Liquid freezing device

Abstract

When the storage basket is secured to the underside of the lid by a fastening mechanism, the storage basket will not fall even if it detaches from the underside of the lid. [Solution] The liquid freezing device 10 comprises a freezing tank 20 having an opening 20a on its upper surface and freezing the object to be frozen with antifreeze stored inside, a lid 23 that can open and close the opening 20a on the upper surface of the freezing tank 20, and a storage basket 30 fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 by a fixing means 38 and capable of storing the object to be frozen. The storage basket 30 can be moved between a position where it is immersed in the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 and a position where it is separated above the liquid surface of the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 by moving the lid 23 up and down. A fall prevention member 40 is provided on the lower surface of the lid 23 to prevent the storage basket 30 from falling when it becomes detached from the fixing means 38.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid freezing apparatus for freezing frozen objects such as food materials and cooked foods with a coolant that has been cooled, and to a liquid freezing apparatus provided with a storage cage that can store frozen objects below a lid that opens and closes an opening on the upper surface of a freezing tank.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a food freezing apparatus for freezing frozen objects such as food materials and cooked foods with a coolant that has been cooled. This food freezing apparatus includes a freezing tank that has an opening on its upper surface and stores the coolant, a lid that freely opens and closes the opening on the upper surface of the freezing tank, a freezing apparatus that cools the coolant in the freezing tank, and a stirring means that stirs the coolant in the freezing tank. In this food freezing apparatus, the coolant in the freezing tank is cooled by a refrigerant that circulates through a refrigerant pipe that constitutes the freezing apparatus. When a storage cage containing frozen objects such as food materials and cooked foods is placed in the freezing tank through the opening on the upper surface and immersed in the coolant, the frozen objects placed in the storage cage exchange heat with the coolant and are frozen.

[0003] The food freezing apparatus includes a hydraulic cylinder device that raises and lowers the storage cage and the lid. The hydraulic cylinder device includes a receiving plate that can place the storage cage at the lower part of a lifting frame, and a pair of support arms that fix the lid to the upper part of the lifting frame. When the lid is lowered together with the receiving plate by the hydraulic cylinder device, the storage cage placed on the receiving plate is immersed in the coolant in the freezing tank, and the opening of the freezing tank is closed by the lid. When the lid is raised together with the receiving plate by the hydraulic cylinder device, the opening of the freezing tank is opened from the lid, and the storage cage placed on the receiving plate is lifted above the coolant in the freezing tank.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the food freezing apparatus (liquid freezing apparatus) used in Patent Document 1, the storage basket for storing the items to be frozen is placed on a receiving plate provided at the bottom of the lifting frame, resulting in a large number of parts such as the lifting frame and receiving plate, and thus high costs. In contrast, if the storage basket is fixed to the underside of the lid and the lid to which the storage basket is fixed is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism such as a hydraulic cylinder device, the number of parts such as the lifting frame and receiving plate can be reduced. As an example of a fixing means for fixing the storage basket to the underside of the lid, when it is detachably fixed with a screw member, the storage basket can be removed from the underside of the lid, improving the workability of maintenance work such as maintenance inspection inside the freezing tank. However, when the storage basket is detachably fixed to the underside of the lid with a screw member, there is a risk that the screw member fixing the storage basket to the lid may loosen due to vibration when the lid is raised and lowered, and there is a risk that the storage basket may detach from the underside of the lid and fall. The present invention aims to prevent the storage basket from falling even if it detaches from the underside of the lid when the storage basket is fixed to the underside of the lid by a fixing means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a liquid freezing device comprising: a freezing tank having an opening on its upper surface for freezing an object to be frozen with antifreeze stored inside; a lid that can open and close the opening on the upper surface of the freezing tank; and a storage basket fixed to the lower surface of the lid by a fixing means for storing an object to be frozen, wherein the storage basket can be moved between a position where it is immersed in the antifreeze in the freezing tank and a position where it is separated above the liquid surface of the antifreeze in the freezing tank by moving the lid up and down, and a fall prevention member is provided on the lower surface of the lid to prevent the storage basket from falling when it becomes detached from the fixing means.

[0007] In the liquid freezing apparatus configured as described above, a fall prevention member is provided on the underside of the lid to prevent the storage basket from falling when it becomes detached from its fixing by the fixing means. Therefore, even if the storage basket becomes detached from the underside of the lid due to a malfunction of the fixing means, the storage basket will be locked into the fall prevention member and will not fall from the underside of the lid.

[0008] In the liquid freezing apparatus configured as described above, a fixing plate portion is provided on the upper part of the storage basket for fixing to the lower surface of the lid by a fixing means, and it is preferable that the fall prevention member is positioned so as to be able to be locked to the lower side of the fixing plate portion. In this case, even if a malfunction occurs in the fixing means and the fixing plate portion of the storage basket separates from the lower surface of the lid, causing the storage basket to detach from the lower surface of the lid, the fixing plate portion will lock into the fall prevention member, preventing the storage basket from falling.

