JP3054505B2 - Heat sterilizer for frozen dessert mix - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat sterilizer for a frozen dessert mix, which performs a heat sterilization treatment on ice dessert raw materials (mix) such as ice cream and shakes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-191949 (A23G9 / 30) discloses that a dessert mix fed from a pre-cooled mix tank into a cooling cylinder is stirred by a beater rotating in the cooling cylinder. To produce a shake-shaped soft ice cream in which bubbles and liquids are mixed, and take out the generated soft ice cream by a predetermined amount by operating a take-out lever.

[0003] When the surplus frozen dessert mix is reused in selling such dairy products such as soft ice creams, etc., it is maintained at + 68 ° C for 30 minutes at the end of business due to hygiene management (or sterilization treatment equivalent thereto). Must be sterilized by heat and stored in a low temperature (+ 10 ° C. or lower) state until reuse on the next day. Therefore, a separate device conventionally called a low-temperature heat sterilizer is prepared, all the remaining mix in the mix tank is once taken out, collected in the low-temperature heat sterilizer, and heat-sterilized and cooled and stored by the low-temperature heat sterilizer. The method is adopted.

Such a low-temperature heat sterilizer is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 3-31562 previously filed by the applicant.
In order to prevent deterioration and freezing of the mix due to direct heating and cooling, it is composed of an outer tank and an inner tank housed in this outer tank with a space between them, and water or saline solution is placed between the inner and outer tanks. And heat sterilizing and cooling and storing the frozen dessert mix in the inner tank via the heat medium. Further, in order to heat and cool the frozen dessert mix in the inner tank evenly, or to prevent freezing, a stirrer for stirring the frozen dessert mix is installed in the inner tank. Since it is provided outside the tank, a magnet is conventionally provided in the stirrer and the stirring motor is stirred through the inner tank in order to solve the sealing problem when a shaft penetrating the inner tank is provided. A structure is adopted in which a power transmission magnetic disk that is magnetically coupled to the magnet of the machine is attached, and the stirrer is rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the power transmission magnetic disk.

[0005]

However, the residual frozen dessert mix immediately after being recovered from the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus has a low temperature and a very high viscosity. On the other hand, the magnetic coupling force between the magnet of the stirrer and the magnetic disk for power transmission is limited,
In a state of high viscosity immediately after the start of heat sterilization, there was a problem that the stirrer could not follow the rotation of the power transmission magnet disk due to the resistance of the frozen dessert mix and could not be rotated.

On the other hand, the recovered frozen dessert mix is in the form of a shake, as described above. When the temperature is gradually increased by heating and the mixture is melted, the mix vertically moves into a liquid portion and a foam portion in the inner tank. Become separated. This foam is naturally broken (degassed) if left as it is, but since the air inside the foam becomes a heat insulating layer, the temperature is hardly transmitted to the foam, and therefore, the heat sterilization effect For efficient transmission, it is advantageous for the mix to be degassed as much as possible with less foam.

Here, the stirrer stirs the mix to distribute the heat sterilization action evenly throughout the mix, and performs the action of uniformly heat sterilizing the mix in the inner tank. On the contrary, there was a problem that foaming of the mix was caused and deaeration was hindered. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the conventional technical problem, and heat sterilizes a frozen dessert mix in which a stirrer magnetically coupled to a power transmission magnet disk of a stirrer motor is prevented from rotating. It is intended to provide a device.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for heat-sterilizing a frozen dessert mix according to the first aspect of the present invention, comprising: an inner tank accommodating the frozen dessert mix; a heater for heating and sterilizing the frozen dessert mix in the inner tank; A stirrer rotatably provided on a spindle provided in the inner tank and having a magnet for stirring a frozen dessert mix, and a stirring motor arranged such that the rotation axis is located on the same axis as the spindle. A power transmission magnetic plate attached to the rotating shaft and positioned outside the inner tank and magnetically coupled to the magnet; and a control device for controlling operation of the heater and the stirring motor. The apparatus is characterized in that the stirring motor is stopped for a predetermined period from the start of heat sterilization of the frozen dessert mix by the heater.

