JP3369868B2 - Frozen dessert device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for pouring frozen desserts such as ice cream and yogurt.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional ice cream pouring device, a device shown in FIG. 9 is known. In this case, an air cylinder 53, in which a piston 52 is slidably fitted in a cylinder 51, is vertically installed in a freezing chamber 54, and an upper surface side of the piston 52 is a storage chamber 55 in which a pack A of ice cream is stored. And a pouring portion 57 provided with a cock 56
The air chamber 58 is formed on the lower surface side of the piston 52. Then, the hose 59 drawn out from the air chamber 58 is connected to the discharge port 61 of the compressor 60.
The operating air sucked from the freezing chamber 54 is supplied to the air chamber 58 to pressurize and raise the piston 52, whereby the ice cream in the pack A is poured out from the pouring portion 57. . The reason for using the air cylinder 53 instead of the hydraulic cylinder in the pouring device of this type is that since it deals with food, there is a concern that a leakage of hydraulic oil may cause a sanitary problem. The point is that it can be handled at cost.

[0003]

However, when the air cylinder 53 is used, the piston 52 and the cylinder 5 are not used.
Leakage is apt to occur at the seal portion between 1 and 1.
Therefore, there is a problem that the pressurizing operation becomes unstable and eventually the ice cream pouring operation lacks stability. Further, when the ice cream in the pack A is used up and replaced with a new pack A, the piston 52 must be lowered in order to widen the storage chamber 55.
The hose 59 of No. 8 is attached to the suction port 62 side of the compressor 60, and the working air in the air chamber 58 is sucked and discharged into the freezing chamber 54 to lower the piston 52. That is, the hose 59 has to be changed each time, and the piston 52 may not smoothly descend due to the above-mentioned leakage of the working air, and the operator may have to push down the piston 52 one by one. It was often the case, and there was the problem of trouble.
Further, in the conventional case, there is a possibility that the quality of the ice cream stored in the air cylinder 53 may be adversely affected due to the rise in the internal temperature when the door 63 is opened and closed.

The present invention was completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to stably perform a pressurizing operation of a fluid pressure cylinder and, consequently, a pouring operation of a frozen dessert. Especially. Another object is to easily switch the pressurizing operation and the depressurizing operation to the fluid pressure cylinder. Still another object is to maintain a constant quality of the frozen dessert contained in the cylinder.

[0005]

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 equips a cooling storage chamber with a fluid pressure cylinder in which a piston is slidably fitted in a cylinder. Then, the packed dessert is housed in one side of the piston, and the frozen dessert is sequentially poured out by supplying a working fluid to the other side of the piston to pressurize the frozen dessert one by one. It is characterized in that the working fluid of the pressure cylinder is an antifreeze liquid, and the antifreeze liquid can be supplied by a pump from the tank provided in the cooling storage chamber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pump is a reversible pump capable of discharging antifreeze to the fluid pressure cylinder side and sucking the antifreeze fluid from the fluid pressure cylinder side. It has characteristics. The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, an antifreeze liquid circulating device for circulating the antifreeze liquid around the fluid pressure cylinder is provided.
The invention of claim 4 is the same as the invention of claims 1 to 3.
And the pump is provided outside the cooling storage chamber.
It has a unique feature.

[0007]

[Operation and effect of the invention]

<Invention of Claim 1> When the antifreeze liquid in the tank is supplied to the fluid pressure cylinder by the pump, the piston is pressed to compress the bag and the frozen dessert is poured out. When the antifreeze liquid is returned from the fluid pressure cylinder to the tank side when replacing the bag,
The piston moves backward due to the negative pressure. Since the antifreeze is a liquid composed of components recognized as food additives, even if it leaks to the outside, there is no problem in food hygiene. That is, since the working fluid is the antifreeze liquid, there is no risk of leakage at the seal portion between the piston and the cylinder like air, and therefore there is no loss of pressurization and the frozen dessert can be stably poured out. Also, the backward drive of the piston can be smoothly performed. Further, since the structure is pressurized with a liquid such as antifreeze, there is no residual pressure in the fluid pressure cylinder when the pump is stopped, and the action of pouring the frozen dessert can be immediately stopped. Further, since the antifreeze liquid having a function as a cold storage material is provided in the cooling storage chamber, the rise in temperature inside the refrigerator when the door is opened and closed is suppressed,
For example, if you store a spare bag of frozen desserts in the refrigerator,
The quality deterioration can be prevented.

