JP2002048439A - Operation controller for reversed cell type ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reversed cell type ice making machine making an ice block having a given configuration at all times in spite of the set atmosphere of the ice making machine, the configuration of an ice making chamber and the kind of refrigerant by directly detecting the configuration of the ice block under being produced. SOLUTION: The reversed cell type ice making machine is provided with a cooler 30, defined and formed so as to open a multitude of ice making chambers 2 downwardly, an ice pan 6, closing the coolers 30 while slanting and returning the coolers 30 from the lower part thereof, returning holes 9 and water injecting port 8, formed on the water pan 6 at positions opposing to respective ice making chambers 2, a circulating pump 13 for feeding water in a water tank 15 to the water injecting port 8 as circulating water, a CCD imaging element 16 for imaging the configuration 19 of the ice produced in the ice making chamber 2 and a control circuit, processing an image signal from the CCD imaging element 16 and deciding the finish of the ice making.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice making chamber which is provided with a tiltable water tray below a cooler which defines a plurality of downwardly opening ice making chambers and which is formed on a surface of the water tray. The present invention relates to an operation control device for an inverted cell type ice maker that makes ice while fountains.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Among conventional ice making machines, in particular, an inverted cell type ice making machine has a plurality of ice making chambers opened downward, a cooler for cooling the ice making chamber on an upper surface, and a cooler on a lower surface. A water tray having a surface rotatably supported on one side and interspersed with fountain ports is in contact with each other so as to close each ice making chamber, and a water tank for storing ice making water is provided below the water tray. In parallel, the water in this water tank is pumped by a circulating pump and sprayed from the fountain port of the water tray into the ice making chamber, and ice is made in each ice making chamber, and the ice making chamber is opened based on the end signal of the ice making timer. A drive mechanism including a deceleration motor that tilts the water tray, heats the ice making chamber with hot gas, performs de-icing, and moves the water tray back so as to close the ice making chamber in response to a de-icing completion signal. If you look at the ice making room from below, it is a shape that gathers cells , With the help of English of the cell, it is referred to as reverse cell type ice making machine.

[0003] In such an inverted cell type ice maker,
Including the water supply process to the water tank, the ice making process in which the water tray is closed and ice is made while fountain is sprayed into the ice making room, or the hot plate is opened by flowing hot gas to de-ice from the ice making room, and then the water tray is closed. A series of steps including the ice process is called one ice making cycle. In the case of the above-described inverted cell type ice making machine, a method of detecting completion of ice making is, as shown in JP-A-6-313657, after the temperature of the water in the water tank drops to around 0 ° C. This was due to the start of the ice making timer and the expiration of the count up or count down of this timer.

That is, according to the flow chart of the conventional ice making process shown in FIG. 10, the water supply process (omitted) is changed to the ice making process (step S9).
In step S91, the compressor, fan motor, and pump motor are turned on in step S91 to inject water into the ice making chamber, flow the refrigerant through the cooler, and gradually cool the circulating water. When the tank water temperature reaches 0.5 ° C. in step S92,
Immediately in step S93, the ice making timer starts. Then, at the time stored in the microcomputer beforehand (step S94), the pump motor and the fan motor are stopped in step S95, hot gas is supplied to the cooler in the next step S96, and the process proceeds to the ice removing step in step S97.
Thus, the ice making was all time dependent.

[0005]

Since the completion of ice making depends on a timer, the generation of ice in the ice making chamber is left to time, which causes variations in component characteristics during manufacture and installation conditions of the ice making machine. When the room temperature or water temperature changes, the ice making completion time may not match the actual condition of the ice, and the ice hole may be large or small, or the ice may bite due to supercooling. . Further, when determining the timer characteristics, it is necessary to obtain detailed data by changing the room temperature or the water temperature, and an enormous test is forced every time the model or the refrigerant changes.

