JP2001130907A - Device for producing dry ice - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that cares, such as the wearing of globes, on the handling of dry ice, are necessary for appending dry ice to commodities, because the dry ice causes troubles such as frostbite, when a hand is brought into direct contact with the dry ice. SOLUTION: In this dry ice-producing device related to the present invention, a nozzle 16 for jetting liquefied carbon dioxide for producing dry ice is disposed at the upper end of a horn 15 vertically fixed to the upper portion in a working chamber 11, and a control device 20 for controlling so that the generated dry ice is supplied into a container opened at the lower end of a horn 15 for a constant time is also disposed. A safety device may be disposed, for example, so that a dry ice-supplying operation is not carried out, when the door 12 of the working room 11 is perfectly not closed, or so that the dry ice-supplying operation is not started, when the container is put in the working chamber 11. A switch to be operated by a user, and a timer for setting a dry ice production amount are disposed on the front surface of the case and on the front surface-excluding portion of the case, respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dry ice generator for cooling take-out goods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a store clerk appropriately pulverizes solid dry ice and attaches a necessary amount to a product that needs to be refrigerated and is taken out of a store.

[0003]

Solid dry ice has a risk of frostbite and the like when it is directly touched with hands, and its handling requires care. Sales at stores are particularly quick, but when dry ice is attached to products, gloves must be worn each time, which has been an obstacle to store sales, especially at retail stores.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an expansion cylinder is set up and fixed on an upper part of a working chamber having a door, and a dry ice producing pipe is provided at an upper end of the expansion cylinder. A nozzle for ejecting liquefied carbon dioxide gas is provided,
An object of the present invention is to provide a dry ice generating apparatus provided with a control device for controlling the generated dry ice to be supplied to a container opened at a lower end of an expansion cylinder for a certain period of time.

Further, in order to ensure safety, a hook for anchoring a bag-like container with a handle inserted into the work room is provided at the upper part of the work room, and while the dry ice is supplied to the bag, a user is required to keep the dry ice. It is desirable to avoid having to hold the bag by hand. It is also desirable that the control device does not perform the dry ice supply operation unless the door is closed.
Further, it is convenient that the dry ice supply operation is automatically started when the door is closed. Of course, the supply operation may be started only after the user turns on the manual switch after closing the door.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The main body of a dry ice producing apparatus according to the present invention is a casing surrounded by a plate made of iron or plastic, provided with a working room at an intermediate portion, and a dry room above the working room. An expansion cylinder for producing ice is fixed upright. A nozzle is provided at the upper part of the expansion cylinder, and the nozzle communicates with a cylinder of liquefied carbon dioxide gas through an electromagnetic valve. In the front of the work room, there is a charging port for charging the container,
A door is provided at the entrance.

[0007] In order to keep the amount of dry ice produced constant, the controller controls the injection of liquefied carbon dioxide gas from the nozzle to a fixed time by a timer. Also,
The dry ice generating operation does not start unless the door of the work room is closed. Dry ice generation operation
It may be started automatically when the door is closed,
After closing the door, the user may start by pressing a manual switch.

[0008]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an in-store dry ice producing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a right side view, and FIG. 3 is a left side view.

[0009] In these figures, reference numeral 10 denotes a main body, which forms a frame by angles or the like, and forms a housing by being surrounded by an iron or plastic plate. When using plastic, it is desirable to use a material that does not become brittle or deteriorate at low temperatures. Reference numeral 11 denotes a work room, which is provided at an intermediate portion of the main body 10. Reference numeral 12 denotes a door of the work room 11, which is slid up and down in this embodiment. 13 is the door 12
Reference numeral 14 denotes a door switch that operates when the door 12 is completely closed. When the door 12 is slid upward with the handle 13, the door 12 is fixed to the upper frame by, for example, a magnet catch or a latch mechanism (not shown).

Reference numeral 15 denotes a horn (expansion cylinder) whose upper part is fixed to the upper part of the working chamber 11 and whose lower part is open. A nozzle 16 is provided inside the horn 15, and the nozzle 16 communicates with a gas supply pipe 18 via an electromagnetic valve 17. The gas supply pipe 18 is connected to a liquefied carbon dioxide gas cylinder (not shown).