[0009] In the liquid freezing apparatus configured as described above, the fixing plate portion extends from one horizontal direction to the other, and it is preferable that the fall prevention member is provided with a guide plate portion that extends from one horizontal direction to the other below the fixing plate portion and can guide the fixing plate portion in the direction connecting the two horizontal directions. In this case, when fixing the storage basket to the lower surface of the lid, the fixing plate portion of the storage basket can be slid above the guide plate portion in the direction connecting the two horizontal directions, thereby positioning the storage basket at the fixing position on the lower surface of the lid, and improving the workability of the fixing operation when fixing the storage basket to the lower surface of the lid.

[0010] In the liquid freezing apparatus configured as described above, the fixing plate portion is fixed to the lower surface of the lid by a screw member as a fixing means, and it is preferable that an operation window portion is formed in the guide plate portion below the fixing position of the screw member, allowing the screw member to be attached and detached using a tool. In this case, the screw member can be tightened using a tool such as a screwdriver through the operation window portion, improving the workability of the fixing work in which the storage basket is fixed to the lower surface of the lid.

[0011] In the liquid freezing apparatus configured as described above, it is preferable that the guide plate section has a rising section that protrudes upward and supports the fixing plate section at a position close to the bottom surface of the lid. When this is done, when the fixing plate section of the storage basket is slid over the guide plate section to fix the storage basket to the fixing position on the bottom surface of the lid, the fixing plate section of the storage basket is supported at a position close to the bottom surface of the lid by the rising section, thus improving the workability of the fixing operation when fixing the fixing plate section of the storage basket to the bottom surface of the lid. In this case, it is preferable that the rising section extends horizontally from one side to the other, straddling the operation window section. If the rising section is interrupted at the position of the operation window section, there is a risk that the fixing plate section of the storage basket may get caught on the interrupted part at the position of the operation window section when the fixing plate section of the storage basket is slid over the guide plate section. In contrast, since the rising section extends horizontally from one side to the other, straddling the operation window section, when the fixing plate of the storage basket is placed on the rising section and slid, the fixing plate of the storage basket can slide along the upper side of the rising section without getting caught. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the liquid freezing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the central part of Figure 1 in the front-to-back direction along the left-to-right direction. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a magnified cross-sectional view of a portion of the opening of the freezing tank. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of a liquid freezing device with the lid and storage basket raised. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the lid and storage basket from a diagonal angle above. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the lid and storage basket, seen from a diagonal downward angle. [Figure 8] This is a close-up front view of a portion of the fixing mechanism between the lid and the storage basket. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view of the fall prevention component, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 10]It is a perspective view seen from obliquely above when the storage cage is diagonally in front of the lid. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view seen from obliquely below when the storage cage is diagonally in front of the lid. [Figure 12] It is a schematic view centered on the refrigeration device of the liquid freezing device. [Figure 13] It is a perspective view seen from obliquely in front of the right of the lifting mechanism. [Figure 14] It is a perspective view seen from obliquely in front of the left of the lifting mechanism. [Figure 15] It is a block diagram of the control device. [Figure 16] It is a partially enlarged front view corresponding to FIG. 8 showing a modified example of the fall prevention member. [Figure 17] It is a schematic view of the lid and the storage cage showing a modified example in which the fall prevention member can be locked to the bottom of the storage cage. [Figure 18] It is a schematic view of the lid and the storage cage showing a modified example in which the fall prevention member can be locked to the left and right side walls of the storage cage.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the liquid freezing device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The liquid freezing device 10 of the present invention is also called a liquid freezer, and uses an antifreeze using ethanol (57 wt%) to rapidly freeze frozen objects such as foodstuffs and cooked foods. Frozen objects such as foodstuffs and cooked foods are mainly those sealed in a packaging bag using a vacuum packaging machine or the like, and are frozen in the liquid freezing device 10 and then stored frozen in a freezer. Further, the liquid freezing device 10 of the present invention uses a large freezing tank 20, and a storage cage 30 for putting frozen objects is fixed to the lower surface of a lid 23 that opens and closes the opening 20a on the upper surface of the freezing tank 20, and the lid 23 and the storage cage 30 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 60.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the liquid freezing apparatus 10 is equipped with a freezing tank 20 in the upper part of the housing 11 and a machine room 12 in the lower part. As shown in Figure 2, a support plate 13 for supporting the stirring motor 56 of the stirring device 55, which will be described later, is installed on the left side of the freezing tank 20, and an opening 20a is formed on the upper surface of the part of the freezing tank 20 other than the left side, into which a storage basket 30 containing the object to be frozen is immersed. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a casing 14 that rises upward is provided on the upper surface of the left side of the freezing tank 20, and various pieces of equipment, including the stirring motor 56 of the stirring device 55 that stirs the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20, are housed inside the casing 14.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the freezing tank 20 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape and stores antifreeze for freezing the object to be frozen. As shown in Figure 2, the freezing tank 20 is divided into two sections by a partition plate 21 located to the left of the center in the left-right direction, allowing liquid to pass through. The left side of the freezing tank 20, separated by the partition plate 21, is a cooling area 20b for cooling the antifreeze, and the area excluding the left side separated by the partition plate 21 is an immersion area 20c for immersing the object to be frozen. A temperature sensor 22 is provided on the partition plate 21, and the temperature sensor 22 detects the temperature of the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20. As shown in Figure 4, the upper part of each side of the freezing tank 20 has an inclined section 20d that slopes diagonally upward outwards. The inclined section 20d has the function of making it easier for the antifreeze falling from the top of the freezing tank 20 to return to the freezing tank 20. Furthermore, the upper end of the inclined portion 20d of the freezing tank 20 has a flat portion 20e that extends outward in the horizontal direction.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a lid 23 is provided on the opening 20a on the upper surface of the freezing tank 20, excluding the left side, and the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20 is closed by the lid 23 so as to be able to be opened and closed. The lid 23 has a low height and is roughly rectangular in shape, with an insulating material disposed inside. The lid 23 is supported so as to be able to move up and down by a lifting mechanism 60, which will be described later. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, a packing 24 is provided on the lower peripheral edge of the lid 23, and the packing 24 is in contact with the flat portion 20e on the peripheral edge of the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20 while pressed against it. When the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20 is covered by the lid 23, the packing 24 is in close contact with the flat portion 20e on the peripheral edge of the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20, and the space between the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20 and the lid 23 is airtightly sealed.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, a storage basket 30 capable of storing items to be frozen is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23, and the storage basket 30 can be raised and lowered together with the lid 23 by a lifting mechanism 60. When the lid 23 is raised to the upper side of the freezing tank 20, the storage basket 30 is detachably fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 in order to improve the workability of maintenance work such as maintenance work inside the freezing tank 20. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the storage basket 30 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, with its top surface closed by the lid 23, and its left side surface, right side surface, rear surface and bottom surface covered to allow liquid to pass through, excluding the front surface, and an opening 30a is formed in the front surface of the storage basket 30 for loading and unloading items to be frozen. The storage basket 30 is equipped with left and right side walls 31, and numerous liquid passages 31a are formed in the left and right side walls 31 to allow antifreeze to pass inside and outside the storage basket 30. The liquid passage ports 31a are rectangular in shape and are arranged at equal intervals in the front-to-back and top-to-bottom directions on the left and right side walls 31, and the left and right side walls 31 are formed in a grid pattern by the numerous liquid passage ports 31a.

