WO2005038361A1

WO2005038361A1 - Frozen drink mixing device

Info

Publication number: WO2005038361A1
Application number: PCT/JP2003/013345
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yutaka Nakato
Original assignee: Joytec Corporation
Priority date: 2003-10-20
Filing date: 2003-10-20
Publication date: 2005-04-28
Also published as: AU2003275561A1

Abstract

A frozen drink mixing device, comprising an ice cutting mechanism (C) having a cutting disc (30) formed of a circular cutting part (32) assembled at the upper part of a machine frame (F) and a cylindrical support part (33) extending downward from the outer periphery thereof and having slits (35) formed in the cutting part (32) and a rotating cutting body (50) having cutting edges (37) fitted in the slits (35), a rotating ring (40) having an inner periphery fittedly supported on the support part (33) so as to be rotated, a truncated cone-shaped rotating blade frame (51) having a lower surface fixedly in contact with the upper surface of the rotating ring (40), and rotating blades (52) radially extending from the rotating center of the rotating blade frame (51) and having a tip fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rotating blade frame (51), wherein an ice inlet (53) for introducing ice lumps is provided in the upper end face of the rotating blade frame (51) and ice cut by the cutting edges (37) is dropped into a drink container (80) placed under the slits (35).

Description

Frozen beverage dispensing equipment Technical field

The present invention relates to a frozen beverage preparation device. '' Background technology

Conventionally, an ice block cutting mechanism used in this type of frozen beverage dispensing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-24045. In this cutting mechanism, a rotor having rotors formed therein is driven to rotate on the upper surface of a disk-shaped bottom plate fixed horizontally on the upper part of the machine frame, and ice blocks thrown in from above are rotated by the rotor blades of the rotor. It is configured to be rotated and cut by a cutting blade provided on the bottom plate. The rotor is mounted on a bearing provided below the bottom plate via a rotary shaft, and a rubber belt is wound around a pulley provided on an upper outer periphery thereof, and the rubber belt is driven by a driving device provided behind the rubber belt. It is driven to rotate.

In the cutting mechanism having the above structure, since the height of the pulley and the bearing are provided at different positions, there is a possibility that an axial displacement occurs between the pulley and the bearing. For this reason, there is a problem in that the bearing is twisted by the belt tension, and the rotating shaft is brought into contact with the bearing to cause damage to the bearing.

Further, in the frozen beverage dispensing apparatus employing the above cutting mechanism, it is necessary to wash the cutting mechanism to keep it clean, and in the washing operation, the rotor must be removed. When removing the rotor, remove the rubber belt stretched from the pulley of the same mouth and wash it.After washing, the rubber belt is wound around the pulley of the rotor. There was a problem that time was required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems, to prevent damage to components caused by kinks in the bearing mechanism of the rotor, and to facilitate cleaning of components of the cutting mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage dispensing apparatus that employs a cutting mechanism capable of performing the above. Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a machine frame that is provided upright on a base, and is horizontally fixed to a cylindrical support provided at an upper portion of the machine frame, and its center is inclined downward from the top. A cutting machine provided with a cutting blade having a conical top surface and a cutting edge provided with a cutting edge provided in a slit formed in the upper surface in a radial direction and having a cutting edge positioned upward; A truncated cone with a rotatable ring rotatably fitted to the formed cylindrical portion, and a rotatable wing extending radially from the center of rotation inside the rotatable ring with its lower end detachably mounted upward and detachable. An ice cutting mechanism composed of a rotating cutting body having a shape and a driving device that drives the rotating ring to rotate the rotating cutting body, and a machine frame is provided at the ice inlet formed at the upper end of the rotating cutting body. The ice inlet formed at the bottom of the ice storage container A beverage container containing a predetermined amount of beverage is placed on a base positioned directly below the cutting machine, and the ice cut by the cutting blade of the cutting machine is placed in the beverage container. An object of the present invention is to provide a frozen beverage preparation device characterized by falling.

