Multifunctional sterilization mechanism and pet soft food extrusion equipment comprising same

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of pet food processing, in particular to a multifunctional sterilization mechanism and pet soft food extrusion equipment comprising the same. The at least one main conveying part group is mounted on the rack part group and used for conveying the soft grain strips extruded from the extrusion head part, and each main conveying part group comprises a light-permeable quartz pipe fitting and an internal ultraviolet lamp which is arranged in the quartz pipe fitting and is fixed in position; the inner ultraviolet lamp is used for emitting ultraviolet rays upwards and penetrating through the quartz pipe fitting to irradiate and sterilize the bottom surface of the soft grain strip. Through cooperation of the ultraviolet lamps and the high-light-transmittance quartz pipe fittings which are oppositely arranged up and down, circumferential dead-corner-free uniform sterilization of the soft grain strips is achieved, lasting and stable sterilization strength is ensured through an integrated self-cleaning system, and due to the unique roller shaft gap design, breakage and deformation of materials are prevented, and timely emission of harmful gas is promoted.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of pet food processing, in particular to a multifunctional sterilization mechanism and pet soft food extrusion equipment containing the mechanism. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the fine development of the pet food market, pet soft food is increasingly favored by consumers due to its high water content, good palatability, and easy digestion. In the production process of pet soft food, extrusion molding is one of the core links. Since the moisture content of soft food is usually between 20%-35%, which is much higher than that of traditional dry food, it is extremely easy to be secondarily contaminated by environmental microorganisms during the cooling and conveying process after extrusion, thereby causing product mold and shortening the shelf life.

[0003] Currently, the existing pet soft food extrusion equipment mainly has the following technical defects in sterilization treatment: Firstly, the existing sterilization methods mainly use external heating or arrange ultraviolet lamps above the conveying belt for irradiation. However, the soft food strips are usually in a flat and adhered state on the conveying belt, and the traditional rubber or fabric conveying belt does not have light transmittance, so that the ultraviolet rays cannot irradiate the bottom surface of the soft food strips, forming a significant sterilization blind area, which easily causes the bottom bacteria to exceed the standard.

[0004] Secondly, the soft food strips have strong adhesion due to the high oil and moisture content. During the conveying process, material residues are easily adhered to the surface of the conveying mechanism. If a transparent support material is used, the adhered material will quickly cover the surface, greatly attenuating the penetration intensity of the ultraviolet rays, resulting in a rapid decrease in sterilization effect with the increase of production time. The existing cleaning device often interferes with the spatial layout of the sterilization light source, making it difficult to realize the synchronization of conveying, sterilization, and self-cleaning.

[0005] Furthermore, the soft food strips have high heat and humidity at the moment of extrusion, and the ozone generated by ultraviolet irradiation of air also easily accumulates at the adhesion place of the material and the conveying belt. If these humid and hot gases and high-concentration ozone cannot be timely removed, it will not only affect the cooling and setting of the material, but also may have a negative impact on the flavor and nutritional components of the soft food. SUMMARY

[0006] In order to overcome the above technical problems, the purpose of the present application is to provide a multifunctional sterilization mechanism and pet soft food extrusion equipment containing the mechanism to solve the problems raised in the above background.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical solutions: A multifunctional sterilization mechanism includes an extrusion head for extruding soft grain strips, further comprising: a frame assembly; at least one main conveying assembly mounted on the frame assembly for conveying the soft grain strips extruded from the extrusion head, the main conveying assembly including a light-transmitting quartz tube and an internal ultraviolet lamp disposed inside the quartz tube and fixed in position, the internal ultraviolet lamp emitting ultraviolet light upwards and penetrating the quartz tube to irradiate and sterilize the bottom surface of the soft grain strip; at least one upper ultraviolet lamp disposed above the main conveying assembly and mounted on the frame assembly for irradiating and sterilizing the top and sides of the soft grain strip; and at least one cleaning brush movably disposed below the main conveying assembly for cleaning the outer wall of the quartz tube.

[0008] Preferably, the main conveying component assembly further includes a main synchronizing gear, a middle cylinder, and an end cylinder; one end of the middle cylinder is fixedly connected to the main synchronizing gear, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end cylinder; the quartz tube is detachably installed on the middle cylinder; the internal ultraviolet lamp is fixedly installed on the fixed frame body via a crossbar, the fixed frame body is fixedly connected to the frame component assembly, and the end cylinder is rotatably fitted onto the outside of the fixed frame body.

