A hopper opening and closing mechanism and a frozen food manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of material barrel switch mechanism and frozen food manufacturing equipment, including material barrel, material barrel is equipped with pivot and the discharge port located in the side of pivot;Switch plate, switch plate is equipped with the shaft sleeve portion of pivot with movable sleeve, switch plate has the discharge port corresponding with discharge port, switch plate can rotate around pivot to make discharge port and discharge port at least partially coincide;Block piece, detachably installed between pivot and shaft sleeve portion, for preventing shaft sleeve portion from separating from pivot.Switch plate can rotate around pivot to make discharge port and discharge port dislocation and prevent material from discharging, switch plate can rotate around pivot to make discharge port and discharge port at least partially coincide and allow material to discharge;When needing to clean discharge port and switch plate, block piece is removed, the shaft sleeve portion of switch plate can be extracted from pivot, to expose complete discharge port, facilitate user to directly clean discharge port and clean switch plate alone, it is favorable to user to clean residual raw material, avoid the problem of bacterial growth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of household appliance technology, and in particular to a material tank switch mechanism and frozen food manufacturing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] As a core component of cold beverage equipment, slush machines are widely used in dessert shops, fast food chains, coffee shops, and home consumption scenarios. Slush machines produce soft, smooth ice cream or sorbet products by stirring and outputting pre-cooled ingredients at low temperatures.

[0003] Snow melting machines have a discharge port and a switching mechanism on the material hopper for opening and closing the discharge port. This switching mechanism typically uses a downward-pressing handle external to the material hopper, which, via a connecting rod, moves or swings a switch plate to open or close the discharge port. A sealing ring is required between the discharge port and the switch plate to achieve a seal. However, material residue can easily accumulate between the sealing ring and the discharge port, or between the sealing ring and the switch plate, leading to bacterial growth. Traditional switching mechanisms either lack disassembly functionality or are extremely difficult to disassemble, making it challenging to clean the area around the switching mechanism and the discharge port. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, one of the objectives of this utility model is to provide a material tank switching mechanism that is very convenient to disassemble and install, and facilitates users to clean residual raw materials, thereby avoiding the problem of bacterial growth; the second objective is to provide a frozen food manufacturing equipment using the above-mentioned material tank switching mechanism.

[0005] A material hopper switching mechanism according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a material hopper having a pivot and a discharge port located on one side of the pivot; a switch plate having a bushing portion movably sleeved on the pivot, the switch plate having a discharge port corresponding to the discharge port, the switch plate being rotatable around the pivot so that the discharge port at least partially overlaps with the discharge port; and a detachment prevention member detachably installed between the pivot and the bushing portion for preventing the bushing portion from detaching from the pivot.

[0006] The hopper switching mechanism according to the embodiment of this utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0007] The switch plate can rotate around a pivot to misalign the discharge port with the outlet port, thus preventing material discharge. Alternatively, the switch plate can rotate around a pivot to at least partially overlap the discharge port with the outlet port, allowing material discharge. When cleaning the outlet port and the switch plate is required, the blocking component can be removed, and the bushing of the switch plate can be pulled out from the pivot, thereby exposing the complete outlet port. This allows users to directly clean the outlet port and clean the switch plate separately, which is beneficial for cleaning residual raw materials and avoiding bacterial growth.

[0008] In some embodiments of this utility model, the discharge port is located at the bottom of the material barrel, the switch plate is rotatably located below the discharge port, and the bottom of the material barrel is provided with an annular mounting groove on the outer periphery of the discharge port. A sealing ring is provided in the annular mounting groove to elastically abut against the upper end surface of the switch plate.

[0009] In some embodiments of this utility model, the material bucket is cylindrical, the pivot is located at the center of the bottom of the material bucket, the switch plate includes a fan-shaped plate, the discharge port passes through the fan-shaped plate, the outer periphery of the fan-shaped plate is provided with a lever plate protruding from the outer peripheral wall of the material bucket, the bottom of the material bucket is provided with a first limiting part that abuts against one side of the fan-shaped plate, and when the first limiting part abuts against the side of the fan-shaped plate, the discharge port and the outlet coincide.

