Automatic cheese stick dispensing device

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic material distributing device for cheese strips and relates to the field of food processing equipment, which has the technical scheme as follows: a material disc conveying mechanism is arranged, a rack is arranged at the tail end of the material disc conveying mechanism, and a material distributing mechanism is arranged in the rack; the material distributing mechanism comprises a material distributing disc arranged above the material disc conveying mechanism, a plurality of material distributing funnels corresponding to material cavities on the material disc are arranged on the material distributing disc; a first conveying belt is arranged above the material distributing disc in the rack, and a first driving member for driving the first conveying belt to reciprocate along the conveying direction of the first conveying belt is arranged; a material spreading assembly is further arranged above the first conveying belt, and the material spreading assembly is used for uniformly spreading the cheese strips on the first conveying belt. The application aims to provide an automatic material distributing device for cheese strips.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to food processing equipment, and more specifically, to an automatic dispensing device for cheese sticks. Background Technology

[0002] In the food processing industry, especially in the production of cheese products, it is often necessary to divide cut cheese strips into different compartments of a tray according to a certain quantity or density for subsequent weighing, packaging, or further processing. Currently, this step is mostly completed manually or with semi-automatic assisted feeding.

[0003] In some technologies, automatic feeding equipment uses a vibratory feeder or hopper in conjunction with a single conveyor belt for feeding. However, when cheese strips fall from the hopper onto the conveyor belt, they tend to pile up and overlap. Even after being conveyed by a primary conveyor belt, it is still difficult to achieve a single-layer, uniform spread before entering the feeding tray. This results in significant differences in the number or volume of cheese strips in each cavity when they subsequently enter the feeding chamber, affecting product consistency.

[0004] Therefore, a new solution is needed to address this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic dispensing device for cheese strips.

[0006] The above-mentioned technical objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: an automatic dispensing device for cheese strips, comprising a tray conveying mechanism, a frame at the tail end of the tray conveying mechanism, and a dispensing mechanism within the frame; the dispensing mechanism includes a dispensing tray disposed above the tray conveying mechanism, and a plurality of dispensing funnels corresponding one-to-one with the material cavities on the tray are disposed on the dispensing tray; a first conveyor belt located above the dispensing tray is disposed within the frame, and a first driving member is further included for driving the first conveyor belt to reciprocate back and forth along its conveying direction; a spreading component is also disposed above the first conveyor belt for evenly spreading the cheese strips on the first conveyor belt.

[0007] The present invention is further configured such that: a second conveyor belt is provided above the first conveyor belt inside the frame; the material spreading assembly includes a drive shaft rotatably connected inside the frame; rotating discs are respectively provided at both ends of the drive shaft; a plurality of connecting rods are provided between the two rotating discs along their circumference; a plurality of material spreading rods are evenly provided on each connecting rod; and a second driving component for controlling the rotation of the drive shaft is also included; and a material feeding assembly is provided above the front end of the second conveyor belt.

[0008] The invention is further configured such that: both ends of each connecting rod are rotatably connected to two rotating disks, and includes an orientation control component for driving the rotation of each connecting rod, wherein the orientation control component is used to ensure that the material spreading rod remains vertically downward during the revolution of the rotating disks.

[0009] The invention is further configured such that: an outer cover is provided on the outer side of one of the rotating disks, and the outer cover is fixedly connected to the frame; the orientation control component includes a first gear sleeved and rotatably connected to the drive shaft, the first gear being fixed to the outer cover; a second gear is provided at the end of each of the connecting rods; and a third gear corresponding to each connecting rod is rotatably connected to the rotating disk; the second gear has the same number of teeth as the first gear; and each of the third gears meshes between the corresponding second gear and the first gear.

[0010] The present invention is further configured such that: the feeding assembly includes a feeding hopper disposed between the frames, an inclined guide plate disposed inside the feeding hopper, a rotating shaft rotatably connected to the bottom end of the guide plate inside the feeding hopper, a plurality of feeding levers uniformly disposed on the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft, and a third driving component for driving the rotating shaft.

