CN106305880B

CN106305880B - Automatic dumpling making machine

Info

Publication number: CN106305880B
Application number: CN201510399005.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李毅辉; 龚浩; 熊晓刚; 王刚; 任颖; 王德荣
Original assignee: General Mills Marketing Inc
Current assignee: General Mills Marketing Inc
Priority date: 2015-07-08
Filing date: 2015-07-08
Publication date: 2020-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-08
Also published as: CN106305880A; CN111227001A; AR105326A1

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic dumpling making machine which is used for making dumpling food and comprises a forming assembly, wherein the forming assembly comprises a pair of forming plates which are oppositely arranged and can move in a reciprocating mode, a crab claw structure is arranged on at least one forming plate and comprises a plurality of hinged crab claws, and after the pair of forming plates move towards each other and are pressed tightly, the plurality of crab claws pivot relatively and are extruded to form one or more convex ribs on a dumpling belly. By the invention, the dumpling food can be made without manual participation, and the traditional production mode of manual dumpling making can be completely replaced. The formed dumpling food is similar to the shape extruded by the finger joints in appearance, has high-simulation appearance form, better accords with the aesthetic preference of consumers to the traditional handmade dumpling food, has unique and attractive appearance and is convenient for stacking boxes.

Description

Automatic dumpling making machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of food processing, and more particularly, to an automatic dumpling maker.

Background

At present, manufacturers of instant rice and flour products usually combine automatic equipment in the processing process to realize the improvement of the productivity. Taking dumpling processing as an example, the dough kneading, the skin cutting, the stuffing filling and the forming of the dumplings are mostly assisted by automatic equipment, and the production efficiency is obviously increased compared with manual production.

However, due to the processing specificity of the filling products, in the field of the existing manufacturing and processing of the instant rice and flour products, a series of complete technologies are not provided for realizing the automatic forming of the filling products. For dumplings, the existing processing method can only complete automatic skin pressing, automatic filling and dumpling pre-forming into a shape similar to half moon, and then the dumplings still need to be kneaded by hands manually to be formed and packed in boxes. On one hand, the investment of labor cost restricts the economic benefit of manufacturers; on the other hand, the appearance of the final dumpling product is different due to different individual operators, so that the aesthetic effect is influenced, and in addition, the kneading forming force is difficult to control due to manual operation, the stuffing is likely to overflow, and a plurality of uncertain factors are also existed in the packing and boxing process.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to overcome the problems in the prior art and provide automatic processing equipment for dumpling food, which realizes full-automatic processing of the dumpling food without manual participation.

It should be understood that the dumpling food related to the present invention is not limited to the dumpling, etc. in the traditional Chinese food, but also includes various east-west dumpling foods, such as Japanese dumpling, Russian semi-circle dumpling, Italian dumpling, etc. For convenience of description, the edges of the dumpling wrappers that are stuck to each other due to the dumpling wrappers being folded toward each other are referred to as "dumpling crowns" and the portions of the stuffing capsule that bulge outward due to the inclusion of the stuffing are referred to as "dumpling maws". Various dumpling foods aimed at by the invention all comprise stuffing bags, and are extruded by manual or mechanical equipment to form a shape similar to a half moon, wherein the dumpling bags comprise dumpling bellies which bulge outwards and dumpling crowns, and the dumpling crowns are positioned in the middle and have arc-shaped dumpling bellies.

In order to achieve the purpose of full-automatic processing, the invention provides an automatic dumpling making machine for making dumpling food, which comprises a forming assembly, wherein the forming assembly comprises a pair of forming plates which are oppositely arranged and can move in a reciprocating mode, at least one forming plate is provided with a crab claw structure, the crab claw structure comprises a plurality of articulated crab claws, and after the pair of forming plates move towards each other and are pressed tightly, the plurality of crab claws are relatively pivoted and extruded to form one or more convex ribs on a dumpling belly.

The present invention may be further embodied in any one or more of the following forms based on the above design concept.

