Heat management for food processor

Abstract

A machine (1) for processing a liquid food substance incorporates: a container (10) delimiting a cavity (10′) for containing said liquid food substance; an impeller (20) for driving the liquid food substance in the container (10); a motor (30) for driving the impeller (20); a motor chamber (40) for containing the motor (30); and a means for evacuating heat from the motor chamber (40). Such means comprises one or more movable members (50) that are driven by the motor (30) and that are configured to circulate air (2a,2b) in the motor chamber (40) to evacuate heat therefrom.

Claims

1. A machine for processing a liquid food substance, the machine comprising: a container defining a cavity configured for containing the liquid food substance; an impeller configured for driving the liquid food substance in the container; a motor configured for driving the impeller; a motor chamber configured for containing the motor and comprising a thermal conditioner configured for maintaining a temperature in the container; and a member configured for evacuating heat from the motor chamber; the member comprises one or more movable members that are driven by the motor and are configured to circulate air in the motor chamber to evacuate the heat therefrom; the motor chamber has at least one opening configured for an exchange of air driven by the one or more movable members between the motor chamber and a space outside the motor chamber; the member is configured so that a ratio of the heat evacuated by the at least one air opening over the heat evacuated by the cavity is greater than 2.5; and the at least one opening includes one or more air inlet openings configured for letting air into the motor chamber and one or more air outlet openings configured for letting air out of the motor chamber when the one or more movable members are driven by the motor, wherein the one or more air inlet openings and the one or more outlet openings are located on a machine external bottom face or a machine external side face.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more movable members are formed as a wing, blade or vane.

3. The machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more movable members has: a generally arched or curved shape; and/or a generally straight shape formed of a single planar section or a plurality of angled planar sections.

4. The machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more movable members are mounted on an axle driven by the motor.

5. The machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more movable members are mounted in a loop.

6. The machine of claim 1, wherein the motor chamber has a generally centrally located axis and a peripheral sidewall, the one or more movable members being driven by the motor in the motor chamber about the generally centrally located axis, between the generally centrally located axis and the peripheral sidewall.

7. The machine of claim 1, wherein the motor drives a drive member.

8. The machine of claim 7, wherein the drive member incorporates one or more magnetic elements cooperating with magnetic elements of the impeller so as to drive the impeller magnetically via a wall.

9. The machine of claim 8, wherein: at least one magnetic element of the drive member is a magnetic field-generating element configured to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding ferromagnetic element of the impeller; at least one magnetic element of the drive member is a ferromagnetic element configured to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding magnetic field-generating element of the impeller; or at least one magnetic element of the drive member is a magnetic field-generating element configured to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding magnetic field-generating element of the impeller.

10. The machine of claim 1, comprising: a base; and a receptacle configured for containing the container.

11. The machine of claim 10, wherein the base contains the motor chamber.

12. The machine of claim 10, wherein the receptacle comprises passive components, and wherein the base comprises active components.

13. The machine of claim 1, wherein the impeller comprises one or more of: a surface configured for imparting a mechanical effect to the liquid food substance; a foot configured for being connected to the motor; and an axle extending towards a mouth of the container when the impeller is driven by the motor.

14. The machine of claim 8, wherein the one or more magnetic elements are provided in a platform wall or a sidewall of the motor chamber.

15. The machine of claim 14, wherein the magnetic elements of the impeller are provided in a bottom wall or a sidewall of the container.

16. The machine of claim 1, wherein the thermal conditioner comprises a heater or a cooler.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be described with reference to the schematic drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a series of movable members for evacuating heat from a motor chamber of an example of a machine according to the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a machine according to the invention incorporating the movable members shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) An example of a machine 1 for processing a liquid food substance, such as milk or a milk-based substance, is illustrated in FIG. 2. An example of an arrangement of movable heat evacuating members 50 for such a machine 1 is shown in FIG. 1. Whereas the arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 with a plurality of movable members 10, the principle of the invention applies to arrangements with any number of movable members, even to an arrangement with only one movable member.

(5) Machine 1 has: a container 10 delimiting a cavity 10′ for containing the liquid food substance, container can be fitted with a removable lid (not shown) for covering the cavity 10′; an impeller 20 for driving the liquid food substance in the container 10; a motor 30 for driving impeller 20; a motor chamber 40 for containing the motor 30, and optionally further components such as a control unit 35 and/or a thermal conditioner 36 e.g. a heater and/or a cooler; and a means for evacuating heat from motor chamber 40.

(6) The heat evacuation means comprises one or more movable members 50 that are driven by motor 30 and that are configured to circulate air 2a,2b in the motor chamber 40 to evacuate heat therefrom.

(7) The heat evacuation means may be configured to evacuate heat by the circulated air from motor chamber 40 out of such machine 1 predominantly via one or more passages 40,41,42 separate from cavity 10′.

(8) A complete air circulation from the air intake 2a to the air outflow 2b is illustrated on the left-hand side of FIG. 2. Only the air intake 2a is illustrated on the right-hand side of FIG. 2. Such air circulation may of course take place at selected places in motor chamber 40 or substantially in the entire chamber 40.

(9) The heat evacuation means can be configured so that a ratio of the heat evacuated by such passages 40,41,42 over the heat evacuated by the cavity 10′ is greater than 2.5, such as greater than 5, for example greater than 10, e.g. greater than 30.

(10) Motor chamber 40 can have at least one opening 41,42 for an exchange of air 2a,2b driven by the movable members 50 between chamber 40 and a space 2 outside the chamber 40, e.g. a space 2 outside such machine 1.

