JPH10201421A - Ice cream pouring device and cooling method for operation fluid for pouring therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently cool the operation fluid of a fluid pressure cylinder to be equal to a temperature inside a container at the beginning of an operation in the case of producing ice cream and yougurt, etc. SOLUTION: When brine X is put into a tank 25, the brine X inside the tank 25 is simultaneously supplied to the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 as indicated by solid arrow lines by a pump 29 before housing a pack B. In the state, a cooler 8 is driven and the inside of a refrigeration chamber 2 is cooled. Since the cylinder 12 is formed by a material with excellent heat conductivity, the brine X inside the cylinder 12 is excellently cooled along with the inside of the refrigeration chamber 2. When the inside of the refrigeration chamber 2 is cooled to a prescribed temperature, the brine X inside the pressure chamber 24 is returned to the tank 25 as indicated by broken arrow lines by the drive of the pump 29. The brine X is made to stand by in the state of being cooled to the temperature almost equal to the temperature inside the container and supplied to a following pouring operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing ice confectionery such as ice cream or yogurt, and a method for cooling a working fluid for dispensing the dessert.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ice cream pouring device as shown in FIG. 4 is known. This is a fluid pressure cylinder 65 in which a piston 64 is slidably fitted in a freezing chamber 62 provided with a cooler 61 in a cylinder 63.
Is provided vertically, and a tank 6 for storing brine X (antifreeze) as a working fluid in the back of the freezing chamber 62.
6 are installed. In the fluid pressure cylinder 65, the upper surface side of the piston 64 is a storage chamber 67 in which the ice cream pack B is stored, and the ejection unit 6 including the ejection cock 68 is provided.
9 and a lower surface side of the piston 64 is a pressure chamber 70. The pressure chamber 70 and the tank 66
Are communicated through a flow passage 71 provided outside the refrigerator, and a pump 72 is interposed there. Then, when the pump 72 is driven to supply the brine X from the tank 66 to the pressure chamber 70, the piston 64 rises and the pack B is compressed, and the ice cream in the pack B is poured by opening the pouring cock 68. It is supposed to be.

[0003]

When this type of dispensing apparatus is operated for the first time or after a long-term suspension of operation, a predetermined amount of brine X is stored in the tank 66 and the cooler 61 is turned off. A preparatory step of starting up and cooling the inside of the freezing room 62 to a temperature suitable for pouring and storing the ice cream, and then storing the ice cream pack B in the storage room 67 is adopted. The above freezer 6
While the inside of the tank 2 is cooled, the normal-temperature brine X stored in the tank 66 is also cooled, but the brine X has a large heat capacity and the tank 66 communicates with the flow passage 71 piped outside the refrigerator. The cooling is not easy, and although the inside of the freezing chamber 62 is cooled to an appropriate temperature, the brine X
Cooling may be insufficient and a large temperature difference may remain between the internal temperature and the brine X. Then, when accommodating the ice cream pack B and performing the pouring operation, the brine X having a relatively high temperature is applied to the pressure chamber 7.
0, and the temperature of the ice cream may adversely affect the quality of the ice cream stored in the pack B. The present invention has been completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to sufficiently cool the working fluid of a hydraulic cylinder to a temperature comparable to the internal temperature at the beginning of operation.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for cooling a working fluid for dispensing a frozen dessert according to the present invention. A fitted fluid pressure cylinder and a tank for storing a working fluid are provided in a cooling storage chamber, and frozen dessert is stored in a storage chamber provided on one side of the piston, and the working fluid in the tank is transferred to the piston. In a frozen dessert dispensing device configured to supply frozen dessert by supplying and pressurizing the frozen dessert to a pressure chamber provided on the other side, a working fluid is supplied from the tank to the pressure before the dessert is stored in the storage chamber. After supplying the working fluid to the cooling chamber and cooling the cooling storage chamber to a predetermined temperature, the working fluid is returned from the pressure chamber to the tank.

