JP3152928B2 - Article cooling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in cooling devices, in particular, but not absolutely, for example, bottles, cans, food or other product containers, food or other product bags, or food products, etc. For cooling an article relatively quickly.

For example, in a business facility such as a restaurant, a pub, a hotel, and a bar, it is necessary to provide food and drinks in a cold state. One way to do this is to provide a large refrigeration room or refrigeration cabinet that can store large quantities of the product to be cooled and use standard refrigeration techniques to reduce the temperature of the product. However, when many cooling chambers are set to about + 2 ° C., it generally takes some time to lower the drink to the required temperature. In restaurants and other facilities, beer, wine, etc. must be adjusted to the taste of the drink of the customer, which is a problem, and it is extremely difficult to cool the drink to the proper temperature for urgent serving It is.

At home, the needs of consumers can be cold,
There is not much about the amount of drink to cool. Such consumers need only urgently cool a few drink containers. For such small-scale cooling, it is often inefficient (in terms of cost) to obtain a rapid cooling effect and unsatisfactory, often resulting in improper cooling of the beverage.

Conventional devices have the disadvantage that the usual shape of the refrigeration cabinet or compartment is relatively large and it takes as much as 10 to 12 hours to cool a large volume of drink bottles to a satisfactory temperature. After an initial drop in temperature, a typical refrigerated cabinet or room will have about 60 percent of the day, but about 1 hour after placing the product at ambient temperature.
Have only time.

Australian Patent Application No. 47155/85 by Castletonton Inc. describes a method and apparatus for rapidly cooling or freezing a product.
However, the method and apparatus are very complex and require a completely different design for each desired apparatus. International Application No. PCT / AU89 / 00360 of Multichil Pty. Ltd. describes the use of a pump for circulating a cooling fluid. No. Regarding the complexity of the device, Australian Patent Application No. 26106/30
No., US Patent No. 1329426, International Application No.PCT / AU87 / 00361
No. 23225/84 and Australian Patent No. 266814.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the problems and disadvantages of the prior art, for example, in bottles, cans, food or other product containers,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for relatively quickly cooling an article such as a bag of food or other products, or food.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention relates to an article cooling apparatus having a refrigerator, comprising: a container having a main bowl containing a cooling fluid; a container disposed in the main bowl; An inner bowl having at least one opening adjacent to the inner bowl, the opening allowing a cooling fluid to pass through a gap between the side wall of the inner bowl and the main bowl; An inner bowl provided with at least one hole operatively connected to said gap, and allowing fluid below the gap to flow into the inner bowl through a hole at the lower end of the inner bowl to raise the cooling fluid; Also, the main bowl or the inner side is allowed to flow into the gap through an opening adjacent to the top and to assist circulation of the cooling fluid flowing downward in the gap. And a cooling means provided on the main bowl or the inner bowl for cooling the cooling fluid, wherein the circulation means comprises an electric motor and an impeller. Both are immersed in the cooling fluid and the impeller lifts the cooling fluid from the gap, through the hole, into the inner bowl, and agitates to cause circulation.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the following description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the cooling device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an upper part of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the cooling device of the present invention, FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, a refrigeration system having an upper portion 10 and a lower portion 12 is shown. The lower part 12 is 4
Two mutually orthogonal walls, namely the front wall 14, the rear wall 16, and 2
Has two side walls 18. Furthermore, the lower part 12 has a base 20 from which the legs 22 project. The front wall 14 is provided with a number of horizontal louvers 24 to allow cooling air to circulate into the lower part 12. The base 20 is fitted with a refrigeration unit, which is of a standard design and includes a condenser 26, a motor 28, a compressor 30, and other components (not shown). Refrigeration equipment is standard and operates in a known manner and will not be described in detail.

The upper part 10 is made up of four mutually orthogonal walls, namely the front wall 3.
2. It has a rear wall 34 and side walls 36. Furthermore, the upper part 10
Is the top with hinged lid 40 and control panel 42
Has 38. The base 44 of the upper part 10 separates the upper part 10 from the lower part 12.

