Freezing cylinder assembly with inner-cooling and outer-protecting structure and ice cream machine comprising freezing cylinder assembly

Abstract

The invention discloses a freezing cylinder assembly with an inner-cooling and outer-protecting structure and an ice cream machine comprising the freezing cylinder assembly. The freezing cylinder assembly comprises an inner barrel used for containing ice cream slurry, a refrigeration sleeve arranged in the inner barrel and provided with an evaporator attached to the inner circumferential face, and a stirring paddle arranged on the periphery of the refrigeration sleeve in a sleeving mode. The transmission shaft penetrates through the refrigeration sleeve and is connected with the stirring paddle; the shaft sleeve is arranged on the periphery of the transmission shaft in a sleeving mode, the front dynamic sealing assembly is arranged at the front end of the transmission shaft, and the outer barrel wraps the periphery of the inner barrel. Foaming layers are filled between the outer barrel body and the inner barrel body and between the refrigeration sleeve and the shaft sleeve, efficient inner cooling is achieved in the area, close to slurry, of the evaporator, meanwhile, an external heat insulation barrier is formed, the dual requirements for rapid forming and environmental heat interference resistance of high-viscosity ice cream are effectively met, and the technical contradiction that in the prior art, rapid forming and environmental heat interference resistance cannot be achieved at the same time is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of ice cream making, specifically to the technical field of freezing cylinder components with an internal cooling and external insulation structure and ice cream machines containing the same. Background Technology

[0002] In existing ice cream machines, the refrigeration structure of the freezing cylinder is mainly divided into two types: the evaporator type with the stirring paddle built-in and the evaporator type with the cylinder wall outer circumference.

[0003] The built-in evaporator design places the cooling channel inside the mixing paddle (such as inside the hollow shaft), allowing the cold source to penetrate deep into the center of the slurry. This results in high heat exchange efficiency, enabling the rapid formation of high-viscosity ice cream and facilitating stable dispensing. However, this structure lacks external insulation, making it susceptible to environmental heat interference and causing large fluctuations in freezing temperature.

[0004] The peripheral evaporator design places the evaporator on the inner wall of the freezing cylinder (i.e., on the annular cavity wall outside the area where the agitator rotates), which is relatively simple in structure. However, because the cold source is far from the center of the slurry, the heat conduction path is long and the cold distribution is uneven, making it difficult to reach the required viscosity in a short time. This often results in problems such as the slurry being too thin or too dry and sticking to the agitator, making it difficult to push out smoothly.

[0005] In other words, there is a fundamental conflict between the existing technology's "high viscosity molding ability" and "resistance to environmental heat interference" in the ice cream making process. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application proposes a freezing cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure and an ice cream machine containing the assembly. While retaining the high-efficiency cooling advantage of the built-in evaporator, it blocks external heat interference through a reasonable thermal isolation design, thereby improving the conflict between "high viscosity molding ability" and "resistance to environmental heat interference" as mentioned above.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present application adopts the following technical solution: In a first aspect, this application proposes a freezing cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure, including an inner cylinder for containing ice cream mixture, a cooling sleeve disposed inside the inner cylinder and having an evaporator attached to its inner circumferential surface, a stirring paddle sleeved around the outer circumference of the cooling sleeve and rotatable, and a drive shaft passing through the cooling sleeve and connected to the stirring paddle. It also includes a bushing sleeve fitted around the outer periphery of the drive shaft and spaced apart from the inner wall of the cooling sleeve, a front dynamic sealing assembly disposed at the front end of the drive shaft, and an outer cylinder body covering the outer periphery of the inner cylinder body; The space between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, as well as between the cooling sleeve and the bushing, is filled with a foam layer.

