Food forming device and control method therefor

Abstract

A food forming device, comprising piercing mechanisms (10) and pushing mechanisms (20). Each piercing mechanism comprises a movable piercing rod (101), and the piercing rod is used for forming a non-penetrating hole at a central area of a food blank. Each pushing mechanism comprises a movable pushing member (201), and the pushing member is used for pushing an area other than the bottom of the food blank from the hole to the edge, so that the food blank is thinned and formed into food skin. The food forming device can realize automatic and batch processing of food, and has high processing efficiency and improved productivity. Additionally, the interior of the food blank is wrapped with a plurality of grease layers, the piercing rod is used to make a hole in the middle of the food blank, and then the pushing member is used to push an area other than the bottom of the food blank towards the outer edge, so that the damage to the grease layers can be reduced, thereby achieving a good crisping effect and a good taste. Also provided is a control method applied to the food forming device.

Description

Food forming apparatus and control method thereof CROSS-REFERENCE

[0001] The present disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application 202410728246.4, filed on June 05, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety in the present disclosure document. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of food processing, and in particular, to a food forming apparatus and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0003] At present, there are two methods for making food, i.e. pure manual making and machine making. The pure manual making method has low efficiency and low productivity. The existing machine making method is prone to damage the oil layer of the food, especially the egg tart crust, thereby reducing the leavening effect and resulting in poor taste. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a food crust forming apparatus and a control method thereof, which can reduce damage to the oil layer of the food crust.

[0005] According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a food crust forming apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0006] A hole breaking mechanism comprising a movable hole breaking rod, the hole breaking rod being configured to form a non-through hole at a central region of a food blank;

[0007] A pushing mechanism comprising a movable pushing member, the pushing member being configured to push the region other than the bottom of the food blank from the hole to the edge, so as to thin the food blank and form a food crust.

[0008] According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, the hole breaking rod is liftable, and the hole breaking rod is configured to press out the hole at the center of the food blank during the lowering process; or

[0009] The hole breaking mechanism comprises a liftable hole breaking lifting part and a rotatable hole breaking rotating part, the hole breaking rotating part is connected with the hole breaking lifting part, the hole breaking rod is connected with the hole breaking rotating part, and the hole breaking rod is offset relative to the rotation center of the hole breaking rotating part.

[0010] According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, the pushing mechanism comprises a liftable pushing lifting part and a rotatable pushing rotating part, the pushing lifting part is connected with the pushing rotating part, the pushing member is connected with the pushing rotating part, and the pushing member is offset relative to the rotation center of the pushing rotating part.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the pushing surface member and the hole breaking rod are both cylinders or pyramids, and the diameter of the cylinder of the pushing surface member is greater than the diameter of the cylinder of the hole breaking rod.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the pushing surface mechanism is configured to first push the food blank from the bottom of the hole to the edge in a horizontal direction, and then push the food blank obliquely upward and outward, and the pushing surface mechanism is controlled to repeat the above actions.

[0013] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the pushing surface mechanism for processing the same food blank is provided with at least two groups, and the pushing surface members of the at least two groups of pushing surface mechanisms are arranged at an interval of 180 degrees.

[0014] According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one group of the pushing surface mechanism includes a lifting pushing surface lifting part and a horizontally movable pushing surface translation part, the pushing surface translation part is connected to the pushing surface lifting part, and the pushing surface lifting part and the pushing surface translation part are both controlled to move independently or in combination.

[0015] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the moving tracks of the pushing surface members of the two groups of pushing surface mechanisms are different, and the difference in the tracks can be realized by controlling the different horizontal moving distances of the two groups of pushing surface translation parts. Compared with one group of pushing surface mechanisms, the inclination angle of the obliquely upward moving track of the pushing surface member connected to the pushing surface translation part with a larger horizontal moving distance relative to the vertical direction is larger, and the formed food skin after pushing is thinner. The two groups of pushing surface mechanisms work cooperatively, and the pushing effect is better.