[0018] As shown in Figure 7, a connecting plate 32 is provided at the rear upper part between the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30, and a connecting bar 33 is provided at the front lower part between the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30, and the left and right side walls 31 are connected by the connecting plate 32 and the connecting bar 33. As shown in Figures 4, 7 and 8, notches 32a are formed on both the left and right sides of the upper part of the connecting plate 32, and the notches 32a allow the storage basket 30 to pass through the fall prevention member 40 provided on the lower surface of the lid 23, which will be described later, when the storage basket 30 is slid from the diagonally front lower part of the lid 23 to the rear part. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, metal wire materials (metal wires) 34 are provided at the rear and bottom of the storage basket 30, arranged in a grid pattern between the left and right side walls 31, and the rear and bottom parts of the storage basket 30 are formed by the grid-like arrangement of metal wire materials 34. The storage basket 30 allows antifreeze to pass between the inside and outside through the opening 30a, the liquid passages 31a in the left and right side walls 31, and the grid-like metal wire material 34.

[0019] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, rails 35 are provided in five vertical rows on the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30, and shelves 36 (shown in Figure 6 only with the lowest shelf 36 extended forward) can be detachably supported on the rails 35. The shelves 36 are formed in a grid pattern using metal wire material and divide the inside of the storage basket 30 into multiple vertical sections while allowing liquid to pass through. The shelves 36 can be loaded into and out of the storage basket 30 through the front opening 30a. The shelves 36 can hold items to be frozen, and the shelves 36 allow the items to be frozen to be arranged in multiple vertical sections inside the storage basket 30. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a float prevention member 37 is provided at the top of the storage basket 30, which prevents the items to be frozen placed on the uppermost shelf 36 from floating above the liquid level of the antifreeze.