[0011] The present invention is further configured such that: support plates are provided on both sides of the material distribution plate, and cylinders are provided on both sides of the first conveyor belt, with the piston rods of the cylinders pointing vertically upward and fixedly connected to the support plates.

[0012] The present invention is further configured such that: the material distribution plate forms multiple material guiding cavities through several vertically distributed partitions, and the bottom of each material guiding cavity is respectively connected to the material distribution funnel, the material distribution funnel having a conical structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and the diameter of its bottom end being less than or equal to the diameter of the top of the material cavity on the material plate.

[0013] The present invention is further configured such that: limit rods are respectively provided on both sides of the surface of the material tray conveying mechanism along its conveying direction.

[0014] The present invention is further configured such that: a first baffle plate is provided on both sides of the first conveyor belt along its length direction, and the first baffle plate is inclined outward from bottom to top in a flared shape.

[0015] The present invention is further configured such that: a second baffle plate is provided on both sides of the surface of the second conveyor belt along its length direction.

[0016] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. Through the coordinated work of the material tray conveying mechanism, the material distribution mechanism, the first conveyor belt, the material spreading component and the first driving component, the entire process of feeding, spreading, distributing and filling can be completed automatically, replacing manual operation, greatly improving production efficiency and reducing labor intensity; 2. The second conveyor belt in the spreading assembly, together with the rotating spreading rod (which always remains vertical and downward), can fully disperse and flatten the falling cheese strips, forming a single layer and a uniform distribution before they fall onto the first conveyor belt. This effectively solves the problem of cheese strips piling up and overlapping in traditional equipment, laying the foundation for subsequent uniform filling. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of this embodiment; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the material distribution mechanism in this embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the material distribution tray in this embodiment; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the material spreading assembly in this embodiment. The material spreading rods are actually densely arranged. In order to avoid obstruction, some of the material spreading rods are hidden in this figure. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the orientation control component in this embodiment; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the hopper in this embodiment.

[0018] Figure Descriptions: 1. Material tray conveying mechanism; 2. Frame; 3. Distributing tray; 4. Distributing hopper; 5. First conveyor belt; 6. Second conveyor belt; 7. Drive shaft; 8. Rotating disc; 9. Connecting rod; 10. Spreading rod; 11. Second motor; 12. Outer cover; 13. First gear; 14. Second gear; 15. Third gear; 16. Discharge hopper; 17. Guide plate; 18. Rotating shaft; 19. Discharge lever; 20. Third motor; 21. Support plate; 22. Cylinder; 23. Partition plate; 24. Limiting rod; 25. First baffle plate; 26. Second baffle plate. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Identical parts are indicated by the same reference numerals. It should be noted that the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" used in the following description refer to directions in the accompanying drawings, while the terms "bottom surface," "top surface," "inner," and "outer" refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a specific part, respectively.

[0021] like Figure 1-6As shown, an automatic dispensing device for cheese strips includes a tray conveying mechanism 1. The tray conveying mechanism 1 can be any device capable of linear conveying, such as a flat conveyor belt, a chain conveyor belt, a conveyor chain, a roller conveyor line, a synchronous belt conveyor mechanism, or a linear slide. Those skilled in the art can select a suitable linear conveying mechanism according to the actual working conditions. Its specific structure and driving method are all existing technologies and will not be described in detail here. In this embodiment, the tray conveying mechanism 1 preferably adopts a flat conveyor belt.

[0022] A frame 2 is provided at the tail end of the material tray conveying mechanism 1. A material distribution mechanism is provided inside the frame 2. The material distribution mechanism includes a material distribution plate 3 located above the material tray conveying mechanism 1. The material distribution plate 3 is provided with a plurality of material distribution funnels 4 that correspond one-to-one with the material cavities on the material tray. A first conveyor belt 5 located above the material distribution plate 3 is provided inside the frame 2. The first conveyor belt 5 is slidably connected to the frame 2 along its conveying direction. The material distribution mechanism also includes a first driving component for driving the first conveyor belt 5 to reciprocate back and forth along its conveying direction. The first driving component is a linear driving mechanism, such as a linear module, electric push rod, cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or screw and nut mechanism. Those skilled in the art can select any existing driving device that can output linear reciprocating motion according to actual needs. Its specific structure and installation method are all conventional technologies in the field and will not be described in detail here.

