Lemon cleaning device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a lemon cleaning device, which relates to the field of cleaning equipment, and adopts the scheme that the lemon cleaning device comprises a rack, the cleaning tank body is mounted on the rack; the cleaning assemblies are mounted on the cleaning tank body, and the cleaning assemblies can clean the lemons in the cleaning tank body; the overturning assemblies are mounted in the cleaning tank body, and the overturning assemblies can overturn the lemons in the cleaning tank body; ordered dispersed cleaning and multi-directional brushing and covering of lemons can be achieved, the accumulation phenomenon is reduced, and the surface cleaning uniformity is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of cleaning equipment, specifically to a lemon cleaning device. Background Technology

[0002] Lemons, as a core ingredient in the global food and beverage industry, are widely used in high-end tea blending, functional food development, and pharmaceutical intermediate extraction. However, throughout the entire supply chain from orchard harvesting to industrial processing, the lemon peel inevitably becomes a carrier of pesticide residues (such as bifenthrin and carbendazim), foodborne pathogens (E. coli and Salmonella), and environmental pollutants (soil and dust). Residual pesticides can ruin the natural flavor of lemon juice and produce a bitter taste, while microbial contamination can accelerate product oxidation and spoilage, and the inclusion of soil and impurities can significantly reduce the quality of lemon slices and freeze-dried products. Therefore, washing lemons is a necessary measure to ensure food safety, improve product quality, and maintain the value of the supply chain.

[0003] According to the authorization announcement number (CN216363576U), a lemon peel cleaning and brushing device is based on a lathe and integrates a transmission mechanism at the top center to achieve continuous lemon conveying. In actual operation, the feeding mechanism delivers lemons to the surface of the transmission mechanism, which then conveys them at a uniform speed. Simultaneously, an adjustable peel brushing mechanism flexibly positions itself to the appropriate working area according to the lemon size and cleaning requirements, using high-speed rotating brushes to thoroughly clean the lemon peel. The cleaned lemons continue to be conveyed along the transmission mechanism and finally fall into the end collection box.

[0004] In practical operation, this patented technology has significant limitations: when lemons are conveyed by the transport mechanism and cleaned by the peeling mechanism, due to the lack of an effective separation and positioning mechanism, the lemons easily pile up along the transport path. This piling up results in the peeling mechanism only being able to contact the surface of the upper layer of lemons, leaving the lower layer completely exposed to cleaning blind spots. Simultaneously, due to structural design constraints, the peeling mechanism cannot achieve comprehensive dynamic coverage of the lemons during operation, and can only brush a single, fixed area of ​​the lemon. These problems lead to numerous missed areas in lemon peel cleaning, resulting in severely insufficient cleaning coverage and uniformity, greatly weakening the actual cleaning efficiency of the equipment and failing to meet the stringent cleaning quality requirements of industrial production. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a lemon cleaning device that addresses the problems in the prior art where lemons tend to accumulate during transport, leading to cleaning blind spots and uneven cleaning due to the inability of the peeling mechanism to cover the entire surface. This device can achieve orderly dispersed cleaning of lemons and multi-directional brushing coverage, reducing accumulation and improving the uniformity of surface cleaning.

[0006] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] A lemon cleaning device includes: a frame; a cleaning tank mounted on the frame; at least one cleaning component mounted on the cleaning tank, capable of cleaning lemons in the cleaning tank; and at least one flipping component mounted in the cleaning tank, capable of flipping lemons in the cleaning tank.

[0008] Furthermore, in this utility model, the cleaning assembly includes: a main brush roller, which is rotatably mounted between opposite side walls of the cleaning tank; a bristle sleeve, which is a hollow cylindrical structure and is fitted onto the outside of the main brush roller; and a first drive unit, which is mounted on the outer wall of the cleaning tank and is capable of driving the main brush roller to rotate.

[0009] Furthermore, in this utility model, the aforementioned flipping assembly includes: a main flipping roller, which is rotatably mounted between opposite sidewalls inside the cleaning tank; a plurality of flipping paddles, which are mounted on the outer wall of the main flipping roller along the circumferential direction; and a second driving unit, which is mounted on the outer wall of the cleaning tank and is capable of driving the main flipping roller to rotate.

[0010] Furthermore, in this utility model, the main rotating roller is provided with multiple positioning latches along the circumferential direction; multiple rotating paddles are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with multiple positioning latches, and the rotating paddles are detachably connected to the corresponding positioning latches.

[0011] Furthermore, in this utility model, both sides of the aforementioned positioning tenon are provided with receiving grooves, the inner wall of the receiving groove is connected with an elastic element, the free end of the elastic element is connected with a positioning pin, and the positioning pin can at least partially extend out of the receiving groove; the connecting end of the flip lever is provided with an assembly groove, the inner contour of the assembly groove and the outer contour of the positioning tenon form a clearance fit, and both sides of the flip lever are provided with positioning locking holes communicating with the assembly groove; wherein, when the positioning tenon is fully embedded in the assembly groove, the positioning pin can be inserted into the corresponding positioning locking hole.

