for placing stacked soup bowls. Four diffuse infrared sensors are fixedly installed on the top of the automatic soup bowl lifting device, facing the soup bowls. An infrared proximity sensor A is fixedly installed on the side of the ball screw linear slider module near the top. A touch plate is fixed on the lifting frame on the same side as the infrared proximity sensor A.

[0010] Preferably, the induction soup dispensing device includes a welding frame, a soup storage tank, a water pump, a soup suction pipe, a soup dispensing pipe, a vertical pipe, and an infrared proximity sensor B. The soup storage tank is fixedly installed on the welding frame, the water pump is fixedly installed on the welding frame, and the inlet end of the water pump is connected to the inside of the soup storage tank by a soup suction pipe. A horizontal soup dispensing pipe is installed at the outlet end, and a vertical pipe is fixed at the end of the soup dispensing pipe. An infrared proximity sensor B is fixed on the outer wall of the induction soup dispensing device below the vertical pipe.

[0011] Preferably, the connection end between the soup outlet pipe and the vertical pipe is further fixed with a vertical connecting pipe via a tee. The connecting pipe is coaxial with the vertical pipe. A cylinder is fixed at the top of the connecting pipe, and a plunger is fixed at the bottom output end of the cylinder. The plunger is slidably connected to the inner wall of the connecting pipe.

[0012] Preferably, the bottom of the soup storage tank is connected to a soup discharge pipe, and a solenoid valve is installed on the soup discharge pipe.

[0013] Preferably, a drain pipe is connected to the bottom of the rectangular groove, and a solenoid valve is installed on the drain pipe.

[0014] Preferably, a temperature sensor and a liquid level sensor are installed on the rectangular tank.

[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: The noodle machine's conveyor belt feeds noodles at the same time as the noodle basket moves, ensuring that each portion of noodles is accurately placed into the basket. This automatically delivers the noodles to the basket for cooking, and the time it takes for the basket to reach the industrial robot's workstation is just right to meet the cooking requirements. This precise control of cooking time ensures consistency and eliminates the need for manual, intuition-based noodle scooping, preventing undercooked or overcooked noodles. The automatic soup bowl lifting device automatically replenishes the bowls, reducing the amount of manual bowl placement. Combined with the infrared sensor B-triggered automatic quantitative soup dispensing device, this replaces the manual soup scooping method, avoiding errors and significantly reducing human intervention, enabling faster noodle production. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a side view of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the positions of the main motor and the drain pipe of this invention; Figure 4 This is a top view of the noodle cooking device of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the Z-shaped tube, positioning post, and carrier plate of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the automatic soup bowl lifting device of the present invention; Figure 7 This is the present invention. Figure 6 A magnified view of middle A; Figure 8 This is a side view of the internal structure of the induction soup dispensing device of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the plunger position of the present invention; Icons: 1. Noodle machine; 2. Noodle cooking device; 21. Rectangular trough; 22. Heating element; 23. Chain-type circulating conveyor; 231. Sprocket; 232. Chain; 233. Slide rail; 234. Carrier plate; 235. Roller; 236. Cover plate; 237. Positioning column; 238. Z-shaped tube; 239. Noodle basket; 24. Main motor; 25. Water tap; 26. Mounting bracket; 27. Water outlet pipe; 28. Temperature sensor; 29. ​​Liquid level sensor; 3. Industrial robot; 31. Electric gripper; 32. 4. Gripper; 5. Automatic soup bowl lifting device; 6. Ball screw linear slider module; 7. Lifting frame; 8. Diffuse reflection infrared sensor; 9. Infrared proximity sensor A; 10. Touch plate; 11. Induction soup dispensing device; 12. Welding frame; 13. Soup storage tank; 24. Water pump; 15. Soup suction pipe; 26. Soup dispensing pipe; 37. Vertical pipe; 48. Infrared proximity sensor B; 59. T-junction; 100. Connecting pipe; 11. Cylinder; 22. Plunger; 30. Soup dispensing pipe; 41. Control cabinet; 52. Soup bowl. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0018] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0019] Example like Figure 1-2As shown in this embodiment, an automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line includes a noodle machine 1, model YC-M200H. The noodle machine 1 consists of extrusion rollers, cutting blades, cutters, a conveyor belt, and other structures. The noodle machine 1 is placed on a control cabinet 6. The noodle outlet of the noodle machine 1 is a conveyor belt that connects to a noodle cooking device 2, used to convey the processed raw noodles to the noodle cooking device 2 for cooking. The noodle cooking device 2 adopts a circulating cooking structure, and an industrial robot 3 for picking up noodles is installed in the middle. The industrial robot 3 is a multi-joint six-axis robot. The industrial robot, model A12-HLJ, is used to pick up cooked noodles from the noodle cooking device 2 and place them into the soup bowl 7 on the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4. A soup dispensing device 5 is installed next to the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4. Soup is added to the soup bowl 7 by hand from the end of the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4 to the soup dispensing device 5. The control cabinet 6 is equipped with a controller that integrates a PLC controller, power module and relays to control the coordinated operation of the noodle machine 1, noodle cooking device 2, industrial robot 3, automatic soup bowl lifting device 4 and soup dispensing device 5.