The present invention solves the above problems,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inverted cell type ice machine that always detects the completion of ice making, not the timer method, but directly detects the shape of the ice, regardless of the installation environment of the ice machine, the shape of the ice making room, and the refrigerant, and always produces ice of a fixed shape. And

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems Claim 1 of the present invention provides:
A cooler partitioned so as to open a number of ice making chambers downward, a water tray that closes the cooler while tilting the cooler from below, and a return hole in the water tray at a position facing each of the ice making chambers. And a fountain port, a circulating pump for supplying water from a water tank as circulating water to the fountain port, a CCD imaging device for photographing an ice shape generated inside the ice making chamber,
Since a control circuit is provided to determine the completion of ice making by processing the video signal from the CD image sensor, it is possible to directly detect and control the state of ice production, so the installation environment of the ice making machine, the shape of the ice making room, the refrigerant of the ice making machine It is possible to always provide ice of a fixed shape regardless of the shape.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an illuminating device including an infrared light source is provided for photographing an ice making shape by the CCD image pickup device, and the inside of the ice making room is illuminated. The interior of the ice making room, which is surrounded by a metal plate and is dark, is photographed with infrared light that is easily absorbed by ice, so that a clear ice shape can be photographed even with transparent ice.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, at the time of photographing the CCD image sensor, the circulating pump is temporarily stopped to stop jetting of water into the ice making chamber. And cavities can be identified.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a shutter is provided in the CCD image pickup device and the illumination device, and the shutter is opened when an image is taken in the ice making chamber, and the shutter is linked with the image pickup and illumination. This not only ensures an optical path to the ice-making room, but also exposes the CCD image pickup device and lighting device to the ice-making room only when taking a picture. It is possible to shoot a perfect image.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when photographing the ice making room with the CCD image pickup device and the lighting device, the shutter closes the fountain hole and stops only the fountain in the ice making room. There is no need to temporarily stop the fountains in all ice making rooms, and other ice making rooms have the advantage that ice making can be continued.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, since the water tray is made of a transparent resin, the illuminating device and the CCD image pickup device can be arranged via the transparent resin, so that water droplets do not hit directly. Therefore, the lens and the like do not become stained with water scale, there is no possibility of freezing, and a simple structure can be achieved without a means for securing an optical path such as a shutter.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of an ice making mechanism showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of an ice making chamber showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an ice making process of the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a CCD image of the first embodiment, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an ice making chamber during ice making, showing a second embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an ice making room during photographing of the second embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the ice making process of the embodiment, and FIG.
D image, FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of an ice making chamber during ice making, showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an inverted cell type ice making device, which is supported by a support beam (not shown) at an upper portion inside a main body (not shown) of a heat insulating structure. An ice storage chamber (not shown) for storing ice produced by the ice making device 1 is provided at a lower part in the main body. The ice-making apparatus 1 has a plurality of ice-making chambers 2 opened downward, and the ice-making chamber 2 is a heat-conductive box plate 4 which is arranged upside down with a heat-conductive vertical plate 3 arranged in a grid. The refrigerant pipes 5 meander on the upper surface of the box plate 4, and are integrated with the ice making chamber 2 by soldering in a thermally conductive manner to constitute the cooler 30.

A water tray 6 for closing the ice-making chamber 2 is detachably connected to the lower surface of the ice-making chamber 2.
Has one fountain port 8 at a substantially central position facing each ice making chamber 2 and two return holes 9 on both sides thereof, and the fountain port 8 opens into a fountain channel 10 running linearly. ing. The right end of the fountain passages 10 arranged in several rows is closed, and the left end communicates with a fountain chamber 11 forming a sealed space. The fountain chamber 11 is directly connected to a circulation pump 13 via a discharge pipe 12. The circulation pump 13 is further connected to a water tank 15 via a suction pipe 14.

The water tank 15 and the water tray 6 are connected to each other, and a metal fitting (not shown) is attached to the left end 6A of the water tray, and is rotatably supported. When an ice making end signal is output during the production of ice in each ice making room 2, the water tray 6 and the water tank 15 are tilted so as to open the ice making room 2. At the same time, a hot gas is caused to flow through the refrigerant pipe 5 to heat the cooler 30 to perform deicing. A drive mechanism (not shown) including a deceleration motor (not shown) for returning the water tray 6 and the water tank 15 so as to close the ice making chamber 2 in response to a signal of completion of deicing is constituted. I have.

