Cocoa bean drying and uniform heating equipment
By combining a drying ventilation box, condenser plates, and a rotating heating element, the problems of uneven heating and poor dehumidification in cocoa bean drying equipment are solved, achieving efficient and uniform drying of cocoa beans and preservation of nutrients, thus improving the drying efficiency and shelf life of the equipment.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WEST TREE FOODS (WUXI) CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Existing cocoa bean drying equipment suffers from uneven heating and poor dehumidification, resulting in some cocoa beans being over-dried or under-dried, affecting their quality and flavor, and making them susceptible to humid environments, thus reducing their shelf life.
A cocoa bean drying device was designed, comprising a drying ventilation box, a condenser plate, and a rotating heating component. The drying ventilation box removes moisture from the air, the condenser plate condenses moisture, and the rotating heating component achieves hot air circulation and uniform heating, ensuring even distribution of hot air. Combined with a filter screen and a sealing structure, hot air leakage is prevented.
It achieves efficient and uniform drying of cocoa beans, preserving nutrients and flavor, improving drying efficiency and equipment dryness, preventing cracking, and extending shelf life.
Smart Images
Figure CN224234676U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of heating equipment technology, and in particular to a uniform heating device for drying cocoa beans. Background Technology
[0002] The equipment for uniformly heating and drying cocoa beans mainly involves the following aspects: Cocoa beans are rich in nutrients such as fat, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and various vitamins. During the drying process, if the temperature is too high, the time is too long, or the drying method is improper, these nutrients can be easily destroyed, affecting the quality and nutritional value of the cocoa beans. For example, proteins may denature at high temperatures, and fats may oxidize and become rancid, thus altering the taste and flavor of the cocoa beans. Cocoa beans have a unique flavor and aroma, mainly composed of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and other components. During the drying process, it is necessary to precisely control parameters such as temperature, humidity, and time to ensure that these flavor substances are preserved; otherwise, the cocoa beans may lose their flavor, reducing their commercial value. Cocoa beans are relatively small in size, oval or round in shape, and have a certain degree of curvature on the surface. This shape makes heat transfer inside the cocoa bean relatively difficult, easily leading to localized overheating or under-drying. Therefore, the drying equipment needs to be able to evenly distribute hot air around each cocoa bean to ensure uniform drying. The thick and hard outer shell of the cocoa bean also hinders the rapid dissipation of internal moisture to some extent. When designing drying equipment, it is necessary to consider how to improve the efficiency of heat transfer so that moisture can be smoothly transferred from the inside to the outside of the cocoa beans, while avoiding problems such as cracking of the cocoa beans during the drying process due to the hard outer shell.
[0003] Drying is a crucial step in the processing of cocoa beans. Traditional drying methods often have many problems, such as uneven heating, which leads to some cocoa beans being over-dried while others are not yet at the appropriate humidity, affecting the quality of the cocoa beans and subsequent processing. Moreover, some drying equipment has poor dehumidification, making cocoa beans susceptible to the effects of a humid environment during the drying process, reducing their flavor and shelf life. Therefore, we propose a cocoa bean drying uniform heating device to solve this problem. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a uniform heating device for drying cocoa beans, so as to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:
[0006] A cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device includes: a shell, a connecting block fixedly installed on one side of the shell, a fixing plate fixedly installed inside the connecting block, a motor fixedly installed on one side of the fixing plate, a fan blade fixedly installed at the output end of the motor, a fan cover fixedly installed on one side of the shell, a condenser plate fixedly installed on one side of the shell, the condenser plate being positioned above the connecting block, the fan cover being fitted over the connecting block and the condenser plate, a common connecting pipe fixedly installed at the top of the shell and the fan cover, flow holes matching the connecting pipe being opened on both the shell and the fan cover, a drying ventilation box fixedly installed inside the connecting pipe, two square grooves being opened inside the shell, two ventilation pipes fixedly installed in the square grooves, and a toggle heating component being provided inside the shell.
[0007] Preferably, the actuating heating assembly includes: a heating lead screw and a second motor; multiple actuating plates are rotatably mounted inside the housing; the second motor is fixedly mounted inside the housing; a first connecting rod is fixedly mounted at the output end of the second motor; a second connecting rod is rotatably mounted on one side of the first connecting rod; a third connecting rod is rotatably mounted on one side of the second connecting rod; a large gear is fixedly mounted on one side of the third connecting rod; a small gear meshes with the bottom end of the large gear; the small gear is fixedly connected to one of the actuating plates; the heating lead screw is fixedly mounted inside the housing; and the heating lead screw is disposed on multiple actuating plates.