[0020] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, fixing plate portions 31b are formed at the upper ends of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30, and these fixing plate portions 31b are bent inward (towards the center of the storage basket 30). The storage basket 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 by screw members 38, which are used as fixing means. The fixing plate portions 31b extend in the front-rear direction (from one horizontal direction to the other), and the fixing plate portions 31b are fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 by screw members 38 at three locations: the front, the middle in the front-rear direction, and the rear. Since the storage basket 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 by screw members 38, it can be attached to and detached from the lower surface of the lid 23 by loosening and removing the screw members 38.

[0021] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the lower surface of the lid 23 is provided with a fall prevention member 40 that locks the storage basket 30 when it detaches from the lower surface of the lid 23, preventing the storage basket 30 from falling. As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the fall prevention member 40 extends in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the lid 23, inward from the fixing plate portion 31b (towards the center of the storage basket 30), similar to the fixing plate portion 31b, and can be locked to the fixing plate portion 31b when the storage basket 30 detaches from the lid 23, thereby preventing the storage basket 30 from falling. The fall prevention member 40 is made by bending a sheet metal member and comprises a mounting plate portion 41 attached to the lower surface of the lid 23 inward from the fixing plate portion 31b (towards the center of the storage basket 30), a vertical plate portion 42 extending downward from the end of the mounting plate portion 41 on the fixing plate portion 31b side, and a guide plate portion 43 extending horizontally from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 42 towards the fixing plate portion 31b side. The fall prevention member 40 is formed to be shorter in length in the front-rear direction than the fixing plate portion 31b, with its front end positioned behind the front screw member 38 and its rear end positioned in front of the rear screw member 38.

[0022] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the vertical plate portion 42 of the fall prevention member 40 is positioned at a height where the guide plate portion 43 is spaced downward from the fixing plate portion 31b. The guide plate portion 43 extends forward and backward with the same length as the mounting plate portion 41 and is positioned slightly below the fixing plate portion 31b, so that it can be locked to the fixing plate portion 31b when the storage basket 30 detaches from the lower surface of the lid 23. The guide plate portion 43 also has the function of guiding the storage basket 30 forward and backward to the fixing position when fixing it to the lower surface of the lid 23. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, when fixing the storage basket 30 to the lower surface of the lid 23, the storage basket 30 can be positioned just below the fixing position on the lower surface of the lid 23 by lifting the storage basket 30 to a diagonal forward and downward position of the lid 23 and sliding it backward while the fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30 are locked to the guide plate portion 43.

[0023] As shown in Figures 7 and 9, an operation window 43a is formed in the center of the guide plate portion 43 in the front-to-back direction, allowing for the attachment and detachment of the screw member 38. The operation window 43a allows for tightening or loosening of the screw member 38 in the center in the front-to-back direction using a tool such as a screwdriver. When the storage basket 30 is in the fixed position on the lower surface of the lid 23, the front and rear screw members 38 that fix the fixing plate portion 31b are located on the front and rear sides of the guide plate portion 43, and can be tightened or loosened using a tool such as a screwdriver without being obstructed by the guide plate portion 43. Furthermore, the operation window 43a is positioned to allow operation of the screw member 38 in the center in the front-to-back direction, and a tool such as a screwdriver can be used to tighten or loosen the screw member 38 through the operation window 43a.

[0024] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the guide plate portion 43 is provided with a rising portion 44 that rises upward from the end opposite to the mounting plate portion 41 (the end on the outside relative to the storage basket 30), and the rising portion 44 extends upward to a position close to the lower side of the fixing plate portion 31b. The rising portion 44 extends in the front-rear direction with the same length as the guide plate portion 43 so as to straddle the operation window portion 43a. As shown in Figure 8, in this embodiment, the gap d between the rising portion 44 and the fixing plate portion 31b is 2 mm. The rising portion 44 has the function of preventing the storage basket 30 from falling by engaging it with the fixing plate portion 31b when the storage basket 30 has moved only slightly downward when it has detached from the lid 23, and also supports the storage basket 30 at a position close to (slightly separated from) the fixing position of the lid 23 when the storage basket 30 is fixed to the lid 23. Since the gap d between the rising portion 44 and the fixing plate portion 31b is about 2 mm, if the fixing plate portion 31b is locked to the rising portion 44, the storage basket 30 can be fixed to the lower surface of the lid 20 by tightening the screw member 38, even without holding and supporting the storage basket 30.

[0025] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, when fixing the storage basket 30 to the lower surface of the lid 23, the storage basket 30 is lifted diagonally forward and downward from the lid 23, and the storage basket 30 is moved from the front to the rear of the lid 23 so that the fall prevention member 40 on the lower surface of the lid 23 passes through the notch 32a of the connecting plate 32 of the storage basket 30. The fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30 are placed on the upper side of the rising portion 44 of the guide plate portion 43 and moved to the rear, and the storage basket 30 is moved to the fixing position on the lower surface of the lid 23. When the fixing plate portion 31b is supported on the upper side of the rising portion 44 of the guide plate portion 43, the fixing plate portion 31b is positioned slightly away from the lower surface of the lid 23. When the screw members 38 at the front, rear, and center in the front-to-back direction are tightened to fix the fixing plate portion 31b to the lower surface of the lid 23, the fixing plate portion 31b comes into close contact with the lower surface of the lid 23, and the storage basket 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23.

