Multi-stage adjustable filtering device of ice cream machine

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ice cream machines, and discloses a multistage adjustable filtering device of an ice cream machine, which comprises a filter cartridge, a stirring rod and a filter plate, a feed inlet is formed in the top of the filter cartridge, the stirring rod is coaxially and rotatably mounted in the filter cartridge, the filter plate is arranged at the bottom of the filter cartridge, and the inner side of the filter plate is hinged to the stirring rod; filter holes with increasing apertures are distributed in the surface of the filter plate in the radial direction, an annular rotating plate is further hinged to the bottom of the filter cartridge, a radial sliding groove is formed in the inner side of the rotating plate, the filter plate is slidably connected with the rotating plate through the sliding groove, and a driving module for driving the stirring rod to do axial lifting motion and circumferential rotation is arranged at the top of the stirring rod; when the stirring rod ascends and descends, the filter plate generates radial telescopic deformation in the sliding groove, so that the maximum filtering diameter of the filter holes is changed, the filtering device can meet the differentiated filtering requirements of raw materials with different textures, and the dynamic adjustability of the filtering precision is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ice cream machines, and specifically to a multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine. Background Art

[0002] The filtering structure in an ice cream machine is an important component for ensuring the purity of raw materials and the taste of the finished product. It is usually set at key positions in the mixture inlet or the circulation pipeline. Its main function is to remove impurities in the raw materials, such as meat fibers, undissolved sugar grains, dairy product lumps, or tiny particles mixed in during the processing, through physical interception, so as to ensure that the slurry texture is uniform and delicate. The filtering structure mostly uses stainless steel wire mesh or food-grade high-temperature resistant nylon material filter screens, which have the characteristics of corrosion resistance and easy cleaning. The filter screens are usually designed as detachable cylindrical or flat module, equipped with quick-release buckles for easy daily cleaning and maintenance, to avoid residue blocking the mesh holes and affecting the refrigeration efficiency or breeding bacteria. The filtering structure of the ice cream machine can not only optimize the expansion rate and anti-melting property of the ice cream, but also reduce the risk of equipment failure caused by impurity deposition. It is the core technical structure for balancing the smoothness of the product taste and the stable operation of the equipment.

[0003] The filtering systems of existing ice cream machines generally adopt a fixed-aperture filter screen structure. When dealing with raw materials of different textures (such as fruits with large differences in fiber content, like mangoes and strawberries, or nut fragments with different particle sizes to be retained), this structure cannot achieve dynamic adaptation of the aperture through adjustment, resulting in either the loss of fine pulp and affecting the flavor level, or the mixing of large particle impurities and affecting the fineness of the taste. And when continuously processing high-fiber mixed slurries with a pulp content exceeding 15%, a composite silt layer composed of pectin, cellulose, and protein will gradually form inside the filter screen. Such viscous residues will not only greatly reduce the filtering efficiency, but also accelerate the growth of bacteria due to the existence of cleaning dead corners. Especially in the medium-high frequency and large-batch production conditions in commercial scenarios, the equipment often needs to be frequently shut down and disassembled for cleaning, which not only affects the continuous operation efficiency but also increases the labor maintenance cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] (1) Technical problems to be solved: Aiming at the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine, which has the advantages of an adjustable-aperture filter screen and anti-blocking design, improving the filtering efficiency and reducing the maintenance cost, and solves the problems that the filter screen aperture of the existing ice cream machine is fixed and easy to be blocked, resulting in low filtering efficiency and frequent maintenance.

[0005] (2) Technical solution: To achieve the above-mentioned adjustable-aperture filter screen and anti-clogging design, and to improve the filtration efficiency and reduce the maintenance cost, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A multi-stage adjustable filtration device for an ice cream machine, comprising a filter cylinder, a stirring rod, and a filter plate. An inlet is provided at the top of the filter cylinder. The stirring rod is coaxially and rotatably installed inside the filter cylinder. The filter plate is arranged at the bottom of the filter cylinder. The filter plate is annular. The inner side of the filter plate is hinged to the stirring rod. Filter holes with increasing apertures are distributed on the surface of the filter plate along its radial direction. A ring-shaped rotating plate is also hinged at the bottom of the filter cylinder. A radial sliding groove is provided on the inner side of the rotating plate. The filter plate is slidably connected to the rotating plate through the sliding groove. A driving module for driving the axial lifting movement and circumferential rotation of the stirring rod is arranged at the top of the stirring rod. During the axial lifting process of the stirring rod, the filter plate contracts or expands, so that the filter holes with different apertures slide in or out.

