A drying device for traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces

Abstract

This application relates to the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction piece drying technology, and discloses a TCM decoction piece drying device, including a drying box with an open right side. A door is rotatably mounted on the right side of the drying box via a hinge. Three equally spaced rotating shafts are rotatably mounted inside the drying box, each shaft having a mounting base fixedly fitted onto it. A grid-shaped TCM decoction piece container is fixedly mounted on the top of each of the three mounting bases. This application has the following advantages and effects: during the drying of TCM decoction pieces, the reciprocating oscillation of the grid-shaped TCM decoction piece container can be controlled, allowing the TCM decoction pieces to slowly slide along the inner wall of the container, ensuring full and comprehensive contact between the TCM decoction pieces and the heat. This ensures sufficient contact between the TCM decoction pieces and the hot air, while reducing breakage caused by violent turning, thus balancing drying uniformity and piece integrity, improving drying efficiency and quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of drying technology for Chinese herbal medicine slices, and in particular to a drying device for Chinese herbal medicine slices. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces are TCM herbs that have undergone processing according to TCM theories and methods, and can be directly used in TCM clinical practice. TCM decoction pieces include some sliced ​​herbs processed at their place of origin, whole medicinal herbs, and herbs that have undergone cutting and processing. In the processing of TCM decoction pieces, drying is a crucial step in ensuring quality and extending shelf life. By removing excess moisture (usually reducing the moisture content to 10%-15%), microbial growth can be effectively inhibited, mold can be prevented, and the degradation of active ingredients (such as volatile oils, glycosides, and polysaccharides) due to a humid environment can be reduced. A search revealed a patent document with authorization announcement number CN221684954U, which discloses a drying device for traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces. The device includes a drying mechanism comprising a first drying device housing, a second drying device housing, a third drying device housing, a drying device door, a drying device handle, a drying device fixing plate, and a drying device movable plate. The second drying device housing is fixedly mounted on one side of the first drying device housing, and the third drying device housing is fixedly mounted on one side of the second drying device housing. During operation, the drying device is connected to a power source, the traditional Chinese medicine to be dried is placed on the drying tray, and a button is pressed to instruct the controller to begin drying. After drying, the medicine can be removed by pulling open the drying device handle. The advantages of this device are that it can be placed in most environments, the top is equipped with an exhaust pipe to promptly remove waste gas generated during drying, and the bottom is equipped with a waste collection tray for easy cleaning.

[0003] The above-mentioned solution still has at least the following shortcomings in actual use: During the drying process of statically laying Chinese herbal medicine slices on the drying tray, the hot air does not come into sufficient contact with the Chinese herbal medicine slices. The hot air can only act on the surface of the Chinese herbal medicine slices. The bottom layer of Chinese herbal medicine slices are blocked by the upper material and have difficulty coming into contact with enough hot air, which affects the drying efficiency and drying quality.

[0004] Therefore, we propose a drying device for Chinese herbal medicine slices to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a drying device for Chinese herbal medicine slices, which allows the Chinese herbal medicine slices to fully and comprehensively contact with heat, ensuring that the Chinese herbal medicine slices are fully exposed to hot air, reducing the breakage of Chinese herbal medicine slices caused by violent turning, and balancing the uniformity of drying and the integrity of the slices, thereby improving the drying efficiency and drying quality.

[0006] The above-mentioned technical objective of this application is achieved through the following technical solution: a drying device for Chinese herbal medicine slices, comprising a drying box with an open structure on the right side, a door rotatably installed on the right side of the drying box via a hinge, three rotating shafts evenly spaced inside the drying box, each of the three rotating shafts being fixedly fitted with a mounting seat, and a grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding box being fixedly installed on the top of each of the three mounting seats, the top of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding box being open, a plurality of evenly arranged electric heating tubes being fixedly installed on the left inner wall of the drying box, and a driving mechanism being provided on the front side of the drying box, the driving mechanism being used to simultaneously control the reciprocating rotation of the three rotating shafts.

[0007] A further feature of this application is that the cross-section of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container is fan-shaped.

