An automatic noodle conveying and plating machine

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic pasta conveying and plating machine, relating to the field of food conveying. It includes a belt conveyor and a controller. The belt conveyor carries and conveys finished pasta products. A pasta placement mechanism is provided at the end of the belt conveyor, with a steaming tray placed below it. The steaming tray includes a tray support and side rails around the tray support. The pasta placement mechanism includes a mounting frame fixedly installed at the end of the belt conveyor. This automatic pasta conveying and plating machine, through the coordinated operation of the belt conveyor, the pasta placement mechanism, and the steaming tray conveying mechanism, combined with unified control by the controller, completes the entire automated process of pasta conveying, receiving, precise placement, and automatic tray transfer without manual intervention. This significantly reduces labor costs and labor intensity, while avoiding the risk of cross-contamination from manual contact with pasta, complying with food production hygiene standards.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to food conveying technology, specifically to an automatic pasta conveying and plating machine. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the food industry, the forming process of Chinese pastries such as steamed buns, mantou, and huajuan has basically achieved full mechanization and automation. In existing standardized automated pastry production lines, processes such as dough mixing, dough pressing, dough cutting, and forming are all completed continuously by specialized machinery. The finished pastries fall directly onto fixed points on downstream belt conveyors, which then transport them forward at a constant speed to the tray-setting station. This production mode greatly improves the efficiency and product consistency of the forming process, but it also places higher demands on the adaptability, accuracy, and automation of the subsequent tray-setting process.

[0003] Arranging the finished pasta products neatly from the conveyor belt onto the steaming trays is a crucial step, directly impacting the efficiency and quality of subsequent steaming processes, as well as the final product quality. Currently, pasta plating operations in the industry are mainly divided into two modes: manual plating and semi-automatic equipment plating. Neither of these modes perfectly suits the aforementioned production characteristics of "fixed-point conveying after shaping."

[0004] The manual plating method relies entirely on workers to manually place the pasta pieces that fall from the conveyor belt at fixed positions onto steaming trays, which has the following significant drawbacks: First, the production efficiency is extremely low, with a single worker station only able to plate 300-500 pasta pieces per hour, which is difficult to match the output of thousands of pasta pieces per hour of high-speed pasta production lines; second, the labor intensity is extremely high, as workers need to maintain a highly concentrated state for long periods of time to repeatedly grab and place the pasta, which easily leads to fatigue and quality problems such as uneven plating spacing, missing pieces, and incorrect placement; third, there are serious food hygiene and safety hazards, as direct manual contact with pasta can easily cause cross-contamination of bacteria, which does not comply with the GMP hygiene standards of modern food production.

[0005] To address the drawbacks of manual food plating, some semi-automatic pasta plating equipment has emerged on the market. This type of equipment typically uses a conveyor belt to transport the pasta from the forming machine to above the steaming trays, where a simple free-fall mechanism completes the plating. However, because the landing point of the pasta produced by existing forming machines on the conveyor belt is fixed, existing semi-automatic equipment still faces several technical bottlenecks in practical applications that are incompatible with this production characteristic:

[0006] 1. Limited adjustment of tray placement, unable to accommodate the positional differences between fixed landing points and different steaming trays: Most existing equipment can only adjust the height of the tray placement mechanism, unable to perform precise horizontal displacement adjustment. This results in the end of the tray conveyor belt not being precisely aligned with the fixed landing point on the conveyor belt, and it also cannot accommodate steaming trays of different widths and sizes. The landing point deviation is large, often resulting in the dough falling onto the side rails of the steaming tray or being misaligned, requiring manual re-adjustment, which actually reduces overall production efficiency.

[0007] 2. The feeding posture of the pasta is uncontrollable, which can easily lead to product deformation; the automation level of steaming tray feeding is low: the existing equipment generally adopts the direct drop feeding method, and the pasta falls freely from the end of the conveyor belt to the steaming tray. For soft pasta such as buns and soft steamed buns, the impact of falling can easily cause the pasta to deform, break, and leak filling, which seriously affects the appearance and quality of the product.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention provides an automatic pasta conveying and plating machine to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic pasta conveying and plating machine to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings in the prior art.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an automatic pasta conveying and plating machine, comprising a belt conveyor and a controller, wherein the belt conveyor is used to carry and convey finished pasta, and a pasta placement mechanism is provided at the conveying end of the belt conveyor, and a steaming tray is placed below the pasta placement mechanism, the steaming tray comprising a tray support and side guards provided around the tray support;