[0010] In some embodiments of this utility model, the pivot is a threaded tube, and the anti-detachment component is a nut sleeve threaded to the outside of the threaded tube. The threaded tube or the nut sleeve has a cylindrical surface that mates with the inner circumferential wall of the bushing portion.

[0011] In some embodiments of this utility model, the cylindrical surface is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the nut sleeve, and the outer periphery of the nut sleeve is provided with an annular support portion that radially protrudes from the cylindrical surface. The bushing portion is sleeved on the cylindrical surface and located above the annular support portion.

[0012] In some embodiments of this utility model, a pad is provided on the outside of the nut sleeve, which is sandwiched between the annular support portion and the bushing portion, and the pad is fixedly connected to the bottom of the material barrel.

[0013] In some embodiments of this utility model, the pad is provided with at least two positioning posts, and the bottom of the material bucket is provided with positioning holes that cooperate with the positioning posts. The positioning posts are inserted into the positioning holes to prevent the pad from deflecting relative to the material bucket.

[0014] In some embodiments of this utility model, the material bucket and the threaded tube are made of different materials. The bottom of the material bucket is formed with at least two downward-extending threaded columns. The middle part of the threaded tube is provided with through holes corresponding to the threaded columns. Fastening screws are inserted through the through holes and tightened onto the threaded columns.

[0015] In some embodiments of this utility model, an mounting plate is formed at the upper end of the middle part of the threaded tube, and a sleeve is formed on the mounting plate to fit outside the threaded column. The through hole is provided at the end of the sleeve. The mounting plate has an upwardly extending support shaft formed on its upper surface. The bottom of the material barrel is provided with a shaft hole for the support shaft to pass through. A sealing ring is provided between the shaft hole and the support shaft.

[0016] A frozen food manufacturing apparatus according to a second aspect of this utility model includes a main body, on which a material tank switching mechanism of any of the above-described technical solutions is provided. When the frozen food manufacturing apparatus needs to clean the discharge port and the switch plate, the retaining element can be removed, and the bushing portion of the switch plate can be pulled out from the pivot, thereby exposing the complete discharge port. This allows the user to directly clean the discharge port and clean the switch plate separately, which is beneficial for the user to clean residual raw materials and avoid the problem of bacterial growth.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the material bucket switching mechanism of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the embodiment when the discharge port is aligned with the outlet port;

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structural breakdown of the embodiment;

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the separation of the switch plate, threaded tube, and nut sleeve.

[0023] Figure label:

[0024] Material bucket 100; discharge port 110; positioning hole 120; threaded post 130; shaft hole 140; sealing ring 150; switch plate 200; bushing part 210; discharge port 220; lever plate 230; sealing ring 300; first limiting part 410; second limiting part 420; threaded tube 500; mounting plate 510; post sleeve 520; support shaft 530; nut sleeve 600; cylindrical surface 610; annular support part 620; pad 700; positioning post 710; fastening screw 800. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0026] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional descriptions, such as the terms "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," indicate the directional or positional relationship based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0027] In the description of this utility model, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. If "first" or "second" is used in the description, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" 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 mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] See Figures 1 to 3 This utility model discloses a material bucket switching mechanism, comprising: a material bucket 100, the material bucket 100 having a pivot and a discharge port 110 located on one side of the pivot; a switch plate 200, the switch plate 200 having a bushing portion 210 movably sleeved on the pivot, the switch plate 200 having a discharge port 220 corresponding to the discharge port 110, the switch plate 200 being rotatable around the pivot so that the discharge port 220 at least partially overlaps with the discharge port 110; and a detachable anti-detachment component, detachably installed between the pivot and the bushing portion 210, for preventing the bushing portion 210 from detaching from the pivot.

