A food impurity removing and screening device

Abstract

This invention provides a food impurity removal and screening device, comprising a cylindrical structure with a closed bottom, a feeding assembly connected to the top of the cylinder, a stirring assembly at the bottom, and several openings at the same height on the side of the cylinder. Each opening has an outward-opening door controlled by a torsion spring, causing the door to be subjected to a torsional force towards the inside of the cylinder. A downward-sloping slide is also provided at each opening, the end of which connects to a washing water tank at the top opening. This invention enables integrated washing and screening operations, reducing equipment footprint and improving processing efficiency. The screening effect is achieved through centrifugal force, and the spring force of the torsion spring on the door corresponds to the opening size. Therefore, small-sized fruits and vegetables generate less centrifugal force and cannot open the door of the large opening, preventing small-sized fruits and vegetables from passing through and avoiding incorrect screening, thus improving screening accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of food processing technology, and in particular to a food impurity removal and screening device. Background Technology

[0002] Food processing refers to the processing of grains, feed, vegetable oils and sugars, slaughtering and meat processing, aquatic products, and other foods such as vegetables, fruits, and nuts, using agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery products as raw materials. It also includes the processing of tubers, dehydrated vegetables, and canned vegetables. It is a type of agricultural product processing industry in a broad sense. The most common aspect is the production of various foods from agricultural and sideline products, such as potato chips, flour biscuits, and corn popcorn.

[0003] Before using blocky or granular ingredients like fruits, potatoes, and corn to make food, the purchased ingredients must first be screened and impurities removed. For example, potatoes may contain soil and stones, while corn may contain weeds, insects, and other impurities. Therefore, washing and screening are necessary to remove these impurities. In existing technologies, flotation machines are generally used for washing and flotation. A flotation machine includes a strip-shaped washing tank filled with water. Inside the washing tank, a circulating water pump drives the water to flow in a specific direction, causing the fruits and vegetables placed inside to float towards one end of the washing tank. Finally, the fruits and vegetables are transported away by a conveyor belt at the end. This floating and moving process removes impurities such as stones.

[0004] However, existing flotation machines also have certain problems. First, to ensure that fruits and vegetables are thoroughly cleaned and impurities removed, a long washing tank is required, resulting in a large space occupation and making it inconvenient to install them side-by-side on a large scale in a factory. Second, these flotation machines can only remove impurities such as stones and mud, but cannot sort fruits and vegetables, which requires subsequent sorting processing, undoubtedly increasing the equipment investment cost. Therefore, a device that can simultaneously clean and sort fruits and vegetables is needed. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a food impurity removal and screening device, which solves the problems of large space occupation of vegetable and fruit washing tanks and inability to simultaneously perform washing and screening in existing technologies.

[0006] According to an embodiment of this utility model, a food impurity removal and screening device includes a cylindrical body, which is a closed-bottom cylindrical structure with a feeding assembly connected to its top and a stirring assembly at the bottom of the cylindrical body to drive the liquid inside the cylindrical body to rotate. Several openings are provided at the same height on the side of the cylindrical body, and an outward-opening door is provided at each opening. The door is rotatably connected to the cylindrical body via a rotating shaft, on which a torsion spring is provided. This causes the door to be subjected to a torsion force towards the inside of the cylindrical body, and the door size is larger than the opening size, preventing the door from rotating into the cylindrical body due to the opening's limitation. The size of each of the several openings is different and gradually increases in size. Simultaneously, the spring force corresponding to each of the several doors is different and linearly distributed according to the door size. A downward-sloping slide is also provided at each opening, and the end of the slide is connected to a cleaning water tank at the top opening.

[0007] Furthermore, the bottom of the cylinder is a conical cylinder structure with a gradually decreasing diameter, and the opening is provided at the location adjacent to the cylindrical structure and the conical cylinder structure.

[0008] Furthermore, the stirring assembly includes a stirring shaft coaxially disposed at the bottom of the cylinder, the bottom end of the stirring shaft extending through and out of the cylinder and connected to a motor, and a stirring paddle installed on the part of the stirring shaft inside the cylinder, the highest point of the part of the stirring shaft inside the cylinder being lower than the height of the opening.

[0009] Furthermore, the stirring assembly is also surrounded by a mesh, which is a solid mesh structure with a mesh size much smaller than the size of the food being cleaned.