According to the apparatus for heat-sterilizing a frozen dessert mix according to the first aspect of the present invention, the controller controls the heat-sterilization for a predetermined period from the start of the heat sterilization.
Since the stirring motor of the stirrer is stopped, the heating of the heater during this stop period causes the frozen dessert mix to start melting from the portion in contact with the inner tank, and its viscosity decreases.
Accordingly, the resistance applied to the stirrer is also reduced, so that the stirrer can smoothly rotate following the rotation of the power transmission magnetic disk when the stirring motor is started thereafter.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an electric circuit diagram of a control device C of a low-temperature heat sterilization apparatus P having a heat sterilization and cooling / preservation function as an embodiment of the heat sterilization apparatus for frozen dessert mix of the present invention, and FIG. It is a side view. In FIG. 2, the main body 1 of the low-temperature heat sterilizer P is a lower machine room 2.
And an upper outer tank 3. A cooling device including a compressor 4 and a condenser 5 is disposed in the machine room 2, and a stirring motor 7 is vertically fixed by a mounting bracket 6 at an upper position in the machine room 2. .

The outer tank 3 has an outer tank 8 having an upper surface opening integrally formed of a material having good heat conductivity, for example, a steel plate such as stainless steel.
And a heat insulating wall surrounding the outer tub 8.
The heat insulating wall 9a covering the side surface of the outer tub 8 is formed of polyurethane foam, while the heat insulating wall 9b covering the bottom surface of the outer tub 8 is formed of glass wool. 10 is a heat insulating wall 9
a cooling pipe as a cooler which is buried in a and is wound and arranged in a meandering manner in heat conductive contact with the side periphery of the outer tank 8;
The cooling pipe 10 is connected to the cooling device by a pipe to form a known refrigeration cycle. Reference numeral 11 denotes a heating heater serving as a heating device disposed in heat conductive contact with the bottom surface of the outer tank 8. The heat insulating wall 9b corresponding to the bottom of the outer tub 8 is separated from the outer tub 8 so as to form a space for accommodating the heater 11, and glass wool is positioned behind the outer tub 8, so that heat from the heater 11 is removed. It is configured to be transmitted to the tank 8 well.

The glass wool at the center of the heat insulating wall 9b is removed to form an opening 13. A power transmission magnet plate 16 having a permanent magnet is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 15 of the stirring motor 7, and is arranged corresponding to the opening 13. In the center of the upper surface of the bottom of the outer tub 8, there is provided a support shaft 19 located on the same axis as the rotation shaft 15 of the stirring motor 7. A stirrer 18 having a permanent magnet which is coupled to each other and rotating in the same direction in synchronization with the rotation of the power transmission magnet disk 16 is rotatably supported.
The stirrer 18 has stirring blades, and rotates to stir water or brine as a heat medium injected between the inner tank and the outer tank 8, which will be described later.

The inner tank 23 also has the shape of a container having a top opening formed by integrally forming the same stainless steel plate. The inner tank 23 accommodates a required amount of the remaining frozen dessert mix therein and has a space in the outer tank 8. It is stored and held. A support shaft 24 is also provided at the center of the bottom surface of the inner tank 23, and a stirrer 25 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 24. The support shaft 24 is positioned coaxially with the rotation shaft 15 and the support shaft 19 of the stirring motor 7 in a state where the inner tank 23 is housed at a predetermined position in the outer tank 8, and the stirrer 25 also has a permanent magnet. Then, it is magnetically coupled with the permanent magnet of the stirrer 18, and is magnetically coupled with the power transmission magnet disk 16, thereby synchronizing with the power transmission magnet disk 16 and the agitator 18 in the same direction. To rotate. The stirrer 25 is provided with a stirring blade 20 having a plurality of blades 17 on the shaft 12 extending upward, and rotates to stir the mix in the inner tank 23. Reference numeral 28 denotes a handle for the inner tank 23, and reference numeral 29 denotes a drainage device with an electromagnetic valve for discharging brine and the like described later.

The inner tub 23 contains the frozen dessert mix to be subjected to the heat sterilization treatment as described above, and the inner tub 23 has a space inside the outer tub 8 with its upper part slightly higher than the outer tub 8 as shown in FIG. And hold it. In the space 30 between the inner tank 23 and the outer tank 8, water or calcium chloride as a heat medium is provided.
Brine, such as saline, is injected to a predetermined water level (in the following description, it is assumed that the brine is injected within the interval 30).