[0005] A frozen dessert dispensing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is provided with a fluid pressure cylinder in which a piston is slidably fitted in a cylinder, and a tank storing a working fluid in a cooling storage chamber. The frozen dessert is stored in a storage chamber provided on one side of the piston, and the working fluid in the tank is supplied to a pressure chamber provided on the other side of the piston to pressurize the frozen dessert. In the frozen dessert device, a flow path that allows the working fluid to reciprocate between the tank and the pressure chamber, and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the cooling storage chamber,
A working fluid supply unit for supplying a working fluid in a tank to the pressure chamber through the flow passage when the frozen dessert is not stored in the storage chamber; and the temperature sensor that the cooling storage chamber is cooled to a predetermined temperature. And a working fluid recirculation means for recirculating the working fluid in the pressure chamber to the tank through the flow path on condition that the fluid is detected by the flow path. A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect of the present invention, the flow path is configured to also serve as a flow path of a working fluid during a pouring operation.

[0006]

Actions and effects of the present invention

<Invention of Claim 1> After the working fluid is stored in the tank, the working fluid is supplied from the tank to the pressure chamber of the fluid pressure cylinder at a stretch before the frozen dessert is stored in the storage chamber, and the frozen storage chamber is cooled in this state. If the cylinder is formed of a material having excellent heat conductivity, the working fluid in the pressure chamber is also cooled well as the cooling storage chamber is cooled. When the cooling storage chamber is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the working fluid in the pressure chamber is returned to the tank. After that, the frozen dessert is stored again in the storage room to prepare for the subsequent pouring operation. Before starting the dispensing operation,
The working fluid can be cooled to a temperature substantially equal to the temperature in the refrigerator, and if the working fluid is sequentially supplied to the pressure chamber in a subsequent pouring operation, the quality of the frozen dessert is not adversely affected.

Before the frozen dessert is stored in the storage chamber, the working fluid is supplied from the tank through the flow passage to the pressure chamber of the hydraulic cylinder by the working fluid supply means,
In this state, the freezing storage room is cooled. When the temperature sensor detects that the cooling storage chamber has been cooled to the predetermined temperature, the working fluid in the pressure chamber is returned to the tank side by the working fluid recirculation means through the flow passage. The above-described invention method can be reliably performed. <Invention of claim 3> Since the flow passage for initial cooling of the working fluid is also used as the flow passage for the working fluid for the pouring operation, the structure can be simplified. In addition, by performing the initial cooling of the working fluid, it is possible to simultaneously confirm the operation of the working fluid flow path and the like at the time of normal pouring.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an ice cream dispenser will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, the overall structure of the dispenser according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 1 denotes a freezer comprising a heat-insulating box, the inside of which is a freezer compartment 2, and a heat-insulating door 3 which can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface. A machine room 5 is provided on the bottom side of the freezer 1, and is installed via leg pieces 6. A cooler 8 is provided on the ceiling of the freezer 2.
And a fan 9 in the refrigerator, and the air in the refrigerator sucked through the duct 10 provided on the inner surface of the freezer 2 is
Heat is exchanged while passing through the cooler 8 to generate cool air,
The cool air is circulated and supplied into the freezing compartment 2 by the fan 9 in the refrigerator. The cooler 8 is connected to a compressor, a condenser, and the like provided in the machine room 5 to form a well-known refrigeration cycle. The inside of the freezer room 2 is in a state where ice cream A can be poured out. The cooling temperature is maintained such that the cooling temperature is maintained while maintaining the temperature.

A fluid pressure cylinder 1 is provided on the front side of the freezing compartment 2.
1 is disposed vertically. This fluid pressure cylinder 11
Has a structure in which a piston 13 having a piston ring 14 fitted on its outer periphery is tightly and slidably fitted in a cylinder 12 formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity such as stainless steel. The working fluid is brine X (antifreeze)
It has become. A hollow 13A is formed in the lower surface of the piston 13. This fluid pressure cylinder 11
Is placed on a support plate 17 provided on the back surface side of the heat insulating door 3 via a hinge 16, and the intermediate position in the length direction is controlled by two belts 18 also provided on the back surface side of the heat insulating door 3. It is arranged vertically so as to be embraced as described above. A pack housing chamber 20 is formed on the upper surface side of the piston 13 in the fluid pressure cylinder 11, and a wall of the pack housing chamber 20 corresponding to the heat insulating door 3 has a vertical U shape from an upper edge.
The groove 21 is cut. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, an elastic pack B in which ice cream A is sealed is placed in the pack accommodating chamber 20 through an outlet C of the pack B.
It can be stored while being fitted to the. Pack storage room 2
A lid 22 is detachably attached to the upper end of the zero.