Referring to FIG. 2, which is a first embodiment of the present invention, a small waterproof camera 18 having a built-in CCD image pickup device 16 and a lighting device 17 is mounted on the side of a cooler 30 in a watertight manner. The operation of the first embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When entering the ice making process (step S10), the process proceeds to step S11 in which the compressor, the fan motor, and the pump motor are turned on.
If the cooling of the ice making chamber 2 is continued for a while in this state, the circulating water cools down, and it is determined in step S12 whether or not to start freezing. When the tank water temperature decreases to 0.5 ° C., the next step S13 Then, the shooting timer starts. It is determined in step S14 whether or not a predetermined time has been reached. If YES, the process proceeds to step S15, in which the pump motor is momentarily stopped for photographing, the fountain is stopped, and the illumination is immediately turned on in step S16. C
Perform CD shooting. Upon receiving the photographing signal, step S1
Then, the process proceeds to step S7, and the microcomputer calculates the area of the ice by a microcomputer (not shown). At step S18, it is determined whether or not the ice area is within the completion range (90% in this embodiment). If the ice area is less than the completion range, the NO circuit is followed, the illumination is turned off (step S22), the pump motor is turned (step s23), and ice making is continued again. Then, step S14
Is repeatedly taken in accordance with the ice shooting time, and the routine for calculating and determining the ice area is circulated. Ice area is 90
%, The process proceeds to the next steps S19 and S20,
The illumination is turned off, the pump motor and the fan motor are stopped, hot gas flows through the refrigerant pipe 5, and the process proceeds to the ice removing step of step S21.

FIG. 4 shows the CCD image photographed in step S16. (A) is a state in which a small amount of ice has been formed in the ice making chamber 2, black corresponds to the generated ice 19, white corresponds to the cavity 20, and (B)
Indicates a state where the ice is formed about 1/3, (c) indicates a state where the ice is formed about 2/3, and (d) indicates a state where the ice is buried to a desired 90%.
The image captured in this way is decomposed into many pixels,
The signals are divided into 0 and 1 signals and integrated by a microcomputer, calculated as a percentage, and a determination is made in step S18 that ice making is completed. By frequently setting the interval of step S14, the photographing frequency is increased, and the optimum ice shape is obtained without being influenced by the installation state of the ice making machine or the shape of the ice making room. be able to.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. A deep hole is opened in the side surface of the water tray 6 until it reaches the fountain port 8, and the shutter 21 is slidably inserted into the deep hole. An opening 22 serving as a light passage is provided in the shutter 21, and the right end thereof is connected to a plunger 24.
A spring 2 is provided between the right end of the plunger 24 and the gap between the solenoid 25.
The electromagnetic coil 27 is wound around the outside of the solenoid 26 to form a so-called electromagnetic solenoid 28. The electromagnetic solenoid 28 is fixed to the side of the water tray 6.

Although the return hole 9 and the fountain port 8 are formed in the water tray surface 7 as in the prior art, the present invention further includes:
The optical path 29 is opened, and the shutter 21 is slidably exposed in the middle thereof.
Is tilted. Inside the waterproof small camera 18, a CCD image pickup device 16 and an illumination device 17 of an infrared light source are built in a watertight manner.

The state of the embodiment thus constructed during ice making will be described with reference to FIG. The electromagnetic coil 27 is energized, the solenoid 25 is excited, the plunger 24 is pulled to the right, and the shutter 21 connected thereto is also pulled to the right, closing the optical path 29 and opening the fountain 8.
The circulating water is supplied from the fountain passage 10, passes through the fountain port 8, is injected into the ice making chamber 2, collides with the vertical plate 3 and the box plate 4, and is deprived of heat by the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 5 on the upper surface. It freezes from. The generated ice 19 further advances while forming a dome-shaped cavity 20 while gradually approaching the center.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which ice is being photographed. When the energization of the electromagnetic coil 27 is cut off, the excitation of the solenoid 25 is released,
The suction force of the plunger 24 is lost, and the repulsive force of the spring 26 pushes the plunger 24 to the left. Then, the shutter 21 also slides to the left, closes the fountain port 8, and the opening 22 matches the optical path 29, so that the waterproof small camera 18 is ready to face the ice making chamber 2. At this time, the lighting device 17 is turned on and C
An image of the cavity 20 in the ice making chamber 2 is taken by the CD imaging device 16. By doing so, the work of stopping the fountain in the ice making chamber 2 and the work of photographing ice can be performed at the same time by one electromagnetic solenoid 28, so that it is not necessary to stop the pump for photographing each time. Further, since the lens of the waterproof small camera 18 is not normally exposed to the fountain, it is possible to take clear images for many years without attaching scale or dirt.