Next, in FIG. 1, the control device C is constituted by a general-purpose microcomputer 31. The microcomputer 31 is provided, for example, on the inner surface of the outer tank 8, and directly or indirectly detects the temperature of the brine. The output of the temperature sensor 32 is input via an amplifier 33 and a display panel 34 provided in the low-temperature heat sterilizer P.
The outputs of the sterilization switch 36, the cooling switch 37, and the stop switch 38, which are arranged in the, are input. Between the output of the microcomputer 31 and the power supply Vcc, a heating heater relay 39, a compressor relay 40, a stirring motor relay 4
1, low-speed relay 42, medium-speed relay 43, and high-speed relay 4
The contact 39A of the heater relay 39 is connected in series with the heater 11 and the contact 40A of the compressor relay 40 is connected in series with the compressor 4, and each series circuit is connected in parallel with the AC power supply AC.

The contact 41 of the stirring motor relay 41
A is connected to an AC power supply AC in series with the motor rotation control circuit 45. When the low-speed resistor 46 is connected, the motor rotation speed control circuit 45 changes the speed of the stirring motor 7 connected to the output thereof to a low rotation speed (15 rpm).
When the medium speed resistor 47 is connected, the stirring motor 7 is rotated at a medium speed (30 rpm).
When the high-speed resistor 48 is connected, the stirring motor 7
At a high speed (110 rpm). The contacts 42A, 43A, 44A of the relays 42, 43, 44 are connected in series to the resistors 46, 47, 48, respectively, and are thereby connected to the motor speed control circuit 45 at the output of the microcomputer 31. Change the resistance,
The rotation speed of the stirring motor 7 is controlled from a stopped state to a low rotation speed, a medium rotation speed, and a high rotation speed.

The operation of the low-temperature heat sterilizer P having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7 are flowcharts showing a program of the microcomputer 31. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a temperature transition of the brine detected by the temperature sensor 32 in the cooling step and the cooling step, and the operation of the compressor 4 and the stirring motor 7. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the temperature transition of the brine detected by the temperature sensor 32 and the operation of the heater 11 and the stirring motor 7 in the heat sterilization step. It is assumed that a predetermined amount of a frozen dessert mix is stored in the inner tank 23, and brine is injected into the interval 30. In the main flowchart of FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the cooling switch 37 is ON (pressed) in step S1, and if YES, the process proceeds to step S2, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S7. When the user turns on the cooling switch 37, the process proceeds to step S2, where the cooling operation flag is set to 1
It is determined whether or not (set). If NO, the process proceeds to step S3. If YES, the process proceeds to step S7.
Therefore, the process proceeds to step S3 to set the cooling operation flag, resets the sterilization operation flag in step S4, sets the pull-down flag in step S5, and then sets the 8 ° C. cooling flag in step S6. S
Go to 7. In step S7, it is determined whether or not the cooling operation flag is 1 (set). Since it is set here, the flow proceeds to step S8 to execute the cooling subroutine.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the cooling subroutine. In step S26 of FIG. 4, it is determined whether the pull-down flag is set to 1 (set). Since it is set here, it is determined in step S27 whether the 8 ° C. cooling flag is set to 1 (set). S
Proceeding to 28, it is determined whether the temperature of the brine based on the output of the temperature sensor 32 is equal to or lower than + 8 ° C. At the beginning of the cooling step, since the temperature of the brine is high, the process proceeds to step S29,
Energizes the compressor relay 40 to close the contact 40A,
The compressor 4 is turned on (operated) and the process returns to the main flowchart.

When the cooling pipe 10 starts exerting the cooling action with the operation of the compressor 4, the temperature of the brine rapidly decreases as shown in FIG. When the temperature reaches + 8 ° C., the process proceeds from step S28 to step S30, in which the compressor relay 40 is de-energized and the contact 40A is opened.
The compressor 4 is turned off (stopped). Next, in step S31, the 8 ° C. cooling flag is reset, and in step S32
To determine whether or not the brine temperature is equal to or lower than + 4 ° C. Since the determination is NO here, the process proceeds to step S33 to determine whether or not the compressor relay 40 is turned on (energized) and the compressor 4 is turned on. Is OFF, the process proceeds to step S34 to determine whether or not the count of the cooling intermittent timer of the microcomputer 31 as a function has elapsed for 10 minutes. If NO, the process returns to the main flowchart. Then, from step S27, step S3 is performed.
You will go to 2. Intermittent cooling timer is compressor 4
Starts counting after turning OFF, and when 10 minutes have elapsed from OFF, the process proceeds from step S34 to step S35, where the compressor 4 is turned on, and the intermittent cooling timer is cleared in step S36. If YES in step S33, the count of the cooling intermittent timer is 1 in step S37.
It is determined whether or not 0 minutes have elapsed, and if NO, the process returns to the main flowchart. The intermittent cooling timer has started counting after being cleared in step S36, and when 10 minutes have elapsed since the compressor 4 was turned on, the process proceeds from step S37 to step S38, in which the compressor 4 is turned off.
At 39, the cooling intermittent timer is cleared. Thereafter, when the temperature of the brine reaches + 4 ° C., the process proceeds from step S32 to step S40 to reset the pull-down flag, then resets the stirring motor ON flag in step S41, and stirs the microcomputer 31 as a function in step S42. After clearing the intermittent timer, the process proceeds to step S43. Thereafter, steps S26 to S4
You will go to 3.

