JP4063536B2 - Dry ice production method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating dry ice for cooling take-out goods and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a store clerk appropriately pulverizes solid dry ice and attaches a necessary amount to a product that needs to be refrigerated from a store. However, because dry ice directly touches your hands, there is a risk of frostbite, etc., so shop assistants must wear gloves every time they do such work, especially in store sales that require quickness, especially in retail stores. It became an obstacle to over-the-counter sales of fresh foods.
[0003]
In order to solve such a problem, the present applicant, as a 1997 patent application No. 362597, “fixes an expansion cylinder on the upper part of a working chamber having a door and generates dry ice on the upper end of the expansion cylinder. A nozzle for jetting liquefied carbon dioxide for use and a control device for controlling the generated dry ice to be supplied to a container opened at the lower end of the expansion cylinder for a certain period of time "Device" was proposed. As a result, powdered dry ice can be quickly and safely sprayed around refrigerated products at stores.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the dry ice generator, when using a bag as a container, the bag handle should be hooked on a hook provided at the upper part of the supply chamber so that the mouth of the bag is opened under the lower end opening of the expansion cylinder. I had to be. Moreover, since it is not preferable to contact dry ice with goods directly in many fresh foods etc., the cooling method of putting dry ice in a small bag, such as vinyl, and putting it on the fresh food etc. is desired. . The present invention has been made to solve such a new problem.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The dry ice production method according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, has an expansion cylinder standing and fixed at the upper part of the supply chamber, and carbon dioxide gas for generating dry ice is ejected to the upper end of the expansion cylinder. In the dry ice generating device provided with a nozzle to supply the generated dry ice to a container opened at the lower end of the expansion cylinder,
An outer cylinder having a lower end opened on the outside of the expansion cylinder and having a side injection hole on the lower side surface is fixed.
Place the bag-like container under the outer cylinder so that the upper end of the opening is positioned higher than the side ejection hole,
By ejecting carbon dioxide from the nozzle,
While holding the opening of the bag-like container by the gas ejected from the side jet holes, to generate dry ice in the bag-like container,
It is characterized by that.
[0006]
Further, the dry ice generating apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, has an expansion cylinder standing and fixed at the upper part of the supply chamber, and carbon dioxide gas for generating dry ice is formed at the upper end of the expansion cylinder. In a dry ice generating apparatus in which a nozzle for jetting is provided and the generated dry ice is supplied to a container opened at the lower end of the expansion cylinder,
An outer cylinder whose lower end is opened is fixed to the outside of the expansion cylinder,
A side injection hole is provided at a position below the lower side surface of the outer cylinder and below the lower end of the expansion cylinder.
It is characterized by that.
[0007]
In the dry ice generating device, a vent hole may be provided in the upper side surface of the outer cylinder so as to kill an excessive carbon dioxide gas jet power in addition to the side jet hole.
[0008]
Moreover, you may provide a means which temporarily fixes opening of a bag-like container, such as a rib and a low adhesive, in the upper part of a side part injection hole.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In conventional dry ice generators, there is no particular problem when putting dry ice directly into a box-shaped container, but in the case of a bag-shaped container, as described above, it is used in a bag with a handle (for example, a supermarket or the like). The handle had to be hung on a hook using a polyethylene shopping bag.
[0010]
As a result of various experiments, the present inventor has found a method capable of supplying dry ice even to a simple plastic bag without a handle without using such a hook.
[0011]
That is, by placing the bag-like container under the outer cylinder as described above, the opening of the bag-like container is held at that position by the carbon dioxide gas ejected from the side ejection hole of the outer cylinder. Therefore, the dry ice falling from the expansion cylinder through the lower end opening of the outer cylinder is reliably stored in the bag-like container.
[0012]
In addition, the jet output of the liquefied carbon dioxide cylinder which is a carbon dioxide supply source is not necessarily constant. If the jet power is too large, the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas jetted from the lower opening together with the dry ice becomes too large, exceeding the holding power of the bag-like container opening by the jet gas from the side jet holes, and the bag-like container May be blown away. Therefore, in such a case, a vent hole is provided in the upper side surface portion of the outer cylinder so as to kill the jet power of the carbon dioxide gas jetted into the bag.
[0013]
Also, by temporarily fixing the opening of the bag-like container by temporary fixing means provided at the upper part of the side ejection hole, the bag is set, the front door is closed, the dry ice generation button is pushed, and the side ejection hole The bag can be securely held until carbon dioxide gas is ejected from the bag until the opening of the bag-like container is fixed.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
With the dry ice generator according to the present invention, dry ice can be easily accommodated even in a thin bag without a handle. Thereby, the cost reduction of a bag can be performed. Further, by placing dry ice in such a thin plastic bag and placing it on or on the side of the refrigerated product, direct contact between the product and dry ice can be prevented, and damage to the product can be prevented.
[0015]
【Example】
An over-the-counter dry ice producing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an external view of the apparatus, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure inside. The main body 10 constitutes a framework by an angle or the like, and constitutes an external housing by an iron or plastic plate. When plastic is used, it is desirable to use a material that does not become brittle or deteriorate at low temperatures. The main body 10 is provided with a start switch 18 and a supply chamber 11 for starting dry ice production. A door 12 with a handle 13 is provided at the entrance of the supply chamber 11. In this embodiment, the door 12 is pivotally attached to one side. A door switch 14 that operates when the door 12 is closed (or opened) is provided inside the main body 10. As will be described later, the door switch 14 and the activation switch 18 operate in cooperation.
[0016]
A horn (expansion cylinder) 15 is fixed to the upper portion of the supply chamber 11. The lower part of the horn (expansion cylinder) 15 is left open. A gas jet nozzle 16 is provided above the horn 15. The nozzle 16 is connected to a cylinder of liquefied carbon dioxide gas (not shown) through a gas supply pipe, and an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 17 is provided in the gas supply pipe. An outer cylinder 19 is fixed to the outside of the horn 15.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 3, the outer cylinder 19 has a lower diameter larger than an upper diameter. And the side injection hole 21 for gas injection is provided in the side part of the large diameter part, and the position below the lower end of the horn 15. FIG. Also, the lower end is left open. The outer cylinder 19 is preferably thicker, and in this embodiment, it is made of resin having a thickness of 3 mm. A vent hole 22 is provided in the upper part of the outer cylinder 19.
[0018]
The usage method of this apparatus is demonstrated with FIG. 4 (a), (b). First, the bag 20 is placed on the floor of the supply chamber 11 so as to cover the lower end of the outer cylinder 19. At this time, the upper end of the bag 20 is set to a position above the side ejection hole 21 (FIG. 4A). With the bag in that state, the door 12 is closed. When the door 12 is closed, the door switch 14 is activated and the preparation for gas ejection is completed. Next, when the user presses the start switch 18, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 17 is opened, and carbon dioxide gas is ejected from the nozzle 16. Carbon dioxide gas is ejected from the side ejection holes 21 on the one hand, and the opening of the bag 20 is held at that position. As a result, the bag 20 is securely held under the outer cylinder 19 with the mouth open. On the other hand, the carbon dioxide gas ejected from the nozzle 16 adiabatically expands inside the horn 15 to become dry ice, and is supplied into the bag 20 from the lower end of the outer cylinder 19 (FIG. 4B).
[0019]
In this embodiment, a thin plastic bag (thickness of about 0.01 to 0.03 mm) and a handle that is placed for putting fresh food on a supermarket luggage table or the like was used. The outer diameter of the lower side surface portion of the outer cylinder 19 is set so as to be easily covered by the opening of the bag to be used. Further, the distance between the lower end of the outer cylinder 19 and the floor surface of the supply chamber 11 is such that the bottom of the bag floats from the floor surface of the supply chamber 11 even when the upper end of the opening of the plastic bag 20 is positioned above the side ejection hole 21. Make sure that it is not.
[0020]
As described above, a shape or a part that temporarily fixes the opening of the bag 20 such as a rib or a low adhesive may be provided on the upper portion of the side ejection hole 21.
[0021]
The jet output of the liquefied carbon dioxide cylinder is not always constant. If the jet power is too large, the shape of the opening of the bag 20 placed under the outer cylinder 19 may be destroyed or blown away, and the dry ice 23 may not be supplied into the bag 20. Therefore, a vent hole 22 is provided in the upper part of the outer cylinder 19 in order to kill an excessive gas jet output. Thereby, the jetting power of the gas into the bag 20 becomes substantially constant, and the dry ice is surely stored in the bag 20 smoothly and continuously. In addition, it is effective to provide the air holes 22 in a slit shape in the circumferential direction at the upper part of the outer cylinder 19. Further, the position is preferably below the lower end of the horn 15. From the above principle, when the bag 20 is placed at the lower end of the outer cylinder 19, it is desirable that the upper end of the bag 20 is (above the side ejection hole 21) and below the vent hole 22.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dry ice generator of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the dry ice generator of the example.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an outer cylinder.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing how to use the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main body 11 Supply chamber 12 Door 13 Handle 14 Door switch 15 Horn 16 Nozzle 17 Solenoid valve 18 Start switch 19 Outer cylinder 20 Bag 21 Side ejection hole 22 Vent hole 23 (generated) dry ice

