Rotatable Separator Dispensing Mechanism for Ice Cream Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice-cream making machines face difficulties in accurately dispensing predetermined doses due to time-consuming operations required to open and close the dispensing door, leading to unpredictable ice-cream output, potential seal issues from arm bending, and high operator effort or need for actuators.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a rotatable separator that controls ice-cream dispensing through a dispensing hole, allowing partial or complete opening to manage ice-cream flow, featuring a handle-connected mechanism for easy operation and a sealed connection to maintain ice-cream inside the unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a plug connected to a rotatable arm is used to close the dispensing hole, then the dispensing door can be sealed, but the arm bends after prolonged use due to torque from the pusher element, causing poor seal formation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying force at the end of the arm (which creates bending torque), the invention applies force directly at the plug location through a pusher element that acts vertically on the plug. This inverts the traditional lever mechanism, eliminating the bending moment on the arm while maintaining the sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the pusher element from the rotatable arm structure, making them separate components. The pusher element is fixed to the housing and acts independently on the plug, removing the source of bending torque from the arm while preserving the arm's rotational function for opening/closing the door.
2Reliability
If the pusher element applies high thrust force to guarantee correct plug engagement, then sealing is improved, but operator effort increases considerably when resetting the pusher element
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher element is designed to be automatically reset by the ice-cream pressure itself. When ice-cream is present, it pushes the plug against the pusher element, which automatically returns the plug to the closed position without requiring operator intervention. This eliminates the need for operators to manually reset the pusher element.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice-cream itself acts as an intermediary force to reset the plug position. The pressure from the ice-cream mass automatically engages the plug with the pusher element, using the product being dispensed to perform the resetting function that would otherwise require significant operator effort.
3Productivity
If the arm is rotated to move the plug completely away from the dispensing hole, then ice-cream flows out easily, but the operation becomes time-consuming and prevents predetermined dosing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the large rotational movement of the arm with a simple linear sliding motion of the plug along guides. This dynamic change allows the plug to be quickly moved from the closed to open position and back, dramatically reducing the time required for dispensing operations while maintaining complete control over ice-cream flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispensing control is segmented into independent linear movements of the plug rather than a single rotational arm movement. This allows the plug to be moved precisely along the dispensing hole axis, enabling quick opening/closing cycles and predetermined dosing by controlling the duration of the linear movement.
4Ease of operation
If a large inspection door is used to allow inspection and sanitizing of the whipping and freezing chamber, then access is improved, but ice-cream continuously comes out of the door
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is segmented into two functional parts: a large inspection door for access and a separate small dispensing door with a plug for controlled ice-cream dispensing. This segmentation allows the large door to remain open for inspection without causing continuous ice-cream leakage, as the dispensing plug independently controls the dispensing hole.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispensing plug acts as an intermediary element that controls ice-cream flow at the dispensing hole independently of the inspection door position. This allows the inspection door to be open while the plug maintains sealing control at the smaller dispensing opening, preventing unwanted leakage.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for making ice-cream products includes a whipping and freezing unit with a horizontal axis, and an inspection door connected to one end of the whipping and freezing unit to allow access to the inside of the unit. The inspection door has a dispensing hole so that the whipping and freezing unit can be put in fluid communication with the outside environment and a dispensing door for selectively opening and closing the dispensing hole. The dispensing door includes a separator, having an opening, able to rotate relative to the inspection door so that the dispensing hole is selectively opposite the opening and allows controlled dispensing of ice-cream products from the whipping and freezing unit.