JPH0391670A - Snow maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent ice from being melt due to friction heat and cutting heat by communicating a cooled air supply passage equipped with a blower and an air cooler with an ice block supply passage connected with an ice block supply port. CONSTITUTION:A cooled air supply passage 13 equipped with a blower 11 and an air cooler 12 is communicated with an ice supply passage 1 connected with an ice block supply port. Therefore, the cooled air supplied into a hopper 4 which comprises a snow making machine works to prevent a rise in the temperature of ice. Generally, as factors, which are responsible for melting ice, cutting heat produced when cutting ice, and friction heat generated between ice and the hopper 4 may be mentioned. However, it is possible to prevent a rise in the temperature of ice by blowing cooled air. This construction makes it possible to prevent ice from being melt and extend the continuous operation time of the snow making machine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a snow-making device, and particularly to a snow-making device in an artificial snow-making device that shaves ice to generate simulated snow and supplies it to an environment demanding snowfall. The present invention relates to a snowmaking device equipped with a cooling means suitable for preventing temperature rise.

[Prior Art] As a conventional artificial snowmaking device, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-1
As described in Publication No. 82567, there is a known technique in which ice cubes are pressed against a cutter-type crusher, cut with a rotating blade to produce fine ice particles, and the simulated snow is discharged from a snow-throwing chute along with an air stream. There is.

In addition, a snowmaking machine has been developed which is equipped with a case having an ice chip supply port and a simulated snow discharge port, a means for feeding the supplied ice chips to a cutting section, and a cutting blade for cutting the ice chips. .

With conventional snowmaking machines, the longer they are operated, the more the ice tends to melt due to frictional heat or cutting heat.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above conventional technology, no consideration is given to cooling the inside of the snowmaking machine, and when the ice melts into water due to frictional heat or cutting heat, the simulated snow outlet There was a problem in that water instead of fine ice particles was discharged from the outlet and refrozen near the outlet.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems in the prior art described above, and provides a snowmaking device that can prevent ice from melting due to frictional heat and cutting heat and can extend continuous operation time. This is its purpose.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the snow making device according to the present invention includes: a case having an ice chip supply port and a simulated snow discharge port; A snow-making device comprising means for sending ice chips to a cutting position, and cutting means for cutting the ice chips to generate simulated snow.

A cold air supply path equipped with an air blower and an air cooler is connected to the ice piece supply path connected to the ice piece supply port.

It should be noted that the idea of the present invention is to suppress the temperature rise of the snowmaking machine by blowing cold air from the ice supply port.

[Effect] The operation of the above technical means is as follows.

A cold air supply path equipped with a blower and an air cooler is connected to the ice chip supply path that connects to the ice chip supply port, so the cold air supplied to the hopper that makes up the snowmaking machine prevents the temperature of the ice from rising. It acts to prevent.

In general, the factors that cause ice to melt are the cutting heat when shaving ice,
Although there is frictional heat between the ice and the hopper, blowing cold air can prevent the temperature of the ice from rising, preventing the ice from melting and therefore extending the continuous operation time of the snowmaking machine. It is possible.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional front view showing the configuration of a snow making device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a simulated snow discharge port showing the state of cutting ice chips.

In Fig. 1.2, l is an ice supply duct related to the ice chip supply path, 2 is a cover that makes up the case of the snowmaker, 3 is an ice piece, and 4 is a hopper that makes up the case of the snowmaker. So, this hopper 4 has a large diameter at the top.

The lower part forms a body corresponding to a part of a conical shape with a smaller diameter than the upper part. An ice piece supply port (not shown) is opened in the cover 2, and the ice supply duct 1 is connected thereto.

Reference numeral 4a designates a large number of simulated snow discharge ports that are opened all around the lower surface of the hopper 4, and reference numeral 5 designates a cutting blade that is attached to the outer surface of the hopper 4 along with the simulated snow discharge port 4a and whose cutting edge protrudes toward the inner surface. This cutting blade 5 is a cutting means that cuts the ice piece 3 using the so-called plane principle.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a rotary blade provided in the hopper 4. The rotary blade 6 rotates and moves the ice chips 3 supplied into the hopper 4, and the ice pieces 3 are pressed against the inner surface of the hopper and cut by a cutting blade 5. In other words, the one-rotation blade 6 functions as a means for sending the ice pieces 3 to the cutting blade 5.

7 is a rotating shaft on which the rotating blade is fitted, and 8b is a rotating shaft.

A gear fitted to the rotating shaft 7, 8a a motor pinion that meshes with the gear 8b, 9 a frame that houses the drive section of the snowmaking machine, 9a a frame for mounting the motor; 0 The rotating shaft 7 is a frame It passes through the inside of the frame 9a and is supported by the frame 9a via a bearing.

10 is a motor that moves the rotating blade 6.

Further, 1 is a blower, 12 is an air cooler, and 3 is a cold air duct related to a cold air supply path, which communicates with the water supply duct 1. Although details are not shown in the drawings, the air cooler 12 has a configuration in which the air flow (wind) generated by the blower 11 and a refrigerant exchange heat.

The operation of such a snow making device will be explained.

Ice pieces 3 made by an ice maker (not shown) are connected to the water supply duct 1
It is supplied to the inside of the hopper 4.

The rotational force of the motor 10 is generated by the motor pinion 8a and the gear 8b.
is transmitted to the rotating shaft 7 via
Press it against the inner surface of hopper 4.

A cutting blade 5 protrudes from the inner surface of the hopper 4 as shown in FIG. 2, and the ice chips 3 are cut into simulated snow, which is discharged from the simulated snow outlet 4a as shown by the arrow.

The simulated snow discharged outside the machine is transported to the artificial snowfall demand side by a transport device such as a belt conveyor (not shown), but a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted here.

On the other hand, the wind from the blower 11 is cooled by the air cooler 12, flows into the water supply duct 1 from the cold air duct 13,
As the ice chips 3 are supplied, they are blown onto the inner surface of the hopper 4.

Generally, the causes of ice melting are the cutting heat when cutting the ice chips 3 with the cutting blade 5 and the frictional heat between the ice chips 3 and the inner surface of the hopper 4. It is possible to prevent the temperature of the hopper 4 and the ice from rising.

According to this embodiment, temperature increases due to cutting heat and frictional heat can be prevented, so ice melts and water is discharged.
It also prevents water from refreezing at the outlet, which has the effect of lengthening the continuous operation time of the snowmaking machine.

In the above embodiment, cooling of the snow-making machine was explained, but by smoothly operating the snow-making machine continuously, the discharged simulated snow is smoothly transported to the demand side for artificial snow, and for example, the environment It goes without saying that snow tests and the like can be carried out smoothly and continuously in the test equipment.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above in detail, the present invention provides a snowmaking device that can prevent ice from melting due to frictional heat and cutting heat and can extend continuous operation time. be able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional front view showing the configuration of a snow making device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a simulated snow discharge port showing the state of cutting ice chips. l...ice supply duct, 4...hopper, 4a...
Simulated snow discharge port, 5... Cutting blade, 6... Rotating blade, 1
Engineering: Blower, 12: Air cooler, 13: Cold air duct.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A case having an ice chip supply port and a simulated snow discharge port, means for sending the ice chips supplied in the case to a cutting position, and cutting the ice chips to generate simulated snow. A snow-making device comprising: a cutting means for cutting ice chips, the snow-making device comprising: a cold air supply path having a blower and an air cooler connected to the ice chip supply path connected to the ice chip supply port; .