As described above, when the temperature of the brine detected by the temperature sensor 32 reaches + 8 ° C. after the start of the cooling operation, thereafter, as shown in FIG. Is operated intermittently at 10 minute intervals. After the start of the cooling operation, the temperature of the brine rapidly decreases, and when the temperature of the brine detected by the temperature sensor 32 becomes equal to or lower than + 8 ° C., ice grows on the inner surface of the outer tank 8 with which the cooling pipe 10 is in contact. start. If cooling is continued in this state, an ice layer will be formed on the inner surface of the outer tank 8, and the cooling efficiency of the brine will be reduced. As a result, the cooling of the mix via the brine will be impaired. However, in the embodiment, the intermittent operation is started at an interval of 10 minutes when the temperature reaches + 8 ° C. That is, since the ice on the inner surface of the outer tank 8 is melted during the stop for 10 minutes, the generation of an ice layer can be prevented or suppressed, and the mix can be cooled efficiently.

Next, in step S43, the compressor relay 40 is turned on (energized) to determine whether or not the compressor 4 is on.
To determine whether the brine temperature has risen to + 6 ° C., and if so, turn on the compressor 4 in step S46.
I do. In step S43, when the compressor 4 is ON, the process proceeds to step S45, and the temperature of the brine is increased by +4.
It is determined whether or not the temperature has dropped to C.
To turn off the compressor 4. Thereafter, repeat this to turn compressor 4 ON and OFF between + 6 ° C and + 4 ° C.
Control and enter the cooling process. The inner tank 23 is provided by such a cooling operation.
The mix inside is cooled and stored via brine, so that freezing due to local cooling is avoided.

Next, returning to the main flowchart of FIG.
In step S9, it is determined whether or not the sterilization switch 36 is ON. If YES, the process proceeds to step S10, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S14. When the user collects the frozen dessert mix such as soft ice cream left in the sale in the inner tank 23 and turns on the sterilization switch 36, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether or not the sterilization operation flag is 1 (set). If there is, the process proceeds to step S11. If YES, the process proceeds to step S14. However, since the result is NO here, the process proceeds to step S11 to set the sterilization operation flag, resets the cooling operation flag in step S12, and sets the sterilization flag Is reset and the process proceeds to step S14. Step S
At 14, it is determined whether the sterilization operation flag is 1 (set) or not.
Here, since it is set, the process proceeds to step S15 to execute the sterilization subroutine.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the sterilization subroutine. In step S48 of FIG. 5, the heating heater relay 39 is turned on (energized) to determine whether the heating heater 11 is on. If it is off, the process proceeds to step S49 to determine whether the brine temperature is equal to or lower than + 70 ° C. Judgment is made, and if it is the following, the microcomputer 31 is executed
Energizes the heater relay 39 to close the contact 39A (ON), energizes the heater 11 (ON), and proceeds to step S54. Since the temperature of the brine is low when the frozen dessert mix is collected, the process proceeds from step S49 to step S51, in which the heater 11 is energized to start the heating sterilization step. If the heater 11 is ON in step S48, the process proceeds to step S50 to determine whether the temperature of the brine has reached + 72 ° C. or higher. If not, the process proceeds to step S51 to keep the heater 11 ON. . In step S54, the sterilizing flag is set (1).
It is determined whether or not it has been set. Since it has not been set here, the process returns to the main flowchart.