The horn 15 is supported by a support fitting 25 projecting from the rear wall of the work chamber 11. Hooks 26 are provided on both sides of the support fitting 25. The hook 26 is used to catch a handle of a bag (container) for putting dry ice during use.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a control device which is usually installed inside the main body 10 so as not to be touched from the outside. In addition to the door switch 14 and the solenoid valve 17, a main switch 21, a timer 22, a manual switch 23, and the like are connected to the control device 20. Main switch 21 at least once a day
The timer 22 is provided outside the main body 10 because the operation is not directly related to the generation of dry ice, but the timer 22 is used to set the amount of dry ice generation. Since it does not need to be handled by a person, it is installed inside the main body 10. Since the manual switch 23 is operated by the user, it is provided on the front surface of the main body 10.

Before using the apparatus of this embodiment, the power is first turned on by the main switch 21. The user
The container is placed in the work room 11 with the door 12 opened, and the work room 1 is opened.
Place the container on the shelf below 1. If the container is a bag with a handle, the handle is hooked on the hooks 26 on both sides of the support fitting 25. A frozen product or the like may be put in the container in advance, or a frozen product or the like may be put after putting dry ice.

After setting the container directly below the horn 15,
The door 12 is pulled up by the handle 13 and the working chamber 11 is closed. When the door 12 is completely closed, the door switch 14 is activated, and the signal is sent to the controller 20. afterwards,
When the user presses the manual switch 23 provided on the front surface of the main body 10, the control device 20 opens the solenoid valve 17 for a time set by the timer 22. As a result, liquefied carbon dioxide gas from a cylinder (not shown) is ejected from the nozzle 16 and adiabatically expands inside the horn 15 to become powdery dry ice, which falls from the lower part of the horn 15 and is supplied into the container. In addition, even if the container is set, while the door 12 is open, the door switch 14 does not operate. Therefore, even if the user presses the manual switch 23, the control device 20 does not open the solenoid valve 17.

When the set time has elapsed by the timer 22, the electromagnetic valve 17 is closed by the control device 20, and the supply of dry ice is terminated. Thereafter, the user lowers the door 12 and takes out the container. Note that a lamp indicating that dry ice is being supplied may be provided on the front surface of the main body 10.

In the above example, after the door 12 is closed and the door switch 14 is operated, the solenoid valve 17 is not operated unless the user presses the manual switch 23 provided on the front surface of the main body 10. However, the dry ice generating operation may be automatically started when the door switch 14 is operated. This is more convenient depending on the installation location of the apparatus and when the number of users is limited.

For further safety, the door 12 may be provided with a lock mechanism so that the door 12 does not open until the set time has elapsed and the ejection of the liquefied carbon dioxide gas has been completed. Further, a sensor (for example, an optical sensor, a weight sensor provided on a shelf or a hook, etc.) for detecting whether or not a container is placed in the work chamber 11 is provided. It may not be performed.

[0018]

In the dry ice producing apparatus according to the present invention, when the container is put in the working chamber, the control device injects the liquefied carbon dioxide gas from the nozzle into the expansion cylinder for a certain period of time, and the dry produced by the adiabatic expansion. Since the ice is put in the container, the user can put it in the container without touching the dry ice. For this reason, there is no need to wear gloves, and even ordinary users can easily handle the gloves. In addition, by providing various safety devices, for example, to prevent the operation of the working room unless the door of the working room is completely closed, or to prevent the operation of the working room unless the container is inserted into the working room, the safety of the general public can be improved. It can be used for.

The introduction of this device facilitates the handling of frozen products such as supermarkets, and has the effect of promoting sales of take-out products.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an in-store dry ice generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main body 11 Working room 12 Door 13 Door handle 14 Door switch 15 Horn 16 Nozzle 17 Solenoid valve 18 Gas supply pipe 20 Control device 21 Main switch 22 Timer 23 Manual switch 25 Support bracket 26 Hook

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A work chamber having a door on a front surface is provided in a housing, containers are carried in and out of the work chamber in a discontinuous manner, and an expansion tube is fixed upright on an upper part of the work chamber. A control device for providing a nozzle for ejecting liquefied carbon dioxide gas for producing dry ice at the upper end of the expansion cylinder and controlling the generated dry ice to be supplied to a container opened at the lower end of the expansion cylinder for a certain period of time. In the dry ice generating apparatus provided with, a switch operated by the user is provided on the front of the housing,
A dry ice generating apparatus, wherein a timer for setting the amount of dry ice generation is provided on a portion outside the front surface of the housing.