According to one embodiment, the automatic dumpling making machine further comprises a die assembly located upstream of the forming assembly, which supports the dumpling wrappers filled with filling and maintains them in an upright position.

According to a preferred form, the die assembly includes vertically spaced apart cover and base plates, one or more cup holders being disposed between the cover and base plates and mounted on the base plate, wherein openings of the cup holders communicate with slots in the cover plate so that the die-cut dumpling wrappers are positioned through the slots and held upright in the cup holders after filling.

Advantageously, the die assembly is arranged to support the dumpling wrappers at different stations in sequence along the transfer mechanism.

According to one embodiment, the automatic dumpling making machine further comprises a pre-forming assembly located between the die assembly and the forming assembly, which pre-presses the erected dumpling wrappers to form a dumpling crown.

Preferably, when the mould assembly is positioned at a pre-forming station, pre-folding lugs at two ends of the dumpling crowns are formed by the pre-forming assembly, and when the mould assembly is positioned at a forming station, the pre-folding lugs are bent into positions by a folding lug assembly to form folding lugs.

According to a preferred form, the pre-forming assembly includes first and second reciprocally movable pressing plates disposed opposite each other, the first and second pressing plates reciprocally moving toward each other along the top of the cover plate when the die assembly is at the pre-forming station, thereby pre-pressing the dumpling wrappers to form the dumpling crowns.

According to a preferred form, one of the first and second pressing plates is provided with an inclined cutting surface, and the other pressing plate is provided with a corresponding inclined cutting protrusion, and when the first and second pressing plates are pressed against each other, the inclined cutting surface and the inclined cutting protrusion bite the dumpling wrapper therebetween to form pre-folding ears at both ends of the dumpling crown.

Preferably, a pair of forming plates of the forming assembly are reciprocally moved toward each other along the top of the cover plate while the mold assembly is in the forming station, thereby press-forming the pre-compressed dumpling crowns.

According to a preferred form, the ear folding assembly is arranged on the mold assembly and comprises a sliding rod arranged in the cup stand, a sliding block movable along the sliding rod and a pair of ear folding rods which are located on two sides of the sliding block and swing from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction along with the movement of the sliding block, when the mold assembly is located at the forming station, the sliding block and the ear folding rods slide out of the cup stand, and pre-folding ears at two ends of the dumpling crown are bent in place through the ear folding rods swinging upwards to form the ear folding.

According to the invention, the automatic dumpling making machine further comprises a clamping assembly which clamps and stacks the pressed dumpling food, so that the full automation of the whole making process is realized. Advantageously, the folding lug assembly grips the formed dumpling-like food product out of the gripping assembly during sliding out of the cup holder and bending the pre-folded lug into place.

According to a preferred form, the clamping assembly comprises a first clamp and a second clamp which can be attached to each other, wherein the first clamp and the second clamp are provided with bending areas, and when the first clamp and the second clamp are attached to clamp the press-formed dumpling food, the bending areas bend the folding lugs to facilitate box stacking.

According to a preferred form, the first and second jaws are each provided with a structural portion corresponding to a surface feature of the press formed dumpling food product, thereby enhancing the formation when gripped.

According to a preferred form, the transfer mechanism includes an endless rotating guide. Through the arrangement, the die assembly and the dumpling wrappers are repeatedly conveyed among different stations in a rotating mode, the pre-forming assembly, the forming assembly and the clamping assembly only need to be arranged on a single station, and the whole automatic dumpling making machine occupies a smaller space compared with the existing flow production line and can be applied on a large scale. Preferably, the automatic dumpling making machine further comprises a skin pressing and cutting assembly and a filling injecting assembly which are sequentially arranged at the upstream of the mould assembly along the conveying mechanism.