On the lower surface side of the piston 13, a pressure chamber 24 for supplying and discharging the brine X is formed. On the other hand, a tank 25 for storing brine X
Is equipped. Ports 26 and 27 are opened at the bottom of the tank 25 and the pressure chamber 24, respectively.
Brine flow path 2 laid in machine room 5 between 6, 27
8 are connected. Specifically, the brine flow path 28
Is provided with a pressurizing pump 29 composed of a vane pump or the like, and is provided with four solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 so that the flow path can be switched to two systems. That is, the first solenoid valve SV1 and the third solenoid valve SV3 are opened,
When the pressurizing pump 29 is driven with the second solenoid valve SV2 and the fourth solenoid valve SV4 closed, the brine X in the tank 25 is supplied to the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11, while the second solenoid Open the valve SV2 and the S fourth solenoid valve SV4,
When the pressurizing pump 29 is driven with the first solenoid valve SV1 and the third solenoid valve SV3 closed, the brine X in the pressure chamber 24 is returned to the tank 25 side. The pressure chamber 24 and the tank 25 are connected by another air vent pipe 30, and an electromagnetic valve SV interposed there is provided.
5 is always closed. Further, a drain pan 32 is provided in a ceiling portion of the machine room 5, and the above-described brine flow path 2 is provided.
8, a flow sensor 33 is provided.

The heat insulating door 3 is provided with a pouring section 35 for ice cream A. Specifically, in a mounting hole 36 formed in the heat insulating door 3, a cylindrical body 37 having a closed front surface is provided.
The T-shaped tube 38 is fitted with a clearance therein, and the opening of the horizontal tube is connected to the outlet C of the pack B (see FIG. 2). The upper and lower ends of the vertical pipe penetrate through the cylindrical body 37 and protrude upward and downward. The lower end forms a spout 40 and a pouring cock 41 is provided at the upper end. Pouring cock 4
Numeral 1 denotes a device for raising and lowering the valve element 43 by rotating the lever 42. The spout 40 is opened by rotating the lever 42 from the chain line position in FIG. 2 to the solid line position. A normally-open micro switch for controlling the start and stop of the motor (not shown) of the above-described pressurizing pump 29 for supplying brine is provided above the pouring section 35 on the surface of the heat insulating door 3. 45 are provided. The operation plate 46 is provided on the valve body 43 of the pouring cock 41.
The operation plate 46 presses the actuator to turn on the microswitch 45 when the valve body 43 is raised to open the outlet 40. At a position below the pouring section 35 on the front surface of the heat insulating door 3, a mounting table 48 for mounting a container for storing the ice cream A is provided.

In this embodiment, various devices for controlling the initial cooling operation of the brine X are provided.
First, a temperature sensor 51 for detecting the temperature in the refrigerator is provided in the freezer compartment 2 near the entrance of the duct 10. A lid switch 52 for detecting whether or not the pack B is stored is provided on the bottom surface of the lid 22. When the pack B is stored, the lid switch 52
To turn it on, and if there is no pack B, it turns off. First and second float switches 53 and 54 are vertically arranged in the brine X tank 25. The upper first float switch 53 is for detecting whether or not the brine X has been stored in a specified amount, and is turned off when the brine X reaches a specified water level, as indicated by a chain line in FIG. If it is less than that, it turns on. The lower second float switch 54 is configured such that the brine X is
It detects the water level when the water is supplied to the maximum to one side, and turns off when the water level drops to a predetermined position, and turns on when the water level exceeds this level.

A door switch 55 for detecting the open / closed state of the heat insulating door 3 is provided at the upper opening edge of the freezer 1.
If the heat insulating door 3 is closed, the door switch 55 is turned on,
It is off if it is open. These temperature sensor 51, lid switch 52, first and second float switches 53,5
4 and a door switch 55 are connected to the input side of a control device (not shown) for initial cooling, and based on these signals, a motor (not shown) of the pressurizing pump 29 connected to the output side of the control device. ), And switching of opening and closing of the solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 provided in the brine flow path 28 is controlled.

