JP4159490B2 - Frozen confectionery manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a frozen dessert such as soft cream (soft ice cream).

Conventionally, this kind of frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus is equipped with a cooling device comprising a compressor, a condenser, a capillary tube, a cooling cylinder and a cooler equipped in a hopper (mix tank), and this cooling device supplies liquefied refrigerant to the cooler during the manufacture of frozen dessert. The cooling cylinder and hopper are cooled by flowing after reducing the pressure. A beater is attached in the cooling cylinder, and the mix in the cooling cylinder is stirred by the beater while being cooled by a cooler to produce a frozen dessert such as soft cream or sherbet (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-271957

  In this case, the mix is stored in a hopper, and the mix is fed from the hopper into the cooling cylinder by a mix feeder. This mix feeder is in the form of a pipe that is open to the atmosphere at the upper end and communicates with the hopper at the lower end of the hopper, and the amount of mix supplied depends on the head difference in the mix feeder.

  That is, since the supply of the mix from the hopper to the cooling cylinder depends on gravity, there is a drawback that the supply amount is not stable. In addition, since the mix was previously opened in the raw material bag and poured into the hopper, it was contaminated with various germs in the hopper, resulting in a problem of sanitary problems.

  Therefore, a mixed material bag composed of a flexible bag body and an outer layer body outside the flexible bag body is prepared, the mix is stored in the bag body, and compressed air is supplied to the sealed space between the bag body and the outer layer body. A method is conceivable in which the main body is pressurized, the mix is extruded from the bag main body, and supplied directly to the cooling cylinder via the mix raw material tube (mix supply passage). According to this method, the mix can be directly supplied from the mix material bag to the cooling cylinder without depending on gravity and without being transferred to the hopper.

  However, since the mix is always supplied from the mix raw material bag to the cooling cylinder, it is necessary to control so that the mix is supplied from the mix raw material bag only when necessary. As a control method, for example, the air supply passage for supplying compressed air into the cooling cylinder and the mixed raw material bag are joined together in order to give overrun to the frozen dessert, and then communicated with the cooling cylinder. Although it is possible to prevent the mix from flowing out of the tip of the mix material bag by pressurization with air, if the pressure inside the cooling cylinder becomes negative due to pressure fluctuations caused by the rotation of the beater in the cooling cylinder, the mix material bag The mix leaks out little by little from the tip.

  If such leakage of the mix continues, the balance between the mix and air in the cooling cylinder is lost, and there is a problem that a suitable overrun cannot be obtained.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional technical problems, and prevents the leakage of the mix from the mix supply passage for supplying the mix from the mix raw material bag to the cooling cylinder. An object of the present invention is to provide a frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing the confectionery.

  The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a flexible bag body in which a mix is stored, and a flexibility that is provided outside the bag body so that a sealed space can be formed between the bag body and the bag body. A cold storage box that cools the mixed raw material bag comprising the outer layer body, a cooling cylinder that manufactures frozen dessert by cooling the mix supplied from the mixed raw material bag while stirring, an air compressor, and a mixed raw material bag A mix supply passage for communicating between the bag body and the cooling cylinder, and a bag pressurization passage for supplying compressed air generated by the air compressor between the outer layer body of the mix material bag and the bag body And an air supply passage for supplying the compressed air into the cooling cylinder, and a confluence passage member having an outlet connected in communication with the cooling cylinder and provided with first and second inlets. , Mi The gas supply passage and the air supply passage are connected to the first and second inlets of the joining passage member, respectively, and check valves are respectively provided on the outlet side and the first inlet side in the joining passage member. The forward direction of the check valve is on the cooling cylinder side.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a frozen dessert producing apparatus, wherein the check valve is formed in the packing for sealing between the first inlet of the mix supply passage and the joining passage member.

  A frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in each of the above inventions, each check valve is constituted by a duckbill made of an elastic thin piece that is opened by pressure from the upstream side and closed by pressure from the downstream side. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus supplies compressed air to one of the air supply passage and the bag pressurizing passage in each of the above inventions, and always supplies the compressed air to the air supply passage. When it is necessary to supply the mix to the cooling cylinder, compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing passage.

  A frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a valve device that switches between supplying compressed air to the air supply passage or the bag pressurizing passage, and a control device that controls the valve device and the air compression device. The control device always supplies compressed air to the air supply passage by the valve device, and supplies compressed air to the bag pressurizing passage when it is necessary to supply the mix from the bag body to the cooling cylinder. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the frozen dessert producing apparatus is configured such that the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the air supply passage in the invention of the fourth or fifth aspect is higher than the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the bag pressurizing passage It is characterized by that.