[0008] Preferably, a door panel is rotatably mounted on one side of the outer casing, a buckle is slidably mounted inside the outer casing, a spring is fixedly mounted on one side of the buckle and the spring is fixedly mounted inside the outer casing, a pull rod is fixedly mounted on one side of the buckle and the pull rod is slidably mounted inside the outer casing, an oblique groove matching the buckle is provided on the door panel, a rubber ring is fixedly mounted on one side of the outer casing, and a fixed handle block is fixedly mounted on the other side of the outer casing.
[0009] Preferably, multiple drawers are slidably installed inside the outer casing, a filter screen is fixedly installed inside each drawer, and multiple T-shaped slide bars are fixedly installed inside the outer casing. The multiple drawers are slidably installed between two adjacent T-shaped slide bars, and sliding T-grooves matching the T-shaped slide bars are provided on both sides of each drawer.
[0010] Preferably, small round blocks are fixedly installed on both sides of the actuating plate, and multiple small round blocks located on the same side are rotatably connected to the same connecting rod on their outer sides. The connecting rod has round holes that match the small round blocks.
[0011] Preferably, the outer casing has a square sliding groove, the buckle is slidably installed in the square sliding groove, the spring is fixedly installed in the square sliding groove, and the outer casing has a sliding hole that matches the pull rod.
[0012] Preferably, the inner wall of the outer shell is provided with a circular recessed hole that matches the ventilation pipe, the outer shell and the bottom of the fan cover are fixedly installed with the same support base block, and the drawer is provided with a handle groove on one side.
[0013] In this utility model, a cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device is described. The cocoa beans to be dried are evenly placed on a filter screen in a placement drawer. The placement drawer is slidably installed between T-shaped slide bars, allowing the user to easily pull out or push in the placement drawer as needed for loading or removing cocoa beans. Next, the door panel is closed, and the inclined slot on the door panel matches the buckle inside the outer shell. When the door panel is closed, the buckle automatically springs into the inclined slot under the action of a spring, firmly locking the door panel onto the outer shell. Then, the heating screw is activated to generate heat, causing the motor to drive the fan blades to rotate and generate airflow. The moisture in the airflow is condensed into water droplets by the condenser plate. The airflow passes through the drying ventilation box in the connecting pipe for drying treatment, and then enters the outer shell through the airflow holes on the outer shell and the fan cover, accelerating the airflow around the cocoa beans and improving the drying efficiency, thereby maintaining the dryness of the airflow. After being heated by the heating screw, the dried airflow forms hot air, which evenly heats and dries the cocoa beans.
[0014] In this utility model, a cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device is described. By starting motor two, the output end of motor two drives a large gear to rotate through connecting rod one, connecting rod two, and connecting rod three. The large gear meshes with a small gear, which in turn drives a toggle plate fixedly connected to the small gear to rotate. Since multiple toggle plates are connected by connecting rods, they rotate synchronously, causing the toggle plates to swing continuously. In conjunction with the ventilation pipe inside the outer shell, motor one and the fan inside the fan cover are started, working in conjunction with the connecting pipe and the drying ventilation box to achieve circulation and enhance the drying effect. After drying is completed, the heating screw and motor two are turned off, the lever is pulled to unlock the door panel, the door panel is opened, and then the storage drawer is pulled out to take out the dried cocoa beans. The rubber ring enhances the sealing between the door panel and the outer shell to prevent hot air leakage.
[0015] This utility model has a reasonable structural design. By combining a drying ventilation box and a condenser, it can effectively remove moisture from the air, providing a dry drying environment for cocoa beans. It also allows for hot air circulation inside the device, which better maintains the dry environment inside the equipment, thus achieving efficient and uniform drying and heating treatment of cocoa beans. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device proposed in this utility model;
[0017] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device proposed in this utility model;
[0018] Figure 3 This is a partial structural cross-sectional view of a cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device proposed in this utility model;
[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A magnified view of part A in the middle;
[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A magnified view of part B in the middle section.
[0021] In the diagram: 1. Outer shell; 2. Fan cover; 3. Support base block; 4. Door panel; 5. Connecting pipe; 6. Fixed handle block; 7. Rubber ring; 8. Drawer; 9. Ventilation pipe; 10. Actuating plate; 11. Heating screw; 12. Connecting rod; 13. Condenser; 14. Connecting block; 15. Fixing plate; 16. Motor 1; 17. Fan blade; 18. T-shaped slide bar; 19. Spring; 20. Buckle; 21. Pull rod; 22. Motor 2; 23. Connecting rod 1; 24. Connecting rod 2; 25. Connecting rod 3; 26. Large gear; 27. Small gear; 28. Filter screen; 29. Drying ventilation box. Detailed Implementation
[0022] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.
