Cold beverage apparatus

Abstract

A cold beverage apparatus, comprising a housing assembly, a refrigeration assembly, an agitation assembly, and a feeding and discharging assembly. The housing assembly comprises a chassis; the refrigeration assembly comprises an evaporator; the agitation assembly comprises an agitation driving member and an agitator; the agitator surrounds the evaporator; the agitation driving member is transmittingly connected to the agitator; the feeding and discharging assembly comprises a cylinder; a storage space is formed between the cylinder and the evaporator; the cylinder covers the evaporator; the cylinder further comprises a flow guide portion; and the inner wall of the flow guide portion forms an inner concave surface.

Description

A cold drink equipment Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cold drink manufacturing equipment technology, and more particularly to a cold drink equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Smoothie making equipment is a common type of cold drink processing equipment, widely used in cold drink shops, restaurants, and home kitchens. Existing smoothie making equipment is generally used to make smoothies, a type of cold drink with relatively large ice crystals and a coarse texture. Current smoothie making equipment typically uses a cylinder to hold and store the raw materials and ice crystals. After the raw materials are poured into the cylinder, the evaporator of the refrigeration component freezes them, causing them to gradually form ice crystals. During this process, the stirring components agitate the freezing raw materials to create distinct ice crystals. During stirring, the ice crystals continuously move within the cylinder. Because the cylinder is enclosed, the ice crystals moving with the stirring components gradually move to the front of the cylinder. Driven by extrusion pressure, the ice crystals flow back from the front to the rear of the cylinder. This backflow ensures the normal operation of the stirring process. However, existing smoothie making equipment cannot produce ice cream products with smaller ice crystal particles and a delicate texture. One reason is that ice cream particles are smaller and easier to hide in small corners. The front end of the smoothie making equipment is usually right-angled or flat, without a corresponding flow guiding structure. Ice cream particles with smaller ice crystals tend to stagnate at the front end of the equipment, making it difficult to generate normal reflux circulation, which in turn affects the subsequent mixing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cold drink device that can guide the flow of small particulate cold drink products, facilitate the return of the solid-liquid mixture formed, and improve the stirring efficiency.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a cold beverage device, including a shell assembly, a refrigeration assembly, a stirring assembly, and a feeding and discharging assembly. The refrigeration assembly includes an evaporator, and the stirring assembly includes a stirring drive and a stirring element. The stirring element surrounds the evaporator, and the stirring drive is kinetically connected to the stirring element.

[0005] The feeding and discharging assembly includes a cylinder and a discharging mechanism located at one end of the cylinder. The cylinder has a feeding port and is covered around the evaporator. A storage space is formed between the cylinder and the evaporator. The stirring drive can drive the stirring element to rotate and stir within the storage space.

[0006] The cylinder also includes a flow guide, which is disposed at one end of the cylinder near the discharge mechanism;

[0007] The outer contour of the cross-section of the cylinder is at least partially elliptical or quasi-elliptical. As an improvement to the above solution, the guide section gradually slopes from the upper part of the cylinder toward the discharge mechanism, and the inner wall of the guide section forms a concave surface.

[0008] As an improvement to the above solution, a transition connection is provided between the outer wall of the cylinder and the feed inlet, and the transition connection gradually extends from the outer wall of the cylinder towards the feed inlet.

[0009] As an improvement to the above solution, a transition connection is provided between the outer wall of the cylinder and the feed inlet, and the transition connection gradually extends from the outer wall of the cylinder towards the feed inlet.

[0010] As an improvement to the above solution, the transition connection is an arc-shaped transition, an inclined transition, or a smooth curved surface.

[0011] As an improvement to the above solution, the width of the transition connection gradually increases from the outer wall of the cylinder towards the feed inlet.

[0012] As an improvement to the above solution, a side end face is provided at one end of the cylinder near the discharge mechanism. The discharge mechanism is disposed on the side end face. The upper part of the side end face is connected to the lower part of the guide part to form a first phase connection. The upper side wall of the cylinder is connected to the upper part of the guide part to form two second phase connections. The two second phase connections are symmetrically inclined and bent from the top of the cylinder towards both sides of the guide part.

[0013] As an improvement to the above solution, one end of each of the two second phase wires intersects with the other end, which bends and extends toward both sides of the guide portion and connects to the two ends of the first phase wire respectively.

[0014] As an improvement to the above solution, the mixing component is provided with an extrusion end at one end near the discharge mechanism, and the minimum distance between the extrusion end and the side end face is between 3mm and 10mm.

