JPS62126936A - Household ice cream maker - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an ice cream making machine, particularly an ice cream making machine for home use.

(Prior Art and Problems) As has been known for a long time, in the production of ice cream, it is necessary to stir the ice cream mixture while it is frozen. If this is omitted, large ice crystals will form and the product will become unpalatable. Early versions of home ice cream machines used an outer container with a rotating inner container for stirring. The space between the two containers is filled to the brim with a mixture of ice and salt, and the ice cream mixture is placed in an inner container which is rotated and the ice cream mixture is agitated by the stationary mixing impeller. Alternatively, the mixing vane may be rotated. This type of ice cream making machine is currently in use, and in its early form the rotation could be done by hand, but is it now? 1
This is done using an energized motor. Although such ice cream preparations are effective, they are relatively cumbersome and inconvenient to use because they require the preparation of a mixture of ground wood and salt.

Another type of home ice cream making machine is essentially an E-compact free) device, which includes a refrigerator and an ice cream mixture in a container. A device is provided for stirring. Although such ice cream machines are very effective, they are expensive due to the need to install ice storage equipment.

A third type of device is commercially available, consisting solely of a container containing rotating mixing vanes driven by a small electric motor that is connected to a current-carrying line by a connecting cord.

Such an ice cream making machine is simply placed in the freezer compartment of an ordinary refrigerator, and the connecting cord is led out of the refrigerator through the door seal and connected to the core line. Agitation is carried out until the ice cream mixture reaches the desired consistency. In this type of ice cream machine, the motor is configured to stop when the thermostat adjuster is turned on and the ice cream mixture reaches a consistency that causes the motor to overheat and trigger the thermostat switch. In this type of ice cream production, the ice cream mixture is placed in a simple metal container and the ice cream mixture is simply cooled in a freezer.

However, in some types of devices, an AI electric motor is used not only to rotate the mixing blades in the ice cream mixture container, but also to drive a small fan that acts to draw air into the bottom and upper sides of the container. Also used for This certainly speeds up the freezing of the ice cream mixture to some extent.

Home ice cream making machine of this last style
Although the machine is highly effective and inexpensive, it is not widely used. This is believed to be due to the user's irrational fear of putting an electrical device connected to the refrigerator into the refrigerator. This is also despite the fact that in this case the voltage applied to the motor is only 24 volts.

One object of the invention is to provide a home ice cream machine according to a third mode, which eliminates the use of a connection to a power supply by installing a battery bag as part of the ice cream machine. While this idea is certainly simple, it has proven extremely difficult in practice to construct an ice cream making machine capable of making 16 ice creams with a battery bag of acceptable size.

After considerable experimentation, the solution to this problem was to cool the ice cream mixture while stirring it! ! It has been found that the problem lies in the installation of a fan that blows directly into the ice cream mixture from the compartment partition. It has been found that in this way it is possible to produce ice cream of acceptable consistency during the life of a pack of six commercially available rechargeable batteries.

Another object of the invention is that the time required for ice cream production is shortened and that the quality of the product is slightly better regardless of whether the device is powered by pack-mounted batteries or by a power connection. This is the third form of household ice cream that shows improved effects. These improvements are accomplished through the use of fans or other devices that blow cold air from the freezer directly onto the ice cream. In this regard, rather than using only one fan, two
It has also been found that using multiple fans side by side results in even greater improvements.

The present invention comprises a container in the form of an annular trough, a mixing blade arranged in the trough member so as to be rotatable around its axis, and an electric motor VJ drivingly connected to the blade to rotate the blade.
The present invention relates to a refrigerator-insertable household ice cream making machine, characterized in that it is equipped with a device for forming a descending air flow that blows onto the surface of the ice cream mixture in the container.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electric motor for driving the mixing vanes and fan is powered by a battery located in the pack, so that the ice cream machine can be operated in-house, eliminating the need to run a power cord into the refrigerator. This is a self-contained device that can be placed inside a refrigerator. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a side-by-side fan to direct the air over the surface of the ice cream in the container, and a fan which acts to pull the ice cream mixture away from the inner and outer walls of the container as the blades rotate. Preferably, the mixing vanes are shaped in such a way that a gap is formed between the ice cream mixture and the container wall so that the ice cream mixture can come into contact with cold air from the ice cream mixture.

