JP7227337B2 - Frozen dessert material molding device and frozen dessert material molding method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a frozen dessert material molding apparatus and a frozen dessert material molding method for partially molding frozen dessert materials such as ice cream and sherbet.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a molded container capable of molding a depression (recess) for pouring beverages such as coffee, juice, and alcohol into frozen desserts (frozen desserts) such as ice cream is widely known. According to such a molded container, a beverage such as coffee, juice, alcohol, etc. is poured into the depressions formed in the frozen dessert, and the frozen dessert is mixed with the frozen dessert to easily make a frozen beverage. can.

As an example of such a molding container, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a frozen dessert that includes a container lid having a conical convex portion, and with this container lid, a conical concave portion can be formed in the center of the frozen dessert. A (frozen dessert) container is disclosed.

Moreover, in recent years, a system in which dedicated servers for coffee and the like are installed in convenience stores and the like, and consumers purchase beverages in a self-service manner is spreading.

In convenience stores and the like, frozen desserts manufactured using a frozen dessert container as described in Patent Document 1 are also sold together, and consumers purchase the frozen desserts in a frozen state together with beverages and sell them at stores. There is also a service that allows you to mix beverages and frozen desserts and eat them. The frozen dessert container is configured so that a recess is created in the frozen dessert by removing the container lid, and the consumer can use the recess to break the frozen dessert and pour in a beverage to eat and drink. It is possible.

With the spread of such services, the demand for frozen desserts with recesses formed to break up frozen desserts and allow beverages to be poured is also increasing rapidly. It is strongly desired to improve the molding efficiency of the material).

Japanese Patent No. 5536273

However, there are various methods for manufacturing frozen desserts having recesses, and there is still room for study. Specifically, for example, in the case of using a container lid as described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the cost is higher than that of a general frozen dessert lid because of its special shape.

It is also conceivable to form recesses in the frozen dessert material using a mold (freeze the frozen dessert material in a recessed shape) without using the above container lid. There are no known techniques for improving the finish of molding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve such conventional problems. To provide a frozen dessert material molding apparatus and a frozen dessert material molding method capable of achieving a good finish.

The present invention is a frozen dessert material forming apparatus for continuously hardening a portion of frozen dessert material into a hollow recessed shape, comprising a conveying means for conveying a plurality of containers and a filling means for filling the frozen dessert material into the container. forming means for successively inserting and extracting the cooled convex mold into and out of the conveyed frozen dessert material to harden the frozen dessert material around the mold into a thin skin concave shape; and applying a cooling medium to the mold. a coolant supply means for supplying a coolant; and an injection means capable of injecting a small amount of coolant capable of additionally hardening the frozen dessert material near the bottom of the concave shape to at least the extent that the frozen dessert material near the opening can be held. and means for transferring the frozen dessert material including the hollow recess-shaped hardened portion and the unhardened portion to a downstream process.

The present invention also provides a frozen dessert material forming method for continuously hardening a part of the frozen dessert material into a hollow concave shape, comprising a step of conveying a plurality of containers, and a step of filling the frozen dessert material into the container. Then, the cooled convex molds are successively introduced into and removed from the conveyed frozen dessert material to harden the frozen dessert material around the mold into a thin-skinned concave shape while part of the frozen dessert material is unhardened. and a second curing step of additionally hardening the frozen dessert material on the bottom of the concave portion to at least the extent that the frozen dessert material in the vicinity of the opening can be held. It relates to a material forming method.

According to the frozen dessert material forming apparatus and the frozen dessert material forming method according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and improve the finish of the molding when continuously forming recesses in the frozen dessert material. can play

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a frozen dessert manufactured by the frozen dessert material forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, (a) a cross-sectional view, and (b) an external perspective view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a front view showing an outline of a frozen dessert material forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the recessed part molding apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) Front view, (b) Top view, (c) External view of a shaping|molding die, (d) Sectional drawing of a shaping|molding die. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a hardening section according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a schematic diagram explaining the operation of the concave portion forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Overall composition>
1A and 1B are diagrams showing a finished state of a frozen dessert (frozen dessert) 50 in which recesses are formed by a frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a sectional view, and FIG. It is a perspective view. 2 is a front external view showing the frozen dessert material molding apparatus 10, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a molding die unit 151U, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, and FIG. (c) is an external view of the molding die 151, and (d) is a sectional view thereof.

For convenience of explanation, as definitions of various directions in the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10, the first direction from upstream to downstream (the direction from left to right in FIG. 1) is defined as the conveying direction T. The second direction that is perpendicular to the transfer width direction W is defined as the transfer width direction W, and the third direction that is perpendicular to the transfer direction T and the transfer width direction W (vertical direction in the drawing) is referred to as the transfer height direction H.

As shown in FIG. 1, a frozen dessert (frozen dessert) 50 is stored in a cup-shaped container 21 and frozen with a recess 30 formed substantially in the center. In the present embodiment, the shape of the recess 30 is a substantially conical shape with the apex positioned downward, but it is not limited to this shape, and may be, for example, a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, a hemispherical shape, or the like. The interior of the recess 30 is a hollow portion.

