JP3942314B2 - Frozen confectionery manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a frozen confection manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a frozen confection such as soft ice cream.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As this type of apparatus, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-20304, a cooling device comprising a compressor, a condenser, a throttle, a cooling cylinder and a cooler equipped in a hopper (mix tank) is provided. The refrigerant circuit is reversible by a four-way valve, and during the manufacture of frozen desserts, a liquefied refrigerant is flowed through the cooler to execute a cooling cycle in which the cooling cylinder and hopper are cooled. At the time of mixing and sterilizing the device, high-temperature refrigerant gas (hot gas) from the compressor is used. Is conducted to the cooler to dissipate heat, and the cooler acts as a heat radiator to perform a heating cycle in which the cooling cylinder and the hopper are heated.
[0003]
A beater driven by a beater motor is installed in the cooling cylinder, and the mix in the cooling cylinder is cooled by the cooler during the cooling operation and stirred by the beater to produce a frozen dessert such as soft cream (cooling cycle). ). Also, during the sterilization / cooling operation, the mix temperature in the cooling cylinder is maintained in the heating temperature range of + 69 ° C to + 72 ° C for about 40 minutes (heating cycle so far), and then cooled to + 8 ° C to + 10 ° C. It was to carry out the cooling process.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the heating cycle in such a sterilization process, the liquid refrigerant condensed by heating the cooling cylinder and the hopper flows into the condenser, where it is separated into gas and liquid and returns to the compressor. A large amount of accumulated liquid refrigerant flows out, and there is a problem that liquid back of the compressor occurs.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the conventional technical problems, and provides a frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus that can effectively eliminate the liquid back to the compressor during the heating cycle.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a hopper for storing and keeping the mix, a cooling cylinder for cooling the mix appropriately supplied from the hopper, a cooling device including a cooler, a compressor, and a condenser for cooling the hopper and the cooling cylinder. The cooling cylinder and hopper heating cycle are executed by flowing hot gas discharged from the compressor in the order of the cooler and the condenser, and the compressor-side piping of the condenser is arranged above the condenser And a bypass circuit that is mounted up and down across the inlet / outlet piping of the capacitor and connected in parallel to the capacitor, and a check valve provided in the bypass circuit. Is a forward direction.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus, wherein the flow path area of the bypass circuit is set narrower than the piping of the capacitor.
[0008]
According to the present invention, there is provided a hopper that stores and cools the mix, a cooling cylinder that cools the mix appropriately supplied from the hopper, and a cooling device that includes a cooler, a compressor, and a condenser that cool the hopper and the cooling cylinder. In the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus that executes the heating cycle of the cooling cylinder and the hopper by flowing the hot gas discharged from the compressor in the order of the cooler and the condenser, the piping on the compressor side of the condenser is arranged above the condenser. The bypass circuit is installed up and down across the inlet / outlet piping of the capacitor and connected in parallel to the capacitor, and the bypass circuit is provided with a check valve. So, during the heating cycle, the capacitor And bypass, by the gas back to the compressor via a check valve, it is possible to prevent the liquid back to the compressor effectively.
[0009]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, in addition to this, the flow passage area of the bypass circuit is set to be narrower than the piping of the condenser, so that the liquid refrigerant in the condenser together with the gas passing through the bypass circuit is appropriately compressed. Thus, it becomes possible to prevent a compressor failure or other abnormality from occurring due to overload.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of a soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus SM as an embodiment of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus SM, and FIG. 3 is the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus 2 shows a block diagram of the SM control device C. FIG. The soft cream manufacturing apparatus SM of the embodiment is a tabletop apparatus that manufactures and sells one type of soft cream, for example, vanilla soft cream or chocolate soft cream.
[0011]
In each figure, 1 is a main body, 2 is a raw material for frozen confectionery (soft cream), a hopper for storing a so-called mix, and has a hopper cover 3 that is removed when the mix is replenished, and a hopper cooling coil wound around the hopper 2 (Hopper cooler) 4 keeps the mix cold. The hopper stirrer 5 provided in the inner bottom portion is also a stirrer when a predetermined amount or more of the mix is put in the hopper 2 and is sterilized by heating with the refrigerant gas flowing in the hopper cooling coil 4 opposite to the cooling time, that is, hot gas. The motor 6 is rotationally driven.
