Rice flour curing and stirring tank with self-cleaning function

Abstract

The invention discloses a rice flour curing and stirring tank with a self-cleaning function, and belongs to the technical field of food processing equipment. The equipment comprises a tank body and power, transmission, stirring and cleaning assemblies in the tank body. The transmission assembly is provided with a sun gear, a gear ring, a planetary gear and an outer gear ring and comprises a one-way clutch. When the motor rotates forwards, the stirring shaft and the blades are driven to carry out curing stirring; and during reverse rotation, the transmission path is automatically switched, the outer gear ring is driven to rotate forwards, and the cleaning assembly works. The cleaning assembly comprises an outer wall scraper and an expandable paddle scraper which are used for scraping residues on the tank wall and the paddle respectively. Automatic switching between curing and self-cleaning is achieved through forward and reverse rotation of a single motor, the structure is compact, control is easy and convenient, the cleaning problem is effectively solved, and the production efficiency and food safety are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of food processing equipment technology, specifically relating to a rice flour cooking and mixing tank with a self-cleaning function. Background Technology

[0002] In the industrial production of rice products such as rice noodles and rice vermicelli, the maturation and shaping of rice paste is one of the key processes. Currently, this process is usually carried out in a jacketed heating mixing tank. The rotation of the stirring blades ensures that the rice paste is heated evenly, completing the gelatinization and maturation process.

[0003] However, existing rice slurry mixing tanks present significant cleaning challenges. The cooked rice slurry becomes extremely viscous, readily adhering to, remaining on, and solidifying on the tank's inner walls, mixing shaft, and impeller. Traditional cleaning methods primarily rely on manual entry into the tank for scraping and scrubbing, or prolonged rinsing with high-pressure water guns. Manual cleaning is labor-intensive, inefficient, and poses safety hazards, with many blind spots; while high-pressure water rinsing consumes large amounts of water and has limited effectiveness in removing dried slurry clumps, potentially impacting equipment heat transfer efficiency and product hygiene and safety in the long run.

[0004] While some mixing equipment with wall-scraping functions exists on the market, their structures are typically complex, and the cleaning and cooking functions are independent, requiring additional drive or control systems, which increases equipment costs and failure rates. Therefore, developing a rice noodle cooking device that integrates efficient cooking and automated cleaning functions, with a clever structure and reliable operation, is of great significance for improving the industry's production automation level, ensuring food safety, and reducing energy consumption and labor costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with a self-cleaning function to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function, comprising a tank body, wherein the tank body is provided with a power component, a transmission component, a mixing component, and a cleaning component, wherein: the power component is specifically composed of a motor; the transmission component is specifically composed of a drive gear, a driven gear, a central gear, a gear ring, a planetary gear, and an external gear ring; the mixing component is specifically composed of a mixing shaft and mixing blades; the cleaning component is specifically composed of a drive rod, a positioning ring, an outer wall scraper, a positioning block, a slide groove, a cleaning rotating shaft, a support rotating shaft, a blade scraper, and a support rod.

[0007] Preferably, a drive chamber is fixedly connected to the top of the tank, the motor is fixedly connected inside the drive chamber, and the motor is driven by a drive gear.

[0008] Preferably, the driving gear and the driven gear mesh with each other, a central gear is fixedly connected to the bottom of the driven gear, the central gear is rotatably connected to the tank body, the central gear is sleeved in a gear ring, the gear ring is provided with multiple fixed shafts, each fixed shaft is rotatably connected to a limit buckle, a torsion spring is provided between the limit buckle and the fixed shaft, the limit buckle meshes with the central gear, the gear ring meshes with three planetary gears, each planetary gear is positioned by a positioning shaft, the positioning shaft is fixedly connected to the tank body, and the positioning shaft meshes with an external gear ring.

[0009] Preferably, a stirring shaft is fixedly connected to the bottom of the central gear, a cavity is provided inside the tank, the stirring shaft is rotatably connected to the cavity, and multiple layers of blade groups are fixedly connected to the stirring shaft, each layer of blade group consisting of several stirring blades.