[0011] The pasta placement mechanism includes a mounting frame fixedly installed at the end of a belt conveyor. A tray placement frame is slidably connected to the inner side of the mounting frame. A horizontal adjustment screw is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the mounting frame. The tray placement frame is threadedly connected to the horizontal adjustment screw. A drive roller and a driven roller are rotatably installed at both ends of the inner wall of the tray placement frame, respectively. A tray placement conveyor belt is driven between the drive roller and the driven roller. The position of the end of the tray placement conveyor belt corresponds to the steaming tray.

[0012] Below the food placement mechanism is a steaming tray conveying mechanism, which is used to convey the steaming trays to be used and to intermittently adjust the position of the steaming trays when the food is placed on the trays.

[0013] Furthermore, a guide shaft is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the mounting frame. The guide shaft passes through the swivel plate frame and is slidably connected to its inner wall. The horizontal adjusting screw and the drive roller are both driven by motors, and both motors are electrically connected to the controller.

[0014] Furthermore, the steaming tray conveying mechanism includes a first roller conveyor and a second roller conveyor. The first roller conveyor and the second roller conveyor are arranged perpendicularly, and the top of the conveying roller on the first roller conveyor is flush with the top of the conveying roller on the second roller conveyor. Both the first roller conveyor and the second roller conveyor are electrically connected to the controller.

[0015] Furthermore, a support frame is fixedly installed on the side of the first roller conveyor away from the second roller conveyor. A feeding screw is rotatably installed on the inner side of the support frame. The feeding screw is driven by a motor. A right-angle plate is threadedly connected to the external side of the feeding screw. A pulling electric rod is fixedly installed at the top of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate. The bottom of the telescopic end of the pulling electric rod penetrates the surface of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate and is fixedly connected to a pulling plate. The pulling plate is used to cooperate with the side guard of the steaming tray to pull the steaming tray to the tray-swinging working position.

[0016] Furthermore, guide rods are symmetrically installed on both sides of the inner wall of the support frame. The guide rods penetrate the surface of the vertical section of the right-angle plate and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the vertical section of the right-angle plate.

[0017] Furthermore, guide rods are symmetrically installed at both ends of the top of the pull plate. The guide rods penetrate the horizontal surface of the right-angle plate and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate.

[0018] Furthermore, an adjustment mechanism is provided between the plate-slab frame and the active roller and the driven roller. The adjustment mechanism includes a fixed frame and a movable frame that are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the plate-slab frame. The active roller is rotatably installed on the movable frame, and the driven roller is rotatably installed on the fixed frame. An electric drive shaft is rotatably installed on the fixed frame, and an adjustment plate is fixedly installed on the electric drive shaft. The end of the adjustment plate away from the electric drive shaft is fixedly connected to the movable frame.

[0019] Furthermore, the electric drive shaft and the driven roller are arranged concentrically.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the automatic pasta conveying and plating machine provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] 1. This automatic noodle conveying and plating machine, through the coordinated operation of belt conveyor, noodle placement mechanism and steaming tray conveying mechanism, combined with unified control by controller, completes the entire process of automatic operation of noodle conveying, receiving, precise placement and automatic transfer of steaming trays without human intervention, significantly reducing labor costs and labor intensity, while avoiding the risk of cross-contamination caused by human contact with noodles, and complies with food production hygiene standards.

[0022] 2. This automatic noodle conveying and plating machine achieves stable feeding of noodles by synchronously conveying the trays and steaming trays at low speed, avoiding problems such as deformation, breakage, and filling leakage caused by free fall, and significantly improving the appearance quality of the products.