Referring to FIG. 2, ice dessert material forming apparatus 10 is a molding apparatus that continuously hardens (freezes) a portion of ice dessert material 23 into a hollow concave shape. 15 , coolant supply means 17 , and coolant injection means 19 . Each part of the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 is centrally controlled by a control unit. The control unit is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and executes various controls. The CPU is a so-called central processing unit, and executes various programs to realize various functions. RAM is used as a work area for the CPU. The ROM stores the basic OS and programs executed by the CPU.

The conveying means 11 is, for example, a conveyor device that continuously conveys a plurality of containers 21. In a state in which a plurality of (for example, 5 to 10) containers 21 are arranged along the conveying width direction W, T, for example intermittently. The container 21 here is the main body of a frozen dessert container (frozen dessert material container) having a cup-shaped main body (see FIG. 1) and a lid (not shown).

The filling means 13 is a mix filling machine 13 that sequentially fills the container 21 conveyed by the conveying means 11 with the frozen dessert material 23 . The frozen dessert material 23 is, for example, a raw material for shaved ice. The mix filling machine 13 is filled with a frozen dessert material 23 obtained by mixing ice and ice cream mix that have been shaved by an ice shaving device (not shown) and then adjusted in particle size by a line crusher (not shown), for example. The container 21 moving downward in the conveying height direction H of the mix filling machine 13 is recognized and filled with a predetermined amount of frozen dessert material 23 into the container 21 . During filling, the overrun of the frozen dessert material 23 is adjusted to 10% to 30%, for example.

The forming means 15 is a concave forming device 15 which is arranged above the conveying means 11 and continuously hardens at least a part of the frozen dessert material 23 into a hollow concave shape. The recess forming device 15 has at least a cooled convex forming die 151 and a driving means 153 for moving the mold upward and downward in the conveying height direction H (vertical direction). Molds 151 are successively put into the frozen dessert material 23 conveyed downward, and extracted from the frozen dessert material 23 . As a result, at least a portion of the frozen dessert material 23 around the mold 151 (the frozen dessert material 23 in contact with the surface of the mold 151) is continuously cooled and hardened (frozen) into a hollow concave shape. The molding die 151 is used to mold the shape of the recess 30 shown in FIG. 1. The entire frozen dessert material 23 is not hardened in the recess forming apparatus 15, and is cooled and hardened in the downstream process (hereinafter simply referred to as hardening). Thus, the frozen dessert 50 shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured.

The cooling medium supply means 17 is a means for cooling the forming die 151 by supplying a cooling medium to the forming die 151 through a pipe 175 from a storage tank (not shown). In this embodiment, as an example, liquid nitrogen (liquefied nitrogen: LN2) is used as the coolant. The coolant supply means 17 supplies liquefied nitrogen to the recess forming apparatus 15 stably by supercooling the liquefied nitrogen in the pipe 175 .

The refrigerant injection means 19 is a liquid nitrogen injection device that directly injects additional refrigerant (liquid nitrogen) into the recessed portions of the frozen dessert material 23 hardened by the recess forming device 15 .
<Concave forming device>
Referring to FIG. 3, recess forming apparatus 15 has a forming die unit 151U to which a plurality of forming dies 151 are integrally attached. A plurality of molds 151 are arranged in a matrix along the transport direction T and the transport width direction W, and the number in the transport width direction W corresponds to the number of containers 21 transported by the transport means 11 . Also, in the conveying direction T, in this example, there are a plurality of molding dies 151 arranged in front and behind (upstream and downstream sides) (FIGS. 1A and 1B).

Specifically, the recess forming device 15 includes a first forming die 151A positioned upstream (left side in FIGS. 1A and 1B) in the conveying direction T, ) and a second molding die 151B positioned on the right side in FIG. As described above, a plurality of first molding dies 151A and second molding dies 151B are arranged in the conveying width direction W (Fig. 1(b)). This will be described as a second molding die 151B.

Referring to FIGS. 15(c) and 151(d), a mold 151 (151A, 151B) is formed by molding metal into a substantially conical shape, and has a hollow portion 159 inside. The shape of the hollow portion 159 is a substantially conical shape along the outer shape, and an opening 157 is provided at a position facing the apex T of the cone. Then, it is attached to a hopper 173 (to be described later) so that the top portion T is positioned downward in the conveying height direction H, that is, in a downward convex state. Liquid nitrogen is supplied to the hollow portion 159 via a hopper 173 , and the substantially conical outer surface comes into contact with the frozen dessert material 23 .

The metal of the molding die 151 is a material that does not pose a problem even if it comes into direct contact with food, and has a high thermal conductivity to the extent that heat exchange with the frozen dessert material 23 can be performed efficiently. It is a material that is easy to peel off, for example, stainless steel (SUS304). In addition, the plate thickness D of the substantially conical portion in the completed state shown in the figure is substantially uniform throughout, for example, 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm, preferably 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm, or more. It is preferably 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. In this embodiment, as an example, the plate thickness D of the mold 151 is set to 0.5 mm.

In addition, at least the outer surface 151O that contacts the frozen dessert material 23 is surface-treated, for example, by electropolishing. For example, the outer surface may be processed to prevent adhesion of the frozen dessert material 23 (for example, uneven processing, water-repellent processing, etc.).

