A multi-column micro food surface printing device system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of multi-column miniature food surface printing equipment systems, comprising: conveying component, screen hopper subassembly, visual component, printing equipment component and printing control component.The product baked in the utility model is sorted after and is put into sorting hopper sorting, and is sent into spray printing conveyor belt, the center of each column product is positioned using camera, lens and light source auxiliary identification, real-time adjustment spray printing head printing data, improve printing precision and avoid ink consumable spray on spray printing conveyor belt, effectively reduce production cost while solving product pollution problem;The height of lifting sliding module is adjusted by rotating wheel, the position of horizontal sliding module is adjusted by positioning block, the problem of nozzle blockage caused by consumable instantaneous drying is solved, while, the quick replacement or maintenance operation of spray printing head is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of food printing technology, specifically to a multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system. Background Technology

[0002] Food printing equipment is a type of machinery specifically designed for printing patterns and text on the surface of food. It typically uses safe and non-toxic printing inks and can perform high-quality color printing on foods such as chocolate, biscuits, and cakes. It can achieve precise pattern alignment and delicate image details, making it suitable for large-scale production and customized needs.

[0003] Existing color food printing equipment has relatively mature batch printing solutions and processes for food surface printing with a small number of columns (1 or less). However, it cannot meet the needs of printing on small food surfaces with dozens of columns. Taking the surface printing of small steamed buns as an example, the diameter of a single steamed bun is about 12mm. There are more than 40 columns at the oven exit, so the printing width is about 800mm. Full-width color printing requires 30 G5 printheads to be spliced ​​together, which results in high printing costs. The printhead surface has poor resistance, and the instant drying of consumables will cause printhead blockage. In addition, when the small steamed buns are conveyed forward on the conveyor belt, the product arrangement is irregular, with size differences, missing particles, adhesion, and uneven arrangement. This leads to poor printing consistency and causes ink consumables to be sprayed on the production line, contaminating the conveyor belt and causing the small steamed buns coming out of the oven to be stained. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system to solve the above problems.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model specifically adopts the following technical solution, including:

[0006] The vibrating screen hopper assembly is located on both sides of the feeding section of the conveying assembly and is used to hold products and arrange them according to the corresponding number of columns.

[0007] A vision component, located above the conveyor section of the conveyor assembly, includes a camera, lens, and light source, used for visual positioning of the product's center position;

[0008] The printing equipment component is located above the discharge section of the conveyor assembly and is used to spray ink onto the product.

[0009] As a further description of the above technical solution, the conveying assembly includes a sprayed conveyor belt, which is set on a workbench, and multiple sets of material handling guides are symmetrically arranged on the sprayed conveyor belt.

[0010] As a further description of the above technical solution, the vibrating screen hopper assembly includes multiple sets of material handling hoppers, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the spray conveyor belt.

[0011] As a further description of the above technical solution, the material hopper is hollow inside, and a discharge guide rail extends from the side of the material hopper.

[0012] As a further description of the above technical solution, the bottom of the camera is detachably connected to the top of the lens, the bottom of the lens is detachably connected to the light source, and the outer cover of the light source is provided with a protective cover.

[0013] As a further description of the above technical solution, the camera, lens and light source are coaxially arranged, and the axis of the camera, lens and light source is perpendicular to the spray conveyor belt platform.

[0014] As a further description of the above technical solution, the printing equipment component includes a printing head, a first connecting seat is provided on the side of the printing head, the printing head is detachably mounted on the lifting and sliding module through the connecting seat, a rotating wheel is provided on the top of the lifting and sliding module, and a locking brake is provided on one side of the rotating wheel.

[0015] As a further description of the above technical solution, a second connecting seat is provided on the side of the lifting and sliding module, and the lifting and sliding module is detachably installed on the horizontal sliding module through the second connecting seat. A support frame is provided on one side of the horizontal sliding module, and a positioning block is provided on the horizontal sliding module.