[0012]
7 is a mix detection device that detects whether or not the hopper 2 has a predetermined amount or more of the mix. The mix detection device 7 includes a pair of conductive electrodes. The flow of hot gas is stopped and the rotation speed of the hopper stirrer 5 is switched so as not to perform the heat sterilization process described later.
[0013]
Reference numeral 8 denotes a cooling cylinder for producing a frozen dessert by rotating and stirring the mix appropriately supplied from the hopper 2 by the mix feeder 9 using the beater 10, and a cylinder cooler 11 is arranged around the cooling cylinder. The beater 10 is rotated via a beater motor 12, a drive transmission belt, a speed reducer 13, and a rotating shaft. The manufactured frozen confectionery (soft cream) is taken out by operating the take-out lever 15 disposed on the freezer door 14 so that the plunger 16 moves up and down to open an extraction path (not shown).
[0014]
Next, a cooling device for cooling the hopper 2 and the cooling cylinder 8 will be described. 18 is a compressor, 19 is a four-way valve for switching the direction of flow of refrigerant discharged from the compressor 18 during the cooling cycle (solid line state in FIG. 2) and during the heating cycle (dotted line state in FIG. 2), and 20 is a condensing fan. 17 is a condenser cooled by air, and condenses and liquefies the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas flowing in through the check valve 21 to obtain a liquefied refrigerant.
[0015]
The liquefied refrigerant is divided into two parts through a dryer 23 and a check valve 22, and one of them flows into the cylinder cooler 11 through a cylinder cooling valve 24 and a cooling cylinder capillary tube 25, where it evaporates and evaporates the cooling cylinder 8. Cooling. Then, the other flows into the hopper cooling coil 4 through the hopper cooling valve 26 and the hopper capillary tube 27 in the preceding stage, and similarly evaporates and cools the hopper 2, and then exits through the capillary tube 28 in the subsequent stage. Go.
[0016]
The refrigerant gas after cooling the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 joins in the accumulator 30 and then forms a cooling cycle that returns to the compressor 18 through the four-way valve 19 and the accumulator 39, and the refrigerant flows in the direction of the solid line. A cooling operation is performed.
[0017]
By the way, in this cooling operation, it is necessary to keep the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 cooled to a predetermined temperature in order to obtain a high-quality frozen dessert. Therefore, a cylinder sensor 31 (FIG. 3) for detecting the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 is provided. The cylinder sensor 31 turns on (opens) the cylinder cooling valve 24 and turns on the compressor 18 by equilibrium temperature control as described in detail later. When the cylinder cooling valve 24 is OFF (closed), the hopper cooling valve 26 is opened / closed and the compressor 18 is turned ON / OFF. That is, the cooling of the cooling cylinder 8 is prioritized and the hopper cooling valve 26 is turned on under the condition that the cylinder cooling valve 24 is turned off.
[0018]
After the sale is made under the above-described cooling operation, the mix is sterilized by the heating method when the store is closed. In this case, the cooling device is switched from the cooling cycle to the heating cycle operation. That is, the four-way valve 19 is operated to cause the refrigerant to flow as indicated by a dotted arrow. Then, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas from the compressor 18, that is, the hot gas, is divided into two hands through the four-way valve 19 and the accumulator 30, one directly to the cylinder cooler 11 and the other to the hopper via the check valve 33. It flows into the coil 4 and generates a heat dissipation action in each of them, and the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 are heated for a predetermined time at a specified sterilization temperature.
[0019]
The liquefied refrigerant after heat dissipation merges via the cylinder hot gas valve 34 and the hopper hot gas valve 35, respectively, and is separated into gas and liquid by the capacitor 20 via the check valve 40. The refrigerant gas is a reverse solenoid valve 36 provided in parallel. Then, a heating cycle is formed that passes through the reverse capillary tube 37, passes through the four-way valve 19 and the accumulator 39, and returns to the compressor 18. 38 is a sterilization / cooling sensor for detecting the heating temperature of the cooling cylinder 8, and the cylinder hot gas valve 34 is set at upper and lower set temperature values in a predetermined range so that a prescribed sterilization temperature is maintained for the mix. In addition, the compressor 18 is turned on and off.