The metal is not limited to stainless steel as long as it is a material that does not pose a problem even if it comes into direct contact with food, has a high thermal conductivity to the extent that heat exchange with the frozen dessert material 23 can be performed efficiently, and is easy to process. . For example, the metal of the mold 151 may be gunmetal (an alloy of copper (Cu) and tin (Sn): Gunmetal). The heat conductivity of the gunmetal is three to four times higher than that of stainless steel, and heat exchange with the frozen dessert material 23 can be performed well. On the other hand, although it has a lower hardness than stainless steel and is difficult to process, it has a high thermal conductivity, so the plate thickness D can be made thicker than in the case of stainless steel, which can compensate for the difficulty of processing. The two molds 151A and 151B of this embodiment have the same configuration.

Mold unit 151U moves relatively close to/separates from container 21 . For example, the recess forming device 15 raises and lowers the mold unit 151U to raise and lower the first mold 151A and the second mold 151B at the same time to put them into the frozen dessert material 23 and extract them from the frozen dessert material 23. Note that the first mold 151A and the second mold 151 do not have to be raised and lowered at the same time. Further, the conveying means 11 may move up and down so that the container 21 approaches and separates from the mold unit 151U.

The pitch between the first molding die 151A and the second molding die 151B is the same as the pitch between the two containers 21 arranged along the transport direction T (front and rear two rows). Specifically, the distance L between the central axis passing through the first mold 151A, the second mold 151B, and the apex of the substantially conical shape (see FIG. 11A) is approximately cylindrical It is approximately equivalent to the distance between the central axes of the shaped container 21 . In other words, the recesses are formed (substantially) simultaneously on the two frozen dessert materials 23 arranged in the transport direction T by the first mold 151A and the second mold 151B arranged in the transport direction T. FIG.

The recess molding device 15 moves the molding die 151 so that the molding die 151 performs a predetermined number of moldings in a predetermined time. That is, one molding die 151 is repeatedly put into and taken out of at least two frozen dessert materials 23 filled in the container 21 and continuously conveyed. The hardening treatment is performed so that at least a portion of the frozen dessert material 23 that abuts on the circumference of 151 has a hollow concave shape.

One molding die 151 is formed by the preceding (downstream in the conveying direction T) frozen dessert material (first frozen dessert material ) to the hardening treatment of the following (upstream in the conveying direction T) frozen dessert material (second frozen dessert material). That is, the concave portion forming device 15 performs the hardening process of the frozen dessert material 23 on the downstream side (more specifically, extraction from the partially hardened frozen dessert material 23) to the hardening process of the frozen dessert material 23 on the upstream side (reinsertion into the mix). During this period, the mold 151 is moved up and down at a speed at which the mold 151 is cooled to a predetermined temperature.

Specifically, when focusing on one frozen dessert material 23, the frozen dessert material 23 conveyed uncured is first cured by the first mold 151A on the upstream side so that a portion near the center becomes a recess. A hardened portion 35 (see FIG. 4) in a thin skin state is formed, and the downstream second molding die 151B is inserted into the hardened portion 35 (recessed portion) to further (overlap) harden. That is, the recessed hardened portion 35 of one frozen dessert material 23 is formed by inserting and removing a plurality of molds 151 (twice in this example). It is formed by inserting and removing.

In this embodiment, a plurality of molding dies 151 (151A, 151B) are used to lift and lower the frozen dessert material 23 contained in one container 21 a plurality of times to form the recessed hardened portion 35 . As a result, the time during which the molds 151A and 151B are in contact with the frozen dessert material 23 can be shortened, and the temperature rise (cooling temperature) of the molds 151A and 151B can be minimized. In addition, the contact time of one mold 151 is shortened, and by performing the molding process a plurality of times on one hardened part 35, the hardened state is maintained in good condition (transferred to the next process in a sufficient molded state). can do.

The recess 30 formed by the recess forming device 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The figure shows the state of a certain frozen dessert material 23 over time, with (a) showing the state after being hardened (molded) by the first mold 151A, and ( b) is the state after being cured (molded) by the second molding die 151B, and FIG. 4(c) is the state in which liquid nitrogen is injected.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the mold 151 is moved up and down under a predetermined condition (time, which will be described later) and cooled, only a portion of the ice cream material 23 in contact with the mold 151 is hardened. be. Then, as shown in the figure, a hardened portion 35 in a thin-skin state is formed along the shape of the mold 151 . A concave portion 30 is created near the center of the frozen dessert material 23 by forming the hardened portion 35 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, when additional hardening is performed by the second molding die 151B, the thin-skinned hardened portion 35 is laminated in two layers. This can prevent the hardened portion 35 from collapsing as compared with the case of one layer.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, liquid nitrogen 37 is injected into the inside of the hardened portion 35 by the liquid nitrogen injection device 19 . As a result, the frozen dessert material 23 near the bottom that is in contact with the liquid nitrogen 37 is also hardened (the hardened portion 35 spreads further). Since the vicinity of the bottom portion of the frozen dessert material 23 is hardened, even if the frozen dessert material 23 near the opening is not sufficiently hardened, the load can be endured and the hardened portion 35 can be prevented from collapsing.