[0010] Preferably, multiple drive rods are fixedly connected to the bottom of the outer toothed ring, and multiple positioning rings are rotatably connected inside the cavity. The positioning rings correspond horizontally to each layer of blade assembly. Each positioning ring has multiple sliding grooves, and each sliding groove corresponds to a drive rod. The drive rod is slidably connected inside the sliding groove. Multiple horizontal positioning devices are fixedly connected to the drive rods. The horizontal positioning devices correspond to the positioning rings. Each horizontal positioning device consists of two positioning blocks, which are respectively located at the upper and lower ends of the positioning ring. Multiple cleaning rotating shafts are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the positioning ring. Each cleaning rotating shaft corresponds to a drive rod. A blade scraper is rotatably connected to the cleaning rotating shaft. A support rotating shaft is provided in the middle of the blade scraper. The support rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the drive rod through a support rod, specifically for guiding the trajectory of the blade scraper. The blade scraper is specifically divided into upper and lower layers and corresponds to the stirring blades. An outer wall scraper is fixedly connected to the positioning ring and contacts the inner wall of the tank.

[0011] Preferably, the inner wall of the tank is provided with multiple heating layers, and the heating layers are alternately arranged with positioning rings. Specifically, the heating layer is a coil built into the tank.

[0012] Preferably, the bottom of the cavity is provided with an inlet and outlet, the inlet and outlet are provided with a discharge valve, and a fixing ring is fixedly connected to the outside of the tank, the fixing ring being sleeved on the outer wall of the tank.

[0013] Preferably, the tank is equipped with a temperature sensor, and the drive compartment is equipped with a control unit electrically connected to the motor and the heating layer, for automatically controlling the curing process according to the temperature.

[0014] Preferably, the outer wall scraper and the paddle scraper are made of food-grade flexible material, wherein the paddle scraper is curved and fits into the positioning ring.

[0015] The technical effects and advantages of this invention are as follows: This invention achieves integrated and automated maturation and self-cleaning functions: Through a clever gear transmission assembly—a central gear, gear ring, planetary gears, and an external gear ring—the forward and reverse rotation of the stirring motor directly maps to different operating modes. In forward rotation, only the stirring shaft drives the impellers to perform the maturation function; in reverse rotation, the outer wall scraper system and the impeller scraper system are automatically triggered and driven to operate simultaneously, switching to cleaning mode. No additional independent cleaning drive device is required, resulting in a compact structure and simple, reliable control logic.

[0016] It solves the problem of cleaning dead corners, and the cleaning effect is thorough and efficient: For the inner wall of the tank: by reversing the drive of the outer toothed ring, the drive rod fixed at the bottom of the ring drives the outer wall scraper to rotate in the opposite direction to the stirring direction during the cooking process, which is conducive to scraping and can closely adhere to and thoroughly scrape off the rice paste residue attached to the inner wall; For the stirring blades: through the same transmission system, the slurry scraper is controlled to unfold along the positioning ring on the inner wall, which is specifically designed to clean the complex surface of the stirring blades, solving the pain point of incomplete cleaning of blades in traditional cleaning.

[0017] Significantly improves production efficiency and equipment utilization: Transforms arduous and time-consuming manual cleaning into rapid automated operation. Cleaning time is predictable and significantly shortened, and equipment can be quickly put into the next production cycle, significantly improving the overall capacity and utilization rate of the equipment.

[0018] Effectively guarantees food safety and product quality: Automated mechanical cleaning is more standardized and thorough than manual cleaning, effectively eliminating the risks of microbial growth, cross-contamination, and foreign matter caused by inadequate cleaning. Simultaneously, maintaining the cleanliness of the heating layer surface ensures stable heat transfer efficiency, guarantees the stability of the cooking process, and thus guarantees the uniformity of product quality.

[0019] Reduced overall operating costs: It saves a significant amount of labor cleaning costs and corresponding labor protection costs; it reduces the huge water consumption caused by high-pressure water washing; and it reduces the risk of equipment performance decline and product scrapping due to incomplete cleaning, resulting in outstanding economic and environmental benefits. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the maturation mixing tank of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship of the transmission components of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the blade scraper in its stored state according to the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the blade scraper of the present invention in its unfolded state; Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 2 Enlarged view of part A in the middle; Figure 6 For the present invention Figure 3 Enlarged view of part B in the middle section.

