Spice drying device

Abstract

The invention discloses a spice drying device which comprises a heating box, the heating box is provided with a first material bearing plate and a plurality of second material bearing plates, the second material bearing plates are arranged above the first material bearing plate, and a material guide cover is arranged below each second material bearing plate; the first driving mechanism is arranged on the heating box, the output end of the first driving mechanism is connected with a plurality of material pushing plates, the material pushing plates are located above the first material bearing plate or the second material bearing plate, and the first driving mechanism is used for driving the material pushing plates to move in the left-right direction; and the second driving mechanism is arranged on the heating box, the output end of the second driving mechanism is connected with a plurality of material overturning pieces, the material overturning pieces are located above the first material bearing plate or the second material bearing plate, and the second driving mechanism is used for driving the material overturning pieces to move in the front-back direction and conduct rotary material overturning. According to the spice drying device of the structure, layered flattening is achieved through the material pushing plate, material stacking is avoided through material overturning of the material overturning piece, and the spice drying effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of spice processing, and more particularly to a spice drying apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, spices such as Sichuan peppercorns and star anise require drying to preserve their flavor and extend their shelf life. Existing spice drying methods include natural sun-drying, but this method is highly susceptible to weather conditions, easily contaminated, and has a long drying cycle, making it unsuitable for large-scale production. Other technologies use ovens to dry spices in single or multiple layers laid out manually with hot air. However, due to inconsistent thicknesses in the manual layering, materials tend to accumulate on the receiving surface, forming thick layers that prevent hot air from penetrating the bottom layer, resulting in uneven drying. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the above shortcomings, this invention proposes a spice drying device that uses a pusher plate to achieve layered flattening and a turning component to turn the material over to prevent accumulation, thereby improving the drying effect of spices.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A spice drying apparatus includes: a heating chamber, wherein the heating chamber is provided with a first supporting plate and a plurality of second supporting plates, the plurality of second supporting plates being arranged above the first supporting plate along the height direction, and a guide cover being provided below each second supporting plate; a first driving mechanism, disposed in the heating chamber, wherein the output end of the first driving mechanism is connected to a plurality of pushing plates, the plurality of pushing plates being located one-to-one above the first supporting plate and the plurality of second supporting plates, and the first driving mechanism being used to drive the pushing plates to move in the left-right direction; and a second driving mechanism, disposed in the heating chamber, wherein the output end of the second driving mechanism is connected to a plurality of turning components, the plurality of turning components being located one-to-one above the first supporting plate and the plurality of second supporting plates, and the second driving mechanism being used to drive the turning components to move in the front-back direction and rotate to turn the material.

[0005] Furthermore, the first driving mechanism includes a first cylinder disposed in the heating box, the output end of the first cylinder is connected to a first mounting plate, a plurality of pusher plates are disposed on the first mounting plate along the height direction, and a plurality of push bars are disposed on the lower end surface of the pusher plates along their length direction.

[0006] Furthermore, each of the turning components includes an interlocking mounting shaft and a rotating roller. The rotating roller has multiple push plates along its length. The second driving mechanism includes a second cylinder located in the heating box. The output end of the second cylinder is connected to a second mounting plate. The multiple mounting shafts are located on the second mounting plate along the height direction. One end of each rotating roller is connected to a gear. The heating box is provided with a rack corresponding to the gear.

[0007] Furthermore, the heating box is provided with a guide plate parallel to the rack, and the guide plate is provided with a sliding groove in the front-back direction, and one end of the mounting shaft is slidably engaged with the sliding groove.

[0008] Furthermore, there is a height space between the guide plate and the first support plate, and between the guide plate and the second support plate, and the pusher plate is movably located in the height space.

[0009] Furthermore, the length of the rack is greater than the length of the pusher plate, one end of the pusher plate has a gap between it and the inner wall of the heating box, and the turning component can be moved to the gap.

[0010] Furthermore, the guide cover includes four interconnected inclined plates, which are inclined from top to bottom toward the middle of the second material support plate, and the opening area formed by the upper ends of the four inclined plates is larger than that of the second material support plate.

[0011] Furthermore, a feed pipe is provided at one end of the heating box, and the lower end of the feed pipe is located in the middle of the uppermost second material support plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the heating box is provided with multiple mounting groups along the height direction, each mounting group including two parallel slide rails, and the first material support plate and the second material support plate are respectively installed between the corresponding two slide rails.