  The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to the invention of claim 7 supplies compressed air to the bag pressurizing passage when precharging the mix in the cooling cylinder at the start of operation and taking out the frozen dessert from the cooling cylinder. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the mix raw material bag is kept in the cool box and the compressed air is supplied to the sealed space between the outer layer body and the bag body through the bag pressurizing passage by the air compression device. By supplying, the mix accommodated in the bag body can be pushed out to the mix supply passage and supplied directly to the cooling cylinder through the mix supply passage to produce the frozen dessert. This makes it possible to eliminate the gravity-dependent mix supply method and realize a stable automatic supply of the mix, and to supply the mix directly from the mix material bag to the cooling cylinder, so The above problem will not occur.

  Further, since compressed air is supplied into the cooling cylinder via the air supply passage, an overrun of frozen dessert can be obtained without any trouble. Furthermore, the mix supply passage and the air supply passage are respectively connected to the first and second inlets of the joining passage member, and after joining and communicating with the cooling cylinder at the outlet, the mixing to the cooling cylinder is performed. Both the supply of air and the supply of overrun air can be performed from one place, and the structure of the cooling cylinder can be simplified.

  In particular, check valves are provided on the outlet side and the first inlet side in the junction passage member so that the forward direction of both check valves is on the cooling cylinder side. As a result, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the mix flows backward into the air supply passage or the compressed air flows into the mix supply passage from the air supply passage, the contamination of the mix in the air supply passage and the mixing material bag into the bag body. Inconveniences caused by the backflow of air can be avoided in advance.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the above, the check valve is formed in the packing that seals between the first inlet of the mix supply passage and the merging passage member, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the assembly workability can be reduced. Can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to each of the above inventions, each check valve is constituted by a duckbill made of an elastic thin piece that is opened by pressure from the upstream side and closed by pressure from the downstream side. The structure can be simplified to facilitate cleaning.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the above-described inventions, compressed air is supplied to one of the air supply passage and the bag pressurizing passage, and the compressed air is always supplied to the air supply passage. When it is necessary to supply the mix from the main body to the cooling cylinder, the compressed air is always supplied from the air supply passage to the merging passage member because the compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing passage. The mix remaining before the check valve on the outlet side can be smoothly pushed out to the cooling cylinder, and the check valve on the first inlet side is closed with compressed air from the air supply passage. Leakage of the mix from the mix supply passage can be effectively prevented.

  On the other hand, when it is necessary to supply the mix to the cooling cylinder, compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing passage and not to the air supply passage, so the mix is smoothly cooled from the mix supply passage through the junction passage member. It becomes possible to flow into the cylinder. Thereby, it is possible to manufacture a good quality frozen dessert in the cooling cylinder by preventing the leakage of the mix when it is not necessary and smoothly supplying the mix to the cooling cylinder when necessary.

  According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the above, a valve device for switching whether to supply compressed air to the air supply passage or to the bag pressurization passage, and to control the valve device and the air compression device. A control device is provided. The control device always supplies compressed air to the air supply passage by the valve device, and when it is necessary to supply the mix from the bag body to the cooling cylinder, the compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurization passage. Since it is supplied, it is possible to switch between supplying compressed air to the air supply passage and compressed air to the bag pressurizing passage with a single air compressor, reducing production costs. Can be planned.

  According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the invention of claim 4 or 5, the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the air supply passage is set to be higher than the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the bag pressurizing passage. Since it is high, in the state where it is not necessary to supply the mix from the mix supply passage, the check valve on the first inlet side is more securely closed with the compressed air supplied from the air supply passage to the joining passage member, Leakage of the mix from the mix supply passage can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the above-mentioned inventions, the compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing passage at the time of precharging for storing the mix in the cooling cylinder at the start of operation and when taking out the frozen dessert from the cooling cylinder. When pre-charging the mix in the cooling cylinder, or when it is necessary to replenish the mix after extracting the frozen dessert, supply the compressed air to the bag pressurizing passage to cool the mix without hindrance It will be able to be supplied to.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a partially longitudinal perspective view of a frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus SM according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram relating to the mix supply of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus SM, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a Y-type mixer 57, FIG. Is a sectional view of the Y-type mixer 57, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus SM.

  The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus SM according to the embodiment is an apparatus for manufacturing and selling frozen confectionery such as soft cream and sherbet (shake) (in the embodiment, soft cream is manufactured). Is provided with a heat-insulated cool box 2 for storing and keeping a mix raw material bag 5 (not shown in FIG. 1) containing soft cream raw material mix (mix to be used as a frozen dessert such as soft cream and sherbet). ing. The front side of the interior 2A of the cool box 2 is open, and the front opening is closed by a rotatable heat insulating door 3 so that the heat insulating door 3 can be opened and closed when the mixed material bag 5 is replaced. Opened. Reference numeral 33 denotes a cool box opening / closing switch for detecting opening / closing of the heat insulating door 3.

