Stirring mechanism and cold drink machine

Abstract

A stirring mechanism and a cold drink machine. The stirring mechanism comprises an ice storage container and a spiral stirring paddle; the ice storage container is provided with an ice outlet; the spiral stirring paddle is rotatably mounted in the ice storage container; a pair of stirring blades are connected to a stirring central shaft and spirally and alternately surround the stirring central shaft in the length direction of the stirring central shaft; the tail ends of the stirring blades are close to the ice outlet; the outer contours of the stirring blades are close to the inner wall of the ice storage container and the stirring blades are used for conveying a material to the ice outlet during rotation. The cold drink machine uses the stirring mechanism. In the present solution, the spiral stirring paddle is provided with a pair of stirring blades, and the stirring blades spirally surround the stirring central shaft, so as to fully stir the material in the ice storage container during rotation, thereby solving the problems in existing ice machines of insufficient stirring and small stirring ranges, which cause materials to easily clump in local areas.

Description

A stirring mechanism and a cold drink machine Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of stirring mechanisms, and more particularly to a stirring mechanism and a cold drink machine. Background Technology

[0002] Existing beverage coolers use a storage container to store icy materials, which is then cooled or kept warm by a refrigeration unit. When the container needs to dispense material, an internal dispensing mechanism pushes the material out. Current coolers typically use a spiral agitator to dispense the material from the storage container. However, the agitator blades have limited mixing range and shape, leading to insufficient mixing and a small mixing area. Insufficient mixing can cause the material to clump in localized areas, affecting the taste. Furthermore, existing spiral agitators cannot dispense all the material into the storage container at once, leaving some residue at the dispensing port. This residue is difficult to remove at the storage temperature, accumulating over time and becoming unusable. It also hinders subsequent dispensing, thus reducing the container's dispensing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a stirring mechanism, wherein the spiral stirring paddle is provided with a pair of stirring sides, which are spirally surrounded around the stirring central shaft, and can fully stir the material in the ice storage container during rotation.

[0004] The present invention also proposes a cold drink machine that uses the above-mentioned stirring mechanism.

[0005] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A stirring mechanism includes: an ice storage container and a spiral stirring paddle;

[0007] The ice storage container is provided with an ice outlet; the spiral stirring paddle is rotatably installed inside the ice storage container;

[0008] The spiral mixing blade includes: a mixing central shaft and a mixing edge;

[0009] A pair of stirring edges are connected to the stirring shaft and spirally and alternately surround the stirring shaft along its length; the ends of the stirring edges are close to the ice outlet; the outer contours of the stirring edges are close to the inner wall of the ice storage container, for conveying material to the ice outlet during rotation.

[0010] Optimally, the helical impeller includes: a reflux side plate;

[0011] The reflux side plate is disposed at the end of the stirring side, and an L-shaped reflux trough is formed between the end of the stirring side and the reflux side plate. The L-shaped reflux trough rotates with the stirring side. The stirring side receives the material near the ice outlet in the area of ​​the reflux side plate and releases the material in the area outside the reflux side plate, so that the material is away from the ice outlet.

[0012] Optimally, it may also include: a refrigeration mechanism;

[0013] The ice storage container includes: an ice storage shell and an ice outlet cover;

[0014] The ice outlet cover is installed on the ice storage shell; the ice storage shell has an ice storage cavity, and the cooling end of the refrigeration mechanism is attached to the outer wall of the ice storage cavity; the ice outlet cover has an ice outlet cavity, the ice storage cavity is horizontally connected to the ice outlet cavity, and the ice outlet cavity has an ice outlet; the spiral stirring paddle is located between the ice storage cavity and the ice outlet cavity;

[0015] The stirring edge of the L-shaped reflux trough extends from near the ice outlet to the ice storage chamber.

[0016] Optimally, the ice outlet is located below the ice outlet cavity and at the horizontal end of the ice storage container; the ice outlet is provided with a plurality of mutually spaced grid plates; the L-shaped reflux trough rotates through the plurality of grid plates.

[0017] Alternatively, the refrigeration end of the refrigeration mechanism may be provided with a refrigeration pipe, which surrounds and contacts the outer wall of the ice storage cavity.

[0018] Optimally, it may also include: a rotating motor;

[0019] The output end of the rotary motor is connected to the spiral stirring paddle. The rotary motor drives the spiral stirring paddle to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, which is used to push the material in the ice storage container toward the ice outlet in one rotation direction, and to drive the material away from the ice outlet through the L-shaped reflux trough in the other rotation direction.