[0016] As a further description of the above technical solution, a printing control component is provided on one side of the visual component. The printing control component includes a control cabinet, which is connected to the printing head through a pipeline.

[0017] As a further description of the above technical solution, an ink bottle is provided on the front side of the control cabinet, a negative pressure device is provided above the ink bottle, an ink supply device is provided on the rear side of the control cabinet, a degassing device is provided above the ink supply device, a control device is provided above the degassing device, and a power supply device is provided above the control device.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0019] 1. In this utility model, after the baked products are screened, they are fed into the sorting hopper and then into the spray painting conveyor belt. A camera, lens and light source are used to help identify and locate the center of each product, and the printing data of the spray painting head is adjusted in real time to improve the printing accuracy and avoid ink consumables from being sprayed on the spray painting conveyor belt. This effectively reduces production costs and solves the product contamination problem.

[0020] 2. This utility model solves the problem of nozzle clogging caused by the instant drying of consumables by adjusting the height of the lifting sliding module by rotating the wheel and adjusting the position of the horizontal sliding module by positioning the block, while realizing the quick replacement or maintenance of the spray head.

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the structural features and functions of this utility model, the following detailed description of this utility model is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the conveying assembly and vibrating screen hopper assembly of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a top view of the conveying assembly and vibrating screen hopper assembly of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Enlarged view of section AA;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vision component of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 6 This is the front view of the visual component of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Enlarged view of section BB;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the printing equipment components of this utility model;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a front view of the printing equipment components of this utility model;

[0031] Figure 10 This is a side view of the printing equipment component of this utility model;

[0032] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the printing control component of this utility model;

[0033] Figure 12 This is a front view of the printing control component of this utility model;

[0034] Figure 13 This is a rear view of the printing control component of this utility model.

[0035] Figure label:

[0036] 1. Conveying assembly; 11. Spraying conveyor belt; 12. Material handling guide rail; 2. Vibrating screen hopper assembly; 21. Material handling hopper; 22. Discharge guide rail; 3. Vision assembly; 31. Camera; 32. Lens; 33. Light source; 34. Protective cover; 4. Printing equipment assembly; 41. Spraying head; 42. First connecting seat; 43. Lifting sliding module; 44. Rotating wheel; 45. Locking brake; 46. Second connecting seat; 47. Horizontal sliding module; 48. Support frame; 49. Positioning block; 5. Printing control assembly; 51. Ink bottle; 52. Negative pressure device; 53. Ink supply device; 54. Degassing device; 55. Control device; 56. Power supply device; 6. Workbench; 7. Product. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] like Figures 1-13 As shown, in one embodiment, a multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system includes: a conveying assembly 1, a vibrating screen hopper assembly 2, a vision assembly 3, a printing equipment assembly 4, and a printing control assembly 5.

[0039] The conveying component 1 includes a spraying conveyor belt 11, which is set on the workbench 6. Multiple sets of material handling guide rails 12 are symmetrically arranged on the spraying conveyor belt 11.

[0040] Specifically, the guide rail spacing can be flexibly adjusted to adapt to different sizes of products to be printed, such as biscuits and pastries. In this application, it is mainly used to process small steamed buns with a diameter of about 12mm.

[0041] Furthermore, the vibrating screen hopper assembly 2 is set on both sides of the feeding section of the conveying assembly 1 to hold the product 7 and arrange the material according to the corresponding number of columns;

[0042] Specifically, the vibrating screen hopper assembly 2 includes multiple sets of sorting hoppers 21, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the spray conveyor belt 11. It can be equipped with centrifugal vibrating screen machine and other equipment, and achieve efficient sorting of products 7 by adjusting different vibration frequencies. The sorting hopper 21 is hollow inside and designed as a conical guide cavity. The side of the sorting hopper 21 has a discharge guide rail 22 to ensure smooth conveying of products 7.