By repeating the above, the heater 11 is caused to generate heat, and the collected mix is heated through the brine and the inner tank 23. As a result, the mix gradually melts, and the temperature of the brine also increases. When the temperature of the brine reaches + 72 ° C. as shown in FIG.
From 50, the process proceeds to step S52 where the heater relay 3
9 is de-energized, the contact 39A is opened (OFF), and the heating of the heater 11 is stopped (OFF).
To set the sterilizing flag and proceed to step S54.
In step S54, since the sterilizing flag is set, the flow advances to step S55 to determine whether or not the count of the sterilizing time timer provided by the microcomputer 31 as a function has elapsed for 40 minutes. If not, the process returns to the main flowchart. Thereafter, this operation is repeated to increase the temperature to + 70 ° C.
The heater 11 is controlled to be ON-OFF at a temperature between 0 ° C. and the collected mix is subjected to heat sterilization. And first +
When 40 minutes have passed since the temperature reached 72 ° C., the count of the sterilization time timer ends, and the process proceeds from step S55 to step S5.
In step S6, the sterilization operation flag is reset to end the heat sterilization process. Then, in steps S57, S58, and S59, the cooling operation flag, the pull-down flag, and the 8 ° C. cooling flag are set, and the process returns to the main flowchart.

As described above, in the sterilization subroutine, the microcomputer 31 controls the energization of the heater 11 based on the temperature of the brine detected by the temperature sensor 32, and keeps the specified temperature of + 68 ° C. or more for 30 minutes or more. The mix in the tank 23 is heat-sterilized. Even during this heat sterilization step, the mix is heated via brine, so that the occurrence of deterioration or the like due to local heating is prevented. In the heat sterilization subroutine, the microcomputer 3
1 sets a cooling operation flag, a pull-down flag, and an 8 ° C. cooling flag after the end of the heat sterilization step, and thereafter proceeds from step S7 to step S8 in the main flowchart of FIG. 3 to execute a cooling subroutine. . That is, the cooling process is automatically performed after the heat sterilization process.

Next, returning to the main flowchart of FIG. 3, it is determined in step S16 whether or not the cooling operation flag is 1 (set). If NO, the flow proceeds to step S18 to determine whether or not the sterilization operation flag is 1 (set). If NO, the process proceeds to step S20, where the microcomputer 31 turns off the stirring motor relay 41, opens the contact 41A, turns off the motor rotation control circuit 45, and turns off (stops) the stirring motor 7. Next, in step S21, it is determined whether or not the stop switch 38 has been turned on. If the stop switch 38 has been turned on, the cooling operation flag, the sterilization operation flag, the pull-down flag, and the sterilization flag are reset in steps S22, S23, S24, and S25, respectively. To stop.

On the other hand, if the cooling operation flag is set (1) and the cooling step or the cooling step is being executed, the process proceeds from step S16 to step S17 to execute the cooling and stirring motor subroutine. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of this cooling and stirring motor subroutine.
In step S60 in FIG. 6, it is determined whether the pull-down flag is 1 (set). Here, the pull-down flag is set from the start of the cooling process until the temperature of the brine drops to + 4 ° C. and is reset in step S40 of FIG. 4, so that steps S60 to S7 are performed.
Proceeding to 7, it is determined whether or not the stirring motor ON flag is 1 (set). Here, if it is set,
Proceeding to step S85, it is determined whether or not the accumulation of the stirring intermittent timer of the microcomputer 31 as a function has elapsed for 6 minutes. Since the time has not elapsed here, in step S86, the stirring motor relay 41 is energized (ON) to close the contact 41A, and in steps S87 to S89, only the high-speed relay 44 among the relays 42 to 44 is energized (ON). Then, the contact 44A is closed, the high-speed resistor 48 is connected to the motor rotation control circuit 45, and the stirring motor 7 is rotated at a high speed. Then, when the integration of the intermittent stirring timer has elapsed in step S85, the process proceeds to step S90 to clear the intermittent stirring timer, resets the stirring motor ON flag in step S91, and returns to the main flowchart.

Then, the process proceeds from step S77 to step S78, where it is determined whether or not the accumulation of the intermittent stirring timer has elapsed for 3 seconds. Since it has not elapsed, steps S81 to S84 are executed to execute each relay 41. , 4
2, 43 and 44 are de-energized (OFF), and the stirring motor 7 is stopped. The integration has been started after the intermittent stirring timer is cleared. When the integration of the intermittent stirring timer has elapsed for 3 seconds in step S78, the process proceeds to step S79 to clear the intermittent stirring timer, and then in step S80, the agitation motor ON flag is set. And returns to the main flowchart. Therefore, the process proceeds from step S77 to step S85 again.