[0006] Preferably, during the filtration process, the driving module drives the stirring rod to periodically move up and down along its axis, driving the filter plate to periodically contract and expand, so that the filtrate on the surface of the filter plate forms a reciprocating turbulent flow in the filter cylinder; the lifting stroke range of the stirring rod corresponds to the change range of the diameters of the filter holes on the filter plate.

[0007] Preferably, a spiral stirring disk is coaxially and fixedly installed on the stirring rod. An inner cylinder is also coaxially and fixedly installed inside the filter cylinder. The stirring disk is fixedly connected to the inner cylinder in the circumferential direction. A conveying groove for conveying filter residues larger than the diameter of the filter holes to the top is arranged between the inner cylinder and the filter cylinder. The conveying groove is spiral and has a spiral direction opposite to that of the stirring disk. A circulation flow channel communicating with the inner cylinder is provided at the bottom of the conveying groove. During the rotation of the stirring rod, the whole filter cylinder is driven to rotate. The stirring disk stirs the filtrate in the inner cylinder. The filter plate and the rotating plate rotate, so that the filter residues accumulated on their surfaces flow into the circulation flow channel under the action of centrifugal force. The rotation of the conveying groove makes the filter residues in the circulation flow channel move upward along the axis of the conveying groove.

[0008] Preferably, a plurality of groups of cutting blades are arranged in the conveying groove along its spiral direction. Each group of cutting blades is slidably installed on the inner wall surface of the conveying groove. A counterweight is arranged at the root of the cutting blade. The counterweight is elastically connected to the conveying groove. When the rotation speed of the conveying groove increases, the counterweight is affected by the centrifugal force to make the cutting blade expand outwards, forming a radial cutting gap with the conveying groove. And the cutting edge of each group of cutting blades forms a 30-degree angle with the spiral direction of the conveying groove. When the filter cylinder rotates, the cutting blades cut the filter residues in the conveying groove. The top of the conveying groove is communicated with the inner cylinder.

[0009] Preferably, an adsorption magnetic strip is slidably connected in the sliding groove, an outer ring magnet corresponding to the adsorption magnetic strip is fixedly connected to the outer edge of the filter plate, the outer ring magnet and the adsorption magnetic strip have opposite magnetic poles, an elastic reset structure is arranged between the adsorption magnet and the sliding groove, a rotating ring is arranged at the bottom of the stirring rod, and a hinged ring is assembled at the inner edge of the filter plate. The hinged ring is rotatably connected to the rotating ring.

[0010] Preferably, a lifting sliding groove is further formed in the inner wall of the inner cylinder in the radial direction thereof, a guiding key is fixedly installed on the stirring disc, and the guiding key is in sliding fit with the lifting sliding groove; when the stirring rod moves axially up and down, the guiding key slides along the lifting sliding groove to restrict the circumferential relative rotation between the stirring disc and the inner cylinder.

[0011] Preferably, a plurality of circulation holes are formed in the surface of the conveying groove, the outer wall shape of the conveying groove is in an inverted conical structure, and the diameter of the outer wall of the conveying groove gradually decreases along the rising direction of its height; the bottom surface of the circulation channel is an inclined surface, and the bottom of the circulation channel is communicated with the inner cylinder through the inclined surface. The inverted conical structure of the conveying groove generates a radial extrusion force during the filter residue conveying process, so that the filter residue generates filtrate, which flows back to the circulation channel through the circulation holes and then is introduced into the inner cylinder.

[0012] Preferably, a bevel surface is arranged at the position where the rotating plate is connected to the filter plate, and both the rotating plate and the filter plate are made of flexible materials.

[0013] Preferably, the pitch of the stirring disc is larger than the pitch of the conveying groove, and the number of spiral turns of the conveying groove is larger than the number of spiral turns of the stirring disc.

[0014] Preferably, the filter cylinder is fixedly installed in the ice cream maker, and a plurality of the filter cylinders are installed in the ice cream maker.