<Invention of Claim 2> The antifreeze liquid is supplied to the fluid pressure cylinder side by driving the pump in the forward direction so that the frozen dessert is poured out, and the antifreeze liquid is fed in the reverse direction to drive the antifreeze liquid. When the bag is replaced, the piston is driven backward to drive the piston. For example, the forward and backward movements of the piston can be easily controlled by operating a switch provided outside. <Invention of Claim 3> The inside of the fluid pressure cylinder is kept at a constant temperature by circulating the antifreeze liquid around the fluid pressure cylinder,
The quality of frozen desserts housed inside can be kept constant.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A number of embodiments in which the present invention is applied to an ice cream dispenser will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a freezer consisting of a heat-insulating box, inside of which is a freezer compartment 2, and a door 3 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface. The freezer 1 is covered with a casing 5 from the rear surface to the bottom surface, a space 6 on the rear surface side is a space for piping, and a space on the bottom surface side is a machine room 7. The ceiling part of the freezer compartment 2 is equipped with a cooler 9 connected to the refrigerator 8 provided in the machine room 7 and an internal fan 10, and cool air generated near the cooler 9 is stored in the refrigerator. Freezer 2 by internal fan 10
It is circulated and supplied internally.

A fluid pressure cylinder 1 is provided on the front side of the freezer compartment 2.
1 is installed vertically. This fluid pressure cylinder 11
Has a structure in which a piston 13 having a piston ring 14 fitted on the outer periphery is tightly and freely slidably fitted in a cylinder 12 having heat insulation properties, and the working fluid is an antifreeze liquid X.
Has become. This antifreeze liquid X is a well-known liquid containing alcohol or ethylene glycol as a main component and having a low freezing point. A pack accommodating chamber 16 is formed on the upper surface side of the piston 13 in the fluid pressure cylinder 11, in which the elastic pack A containing ice cream can be accommodated and the piston 1
A pressure chamber 17 through which the antifreeze liquid X is supplied and discharged is formed on the lower surface side of 3.

An upper end surface of the pack accommodating chamber 16 is opened, a cap 18 is removably attached thereto, and a connection port 19 is opened on the front surface side of the upper end portion and is provided in the pack A. The take-out port B is fitted. Further, a spout pipe 20 is provided in the door 3 in a horizontal penetrating manner, and an inner end portion thereof is connected to the connection port 1 of the pack accommodating chamber 16.
A spout 22 having a cock 21 for opening and closing is provided at the outward protruding end while being connected to the spout 9.

A tank 24 for storing the antifreeze liquid X is installed on the rear surface side in the freezing compartment 2. On the other hand, in the machine room 7, a pump 26 that pumps up and discharges the antifreeze liquid X is installed. This pump 26 is a reversible pump and, when driven in the forward direction, is the first of the two ports 27, 28.
When the antifreeze liquid X is sucked from the port 27 and discharged from the second port 28 and driven in the opposite direction, the antifreeze liquid X is sucked from the second port 28 and discharged from the first port 27. The first port 27 is connected to the tank 24, and the second port 28 is connected to the hose 29 drawn from the pressure chamber 17. In the freezer compartment 2, a pack A of ice cream to be used next can be stored.

The first embodiment has the above-mentioned structure, and its operation will be described below. In the pack accommodating chamber 16 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11, an ice cream pack A is accommodated as shown by a chain line in FIG. To dispense the ice cream, the cock 21 is opened and a dispense switch (not shown) is turned on. As a result, the pump 26 is driven in the forward direction, and as shown by the arrow in FIG.
The antifreeze liquid X in the liquid 4 is pumped up from the first port 27 and discharged from the second port 28, and the antifreeze liquid X is supplied into the pressure chamber 17 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 and pressurized. As a result, the piston 13 rises and the pack A is compressed, the ice cream flows out from the outlet B of the pack A, and the pour-out pipe 20
And is poured into the container from the pouring portion 22. When an appropriate amount is dispensed, the cock 21 is closed and the dispensing switch is turned off, so that the pump 26 stops and the dispensing action also stops. When the ice cream is to be poured out again, the above operation may be repeated.