It should be noted that if the number (number of times) of inserting/removing the molding die for one frozen dessert material 23 is increased, the number of laminated hardened portions 35 in the thin-skin state increases, which is effective in preventing the hardened portions 35 from collapsing. , the transfer to the downstream process (deep freezer) is delayed. The degree of hardening also varies depending on the composition of the frozen dessert material 23 . Therefore, the processing conditions (operating conditions) and the number of times of molding by the molding die 151 are appropriately selected according to the processing efficiency, the composition of the frozen dessert material 23, and the like.
<Refrigerant supply means>
Referring to FIG. 2 again, the refrigerant supply means (liquid nitrogen supply device) 17 includes a liquid nitrogen storage tank (not shown), a liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171, a hopper 173, and piping 175 connecting them. As shown in FIG. 3, the hopper 173 has, for example, a substantially cubic shape, and a supply port (not shown) is provided at the bottom. A mold unit 151U is attached to this bottom, and the opening 157 of the mold 151 (151A, 151B) completely covers the supply port of the hopper 173 and communicates with it.

The liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank is supplied to the hopper 173 through the pipe 175 through the liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171, and the hollow portion of the mold 151 from the supply port of the hopper 173 through the opening 157 of the mold 151. 159. The hopper 173 has a liquid level sensor in its upper part, and automatically supplies liquid nitrogen to the hollow portion 159 of the molding die 151 by switching a solenoid valve so as to maintain the liquid level of the liquid nitrogen at an arbitrary position. Thereby, the mold 151 is cooled.

The liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171 is a device that can stably supply supercooled liquid nitrogen (for example, a subcooler manufactured by Cool Technos). of liquid nitrogen is supercooled. Liquid nitrogen has a very low boiling point of −196° C. under 1 atmosphere, and as the distance from the liquid nitrogen storage tank to the point of use increases, the liquid nitrogen in the pipe 175 is gasified (nitrogen gas: GN2), and the terminal ( The supply of liquid nitrogen from the hopper 173, etc.) becomes unstable, and when a liquid nitrogen nozzle or the like is used, pulsation occurs, and a phenomenon that a minute amount cannot be controlled occurs. In this embodiment, a liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171 is installed near the hopper 173 to bring the liquefied nitrogen in the pipe 175 into a supercooled state, thereby stably supplying the liquefied nitrogen to the hopper 173 .
<Liquid nitrogen injector>
The liquid nitrogen injection device 19 is provided downstream of the recess forming device 15 and directly injects a predetermined amount of liquid nitrogen into the recess-shaped hardened portion 35 of the frozen dessert material 23 formed by the recess forming device 15 . By injecting liquid nitrogen, the hardened portion 35 and its vicinity are more sufficiently hardened (additional hardening treatment is performed) to prevent the hardened portion 35 from collapsing until it is transferred to the downstream process.

The liquid nitrogen injection device 19 has a hopper 191 and an injection nozzle 193 and is connected to the liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171 through a pipe 175 . The liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank is also supplied to the hopper 191 through the pipe 175 via the liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171 . An injection nozzle 193 is attached to the hopper 191 , and liquid nitrogen is automatically supplied from the injection nozzle 193 to the curing portion 35 of the frozen dessert material 23 . Liquid nitrogen is continuously injected from the injection nozzle 193. A needle valve (not shown) is provided between the hopper 191 and the injection nozzle 193, and the amount of injection of liquid nitrogen can be adjusted by adjusting the degree of opening of the needle valve. can.

The injected liquid nitrogen evaporates until the frozen dessert material 23 reaches the downstream end of the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 . After the injected liquid nitrogen is vaporized, a lid (not shown) is attached to the container 21 . The lid is attached to the container 21 by, for example, a lid attachment device (not shown) provided near the downstream of the ice dessert material forming apparatus 10, and the ice dessert material 23 is sealed. The lid may be, for example, a (substantially conical) lid along the molded recessed hardened portion 35, that is, having a convex portion similar to that of the mold 151, or may have no convex portion. For example, it may be a film-like or flat plate-like lid.

In the ice dessert material forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a hardening portion 35 in the shape of a recess is formed in the substantially central portion of the ice dessert material 23 by the recess forming device 15 and the liquid nitrogen injection device 19 . Then, the frozen dessert material 23 discharged from the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 and attached with the lid is transferred to a quick freezer (not shown), and the unhardened frozen dessert material 23 is cooled and hardened.

The ice dessert material forming apparatus 10 employs the above-described recess forming apparatus 15 (molding die 151) when manufacturing the frozen dessert 50 having the recess 30 near the center, and the recess forming apparatus 15 and the liquid nitrogen injection apparatus 19 are effectively used. By controlling, the production efficiency is improved and the finish of the molding is also improved. In the following, the operation of the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 and the frozen dessert material forming method by this will be described including this point.
<Operation of Frozen Dessert Material Forming Apparatus and Frozen Dessert Material Forming Method>
The operation of the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 and the frozen dessert material forming method will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 2. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the recess forming device 15. In FIGS. 5(a) to 5(h), the left side is the upstream side and the right side is the downstream side. 21 are conveyed from left to right in FIG.

First, referring to FIG. 2, an empty container 21 (cup-shaped main body) is supplied at the upstream end of the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 . The containers 21 are supplied to the conveying means 11 so that, for example, 8 to 10 containers are lined up along the width direction W of conveying.