[0015] (3) Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine, which has the following beneficial effects: 1. In the multi-stage adjustable filtering device for the ice cream machine, through the combined use of the stirring rod structure and the filter plate structure, when the stirring rod moves up and down, the annular filter plate generates a radial telescopic deformation in the sliding groove, so that the maximum diameter of the filter holes changes. In the initial state, the filter holes with the smallest aperture are in the working position, and fine filtering can be carried out on raw materials such as jam and milk slurry; when it is necessary to process the ice cream filtrate containing fruit grains or nut fragments, by adjusting the height of the stirring rod, the filter plate expands or contracts inward, so that the filter holes with larger apertures gradually enter the working area, enabling a single device to adapt to the different texture raw materials such as mango fibers, strawberry seeds, and chocolate chips. The differential filtering requirements improve the flexibility and adaptability of raw material processing in the ice cream production process, and realize the dynamic adjustability of the filtering accuracy.

[0016] 2. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device of this ice cream machine, through the combined use of the stirring rod structure and the filter plate structure, makes the filter plate show periodic inward and outward contraction, thus forming a periodic change in the shape of the filter plate from a cone to an inverted cone. This forces the filtrate to repeatedly change direction during the flow process, causing an unsteady pressure gradient to occur when the filtrate flows through the filter holes, forming local vortices and flow velocity differences to generate turbulence, enhancing the dynamic contact between the filtrate and the filter holes, increasing the fluid shear stress, scouring the particles attached to the surface of the filter holes, peeling off the agglomeration of pulp fibers and sugar grains, and at the same time accelerating the rapid passage of fine impurities through the filter plate. It can not only improve the filtering efficiency, but also peel off the blockage through the flow shear force, effectively reducing the sedimentation on the surface of the filter plate.

[0017] 3. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device of this ice cream machine, through the combined use of the filter cylinder structure and the filter plate structure, significantly improves the self-cleaning ability and continuous operation efficiency of the filtering system. Under the action of centrifugal force, solid impurities are effectively separated and migrated to the outer edge area of the filter plate, avoiding blockage in the core filtering area; the turbulence disturbance generated by the periodic inward and outward movement of the filter plate can continuously scour the surface of the filter holes, destroying the adhesion between the impurities and the filter plate, preventing the secondary deposition of particles to form a sedimentation layer. The peeled filter residue slides along the filter plate and the rotating plate to the inlet of the circulation channel under the guidance of the centrifugal acceleration, and is continuously discharged through the spiral conveyor trough structure to form a dynamic slag discharge path, realizing the self-cleaning function of the filter holes, ensuring the stability of the filtering accuracy, greatly reducing the cleaning frequency, and significantly improving the filtering efficiency of the equipment for processing high-fiber raw materials.

[0018] 4. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device of this ice cream machine, through the combined use of the conveyor trough structure and the cutting blade structure, significantly improves the filter residue treatment efficiency and raw material utilization rate. The inverted cone-shaped conveyor trough continuously squeezes and dehydrates the filter residue through the radial compression effect during the spiral conveying process, prompting the efficient precipitation of the filtrate and flowing back to the filtering system through the circulation holes for secondary filtering, effectively recovering the liquid components to avoid waste of raw materials. At the same time, the cutting blade realizes periodic telescopic cutting through the cooperation of the centrifugal force drive and the elastic reset structure. When rotating at high speed, it automatically unfolds to implement multi-directional crushing of large-particle filter residues. When rotating at low speed, it contracts and resets to form a dynamic cutting gap, crushing the large particles to a size range that can pass through the filter holes. The crushed particles re-participate in the filtering cycle through the conveyor trough; the present invention can not only strengthen the dehydration effect of the filter residue, but also realize the recycling of raw materials through particle crushing. At the same time, the dynamic cutting action can effectively prevent the accumulation of filter residues in the conveyor trough, significantly improving the filtering efficiency of the equipment for processing high-fiber raw materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a front view of the structure of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural sectional view of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a structural sectional view of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the original position of the filter plate structure of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the periodic inward contraction and outward expansion of the filter plate structure of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the aperture change of the filter hole structure of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the outer ring magnet structure of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the hinge ring structure of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the movement direction of the cutting blade structure in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structural installation of the multi-stage adjustable filtering device of the ice cream machine in the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1. Filter cylinder; 11. Feed inlet; 12. Rotating plate; 121. Sliding groove; 122. Adsorption magnetic strip; 123. Elastic reset structure; 2. Inner cylinder; 21. Conveyor groove; 211. Circulation hole; 22. Circulation channel; 23. Cutting blade; 231. Counterweight; 24. Lifting chute; 3. Stirring rod; 31. Stirring disc; 32. Rotating ring; 33. Guide key; 4. Filter plate; 41. Filter hole; 42. Outer ring magnet; 43. Hinge ring; 5. Driving module; 6. Ice cream preparation machine. Specific embodiments

