A kind of slice equipment for automatic feeding of rhizome traditional Chinese medicinal materials

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of traditional Chinese medicinal material processing, in particular to a slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome traditional Chinese medicinal materials, which comprises a feeding assembly and a slicing assembly installed on a base plate. The feeding assembly adopts a three-section progressive conveying structure, and cooperates with a flow guide groove and an elastic support block to realize automatic conveying, central guidance and stable clamping conveying of rhizome medicinal materials. A detection camera at the bottom of the base plate can detect rhizome parameters in real time, providing data support for processing and regulation. The slicing assembly is provided with an elastic buffer knife clamp structure, which adopts low-speed shearing instead of high-speed impact cutting to reduce the chipping rate of hard rhizome slices. At the same time, a micro-adjustable gap piece and an electronic micrometer are matched to realize precise visual adjustment of the thickness of the slices, solving the problem of poor thickness adjustment accuracy of traditional devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of Chinese medicinal herb processing equipment, specifically a slicing device for automatic feeding of root and rhizome Chinese medicinal herbs. Background Technology

[0002] Rhizome-based medicinal herbs are an important component of traditional Chinese medicine. Hard rhizome herbs, such as Panax notoginseng, have medicinal value closely related to the quality of their processed slices. Slicing is the core process in processing medicinal herbs after harvesting. The uniformity, thickness accuracy, and integrity of the rhizome slices directly affect the subsequent drying, grinding, and decoction processes, and also determine the efficacy release rate and finished product grade.

[0003] Currently, there is no unified standard for the thickness of root and rhizome slices in the Chinese medicinal materials processing industry. Different medicinal scenarios have different requirements for the thickness of the slices. Thin slices are suitable for rapid decoction and administration, while thick slices can retain the complete medicinal properties and are suitable for processing and storage. Therefore, the ability of equipment to accurately adjust the thickness is the key to adapting to diversified processing needs.

[0004] Existing traditional slicing equipment mostly adopts fixed cutting stations and rigid impact cutting structures, with disordered and irregular feeding and conveying structures. During the conveying of root and rhizome medicinal materials, deviation and misalignment are prone to occur, making it impossible to achieve precise centering and positioning. This leads to problems such as off-cut, broken edges, and uneven thickness during the slicing process. Moreover, the instantaneous impact force during the cutting of hard roots and rhizomes is relatively large, which can easily cause the medicinal materials to break and the cut surface to be uneven, seriously affecting the quality of finished Chinese medicinal material slices and the yield of processed products, making it difficult to meet the requirements of standardized and refined processing and production of modern Chinese medicinal materials. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is a slicing device for automatic feeding of root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials, including a substrate, a feeding component, a slicing component and a detection component; The feeding assembly is mounted on the substrate and is used to sort and transport root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials along the conveying direction to the slicing station. The detection component is set in the conveying channel corresponding to the feeding component, and is used to obtain the position and / or length information of the rhizome Chinese medicinal materials being conveyed. The slicing assembly is located at the discharge end of the feeding assembly and is used to slice the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials that are conveyed to the slicing station. The slicing assembly includes a blade holder, a slicing drive, a blade clamp, a cutting blade, and a support. The blade holder is disposed on a base plate. The blade clamp is movably connected to the blade holder and is driven to move by the slicing drive. The cutting blade is disposed on the blade clamp. The support is disposed below the cutting blade or at the slicing station and is used to support the rhizomes and other Chinese medicinal materials conveyed by the feeding assembly. The blade holder includes a support portion and a movable portion for mounting the cutter. An elastic buffer structure is provided between the support portion and the movable portion, so that the cutter can generate an elastic buffer displacement relative to the support portion during the slicing process.

