Bionic flexible shimmy type cold-chain fluidized freezing bed excitation device
By using a biomimetic flexible pendulum arm to create continuous periodic disturbances to the chain conveyor belt, the problem of uneven freezing of pre-cooked dishes is solved, and the continuous tumbling and unpacking of ingredients is achieved, improving the uniformity and shaping effect of fluid freezing.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing fluidized bed freezing technology has problems such as uneven freezing or distorted shape when used for pre-cooked food products that are prone to agglomeration, oily texture, or high adhesion. Furthermore, rigid disturbance devices can easily cause violent material agitation and damage to the frozen shape.
A biomimetic flexible swing arm is used to create continuous periodic disturbances to the chain mesh belt. The flexible multi-segment snake bone structure of the biomimetic flexible swing arm drives the chain mesh belt to form rhythmic tumbling and turning, so as to realize the continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed.
It significantly improves the uniformity of fluid freezing and airflow contact efficiency of pre-cooked dishes, avoids clumping and shape damage in the early stage of freezing, improves yield and product appearance consistency, and adapts to the personalized freezing control of different ingredients.
Smart Images
Figure CN121849690A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized freezing bed excitation device, which is used for fluidized quick freezing of pre-prepared vegetables in the cold chain. It belongs to the field of pre-prepared vegetable cold chain logistics technology, and specifically relates to a bed excitation device that uses a biomimetic flexible swing arm to create continuous periodic disturbance to a chain mesh belt, causing the chain mesh belt to form rhythmic undulations and tumbling, thereby realizing continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed surface and improving the uniformity of fluidized freezing. Background Technology
[0002] Pre-prepared food products generally have high water content, loose structure, and are prone to oxidation and spoilage. If they are not subjected to timely low-temperature treatment during cold chain transportation, microorganisms will quickly proliferate, nutrients will be lost, or the taste will deteriorate, seriously affecting the quality of the finished product. Therefore, rapid low-temperature freezing (i.e., quick-freezing) of pre-prepared food products during cold chain transportation is a core technical means to ensure their storage and transportation stability, extend shelf life, and restore taste. Currently, for pre-prepared food products with irregular shapes such as granules, cubes, and coated products, the industry generally adopts fluidized bed quick-freezing technology. This technology involves placing the food on a perforated bed surface and using a low-temperature, high-speed airflow introduced from the bottom or side to suspend or... Tumbling achieves rapid and uniform cooling within a unit of time. However, traditional fluidized beds mainly rely on vertical upward or oblique airflow to drive the material to tumble, lacking an active disturbance mechanism on the bed surface. For pre-cooked dishes that are prone to clumping, oily, or highly adhesive (such as battered chicken nuggets and spicy beef cubes), there is often a problem of them sticking together in the early stage of freezing, resulting in uneven freezing or distortion of the shape. Although some fluidized beds that use sieving and vibrating devices or rigid beating devices introduce bed surface disturbance, due to their high structural rigidity and fixed frequency, they are prone to violent tumbling of materials, damage to the frozen shape, or failure to effectively break up clumps due to mismatched disturbance amplitudes, which reduces the adaptability of the equipment and the freezing quality. Summary of the Invention
[0003] To improve the above situation, the present invention provides a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized freezing bed excitation device. This device provides a bed excitation device that uses a biomimetic flexible swing arm to create continuous periodic disturbances to the chain mesh belt, causing the chain mesh belt to form rhythmic undulations and tumbling, thereby realizing continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed surface and improving the uniformity of fluidized freezing.
[0004] The present invention discloses a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device, which is implemented as follows: The present invention discloses a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device, which includes a mesh belt support, a drive assembly, a support assembly, a power assembly, a chain mesh belt, and a biomimetic flexible swing arm. The feature is that the mesh belt support is placed on the support assembly, the drive assembly is rotatably placed on the support assembly, the power assembly is placed on the support assembly, the chain mesh belt is flexibly placed inside the mesh belt support, the biomimetic flexible swing arm is attached to the chain mesh belt, the biomimetic flexible swing arm is connected to the drive assembly, the biomimetic flexible swing arm has a flexible multi-segment structure, the power assembly drives the drive assembly to rotate, the drive assembly drives the biomimetic flexible swing arm to continuously undulate up and down in a wave-like manner, the biomimetic flexible swing arm forms a continuous periodic disturbance to the chain mesh belt, so that the chain mesh belt forms a rhythmic undulating tumbling, thereby realizing the continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed surface, and improving the uniformity of fluid freezing. Beneficial effects
[0005] 1. Through the combined action of the drive assembly and the power assembly, the biomimetic flexible swing arm is driven to generate a snake-like wave swing, which causes the chain mesh belt bed surface to form a rhythmic undulation and tumbling, causing the food particles on the bed surface to continuously roll, thereby effectively breaking up the food clumps or accumulations in the early stage of freezing, and significantly improving the fluidization uniformity of materials and airflow contact efficiency during the quick-freezing process.