On the downstream side, frozen dessert materials 23 are supplied from the mix filling machine 13 to the containers 21 that are successively conveyed. The mix filling machine 13 recognizes the container 21 moving downward and fills the container 21 with a predetermined amount of frozen dessert material 23 .

In addition, the liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank (not shown) is supplied to the hopper 173 through the pipe 175 via the liquid nitrogen supercooling system 171, and is supplied to the hollow portion 159 of the mold 151 from the supply port of the hopper 173. . The hopper 173 has a liquid level sensor in its upper part, and automatically supplies liquid nitrogen to the hollow portion 159 of the molding die 151 by switching a solenoid valve so as to maintain the liquid level of the liquid nitrogen at an arbitrary position. Thereby, the mold 151 is cooled.

Then, the concave portion is formed by the concave portion forming device 15 . That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the recess molding device 15 recognizes the container 21 moving downward and lowers the mold unit 151U (FIG. 5(a)). As a result, first, the first mold 151A on the upstream side is put into the frozen dessert material 23 (uncured frozen dessert material 23) positioned downstream of the two frozen dessert materials 23 arranged in the forward and rearward directions in the conveying direction T. (Fig. 5(b)).

As shown in FIG. 4, the frozen dessert material 23 is cooled and hardened around the first mold 151 by contacting the first mold 151A sufficiently cooled by liquid nitrogen, and the hardened portion 35 in a thin skin state is formed. is formed. Focusing on the first molding die 151A, this hardening treatment is the first hardening treatment (first hardening treatment) for the frozen dessert material 23 in the continuous molding treatment. Focusing on the frozen dessert material 23, it is the first hardening process, which is the hardening process on the upstream side (upstream hardening process). As a result, a substantially conical hardened portion 35 is formed along the outer surface of the first mold 151A.

After a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 2 seconds, preferably around 1.5 seconds, and more preferably around 1.33 seconds) has passed, the recess molding device 15 moves the first molding die 151A (molding The mold unit 151U) is raised and extracted from the frozen dessert material 23 (Fig. 5(c)). In this embodiment, the conveying means 11 intermittently conveys the container 21 (frozen dessert material 23) downstream. In other words, the container 21 (frozen dessert material 23) does not move downstream while being molded by the molding die 151 . Therefore, the molding die 151 (molding die unit 151U) is configured to perform only up-and-down operations.

Note that the cooling time by the mold 151 is an example, and the longer the cooling time, the better, but it is appropriately selected in consideration of the production capacity.

When the mold unit 151U rises, the conveying means 11 moves the container 21 (frozen dessert material 23) in the conveying direction T in a row. Then, the mold unit 151U is lowered again (FIG. 5(d)). At this time, the lowered downstream second molding die 151B is inserted into the concave portion of the hardened portion 35 previously formed by hardening (upstream hardening) by the first molding die 151A (FIG. 5(e) )). Then, the second molding die 151B contacts or approaches the hardened portion 35, and hardening proceeds further. Focusing on the second molding die 151B, this hardening treatment is a hardening treatment (first hardening treatment) for the first mix among successive molding treatments. Focusing on the frozen dessert material 23, it is the second hardening treatment after the hardening portion 35 is formed, which is hardening treatment on the downstream side (downstream hardening treatment).

At the same time, the first molding die 151A is put into the fresh frozen dessert material 23 on the upstream side, and the periphery of the first molding die 151A is cooled and hardened. Focusing on the first molding die 151A, this hardening treatment is a hardening (second hardening) treatment for the frozen dessert material 23 that is performed later in the continuous molding process. Focusing on the frozen dessert material 23, it is the first hardening process, which is the hardening process on the upstream side (upstream hardening process).

When the mold unit 151U rises after a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 2 seconds, preferably around 1.5 seconds, more preferably about 1.33 seconds) has passed (FIG. 5(f)). , the conveying means 11 moves the container 21 (frozen dessert material 23) in the conveying direction T in a row. Then, the mold unit 151U is lowered again (FIG. 5(g)). At this time, the second mold 151B on the downstream side that has descended has a hardened portion 35 of the frozen dessert material 23 (the frozen dessert material 23 on the downstream side) that has been previously cured (upstream hardened) by the first mold 151A. (Fig. 5(h)). Then, the second molding die 151B contacts or approaches the hardened portion 35, and hardening proceeds further. Focusing on the second molding die 151B, this hardening treatment is a hardening (second hardening) treatment for the frozen dessert material 23 that is performed later in the continuous molding process. Focusing on the frozen dessert material 23, the second hardening treatment is the downstream hardening treatment (downstream hardening treatment).

This is sequentially repeated, and the first molding die 151A and the second molding die 151B continuously form the recess-shaped hardened portions 35 in the frozen dessert material 23 respectively. That is, the first molding die 151A repeats the hardening process (first hardening process) for the preceding unhardened frozen dessert material 23 and the hardening process (second hardening process) for the subsequent unhardened frozen dessert material 23 . Similarly, the second molding die 151B performs a hardening process (first hardening process) on the preceding frozen dessert material 23 in which the hardened part 35 is formed, and a hardening process (first hardening process) on the subsequent frozen dessert material 23 in which the hardened part 35 is formed ( Second curing process) is repeated.

