KR20190058084A - 3D food printer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a 3D food printer, capable of printing a food having a three-dimensional design, which comprises: a main body frame; a fixing means for fixing a container; a plurality of material supply units for separately storing a plurality of food materials; a main material printing unit; a plurality of material supply pipes; an auxiliary material printing unit including a plurality of material injection units, a holder, and an extrusion means; a position moving means; an image conversion unit for converting an image into three-dimensional image data; and a control unit.

Description

3D food printer

The present invention is directed to a 3D food printer. And more particularly, to a device for producing food having various materials using a three-dimensional printer.

The 3D printer is a device that produces a three-dimensional object by sequentially spraying a special material and accumulating a layer with a fine thickness. Recently, the 3D printer has been widely used in various fields.

Various 3D printers have been developed and used with the proliferation of such 3D printers, and they are classified into FDM (lamination method), SLS (powder sintering), SLA and DLP (liquid resin) do.

First of all, the FDM method is the most widely applied method, and the 3D printer stacks materials in a stacking manner. The 3D printer extrudes the material thinly as a thread and sequentially stacks the shapes one by one to output a product.

Typically, the material (filament) applied to the FDM-type 3D printer is a PLA (polylactic acid) material and an ABS (acrylonitrile poly-butadiene styrene) material.

In addition, there have been recent attempts to manufacture chocolate, ice cream, and latte art with such 3D printers.

In general, latte art means to draw a variety of paintings on coffee to satisfy consumers' needs at coffee shops and coffee shops.

Such latte art is not easy, and coffee drink makers are mainly engaged in it, and many people practice it. However, it is difficult to make a large amount due to time and manpower constraints, and it is difficult to make a precise shape.

Also, there are currently attempts to produce a variety of foods using 3D printers. Typically, such a food printer is applied to chocolate, candy, confectionery and the like.

The manufacture of food involves the use of multiple ingredients and involves a series of processors for preparing the ingredients. There is an attempt to use 3D food printer technology to print food, but currently no 3D printer can be used in the automation process, or more than two materials can not be used simultaneously.

Therefore, it has been required to develop a 3D food printer having a function of printing food having a three-dimensional design continuously by mixing different materials and / or selecting different materials.

Korean Patent No. 10-1709870 Korean Patent No. 10-1735753 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0113543 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0117328 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0069429

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a food product having a three-dimensional design in which different materials are mixed and / And to provide a 3D food printer having a printing function.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a 3D food printer capable of manufacturing food through a 3D printer by supplying food materials having different mixing ratios so that different food materials are mixed at a predetermined mixing ratio .

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of food materials are selected through a three-dimensional printing unit configured to be mounted on each of the holders of the station, in which a plurality of material injection units storing different food materials are selected, And to provide a 3D food printer having a function of printing an image.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, different food materials are supplied so as to have a predetermined mixing ratio, and main materials having various mixing ratios are printed through a 3D printer, while a plurality of material spray units, And a function to print a food having a three-dimensional design successively by selecting a plurality of auxiliary materials on a main material having various mixing ratios through an auxiliary material printing unit configured to be mounted on the main material printer have.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It can be understood.

A first object of the present invention is a 3D food printer for producing edible three-dimensional food using a plurality of materials from three-dimensional image data, comprising: a body frame; Fixing means provided at the lower end of the main body frame for fixing the container; A plurality of material injection units each of which stores different materials therein; a holder provided in the station and configured to be detachably attached to each of the material injection units on the station; A three-dimensional printing unit for printing the selected material into the fixed container, the three-dimensional printing unit for three-dimensionally printing, including extrusion means for extruding the material; A control unit for selecting the material injection unit for inputting the material to be printed and for extruding the material and controlling the operation of the extrusion unit of the selected material injection unit; Position shifting means for relatively moving the three-dimensional printing unit in the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis; And an image converting unit converting the image to be printed into three-dimensional image data. The control unit controls the position moving unit and the three-dimensional printing unit by receiving the image data of the image converting unit, Thereby allowing food having a three-dimensional image to be printed.