[0021] In the diagram: 101, tank body; 102, fixing ring; 103, drive chamber; 104, motor; 105, drive gear; 106, driven gear; 107, stirring shaft; 108, central gear; 109, positioning shaft; 110, gear ring; 201, planetary gear; 202, external gear ring; 203, stirring blade; 204, inlet / outlet; 205, discharge valve; 206, drive rod; 207, positioning ring; 208, fixing shaft; 209, limit buckle; 301, outer wall scraper; 302, positioning block; 303, chute; 304, cleaning shaft; 305, support shaft; 306, blade scraper; 307, support rod; 308, heating layer. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of this invention will now be described in detail with reference to the claims and technical solutions. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention. Example

[0023] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with a self-cleaning function. Its core lies in intelligently switching between "cooking and mixing" and "self-cleaning" working modes via the forward and reverse rotation of a single motor 104. The structure and working principle of this embodiment are described in detail below.

[0024] I. Overall Structure and Components of Each System The main body of the mixing tank is the tank body 101. The interior of the tank body 101 mainly integrates the power component, transmission component, mixing component, cleaning component and heating layer 308 from top to bottom.

[0025] Tank body and drive chamber: A drive chamber 103 is fixedly connected to the top of the tank body 101. A cavity for containing materials is formed inside the tank body 101, and an inlet / outlet 204 and a discharge valve 205 are provided at the bottom. The outer wall of the tank body 101 can be reinforced or fixed by a retaining ring 102.

[0026] Powertrain and Transmission System: Power input: The motor 104 is fixed inside the drive housing 103, and its output shaft drives the drive gear 105.

[0027] First-stage reduction and central shaft drive: The drive gear 105 meshes with the driven gear 106 to achieve first-stage reduction. The bottom of the driven gear 106 is coaxially fixedly connected to the central gear 108, thereby driving the central gear 108 to rotate.

[0028] Planetary gear system and motion distribution: The central gear 108 is embedded inside the gear ring 110. Multiple limiting latches 209 are mounted on the inner circumference of the gear ring 110 via multiple fixed shafts 208. A torsion spring is provided between the latches and the central gear 108, forming a one-way clutch structure. This structure allows the central gear 108 to drive the gear ring 110 to rotate synchronously in the forward direction; however, when the central gear 108 rotates in the reverse direction, the latches 209 slip, and the gear ring 110 does not rotate with it.

[0029] The outer side of the gear ring 110 meshes with three evenly distributed planetary gears 201, which are positioned on the tank body 101 via the positioning shaft 109. The planetary gears 201 also mesh with the external gear ring 202.

[0030] Stirring system: The bottom of the central gear 108 is coaxially fixedly connected to the stirring shaft 107, which extends into the cavity of the tank 101, and multiple layers of stirring blades 203 are fixedly installed on it.

[0031] Self-cleaning system: Scraper drive frame: Multiple vertical drive rods 206 are fixedly connected to the bottom of the external toothed ring 202.

[0032] Positioning and Deployment Mechanism: Multiple layers of positioning rings 207 corresponding to the stirring blade assembly are horizontally arranged within the cavity. Each layer of positioning rings 207 has multiple circumferentially oriented grooves 303, through which the drive rod 206 slides. The drive rod 206 is equipped with a horizontal positioning device consisting of two positioning blocks 302, which clamps the positioning rings 207 in the middle, allowing the positioning rings 207 to rotate horizontally relative to the drive rod 206, but locking them vertically.

[0033] Scraper actuator: Outer wall scraper 301: It is fixedly connected to the outer edge of the positioning ring 207, and its cutting edge is in close contact with the inner wall of the tank 101.

[0034] Paddle scraper 306: Multiple cleaning shafts 304 are fixed to the inner wall of each positioning ring 207, and a curved paddle scraper 306 is rotatably connected to each cleaning shaft 304. The middle part of the paddle scraper 306 is hinged to the corresponding drive rod 206 through a support rod 307. The support rod 307, the paddle scraper 306 and the drive rod 206 constitute a planar linkage mechanism. When the central gear 108 reverses, the drive rod 206 drives the paddle scraper 306 to unfold.