[0016] According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the structures of the two groups of pushing surface mechanisms can be different. One group can adopt the above-mentioned pushing surface lifting part, pushing surface translation part and pushing surface member, and the pushing surface member is operated multiple times according to the track of horizontal movement, contact and pressing of the food blank, obliquely upward movement to push the food blank, horizontal movement to separate from the food blank, and vertical downward movement. The pushing surface member of the other group of pushing surface mechanisms can be arranged to reciprocate only in the inclined direction. The pushing surface member can be driven by an inclined arranged air cylinder or linear motor, which shortens the length of the moving path of the pushing surface member, and the pushing efficiency is higher. In other embodiments, the pushing surface mechanism for processing the same food blank can be provided with only one group, and a fixing member for fixing the food blank is arranged at a position 180 degrees apart from the pushing surface member of the pushing surface mechanism. The fixing member can be used to fix a part of the food blank during the pushing process to avoid displacement of the food blank. The fixing member can be pressed on the food blank from the hole.

[0017] According to a tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the device further includes a bottom support arranged below the pushing surface mechanism, the bottom support is rotatable, and the bottom support is used to place the food blank arranged in the food mold.

[0018] According to an eleventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the device further comprises a positioning mechanism for fixing the food mold loaded with the food blank during the molding process of the food.

[0019] According to a twelfth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the device further comprises a pre-pressing mechanism comprising a liftable pressing head for pre-pressing the food blank placed in the food mold before forming the hole, so that the pre-pressed food blank has the same shape as the food mold.

[0020] According to a thirteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the molding device further comprises a shaping mechanism comprising a liftable shaping pressing head for shaping the molded food skin.

[0021] According to a fourteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the molding device is a flow line device, which is arranged in sequence according to the pre-pressing station, the hole breaking station, the face pushing station and the shaping station, and the workbench can be a movable workbench, and the movement of the workbench between the stations can be achieved by a chain transmission mechanism, a gear and rack transmission mechanism or a belt transmission mechanism.

[0022] According to a fifteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure further provides a control method applied to any of the food molding devices, comprising:

[0023] controlling the hole breaking rod to form a non-through hole at the central region of the food blank loaded in the food mold;

[0024] controlling the face pushing member to push and press the region other than the bottom of the food blank from the hole to the edge, so that the food blank is thinned and molded into a food skin.

[0025] According to a sixteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the control of the hole breaking rod to form a non-through hole at the central region of the food blank loaded in the food mold comprises:

[0026] controlling the hole breaking rod to press down at the central region of the food blank, wherein the depth of the hole breaking rod pressed into the food blank is less than the thickness of the food blank; or

[0027] controlling the hole breaking rod to press down at the central region of the food blank, and then controlling the hole breaking rod to expand the hole from the pit to the periphery, wherein the depth of the hole breaking rod pressed into the food blank is less than the thickness of the food blank.

[0028] According to a seventeenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the control of the hole breaking rod to expand the hole from the pit to the periphery comprises:

[0029] driving the hole breaking rod offset from the rotation center to rotate at least one round in the hole.

[0030] According to an eighteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0031] The step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0032] After the above steps are completed, the step of rotating the bottom support on which the food base material is placed by a preset angle is repeated until the food base material is pushed to 360°.

[0033] According to a nineteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0034] The step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0035] According to a twentieth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0036] The step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0037] According to a twenty-first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further comprises:

[0038] The step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0039] According to a twenty-second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further comprises:

[0040] The step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises:

[0041] The step of pushing the food base material from the hole to the edge of the food base material, except for the bottom of the food base material, comprises: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the embodiments description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only represent some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and all other drawings obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort based on these drawings are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hole breaking station according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hole breaking mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a face pushing station according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a face pushing mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a face pushing mechanism according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a movement trajectory diagram of a face pushing member shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is another movement trajectory diagram of a face pushing member; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a pre-pressing station according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a shaping station according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a control mode of a food forming apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 11 is another flow chart of a control mode of a food forming apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0044] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0045] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure to describe various information, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one type of information from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information can also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information can also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein can be interpreted as "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining".