A second object of the present invention is a 3D food printer for producing edible three-dimensional food from three-dimensional image data, comprising: a body frame; Fixing means provided at the lower end of the main body frame for fixing the container; A plurality of material supply units in which a plurality of food materials are stored, respectively; A three-dimensional printing unit for receiving at least one material from the plurality of material supply units and printing the food material into the fixed container, for three-dimensional printing; A plurality of material supply pipes provided between the three-dimensional printing unit and the respective material supply units to supply the food material stored in the material supply unit to the three-dimensional printing unit; Position shifting means for relatively moving the three-dimensional printing unit in the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis; An image converter for converting an image to be printed into three-dimensional image data; And a controller for receiving the image data of the image converting unit and printing the food having the three-dimensional image in the container by controlling the position shifting unit and the three-dimensional printing unit. Can be achieved as a printer.

A third object of the present invention is a 3D food printer for producing edible three-dimensional food using a plurality of materials from three-dimensional image data, comprising: a body frame; Fixing means provided at the lower end of the main body frame for fixing the container; A plurality of material supply units in which a plurality of food materials are stored, respectively; A main material printing unit for supplying and mixing at least one food material from a plurality of the material supply units to form a main material, and printing the main material into the fixed container; A plurality of material supply pipes respectively provided between the main material printing unit and the respective material supply units and supplying the food material stored in the material supply unit to the main material printing unit; A plurality of material injection units each of which stores different auxiliary materials therein; a holder provided in the station and configured to be detachably attached to the station; An auxiliary material printing unit for printing the ancillary material into the fixed container, the ancillary material printing unit including extrusion means for extruding the auxiliary material; Position shifting means for relatively moving the main material printing unit and the auxiliary material printing unit in the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis; An image converter for converting an image to be printed into three-dimensional image data; And a control unit for controlling the main injection unit to receive and print the data of the image conversion unit and the extrusion unit of the selected material injection unit by selecting the material injection unit for inputting the auxiliary material to be printed and for extruding the auxiliary material, And a controller for controlling the position moving means, the main material printing unit and the auxiliary material printing unit so that the food having the three-dimensional image is printed into the container.

Heating means for heating the auxiliary material in the material spray unit mounted on the holder; A first temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the auxiliary material in the material ejection unit; Temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the food material stored in each of the material supplying portions; A second temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the food material in the material supply unit; Further comprising a database in which the heating temperature, the heating curve, and the extrusion speed data of the three-dimensional image, the recipe, and the food material and the auxiliary material are stored, and the control unit controls the data stored in the database, And the heating means and the temperature adjusting means are controlled based on the measured values of the two temperature sensors.

And a supply adjusting unit provided at each of the one side of the material supply pipe to adjust a flow rate of each of the food materials supplied to the main material printing unit, wherein the control unit controls the supply adjusting unit such that the main material is a predetermined food material mixing ratio And a control unit for controlling the control unit.

The main material printing unit includes a main body housing which is moved by the position moving means and is supplied with food materials from each of the plurality of material supply portions and mixed to generate main material; An injection nozzle provided at a lower end of the main body housing; And a material extrusion motor controlled by the control unit to inject the main material through the injection nozzle.

A washing water storage tank in which washing water is stored; A washing water supply pipe provided between the washing water storage tank and the spray nozzle; And a control valve provided at one side of the cleaning water supply pipe, wherein the control unit closes the control valve in the injection mode to operate the material extrusion motor, stops the material extrusion motor in the cleaning mode, The valve is opened and the supply pump is operated so that the washing water is sprayed through the spray nozzle to clean the inside of the spray nozzle.

And a mounting detection sensor for detecting whether or not the material injection unit is mounted on the holder on the station.

The display unit may further include a display unit for displaying at least one of a recipe, a main material, a mixing ratio, a position of the mounted material spray unit, a selected auxiliary material, a process, and a food finished time remaining.

A measurement sensor for measuring a size of the container fixed to the fixing means; A first position sensor for sensing the position of the auxiliary material printing unit on the basis of the container fixed to the fixing means, and a second position sensor for sensing the position of the main material printing unit have.

According to the 3D food printer according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to print food having a three-dimensional design continuously by mixing different materials and / or selecting different materials.

In addition, according to the 3D food printer according to the embodiment of the present invention, the different food materials are supplied so as to have a predetermined mixing ratio, thereby forming food materials having various mixing ratios, and the food can be manufactured through the 3D printer.