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] Example 1: Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , a multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine, including a filter cylinder 1, a stirring rod 3, and a filter plate 4. The top of the filter cylinder 1 is provided with a feed inlet 11. The feed inlet 11 is arranged at the top of the filter cylinder 1. By using the gravity effect, the raw materials naturally fall to the stirring area, ensuring that the raw materials are evenly distributed and fully contact with the stirring disc 31, improving the mixing efficiency. The stirring rod 3 is coaxially and rotatably installed in the filter cylinder 1. The filter plate 4 is arranged at the bottom of the filter cylinder 1. The filter plate 4 is annular. The inner side of the filter plate 4 is hinged to the stirring rod 3. The surface of the filter plate 4 is distributed with filter holes 41 with increasing pore diameters in the radial direction as Figure 7 shown. By driving the filter plate 4 to radially expand and contract through the lifting of the stirring rod 3, different pore diameter filter holes 41 slide into the working area, realizing dynamic adjustment of the filtering accuracy, such as filtering fruit pulp with the smallest pore diameter and treating raw materials containing fruit grains with large pore diameters. The bottom of the filter cylinder 1 is also hinged with an annular rotating plate 12. The inner side of the rotating plate 12 is provided with a radial sliding groove 121. The filter plate 4 is slidably connected to the rotating plate 12 through the sliding groove 121. The top of the stirring rod 3 is provided with a driving module 5 for driving its axial lifting movement and circumferential rotation. The driving module 5 needs to control the axial lifting and rotational movement of the stirring rod 3. A servo motor ball screw or other combinations are used to achieve precise lifting, and a reduction motor is used to drive the rotation, ensuring that the filter plate 4 periodically expands and contracts synchronously with the stirring. During the axial lifting process of the stirring rod 3, the filter plate 4 contracts or expands outward, so that different pore diameter filter holes 41 slide in or out. Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 . During the filtering process, the driving module 5 drives the stirring rod 3 to periodically move up and down along its axis, driving the filter plate 4 to periodically contract and expand outward, so that the filtrate on the surface of the filter plate 4 forms a reciprocating turbulent flow in the filter cylinder 1 as Figure 6 shown. The dotted lines in the figure are the ranges of contraction and expansion movements; the lifting stroke range of the stirring rod 3 corresponds to the change interval of the diameters of the filter holes 41 on the filter plate 4. The position where the rotating plate 12 is connected to the filter plate 4 is provided with an inclined surface. The rotating plate 12 and the filter plate 4 are made of food-grade silica gel or flexible nylon materials, reducing the frictional resistance when the filter plate 4 expands and contracts, adapting to the deformation and preventing raw material residues, while meeting the food safety requirements.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4, a spiral-shaped stirring disk 31 is coaxially and fixedly installed on the stirring rod 3. The design of the stirring disk 31 is for fully mixing the filtrate, ensuring uniform distribution of the raw materials, and pushing the filtrate to flow downward through the spiral structure to improve the filtration efficiency. An inner cylinder 2 is also coaxially and fixedly installed in the filter cylinder 1. The stirring disk 31 is fixedly connected in the circumferential direction between the inner cylinder 2. A conveying groove 21 for conveying filter residues larger than the diameter of the filter holes 41 to the top is arranged between the inner cylinder 2 and the filter cylinder 1. The fixed connection between the inner cylinder 2 and the stirring disk 31 ensures that the stirring disk 31 and the inner cylinder 2 rotate synchronously. The conveying groove 21 is used to convey filter residues larger than the diameter of the filter holes 41 to the top to prevent the filter holes 41 from being blocked by the filter residues and improve the filtration effect. The conveying groove 21 is spiral and has a spiral direction opposite to that of the stirring disk 31. A circulation channel 22 communicating with the inner cylinder 2 is opened at the bottom of the conveying groove 21. The spiral conveying groove 21 and the stirring disk 31 have opposite spiral directions, forming an upward reverse flow to enhance the conveying efficiency of the filter residues; the circulation channel 22 enables the filtrate to flow back to the inner cylinder 2 for secondary filtration to improve the utilization rate of the raw materials; during the rotation of the stirring rod 3, the whole filter cylinder 1 is driven to rotate. The stirring disk 31 stirs the filtrate in the inner cylinder 2. The filter plate 4 and the rotating plate 12 rotate, and the filter residues accumulated on their surfaces flow into the circulation channel 22 under the action of centrifugal force. The rotation of the conveying groove 21 makes the filter residues in the circulation channel 22 move upward along the axis of the conveying groove 21. The pitch of the stirring disk 31 is larger than that of the conveying groove 21, and the number of spiral turns of the conveying groove 21 is more than that of the stirring disk 31. The larger pitch of the stirring disk 31 is convenient for quickly mixing the filtrate, while the larger number of spiral turns of the conveying groove 21 ensures sufficient conveying and squeezing dehydration of the filter residues and improves the processing efficiency of the filter residues.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , an adsorption magnetic strip 122 is slidably connected in the sliding groove 121. An outer ring magnet 42 corresponding to the adsorption magnetic strip 122 is fixedly connected to the outer edge of the filter plate 4. The outer ring magnet 42 and the adsorption magnetic strip 122 have opposite magnetic poles. An elastic reset structure 123 is arranged between the adsorption magnet and the sliding groove 121. The adsorption magnetic strip 122 and the outer ring magnet 42 can provide a stable adsorption force during the telescopic process of the filter plate 4 through the opposite magnetic pole setting, ensuring smooth sliding of the filter plate 4 in the sliding groove 121. At the same time, the elastic reset structure 123 assists the filter plate 4 to reset and prevent deviation, ensuring the stability of the movement of the filter plate 4. Among them, the elastic reset structure 123 adopts a compression spiral spring. A rotating ring 32 is arranged at the bottom of the stirring rod. A hinged ring 43 is assembled on the inner edge of the filter plate 4. The hinged ring 43 is rotatably connected to the rotating ring 32, enabling the filter plate 4 to freely adapt to the angle change during radial expansion and contraction, and at the same time allowing the filter plate 4 to rotate synchronously with the stirring rod 3. Please refer to Figure 3, a lifting chute 24 is also provided on the inner wall of the inner cylinder 2 along its radial direction. A guiding key 33 is fixedly installed on the stirring disc 31, and the guiding key 33 is slidably engaged with the lifting chute 24, restricting the stirring disc 31 to only move axially up and down and unable to rotate circumferentially. When the stirring rod 3 moves axially up and down, the guiding key 33 slides along the lifting chute 24, restricting the circumferential relative rotation between the stirring disc 31 and the inner cylinder 2.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 11 , the filter cartridge 1 is fixedly installed in the ice cream maker 6, and several filter cartridges 1 are installed in the ice cream maker 6. The filter cartridge 1 is fixed in the ice cream maker 6 and adopts a multi-cylinder parallel layout, which can achieve multi-stage series filtration or parallel processing. Different pore diameters of the filter holes 41 can be set for multiple filter cartridges 1 respectively to form a gradient filtration system, or multiple raw materials such as nut pieces and jam can be filtered in separate cylinders at the same time to improve the processing capacity of the present invention.