[0030] The switch plate 200 can rotate around a pivot to misalign the discharge port 220 with the outlet 110 to prevent material discharge, and the switch plate 200 can rotate around a pivot to at least partially overlap the discharge port 220 with the outlet 110 to allow material discharge. When it is necessary to clean the outlet 110 and the switch plate 200, the blocking component can be removed, and the bushing portion 210 of the switch plate 200 can be pulled out from the pivot, thereby exposing the complete outlet 110. This makes it convenient for users to directly clean the outlet 110 and clean the switch plate 200 separately, which is beneficial for users to clean residual raw materials and avoid the problem of bacterial growth.

[0031] See Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments of this utility model, the discharge port 110 is located at the bottom of the material tank 100, and the switch plate 200 is rotatably located below the discharge port 110. The bottom of the material tank 100 has an annular mounting groove around the outer periphery of the discharge port 110, and a sealing ring 300 is provided in the annular mounting groove, which elastically abuts against the upper end face of the switch plate 200. It can be understood that the sealing ring 300 is always in contact with the upper end face of the switch plate 200, thereby sealing the periphery of the discharge port 110 and preventing liquid from seeping out from the gap between the discharge port 110 and the switch plate 200. Specifically, the lower side of the sealing ring 300 has two concentric annular portions surrounding the outer periphery of the discharge port 110, and these annular portions can elastically deform and press against the upper end face of the switch plate 200.

[0032] See Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments of this utility model, the material barrel 100 is cylindrical, the pivot is located at the center of the bottom of the material barrel 100, the switch plate 200 includes a fan-shaped plate, the discharge port 220 passes through the fan-shaped plate, the outer periphery of the fan-shaped plate is provided with a lever 230 protruding from the outer peripheral wall of the material barrel 100, and the bottom of the material barrel 100 is provided with a first limiting part 410 that abuts against one side of the fan-shaped plate. When the first limiting part 410 abuts against the side of the fan-shaped plate, the discharge port 220 and the outlet 110 coincide. The user only needs to place their finger against the lever 230 and make a circular motion around the outer periphery of the material barrel 100 to drive the switch plate 200 to rotate, thereby aligning the discharge port 220 with the outlet 110 or misaligning the discharge port 220 with the outlet 110, which is convenient to operate. By setting the first limiting part 410, the discharge port 220 can be aligned with the outlet 110 even under blind operation, and the user does not need to observe and strictly control the rotation angle of the switch plate 200. In addition, in this embodiment, the bottom of the material barrel 100 is also provided with a second limiting part 420 that abuts against the other side of the fan-shaped plate. When the second limiting part 420 abuts against the corresponding side of the fan-shaped plate, the discharge port 220 and the outlet 110 are completely misaligned, and the upper surface of the fan-shaped plate can completely seal the outlet 110.

[0033] See Figures 2 to 4 In some embodiments of this utility model, the pivot is a threaded tube 500, and the release element is a nut sleeve 600 threaded to the outside of the threaded tube 500. The threaded tube 500 or the nut sleeve 600 has a cylindrical surface 610 that mates with the inner circumferential wall of the bushing portion 210. When it is necessary to clean the discharge port 110 and the switch plate 200, the user only needs to unscrew the nut sleeve 600 from the threaded tube 500 and then pull the bushing portion 210 out of the threaded tube 500 to separate the switch plate 200 from the barrel, thereby exposing the entire position of the discharge port 110. This allows the user to directly clean the discharge port 110 and clean the switch plate 200 separately, which is beneficial for cleaning residual raw materials and avoiding the problem of bacterial growth. The cylindrical surface 610 is a smooth surface, and the bushing portion 210 is annular. The diameter of the cylindrical surface 610 is the same as the inner diameter of the bushing portion 210.