Further, according to the 3D food printer according to the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of food ingredients are selected through the three-dimensional printing unit configured to be mounted on each of the holders of the station, Dimensional design can be printed.

According to the 3D food printer according to the embodiment of the present invention, different food materials are supplied so as to have a predetermined mixing ratio, and main materials having various mixing ratios are printed through a 3D printer, and simultaneously, And a plurality of auxiliary materials are selected on the main material having various mixing ratios through the auxiliary material printing unit configured to be mounted to each of the holders of the station, so that the food having the three-dimensional design can be printed successively.

It should be understood, however, that the effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs It will be possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to further the understanding of the technical idea of the invention, It should not be construed as limited.
1 is a front view of a 3D food printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a three-dimensional printing unit of a 3D food printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow of a control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side view of a three-dimensional printing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a front view of a 3D food printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
6A and 6B are a plan view of a three-dimensional printing unit of a 3D food printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
7 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional printing unit of a 3D food printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
8 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of the control unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a front view of a 3D food printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of the control unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a 3D food printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when an element is referred to as being on another element, it may be directly formed on another element, or a third element may be interposed therebetween. Also in the figures, the thickness of the components is exaggerated for an effective description of the technical content.

Embodiments described herein will be described with reference to cross-sectional views and / or plan views that are ideal illustrations of the present invention. In the drawings, the thicknesses of the films and regions are exaggerated for an effective description of the technical content. Thus, the shape of the illustrations may be modified by manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific forms shown, but also include changes in the shapes that are produced according to the manufacturing process. For example, the area shown at right angles may be rounded or may have a shape with a certain curvature. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures have attributes, and the shapes of the regions illustrated in the figures are intended to illustrate specific forms of regions of the elements and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Although the terms first, second, etc. have been used in various embodiments of the present disclosure to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms have only been used to distinguish one component from another. The embodiments described and exemplified herein also include their complementary embodiments.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements.

In describing the specific embodiments below, various specific details have been set forth in order to explain the invention in greater detail and to assist in understanding it. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be understood by those skilled in the art without departing from such specific details. In some instances, it should be noted that portions of the invention that are not commonly known in the description of the invention and are not significantly related to the invention do not describe confusing reasons to explain the present invention.

< First Embodiment >

Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the 3D food printer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, FIG. 1 shows a front view of a 3D food printer 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 shows a configuration diagram of the three-dimensional printing unit 100 and the material supply unit 30 of the 3D food printer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of the control unit 60 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a side view of the three-dimensional printing unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, a 3D food printer 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is for producing edible three-dimensional food from three-dimensional image data, and includes a main body frame 10, A plurality of material supply units 30, a three-dimensional printing unit 100, a plurality of material supply pipes 40, a position moving unit 240, an image conversion unit 50, a control unit 60, And the like.

The body frame 10 forms the overall frame structure of the 3D food printer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the fixing means 20 is provided at the lower end of the body frame 10 to fix the container Lt; / RTI &gt;

And. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the plurality of material supply units 30 stores different food materials. Then, the three-dimensional printing unit 100 receives at least one material from the plurality of material supply portions 30, and three-dimensionally prints the food material into the fixed container. The three-dimensional printing unit 100 can be moved in the X-axis direction by the first moving unit 241 and moved in the Z-axis direction by the second moving unit 242. Further, it can be configured to be moved in the Y axis by the third moving unit 243.

In addition, the three-dimensional printing unit 100 and each of the material supply portions 30 are connected via the material supply pipe 40. Accordingly, the food material stored in the material supply unit 30 is supplied to the three-dimensional printing unit 100. The three-dimensional printing unit 100 is provided for printing, sterically printing, a food material in a container. The position shifting means 240 moves the three-dimensional printing unit 100 along the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis.

The image converting unit 50 converts the image to be printed into three-dimensional image data. That is, the image converting unit 50 converts the image to be printed into a three-dimensional image, and converts the two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional image using Gcode. The control unit 60 receives the data from the image converting unit 50 and controls the position shifting unit 240 and the three-dimensional printing unit 100 to print a food having a three-dimensional image in the container.