[0007] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This equipment optimizes and improves upon existing technologies that suffer from inaccurate root and stem positioning, low precision in slice thickness adjustment, and susceptibility to breakage of hard medicinal materials. Through a three-section differentiated conveying structure combined with a pusher plate and a side clamp bidirectional positioning structure, it automatically centers and aligns root and stem medicinal materials, completely eliminating offset and off-cutting issues and effectively improving the flatness of the sliced ​​surface. Utilizing an electronic micrometer and a gap-adjusting structure, the slice thickness can be intuitively and precisely controlled to adapt to different processing requirements. Simultaneously, the elastic buffer shearing structure weakens the instantaneous impact force during cutting, significantly reducing the breakage of hard root and stem materials, effectively improving the yield of processed medicinal slices and the standardization of processing, making it suitable for large-scale, precision production. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top-down view; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A side view diagram; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transition between the final segment and the slice component; Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 4 Enlarged diagram of point A in the diagram; Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the position of the rhizome during cutting; Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged diagram of point B in the diagram; Figure 8 for Figure 6 Enlarged diagram of point C in the diagram; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the tool holder; Figure 10 for Figure 9 Enlarged diagram of point D in the diagram; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the position of the spacer.

[0010] In the diagram: 1. Feeding assembly; 2. Slicing assembly; 3. Substrate; 4. Inspection camera; 11. Front section; 12. Middle section; 13. End section; 20. Knife clamp; 21. First spring; 211. Conical protrusion; 22. Cutter; 221. Hemispherical protrusion; 23. Knife holder; 231. Spacer; 232. Micrometer; 233. Gasket; 234. Second spring; 235. Clutch bar; 24. Slicing cylinder; 25. Pad plate; 26. Side clamp; 261. Protective plate; 27. Push block; 270. Fourth spring; 271. Push shaft; 272. Torsion spring; 273. Push cable; 28. Push plate; 29. ​​Limiting tube; 5. Rotating shaft; 6. First motor; 7. Second motor; 31. Guide channel; 32. Feeding plate; 8. Root and stem. Detailed Implementation

[0011] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0012] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, a slicing device for automatic feeding of eight types of Chinese medicinal materials including rhizomes includes a feeding component 1 and a slicing component 2. Both the feeding component 1 and the slicing component 2 are mounted on a base plate 3. The feeding component 1 adopts a three-section conveying structure with a front section 11, a middle section 12 and a final section 13 in sequence. The slicing component 2 is located at the final section 13. In addition, a detection camera 4 is also included.

[0013] The front section 11 of the feeding assembly 1 adopts a crawler conveyor structure, the middle section 12 adopts a belt conveyor structure, which is located on both sides of the front section 11 to form a conical conveying gap. The end section 13 also adopts a belt conveyor structure and is arranged in parallel. One end of the belt is close to the end of the conical gap of the middle section 12, and the other end is close to the pad 25 in the knife holder 23. An elastic support block 30 is provided on the base plate 3, which is located on the inner side of the belt and provides elastic support on the side of the belt. The feeding assembly 1 is driven by the second motor 7. A guide groove 31 is opened on the base plate 3. The guide groove 31 is opened along the belt conveying gap of the middle section 12 and the end section 13. An inclined feeding plate 32 is fixedly installed on the base plate 3. The feeding plate 32 is located below the knife holder 23.

[0014] During operation, the second motor 7 drives the front section 11, middle section 12, and final section 13 of the feeding assembly 1 to operate synchronously through external transmission structures such as belts and gears. This keeps the track wheels and pulleys in a conveying rotation state. The track wheels are used to pick up and transport the Chinese medicinal herb roots 8 that meet the standards after screening. The middle section 12, with its inclined conical angle area and the guide groove 31 at the bottom, allows the Chinese medicinal herb roots 8 to be guided to the center and enter the final section 13. The two sets of belts in the final section 13 are distributed on both sides of the Chinese medicinal herb roots 8. During operation, the belts use their own elasticity and friction to clamp and transport the roots 8. Thus, the haphazardly stored roots 8 are guided by the three sections of the front section 11, middle section 12, and final section 13 and enter the subsequent slicing assembly 2 one by one.