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: In this invention, the first driving mechanism drives the pusher plate to move left and right, thereby evenly spreading the material in the first layer. Excess material falls through the guide cover to the second receiving plate of the second layer, and so on, until the material finally falls to the first receiving plate, thus completing the spreading of each layer of material to avoid material accumulation. Then, the first driving mechanism drives the pusher plate to return to the initial position, while the heating box is running. Finally, the second driving mechanism drives each turning component to move back and forth and rotate, thereby turning and breaking up each layer of material, which helps the bottom layer of material to be exposed to hot air to improve the drying effect of spices. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a spice drying apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Internal sectional view; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure with some parts removed.

[0015] In the diagram: heating box 100, feed pipe 101, first support plate 110, second support plate 120, guide cover 121, pusher plate 130, first cylinder 131, pusher bar 132, tilting component 140, mounting shaft 141, rotating roller 142, pusher plate 143, second cylinder 144, second mounting plate 145, gear 146, rack 147, guide plate 148, chute 149. Detailed Implementation

[0016] 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. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0017] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "inner", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this invention is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0018] In the description of this invention, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0019] In the description of this invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set" and "connection" 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; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0020] See Figures 1 to 3 A spice drying apparatus includes: a heating chamber 100, which is provided with a first supporting plate 110 and a plurality of second supporting plates 120, the plurality of second supporting plates 120 being arranged above the first supporting plate 110 along the height direction, and a guide cover 121 being provided below each second supporting plate 120; a first driving mechanism, which is provided in the heating chamber 100, the output end of which is connected to a plurality of pusher plates 130, the plurality of pusher plates 130 being located one-to-one above the first supporting plate 110 and the plurality of second supporting plates 120, the first driving mechanism being used to drive the pusher plates 130 to move in the left-right direction; and a second driving mechanism, which is provided in the heating chamber 100, the output end of which is connected to a plurality of tilting components 140, the plurality of tilting components 140 being located one-to-one above the first supporting plate 110 and the plurality of second supporting plates 120, the second driving mechanism being used to drive the tilting components 140 to move in the front-back direction and rotate to tilt the material.

[0021] In the above-described spice drying device, when the device is working, the spices first enter the uppermost second receiving plate 120. Then, the first drive mechanism drives the pusher plate 130 to move left and right, thereby evenly spreading the material of the first layer. Excess material falls through the guide cover 121 to the second receiving plate 120 of the second layer, and so on until the material finally falls to the first receiving plate 110, thus completing the spreading of each layer of material to avoid material accumulation. Then, the first drive mechanism drives the pusher plate 130 to return to the initial position, and at the same time, the heating box 100 is operated. Finally, the second drive mechanism drives each turning component 140 to move back and forth and rotate, thereby turning and breaking up each layer of material, which helps the bottom layer of material to be exposed to hot air to improve the drying effect of the spices.

[0022] It is understood that the heating chamber 100 is made of food-grade stainless steel. Inside the heating chamber 100, along its height, there is one first support plate 110 and three to five second support plates 120. All support plates have a perforated mesh structure to ensure hot air penetration. In some embodiments, an electric heating plate or an infrared heating plate is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the heating chamber 100. Centrifugal fans are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the inner wall, with the air outlets of the centrifugal fans facing the first support plate 110 and the second support plates 120, thus providing stable hot air for drying spices. Furthermore, the heating chamber 100 has an openable or sealable door on one side, and a high-temperature resistant sealing strip is provided between the door and the heating chamber 100, facilitating equipment maintenance and material handling. The inner side of the door has an observation window made of high-temperature resistant tempered glass, allowing for real-time observation of the material status inside the chamber.

[0023] See Figures 1 to 3 Furthermore, the first driving mechanism includes a first cylinder 131 disposed in the heating box 100. The output end of the first cylinder 131 is connected to a first mounting plate. Multiple pusher plates 130 are disposed on the first mounting plate along the height direction, and multiple pusher strips 132 are disposed on the lower end surface of the pusher plates 130 along their length direction. Specifically, the first cylinder 131 drives the multiple pusher plates 130 to move synchronously through the first mounting plate, thereby realizing the simultaneous flattening and pushing of multiple layers of material. Among them, the pusher strips 132 disposed on the pusher plates 130 form a comb-like structure, which is beneficial for the pusher plates 130 to disperse the material in the left and right directions during the pushing process, thereby further reducing the accumulation thickness of the material. It can be understood that the first cylinder 131 is a bidirectional cylinder with adjustable stroke, and its output end is connected to the first mounting plate by bolts, while the first mounting plate is welded with 3 to 5 pusher plates 130 along the height direction. Furthermore, the pusher bar 132 is made of wear-resistant silicone material, and multiple pusher bars 132 are arranged at intervals along the length of the pusher plate 130, with the lower end of the pusher bar 132 being 2mm away from the surface of the support plate. In some embodiments, the first drive mechanism can also be replaced by an electric push rod, thereby improving the movement accuracy of the pusher plate 130 by utilizing the cooperation of the motor and the lead screw.