[0026] As described above, when fixing the storage basket 30 to the underside of the lid 23, the fixing work can be performed by tightening the screw member 38 with the fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 resting on the raised portion 44 of the fall prevention member 40, so that the fixing work can be performed by tightening the screw member 38 without holding the heavy storage basket 30. Similarly, when removing the storage basket 30 from the underside of the lid 23, even if the storage basket 30 detaches from the underside of the lid 23 when the screw member 38 is loosened, the fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 engage with the raised portion 44 of the fall prevention member 40, preventing the heavy storage basket 30 from falling. After that, the storage basket 30 can be removed from the underside of the lid 23 by pulling it forward from the underside of the lid 23 so that the fixing plate portions 31b slide above the raised portion 44. In this way, by securing the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 to the rising portion 44 of the fall prevention member 40, the workability of attaching and detaching the storage basket 30 to the lid 23 can be improved.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the evaporator tube 54 constituting the refrigeration system 50 is arranged in a spiral shape in the cooling region 20b of the freezing tank 20, and the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 is cooled by the refrigerant passing through the evaporator tube 54. As shown in Figure 12, the refrigeration system 50 is located in the machine room 12 except for the evaporator tube 54, and includes a compressor 51 that compresses the refrigerant, a condenser 52 that cools and liquefies the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 51, an expansion valve 53 that expands the liquefied refrigerant liquefied in the condenser 52 to make it a low-pressure liquefied refrigerant, and an evaporator tube 54 that vaporizes the liquefied refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 53 to cool the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20. The refrigeration system 50 constitutes a refrigeration circuit in which the refrigerant circulates by connecting the compressor 51, condenser 52, expansion valve 53 and evaporator tube 54 in a ring shape with refrigerant pipes. When the refrigerant in the refrigeration system 50 is circulated, the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 51 is cooled in the condenser 52 to become liquefied refrigerant. The liquefied refrigerant then becomes low-pressure liquefied refrigerant in the expansion valve 53, and the heat of vaporization generated when the low-pressure liquefied refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator tube 54 cools the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, an agitator 55 is provided on the left side of the freezing tank 20, and the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 is agitated by the agitator 55 to make the temperature uniform. The agitator 55 comprises an agitator motor 56 on the upper side of the support plate 13, a rotating shaft 57 that hangs down from the agitator motor 56 into the inside of the spirally wound evaporator tube 54 in the cooling region 20b of the freezing tank 20, and an agitator blade 58 attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 57. When the agitator motor 56 is operated and the agitator blade 58 is rotated inside the spiral evaporator tube 54 in the cooling region 20b of the freezing tank 20, the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 circulates between the cooling region 20b and the immersion region 20c, making the temperature uniform.

[0029] As shown in Figures 3, 13, and 14, a lifting mechanism 60 for raising and lowering the lid 23 is provided on the rear side (one side) of the freezing tank 20. The lifting mechanism 60 comprises left and right side frames 61 erected on both the left and right sides of the rear of the freezing tank 20, a base frame 62 (shown only in Figure 3) installed in the middle of the left and right side frames 61 in the vertical direction, a top frame 63 installed on the upper part of the left and right side frames 61, a bottom frame 64 installed on the lower part of the left and right side frames 61, and a center frame 65 fixed to the base frame 62 and the top frame 63 in the middle between the left and right side frames 61.

[0030] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, shafts 66 extending vertically are provided on the left and right sides between the base frame 62 and the top frame 63, and sliders 67 using linear bearings are supported on the shafts 66 so as to be movable up and down. The left and right sliders 67 provided on the left and right shafts 66 are connected by a connecting frame 68, and the left and right sliders 67 move up and down simultaneously by the connecting frame 68. An arm 69 extending above the freezing tank 20 is supported at the front of the slider 67 so as to be rotatable around the horizontal axis in the left-right direction, and a lid 23 is fixed to the arm 69.

[0031] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the lifting mechanism 60 is equipped with a drive mechanism 70 that moves the left and right sliders 67 up and down. The drive mechanism 70 moves the left and right sliders 67 up and down via a connecting frame 68 using a ball screw mechanism. The drive mechanism 70 includes a screw shaft 71 rotatably supported by the base frame 62 and the top frame 63 at the rear of the center frame 65, a ball screw nut 72 (shown only in Figure 3) screwed onto the screw shaft 71 so as to be vertically movable, and a gear motor 73 provided on the upper side of the top frame 63 to rotate the screw shaft 71. When the gear motor 73 is driven in forward rotation, the screw shaft 71 rotates in forward rotation, and together with the ball screw nut 72, the connecting frame 68 and the left and right sliders 67 move upward, and the lid 23 fixed to the arm 69 together with the sliders 67 rises together with the storage basket 30. In contrast, when the gear motor 73 is driven in reverse, the screw shaft 71 reverses direction (rotates in the opposite direction), causing the connecting frame 68 and the left and right sliders 67 to move downwards along with the ball screw nut 72, and the lid 23, which is fixed to the arm 69 along with the sliders 67, to descend together with the storage basket 30.