[0015] As an improvement to the above solution, the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder is between 2mm and 38mm.

[0016] As an improvement to the above solution, the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element and the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder is between 1.5mm and 4mm.

[0017] The maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element and the inner walls on the left and right sides of the cylinder ranges from 1.5mm to 6mm.

[0018] As an improvement to the above solution, the cylinder further includes a feeding section, the transition connection section protrudes upward from the surface of the cylinder body and is located at one end of the cylinder away from the discharge mechanism, the feeding port is located on the feeding section, the feeding section is located on the transition connection section, the transition connection section is provided with a feeding chamber, the feeding chamber is connected to the storage space, and the longitudinal cross-sectional dimensions of the feeding chamber are larger than the longitudinal cross-sectional dimensions of the storage space.

[0019] As an improvement to the above solution, the stirring component further includes a connecting ring, a transmission block, and a stirring bar. The connecting ring is located at one end of the stirring component near the stirring drive component, the transmission block is located at one end of the stirring component near the discharge mechanism, and the stirring bar extends spirally from the connecting ring to the transmission block. The movable end of the stirring drive component passes through the connecting ring and is connected to the transmission block in a transmission manner.

[0020] As an improvement to the above solution, the inner side of the stirring bar is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed protrusions. The protrusions protrude from the inner side of the stirring bar and can abut against the surface of the evaporator. The surface of the protrusions is an outwardly convex arc-shaped surface.

[0021] As an improvement to the above solution, the housing assembly further includes an upper support frame and a sealing plate. The upper support frame has a receiving groove, the sealing plate is fixed in the receiving groove, the evaporator is fixed in the sealing plate, the sealing plate can be fixed to one end of the cylinder to form a seal on the cylinder, and at least a portion of the cylinder can be fixed in the receiving groove.

[0022] As an improvement to the above solution, the lower part of the upper support frame is provided with a fixing groove, the fixing groove protrudes downward and is attached to the bottom surface of the upper support frame, and the stirring drive is fixed in the fixing groove.

[0023] As an improvement to the above solution, the housing assembly further includes a front support frame and a rear support frame. The bottom of the front support frame is fixed to the front of the chassis, the bottom of the rear support frame is fixed to the rear of the chassis, the upper part of the front support frame is fixed to the front of the bottom side of the upper support frame, and the upper part of the rear support frame is fixed to the rear of the bottom side of the upper support frame.

[0024] As an improvement to the above solution, the refrigeration assembly further includes a compressor, a cooling fan, and a condenser. The compressor is fixed on the chassis, and the cooling fan and the condenser are fixed on the rear side of the cold drink device. The cooling fan is placed close to the compressor or the condenser.

[0025] As an improvement to the above solution, the housing assembly further includes a side plate, a front plate, and a rear plate. The side plates are disposed on both sides of the chassis, the front plate is fixed to the front side of the chassis, and the rear plate is fixed to the rear side of the chassis.

[0026] As an improvement to the above solution, the discharge mechanism includes a discharge hopper, a handle, and a discharge valve. The discharge hopper is disposed on the side end face, and a discharge port is provided on the side end face. The discharge port can communicate with the discharge hopper. One side of one end of the handle is hinged to the discharge hopper, and the other side of one end of the handle is hinged to the discharge valve. The handle can drive the discharge valve to rise or fall to open or close the discharge hopper.

[0027] Implementing this invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] The present invention relates to a cold beverage equipment comprising a refrigeration component, a stirring component, and a feeding / discharging component. The refrigeration component includes an evaporator, the stirring component includes a stirring element, and the feeding / discharging component includes a cylinder body surrounding the evaporator. Raw materials such as milk and beverages can be poured into the cylinder body. The evaporator performs freezing heat exchange on the raw materials, while the stirring element stirs the raw materials or the resulting solid-liquid mixture during the freezing process. During stirring, the solid-liquid mixture moves to the front end of the cylinder body. To facilitate the smooth backflow of the solid-liquid mixture at the front end of the cylinder body, the cylinder body also includes a guide section. The guide section guides small particles of the solid-liquid mixture upwards to the upper part of the cylinder body and tilts them to the middle part of the cylinder body, thereby completing the backflow and improving the stirring efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of the cold drink equipment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional disassembly diagram of the feeding and discharging assembly of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cylindrical body of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the stirring component of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of the cylinder and stirring element of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the distance between the cylinder and the stirring element of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of the housing assembly and the cooling assembly of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is hereby declared that the directional terms such as up, down, left, right, front, back, inside, and outside used in this text are based solely on the accompanying drawings and are not intended to specifically limit the invention.