[0006] 2. The biomimetic flexible swing arm adopts a snake-bone biomimetic structure composed of multiple segmental units connected by continuous hinges. Each segment can swing freely within a limited angle range, and has a wave propulsion ability similar to a snake. It can generate a smooth and natural waveform transmission path under driving disturbance, avoiding the impact damage or frozen surface damage caused by rigid excitation. Without affecting the molding effect, it can break up easily sticky ingredients such as coated and oily foods, improve the yield and product appearance consistency.
[0007] Third, the phase difference motion generated by the staggered arrangement of multiple eccentric wheels causes the disturbance waveform to propagate in segments in space, achieving the effect of "partitioned disturbance + whole-surface tumbling" on the frozen bed surface, reducing phenomena such as central agglomeration and insufficient freezing at the edges, and improving the overall consistency of quick-freezing.
[0008] Fourth, by controlling the stepper motor speed through a frequency converter driver, the excitation frequency can be adjusted, and the corresponding disturbance rhythm can be set for different types and particle sizes of pre-cooked food ingredients. Attached Figure Description
[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized freezing bed excitation device according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized freezing bed excitation device according to the present invention; Attached Figure
[0010] Among them are: Mesh belt support (1), drive assembly (2), support assembly (3), power assembly (4), chain mesh belt (5), biomimetic flexible swing arm (6). Detailed Implementation Example 1
[0011] The present invention provides a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device as follows: The present invention provides a biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device including a mesh belt support (1), a drive assembly (2), a support assembly (3), a power assembly (4), a chain mesh belt (5), and a biomimetic flexible swing arm (6). The features are as follows: the mesh belt support (1) is placed on the support assembly (3), the drive assembly (2) is rotatably placed on the support assembly (3), the power assembly (4) is placed on the support assembly (3), the chain mesh belt (5) is flexibly placed inside the mesh belt support (1), the bionic flexible swing arm (6) is in contact with the chain mesh belt (5), the bionic flexible swing arm (6) is connected to the drive assembly (2), the bionic flexible swing arm (6) is a flexible multi-segment structure, the power assembly (4) drives the drive assembly (2) to rotate, the drive assembly (2) drives the bionic flexible swing arm (6) to continuously undulate up and down in a wave shape, the bionic flexible swing arm (6) forms a continuous periodic disturbance to the chain mesh belt (5), so that the chain mesh belt (5) forms a rhythmic undulating tumbling, thereby realizing the continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed surface, and improving the uniformity of fluid freezing; The mesh belt support (1) is a rectangular frame structure, which is set on the support assembly (3) to support and accommodate the chain mesh belt (5). Preferably, the mesh belt support (1) is made of stainless steel resistant to low temperatures. Preferably, the edge of the mesh belt support (1) is provided with a baffle for blocking the food on the chain mesh belt (5). The baffle, together with the mesh belt support (1), surrounds the chain mesh belt (5). The baffle has flexible deformation force. The edge of the chain mesh belt (5) and the mesh belt support (1) are flexibly connected, preferably by a chain connection. The bracket assembly (3) is a fixed frame, and the bracket assembly (3) is provided with components that support the powertrain (4) and components that support the drive assembly (2). The powertrain (4) includes a stepper motor, a gearbox, a frequency converter driver, and a gear chain transmission mechanism. The powertrain (4) drives the drive assembly (2) to rotate through the output shaft in conjunction with the gear chain transmission mechanism. Preferably, the powertrain (4) is connected to the electronic control system, and vibration frequency control is achieved by adjusting the motor speed. The drive assembly (2) consists of an eccentric wheel, a rotating rocker arm, and a slider linkage mechanism. The eccentric wheel is placed on the rotating rocker arm, which drives the eccentric wheel to rotate. The slider linkage mechanism slides in contact with the edge of the eccentric wheel. The drive assembly (2) converts the rotational motion into periodic up-and-down motion and drives the biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) to swing in a serpentine wave pattern. The rotating rocker arm is rotatably mounted on the support assembly (3) at