[0012] Furthermore, in this invention, the surface of the aforementioned flip paddle is provided with a plurality of elastic brushes, which are arranged in an array along the flip paddle.

[0013] Furthermore, in this utility model, a plurality of cleaning components are installed on the cleaning tank, and the plurality of cleaning components are arranged along the extension direction of the cleaning tank.

[0014] Furthermore, in this utility model, a plurality of flipping components are installed in the above-mentioned cleaning tank, and the plurality of flipping components are arranged along the extension direction of the cleaning tank.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. This utility model combines the brushing of the bristle sleeve with the three-dimensional agitation of the flipping blade through the coordinated design of the cleaning component and the flipping component, breaking through the limitations of the traditional single cleaning method. This allows the lemon to receive multi-dimensional cleaning during dynamic flipping, significantly improving the efficiency of stain removal and effectively avoiding cleaning blind spots caused by static accumulation.

[0017] 2. This utility model uses an adjustable-spacing flip-over design, which can dynamically adjust the spacing between the flip-over flip-over blades according to the size of the lemon. This ensures that large lemons can be flipped freely, while also enabling small lemons to be flipped at high frequency, effectively improving the equipment's adaptability to materials of different specifications and its cleaning efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and form part of this application, do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a lemon washing device;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the main turning roller;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the installation of a flipping paddle on the main flipping roller;

[0022] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the positioning latch connecting the flip lever.

[0023] The attached diagram shows the markings and corresponding component names:

[0024] 1-Frame, 2-Cleaning tank, 3-Cleaning assembly, 4-Tilting assembly, 5-First drive unit, 6-Main brush roller, 7-Brush sleeve, 8-Second drive unit, 9-Main tilting roller, 10-Positioning latch, 11-Accommodation channel, 12-Positioning pin, 13-Tilting lever, 14-Positioning lock hole, 15-Assembly groove, 16-Elastic element, 17-Drain valve. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of this utility model are only used to explain this utility model and are not intended to limit this utility model.

[0026] Example

[0027] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 This utility model provides a lemon cleaning device. It mainly consists of a frame 1, a cleaning tank 2, a cleaning component 3, and a flipping component 4, which work together to achieve efficient cleaning of lemons. Specifically, the cleaning tank 2 is securely installed on the frame 1, serving as the working space for lemon cleaning; at least one cleaning component 3 is installed above the cleaning tank 2, with its cleaning area extending into the interior of the cleaning tank 2. A pre-mixed cleaning agent is added, and warm water at a set temperature is injected to clean the lemons. As the flipping component 4 continuously flips the lemons, the solution fully penetrates the folds and grooves of the lemon peel, quickly removing stains, fruit wax, and pesticide residues, ensuring that every surface of each lemon is thoroughly cleaned, providing clean raw materials for subsequent processing steps.

[0028] During equipment operation, operators load the lemons to be cleaned into the cleaning tank 2, then add specialized cleaning agent and cleaning water at the appropriate temperature, and subsequently activate the cleaning assembly 3 and the tilting assembly 4. Due to the accumulation characteristics of lemons within the cleaning tank 2, relying solely on the cleaning assembly 3 only cleans the surface layer of lemons. The tilting assembly 4, through periodic mechanical movement, continuously changes the spatial distribution of lemons within the tank, causing the upper and lower layers of lemons to rotate, ensuring that each lemon undergoes a complete cleaning process. Simultaneously, driven by the tilting assembly 4, the lemons undergo multi-dimensional rolling, allowing each surface area to contact the cleaning assembly 3 in an orderly manner, thus achieving efficient cleaning of the entire surface and providing a hygienic raw material treatment effect for subsequent food processing stages.

[0029] It should be noted that after the cleaning process is completed, the operator can drain the solution containing stains and cleaning agent by opening the drain valve 17 at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2. After the solution has been drained, clean water is refilled to rinse the lemons a second time. The flushing action of the water flow removes residual cleaning agent and fine impurities, thus completing the entire cleaning process for the lemons and ensuring that their cleanliness meets the requirements for subsequent processing.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments of this application, the cleaning assembly 3 specifically includes a main brush roller 6, a bristle sleeve 7, and a first drive unit 5. The main brush roller 6 is rotatably mounted between opposite side walls of the cleaning tank 2 via a waterproof bearing seat, and the axial direction of the main brush roller 6 is aligned with the width direction of the cleaning tank 2. The bristle sleeve 7 is a hollow cylindrical structure, keyed and fitted onto the outside of the main brush roller 6, and its outer wall is densely covered with food-grade silicone bristles. The first drive unit 5 (such as a servo motor) is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the cleaning tank 2, and its output shaft is connected to one end of the main brush roller 6 via a coupling.