[0046] For the purpose of brevity and understanding, the terms "greater than" or "less than", "higher than" or "lower than" are used herein to characterize the size relationship. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art that the term "greater than" also covers the meaning of "greater than or equal to", and the term "less than" also covers the meaning of "less than or equal to"; the term "higher than" covers the meaning of "higher than or equal to", and the term "lower than" covers the meaning of "lower than or equal to".

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hole breaking station 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hole breaking mechanism 10 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] The present disclosure provides a food forming device (hereinafter referred to as the device), which comprises a hole breaking mechanism 10 and a pushing mechanism 20. The hole breaking mechanism 10 can be arranged at a hole breaking station 100, and the hole breaking mechanism 10 is arranged above a hole breaking workbench 11. For example, the hole breaking workbench 11 can place a plurality of food blanks to be processed at a time, and the hole breaking mechanism 10 can be correspondingly arranged in multiple groups. The multiple groups of hole breaking mechanisms 10 are controlled to move synchronously, and the hole breaking of the plurality of food blanks can be completed at a time. During the hole breaking process, the food blanks are placed in a food mold 50, and the food mold 50 can be fixed.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the hole breaking mechanism 10 comprises a movable hole breaking rod 101, which is used to form a non-through hole at the central region of the food blank. The movement mode of the hole breaking rod 101 is not limited, including but not limited to a liftable hole breaking rod 101. During the hole breaking process, the food blanks are placed in the food mold 50, and the food mold 50 can be fixed.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a pushing station 200 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a pushing mechanism 20 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] The pushing mechanism 20 can be arranged at a pushing station 200, and the pushing mechanism 20 is arranged above a pushing workbench 21. The pushing workbench 21 can place a plurality of hole broken food blanks at a time, and the pushing mechanism 20 can be correspondingly arranged in multiple groups. The multiple groups of pushing mechanisms 20 are controlled to move synchronously, and the plurality of food blanks can be processed at a time.

[0052] The pushing mechanism 20 comprises a movable pushing member 201, which is used to push the region from the hole to the edge except the bottom of the food blank, so as to thin the food blank and form a food skin. The movement mode of the pushing member 201 is not limited, including but not limited to a rotatable pushing member 201.

[0053] According to the above description, the device comprises the hole breaking mechanism 10 and the face pushing mechanism 20, and by controlling the hole breaking mechanism 10 to break the hole and controlling the face pushing mechanism 20 to push the face, the automatic and batch processing of the food skin can be realized, and the processing efficiency is high and the production capacity is improved. In addition, for the food base material (for example, egg tart base) wrapped with multiple layers of oil layer, after the hole is broken in the middle of the food base material by the hole breaking rod 101, the area except the bottom of the food base material is pushed and pressed to the edge by the face pushing piece 201, which not only can make the food base material thinner, but also can reduce the damage to the oil layer in the food base material, and the effect of making the food base material crisp is good and the taste is good. The specific pushing method of the food base material will be described below.

[0054] In one embodiment, the hole breaking rod 101 is arranged to be liftable, the position of the hole breaking rod 101 is opposite to the center of the food base material, and the hole breaking rod 101 can press out the hole at the center of the food base material during the descending process. For example, the depth of the hole breaking rod 101 pressed into the food base material can be less than the thickness of the food base material, so as to avoid that the food base material is pressed through by the hole breaking rod 101. The hole breaking rod 101 can be liftable by being driven by a pneumatic cylinder, a linear motor or the like. The hole breaking rod 101 can be a straight rod or a conical rod with a small bottom end.

[0055] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the hole breaking mechanism 10 can also be arranged in a liftable and rotatable structure. Specifically, the hole breaking mechanism 10 comprises a liftable hole breaking lifting part 102 and a rotatable hole breaking rotating part 103, the hole breaking rotating part 103 is connected with the hole breaking lifting part 102, the hole breaking rod 101 is connected with the hole breaking rotating part 103, and the hole breaking rod 101 is offset relative to the rotation center of the hole breaking rotating part 103. The hole breaking lifting part 102 can be driven by a linear motor and is liftable in the vertical direction. The hole breaking rotating part 103 can be driven by a rotary motor and rotates around the rotation shaft in the vertical direction. In this way, the hole breaking rod 101 can be first controlled to descend and press out a pit at the center of the food base material, and then the hole breaking rotating part 103 is controlled to rotate, and since the hole breaking rod 101 is arranged eccentrically, the hole breaking rod 101 can rotate in the pit to form a larger hole. This scheme utilizes the combined structure of the hole breaking lifting part 102 and the hole breaking rotating part 103 to break the hole, which can make the formed hole larger in volume and facilitate the subsequent face pushing operation.