[0036] Example 2: Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 10 , a number of circulation holes 211 are provided on the surface of the conveying trough 21. The outer wall shape of the conveying trough 21 is in an inverted conical structure, and the diameter of the outer wall of the conveying trough 21 gradually decreases along the direction of its height rising. The diameter of the inverted conical outer wall decreases with the height rising, so that the filter residue in the conveying trough 21 is subjected to a radial compression force during spiral conveying, forcing the filtrate to precipitate from the filter residue. The surface circulation holes 211 serve as the filtrate return channels, enabling the precipitated liquid to return to the inner cylinder 2 through the circulation channel 22 for secondary filtration, reducing raw material waste. The inverted cone structure simultaneously enhances the dehydration efficiency of the filter residue and reduces the subsequent processing load. The bottom surface of the circulation channel 22 is an inclined surface, and the bottom of the circulation channel 22 is connected to the inner cylinder 2 through the inclined surface. The inverted conical structure of the conveying trough 21 generates a radial extrusion force during the filter residue conveying process, causing the filter residue to produce filtrate, which flows back to the circulation channel 22 through the circulation holes 211 and then is introduced into the inner cylinder 2.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 10 , a number of groups of cutting blades 23 are arranged in the conveying trough 21 along its spiral direction. Each group of cutting blades 23 is slidably installed on the inner wall surface of the conveying trough 21. A counterweight 231 is provided at the root of the cutting blade 23, and the counterweight 231 is elastically connected to the conveying trough 21. The elastic connection adopts a return spring. The cutting blade 23 is driven by centrifugal force to expand outwards to dynamically cut the filter residue in the conveying trough 21. The counterweight 231 and the elastic connection enable the blade to automatically expand and contract with the rotation speed. When it is at high speed, it expands to cut large particles, and when it is at low speed, it contracts to avoid blockage, improving the crushing efficiency of the filter residue and the conveying smoothness. When the rotation speed of the conveying trough 21 increases, the counterweight 231 is subjected to the centrifugal force and causes the cutting blade 23 to expand outwards as Figure 10As shown by the arrow direction in the figure, a radial cutting gap is formed with the conveying groove 21, and the cutting edge of each group of cutting blades 23 forms a 30-degree angle with the spiral rotation direction of the conveying groove 21. The cutting edge of the cutting blade 23 forms a 30-degree angle with the spiral rotation direction, so that the cutting direction forms an optimal shearing angle with the filter residue conveying path, enhancing the cutting effect while reducing the resistance and ensuring that the particle size of the crushed filter residue is uniform. When the filter cartridge 1 rotates, the cutting blade 23 cuts the filter residue in the conveying groove 21. The top of the conveying groove 21 is connected to the inner cylinder 2. The top of the conveying groove 21 is connected to the inner cylinder 2 to form a closed circulation path, so that the cut filter residue flows back into the inner cylinder 2 to participate in secondary filtration, realizing the recycling of raw materials, avoiding waste, and being able to maintain the pressure balance in the system. By controlling the driving module 5 to perform sinusoidal speed modulation on the filter cartridge 1, the rotation speed of the filter cartridge 1 oscillates periodically within the set threshold range. When the peak value of the rotation speed of the filter cartridge 1 exceeds the centrifugal expansion critical value of the counterweight 231, the cutting blade 23 expands radially under the action of centrifugal force to cut the filter residue in the conveying groove 21. When the valley value of the rotation speed is lower than the critical rotation speed corresponding to the pre-tightening force of the return spring, the blade contracts under the action of the return spring to complete a periodic telescopic cutting.