The temperature regulating means 32 is configured to regulate the temperature of the food material stored in each of the plurality of material supply portions 30. [ Further, the second temperature sensor 31 is configured to measure the temperature of the food material in the material supply portion 30. [ In the database 61, the heating temperature, the heating curve, and the extrusion rate data of the three-dimensional image, the recipe, and the food material are stored.

The control unit 60 controls the temperature control means 32 based on the data stored in the database 61 and the measurement value at the second temperature sensor 31 so that the food material stored in each of the material supply units 30 is maintained at a set temperature . &Lt; / RTI &gt;

In addition, the supply adjusting means 41 is provided on each side of the material supply pipe 40. This supply regulating means 41 makes it possible to regulate the flow rate of each of the food materials supplied to the three-dimensional printing unit 100 according to the first embodiment. Accordingly, the controller 60 controls the supply adjusting means 41 such that the plurality of food materials supplied to the three-dimensional printing unit 100 have a predetermined food material mixing ratio.

The three-dimensional printing unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is moved by the position moving means 240 and receives food materials from each of the plurality of material supply portions 30 to mix and produce mixed food materials A material extrusion motor 120 controlled by the controller 60 to inject the mixed food material through the injection nozzle 120, a main body housing 110, an injection nozzle 120 provided at the lower end of the main body housing 110, (121).

In addition, the three-dimensional printing unit 100 may include cleaning means 130, as shown in FIG. The washing means 130 includes a washing water storage tank 131 in which washing water is stored, a washing water supply pipe 132 connected between the washing water storage tank 131 and the spray nozzle 120, A supply pump 133 and a control valve 134 provided at one side.

The controller 60 closes the regulating valve 134 in the injection mode and operates the material extrusion motor 121 and stops the material extrusion motor 121 in the cleaning mode and opens the regulating valve 134, 133 so that the washing water is sprayed through the spray nozzle 120 to wash the inside of the spray nozzle 120. The cleaning water may also be configured to be heated and injected to a temperature set by the heating unit 135.

Further, the 3D food printer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be configured to display the recipe, food ingredients, mixing ratio, progress, and finished food remaining time including the display portion 62 have.

The measuring sensor 4 is configured to measure the size of the container fixed to the fixing means 20 and the second position sensor 3 is configured to measure the size of the container fixed to the fixing means 20, (100).

The measurement sensor 4 measures the size of the container fixed by the fixing means 20 and adjusts the size of the converted three-dimensional image to correspond to the size of the container.

And the second position sensor 3 senses the position of the three-dimensional printing unit 100 with reference to the container fixed to the fixing means 20. [ The signal transmitted from the second position sensor 3 is received by the control unit 60 and is controlled by the position moving unit 240 so that the three-dimensional printing unit 100 can be controlled to print the image stereoscopically .

The position shifting means 240 includes a first shifting portion 241, a second shifting portion 242, and a third shifting portion 243. The first moving unit 241 moves the three-dimensional printing unit 100 along the X axis, and the second moving unit 242 moves the three-dimensional printing unit 100 along the Z axis. The third moving unit 243 moves the three-dimensional printing unit 100 along the Y axis or moves the fixing unit 20 along the Y axis.

The first moving unit 241 may include a first moving frame, a first moving roller, a first moving belt, a first moving motor, and a first guide unit. The first moving frame is formed in the horizontal direction so that the three-dimensional printing unit 100 is provided, and the first moving rollers are respectively positioned at both ends of the first moving frame. And the first moving belt is provided to move the three-dimensional printing unit 100 while being rotated in an endless track along each of the first moving rollers. The first moving motor is provided for rotating at least one of the first moving rollers to rotate the first moving belt. Further, the first guide portion is provided in the first moving frame to guide the three-dimensional printing unit 100 moved by the first moving belt. In addition, the three-dimensional printing unit 100 may be configured to be movable in a first moving frame by a drive motor provided in the three-dimensional printing unit 100, This structure is an example, and if the three-dimensional printing unit 100 can be moved in the X-axis direction, the specific means is changeable.