  On the other hand, a cold storage cooler and a blower (not shown) are arranged on the ceiling 2A of the cold storage 2 and a cold storage compressor 18A and a cold storage condenser (not shown) are installed on the back of the cold storage 2. The cold storage cooler and a known refrigerant circuit are configured. When the cool box compressor 18A is operated, the cool box cooler exhibits a cooling action. Then, the cold air cooled by the cool box cooler is circulated to the interior 2A by the blower, and the mix raw material bag 5 and the peripheral components described later in the cool box 2 are kept at a predetermined temperature.

  The mix raw material bag 5 is stored and held in a bag case 31 so as to be freely delivered, and in that state, the mixed material bag 5 is stored and loaded in the inside 2 </ b> A of the cool box 2. In this embodiment, the frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus SM includes two cooling cylinders 8 as described later, and can produce frozen confectionery using two kinds of mixed raw materials. For this reason, in this embodiment, two bag cases 31 and 31 each containing the mixed raw material bags 5 are juxtaposed in the inside 2A of the cool box 2. The bag case 31 is composed of two upper and lower parts formed in a net shape with wires.

  On the other hand, while holding the rear part of the bag case 31 on the rear inner wall of the cool box 2 and forming a support portion (not shown) for making it lower and slanting to the front side, the front inner wall of the cool box 2 is A locking member 79 for holding the front portion of the bag case 31 is provided across the left and right. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a connecting portion 7A of a bag pressurizing pipe 7 constituting a bag pressurizing passage and a connecting portion 51A of an air circuit 51 as an air supply passage are provided from the inner wall of the cool box 2. Furthermore, a mix inlet 9 of a cooling cylinder 8 (described later) is provided on the bottom wall 2A of the cool box 2 so as to open. In this embodiment, since the frozen dessert can be manufactured by using two kinds of mixed raw materials as described above, the connecting portion 7A of the bag pressurizing pipe 7, the connecting portion 51A of the air circuit 51 and the cooling cylinder 8, the mix Two inlets 9 are provided.

  Here, the mix raw material bag 5 of the embodiment is attached to one surface of the bag body 21 having flexibility and heat-welded, for example, and communicates between the inside of the bag body 21 and the outside. An outlet member 22 made of hard resin, a base end is attached to the outlet member 22, and a periphery is welded to the other side of the bag body 21 and a mix raw material tube 34 constituting a mix supply passage communicating with the bag body 21. A flexible outer layer body 23 made of the same material as the bag body 21 and a hard resin attached to one surface of the bag body 21 so as to communicate with the non-adhesive portion between the outer layer body 23 and the bag body 21. The communication port member 24 (FIG. 2).

  The outer layer body 23 and the bag main body 21 are in a non-adhesive state except for the periphery of the outer layer body 23. Thus, a sealed space (indicated by air in FIG. 2) is formed between the outer layer body 23 and the bag main body 21. Configurable. The communication port member 24 communicates between the outer layer body 23 and the bag body 21 (sealed space) and the outside. In addition, the mix (shown as a mix in FIG. 2) is stored in the bag body 21, and compressed air can be supplied to the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 and the bag body 21.

  The mix raw material bag 5 storing the mix as described above is held in a state of being stored in the bag case 31 and stored in the inside 2 </ b> A of the cool box 2. In this state, the bag case 31 and the mix raw material bag 5 are locked with a sufficient space below the front portion with the front portion inclined slightly lower. In this state, the mix raw material tube 34 attached in advance to the outlet member 22 as described above is connected to a Y-type mixer 57 as a junction passage member as described later, and a bag is formed between the communication port member 24 and the connection portion 7A. The pressure pipe 7 is connected for communication. In addition, the air circuit 51 connects the connection portion 51 </ b> A and the Y-type mixer 57.

  The mix material tube 34 is composed of a flexible synthetic resin tube having flexibility and flexibility, and the base end thereof is connected in advance to the outlet member 22 of the mix material bag 5 as described above. And the tip of the mix raw material tube 34 is heat-sealed and sealed, and the passage in the mix raw material tube 34 is kept hygienic so that it does not come into contact with the outside, and is cut when connecting to the Y-type mixer 57. Will be opened.

  On the other hand, 8 in FIG. 1 is the above-described cooling cylinder in which the mix flowing in from the mix inlet 9 is stirred by a rotating beater 10 to produce a frozen dessert, and a cylinder cooler 11 is attached to the periphery thereof. 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 dessert moves the plunger 16 up and down by operating the take-out lever 15 disposed in the freezer door 14 that closes the front opening of the cooling cylinder 8 so that it can be opened and closed, and the extraction path (not shown) is opened. At the same time, the beater 10 is rotated and driven to be taken out. The freezer door 14, the takeout lever 15 and the plunger 16 constitute a frozen dessert extraction unit.