[0009] Preferably, the frame assembly includes a frame body, an outer shaft rotatably mounted on the frame body, and a main synchronous belt meshing between the outer shaft and the main synchronous gear; the outer shaft is driven by a drive motor to drive the main synchronous gear and the quartz tube, middle cylinder and end cylinder fixed thereto to rotate synchronously around the fixed frame body and the inner ultraviolet lamp via the main synchronous belt.

[0010] Preferably, it further includes at least one set of auxiliary conveying components, which is disposed between two adjacent sets of main conveying components; the auxiliary conveying component set includes a rotatable connecting roller shaft, which provides support as the soft grain strip passes through the gap between adjacent quartz tubes.

[0011] Preferably, the auxiliary conveying component assembly further includes a small synchronous gear, a lug, and an auxiliary synchronous belt assembly; the lug is fixedly connected to the fixed frame; the small synchronous gear is rotatably mounted on the lug via bearings and meshes with the main synchronous belt; the connecting roller shaft is drivenly connected to the small synchronous gear via the auxiliary synchronous belt assembly, so that the rotation direction of the connecting roller shaft is consistent with the rotation direction of the quartz tube.

[0012] Preferably, the cleaning brush is rotatably mounted on the frame, with its bristles contacting the lower half of the outer wall of the quartz tube; a liquid storage tank is provided below the cleaning brush.

[0013] Preferably, a mechanical gap exists between the connecting roller shaft and the adjacent quartz pipe, which is configured to cause the bottom of the soft food bar to locally and temporarily float during the conveying process, so as to facilitate the discharge of ozone and humid hot gas generated by ultraviolet irradiation from the bottom of the soft food bar.

[0014] Preferably, the quartz pipe is connected to the middle cylinder through a clamping groove structure.

[0015] Preferably, the upper ultraviolet lamp is installed above the rack component group by a support, and the upper ultraviolet lamp cooperates with the inner ultraviolet lamp to build a full-circumferential sterilization field for the soft food bar.

[0016] Preferably, the discharge port of the extrusion head is located above the starting end of the main conveying component group of the multifunctional sterilization mechanism.

[0017] Preferably, the reservoir contains a circulating filtering liquid for self-cleaning of the bristles of the cleaning brush.

[0018] A pet soft food extrusion device, comprising the multifunctional sterilization mechanism described above.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages: Through the up-down arrangement of the quartz pipe in the main conveying component group and the upper ultraviolet lamp, and in combination with the high light transmission physical property of the quartz pipe, the problem that the bottom of the material cannot be effectively sterilized by the traditional conveying belt is solved, and the soft food bar is uniformly sterilized in the circumferential direction during the conveying process. Through the cleaning brush arranged at the bottom of the quartz pipe, and in combination with the mechanical friction during the rotation of the main conveying component group, real-time self-cleaning during the conveying process is realized, and in combination with the circulating cleaning of the reservoir, the wall surface of the quartz pipe is ensured to always maintain high transparency, the phenomenon of ultraviolet shielding caused by the adhesion of soft food oil or residues is avoided, and the sterilization intensity is ensured to be persistent and stable. The design of the connecting roller shaft in the auxiliary conveying component group shortens the physical span of the soft food bar between the quartz pipes in the mechanical layer, effectively prevents the high-moisture soft food from being broken or deformed during the conveying process, and at the same time, the mechanical gap between the quartz pipe and the connecting roller shaft is utilized to realize the natural discharge of ozone and humid hot gas generated during the sterilization process, thereby avoiding the accumulation of harmful gas in the local material. The structure that the inner ultraviolet lamp is fixed and the quartz pipe is rotated outside skillfully physically isolates the core light-emitting element from the complex cleaning environment outside, which not only avoids the interference between the cleaning brush and the UV light source in the spatial layout, but also protects the inner ultraviolet lamp from being splashed by the material and eroded by the water, thereby significantly improving the service life of the core component of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall working state of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the main conveying component group and the auxiliary conveying component group of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the main conveying component group and the auxiliary conveying component group of the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of the main conveying component assembly and the auxiliary conveying component assembly of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 6 This is a partial structural diagram of the main conveying component assembly and the auxiliary conveying component assembly of the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 7 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the main conveying component group and the auxiliary conveying component group of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the quartz tube, connecting roller, and soft grain strip of the present invention.