Focusing on a certain frozen dessert material 23, the first molding die 151A is inserted in an uncured state to form a recess-shaped hardened portion 35 (upstream hardening process). The second molding die 151B is inserted into the curing section 35, and additional curing (downstream curing treatment) is performed.

At this time, the frozen dessert material molding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is capable of producing a predetermined number of hardening (for example, eight pieces (eight rows) in the conveying width direction W at the same time) in a predetermined time. 160 pieces per minute when the lifting operation is performed 20 times per minute. Between the hardening (previous hardening of the frozen dessert material 23) processing and the second hardening (second hardening of the frozen dessert material 23) processing, the up-and-down operation (duration) is controlled so as to cool to a predetermined temperature. .

This predetermined temperature is a temperature sufficient to harden at least a portion of the frozen dessert material 23 that contacts (or is close to) the periphery of the mold 151, and more specifically, the boiling point of liquid oxygen (-183° C) low temperature below.

When each molding die 151 is put into the frozen dessert material 23, heat exchange with the frozen dessert material 23 occurs, and the surface temperature of the molding die 151 rises above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (-196° C.). When the frozen dessert material 23 is removed from the frozen dessert material 23 after the first hardening treatment is completed, the mold 151 is cooled again by liquid nitrogen and eventually drops to the boiling point of liquid oxygen. The concave portion forming apparatus 15 is configured such that when a certain mold 151 (both the first mold 151A and the second mold 151B) is extracted from the frozen dessert material 23, the surface temperature of the mold 151 is at least After dropping to the boiling point of liquid oxygen (−183° C.), it is introduced into the frozen dessert material 23 . In other words, after the mold 151 is pulled out from the frozen dessert material 23, the frozen dessert material 23 is in a raised state (the frozen dessert material 23 ) is maintained (standby above), and after being sufficiently cooled, it is put into the frozen dessert material 23 to be subjected to the second hardening treatment.

When the mold 151 with liquid nitrogen supplied to the hollow portion 159 is exposed to the air, oxygen gas in the air comes into contact with the outer surface 151O of the mold 151 and becomes liquid oxygen. When the frozen dessert material 23 is charged with liquid oxygen attached to the outer surface 151O of the mold 151, liquid oxygen adheres to the mold 151 more than when the mold 151 is charged with the outer surface 151O dry. The amount of frozen dessert material 23 can be significantly reduced. In addition, even if the frozen dessert material 23 adheres to the mold 151 due to contact with the frozen dessert material 23, the frozen dessert material 23 is removed from the frozen dessert material 23 and exposed to the air to allow liquid oxygen to adhere to the surface of the mold 151. It is also possible to separate the frozen dessert material 23 from the molding die 151 .

In this embodiment, liquid oxygen is attached to the outer surface 151O of a certain mold 151 during the period from when it is extracted from the previous frozen dessert material 23 until it is put into the subsequent frozen dessert material 23. Secondly, the operation timing for raising and lowering the molding die 151 is controlled.

For example, when the hardened portion 35 is formed in the frozen dessert material 23 having a certain composition, the shortest time required for liquid oxygen to adhere to the outer surface 151O of the mold 151 exposed to the air after being extracted from the frozen dessert material 23 is a predetermined amount. Assuming a production capacity (for example, it is possible to form the hardening part 35 for 160 frozen dessert materials 23 per minute), the time is, for example, 1 to 2 seconds, preferably 1.5 to 1.8 seconds. , more preferably 1.6 to 1.7 seconds.

The speed at which the frozen dessert material 23 hardens (the hardened portion 35 is formed) varies depending on the composition and temperature of the frozen dessert material 23 . In other words, the temperature rise of the mold 151 in contact with the frozen dessert material 23 also varies depending on the composition and state of the frozen dessert material 23 , and the time during which the mold 151 is cooled in a non-contact state with the frozen dessert material 23 also varies depending on the temperature of the frozen dessert material 23 . Varies depending on composition and condition.

In other words, the shortest time until the liquid oxygen adheres to the surface of the mold 151 is an example, and the recess forming device 15 of the present embodiment can be used for each of the molds 151 that are successively put into the frozen dessert material 23 . , the mold 151 shall be maintained in a non-contact state with the frozen dessert material 23 at least until liquid oxygen adheres to the surface of the mold 151. It is appropriately selected according to the composition, state, and the like.

The timing of the vertical motion of the forming die 151 (forming die unit 151U) can be set arbitrarily. adjusted and synchronized with the moving speed of the container 21 .

After the hardened portion 35 is molded, the container 21 is further conveyed downstream, and the liquid nitrogen injection device 19 injects liquid nitrogen into the molded hardened portion 35 (see FIG. 2). The injection amount is, for example, about 1/5 to 1/2 of the depth D1 of the hardened portion 35, preferably about 1/4 (volume is, for example, about 9 ml).

This process hardens the hardened portion 35 formed by the recess forming device 15 and its vicinity more reliably. After forming by the recess forming device 15, as shown in FIG. 4, a hardened portion 35 is formed by hardening the frozen dessert material 23 in a thin skin state. In such a case, if additional hardening treatment (hardening treatment by injecting liquid nitrogen) is not performed, the unhardened portion, especially the frozen dessert material 23 near the bottom cannot withstand the weight of the frozen dessert material 23 near the opening. This causes the hardened portion 35 to collapse.