  The freezer door 14 is made of transparent glass or transparent hard resin to constitute a see-through portion. Through this freezer door 14, the inside of the cooling cylinder 8 can be seen through from the front. A permanent magnet 36 is embedded in the surface of the freezer door 14 on the main body 1 side, and a reed switch 37 is attached to the front surface of the main body 1 at a position corresponding to the permanent magnet 36. When the freezer door 14 is attached to the main body 1 and the front opening of the cooling cylinder 8 is closed, the contact of the reed switch 37 is closed by the permanent magnet 36, the freezer door 14 is removed, and the front surface of the cooling cylinder 8 is removed. When the opening is opened, the contact of the reed switch 37 is opened.

  In addition, a proximity switch (proximity sensor) 38 is attached to the front surface of the main body 1 at a position corresponding to the lower side of the take-out lever 15 constituting the frozen dessert extraction unit. The proximity switch 38 detects that a container such as a cone or a paper cup serving as a frozen dessert is placed under the take-out lever 15 using infrared rays or sound waves.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning hose connection port 39 is provided on the inner wall of the cool box 2. The cleaning hose connection port 39 is connected to a cleaning hose (not shown) for discharging cleaning water into the cooling cylinder 8 when the cooling cylinder 8 is cleaned, and is pulled out to the side surface. The cleaning water pipe 41 is in communication. The cleaning water pipe 41 is connected to a water pipe (not shown), and an opening / closing stopper 42 is provided in the middle of the cleaning water pipe 41 so as to be disposed on the front surface of the main body 1. The opening / closing plug 42 always closes the cleaning water pipe 41, and when the cooling cylinder 8 is cleaned, this is turned to open the cleaning water pipe 41.

  A compressor 18, a condenser 20, a four-way valve 19, and the like constituting the cooling device R are housed and installed in the lower part of the main body 1. The four-way valve 19 is used for flowing a high-temperature refrigerant through the cylinder cooler 11 to perform thawing and sterilization.

  Next, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 27 denotes an air pump that constitutes an air compressor. A check valve 46 is connected to the discharge pipe 28 of the air pump 27 so that the air pump 27 is in the reverse direction. An air circuit sensor (pressure sensor) 47, a relief valve 53, and an exhaust pipe 49 constituting pressure detection means are connected downstream of the check valve 46 of the discharge pipe 28, and the exhaust pipe 49 is connected to the exhaust pipe 49. Is connected to an exhaust solenoid valve 48 in the air circuit (for protection of the air pump and exhaust of the air circuit) constituting the exhaust means.

  The discharge pipe 28 is further connected to an inlet of an air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 as a valve device composed of a three-way valve, and a check valve 56 is connected to one outlet of the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52. The check valve 56 is positioned on the connecting portion 51A while the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 side is in the reverse direction. One end of an air circuit 51 as an air supply passage is connected to the check valve 56. The other end of the bag pressurizing pipe 7 is connected to the other outlet of the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52. The air circuit opening / closing solenoid valve 52 communicates the inlet (air pump 27 side) and one outlet (air circuit 51 side) in a non-energized state, and is energized to enter the other outlet (bag pressurization pipe 7 side). ) To communicate.

  The other end of the air circuit 51 is detachably connected to a second inlet 57B formed at the upper end of the Y-type mixer 57. Further, the outlet 57 </ b> C at the lower end of the Y-type mixer 57 is detachably connected to the mix inlet 9 of the cooling cylinder 8 and communicates with the cooling cylinder 8. A check valve 54 is attached in the Y-type mixer 57 inside the outlet 57C. This check valve 54 is composed of a duckbill made of an elastic thin piece that squeezes downward, opens the flow path with pressure from the upstream side (air circuit 51 side), and from the downstream side (cooling cylinder 8 side). The flow path is closed with the pressure of.

  Further, the mix raw material bag 5, the mix raw material tube 34, the air circuit 51, the bag pressurizing pipe 7 and the Y-type mixer 57 are located in the inside 2 </ b> A of the cool box 2 and are kept cold.

