Automatic food filling and processing device and method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated food filling and processing device, comprising a filling machine, a discharge pipe, a quantitative binding mechanism, and an automatic drying machine arranged sequentially. The quantitative binding mechanism includes a first traction conveying mechanism, a transition support mechanism, a second traction conveying mechanism, a sensing device, an automatic binding mechanism, and a third traction conveying mechanism arranged sequentially. One end of the discharge pipe is located at the discharge port of the filling machine, and the other end is connected to the first traction conveying mechanism. The outlet end of the third traction conveying mechanism is connected to the automatic drying machine. The conveying channels within the first, second, and third traction conveying mechanisms are of the same size and arranged horizontally in a straight line. The first traction conveying mechanism provides steady conveying, while the second and third traction conveying mechanisms provide step-by-step conveying. The transition support mechanism is a lifting structure that forms a buffer space after lowering. This invention also discloses an automated food filling and processing method. This invention enables product standardization, reduces defective products, ensures safe and simple operation, reduces labor, and improves efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food processing and production, and in particular to an automated food filling and processing apparatus and method. Background Technology

[0002] Meat sausages, ham sausages, and similar products are sausage-cased foods. They are made primarily from pork, beef, or poultry, with a preference for cuts like leg and rump meat that have less connective tissue and a higher lean meat percentage. The meat is minced, mixed with other ingredients, and then stuffed into pre-treated casings (such as pig small intestine or collagen casings) using a sausage stuffer. During production, the casings are tied and segmented before drying or smoking. Current traditional processing methods have four main drawbacks: 1. The diameter of each casing varies due to differences in the amount of meat filling or the force applied during processing; 2. Errors in manually or mechanically tied casings make it difficult to standardize the length, resulting in waste or defective products; 3. In current processes, long strips of casing are often first stuffed using a sausage stuffer, then stacked on a table or cutting board before being tied into segments using a tying machine. The initial stacked and rolled products, due to their weight, tend to become tangled when entering the tying machine. The resistance varies, meaning that the resistance changes due to weight and stacking variations as the initial product enters the tying machine. Since the tying machine typically applies a constant pulling force, this results in inconsistent tying, leading to defective products. Furthermore, after tying, manual labor is required to neatly arrange the tied products before placing them on the hanging rods and into the baking oven. The automation level is also insufficient. Fourth, the entire processing requires manual operations such as enema filling, pulling, and tying. Manual work is inherently dangerous, labor-intensive, inefficient, time-consuming, and labor-intensive.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need to provide an automated food filling and processing device and method to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application discloses an automated food filling and processing device, comprising a filling machine, a discharge pipe, a quantitative binding mechanism, and an automatic drying machine arranged in sequence. The quantitative binding mechanism includes a first traction conveying mechanism, a transition support mechanism, a second traction conveying mechanism, a sensing device, an automatic binding mechanism, and a third traction conveying mechanism arranged in sequence. One end of the discharge pipe is located at the discharge port of the filling machine, and the other end of the discharge pipe is connected to the first traction conveying mechanism. The outlet end of the third traction conveying mechanism is connected to the automatic drying machine. The conveying channels formed inside the first traction conveying mechanism, the second traction conveying mechanism, and the third traction conveying mechanism are of the same size and are all located on the same horizontal straight line. The first traction conveying mechanism is a horizontal steady conveying mechanism, while the second traction conveying mechanism and the third traction conveying mechanism are horizontal stepping conveying mechanisms. The transition support mechanism is a lifting structure. When the quantitative binding mechanism is started, the upper support surface of the transition support mechanism is parallel to the conveying channel. When the material is conveyed to the sensing device, the transition support mechanism is lowered and forms a buffer space.

[0005] Furthermore, the first traction conveyor, the second traction conveyor, and the third traction conveyor are all customized double-track conveyor belts, and the conveying channel is formed between the double tracks. The double-track conveyor belts can move up and down respectively and squeeze the food and pull the food material along the track through the relative displacement of the double tracks.

[0006] Furthermore, the first traction conveying mechanism, the second traction conveying mechanism, and the third traction conveying mechanism are all provided with traction conveying power by servo motors.

[0007] Furthermore, the top of the transition support mechanism is provided with a support portion parallel to the conveying channel, and the support portion is provided with a roller structure.