[0020] Alternatively, the helical impeller may further include: connecting ribs;

[0021] One end of the connecting rib is connected to the stirring shaft, and the other end of the connecting rib is connected to the inner ring of the stirring edge; multiple connecting ribs are distributed along the length of the stirring shaft.

[0022] Optimally, the helical impeller further includes: a stirring seat and reinforcing ribs;

[0023] One horizontal end of the stirring edge is connected to the stirring circular seat, and the other horizontal end of the stirring edge is provided with the L-shaped reflux groove; one end of the reinforcing rib is connected to the stirring central shaft, and the other end of the reinforcing rib is connected to the stirring circular seat; a plurality of the reinforcing ribs are distributed around the stirring circular seat.

[0024] A cold drink machine is provided with the aforementioned stirring mechanism.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, one of the above technical solutions has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] This solution provides a stirring mechanism with a spiral stirring paddle having a pair of stirring sides that spirally surround the stirring shaft. This allows for thorough stirring of the material in the ice storage container during rotation, solving the problems of insufficient stirring and small stirring range in existing ice machines, which can lead to material clumping in localized areas. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a spiral stirring impeller;

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the ice outlet;

[0029] Figure 3 is an exploded view of the structure of one embodiment of the stirring mechanism;

[0030] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the stirring mechanism;

[0031] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of part A in Figure 4.

[0032] in:

[0033] Ice storage container 1; refrigeration mechanism 2; spiral agitator 4; rotating motor 5;

[0034] Ice storage shell 11, ice outlet cover 12;

[0035] Ice storage chamber 111; ice outlet chamber 121, ice outlet 122; grid plate 123; refrigeration pipe 21;

[0036] 41. Stirring shaft; 42. Stirring edge; 43. Reflux side plate; 44. Connecting rib; 45. Stirring round seat; 46. Reinforcing rib; 421. L-shaped reflux groove. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention 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 the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0038] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "inner side," "outer side," "inner end," "outer end," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this invention 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. Furthermore, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of these features, used to distinguish descriptive features, without any order or emphasis. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1-5, a stirring mechanism includes: an ice storage container 1 and a spiral stirring paddle 4;

[0040] The ice storage container 1 is provided with an ice outlet 122; the spiral stirring paddle 4 is rotatably installed inside the ice storage container 1;

[0041] The spiral stirring paddle 4 includes: a stirring central shaft 41 and a stirring edge 42;

[0042] A pair of stirring edges 42 are connected to the stirring shaft 41 and spirally and alternately surround the stirring shaft 41 along its length; the ends of the stirring edges 42 are close to the ice outlet 122; the outer contour of the stirring edges 42 is close to the inner wall of the ice storage container 1, for conveying material to the ice outlet 122 during rotation.

[0043] This solution provides a stirring mechanism, in which the spiral stirring paddle 4 is provided with a pair of stirring edges 42, which spirally surround the stirring shaft 41. During rotation, the material in the ice storage container 1 can be fully stirred, solving the problem of insufficient stirring and small stirring range of existing ice machines, which leads to the easy clumping of materials in local areas.

[0044] Specifically, the ice storage container 1 is the area in the ice machine used to store materials. The ice storage container 1 can be configured to have insulation functions as needed, and a refrigeration mechanism 2 can be added as needed. Therefore, the materials are mainly stored in a cold environment and are in a solidified state. The spiral agitator 4 in this design has a pair of agitating edges 42 on its agitating shaft 41. The agitating edges 42 extend from one end of the agitating shaft 41 to the other end, and are arranged in a spiral alternating pattern. That is, one section of one agitating edge 42 is wrapped around the top of the agitating shaft 41, and the other section is wrapped around the bottom of the agitating shaft 41. In this way, the pair of agitating edges 42 can alternately and avoid gaps around the agitating shaft 41, forming an alternating spiral structure. Thus, when the agitating shaft 41 rotates half a turn, one agitating edge 42 propels the material forward one unit. As the agitating shaft 41 continues to rotate half a turn... Another stirring edge 42 propels the material forward one unit, thus the pair of stirring edges 42 can seamlessly propel the material forward, shortening the dwell time before and after the material moves. The material will not linger in any one position, so the material in the ice storage container 1 is less likely to clump, and the material can be fully stirred. At the same time, the outer contour of the stirring edge 42 is close to the inner wall of the ice storage container 1, so the outermost part of the stirring edge 42 can be close to the inner wall of the ice storage container 1. The stirring range of the stirring edge 42 is large, which can fully stir the material. In addition, since the stirring edge 42 is distributed in a spiral shape, when the stirring edge 42 rotates, it will push the material towards the ice outlet 122, thereby outputting the material outside the ice outlet 122. During the pushing process, the material can also be further dispersed. In this way, this solution solves the problem of insufficient stirring and small stirring range of existing ice machines, which makes the material prone to clumping in local areas.