both ends via bearings. The rotating rocker arm is connected to the gear and chain transmission mechanism of the power assembly (4). Preferably, there are multiple eccentric wheels, which are arranged at equal intervals along the axis of the rotating rocker arm, and the eccentric positions of adjacent eccentric wheels are different. Preferably, the slider linkage mechanism and the eccentric wheel correspond one-to-one, and the slider and the eccentric wheel of the slider linkage mechanism are in sliding engagement contact at their edges. Preferably, the slider linkage mechanism is connected to the biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6). Furthermore, the slider linkage mechanism is elastically connected to the biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) via an elastic element. The biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) is a snake-bone biomimetic structure with high flexibility and wave transmission capability. The biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) is composed of multiple continuous hinged sections, mimicking the lateral propulsion waveform structure of snakes or eels when swimming, and is used to apply flexible disturbance to the chain mesh belt (5) in a low-temperature quick-freezing environment. The biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) is composed of multiple segmental units and a continuous hinge mechanism. Each segment of the multiple segmental units is a rigid small piece, and the rigid small piece is an elliptical or polygonal structure with avoidance edges. The adjacent segments of the multi-segment unit are connected by a continuous hinge mechanism. The continuous hinge mechanism is preferably a pin-and-limiting-hole joint connection mechanism, which allows for free swinging at a limited angle. Preferably, all segments of the multi-segment unit are arranged in a linear series and combined laterally to form a single pendulum arm. Preferably, the rigid piece is made of low-temperature impact-resistant polycarbonate (PC) or TPU-reinforced nylon composite material, which combines resistance to cold brittleness with flexible cushioning properties. Preferably, the biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) is connected to the output end of the drive assembly (2) via a universal joint or ball joint. Preferably, a flexible pad is provided on the side where the biomimetic flexible pendulum arm (6) and the chain mesh belt (5) are in contact. In use, the chain mesh belt (5) is flexibly laid inside the mesh belt support (1) to form a freezing bed surface for supporting the food to be frozen. The bionic flexible swing arm (6) is attached to the lower surface of the chain mesh belt (5). When the equipment is powered on and running, the following action process is performed: The stepper motor in the power assembly (4) operates at a set frequency under the drive of the electronic control system. The motor drives the rotating rocker arm to rotate in a circle through the gearbox and gear chain transmission mechanism. The eccentric wheel is set on the rotating rocker arm and generates eccentric motion as the rocker arm rotates. The edge of the eccentric wheel slides and cooperates with the slider in the corresponding slider linkage mechanism to form a periodic up and down reciprocating motion. Multiple eccentric wheels are equidistantly arranged along the axis of the rocker arm and the eccentric positions are staggered, so that multiple slider linkages form a phase difference disturbance in space, thereby driving multiple positions of the bionic flexible swing arm (6) to generate misaligned disturbance waves at the same time, generating longitudinal wave propagation. Since the bionic swing arm (6) adopts a snake bone bionic structure, the whole is composed of multiple segmented single The components are connected by a pin and a limiting hole joint, which has flexible transmission capability and forms a snake-like wave-like undulating motion, that is, it presents a continuous, delayed, and sequential transmission wave trajectory. As the bionic flexible swing arm (6) continuously moves up and down, the chain mesh belt (5) bed surface exhibits periodic rolling and undulating fluctuations, which drives the food on it to slightly turn over and slide short distances. The rolling disturbance has the effect of disintegrating, breaking up, and redistributing the food clumps in the early stage of freezing. It is especially suitable for glazed, oily, and high-humidity blocky food. Since the disturbance frequency can be adjusted by the electronic control system, it can be adapted to food with different particle sizes and different physical states to realize personalized freezing control strategies. It should be noted that the length of the chain conveyor belt (5) should be between 0.5 meters and 3 meters. If the length is too short, the de-clumping and anti-sticking effect will be