[0034] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments of this utility model, the cylindrical surface 610 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the nut sleeve 600, and the outer periphery of the nut sleeve 600 is provided with an annular support portion 620 that radially protrudes from the cylindrical surface 610. The bushing portion 210 is sleeved on the cylindrical surface 610 and located above the annular support portion 620. During assembly, the bushing portion 210 can be sleeved on the cylindrical surface 610 and abutted against the annular support portion 620, and then the nut sleeve 600 can be tightened to the outside of the threaded tube 500. When it is necessary to disassemble the switch plate 200, simply unscrew the nut sleeve 600 in the reverse direction. The annular support portion 620 serves to prevent the bushing portion 210 from disengaging from the threaded tube 500 along the axial direction of the threaded tube 500. Of course, in other embodiments, the cylindrical surface 610 can also be formed on the outer peripheral wall of the upper part of the threaded tube 500. In this case, the upper end face of the nut sleeve 600 is supported on the lower end of the annular support portion 620, thereby preventing the bushing portion 210 from disengaging from the threaded tube 500.

[0035] See Figure 2 and Figure 3In some embodiments of this utility model, a pad 700 is fitted around the outside of the nut sleeve 600, sandwiched between the annular support portion 620 and the bushing portion 210, and the pad 700 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the material barrel 100. It should be noted that during the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the switch plate 200 around the threaded tube 500, the friction between the bushing portion 210 and the annular support portion 620 may cause the nut sleeve 600 to rotate to a loose state, easily causing the switch plate 200 to accidentally fall off, resulting in the raw material leaking directly from the outlet 110. The pad 700 positioned between the annular support portion 620 and the bushing portion 210 prevents the bushing portion 210 from causing the annular support portion 620 to rotate.

[0036] See Figure 3 In some embodiments of this utility model, in order to prevent the switch plate 200 from rotating together with the pad 700 during rotation, thereby eliminating the possibility that the switch plate 200 will drive the nut sleeve 600 to rotate through the pad 700, the pad 700 is provided with at least two positioning posts 710, and the bottom of the material barrel 100 is provided with positioning holes 120 that cooperate with the positioning posts 710. The positioning posts 710 are inserted into the positioning holes 120 to prevent the pad 700 from deflecting relative to the material barrel 100.

[0037] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments of this utility model, the material barrel 100 and the threaded tube 500 are made of different materials. The bottom of the material barrel 100 has at least two downward-extending threaded posts 130. The middle of the threaded tube 500 has through holes corresponding to the threaded posts 130. Fastening screws 800 pass through the through holes and are tightened onto the threaded posts 130. It should be noted that when the threaded tube 500 and the nut sleeve 600 are used together, repeated tightening may cause wear on the threaded structure. The material barrel is generally made of ordinary ABS, PP, or other plastic materials, which have poor wear resistance. The threaded tube 500, however, can be made of POM or nylon, which has higher wear resistance and service life. It is manufactured separately and then assembled at the bottom of the material barrel 100.

[0038] See Figure 3 and Figure 4In some embodiments of this utility model, an mounting plate 510 is formed at the upper end of the middle part of the threaded tube 500. The mounting plate 510 has a sleeve 520 fitted over the threaded post 130. A through hole is located at the end of the sleeve 520. The mounting plate 510 has an upwardly extending support shaft 530 formed on its upper surface. The bottom of the material container 100 has a shaft hole 140 for the support shaft 530 to pass through. A sealing ring 150 is located between the shaft hole 140 and the support shaft 530. It should be noted that the material container 100 needs to rotate and install stirring blades to scrape off ice flakes from the surface of the refrigeration evaporator and then stir to form frozen food. The support shaft 530 can serve as a fulcrum for the lower end of the stirring blades, providing stable support for their rotation. Correspondingly, the sealing ring 150 and the shaft hole 140 are used to prevent leakage from the material container 100.