[0045] Optimally, the spiral agitator 4 includes: a reflux side plate 43;

[0046] The reflux side plate 43 is disposed at the end of the stirring edge 42, and an L-shaped reflux groove 421 is formed between the end of the stirring edge 42 and the reflux side plate 43. The L-shaped reflux groove 421 rotates with the stirring edge 42. The stirring edge 42 receives the material near the ice outlet 122 in the area of ​​the reflux side plate 43, and releases the material in the area outside the reflux side plate 43, so that the material is away from the ice outlet 122.

[0047] In addition to stirring and conveying materials, the spiral agitator 4 of this design can also detach materials from the ice outlet 122 to prevent blockage. Specifically, the stirring edge 42 is spirally distributed around the outside of the stirring shaft 41. The stirring edge 42 can be connected to the stirring shaft 41 in the middle, at the end, or at other locations. Since the stirring edge 42 is spirally distributed, the two ends of the stirring edge 42 extend in a curved shape. A return side plate 43 is installed at the end of the stirring edge 42, forming an L-shaped return groove 421 between them. When the stirring edge 42 rotates, it drives the L-shaped return groove 421 to rotate cyclically. When the L-shaped return groove 421 rotates, it will cause the stirring edge 42 and the return groove 421 to rotate cyclically. The ice cavity 121 near the ice outlet 122 is scraped out between the side plates 43, thus receiving the scraped material between the stirring edge 42 and the return side plate 43. The material rotates with the L-shaped return channel 421. Since the end of the stirring edge 42 is curved, the return side plate 43 blocks the material when it is in a low position, and the material is not easy to fall off in the area of ​​the return side plate 43. When the return side plate 43 rotates to a high position, the area below the stirring edge 42 is hollowed out, and the return side plate 43 no longer supports the material. The material will then fall off in the area outside the return side plate 43, thus realizing the separation of the material from the ice outlet 122. The ice outlet 122 is not easy to retain material, and thus it will not accumulate in the ice outlet 122, reducing the impact of accumulated material on subsequent discharge and preventing the material remaining in the ice outlet 122 from freezing. This solution can simultaneously realize the functions of stirring material, conveying material, and preventing material accumulation in the ice outlet 122 by driving the stirring shaft 41 to rotate with only a single drive source.

[0048] Optimally, it may also include: a refrigeration mechanism 2;

[0049] The ice storage container 1 includes: an ice storage shell 11 and an ice outlet cover 12;

[0050] The ice outlet cover 12 is installed on the ice storage shell 11; the ice storage shell 11 is provided with an ice storage cavity 111, and the cooling end of the refrigeration mechanism 2 is attached to the outer side wall of the ice storage cavity 111; the ice outlet cover 12 is provided with an ice outlet cavity 121, the ice storage cavity 111 is horizontally connected to the ice outlet cavity 121, and the ice outlet cavity 121 is provided with an ice outlet 122; the spiral stirring paddle 4 is located between the ice storage cavity 111 and the ice outlet cavity 121;

[0051] The stirring edge 42 of the L-shaped reflux trough 421 extends from near the ice outlet 122 to the ice storage chamber 111.