In the frozen beverage dispensing device configured as described above, the rotating ring is rotatably fitted and supported without any twisting occurring on the inner periphery of the outer periphery of the support portion of the cutting machine. There is no wear caused by one-sided contact with the cutting machine.

Further, in the above frozen beverage dispensing apparatus, the cut ice is supplied to a beverage container. It is preferable to provide a rectifying passage for guiding and dropping toward the center of the beverage, in which case the cut ice scatters from the slit and adheres to the side wall of the beverage container or to the outside. No more leakage. Further, it is preferable that a cylindrical hood that engages with the upper end of the beverage container is mounted on a cylindrical support provided at an upper portion of the machine frame so as to be movable up and down. The ice is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the hood is pushed upward by the beverage container when placing the beverage container on the base. Can be placed on

In the above-mentioned frozen beverage dispensing apparatus, it is preferable to form a notch for drainage on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating ring, in which case water due to ice melted on the cutting machine is used to remove water from the upper surface of the cutting machine. It can be discharged downward through the notch of the rotating ring without accumulating in the. In addition, the water flowing through the notch of the rotating ring can improve the lubrication of the rotating ring and cool the frictional heat generated between the support of the cutting machine and the rotating ring. The durability of the rotating ring can be improved.

Further, in the above frozen beverage dispensing apparatus, the beverage container has a stirring body for stirring the cut ice at the bottom thereof and a disk-shaped driven magnet rotatable around a vertical axis for rotating the stirring body. A disk-shaped driving magnet rotatable around the vertical axis is provided below the driven magnet on the base on which the beverage container is placed, and the driven magnet is driven by rotating the driving magnet. It is preferable to rotate the stirrer of the beverage container through the opening. In this case, the upper surface of the base on which the beverage container is placed can be flattened, and the beverage container having the stirring function can be used. When placing or removing, the top surface of the base can be inserted or removed without sliding upward without lifting.

Since the lower surface of the rotary blade cutting body is detachably fixed to the upper surface of the rotary ring, when cleaning the ice cutting mechanism of the frozen beverage preparation device, The rotary cutting body can be easily removed from the rotary ring, and the rotary cutting body, the cutting machine and the cutting blade can be easily and sufficiently washed. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a frozen beverage dispensing apparatus employing an ice cutting mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a frozen beverage preparation device employing an ice cutting mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the frozen beverage preparation apparatus employing the ice cutting mechanism according to the present invention, from which an ice storage container is removed.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a rotary ring according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view showing a hood according to the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

1 to 5 show an embodiment of a frozen beverage dispensing apparatus employing an ice cutting mechanism according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the frozen beverage preparation apparatus according to this embodiment includes a machine frame F, an ice cutting mechanism C, and a beverage container 80.

The machine frame F is composed of a lower machine frame 10 installed on the installation surface, and a box-shaped upper machine frame 20 having an open upper surface provided above the lower machine frame 10. The lower machine casing 10 has a base 11 on which a beverage container 80 is placed. The bottom surface of the upper machine casing 20 is inclined downward from the front and rear toward the drain port 21 provided slightly behind the center, and extends vertically from the center slightly forward from the center. A short cylindrical tube portion 22 is provided. The central axis of the cylindrical portion 22 is vertical, and the upper and lower end surfaces are horizontal. The ice cutting mechanism C is composed of a cutting machine 30, a rotating ring 40, and a rotating cutting body 50. The cutting machine 30 has a cutting portion 32 having a generally conical upper surface with a gentle slope so that the center becomes higher and a boss portion 31 recessed in the center portion, and a cylindrical shape extending downward from the outer periphery thereof. And an outer peripheral edge 34 extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of the support portion 33, and the whole is integrally formed by aluminum die casting. In the cutting machine 30, the inner periphery of the support portion 33 is fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 22 of the upper machine casing 20 with a slight gap at the upper end, and the lower surface of the outer peripheral edge 34 is The plurality of feet 23 provided on the upper machine casing 20 are in contact with and fixed by screws. In order to fix the cutting machine 30 horizontally, the feet 23 are provided with different heights corresponding to the inclination of the upper machine casing 20.