[0008] Compared with existing technologies, this application integrates the evaporator into the inner circumferential surface of the refrigeration sleeve and sets a foamed layer between the refrigeration sleeve and the bushing, so that the cold source is close to the slurry area, ensuring heat exchange efficiency and enabling high-viscosity ice cream to be formed quickly. At the same time, the foamed layer set between the inner and outer cylinders forms a heat insulation barrier against the external environment, effectively suppressing external environmental thermal interference and solving the contradiction between "high-viscosity forming" and "resistance to environmental thermal interference" in existing technologies.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the outer cylinder is formed by two outer cylinder halves being snapped together and is made of plastic material.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the inner cylinder has a feeding port that extends upward and passes through the outer cylinder, and a detachable protective collar is provided above the feeding port.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the evaporator is a coil-like structure or a metal cylinder structure with continuous grooves on its surface, which is attached to or welded to the inner circumferential surface of the refrigeration sleeve.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the front end of the cooling sleeve is provided with an end plate, and a temperature sensor for monitoring the slurry temperature is mounted on the end plate.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the front end of the inner cylinder is provided with a front sealing ring for sealing and docking with the discharge mechanism.

[0014] Secondly, this application also proposes an ice cream machine, including the freezing cylinder assembly as described above, a stirring transmission assembly for driving the stirring paddle, a compressor, a condenser, a main housing, a discharging mechanism, and a feeding device, wherein the freezing cylinder assembly, the stirring transmission assembly, the compressor, and the condenser are all disposed within the main housing.

[0015] In some possible implementations, a transmission assembly connected to the rear end of the drive shaft is also included, the stirring transmission assembly being mounted at the rear end of the refrigeration cylinder assembly and driving the drive shaft to rotate via the transmission assembly.

[0016] In some possible implementations, a support frame for supporting and securing the refrigeration cylinder assembly is also included.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the feeding device is provided with a feeding cover and is connected to the feeding port on the inner cylinder. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ice cream machine of this application; Figure 2 This is an internal view of the ice cream machine described in this application; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the ice cream machine described in this application; Figure 4 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the ice cream machine described in this application; Figure 5 This is an exploded structural diagram of the refrigeration cylinder assembly of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the stirring drive assembly and the rear end of the refrigeration cylinder assembly in this application; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the refrigeration cylinder assembly of this application; Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The following examples further illustrate the features of this application and other related features in detail, so as to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art: It should be noted that the terms “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “up,” and “down” used in the following description refer to the directions in the attached diagrams, while the terms “bottom surface,” “top surface,” “inner,” and “outer” refer to the directions toward or away from the geometric center of a specific component, respectively.

[0020] Furthermore, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this case based on the specific circumstances.

[0021] One of the fundamental contradictions that existing ice cream machines have long faced in practical applications is that if a stirring paddle with an internal evaporator structure is used to achieve rapid molding of high-viscosity slurry, the freezing chamber is easily affected by ambient temperature fluctuations due to the lack of effective heat insulation, resulting in unstable dispensing. Moreover, the outer shell is inconvenient to disassemble and clean.

[0022] However, if an evaporator is used on the outer periphery of the cylinder wall to simplify the structure and enhance environmental adaptability, the cold source is far from the center of the slurry, resulting in a long heat conduction path and uneven distribution of cold energy, making it difficult to form sufficient viscosity. This often leads to problems such as the slurry being too thin and unable to be smoothly ejected. Therefore, this application aims to solve the aforementioned technical problem of the difficulty in simultaneously achieving "high viscosity molding capability" and "resistance to environmental thermal interference".

[0023] Please refer to the following for details. Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 7The ice cream machine of this application includes a main housing 100, which integrates a freezing cylinder assembly 1, a stirring transmission assembly 2, a compressor 3, and a condenser 4. The compressor 3, condenser 4, and evaporator 15 in the freezing cylinder assembly 1 form a closed-loop refrigeration cycle system, providing continuous cooling for freezing the ice cream mixture. A dispensing mechanism 200 is located on the front of the main housing 100, and a feeding device 300 is located on the top, used for finished product output and raw material input, respectively. This overall layout ensures compact integration of all functional modules while facilitating user operation and maintenance.

[0024] Furthermore, the refrigeration cylinder assembly 1, as the core working unit, is fixed inside the main unit housing 100. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 The main housing 100 is formed by a front cover 110, a side panel 120, and a rear panel 130. An internal support frame 140 is provided to stably support the freezing cylinder assembly 1 and prevent it from shifting or vibrating during operation. The feeding device 300 is provided with a feeding cover 310, which is connected to the feeding port 121 on the freezing cylinder assembly 1 to form a sealed feeding channel.