[0015] like Figure 3 As shown, the detection camera 4 is located at the bottom of the substrate 3, facing the flow channel of the middle section 12 of the feeding assembly 1. It is used to detect the position and length of the transported Chinese medicinal herb root 8. The detection camera 4 is used to collect data on the number of transported root 8, the beginning and end status during transport, and its own length, etc., so as to facilitate subsequent statistics and parameter adjustments.

[0016] like Figure 7 , Figure 9 and Figure 11 As shown, the slicing assembly 2 includes a blade clamp 20 and a pad 25. The blade clamp 20 has a two-section structure, which is elastically connected by a first spring 21. The cutter 22 is fixedly installed on the movable end of the blade clamp 20, and the fixed end of the blade clamp 20 is slidably installed on the blade holder 23 and is driven to slide by the slicing cylinder 24. The blade holder 23 is fixed on the base plate 3. The pad 25 is horizontally arranged, with one end located below the blade holder 23 and the other end extending to the end section 13 of the feeding assembly 1. The rootstock 8 slides from the feeding assembly 1 to the pad 25.

[0017] After the rootstock 8 is conveyed to the slicing assembly 2 via the end section 13, it immediately moves above the pad 25 until it is close to the blade holder 23. During the cutting process, the slicing cylinder 24 drives the blade holder 20 to reciprocate up and down linearly. The blade holder 20 drives the cutter 22 to move synchronously. When the cutter 22 contacts the upper surface of the rootstock 8, the first spring 21 undergoes compressive deformation (the head of the rootstock is in contact with the blade holder 23 at this time, and the cutter 22 moves from top to bottom, contacting the upper surface of the rootstock, not the end surface). At this time, the fixed end of the blade holder 20 and... The moving end generates relative displacement, and the elastic force generated by the deformation of the first spring 21 increases the contact pressure between the cutter 22 and the root 8. The edge of the cutter 22 then cuts into the root 8. As the first spring 21 is compressed to its maximum extent, the blade holder 20 moves down as a whole and pushes the cutter 22 to complete the cutting of the root 8. This solution adopts a buffered shearing cutting method, abandoning high-speed impact cutting. It uses low-speed vertical shearing + elastic blade holder buffer structure to reduce the instantaneous impact force of cutting, greatly reduce the breakage rate, and improve the quality, especially for the hard texture of Panax notoginseng.

[0018] like Figure 6 ,as well as Figures 8 to 10 As shown, the slicing assembly 2 also includes a pusher block 27, a pusher plate 28, and a limiting tube 29. The pusher block 27 is slidably mounted on both sides of the blade holder 23. A fourth spring 270 is connected between the pusher block 27 and the substrate 3. The two pushers 27 are mounted together by a rotating engagement. A torsion spring 272 is connected between the pusher shaft 271 and the pusher block 27. A pusher cable 273 is wound around the end of the pusher shaft 271. The other end of the pusher cable 273 is wound around the rotating shaft 5. The rotating shaft 5 is rotatably mounted on the substrate 3 and is driven by the first motor 6. The limiting tube 29 is sleeved on the cylindrical end of the push plate 28. Both ends of the limiting tube 29 extend to the side wall of the push block 27 and are fixedly connected. An arc-shaped slit groove is opened in the middle of the limiting tube 29. The push plate 28 is exposed from the slit groove. The push plate 28 deflects within an angle of 0 to 90 degrees in the slit groove of the limiting tube 29. In the vertical state, the side of the push plate 28 facing the knife holder 23 is provided with an anti-slip surface to increase contact with the root and stem of the Chinese medicinal material 8.