According to the invention, the dumpling food is formed completely depending on the forming die of mechanical equipment, and the finished product has uniform appearance and reliable forming quality. Moreover, the invention creatively forms the folding ears at the two ends of the dumpling crown of the dumpling food, and the unique appearance is beautiful and more beneficial to the packing of the code box. In addition, the dumpling wrapper pressing and cutting, stuffing filling and dumpling wrapper pre-forming and forming can be integrated, manual participation is not needed in the dumpling food making and forming process, the traditional production mode of the existing manual dumpling making can be completely replaced, and the production efficiency is greatly improved.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

figure 1 schematically shows a distribution of work stations of an automatic dumpling making machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a mold assembly in an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the mold assembly of FIG. 2 in a forming station;

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the mold assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the pre-formed components in the automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the pre-formed components are in an unpressed state;

FIG. 6 illustrates the preform assembly shown in FIG. 5 from another angle;

FIG. 7 shows the preform assembly of FIG. 5 in a press-fit condition;

FIG. 8 shows the preform assembly of FIG. 6 in a press-fit condition from another angle;

figure 9 shows a schematic view of the forming assembly in an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates the forming assembly shown in FIG. 9 from another angle;

figure 11 shows a schematic view of the crab claw structure in an uncompressed state in the forming assembly shown in figure 9;

figure 12 shows a schematic view of the crab claw configuration in a squeezed state in the forming assembly shown in figure 9;

figure 13 shows a schematic view of the gripping assembly in an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the grasping assembly of FIG. 13 in a clamped state, shown by way of example only and without inclusion of a grasped dumpling food item;

fig. 15 shows a schematic plan view of a first gripper of the gripper assembly of fig. 13;

fig. 16 shows a schematic plan view of the second gripper of the gripper assembly of fig. 13.

Detailed Description

The practice and use of the preferred embodiments according to the present invention are discussed in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description discussed is merely exemplary of specific ways to make and use the invention, and does not limit the scope of the invention. The description herein of the structural positions of the respective components such as up, down, left, right, top, bottom, etc. is not absolute, but relative. When the respective components are arranged as shown in the drawings, these direction expressions are appropriate, and when the positions of the respective components in the drawings are changed, these direction expressions are changed accordingly.

Referring first to fig. 1, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automatic dumpling making machine for making dumpling-like food integrates a wrapper pressing and cutting assembly, a stuffing filling assembly, a mold assembly, a pre-forming assembly and a forming assembly into a station layout distributed annularly, receives dumpling wrappers punched by a punching knife at a wrapper pressing and cutting station respectively by using the mold assembly capable of moving along an annular rotary guide rail, receives filled stuffing at a stuffing filling station, pre-presses the dumpling wrappers to form a dumpling crown and pre-folding lugs at two ends thereof at the pre-forming station by using the pre-forming assembly, presses the dumpling crown to form and bends the pre-folding lugs in place by using the ear folding assembly at the forming station by using the forming assembly, and finally, picks the press-formed dumpling-like food to stack by using the gripping assembly at the station gripping assembly. After a complete set of forming process is completed, the die assembly continues to move along the annular rotary guide rail to the next circular skin pressing and cutting station. It is to be noted here that the illustration is merely an example, 8 stations being arranged for reasons of the activity margins of the respective mechanisms and spare stations being reserved, for example, for buffering. However, fewer or more stations are possible depending on the actual layout requirements.

In the specific construction described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, the conveying mechanism and the driving mechanism are not explicitly shown for the sake of simplicity, and only the main components of the various components of the mould assembly, the preforming assembly, the forming assembly and the gripping assembly of the automatic dumpling machine are illustrated in the drawings by way of example. It is to be understood that a person skilled in the art will be able to assume various suitable embodiments for the illustrated components and for the not shown connecting or driving mechanism on the basis of the inventive concept.