The second moving part 242 is composed of a second moving frame, a second rotating rod, a second connecting hole, a second guide rod, a second guide hole, and a second moving motor. The second moving frame is formed in a pair in a direction perpendicular to both ends of the first moving frame. Further, the second rotating bar has a thread along the outer periphery, and is rotatable in any one of the second moving frames. The second engaging hole is formed at one end of the first moving frame and has threads on the inner circumferential surface so as to mesh with the threads of the second rotating bar. The second guide bar is provided on the other of the second moving frames, and the second guide hole is formed on the other end of the first moving frame so that the second guide bar is formed to pass therethrough. The second moving motor rotates the second rotating rod to move the first moving frame in the Z-axis direction. Such a structure is one example, and if the three-dimensional printing unit 100 can be moved in the Z-axis direction, its specific means is changeable.

The third moving part 243 is composed of a third moving frame, a third rotating rod, a third engaging hole, a third guide rod, a third guide hole, and a third moving motor. The third moving frames are formed on both sides of the fixing means 20 in pairs. The third rotating bar has a thread along the outer periphery, and is rotatable in any one of the third moving frames. And the third engagement hole has a thread on the inner peripheral surface so as to fit the thread of the third rotary bar. The third guide bar is provided in the other of the third moving frames. The third moving motor is provided for rotating the third rotating bar, and is controlled by the controller (60). Such a structure is one example, and if the three-dimensional printing unit 100 or the holding means 20 on which the container is mounted can be moved in the Y-axis direction, the specific means is changeable.

< Second Embodiment >

Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the 3D food printer 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 5 is a front view of a 3D food printer 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 6A and 6B show a top view of a three-dimensional printing unit 200 of a 3D food printer 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 7 shows a perspective view of the three-dimensional printing unit 200 of the 3D food printer 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of the control unit 60 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The 3D food printer 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is for producing an edible three-dimensional food using a plurality of materials from three-dimensional image data. The 3D food printer 1 is a 3D food printer according to the first embodiment 1 includes a body frame 10, fixing means 20, position shifting means 240, and an image converting portion 50, as shown in Fig. However, the three-dimensional printing unit 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the above-mentioned first embodiment.

That is, the three-dimensional printing unit 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a station 210, a plurality of material injection units 220 each storing different materials therein, A holder 211 configured to be detachably attached to each of the material injection units 220 on the station 210 and an extrusion means 221 for extruding the material stored in the material injection unit 220 And to sterically print the selected material into a fixed container.

The control unit 60 selects the material injection unit 220 for inputting the material to be printed and extruding the material, and controls the extrusion means 221 of the selected material injection unit 220 to operate.

That is, the three-dimensional printing unit 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of material injection units 220 in the form of capsules in which different materials are stored, And can be detached and attached by the member 213.

The heating unit 212 may be provided at one side of the holder 211 so as to heat the material in the material injection unit 220 mounted on the holder 211 to a predetermined temperature. That is, the first temperature sensor 215 measures the temperature of the material in the material injection unit 220, and the database 61 stores the three-dimensional image, the recipe, and the heating temperature, the heating curve, Is stored.

The control unit 60 controls the heating means 212 based on the data stored in the database 61 and the measured value of the first temperature sensor 215 to set the temperature of the food material stored in each of the material injection units 220 So as to be heated to a temperature.

The mounting detection sensor 214 is configured to detect whether the material injection unit 220 is mounted on the holder 211 on the station 210. [

The display unit 62 displays the recipe, the position of the mounted material injection unit 220, the selected material, the progress, and the remaining time of the finished food. The first position sensor 2 senses the position of the three-dimensional printing unit 200 on the basis of the container fixed to the fixing means 20.

< Third Embodiment >

Hereinafter, the configuration, function, and operation method of the 3D food printer 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 9 shows a front view of a 3D food printer 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of the control unit 60 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart of a method of operating the 3D food printer 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The 3D food printer 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention can be applied to both the three-dimensional printing unit 100 according to the first embodiment and the three-dimensional printing unit 200 according to the second embodiment . The three-dimensional printing unit 100 according to the first embodiment described above is composed of a main material printing unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and the three-dimensional printing unit 200 according to the second embodiment described above Thereby constituting an auxiliary material printing unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

That is, the 3D food printer 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is for producing edible three-dimensional food using a plurality of materials from three-dimensional image data, and includes a main body frame 10, fixing means 20, A plurality of material supply units 30, a main material printing unit 100, a plurality of material supply pipes 40, an auxiliary material printing unit 200, a position moving unit 240, an image conversion unit 50, a control unit 60, etc. .