Claims (3)

An expansion cylinder is erected and fixed at the upper part of the supply chamber, and a nozzle for ejecting carbon dioxide gas for generating dry ice is provided at the upper end of the expansion cylinder, and the generated dry ice is opened at the lower end of the expansion cylinder. In the dry ice generator that is supplied to the container,
An outer cylinder having a lower end opened on the outside of the expansion cylinder and having a side injection hole on the lower side surface is fixed.
Place the bag-like container under the outer cylinder so that the upper end of the opening is positioned higher than the side ejection hole,
By ejecting carbon dioxide from the nozzle,
A dry ice generating method characterized in that the opening of the bag-like container is held by the gas ejected from the side jet holes, and dry ice is generated in the bag-like container. An expansion cylinder is erected and fixed at the upper part of the supply chamber, and a nozzle for ejecting carbon dioxide gas for generating dry ice is provided at the upper end of the expansion cylinder, and the generated dry ice is opened at the lower end of the expansion cylinder. In the dry ice generator that is supplied to the container,
An outer cylinder whose lower end is opened is fixed to the outside of the expansion cylinder,
A side injection hole is provided at a position below the lower side surface of the outer cylinder and below the lower end of the expansion cylinder.
The dry ice production | generation apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The dry ice generating device according to claim 2, wherein a vent hole is provided in an upper side surface portion of the outer cylinder in addition to the side ejection hole.

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