[0037] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, this embodiment of the invention discloses a cold beverage device, including a shell assembly 5, a refrigeration assembly 3, a stirring assembly 4, and a feeding / discharging assembly 10. The shell assembly 5 includes a chassis 51, which serves as the basic support structure for the entire cold beverage device. The refrigeration assembly 3 includes an evaporator 31, where raw materials such as milk and beverages can exchange heat. The evaporator 31 absorbs heat and freezes the raw materials into ice crystals. The stirring assembly 4 includes a stirring drive 41 and a stirring element 42. The stirring element 42 surrounds the evaporator 31 and can push and stir the solid-liquid mixture formed by the raw materials on and around the evaporator 31, so that the raw materials form a solid-liquid mixture with smaller particles. The stirring drive 41 and the stirring element 42 are connected by a drive mechanism. The stirring drive 41 is preferably a rotary motor, a variable speed DC motor, or the like.

[0038] The feeding and discharging assembly 10 includes a cylinder 1 and a discharging mechanism 2 located at one end of the cylinder 1. The cylinder 1 can accommodate raw materials for making cold drinks and the solid-liquid mixture after molding. The cylinder 1 is provided with a feeding port 111, through which raw materials can be poured in. The cylinder 1 covers the periphery of the evaporator 31, and a storage space 12 is formed between the cylinder 1 and the evaporator 31. The raw materials and the solid-liquid mixture formed will move within the storage space 12. The stirring drive 41 can drive the stirring component 42 to rotate and stir within the storage space 12.

[0039] To facilitate the flow of the formed product at the front end of the cylinder 1, the cylinder 1 further includes a guide section 13. The guide section 13 is located at one end of the cylinder 1 near the discharge assembly, i.e., the front end of the cylinder 1. Under the guiding action of the guide section 13, the formed product can flow from the side of the discharge assembly towards the upper part of the cylinder 1 without affecting the product flowing from the middle of the cylinder 1 towards the discharge assembly. Under continuous extrusion pressure, the product located at the guide section 13 can continuously flow back from the upper part of the cylinder 1 to the middle, thus forming a cycle. Smaller ice cream particles tend to get stuck in smaller corners, but because the inner wall of the guide section 13 forms a concave surface, the engagement between the concave surface and the cylinder 1 is less likely to create a trapping corner than the engagement between a flat surface and the cylinder 1. Therefore, it is more conducive to the smooth flow of ice cream with smaller ice crystal particles. Thus, the cold drink equipment of the present invention can be applied to products such as smoothies and ice cream. Preferably, the outer contour of the cross-section of the cylinder 1 is at least partially circular, elliptical, or quasi-elliptical. Quasi-elliptical refers to a closed curved shape that has the concepts of a major axis and a minor axis but differs from a standard ellipse in terms of curvature and symmetry at the edges.

[0040] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0041] The cold beverage equipment of this invention includes a refrigeration component 3, a stirring component 4, and a feeding / discharging component 10. The refrigeration component 3 includes an evaporator 31, the stirring component 4 includes a stirring element 42, and the feeding / discharging component 10 includes a cylinder 1. The cylinder 1 covers the evaporator 31, and raw materials such as milk and beverages can be poured into the cylinder 1. The evaporator 31 performs freezing heat exchange on the raw materials, while the stirring element 42 stirs the raw materials or the resulting solid-liquid mixture during the freezing process. During the stirring process, the solid-liquid mixture moves to the front end of the cylinder 1. In order to facilitate the smooth backflow of the solid-liquid mixture at the front end of the cylinder 1, the cylinder 1 also includes a guide section 13. The guide section 13 can guide small particles of the solid-liquid mixture to move upward to the upper part of the cylinder 1 and tilt to move to the middle part of the cylinder 1, thereby completing the backflow and improving the stirring efficiency.

[0042] Specifically, the flow guide 13 gradually slopes from the upper part of the cylinder 1 toward the discharge assembly. The inner wall of the flow guide 13 forms a concave surface. The engagement between the concave surface and the cylinder 1 is less likely to create a trapping angle than the engagement between the flat surface and the cylinder 1, thus making it more conducive to the smooth flow of ice cream with smaller ice crystal particles.