As described above, the microcomputer 31 rotates the stirring motor 7 at a high speed and rotates the stirring blade 20 at a high speed via the stirrer 25 during the pull-down in which the temperature of the mix is relatively high. The whole mix will be cooled down evenly. Also, during this pull-down, the microcomputer 31 operates the stirring motor 7 for 6 minutes and executes the intermittent operation of stopping for 3 seconds, so that the stirrer 25 can follow the rotation of the power transmission magnet plate 16 and the stirrer 18 if it were to do so. However, even in the case where the rotation is impossible, the motor is started at the time of the restart after the elapse of the six-minute operation and the three-second stop, thereby avoiding the disadvantage that the stirring blade 20 is stopped for a long time.

Then, when the temperature of the brine drops to + 4 ° C. and the cooling process starts, the pull-down flag and the stirring motor ON flag are reset in steps S40 to S42 in FIG. 4, and the stirring intermittent timer is cleared.
This time, the process proceeds from step S60 to step S61 to determine whether the compressor relay 40 is energized and the compressor 4 is operating. If the compressor 4 is stopped, the process proceeds to step S62 to determine whether the stirring motor-ON flag is set. It is determined here whether or not the timer has been reset, and the process proceeds to step S63 to determine whether or not the integration of the stirring intermittent timer has elapsed for 10 minutes. If not, steps S73 to S76 are executed and each relay 4
1, 42, 43 and 44 are de-energized (OFF), and the stirring motor 7 is stopped.

The integration is started after the intermittent stirring timer is cleared. If the integration of the intermittent stirring timer has elapsed for 10 minutes in step S63, the flow advances to step S65 to set the stirring motor ON flag. Clear the timer. Next, steps S67 to S70 are executed to energize only the agitation motor relay 41 and the intermediate speed relay 43, and deactivate the other to set the medium speed resistor 47
Is connected to the motor rotation control circuit 45 and the stirring motor 7
Is rotated at a medium speed. Also, when the compressor 4 is operating in step S61, the process proceeds to step S65, and the stirring motor 7 is rotated at the medium speed by the same processing.

Then, the process proceeds from step S62 to step S64 to determine whether the integration of the stirring intermittent timer has elapsed for 10 minutes. If not, the process proceeds to step S67 to continue the medium speed rotation of the stirring motor 7. I do. And
After 10 minutes, the process proceeds from step S64 to step S71, resets the stirring motor ON flag, clears the stirring timer in step S72, and proceeds to step S73, and stops the stirring motor 7 in steps S73 to S76 as described above.

As described above, after entering the cooling process, the microcomputer 31 forcibly operates the stirring motor 7 during the operation of the compressor 4 as shown in FIG. Perform intermittent operation. Since the temperature of the mix is substantially stabilized in the cooling process, the importance of stirring is reduced as compared with the cooling process from the viewpoint of temperature uniformity. On the other hand, excessive stirring during the cooling process promotes foaming of the mix. However, in the embodiment, the rotation speed of the stirring motor 7 during the cooling process is set to a medium speed, and intermittent operation is performed. Bubbling of the mix due to stirring can be prevented, and conversely, degassing can be promoted. Similarly, even when the stirrer 25 is in a state in which rotation cannot be performed, the stirrer 20 is started at the time of restart after 10 minutes of operation and 10 minutes of stoppage. Be avoided.

Returning to the main flowchart of FIG. 3, if the cooling operation flag has been reset, the sterilization operation flag has been set (1), and the heat sterilization step is being executed, steps S18 to S19 are performed. Proceed to and execute the sterilizing and stirring motor subroutine. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the sterilizing and stirring motor subroutine.
In step S92 of FIG. 7, the sterilizing flag is set to 1 (set).
It is determined whether or not. Here, since the brine temperature rises to + 72 ° C. after the heat sterilization step is started and the sterilization flag is not set until reset in step S53 in FIG. 5, the process proceeds from step S92 to step S93, and the micro process is performed. It is determined whether or not the integration of the speed adjustment timer provided as a function of the computer 31 has elapsed 20 minutes. If not, then in step S94, it is determined whether or not the integration of the speed adjustment timer has elapsed 10 minutes. If not, the process proceeds to step S95. Here, the speed adjustment timer starts the integration from the start of the heat sterilization process. However, since it is immediately after the start, the process proceeds from step S93 to step S94 and step S95, and executes steps S95 to S98 to execute each step. De-energize relays 41, 42, 43 and 44 (O
FF), and the stirring motor 7 is stopped.