The present embodiment has the above structure,
First, the mode of the initial cooling of the brine X will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and FIG. If you install a new dispenser or operate after a long holiday,
First, brine X is stored in the tank 25. Then, the initial cooling operation is started. At this point, the brine flow path 28
Of the pressure chamber 24 from the tank 25
The opening and closing are controlled so as to form a flow path toward. Further, the refrigeration cycle is started and the inside of the refrigerator is cooled by the cooler 8. When the initial cooling operation is started, step S1
In the above, it is determined from the signal from the temperature sensor 51 whether or not the inside temperature is 15 ° C. or more. If it is 15 ° C. or higher, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, it is determined whether the lid switch 52 is off. Lid switch 5
If 2 is off, that is, if the pack B of the ice cream A is not stored in the pack storage chamber 20, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, it is determined whether the first float switch 53 is off. If the first float switch 53 is off, that is, if the brine X is stored in the tank 25 in the specified amount, the process proceeds to step S4. Step S4
Then, it is determined whether or not the door switch 55 is on. If the door switch 55 is turned on, that is, if the heat insulating door 3 is closed, the process proceeds to the next step S5. In addition, when NO is determined in the above steps S1 to S4, a normal routine to be described later is executed in detail.

In step S5, the pump motor, ie, the pressure pump 29 is started. Then, since the solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 of the brine flow path 28 are controlled to open and close so as to form a flow path from the tank 25 to the pressure chamber 24 as described above, the solid arrows in FIG. like,
The brine X in the tank 25 is pumped up, flows into the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11, and is continuously supplied into the pressure chamber 24 while raising the piston 13. During this time,
In step S6, it is determined whether or not the second float switch 54 is off.
Is turned off, that is, when it is detected that the brine X in the tank 25 has been supplied to the maximum in the pressure chamber 24, the pressurizing pump 29 is stopped in step S7. As a result, the brine X is cooled in a state where most of the brine X has entered the hydraulic cylinder 11. Since the cylinder 12 is excellent in heat conductivity as described above, the brine X is satisfactorily cooled down in the refrigerator by the cool air circulated and supplied into the refrigerator.

After a lapse of a predetermined time, in step S8,
When it is detected by the temperature sensor 51 that the temperature in the refrigerator has become equal to or lower than −10 ° C., the pressurizing pump 29 is started in step S9, and each of the solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 of the brine passage 28 is It switches to the reverse opening and closing mode. As a result, the brine X in the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is sucked and returned into the tank 25, as indicated by a broken arrow in FIG. At the same time, the piston 13 descends. Finally, in step S10, it is determined whether or not the first float switch 53 is off.
When the float switch 53 is turned off, that is, when all the brine X is returned to the tank 25, the routine shifts to a normal routine. At this time, the pressurizing pump 29 stops, and the solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 of the brine flow path 28
The pressure is switched so as to form a flow path from the pressure chamber 24 to the pressure chamber 24. As described above, the brine X that has been well cooled in the fluid pressure cylinder 11 returns to the tank 25 side, and is then ready for storing the pack B of ice cream A in the pack storage chamber 20 in the manner described above. Is completed, and the pouring operation can be performed.

Next, the operation at the time of dispensing will be described with reference to FIG. The solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 of the brine flow path 28 are controlled to open and close so as to form a flow path from the tank 25 to the pressure chamber 24 as described above. In order to pour the ice cream A, a container (not shown) is placed on the mounting table 48, the lever 42 of the pour cock 41 is turned to the solid line position in FIG. Then, the pressurizing pump 29 is driven. Then, as shown by the solid arrow in FIG.
The brine X in the tank 25 is pumped up, supplied to the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11, and pressurized. As a result, the piston 13 rises to compress the pack B, the ice cream A flows out of the outlet C of the pack B, and is poured out of the spout 40 into the container. Once the proper amount is dispensed,
When the lever 42 of the spout cock 41 is rotated to the position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2, the micro switch 45 is turned off, the pressurizing pump 29 is stopped, and the spout 40 is closed to stop the pouring. Ice cream A is sequentially poured out by repeating the above operation again. During this time, the brine X is sequentially supplied to the pressure chamber 24 in a pressurized state. Since the brine X is cooled to a temperature almost equal to the internal temperature by the initial cooling described above, the pack B The temperature of the ice cream A inside is prevented from rising due to heat from the brine X.