As mentioned above, a fixing means 20 is provided at the lower end of the body frame 10 to fix the container. Different food materials are stored in each of the plurality of material supply units 30. [

Also, the main material printing unit 100 supplies and mixes at least one food material from the plurality of material supply units 30 to form main material, and prints the main material into the fixed container, but prints in three dimensions.

A material supply pipe 40 is provided between the main material printing unit 100 and each material supply unit 30 so that the food material stored in the material supply unit 30 is supplied to the main material printing unit 100.

The auxiliary material printing unit 200 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a station 210, a plurality of material injection units 220 each of which has a different auxiliary material stored therein, A holder 211 configured to allow the material injection unit 220 to be detachably attached to the station 210 and an extrusion means 221 for extruding the auxiliary material stored in the material injection unit 220, And the auxiliary material is printed in three dimensions.

The position moving means 240 is configured to move the main material printing unit 100 and the auxiliary material printing unit 200 in the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The position shifting means 240 may be configured to shift the position of the main material printing unit 100 and the auxiliary material printing unit 200 in order to drive both the main material printing unit 100 and the auxiliary material printing unit 200 in comparison with the position shifting means 240 according to the first and second embodiments, 3 moving unit 243 includes a first moving unit 241 for moving the fixing means 20 with respect to the Y axis and moving the main material plowing unit along the X axis and a second moving unit 242 And a separate first moving part 241 for moving the auxiliary material printing unit 200 along the X axis and a separate second moving part 242 for moving the auxiliary material printing unit 200 along the Z axis, The main moving material printing unit 100 and the auxiliary material printing unit 200 each have a first moving unit 241 and a second moving unit 242 and the first moving unit 241 has a first moving frame, And can be independently moved in the X-axis direction.

The image converting unit 50 converts the image to be printed into three-dimensional image data. In addition, the control unit 60 receives the main material to be printed by receiving the data of the image converting unit 50 and the auxiliary material to be printed, selects the material injection unit 220 for extruding the auxiliary material, Dimensional image into the container by controlling the pushing means 221 of the unit 220 and controlling the position shifting means 240 and the main material printing unit 100 and the auxiliary material printing unit 200, To be printed.

The heating means 212 is provided to heat the auxiliary material in the material injection unit 220 mounted on the holder 211 and the first heating means 212 for measuring the temperature of the auxiliary material in the material injection unit 220 A temperature control means 32 for controlling the temperature of the food material stored in each of the temperature sensor 215 and the material supply unit 30 and a second temperature sensor 31 for measuring the temperature of the food material in the material supply unit 30 And a database 61 in which the heating temperature, the heating curve, and the extrusion speed data of the three-dimensional image, the recipe, and the food material and the auxiliary material are stored.

The control unit 60 controls the heating means 212 and the temperature control means 32 based on the data stored in the database 61 and the measured values of the first temperature sensor 215 and the second temperature sensor 31 Respectively.

In addition, the supply adjusting means 41 may be provided on each side of the material supply pipe 40 to control the flow rate of each of the food materials supplied to the main material printing unit 100. Therefore, the control unit 60 controls the supply adjusting means 41 so that the main material has a predetermined food material mixing ratio.

The main material printing unit 100 includes a main body housing 110 which is moved by the position moving means 240 and is supplied with food materials from each of the plurality of material supply portions 30 and mixed to produce main material, And a material extruding motor 121 controlled by the controller 60 to inject the main material through the injection nozzle 120. The material extruding motor 121 may be a screw extruder,

The main material printing unit 100 may include a cleaning means 130. The cleaning means 130 may include a washing water storage tank 131 for storing washing water, a washing water storage tank 131, A cleaning water supply pipe 132 provided between the injection nozzles 120 and a supply pump 133 and a control valve 134 provided at one side of the cleaning water supply pipe 132. The control unit 60 closes the regulating valve 134 in the injection mode to operate the material extrusion motor 121 and stops the material extrusion motor 121 in the cleaning mode and opens the regulating valve 134, The pump 133 is actuated to cause the washing water to be sprayed through the spray nozzle 120 so that the inside of the spray nozzle 120 is cleaned.