[0023] Reference Figure 1-5 A cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device includes: a shell 1, a connecting block 14 fixedly installed on one side of the shell 1, a fixing plate 15 fixedly installed inside the connecting block 14, a motor 16 fixedly installed on one side of the fixing plate 15, a fan blade 17 fixedly installed at the output end of the motor 16, a fan cover 2 fixedly installed on one side of the shell 1, a condenser fin 13 fixedly installed on one side of the shell 1, the condenser fin 13 being positioned above the connecting block 14, the fan cover 2 being fitted over the connecting block 14 and the condenser fin 13, a common connecting pipe 5 fixedly installed at the top of the shell 1 and the fan cover 2, flow holes matching the connecting pipe 5 being opened on both the shell 1 and the fan cover 2, a drying ventilation box 29 fixedly installed inside the connecting pipe 5, two square grooves being opened inside the shell 1, two ventilation pipes 9 fixedly installed in the square grooves, and a toggle heating assembly being provided inside the shell 1.
[0024] In this embodiment, the actuating heating assembly includes: a heating lead screw 11 and a second motor 22. Multiple actuating plates 10 are rotatably mounted inside the housing 1. The second motor 22 is fixedly mounted inside the housing 1. A first connecting rod 23 is fixedly mounted at the output end of the second motor 22. A second connecting rod 24 is rotatably mounted on one side of the first connecting rod 23. A third connecting rod 25 is rotatably mounted on one side of the second connecting rod 24. A large gear 26 is fixedly mounted on one side of the third connecting rod 25. A small gear 27 meshes with the bottom end of the large gear 26. The small gear 27 is fixedly connected to one of the actuating plates 10. The heating lead screw 11 is fixedly mounted inside the housing 1 and is positioned on multiple actuating plates 10. By placing moisture-absorbing material into the drying ventilation box and combining it with a condenser, moisture in the air can be effectively removed. Hot air is then heated by the heating lead screw, ensuring hot air circulation.
[0025] In this embodiment, a door panel 4 is rotatably mounted on one side of the outer casing 1, a buckle 20 is slidably mounted inside the outer casing 1, a spring 19 is fixedly mounted on one side of the buckle 20, the spring 19 is fixedly mounted inside the outer casing 1, a pull rod 21 is fixedly mounted on one side of the buckle 20, the pull rod 21 is slidably mounted inside the outer casing 1, the door panel 4 has a slanted groove that matches the buckle 20, a rubber ring 7 is fixedly mounted on one side of the outer casing 1, and a fixed handle block 6 is fixedly mounted on the other side of the outer casing 1 to facilitate opening and closing by the user. The rubber ring 7 enhances the sealing between the door panel 4 and the outer casing 1 to prevent hot air leakage.
[0026] In this embodiment, multiple drawers 8 are slidably installed inside the outer shell 1, and a filter screen 28 is fixedly installed inside each drawer 8. Multiple T-shaped slide bars 18 are fixedly installed inside the outer shell 1. The multiple drawers 8 are slidably installed between corresponding adjacent T-shaped slide bars 18. Each drawer 8 has a sliding T-groove on both sides that matches the T-shaped slide bar 18 to facilitate filling or removing cocoa beans. Small round blocks are fixedly installed on both sides of the actuating plate 10. Multiple small round blocks located on the same side are rotatably connected to the same connecting rod 12. The connecting rod 12 has round holes that match the small round blocks for better linkage.
[0027] In this embodiment, a square sliding groove is provided inside the outer shell 1, the buckle 20 is slidably installed in the square sliding groove, the spring 19 is fixedly installed in the square sliding groove, a sliding hole matching the pull rod 21 is provided on the outer shell 1 to restrict the door panel 4, a round concave hole matching the ventilation pipe 9 is provided on the inner wall of the outer shell 1, the same support base block 3 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the outer shell 1 and the fan cover 2, and a handle groove is provided on one side of the drawer 8 to facilitate its removal.
[0028] In this embodiment, during use, the cocoa beans to be dried are evenly placed on the filter screen inside the placement tray 8. The placement tray 8 is slidably installed between T-shaped slide bars 18, allowing the user to easily pull out or push in the placement tray 8 as needed for loading or removing cocoa beans. Next, the door panel 4 is closed. The angled slot on the door panel 4 matches the buckle 20 inside the outer shell 1. When the door panel 4 is closed in place, the buckle 20 automatically springs into the angled slot under the action of the spring 19, firmly locking the door panel 4 onto the outer shell 1. Then, the heating screw 11 is activated to generate heat, causing the motor 16 to drive the fan blade 17 to rotate, generating airflow. The moisture in the airflow is condensed into water droplets by the condenser fins 13. The airflow passes through the drying ventilation box 29 inside the connecting pipe 5 for drying treatment, and then enters the outer shell 1 through the flow holes on the outer shell 1 and the fan cover 2, accelerating the airflow around the cocoa beans, improving drying efficiency, and thus maintaining the dryness of the airflow. The dried airflow passes through... After heating by the heating screw 11, hot air is generated to evenly heat and dry the cocoa beans. The second motor 22 is started. The output end of the second motor 22 drives the large gear 26 to rotate through the transmission of the first connecting rod 23, the second connecting rod 24 and the third connecting rod 25. The large gear 26 meshes with the small gear 27, which in turn drives the actuating plate 10 fixedly connected to the small gear 27 to rotate. Since the multiple actuating plates 10 are connected by the connecting rod 12, they will rotate synchronously, causing the actuating plates 10 to swing continuously. In conjunction with the ventilation pipe 9 in the outer shell 1, the first motor 16 and the fan in the fan cover 2 are started. They work in conjunction with the connecting pipe 5 and the drying ventilation box 29 to achieve circulation and enhance the drying effect. When drying is completed, the heating screw 11 and the second motor 22 are turned off. The lever 21 is pulled to unlock the door panel 4, open the door panel 4, and then pull out the storage drawer 8 to take out the dried cocoa beans. The rubber ring 7 enhances the sealing between the door panel 4 and the outer shell 1 to prevent hot air leakage.