When the pouring operation is repeated and the ice cream in the pack A is used up, the ice cream is replaced with a new pack A. Prior to that, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, up to near the upper end of the fluid pressure cylinder 11. Ascended piston 13
Is lowered to expand the pack storage chamber 16. In that case, when a pack exchange switch (not shown) is turned on, the pump 26 is driven in the reverse direction. Then, the antifreeze liquid X in the pressure chamber 17 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is sucked from the second port 28 and returned to the tank 24 from the first port 27, as shown by the dashed arrow in the figure. As a result, the inside of the pressure chamber 17 leans to a negative pressure, and the piston 13 descends as shown by the solid line in FIG. Then, the door 3 may be opened, the cap 18 may be removed, the used pack A may be taken out, and a new pack A stocked in the freezer compartment 2 may be accommodated instead.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the working fluid supplied to and discharged from the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is the antifreeze liquid X,
Unlike air, there is no risk of leakage at the seal portion between the piston and cylinder, and therefore there is no loss of pressure and ice cream can be stably poured out.
Also, the piston 13 can be smoothly lowered when the pack A is replaced.

Further, when the air cylinder is used as in the conventional case, residual pressure exists when the compressor is stopped from the pressurized state, so that the pack is in the pressurized state and the cock must be completely closed. It takes a lot of force as the ice cream leaks out and the cock has to close against pressure. In addition, there are drawbacks such as requiring caution when cleaning the spout and removing the cap. In that respect, in the present embodiment, since the structure is pressurized with a liquid such as the antifreeze liquid X,
When the pump 26 is stopped, there is no residual pressure in the fluid pressure cylinder 11, and the ice cream pouring action can be immediately stopped. Further, the valve closing operation of the cock 21 can be performed with a small force, and the washing of the spout portion 22 and the removal work of the cap 18 can be performed without paying special attention.

Further, the antifreeze liquid X has a function as a regenerator material, and since the tank 24 storing the antifreeze liquid X is provided in the freezer compartment 2, the temperature inside the refrigerator when the door 3 is opened and closed is controlled. The rise can be suppressed, and the quality of the ice cream in the pack A stocked in the refrigerator can be prevented from deteriorating. Also, the antifreeze liquid X supplied into the pressure chamber 17
Thereby, the ice cream in the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is also kept cool. Since the antifreeze liquid X is a liquid consisting of components recognized as food additives, even if it leaks to the outside of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 or the tank 24, there is no problem in food hygiene.

<Modification of First Embodiment> FIGS. 3 to 5
Shows three modified examples in which the installation structure of the fluid pressure cylinder is modified. The first modified example shown in FIG. 3 shows an example in which the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is installed laterally in the freezer compartment 2. In the second modified example shown in FIG. 4, the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is installed in the freezing compartment 2 in an oblique posture. In the third modified example shown in FIG. 5, the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is installed upside down. In addition, in each modification, the freezer 1 and other components are partially different in shape from the first embodiment,
Since it is functionally similar to that illustrated in the first embodiment, the duplicated description is omitted by attaching the same reference numerals.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this second embodiment, improvements are made to keep the ice cream contained in the fluid pressure cylinder of higher quality. In the following, constituent members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be described by appropriately assigning the same reference numerals.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the fluid pressure cylinder 11 that operates with the antifreeze liquid X is installed in the cabinet in a horizontal posture with the pack accommodating chamber 16 facing forward. A pour-out pipe 20 is provided so as to project downward at the front end of the pack accommodating chamber 16, the lower end thereof penetrates the bottom surface of the freezer 1 and projects to the lower surface thereof, and the pour-out portion 22 is provided therein. The cooler 9 connected to the refrigerator 8 provided in the machine room 7 is provided in the tank 24 for storing the antifreeze liquid X installed on the bottom surface of the compartment, and the cooler 9 allows the tank 24 to be stored.
The antifreeze liquid X inside is cooled. Machine room 7
A reversible pump 26 is installed therein, the first port 27 is connected to the tank 24 via a flow pipe 30, and the second port 28 is connected to the pressure chamber 17 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 via a flow pipe 31. Connected with.

A cylinder cover 33 is provided on the outer circumference of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 in the shape of a double pipe, and a closed antifreeze liquid circulation passage 34 having an annular cross section is formed between them. Further, an inflow pipe 36 is provided in the middle of the flow pipe 31 drawn out from the second port 28 of the pump 26, and the inflow pipe 36 is connected to the lower surface on the rear end side of the antifreeze circulation passage 34. Has been done. Meanwhile, the antifreeze circuit 34
The outflow pipe 37 is drawn out from the upper surface on the front end side of the, and its tip faces the tank 24. A first opening / closing valve 39 is provided on the side of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 of the branch portion of the flow pipe 31 drawn out from the second port 28 of the pump 26, and the inflow pipe 36 to the antifreeze liquid circulation passage 34 is provided. Is provided with a second on-off valve 40. These on-off valves 3
9 and 40 are interlocked with the on / off operation of the pouring switch,
Opening and closing are controlled so that the opened and closed states are opposite to each other.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. First, in the pouring standby state, as shown in FIG. 7A, the first opening / closing valve 39 is closed and the second opening / closing valve 40 is opened, and the pump 26 is driven in the forward direction. Accordingly, the antifreeze liquid X sucked from the tank 24 is discharged from the second port 28 to the inflow pipe 36 side, and circulates in the circulation path 34 around the fluid pressure cylinder 11 from the rear end side to the front end side. After that, it is returned to the tank 24 from the outflow pipe 37, that is, circulated. Fluid pressure cylinder 11
By circulating the low-temperature antifreeze liquid X around, the inside of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is maintained in a cooled state, and the pack accommodating chamber 16
The ice cream contained in the pack A is maintained in a constant quality.