[0038] Working principle: This device needs to be installed and used inside an ice cream machine filtering structure. After the raw material mixture enters from the feed port 11 at the top of the filter cartridge 1, it is first fully mixed by the rotating spiral stirring disk 31, and then flows into the inner cylinder 2. When it is necessary to adjust the filtration accuracy, the annular filter plate 4 is telescoped in the sliding groove 121 by driving the stirring rod 3 to move up and down. When the stirring rod 3 descends or ascends from the original position, the filter plate 4 expands outward or contracts inward. When the filter plate 4 descends, it is in an inverted conical shape, and when it ascends, it is in a conical shape. During this process, since the distance from the edge of the filter cartridge 1 to the bottom of the stirring rod 3 increases, the filter plate 4 will slide out of the sliding groove 121, thereby exposing the large-aperture filter holes 41 on the outside. Among them, at the initial position, the filter holes 41 are the smallest and the filtration is the most delicate. By adjusting different apertures for filtration work, the dynamic adjustability of the filtration accuracy can be realized.

[0039] During the filtration process, by controlling the periodic up-and-down movement and axial rotation of the stirring rod 3 along its axis, the filter plate 4 is driven to contract and expand periodically, thereby forming a periodic change in the shape of the filter plate 4 from a conical shape to an inverted conical shape, forcing the filtrate to repeatedly change its direction during the flow process, so that when the filtrate flows through the filter holes 41, an unsteady pressure gradient is generated, forming local vortices and flow velocity differences, breaking the stable laminar flow state, and generating turbulence. The high-frequency disturbance of the turbulence can enhance the dynamic contact between the filtrate and the filter holes 41, increase the fluid shear stress, wash the particles attached to the surface of the filter holes 41, and peel off the pulp fibers and sugar granule agglomerates. At the same time, it accelerates the alternating screening of fine impurities through different aperture regions, which can not only improve the filtration efficiency, but also peel off the blockages through the flow shear force, reducing the accumulation on the surface of the filter plate 4.