On the other hand, if the cured portion 35 is formed even in such a thin skin state (even if the whole is not cured), it can be sealed with a lid and transferred to a quick freezer, which is a downstream process. That is, it is sufficient if only the hardened portion 35 can be formed in a short period of time.

Also, the smaller amount of liquid nitrogen used during the manufacturing process contributes to cost reduction. In this embodiment, as a condition for sufficiently hardening the hardened portion 35 to the extent that the hardened portion 35 does not collapse before being transferred to the subsequent rapid freezing step, the injection amount of liquid nitrogen is, for example, For example, the depth is such that about 1/4 of the bottom is filled (for example, about 9 ml in capacity). As a result, since the hardening of the frozen dessert material 23 near the bottom can be promoted, it is possible to prevent the frozen dessert material 23 from collapsing due to the load of the frozen dessert material 23 near the opening. Can be transferred to the freezer.

Further, for example, liquid nitrogen is injected at a timing (dashed line t2) four rows downstream (12 seconds later) from the upstream first molding die 151A (dashed line t1 shown in FIG. 2). In this case, if the injection amount of liquid nitrogen is injected to a depth of about 1/4 of the depth D1 of the hardened portion 35, under the environment in the manufacturing process, the timing of 6 rows downstream (18 seconds later) after injection The liquid nitrogen is vaporized by (broken line t3). That is, the lid can be attached to the container 21 from the 7th row downstream side after the injection.

If the injection amount is large, the timing of vaporization will be delayed, and if the attachment of the lid is delayed, the transfer to the downstream process will also be delayed. With the injection amount of this embodiment, since the surroundings of the hardened part 35 are set to the minimum amount that can be hardened enough to be transferred to the downstream process, the attachment of the lid and the transfer to the downstream quick freezer are also possible. It can be done in the shortest possible time, preventing an increase in costs and shortening the work time.

The container 21 (in which the frozen dessert material 23 having the hardened portion 35 is sealed with a lid) discharged from the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 is transferred to a tray after being discharged, and placed in a quick freezer (not shown) (for example, −40° C.) for example for 20 minutes. As a result, the frozen dessert 50 (see FIG. 1) having the concave portion 30 near the center is obtained.

When one mold 151 was exposed to the air after being extracted from the frozen dessert material 23, liquid oxygen adhered to the surface of the mold 151 in about 1.5 to 1.8 seconds. Based on this, the hardening part 35 was formed under the following conditions, and it was demonstrated that good hardening is possible and a predetermined production capacity can be obtained.

The frozen dessert material 23 is, for example, an ice cream mix mixed with crushed ice, and raw materials of the ice cream mix are, for example, sugars, dairy products, coffee, and flavors. Also, the solids of the mix before mixing with crushed ice is, for example, 40%.

The conveying means 11 performs an intermittent operation of moving the container 21 by one line in the conveying direction T in one second and stopping for two seconds. It takes 3 seconds to perform one vertical motion (one shot) of one molding die 151 . As a result, for example, the hardened portions 35 can be formed for about 80 to 240 frozen dessert materials 23 per minute.

In this case, focusing on one mold 151, after the mold 151 is put into the frozen dessert material 23, the recess forming device 15 maintains the mold 151 for about 1.33 seconds to ) to form a hardened portion 35 . The period from when the mold 151 is extracted from the frozen dessert material 23 to when it is put into the subsequent frozen dessert material 23 (second frozen dessert material) is approximately 1.67 seconds.

In other words, focusing on one frozen dessert material 23, the first mold 151A is put in and hardened for 1.33 seconds (the first mold 151A is pulled out), and after 1.67 seconds the second mold 151B is opened. Dump in and cure for an additional 1.33 seconds.

After that, about 9 ml of liquid nitrogen was injected by the liquid nitrogen injection device 19 into the formed concave hardened portion 35 .

As a result, the frozen dessert material 23 does not adhere to the mold 151, and the formed hardened portion 35 is sufficiently hardened so as not to collapse before being transferred to the downstream process (quick freezer). Adhesion of the unnecessary frozen dessert material 23 to the surface of the ice cream was not observed, and it was in a good condition.

An example of the present embodiment has been described above. In this case, if the mold 151 extracted from the preceding frozen dessert material 23 is maintained (standby) in the air until the temperature drops below the boiling point of liquid oxygen, and then the subsequent frozen dessert material 23 is cooled, the above-described configuration can be used. Examples are not limited.

In addition, in order to prevent the temperature rise of the mold 151, as described above, a plurality of molds 151 (two times in this example) are used for the curing portion 35 of one frozen dessert material 23, and different molds 151A and 151B are inserted and removed. Although the configuration formed with is suitable, it is not limited to the above example. That is, one molding die 151 may be inserted into and removed from the hardened portion 35 of one frozen dessert material 23 a plurality of times (two times in this example) for molding.