[0024] See Figures 1 to 3Furthermore, each material-turning component 140 includes a mounting shaft 141 and a rotating roller 142 nested together. The rotating roller 142 has multiple push plates 143 arranged along its length. The second drive mechanism includes a second cylinder 144 located in the heating chamber 100. The output end of the second cylinder 144 is connected to a second mounting plate 145. Multiple mounting shafts 141 are arranged on the second mounting plate 145 along its height. One end of each rotating roller 142 is connected to a gear 146. The heating chamber 100 has a rack 147 corresponding to the gear 146. Specifically, the second cylinder 144 drives the second mounting plate 145 to move the mounting shafts 141 in the front-back direction. The rotating rollers 142 on the mounting shafts 141 mesh with the fixed rack 147 through the gears 146, causing the rotating rollers 142 to passively rotate during movement. This, in turn, drives the multiple push plates 143 to rotate, turning the material upwards, thus achieving material turning of each layer and facilitating full contact of the bottom layer material with the hot air.

[0025] See Figures 1 to 3 Furthermore, the heating box 100 is provided with a guide plate 148 parallel to the rack 147. The guide plate 148 is provided with a sliding groove 149 in the front-back direction, and one end of the mounting shaft 141 is slidably engaged with the sliding groove 149. Specifically, the sliding groove 149 and the mounting shaft 141 cooperate to provide a guiding constraint for the front-back movement of the mounting shaft 141, which helps to ensure that the gear 146 meshes with the rack 147, so as to avoid the material turning component 140 from being misaligned, causing the mechanism to jam or fail to mesh, thereby ensuring the stability of the material turning action. In some embodiments, a limiting shaft is detachably provided on one side of the mounting shaft 141, and one side of the rotating roller 142 abuts against the guide plate 148, thereby using the limiting shaft and the guide plate 148 to prevent the gear 146 from being displaced in the left-right direction, further ensuring the meshing of the gear 146 and the rack 147.

[0026] See Figures 1 to 3 Furthermore, there is a height space between the guide plate 148 and the first support plate 110, and between the guide plate 148 and the second support plate 120, and the pusher plate 130 is movably located in the height space. Specifically, by reserving the height space between the guide plate 148 and the first support plate 110, and between the guide plate 148 and the second support plate 120, a horizontal movement channel is provided for the pusher plate 130, so that the pusher plate 130 and the flipper 140 are spatially staggered above the first support plate 110 or the second support plate 120, ensuring that their movements do not interfere with each other.

[0027] See Figures 1 to 3Furthermore, the length of the rack 147 is greater than the length of the pusher plate 130, and one end of the pusher plate 130 has a gap between it and the inner wall of the heating box 100. The tilting component 140 can move to the gap. Specifically, the length of the rack 147 is greater than the length of the pusher plate 130, thereby ensuring that the movement stroke of the tilting component 140 covers the material layer area, which helps to avoid material tilting dead corners. The gap between the pusher plate 130 and the inner wall of the heating box 100 provides clearance space for the tilting component 140, allowing the tilting component 140 to move to the edge of the receiving plate, thereby avoiding obstructing the subsequent movement of the pusher plate 130.

[0028] See Figures 1 to 3 Furthermore, the guide cover 121 includes four interconnected inclined plates, which are inclined downwards towards the center of the second support plate 120. The opening area formed by the upper ends of the four inclined plates is larger than that of the second support plate 120. Specifically, the four inclined plates form a funnel-shaped structure, thereby using the inclined angle to guide the upper material to converge towards the center of the lower first support plate 110 or the second support plate 120, thus preventing the material from scattering during the transfer process. It is understood that the guide cover 121 can also be replaced with a conical cover, thereby using the arc surface to collect the material falling onto the first support plate 110 or the second support plate 120.