[0040] When the driving module 5 drives the stirring shaft to operate, the filter cartridge 1 rotates synchronously with the stirring shaft and generates a centrifugal force field, causing the solid impurities with higher density in the filtrate to migrate radially to the outer edge area of the filter plate 4 under the centrifugal action. At the same time, in cooperation with the periodic inward and outward movement of the filter plate 4 controlled by the lifting of the stirring rod 3, the generated turbulence is used to strip the impurity particles attached to the filter holes 41, destroying their adhesion to the surface of the filter plate 4, and the centrifugal force will cause the stripped filter residue to slide along the inclined surface of the rotating plate 12 to the inlet of the circulation channel 22. This synergistic effect of centrifugal force and the dynamic deformation of the filter plate 4 forms a composite slag discharge mechanism. The filter residue migrates radially away from the core filtration area above the filter plate 4 under the action of centrifugal acceleration, and the turbulence disturbance generated by the deformation of the filter plate 4 can further disintegrate the silt layer on the surface of the filter holes 41, avoiding the secondary deposition of particles on the surface of the filter holes 41, so as to realize the self-cleaning of the filter holes 41 under the dual action. The stripped filter residue is continuously discharged outwards through the spiral conveying groove 21 structure of the circulation channel 22, effectively avoiding the retention of impurities at the filtration interface, so as to significantly improve the continuous operation ability of the system while maintaining a stable filtration accuracy.

[0041] During the process of the filter residue passing through the conveying groove 21, the inverted conical conveying groove 21 structure forms a dynamic extrusion dehydration mechanism. When the filter residue moves upward along the spirally rotating conveying groove 21, the gradually decreasing outer wall diameter of the conveying groove 21 generates a radial compression effect on the filter residue, prompting the filtrate inside the filter residue to precipitate under the action of pressure. The precipitated filtrate re-enters the circulation channel 22 through the circulation holes 211 distributed on the surface of the conveying groove 21 and returns to the inner cylinder 2 through the inclined surface for secondary filtration to achieve the effective recovery of the liquid components. At the same time, through the periodic speed modulation of the driving module 5, when the speed exceeds the critical value, the cutting blades 23 radially expand under the action of centrifugal force to form a dynamic cutting gap, and perform multi-directional cutting on the large particles in the conveying groove 21; when the speed decreases, the blades contract and reset under the action of the return spring. This periodic telescopic cutting can break the large particles into a size range that can pass through the filter holes 41, and the broken particles flow back to the inner cylinder 2 with the top of the conveying groove 21 to re-participate in the filtration cycle, forming an adaptive processing system for hierarchical screening, so as to effectively prevent the accumulation of filter residue and improve the utilization rate of raw materials.

[0042] It should be noted that, in this text, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the said element.

[0043] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine, comprising a filter cartridge (1), a stirring rod (3), and a filter plate (4), wherein a feed port (11) is provided at the top of the filter cartridge (1), the stirring rod (3) is coaxially rotatably mounted in the filter cartridge (1), and the filter plate (4) is arranged at the bottom of the filter cartridge (1), characterized in that: The filter plate (4) is annular, the inner side of the filter plate (4) is hinged to the stirring rod (3), the surface of the filter plate (4) is provided with filter holes (41) of increasing apertures along its radial direction, the bottom of the filter cartridge (1) is also hinged to an annular rotating plate (12), the inner side of the rotating plate (12) is provided with a radial sliding groove (121), the filter plate (4) is slidably connected to the rotating plate (12) via the sliding groove (121), the top of the stirring rod (3) is provided with a driving module (5) for driving the stirring rod (3) to move axially and rotate circumferentially, during the axial lifting and lowering process of the stirring rod (3), the filter plate (4) shrinks inwards or expands outwards, so that the filter holes (41) of different apertures slide in or out.

2. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the filtering process, the driving module (5) drives the stirring rod (3) to periodically move up and down along its axial direction, driving the filter plate (4) to periodically shrink inward and expand outward, so that the filtrate on the surface of the filter plate (4) forms a reciprocating turbulent flow in the filter cartridge (1); the lifting and lowering stroke range of the stirring rod (3) corresponds to the diameter variation range of the filter holes (41) on the filter plate (4).

3. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A spiral stirring disc (31) is coaxially fixedly mounted on the stirring rod (3); an inner cylinder (2) is coaxially fixedly mounted inside the filter cylinder (1); the stirring disc (31) and the inner cylinder (2) are fixedly connected in a circumferential direction; a conveying trough (21) is provided between the inner cylinder (2) and the filter cylinder (1) for conveying filter residues having a diameter larger than the filter hole (41) to the top; the conveying trough (21) is spirally shaped and has a spiral direction opposite to that of the stirring disc (31); and the conveying trough (21) is provided between the inner cylinder (2) and the filter cylinder (1). A circulation channel (22) connected to the inner cylinder (2) is provided at the bottom of the filter cylinder (21); when the stirring rod (3) rotates, the filter cylinder (1) is driven to rotate as a whole, the stirring plate (31) stirs the filtrate in the inner cylinder (2), the filter plate (4) and the rotating plate (12) rotate so that the filter residue accumulated on the surface thereof flows into the circulation channel (22) under the centrifugal force, and the conveying trough (21) rotates so that the filter residue in the circulation channel (22) moves upward along the axial direction of the conveying trough (21).

4. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: A plurality of groups of cutting blades (23) are arranged in the conveying trough (21) along the spiral direction thereof, each group of the cutting blades (23) being slidably mounted on the inner wall surface of the conveying trough (21), a counterweight block (231) being arranged at the root of the cutting blades (23), and the counterweight block (231) being elastically connected to the conveying trough (21); when the rotation speed of the conveying trough (21) increases, the counterweight block (231) is acted upon by centrifugal force to cause the cutting blades (23) to expand outwards, thereby forming a radial cutting gap with the conveying trough (21), and the cutting edges of each group of the cutting blades (23) form an angle of 30 degrees with the spiral rotation direction of the conveying trough (21); when the filter cartridge (1) rotates, the cutting blades (23) cut the filter residue in the conveying trough (21); and the top of the conveying trough (21) is connected to the inner cartridge (2).

5. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: An adsorption magnetic strip (122) is slidably connected in the sliding groove (121); an outer ring magnet (42) corresponding to the adsorption magnetic strip (122) is fixedly connected on the outer edge of the filter plate (4); the magnetic poles of the outer ring magnet (42) and the adsorption magnetic strip (122) are opposite; an elastic reset structure (123) is provided between the adsorption magnet and the sliding groove (121); a rotating ring (32) is provided at the bottom of the stirring rod; and a hinge ring (43) is mounted on the inner edge of the filter plate (4); the hinge ring (43) is rotatably connected to the rotating ring (32).

6. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner wall of the inner cylinder (2) is also provided with a lifting groove (24) along its radial direction, and a guide key (33) is fixedly mounted on the stirring disc (31), and the guide key (33) is slidably engaged with the lifting groove (24); when the stirring rod (3) moves axially up and down, the guide key (33) slides along the lifting groove (24), thereby restricting the circumferential relative rotation between the stirring disc (31) and the inner cylinder (2).

7. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: A plurality of circulation holes (211) are provided on the surface of the conveying trough (21); the outer wall of the conveying trough (21) is in the shape of an inverted cone structure; the outer wall diameter of the conveying trough (21) gradually decreases in the direction of its height increase; the bottom surface of the circulation channel is an inclined surface; the bottom of the circulation channel is connected to the inner cylinder (2) via the inclined surface; the inverted cone structure of the conveying trough (21) generates radial extrusion force during the conveying of the filter residue, so that the filtrate generated by the filter residue flows back to the circulation channel (22) through the circulation holes (211) and is then introduced into the inner cylinder (2).

8. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: An inclined surface is provided at the position where the rotating plate (12) and the filter plate (4) meet, and both the rotating plate (12) and the filter plate (4) are made of flexible materials.

9. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pitch of the stirring disc (31) is greater than the pitch of the conveying trough (21), and the number of spiral turns of the conveying trough (21) is greater than the number of spiral turns of the stirring disc (31).

10. The multi-stage adjustable filtering device for an ice cream machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The filter cartridge (1) is fixedly installed in the ice cream making machine (6), and a plurality of the filter cartridges (1) are installed in the ice cream making machine (6).

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