Vertical Popcorn Extruder with Top-Down Heating and Conical Separator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing popcorn extruders suffer from uneven heating of raw materials, high energy consumption, inefficient manual feeding, and the mixing of good and defective popcorn, leading to poor quality and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A popcorn extruder design featuring a vertical cylindrical popping chamber with a heating device at the top and an unloading device at the bottom, utilizing a conical structure and spiral vent holes to distribute hot air uniformly and automatically separate good and defective popcorn through differential air flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If hot air flow from the bottom is used to heat corns, then the popping process can be achieved, but the heating is uneven and the taste is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional bottom-up heating approach by implementing top-down heating. The heating device is positioned at the top of the popping chamber, directing hot air flow downward onto the corns. This inversion ensures that corns are uniformly heated from the top surface, preventing the uneven heating and poor taste associated with bottom-up heating methods.
2Productivity
If a large amount of air flow is used for popping, then the corns can be popped, but the electricity consumption of the blast fan and heater increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the heating action at the top region where corns are fed. The heating device is localized at the top of the popping chamber, directing heat precisely where needed. This localized heating approach reduces the overall air flow requirement compared to conventional bottom-up heating, thereby reducing electricity consumption while maintaining popping efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If manual feeding is used, then the operation can be performed, but the efficiency is low and labor intensity is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical feeding with an automated feeding mechanism. The feeder is equipped with a discharge end that automatically feeds corns into the popping chamber through a feed inlet. This mechanical automation eliminates manual operation, significantly improving feeding efficiency and reducing labor intensity while maintaining ease of operation.
4Device complexity
If good popcorn and defective popcorn are discharged together, then the discharge process is simple, but the popcorn quality and customer satisfaction are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts defective popcorn from the discharge stream by positioning the air duct outlet adjacent to the conical structure of the unloading device. This configuration allows defective popcorn to be separated and removed before discharge, while only good popcorn is discharged through the discharge tube. This extraction approach maintains relatively simple device structure while significantly improving popcorn quality and customer satisfaction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design ensures uniform heating, reduces energy consumption, and automatically separates good popcorn from defective popcorn, improving quality and reducing manual labor and safety hazards.
Implementation Method 1
the heater is installed in the air duct
Implementation Method 2
the fan is connected with one end of the air duct; and the air duct has the other end which is inserted in the popping chamber
Implementation Method 3
The conical structure is located in the popping chamber and has the tapered end facing up. The air duct has the other end which is inserted in the popping chamber and is adjacent to the conical structure on top of the unloading device.
Implementation Method 4
heating the air via a heater, guiding hot air into a popping chamber, and heating the corns to make corns popped via the hot air flow
Data Source
AI summary
A popcorn extruder includes a feeder, a popping chamber, a heating device, an unloading device, and a discharge tube. The chamber is a vertical cylindrical barrel. Said heating device and said unloading device are installed on top of the barrel and at the bottom of the barrel, respectively. Said feeder has a discharge end connected with the upper-end side wall of the chamber. Said discharge tube has one end installed at the upper-end side wall of the chamber. Said unloading device has a conical structure. Said conical structure is located in the chamber, and said conical structure has the tapered end facing up. Said heating device includes a fan, an air duct and a heater installed in the air duct; said fan is connected with one end of the air duct; and said air duct has the other end inserted in the chamber and is adjacent to the conical structure.