From the top portion 38, a bowl 46 attached to the top portion 38, which is integral with or separate from the top portion 38, is suspended. bowl
A smaller second bowl 48 is mounted inside 46. The bowl 46 has a side wall 50, an integral base 52, and a top 54. A concave portion 56 is provided at a joint portion between the side wall 50 and the top portion 54. The bowl 48 is provided with a side wall 58 having a step 60 therein which forms a side wall shelf 62. An annular base 64 is provided at the bottom end of the side wall 58, and an opening 66 is formed in the annular base 64.
Is provided. The base 64 is attached to the side wall 58 by a protrusion 68 and a gasket 70 projecting upward. A rounded rim 72 is provided at the upper end of the side wall 58 so that it can engage with a gasket 74 disposed in the recessed portion 56. On the side wall 58,
A series of holes 76 are provided below the rim 72. An insulating material 78 is provided around the bowl 46.

Above the base 52 of the bowl 46 and below the base 64 of the bowl 48, a coil 80 of a tube containing a coolant is arranged. The coiled tube is connected to the condensation unit 26 by pipes 82,84. In this way, the coil is operatively connected to the refrigeration unit and exhibits the required refrigeration capacity.

A motor 86 is attached to the base 64, and an impeller or
The agitator 88 is driven. Inside the bowl 48, a basket 90 holding the articles to be refrigerated, in the embodiment shown a bottle 92, is releasably mounted, the basket being fitted with side walls 94.
And an integral base 96 on the side wall. A bead 98 is projected outward from the joint between the side wall 94 and the base 96, and the
And the basket 96 is in place and the base 96 of the basket 90 is maintained above the agitate 88. The basket 90 has a top 100 through an opening 102 in the top 100 so that a bottle 92 or the like can be placed inside the basket 90.

Preferably, the side walls 94 and base 96 of the basket are formed of a perforated material, such as a mesh, grid, or the like, to allow free passage of fluid.

In use, the bowl 46 can be cooled,
It is also filled to a level below the hole 76 with fluid that can maintain the quality of the food product without any difficulties when using fluid in an unsealed container. For example, suitable fluids include propylene glycol, sodium chloride solution, and the like. With refrigeration equipment and coils 80, the fluid can be cooled to a temperature of about -20C. In ordinary cooling rooms and refrigerators, a temperature of + 2 ° C. or less is sufficient. Once the fluid is at operating temperature, the basket 90 containing the contents 92 can be placed in position within the bowl 48. The fluid level rises above hole 76 due to the agitating and raising action of motor 86 and agitator 88. Thus, fluid exits through hole 76 and flows into the gap between wall 50 of bowl 46 and wall 58 of bowl 48. Motor 86 drives agitator 88 to push fluid upward from basket 90. Therefore, the fluid is passed upward from the opening 66 of the base 64 and is passed through the motor 86. As a result, the motor 86 is cooled. Since the opening 66 is above the center of the coil 86, the opening 66
Fluid flowing down from 76 passes through coil 80 and into bowl 48
Raised inside. In this way, the fluid is cooled again. The contents 92 of the basket 90 can be cooled by a continuous cycle of fluid.

If desired, basket 90 and / or contents 92 may be prevented from contacting agitator 88 using means such as grill 104.

Tests have shown that the wine bottle cools in about 4 minutes when the fluid is at -20 ° C. That is, it takes about 1 minute to cool the glass of the bottle and about 3 minutes to cool the contents. If the bottle glass is cold, the wine will continue to cool when the bottle is removed from the fluid.

Referring now to the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7, this embodiment shows a refrigeration unit housed in a cabinet having a front wall 200, a rear wall 202, a side wall 204 and a base 206. A louver portion 208 is provided on at least one side wall 204 so that cooling air can circulate to cool the refrigerator 210. The refrigerator 210 has a standard design and will not be described in detail.