[0023] A material spreading component is also installed above the first conveyor belt 5 to evenly distribute cheese strips onto the first conveyor belt 5. Then, a first driving component drives the first conveyor belt 5 to reciprocate back and forth along the conveying direction, allowing the cheese strips on the first conveyor belt 5 to fall sequentially and evenly into the different distributing funnels 4 of the distributing tray 3, and subsequently into the corresponding material chambers of the tray. This significantly improves the uniformity and consistency of the cheese strips entering each material chamber, solving the problem of uneven filling caused by material accumulation or fixed drop positions.

[0024] The material spreading assembly includes a second conveyor belt 6 disposed within the frame 2 and located above the first conveyor belt 5. The material spreading assembly also includes a drive shaft 7 rotatably connected within the frame 2. Rotating discs 8 are respectively disposed at both ends of the drive shaft 7. Several connecting rods 9 are disposed between the two rotating discs 8 along their circumference. Several material spreading rods 10 are evenly disposed on each connecting rod 9. The assembly also includes a second driving component for controlling the rotation of the drive shaft 7. Specifically, the second driving component is a second motor 11 disposed on one side of the frame 2. A material feeding assembly is disposed above the front end of the second conveyor belt 6.

[0025] The second conveyor belt 6 transports the cheese strips from the feeding assembly forward. Simultaneously, the rotating disc 8 drives the connecting rod 9 and the spreading rod 10 to rotate. During rotation, the spreading rod 10 further disperses and flattens the cheese strips on the second conveyor belt 6, achieving a more uniform single-layer distribution, thus ensuring even distribution onto the first conveyor belt 5. This structure is simple and compact, with continuous spreading action, effectively preventing secondary accumulation of the cheese strips before they enter the first conveyor belt 5.

[0026] Each connecting rod 9 is rotatably connected to two rotating disks 8 at both ends. It also includes a directional control component for driving the rotation of each connecting rod 9. This directional control component ensures that the spreading rod 10 remains vertically downward as it revolves with the rotating disks 8. The consistently vertical orientation of the spreading rod 10 allows for a constant angle of motion when moving the cheese strips, preventing them from being lifted or thrown away due to tilting, thus ensuring the stability and uniformity of the spreading. Simultaneously, the vertical orientation makes the contact force between the spreading rod 10 and the cheese strips more consistent, reducing the occurrence of broken strips or sticking, further improving the finished product yield.

[0027] One of the rotating disks 8 has an outer cover 12 on its outer side, which is fixedly connected to the frame 2. The orientation control component includes a first gear 13 that is sleeved on and rotatably connected to the drive shaft 7. The first gear 13 is fixed to the outer cover 12. A second gear 14 is provided at the end of each connecting rod 9. A third gear 15 corresponding to each connecting rod 9 is rotatably connected to the rotating disk 8. The second gear 14 has the same number of teeth as the first gear 13. Each third gear 15 meshes between the corresponding second gear 14 and the first gear 13.

[0028] Utilizing the principle of planetary gear trains, when the rotating disk 8 (as a planet carrier) revolves, since the first gear 13 is fixed, the second gear 14 is forced to rotate through the transmission of the third gear 15. The direction of rotation is opposite to the direction of revolution, but the angular velocity is the same, thus ensuring that the orientation of the connecting rod 9 and the spreading rod 10 in space remains unchanged (always vertically downward).