When the pouring switch is turned on, the first opening / closing valve 39 is opened and the second opening / closing valve 40 is switched to the closed state as shown in FIG. 7 (B). Then, the antifreeze liquid X sucked from the tank 24 is discharged from the second port 28 to the flow pipe 31, and the antifreeze liquid X is supplied and pressurized in the pressure chamber 17 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11. As a result, the piston 13 advances and the pack A is compressed, and the ice cream in the pack A is poured out. When the dispense switch is turned off,
As soon as the pouring is stopped, the first
The open / close valve 39 is closed and the second open / close valve 40 is switched to the open state, and the antifreeze liquid X is added to the circulation path 34 around the fluid pressure cylinder 11.
Are circulated. When the ice cream in the pack A is used up and the pack A needs to be replaced by repeating the pouring operation, the open / close state of the open / close valves 39 and 40 is set to the state of FIG. When driven in the opposite direction, the antifreeze liquid X in the pressure chamber 17 of the fluid pressure cylinder 11 is returned to the tank 24 through the flow passage 31, and the piston 13 can be retracted accordingly.

As described above, in the second embodiment, since the cooled antifreeze liquid X is circulated around the fluid pressure cylinder 11 during the pouring standby, the temperature inside the fluid pressure cylinder 11 becomes low. Pack A kept and housed inside
The quality of the ice cream inside is kept constant. In addition, the influence of the rise in the internal temperature when the door 3 is opened is hardly affected. Further, the switching between the pressurizing operation and the circulating operation can be easily and accurately performed only by controlling the opening / closing of the two opening / closing valves 39 and 40.

<Modification of Second Embodiment> FIG. 8 shows a modification of the second embodiment, in which a fluid pressure cylinder 11 is vertically installed in the freezer 1. Since other basic structures and functions are the same as those of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the constituent members having the same function, and the duplicated description will be omitted. It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the second embodiment.

<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 to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The ice cream referred to in the above embodiment includes both soft ice cream and hard ice cream, and the present invention is not limited to ice cream, and other frozen dessert dispensing devices such as yogurt and sherbet. It can be widely applied in general.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the piston is lowered.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a first modified example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the second modified example.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the third modification example.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining its operation.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a modified example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: Ice cream pack X: Antifreeze liquid 2 ... Freezing chamber 11 ... Fluid pressure cylinder 12 ... Cylinder 13 ... Piston 16 ... Pack storage chamber 17 ... Pressure chamber 22 ... Pouring part 24 ... Tank 26 ... Pump 27, 28 ... (Pump 26) Port 31 ... Circulation pipe 34 ... Antifreeze circulation circuit 36 ... Inflow pipe 37 ... Outflow pipe 39, 40 ... Open / close valve

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-1-160456 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A23G 1/00-9/30

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fluid pressure cylinder in which a piston is slidably fitted in the cylinder is provided in a cooling storage chamber, a bag of frozen dessert is stored in one side of the piston, and the other side of the piston operates. In a frozen dessert pouring device for sequentially pouring frozen desserts by supplying and pressurizing a fluid, the working fluid of the fluid pressure cylinder is an antifreezing liquid, and the antifreezing liquid is from a tank equipped in the cooling storage chamber. A device for pouring frozen desserts, which can be supplied by a pump. 2. The frozen dessert dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the pump is a reversible pump that discharges antifreeze liquid to the fluid pressure cylinder side and can suck the antifreeze liquid from the fluid pressure cylinder side. 3. The frozen dessert pouring device according to claim 1, further comprising an antifreeze liquid circulating device for circulating the antifreeze liquid around the fluid pressure cylinder. 4. The pump is provided outside the cooling storage chamber.
Claims 1 to 3 are characterized in that
The frozen dessert dispensing device according to any one of the above.