The cabinet is optionally provided with a top 212 having a lid (not shown). A control panel 214 is located on top 212. The top 212 is further provided with a central panel 216 in which the cooling compartment is located.

The first cooling compartment 218 has an outer or main bowl 220 surrounded by an insulating material. The main bowl 220 has the shape of a parallelepiped and has a deep portion 224 and a shallow portion 226. The main bowl 220 is provided with two internal bowls 228,230. The inner bowls 228, 230 may be separate parts or may be integral as shown. The inner bowl 228
Side wall 232 arranged in deep portion 224 and provided with recessed portion 234
And the grill 236 can be stopped. Grill 236
Can hold the bottle 239 and the like. A motor 238 is disposed below the grill 236, and the motor drives the agitator or impeller 240. The lower end of the side wall 232 contacts the motor 238, but has a plurality of openings 242. This allows the cooling fluid 244 almost filling the main bowl 220 to pass through the opening 242 and rise into the inner bowl 228 by the action of the impeller 240 and pass through the bottle 238. Immediately below the top of sidewall 232, a plurality of openings 246 are provided to allow fluid 244 to pass. In this way, the fluid 244 can be continuously circulated under the action of the impeller 240.

The second inner bowl 230 is smaller than the inner bowl 228,
Short dimensions for placement in the shallow section 226 of the main bowl 220. The first inner bowl 228 is intended to contain a product such as a bottle 239 and the second inner bowl 230 is intended to contain a can 248 or the like. Unlike the first inner bowl 228, the second inner bowl 230 is sealed against the flow of fluid 244. This means that the bowl 230
Means that the cooling time of the can at is approximately the same as that of the bottle 239 in the bowl 228.

A coil 248 is provided in the gap between the side wall 232 and the main bowl 220 to cool the fluid 244. In this way, the fluid 244 passing through the opening 246 reaches the opening 246 after passing through the coil 248. This facilitates cooling of the fluid 244. The coil 248 contains an appropriate coolant and is connected to the refrigerator 210 by a pipe 250.

Each of the bowls 228 and 230 has a rounded and bent rim 2
52 is provided and the rim 252 is sealed to a gasket 254 located in the channel 256 of the top 212.

The second refrigerated compartment is a refrigerated storage area 258 and has a generally rectangular bowl 260 integrally or separately attached to the central panel 216 of the top 212. The side wall 262 of the bowl 260 has an opening 264. Adjacent to this opening 264 is a coil 266 operatively connected to the refrigerator 210 as is the coil 284. This allows the bowl 260 and its contents to be cooled. Thus, any object contained in bowl 260 can continue to cool, but cannot be cooled as quickly as contained in second bowl 228 of first compartment 218.
The drainage area 268 is provided with an opening for returning the collected fluid 244 to the main bowl 220 of the first compartment 218. Alternatively,
The bowl 260 is provided with a heat conductive panel instead of the opening 264, or makes the entire bowl thermally conductive.

The third compartment is another refrigerated storage area 270. A large bowl is provided in this area. Since its structure and operation are the same as those of the bowl 260, it will not be described in detail.

The dimensions and locations of the openings 76, 246 are selected to suit the nature of the coolant, the temperature of the cooling fluid, and the cooling conditions. Lower cooling products require lower cooling fluid temperatures and higher flow rates. Similarly, a higher cooling fluid temperature requires a lower cooling fluid flow rate. This balance can be calculated over the temperature range from -30 ° C to + 2 ° C. Constant cooling below −30 ° C. does not form the interior of the ice and produces favorable results. Above + 2 ° C, the temperature difference cannot be maintained,
The product cannot be cooled in a short time.

As far as the actual operation of the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention is concerned, the electronic control panel and related circuits are constituted by a number of timed circuits, and a number of circuits are based on the result to be obtained, and individually control time. However, it allows the operator to place and refrigerate one or two bottles at a time, for example. In addition, bottles can be introduced at random intervals. Preferably, any suitable type of timing device and suitable alarm means may be provided, using indicators (visual and / or audio) to indicate when the bottle or drink container has reached the required temperature. can do. The power panel provides a relatively low voltage to the circuit and applies a thermostat to sustain the refrigeration cycle.