[0020] Specifically, the flour and water are mixed in the correct proportions and poured into noodle machine 1. The dough is extruded into sheets by rollers, then cut into fresh noodles by a rolling cutter. The fresh noodles are then cut into equal portions by a separate cutter and transported to the noodle cooking device 2 via a conveyor belt. Noodle machine 1 is existing equipment, and the detailed process of noodle production can be achieved using existing technology, so it will not be elaborated further in this embodiment. After the noodles are cooked, an industrial robot 3 moves them to an automatic soup bowl lifting device 4, where they are poured into a soup bowl 7. A person then places the soup bowl to a sensor-activated soup dispensing device 5 for automatic soup dispensing. During this process, a controller coordinates the entire process, completing the noodle processing, cooking, and soup dispensing in one integrated workflow, reducing manual intervention and speeding up the time it takes for the noodles to be served.

[0021] like Figure 3-4 As shown, the noodle cooking device 2 includes a rectangular trough 21, a heating tube 22, a chain-type circulating conveyor 23, a main motor 24, a water tap 25, and a mounting bracket 26. The rectangular trough 21 is a closed U-shaped trough. The heating tube 22 is fixedly installed on the bottom inner side of the rectangular trough 21 and is electrically connected to the power module of the control cabinet 6 for heating the noodle cooking water. The chain-type circulating conveyor 23 is installed on the top inner side of the rectangular trough 21 for moving the noodles. Its power input end is coaxially fixedly connected to the output shaft of the main motor 24. The main motor is fixedly installed on the bottom bracket of the rectangular trough and electrically connected to the PLC controller; and is fixedly installed below the rectangular trough 21. A water tap 25 is fixedly installed on one side of the rectangular trough 21. The water inlet pipe of the water tap 25 is equipped with an electromagnetic control valve for replenishing the noodle cooking water in the rectangular trough 21. A mounting bracket 26 is welded to the middle of the rectangular trough 21. The mounting bracket 26 is used to fix and install the industrial robot 3.

[0022] Specifically, water is added to the rectangular trough 21 through the water tap 25. The water tap 25 is opened and closed by an electromagnetic control valve. The water in the rectangular trough 21 is heated by the heating tube 22 to cook the noodles. The chain-type circulating conveyor 23 runs on the rectangular trough 21 through the main motor 24, carrying the noodles from the noodle machine 1 to the work area of ​​the industrial robot 3 to form a cycle.

[0023] like Figure 4-5 As shown, the chain-type circulating conveyor 23 includes sprockets 231, chains 232, slide rails 233, carrier plates 234, rollers 235, cover plates 236, positioning posts 237, Z-shaped tubes 238, and a basket 239. The sprockets 231 are rotatably mounted at the four corners of the inner ring of the rectangular groove 21 via bearings. One sprocket is coaxially and fixedly connected to the output shaft of the main motor. The four sprockets 231 are fitted with chains 232 to form a closed transmission chain. The chains 232 run on the rectangular groove 21 through guide grooves to prevent excessive shaking. A slide rail 233 with closed ends is bolted to the rectangular groove 21 outside the chains 232. The slide rails 233 and chains 232 are nested together, and the slide rails 233 have evenly distributed... Multiple equidistant carrier plates 234 are provided. The carrier plates 234 move along the slide rail 233 via bottom rollers 235. One side of the carrier plate 234 is fixedly installed with a chain 232, which provides power to the carrier plate 234. A cover plate 236 is fixedly installed on the carrier plate 234. A positioning post 237 is welded to the center of the top surface of the cover plate 236. The top of the positioning post 237 is conical. A Z-shaped tube 238 is inserted into the positioning post 237. A flour basket 239 is welded to the bottom of the Z-shaped tube 238. The flour basket 239 is a cylindrical wire mesh structure. The positioning post 237 can ensure that the flour basket 239 will not move horizontally, so that the flour basket 239 can follow the Z-shaped tube 238 and vertically detach from the positioning post 237. The flour basket 239 is located inside the rectangular groove 21.