[0032] As shown in Figure 15, the liquid freezing apparatus 10 is equipped with a control device 80, which is connected to the temperature sensor 22, the refrigeration apparatus 50, the stirring motor 56, the gear motor 73, and the operation panel 81 located on the front of the casing 14. The control device 80 has a microcomputer (not shown), which is equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, and other non-volatile memory (non-volatile storage units) and timers (all not shown), which are connected via a bus.

[0033] The ROM stores programs for a freezing operation mode that cools the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 to a freezing temperature (in this embodiment, -35°C) suitable for freezing objects to be frozen, a cooling operation mode that cools the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 to a cooling temperature suitable for storage, and a maintenance operation mode that raises the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 to a discharge temperature suitable for discharge. The programs for each mode can be executed by operating the control unit on the control panel 81. Alternatively, the control unit on the control panel 81 may be used to control the system to switch between the freezing operation mode and the cooling operation mode at set intervals using a timer.

[0034] When freezing an object using this liquid freezing device 10, the control panel 81 is operated to activate the freezing operation mode using the control device 80. When the freezing operation mode is activated, the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20 is cooled as it flows downward inside the spirally wound evaporator tube 54 within the cooling region 20b by the liquid flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades 58 of the agitator 55. The antifreeze flowing downward inside the evaporator tube 54 is sent to the immersion region 20c by passing under the partition plate 21. The antifreeze sent from the cooling region 20b to the immersion region 20c returns to the cooling region 20b through an opening formed in the partition plate 21, and the antifreeze returned to the cooling region 20b flows in from the upper side of the spirally wound evaporator tube 54 and is cooled as it flows inside the evaporator tube 54.

[0035] When immersing the object to be frozen into the freezing tank 20, the operation panel 81 is operated to drive the gear motor 73 of the drive mechanism 70, which constitutes the lifting mechanism 60, in the forward direction. This causes the storage basket 30 to rise together with the lid 23, and the object to be frozen is carried into the raised storage basket 30. Subsequently, the operation panel 81 is operated to drive the gear motor 73 of the drive mechanism 70 in the reverse direction. This causes the storage basket 30 to descend together with the lid 23, immersing the storage basket 30 in the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20, and the lid 23 closes the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20. The object to be frozen inside the storage basket 30 is cooled and frozen through heat exchange with the antifreeze flowing in the freezing tank 20.

[0036] The frozen items in the storage basket 30 are cooled by heat exchange with the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20. After the time required for the items to freeze has elapsed, the operation panel 81 is operated to drive the gear motor 73 of the drive mechanism 70 in forward rotation, causing the lid 23 to rise and the opening 20a of the freezing tank 20 to open, and the storage basket 30 to be lifted above the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20. Because the storage basket 30 has been lifted above the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20, the frozen items inside the storage basket 30 can be removed from the opening 30a.

[0037] In this liquid freezing apparatus 10, when freezing the object to be frozen with the antifreeze in the freezing tank 20, the storage basket 30 is raised and lowered together with the lid 23 by the lifting mechanism 60. When the storage basket 30 is repeatedly raised and lowered together with the lid 23 by the lifting mechanism 60, the screw member 38 that fixes the storage basket 30 to the lid 23 may gradually loosen due to vibrations during the raising and lowering, and there is a risk that the storage basket 30 will detach from the bottom surface of the lid 23. On the other hand, if the storage basket 30 is fixed to the bottom surface of the lid 23 in a way that prevents removal without using the screw member 38, the storage basket 30 will be less likely to detach from the bottom surface of the lid 23, but it will become impossible to remove the storage basket 30 from the bottom surface of the lid 23 to perform maintenance such as inspection of the inside of the freezing tank 20. For this reason, in this embodiment, the liquid freezing apparatus 10 fixes the storage basket 30 to the bottom surface of the lid 23 in a detachable manner using the screw member 38 as a fixing means, thereby improving the workability of maintenance such as inspection of the inside of the freezing tank 20.