[0021] In the diagram: 01, Extrusion head; 02, Main conveyor assembly; 21, Main synchronizing gear; 22, Middle cylinder; 23, Quartz tube; 24, End cylinder; 25, Fixed frame; 26, Horizontal frame; 27, Internal UV lamp; 03, Auxiliary conveyor assembly; 31, Small synchronizing gear; 32, Auxiliary synchronizing belt assembly; 33, Connecting roller; 34, Ear bracket; 04, Cleaning brush; 05, Frame assembly; 51, Frame body; 52, Outer shaft; 53, Main synchronizing belt; 06, Upper UV lamp; 100, Soft grain strip. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] One embodiment provided by the present invention: refer to Figures 1-2 A multifunctional sterilization mechanism includes an extrusion head 01 for extruding soft grain strips 100, and further includes: The main conveying component group 02, the auxiliary conveying component group 03, the cleaning brush 04, and the frame component group 05 are provided in multiple sets. The multiple sets of main conveying component group 02 and auxiliary conveying component group 03 are used to convey soft grain strips 100 and sterilize their bottom surfaces while conveying the soft grain strips 100.

[0024] The cleaning brush 04 is installed at the bottom of the main conveying component assembly 02 and is used to clean the main conveying component assembly 02.

[0025] The frame component group 05 is used to support the main conveying component group 02, the auxiliary conveying component group 03, and the cleaning brush 04.

[0026] The main conveying component group 02 and the auxiliary conveying component group 03 are equipped with upper ultraviolet lamps 06. The upper ultraviolet lamps 06 are used to irradiate and sterilize other exposed surfaces of the soft grain strips 100. The upper ultraviolet lamps 06 are mounted on the frame body 51 by brackets.

[0027] refer to Figure 5 As shown, the frame component assembly 05 includes a frame body 51, an outer shaft 52 is mounted on the frame body 51, a drive motor is mounted on the side of the outer shaft 52, the outer shaft 52 includes two end synchronous gears, the two end synchronous gears are rotatably connected to the frame body 51, one of the end synchronous gears is fixedly connected to the working end of the drive motor, the frame component assembly 05 also includes a main synchronous belt 53, the main synchronous belt 53 meshes with the two end synchronous gears.

[0028] refer to Figures 2-8 The main conveying component assembly 02 includes a main synchronizing gear 21, a middle cylinder 22 is fixedly connected inside the main synchronizing gear 21, a quartz tube 23 is installed at one end of the middle cylinder 22 through a slot, and an end cylinder 24 is fixedly connected to the other end of the middle cylinder 22. A fixed frame 25 is rotatably connected to the end cylinder 24, and a cross frame 26 is fixedly connected to the fixed frame 25. An internal ultraviolet lamp 27 is installed on the cross frame 26. The working surface of the internal ultraviolet lamp 27 faces upward and is used to irradiate the soft grain strips 100 passing through the quartz tube 23 through the quartz tube 23.

[0029] The quartz tube 23, the middle cylinder 22, the end cylinder 24 and the main synchronous gear 21 move together, while the inner ultraviolet lamp 27, the crossbeam 26 and the fixed frame 25 remain stationary.

[0030] The main synchronous gear 21 and the main synchronous belt 53 mesh. When the drive motor starts and drives the main synchronous belt 53 to move, the main synchronous gear 21 will be rotated through the main synchronous belt 53, which in turn will drive the quartz tube 23, the middle cylinder 22, the end cylinder 24 and the main synchronous gear 21 to rotate together around the axis.

[0031] The fixed frame 25 and the machine frame 51 are fixedly connected.

[0032] The auxiliary conveying component assembly 03 includes a small synchronous gear 31. A small shaft is fixedly connected inside the small synchronous gear 31. A lug 34 is rotatably connected to the small shaft. A second small shaft is rotatably connected to the lug 34. The first and second small shafts are connected by an auxiliary synchronous belt assembly 32. The auxiliary synchronous belt assembly 32 contains two auxiliary synchronous gears and an auxiliary synchronous belt. The auxiliary synchronous belt meshes with the two auxiliary synchronous gears, which are respectively connected to the first and second small shafts. The small synchronous gear 31 meshes with the main synchronous belt 53. When the main synchronous belt 53 moves, it also drives the small synchronous gear 31 to rotate. The rotation direction of the small synchronous gear 31 is the same as that of the main synchronous gear 21.