[0024] Specifically, the fresh noodle outlet of noodle machine 1 is precisely connected to the noodle basket 239 of noodle cooking device 2 via a conveyor belt. The main motor 24 drives the sprocket 231 and chain 232 to rotate. The main motor 24 is controlled by a PLC to operate intermittently, and the running rhythm of the conveyor belt is also controlled by the PLC, working in coordination with the main motor 24 of noodle cooking device 2 to ensure that the fresh noodles fall into the new noodle basket 239 in sequence each time. The time taken for the noodle basket 239 to be conveyed to the working position of industrial robot 3 is sufficient for the noodles to be fully cooked. Industrial robot 3 pulls the Z-shaped tube 238 out of the positioning post 237, lifting the noodle basket 239 and the noodles inside together. Through programmed commands, the noodles in the noodle basket 239 are poured into the soup bowl 7 at the designated position. Then, the Z-shaped tube 238 is reset and inserted back into the positioning post 237. The main motor 24 runs again, bringing the next noodle basket 239 into the working position of industrial robot 3, and the cycle continues. The empty noodle basket 239 returns to noodle machine 1.

[0025] like Figure 2 As shown, an electric gripper 31 is fixedly installed at the far end of the industrial robot 3. A relatively movable gripper 32 is installed at the output end of the electric gripper 31. The electric gripper 31 is controlled by a PLC to cooperate with the operation of the industrial robot 3. The gripper 32 clamps the Z-shaped tube 238, and the clamping contour of the gripper 32 matches the outer contour of the upper part of the Z-shaped tube.

[0026] It is worth mentioning that the operating principle of industrial robot 3 can be achieved by existing technology, and will not be elaborated further in this embodiment.

[0027] like Figure 2 , 6 As shown in Figure 7, the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4 includes a ball screw linear slider module 41, a lifting frame 42, a diffuse infrared sensor 43, an infrared proximity sensor A44, and a touch plate 45. Four ball screw linear slider modules 41 are installed inside the housing of the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4. A lifting frame 42 is fixedly installed on the lifting end of each ball screw linear slider module 41 for placing stacked soup bowls 7. Four diffuse infrared sensors 43 are fixedly installed on the top of the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4, corresponding to the four ball screw linear slider modules 41. The diffuse infrared sensors 43 face the soup bowls 7, and the distance is controlled between 10-20mm for real-time feedback of the top position. An infrared proximity sensor A44 is fixed on the side of each ball screw linear slider module 41 near the top. A touch plate 45 is fixed on the lifting frame 42 on the same side as the infrared proximity sensor A44 for detecting whether the lifting frame 42 has reached its upper limit.

[0028] Specifically, the ball screw linear slider module 41 is an existing device. Its principle is that the servo motor controlled by PLC cooperates with the screw to rotate, driving the internal slider and ball screw sleeve to perform linear lifting. The mechanical upper and lower limit switches of the module are installed at both ends of the guide rail to limit the extreme position of the lifting frame 42 and prevent damage from overtravel. The lifting frame 42 is fixed to the slider to lift the stacked soup bowls 7.

[0029] Normal offering bowl: such as Figure 2 As shown, the diffuse infrared sensor 43 sets a threshold for the intensity of the reflected signal. When the reflected signal of the top soup bowl 7 reaches the threshold, it is determined that "the top is in place." When the signal of the top soup bowl 7 is removed and falls below the threshold, it is determined that "it needs to be raised." The PLC issues a command, the servo motor rotates forward, and drives the lifting frame 42 to rise. When the diffuse infrared sensor 43 detects the reflected signal of the top soup bowl 7, the PLC confirms the position through encoder feedback, issues a stop command, and the servo motor brake locks, keeping the lifting frame 42 in the same position. The above rising process is repeated until the soup bowls are used up.