[0020]
Further, the sterilization / cooling sensor 38 measures the heating temperature of the cooling cylinder 8. Since it can be determined that the measured temperature is substantially close to the heating temperature of the mix, the sterilization / cooling sensor 38 is used as the mix temperature detection sensor. Can also be used as It is also possible to perform opening / closing control of the reverse solenoid valve 36 using the mix temperature information detected by the sterilization / cooling sensor 38.
[0021]
In addition, the hopper 2 is heated by a hopper sensor 32 that detects the temperature of the hopper 2, and the hopper hot gas valve 35 and the compressor 18 are turned on and off at the same set temperature value set in the cooling cylinder 8. It is like that. Further, the sterilization / cooling sensor 38 shifts to cooling after heat sterilization, and the compressor 18 is turned on / off so as to maintain a certain low temperature state until the next day's sales point, that is, at a cool temperature (about + 8 ° C. to + 10 ° C.). Control and ON / OFF control of the cylinder cooling valve 24 and the hopper cooling valve 26 are performed.
[0022]
In this case, a bypass circuit 42 is connected in parallel to the capacitor 20, and a check valve 41 is connected to the bypass circuit 42. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the bypass circuit 42 is vertically installed on the side surface of the capacitor 20 across the inlet / outlet piping, and the check valve 41 is forward in the forward direction (FIG. 4 shows the capacitor 20). Side view).
[0023]
In this figure, 20A is a pipe connected to the reverse solenoid valve 36 or the like (compressor 18 side), and 20B is a pipe connected to the check valve 40 or the like (cylinder cooler 11 side). The flow passage area in the check valve 41 is set to be narrower than the piping of the capacitor 20.
[0024]
Here, during the heating cycle, the refrigerant liquefied by the cylinder cooler 11 and the hopper cooling coil 4 flows into the capacitor 20 as described above. The pipe 20 </ b> A on the compressor 18 side is disposed above the condenser 20 in order to cause the condenser 20 to act as a gas-liquid separator and prevent the refrigerant 18 from being sucked into the compressor 18.
[0025]
However, in particular, since the capacitor 20 is an air cooling system, a large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulated in the capacitor 20 flows out of the pipe 20A together with the gas in the second half of the heating cycle. The bypass circuit 42 is installed for this purpose and serves to bypass the condenser 20 during the heating cycle and return the gas to the compressor 18 via the check valve 41 to prevent so-called liquid back.
[0026]
On the other hand, if only the gas is returned by the bypass circuit 42, the discharge temperature of the compressor 18 is abnormally increased and an overload state occurs, so that the flow passage area in the check valve 41 is reduced as described above. It is set to be narrower than the piping, and consideration is given to bringing back a small amount of liquid refrigerant (mist) in the capacitor 20 due to the pressure difference.
[0027]
As described above, the reverse solenoid valve 36 is controlled to be opened and closed by the mix detection temperature of the sterilization / cooling sensor 38 and the compressor energization current in order to suppress the high load operation of the compressor 18. Further, 44 is an electrical box, and 45 is a front drain receptacle (shown in an exploded view). Furthermore, 55 is a water tap, which is used to supply water to the hopper 2 and the cooling cylinder 8 during the mix cleaning. Furthermore, reference numeral 43 denotes a bypass valve, which releases the pressure from the high pressure side to the low pressure side of the compressor 18 at the time of starting to improve startability.
[0028]
In FIG. 3, the control device C is configured on a substrate housed in the electrical box 44 and is designed around a general-purpose microcomputer (control means) 46. The microcomputer 46 includes the cylinder sensor 31. The outputs of the hopper sensor 32 and the sterilization / cooling sensor 38 are input, and the microcomputer 46 outputs the compressor motor 18M of the compressor 18, the beater motor 12, the stirrer motor 6, the cylinder cooling valve 24, and the cylinder hot gas valve 34. The hopper cooling valve 26, the hopper hot gas valve 35, the four-way valve 19, the reverse solenoid valve 36, the bypass valve 43, and the condensing fan 17 are connected.