Further, the mounting detection sensor 214 detects whether the material injection unit 220 is mounted on the holder 211 on the station 210.

The display unit 62 according to the third embodiment of the present invention can display at least any one of recipe, main material, mixing ratio, position of the mounted material injection unit 220, selected auxiliary material, progress, Display.

The measuring sensor 4 measures the size of the container fixed to the fixing means 20 and the first position sensor 2 measures the size of the auxiliary material printing unit 200 And the second position sensor 3 senses the position of the main material printing unit 100. The second position sensor 3 senses the position of the main material printing unit 100. [

11 is a flowchart of a method of operating the 3D food printer 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, first, the image converting unit 50 converts the selected image data into three-dimensional image data (S1). Then, the type, recipe, food material, mixing ratio, and auxiliary material of the processed food are selected or adjusted (S2).

The food material of the material supply unit 30 is supplied to the housing 110 of the main material printing unit 100 through the material supply pipe 40 (S3). That is, in the plurality of material supply units 30 storing different food materials, each of the food materials is supplied to and mixed with the housing 110 of the main material printing unit 100 through the material supply pipe 40 to produce the main material. At this time, the controller 60 controls the supply adjusting means 41 so that the plurality of food materials supplied to the housing 110 are set to a predetermined mixing ratio.

Then, the main material is stacked and printed on the upper part of the container through the main material printing unit 100. At this time, the control unit 60 controls the position moving unit 240 to print the main material printing unit 100 so as to have a three-dimensional shape corresponding to the three-dimensional image data.

If there is a need to stack and print the auxiliary material on the main material in this process (S5), the control unit 60 stops the driving of the main material printing unit 100 and drives the auxiliary material printing unit 200 .

The control unit 60 selects the material injection unit 220 for extruding the selected auxiliary material and operates the extrusion means 221 of the selected material injection unit 220 So that the selected auxiliary material can be printed on the main material (S7).

When printing of the selected auxiliary material is completed and another auxiliary material is to be printed (S8), steps S6 and S7 are repeated.

If printing of all the auxiliary materials is completed (S9), the process proceeds to S4, the main material is printed again, and if printing of the auxiliary material is required again after the printing of the main material, steps S5, S6, S7, . This process is carried out until the production and processing of the food are completely completed.

It should be noted that the above-described apparatus and method are not limited to the configurations and methods of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be modified so that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined .

1: 3D food printer
2: first position sensor
3: second position sensor
4: Measuring sensor
10: Body frame
20: Fixing means
30: Material supply unit
31: second temperature sensor
32: Temperature control means
40: Material supply pipe
41: Supply adjustment means
50: Image conversion unit
60:
61: Database
62:
100: Main material printing unit
110: main housing
120: injection nozzle
121: Material extrusion motor
130: Cleaning means
131: Cleaning water storage tank
132: Cleaning water supply pipe
133: Feed pump
134: Regulating valve
135: Heating unit
200: auxiliary material printing unit
210: station
211: Holder
212: heating means
213:
214: Mounting detection sensor
215: first temperature sensor
220: Material injection unit
221: Extrusion means
240: Position shifting means
241:
242:
243:

Claims (10)