For example, if the total time for forming the recessed portion 30 for one frozen dessert 50 is T hours, the time for molding the hardened portion 35 once by the mold 151 is 1/2T hour, and the mold 151 is inserted and removed twice. By doing so, compared to the case where the molding time of the hardened portion 35 is set to T hours by inserting and removing the molding die 151 once, the rise in the surface temperature of the molding die 151 can be suppressed to a low level. Since the waiting time can be shortened, efficient molding can be achieved.

Also, preferably, the mold 151 may be inserted and removed multiple times with respect to one frozen dessert material 23, but may be inserted and removed once.

In the above example, the molding die unit 151U shows a case in which a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of molding dies 151 are arranged in the transport width direction W (eg, row direction) and the transport direction T (eg, column direction). The molds 151 may be arranged in one row and multiple columns, or may be arranged in multiple rows and one column.

When a plurality (M) of molds 151 are provided along the conveying direction T, each mold is inserted into and extracted from the frozen dessert material 23 every N pieces (N=M−1>0). The temperature is controlled to be lower than the boiling point of liquid oxygen during the period.

In addition, depending on the state of the frozen dessert material 23 (e.g., easiness of hardening, viscosity in the mixed state, hardness when the frozen dessert material 23 is made into the frozen dessert material 23), a single mold (1 row×1 column) is provided in the mold unit 151U. ) is provided to form the frozen dessert materials 23 sequentially, and the waiting time in the air between the first frozen dessert material 23 and the subsequent frozen dessert material 23 is until the temperature drops below the boiling point of liquid oxygen. good.

Further, the molding means 15 may be configured so that the plurality of molding dies 151 can be moved up and down individually. In this case, for example, when the preceding forming die 151A is descending, the succeeding forming die 151B is raised, and when the preceding forming die 151A is ascending, the succeeding forming die 151B is controlled to descend. You may

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the conveying means intermittently conveys is shown, but it may be continuously conveyed. In this case, the recess forming device 15 and the liquid nitrogen injection device 19 are made movable along the transport direction T in synchronization with the transport means 11 . However, in this case, the device and control are complicated, so intermittent operation as described above is desirable because it reduces the cost.

Also, the composition (proportion of raw materials) of the frozen dessert material 23 and values such as overrun are not limited to the above examples, and are appropriately selected according to the state of the frozen dessert (frozen dessert) 50 . Further, the frozen dessert material 23 is not limited to a mix of shaved ice, and may be a mix of ice creams, sherbets, and other desserts provided in a frozen (frozen) state.

The operating conditions of the frozen dessert material forming apparatus 10 described above are also an example, and are appropriately selected according to the composition and state of the frozen dessert material 23 and the state of the frozen dessert 50 to be manufactured so that the hardened portion 35 is molded.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10 Frozen Dessert Material Forming Device 11 Conveying Means 13 Filling Means (Mix Filling Machine)
15 Forming Means (Concave Forming Device)
17 refrigerant supply means 19 refrigerant injection means (liquid nitrogen injection device)
21 Container 23 Frozen dessert material 30 Recess 35 Hardening unit 37 Liquid nitrogen 50 Frozen dessert 151, 151A, 151B Mold 171 Liquid nitrogen supercooling system 173 Hopper 175 Piping 191 Hopper 193 Injection nozzle

Claims (7)

A frozen dessert material forming apparatus for continuously hardening a part of the frozen dessert material into a hollow concave shape,
a conveying means for conveying a plurality of containers;
filling means for filling the frozen dessert material into the container;
forming means for sequentially inserting and extracting the cooled convex mold into and out of the conveyed frozen dessert material to harden the frozen dessert material around the mold into a thin-skinned concave shape;
a coolant supply means for supplying a coolant to the molding die;
an injection means capable of injecting a small amount of refrigerant capable of additionally hardening the frozen dessert material near the bottom of the concave shape to at least the extent that the frozen dessert material near the opening can be retained;
means for transporting the frozen confection material including the hollow recessed hardened portion and the unhardened portion to a downstream process;
A frozen dessert material forming apparatus characterized by: A lid attachment device for attaching a lid to the container downstream of the injection means,
The amount of refrigerant injected by the injection means is an amount that can be vaporized before the cover is attached.
The frozen dessert material forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: A frozen dessert material molding method for continuously hardening a part of the frozen dessert material into a hollow concave shape,
conveying a plurality of containers;
filling the container with the frozen dessert material;
The cooled convex molds are sequentially put into and taken out of the frozen dessert material to be conveyed, and while part of the frozen dessert material is unhardened, the frozen dessert material around the mold is hardened into a thin-skinned concave shape. a curing step;
a second curing step of additionally hardening the frozen dessert material at the bottom of the concave portion to at least the extent that the frozen dessert material near the opening can be retained;
having
A frozen dessert material molding method characterized by: After the second curing step, transferring the frozen dessert material containing the uncured portion to a downstream process.
The frozen dessert material forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the second hardening step, a small amount of refrigerant is injected into the frozen dessert material having the concave shape to harden the bottom.
5. The method of forming a frozen dessert material according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The amount of the refrigerant to be injected is an amount that can be vaporized by the time the lid is attached to the container.
The frozen dessert material forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: A third curing step of curing the uncured frozen dessert material after mounting the lid,
The frozen dessert material forming method according to claim 6, characterized in that:

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