[0031] Specifically, the cleaning tank 2 adopts an open-top design, and the main scrubbing roller 6 is sealed and rotated using a waterproof bearing seat, effectively preventing cleaning fluid from seeping into the bearing area. When the first drive unit 5 is powered on, the main scrubbing roller 6 drives the outer bristle sleeve 7 to form a circular motion. At this time, the silicone bristles densely distributed on the outer wall of the bristle sleeve 7 will generate radial friction force on the lemons inside the cleaning tank 2. Combined with the synergistic effect of the flipping component 4, it achieves all-round scrubbing of the lemon peel. The main scrubbing roller 6 and the bristle sleeve 7 are detachably connected, facilitating later maintenance and replacement of the bristle components, and complying with the hygienic design specifications for food processing equipment.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments of this application, the flipping assembly 4 consists of a main flipping roller 9, a set of flipping paddles 13, and a second drive unit 8. The main flipping roller 9 is rotatably mounted between opposite sidewalls inside the cleaning tank 2 via a mechanical seal structure, with its axial direction parallel to the width direction of the cleaning tank 2. Multiple flipping paddles 13 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the main flipping roller 9 on its outer wall. The second drive unit 8 (e.g., a servo motor) is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the cleaning tank 2, and its output shaft is connected to the end of the main flipping roller 9 via a coupling.

[0033] Specifically, the main turning roller 9 is connected to the side wall of the cleaning tank 2 with mechanical seals at both ends, which can effectively prevent the cleaning liquid from leaking and meet the hygiene requirements of food equipment. When the second drive unit 8 is powered on, the main turning roller 9 drives multiple turning paddles 13 on the outside to form a circular motion. The working surface of the turning paddles 13 cuts into the lemon pile at a preset angle, and constructs a material conveying field in three-dimensional space through mechanical thrust, so that the lower layer of lemons forms a directional displacement along the curved surface of the turning paddles 13; at the same time, the upper layer of lemons generates a falling motion under the action of gravitational potential energy, and forms a convective exchange with the rising material, and finally constructs a dynamic tumbling flow field in the cleaning tank 2. This turning mechanism not only realizes the alternation of the upper and lower positions of the lemon pile, but also makes the lemons roll through the continuous rotation of the turning paddles 13, ensuring that all surfaces of each fruit can contact the cleaning components 3, significantly improving the uniformity of cleaning.

[0034] It should be noted that when the lemon is submerged in the liquid in the cleaning tank 2, the buoyancy of the liquid will offset part of the lemon's weight, allowing the lemon to move in a light-weight state. At this time, when the flipper 13 flips the lemon, the viscosity of the liquid creates a buffering effect at the contact interface between the flipper 13 and the lemon. This buffering effect effectively reduces the mechanical thrust exerted by the flipper 13 on the lemon. Simultaneously, the liquid also dampens the lemon's movement, preventing damage to the peel caused by rigid contact, thus ensuring effective cleaning while minimizing damage to the lemon.

[0035] Please refer to Figures 2 to 4In some embodiments of this application, the main tumbling roller 9 is provided with multiple positioning latches 10 along the circumferential direction for detachably installing the tumbling paddles 13. The operator can adjust the number of tumbling paddles 13 according to the size of the lemon: when the lemon is large, the number of tumbling paddles 13 is reduced to increase the spacing between adjacent tumbling paddles 13, allowing the lemon to tumble freely under the push of the tumbling paddles 13; when the lemon is small, the number of tumbling paddles 13 is increased to reduce the spacing between adjacent tumbling paddles 13, thereby increasing the tumbling frequency of the lemon per unit time through denser contact of the tumbling paddles 13, thus improving cleaning efficiency.

[0036] Specifically, the positioning tenon 10 has receiving grooves 11 on both sides, and elastic elements 16 (such as compression springs) are fixed to the inner wall of the receiving grooves 11. The free end of the elastic element 16 is connected to the positioning pin 12. The positioning pin 12 can extend and retract along the receiving grooves 11 and partially extend out of the surface of the positioning tenon 10. The connecting end of the flip lever 13 is machined with an assembly groove 15 that fits the outer contour of the positioning tenon 10. Positioning lock holes 14 are provided on both sides of the assembly groove 15 and communicate with the assembly groove 15.