The cutting machine 30 is formed with a pair of elongated slits 35 extending in a radial direction in a substantially conical cutting portion 32, and a beverage container 80 is formed below each of the slits 35. A flow straightening passage 36 inclined toward the center side is formed in a body, and is assembled in each slit 35 so that the cutting edge protrudes slightly upward from the cutting portion 32. A stainless steel cutting blade 37 is provided. The circumferential width of the opening formed at the upper end of the straightening passage 36 corresponds to the width of each slit 35, and the length of the opening corresponds to the length of the cutting blade 37. . Also, the height of the inner end of the side wall 36a of the straightening passage 36 is short and the height of the outer end thereof is long, and the outer edge of the straightening passage 36 has a lower edge whose hood is described later. It is formed so as to be inclined inside the torso 61.

The rotating ring 40 is formed of high-density polyethylene, and the inner periphery thereof is rotatably fitted and supported on the outer periphery of the support portion 33 of the cutting machine 30. As shown in FIG. 4, a substantially semicircular notch 41 extending through the entire width in the vertical direction is provided on the inner periphery of the rotary ring 40. In addition, a groove 42 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating ring 40, and the groove 42 has a A tooth profile corresponding to the timing belt 43 is formed.

An electric motor 45 for rotating the rotary ring 40 is provided at a rear portion of the lower machine casing 10, and a drive shaft 46 of the electric motor 45 is provided above the rear portion of the bottom of the upper machine casing 20. It protrudes. At the upper end of the drive shaft 46, a drive bulge 47 having a tooth profile formed on the outer peripheral surface is provided, and between the rotary ring 40 having a groove 42 on the outer surface and the drive pulley 47. A timing belt 43 is stretched on the shaft to transmit the rotation of the electric motor 45 to the rotation ring 40.

The rotary cutting body 50 has a frusto-conical rotary blade frame 51 provided with an ice inlet 53 on the upper surface, and radially extends from the rotation center of the rotary blade frame 51, and each tip is a rotary blade frame. 5 and three rotors 52 integrally fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rotor 51, and the whole is integrally formed by aluminum die casting. The rotary cutting body 50 has the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the rotary blade frame 51 fixed to the upper surface of the rotary ring 40 so as to be detachable by screws 54, and is fixed to the center of the rotary blade 52. The shaft is rotatably supported on the boss 31 of the cutting machine 30 via a bearing, and is prevented from coming off by screws 55.

The angle of inclination of the substantially conical upper surface of the cutting portion 12 of the cutting machine 30 is set to 10 degrees in consideration of the size of the ice block, while the inner peripheral surface of the rotating blade frame 51 has a truncated cone shape. The tilt angle is set at 50 degrees. As a result, during the cutting, the ice blocks due to the rotation of the rotary wings 52 cause the centrifugal force given by the rotation of the rotary cutting body 50 and also the gravity due to the inclined surface of the substantially conical cutting portion 32. Since the outward force in the radial direction is applied, the force applied downward on the inner surface of the frustroconical rotor frame 51 increases.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the hood 60 provided on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 22 of the upper machine casing 20 includes a cylindrical body 61 and a body. 6 The lower end of 1 has an opening slightly smaller than the upper opening of the beverage container 80 It has a flange portion 62 inclined toward the side, and a discharge port 63 for discharging water collected in the flange portion 62. The trunk 61 of the hood 60 has three substantially J-shaped notches, one end of which is open upward and the other end of which is closed, and the upper machine casing is located within the open end of the notch. By passing the projection 24 provided on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 22 of 20 and rotating the entire body 61, it slides up and down between the upper and lower sides of the closed other end. Mounted freely.