[0029]
In this figure, 47 is a current sensor (CT) for detecting the energizing current of the compressor motor 18M, 48 is a current sensor (CT) for detecting the energizing current of the beater motor 12, and any output is input to the microcomputer 46. ing. An extraction switch 51 is opened and closed by operating the take-out lever 15, and its contact output is input to the microcomputer 46.
[0030]
49 is a cooling setting volume for adjusting the cooling setting of the frozen dessert in three stages of “1” (weak), “2” (medium), and “3” (strong), and 53 is a threshold value of the beater motor current ( This is a threshold setting volume as an adjusting means for arbitrarily setting (setting value) in the range of 2.3 A to 3.3 A, for example, and any output is input to the microcomputer 46. Reference numeral 52 denotes a key input circuit including various switches for instructing the microcomputer 46 to perform various operations. The cooling setting volume 49 and the key input circuit 52 are disposed on an operation panel (not shown) of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus SM. The threshold setting volume 53 is attached to the substrate of the control device C.
[0031]
Furthermore, an LED display 54 for performing various display operations such as an alarm is connected to the output of the microcomputer 46.
[0032]
With the above configuration, the operation of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus SM will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus SM of the embodiment is started, as shown in the timing charts of FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, cooling operation (cooling process, defrost process), sterilization / cooling operation (sterilization temperature increasing process, sterilization process) Each operation of a holding process, a cold insulation pull-down process, and a cold insulation holding process) is performed. FIG. 9 shows details of the cooling process of FIG. In addition, the setting of the cooling setting volume 49 is set to “1” for the cooling setting of the frozen dessert.
[0033]
First, the cooling operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the cooling operation switch provided in the key input circuit 52 is operated, after resetting everything, the microcomputer 46 sets the cooling flag in step S1 of FIG. 5 or resets it to “0”. Judge whether it has been.
[0034]
If it is assumed that the cooling flag is reset at the start of operation (pull-down), whether or not the current mix temperature in the cooling cylinder 8 is equal to or higher than the cooling end temperature +0.5 degrees based on the output of the cylinder sensor 31 in step S2. Judge. If the temperature of the mix is high, the process proceeds to step S3, the measurement timer (which the microcomputer 46 has as its function) is cleared, the current mix temperature is set to the temperature before t seconds in step S4, and step S5. In step S6, the cooling flag is set and the cooling operation is executed.
[0035]
In this cooling operation, the microcomputer 46 executes the equilibrium temperature control described below. That is, the microcomputer 46 operates the compressor 18 (compressor motor 18M), and the four-way valve 19 is set to the cooling cycle (non-energized). Then, the cylinder cooling valve 24 is turned on (opened), the hopper cooling valve 26 is turned off (closed), and the cylinder hot gas valve 34 and the hopper hot gas valve are turned off. Further, the beater 10 is rotated by the beater motor 12.
[0036]
Thereby, the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 is cooled by the cylinder cooler 11 and stirred by the beater 10 as described above. Here, as described above, even if the cooling setting of the cooling setting volume 49 is set to “1”, the microcomputer 46 is forcibly set to “3” during the pull-down. In the cooling setting “3”, t seconds is 40 seconds, T ° C. (described later) is 0.1 ° C., and in the cooling setting “2”, t seconds is 20 seconds, T ° C. is 0.1 ° C., and cooling setting “1”. In this case, t seconds is 20 seconds and T ° C. is 0.2 ° C.
[0037]
Next, the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S1 to step S7, determines whether or not the measurement timer is measuring, and if not measuring, starts measurement in step S8. Next, in step S9, it is determined whether the count of the measurement timer has elapsed t seconds. If not, the process returns. When t seconds (in this case, 40 seconds) have elapsed from the start of counting by the measurement timer, the microcomputer 46 determines that the difference between the current mix temperature and the temperature before t seconds is T ° C (step S10) based on the output of the cylinder sensor 31. In this case, it is determined whether or not the temperature is 0.1 ° C. or less. If not, the process returns to step S3 to clear the measurement timer and execute steps S4 to S6.