[0019] In the initial state, under the traction of the fourth spring 270, the push block 27 remains at the starting position near the end section 13, and under the torque of the torsion spring 272, the push plate 28 is in a horizontal position. After the root 8 initially enters above the pad plate 25, it is located below the push plate 28. Subsequently, the first motor 6 is started to operate, and the first motor 6 drives the rotating shaft 5 to rotate. During the rotation of the rotating shaft 5, the push cable 273 is wound around it. During this process, the other side of the push cable 273... The end drives the push shaft 271 to rotate, and the torsion spring 272 enters the torsion state. After the push shaft 271 drives the push plate 28 to rotate 90 degrees, it is immediately limited by the limiting tube 29 to maintain its posture. Then, under the further winding and pulling action of the push cable 273, the push shaft 271, the push plate 28 and the push block 27 move as a whole and approach the root stem 8 until the anti-slip surface contacts the end of the root stem 8. Then, the root stem 8 is pushed to move as a whole, so that the root stem 8 enters the cutting station at a uniform speed.

[0020] like Figure 9 and Figure 11 As shown, the slicing assembly 2 also includes side clamps 26, which are slidably mounted on the blade holder 23. A third spring connects the side clamps 26 and the blade holder 23. The side clamps 26 are distributed on both sides above the pad 25. The Chinese medicinal herb root 8 falls between the two side clamps 26. The side of the side clamp 26 facing the center of the pad 25 is elastically connected to a guard plate 261 with an inclined guide surface at the end via the third spring. The end of the guard plate 261 slides in contact with the side wall of the cutter 22 to clamp the Chinese medicinal herb root 8 during slicing.

[0021] As the pusher plate 28 moves the rootstock 8, the rootstock 8 gradually enters the inner side of the side clamp 26 and is centered again under the guidance of the guide surface at the end of the guard plate 261. The guard plate 261 clamps the two sides of the rootstock 8, so that it can be stably transported during the cutting process and improve the neatness of the cut surface.

[0022] like Figure 10 As shown, the cylindrical end of the push plate 28 is slidably mounted on the push shaft 271. The push plate 28 adopts a split structure. A diaphragm spring is provided between two adjacent push plates 28 for elastic contact. The two outermost push plates 28 are elastically contacted with the side walls of the guard plates 261 on both sides.

[0023] The split-type push plate 28 can freely extend and retract within a predetermined width range, thereby adapting to the width range changes when the guard plate 261 clamps the rootstock 8, and improving the stability of pushing.

[0024] like Figure 11As shown, a settling groove is provided in the middle of the blade holder 23, and a spacer 231 is slidably installed in the settling groove. One side of the spacer 231 is in contact with the root of the Chinese medicinal herb 8. An electronic micrometer 232 is fixedly installed on the blade holder 23. The telescopic end of the micrometer 232 is rotatably connected to the other side of the spacer 231. A pad 233 is slidably installed at the bottom of the blade holder 23. After the bottom plate of the pad 233 slides through the blade holder 23, it abuts against the pad plate 25. A second spring 234 is connected between the pad 233 and the blade holder 23. A clutch strip 235 is provided at the end of the pad 233 near the cutter 22. A conical protrusion 211 that cooperates with the clutch strip 235 is provided on the side wall of the movable end of the blade clamp 20.

[0025] To meet the processing requirements of different slice thicknesses, in the initial state, the surface of the gap plate 231 is flush with the contact surface of the knife holder 23. During cutting, the root stem 8 contacts the surface of the gap plate 231, while the side wall of the cutter 22 slides against the contact surface of the knife holder 23. When it is necessary to adjust the slice thickness, the gap plate 231 is gradually contracted into the settling groove by turning the electronic micrometer 232. At this time, the root stem 8 extends into the settling groove simultaneously. When the cutter 22 moves down along the knife holder 23, the root stem 8 is cut to the predetermined thickness. The cutting thickness can be displayed intuitively on the digital display screen on the electronic micrometer 232, thereby achieving precise control. During the cutting of the rootstock 8, the blade clamp 20 continues to move downward, and drives the tapered protrusion 211 to move downward synchronously. When the tapered protrusion 211 moves to the predetermined height, it contacts the inclined surface at the end of the clutch bar 235 and pushes the clutch bar 235 to move horizontally. The clutch bar 235 drives the pad 233 to move synchronously. After the pad 233 moves, the space below the cutting position of the rootstock 8 is exposed. When the rootstock 8 is completely cut off, it falls from this position and falls to the predetermined storage position through the guidance of the inclined feed plate 32. When the blade clamp 20 moves upward, the pad 233 resets itself under the elastic reset action of the second spring 234.