[0035] Heating system: The inner wall of the tank 101 is provided with multiple layers of built-in coils as heating layers 308. The heating layers 308 and the positioning ring 207 are arranged alternately in the vertical direction to ensure uniform heating. The heating layers 308 are connected to an external heat source.

[0036] Control system: The drive chamber 103 is equipped with a control unit, which is electrically connected to the motor 104, the heating layer 308 and the temperature sensor installed in the cavity, and is used to automatically control the curing temperature and time according to the preset process.

[0037] II. Detailed Working Principle Mode 1: Curing mode: Motor rotates forward When the device is started, the control unit commands motor 104 to rotate in the forward direction.

[0038] Power is transmitted to the central gear 108 via the drive gear 105 and the driven gear 106, causing it to rotate in the forward direction.

[0039] When the center gear 108 rotates forward, it drives the gear ring 110 to rotate synchronously forward through the one-way clutch.

[0040] At this time, because the planetary gear system is driven to revolve as a whole by the gear ring 110, the external gear ring 202 is in a "locked" state and remains stationary. Therefore, the drive rod 206 fixed to the external gear ring 202 and the entire cleaning system: positioning ring 207, outer wall scraper 301, and paddle scraper 306, do not move.

[0041] At the same time, the central gear 108 directly drives the stirring shaft 107 and all the stirring blades 203 to rotate in the forward direction, stirring the rice slurry in the tank.

[0042] The heating layer 308 operates synchronously to evenly heat and cook the rice paste. Temperature sensor feedback signals enable the control unit to achieve precise temperature control.

[0043] After maturation is complete, open the bottom discharge valve 205 and the rice slurry will be discharged through the inlet / outlet 204.

[0044] Mode 2: Self-cleaning mode: Motor reverses After the material is cured and discharged, close the discharge valve 205 and inject cleaning water or cleaning solution into the tank through the inlet / outlet 204.

[0045] The control unit commands motor 104 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0046] The power is transmitted in the reverse direction to the central gear 108, causing it to reverse. At this time, the one-way clutch disengages, and the gear ring 110 no longer rotates with the central gear 108, but remains stationary.

[0047] Since the gear ring 110 is stationary, the constraints on the planetary gear system that were "locked" during forward rotation are released. The rotating central gear 108 drives the three planetary gears 201 to "rotate" on the stationary gear ring 110, thereby driving the external gear ring 202 to rotate in the opposite direction to the central gear 108, i.e., forward rotation.

[0048] The external gear ring 202 rotates clockwise, causing all the drive rods 206 at its bottom to rotate clockwise around the central axis of the tank.

[0049] The cleaning process occurs simultaneously: Cleaning the inner wall: The drive rod 206 drives the positioning rings 207 of each layer to rotate forward, and the outer wall scraper 301 fixed on the outer edge of the positioning ring 207 rotates forward accordingly to scrape off the residual rice paste adhering to the inner wall of the tank 101.

[0050] Cleaning the impeller: As the drive rod 206 rotates clockwise, due to its relative rotational tendency with the positioning ring 207 and the linkage action of the support rod 307, the impeller scraper 306 is driven to extend outward around the cleaning axis 304, so that its curved cutting edge fits against the surface of the stirring impeller 203 for scraping and cleaning. When the drive rod 206 rotates a certain angle relative to the positioning ring 207, the impeller scraper 306 extends to its maximum working position.

[0051] Throughout the cleaning process, the stirring shaft 107 and the blades 203 are slowly reversed by the motor 104, which allows the stationary blade scraper 306 to thoroughly scrape all surfaces of the blades, improving the cleaning effect.

[0052] After cleaning, the wastewater is discharged through the inlet / outlet 204 and discharge valve 205 at the bottom, completing the entire self-cleaning process.

[0053] III. Summary of Beneficial Effects This embodiment cleverly combines a planetary gear system with a one-way clutch to directly map the forward and reverse rotation of the motor into distinct mechanical actions, achieving "one-click switching." Without requiring an additional drive source, it perfectly integrates two major functions: efficient curing and comprehensive self-cleaning. This solves the industry pain points of traditional equipment, such as difficult cleaning and numerous blind spots, and offers significant advantages including high automation, thorough cleaning, energy saving, and food safety assurance.