[0038]
Thereafter, this is repeated to cool the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 while stirring. Here, the temperature of the mix decreases with the progress of cooling, and the temperature drop gradually slows as it approaches the freezing point unique to the mix. When the temperature drop during 40 seconds (t seconds) (difference between the current mix temperature and the temperature before t seconds) becomes 0.1 ° C. (T ° C.) or less, the process proceeds from step S10 to step S11.
[0039]
In step S <b> 11, the microcomputer 46 determines whether the energization current of the beater motor 12 is equal to or greater than the threshold based on the output of the current sensor 48. The mix cooled while being stirred in the cooling cylinder 8 has a predetermined hardness when it becomes a frozen confection for sale. And since the load of the beater 10 which is stirring it increases with the hardness of frozen confectionery (soft cream), the energization current of the beater motor 12 increases.
[0040]
This threshold value is appropriately set by a threshold setting volume 53 according to the type of mix. That is, the threshold value may be set low for a mix that is a relatively soft product, and the threshold value may be set high for a mix that is a relatively hard product. If it is assumed that the energizing current of the beater motor 12 has exceeded the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S15.
[0041]
In step S15, the current mix temperature is set to the cooling end temperature (OFF point temperature), the cooling flag is reset in step S16, and cooling is stopped in step S17.
[0042]
That is, in this cooling stop, the microcomputer 46 turns off the cylinder cooling valve 24 and turns on the hopper cooling valve 26 instead. Thereby, the cooling of the cooling cylinder 8 is stopped, and the hopper 2 is now cooled by turning on the hopper cooling valve 26. Since the pull-down is completed, the microcomputer 46 returns the cooling setting to “1” set by the volume 49.
[0043]
Then, the microcomputer 46 returns to step S1, but since the cooling flag is reset here, the microcomputer 46 now proceeds to step S2, and based on the output of the cylinder sensor 31, the current mix temperature is set to the cooling end temperature (OFF). It is determined whether or not the temperature has risen to (point temperature) + 0.5 ° C or higher. If not, the process proceeds to step S16, and thereafter this is repeated. The microcomputer 46, based on the output of the hopper sensor 32, turns off the hopper cooling valve 26 and also stops the compressor 18 in this case when the temperature of the hopper 2 is also cooled below a predetermined temperature. . In the embodiment, the hopper cooling valve 26 is turned on at 10 ° C. and turned off at 8 ° C.
[0044]
When the temperature of the mix (frozen dessert) rises to the cooling end temperature (OFF point temperature) + 0.5 ° C. or higher, the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S2 to step S3, and thereafter starts cooling the cooling cylinder 8 in the same manner. It is.
[0045]
Here, if a cooling failure occurs due to a high outside air temperature where the soft cream manufacturing apparatus SM is installed, the hardness of the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 can be sold as a product even if the temperature detected by the cylinder sensor 31 is low. It will not rise to the extent. In such a situation, since the load applied to the beater 10 does not increase so much, the increase in the energization current of the beater motor 12 also slows (or does not increase) and does not exceed the threshold value.
[0046]
When the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S10 to step S11, if the energizing current of the beater motor 12 does not exceed the threshold value in step S11, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S12 and determines whether or not the current cooling setting is “3”. to decide. At this time, since the cooling setting is “1”, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S13 and shifts the cooling setting by one step (that is, shifts to “2” in this case) (* 7 → * 8 in FIG. 9). .
[0047]
And it returns to step S3 from step S13, and while clearing a measurement timer, said step S4-step S6 are performed. Thereafter, this is repeated to cool the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 while further stirring. Then, when the temperature drop (the difference between the current mix temperature and the temperature before t seconds) for 20 seconds (t seconds) set by the cooling setting “2” is 0.1 ° C. (T ° C.) or less, The process proceeds from step S10 to step S11.
[0048]
In step S11, similarly, the microcomputer 46 determines whether the energization current of the beater motor 12 is equal to or greater than the threshold value based on the output of the current sensor 48. If the energizing current of the beater motor 12 still does not exceed the threshold value, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S12 and determines whether or not the current cooling setting is “3”. At this time, since the cooling setting is “2”, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S13 and shifts the cooling setting by one step (that is, shifts to “3” in this case) (* 8 → * 9 in FIG. 9). .