[0056] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the hole breaking rod 101 is arranged as a conical rod with a small end and a large top end, and the hole formed thereby has a large top and a small bottom.

[0057] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the device further comprises a positioning mechanism 25 connected with the hole breaking lifting part 102 and liftable together with the hole breaking lifting part 102, and during the descending process, the positioning mechanism 25 can be pressed on the food mold 50 to fix the food mold 50 during the hole breaking process.

[0058] The specific structure of the positioning mechanism 25 is not limited. In the embodiment, the positioning mechanism 25 includes a positioning ring 250 and a column 251 connecting the hole breaking lifting part 102 and the positioning ring 250, and the positioning ring 250 can be configured to be adapted to the shape of the top of the food mold 50, but is not limited thereto.

[0059] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the pushing surface mechanism 20 includes a pushing surface lifting part 202 and a pushing surface rotating part 203, the pushing surface lifting part 202 is connected with the pushing surface rotating part 203, the pushing surface 201 is connected with the pushing surface rotating part 203 and is offset relative to the rotation center of the pushing surface rotating part 203. The pushing surface lifting part 202 can be driven by a linear motor and can be lifted in the vertical direction. The pushing surface rotating part 203 can be driven by a rotating motor and can rotate around the axis in the vertical direction. After the pushing surface 201 is lowered into the hole, it rotates with the pushing surface rotating part 203, and the pushing of the food blank can be realized by rotation. The pushing surface mechanism 20 has a simple structure and is easy to operate.

[0060] In an alternative embodiment, the pushing surface 201 can be fixedly connected with the pushing surface rotating part 203, and the distance by which the pushing surface 201 is offset relative to the rotation center of the pushing surface rotating part 203 is fixed. In another embodiment, the pushing surface 201 is configured to be movable relative to the rotation center of the pushing surface rotating part 203, i.e., the pushing surface 201 is controlled to be movable to the side away from the rotation center of the pushing surface rotating part 203. For example, during the pushing process, the pushing surface 201 can be controlled to move a preset distance to the side away from the rotation center of the pushing surface rotating part 203 every rotation, so that the rotation radius of the pushing surface 201 can be gradually increased, and the food blank can be gradually thinned.

[0061] In one embodiment, the pushing surface 201 and the hole breaking rod 101 are both cylindrical, and the diameter of the pushing surface 201 is greater than that of the hole breaking rod 101. In this way, after the hole breaking rod 101 forms a smaller hole, the rotation of the pushing surface 201 with a larger diameter in the hole can be used to push and press the food blank.

[0062] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the same positioning mechanism 25 as used in the hole breaking mechanism 10 can be used to fix the food mold 50, but is not limited thereto.

[0063] The embodiments of the pushing surface mechanism 20 are not limited to the above description. In other embodiments, the pushing surface mechanism 20 can be configured to first push the food base horizontally from the bottom of the hole to the edge, then obliquely upward and outward, and the pushing surface mechanism 20 is controlled to repeat the above actions. In this embodiment, the pushing surface mechanism 20 can move along a preset path, so that the action trajectory of the pushing surface mechanism 20 matches the shape of the food base after forming, thereby achieving fine processing of the food base, and the quality of the formed food skin is better.

[0064] Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the pushing surface mechanism 20 for processing the same food base. FIG. 6 is a motion trajectory diagram of the pushing surface shown in FIG. 5.