(11) Openings 41,42 or other parts of chamber 40 can be formed as radiators or heat sinks to contribute to the heat evacuation.

(12) Motor chamber 40 can have one or more air inlet openings 41 for letting air 2a into chamber 40 and one or more air outlet openings 42 for letting air 2b out of chamber 40 when movable members 50 are driven by motor 30. For instance, openings 41 are located on a machine external bottom face 40′ and/or machine external side face(s) 40″.

(13) At least one of the air circulation member(s) 50 may be formed as a wing, blade or vane.

(14) At least one of the air circulation member(s) 50 may have: a generally arched or curved shape, such as the general shape of an angular section of a cylindrical, conical, spherical, elliptoidal, helicoidal shape; and/or a generally straight shape formed of a single planar section or a plurality of angled planar sections, optionally at least one planar section(s), e.g. all planar sections, having a (non-zero) angle relative to a direction of motion of the circulation member.

(15) Air circulation member(s) 50 can be mounted on an axle 31 driven by motor 30, such as on a motor's output shaft or an axle driven thereby. The axle may be driven via a transmission by the output shaft such as via a gear transmission e.g. a toothed gear transmission.

(16) As illustrated in the example shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of air circulation members 50 can be mounted in a loop, e.g. in a circle, such as on a ring or a disc 51, about a rotation axis 31′. For instance, members 50 are generally evenly distributed along the loop.

(17) Motor chamber 40 may have a centrally located axis 31′ and peripheral sidewall(s) 45, the circulation member(s) 50 being driven by motor 30 in motor chamber 40 about centrally located axis 31′, between centrally located axis 31′ and sidewall(s) 45, such as at a distance from centrally located axis 31′ in the range of ¼ to ¾ of the spacing from centrally located axis 31′ to sidewall 31′ at the level of air circulation member 50, e.g. at a distance in the range of ⅓ to ⅔ of such spacing.

(18) Motor 30 may drive a drive member 51, such as a coupling member having a general shape of a ring or a disc 51 and/or a coupling member bearing at least one of air circulation member(s) 50, for driving impeller 20 in container 10.

(19) Drive member 51 can incorporate one or more magnetic elements 52 cooperating with magnetic elements 21 of impeller 20 so as to drive impeller 20 magnetically via a wall 11,12, such as a bottom wall 11 and/or a sidewall 12, of container 10. For instance, magnetic members 52 drive impeller 20 via a wall 43,44 of chamber 40, such as a platform wall 43 and/or a sidewall 44.

(20) At least one element 52 of drive member 51 can be: a magnetic field-generating element that is arranged to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding ferromagnetic element 21 of impeller 20; a ferromagnetic element that is arranged to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding magnetic field-generating element 21 of impeller 20; or a magnetic field-generating element that is arranged to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding magnetic field-generating element 21 of impeller 20.

(21) Such magnetic field-generating element(s) may include an electromagnet element or a permanent magnet element, e.g. made of at least one of iron, nickel, cobalt, rare earth metals, e.g. lanthanide, and alloys and oxides containing such metals as well as polymers (e.g. plastics) carrying such elements and components.

(22) Such ferromagnetic element(s) can be made of at least one of Co, Fe, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, FeOFe.sub.2O.sub.3, NiOFe.sub.2O.sub.3, CuOFe.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, Nd.sub.2Fe.sub.14B, Mn, Bi, Ni, MnSb, MnOFe.sub.2O.sub.3, Y.sub.3FesO.sub.12, CrO.sub.2, MnAs, Gd, Dy, EuO, Cu.sub.2MnAl, Cu.sub.2MnIn, Cu.sub.2MnSn, Ni.sub.2MnAl, Ni.sub.2MnIn, Ni.sub.2MnSn, Ni.sub.2MnSb, Ni.sub.2MnGa, Co.sub.2MnAl, Co.sub.2MnSi, Co.sub.2MnGa, Co.sub.2MnGe, SmCos, Sm.sub.2Co.sub.17, Pd.sub.2MnAl, Pd.sub.2MnIn, Pd.sub.2MnSn, Pd.sub.2MnSb, Co.sub.2FeSi, Fe.sub.3Si, Fe.sub.2VAl, Mn.sub.2VGa and Co.sub.2FeGe.

(23) Machine 1 may include a base 4, e.g. an electrically connected base such as a base connected electrically to the mains via an electric cord, and a receptacle 10a that contains the container 10, e.g. a receptacle 10a having a handle 15. Receptacle 10a may be connectable to base 4 for processing the liquid food substance and separable from base 4 for dispensing the food substance upon processing and/or for cleaning receptacle 10a.

(24) Base 4 may contain motor chamber 40.

(25) Receptacle 10a can be made of passive components 10, base 4 comprising the active components, such as motor 30, a control unit 35 and/or a thermal conditioner 36, typically a heater and/or a cooler, e.g. a radiant or inductive thermal conditioner 36.

(26) For example, base 4 forms a nest for receiving receptacle 10a.

(27) Impeller 20 may have a surface 20′ for imparting a mechanical effect to the liquid food substance, such as for mixing it with another fluid, e.g. air.

(28) Impeller 20 can include a foot 23 for connection to motor 30, e.g. via magnetic elements 21 in foot 23.

(29) Impeller 20 may have an axle 24 extending towards a mouth 10″ of container 10 when impeller 20 is driven by motor 30, e.g. an axle 24 extending to the level of mouth 10″, such as an axle 24 that is seizable by a user for removing impeller 20 from container 10.