[0037] During assembly, the operator first presses the positioning pin 12 to fully retract it into the receiving groove 11, compressing the elastic element 16 to store energy. Then, the positioning latch 10 is inserted into the assembly groove 15 of the flip lever 13. When the positioning latch 10 reaches the preset position, the elastic element 16 releases potential energy to push the positioning pin 12 precisely into the positioning lock hole 14. This enables quick one-handed assembly and disassembly of the flip lever 13, and the fit tolerance between the positioning pin 12 and the positioning lock hole 14 in the locked state is controlled within 0.1mm, effectively preventing the flip lever 13 from loosening during equipment operation.

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, an array of elastic brush structures is arranged on the surface of the flipper 13. These elastic brushes are made of food-grade polymer elastic material (food-grade silicone), and form a forward-tilting turbulence array along the tangential direction of rotation of the flipper 13. When the main flipper roller 9 drives the flipper 13 to rotate: on the one hand, the dynamic contact friction between the elastic material and the lemon surface, through deformation-generated tangential thrust, assists in completing the lemon flipping action, effectively solving the slippage problem of smooth-skinned fruits; on the other hand, the elastic brush array forms periodic turbulence units in the cleaning liquid, achieving flexible peeling of stains from the grooves of the lemon peel.

[0039] In some embodiments of this application, multiple sets of cleaning components 3 are installed on the outer wall of the cleaning tank 2, and each cleaning component 3 is distributed in a linear array along the cleaning tank 2. This layout design enables the cleaning fluid to form a continuous turbulent flow field within the cleaning tank 2, achieving multi-directional scouring of the lemons in the flipped state, effectively breaking down the boundary layer of the lemon peel, and enhancing the stripping effect of the cleaning medium on surface stains. This structured arrangement creates a synergistic cleaning effect along the length of the cleaning tank 2, avoiding cleaning blind spots and improving overall cleaning uniformity.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, multiple sets of flipping components 4 are evenly distributed along the material conveying direction within the cleaning tank 2, with the rotation axis of each flipping component 4 orthogonal to the central axis of the cleaning tank 2. The flipping torques generated by different flipping components 4 form a gradient distribution in space, forcing the lemons to complete a tumbling motion. The installation spacing of the flipping components 4 is kinematically optimized to ensure that each lemon undergoes at least three posture changes during conveying, so that all areas of the peel can be effectively cleaned.

[0041] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of this utility model. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A lemon washing device, characterized in that, include: Rack (1); A cleaning tank (2) is mounted on the frame (1); At least one cleaning component (3) is installed on the cleaning tank (2) and the cleaning component (3) is capable of cleaning lemons in the cleaning tank (2); At least one flipping component (4) is installed inside the cleaning tank (2) and the flipping component (4) is capable of flipping the lemons inside the cleaning tank (2).

2. The lemon washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning component (3) includes: The main washing roller (6) is rotatably mounted between the opposite side walls of the cleaning tank (2); The brush sleeve (7) is a hollow cylindrical structure and is fitted on the outside of the main brushing roller (6). First drive unit (5); The first drive unit (5) is installed on the outer wall of the cleaning tank (2), and the first drive unit (5) can drive the main brush roller (6) to rotate.

3. The lemon washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flipping component (4) includes: The main tilting roller (9) is rotatably mounted between the opposite side walls inside the cleaning tank (2); Multiple flip paddles (13) are mounted on the outer wall of the main flip roller (9) in a circumferential direction; The second drive unit (8) is installed on the outer wall of the cleaning tank (2) and can drive the main turning roller (9) to rotate.

4. The lemon washing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main turning roller (9) is provided with multiple positioning latches (10) along the circumferential direction; Multiple flip paddles (13) are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with multiple positioning latches (10), and the flip paddles (13) and the corresponding positioning latches (10) are detachably connected.

5. The lemon washing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The positioning tenon (10) has receiving grooves (11) on both sides. An elastic element (16) is connected to the inner wall of the receiving groove (11). The free end of the elastic element (16) is connected to a positioning pin (12). The positioning pin (12) can extend at least partially out of the receiving groove (11). The connecting end of the flip-up lever (13) is provided with an assembly groove (15), the inner contour of the assembly groove (15) and the outer contour of the positioning tenon (10) form a clearance fit, and the two sides of the flip-up lever (13) are provided with positioning lock holes (14) that communicate with the assembly groove (15). When the positioning tenon (10) is fully embedded in the assembly groove (15), the positioning pin (12) can be inserted into the corresponding positioning lock hole (14).

6. The lemon washing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The surface of the flip paddle (13) is provided with a plurality of elastic brushes, which are arranged in an array along the flip paddle (13).

7. The lemon washing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Multiple cleaning components (3) are installed on the cleaning tank (2), and the multiple cleaning components (3) are arranged along the extension direction of the cleaning tank (2).

8. The lemon washing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The cleaning tank (2) is equipped with a plurality of flipping components (4), which are arranged along the extension direction of the cleaning tank (2).

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