Freezer

Abstract

To provide a freezer capable of completing freezing in a short period of time.SOLUTION: Multiple freezing units U for housing food and drink are arranged at an equal pitch on the same circle C in such a manner as to be rotatable around one vertical axis L passing through the center of the same circle C. Each of the freezing units U has a bottomed cylindrical body 1 for housing low-temperature cooling liquid, a food and drink holder which is arranged within the cylindrical body 1 and which holds food and drink by inserting them from above, and a propeller which is fixed on the bottom wall side of the food and drink holder. The propeller is rotated by emitting the cooling liquid to the propeller. In a predetermined position Z on the same circle C, the food and drink can be taken into and out of the cylindrical body 1 without injection of the cooling liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigeration device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a refrigeration device is known in which food is placed and frozen in a coolant (ethyl alcohol aqueous solution) at a low temperature (for example, around -30°C) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the refrigeration device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it takes time and effort as a whole because food and drink are supercooled for a sufficiently long time and then placed in the coolant.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration device capable of completing freezing in a short time. In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration device that can efficiently freeze a plurality of food and drink such as bottled alcohol sequentially and can easily (sequentially) take out the frozen food and drink.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The refrigeration device according to the present invention has a plurality of refrigeration units for storing food and drink arranged on the same circle at equal pitches and rotatable around a vertical axis passing through the center of the same circle. Each of the refrigeration units has a bottomed cylindrical body for storing a low-temperature coolant, a food and drink holding body arranged in the cylindrical body for inserting and holding the food and drink from above, and a propeller fixed to the bottom wall side of the food and drink holding body. The coolant is injected into the propeller to rotate the propeller, and further, at a predetermined position on the same circle, the coolant is not injected, and the food and drink can be inserted into and taken out of the cylindrical body.

[0007] Also, lower pipes are arranged radially in a plane view from the center position of the same circle to each of the refrigeration units, and the coolant is configured to be injected from the lower pipes to the propellers of the refrigeration units. Further, upper pipes are arranged radially in a plane view from the center position of the same circle to each of the refrigeration units, and the coolant is configured to be discharged from the refrigeration units to the upper pipes.

[0008] Also, a lower rotary joint and an upper rotary joint are arranged at the center position of the same circle. The coolant is injected from a fixed-side cooler to the propeller of the refrigeration unit through the lower rotary joint, and the coolant is recovered from the refrigeration unit to the fixed-side cooler through the upper rotary joint.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the refrigeration device of the present invention, freezing can be completed in a short time. In addition, a plurality of food and drink items such as bottled alcohol can be efficiently and sequentially frozen, and the frozen food and drink can be easily (sequentially) taken out.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show one embodiment of the present invention. The refrigeration device of the present invention freezes food and drink E (for example, bottled alcohol N such as Japanese sake, and particularly, raw sake is suitable). A plurality (12 in the example of FIG. 1) of refrigeration units U for storing food and drink E (for example, one bottled alcohol N) are arranged on the same circle C at equal pitches and rotatable around a vertical single axis L passing through the center of the same circle C.

[0012] Each refrigeration unit U has a bottomed cylindrical body 1 for storing a low-temperature coolant A, a food and drink holding body 2 (bottle holding body 14) arranged in the cylindrical body 1 and for inserting and holding food and drink E from above, and a propeller 3 fixed to the bottom wall 2a side of the food and drink holding body 2. The low-temperature coolant A is, for example, an ethyl alcohol aqueous solution (-35°C or more and -25°C or less, alcohol concentration about 60%). In the present invention, "fixed to the bottom wall side" shall include both the case of being directly fixed to the bottom wall and the case of being fixed via a shaft connected to the bottom wall. The food and drink holding body 2 is, for example, in the shape of a saucer with a number of holes. A rotary bearing 6 for rotatably supporting the rotary shaft 3A of the propeller 3 is provided. Note that the rotary bearing 6 is not limited to the ball bearing in FIG. 2 and may be a metal bearing or the like. A heat insulating material 7 for suppressing the heat transfer between the coolant A and the outside is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the cylindrical body 1. The heat insulating material 7 is made of, for example, foamed urethane.