[0023] 3. This automatic pasta conveying and plating machine uses a steaming tray conveying system composed of a vertically set first roller conveyor and a second roller conveyor. With the help of a controller, the steaming trays are conveyed intermittently in the horizontal and vertical directions. The machine can accurately control the transfer distance and dwell time of the steaming trays according to preset parameters, so that the pasta are arranged in a uniform and neat matrix on the tray. The plating consistency is high, avoiding stacking and uneven gaps, which facilitates the standardized operation of subsequent steaming processes. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting bracket structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the tray conveyor belt separated from the fixed frame and the movable frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first roller conveyor and the second roller conveyor provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 Provided for embodiments of the present invention Figure 4 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0031] 1. Belt conveyor; 2. Steaming tray; 21. Tray support; 22. Side guard; 3. Mounting frame; 31. Tray swaying frame; 32. Horizontal adjusting screw; 33. Drive roller; 34. Driven roller; 35. Tray swaying conveyor belt; 4. First roller conveyor; 41. Second roller conveyor; 42. Bearing frame; 43. Feeding screw; 44. Right angle plate; 45. Electric pulling rod; 46. Pulling plate; 47. Guide rod; 48. Guide rod; 5. Fixed frame; 51. Movable frame; 52. Electric drive shaft; 53. Adjusting plate. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Example:

[0034] Please see Figures 1-5 An automatic pasta conveying and plating machine includes a belt conveyor 1 and a controller. The belt conveyor 1 is used to carry and convey finished pasta. The feed end of the belt conveyor 1 is connected to the discharge port of the upstream pasta forming machine and is used to carry and convey finished pasta falling from the fixed drop point of the forming machine. The conveying end of the belt conveyor 1 is provided with a pasta placement mechanism. A steaming tray 2 is placed below the pasta placement mechanism. The steaming tray 2 includes a tray support 21 and side guards 22 arranged around the tray support 21.

[0035] The food placement mechanism includes a mounting frame 3 fixedly installed at the end of the belt conveyor 1. A tray placement frame 31 is slidably connected to the inner side of the mounting frame 3. A horizontal adjusting screw 32 is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the mounting frame 3. The axis of the horizontal adjusting screw 32 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 1. The tray placement frame 31 is threadedly connected to the horizontal adjusting screw 32. The horizontal adjusting screw 32 is driven by a motor, and the motor is electrically connected to a controller. By controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, the controller can drive the tray placement frame 31 to move left and right in the horizontal direction, thereby achieving precise adjustment of the position of the tray placement conveyor belt 35.

[0036] It should be added that a guide shaft is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the mounting frame 3. The guide shaft passes through the plate-sliding frame 31 and is slidably connected to its inner wall to ensure the stability of the plate-sliding frame 31 in horizontal sliding.

[0037] A drive roller 33 and a driven roller 34 are rotatably mounted at both ends of the inner wall of the tray-stacking frame 31. A tray-stacking conveyor belt 35 is driven between the drive roller 33 and the driven roller 34. The end of the tray-stacking conveyor belt 35 corresponds to the position of the steaming tray 2. The drive roller 33 is driven by a motor, which is electrically connected to a controller. The controller controls the motor to drive the drive roller 33 to rotate, thereby causing the tray-stacking conveyor belt 35 to rotate. This allows the dough received from the belt conveyor 1 to be transported above the steaming tray 2.

[0038] A steaming tray conveying mechanism is installed below the food placement mechanism. This mechanism conveys the steaming trays 2 to be used and intermittently adjusts their position during food placement. The steaming tray conveying mechanism includes a first roller conveyor 4 and a second roller conveyor 41. The first roller conveyor 4 and the second roller conveyor 41 are arranged perpendicularly, and the tops of the conveying rollers on the first roller conveyor 4 and the second roller conveyor 41 are flush. Both the first roller conveyor 4 and the second roller conveyor 41 are electrically connected to a controller, which controls their start / stop and conveying speed, thereby achieving intermittent step-by-step conveying of the steaming trays 2 in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0039] A support frame 42 is fixedly installed on the side of the first roller conveyor 4 away from the second roller conveyor 41. A feeding screw 43 is rotatably installed on the inner side of the support frame 42. The feeding screw 43 is driven by a motor, which is electrically connected to a controller. A right-angle plate 44 is threadedly connected to the outside of the feeding screw 43. A pulling electric rod 45 is fixedly installed on the top of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate 44. The pulling electric rod 45 is electrically connected to the controller. The bottom of the telescopic end of the pulling electric rod 45 penetrates the surface of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate 44 and is fixedly connected to a pulling plate 46. The pulling plate 46 is used to cooperate with the side guard 22 of the steaming tray 2 to pull the steaming tray 2 to the tray-swinging working position.