[0008] A further configuration of this application is as follows: the driving mechanism includes three spur gears, three torsion springs, three drive shafts, and three sector gears. The front ends of the three shafts extend outside the drying chamber. The three spur gears are respectively fixedly sleeved on the front ends of their respective shafts. The three torsion springs are respectively fixedly installed on the front outer wall of the drying chamber. The front ends of the three torsion springs are respectively fixedly connected to their respective spur gears and are respectively sleeved on their respective shafts. The three drive shafts are rotatably installed on the front outer wall of the drying chamber. The three sector gears are respectively fixedly sleeved on their respective drive shafts, and the three sector gears intermittently mesh with their respective spur gears.

[0009] A further configuration of this application is as follows: the drive mechanism further includes a double-ended pulley, two driven pulleys, two belts, and a motor. The double-ended pulley is fixedly sleeved on the central rotating shaft. The two driven pulleys are respectively fixedly sleeved on the upper rotating shaft and the lower rotating shaft. The ends of the two belts that are close to each other are sleeved on the double-ended pulley, and the ends of the two belts that are far apart from each other are respectively sleeved on the corresponding driven pulleys. The motor is located in front of the drying chamber, and the output shaft end of the motor is fixedly connected to the front end of the lower rotating shaft.

[0010] A further provision of this application is that a base is fixedly installed on the front outer wall of the drying oven, and the motor is fixedly installed on the base.

[0011] A further provision of this application is that a dehumidifier is fixedly installed on the rear outer wall of the drying oven, an air intake pipe is fixedly connected to the intake end of the dehumidifier, one end of the air intake pipe extends into the drying oven, and an exhaust pipe is fixedly connected to the exhaust end of the dehumidifier, one end of the exhaust pipe extends into the drying oven.

[0012] A further feature of this application is that dust screens are fixedly installed at one end of the air intake pipe inside the drying chamber and at one end of the exhaust pipe inside the drying chamber.

[0013] A further feature of this application is that a temperature sensor is fixedly installed on the inner top wall of the drying oven.

[0014] A further provision of this application is that a dregs collection tray is placed on the bottom inner wall of the drying oven.

[0015] This application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0016] 1. This application utilizes a drive mechanism to control three grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice containers to simultaneously reciprocate and swing, causing the Chinese herbal medicine slices to slide slowly along the inner wall of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice containers, allowing the Chinese herbal medicine slices to fully and comprehensively contact the heat. This ensures that the Chinese herbal medicine slices are fully exposed to hot air, while reducing the breakage of the Chinese herbal medicine slices caused by violent turning, thus balancing drying uniformity and slice integrity, and improving drying efficiency and drying quality.

[0017] 2. This application utilizes the synergistic effect of a dehumidifier, an intake pipe, and an exhaust pipe to form an air circulation dehumidification process inside the drying chamber, which can quickly reduce the humidity inside the drying chamber, accelerate the evaporation of moisture in Chinese herbal medicine slices, and improve drying efficiency and drying quality. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a front-view stereoscopic structural diagram of this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the box door removed in this embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the front cross-sectional structure of this embodiment.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a grid-shaped container for Chinese herbal medicine slices.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Drying oven; 2. Door; 3. Shaft; 4. Mounting base; 5. Mesh-shaped container for Chinese herbal medicine slices; 6. Electric heating element; 7. Spur gear; 8. Torsion spring; 9. Drive shaft; 10. Sector gear; 11. Double-ended pulley; 12. Driven pulley; 13. Belt; 14. Motor; 15. Base; 16. Dehumidifier; 17. Intake pipe; 18. Exhaust pipe; 19. Dust filter; 20. Temperature sensor; 21. Dregs collection tray. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solution of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 This application provides a drying device for Chinese herbal medicine slices, including a drying chamber 1 with an open right side. A door 2 is rotatably mounted on the right side of the drying chamber 1 via a hinge. Three equally spaced rotating shafts 3 are rotatably mounted inside the drying chamber 1. Each of the three rotating shafts 3 is fixedly fitted with a mounting base 4. A mesh-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding box 5 is fixedly mounted on the top of each of the three mounting bases 4. The top of the mesh-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding box 5 is open, and the mesh-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding box 5 is used to hold the Chinese herbal medicine slices to be dried. The cross-section of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5 is fan-shaped. The grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5 is made of stainless steel wire, and its grid size is smaller than the size of qualified Chinese herbal medicine pieces. This allows the Chinese herbal medicine pieces to be stored inside the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5, while the dregs can leak out through the grid on the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5. Multiple evenly arranged electric heating tubes 6 are fixedly installed on the left inner wall of the drying oven 1. The heat generated by the electric heating tubes 6 when they are powered on can heat and dry the Chinese herbal medicine pieces.