[0065] In one embodiment, the pushing surface mechanism 20 for processing the same food base is provided with at least two groups, and the pushing surface 201 of the at least two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 are arranged at an interval of 180 degrees. In this way, the food base can be pushed at positions at an interval of 180 degrees, so that the food base can be pushed at opposite positions at the same time, ensuring that the thickness of the formed food skin is more uniform at each position, and also avoiding displacement of the food base during pushing. The present disclosure takes two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 for processing the same food base as an example for description.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, one of the groups of the pushing surface mechanism 20 includes a lifting pushing surface lifting part 204 and a horizontally movable pushing surface translation part 205, the pushing surface translation part 205 is connected with the pushing surface lifting part 204, and the pushing surface 201 is connected with the pushing surface translation part 205. Among them, the pushing surface lifting part 204 and the pushing surface translation part 205 can be controlled to move independently, and can also be combined to move. That is, the pushing surface lifting part 204 can be controlled to descend alone, at this time the pushing surface translation part 205 can descend together with the pushing surface lifting part 204, so that the pushing surface 201 descends into the hole. Then control the pushing surface lifting part 204 to move horizontally alone, so that the pushing surface 201 contacts with the food base, then control the pushing surface lifting part 204 to ascend and the pushing surface translation part 205 to move together at the same time, so that the pushing surface 201 moves obliquely upward and outward under the combined motion of the pushing surface lifting part 204 and the pushing surface translation part 205, realizing the pushing of the food base obliquely upward and outward. The above pushing steps can be repeated multiple times. For example, after completing the above steps, control the bottom support on which the food base is placed to rotate by a preset angle, and then repeat the above steps until the food skin is pushed at 360°.

[0067] It should be noted that the two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can be arranged in the same structure. For example, the two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can be arranged separately, that is, the two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 each include a pushing surface lifting part 204, a pushing surface translation part 205 and a pushing surface 201.

[0068] In this embodiment, in order to simplify the device, two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can share the same pushing surface lifting part 204, and two pushing surface translation parts 205 can be provided, which are connected to the same pushing surface lifting part 204 and are arranged to move in opposite directions. Two pushing surface members 201 are provided, and each pushing surface translation part 205 is connected to one pushing surface member 201. In this way, the two pushing surface translation parts 205 can move in opposite directions, and the two pushing surface members 201 can simultaneously push the food skin at positions 180° apart. The mechanism for realizing opposite translation can adopt a screw rod mechanism or a gear and rack mechanism. Figure 6 shows the movement trajectory of the pushing surface member 201.

[0069] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the movement trajectories of the pushing surface members 201 of the left and right groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can also be different. For example, the trajectories can be made different by controlling the horizontal movement distances of the two groups of pushing surface translation parts 205 to be different. Compared with the left pushing surface mechanism 20, the pushing surface member 201 of the right pushing surface mechanism 20 connected to the pushing surface translation part 205 with a larger horizontal movement distance has a larger inclination angle of the upward movement trajectory relative to the vertical direction, and thus the food skin formed after pushing is thinner. The left and right groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 work together, and the pushing effect is better.

[0070] In other embodiments, the structures of the two groups of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can be different. One group can adopt the above-mentioned implementation of the pushing surface lifting part 204, the pushing surface translation part 205 and the pushing surface member 201. The pushing surface member 201 of the other group of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can be arranged to reciprocate only in the inclined direction. See Figure 7 for details. The pushing surface member 201 can be driven by an inclined cylinder or a linear motor, which shortens the length of the movement path of the pushing surface member 201, and the pushing efficiency is higher.

[0071] In other embodiments, for processing the same food blank, only one group of pushing surface mechanisms 20 can be provided, and a fixing member for fixing the food blank is provided at a position 180° apart from the pushing surface member 201 of the pushing surface mechanism 20. The fixing member can be used to fix a part of the food blank during the pushing process to avoid displacement of the food blank. The fixing member can be pressed on the food blank from the hole.