The cooling fluid should have food preservation properties that do not cause any difficulties when using media having an open top.
For example, compositions based on polypropylene glycol which have the advantage of corrosion resistance are preferred. Alternatively, a sodium chloride solution can be used, but with the disadvantage that it is susceptible to corrosion.

When chilling wine, beer or other drinks, equipment costs are greatly reduced, running and maintenance costs are improved, and time versatility is greatly increased. In other words, if you want a special bottle of wine,
You just have to take it out of the rack, chill it for a few minutes and store it. The host only needs to store a large amount of wine in the refrigerated storage area and anticipate guest demands. In this way, the storage time of wine can be lengthened.

It takes about 2 hours for the refrigeration unit to cool the cooling medium to about -20 DEG C. and circulates for about 40 percent of that time until the warm product is introduced, and then on demand. The device according to the invention needs to be operated continuously when cooling is required, and it is conceivable to replace the bar fridge.

The refrigeration apparatus itself according to the present invention must save refrigerated space for use in small liquor retail outlets, low turnover fast food stores, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, hospitals (for food or blood). For small-scale applications and small-scale ice-making, refrigeration of small-package foods such as meat, vegetables, fruits, etc., use of freezing and shrinking metal for interference fit of components, and quick and effective cooling or refrigeration It can be used for other applications.

What has been described above merely describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. An article cooling apparatus having a refrigerator, comprising: a container having a main bowl (46; 220) containing a cooling fluid; a container disposed in the main bowl (46; 220); and a side wall (58; 23).
2) an inner bowl having at least one opening (76; 246) adjacent to the top of the side wall, said opening (76; 246) defining said inner bowl with said side wall of said inner bowl; An inner bowl (48; 228) having at least one aperture (66; 242) at its lower end for allowing cooling fluid to pass through the gap between the bowl and the cooling fluid; ), Allowing the cooling fluid below the gap to flow into the inner bowl through holes (66; 242) at the lower end of the inner bowl, raising the cooling fluid, and opening (76; 246) adjacent the top.
Circulation means provided on the main bowl or the inner bowl to assist circulation of the cooling fluid flowing downward in the gap through the gap, and the main bowl for cooling the cooling fluid Or a cooling means provided in the inner bowl, wherein the circulating means comprises an electric motor (86; 238) and an impeller (88; 240).
6; 238) and the impeller (88; 240) are both immersed in the cooling fluid, and the impeller (88; 240) diverts the cooling fluid from the gap through the holes (66; 242) to the inner bowl (48; 240). 228) An article cooling apparatus characterized in that circulation is generated by lifting and agitating the article. 2. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inner bowl (48) has a base (64), said base having said at least one hole (66). 3. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said circulation means is attached to said base (64) of said inner bowl. 4. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means includes at least one coil (80; 248) operatively connected to said refrigerator. 5. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said coil (80; 248) is arranged in said gap. 6. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said at least one coil (80) is disposed below said base (64) and is substantially coaxial with said at least one hole (66). . 7. A shelf (62; 234) is provided in the middle of the height of the side wall (58; 232), and a spacer means for stopping the shelf is provided on the shelf, and the shelf (62; 234) is circulated. 2. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said article cooling apparatus is disposed above said means. 8. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said spacer means is a grill (104; 236). 9. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a basket (90) for holding said articles is provided, and said basket can be stored in said inner bowl. 10. An article cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second inner bowl (230) is provided in said main bowl (220), and said second inner bowl is sealed so as to prevent the inflow of cooling fluid. 11. Further, a compartment (260) is provided, and this compartment (2
60) providing at least one side wall (262) having at least one heat conducting area and providing at least one other cooling coil (266) adjacent said at least one heat conducting area. An article cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one other cooling coil (266) is operatively connected to the refrigeration device.