[0043] Understandably, after the baked products 7 are removed from the visual sorting system, qualified products 7 are manually or robotically fed into the sorting hopper 21. Under the action of vibration, the products 7 in the sorting hopper 21 are automatically oriented along the spiral track, and then precisely slide into the corresponding sorting guide rail 12 on the printing conveyor belt 11 via the discharge guide rail 22, and are continuously fed into the subsequent printing station as the conveyor belt continues to feed them in.

[0044] Please continue reading. Figures 1-13 In this embodiment, the vision component 3 is disposed above the conveying section of the conveying component 1. Through non-contact vision positioning technology, it captures the position information of the small steamed buns on the conveyor belt in real time, and converts the collected image data into precise coordinate parameters to provide a positioning reference for the center position of the product 7 for the printing head, ensuring that the printed pattern is accurately aligned with the food surface.

[0045] Specifically, the vision component 3 consists of an industrial camera 31, a high-definition optical lens 32, and an RGB tunnel light source 33. For example, the industrial camera 31 is equipped with a standard interface at the bottom, which can be quickly attached and detached from the top of the lens 32 via a threaded knob, facilitating later maintenance and lens 32 replacement. The bottom of the lens 32 can adopt a magnetic quick-release structure to tightly attach to the ring-shaped shadowless light source 33, ensuring precise alignment of the optical axis. To adapt to the complex environment of the food processing workshop, the light source 33 is equipped with a food-grade metal protective cover 34, the surface of which is electrolytically polished, which can effectively block the intrusion of oil and dust, and facilitate daily cleaning and disinfection.

[0046] Understandably, in actual operation, the vision component 3, consisting of camera 31, lens 32, and light source 33, dynamically monitors the small buns on the printing conveyor belt 11 at a preset frame sampling frequency. The image recognition algorithm quickly identifies various abnormalities such as size differences, missing particles, broken pieces, adhesion, stacking, and uneven arrangement of the product 7. Based on the actual shape of the product 7, the printing pattern output parameters of the printing head 41 are dynamically adjusted to ensure that the pattern perfectly matches the outline of the product 7. The printing head is also intelligently controlled to start and stop and spray volume, accurately avoiding ink spraying on the surface of the conveyor belt. This improves printing accuracy while significantly reducing ink consumption, thereby reducing the risk of product 7 contamination caused by ink residue, and achieving dual optimization of production efficiency and product 7 quality.

[0047] It should be noted that the camera 31, lens 32 and light source 33 are arranged coaxially and vertically, and the central axis of the three maintains a 90° vertical angle with the horizontal plane of the spray conveyor belt 11, which effectively eliminates the image distortion problem caused by the viewing angle deviation and ensures the geometric accuracy of the acquired image.

[0048] For example, the parameters of the vision system equipment are as follows: Camera 31 is model HS-01-LCG8-GV-M72M, equipped with a 12-megapixel global shutter CMOS sensor, which can capture clear, motion-free images in high-speed motion conditions; Lens 32 is model HS-03-DTL04-135-M72, featuring low distortion and high resolution, combined with a large F1.4 aperture design, effectively improving image contrast and detail; Light source 33 is model HS-10-TLS-200-RGB ring shadowless light source 3. 3. It integrates red, green, and blue LED beads, supports independent dimming, and can select the optimal lighting scheme according to the characteristics of different products. 7. The system working distance (WD) is stably maintained at 300±5mm, the working distance tolerance (LWD) is 40±15mm, the field of view (FOV) reaches 135mm, the depth of field (DOF) is ±1.8mm at F8.7 aperture, and the single pixel accuracy is 0.016mm / pixel, so that the positioning accuracy of the entire vision system can be above 0.032mm and the recognition rate can reach over 99%.

[0049] Please continue reading. Figures 1-13 In this embodiment, the printing equipment component 4 is located above the discharge section of the conveying component 1 and is used to spray ink onto the product 7. It can continuously perform high-speed batch printing on the surface of dozens of small steamed buns with a diameter of only about 12mm for a long time, ensuring that the edges of the printed pattern are clear and sharp and the color transition is natural, effectively meeting the needs of large-scale industrial production.