[0052] In the optimal embodiment, the stirring side 42 extends from near the ice outlet 122 to the ice storage cavity 111. That is, the area of ​​the non-return side plate 43 is where the material is output to the ice storage cavity 111 when the ice storage cavity 111 is rotated. In this way, the material does not fall off in the area of ​​the return side plate 43, that is, the material will not fall off within the ice outlet 121. The return side plate 43 extends to the ice storage cavity 111 (e.g., the opening of the ice cavity 111). When the return side plate 43 rotates to the ice storage cavity 111 and no longer supports the material, the material will fall off into the opening of the ice storage cavity 111. This achieves rapid return of the material from the ice outlet 122 to the ice storage cavity 111, and the ice outlet 121 is not prone to material accumulation. The refrigeration end of the refrigeration mechanism 2 is attached to the outer wall of the ice storage cavity 111. The outer side of the ice outlet cavity 121 does not have the refrigeration mechanism 2, and it is mainly in contact with air or other structures. The air will surround and distribute on the outer wall of the ice outlet cavity 121, thus heating the inside of the ice outlet cavity 121 through the outer wall of the ice outlet cavity 121, thereby raising the temperature of the ice outlet cavity 121. The temperature of the ice storage cavity 111 is lower than that of the ice outlet cavity 121. The material in the ice outlet cavity 121 has higher fluidity, which makes it easier for the material to be discharged outside the ice outlet 122, reducing the amount of material remaining in the ice outlet 122.

[0053] Optimally, the ice outlet 122 is located below the ice outlet cavity 121 and at one horizontal end of the ice storage container 1; the ice outlet 122 is provided with a plurality of mutually spaced grid plates 123; the L-shaped reflux trough 421 rotates through the plurality of grid plates 123.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2, the ice outlet 122 is equipped with multiple grid plates 123, which are equivalent to dividing the outlet into several branches. Each branch can output material independently, which can prevent material from accumulating in a single branch. At the same time, since the L-shaped return channel 421 rotates through multiple grid plates 123, the material in each branch can be swept and returned to the ice storage chamber 111. In particular, this solution uses a spiral stirring paddle 4 with double stirring sides 42. The two stirring sides 42 alternately sweep the ice outlet 122, which can sweep the multiple branches in the ice outlet 122 without gaps. The ice outlet 122 is not easy to accumulate material, and the cleaning efficiency is high.

[0055] Alternatively, the refrigeration end of the refrigeration mechanism 2 is provided with a refrigeration pipe 21, which surrounds and contacts the outer wall of the ice storage cavity 111.

[0056] In this design, a cooling medium can be introduced into the cooling pipe 21. The cooling medium through the cooling pipe 21 carries away the heat from the ice storage cavity 111, thereby keeping the ice storage cavity 111 at a low temperature.

[0057] Optimally, it also includes: a rotary motor 5;

[0058] The output end of the rotary motor 5 is connected to the spiral stirring paddle 4. The rotary motor 5 drives the spiral stirring paddle 4 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, which is used to push the material in the ice storage container 1 toward the ice outlet 122 in one rotation direction, and to drive the material away from the ice outlet 122 through the L-shaped reflux groove 421 in the other rotation direction.

[0059] In this design, the rotating motor 5 is replaced by a known motor; the rotation direction of the rotating motor 5 can be adjusted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise; as shown in the figure, when the spiral stirring paddle 4 is designed to rotate counterclockwise, the stirring edge 42 pushes the material in the ice storage container 1 toward the ice outlet 122; thus, as long as the spiral stirring paddle 4 is designed to rotate counterclockwise, the material can be pushed out through the spiral stirring edge 42; and when the ice storage container 1 has finished discharging, the rotation direction of the rotating motor 5 can be switched, and the spiral stirring paddle 4 can be switched to rotate clockwise, thereby cleaning the inner wall of the ice storage container 1 near the ice outlet 122 through the L-shaped return channel 421, and returning the material remaining near the ice outlet 122 to a location away from the ice outlet 122.

[0060] Alternatively, the spiral agitator 4 may further include: a connecting rib 44;

[0061] One end of the connecting rib 44 is connected to the stirring shaft 41, and the other end of the connecting rib 44 is connected to the inner ring of the stirring edge 42; a plurality of the connecting ribs 44 are distributed along the length of the stirring shaft 41.

[0062] There are multiple connecting ribs 44, mainly used to connect the stirring edge 42 to the stirring shaft 41 at different horizontal positions. This improves the connection tightness between the stirring shaft 41 and the stirring edge 42, making it less prone to deformation or shaking during rotation and increasing the mechanical strength of the stirring edge 42. Simultaneously, the stirring edge 42 is spirally distributed, consisting of an inner and outer ring. The inner ring is mainly connected to the connecting ribs 44, while the area outside the inner ring is the main stirring zone. Therefore, the connecting ribs 44 in the inner ring can also be used to stir materials located within the inner ring of the stirring edge 42, compensating for any blind spots in the stirring process.