[0010] Furthermore, the feeding assembly includes a feeding conveyor belt, one end of which extends from the top of the cylinder into the interior of the cylinder.

[0011] Furthermore, the openings are evenly spaced around the central axis of the cylinder, and the projection of the slide rail on the horizontal plane is inclined along the radial direction of the cylinder toward the tangent of the opening.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] 1. In operation, water is injected into the cylinder, causing the added fruits and vegetables to float at the height of the corresponding opening. Then, the stirring component is activated to generate a rotating water flow inside the cylinder, causing the fruits and vegetables to rotate within the cylinder. Under the action of centrifugal force, the fruits and vegetables move to the edge of the cylinder and leave through the opening, thus screening the fruits and vegetables according to the size of the opening. Furthermore, the fruits and vegetables are washed by the water flow after rotating in the cylinder and entering the washing water tank, thereby realizing an integrated operation of washing and screening, reducing the equipment's footprint and improving processing efficiency.

[0014] 2. This utility model also includes a door with a corresponding opening. When the fruits and vegetables rotate along the inner wall of the cylinder, they exert pressure on the inner wall of the cylinder outward. When the rotation speed is fast enough and the centrifugal force is greater than the elastic force of the torsion spring, it will squeeze open the door, allowing the fruits and vegetables to pass through the opening and enter the slide, and finally slide into the washing water tank. Considering that the fruits and vegetables in the cylinder have the same rotation speed and radius when rotating along the edge, the centrifugal force is only related to the weight. The heavier fruits and vegetables generate a larger centrifugal force. The elastic force of the torsion spring on the door corresponds to the opening size. Therefore, the centrifugal force generated by small fruits and vegetables is small and cannot open the door on the large opening. This prevents small fruits and vegetables from passing through the large opening, avoids incorrect screening, and improves screening accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the axial cross-section of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a top view of an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0018] In the above attached figures: 1. Cylinder; 2. Feed conveyor belt; 3. Opening; 4. Slide rail; 5. Cleaning water tank; 6. Agitator shaft; 7. Motor; 8. Agitator paddle; 11. Support frame; 12. Enclosure net; 31. Door; 32. Rotating shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this utility model embodiment proposes a food impurity removal and screening device, including a cylindrical body 1. The cylindrical body 1 is a closed-bottom cylindrical structure, and the bottom of the cylindrical body 1 is a conical cylinder with a gradually decreasing diameter, thus forming a container with a reduced bottom diameter. A water inlet and a water outlet are respectively provided at the top and bottom of the cylindrical body 1. The water inlet is used to supply water during operation and maintain the water level during operation, while the water outlet is used to discharge wastewater containing impurities after operation. A support 11 is also provided on the outer side below the cylindrical body 1.

[0021] A feeding assembly is connected to the top of the cylinder 1. The feeding assembly includes a feeding conveyor belt 2, one end of which extends from the top of the cylinder 1 into the interior of the cylinder 1. Three openings 3 are provided at the same height on the side of the cylinder 1, corresponding to the locations adjacent to the cylindrical and conical structures. An outward-opening door 31 is provided at each opening 3. The door 31 is rotatably connected to the cylinder 1 via a rotating shaft 32. A torsion spring is provided on the rotating shaft 32, so that the door 31 is subjected to a torsion force toward the interior of the cylinder 1. The size of the door 31 is larger than the size of the opening 3, so that the door 31 is limited by the opening 3 and cannot rotate into the interior of the cylinder 1. The size of each of the three openings 3 is different and gradually increases in size. At the same time, the spring force of each door 31 is different and linearly distributed according to the size of the door 31.

[0022] Therefore, the water level inside the cylinder 1 is controlled so that the height of the fruits and vegetables floating on the water surface corresponds to the opening 3. When the fruits and vegetables rotate along the inner wall of the cylinder 1, they exert pressure on the inner wall of the cylinder 1 outward. When their rotation speed is fast enough and the centrifugal force is greater than the elastic force of the torsion spring, they will squeeze open the door 31, allowing the fruits and vegetables to pass through the opening 3 and enter the slide 4, and finally slide into the washing water tank 5. Considering that the fruits and vegetables in the cylinder 1 have the same rotation speed and radius when rotating along the edge, the centrifugal force is only related to the weight. The heavier fruits and vegetables generate a larger centrifugal force. Since the elastic force of the torsion spring on the door 31 corresponds to the size of the opening 3, the centrifugal force generated by small fruits and vegetables is small and cannot open the door 31 on the large opening 3, so that small fruits and vegetables will not pass through the large opening 3.