[0043] A transition connection 16 is provided between the outer wall of the cylinder 1 and the feed inlet 111. The transition connection 16 forms a transition connection between the feed inlet 111 and the cylinder 1. The transition connection 16 gradually extends from the outer wall of the cylinder 1 towards the feed inlet 111. After the raw material freezes to form a solid-liquid mixture, the solid-liquid mixture can be contained in the transition connection 16 and gradually stirred and propelled from the transition connection 16 to the discharge outlet 121. The transition connection 16 increases the containing volume and facilitates the return of the solid-liquid mixture from the top of the cylinder 1.

[0044] The inner wall of the guide section 13 is a concave continuous curved surface. The use of a concave continuous curved surface allows the smoothies and ice cream to flow smoothly back towards the upper part of the cylinder 1 at the position of the discharge component, which is conducive to the backflow of the solid-liquid mixture and forms a circulation of the solid-liquid mixture in the cylinder 1.

[0045] In some embodiments, the transition connection 16 is an arc-shaped transition or an inclined transition. The arc-shaped or inclined transition shape allows the solid-liquid mixture to smoothly move gradually from the inlet 111 to the middle of the cylinder 1, and then gradually to the vicinity of the outlet 121. Furthermore, the surface of the transition connection 16 can be a smooth curved surface. A smooth curved surface reduces the friction of the solid-liquid mixture in the transition connection 16, thereby facilitating the movement of the solid-liquid mixture in the transition connection 16 and simplifying stirring and pushing. It also reduces the likelihood of material accumulation or stagnation of the solid-liquid mixture in the transition connection 16.

[0046] In some embodiments, the width of the transition connection 16 gradually increases from the outer wall of the cylinder 1 toward the feed inlet 111, and the transition connection 16 forms a gradually converging channel in the direction away from the feed inlet 111, so as to facilitate the concentrated movement of the solid-liquid mixture to the middle of the cylinder 1.

[0047] In this embodiment of the invention, the outer contour of the cross-section of the cylinder 1 is a closed contour composed of regular or irregular smooth curves. The closed contour composed of smooth curves can reduce the friction of the solid-liquid mixture on the inner wall of the cylinder 1, thereby reducing the occurrence of material accumulation, retention and other situations, which is conducive to uniform stirring and improving the stirring effect.

[0048] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, a side end face 14 is provided at one end of the cylinder 1 near the discharge assembly. The discharge assembly is disposed on the side end face 14, and the discharge port 121 is disposed on the side end face 14. The compressed solid-liquid mixture will concentrate on the side end face 14, and the upper part of the side end face 14 is connected to the lower part of the guide part 13. In this embodiment, the upper part of the side end face 14 is tangentially connected to the lower part of the guide part 13. Along the junction of the side end face 14 and the guide part 13, the solid-liquid mixture can smoothly transfer from the side end face 14 to the upper part of the cylinder 1. The connection line between the side end face 14 and the guide part 13 is the first connection line 141. The solid-liquid mixture undergoes its first turn in the first connection line 141, enabling the solid-liquid mixture to transfer from the side end face 14 to the upper part of the cylinder 1.

[0049] The side wall of the cylinder 1 is provided with a cylinder body surface 15, which is the main side wall of the cylinder 1. The cylinder body surface 15 is connected to the upper part of the guide section 13. In this embodiment, the cylinder body surface 15 is tangentially connected to the upper part of the guide section 13. The solid-liquid mixture flows along the guide section 13 and moves smoothly from the upper part of the guide section 13 to the junction of the cylinder body surface 15. The junction of the cylinder body surface 15 and the guide section 13 is a second junction 151. The solid-liquid mixture undergoes a second turn in the second junction 151, so that the solid-liquid mixture can flow back to the middle of the cylinder 1 to form a cycle.

[0050] Referring to Figure 3, in this embodiment of the invention, there are two second-phase wires 151, which are symmetrically inclined and bent from the top of the cylinder 1 toward both sides of the guide section 13. The two second-phase wires 151 guide the movement of the solid-liquid mixture from both sides of the guide section 13, while the inclined and bent arrangement reduces the space where solid-liquid mixtures with small ice crystals, such as those found in ice cream, stagnate in the guide section 13, thus improving the smoothness of the solid-liquid mixture's return flow.