[0025] Please refer to the following for the specific structure of the refrigeration cylinder assembly 1. Figure 3 , Figures 5 to 7 As shown, it includes an inner cylinder 12 for containing ice cream mixture. A cooling sleeve 13 is fixed inside the inner cylinder 12. A coil-shaped evaporator or a metal cylinder structure evaporator 15 with continuous grooves on its inner circumferential surface is fitted onto the cooling sleeve 13. A stirring paddle 14 is fitted around the outer circumference of the cooling sleeve 13 and can rotate under drive to agitate the mixture. A drive shaft 141 passes through the cooling sleeve 13 and is fixedly connected to the stirring paddle 14 to transmit rotational power. Specifically, an end plate 131 is formed at the front end of the cooling sleeve 13. The drive shaft 141 passes through the end plate 131 and is fixedly connected to the stirring paddle 14 at its front end. The evaporator 15 is installed on the rear side of the end plate 131. Preferably, a temperature sensor 16 is installed on the end plate 131 for real-time monitoring of the mixture temperature.

[0026] At this point, please refer to Figure 8 A front dynamic sealing assembly 143 is provided between the drive shaft 141 and the front end of the cooling sleeve 13. In one embodiment, the sealing assembly 143 includes an outer sealing ring 1431 and an inner sealing ring 1432 that clamp the end plate 131 from the outside and inside, a first sealing pressure ring 1433 fitted within the inner circumference of the outer sealing ring 1431, and a second sealing pressure ring 1434 fitted between the outer sealing ring 1431 and the inner sealing ring 1432. These components together form a multi-stage dynamic sealing structure, which can effectively prevent slurry from leaking axially into the cooling sleeve 13 even under long-term high-speed rotation conditions.

[0027] Meanwhile, the inner cylinder 12 is also provided with a front sealing ring 122, which forms a reliable seal when docking with the discharge mechanism 200 to prevent slurry leakage.

[0028] A bushing 142 is fitted around the outer periphery of the drive shaft 141. The bushing 142 maintains a certain gap with the inner wall of the cooling sleeve 13, and the annular space between the two is filled with a foam layer. At the same time, the inner cylinder 12 is covered by an outer cylinder 11, and a foam layer is also filled between the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 12.

[0029] In this way, the evaporator 15 is integrated into the inner circumferential surface of the cooling sleeve 13, and a foaming layer is set between the cooling sleeve 13 and the bushing 142, so that the cold source is close to the slurry area, ensuring heat exchange efficiency and enabling high-viscosity ice cream to be formed quickly.

[0030] Meanwhile, a foaming layer is set between the inner cylinder 12 and the outer cylinder 11 to form a heat insulation barrier against the external environment, effectively suppressing external environmental heat interference and solving the contradiction between "high viscosity molding" and "resistance to environmental heat interference" in the existing technology.

[0031] In other words, the "internal cooling" mentioned in this application refers to the evaporator 15 being fitted and disposed close to the inner circumferential surface of the refrigeration sleeve 13, so that the refrigeration surface is close to the ice cream mixture area, thereby achieving efficient and rapid heat exchange, ensuring that the mixture quickly reaches a high viscosity state during the stirring process, and meeting the requirements for stable output.

[0032] The "external protection" refers to the outer cylinder 11 made of plastic material covering the inner cylinder 12, and the filling between the two with a low thermal conductivity foam layer (such as polyurethane foam), which effectively blocks the conduction of heat from the external environment to the freezing cavity, and significantly improves the temperature stability of the whole machine in high temperature or high humidity environments.

[0033] Specifically, the outer cylinder 11 is formed by two outer cylinder halves 111 fastened together by a snap-fit ​​1111 and a buckle 1112, and is made of plastic. The inner cylinder 12 is provided with an upwardly extending feeding port 121, which extends outward through the top opening of the outer cylinder 11 and is covered by a removable protective collar 112.