[0040] It should be noted that guide rods 47 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the inner wall of the support frame 42. The guide rods 47 penetrate the surface of the vertical section of the right angle plate 44 and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the vertical section of the right angle plate 44, which can effectively ensure the stability of the right angle plate 44 when it moves horizontally.

[0041] Furthermore, guide rods 48 are symmetrically installed at both ends of the top of the pull plate 46. The guide rods 48 penetrate the horizontal surface of the right angle plate 44 and slide in connection with the inner wall of the horizontal section of the right angle plate 44, which can effectively ensure the stability of the pull plate 46 when it moves in the vertical direction.

[0042] In this embodiment, an adjustment mechanism is provided between the plate-slab frame 31 and the drive roller 33 and the driven roller 34. The adjustment mechanism includes a fixed frame 5 and a movable frame 51 fixedly installed on the inner wall of the plate-slab frame 31. The drive roller 33 is rotatably installed on the movable frame 51, and the driven roller 34 is rotatably installed on the fixed frame 5. An electric drive shaft 52 is rotatably installed on the fixed frame 5, and an adjustment plate 53 is fixedly installed on the electric drive shaft 52. The end of the adjustment plate 53 away from the electric drive shaft 52 is fixedly connected to the movable frame 51.

[0043] It should be noted that the electric drive shaft 52 and the driven roller 34 are concentrically arranged so that the center distance between the driving roller 33 and the driven roller 34 remains unchanged when the adjusting plate 53 rotates.

[0044] During operation, the fixed receiving position of the tray conveyor belt 35 is first set according to the fixed landing position of the upstream forming machine. Then, the moving distance of the tray conveyor belt 35 when placing the pastries from the end of the steaming tray 2 is set according to the actual specifications of the pastries. At the same time, the single conveying distance of the first roller conveyor 4 is also set according to the actual specifications of the pastries. Then, according to actual needs, the adjusting plate 53 is driven downward by the electric drive shaft 52 to make the height between the conveying end of the tray conveyor belt 35 and the steaming tray 2 meet the tray placement requirements.

[0045] When the pastries are being placed on the tray, after they are conveyed onto the tray conveyor belt 35, the horizontal adjusting screw 32 drives the tray frame 31 to move to the initial placement position. After the pastries are in contact with the surface of the tray 21, the first roller conveyor 4 synchronously and slowly conveys the tray 21 forward. The conveying linear speed of the first roller conveyor 4 is equal in magnitude and direction to the conveying linear speed of the tray conveyor belt 35, so that the pastries remain relatively stationary relative to the steaming tray 2 and are placed stably on the tray 21. When the next pastry is to be placed after the previous one has been placed, the tray conveyor belt 35 moves to the pastry receiving position under the drive of the horizontal adjusting screw 32 to carry the next pastry. Then, the subsequent pastries are placed through the above steps. When the longitudinal row (in this article, the longitudinal row direction is consistent with the conveying direction of the first roller conveyor 4, where the end closer to the second roller conveyor 41 is the front and the end farther away from the second roller conveyor 41 is the rear) is placed, the first roller conveyor 4 transports the steaming tray 2 in the opposite direction to the initial position. Then, the horizontal adjusting screw 32 drives the tray conveyor belt 35 to move to the placement position of the second longitudinal row, and the same operation is performed to place the pastries.

[0046] After the steaming tray 2 is placed, the first roller conveyor 4 transports it backward over a distance greater than the width of the steaming tray 2. After the placed steaming tray 2 is moved away, the second roller conveyor 41 drives the steaming tray 2 to be placed onto the first roller conveyor 4. When it separates from the second roller conveyor 41, the feeding screw 43 drives the right-angle plate 44 to move to the position of the steaming tray 2 to be placed. Then, the pulling electric rod 45 drives the pulling plate 46 to move down to the inner side of the side guard 22 of the steaming tray 2, so that the side of the pulling plate 46 is in contact with the inner surface of the side guard 22. Then, the feeding screw 43 drives the right-angle plate 44 to move in the opposite direction, so that the pulling plate 46 pulls the steaming tray 2 to move synchronously to the working position. After that, the pulling electric rod 45 drives the pulling plate 46 to move upward to reset, and the feeding screw 43 drives the right-angle plate 44 to move to reset, so that the steaming tray 2 is transported to a fixed position for placement.