[0026] like Figure 7 As shown, the cutter 22 has an angled structure. On the side facing the gap plate 231, hemispherical protrusions 221 are evenly arranged along the inclined blade edge direction for peeling off the slices of the Chinese medicinal herb root and stem 8. This reduces the contact area between the root and stem 8 slices and the cutter 22, prevents them from sticking to the wall, and improves the falling efficiency of the slices. Thus, the conveying, positioning, thickness determination and slicing of the Chinese medicinal herb root and stem 8 are completed.

[0027] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials, characterized in that, Includes substrate, feeding assembly, slicing assembly, and inspection assembly; The feeding assembly is mounted on the substrate and is used to sort and transport root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials along the conveying direction to the slicing station. The detection component is set in the conveying channel corresponding to the feeding component, and is used to obtain the position and / or length information of the rhizome Chinese medicinal materials being conveyed. The slicing assembly is located at the discharge end of the feeding assembly and is used to slice the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials that are conveyed to the slicing station. The slicing assembly includes a blade holder, a slicing drive, a blade clamp, a cutting blade, and a support. The blade holder is disposed on a base plate. The blade clamp is movably connected to the blade holder and is driven to move by the slicing drive. The cutting blade is disposed on the blade clamp. The support is disposed below the cutting blade or at the slicing station and is used to support the rhizomes and other Chinese medicinal materials conveyed by the feeding assembly. The blade holder includes a support portion and a movable portion for mounting the cutter. An elastic buffer structure is provided between the support portion and the movable portion, so that the cutter can generate an elastic buffer displacement relative to the support portion during the slicing process.

2. The slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding assembly includes a feeding section, a sorting section, and a clamping section arranged sequentially along the conveying direction. The feeding section is used to receive and convey root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials. The sorting section is used to adjust the conveying posture of the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials. The clamping section is used to convey the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials to the slicing station.

3. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sorting section and / or conveying section include oppositely arranged conveying components, with a conveying gap formed between the two conveying components for the passage of root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials. The conveying gap is converging, parallel, or a combination thereof along the conveying direction.

4. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: An elastic support is provided on one side of the conveying component. The elastic support is used to provide elastic support to the conveying component to accommodate root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials with different outer diameters or different degrees of curvature.

5. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blade holder is provided with a thickness adjustment mechanism, which includes a limiting member whose position can be adjusted relative to the cutter. The limiting member is used to limit the feed distance of the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials relative to the cutter, thereby adjusting the slice thickness.

6. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blade holder is provided with a support adjustment mechanism, which includes a shim or support that can move relative to the blade holder. The shim or support is used to adjust the fitting clearance between the support and the cutter.

7. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 6, characterized in that: The supporting adjustment mechanism and the blade clamp are provided with a linkage structure, which is used to drive the pad or support to avoid, reset or compensate for gaps during the cutting blade's slicing motion.

8. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slicing assembly also includes a lateral clamping mechanism, which is located above or on both sides of the support member and is used to laterally limit or clamp the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials during the slicing process.

9. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 8, characterized in that: The lateral clamping mechanism includes a side clamp and a protective plate elastically connected to the side clamp. The protective plate is located on the side of the root and rhizome medicinal material and can elastically clamp the root and rhizome medicinal material during the slicing process.

10. A slicing device for automatic feeding of rhizome-type Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slicing assembly further includes a pushing mechanism, which is disposed on one side of the slicing station and is used to push the root and rhizome Chinese medicinal materials to the slicing position or to push the sliced ​​material away from the slicing station; and / or, the cutter is provided with a peeling structure, which is used to reduce the adhesion of the slices to the cutter surface.

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