[0039] This utility model also discloses a frozen food manufacturing equipment, including a main body, on which a material tank switching mechanism of any of the above-mentioned technical solutions is provided. When the frozen food manufacturing equipment needs to clean the discharge port 110 and the switch plate 200, the retaining component can be removed, and the bushing portion 210 of the switch plate 200 can be pulled out from the pivot, thereby exposing the complete discharge port 110. This allows users to directly clean the discharge port 110 and clean the switch plate 200 separately, which is beneficial for users to clean residual raw materials and avoid the problem of bacterial growth.

[0040] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0041] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A material hopper switching mechanism, characterized in that, include: A material hopper (100) is provided with a pivot and a discharge port (110) located on one side of the pivot. A switch plate (200) is provided with a bushing portion (210) movably sleeved on the pivot. The switch plate (200) has a discharge port (220) corresponding to the discharge port (110). The switch plate (200) can rotate around the pivot so that the discharge port (220) and the discharge port (110) at least partially overlap. A detachable retainer is detachably installed between the pivot and the bushing (210) to prevent the bushing (210) from detaching from the pivot.

2. The material hopper switching mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge port (110) is located at the bottom of the material barrel (100), and the switch plate (200) is rotatably located below the discharge port (110). The bottom of the material barrel (100) is provided with an annular mounting groove on the outer periphery of the discharge port (110), and a sealing ring (300) is provided in the annular mounting groove to elastically abut against the upper end face of the switch plate (200).

3. The material hopper switching mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material bucket (100) is cylindrical, and the pivot is located at the center of the bottom of the material bucket (100). The switch plate (200) includes a fan-shaped plate, and the discharge port (220) passes through the fan-shaped plate. The outer periphery of the fan-shaped plate is provided with a lever plate (230) protruding from the outer periphery of the material bucket (100). The bottom of the material bucket (100) is provided with a first limiting part (410) that abuts against one side of the fan-shaped plate. When the first limiting part (410) abuts against the side of the fan-shaped plate, the discharge port (220) and the outlet (110) coincide.

4. The material hopper switching mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pivot is a threaded tube (500), and the locking element is a nut sleeve (600) threaded to the outside of the threaded tube (500). The threaded tube (500) or the nut sleeve (600) has a cylindrical surface (610) that mates with the inner circumferential wall of the bushing portion (210).

5. A hopper switching mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cylindrical surface (610) is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the nut sleeve (600). The outer periphery of the nut sleeve (600) is provided with an annular support portion (620) that protrudes radially from the cylindrical surface (610). The bushing portion (210) is sleeved on the cylindrical surface (610) and located above the annular support portion (620).

6. The material hopper switching mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The nut sleeve (600) is fitted with a pad (700) sandwiched between the annular support portion (620) and the bushing portion (210), and the pad (700) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the material bucket (100).

7. A hopper switching mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pad (700) is provided with at least two positioning posts (710), and the bottom of the material bucket (100) is provided with positioning holes (120) that cooperate with the positioning posts (710). The positioning posts (710) are inserted into the positioning holes (120) to prevent the pad (700) from deflecting relative to the material bucket (100).

8. A hopper switching mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material barrel (100) and the threaded tube (500) are made of different materials. The bottom of the material barrel (100) is formed with at least two downward-extending threaded posts (130). The middle part of the threaded tube (500) is provided with through holes corresponding to the threaded posts (130). Fastening screws (800) are inserted through the through holes and tightened onto the threaded posts (130).

9. A hopper switching mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The upper end of the middle part of the threaded tube (500) is formed with a mounting plate (510), the mounting plate (510) is formed with a sleeve (520) that is sleeved on the outside of the threaded column (130), the through hole is provided at the end of the sleeve (520), the mounting plate (510) has an upwardly extending support shaft (530) formed on its upper surface, the bottom of the material barrel (100) is provided with a shaft hole (140) for the support shaft (530) to pass through, and a sealing ring (150) is provided between the shaft hole (140) and the support shaft (530).

10. A frozen food manufacturing equipment, characterized in that, It includes a main body, on which a hopper switching mechanism according to any one of claims 1-9 is provided.

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