Above the upper machine frame 20, a permanent storage container 70 for sending ice into the ice inlet 53 is provided. The water storage container 70 is provided with a lid 71 on an open upper surface, and the outer surface has a box shape slightly smaller than the inner peripheral surface of the upper machine casing 20. The bottom of the ice container 70 is provided with a short cylindrical ice inlet 72 extending downward above the ice inlet 53.The outer periphery of the ice inlet 72 is an ice inlet. 53 Inserted into the inner circumference of 3 so as to be relatively rotatable with a gap. Four feet 73 are provided below the bottom surface of the ice storage container 70, and the feet 73 are horizontal to the receiving portions 25 provided on the upper inner side of the upper machine casing 20. Has been installed.

A beverage container 80 is placed on a support plate 12 made of resin on the upper surface of the base 11, and the lower edge of the flange 62 of the hood 60 is in contact with the upper edge thereof. The beverage container 80 includes a glass container portion 81, a resin housing portion 84 fixed liquid-tight below the glass portion 81, and an upper plate of the housing portion 84 which is liquid-tight and rotatable. A stirrer 82 fixed to the upper end of the rotating shaft 83 that penetrates freely to stir the ice and the beverage, and a driven shaft fixed coaxially to the lower end of the rotating shaft 83 serving as the bottom in the housing 84 And a side magnet 85. The driven magnet 85 is a disk-shaped magnet with a notch formed on the circumference, and the pieces separated by the notch have mutually different magnetic poles.

A mixing drive unit 90 for rotating the driven magnet 85 is provided below the support plate 12 of the base unit 11 on which the beverage container 80 is placed. Miki The singing drive unit 90 is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 9 2, with a driving magnet 91, which is rotatably provided via a rotating shaft 92 on a mounting frame 13 fixed to the lower surface of the support plate 12. It is composed of the magnet-side burries 93 that are provided. The drive-side magnet 91 is configured by alternately arranging circular magnets along the circumference of a disk-shaped frame body with the directions of the magnetic poles changed. An electric motor 95 for rotating the mixing drive unit 90 is provided at the rear of the lower machine casing 10. The lower end of the drive shaft 96 of the electric motor 95 projects into the base 11. ing. A motor-side pulley 97 is provided at the lower end of the drive shaft 96, and a multi-strip V-belt 94 is stretched between the pulley 93 and the magnet-side pulley 93 to rotate the electric motor 95 to the magnet side. The force is transmitted to the driving magnet 91 via the pulley 93.

In the frozen beverage preparation apparatus configured as described above, the ice block is stored in an ice storage container 70, and a beverage container 80 containing an appropriate amount of beverage such as concentrated juice is provided on the base 12 with a hood 6 on the upper surface. Place it so that it contacts the lower end of the flange 62 of the ◦.

When the power switch 100 is turned on in this state, the electric motor 45 and the electric motor 95 operate simultaneously. When the electric motor 45 rotates the rotary cutting body 50 via the rotary ring 40, the internal rotor 52 rotates above the cutting portion 32. The ice blocks that have fallen from the ice inlet 72 are directed radially outward by gravity in addition to the centrifugal force given by the rotation of the rotor 52 and the inclined surface of the substantially conical cutting part 32. When a force is applied, the cutting blade 37 provided on the cutting machine 30 is pressed by the component force that presses the cutting portion 32 downward by interaction with the inner surface of the frustoconical rotor frame 51. It is applied and cut. The cut ice is discharged from the slit 35 through the straightening passage 36 toward the center of the beverage container 80. On the other hand, the electric motor 95 rotates the driving magnet 91, and the rotation of the driving magnet 91 rotates the driven magnet 85. The rotation of the driven magnet 85 causes the agitator 82 provided in the beverage container 80 to rotate. Rotate. As a result, the beverage contained in the beverage container 80 and the cut ice are stirred to prepare a frozen beverage.