Fig. 2 to 4 show a mold assembly in an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The mould assembly comprises a cover plate 11 and a base plate 12 spaced apart in the vertical direction and fixedly connected therebetween, for example by tie rods as shown in the figures. One or more cup holders 13 are disposed between the cover plate 11 and the bottom plate 12 and mounted on the bottom plate 12, two cup holders 13 being exemplarily shown in the drawings. The opening of the cup stand 13 is communicated with the slot 14 on the cover plate 11, so that the dumpling wrappers after being punched can be positioned through the slot 14 and are received in the cup stand 13 to be kept upright after filling materials are injected. For this purpose, the slot 14 can be provided in the form of two elongated, enlarged middle portions aligned with the opening of the cup holder 13 for receiving the dumpling wrapper portion filled with filling and to be shaped into a dumpling belly, and two elongated end portions for receiving the dumpling wrapper portion which then forms a dumpling crown, and for acting as a travel channel for the folding lug assembly as will be described in detail below.

Fig. 5 to 8 show a preforming member in an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The pre-forming assembly comprises a first pressing plate base 21 and a second pressing plate base 22 which are arranged oppositely and can move in a reciprocating mode, and a first pressing plate 23 and a second pressing plate 24 are respectively arranged on the first pressing plate base 21 and the second pressing plate base 22 and are driven to move towards each other in a reciprocating mode. In the illustrated construction, the first and second

laminate panels

23, 24 can also be provided with hollowed-out areas 27. When the mould assembly moves to be located the preforming station, first pressfitting board 23 and second pressfitting board 24 towards each other along the reciprocal movement of the apron 11 top of mould assembly to the dumpling skin that will expose out in apron 11 top pressfitting forms the dumpling hat in advance, can not exert the extrusion to dumpling tripe part simultaneously, avoids the filling to spill over.

According to the invention, the pre-forming assembly is advantageously arranged so that the tab portions at the two ends of the dumpling crowns can be pre-formed into pre-tabs at the pre-forming station, and then the pre-tabs are bent into place at the forming station to ensure the formation of the tab portions. To this end, according to one embodiment shown in the drawings, an inclined shearing surface is formed on one of the two pressboards, and accordingly, an inclined shearing projection is formed on the other pressboard. For example, the inclined cutout projection 25 is formed on the first engaging plate 23, and the inclined cutout surface 26 is formed on the second engaging plate 24. The inclined shearing surface and the inclined shearing protrusion may be respectively provided in pairs at both ends of the press-fit portion on one of the press-fit plates or respectively formed on the opposite press-fit plates, depending on actual design requirements. When the first pressing plate 23 and the second pressing plate 24 are pressed against each other, the inclined cutting surfaces 26 and the inclined cutting projections 25 bite the dumpling wrappers therebetween to form the pre-folded ears at both ends of the dumpling crown.

After the dumpling crowns and the pre-folded lugs at the two ends of the dumpling crowns are formed, the mold assembly transfers dumpling food to a forming station. Fig. 9 to 12 show a forming assembly in an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The forming assembly includes a first forming plate base 31 and a second forming plate base 32 which are reciprocally movable in opposite arrangement, and a first forming plate 33 and a second forming plate 34 are respectively mounted on the first forming plate base 31 and the second forming plate base 32 and are driven thereby to perform the reciprocal movement in opposite directions. According to an advantageous embodiment, the first forming plate 33 is provided to comprise a crab claw structure comprising a plurality of crab claws 35 articulated at pivot points 36, such as the four crab claws shown in the figures. Second shaped plate 34 may also advantageously be provided with a hollowed-out area 37, as shown in fig. 10. Similarly, the plurality of crab claws 35 are formed with hollowed-out portions corresponding to the hollowed-out areas 37 and are configured to form hollowed-out areas 38 between each two, as shown in fig. 11 and 12. When the mold assembly is in the forming station, the first forming plate 33 and the second forming plate 34 are moved toward each other back and forth along the top of the cover plate 11 of the mold assembly, thereby compacting the dumpling crowns into shape. At this time, the plurality of crab claws 35 are relatively pivotally pressed and form one or more ribs on the dumpling belly by narrowing the hollowed-out area 38, for example, three ribs may be formed as shown in fig. 12.