[0008] Furthermore, both the filling machine and the quantitative binding mechanism are intelligently quantitatively controlled by a computer PLC and are equipped with a touch control screen for operation. The filling machine is a quantitative filling machine and is equipped with a discharge start switch. A transition channel is also provided between the sensing device and the automatic wire-tying mechanism. The transition channel is used to smoothly transfer the product from the second traction conveying mechanism to the third traction conveying mechanism. The automatic tying mechanism uses a butterfly knife high-speed double-tube twisting machine.

[0009] Furthermore, all components of the automated food filling and processing device are made of stainless steel, and all structures in contact with food on each part of the automated food filling and processing device are made of food-grade stainless steel.

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention also provides an automated food filling and processing method utilizing the above-mentioned automated food filling and processing device, comprising the following steps: S1: Start the transmission, attach the casing to the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and start the filling machine and the quantitative binding mechanism. The support surface of the transition support mechanism is raised to the same height as the bottom of the conveying channel. S2: Feeding and conveying: The raw materials are added into the filling machine for processing and then poured into the discharge pipe. The processed filling is injected into the casing through the discharge pipe. The initial product is pressed and shaped by the first traction conveying mechanism and steadily conveyed. The filling injection speed into the casing is kept synchronized with the conveying speed of the first traction conveying mechanism. After passing through the transition support mechanism, the initial product is quantitatively or quantitatively conveyed to the sensing device by the second traction conveying mechanism in a step-by-step manner. S3: Tie-and-hang. When the sensing device detects the arrival of the product's front end, the support surface of the transition support mechanism lowers to form a buffer space. The first traction conveyor steadily pulls the product while the second traction conveyor pulls it quantitatively or at a fixed length in steps. The buffer space is used to transition and buffer the asynchronously pulled parts of the product. At the same time, the automatic tying mechanism starts and automatically ties the product in quantitative or fixed length segments according to the preset length. Then, the third traction conveyor transports the product to the automatic hanging machine, where the automatic hanging machine automatically arranges the product neatly. When the material is delivered to the third traction conveyor, the second and third traction conveyors operate at a fixed length according to the PLC setting. The pulling speed of the third traction conveyor and the step-by-step pulling speed of the second traction conveyor are always consistent.

[0011] Furthermore, the stepping amount or stepping length of the second traction conveying mechanism is consistent with the segmented tying amount or segmented tying length of the automatic tying mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, based on the stepping time or length of the second traction conveying mechanism, the conveying speed of the first traction conveying mechanism is adjusted to avoid excessive accumulation of products in the buffer space, and the conveying speed of the third traction conveying mechanism is set to be synchronized with that of the second traction conveying mechanism.

[0013] The automated food filling and processing apparatus and method provided in this application have at least the following beneficial effects: 1. This application, by sequentially arranging an automated binding system, facilitates integrated production and harvesting line operations. During production, the product is pulled and transported in a straight line as much as possible. In particular, through the specific traction, transport, and buffer design of the quantitative binding mechanism, the product can be quantitatively pressed and transported, and the stacking of primary products can be avoided, thereby improving the standardization of the product, reducing defective products, ensuring safe and simple operation, reducing labor, improving efficiency, and having a simple product structure, which can better enhance the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and advantages in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 : A schematic diagram of the production line involved in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 : A side view of the quantitative tying mechanism (transition support mechanism in lowered state) involved in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 The embodiments of this application involve Figure 2 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the quantitative tying mechanism in the middle; Figure 4 : A side view of the quantitative binding mechanism (transition support mechanism in raised state) involved in the embodiments of this application; Figure 5 The embodiments of this application involve Figure 4 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the quantitative tying mechanism in the middle; Figure 6 : A three-dimensional top view of the quantitative tying mechanism involved in the embodiments of this application; Figure 7 : A three-dimensional left view schematic diagram of the quantitative tying mechanism involved in the embodiments of this application; In the diagram: 1-filling machine, 11-discharge pipe, 12-start switch; 2-Quantitative tying mechanism, 21-First traction conveying mechanism, 22-Transition support mechanism, 221-Support part, 2211-Roller structure, 23-Second traction conveying mechanism, 24-Sensing device, 25-Automatic tying mechanism / butterfly knife high-speed double tube twisting machine, 26-Third traction conveying mechanism, 27-Conveying channel, 28-Buffer space, 29-Transition channel; 3-Automatic hanging drying machine; 4-Touch control screen. 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] The term "an embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the invention. In the description of the invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Moreover, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0018] Please refer to Figures 1-7 The diagram shows an overall schematic and a partial schematic of a production line for producing sausage casings using the present invention. An automated food filling and processing device includes a filling machine 1, a discharge pipe 11, a quantitative binding mechanism 2, and an automatic drying machine 3 arranged sequentially. The quantitative binding mechanism 2 includes a first traction conveying mechanism 21, a transition support mechanism 22, a second traction conveying mechanism 23, a sensing device 24, an automatic binding mechanism 25, and a third traction conveying mechanism 26 arranged sequentially. One end of the discharge pipe 11 is located at the discharge port of the filling machine 1, and the other end of the discharge pipe 11 is connected to the first traction conveying mechanism 21. The outlet end of the third traction conveying mechanism 26 is connected to the automatic drying machine 3. It is understandable that the components arranged in sequence are connected in sequence. The discharge pipe 11 is connected to the first traction conveyor 21 and preferably keeps in a straight line with the conveying channel 27 in the first traction conveyor 21. The outlet end of the third traction conveyor 26 is connected to the automatic hanging machine 3. That is, the tied material discharged by the third traction conveyor 26 can be directly sorted and hung up in sections by the automatic hanging machine 3. Specifically, it can be understood as a hanging process. The automatic hanging machine 3 preferably adopts a hook turntable design with equal spacing. The rotation of the turntable drives multiple sets of hooks with equal spacing to hang up the tied products neatly. The hooks can be designed to just catch the tied part.