reduced; if the length is too long, the food will accumulate on the conveyor belt. The mesh belt support (1) is provided with a baffle for blocking the food on the chain mesh belt (5). The baffle, together with the mesh belt support (1), surrounds the chain mesh belt (5). The baffle has a flexible deformation force design. Under the disturbance of the bionic flexible swing arm (6), the bed surface of the chain mesh belt (5) forms a continuous undulating tumbling. Especially in the high amplitude or the unstable particle stage in the early stage of freezing, the food is easy to slide or bounce to the edge of the bed surface with the tumbling of the mesh belt. The flexible baffle surrounds and constrains the mesh belt at the edge, effectively preventing the food from turning out of the mesh belt area and ensuring that it is always within the range of fluidized quick-freezing airflow and disturbance control, thereby ensuring the freezing uniformity and material recovery rate. At the same time, it avoids the conflict, jamming or crushing of the food caused by rigid limit, and improves the integrity rate of the food and the mechanical coordination of the equipment. The flexible connection between the edge of the chain mesh belt (5) and the mesh belt support (1) is preferably a chain connection design. By setting a flexible chain connection structure between the edge of the mesh belt and the mesh belt support, the mesh belt can have a certain degree of up-and-down floating and local micro-deformation capability under the premise of overall constraint, so as to better respond to the disturbance wave of the swing arm, realize the flexible fluctuation of the mesh belt bed surface, improve the disturbance efficiency and unpacking effect, and at the same time, the flexible chain connection can play a buffering and energy absorption role when the mesh belt vibrates and the tension changes, effectively disperse the mechanical impact load, reduce metal fatigue and structural wear, extend the service life of the chain mesh and the support, and improve the stability of the whole machine. The slider linkage mechanism is designed to be elastically connected to the bionic flexible swing arm (6) through the elastic element. During the operation of the drive assembly (2), the eccentric wheel and the slider linkage mechanism generate periodic up-and-down reciprocating motion. If the mechanical displacement is directly rigidly transmitted to the bionic flexible swing arm (6), it is easy to generate instantaneous impact force in the early stage of fluctuation or when the disturbance frequency changes abruptly, resulting in excessive load on the local joints of the swing arm, or even wear or breakage of the segmental hinge structure. By setting an elastic element between the output end of the slider linkage and the swing arm, an elastic buffer can be introduced in the power transmission path to effectively absorb and attenuate mechanical impact, ensuring the structural stability and service life of the swing arm. At the same time, the elastic element has a certain hysteresis and softness while transmitting displacement, so that the bionic flexible swing arm (6) presents a serpentine wave effect of segment-by-segment start-up and gradual propagation when receiving the drive signal, which can avoid the impact of violent fluctuations on the food, improve the naturalness and control accuracy of the disturbance, and enhance the flexible turning effect of the frozen bed surface. The bionic flexible swing arm (6) and the chain mesh belt (5) are fitted with a flexible pad. After the flexible pad is set on the mating surface, it can disperse the point pressure into surface pressure at the moment of contact, realize the gentle pushing of the food, protect its forming quality, and at the same time, the flexible pad provides a certain contact area and rebound force, so that the bionic swing arm and the chain mesh belt form a stable mating relationship. Even when the mesh belt fluctuates or vibrates locally, it can maintain good physical contact, thereby improving the disturbance transmission efficiency of the mesh belt bed surface. The goal is to achieve continuous periodic disturbance of the chain mesh belt by using a biomimetic flexible swing arm, so that the chain mesh belt forms rhythmic tumbling and turning, thereby realizing the continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed and improving the uniformity of fluid freezing.
[0012] It should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "placed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections such as folded edges, rivets, pins, adhesives, and welds; detachable connections such as threaded connections, snap-fit connections, and hinges; integral connections; electrical connections; direct connections; or indirect connections via an intermediate medium; or internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.