When 10 minutes have elapsed from the start of the heat sterilization step and the integration of the speed adjustment timer becomes 10 minutes, step S9 is executed.
4 to step S99, and the stirring motor relay 41
To close the contact 41A, execute steps S100 to S102 to energize only the low-speed relay 42,
The other relays 43 and 44 are de-energized and the low-speed
Only the agitation motor 7 is connected to the motor rotation control circuit 45 to start the agitation motor 7, and thereafter, is rotated at a low rotation speed.

Here, the frozen dessert mix at the beginning of the heat sterilization step is in the form of a shake, and has a very low temperature and a very high viscosity. Therefore, when the stirring motor 7 is started in such a state, the stirrer 25 is driven by the resistance of the frozen dessert mix for power transmission. There is a danger that the magnet disc 16 cannot follow the rotation of the magnet disc 16 and cannot be rotated. However, in the present invention, the stirring motor 7 is stopped and placed for 10 minutes immediately after the start of the heat sterilization step as described above. The occurrence of the unrotatable state can be avoided. afterwards,
As the temperature of the brine gradually increases as shown in FIG. 9 by the heating by the heater 11, the frozen dessert mix starts to melt from the portion in contact with the inner tank 23, and the viscosity thereof decreases. Therefore, the resistance applied to the stirring blade 20 becomes small about 10 minutes after the start of the heat sterilization step, and the microcomputer 31 rotates the stirring motor 7 at a low rotation speed after the lapse of 10 minutes.
Can be started smoothly following the rotation of the power transmission magnet disc 16 and the stirrer 18.

If the rotation of the stirring motor 7 at the low rotation speed is continued for 10 minutes, the integration of the speed adjustment timer becomes 20 minutes in step S93, so that the process proceeds from step S93 to step S103, and the stirring motor relay is started. 41, the contact 41A is closed, and steps S104 to S106 are executed to energize only the medium-speed relay 43. The other relays 42 and 44 are de-energized, and only the medium-speed resistor 47 is energized. Connect to stirring motor 7
, And thereafter rotate at a medium speed.

Here, the collected frozen dessert mix is in the form of a shake as described above. However, the temperature gradually rises due to the heating of the heater 11, so that the mixture melts, and more than 20 minutes have passed since the start of the heat sterilization step. By the time the thawing is completed, the mix is separated into a liquid portion and a foam portion in the inner tank 23 up and down. This foam is naturally broken (degassed) if left as it is, but since the air inside the foam becomes a heat insulating layer, the temperature is hardly transmitted to the foam part, and therefore, the heat sterilization effect For efficient transmission, it is advantageous that the mix is degassed as much as possible and the bubbles are reduced. However, if the mixing motor 7 is rotated at a high speed in this state and the mixing is excessively stirred by the stirring blades 20, the mix is adversely affected. There is a problem that foaming is caused and degassing is inhibited.

However, in the present invention, when the temperature of the thawed mix is relatively low, the stirring motor 7 is operated at a medium speed and the stirring blade 20 is slowly rotated at a medium speed. The mix in the tank 23 is stirred without being mixed with the lower liquid and the upper foam being separated. Therefore, according to the present invention, the liquid-state mix is stirred without being mixed with the foam, and while preventing unnecessary foaming, deterioration due to local heating is prevented, and the foam is not excessively stirred. Thus, degassing due to self-collapse can be promoted. Further, since the stirring blade 20 extends to the center in the inner tank 23, the upper bubble can be destroyed by the medium speed rotation of the blade 17, so that degassing can be further promoted. Become.

When the heating further proceeds and the temperature of the brine reaches + 72 ° C., the sterilizing flag is set in step S53 in FIG. 5, and thereafter, step S9 is performed.
The process proceeds from step 2 to step S107, and it is determined whether or not the stirring motor ON flag is 1 (set). Here, assuming that the timer has been reset, the process proceeds to step S108, and it is determined whether or not the integration of the intermittent stirring timer has elapsed for 3 seconds.
Here, since the time has not elapsed, steps S111 to S114 are executed to execute each of the relays 41, 42, 43 and 4
4 is de-energized (OFF), and the stirring motor 7 is stopped. The integration is started after the intermittent stirring timer is cleared. When the integration of the intermittent stirring timer is completed for 3 seconds in step S108, the process proceeds to step S109 to clear the intermittent stirring timer, and then the stirring motor is turned on in step S110.
Set the flag and return to the main flowchart. Therefore,
Thereafter, the process proceeds from step S107 to step S115.