According to the beverage dispensing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the rotating ring 40, which is abutted and fixed and rotationally driven by the rotary cutting body 50, has an inner periphery which is an outer periphery of the support portion 13 of the cutting machine 30. The rotary cutting body 50 is rotated by the rotating ring 40 because there is no axial displacement between the rotating ring 40 and the supporting part 13. Even if it is rotated, the rotating ring 40 is not twisted and does not hit the support portion 13 one-sidedly.

In the above-described embodiment, the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the rotary blade frame 51 is detachably abutted and fixed to the upper surface of the rotary ring 40, so that when the water cutting mechanism C is cleaned, The rotating cutting body 50 can be easily removed from the rotating ring 40 by simply removing the ice storage container 70 and removing the screws 54 and 55, so that the rotating cutting body 50 and the cutting machine 3 0 and the cutting blade 37 can be easily and sufficiently cleaned.

In the above-described embodiment, the cutting portion 32 of the cutting machine 30 has a substantially conical shape such that the center is higher, so that the cutting portion 32 of the cutting machine 30 has an upper surface. In addition to the centrifugal force given by the rotation of the rotary cutting body 50, the ice block to be cut is subjected to a radially outward force by gravity due to the conical slope, so that a frustum-shaped rotary blade frame 5 is formed. The interaction with the inner surface of 2 increases the component force pressed against the cutting portion 32, so that ice blocks can be cut in a shorter time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cutting portion 32 may be implemented as a flat disk.

In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of slits 35 extending in the radial direction from the center of the cutting portion 32 of the cutting machine 30 are formed, and the cutting edge of each of the slits 35 faces upward. Since a plurality of cutting blades 37 are provided, the cutting amount of ice blocks can be increased, thereby making the ice cutting mechanism C compact. Can be achieved. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the slit 35 and the cutting blade 37 may be implemented as one each.

In the above-described embodiment, a flow straightening passage 36 is formed on the lower surface of the cutting machine 3◦ to guide the ice cut by the cutting blade 37 toward the center of the beverage container 80 and drop it. Therefore, the ice cut by the ice cutting mechanism C does not scatter from the slit 35 and adhere to the side wall of the beverage container 80 or leak outside.

In the above-described embodiment, the ice storage container 70 for storing ice blocks to be fed into the ice inlet 53 provided above the rotary blade frame 52 is provided. Since the ice blocks can be stored not only in the inside but also in the water storage container 70, the number of times of replenishing the ice blocks can be reduced, and more ice blocks can be cut by one replenishment.

In the above-described embodiment, the rotary ring 40 is formed with the notch 41 extending through the entire width in the vertical direction on the inner peripheral surface fitted with the cutting machine 30. The water from the ice melted at the cutting machine does not collect on the upper surface of the cutting machine, but flows through the notch 4 1 of the rotating ring 40 to the bottom of the upper machine casing 20 below, and is discharged to the outside through the drain port 21 be able to. In addition, the water flowing through the notch 41 of the rotating ring 40 improves the lubricity of the rotating ring 40 and is generated between the support portion 33 of the cutting machine 30 and the rotating ring 40. Friction heat can be cooled, so that the durability of the rotating ring 40 can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, a hood 60 is provided below the cutting machine 30 so that the body 61 has a cylindrical shape and the lower flange 62 contacts the upper edge of the beverage container. Therefore, the cut ice does not go out of the beverage container 80. Further, the hood 60 is slidably supported by the cylindrical portion 22 of the upper machine casing 20 so that the flange portion 62 comes into contact with the upper edge of the beverage container 80 and stops. In, when to place the beverage container 8 0 on the base unit 1 ^2, since Oshiageraru upward hood 6 0 by drinking container 8 0, while moving the beverage containers 8 0 substantially parallel Food 6 It can be placed below zero. In addition, since the upper edge of the beverage container 80 is in contact with the lower surface of the bell section 62 of the hood 60, there is no gap. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be implemented with the hood 60 fixedly attached and the beverage container 80 inserted with some space.