  Here, the front end of the mix raw material tube 34 is cut as described above, and then the cut end is inserted into the first inlet 57A of the Y-type mixer 57 and sealed with a rubber packing 67. (Not shown) detachably connected. The first inlet 57A is formed so as to branch obliquely upward from the side surface (upstream side of the check valve 54) of the vertical pipe portion of the Y-type mixer 57 connecting the second inlet 57B and the outlet 57C. Has been. The packing 67 is integrally formed with a check valve 61 located in the first inlet 57 </ b> A, and the front end cut of the mixed material tube 34 is opened on the upstream side of the check valve 61. This check valve 54 is also composed of a duckbill made of an elastic thin piece that squeezes diagonally downward. The flow path is opened by pressure from the upstream side (mix raw material tube 34 side), and the downstream side (Y-type mixer). The flow path is closed by pressure from the straight pipe portion 57).

  Next, in FIG. 5, reference numeral 73 denotes a general-purpose microcomputer constituting the control device. The input of the microcomputer 73 is connected to the cold storage open / close switch 33, the air circuit sensor 47, the proximity switch 38, and the reed switch 37. Has been. Further, a precharge switch (operation switch) 76 and a cooling switch 77 provided on the control panel 74 of the main body 1 are further connected to the input of the microcomputer 73.

  Further, in addition to the compressors 18 and 18A of the cooling device R and the beater motor 12 described above, the exhaust solenoid valve 48 in the air circuit, the air pump 27, and the air circuit open / close solenoid valve 52 are connected to the output of the microcomputer 73. . Furthermore, a sold-out display lamp 78 provided on the operation panel 74 is connected to the output of the microcomputer 73. Note that a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the inside 2A of the cold storage 2 are connected to the microcomputer 73 (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When a power plug (not shown) of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus SM is connected to the power source and turned on, the microcomputer 73 first determines whether or not the contact of the reed switch 37 is closed. Then, if the freezer door 14 is attached and the front opening of the cooling cylinder 8 is closed and the permanent magnet 36 closes the contact of the reed switch 37, the start of the subsequent operation is allowed, but the freezer door 14 is normally operated. If it is not attached and the contact of the reed switch 37 is open, the start of the subsequent operation is prohibited, for example, the sold-out display lamp 78 is blinked to display an alarm. As a result, forgetting to attach the freezer door 14 or preventing the operation from being started in a state where the freezer door 14 is not properly installed is prevented, and the user is prompted to install the freezer door 14.

  Next, the manufacture of frozen confectionery and the extraction operation of frozen confection from the supply of the mix will be described. In addition, the mix raw material bag 5 is set in the storage 2A of the cool box 2 in a state where it can be delivered in a state of being stored in the bag case 31 as described above. In this state, the bag pressurizing pipe 7, the mix raw material tube 34, the air circuit 51, and the Y-type mixer 57 are also connected as described above. However, at this point in time when precharging is started, the Y-type mixer 57 is not completely set at the mix inlet 9 but is attached so that the air in the cooling cylinder 8 can escape.

(1) Precharge mode When the user turns on the precharge switch 76 (presses it for less than 2 seconds), the microcomputer 73 enters the precharge mode and starts precharging. In this precharge mode, the microcomputer 73 operates the air pump 27 and energizes the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 to switch the flow path to the other outlet (the bag pressurizing pipe 7 side). Thereby, compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing pipe 7 (including the sealed space between the bag main body 21 and the outer layer body 23 of the mixed material bag 5 communicating with the bag pressurizing pipe 7).

  When the air pressure detected by the air circuit sensor 47 rises to a first upper limit value (for example, 15.0 KPa), the microcomputer 73 stops the air pump 27 based on the output of the air circuit sensor 47. . After that, the microcomputer 73 starts counting a 3-minute timer (a predetermined value not limited to 3 minutes) that is included in the microcomputer 73.

  Compressed air is sent from the bag pressurizing pipe 7 into the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 of the mixed material bag 5 and the bag body 21, whereby a constant pressure is applied to the bag body 21 from the outside. As a result, the volume of the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 and the bag body 21 is expanded, so that the mix in the bag body 21 is pushed out from the outlet member 22 to the mix material tube 34. When the bag body 21 is pressurized and the mix is pushed out to the mix material tube 34, the check valve 61 is opened by the pressure. As a result, the mix extruded from the bag body 21 to the mix material tube 34 passes through it, then exits from the front end cut, enters the Y-type mixer 57 through the first inlet 57A, and passes through the check valve 61. To the straight pipe section.

  Thereafter, it flows down in the Y-type mixer 57 and reaches the check valve 54. Since the check valve 54 is opened by the pressure of the mix pushed out from the mix raw material tube 34, the mix passes through the check valve 54 and flows into the cooling cylinder 8 from the mix inlet 9. At this time, since the Y-type mixer 57 is mounted so that air can escape, the air in the cooling cylinder 8 exits from the mix inlet 9. As a result, the mix also smoothly flows into the cooling cylinder 8.