[0025] In this embodiment, a drive mechanism is provided on the front side of the drying chamber 1. The drive mechanism is used to simultaneously control the reciprocating rotation of three rotating shafts 3. The drive mechanism includes three spur gears 7, three torsion springs 8, three transmission shafts 9, and three sector gears 10. The front ends of the three rotating shafts 3 all extend outside the drying chamber 1. The three spur gears 7 are respectively fixedly sleeved on the front ends of the corresponding rotating shafts 3. The three torsion springs 8 are all fixedly installed on the front outer wall of the drying chamber 1. The front ends of the three torsion springs 8 are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding spur gears 7, and the three torsion springs 8 are respectively sleeved on the corresponding rotating shafts 3. The three transmission shafts 9 are all rotatably installed on the front outer wall of the drying chamber 1. The three sector gears 10 are respectively fixedly sleeved on the corresponding rotating shafts 3. The three sector gears 10 are fixedly mounted on the corresponding transmission shafts 9. They intermittently mesh with the corresponding spur gears 7. The intermittent meshing of the three sector gears 10 with the corresponding spur gears 7, combined with the elastic force generated by the torsional deformation of the three torsion springs 8, controls the reciprocating rotation of the three rotating shafts 3. This causes the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine storage box 5 to reciprocate around the corresponding rotating shaft 3, allowing the Chinese herbal medicine pieces to slide slowly along the inner wall of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine storage box 5. This ensures that the Chinese herbal medicine pieces are fully exposed to hot air and reduces the breakage of the Chinese herbal medicine pieces caused by violent turning, thus balancing the uniformity of drying and the integrity of the pieces.

[0026] In this embodiment, the drive mechanism further includes a double-headed pulley 11, two driven pulleys 12, two belts 13, and a motor 14. The double-headed pulley 11 is fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft 3 located in the middle. The two driven pulleys 12 are respectively fixedly mounted on the upper rotating shaft 3 and the lower rotating shaft 3. The ends of the two belts 13 that are close to each other are mounted on the double-headed pulley 11, and the ends of the two belts 13 that are far apart from each other are respectively mounted on the corresponding driven pulleys 12. The motor 14 is located in front of the drying chamber 1. The output shaft end of the motor 14 is fixedly connected to the front end of the lower rotating shaft 3. The motor 14 can drive the rotating shaft 3 fixedly connected to its output shaft end to rotate. Under the transmission action of the double-headed pulley 11, the two driven pulleys 12, and the two belts 13, the three transmission shafts 9 can be controlled to rotate simultaneously, thereby causing the three sector gears 10 to rotate simultaneously.

[0027] In this embodiment, a base 15 is fixedly installed on the front outer wall of the drying oven 1, and a motor 14 is fixedly installed on the base 15. The base 15 is designed to provide stable support for the motor 14.

[0028] In this embodiment, a dehumidifier 16 is fixedly installed on the rear outer wall of the drying chamber 1. The suction end of the dehumidifier 16 is fixedly connected to a suction pipe 17, one end of which extends into the drying chamber 1. The discharge end of the dehumidifier 16 is fixedly connected to an exhaust pipe 18, one end of which extends into the drying chamber 1. When the dehumidifier 16 is running, it draws in the humid and hot air inside the drying chamber 1 through the suction pipe 17, dehumidifies it, and then sends the dry air back into the drying chamber 1 through the exhaust pipe 18. This forms an air circulation dehumidification process inside the drying chamber 1, which can quickly reduce the humidity inside the drying chamber 1, accelerate the evaporation of moisture in the Chinese herbal medicine slices, and improve the drying efficiency and drying quality. It should be noted that the outer walls of both the suction pipe 17 and the exhaust pipe 18 are wrapped with heat insulation cotton to greatly reduce heat loss during flow.