[0030] During bowl replenishment: When the bottom soup bowl 7 is used up, the lifting frame 42 rises to the top. The touch plate 45 follows the lifting frame 42 and rises to the infrared proximity sensor A44. Upon detection, the trigger plate outputs an "upper limit trigger" signal, and the diffuse infrared sensor 43 shows no reflection signal. The PLC servo motor stops running and maintains a brake state. Workers place neatly stacked soup bowls on the lifting frame 42. The reflection signal from the top soup bowl 7 reaches the threshold of the diffuse infrared sensor 43. After receiving the "signal present" command from the diffuse infrared sensor 43, the PLC determines it is in "bowl replenishment mode" and issues a reverse command, driving the lifting frame 42 to descend. When the signal from the diffuse infrared sensor 43 falls below the threshold, and the mechanical lower limit switch at the bottom of the guide rail is triggered, the PLC issues a stop command, and the servo motor brake locks. The PLC issues a forward command, and the servo motor drives the lifting frame 42 to rise until the diffuse infrared sensor 43 detects the reflection signal from the top soup bowl 7, switching back to normal bowl supply mode and completing the bowl replenishment cycle.

[0031] Special situation: If the staff replenishes a lot of bowls, when the lifting frame 42 descends to the bottom, the diffuse infrared sensor 43 still detects the top soup bowl 7. The signal is not lower than the threshold. The staff needs to remove the soup bowls above the sensor position to make the signal lower than the threshold. The PLC will trigger the lifting frame 42 to rise again until the sensor detects the top soup bowl 7.

[0032] When industrial robot 3 pours noodles: From the start of the program, industrial robot 3 memorizes and places four soup bowls as four target positions for industrial robot 3. The diffuse reflection infrared sensor 43, from the loss of a reflection signal to the detection of a new soup bowl 7 reflecting a signal, feeds back to the PLC and industrial robot 3. This real-time feedback from the diffuse reflection infrared sensor 43 ensures the consistency of the empty soup bowl 7's position. Industrial robot 3, following the programmed trajectory, accurately pours the cooked noodles from the noodle basket 239 into the empty soup bowl 7 on the lifting frame 42. After pouring, industrial robot 3 resets. This process repeats continuously, ensuring that the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4 provides an empty soup bowl 7 in the correct position each time industrial robot 3 operates. Because there are four soup bowls, sufficient time is allowed for noodle preparation, enabling industrial robot 3 to operate continuously and preventing a situation where there is no space to pour the cooked noodles.

[0033] like Figure 8As shown, the induction soup dispensing device 5 includes a welding frame 51, a soup storage tank 52, a water pump 53, a soup suction pipe 531, a soup dispensing pipe 532, a vertical pipe 54, and an infrared proximity sensor B55. The soup storage tank 52 is fixedly installed on the welding frame 51, filled with soup to be dispensed, providing a continuous soup source and avoiding frequent additions. The water pump 53 is fixedly installed on the welding frame 51, and its inlet end is connected to the soup storage tank 52 via the soup suction pipe 531. A horizontal soup dispensing pipe 532 is installed at the outlet end of the water pump 532. A vertical pipe 54 is fixed to the end of the soup dispensing pipe 532 to guide the soup to flow vertically, facilitating alignment with the container below and preventing spillage; it also enhances the directionality of the soup dispensing. An infrared proximity sensor B55 is fixed to the outer wall of the induction soup dispensing device 5 below the vertical pipe 54, enabling automatic sensing and triggering. When the soup bowl 7 approaches, a signal is sent to start the soup dispensing process; when there is no container, soup dispensing stops to prevent leakage.

[0034] Specifically, when a person places the soup bowl 7 under the vertical pipe 54, the infrared proximity sensor B55 detects the presence of the container and immediately sends a signal to the device's control system. Upon receiving the signal, the control system activates the water pump 53, which draws a measured amount of soup from the soup storage tank 52 through the suction pipe 531 and pours it into the soup bowl 7 through the vertical pipe 54. This overall structure enables directional delivery of soup, replacing manual ladling and improving efficiency; the speed of the water pump 53 can also be adjusted to control the soup dispensing rate.

[0035] like Figure 9 As shown, the soup outlet pipe 532 and the vertical pipe 54 are connected by a tee and a vertical connecting pipe 57 is fixed to the connection end. The connecting pipe 57 and the vertical pipe 54 are coaxial. A cylinder 58 is fixed to the top of the connecting pipe 57 and a plunger 581 is fixed to the bottom output end of the cylinder 58. The plunger 581 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the connecting pipe 57.

[0036] Specifically, the PLC controls the on / off frequency of the solenoid valve of cylinder A302 via digital output signals, driving the plunger 581 to slide up and down within the connecting pipe 57. This works in conjunction with the water pump 53 to achieve precise control of the soup outlet channel. When the water pump 53 stops working, the plunger 581 moves downward, blocking the soup remaining in the vertical pipe 54 and preventing residual soup from dripping. When the water pump 53 is about to start working, the plunger 581 moves upward in advance, opening the channel to allow the soup to flow out.