[0013] The coolant A is sprayed onto the propeller 3 (by a pump not shown) to rotate the propeller 3. As shown in FIG. 1, at a predetermined position Z on the same circle C, the coolant A is not sprayed, and the food and drink E can be inserted into and taken out of the cylindrical body 1.

[0014] The lower pipes 4 are arranged radially from the center position of the same circle C to each of the refrigeration units U in a plan view, and the coolant A is configured to be sprayed from the lower pipes 4 to the propellers 3 of the refrigeration units U. The upper pipes 5 are arranged radially from the center position of the same circle C to each of the refrigeration units U in a plan view, and the coolant A is configured to be discharged from the refrigeration units U to the upper pipes 5.

[0015] A lower rotary joint R1 (for coolant A) and an upper rotary joint R2 (for coolant A) are arranged at the center position of the same circle C. The coolant A is sprayed from the fixed-side cooler 15 to the propeller 3 of the refrigeration unit U via the lower rotary joint R1, and the coolant A is recovered from the refrigeration unit U to the fixed-side cooler 15 via the upper rotary joint R2.

[0016] Specifically, the coolant A is ejected from the fixed-side coolant delivery pipe (not shown) to the cylindrical body 1 via the lower rotary joint R1 and the lower pipes 4, and the coolant A is recovered from the cylindrical body 1 to the cooler 15 via the upper pipes 5 and the upper rotary joint R2 and the fixed-side coolant recovery pipe (not shown), and then the coolant A is sent from the cooler 15 to the coolant delivery pipe again so that the coolant A circulates. By the way, in order to automatically stop the injection and recovery (discharge) of the coolant A at the predetermined position Z on the same circle C in FIG. 1 (as described above), coolant flow path concave grooves in the shape of C in a plan view may be formed on the fixed sides of the upper and lower rotary joints R2 and R1.

[0017] The cylindrical body 1 is provided with a lid body 8 that can be opened and closed. An electromagnetic lock 9 is provided to hold the lid body 8 in a closed state. A pressing member 10 that presses the food or drink E (in the case of bottled alcohol N, the cork S) from above, a spring member (not shown) that elastically biases the pressing member 10 downward, and a rotary bearing (not shown) that rotatably holds the pressing member 10 around the vertical axis L0 are attached to the lid body 8. The pressing member 10 and the like can prevent the bottle B from being misaligned or falling over. As shown in FIG. 3, the coolant A flows in a spiral shape. In FIG. 3, the propeller 3, the food or drink holding body 2, etc. are not shown.

[0018] Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 11 indicates the main pipe. Inside the main pipe 11, a coolant supply pipe, a coolant recovery pipe, a compressed air pipe for opening and closing the lid 8, and electrical wiring for the electromagnetic lock 9 and the sensor are inserted. It has a rotary joint for compressed air and a slip ring unit for electricity. (The compressed air pipe, the electrical wiring for the sensor, the rotary joint for compressed air, and the slip ring unit for electricity are not shown in the drawings.)

[0019] Reference numeral 12 indicates the cooling unit. The cooling unit 12 includes a cooler 15 for cooling the coolant A, a tank for temporarily storing the coolant A, and a pump for sending out the coolant A (the tank and the pump are not shown in the drawings). The cooler 15, the tank, and the pump are appropriately connected by pipes.

[0020] Reference numeral 13 indicates the fixed base. The fixed base 13 incorporates a drive motor (not shown in the drawings) for rotating the refrigeration unit U around the vertical single axis L.

[0021] Food and drink E (for example, a bottle of alcohol N) is held in the food and drink holder 2 (bottle holder 14), and the propeller 3 is configured to rotate in the high-speed rotation region. When the food and drink E is a bottle of alcohol N, a stirring flow of alcohol is generated inside the bottle B. The high-speed rotation region is from 100 rpm to 600 rpm. Desirably, it is from 250 rpm to 500 rpm. When the rotation speed is within the above range, the heat transfer rate (between the food and drink E and the coolant A) is high, and the food and drink E can be efficiently frozen in a short time. When the rotation speed is less than 100 rpm, the heat transfer rate is slow. When the food and drink E is a bottle of alcohol N, the stirring flow generated in the alcohol inside the bottle B is slight, and the heat transfer rate is slow. When the rotation speed exceeds 600 rpm, for example, when the food and drink E is a bottle of alcohol N, the heat transfer rate becomes slow (it is considered that this is because the reattachment of the separated flow becomes remarkable and the vicinity of the center becomes less likely to be stirred).