[0051] Furthermore, one end of each of the two second phase wires 151 intersects, and the other end bends and extends towards both sides of the guide section 13 and connects to both ends of the first phase wire 141. Along the reflux direction of the solid-liquid mixture, the two second phase wires 151 converge and intersect from both ends of the first phase wire 141 towards the upper part of the cylinder 1, so that the solid-liquid mixture can be concentrated and converged to the center of the upper part of the cylinder 1 when the guide section 13 moves, forming a more concentrated reflux path. In this way, the overall cross-section of the refluxed solid-liquid mixture is smaller, and under a certain flow rate, the reflux velocity of the solid-liquid mixture is increased, which can accelerate the reflux speed and also allow the solid-liquid mixture in the stirring state to move smoothly to the side end face 14, ensuring reflux efficiency and stirring effect.

[0052] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the cylinder 1 also includes a feeding section 11, which is located at the end of the cylinder 1 away from the discharge assembly and at the upper part of the cylinder 1, so that the raw material can be fully frozen and stirred after entering. The feeding port 111 is provided on the feeding section 11, and the cross-section of the feeding port 111 gradually decreases from top to bottom. The larger feeding port 111 makes it easier to pour in the raw material, while the narrowed feeding port 111 also makes it easier to concentrate the raw material.

[0053] The stirring element 42 is spiral-shaped and can agitate the solid-liquid mixture by rotation. It is the direct driving component for the movement of the solid-liquid mixture. The stirring element 42 has an extrusion end 421 near the discharge assembly. The extrusion end 421 is the part of the stirring element 42 closest to the discharge assembly. At the extrusion end 421, the stirring element 42 separates from the solid-liquid mixture, and the driving force for the solid-liquid mixture is converted into a pressing force for the subsequent forward movement of the mixture. Referring to Figure 5, the minimum distance H1 between the extrusion end 421 and the side end face 14 is between 3mm and 10mm. Exemplarily, the minimum distance H1 between the extrusion end 31 and the side end face 14 includes 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 8mm, 8.5mm, 9mm, 9.5mm, or 10mm, but is not limited to these values. When the minimum distance between the extrusion end 421 and the side end face 14 is less than 3mm, the solid-liquid mixture will have difficulty obtaining sufficient space for reflux due to the insufficient distance between the extrusion end 421 and the side end face 14, thus affecting the reflux effect. When the minimum distance between the extrusion end 421 and the side end face 14 is greater than 10mm, the solid-liquid mixture will reflux more slowly due to the excessive distance between the extrusion end 421 and the side end face 14, and the volume of the cylinder 1 will also increase.

[0054] Referring to Figure 6, the spiral portion of the stirring element 42 is the part that agitates the solid-liquid mixture. It is spiral in shape and can agitate and propel the solid-liquid mixture through rotation. In some embodiments, the maximum distance H2 between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 42 and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder 1 ranges from 2 mm to 38 mm. Specifically, the maximum distance H2 between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 3 and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder 1 includes 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 8mm, 8.5mm, 9mm, 9.5mm, 10mm, 10.5mm, 11mm, 11.5mm, 12mm, 12.5mm, 13mm, 13.5mm, 14mm, 14.5mm, 15mm, 15.5mm, 16mm, 16.5mm, 17mm, 17.5mm, 18mm, 18.5mm, and 19mm. The thicknesses are 19.5mm, 20mm, 20.5mm, 21mm, 21.5mm, 22mm, 22.5mm, 23mm, 23.5mm, 24mm, 24.5mm, 25mm, 25.5mm, 26mm, 26.5mm, 27mm, 27.5mm, 28mm, 28.5mm, 29mm, 29.5mm, 30mm, 30.5mm, 31mm, 31.5mm, 32mm, 32.5mm, 33mm, 33.5mm, 34mm, 34.5mm, 35mm, 35.5mm, 36mm, 36.5mm, 37mm, or 37.5mm, but are not limited to these. When the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder 1 is less than 2 mm, the volume is small. A certain distance needs to be maintained between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder 1 to retain as much space as possible and to allow for the reflux of the solid-liquid mixture. When the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder 1 is greater than 38 mm, the volume is too large. The agitator 42 cannot thoroughly agitate the solid-liquid mixture, and problems such as material accumulation and stagnation are likely to occur.