[0029] The above provides a detailed description of a cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device provided by this utility model. Specific embodiments have been used to illustrate the principle and implementation of this utility model. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core idea of this utility model. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to this utility model without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.
Claims
1. A cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device, characterized in that, include: A housing (1) is provided, with a connecting block (14) fixedly installed on one side of the housing (1). A fixing plate (15) is fixedly installed inside the connecting block (14). A motor (16) is fixedly installed on one side of the fixing plate (15). A fan blade (17) is fixedly installed at the output end of the motor (16). A fan cover (2) is fixedly installed on one side of the housing (1). A condenser fin (13) is fixedly installed on one side of the housing (1). The condenser fin (13) is positioned above the connecting block (14). The cover (2) is fitted on the outside of the connecting block (14) and the condenser plate (13). The top of the outer shell (1) and the fan cover (2) are fixedly installed with the same connecting pipe (5). The outer shell (1) and the fan cover (2) are both provided with flow holes that match the connecting pipe (5). A drying ventilation box (29) is fixedly installed inside the connecting pipe (5). Two square grooves are opened inside the outer shell (1). Two ventilation pipes (9) are fixedly installed inside the square grooves. A toggle heating component is provided inside the outer shell (1).
2. The cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The actuating heating assembly includes a heating screw (11) and a second motor (22). Multiple actuating plates (10) are rotatably installed inside the housing (1). The second motor (22) is fixedly installed inside the housing (1). A first connecting rod (23) is fixedly installed at the output end of the second motor (22). A second connecting rod (24) is rotatably installed on one side of the first connecting rod (23). A third connecting rod (25) is rotatably installed on one side of the second connecting rod (24). A large gear (26) is fixedly installed on one side of the third connecting rod (25). A small gear (27) meshes with the bottom end of the large gear (26). The small gear (27) is fixedly connected to one of the actuating plates (10). The heating screw (11) is fixedly installed inside the housing (1). The heating screw (11) is arranged on multiple actuating plates (10).
3. The cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A door panel (4) is rotatably installed on one side of the outer shell (1). A buckle (20) is slidably installed inside the outer shell (1). A spring (19) is fixedly installed on one side of the buckle (20). The spring (19) is fixedly installed inside the outer shell (1). A pull rod (21) is fixedly installed on one side of the buckle (20). The pull rod (21) is slidably installed inside the outer shell (1). A slanted groove matching the buckle (20) is opened on the door panel (4). A rubber ring (7) is fixedly installed on one side of the outer shell (1). A fixed handle block (6) is fixedly installed on the other side of the outer shell (1).
4. The cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple drawers (8) are slidably installed inside the outer shell (1). A filter screen (28) is fixedly installed inside the drawer (8). Multiple T-shaped slide bars (18) are fixedly installed inside the outer shell (1). The multiple drawers (8) are slidably installed between two adjacent T-shaped slide bars (18). Sliding T-grooves matching the T-shaped slide bars (18) are opened on both sides of the drawer (8).
5. The cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Small round blocks are fixedly installed on both sides of the actuating plate (10). Multiple small round blocks located on the same side are rotatably connected to the same connecting rod (12). The connecting rod (12) has a round hole that matches the small round blocks.
6. The cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The outer casing (1) has a square sliding groove, the buckle (20) is slidably installed in the square sliding groove, the spring (19) is fixedly installed in the square sliding groove, and the outer casing (1) has a sliding hole that matches the pull rod (21).
7. The cocoa bean drying and uniform heating device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner wall of the outer shell (1) is provided with a round concave hole that matches the ventilation pipe (9). The outer shell (1) and the bottom of the fan cover (2) are fixedly installed with the same support base block (3). The drawer (8) is provided with a handle groove on one side.