[0022] Set the gap dimension T (see Fig. 2) between the outer surface of the food or drink E and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1 to be 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less. When the gap dimension T is within the above range, the gap between the food or drink E and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 1 is narrow, the flow rate of the cooling liquid A becomes fast, the heat transfer coefficient increases, and the cooling effect becomes high. Furthermore, the thermal resistance decreases. That is, the food or drink E can be frozen in an even shorter time. When the gap dimension T is less than 5 mm, pressure is applied to the food or drink E, and there is a risk that the food or drink E may float (especially when the pressing member 10 or the like is omitted, the food or drink E may float). When the gap dimension T exceeds 15 mm, the flow rate of the cooling liquid A becomes slow, the heat transfer coefficient decreases, and the effect of shortening the time required for freezing becomes small.

[0023] Next, an example of the method for freezing the food or drink E of the present invention will be described. Stop the plurality of freezing units U, and at the food or drink installation position (in the example shown in Fig. 1, the position at 3 o'clock of the clock), insert the (unfrozen) food or drink E into the cylindrical body 1 (the food or drink holding body 2 thereof) of the freezing unit U in the direction of arrow E1 in Fig. 1. For example, place the bottled alcohol N vertically in the low-temperature cooling liquid A. Then, close the lid 8 and lock the electromagnetic lock 9.

[0024] On the other hand, at the food or drink removal position (in the example shown in Fig. 1, the position at 2 o'clock of the clock), unlock the electromagnetic lock 9, open the lid 8, and remove the (frozen-completed) food or drink E from the cylindrical body 1 of the freezing unit U in the direction of arrow E2 in Fig. 1.

[0025] After the installation of the food or drink E at the food or drink installation position and the removal of the food or drink E at the food or drink removal position are completed, rotate (revolve) the plurality of freezing units U integrally by a predetermined angle θ (in the example shown in Fig. 1, 30°) around the vertical single axis L (in the direction of arrow Y in Fig. 1). Sequentially repeat the installation / removal of the food or drink E and the rotation of the plurality of freezing units U around the vertical single axis L.

[0026] Food and drink E is installed inside the refrigeration unit U and revolves around a vertical single axis L while rotating around a vertical axis L0. That is, by flowing the coolant A, the food and drink E is rotated (self-rotated) around the vertical axis L0, and while taking heat from the food and drink E, it is refrigerated. Specifically, the food and drink E is rotated in the high-speed rotation region. When the food and drink E is bottled alcohol N, a stirring flow of alcohol is generated inside the bottle B. The coolant A is intermittently injected into the propeller 3, and the rotation and stop of the propeller 3 are configured to be repeated every predetermined time. For example, when taking in and out the food and drink E, in all of the plurality of refrigeration units U, the injection and discharge of the coolant A are stopped. While the food and drink E is moving from the food and drink installation position to the food and drink removal position, the rotation time around the vertical single axis L of the refrigeration unit U is set so that it is refrigerated. Note that the installation and removal of the food and drink E may be configured to be performed either manually or automatically.

[0027] Note that the food and drink E may be any food and drink including (vacuum-packed) meat, fish, etc., soft drinks, non-alcoholic beverages, sweet sake, seasonings such as soy sauce. For example, the bottled alcohol N may be wine, shochu, sake for entertainment, etc. Also, the shape and structure of the food and drink holder 2 are (not limited to a dish shape with many holes, but) made to match the shape and properties of the food and drink E.

[0028] The present invention can be design-changed. For example, the number of refrigeration units U, etc. can be increased or decreased freely. In particular, in order to improve the processing capacity, it is preferable to increase the number of refrigeration units U. Also, at a predetermined position Z (the food and drink installation position and the food and drink removal position), the injection and discharge of the coolant A are stopped, and at positions other than the predetermined position Z, the coolant A may be continuously injected and discharged. Also, the plurality of refrigeration units U may be configured to be constantly and slowly rotated around a vertical axis L passing through the center of the same circle C. Also, it is preferable that the lower rotary joint R1 and the upper rotary joint R2 are each integrally formed on the fixed side and the rotating side. Also, members such as the pressing member 10 may be omitted.