1. A 3D food printer for producing edible three-dimensional food using a plurality of materials from three-dimensional image data,
Body frame;
Fixing means provided at the lower end of the main body frame for fixing the container;
A plurality of material injection units each of which stores different materials therein; a holder provided in the station and configured to be detachably attached to each of the material injection units on the station; A three-dimensional printing unit for printing the selected material into the fixed container, the three-dimensional printing unit for three-dimensionally printing, including extrusion means for extruding the material;
A control unit for selecting the material injection unit for inputting the material to be printed and for extruding the material and controlling the operation of the extrusion unit of the selected material injection unit;
Position shifting means for relatively moving the three-dimensional printing unit in the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis; And
And an image conversion unit converting the image to be printed into three-dimensional image data,
Wherein the control unit receives the image data of the image converting unit and controls the position moving unit and the three-dimensional printing unit so that the food having the three-dimensional image is printed in the container.
1. A 3D food printer for producing edible three-dimensional food from three-dimensional image data,
Body frame;
Fixing means provided at the lower end of the main body frame for fixing the container;
A plurality of material supply units in which a plurality of food materials are stored, respectively;
A three-dimensional printing unit for receiving at least one material from the plurality of material supply units and printing the food material into the fixed container, for three-dimensional printing;
A plurality of material supply pipes provided between the three-dimensional printing unit and the respective material supply units to supply the food material stored in the material supply unit to the three-dimensional printing unit;
Position shifting means for relatively moving the three-dimensional printing unit in the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis;
An image converter for converting an image to be printed into three-dimensional image data; And
And a controller for receiving the image data of the image converting unit and printing the food having a three-dimensional image in the container by controlling the position moving unit and the three-dimensional printing unit. .
1. A 3D food printer for producing edible three-dimensional food using a plurality of materials from three-dimensional image data,
Body frame;
Fixing means provided at the lower end of the main body frame for fixing the container;
A plurality of material supply units in which a plurality of food materials are stored, respectively;
A main material printing unit for supplying and mixing at least one food material from a plurality of the material supply units to form a main material, and printing the main material into the fixed container;
A plurality of material supply pipes respectively provided between the main material printing unit and the respective material supply units and supplying the food material stored in the material supply unit to the main material printing unit;
A plurality of material injection units each of which stores different auxiliary materials therein; a holder provided in the station and configured to be detachably attached to the station; An auxiliary material printing unit for printing the ancillary material into the fixed container, the ancillary material printing unit including extrusion means for extruding the auxiliary material;
Position shifting means for relatively moving the main material printing unit and the auxiliary material printing unit in the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis;
An image converter for converting an image to be printed into three-dimensional image data; And
A main material to be received and printed with data of the image conversion unit, a control unit to select the material injection unit to receive the auxiliary material to be printed and to extrude the auxiliary material, and to control the operation of the extrusion unit of the selected material injection unit, And a controller for controlling the moving means, the main material printing unit and the auxiliary material printing unit so that the food having the three-dimensional image is printed into the container.
The method of claim 3,
Heating means for heating the auxiliary material in the material spray unit mounted on the holder;
A first temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the auxiliary material in the material ejection unit;
Temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the food material stored in each of the material supplying portions;
A second temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the food material in the material supply unit;
Further comprising a database storing the three-dimensional image, the recipe, and the heating temperature of the food material, the auxiliary material, the heating curve, and the extrusion rate data,
Wherein the controller controls the heating means and the temperature adjusting means based on data stored in the database and measured values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.
5. The method of claim 4,
And supply adjusting means provided at each of the one side of the material supply pipe to adjust a flow rate of each of the food materials supplied to the main material printing unit,
Wherein the controller controls the supply adjusting means such that the main material has a predetermined food material mixing ratio.
5. The method of claim 4,
The main material printing unit includes:
A main body housing which is moved by the position moving means and is supplied with the food material from each of the plurality of material supply portions and mixed to generate main material;
An injection nozzle provided at a lower end of the main body housing; And
And a material extrusion motor controlled by the control unit to inject the main material through the injection nozzle.
The method according to claim 6,
A washing water storage tank in which washing water is stored;
A washing water supply pipe provided between the washing water storage tank and the spray nozzle; And
A supply pump and a control valve provided at one side of the cleaning water supply pipe,
The control unit closes the control valve in the injection mode to operate the material extrusion motor, stops the material extrusion motor in the cleaning mode, opens the regulating valve and operates the supply pump so that the cleaning water is injected through the injection nozzle So as to clean the inside of the injection nozzle.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a mounting detection sensor for detecting whether the material injection unit is mounted on the holder on the station.
9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a display unit for displaying at least one of a recipe, a main material, a mixing ratio, a position of the mounted material injection unit, a selected auxiliary material, a process, and a food processing completed remaining time.
10. The method of claim 9,
A measurement sensor for measuring the size of the container fixed to the fixing means; And
A first position sensor for sensing a position of the auxiliary material printing unit on the basis of a container fixed to the fixing means, and a second position sensor for sensing a position of the main material printing unit. printer.

Images