[0019] Based on this, the conveying channels 27 formed inside the first traction conveying mechanism 21, the second traction conveying mechanism 23, and the third traction conveying mechanism 26 are of the same size and are all located on the same horizontal straight line. The first traction conveying mechanism 21 is a horizontal steady conveying mechanism, while the second traction conveying mechanism 23 and the third traction conveying mechanism 26 are horizontal stepping conveying mechanisms. It can be understood that the stepping speed and frequency of the second traction conveying mechanism 23 and the third traction conveying mechanism 26 are always consistent. At the same time, the material can be well kept in a straight line for traction and conveying throughout the entire production process, avoiding material accumulation and reducing traction and conveying resistance.

[0020] Among them, the transition support mechanism 22 is a lifting structure. Specifically, when the quantitative binding mechanism 2 is activated, such as... Figures 4-5 As shown, the upper support surface of the transition support mechanism 22 is parallel to the conveying channel 27, which allows the material to be smoothly conveyed from the first traction conveying mechanism 21 to the second traction conveying mechanism 23 via the transition support mechanism 22; as Figures 3-4 As shown, when the material is conveyed to the sensing device 24, the transition support mechanism 22 descends and forms a buffer space 28. This buffers the asynchronous material conveying caused by the step conveying of the second traction conveyor and the steady conveying of the second traction conveyor. It can be understood that the buffer space 28 can be used to provide a transition space for the material to bend slightly due to the different conveying rhythms of the front and rear conveyors.

[0021] This design facilitates integrated production and collection line operations. During production, the products are traction and transported in a straight line as much as possible. In particular, the specific traction, transport and buffer design of the quantitative binding mechanism 2 can quantitatively press and shape the products and avoid the stacking of primary products, overcome possible resistance, improve product standardization, reduce defective products, ensure safe and simple operation, reduce labor, improve efficiency, and simplify the overall structure of the product, thereby reducing labor intensity and production investment.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, the first traction conveyor mechanism 21, the second traction conveyor mechanism 23, and the third traction conveyor mechanism 26 are all customized double-track conveyor belts, with a conveying channel 27 formed between the double tracks. The double-track conveyor belts can move up and down respectively, and the relative displacement of the double tracks squeezes the food and pulls the food material along the tracks for transport. In other words, the customized double-track conveyor belts allow for adjustment of the double track spacing according to user needs. Furthermore, the double tracks can be customized to have a semi-circular cross-section, conforming to the shape of sausage products. Reducing the double track spacing allows for pressing and shaping of the product.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the first traction conveying mechanism 21, the second traction conveying mechanism 23, and the third traction conveying mechanism 26 are all powered by servo motors. For example, the first traction conveying mechanism 21 is powered by a steady servo motor, while the second traction conveying mechanism 23 and the third traction conveying mechanism 26 are powered by stepper servo motors.

[0024] In the specific structure, the top of the transition support mechanism 22 is provided with a support part 221 parallel to the conveying channel 27, and the support part 221 is provided with a roller structure 2211. This design is conducive to the smooth transmission of materials and reduces the pulling resistance.