[0029] In this embodiment, a dust filter 19 is fixedly installed at one end of the suction pipe 17 inside the drying chamber 1 and at one end of the exhaust pipe 18 inside the drying chamber 1. The design of the dust filter 19 can prevent the medicine residue from entering the suction pipe 17 and the exhaust pipe 18.

[0030] In this embodiment, a temperature sensor 20 is fixedly installed on the top inner wall of the drying oven 1 to monitor the temperature value inside the drying oven 1 in real time. The temperature sensor 20 is electrically connected to an external display screen, which can display the temperature value for easy viewing by the staff. At the same time, multiple electric heating tubes 6 are all temperature-adjustable electric heating tubes, which allows the operator to adjust the heating parameters according to the characteristics of Chinese herbal medicine pieces (such as roots and stems requiring high temperature and leaves and flowers requiring low temperature), so as to avoid the loss of effective ingredients or incomplete drying of Chinese herbal medicine pieces due to temperature runaway, and further ensure the quality stability of the dried Chinese herbal medicine pieces.

[0031] In this embodiment, a dregs collection tray 21 is placed on the bottom inner wall of the drying oven 1 to collect dregs for subsequent unified processing.

[0032] In this embodiment, the electric heating element 6, the motor 14, the dehumidifier 16, and the temperature sensor 20 can all be purchased on the market. Their wiring connection methods and control methods are mature technologies in this field and have been fully disclosed, so they will not be described again in this article.

[0033] With the above structure, when using the drying device for Chinese herbal medicine slices provided in this application, the door 2 is opened, and the Chinese herbal medicine slices to be dried are evenly loaded into three grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding boxes 5. Then the door 2 is closed, and multiple electric heating tubes 6 are turned on. According to the characteristics of the Chinese herbal medicine slices to be dried (e.g., roots and stems require 60-80℃, and leaves and flowers require 40-60℃), the target heating temperature of the electric heating tubes 6 is set, and the Chinese herbal medicine slices can be dried and heated. The heating temperature value inside the drying chamber 1 can be monitored in real time using the temperature sensor 20.

[0034] During the heating and drying process, the motor 14 is turned on, and its output shaft drives the rotating shaft 3, which is fixedly connected to its output shaft end, to rotate. Under the transmission action of the double-headed pulley 11, two driven pulleys 12, and two belts 13, the three transmission shafts 9 can be controlled to rotate simultaneously, thereby causing the three sector gears 10 to rotate simultaneously. When a sector gear 10 meshes with its corresponding spur gear 7, it drives the rotating shaft 3 to rotate. At this time, the torsion spring 8 is twisted and stores energy. When the sector gear 10 rotates to the non-meshing area with its corresponding spur gear 7, the torsion spring 8 releases its elastic force, controlling the rotating shaft to reverse and reset. By using three sector gears 10 to intermittently mesh with the corresponding spur gears 7, and in conjunction with the elastic force generated by the torsional deformation of three torsion springs 8, the three rotating shafts 3 can be controlled to reciprocate. This causes the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5 to reciprocate around the corresponding rotating shaft 3, allowing the Chinese herbal medicine slices to slide slowly along the inner wall of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5. This ensures that the Chinese herbal medicine slices are fully exposed to the hot air, while reducing the breakage of the Chinese herbal medicine slices caused by violent turning, thus balancing the uniformity of drying and the integrity of the slices.

