A sterilization device for tofu production

Abstract

The utility model relates to a sterilization device for bean curd production. It includes: the suspension chain conveyor, the hanger, the hot water tank, the cold water tank, the feeding groove and the discharge groove, the suspension chain conveyor is constituted by several supports, three -dimensional annular slide rail, drive module, chain band and several pulley mechanisms, the hanger is constituted by the connecting plate, the backplate, the bottom plate, the baffle, the lower baffle and the upper baffle, the feeding groove is constituted by the conveying plate, the first side plate, the second side plate and the end cover plate, and the second side plate and the end cover plate form the blanking opening between, the discharge groove is located below the first arcuate section, and the discharge groove is fixed with the unloading baffle between the first arcuate section. The utility model realizes relatively simple automatic feeding and discharging scheme through the combination of the suspension chain conveyor and the hanger and the special design of the hanger, can obviously reduce the complexity of the automatic equipment, improves the reliability, and reduces the equipment procurement cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a pasteurization device, and more particularly to a pasteurization device for tofu production. Background Technology

[0002] Pasteurization, also known as low-temperature sterilization, is a cold sterilization method invented by the French microbiologist Louis Pasteur. It is a sterilization method that uses relatively low temperatures to kill pathogens while preserving the nutrients and flavor of the materials. The specific process involves heating the raw materials to be sterilized to 68–70°C, maintaining this temperature for 30 minutes, and then rapidly cooling them to 4–5°C. Since the lethal point for most bacteria is below 68°C and 30 minutes, this method kills both pathogenic and most non-pathogenic bacteria. The sudden cooling after heating also contributes to bacterial death due to the rapid temperature change.

[0003] Existing sterilization devices for packaged tofu are complex, space-consuming, have low automation, and unstable sterilization effects. To address these issues, an automated pasteurization device for packaged tofu (CN210809152U) has been proposed. This device is arranged in two layers, with a feeding mechanism, a hot water tank, a cold water tank, and a discharging mechanism sequentially connected along the transport direction of the packaged tofu. The feeding mechanism and hot water tank are located on the upper layer, while the cold water tank and discharging mechanism are located on the lower layer. The hot water tank contains a three-stage steam heating assembly, and the cold water tank includes a room temperature cooling section and an ice water cooling section. This device has a small footprint, improving workshop space utilization; it also boasts a high degree of automation and high processing efficiency.

[0004] However, since its water tank is distributed vertically, it adds a lot of trouble to subsequent maintenance. Furthermore, the tofu box trays it uses require manual or automated equipment to operate when loading or unloading tofu boxes, which increases the demand for either manual labor or automated equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a sterilization device for tofu production, which solves the problem of inconvenient loading and unloading caused by unreasonable setting of tofu box trays in the prior art.

[0006] The above-mentioned technical problems of this utility model are mainly solved by the following technical solution: a sterilization device for tofu production, comprising: a suspended chain conveyor, a hanging frame, a hot water tank, a cold water tank, a feeding trough, and a discharging trough; the suspended chain conveyor is composed of several supports, a three-dimensional annular slide rail, a drive module, a chain belt, and several pulley mechanisms, the pulley mechanisms being rolled at equal intervals on the three-dimensional annular slide rail, the chain belt being connected in series with all the pulley mechanisms, the drive module driving the chain belt to move, the three-dimensional annular slide rail forming a closed loop consisting of a first arched section, a heating section, a second arched section, and a cooling section, the hot water tank and the cold water tank being respectively located below the heating section and the cooling section; the hanging frame is composed of a connecting plate, a back plate, a bottom plate, and a baffle, the back plate, the... The base plate and the baffle define a receiving groove for holding tofu boxes. A lower baffle is provided on the side of the receiving groove facing the conveying direction. An upper baffle is provided on the side of the back plate opposite to the lower baffle. The spacing below the upper baffles is greater than the height of the tofu box. The connecting plate is connected to the pulley mechanism. The feeding trough is composed of a horizontal conveying plate, a first side plate, a second side plate, and an end cover plate. A discharge port is formed between the second side plate and the end cover plate. The discharging trough is located below the first arched section, and the conveying plate is higher than the flow path of the baffle. The discharging trough is located below the first arched section, and a discharge baffle is fixed between the discharging trough and the first arched section. The discharge baffle is higher than the flow path of the baffle.

[0007] The overhead chain conveyor can simultaneously drive multiple pulley mechanisms on it to move synchronously along a three-dimensional circular slide rail. This utility model uses the overhead chain conveyor to synchronously transport multiple hanging frames, so that each hanging frame can flow sequentially through the first arched section, the heating section, the second arched section, and the cooling section. The loading and unloading process of tofu boxes is carried out within the first arched section. Within the heating section, the lower half of the hanging frame is immersed in a hot water tank. The second arched section is used to transfer the hanging frame from the hot water tank to the cold water tank. Within the cooling section, the lower half of the hanging frame is immersed in the cold water tank. When the rack is transferred from the cold water tank to the first arched section, it will first undergo an automatic unloading process. Specifically, the rack loaded with tofu boxes will slowly move backward. During its movement, the unloading baffle will block the tofu boxes on it, causing the tofu boxes to slide off the rear side of the receiving trough, fall into the unloading trough and slide away. At this time, the rack is in an unloaded state and continues to move backward. Meanwhile, in the feeding trough, there are stacked tofu boxes neatly arranged along the length of the conveyor plate. The upper baffle on the rack will abut against the tofu box on the feeding trough near the end cover plate and push it to slide off the discharge port and fall into the receiving trough. The lower baffle can prevent the tofu boxes from rolling off, thus realizing automatic feeding.