[0034] For the stirring power section, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The stirring transmission assembly 2 includes a drive motor 21 and an end cap assembly 22, and is installed at the rear end of the freezing cylinder assembly 1. A transmission assembly 144 is connected to the rear end of the drive shaft 141. The drive motor 21 drives the drive shaft 141 to rotate via the transmission assembly 144, thereby driving the stirring paddle 14, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the refrigeration sleeve 13, to agitate the slurry. Two bearings 1441 are provided on both sides of the transmission assembly 144 to provide stable radial support for the drive shaft 141, ensuring smooth operation.

[0035] In some embodiments, the drive motor 21 is preferably a flat motor with a small axial thickness, which facilitates its arrangement within the limited space of the main housing 100. Meanwhile, the transmission assembly 144 includes at least one of a gear pair, a synchronous pulley, or a coupling. During the discharge process, when the slurry is pushed out by the discharge mechanism 200, it generates a rearward axial reaction force on the agitator 14. This force is transmitted to the transmission assemblies 144 at the front and rear ends of the drive shaft 141, forming an axial limiting structure to prevent the agitator 14 from axially displacing or falling off, ensuring operational stability.

[0036] Thus, this embodiment, through the synergistic design of "internal cooling" (evaporator 15 fitting the inner circumference of the cooling sleeve 13) and "external protection" (foaming layer + outer cylinder 11), not only ensures the stable molding of high-viscosity ice cream, but also significantly improves the adaptability of the whole machine to changes in ambient temperature, solving the technical problem of the difficulty in simultaneously achieving "high-viscosity molding capability" and "resistance to environmental thermal interference".

[0037] As stated above, this case protects a refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure and an ice cream machine containing it. All technical solutions that are the same as or similar to those in this case should be considered to fall within the scope of protection of this case.

Claims

1. A refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure, characterized in that, It includes an inner cylinder (12) for containing ice cream mixture, a cooling sleeve (13) disposed inside the inner cylinder (12) and having an evaporator (15) attached to its inner circumference, a stirring paddle (14) sleeved on the outer circumference of the cooling sleeve (13) and rotatable, and a drive shaft (141) passing through the cooling sleeve (13) and connected to the stirring paddle (14). It also includes a bushing (142) sleeved on the outer periphery of the drive shaft (141) and spaced apart from the inner wall of the cooling sleeve (13), a front dynamic sealing assembly (143) disposed at the front end of the drive shaft (141), and an outer cylinder (11) covering the outer periphery of the inner cylinder (12). The outer cylinder (11) and the inner cylinder (12) are filled with foamed layers, as are the cooling sleeve (13) and the bushing (142).

2. The refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer cylinder (11) is formed by two outer cylinder halves (111) fastened together and is made of plastic material.

3. The refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner cylinder (12) is provided with a feeding port (121) that extends upward and passes through the outer cylinder (11), and a detachable protective collar (112) is provided above the feeding port (121).

4. The refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporator (15) is a coil-shaped structure or a metal cylinder structure with continuous grooves on its surface, and is attached or welded to the inner circumferential surface of the refrigeration sleeve (13).

5. The refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling sleeve (13) has an end plate (131) at its front end, and a temperature sensor (16) for monitoring the slurry temperature is installed on the end plate (131).

6. The refrigeration cylinder assembly with an internal cooling and external insulation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner cylinder (12) is provided with a front sealing ring (122) for sealing and docking with the discharge mechanism (200).

7. An ice cream machine, characterized in that, The device includes a refrigeration cylinder assembly (1) as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, a stirring transmission assembly (2) for driving a stirring paddle (14), a compressor (3), a condenser (4), a main housing (100), a discharge mechanism (200), and a feeding device (300), wherein the refrigeration cylinder assembly (1), the stirring transmission assembly (2), the compressor (3), and the condenser (4) are all disposed within the main housing (100).

8. An ice cream machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a transmission assembly (144) connected to the rear end of the transmission shaft (141), the stirring transmission assembly (2) being installed at the rear end of the freezing cylinder assembly (1) and driving the transmission shaft (141) to rotate through the transmission assembly (144).

9. An ice cream machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a support frame (140) for supporting and fixing the refrigeration cylinder assembly (1).

10. An ice cream machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The feeding device (300) is equipped with a feeding cover (310) and is connected to the feeding port (121) on the inner cylinder (12).

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