[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function, comprising a tank body (101), characterized in that: The tank (101) is equipped with a power assembly, a transmission assembly, a stirring assembly, and a cleaning assembly, wherein: The power assembly specifically consists of a motor (104); The transmission assembly specifically consists of a drive gear (105), a driven gear (106), a center gear (108), a gear ring (110), a planetary gear (201), and an external gear ring (202); The stirring assembly specifically consists of a stirring shaft (107) and stirring blades (203); The cleaning assembly specifically consists of a drive rod (206), a positioning ring (207), an outer wall scraper (301), a positioning block (302), a slide (303), a cleaning shaft (304), a support shaft (305), a paddle scraper (306), and a support rod (307).

2. The rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the tank (101) is fixedly connected to a drive chamber (103), and the motor (104) is fixedly connected inside the drive chamber (103). The motor (104) drives the drive gear (105).

3. The rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The drive gear (105) meshes with the driven gear (106). The driven gear (106) is fixedly connected to a central gear (108) at its bottom. The central gear (108) is rotatably connected inside the tank (101). The central gear (108) is sleeved inside the gear ring (110). The gear ring (110) is provided with multiple fixed shafts (208). Each fixed shaft (208) is rotatably connected to a limit buckle (209). A torsion spring is provided between the limit buckle (209) and the fixed shaft (208). The limit buckle (209) meshes with the central gear (108). The gear ring (110) meshes with three planetary gears (201) on its outside. Each planetary gear (201) is positioned by a positioning shaft (109). The positioning shaft (109) is fixedly connected to the tank (101). The positioning shaft (109) meshes with an external gear ring (202) on its outside.

4. The rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottom of the central gear (108) is fixedly connected to a stirring shaft (107). The tank (101) has a cavity. The stirring shaft (107) is rotatably connected to the cavity. Multiple layers of blade groups are fixedly connected to the stirring shaft (107). Each layer of blade group consists of several stirring blades (203).

5. A rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the external toothed ring (202) is fixedly connected to multiple drive rods (206), and multiple positioning rings (207) are rotatably connected inside the cavity. The positioning rings (207) are horizontally corresponding to each blade assembly. Each positioning ring (207) is provided with multiple sliding grooves (303), and each sliding groove (303) corresponds to a drive rod (206). The drive rod (206) is slidably connected in the sliding groove (303). Multiple horizontal positioning devices are fixedly connected to the drive rod (206). The horizontal positioning devices correspond to the positioning rings (207). Each horizontal positioning device consists of two positioning blocks (302). The positioning blocks (302) are respectively located at the upper and lower ends of the positioning ring (207). 207) Multiple cleaning shafts (304) are fixedly connected to the inner wall. Each cleaning shaft (304) corresponds to a drive rod (206). A blade scraper (306) is rotatably connected to the cleaning shaft (304). A support shaft (305) is provided in the middle of the blade scraper (306). The support shaft (305) is rotatably connected to the drive rod (206) through a support rod (307). Specifically, it is used to guide the trajectory of the blade scraper (306). The blade scraper (306) is divided into upper and lower layers and corresponds to the stirring blade (203). An outer wall scraper (301) is fixedly connected to the positioning ring (207). The outer wall scraper (301) is in contact with the inner wall of the tank (101).

6. A rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the tank (101) is provided with multiple heating layers (308), and the heating layers (308) and the positioning ring (207) are alternately arranged. The heating layer (308) is specifically a coil built into the tank (101).

7. A rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bottom of the cavity is provided with an inlet / outlet (204), and the inlet / outlet (204) is provided with a discharge valve (205). A fixing ring (102) is fixedly connected to the outside of the tank (101), and the fixing ring (102) is sleeved on the outer wall of the tank (101).

8. A rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 7, characterized in that: The tank (101) is equipped with a temperature sensor, and the drive chamber (103) is equipped with a control unit that is electrically connected to the motor (104) and the heating layer (308) for automatically controlling the curing process according to the temperature.

9. A rice noodle cooking and mixing tank with self-cleaning function according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer wall scraper (301) and the paddle scraper (306) are made of food-grade flexible material. The paddle scraper (306) is curved and fits into the positioning ring (207).

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