[0037] like Figure 8 As shown, the bottom of the soup storage tank 52 is connected to a soup discharge pipe 59, and a solenoid valve is installed on the soup discharge pipe 59, which is opened and closed by the control cabinet 6. This is used for cleaning and maintenance. When it is necessary to replace the soup or clean the soup storage tank 52, the solenoid valve is opened to discharge the remaining soup from the soup discharge pipe, making operation convenient.

[0038] like Figure 3-4As shown, a water drain pipe 27 is connected to the bottom of the rectangular tank 21, and a solenoid valve is installed on the water drain pipe 27, which is opened and closed by the control cabinet 6. This facilitates the periodic replacement of the water in the rectangular tank 21.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, a temperature sensor 28 and a liquid level sensor 29 are installed on the rectangular tank 21 and are electrically connected to the control cabinet 6 to monitor the water temperature and water level in real time. The temperature sensor 28 feeds back a signal to the PLC to control the heating tube 22 to turn on and off; the liquid level sensor 29 feeds back a signal to the PLC to control the solenoid valves of the water inlet faucet 25 for water supply and the water outlet pipe 27 for water drainage, adjusting the water level to the set range.

[0040] The working principle of this invention is as follows: The PLC controller enables the conveyor belt of the noodle machine and the main motor 24 of the noodle cooking device to maintain intermittent synchronous operation. When a new noodle basket 239 moves to the outlet of the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt starts to feed noodles, ensuring that each serving of fresh noodles falls accurately into the noodle basket 239. The main motor 24 drives the chain-type circulating conveyor device 23 to move the noodle basket 239 in a circular rectangular groove. When the noodle basket 239 moves to the working position of the industrial robot 3, the time required for the noodles to be fully cooked is met. The industrial robot 3 moves to the top of the noodle basket 239 according to the programmed trajectory. The end electric gripper 31 closes, grips the Z-shaped tube 238 at the top of the noodle basket and pulls it out from the positioning post 237. The robot lifts the noodle basket 239 and moves it to the target position of the automatic soup bowl lifting device 4. The robot tilts the noodle basket to pour the cooked noodles into the soup bowl 7. After pouring the noodles, the industrial robot 3 inserts the empty noodle basket 239 back into the positioning post 237 and returns to the initial position to wait for the next noodle basket. When the top soup bowl 7, after the industrial robot 3 has poured the noodles, is removed, the signal of the diffuse infrared sensor 43 falls below the threshold. The PLC controls the servo motor to drive the lifting frame 42 to rise until the diffuse infrared sensor 43 detects a new top soup bowl 7, causing the signal of the diffuse infrared sensor 43 to reach the threshold. The worker places the soup bowl 7 containing cooked noodles under the vertical pipe 54 of the induction soup dispensing device 5. The infrared proximity sensor B55 detects the soup bowl and sends a signal to the PLC. The PLC controls the water pump 53 to draw a fixed amount of soup from the soup storage tank 52 and pour it into the soup bowl 7. After the soup is added, the piston 581 of the cylinder 58 moves downward and extends into the vertical pipe 54 to block the soup outlet channel, preventing residual soup from dripping from the soup outlet pipe 532 and the vertical pipe 54. When soup needs to be added again, the piston 581 moves upward to open the channel.

[0041] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automated production line integrating noodle processing, cooking, and soup preparation, characterized in that, The system includes a noodle machine (1), which is placed on a control cabinet (6). The noodle machine (1) has a noodle outlet connected to a noodle cooking device (2) to transfer the processed raw noodles to the noodle cooking device (2) for cooking. The noodle cooking device (2) is a circulating noodle cooking structure with an industrial robot (3) installed in the middle for picking up noodles. The industrial robot (3) places the cooked noodles into a soup bowl (7) on an automatic soup bowl lifting device (4). A sensor-activated soup dispensing device (5) is installed next to the automatic soup bowl lifting device (4). Soup is added to the soup bowl (7) manually from the end of the automatic soup bowl lifting device (4) to the sensor-activated soup dispensing device (5). A controller is installed in the control cabinet (6) to control the operation of the noodle machine (1), the noodle cooking device (2), the industrial robot (3), the automatic soup bowl lifting device (4), and the sensor-activated soup dispensing device (5).

2. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The noodle cooking device (2) includes a rectangular trough (21), a heating tube (22), a chain-type circulating conveyor (23), a main motor (24), a water tap (25), and a mounting bracket (26). The rectangular trough (21) is a closed U-shaped trough. The heating tube (22) is fixedly installed on the bottom inner side of the rectangular trough (21). The chain-type circulating conveyor (23) is installed on the top inner side of the rectangular trough (21) for moving the noodles. The main motor (24) is installed at the input end of the chain-type circulating conveyor (23) to provide power. The main motor (24) is fixedly installed below the rectangular trough (21). A water tap (25) is fixedly installed on one side of the rectangular trough (21) for filling the rectangular trough (21) with water. A mounting bracket (26) is welded in the middle of the rectangular trough (21). The mounting bracket (26) is used to install an industrial robot (3).

3. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 2, characterized in that, The chain-type circulating conveyor (23) includes sprockets (231), chains (232), slide rails (233), carrier plates (234), rollers (235), cover plates (236), positioning posts (237), Z-shaped tubes (238), and a basket (239). The sprockets (231) are rotatably mounted on the four corners of the inner ring of the rectangular groove (21) via bearings. One of the sprockets (231) is coaxially connected to the main motor (24). The four sprockets (231) are fitted with chains (232). Slide rails (233) are fixed on the rectangular grooves (21) outside the chains (232). The slide rails (233) and chains (232) are nested together. Multiple equidistant carrier plates (234) are evenly distributed on the rail (233). The carrier plates (234) move along the slide rail (233) via bottom rollers (235). One side of the carrier plate (234) is fixedly installed with a chain (232) to provide power to the carrier plate (234). A cover plate (236) is fixedly installed on the carrier plate (234). A positioning post (237) is welded to the center of the top surface of the cover plate (236). The top of the positioning post (237) is conical. A Z-shaped tube (238) is inserted into the positioning post (237). A flour basket (239) is welded to the bottom of the Z-shaped tube (238). The flour basket (239) is located inside the rectangular groove (21).

4. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The industrial robot (3) is a multi-joint industrial robot with an electric gripper (31) fixedly installed at its far end. The output end of the electric gripper (31) is equipped with a gripper (32).

5. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic soup bowl lifting device (4) includes a ball screw linear slider module (41), a lifting frame (42), a diffuse infrared sensor (43), an infrared proximity sensor A (44), and a touch plate (45). The automatic soup bowl lifting device (4) has four ball screw linear slider modules (41) inside its housing. The lifting end of the ball screw linear slider module (41) is fixedly installed with a lifting frame (42) for placing the stacked soup bowls (7). The top of the automatic soup bowl lifting device (4) is fixedly installed with four diffuse infrared sensors (43) facing the soup bowls (7). The side of the ball screw linear slider module (41) near the top is fixed with an infrared proximity sensor A (44). The same side of the infrared proximity sensor A (44) is fixed with a touch plate (45) on the lifting frame (42).

6. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The induction soup dispensing device (5) includes a welding frame (51), a soup storage tank (52), a water pump (53), a soup suction pipe (531), a soup dispensing pipe (532), a vertical pipe (54), and an infrared proximity sensor B (55). The soup storage tank (52) is fixedly installed on the welding frame (51). The water pump (53) is fixedly installed on the welding frame (51), and the inlet end of the water pump (53) is connected to the soup storage tank (52) by a soup suction pipe (531). The outlet end is equipped with a horizontal soup dispensing pipe (532). The end of the soup dispensing pipe (532) is fixed with a vertical pipe (54). The infrared proximity sensor B (55) is fixed on the outer wall of the induction soup dispensing device (5) below the vertical pipe (54).

7. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 6, characterized in that, The soup outlet pipe (532) and the vertical pipe (54) are connected by a tee and a vertical connecting pipe (57) is fixed thereon. The connecting pipe (57) and the vertical pipe (54) are coaxial. A cylinder (58) is fixed at the top of the connecting pipe (57). A plunger (581) is fixed at the bottom output end of the cylinder (58). The plunger (581) is slidably connected to the inner wall of the connecting pipe (57).

8. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 6, characterized in that, The bottom of the soup storage tank (52) is connected to a soup discharge pipe (59), and a solenoid valve is installed on the soup discharge pipe (59).

9. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the rectangular groove (21) is connected to a drain pipe (27), and a solenoid valve is installed on the drain pipe (27).

10. The automated noodle processing, cooking, and soup-adding integrated production line according to claim 2, characterized in that, A temperature sensor (28) and a liquid level sensor (29) are installed on the rectangular groove (21).

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