[0029] See Figures 1 to 2 Furthermore, a feed pipe 101 is provided at one end of the heating box 100, with the lower end of the feed pipe 101 located in the middle of the uppermost second support plate 120. Specifically, the lower end of the feed pipe 101 is aligned with the middle of the uppermost second support plate 120, so that the initial falling position of the material is concentrated in the center of the second support plate 120, which is beneficial for the pusher plate 130 to quickly flatten the first layer of material. It can be understood that the initial position of the pusher plate 130 is in the middle of the first support plate 110 and the second support plate 120, so that the pusher plate 130 first moves half of the material to one side to flatten it, then moves in the opposite direction to move the other half of the material to the other side to flatten it, and finally repeats the movement to flatten the material layer. In some embodiments, the upper end of the feed pipe 101 is provided with a funnel-shaped feed port, which facilitates the material falling to the middle position of the uppermost second support plate 120. The lower end of the feed pipe 101 is equipped with an adjustable flow valve, so that the feed speed controlled by the valve helps to prevent excessive material accumulation on the uppermost second support plate 120.

[0030] Furthermore, the heating chamber 100 is provided with multiple mounting groups along its height. Each mounting group includes two parallel slide rails, and the first support plate 110 and the second support plate 120 are respectively installed between the corresponding two slide rails. Specifically, the inner wall of the heating chamber 100 is provided with multiple mounting groups along its height. Each group includes two parallel slide rails with positioning pins. The two side edges of the first support plate 110 and the second support plate 120 are provided with grooves that mate with the slide rails. The mounting positions of the first support plate 110 and the second support plate 120 are fixed by the positioning pins. When the equipment is being maintained or spices are being removed, the operator opens the door of the heating chamber 100, pulls out the positioning pins, and removes the first support plate 110 and the second support plate 120 along the slide rails for replacement. During installation, the grooves of the first support plate 110 and the second support plate 120 are aligned with the slide rails and pushed in, and the positioning pins are inserted to complete the fixing.

[0031] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0032] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A spice drying apparatus, characterized in that, include: A heating box (100) is provided with a first material support plate (110) and a plurality of second material support plates (120). The plurality of second material support plates (120) are arranged above the first material support plate (110) along the height direction, and a guide cover (121) is provided below each second material support plate (120). A first driving mechanism is provided in the heating box (100). The output end of the first driving mechanism is connected to a plurality of pusher plates (130). The plurality of pusher plates (130) are located one-to-one above the first support plate (110) and the plurality of second support plates (120). The first driving mechanism is used to drive the pusher plates (130) to move in the left and right directions. The second driving mechanism is located in the heating box (100). The output end of the second driving mechanism is connected to a plurality of turning parts (140). The plurality of turning parts (140) are located one-to-one above the first support plate (110) and the plurality of second support plates (120). The second driving mechanism is used to drive the turning parts (140) to move and rotate in the front-back direction to turn the material.

2. The spice drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first driving mechanism includes a first cylinder (131) disposed in the heating box (100), the output end of the first cylinder (131) is connected to a first mounting plate, a plurality of pusher plates (130) are disposed on the first mounting plate along the height direction, and a plurality of push strips (132) are disposed on the lower end surface of the pusher plate (130) along its length direction.

3. The spice drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the flipping components (140) includes a mounting shaft (141) and a rotating roller (142) that are nested together. The rotating roller (142) is provided with a plurality of push plates (143) along its length direction. The second drive mechanism includes a second cylinder (144) provided in the heating box (100). The output end of the second cylinder (144) is connected to a second mounting plate (145). The plurality of mounting shafts (141) are provided on the second mounting plate (145) along the height direction. One end of each rotating roller (142) is connected to a gear (146). The heating box (100) is provided with a rack (147) corresponding to the gear (146).

4. The spice drying apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heating box (100) is provided with a guide plate (148) parallel to the rack (147), and the guide plate (148) is provided with a sliding groove (149) in the front-back direction. One end of the mounting shaft (141) is slidably engaged with the sliding groove (149).

5. A spice drying apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, There is a height space between the guide plate (148) and the first support plate (110), and between the guide plate (148) and the second support plate (120), and the pusher plate (130) is movably located in the height space.

6. The spice drying apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The length of the rack (147) is greater than the length of the pusher plate (130), and one end of the pusher plate (130) has a gap between it and the inner wall of the heating box (100). The flipper (140) can be moved to the gap.

7. A spice drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide cover (121) includes four interconnected inclined plates. The inclined plates are inclined from top to bottom toward the middle of the second material support plate (120). The opening area formed by the upper ends of the four inclined plates is larger than that of the second material support plate (120).

8. A spice drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating box (100) is provided with a feed pipe (101) at one end, and the lower end of the feed pipe (101) is located in the middle of the uppermost second material support plate (120).

9. A spice drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating box (100) is provided with multiple mounting groups along the height direction. Each mounting group includes two parallel slide rails. The first support plate (110) and the second support plate (120) are respectively installed between the corresponding two slide rails.

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