In the above-described embodiment, the beverage container 80 has a stirrer 82 that stirs the cut ice at the bottom thereof and a disk-shaped follower rotatable about a vertical axis that rotationally drives the stirrer 82. A base magnet 12 provided with a side magnet 85 and a beverage container 80 mounted thereon is provided with a disk-shaped drive-side magnet 91 rotatable around a vertical axis below the disk-shaped magnet. By rotating the side magnet 91, the agitator 82 of the beverage container 80 is rotated via the driven magnet 85, whereby the beverage container 80 is mounted. The upper surface of the base 1 2 can be flattened, so that when placing or taking out the beverage container 80 with a stirring function, the upper surface of the base 1 2 can be slid and inserted without lifting it up. , Or, can be taken out. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a clutch that engages with each other is provided on the lower portion of the beverage container 80 and the upper surface of the base portion 12 to rotate the stirring body 82 of the beverage container 80. When inserting or removing the beverage container 80, lift the beverage container upwards to engage the clutch, or remove the clutch in the same way. Good.

In the above-described embodiment, the rotation ring 40 is driven by transmitting the rotation of the electric motor 45 by the timing belt 43, but the present invention is not limited to this. A rotary ring with a drive gear at the upper end of the drive shaft 46 of the motor 45 and a tooth profile on the side that meshes with the tooth profile of the drive gear The rotation of the electric motor 45 may be transmitted to the rotation ring 40 to rotate the rotation ring 40.

In the above-described embodiment, the driven magnet 85 is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 83 serving as the bottom in the housing 84 of the beverage container 80, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, instead of a disk made of a co-magnetic material such as iron with a notch formed on the circumference, the disk of the co-magnetic material such as iron is rotated by the attractive force of the driving magnet 91 and the stirring body 8 2 may be rotated.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. The machine frame, which is provided upright on the base, and has a conical upper surface fixed horizontally to the cylindrical support provided on the upper portion of the machine frame and inclined downward from the top of the center. A cutting machine equipped with a cutting blade provided with a cutting edge provided on a slit formed on the upper surface in the radial direction with its cutting edge facing upward, and a cylindrical part formed downward on the outer periphery of this cutting machine A frustum-shaped rotary cutting body having a rotary ring fitted to the rotary ring, a lower end of the rotary ring removably mounted upwardly, and a rotary wing extending radially from a center of rotation in the rotary ring; An ice cutting mechanism configured by a driving device that drives a rotating ring to rotate the rotary cutting body,

An ice inlet formed at the bottom of the ice container mounted on the machine frame is rotatably fitted to an ice inlet formed at the upper end of the rotary cutting body, and is positioned directly below the cutting machine. A beverage container storing a predetermined amount of beverage is placed on the base, and ice cut by the cutting blade of the cutting machine falls into the beverage container. Frozen beverage preparation equipment.

2. On the lower surface of the cutting machine, there is provided a straightening passage extending downward and inward from the slit to guide the ice cut by the cutting blade toward the center of the beverage container and drop it. 2. The frozen drink blending device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The frozen beverage preparation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cutout for drainage is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the rotary ring.

4. A cylindrical hood associated with an upper end of the beverage container is vertically movably mounted on a cylindrical support provided on an upper portion of the machine frame. Item 5. The frozen beverage preparation device according to item 1.

5. In the beverage container, the cut ice is stirred at the bottom inside. A rotating shaft extending downward from the agitator and penetrating the bottom portion; and a disk-shaped driven magnet fixed coaxially below the rotating shaft, the base on which the beverage container is placed. The table is provided with a disk-shaped driving magnet rotatable about a vertical axis below the disk-shaped driven magnet.

5. The rotating body according to claim 1, wherein the agitator in the beverage container is rotated via the driven magnet by rotating the driving magnet. Frozen beverage preparation equipment.