[0038] In this liquid freezing apparatus 10, a fall prevention member 40 is provided on the lower surface of the lid 23 to prevent the storage basket 30 from falling when it becomes detached from the fixing by the screw member 38 used as a fixing means. The fall prevention member 40 comprises a mounting plate portion 41 attached to the lower surface of the lid 23, inside the fixing plate portion 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30 (towards the center of the storage basket 30), a vertical plate portion 42 extending downward from the end of the mounting plate portion 41 on the fixing plate portion 31b side, and a guide plate portion 43 extending horizontally from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 42 towards the fixing plate portion 31b side. The guide plate portion 43 of the fall prevention member 40 is positioned so as to be able to be locked to the lower side of the fixing plate portion 31b of the left and right side walls 31. Even if the storage basket 30 detaches from the bottom surface of the lid 23 due to a malfunction caused by the screw member 38 used as a fixing means loosening and coming off while the lid 23 and storage basket 30 are repeatedly raised and lowered, the fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30 will engage with the guide plate portion 43 of the fall prevention member 40, preventing the storage basket 30 from falling from the bottom surface of the lid 23.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the fall prevention member 40 comprises a mounting plate portion 41, a vertical plate portion 42 extending downward from the end of the mounting plate portion 41 on the fixing plate portion 31b side, and a guide plate portion 43 extending horizontally from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 42 towards the fixing plate portion 31b side. However, it is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 16, the vertical plate portion 42 may be replaced with an inclined plate portion 42A extending diagonally downward from the end of the mounting plate portion 41 on the fixing plate portion 31b side.

[0040] The fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30 extend in the front-rear direction (from one horizontal direction to the other), and the fall prevention member 40 is provided with a guide plate portion 43 that extends in the front-rear direction (from one horizontal direction to the other) below the fixing plate portion 31b and can guide the fixing plate portion 31b in the front-rear direction (the direction connecting one horizontal direction and the other). When fixing the storage basket 30 to the lower surface of the lid 23, the storage basket 30 is lifted to a diagonal front and lower position of the lid 23, and the fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30 are engaged with the guide plate portion 43, and the storage basket 30 is slid backward, thereby positioning the storage basket 30 below the fixing position on the lower surface of the lid 23. In this way, by sliding the storage basket 30 to the rear while the fixing plate portions 31b of the left and right side walls 31 are locked to the guide plate portion 43, the storage basket 30 can be positioned directly below the fixing position on the lower surface of the lid 23 and this position can be maintained, thereby improving the workability of the fixing work in which the storage basket 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 with the screw member 38.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fixing plate portion 31b is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 by screw members 38 as fixing means, and is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 by screw members 38 at three locations: the front, the central part in the front-to-rear direction, and the rear of the fixing plate portion 31b. The lower side of the fixing positions of the screw members 38 that fix the front and rear parts of the fixing plate portion 31b is not covered by the guide plate portion 43 of the fall prevention member 40. Therefore, the screw members 38 that fix the front and rear parts of the fixing plate portion 31b can be tightened or loosened with a screwdriver or other tool without being obstructed by the guide plate portion 43. However, there was a risk that the screw member 38 that fixes the central part in the front-to-rear direction of the fixing plate portion 31b could not be tightened or loosened with a screwdriver or other tool due to the lower guide plate portion 43. In response to this, the guide plate portion 43 has an operation window portion 43a formed below the fixing position of the screw member 38 that fixes the central part in the front-to-rear direction of the fixing plate portion 31b, which allows the screw member 38 to be attached and detached with a screwdriver or other tool. As a result, the screw member 38 that secures the central part of the fixing plate portion 31b in the front-to-back direction can be tightened or loosened using a screwdriver or other tool from the operation window portion 43a without being obstructed by the guide plate portion 43, thereby improving the workability of the fixing operation in which the storage basket 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide plate portion 43 is equipped with a rising portion 44 that protrudes upward and can support the fixing plate portion 31b at a position close to the lower surface of the lid 23. When the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 is slid over the guide plate portion 43 to fix the storage basket 30 to the fixing position on the lower surface of the lid 23, the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 is supported by the rising portion 44 at a position close to the lower surface of the lid 23. Because the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 can be supported by the rising portion 44 at a position close to the lower surface of the lid 23, the storage basket 30 is lifted by tightening the screw member 38 even without lifting the storage basket 30, and the fixing plate portion 31b comes into close contact with the lower surface of the lid 23, thereby fixing the storage basket 30 to the lower surface of the lid 23. In this way, the workability of the fixing work when fixing the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 to the lower surface of the lid 23 can be improved. In the embodiment described above, the guide plate portion 43 of the fall prevention member 40 is provided with a raised portion 44, but it is not limited to this, and the guide plate portion 43 may not be provided with a raised portion 44, although this would mean that the effect of supporting the fixing plate portion 31b at a position close to the lower surface of the lid 23 would not be obtained.