In step S115, it is determined whether or not the accumulation of the agitation intermittent timer has elapsed for 6 minutes.
1 (ON) to close the contact point 41A, and step S1
From step 16 to step S119, among the relays 42 to 44,
Only the high-speed relay 44 is energized (ON) to close the contact 44A, and the high-speed resistor 48 is connected to the motor rotation control circuit 45 to rotate the stirring motor 7 at a high speed. The integration is started after the intermittent stirring timer is cleared. When the integration of the intermittent stirring timer has elapsed for 6 minutes in step S115, the process proceeds to step S120 to clear the intermittent stirring timer, and the stirring motor ON flag is reset in step S121. And returns to the main flowchart. As a result, the process proceeds from step S107 to step S108 again.

As described above, the microcomputer 31 raises the temperature of the brine to the set temperature of the heat sterilization step + 72 ° C., and during the mix sterilization for 40 minutes, rotates the stirring motor 7 at a high rotation speed and passes through the stirrer 25. Since the stirring blades 20 are rotated at a high speed, the remaining foam portion and the entire liquid portion are stirred without degassing, so that the entire mix in the inner tank 23 can be uniformly heated. Also, during this time, the microcomputer 31 operates the stirring motor 7 for 6 minutes and executes an intermittent operation of stopping for 3 seconds, so that the stirrers 18 and / or 25 temporarily follow the rotation of the power transmission magnet disk 16. Even in the case where the rotation cannot be performed and the rotation becomes impossible, the operation is started at the time of the restart after the elapse of the 6-minute operation and the 3-second stop, thereby avoiding the disadvantage that the stirring blade 20 is stopped for a long time.

In the above embodiment, the low-temperature heat sterilization apparatus P having a cooling / cooling function for the mix was described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is effective even if it has only a heat sterilization function. is there.

[0044]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the control device stops the stirring motor of the stirrer for a predetermined period from the start of the heat sterilization. Since the viscosity of the frozen dessert mix in the inside decreases, the resistance applied to the stirrer also decreases, so that the stirrer can smoothly rotate following the rotation of the power transmission magnetic disk when the stirring motor is subsequently started. Thus, the inconvenience that the stirrer cannot rotate can be solved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electric circuit diagram of a control device of a low-temperature heat sterilization apparatus as an example of the heat sterilization apparatus for frozen dessert mix of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the low-temperature heat sterilizer.

FIG. 3 is a main flowchart showing a program of a microcomputer.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a cooling subroutine showing a program of a microcomputer.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a sterilization subroutine showing a program of a microcomputer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a cooling / stirring motor subroutine showing a program of a microcomputer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a sterilizing and stirring motor subroutine showing a program of a microcomputer.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a temperature transition of brine detected by a temperature sensor and operations of a compressor and a stirring motor in a cooling step and a cooling step.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a temperature transition of brine detected by a temperature sensor in a heat sterilization step and operations of a heater and a stirring motor.

[Description of Signs] P Low Temperature Heat Sterilizer C Controller 7 Stirring Motor 8 Outer Tank 11 Heater 16 Power Transmission Magnet 20 Stirrer Blade 23 Inner Tank 25 Stirrer 31 Microcomputer 45 Motor Rotation Control Circuit

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A23G 9/00-9/30

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An inner tank containing a frozen dessert mix therein,
A heating device for heating and sterilizing the frozen dessert mix in the inner tank, and a stirrer for stirring the dessert mix, which is rotatably provided on a spindle provided in the inner tank and has a magnet, A stirring motor arranged so that a rotation shaft is located on the same axis as the support shaft; and a power transmission magnet attached to the rotation shaft and located outside the inner tank and magnetically coupled to the magnet. Board and
A control device for controlling the operation of the heating device and the stirring motor, wherein the control device stops the stirring motor for a predetermined period from the start of heat sterilization of the frozen dessert mix by the heating device. Heat sterilizer.