[0033] The movement of the main synchronous belt 53 drives the main conveying component group 02 and the auxiliary conveying component group 03 to work, so that the main conveying component group 02 and the auxiliary conveying component group 03 convey the soft grain strips 100.

[0034] The ear bracket 34 is fixedly connected to the frame body 25, and the connecting roller shaft 33 is located between two adjacent quartz tubes 23.

[0035] The cleaning brush 04 is a commonly used brush body in the prior art. During operation, it rotates to clean from below the quartz tube 23, thereby removing soft residue adhering to the quartz tube 23, preventing the accumulation of dirt, and ensuring sufficient light transmittance of the quartz tube 23. The cleaning brush 04 is rotatably connected inside the frame 51 and is driven by an external motor. The bottom of the cleaning brush 04 is equipped with a liquid storage tank, in which the water is circulated and has a filtration device, mainly used to clean the cleaning brush 04 to ensure its cleaning effect.

[0036] The auxiliary conveying component group 03 is mainly used in conjunction with the main conveying component group 02 to guide the soft grain strip 100, reduce the span between adjacent quartz tubes 23, and prevent the soft grain strip 100 from breaking during conveying. In addition, during the conveying process, the bottom of the soft grain strip 100 will be temporarily suspended in the air as it passes through multiple sets of quartz tubes 23 and connecting rollers 33, so that the ozone pollutants generated by irradiation can be discharged, and ozone can be prevented from accumulating at the bottom of the soft grain strip 100.

[0037] Working principle: Phase 1: After the equipment starts, the drive motor in frame assembly 05 drives the outer shaft 52 to rotate, thereby driving the main synchronous belt 53 to circulate within the frame body 51. The main synchronous belt 53, through toothed meshing, synchronously drives the main synchronous gears 21 in multiple main conveying assembly 02 and the small synchronous gears 31 in multiple auxiliary conveying assembly 03 to rotate in the same direction. In the main conveying assembly 02, the main synchronous gears 21 drive the middle cylinder 22, quartz tube 23, and end cylinder 24 to rotate together around their axis, forming a rolling conveying surface; simultaneously, the small synchronous gears 31 drive the small shaft and connecting roller 33 to rotate through the auxiliary synchronous belt assembly 32. The main and auxiliary conveying assemblies work together to smoothly convey the long strip of soft grain 100 extruded by the extruder head 01 to the next workstation.

[0038] The second stage: During the conveying process, the bottom surface of the soft grain strip 100 comes into direct contact with the rotating quartz tube 23. At this time, the internal ultraviolet lamp 27, fixed on the frame 25 and located inside the quartz tube 23, is turned on. The ultraviolet rays generated by the lamp penetrate the highly transparent quartz tube 23 and directly irradiate and sterilize the bottom contact surface of the soft grain strip 100. Simultaneously, the upper ultraviolet lamp 06 is turned on, covering all exposed surfaces of the soft grain strip 100 except for the bottom surface. Through the synergistic effect of the internal and external ultraviolet lamps, sterilization of the soft grain strip 100 is achieved throughout its entire circumference without dead angles during the dynamic conveying process.

[0039] In the third stage, when the soft grain strip 100 passes through the area between two adjacent quartz tubes 23, it is physically supported by the connecting roller 33 of the auxiliary conveying component group 03, which shortens the suspended span of the material and effectively prevents the high-moisture soft grain strip 100 from breaking or undergoing excessive stretching deformation under its own weight. Simultaneously, due to the mechanical gap between the connecting roller 33 and the quartz tube 23, the bottom of the soft grain strip 100 experiences a short-term localized floating during conveying. This structure, combined with the rolling of the quartz tube 23, promotes the rapid discharge of ozone and humid heat mist generated by ultraviolet irradiation from the gap, preventing harmful substances from accumulating at the bottom of the soft grain strip 100 and ensuring the stability of the product's flavor.