[0025] For intelligent control purposes, both the filling machine 1 and the quantitative binding mechanism 2 are intelligently quantitatively controlled by a computer PLC and are equipped with a touch control screen 4 for operation. The filling machine 1 is a quantitative filling machine and is equipped with a discharge start switch 12. A transition channel 29 is provided between the sensing device 24 and the automatic binding mechanism 25. The transition channel 29 is used to smoothly transfer the product from the second traction conveyor mechanism 23 to the third traction conveyor mechanism 26. Preferably, the automatic binding mechanism 25 adopts a butterfly knife high-speed double tube twisting machine 25. Of course, other binding structures can also be used, as long as they can be compatible with the traction conveyor structure of this application.

[0026] Preferably, all components of the automated food filling and processing device are made of stainless steel, and all structures in contact with food on each part of the automated food filling and processing device are made of food-grade stainless steel.

[0027] Accordingly, the present invention also discloses an automated food filling and processing method using the above-mentioned automated food filling and processing device, comprising the following steps: S1: Start the transmission, attach the casing to the discharge port of the discharge pipe 11, and start the filling machine 1 and the quantitative binding mechanism 2. The support surface of the transition support mechanism 22 is raised to the same height as the bottom of the conveying channel 27. S2: Feeding and conveying: The raw materials are added into the filling machine 1 for processing and then poured into the discharge pipe 11. The processed filling is injected into the casing through the discharge pipe 11. The initial product is pressed and shaped by the first traction conveying mechanism 21 and steadily conveyed. The filling injection speed into the casing is kept synchronized with the conveying speed of the first traction conveying mechanism 21. After passing through the transition support mechanism 22, the initial product is quantitatively or quantitatively conveyed to the sensing device 24 by the second traction conveying mechanism 23 in a step-by-step manner. S3: When the product front end is detected by the sensing device 24, the support surface of the transition support mechanism 22 is lowered to form a buffer space 28. The first traction conveyor 21 steadily pulls the product while the second traction conveyor 23 pulls the product quantitatively or at a fixed length in steps. The buffer space 28 is used to buffer the asynchronously pulled parts of the product. At the same time, the automatic tying mechanism 25 starts and automatically ties the product in segments according to the preset length, and then the third traction conveyor 26 transports the product to the automatic hanging machine 3. The automatic hanging machine automatically arranges the product neatly. When the material is delivered to the third traction conveyor 26, the second traction conveyor 23 and the third traction conveyor 26 operate at a fixed length according to the length set by the PLC. The pulling speed of the third traction conveyor 26 and the step-by-step pulling speed of the second traction conveyor 23 are always consistent.

[0028] Furthermore, the step-by-step traction amount or step-by-step traction length of the second traction conveying mechanism 23 is consistent with the segmented tying amount or segmented tying length of the automatic tying mechanism 25.

[0029] More specifically, the conveying speed of the first traction conveying mechanism 21 can be adjusted according to the step conveying time or length of the second traction conveying mechanism 23 to avoid excessive accumulation of products in the buffer space 28, and the conveying speed of the third traction conveying mechanism 26 can be set to be synchronized with the second traction conveying mechanism 23.

[0030] The arrows in the diagram indicate the direction of traction and conveying of the product during the production process.

[0031] The automated food filling and processing apparatus and method provided in this application have at least the following beneficial effects: 1. This application forms an automated filling and binding system device by sequentially arranging a filling machine, a discharge pipe, a quantitative binding mechanism, and an automatic drying machine. This facilitates integrated production and processing line operations. The key is that the quantitative binding mechanism uses specific traction, conveying, and buffering designs to quantitatively press and shape the product and avoid the stacking of primary products. During production, the product is kept as straight as possible during traction and conveying, ensuring and improving the standardization of the product, reducing the generation of waste and defective products. This application has a simple structure, is safe and easy to operate, can effectively reduce labor costs, improve production efficiency, and better enhance the user experience.

[0032] 2. This application uses a customized double-track conveyor belt, which can better realize the quantitative pressing and forming of products. The distance between the double tracks can be adjusted according to the needs to produce products of different sizes (such as the diameter of sausage products), which facilitates systematic and intelligent production. At the same time, the system devices of this application all use computer PLC and touch control screen for intelligent control, which is more conducive to saving labor and realizing automated production and processing.