[0055] In some embodiments, the maximum distance H3 between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 and the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder 1 ranges from 1.5mm to 4mm. Exemplarily, the maximum distance H3 between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 and the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder 1 includes 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, or 4mm, but is not limited thereto. Since the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 is close to the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder 1, due to gravity, the lower part of the cylinder 1 easily retains solid-liquid mixtures. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the distance between the inner wall of the cylinder 1 and the outer edge of the spiral portion of the agitator 42 so that the agitator 42 can scrape away as much of the solid-liquid mixture as possible from the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder 1, preventing material retention. When the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 42 and the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder 1 is greater than 4 mm, the stirring element 42 cannot thoroughly stir the solid-liquid mixture in the lower part of the cylinder 1. When the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 42 and the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder 1 is less than 1.5 mm, the distance between the stirring element 42 and the inner wall of the cylinder 1 is too small, which will affect the movement of the solid-liquid mixture and hinder the rotation of the stirring element 42.

[0056] In some embodiments, the maximum distance H4 between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 42 and the inner walls of the left and right sides of the cylinder 1 ranges from 1.5mm to 6mm. Exemplarily, the maximum distance H4 between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 3 and the inner walls of the left and right sides of the cylinder 1 includes 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, or 6mm, but is not limited thereto. Since the solid-liquid mixture on the left and right sides of the cylinder 1 moves downwards under gravity, the distance between the outer edge of the spiral portion of the stirring element 42 and the inner walls of the left and right sides of the cylinder 1 can remain suitable to accommodate a larger amount of solid-liquid mixture. When the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element 42 and the inner walls of the left and right sides of the cylinder 1 is less than 1.5 mm, the distance between the stirring element 42 and the inner wall of the cylinder 1 is too small, which will affect the movement of the solid-liquid mixture and hinder the rotation of the stirring element 42; when the maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element 42 and the inner walls of the left and right sides of the cylinder 1 is greater than 6 mm, the volume is too large, the stirring element 42 cannot thoroughly stir the solid-liquid mixture, and it is easy to cause problems such as material accumulation and retention.

[0057] In addition, the cylinder 1 also includes a transition connection portion 16, which protrudes upward from the surface of the cylinder body 15. The feeding portion 11 is disposed on the transition connection portion 16. Because the transition connection portion 16 protrudes upward, the position of the feeding portion 11 is raised, making it easier to pour in raw materials and also expanding the space for accommodating raw materials. The transition connection portion 16 is provided with a feeding chamber 161, which communicates with the storage space 12. When raw materials are poured in, the raw materials first enter the feeding chamber 161 and then enter the storage space 12. The diameter of the longitudinal section of the feeding chamber 161 is larger than the maximum diameter of the longitudinal section of the storage space 12, thereby increasing the volume of raw materials and solid-liquid mixtures that the cylinder 1 can accommodate.

[0058] Referring to Figure 4, the stirring component 42 includes a connecting ring 422, a transmission block 423, and stirring bars 424. The connecting ring 422 is located at one end of the stirring component 42 near the stirring drive component 41 and is used to fix the stirring bars 424. The transmission block 423 is located at one end of the stirring component 42 near the discharge mechanism 2. The stirring bars 424 extend spirally from the connecting ring 422 to the transmission block 423. There are at least two stirring bars 424, which surround each other to form multiple spirals. The stirring bars 424 can stir the solid-liquid mixture in the storage space 12 and push the solid-liquid mixture during rotation, so that the solid-liquid mixture is concentrated at the end where the discharge mechanism 2 is located, facilitating discharge. The movable end of the stirring drive component 41 passes through the connecting ring 422 and is connected to the transmission block 423 for transmission.

[0059] Traditional stirring bar 424 has a simple spiral structure. To allow for smooth sliding and rotation on the outer wall of the evaporator 31, a certain gap is provided between the stirring bar 424 and the evaporator 31. However, this gap prevents the solid-liquid mixture on the surface of the evaporator 31 from being stirred, causing it to freeze. This not only fails to thoroughly stir the solid-liquid mixture but also reduces the heat exchange capacity of the evaporator 31 surface. To solve this problem, in this embodiment of the invention, the inner side of the stirring bar 424 is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed protrusions 425. These protrusions 425 protrude from the inner side of the stirring bar 424 and abut against the surface of the evaporator 31. During the rotation of the stirring bar 424, the protrusions 425 can slide across the surface of the evaporator 31, breaking up the ice structure that has formed on the surface of the evaporator 31. This causes the ice to fall off and be stirred along with the solid-liquid mixture, thus ensuring thorough stirring of the solid-liquid mixture and maintaining the heat exchange capacity of the evaporator 31 surface. Furthermore, the surface of the protrusion 425 is an outwardly convex arc surface. The arc surface can reduce the contact area between the protrusion 425 and the surface of the evaporator 31. On the one hand, it reduces the friction between the stirring bar 424 and the surface of the evaporator 31. On the other hand, it can increase the pressure of the protrusion 425 on the ice block on the surface of the evaporator 31, causing the ice block to break.