  Since the mix flows out from the mix raw material bag 5, the volume of the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 and the bag body 21 is increased, so that the air pressure in the pipe from the bag pressurizing pipe 7 to the discharge pipe 28 is also reduced. When the air circuit sensor 47 detects that the pressure has decreased to the first lower limit (for example, 10.0 KPa), the microcomputer 73 operates the air pump 27 to resume the supply of compressed air. By repeating this, the microcomputer 73 sets the air pressure detected by the air circuit sensor 47 (the pressure of the compressed air in the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 of the mixed material bag 5 and the bag body 21) to the first upper limit value (15. 0 KPa) and the first set value (average 12.5 KPa) between the first lower limit (10.0 KPa).

  Thereafter, this is continued until the count of the 3-minute timer is completed, and the mix is fed into the cooling cylinder 8. As a result, the mix is stored in the cooling cylinder 8. When the count of the 3-minute timer is completed, the microcomputer 73 stops the operation of the air pump 27, opens the exhaust electromagnetic valve 48 in the air circuit for 5 seconds, and discharges the compressed air once. The check valve 61 in the Y-type mixer 57 is also temporarily closed by the pressurization of the bag body 21 being lost. The user confirms the liquid level of the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 through the transparent freezer door 14, and when it does not reach the predetermined liquid level, the user continues to press the precharge switch 76 (ON for 2 seconds or more).

  When the precharge switch 76 is continuously turned on, the microcomputer 73 operates the air pump 27 and starts supplying compressed air again. As described above, the air pressure detected by the sensor 47 in the air circuit (mixed material bag) The air pressure in the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 and the bag body 21 is maintained at the first set value. As a result, the bag body 21 is pressurized, the check valve 61 on the downstream side of the mix material tube 34 is opened, and the mix is again fed from the mix material bag 5 into the cooling cylinder 8. When the user visually confirms that the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 has been stored to a predetermined liquid level and releases the precharge switch 76 (OFF), the microcomputer 73 stops the air pump pump 27. Then, the air circuit exhaust electromagnetic valve 48 is opened, and the compressed air in the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 of the mixed material bag 5 and the bag body 21 is discharged. As a result, the feeding of the mix is stopped, the mix is stored in the cooling cylinder 8 to a predetermined liquid level, and the check valve 61 in the Y-type mixer 57 is also closed.

  By providing such a precharge mode in the microcomputer 73, the mix can be smoothly stored in the cooling cylinder 8 when the store is opened. In particular, since the precharge switch 76 is provided and the precharge can be started manually, the usability is also improved.

  After the mix is stored in the cooling cylinder 8 to a predetermined liquid level in this way, the heat insulating door 3 is opened, and the Y-type mixer 57 is connected to the mix inlet 9 in the inside 2A of the cool box 2 (from the cooling cylinder 8 to the air ), And close the heat insulating door 3. When the heat insulating door 3 is opened, the microcomputer 73 stops the air pump 27 and opens the exhaust electromagnetic valve 48 in the air circuit to discharge the compressed air as described above. After the Y-type mixer 57 is connected, the microcomputer 73 When the door 3 is closed, the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 is energized to switch the flow path to one outlet side (air circuit 51 side), the air pump 27 is operated again, and the air circuit sensor 47 detects it. After raising the air pressure (including the air pressure in the air circuit 51) to the second upper limit (for example, 17.0 KPa), the air pump 27 is stopped.

  When the air circuit opening / closing solenoid valve 52 switches the flow path to one outlet side, the microcomputer 73 detects that the air pressure (including the air pressure in the air circuit 51) detected by the air circuit sensor 47 is the second. When the air pressure drops to a lower limit value (for example, 12.0 KPa), the air pump 27 is operated again to reduce the air pressure detected by the air circuit sensor 47 (the pressure of the compressed air in the air circuit 51) to the second value. The second set value (average 14.5 KPa) between the upper limit (17.0 KPa) and the second lower limit (12.0 KPa) is maintained.

  When the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 is energized and the flow path is switched to one outlet, the compressed air flows from the air circuit 51 through the Y-type mixer 57 into the cooling cylinder 8. As a result, a predetermined overrun is obtained for the frozen dessert manufactured in the cooling cylinder 8. Also, the mix remaining on the upstream side of the check valve 54 is pushed out to the cooling cylinder 8 by the pressure of the compressed air flowing from the air circuit 51 and the check valve 61 is also closed. Inflow of the mix into will be blocked.

  In particular, since the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air circuit 51 (second set value) is higher than the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the mix material bag 5 (first set value), the check valve 61 is sure. Since the compressed air remains between the mixed material tube 34 and the check valve 61, leakage from the cut end of the mixed material tube 34 is also prevented.