[0008] In summary, this invention enables fully autonomous loading and unloading of materials onto the rack without requiring complex and expensive automated equipment. It offers high reliability, low production costs, and ease of maintenance. The supply of tofu boxes in the loading trough can be provided manually or through automated feeding equipment. Therefore, compared to existing technologies, this invention, through the combination of a suspended chain conveyor and the rack, along with the rack's special design, achieves a relatively simple automated loading and unloading solution. This significantly reduces the complexity of automated equipment, improves reliability, and lowers equipment procurement costs.

[0009] Furthermore, a limiting plate is vertically fixed to the outer side of the end cover plate, forming a limiting groove between the limiting plate and the end cover plate. The flow path of the back plate passes through the limiting groove. In the direction of the back plate, a first guide plate extends from the limiting plate, and a second guide plate extends from the end cover plate, with the two guide plates arranged in a funnel shape. During the loading process, the relative positional accuracy between the hanger and the end cover plate is required to be high. However, the hanger on the overhead conveyor will sway to some extent during operation. Therefore, this invention uses the limiting plate and the end cover plate to fix the hanger and ensure its stability. The two guide plates help the back plate on the hanger slide smoothly into the limiting groove.

[0010] Therefore, this utility model has the following characteristics compared with the prior art: 1. This utility model achieves a relatively simple automatic loading and unloading scheme by combining the overhead chain conveyor and the hanging frame, as well as the special design of the hanging frame, which can significantly reduce the complexity of automated equipment, improve reliability, and reduce equipment procurement costs. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Appendix Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention, wherein the existing auxiliary mechanisms such as the drive module and chain belt on the overhead chain conveyor are omitted;

[0012] Appendix Figure 2 It is attached Figure 1 Top view;

[0013] Appendix Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the hanging bracket;

[0014] Appendix Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model during loading and unloading;

[0015] Appendix Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the hanging bracket, the loading chute, and the unloading baffle;

[0016] Appendix Figure 6 This is a top view of the feeding trough and the limiting plate;

[0017] Appendix Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a hot water tank / cold water tank. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.

[0020] Example 1: See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 A sterilization device for tofu production includes: an overhead chain conveyor 100, a hanging frame 200, a hot water tank 300, a cold water tank 400, a feeding trough 500, and a discharging trough 600; the overhead chain conveyor is composed of several supports 110, a three-dimensional annular slide rail 120, a drive module, a chain belt, and several pulley mechanisms 130. The pulley mechanisms are equidistantly rolled on the three-dimensional annular slide rail. The chain belt is connected in series with all the pulley mechanisms. The drive module drives the chain belt to move. The three-dimensional annular slide rail consists of a first arched section 10, a heating section 20, and a second arched section 30. The heating and cooling sections 40 form a closed loop. Hot water and cold water tanks are located below the heating and cooling sections, respectively. The hanging frame consists of a connecting plate 210, a back plate 220, a bottom plate 230, and a baffle 240, formed by bending stainless steel plates. The back plate, bottom plate, and baffle define a receiving groove 250, which holds the tofu box 1. A lower baffle 260 is provided on the side of the receiving groove facing the conveying direction. An upper baffle 270 is provided on the side of the back plate opposite to the lower baffle. The spacing below the upper baffles is greater than the height of the tofu box. The connecting plate is connected to the pulley mechanism. See [link / description missing]. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The feeding trough is composed of a horizontal conveying plate 510, a first side plate 520, a second side plate 530 and an end cover plate 540. A discharge port 550 is formed between the second side plate and the end cover plate. The unloading trough is located below the first arched section, and the conveying plate is higher than the flow path of the baffle. The unloading trough is located below the first arched section, and a discharge baffle 610 is fixed between the unloading trough and the first arched section. The discharge baffle is higher than the flow path of the baffle.