[0029] The feeding assembly includes a feeding hopper 16 disposed between the frames 2, with an inclined guide plate 17 inside the feeding hopper 16. A rotating shaft 18 is rotatably connected to the bottom end of the guide plate 17 inside the feeding hopper 16. A plurality of feeding levers 19 are evenly arranged on the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 18. The assembly also includes a third driving component for driving the rotating shaft 18, specifically a third motor 20 disposed on one side of the frame 2. The inclined guide plate 17 causes the cheese strips to slide automatically to the bottom, and the rotating feeding levers 19 push the cheese strips one by one or in a fixed quantity onto the second conveyor belt 6, achieving orderly and controllable feeding and avoiding blockage or stacking caused by a large number of cheese strips flowing out at the same time.

[0030] Support plates 21 are provided on both sides of the distribution plate 3, and cylinders 22 are provided on both sides of the first conveyor belt 5. The piston rod of the cylinder 22 is vertically upward and fixedly connected to the support plate 21. By adjusting the height of the distribution plate 3 through the cylinder 22, it can flexibly match the material plates of different depths and opening heights, thus expanding the versatility of the equipment.

[0031] The dispensing tray 3 has multiple guiding chambers formed by several vertically distributed partitions 23. The bottom of each guiding chamber is connected to a dispensing funnel 4. The dispensing funnel 4 has a conical structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and the diameter of its bottom end is smaller than or equal to the diameter of the top of the material chamber on the tray. The dispensing tray 3 is driven to rise and fall as a whole by cylinders 22 set on both sides of the first conveyor belt 5. When the dispensing tray 3 descends, the bottom end of the dispensing funnel 4 can be inserted into or tightly fitted to the corresponding material chamber opening on the tray, ensuring that all cheese strips falling from the first conveyor belt 5 enter the material chamber. This avoids the cheese strips falling out of the material chamber or getting stuck in the gap due to the gap between the funnel and the material chamber, which significantly improves the reliability of filling.

[0032] Limiting rods 24 are respectively provided on both sides of the surface of the material tray conveying mechanism 1 along its conveying direction. The limiting rods 24 guide and constrain the travel trajectory of the material tray, preventing the material tray from deviating during the conveying process and ensuring that each material cavity is precisely aligned with the material distribution funnel 4 when the material tray reaches below the distribution tray 3. It is especially suitable for high-speed or long-distance conveying and can significantly improve positioning reliability.

[0033] The first conveyor belt 5 is provided with first baffles 25 on both sides along its length. The first baffles 25 are inclined outward from bottom to top in a flared shape. The flared baffles can prevent cheese strips from falling from both sides of the first conveyor belt 5. On the other hand, the outward inclined surface guides the cheese strips piled up on the edge to slide towards the middle of the conveyor belt, so that the material is always kept in the effective conveying area.

[0034] Second baffles 26 are provided on both sides of the surface of the second conveyor belt 6 along its length. The second baffles 26 laterally limit the cheese strips during the spreading stage to prevent them from splashing or falling off from both sides when they are pushed by the spreading rod 10, thus ensuring that all cheese strips can smoothly enter the first conveyor belt 5.

[0035] Working principle: The cheese strips are first put into the feeding hopper 16 and slide down to the bottom through the inclined guide plate 17. The rotating shaft 18 driven by the third driving component drives the feeding lever 19 to rotate, continuously and quantitatively feeding the cheese strips onto the second conveyor belt 6. The second conveyor belt 6 starts (its own conveying function is activated), which drives the cheese strips forward and spreads them evenly through the spreading component. Then the first conveyor belt 5 starts (its own conveying function starts), and the material on the second conveyor belt 6 falls evenly onto the first conveyor belt 5. When the specified amount of cheese strips are laid on the first conveyor belt 5 and the cheese strips move to the end of the first conveyor belt 5, the third drive unit and the second conveyor belt 6 stop working. At this time, the material tray conveying mechanism 1 transports the material tray to the designated position, and the cylinder 22 drives the material distribution tray 3 to descend, so that the material distribution funnel 4 corresponds to the material cavity one by one. At the same time, the first driving component drives the first conveyor belt 5 to move at a uniform speed, so that the cheese strips can fall evenly onto the material distribution tray 3, and through the material distribution funnel 4, the cheese strips fall evenly into the material cavity. After the material is divided, the material tray conveying mechanism 1 transports another material tray to the designated position, the first driving component drives the first conveyor belt 5 to reset, and repeats the above working process.