  In addition, as described above, the amount of compressed air flowing from the air circuit 51 into the cooling cylinder 8 can provide an overrun of frozen dessert (a state where air is mixed in the frozen dessert and increases its bulk). The liquid level of the mix stored in the cooling cylinder 8 can be regulated to a predetermined liquid level by operating the precharge switch 76. And since the leakage of the mix from the mix raw material tube 34 is also prevented, the amount of air in the cooling cylinder 8 can also be defined, whereby the overrun amount of the frozen dessert can be set accurately.

  Moreover, since the mix raw material tube 34 and the air circuit 51 are once merged by the Y-type mixer 57 as described above, they are communicated from the mix inlet 9 into the cooling cylinder 8. And the air supply for overrun can be performed from the single mix inlet 9, and the structure of the cooling cylinder 8 can be simplified. This completes the precharge mode.

(2) Normal Sales Mode Next, when the cooling switch 77 is turned on (pressed) by the user, the microcomputer 73 is a cooling device provided that the freezer door 14 is normally attached and closed as described above. The R compressor 18 is operated to start the cooling operation. When the compressor 18 is operated, the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 20 is supplied to the cylinder cooler 11 through a decompression device (not shown) and exhibits a cooling action there. Further, the compressor 18 is also operated, and the mix of the mix material bag 5 in the inside 2A of the cool box 2 is kept cold by the cool box cooler 4 as described above. Further, since the components such as the mix raw material tube 68 and the other end of the air circuit 51 in the interior 2A and the Y-type mixer 57 are kept cold, the mix and compressed air flowing into the cooling cylinder 8 will be described later. The temperature does not increase in the process of passing through these.

  On the other hand, in the cooling cylinder 8, the mix is cooled to a freezing temperature (about −4 ° C.) by the cylinder cooler 11, and the microcomputer 73 rotates the beater 10 by the beater motor 12. A semi-cured frozen dessert (soft cream) is produced. After that, it becomes a sales standby state.

  Here, although the pressure in the cooling cylinder 8 fluctuates due to the rotation of the beater 10, high-pressure compressed air is supplied from the air circuit 51 into the Y-type mixer 57 as described above. Since the stop valve 61 is closed, this can reliably prevent unnecessary leakage of the mix from the mix raw material tube 34 to the cooling cylinder 8 in the standby state.

  In this state, for example, when the user takes out a cone (container), for example, below the take-out lever 15 and brings it close to the proximity switch 38, the proximity switch 38 detects the cone and turns on (sales detection). The microcomputer 73 rotates the beater 10 when the proximity switch 38 is continuously ON for 3 seconds. When the user operates the take-out lever 15, the plunger 16 is raised as described above, so that the frozen dessert (soft cream) is pushed out by the beater 10 into an extraction path (not shown) and extracted into a cone.

  Further, while the proximity switch 38 is ON as described above, the microcomputer 73 energizes the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 to switch the flow path to the other outlet, and supplies the compressed air to the bag pressurizing pipe 7. Accordingly, the mix is supplied from the mix raw material tube 34 through the Y-type mixer 57 (opening the check valve 61) to the cooling cylinder 8 and replenished in the same manner as in the precharge described above.

  If the extraction lever 15 is returned, the plunger 16 descends and the extraction path is blocked. When the cone is separated from the proximity switch 38, the microcomputer 73 stops the beater 10 and switches the flow path to one outlet by de-energizing the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52, thereby supplying compressed air to the air circuit 51 again. State. As a result, the extraction of the frozen dessert is stopped and the check valve 61 is also closed. As a result, the backflow of the compressed air to the mix material tube 34 and the backflow of the mix to the air circuit 51 are prevented, and there is no need to clean the inside of the air circuit 51.

  Thus, by enclosing compressed air in the sealed space between the outer layer body 23 of the mixed raw material bag 5 and the bag body 21 using the air pump 27, the volume of the sealed space between them is expanded and the bag body 21. Since the mix stored inside is pushed out to the mix raw material tube 34, automatic supply of the mix from the bag body 21 to the cooling cylinder 8 can be realized. This eliminates the gravity-dependent mix supply system that uses the mix supply pipe as in the prior art, and enables stable automatic supply of the mix. The mix is directly cooled from the mix material bag 5 to the cooling cylinder 8. By supplying to, hygiene problems can be solved.

  Furthermore, compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing pipe 7 when the mix needs to be supplied to the cooling cylinder 8 at the time of precharging the mix and extracting the frozen dessert, and the compressed air is always supplied to the air circuit 51. Since the supply is performed, it is possible to close the check valve 61 and prevent the unnecessary mix from flowing into the cooling cylinder 8 while reliably supplying the mix when necessary.