For a better understanding and implementation of the features of the present invention, preferred embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

〔Example〕

The illustrated ice cream machine is housed in a plastic container consisting of a lower part 10 and an upper part 11 which are interconnected by a bayonet joint shown in cross-section at 12. A handle portion 10a is provided on one side of the lower portion 10.
A similar handle portion 11a is provided extending from the upper portion 11. These parts form a handle that is used to move the ice cream machine into and out of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

Inside the lower part 10 is a container 13 in which ice cream is made. It takes the form of an annular trough of stainless steel or other metal with an open top. A mixing blade 14 having a structure described in detail in section F is mounted inside the container 13 so as to be rotatable about the axis of the container by a drive shaft 15. All other parts of the ice cream machine are contained within the upper casing 11, which can be cut 1111 from the lower casing 10 by turning it slightly relative to the lower casing 10!
I can say j. After this slight turning process has been carried out, the upper container 11 and its contents are lifted from the lower container 10 and the drive shaft 15 is inserted into the socket l-16 which forms part of the mixing vane 14.
extracted from. Next, the mixing blade 14 and the container 13
is removed from the lower casing 10 for cleaning.

Inside the upper casing 11 is a battery container 1 made of a heat insulating material.
7 is provided. Therefore, the small amount of heat generated by the action of the eight rechargeable Ti'I=J batteries 18 is retained during operation of the ice cream machine. Rechargeable battery 18
is connected by an electrical circuit to a socket 21 to which a battery charger is connected when the battery 18 needs to be recharged. A small electric motor 22 serves to drive the drive shaft 15 via a reduction gearing system which will be described in more detail below with respect to FIG. Two fans 23, 24 are juxtaposed just above the frontage surface of the container 13. The fans are each driven by a small separate electric motor housed in the hub of the fan, and the fans draw air through the openings 25 into the upper casing 11 and fall onto the surface of the ice cream mixture in the container 13. The air then enters the container 13
and exits through the opening 26 in the bottom of the lower casing 10.

An improved effect can be obtained by using a single fan placed just above the front surface of the container, but an even better result is obtained by using two fans side by side as shown in the figure (7). Although the cause is not clearly understood, The results obtained with two diametrically spaced fans are not as good.The concentration of cold air striking the ice cream surface caused by the two side-by-side fans causes A frozen crust forms on the ice cream below and this crust is then incorporated into the mixture by the action of the mixing vanes 14.Whether or not the case is correct, the use of the two fans ensures that for a time well within the capacity of the battery 18. I know from experience that you can get the best ice cream.

Battery 18, motor 22 and motor-driven fan 23.24
is connected to an electric circuit (not shown), and this circuit is turned on by an on/off switch that can be operated from the top of the upper casing 11. This electric circuit is configured such that four of the batteries are used to drive the motors of the two fans 23 and 24, and four of the batteries are used to drive the motor 22.

The fan motor absorbs less energy than the motor 22, and this configuration ensures that the fan continues to operate even if the mixing vanes 14 stop rotating.

The shaft 15 is driven by the motor 22 and the pinion gear 28°31.3
2, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38, the construction of which is clearly shown in the detailed view of the transmission shown in FIG. A dog clutch 41 is provided between the pinions 36 and 37 and is spring-loaded by a coil spring 42.