When the ice cream A in the pack B is used up, the ice cream A is replaced with a new pack B. Prior to this, the raised piston 13 is lowered to expand the pack storage chamber 20. In this case, when a pack exchange switch (not shown) is turned on, the brine flow path 28
The solenoid valves SV1 to SV4 are switched to the opening and closing modes opposite to the above, and the pressurizing pump 29 is driven. Then, the brine X in the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is sucked and returned into the tank 25, as shown by a broken arrow in FIG. As a result, the pressure in the pressure chamber 24 is inclined to a negative pressure, whereby the piston 13 descends, and the pack storage chamber 20 is greatly expanded. Then, the heat insulating door 3 is opened, the lid 22 is removed, the used pack B is taken out, and a new pack B may be stored instead.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
When operating the dispenser for the first time after installation or after operating for a long time, the brine X is once supplied to the pressure chamber 24 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11, cooled to a temperature almost equivalent to the internal temperature, and the tank 25 is cooled. When the brine X is successively supplied to the pressure chamber 24 during the subsequent pouring operation, the ice cream A of the pack B receives the heat of the brine X and the quality thereof is reduced. The adverse effects are prevented. In addition, the flow path 28 for the initial cooling of the brine X is also used as the brine flow path for the discharging operation, so that the structure can be simplified. In addition, the operation check of the distribution route of the brine X, the control mechanism, and the like can be performed.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The present invention is not limited to the use of brine for the working fluid of the hydraulic cylinder, but also to the use of another working fluid that tends to cause a temperature difference between the working cylinder and the interior at the beginning of operation. Can be similarly applied. (2) The ice cream referred to in the above embodiment includes both soft ice cream and hard ice cream, and the present invention can be widely applied to other ice confectionery pouring devices such as yogurt and sherbet. Is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an initial cooling operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the pouring operation.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an initial cooling operation.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... ice cream B ... pack X ... brine 2 ...
Freezer 11: Fluid pressure cylinder 12: Cylinder 13
... Piston 20 ... Pack storage chamber 24 ... Pressure chamber 25
... Tank 28 ... Brine flow path 29 ... Pressure pump S
V1 to SV4: solenoid valve 51: temperature sensor 52: lid switch 53, 54: float switch 55: door switch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cooling chamber having a hydraulic cylinder in which a piston is slidably fitted in a cylinder and a tank in which a working fluid is stored, and a storage chamber provided on one side of the piston. A dessert, wherein the dessert is supplied by supplying a working fluid in a tank to a pressure chamber provided on the other side of the piston and pressurizing the dessert to discharge the dessert. A cooling fluid is supplied from the tank to the pressure chamber before being accommodated in the chamber, and after cooling the cooling storage chamber to a predetermined temperature, the working fluid is returned from the pressure chamber to the tank. Cooling method of working fluid for pouring. 2. A cooling storage chamber comprising a fluid pressure cylinder having a piston slidably fitted in a cylinder and a tank storing a working fluid, and a storage chamber provided on one side of the piston. A dessert, wherein the dessert is supplied by supplying the working fluid in the tank to a pressure chamber provided on the other side of the piston and pressurizing the same to discharge the dessert. A flow passage that enables reciprocating circulation between the pressure chamber, a temperature sensor that detects a temperature in the cooling storage chamber, and a working fluid in a tank that is not stored in the storage chamber through the flow passage when frozen dessert is not stored. A working fluid supply unit for supplying the working fluid in the pressure chamber to the pressure chamber through the flow path on condition that the temperature sensor detects that the cooling storage chamber has been cooled to a predetermined temperature. Ice confection dispensing apparatus comprising: the working fluid recirculation means for recirculating the tank, the. 3. The flow path of claim 2, wherein the flow path also serves as a flow path of a working fluid during a pouring operation.
The frozen dessert dispensing device described in the above.