[0033] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of this application, and these improvements and substitutions should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An automated food filling and processing device, characterized in that: The device includes a filling machine, a discharge pipe, a quantitative tying mechanism, and an automatic drying machine arranged in sequence. The quantitative tying mechanism includes a first traction conveying mechanism, a transition support mechanism, a second traction conveying mechanism, a sensing device, an automatic tying mechanism, and a third traction conveying mechanism arranged in sequence. One end of the discharge pipe is located at the discharge port of the filling machine, and the other end of the discharge pipe is connected to the first traction conveying mechanism. The outlet end of the third traction conveying mechanism is connected to the automatic drying machine. The conveying channels formed inside the first traction conveying mechanism, the second traction conveying mechanism, and the third traction conveying mechanism are of the same size and are all located on the same horizontal straight line. The first traction conveying mechanism is a horizontal steady conveying mechanism, while the second traction conveying mechanism and the third traction conveying mechanism are horizontal stepping conveying mechanisms. The transition support mechanism is a lifting structure. When the quantitative binding mechanism is started, the upper support surface of the transition support mechanism is parallel to the conveying channel. When the material is conveyed to the sensing device, the transition support mechanism is lowered and forms a buffer space.

2. The automated food filling and processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first traction conveyor, the second traction conveyor, and the third traction conveyor are all customized double-track conveyor belts, and the conveying channel is formed between the double tracks. The double-track conveyor belts can move up and down respectively and squeeze the food through the relative displacement of the double tracks and pull the food material along the track for conveying.

3. The automated food filling and processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first traction conveying mechanism, the second traction conveying mechanism, and the third traction conveying mechanism are all powered by servo motors.

4. The automated food filling and processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the transition support mechanism is provided with a support part parallel to the conveying channel, and the support part is provided with a roller structure.

5. The automated food filling and processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the filling machine and the quantitative binding mechanism are intelligently quantitatively controlled by a computer PLC and are equipped with a touch control screen for operation. The filling machine is a quantitative filling machine and is equipped with a discharge start switch. A transition channel is also provided between the sensing device and the automatic wire-tying mechanism. The transition channel is used to smoothly transfer the product from the second traction conveying mechanism to the third traction conveying mechanism. The automatic tying mechanism uses a butterfly knife high-speed double-tube twisting machine.

6. The automated food filling and processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, All components of the automated food filling and processing device are made of stainless steel, and all structures in contact with food on each part of the automated food filling and processing device are made of food-grade stainless steel.

7. A method for automated food filling and processing using the automated food filling and processing apparatus of claim 1, comprising the following steps: S1: Start the transmission, attach the casing to the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and start the filling machine and the quantitative binding mechanism. The support surface of the transition support mechanism is raised to the same height as the bottom of the conveying channel. S2: Feeding and conveying: The raw materials are added into the filling machine for processing and then poured into the discharge pipe. The processed filling is injected into the casing through the discharge pipe. The initial product is pressed and shaped by the first traction conveying mechanism and steadily conveyed. The filling injection speed into the casing is kept synchronized with the conveying speed of the first traction conveying mechanism. After passing through the transition support mechanism, the initial product is quantitatively or quantitatively conveyed to the sensing device by the second traction conveying mechanism in a step-by-step manner. S3: Tie-and-hang. When the sensing device detects the arrival of the product front end, the support surface of the transition support mechanism lowers to form a buffer space. The first traction conveyor steadily pulls the product while the second traction conveyor pulls it quantitatively or at a fixed length in steps. The buffer space is used to transition and buffer the asynchronously pulled parts of the product. At the same time, the automatic tying mechanism starts and automatically ties the product in quantitative or fixed length segments according to the preset length. Then, the third traction conveyor conveys the product to the automatic hanging machine, which automatically arranges the product neatly. When the material is delivered to the third traction conveyor, the second and third traction conveyors operate at a fixed length according to the PLC setting. The pulling speed of the third traction conveyor and the step-by-step pulling speed of the second traction conveyor are always consistent.

8. The automated food filling and processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The stepping amount or stepping length of the second traction conveying mechanism is consistent with the segmented tying amount or segmented tying length of the automatic tying mechanism.

9. The automated food filling and processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Based on the stepping time or length of the second traction conveyor, adjust the conveying speed of the first traction conveyor to avoid excessive accumulation of products in the buffer space, and set the conveying speed of the third traction conveyor to be synchronized with the second traction conveyor.

Images