(3) Control at the time of freezing When the extraction amount of the frozen dessert from the inside of the cooling cylinder 8 increases, the mix in the cooling cylinder 8 is replenished although the mix from the mix raw material tube 34 is replenished. The amount will decrease. When the mix amount in the cooling cylinder 8 is reduced, the cooling load is reduced, so that the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 is lowered from the above-described state of about −4 ° C. to a low temperature state such as −14 ° C.

  In such a low temperature state, the frozen dessert freezes in the cooling cylinder 8, resulting in a disadvantage that extraction cannot be performed. Therefore, when the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 is lowered to a low temperature such as −10 ° C. based on the output of the temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8, the microcomputer 73 freezes the frozen dessert in the cooling cylinder 8. Therefore, the air circuit opening / closing solenoid valve 52 is energized, the flow path is switched to the other outlet, and the compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing pipe 7.

  As a result, the mix is supplied from the mix material tube 34 through the Y-type mixer 57 (the check valve 61 is opened) to the cooling cylinder 8 and replenished as described above. Since this mix is the refrigeration temperature of the inside 2A of the cool box 2, the temperature of the cooling cylinder 8 rises and freezing is eliminated. After a predetermined period, the microcomputer 73 switches the flow path to one outlet by de-energizing the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 and again supplies compressed air to the air circuit 51. As a result, the extraction of the frozen dessert is stopped and the check valve 61 is also closed.

  In the present embodiment, the air circuit opening / closing electromagnetic valve 52 is switched to supply the compressed air from the air pump 27 to either the air circuit 51 or the bag pressurizing pipe 7. A separate air pump may be provided for the bag pressurizing pipe 7. Even in that case, each air pump may be controlled so that the air pressure to the air circuit 51 is higher than the air pressure to the bag pressurizing pipe 7.

It is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional perspective view of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of the Example to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram regarding the mix supply of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view of the Y type mixer of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the Y-type mixer of FIG. It is a block diagram of the electric circuit of the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

SM frozen dessert manufacturing equipment 1 Main body 2 Cold storage 2A Inside 3 Heat insulation door 5 Mixed material bag 7 Bag pressurization pipe (bag pressurization passage)
8 Cooling cylinder 9 Mix inlet 21 Bag body 23 Outer layer 27 Air pump 34 Mix material tube (mix supply passage)
47 Air circuit sensor 48 Air circuit exhaust solenoid valve 51 Air circuit 52 Air circuit open / close solenoid valve 57 Y-type mixer (merging passage member)
54, 61 Check valve 67 Packing 73 Microcomputer (control device)

Claims (7)

A mix comprising a flexible bag main body in which the mix is stored, and a flexible outer layer body provided outside the bag main body and capable of forming a sealed space with the bag main body. A cold storage for keeping the material bags cold,
A cooling cylinder for producing a frozen dessert by cooling while stirring the mix supplied from the mix raw material bag;
An air compressor,
A mix supply passage for communicating the inside of the bag body of the mix raw material bag and the inside of the cooling cylinder;
A bag pressurizing passage for supplying compressed air generated by the air compressor between the outer layer body of the mixed material bag and the bag body;
An air supply passage for supplying the compressed air into the cooling cylinder;
An outflow port is provided in communication with the cooling cylinder, and a confluence passage member provided with first and second inflow ports,
The mix supply passage and the air supply passage are connected to the first and second inlets of the joining passage member, respectively, and reverse to the outlet side and the first inlet side in the joining passage member, respectively. A frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that a stop valve is provided so that the forward direction of both check valves is on the cooling cylinder side.   The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the check valve is formed in a packing that seals between the mix supply passage and the first inlet of the joining passage member.   The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each check valve is constituted by a duckbill made of an elastic thin piece that is opened by pressure from the upstream side and closed by pressure from the downstream side.   The compressed air is supplied to one of the air supply passage and the bag pressurizing passage, and the compressed air is always supplied to the air supply passage, and the mix is supplied from the bag body to the cooling cylinder. The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the compressed air is supplied to the bag pressurizing passage when necessary. A valve device for switching whether to supply the compressed air to the air supply passage or the bag pressurization passage, and a control device for controlling the valve device and the air compression device,
The control device always supplies the compressed air to the air supply passage by the valve device, and when the mix needs to be supplied from the bag body to the cooling cylinder, the compressed air is pressurized to the bag. The frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus is supplied to the passage.   The frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the air supply passage is higher than the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the bag pressurizing passage.   The said compressed air is supplied to the said bag pressurization channel | path at the time of the precharge which stores a mix in the said cooling cylinder at the time of a driving | operation start, and when taking out frozen dessert from the said cooling cylinder. The frozen confectionery manufacturing apparatus of Claim 5 or Claim 6.

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