[0047] It should be further explained that the first roller conveyor 4 in this application is used to adjust the position of the steaming tray 2 during tray placement, and also to transport the steaming tray 2 after placement. Therefore, the first roller conveyor 4 can be divided into a tray placement section and a feeding section. The tray placement section is mainly used to adjust the position of the steaming tray 2 during tray placement. After tray placement is completed, the tray is completely transported to the conveying section, and then directly transported to the steaming station for steaming treatment.

[0048] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic pasta conveying and plating machine, comprising a belt conveyor (1) and a controller, wherein the belt conveyor (1) is used to carry and convey finished pasta products, characterized in that, The conveyor end of the belt conveyor (1) is provided with a pasta placement mechanism, and a steaming tray (2) is placed below the pasta placement mechanism. The steaming tray (2) includes a tray support (21) and side guards (22) arranged around the tray support (21). The pasta placement mechanism includes a mounting frame (3) fixedly installed at the end of the belt conveyor (1). A tray placement frame (31) is slidably connected to the inner side of the mounting frame (3). A horizontal adjustment screw (32) is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the mounting frame (3). The tray placement frame (31) is threadedly connected to the horizontal adjustment screw (32). A drive roller (33) and a driven roller (34) are rotatably installed at both ends of the inner wall of the tray placement frame (31). A tray placement conveyor belt (35) is installed between the drive roller (33) and the driven roller (34). The position of the end of the tray placement conveyor belt (35) corresponds to the steaming tray (2). Below the food placement mechanism is a steaming tray conveying mechanism, which is used to convey the steaming tray (2) to be used and to intermittently adjust the position of the steaming tray (2) when the food is placed.

2. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the mounting frame (3) is fixedly installed with a guide shaft. The guide shaft passes through the plate rack (31) and is slidably connected to its inner wall. The horizontal adjustment screw (32) and the drive roller (33) are both driven by motors, and both motors are electrically connected to the controller.

3. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steaming tray conveying mechanism includes a first roller conveyor (4) and a second roller conveyor (41). The first roller conveyor (4) and the second roller conveyor (41) are arranged perpendicularly, and the top of the conveying roller on the first roller conveyor (4) is flush with the top of the conveying roller on the second roller conveyor (41). Both the first roller conveyor (4) and the second roller conveyor (41) are electrically connected to the controller.

4. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, A support frame (42) is fixedly installed on the side of the first roller conveyor (4) away from the second roller conveyor (41). A feeding screw (43) is rotatably installed on the inner side of the support frame (42). The feeding screw (43) is driven by a motor. A right-angle plate (44) is connected to the external thread of the feeding screw (43). A pulling electric rod (45) is fixedly installed on the top of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate (44). The bottom of the extension end of the pulling electric rod (45) penetrates the surface of the horizontal section of the right-angle plate (44) and is fixedly connected to a pull plate (46). The pull plate (46) is used to cooperate with the side guard (22) of the steaming tray (2) to pull the steaming tray (2) to the tray working position.

5. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, Guide rods (47) are symmetrically installed on both sides of the inner wall of the support frame (42). The guide rods (47) penetrate the surface of the vertical section of the right angle plate (44) and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the vertical section of the right angle plate (44).

6. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, Guide rods (48) are symmetrically installed at both ends of the top of the pull plate (46). The guide rods (48) penetrate the horizontal surface of the right angle plate (44) and are slidably connected to the inner wall of the horizontal section of the right angle plate (44).

7. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, An adjustment mechanism is provided between the plate-slab frame (31) and the drive roller (33) and the driven roller (34). The adjustment mechanism includes a fixed frame (5) and a movable frame (51) fixedly installed on the inner wall of the plate-slab frame (31). The drive roller (33) is rotatably installed on the movable frame (51), and the driven roller (34) is rotatably installed on the fixed frame (5). An electric drive shaft (52) is rotatably installed on the fixed frame (5), and an adjustment plate (53) is fixedly installed on the electric drive shaft (52). The end of the adjustment plate (53) away from the electric drive shaft (52) is fixedly connected to the movable frame (51).

8. The automatic pasta conveying and plating machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The electric drive shaft (52) and the driven roller (34) are arranged concentrically.

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