[0049]
And it returns to step S3 from step S13, and while clearing a measurement timer, said step S4-step S6 are performed. Thereafter, this is repeated to cool the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 while further stirring. Then, when the temperature drop (the difference between the current mix temperature and the temperature before t seconds) for 40 seconds (t seconds) set by the cooling setting “3” is 0.1 ° C. (T ° C.) or less, The process proceeds from step S10 to step S11.
[0050]
In step S11, similarly, the microcomputer 46 determines whether the energization current of the beater motor 12 is equal to or greater than the threshold value based on the output of the current sensor 48. If the energization current of the beater motor 12 still does not exceed the threshold value, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S12 and determines whether or not the current cooling setting is “3”. At this time, since the cooling setting has been shifted to “3”, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S18 and blinks the check LED of the LED display 54. In step S17, the cooling of the cooling cylinder 8 is stopped as described above.
[0051]
As described above, the hardness of the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 is not increased in spite of the temperature drop of the mix that should stop the cooling of the cooling cylinder 8, and is detected by the energizing current of the beater motor 12. Since an alarm is issued by the LED, it is possible to accurately notify the user that the hardness of the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 does not increase due to poor cooling that occurs when the outside air temperature is high. Also, abnormalities such as abnormal freezing of the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 and slippage between the inner wall of the cooling cylinder 8 and an insufficient mix in the cooling cylinder 8 can be detected.
[0052]
In particular, the threshold value in this case can be adjusted according to the type of mix by the threshold setting volume 53. Therefore, in the case of a mix that is a relatively soft product, the threshold value is lowered and the product is relatively hard. In the case of a mix, the above-described abnormality can be accurately detected by setting the threshold value high.
[0053]
If the energizing current of the beater motor 12 is not increased to the set value in the cooling setting with a large temperature difference (“1”), the cooling setting with a smaller temperature difference (“1” → “2” → “3”). ), The temperature drop determination and the current value determination are executed again, and when the energizing current of the beater motor 12 does not rise to the set value in the cooling setting “3” with the smallest temperature difference, the inspection LED blinks and the cooling cylinder Since the cooling of No. 8 is stopped, it is possible to more accurately detect an abnormality such as a cooling failure of the mix, and it is possible to prevent an unnecessary alarm from occurring.
[0054]
If the normal state is restored by restarting the cooling thereafter, that is, if the energizing current of the beater motor 12 rises to the threshold value, the microcomputer 46 turns off the inspection LED (see FIG. 9).
[0055]
Next, the defrost process in FIG. 7 will be described. When the defrost switch of the key input circuit 52 is operated during the cooling operation, the microcomputer 46 performs ON / OFF control of the cylinder hot gas valve 34, warms the cooling cylinder 8 with hot gas, and mixes the mixture at a predetermined temperature. The temperature is raised to (5 ° C.). After that, the microcomputer 46 continues to perform the cooling operation and performs the mix cooling process again.
[0056]
Next, the sterilization / cooling operation (the sterilization temperature rising process, the sterilization holding process, the cold holding pull-down process, and the cold holding process) of FIG. 8 will be described. When the sterilization switch of the key input circuit 52 is operated, the microcomputer 46 starts the sterilization / cooling operation under the condition that the mix does not run out.
[0057]
The microcomputer 46 switches from the cooling cycle to the heating cycle by the four-way valve 19. Thereby, hot gas is supplied to the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 and heated (sterilization temperature raising step). When this sterilization temperature raising step is completed, the microcomputer 46 now controls the compressor 18, the cylinder hot gas valve 34, and the hopper hot gas valve 35 to be turned on and off based on the outputs of the sterilization / cooling sensor 38 and the hopper sensor 32. Then, both the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 execute the sterilization holding process so as to satisfy the total heating time of about 40 minutes in the heating temperature range of + 69 ° C. to + 72 ° C.
[0058]
This sterilization temperature rising and sterilization holding process is indicated by the sterilization LED of the LED display 54. When the sterilization holding process is completed, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to a cold insulation pull-down process. This cold transfer is also displayed on the LED display 54.