[0013] It should be further noted that the above embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention. Due to space limitations, the applicant has not adopted other embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention; that is, all equivalent modifications made in accordance with the present invention should be covered by the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A biomimetic flexible swing-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device, comprising a mesh belt support, a drive assembly, a support assembly, a power assembly, a chain mesh belt, and a biomimetic flexible swing arm, characterized in that: The mesh belt support is placed on the support assembly, the drive assembly is rotatably placed on the support assembly, the power assembly is placed on the support assembly, the chain mesh belt is flexibly placed inside the mesh belt support, the biomimetic flexible swing arm is attached to the chain mesh belt, the biomimetic flexible swing arm is connected to the drive assembly, the biomimetic flexible swing arm has a flexible multi-segment structure, the power assembly drives the drive assembly to rotate, the drive assembly drives the biomimetic flexible swing arm to continuously undulate up and down in a wave-like manner, the biomimetic flexible swing arm forms a continuous periodic disturbance to the chain mesh belt, so that the chain mesh belt forms a rhythmic undulating tumbling, thereby realizing the continuous tumbling and unpacking of food on the freezing bed surface, and improving the uniformity of fluid freezing.
2. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The mesh belt support is a rectangular frame structure, set on the support assembly, used to support and accommodate the chain mesh belt. The edge of the chain mesh belt and the mesh belt support are flexibly connected, preferably by a chain connection.
3. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The bracket assembly serves as a fixed frame, and the bracket assembly is provided with components that support the powertrain and components that support the drive assembly.
4. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The powertrain includes a stepper motor, a gearbox, a frequency converter driver, and a gear chain transmission mechanism. The powertrain drives the drive assembly to rotate through the output shaft in conjunction with the gear chain transmission mechanism. The powertrain is connected to the electronic control system, and the vibration frequency is controlled by adjusting the motor speed.
5. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The drive assembly consists of an eccentric wheel, a rotating rocker arm, and a slider linkage mechanism. The eccentric wheel is placed on the rotating rocker arm, which drives the eccentric wheel to rotate. The slider linkage mechanism slides in contact with the edge of the eccentric wheel. The drive assembly converts the rotational motion into periodic up-and-down motion and drives the biomimetic flexible swing arm to swing in a snake-like wave pattern.
6. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The biomimetic flexible pendulum arm is a snake-bone biomimetic structure with high flexibility and wave transmission capability. The biomimetic flexible pendulum arm is composed of multiple continuously hinged sections, mimicking the lateral propulsion waveform structure of snakes or eels swimming. It is used to apply flexible disturbance to the chain mesh belt in a low-temperature quick-freezing environment. The biomimetic flexible pendulum arm is composed of multiple segmental units and a continuous hinge mechanism. Each segment of the multiple segmental units is a rigid small piece. The rigid small piece is an elliptical or polygonal structure with avoidance edges. Adjacent segments of the multiple segmental units are connected by a continuous hinge mechanism.
7. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 2, characterized in that... The mesh belt support is made of stainless steel resistant to low temperatures. The edge of the mesh belt support is provided with baffles for blocking the food on the chain mesh belt. The baffles work with the mesh belt support to surround the chain mesh belt. The baffles have flexible deformation force.
8. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 5, characterized in that... The rotating rocker arm is rotatably mounted on the support assembly via bearings at both ends. The rotating rocker arm is connected to the gear and chain transmission mechanism of the power assembly. There are multiple eccentric wheels, which are arranged equidistantly along the axial direction of the rotating rocker arm, and the eccentric positions of two adjacent eccentric wheels are different.
9. The biomimetic flexible oscillating cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 5, characterized in that... The slider linkage mechanism and the eccentric wheel correspond one-to-one. The slider and the edge of the eccentric wheel of the slider linkage mechanism slide and engage in contact. The slider linkage mechanism is connected to the bionic flexible pendulum arm. The slider linkage mechanism is elastically connected to the bionic flexible pendulum arm through an elastic element.
10. The biomimetic flexible pendulum-type cold chain fluidized bed excitation device according to claim 6, characterized in that... The continuous hinge mechanism is preferably a pin-shaft + limit hole joint connection mechanism, which forms a free swing at a limited angle. All segments of the multi-segment unit are arranged in a linear series and combined in the transverse direction to form an integral swing arm. The material of the rigid small piece is preferably low-temperature impact-resistant polycarbonate (PC) or TPU-reinforced nylon composite material, which has both cold brittleness resistance and flexible buffering performance. The biomimetic flexible swing arm is connected to the output end of the drive assembly through a universal connector or ball joint. The side of the biomimetic flexible swing arm that is in contact with the chain mesh belt is provided with a flexible pad.