[0060] Referring to Figures 1 and 7, in order to fix the feed assembly 10 and the evaporator 31, the housing assembly 5 further includes an upper support frame 52 and a sealing plate 53. The upper support frame 52 is provided with a receiving groove 521 with the groove opening facing upward. The sealing plate 53 is fixed in the receiving groove 521 and is vertically arranged. The evaporator 31 is horizontally fixed in the sealing plate 53. The sealing plate 53 can be fixed to one end of the cylinder 1 to form a seal on the cylinder 1. After the cylinder 1 is inserted into the periphery of the evaporator 31, the sealing plate 53 can form a sealing structure for the cylinder 1. At least a part of the cylinder 1 can be fixed in the receiving groove 521 after insertion.

[0061] Furthermore, the lower part of the upper support frame 52 is provided with a fixing groove 522, which protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the upper support frame 52, and the stirring drive 41 is fixed in the fixing groove 522. By placing the stirring drive 41 in the lower part of the upper support frame 52, space on the rear side of the upper support frame 52 is saved, thereby reducing the overall volume of the cold drink equipment, and the extra space within the housing assembly 5 is utilized, thus improving space utilization.

[0062] To secure the upper support frame 52, the housing assembly 5 further includes a front support frame 54 and a rear support frame 55. The bottom of the front support frame 54 is fixed to the front of the chassis 51, and the bottom of the rear support frame 55 is fixed to the rear of the chassis 51. The upper part of the front support frame 54 is fixed to the front of the bottom side of the upper support frame 52, and the upper part of the rear support frame 55 is fixed to the rear of the bottom side of the upper support frame 52, thereby securing the upper support frame 52. Using the front support frame 54 and the rear support frame 55 to secure the upper support frame 52 allows for easy disassembly and facilitates later maintenance.

[0063] The refrigeration assembly 3 also includes a compressor 32, a cooling fan 33, and a condenser 34. The compressor 32 is fixed on the chassis 51. The cooling fan 33 and the condenser 34 are fixed on the rear side of the rear support frame 55, that is, the rear side of the cold drink equipment. The cooling fan 33 is placed close to the compressor 32 or the condenser 34. The cooling fan 33 can dissipate heat from the compressor 32 and the condenser 34, which can ensure the stable operation of the compressor 32 and the condenser 34.

[0064] In addition, the housing assembly 5 also includes a side plate 56, a front plate 57 and a rear plate 58. The side plate 56 is disposed on both sides of the chassis 51, the front plate 57 is fixed to the front side of the chassis 51, and the rear plate 58 is fixed to the rear side of the chassis 51. The side plate 56, the front plate 57 and the rear plate 58 enclose the compressor 32, the cooling fan 33 and the condenser 34.

[0065] In the discharge mechanism 2, the discharge mechanism 2 includes a discharge hopper 21, a handle 22, and a discharge valve 23. The discharge hopper 21 is disposed on the side end face 14, and the side end face 14 is provided with a discharge port 121, which can communicate with the discharge hopper 21. One side of one end of the handle 22 is hinged to the discharge hopper 21, and the other side of one end of the handle 22 is hinged to the discharge valve 23. The handle 22 can swing relative to the discharge hopper 21. During the swinging process of the handle 22, the handle 22 can drive the discharge valve 23 to rise or fall to open or close the discharge hopper 21, thereby achieving the effect of discharging or closing the discharge hopper 21.

[0066] The above are preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cold drink equipment, characterized in that, It includes a shell assembly, a refrigeration assembly, a stirring assembly, and a feeding / discharging assembly. The refrigeration assembly includes an evaporator. The stirring assembly includes a stirring drive and a stirring element. The stirring element surrounds the periphery of the evaporator, and the stirring drive is throttlely connected to the stirring element. The feeding and discharging assembly includes a cylinder and a discharging mechanism located at one end of the cylinder. The cylinder covers the periphery of the evaporator and has a feeding port. A storage space is formed between the cylinder and the evaporator. The stirring drive can drive the stirring component to rotate and stir within the storage space. The cylinder also includes a flow guide, which is disposed at one end of the cylinder near the discharge mechanism; The outer contour of the cross-section of the cylinder is at least partially elliptical or quasi-elliptical.

2. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide section gradually slopes from the upper part of the cylinder toward the discharge mechanism, and the inner wall of the guide section forms a concave surface.

3. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, A transition connection is provided between the outer wall of the cylinder and the feed inlet, and the transition connection gradually extends from the outer wall of the cylinder towards the feed inlet.

4. The cold drink equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transition connection is an arc-shaped transition, an inclined transition, or a smooth curved surface.

5. The cold drink equipment according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The width of the transition connection gradually increases from the outer wall of the cylinder towards the feed inlet.

6. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cylinder has a side end face near the discharge mechanism. The discharge mechanism is disposed on the side end face. The upper part of the side end face is connected to the lower part of the guide part to form a first phase connection. The upper side wall of the cylinder is connected to the upper part of the guide part to form two second phase connections. The two second phase connections are symmetrically inclined and bent from the top of the cylinder towards both sides of the guide part.

7. The cold drink equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, One end of each of the two second phase wires intersects with the other end, which bends and extends toward both sides of the guide portion and connects to the two ends of the first phase wire respectively.

8. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mixing component has an extrusion end near the discharge mechanism, and the minimum distance between the extrusion end and the side end face is between 3mm and 10mm.

9. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element and the inner wall of the upper part of the cylinder ranges from 2mm to 38mm.

10. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the agitator and the inner wall of the lower part of the cylinder is between 1.5mm and 4mm.

11. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum distance between the outer edge of the spiral part of the stirring element and the inner walls on the left and right sides of the cylinder ranges from 1.5mm to 6mm.

12. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cylinder also includes a feeding section, the transition connection section protrudes upward from the surface of the cylinder body and is located at one end of the cylinder away from the discharge mechanism, the feeding port is located on the feeding section, the feeding section is located on the transition connection section, the transition connection section is provided with a feeding chamber, the feeding chamber is connected to the storage space, and the longitudinal cross-sectional dimensions of the feeding chamber are larger than the longitudinal cross-sectional dimensions of the storage space.

13. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stirring component further includes a connecting ring, a transmission block, and a stirring bar. The connecting ring is located at one end of the stirring component near the stirring drive component, and the transmission block is located at one end of the stirring component near the discharge mechanism. The stirring bar extends spirally from the connecting ring to the transmission block, and the movable end of the stirring drive component passes through the connecting ring and is connected to the transmission block in a transmission manner.

14. The cold drink equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that, The inner side of the stirring bar is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed protrusions. The protrusions protrude from the inner side of the stirring bar and can abut against the surface of the evaporator. The surface of the protrusion is an outwardly convex arc-shaped surface.

15. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing assembly includes an upper support frame and a sealing plate. The upper support frame has a receiving groove, the sealing plate is fixed in the receiving groove, the evaporator is fixed in the sealing plate, and the sealing plate can be fixed to one end of the cylinder to form a seal on the cylinder. At least a portion of the cylinder is fixed in the receiving groove.

16. The cold drink equipment according to claim 15, characterized in that, The lower part of the upper support frame is provided with a fixing groove, which protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the upper support frame, and the stirring drive is fixed in the fixing groove.

17. The cold drink equipment according to claim 15, characterized in that, The housing assembly also includes a chassis, a front support frame, and a rear support frame. The bottom of the front support frame is fixed to the front of the chassis, the bottom of the rear support frame is fixed to the rear of the chassis, the upper part of the front support frame is fixed to the front of the bottom side of the upper support frame, and the upper part of the rear support frame is fixed to the rear of the bottom side of the upper support frame.

18. The cold drink equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigeration assembly also includes a compressor, a cooling fan, and a condenser. The compressor is fixed to the chassis, and the cooling fan and the condenser are fixed to the rear side of the cold drink device. The cooling fan is placed close to the compressor or the condenser.

19. The cold drink equipment according to claim 17, characterized in that, The housing assembly also includes side plates, a front plate, and a rear plate. The side plates are located on both sides of the chassis, the front plate is fixed to the front side of the chassis, and the rear plate is fixed to the rear side of the chassis.

20. The cold drink equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The discharge mechanism includes a discharge hopper, a handle, and a discharge valve. The discharge hopper is located on the side end face, and a discharge port is provided on the side end face. The discharge port can communicate with the discharge hopper. One side of one end of the handle is hinged to the discharge hopper, and the other side of one end of the handle is hinged to the discharge valve. The handle can drive the discharge valve to rise or fall to open or close the discharge hopper.

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