[0072] In one embodiment, the device further comprises a bottom support (not shown in the figure) arranged below the pushing surface mechanism 20, the bottom support is rotatable, and the bottom support is used to place the food material arranged in the food mold 50. The bottom support is controlled to drive the food mold 50 and the food material to rotate. After completing a pushing process in the horizontal direction and obliquely outward, the bottom support is controlled to rotate by an angle, and the above steps are repeated, so that the food material can be pushed in 360° direction. The bottom support can be provided in multiple, and each bottom support is rotatably arranged on the pushing surface workbench 21, and each bottom support is used to place a food material. It should be noted that in the embodiment provided with the fixing member, when the bottom support rotates, the fixing member is controlled to be separated from the food material, and when the bottom support is rotated to the position, the fixing member is controlled to be pressed on the food material from the hole.

[0073] Please refer to FIG. 8, which is a schematic diagram of the pre-pressing station 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] In one embodiment, the device further comprises a pre-pressing mechanism 30, which is arranged in the pre-pressing station 300 and above the pre-pressing workbench 31. The pre-pressing mechanism 30 comprises a liftable pressing head 301, which is used to pre-press the food material placed in the food mold before forming the hole, so that the shape of the pre-pressed food material is the same as that of the food mold. The pressing head 301 can be lifted by a cylinder or a linear motor. The pre-pressing workbench 31 can place multiple food materials at the same time, and correspondingly, the pressing head 301 can be provided with multiple groups corresponding to the food materials one by one, so that multiple food materials can be pre-pressed at the same time.

[0075] The shape of the pressing head 301 is not limited and can be selected according to actual needs. The pressing head 301 can be provided in a conical structure with a large end downward.

[0076] Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a schematic diagram of the shaping station 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] In one embodiment, the device further comprises a shaping mechanism 40, which is arranged in the shaping station 400 and above the shaping workbench 41.

[0078] The shaping mechanism 40 comprises a liftable shaping pressing head 401, the bottom surface and the side surface of which are arranged in the shaped food skin, and are used to shape the shaped food skin. The shape of the shaping pressing head 401 can be set according to the shape of the expected shaped food skin. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the shaping pressing head 401 is provided in a conical structure with a small end downward. The shaping workbench 41 can place multiple food materials at the same time, and correspondingly, the shaping pressing head 401 can be provided with multiple groups corresponding to the food materials one by one, so that multiple food materials can be shaped at the same time.

[0079] In one embodiment, the device can be provided with a pipeline device, arranged in the order of the pre-pressing station 300, the hole-breaking station 100, the face pushing station 200, and the shaping station 400. The worktable can be provided with a movable worktable, which can be moved between the stations by a chain transmission mechanism, a gear and rack transmission mechanism, or a belt transmission mechanism.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a control method of the food forming device.

[0081] The disclosure also provides a control method of a food forming device, which includes steps S10 and S20.

[0082] In step S10, a non-through hole is formed in a central region of a food blank arranged in a food mold by a hole-breaking rod.

[0083] In this step, the hole-breaking rod can be controlled to press down the central region of the food blank, and the hole-breaking rod is pressed into the food blank to a depth less than the thickness of the food blank to form a non-through hole. Alternatively, the hole-breaking rod can be controlled to press down the central region of the food blank to form a non-through pit, and then the hole-breaking rod is controlled to expand the hole outward from the pit to increase the volume of the hole, facilitating the subsequent face pushing operation.

[0084] In step S20, a face pushing member is controlled to push the region other than the bottom of the food blank from the hole to the edge to thin the food blank and form a food skin.

[0085] In this step, the face pushing member can be controlled to rotate after descending to push the face. Alternatively, the face pushing member can be controlled to move along a preset path to push the face.

[0086] According to the above description, the hole-breaking rod is first controlled to break a hole in the middle of the food blank, and then the face pushing member is controlled to push the region other than the bottom of the food blank to the edge to thin the food blank and form a food skin, which can reduce the damage to the oil layer in the food blank (e.g., egg tart skin), and the egg tart has good puffing effect and taste.

[0087] In one embodiment, the hole-breaking rod offset from the rotation center can be driven to rotate at least one revolution in the hole to form a larger volume hole. The hole-breaking rod offset from the rotation center can increase the rotation radius of the hole-breaking rod, and thus a larger volume hole can be formed in the central region of the food blank, which is simple and easy to implement.

