Adaptive Beater and Scraper Speed Control for Frozen Product Dispensers
AssigneeCornelius, Inc.
InventorsDavid B. Gist, Gregory M. Billman, Santhosh Kumar, Kyle Elsom, Nikolay Popov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A controller for a drive motor for a scraper of a frozen product dispenser operates the drive motor to rotate the scraper at selected ones of a plurality of different speeds within a freeze barrel of the dispenser, in accordance with the values of sensed operating parameters of the dispenser. The arrangement provides for rotation of the scraper at speeds appropriate for, but no greater than required for, the then existent operating condition of the dispenser.
Claims18
A frozen product dispenser, comprising:
- a freeze barrel;
- means for delivering liquid product to said freeze barrel;
- a refrigeration system operable in a chilling cycle to freeze product in said freeze barrel and in a defrost cycle to defrost product in said freeze barrel;
- a scraper in said freeze barrel;
- means for rotating said scraper in said freeze barrel;
- means for sensing the values of individual ones of at least two different operating parameters of said frozen product dispenser;
- and
- an adaptive control responsive to the sensed values of the individual ones of the at least two different operating parameters of said frozen product dispenser for controlling said means for rotating to rotate said scraper in said freeze barrel at selected individual ones of at least two different substantially constant and greater than zero speeds.
A method of operating a frozen product dispenser, said method comprising the steps of:
- delivering liquid product to a freeze barrel of the dispenser;
- operating a refrigeration system in a chilling cycle to freeze product in the freeze barrel and in a defrost cycle to defrost product in the freeze barrel;
- sensing the values of individual ones of at least two different operating parameters of the frozen product dispenser;
- rotating a scraper in the freeze barrel;
- and
- adaptively controlling, in response to the sensed values of individual ones of the parameters, operation of said rotating step to rotate the scraper in the freeze barrel at selected individual ones of at least two different substantially constant and greater than zero speeds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.