[0059]
In the cold holding pull-down process that follows the sterilization holding process, the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 is cooled to a temperature range of + 8 ° C. to + 10 ° C. under a condition that the temperature becomes a predetermined temperature or less within a predetermined time. Then, the process proceeds to a cold insulation process. In the cold insulation process, based on the outputs of the sterilization / cold insulation sensor 38 and the hopper sensor 32, the microcomputer 46 compresses the compressor motor 18M, the cylinder cooling valve 24, and the hopper cooling valve 26. ON / OFF control.
[0060]
Next, the control operation of the compressor 18 (compressor motor 18M), the cylinder cooling valve 24, and the hopper cooling valve 26 executed by the microcomputer 46 in the cold insulation pull-down process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The microcomputer 46 determines whether or not the current cooling ON flag is set (“1”) in step S21 of FIG.
[0061]
If the compressor 18 is temporarily stopped at the end of the sterilization holding process and the cooling ON flag is also reset (“0”), the microcomputer 46 starts the compressor motor 18M and proceeds from step S21 to step S22 to proceed to the compressor motor. Based on the output of the 18M current sensor 47, it is determined whether or not the energization current I of the compressor motor 18M is equal to or lower than a lower limit value Iss such as 2.0A. If it has not risen now, the process proceeds to step S23, and the cooling ON flag is set.
[0062]
Next, the microcomputer 46 determines whether or not the cylinder flag is set in step S25. Note that the cylinder flag is set when the cold pull-down starts. Accordingly, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S26 and turns on the cylinder cooling valve 24 (the hopper cooling valve 26 is turned off and the other valves 34 and 35 are also turned off). That is, the cold insulation pull-down starts with the cooling of the cooling cylinder 8 first.
[0063]
Next, based on the output of the sterilization / cooling sensor 38, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 has dropped by 10 ° C. from the time when the previous cylinder flag was set (in this case, when the cold pulldown was started). The process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, since the cooling ON flag is set this time, the microcomputer 46 proceeds to step S31, and this time, whether or not the energization current I of the compressor motor 18M is increased to an upper limit value Ish such as 5.0A or more. Judge. If the microcomputer 46 has not risen at this time, the microcomputer 46 returns from step S31 to step S25 and repeats this.
[0064]
Here, since the cooling pull-down starts cooling the cooling cylinder 8 from a high temperature of about 70 ° C. as described above, an excessive load is applied to the compressor 18. Therefore, the energization current I of the compressor motor 18M rapidly increases from the start of the cold insulation pull-down, and eventually reaches the upper limit value Ish. When the energizing current I of the compressor motor 18M rises to the upper limit value Ish, the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S31 to step S32 and resets the cooling ON flag. In step S34, the cylinder cooling valve 24 and the hopper cooling valve 26 are turned OFF (the other valves 34 and 35 are closed).
[0065]
As a result, the refrigerant circuit of FIG. 2 becomes a closed circuit, and the load on the compressor 18 becomes light at a stroke. Then, the process proceeds from step S21 to step S22 as described above, and it is determined again whether the energization current I of the compressor motor 18M has decreased to a lower limit value Iss, such as 2.0 A, for example. If not, the process returns.
[0066]
As described above, when the valves 24 and 26 are closed, the energization current of the compressor motor 18M is also rapidly reduced. Therefore, even if the lower limit value Iss is set low as described above (2.0 A), the total cold pull-down time is not extended. In addition, since the lower limit value Iss can be set low, the energization current of the compressor motor 18M can be reduced on average, and the life can be extended.
[0067]
When the energization current I drops below the lower limit value Iss, the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S22 to step S23, sets the cooling ON flag again, proceeds to step S25, and repeats the same control thereafter.
[0068]
When the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 is lowered by 10 ° C. from the previous setting of the cylinder flag while controlling the valves 24 and 26, the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S26 to step S27 and resets the cylinder flag. Then, when the same control operation as described above is repeated to come to step S25, the process proceeds from step S25 to step S28, and the hopper cooling valve 26 is turned ON (the cylinder cooling valve 24 is turned OFF).
[0069]
That is, this time, the cooling of the hopper 2 is started instead of the cooling cylinder 8. Then, based on the output of the hopper sensor 32 in step S29, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the hopper 2 has decreased by 10 ° C. since the previous cylinder flag was reset. Repeat the control operation.