[0035] During the heating and drying process, the dehumidifier 16 is controlled to operate. The dehumidifier 16 draws out the hot and humid air in the drying chamber 1 through the suction pipe 17 (the humidity of the air increases due to the evaporation of moisture after the medicinal slices are heated). After the hot and humid air is processed by the dehumidifier 16, the moisture is separated and removed, and it becomes dry air. The dry air is sent back to the drying chamber 1 through the exhaust pipe 18 to continue to exchange heat with the medicinal slices, which can further accelerate the evaporation of moisture from the medicinal slices, shorten the drying time, and improve the drying efficiency and drying quality.

[0036] During the heating and drying process, as the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5 swings back and forth, the dregs mixed in with the Chinese herbal medicine pieces, because their size is smaller than the holes of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container 5, gradually leak out through the holes and fall into the dregs collection tray 21 on the inner wall of the bottom of the drying oven 1.

[0037] After the Chinese herbal medicine slices have been heated and dried, turn off the electric heating tube 6, motor 14 and dehumidifier 16, open the chamber door 2, and the staff can put on heat-resistant gloves to take out the dried Chinese herbal medicine slices from the three grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine slice holding boxes 5 one by one, and then take out the dregs collection tray 21 to clean the collected dregs for subsequent processing.

Claims

1. A drying device for traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, characterized in that, The drying box (1) has an open structure on the right side. A door (2) is installed on the right side of the drying box (1) via a hinge. Three rotating shafts (3) are rotatably installed inside the drying box (1) at equal intervals. Mounting seats (4) are fixedly fitted on each of the three rotating shafts (3). A grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine storage box (5) is fixedly installed on the top of each of the three mounting seats (4). The top of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine storage box (5) has an open structure. Multiple electric heating tubes (6) are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the left side of the drying box (1). A driving mechanism is provided on the front side of the drying box (1). The driving mechanism is used to simultaneously control the reciprocating rotation of the three rotating shafts (3).

2. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-section of the grid-shaped Chinese herbal medicine container (5) is fan-shaped.

3. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism includes three spur gears (7), three torsion springs (8), three drive shafts (9), and three sector gears (10). The front ends of the three shafts (3) extend to the outside of the drying chamber (1). The three spur gears (7) are respectively fixedly sleeved on the front ends of the corresponding shafts (3). The three torsion springs (8) are respectively fixedly installed on the front outer wall of the drying chamber (1). The front ends of the three torsion springs (8) are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding spur gears (7), and the three torsion springs (8) are respectively sleeved on the corresponding shafts (3). The three drive shafts (9) are rotatably installed on the front outer wall of the drying chamber (1). The three sector gears (10) are respectively fixedly sleeved on the corresponding drive shafts (9), and the three sector gears (10) intermittently mesh with the corresponding spur gears (7).

4. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drive mechanism also includes a double-headed pulley (11), two driven pulleys (12), two belts (13) and a motor (14). The double-headed pulley (11) is fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft (3) located in the middle. The two driven pulleys (12) are fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft (3) located above and below, respectively. The ends of the two belts (13) that are close to each other are mounted on the double-headed pulley (11), and the ends of the two belts (13) that are far apart from each other are mounted on the corresponding driven pulleys (12). The motor (14) is located in front of the drying box (1), and the output shaft end of the motor (14) is fixedly connected to the front end of the rotating shaft (3) located below.

5. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 4, characterized in that: A base (15) is fixedly installed on the front outer wall of the drying oven (1), and the motor (14) is fixedly installed on the base (15).

6. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dehumidifier (16) is fixedly installed on the rear outer wall of the drying box (1). The suction end of the dehumidifier (16) is fixedly connected to a suction pipe (17), one end of which extends into the drying box (1). The discharge end of the dehumidifier (16) is fixedly connected to an exhaust pipe (18), one end of which extends into the drying box (1).

7. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 6, characterized in that: Dust screens (19) are fixedly installed at one end of the air intake pipe (17) inside the drying box (1) and at one end of the exhaust pipe (18) inside the drying box (1).

8. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 1, characterized in that: A temperature sensor (20) is fixedly installed on the top inner wall of the drying oven (1).

9. The drying apparatus for processed Chinese medicinal herbs according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dregs collection tray (21) is placed on the bottom inner wall of the drying oven (1).

Images