[0043] Furthermore, the rising portion 44 extends in the front-to-back direction with the same length as the guide plate portion 43, and extends in the front-to-back direction (from one horizontal direction to the other) across the operation window portion 43a of the guide plate portion 43. If the rising portion 44 were interrupted at the position of the operation window portion 43a, there would be a risk that the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 would get caught on the interrupted portion at the position of the operation window portion 43a when sliding the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 over the guide plate portion 43. However, since the rising portion 44 extends in the front-to-back direction (from one horizontal direction to the other) across the operation window portion 43a, when the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 is placed on the rising portion 44 and slid, the fixing plate portion 31b of the storage basket 30 can be slid without getting caught on the rising portion 44.

[0044] In the embodiment described above, the guide plate portion 43 of the fall prevention member 40 is positioned below the fixing plate portion 31b of the left and right side walls 31 of the storage basket 30, so that the guide plate portion 43 can be locked to the fixing plate portion 31b when the storage basket 30 detaches from the lower surface of the lid 23. However, it is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 17, the fall prevention member 40 may be provided on the lower surface of the lid 23 at an external position to the storage basket 30, the vertical plate portion 42 of the fall prevention member 40 may be extended to the lower side of the storage basket 30, and the guide plate portion 43 may be extended from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 42 to a position slightly below the bottom of the storage basket 30. Similarly, as shown in Figure 18, the fall prevention member 40 may be provided on the lower surface of the lid 23 at an external position to the storage basket 30, with the vertical plate portion 42 of the fall prevention member 40 extending to the middle of the storage basket 30 in the vertical direction, and the guide plate portion 43 extending from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 42 to slightly below the liquid passage opening 31a of the left and right side walls 31. In this way, the fall prevention member 40 only needs to be able to lock into any position on the storage basket 30 when the storage basket 30 detaches from the lower surface of the lid 23.

[0045] In this embodiment, the fixing plate portion 31a and the guide plate portion 43 extend in the front-rear direction from one horizontal direction to the other, but are not limited to this, and may extend in the left-right direction. Also, in this embodiment, a screw member 38 is used as the fixing means, but are not limited to this, and the storage basket 30 may be fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 using an engaging means such as a hook. Furthermore, it is preferable for the fixing means to detachably fix the storage basket 30 to the lower surface of the lid 23 in order to perform maintenance such as inspection, but are not limited to this, and the storage basket 30 may be fixed to the lower surface of the lid 23 in a non-detachable manner, although this may make maintenance such as inspection more difficult. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10...Liquid freezing device, 20...Freezing tank, 20a...Opening, 23...Lid, 30...Storage basket, 31b...Fixing plate section, 38...Fixing means (screw member), 40...Fall prevention member, 43...Guide plate section, 43a...Operation window section, 44...Rising section.

Claims

1. A freezing tank having an opening on its top surface and freezing the object to be frozen with antifreeze stored inside, A lid that can be opened and closed to close the opening on the upper surface of the freezing tank, The lid is provided with a storage basket that is fixed to the lower surface of the lid by a fixing means and capable of storing the object to be frozen, A liquid freezing apparatus wherein the lid can be moved up and down to move the storage basket between a position where it is immersed in the antifreeze in the freezing tank and a position where it is separated above the liquid surface of the antifreeze in the freezing tank, A liquid freezing apparatus characterized in that a fall prevention member is provided on the lower surface of the lid, which locks the storage basket in place when it becomes detached from its fixing by the fixing means, thereby preventing the storage basket from falling.

2. In the liquid freezing apparatus according to claim 1, The upper part of the storage basket is provided with a fixing plate portion for fixing to the lower surface of the lid by the fixing means, The liquid freezing apparatus is characterized in that the fall prevention member is positioned in a manner that allows it to be locked to the lower side of the fixing plate portion.

3. In the liquid freezing apparatus according to claim 2, The aforementioned fixing plate portion extends from one side horizontally to the other side. The liquid freezing apparatus is characterized in that the fall prevention member is provided with a guide plate portion that extends from one horizontal direction to the other on the lower side of the fixing plate portion and is capable of guiding the fixing plate portion in a direction connecting the one horizontal direction and the other.

4. In the liquid freezing apparatus according to claim 3, The fixing plate portion is fixed to the lower surface of the lid by a screw member as the fixing means. The liquid freezing apparatus is characterized in that the guide plate portion has an operating window portion formed below the fixing position by the screw member, which allows the screw member to be attached and detached using a tool.

5. In the liquid freezing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, The liquid freezing apparatus is characterized in that the guide plate portion has a rising portion that protrudes upward and is capable of supporting the fixing plate portion at a position close to the lower surface of the lid.

6. In the liquid freezing apparatus according to claim 5, The fixing plate portion is fixed to the lower surface of the lid by a screw member as the fixing means. The guide plate portion has an operating window portion formed below the fixing position by the screw member, which allows the screw member to be attached and detached using a tool. The liquid freezing apparatus is characterized in that the rising portion extends horizontally from one side to the other, straddling the operating window portion.

Images