[0036] The specific embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art can make modifications to these embodiments without contributing any inventive step, but such modifications are protected by patent law as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic dispensing device for cheese sticks, characterized in that: It includes a material tray conveying mechanism (1), and a frame (2) is provided at the tail end of the material tray conveying mechanism (1). A material distribution mechanism is provided inside the frame (2). The material distribution mechanism includes a material distribution plate (3) disposed above the material tray conveying mechanism (1), and the material distribution plate (3) is provided with a plurality of material distribution funnels (4) corresponding one-to-one with the material cavities on the material tray. The frame (2) is provided with a first conveyor belt (5) located above the material distribution plate (3), and also includes a first driving component for driving the first conveyor belt (5) to reciprocate back and forth along its conveying direction; A material spreading component is also provided above the first conveyor belt (5) for spreading cheese strips evenly on the first conveyor belt (5).

2. The automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material spreading assembly includes a second conveyor belt (6) disposed within the frame (2) and above the first conveyor belt (5). The material spreading assembly also includes a drive shaft (7) rotatably connected within the frame (2). Rotating discs (8) are respectively disposed at both ends of the drive shaft (7). A plurality of connecting rods (9) are disposed between the two rotating discs (8) along their circumferential direction. A plurality of material spreading rods (10) are evenly disposed on each connecting rod (9). The assembly also includes a second driving component for controlling the rotation of the drive shaft (7). A material feeding assembly is disposed above the front end of the second conveyor belt (6).

3. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the connecting rods (9) is rotatably connected to two rotating disks (8) at both ends. It also includes a directional control component for driving each of the connecting rods (9) to rotate. The directional control component is used to keep the spreading rod (10) vertically downward as it revolves with the rotating disk (8).

4. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 3, characterized in that: One of the rotating disks (8) is provided with an outer cover (12) on its outer side, and the outer cover (12) is fixedly connected to the frame (2); the orientation control component includes a first gear (13) sleeved and rotatably connected to the drive shaft (7), the first gear (13) is fixed to the outer cover (12), a second gear (14) is provided at the end of each connecting rod (9), and a third gear (15) corresponding to each connecting rod (9) is rotatably connected to the rotating disk (8); The second gear (14) has the same number of teeth as the first gear (13); each of the third gears (15) meshes between the corresponding second gear (14) and the first gear (13).

5. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 4, characterized in that: The feeding assembly includes a feeding hopper (16) disposed between the frames (2), a guide plate (17) disposed at an inclination inside the feeding hopper (16), a rotating shaft (18) rotatably connected to the bottom end of the guide plate (17) inside the feeding hopper (16), a plurality of feeding levers (19) uniformly disposed on the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft (18), and a third driving component for driving the rotating shaft (18).

6. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material distribution plate (3) is provided with support plates (21) on both sides, and the first conveyor belt (5) is provided with cylinders (22) on both sides. The piston rod of the cylinder (22) is vertically upward and fixedly connected to the support plate (21).

7. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 6, characterized in that: The material distribution plate (3) has multiple material guiding cavities formed by several vertically distributed partitions (23). The bottom of each material guiding cavity is connected to the material distribution funnel (4). The material distribution funnel (4) has a conical structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The diameter of its bottom end is smaller than or equal to the diameter of the top of the material cavity on the material plate.

8. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 1, characterized in that: Limiting rods (24) are respectively provided on both sides of the surface of the material tray conveying mechanism (1) along its conveying direction.

9. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conveyor belt (5) is provided with first baffles (25) on both sides along its length direction. The first baffles (25) are inclined outward from bottom to top in an flared shape.

10. An automatic dispensing device for cheese strips according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second conveyor belt (6) has a second baffle plate (26) on both sides of its length direction.

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