[0050] Specifically, the printing equipment component 4 includes a printing head 41, with a first connecting seat 42 on the side of the printing head 41. The printing head 41 can be detachably mounted on the lifting and sliding module 43 via the connecting seat, enabling quick assembly and disassembly and precise positioning with the lifting and sliding module 43. Correspondingly, a rotating wheel 44 is provided on the top of the lifting and sliding module 43, through which the height of the printing head 41 can be adjusted. A locking gate 45 is provided on one side of the adjusting rotating wheel 44, which can provide a certain locking force to ensure zero displacement deviation during the printing process.

[0051] Correspondingly, a second connecting seat 46 is provided on the side of the lifting and sliding module 43. The lifting and sliding module 43 can be detachably installed on the horizontal sliding module 47 through the second connecting seat 46. A support frame 48 is provided on one side of the horizontal sliding module 47, and a positioning block 49 is provided on the horizontal sliding module 47, which can realize the horizontal position adjustment of the spraying head 41.

[0052] For example, the inkjet printhead 41 is model S544: the maximum printing speed is 20m / min, adaptable to high-speed production line cycles; it supports dual-precision modes of 300*300dpi and 300*600dpi, which can be flexibly switched according to product requirements; it is equipped with 4 sets of food-grade printheads (which can be arranged in 2 groups, each group containing 2 printheads), with a single printhead width of 54mm, forming an effective printing area of ​​108mm, which can cover an entire row of small steamed buns in a single scan; the ink uses food-grade edible flavoring and is based on CMYK four-color mixing technology. It can be configured with over 16 million color schemes; supports 16 levels of grayscale adjustment, and adjusts the ink layer thickness by controlling the amount of ink droplets ejected, meeting diverse needs from delicate watermarks to rich and colorful paintings; in addition, the electrical system adopts an AC220V 50 / 60Hz wideband power supply design, with a built-in EMC electromagnetic compatibility module, which can operate stably in complex industrial environments. It requires a minimum distance of 800mm between the visual recognition position and the printing point, and with the high-precision motion compensation algorithm, the printing position error is strictly controlled within ±0.5mm to ensure accurate pattern registration.

[0053] It should be noted that the printing system in this application uses sieved standard small steamed bun samples as indicators. Due to the characteristics of the printing system, the printhead needs to be maintained regularly to ensure its good working condition. The printhead needs to be maintained when the continuous printing time reaches the preset time. When maintaining the printhead, it should be removed from the production line for easy operation, and at the same time, it is necessary to avoid accidental contamination of the production line by consumables. The printing system requires a dust-free and windless environment, with a temperature of about 10-30℃ and a relative humidity of 45-70%. Regular cleaning and maintenance must be carried out according to the instructions to avoid printhead clogging and damage.

[0054] Please continue reading. Figures 1-13 In this embodiment, a printing control component 5 is provided on one side of the vision component 3 to control the inkjet printing head 41 located above the inkjet conveyor belt 11 to perform inkjet printing operation.

[0055] Specifically, the printing control component 5 includes a control cabinet, which is connected to the printing head 41 via a pipeline.

[0056] For example, an ink bottle 51 is installed on the front side of the control cabinet to store ink of the corresponding color; a negative pressure device 52 (e.g., a vacuum pump, which can be equipped with a multi-stage gas-liquid separation system, including a cyclone separator, a filter cartridge, and a condensation recovery device) is installed above the ink bottle 51 to control the amount of ink residue in the extracted gas below a preset value, effectively preventing ink from overflowing in non-jetting states by maintaining a stable negative pressure environment; an ink supply device 53 (e.g., a gear pump, which can be equipped with a high-precision pressure sensor and a mass flow meter) is installed on the rear side of the control cabinet to supply ink via a PI... The D-loop control algorithm achieves high-precision flow control, ensuring a stable and uniform ink supply to the printhead. A degassing device 54 (e.g., a degassing disc) is installed above the ink supply device 53 to effectively reduce the gas content in the ink. A control device 55 (e.g., a PLC controller and computing module, integrating multiple analog input / output channels and digital interfaces) is installed above the degassing device 54 to achieve real-time communication with other components through a data communication protocol. A power supply device 56 (e.g., a UPS power supply) is installed above the control device 55 to ensure the safety of the equipment and operators.

