Refrigeration – With comminutor or cutter
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-30
2002-01-01
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
With comminutor or cutter
C241S194000, C241SDIG014
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334327
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an artificial snow making equipment for an artificial ski slope wherein a block of ice is pulverized and blown away.
RELATED ART
A conventional air-blowing pulverizer such as an ice crusher generates artificial snow
49
by pulverizing ice block
48
into sleet-like small pieces as shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12
. The equipment in
FIG. 11
has rotary blades
45
for pulverizing which are arranged at an equal distance from each other in the radial direction around the rotational shaft in casing
44
on the top of rigid substrate
47
. Air supply opening
41
, through which air to glow artificial snow
49
is supplied, and ice supply opening
42
, through which ice blocks are supplied, are placed at one end of substrate
47
under the lower end of casing
44
. The other end of substrate
47
under casing
44
, opposite from supply opening
42
, has exhaust opening
43
through which artificial snow
49
made of pulverized ice is blown. Ice blocks
48
are supplied, together with air through air supply opening
41
on the substrate at the right side in the figure and are pulverized into sleet-like pieces by crushing them against substrate
47
with the rotational force of rotary blades
45
, which are arranged around rotational shaft
46
and rotate at
Another example of a conventional air-blowing pulverizer is shown in FIG.
12
. Herein, the positions of supply opening
42
for ice blocks and air supply opening
41
are different from ones in
FIG. 11
wherein they are arranged at separate positions on casing
44
. Supply opening
42
for ice blocks
48
is placed at the top of casing
44
. Supplied ice blocks, while passing through casing
44
by rotary blades
45
for pulverizing which are rotated by rotational shaft
46
at a high speed, are crushed with rotary blades
45
and reach the air supply opening at the bottom of casing
44
. The crushed ice is further pulverized between substrate
47
and rotary blades
45
to be artificial snow
49
which is blown with air through exhaust opening
43
at the other end of the bottom of casing
44
.
However, the above air-blowing pulverizer has drawbacks. With the pulverizer of
FIG. 11
, the size of ice pieces pulverized by rotary blades
45
may vary depending on the amount of ice blocks
48
supplied to casing
44
through supply opening. Also, once the supply of ice blocks
48
becomes excessive, the path between air supply opening
41
and exhaust opening
43
may become blocked with snow. Therefore, excess drive is required to rotate rotary blades
45
at a high speed. With the pulverized of
FIG. 12
, in addition to the drawbacks discussed about the pulverizer in
FIG. 11
, when one intensifies the air flow through air supply opening
41
to blow the pulverized ice pieces further, not all the air reaches exhaust opening
43
, but some air flows backward and tends to leak from supply opening
42
. As a result, the air flow to blow artificial snow
49
from exhaust opening
43
is weakened such that artificial snow
49
cannot be blown far enough. Consequently, further drive is required.
Hence, the present invention intends to provide an efficient air-blowing pulverizer in which:
variance in the size of pulverized ice pieces is eliminated by stabilizing the amount of ice blocks to be supplied such that the resulting artificial snow is more desirable for skiing;
operation of the pulverizer is smoothly continued by preventing ice blocks from blocking inside the casing; and
all supplied air can be utilized to blow the pulverized ice pieces far enough without requiring excess drive.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
To serve the above purpose, the present invention provides, according to the first invention, an artificial snow making equipment with constant forced-blowing, comprising:
an ice block supplier
1
to supply ice blocks at a constant rate including:
a casing
3
having, on a upper side of the casing, an ice block supply opening
4
through which ice blocks
2
are supplied, and on a lower side of the casing, an exit for ice blocks
5
which is positioned under the casing
3
;
a rotary blades
8
which are arranged at an equal distance from each other around a rotational shaft
6
, formed at the center of the casing
3
, to supply the ice blocks
2
at a constant rate; and
an air-blowing pulverizer
11
including:
an air duct
9
which receives the ice blocks
2
and air
12
being supplied from an ice block supplier
1
;
a casing
13
having an opening
10
of the air duct
9
on the side surface;
rotary blades
17
radially arranged at an equal distance from each other around periphery
16
of rotational shaft
15
, formed at the center of the casing
13
, to pulverize ice blocks
2
into ice pieces
18
; and
an air exhaust
19
formed on the opposite side of the casing
13
from the opening
10
of the air duct to blow ice pieces
18
as artificial snow
20
,
wherein the exit for ice blocks
5
of the ice block supplier
1
is connected to an ice block receiving slot
14
of air-blowing pulverizer
11
by the air duct
9
.
According to the second invention in reference to artificial snow making equipment with constant forced-blowing of the first invention, the ice block supplier
1
is such that space
22
between the periphery of casing
3
and edge
21
of rotary blade
8
is formed to be very narrow to prevent a back flow of air
12
from exit for ice blocks
5
into the ice block supplier
1
.
According to the third invention in reference to artificial snow making equipment with constant forced-blowing of the first or second invention, the rotary blades
17
of the air-blowing pulverizer
11
have width
24
equal to the length
23
of rotational shaft
15
, and the rotary blades
17
are radially arranged at an equal distance from each other around the periphery
16
of the rotational shaft such that rotary blades
17
are parallel to axis
39
.
According to the fourth invention in reference to artificial snow making equipment with constant forced-blowing of the first or second invention, the rotary blades
17
in the air-blowing pulverizer
11
are radially arranged in two rows at an equal distance from each other around the periphery
16
of the rotational shaft, wherein one side of the rotary blades
17
, at the central periphery
26
of the shaft, is positioned behind the other side of the rotary blade
17
, on an edge
25
of the shaft, in the direction opposite from direction of rotation
27
such that rotary blade
17
is oblique to axis
39
.
According to the fifth invention in reference to artificial snow making equipment with constant forced-blowing of the second or fourth invention, edge portion
31
is a portion of rotary blade
17
in air-blowing pulverizer
11
between edge
29
of the blade and bending line
30
which is located between base
28
and edge
29
of the blade wherein edge portion
31
is bent in the direction opposite from direction or rotation
27
.
In other words, the means of the present invention has an ice block supplier
1
to supply ice blocks as a raw material at a constant rate to air-blowing pulverizer
11
. In this an ice block supplier
1
, a plurality of rotary blades
8
are arranged at an equal distance from each other around rotational shaft
6
which rotates inside casing
3
. Exit for ice blocks
5
of an ice block supplier
1
to supply ice blocks at a constant rate is placed facing air duct
9
through which air is forced to air-blowing pulverizer
11
such that ice blocks can be supplied to air-blowing pulverizer
11
at a constant rate by adjusting the speed of rotation of rotary blades
8
in relation to the volume of the space between rotary blades
8
. Additionally, space
22
between the [inner] periphery of casing
3
and edge
21
of rotary blade
8
is established to be a minimum yet does not cause any disturbance in the rotation of rotary blades
8
. This configuration prevents the force of air to air-blowing pulverizer
11
from declining, which is caused by a backflow of air to be supplied to air-b
Armstrong, Westerman, Hattori, McLeland & Naughton, LLP.
Koyo Industry Co., Ltd.
Tapolcai William E.
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