[0029] As described above, the present invention arranges a plurality of refrigeration units U for storing food and drink E at equal pitches on the same circle C and rotatable around a vertical axis L passing through the center of the same circle C. Each refrigeration unit U has a bottomed cylindrical body 1 for storing a low-temperature coolant A, a food and drink holding body 2 disposed in the cylindrical body 1 and for inserting and holding the food and drink E from above, and a propeller 3 fixed to the bottom wall 2a side of the food and drink holding body 2. The coolant A is injected into the propeller 3 to rotate the propeller 3. Further, at a predetermined position Z on the same circle C, the coolant A is not injected, and the food and drink E can be inserted into and taken out of the cylindrical body 1, so that freezing can be completed in a short time. In particular, food and drink E such as a plurality of bottled alcohols N can be efficiently and sequentially frozen, and the frozen food and drink E can be easily (sequentially) taken out.

[0030] Also, lower pipes 4 are arranged radially in a plane from the center position of the same circle C to each of the refrigeration units U, and the coolant A is configured to be injected from the lower pipes 4 to the propeller 3 of the refrigeration unit U. Further, upper pipes 5 are arranged radially in a plane from the center position of the same circle C to each of the refrigeration units U, and the coolant A is configured to be discharged from the refrigeration unit U to the upper pipes 5. Therefore, the coolant A can flow in a branched manner from the center position of the same circle C, and the coolant A can be recovered centripetally to the center position of the same circle C, with good efficiency.

[0031] Also, a lower rotary joint R1 and an upper rotary joint R2 are arranged at the center position of the same circle C. The coolant A is injected from the fixed-side cooler 15 through the lower rotary joint R1 to the propeller 3 of the refrigeration unit U, and the coolant A is recovered from the refrigeration unit U through the upper rotary joint R2 to the fixed-side cooler 15. Therefore, a large number (a plurality) of food and drink E can be frozen one after another, and it has a simple structure and can be installed compactly.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0032] 1 (bottomed) cylindrical body 2 Food and drink holding body 2a Bottom wall 3 Propeller 4 Lower pipe 5 Upper pipe 15 Cooler A Cooling liquid C Same circle E Food and drink L Vertical axis R1 Lower rotary joint R2 Upper rotary joint U Refrigeration unit Z Predetermined position

Claims

1. A plurality of refrigeration units (U) for storing food and drink (E) are arranged at equal pitches on the same circle (C) and are rotatable around a vertical single axis (L) passing through the center of the same circle (C). Each of the refrigeration units (U) has a bottomed cylindrical body (1) for containing a low-temperature coolant (A), a food and drink holder (2) arranged in the cylindrical body (1) and for inserting and holding the food and drink (E) from above, and a propeller (3) fixed to the bottom wall (2a) side of the food and drink holder (2). The coolant (A) is configured to be injected onto the propeller (3) to rotate the propeller (3). Furthermore, at a predetermined position (Z) on the same circle (C), the coolant (A) is not injected, and the food and drink (E) is configured to be insertable into and removable from the cylindrical body (1). A refrigeration apparatus characterized by this is provided.

2. Lower pipes (4) are arranged radially in a plan view from the center position of the same circle (C) to each of the refrigeration units (U), and the coolant (A) is configured to be injected from the lower pipes (4) onto the propeller (3) of the refrigeration unit (U). And upper pipes (5) are arranged radially in a plan view from the center position of the same circle (C) to each of the refrigeration units (U), and the coolant (A) is configured to be discharged from the refrigeration unit (U) to the upper pipes (5). The refrigeration apparatus according to Claim 1 is provided.

3. At the center position of the same circle (C), a lower rotary joint (R 1 ), and an upper rotary joint (R 2 ) are arranged, and the coolant (A) is injected from the fixed-side cooler (15) to the propeller (3) of the refrigeration unit (U) through the lower rotary joint (R 1 ), and the coolant (A) is recovered from the refrigeration unit (U) to the fixed-side cooler (15) through the upper rotary joint (R 2 ). The refrigeration device according to claim 2, which is configured as such.

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