[0063] Alternatively, the spiral impeller 4 may further include: a stirring seat 45 and a reinforcing rib 46;

[0064] One horizontal end of the stirring edge 42 is connected to the stirring base 45, and the other horizontal end of the stirring edge 42 is provided with the L-shaped reflux groove 421; one end of the reinforcing rib 46 is connected to the stirring central shaft 41, and the other end of the reinforcing rib 46 is connected to the stirring base 45; a plurality of the reinforcing ribs 46 are distributed around the stirring base 45.

[0065] In this design, the reinforcing rib 46 is located at one end of the stirring edge 42. The reinforcing rib 46 connects the stirring seat 45 to the stirring shaft 41. The end of the stirring shaft 41 is connected to the stirring seat 45 through the reinforcing rib 46. The reinforcing rib 46 is multiple and distributed around the stirring edge 42, which can improve the connection tightness between the stirring seat 45 and the stirring shaft 41. At the same time, the reinforcing rib 46 can stir the material at the end of the stirring edge 42, which can make up for the stirring blind zone of the stirring edge 42. Furthermore, the stirring edge 42 is connected to the stirring seat 45 at its end. Combined with the connection of the connecting rib 44 to the stirring edge 42, the connection stability between the stirring edge 42 and the stirring shaft 41 is further improved.

[0066] A cold drink machine is provided with a stirring mechanism according to any of the above embodiments.

[0067] Although embodiments of the 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 invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A stirring mechanism, characterized in that, include: Ice storage containers and spiral agitators; The ice storage container is equipped with an ice outlet; The spiral agitator is rotatably mounted inside the ice storage container; The spiral mixing blade includes: a mixing central shaft and a mixing edge; A pair of stirring edges are connected to the stirring shaft and spirally and alternately surround the stirring shaft along its length; the ends of the stirring edges are close to the ice outlet; the outer contours of the stirring edges are close to the inner wall of the ice storage container, for conveying material to the ice outlet during rotation.

2. The stirring mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spiral agitator includes: a reflux side plate; The reflux side plate is disposed at the end of the stirring side, and an L-shaped reflux trough is formed between the end of the stirring side and the reflux side plate. The L-shaped reflux trough rotates with the stirring side. The stirring side receives the material near the ice outlet in the area of ​​the reflux side plate and releases the material in the area outside the reflux side plate, so that the material is away from the ice outlet.

3. The stirring mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: Refrigeration mechanism; The ice storage container includes: an ice storage shell and an ice outlet cover; The ice outlet cover is installed on the ice storage shell; the ice storage shell has an ice storage cavity, and the cooling end of the refrigeration mechanism is attached to the outer wall of the ice storage cavity; the ice outlet cover has an ice outlet cavity, the ice storage cavity is horizontally connected to the ice outlet cavity, and the ice outlet cavity has an ice outlet; the spiral stirring paddle is located between the ice storage cavity and the ice outlet cavity; The stirring edge of the L-shaped reflux trough extends from near the ice outlet to the ice storage chamber.

4. The stirring mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ice outlet is located below the ice outlet cavity and at one horizontal end of the ice storage container; the ice outlet is provided with multiple mutually spaced grid plates; the L-shaped reflux trough rotates through the multiple grid plates.

5. A stirring mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The refrigeration end of the refrigeration mechanism is provided with a refrigeration pipe, which surrounds and contacts the outer wall of the ice storage cavity.

6. A stirring mechanism according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, Also includes: Rotate the motor; The output end of the rotary motor is connected to the spiral stirring paddle. The rotary motor drives the spiral stirring paddle to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, which is used to push the material in the ice storage container toward the ice outlet in one rotation direction, and to drive the material away from the ice outlet through the L-shaped reflux trough in the other rotation direction.

7. A stirring mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The spiral stirring blade also includes: connecting ribs; One end of the connecting rib is connected to the stirring shaft, and the other end of the connecting rib is connected to the inner ring of the stirring edge; multiple connecting ribs are distributed along the length of the stirring shaft.

8. A stirring mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The spiral stirring impeller also includes: a stirring seat and reinforcing ribs; One horizontal end of the stirring edge is connected to the stirring circular seat, and the other horizontal end of the stirring edge is provided with the L-shaped reflux groove; one end of the reinforcing rib is connected to the stirring central shaft, and the other end of the reinforcing rib is connected to the stirring circular seat; a plurality of the reinforcing ribs are distributed around the stirring circular seat.

9. A cold drink machine, characterized in that, The invention comprises a stirring mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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