[0057] Working principle: After baking, the small steamed buns on the oven production line are screened to remove defective products, ensuring that only standard products 7 enter the spraying process. The screened and rejected small steamed buns are then put into the sorting hopper 21. Multiple sorting hoppers 21 are used to sort and arrange the small steamed buns, which are then fed onto the sorting guide rail 12 of the spraying conveyor belt 11 along the discharge guide rail 22. Subsequently, a vision positioning system composed of camera 31, lens 32 and light source 33 is used to identify the small steamed buns on the spraying conveyor belt 11 in real time. For situations such as size differences (e.g., smaller or oval shape), missing particles, sticking, and uneven arrangement, the printing pattern output data of the spraying head 41 can be adjusted accordingly to improve printing accuracy and avoid ink consumables being sprayed on the spraying conveyor belt 11, effectively reducing production costs while solving the problem of product 7 contamination.

[0058] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system, characterized in that, include: The vibrating screen hopper assembly (2) is set on both sides of the feeding section of the conveying assembly (1) and is used to hold the product (7) and arrange the material according to the corresponding number of columns; A vision component (3) is disposed above the conveying section of the conveying component (1) and includes a camera (31), a lens (32) and a light source (33) for visually locating the center position of the product (7); The printing equipment component (4) is located above the discharge section of the conveying component (1) and is used to spray ink onto the product (7).

2. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying assembly (1) includes a spraying conveyor belt (11), which is set on the workbench (6) and has multiple sets of material handling guide rails (12) symmetrically arranged on the spraying conveyor belt (11).

3. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vibrating screen hopper assembly (2) includes multiple sets of material handling hoppers (21), which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the spray conveyor belt (11).

4. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The material handling hopper (21) is hollow inside, and a discharge guide rail (22) extends from the side of the material handling hopper (21).

5. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the camera (31) is detachably connected to the top of the lens (32), the bottom of the lens (32) is detachably connected to the light source (33), and the light source (33) is covered with a protective cover (34).

6. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The camera (31), lens (32) and light source (33) are coaxially arranged, and the axes of the camera (31), lens (32) and light source (33) are perpendicular to the spray conveyor belt (11) platform.

7. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printing equipment assembly (4) includes a printing head (41), a first connecting seat (42) is provided on the side of the printing head (41), the printing head (41) is detachably mounted on the lifting sliding module (43) through the connecting seat, a rotating wheel (44) is provided on the top of the lifting sliding module (43), and a locking gate (45) is provided on one side of the rotating wheel (44).

8. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting sliding module (43) is provided with a second connecting seat (46) on its side. The lifting sliding module (43) is detachably installed on the horizontal sliding module (47) through the second connecting seat (46). A support frame (48) is provided on one side of the horizontal sliding module (47). A positioning block (49) is provided on the horizontal sliding module (47).

9. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The visual component (3) is provided with a printing control component (5) on one side. The printing control component (5) includes a control cabinet, which is connected to the printing head (41) through a pipeline.

10. The multi-row micro food surface printing equipment system according to claim 9, characterized in that, An ink bottle (51) is installed on the front side inside the control cabinet. A negative pressure device (52) is installed above the ink bottle (51). An ink supply device (53) is installed on the rear side of the control cabinet. A degassing device (54) is installed above the ink supply device (53). A control device (55) is installed above the degassing device (54). A power supply device (56) is installed above the control device (55).

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