[0088] In one embodiment, step S20 can specifically include steps S21 and S22.

[0089] Step S21, first control the pushing surface to push the food base material from the bottom of the hole to the edge in the horizontal direction, and then control the pushing surface to push the food base material obliquely upwards and outwards.

[0090] Step S22, after step S21 is completed, control the bottom support on which the food base material is placed to rotate by a preset angle, and then repeat step S21 until the food skin is pushed in 360°.

[0091] In the above method, the pushing surface is achieved by controlling the pushing surface to move in multiple directions alone or in combination. The method is simple and convenient to control. Of course, steps S21 and S22 can also be repeated multiple times, so that the food base material is pushed in the circumferential direction multiple times, and the food skin is gradually thinned.

[0092] In one embodiment, step S21 specifically includes: controlling two pushing surfaces to push the food base material at two positions spaced 180° apart on the food base material in the horizontal direction from inside the hole, and then controlling the two pushing surfaces to push the food base material obliquely upwards and outwards, respectively.

[0093] Using the above method, the food base material can be pushed at positions spaced 180° apart, so that the food base material can be pushed at the opposite positions at the same time, ensuring that the thickness of the formed food skin is more uniform at each position.

[0094] In another embodiment, step S20 specifically can include: driving the pushing surface rod offset from the center of rotation to rotate at least one circle in the hole, so that the food base material is thinned and a food skin is formed. This method achieves pushing by controlling the rotation of the eccentrically arranged pushing surface rod.

[0095] In one embodiment, the control method further includes: during the forming of the food base material, controlling the positioning mechanism to press the upper edge of the food mold on which the food base material is placed. The positioning mechanism is used to fix the food mold to ensure that the food mold does not move. The positioning mechanism can be set to be liftable.

[0096] In some embodiments, two pushing surfaces arranged to process the same food base material can also be used to push the food base material from the hole along different motion trajectories. In other embodiments, one pushing surface can be arranged to push the food base material from the hole, and a fixing member can be arranged to fix the part of the food base material that is not pushed during the pushing process.

[0097] Please refer to FIG. 11, which is another flowchart of the control method of the food forming device of the present disclosure.

[0098] In one embodiment, the control method further includes steps S05, S10, S20, and S25. Steps S10 and S20 are not repeated here.

[0099] Step S05, before forming the non-through hole at the center area of the food base material, pre-press the food base material in the food mold, so that the shape of the pre-pressed food base material is the same as the shape of the food mold. The step of pre-pressing the food base material realizes the shaping of the food base material before forming, ensures that the pushing step is more suitable for the shape of the food base material, and reduces the damage to the fat layer.

[0100] Step S25, control the shaping punch to punch the food skin from the inside of the food skin, and shape the shape of the formed food skin. When punching, the punch forms pressure on the bottom surface and the side surface of the food skin at the same time, so that the shape of the food skin is more beautiful and consistent.

[0101] It should be noted that the food base material in the present disclosure includes but is not limited to egg tart base, and the shaped food skin includes but is not limited to egg tart skin.

[0102] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise structure that has been described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A food product forming apparatus, characterized by, The device comprises: a hole breaking mechanism, which comprises a movable hole breaking rod, the hole breaking rod being used to form a non-through hole at the center area of the food material; a pushing mechanism, which comprises a movable pushing member, the pushing member being used to push the area other than the bottom of the food material from the hole to the edge, so as to thin the food material and shape the food crust.

2. The food forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The hole breaking rod is liftable, and the hole breaking rod is arranged to be capable of pressing the hole at the center of the food material during the descending process; or The hole breaking mechanism comprises a liftable hole breaking lifting part and a rotatable hole breaking rotating part, the hole breaking rotating part is connected with the hole breaking lifting part, the hole breaking rod is connected with the hole breaking rotating part, and the hole breaking rod is offset relative to the rotation center of the hole breaking rotating part.

3. The food forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The pushing mechanism comprises a liftable pushing lifting part and a rotatable pushing rotating part, the pushing lifting part is connected with the pushing rotating part, the pushing member is connected with the pushing rotating part, and the pushing member is offset relative to the rotation center of the pushing rotating part.