[0040] Phase Four: Below the conveyor belt, the cleaning brush 04 rotates continuously under the drive of an external motor, its brush body making frictional contact with the lower half of the rotating quartz tube 23. Adhesives (such as grease and debris) generated by the quartz tube 23 during material transport are removed in real time by the cleaning brush 04. The bristles of the cleaning brush 04 then enter the bottom liquid reservoir, where they undergo self-cleaning through circulating filtered water, ensuring the brush body remains clean at all times. This dynamic self-cleaning mechanism ensures the high transparency of the quartz tube 23's wall surface, guaranteeing that the disinfection intensity of the internal ultraviolet lamp 27 will not be reduced due to material adhesion.

[0041] Fifth stage: After completing comprehensive disinfection, the 100 soft grain strips, guided and driven by the main and auxiliary conveying components, enter the next spray coating and freshness-locking station in a sterile and clean state.

[0042] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A multifunctional sterilization mechanism, comprising an extrusion head for extruding soft grain strips, characterized in that, Also includes: Rack component assembly; At least one main conveying component assembly is mounted on the frame component assembly for conveying soft grain strips extruded from the extrusion head. The main conveying component assembly includes a light-transmitting quartz tube and an internal ultraviolet lamp disposed inside the quartz tube and fixed in position. The internal ultraviolet lamp is used to emit ultraviolet light upward and penetrate the quartz tube to irradiate and sterilize the bottom surface of the soft grain strip. At least one ultraviolet lamp is positioned above the main conveying component assembly and mounted on the frame component assembly for irradiating and sterilizing the top and sides of the soft grain strips. And at least one cleaning brush, which is movably disposed below the main conveying component assembly, for cleaning the outer wall of the quartz tube.

2. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main conveying component assembly also includes a main synchronizing gear, a middle cylinder, and an end cylinder; one end of the middle cylinder is fixedly connected to the main synchronizing gear, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end cylinder; the quartz tube is detachably installed on the middle cylinder; the internal ultraviolet lamp is fixedly installed on the fixed frame body through a crossbar, the fixed frame body is fixedly connected to the frame component assembly, and the end cylinder is rotatably fitted onto the outside of the fixed frame body.

3. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The frame assembly includes a frame body, an outer shaft rotatably mounted on the frame body, and a main synchronous belt meshing between the outer shaft and the main synchronous gear; the outer shaft is driven by a drive motor to drive the main synchronous gear and the quartz tube, middle cylinder and end cylinder fixed thereto to rotate synchronously around the fixed frame body and the inner ultraviolet lamp via the main synchronous belt.

4. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes at least one set of auxiliary conveying components, which is disposed between two adjacent sets of main conveying components; the auxiliary conveying component set includes a rotatable connecting roller shaft, which provides support as the soft grain strip passes through the gap between adjacent quartz tubes.

5. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The auxiliary conveying component assembly also includes a small synchronous gear, a lug, and an auxiliary synchronous belt assembly; the lug is fixedly connected to the fixed frame; the small synchronous gear is rotatably mounted on the lug via bearings and meshes with the main synchronous belt; the connecting roller shaft is drivenly connected to the small synchronous gear via the auxiliary synchronous belt assembly, so that the rotation direction of the connecting roller shaft is consistent with the rotation direction of the quartz tube.

6. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning brush is rotatably mounted on the frame, with its bristles in contact with the lower half of the outer wall of the quartz tube; a liquid storage tank is provided below the cleaning brush.

7. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: There is a mechanical gap between the connecting roller shaft and the adjacent quartz tube. This gap is configured to cause the bottom of the soft grain strip to be partially and momentarily suspended during the conveying process, so as to promote the discharge of ozone and hot and humid gases generated by ultraviolet irradiation from the bottom of the soft grain strip.

8. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The quartz tube is connected to the middle cylinder via a slot structure.

9. The multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper ultraviolet lamp is mounted on top of the frame component assembly via a bracket. The upper ultraviolet lamp works in conjunction with the inner ultraviolet lamp to create a circumferential disinfection field for the soft grain strip.

10. A multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge port of the extrusion head is located above the starting end of the main conveying component assembly of the multifunctional sterilization mechanism.

11. A multifunctional sterilization mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The reservoir contains circulating filtered liquid for self-cleaning the bristles of the cleaning brush.

12. A pet food extrusion device, characterized in that, Includes the multifunctional sterilization mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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