As the ice cream mixture becomes frozen solid, the resistance to movement of the mixing vanes 14 increases, and when this resistance reaches a certain level, the clutch 41 begins to slip and the mixing vanes come to rest. Therefore, the motor 22 will not be damaged by heating when the mixing blade stops moving. As mentioned above, the fans 23 and 24 continue to rotate even when the mixing blades are stopped. Slippage of clutch 41 provides an audible indication that ice cream production is complete.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the vane 14 has a compound shape, and its lower part has a contour that matches the internal shape of the container 13, as is also apparent in FIG. The vane is made by molding of plastic material and has a central socket 16 surrounded by an annular portion 43 with a portion 44 projecting radially upwardly from the annular portion 43, which projecting portion 44 is attached to the bottom of the container 13. It is connected to a circumferentially extending inclined portion 45 which extends at an angle of approximately 45° to the circumferential direction. A leading vertically extending portion 46 extends from the top of the vane to the bottom and is supported at the bottom by struts 47.

The shape of the blade was obtained empirically with a special intention to produce the effect shown in Figure 5. As can be seen from Figure 5, the rotation of the blade in the ice cream mixture causes the ice cream to A gap, as shown at 48, is formed between the cream mixture and the outer wall of the container 13, and a gap, as shown at 49, is formed between the ice cream mixture and the inner wall of the container, respectively. The illustration shows the ice cream morphology at a much later stage during ice cream formation, when the ice cream mixture has become relatively firm.

Although the patented device differs somewhat during the early stages when the ice cream mixture is more liquid, the purpose achieved by the special shape adapted to the blades is that the ice cream mixture is not merely stirred as the mixing blades rotate. 23.2 without fan between ice cream mixture and container
A gap is formed through which air from 4 can pass.

In use, container 13 is filled with a liquid ice cream mixture. The two parts 11, 12 of the container are then joined together, the drive shaft 15 inserted into the socket 16, and the two parts connected by the bayonet joint 12.

Next, insert the entire machine into the freezer compartment of the refrigerator and switch 26
and start the motor. The mixing vanes 14 are continuously rotated by the motor 22 and the fans 23,24 direct an air stream to the surface F of the ice cream mixture. After about 45 minutes, the ice cream mixture is sufficiently firm to cause clutch 41 to slip, thereby providing an indication for removal of the machine from the freezer compartment. There, the two half-folded parts of the container are separated, and the container is separated! Ice cream is taken directly from i13. Thereafter, the container 13 and blades 14 are removed for cleaning, and the battery charger is inserted into the socket 21 to recharge the battery pack for next use.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a central sectional view of the ice cream making machine of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the upper cover partially cut away to show the parts below, and Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the transmission gear train. , 4a and 4b are drawings of the mixing vanes, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the container showing the effect of the rotating vanes in the ice cream mixture. 13... Container, 14... Mixing blade, 15... Drive shaft, 16... Socket, 18... Battery, 21. ...Socket, 22...Small motor, 23.24...
...Fan, 28.31, 32.33.34, 35
．． 36゜37.38... Reduction gear train, 41... Dog clutch.

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A home ice cream making machine that can be inserted into the refrigerator, and a container in the form of an annular trough;
a mixing vane disposed within the gutter for rotation about the axis of the container, and an electric motor device drivingly connected to the vane for rotating the mixing vane; A household ice cream making machine, characterized in that it is provided with a device for creating a downwardly directed air flow. (2) The home ice cream making machine according to claim 1, wherein the device for creating the air flow comprises a fan disposed above the container and a motor device disposed to rotate the fan. (3) The household ice cream making machine according to claim 2, wherein two fans are placed side by side. (4) The home according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein all of the electric motor devices are powered by a battery pack consisting of a plurality of batteries housed in the ice cream making machine. ice cream making machine. (5) The home ice cream making machine according to claim 4, wherein the electric motor device that drives the mixing blade and the electric motor device that drives the fan are powered by batteries from different groups of a battery pack. (6) The mixing vanes separate the ice cream mixture from the inner and outer walls of the container as they rotate, thereby creating a circumferentially and axially extending gap between the ice cream mixture and the walls of the container through which the air flow can pass. A domestic ice cream making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, constructed and arranged to produce ice cream. (7) The first-mentioned electric motor device drives the mixing vanes through a gear train including a spring-loaded biting clutch, said biting clutch ensuring that the consistency of the ice cream mixture reaches a predetermined level during freezing. A household ice cream making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is configured to slip in time.