4. The food forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The pushing member and the hole breaking rod are both cylinders or cones, and the diameter of the cylinder of the pushing member is greater than the diameter of the cylinder of the hole breaking rod.

5. The food forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The pushing mechanism is configured to push the food material from the bottom of the hole to the edge in the horizontal direction first, and then push the food material obliquely upward and outward, and the pushing mechanism is controlled to repeat the above actions.

6. The food forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The pushing mechanism for processing the same food material is provided with at least two groups, and the pushing members of the at least two groups of pushing mechanisms are arranged at intervals of 180 degrees.

7. The food forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein At least one group of the pushing mechanism comprises a liftable pushing lifting part and a horizontally movable pushing translation part, the pushing translation part is connected with the pushing lifting part, and the pushing lifting part and the pushing translation part are both controlled to move independently or in combination.

8. The food forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by The device further comprises a bottom support arranged below the pushing mechanism, the bottom support is rotatable, and the bottom support is used to place the food material loaded in the food mold.

9. The food forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The device further comprises a positioning mechanism, which is used to fix the food mold loaded with the food material during the shaping process of the food.

10. The food forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The device further comprises a pre-pressing mechanism, which comprises a liftable pressing head, the pressing head being used to pre-press the food material placed in the food mold before the hole is formed, so that the shape of the pre-pressed food material is the same as that of the food mold.

11. The food forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The shaping device further comprises a shaping mechanism, which comprises a liftable shaping pressing head, the shaping pressing head being used to shape the shaped food crust.

12. A control method applied to the food product forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The device comprises: controlling the hole breaking rod to form a non-through hole at the center area of the food material loaded in the food mold; controlling the pushing member to push the area other than the bottom of the food material from the hole to the edge, so as to thin the food material and shape the food crust.

13. The control method according to claim 12, characterized by, The control of the hole breaking rod to form a non-through hole at the center area of the food material loaded in the food mold comprises: controlling the hole breaking rod to press the center area of the food material, wherein the depth of the hole breaking rod pressed into the food material is less than the thickness of the food material; or The control of the hole breaking rod to press the center area of the food blank, and the control of the hole breaking rod to expand the hole from the pit to the periphery, wherein the depth of the hole breaking rod pressing into the food blank is less than the thickness of the food blank.

14. The control method according to claim 13, characterized by, The control of the hole breaking rod to expand the hole from the pit to the periphery comprises: The driving of the hole breaking rod offset from the rotation center to rotate at least one circle in the hole.

15. The control method according to claim 12, characterized by, The control of the pushing member to push the area other than the bottom of the food blank from the hole to the edge comprises: The control of the pushing member to push the food blank horizontally from the bottom of the hole, and the control of the pushing member to push the food blank obliquely upward and outward. After the above steps are completed, the control of the bottom support on which the food blank is placed to rotate a preset angle, and the repetition of the above steps until the food skin is pushed at 360°.

16. The control method according to claim 15, characterized by The control of the pushing member to push the food blank horizontally from the bottom of the hole, and the control of the pushing member to push the food blank obliquely upward and outward comprises: The control of the two pushing members to push the food blank horizontally from two parts spaced 180° apart on the food blank in the hole, and the control of the two pushing members to push the food blank obliquely upward and outward respectively.

17. The control method according to claim 12, wherein The control of the pushing member to push the area other than the bottom of the food blank from the hole to the edge comprises: The driving of the pushing rod offset from the rotation center to rotate at least one circle in the hole.

18. The control method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized by, The method further comprises: The control of the positioning mechanism to be pressed on the top of the food mold on which the food blank is placed during the forming of the food blank.

19. The control method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized by, The method further comprises: Before the forming of the non-through hole in the center area of the food blank, the control of the pre-pressing mechanism to pre-press the food blank in the food mold, so that the shape of the pre-pressed food blank is the same as that of the food mold; and / or The control of the shaping punch to punch the food skin from the inside of the formed food skin, and the shaping of the formed food skin.

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