[0070]
When the temperature of the hopper 2 drops by 10 ° C. since the cylinder flag is reset, the microcomputer 46 proceeds from step S29 to step S30 and sets the cylinder flag. Thereby, cooling of the cooling cylinder 8 is started again (under the condition that the energization current of the compressor motor 18M is not more than the upper limit value), and the cooling of the hopper 2 is stopped. Thereafter, this is repeated until the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 reaches 8 ° C.
[0071]
As described above, the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 are alternately cooled (pull-down) at 10 ° C. at the time of the cold holding pull-down in which an excessive load is applied to the compressor 18, thereby further effectively preventing the compressor 18 from being overloaded. It becomes possible to plan.
[0072]
In particular, since the microcomputer 46 preferentially opens the cylinder cooling valve 24, the microcomputer 46 can preferentially cool and keep cold from the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 provided directly for sale. Improved convenience. Further, since the microcomputer 46 executes the opening / closing control of the cylinder cooling valve 24 and the hopper cooling valve 26 based on the temperature drop of 10 ° C. between the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2, the cooling cylinder 8 and the hopper 2 are alternately arranged. Moreover, it can be steadily cooled.
[0073]
In the embodiment, the equilibrium temperature control as shown in FIG. 9 is executed during the cooling operation, but the abnormality detection by the energization current of the beater motor 12 is also effective in the normal control for cooling the mix to the set temperature.
[0074]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, the present invention comprises a hopper for storing and keeping the mix, a cooling cylinder for cooling the mix appropriately supplied from the hopper, a cooler, a compressor, and a condenser for cooling the hopper and the cooling cylinder. In a frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus that executes a heating cycle of a cooling cylinder and a hopper by flowing hot gas discharged from the compressor in the order of the cooler and the condenser, piping on the compressor side of the condenser is connected to the condenser. The bypass circuit is arranged on the upper side, is installed vertically across the inlet / outlet piping of the capacitor and is connected in parallel to the capacitor, and the bypass circuit is provided with a check valve. Since the compressor direction is the forward direction, the heating cycle , Bypassing the capacitor, by a gas back to the compressor via a check valve, it is possible to prevent the liquid back to the compressor effectively.
[0075]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, in addition to this, the flow passage area of the bypass circuit is set to be narrower than the piping of the condenser, so that the liquid refrigerant in the condenser together with the gas passing through the bypass circuit is appropriately compressed. Thus, it becomes possible to prevent a compressor failure or other abnormality from occurring due to overload.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of a soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus as an example of a frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control device of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1;
4 is a side view of a capacitor of the soft cream manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a microcomputer program of the control device of FIG. 3;
6 is a flowchart showing a microcomputer program of the control device of FIG. 3 in the same manner.
7 is a timing chart for explaining a cooling operation of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 1; FIG.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart for explaining a sterilization / cooling operation of the soft ice cream manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a timing chart illustrating details of a cooling process in the cooling operation of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
SM soft ice cream manufacturing equipment (frozen dessert manufacturing equipment)
2 Hopper 4 Hopper cooling coil (cooler)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Cooling cylinder 10 Beater 11 Cylinder cooler 12 Beater motor 18 Compressor 18M Compressor motor 19 Four-way valve 20 Capacitor 24 Cylinder cooling valve 26 Hopper cooling valve 31 Cylinder sensor 32 Hopper sensor 34 Cylinder hot gas valve 35 Hopper hot gas valve 41 Check valve 42 Bypass circuit

Claims (2)

A hopper that stores and cools the mix, a cooling cylinder that cools the mix that is appropriately supplied from the hopper, and a cooling device that includes a cooler, a compressor, and a condenser that cool the hopper and the cooling cylinder, and is discharged from the compressor. In the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus that executes the heating cycle of the cooling cylinder and the hopper by flowing the hot gas in the order of the cooler and the condenser,
A pipe on the compressor side of the capacitor is disposed on the upper side of the capacitor, and a bypass circuit that is vertically installed across the inlet / outlet piping of the capacitor and connected in parallel to the capacitor, and provided in the bypass circuit. A non-frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus, wherein the check valve has a forward direction as the compressor direction.   2. The frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow path area of the bypass circuit is set narrower than the piping of the capacitor.

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