[0023] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, openings 3 are evenly spaced around the central axis of the cylinder 1. A downwardly inclined slide 4 is also provided at each opening 3 of the cylinder 1. The projection of the slide 4 onto the horizontal plane is inclined along the radial direction of the cylinder 1 towards the tangent to the opening 3, allowing the fruits and vegetables to slide into the slide 4 under the influence of centrifugal force and rotational inertia after leaving the opening 3. The end of the slide 4 is connected to a top-open washing water tank 5. Therefore, the fruits and vegetables leaving the opening 3 slide into the water tank for further washing. A unidirectional water flow can be formed in the water tank using a circulating jet of water, driving the fruits and vegetables to move and eventually leave. Since this is prior art, it will not be described in detail here.

[0024] like Figure 2As shown, a stirring assembly is also provided at the bottom of the cylinder 1 to drive the liquid inside the cylinder 1 to rotate. In this embodiment, the stirring assembly includes a stirring shaft 6 coaxially arranged at the bottom of the cylinder 1. The bottom end of the stirring shaft 6 extends through the outside of the cylinder 1 and is connected to a motor 7. It should be noted that the stirring shaft 6 and the cylinder 1 are connected by a rotational seal. A stirring paddle 8 is installed on the part of the stirring shaft 6 inside the cylinder 1. The highest point of the stirring shaft 6 inside the cylinder 1 is lower than the height of the opening 3. By driving the stirring paddle 8 to rotate through the motor 7, a vortex-like water flow is generated inside the cylinder 1, thereby driving the fruits and vegetables to rotate. At the same time, the installation height of the stirring paddle 8 is lower than the height of the opening 3, so that the fruits and vegetables floating at the height of the opening 3 by liquid level control will not be damaged by the rotating stirring paddle 8. Preferably, a surrounding net 12 is also provided outside the stirring assembly. The surrounding net 12 is a solid mesh structure, and its mesh size is much smaller than the size of the food being cleaned. The surrounding net 12 can further protect the fruits and vegetables during stirring, preventing them from falling into the water and being damaged by the stirring paddle 8 during feeding.

[0025] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this utility model, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A food impurity removal and screening device, characterized in that: The device includes a cylindrical body, which is a closed-bottom cylindrical structure with a feeding assembly connected to the top and a stirring assembly at the bottom to drive the internal liquid to rotate. Several openings are located at the same height on the side of the cylindrical body, and each opening corresponds to an outward-opening door. The door is rotatably connected to the cylindrical body via a pivot shaft equipped with a torsion spring. This spring forces the door into the cylindrical body with a torsion force. The door size is larger than the opening size, preventing the door from rotating into the cylindrical body. Each opening has a different size, gradually increasing in size. The spring force corresponding to each door is also different and linearly distributed according to the door size. A downward-sloping slide is also provided at each opening, with the end of the slide connected to a cleaning water tank at the top opening.

2. The food impurity removal and screening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the cylinder is a conical structure with a gradually decreasing diameter, and the opening is provided at the location where the cylindrical structure and the conical structure are adjacent.

3. The food impurity removal and screening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The stirring assembly includes a stirring shaft coaxially disposed at the bottom of the cylinder. The bottom end of the stirring shaft extends through the outside of the cylinder and is connected to a motor. The part of the stirring shaft inside the cylinder is equipped with a stirring paddle. The highest point of the part of the stirring shaft inside the cylinder is lower than the height of the opening.

4. The food impurity removal and screening device as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The stirring assembly is also surrounded by a mesh, which is a solid mesh structure with a mesh size much smaller than the size of the food being cleaned.

5. The food impurity removal and screening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding assembly includes a feeding conveyor belt, one end of which extends from the top of the cylinder into the interior of the cylinder.

6. The food impurity removal and screening device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The openings are evenly spaced around the central axis of the cylinder, and the projection of the slide rail on the horizontal plane is inclined along the radial direction of the cylinder toward the tangent of the opening.

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