The structural design of the plurality of articulated crab claws advantageously promotes the formation of convex ribs, the dumpling food kneaded in this way can have a shape similar to the shape extruded by the joints of human fingers in appearance, and the finally formed dumpling food has a high-simulation appearance shape and is more in line with the aesthetic preference of consumers for the traditional handmade dumpling food. Particularly, the force applied by each crab claw to the dumpling belly can be implemented by the corresponding driving part, so that the part of the dumpling belly forming the convex ribs is uniformly stressed and has regular shape. Another advantage of this design is that the shape and size of one or more of the plurality of articulating crab claws can be adjusted to correspondingly change the shape and size of the hollowed out area 38 according to the particular requirements for the shape of the bead. In addition, it can be understood that when the crab claws are worn and need to be replaced, only the worn crab claws need to be replaced and the crab claws which can be used continuously are reserved, so that the maintenance time is greatly reduced, and the cost benefit is improved.

At the same time as the final forming, as best shown in fig. 4, in order to achieve the bending in place of the pre-folding lugs at both ends of the dumpling crowns, the present invention also provides a folding lug assembly, which is advantageously arranged on the mold assembly, comprising a slide bar 15 arranged in the cup holder 13, a slide block 16 movable along the slide bar 15, and a pair of folding lug rods 17 located on both sides of the slide block 16 and capable of swinging from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction with the movement of the slide block 16. When dumpling food needs to be finally formed, namely when the die assembly is positioned at a forming station, the sliding block 16 and the ear folding rod 17 slide upwards to move out of the cup holder 13, and the ear folding rod 17 moves through the open slot 14 on the cover plate 11 and swings upwards as shown in figure 3, so that pre-folding ears at two ends of a dumpling crown can be extruded and bent in place to form the ear folding.

After the dumpling food is pressed and formed at the forming station and the ears are folded, the dumpling food is grabbed by the clamping assembly to be stacked. Fig. 13 to 16 show a gripping assembly of an automatic dumpling making machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The gripping assembly comprises a first gripper 41 and a second gripper 42 that can be brought into abutment with each other, both connected and driven in opening and closing movement, for example by means of a pneumatic cylinder 43. In the embodiment shown, the gripping assembly not only can grip the food, but also can consolidate and strengthen the shape of the food. That is, the first clamp 41 and the second clamp 42 are respectively provided with a structural portion corresponding to the surface characteristics of the dumpling food to be pressed and formed, so as to further assist in pinching the dumpling crown portion during clamping, and particularly, the first clamp 41 and the second clamp 42 can be provided with a bending area, so that the bending area can further bend the folded ear portion during attaching and clamping so as to facilitate smooth box stacking of the dumpling food.

Specifically, the first clamp 41 may be configured like a U shape, and has two pressing areas 41A for enhancing the kneading of the surface of the dumpling wrapper to be clamped and bending areas 41D extending substantially perpendicularly at both ends of the area 41A. Hollow yielding areas 41B are respectively formed between the two pressing areas 41A and between the pressing area 41A and the bending area 41D, so that the rib features formed by the forming assembly can be reinforced and kneaded. In addition, the two bending regions 41D may be formed with slightly protruding pressing regions 41C opposite to each other to assist in pressing the dumpling belly, so that the dumpling is fuller and the stuffing is more compact. Similarly, the second fixture 42 may also be configured to be substantially U-shaped, and a pressing region 42A, a hollow-out avoiding region 42B, and a bending region 42D are disposed at portions corresponding to the first fixture 41. As shown in fig. 16, the pressing regions 42C extend from the bending regions 42D in the plane of the pressing region 42A. Through the structural design, when dumpling food is clamped between the first clamp 41 and the second clamp 42, the

pressing areas

41A and 42A further pinch the dumpling crown, the extruding

areas

41C and 42C can wrap and tighten the dumpling belly, the hollow yielding

areas

41B and 42B are combined to enable the convex rib characteristics to be more obvious, and the

bending areas

41D and 42D bend and compact the folded ear parts, so that the formed dumpling food has tight dumpling crown, full dumpling, unique and attractive appearance and is convenient for stacking boxes.