[0021] The overhead chain conveyor is a mature existing device that can be customized according to actual needs; therefore, its remaining specific structures will not be elaborated upon. The overhead chain conveyor can simultaneously drive multiple pulley mechanisms to move synchronously along a three-dimensional circular slide rail. In this embodiment, the overhead chain conveyor is used to synchronously transport multiple hanging racks, allowing each rack to sequentially flow through the first arched section, the heating section, the second arched section, and the cooling section. The loading and unloading process of the tofu boxes is carried out within the first arched section. Within the heating section, the lower half of the hanging rack is immersed in a hot water tank. The second arched section is used to transfer the hanging rack from the hot water tank to a cold water tank. Within the cooling section, the lower half of the hanging rack is immersed in a cold water tank. When the rack is transferred from the cold water tank to the first arched section, it will first undergo an automatic unloading process. Specifically, the rack loaded with tofu boxes will slowly move backward. During its movement, the unloading baffle will block the tofu boxes on it, causing the tofu boxes to slide off the rear side of the receiving trough, fall into the unloading trough and slide away. At this time, the rack is in an unloaded state and continues to move backward. Meanwhile, in the feeding trough, there are stacked tofu boxes neatly arranged along the length of the conveyor plate. The upper baffle on the rack will abut against the tofu box on the feeding trough near the end cover plate and push it to slide off the discharge port and fall into the receiving trough. The lower baffle can prevent the tofu boxes from rolling off, thus realizing automatic feeding.

[0022] In summary, this embodiment enables fully autonomous loading and unloading of materials onto the rack without requiring complex and expensive automated equipment. It offers high reliability, low production costs, and ease of maintenance. The supply of tofu boxes in the loading trough can be provided manually or through automated feeding equipment. Therefore, compared to existing technologies, this embodiment, through the combination of a suspended chain conveyor and the rack, along with the rack's special design, achieves a relatively simple automated loading and unloading solution. This significantly reduces the complexity of automated equipment, improves reliability, and lowers equipment procurement costs.

[0023] See Figure 6 A limiting plate 560 is vertically fixed to the outer side of the end cover plate, forming a limiting groove 570 between the limiting plate and the end cover plate. The flow path of the back plate passes through the limiting groove. In the direction of the back plate, a first guide plate 580 extends from the limiting plate, and a second guide plate 590 extends from the end cover plate. The two guide plates are distributed in a funnel shape. During the loading process, the relative positional accuracy between the hanger and the end cover plate is required to be high. However, the hanger on the overhead conveyor will sway to some extent during operation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hanger is fixed by the limiting plate and the end cover plate to ensure its stability. The two guide plates help the back plate on the hanger to slide smoothly into the limiting groove.

[0024] See Figure 7The hot water tank is equipped with a first drain outlet 310 and a first water inlet 320, as well as a heat pipe assembly; the cold water tank is equipped with a second drain outlet 410 and a second water inlet 420, as well as a refrigeration assembly; both the hot water tank and the cold water tank are equipped with a water temperature sensor and a liquid level sensor.

[0025] The heat medium inside the heat pipe assembly is steam. The preset temperature of the water in the hot water tank is 68-70℃, and the preset temperature of the water in the cold water tank is 4-5℃. When the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is too low, water can be added through the water inlet, and wastewater can be discharged periodically through the drain outlet.

[0026] This invention can be modified in many ways, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and such modifications are not considered to depart from the scope of this invention. All such modifications that are obvious to those skilled in the art are included within the scope of these claims.

Claims

1. A sterilization device for tofu production, characterized in that, include: The system comprises an overhead chain conveyor, a hanging frame, a hot water tank, a cold water tank, a loading chute, and a discharging chute. The overhead chain conveyor consists of several supports, a three-dimensional circular slide rail, a drive module, a chain belt, and several pulley mechanisms. The pulley mechanisms are evenly spaced and rolled on the three-dimensional circular slide rail. The chain belt is connected in series with all the pulley mechanisms. The drive module drives the chain belt. The three-dimensional circular slide rail forms a closed loop consisting of a first arched section, a heating section, a second arched section, and a cooling section. The hot water tank and the cold water tank are respectively located below the heating section and the cooling section. The hanging frame consists of a connecting plate, a back plate, a bottom plate, and a baffle. A receiving trough is defined, with a lower baffle plate on the side of the receiving trough facing the conveying direction, and an upper baffle plate on the side of the back plate opposite to the lower baffle plate. The connecting plate is connected to the pulley mechanism. The feeding trough is composed of a horizontal conveying plate, a first side plate, a second side plate, and an end cover plate. A discharge port is formed between the second side plate and the end cover plate. The discharging trough is located entirely below the first arched section, and the conveying plate is higher than the flow path of the baffle plate. The discharging trough is located below the first arched section, and a discharge baffle plate is fixed between the discharging trough and the first arched section. The discharge baffle plate is higher than the flow path of the baffle plate.

2. The sterilization device for tofu production according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting plate is also vertically fixed to the outer side of the end cover plate, and a limiting groove is formed between the limiting plate and the end cover plate. The flow path of the back plate passes through the limiting groove. In the direction of the back plate, the limiting plate extends with a first guide plate, and the end cover plate extends with a second guide plate. The two guide plates are distributed in a funnel shape.

3. The sterilization device for tofu production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot water tank is provided with a first drain outlet and a first water inlet, and is also provided with a heat pipe assembly; the cold water tank is provided with a second drain outlet and a second water inlet, and is also provided with a refrigeration assembly.

4. The sterilization device for tofu production according to claim 2, characterized in that: Both the hot water tank and the cold water tank are equipped with water temperature sensors and liquid level sensors.

Images