The technical contents and technical features of the present invention have been disclosed. It is to be understood that the drawings are designed and described solely for the purposes of illustrating the principles of the invention and that numerous modifications will be apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings. For example, the structural shapes of the respective members shown in the drawings are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention, and any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical spirit of the present invention fall within the protective scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic dumpling making machine is used for making dumpling food and comprises a pressing and cutting device, a stuffing filling device and a forming device, wherein the forming device comprises:

a mold assembly supporting the dumpling wrappers filled with stuffing and keeping the dumpling wrappers in a vertical posture;

a pre-forming component which pre-presses the erected dumpling wrappers to form pre-pressed dumpling crowns; and

a shaping component, which presses the pre-pressed dumpling crowns to form the dumpling crowns;

wherein the die assembly is arranged to support the dumpling wrappers at different stations in sequence along the conveying mechanism, and

pre-folding lugs at two ends of the dumpling crowns are formed by the pre-forming assembly at a pre-forming station, and the pre-folding lugs are bent in place by the lug folding assembly at a shaping station to form folding lugs.

2. The automatic dumpling making machine of claim 1 wherein the die assembly includes a cover plate and a base plate spaced apart in a vertical direction, one or more cup holders disposed between the cover plate and the base plate and mounted on the base plate, wherein an opening of each cup holder communicates with a slot in the cover plate such that a punched dumpling wrapper is positioned through the slot and held upright in the cup holder after filling.

3. The automatic dumpling making machine of claim 2 wherein the pre-forming assembly includes first and second opposed platens that reciprocate along the top of the cover plate relative to each other when the mold assembly is in the pre-forming station to pre-form the dumpling wrappers to form pre-formed dumpling crowns.

4. The automatic dumpling making machine according to claim 3, wherein one of the first pressing plate and the second pressing plate is provided with an inclined shearing surface, and the other pressing plate is provided with a corresponding inclined shearing protrusion, and when the first pressing plate and the second pressing plate are pressed oppositely, the inclined shearing surface and the inclined shearing protrusion bite the dumpling wrappers therebetween to form pre-folding lugs at two ends of the dumpling crown.

5. The automatic dumpling making machine of claim 2 wherein the shaping assembly includes first and second oppositely disposed shaping plates that reciprocate relative to each other along the top of the cover plate when the mold assembly is in the shaping station to compact the dumpling crowns into shape.

6. Automatic dumpling making machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the first shape-defining plate is provided with a crab claw structure comprising a plurality of articulated crab claw pieces, which after the first shape-defining plate and the second shape-defining plate are pressed together, are relatively pivotally squeezed to form one or more protruding ribs on the dumpling belly.

7. The automatic dumpling making machine according to claim 4, wherein the ear folding assembly is arranged on the mold assembly and comprises a sliding rod arranged in the cup holder, a sliding block capable of moving along the sliding rod, and a pair of ear folding rods which are located on two sides of the sliding block and swing from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction along with the movement of the sliding block, when the mold assembly is located at the shaping station, the sliding block and the ear folding rods slide out of the cup holder, and pre-folding ears at two ends of a dumpling crown are folded in place to form the ear folding rods through the ear folding rods swinging upwards.

8. Automatic dumpling making machine according to claim 7, characterized in that it further comprises a gripping device which grips and stacks the press formed dumpling-like food products.

9. Automatic dumpling making machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the gripping means comprise a first clamp and a second clamp which can be brought into abutment against each other, wherein the first clamp and the second clamp are provided with bending areas which bend the folding lugs for facilitating the stacking of the boxes when the first clamp and the second clamp are brought into abutment against each other for clamping the press formed dumpling-like food products.

10. Automatic dumpling making machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the first clamp and the second clamp are provided with a structural part corresponding to the surface characteristics of the press formed dumpling like food product, respectively, so that the forming is enhanced when taking in.

11. Automatic dumpling machine according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the conveying mechanism comprises an endless revolving guide.