This sequence will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When entering the ice making process (step S30),
The process proceeds to step S31 where the compressor, the fan motor, and the pump motor are turned on. If the cooling of the ice making chamber 2 is continued in this state for a while, the circulating water cools down, and it is determined in step S32 whether or not to start freezing.
When the tank water temperature drops to the next step, the process moves to the next step S33, and the shooting timer starts. It is determined in step S34 whether or not a predetermined time has been reached. If YES, the process proceeds to step S35, the electromagnetic solenoid 28 is excited for photographing, the fountain port 8 is momentarily stopped by the shutter 21, and the fountain is stopped. At the same time, the optical path 29 is opened by the opening 22 of the shutter 21 and the illumination is immediately turned on in step S36,
Perform CD shooting. Upon receiving the photographing signal, step S3
The process proceeds to step S7, and the microcomputer calculates the area of the ice by a microcomputer (not shown). In step S38, it is determined whether or not the ice area is within the completion range (90% in this embodiment). If the ice area is less than the completion range, the NO circuit is followed, the illumination is turned off (step S42), and the shutter is closed (step S4).
3) Continue making ice again. Then, according to the ice photographing time of step S34, re-photographing is frequently performed, and the routine for calculating and determining the ice area is circulated. When the ice area reaches 90%, the process proceeds to the next steps S39 and S40, where the shutter is closed, the illumination is turned off, the pump motor and the fan motor are stopped, hot gas flows into the refrigerant pipe 5, and step S4 is performed.
The process proceeds to a de-icing step (1).

FIG. 8 shows the CCD image photographed in step S36. (A) is a state in which a small amount of ice has been formed in the ice making chamber 2, black corresponds to the generated ice 19, white corresponds to the cavity 20, and (B).
Indicates a state in which ice is formed about 1/3, (C) indicates a state in which about 2/3 is formed, and (D) indicates a state in which ice is buried to a desired 90%.
The image captured in this way is decomposed into many pixels,
The signals are divided into signals of 0 and 1 and accumulated by the microcomputer, calculated as a percentage, and a judgment is made in step S38 that ice making is completed. By setting the interval of step S34 frequently, the photographing frequency is increased, and the optimum ice shape is obtained regardless of the installation state of the ice making machine and the shape of the ice making room. be able to.

Next, the configuration of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present invention, the water tray 6 is formed of a transparent resin. A fountain opening 8 is formed in the surface 7 of the water dish 6 near the center facing the ice making chamber 2.
Is connected to the fountain passage 10, and a return hole 9 penetrates at a position slightly away from the fountain passage 10. A waterproof small camera 18 is mounted in a transparent water dish 6 in the vicinity of the fountain port 8 which does not intersect with the return hole 9, and a CCD imaging device 16 is provided.
And an illumination device 17 for irradiating infrared light. Ice making room 2
Is the same as that of FIG. Such a configuration of FIG. 9 is different from that of FIG.
It can be seen that the position of 8 has just changed. Therefore,
The flowchart of the operation is the same as that of FIG. However, the captured image is equivalent to FIG. 8 because it is viewed from below. In the third embodiment, since the camera is pointed at the ice through the transparent water dish, water droplets do not directly hit the lens of the camera, do not stain water scale, do not freeze, and operate the shutter and the like. No means for securing the optical path is required, and a simple structure can be obtained.

[0026]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the ice shape generated inside the ice making room is directly photographed by the CCD image pickup device, and the video signal is processed to determine the completion of the ice making. Since the circuit is provided, the state of ice formation is directly detected, and ice of a constant shape can be provided regardless of the installation environment of the ice maker, the shape of the ice maker, and the refrigerant.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an infrared light which is easily absorbed by ice is irradiated to a place surrounded by a heat conductive metal plate and the inside is dark, thereby reducing the ice shape. C
Since the image is taken by the CD imaging device, it is possible to clearly capture the ice shape even with transparent ice.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when photographing the CCD image pickup device, the pump motor is temporarily stopped to stop the jetting of water into the ice making room. The cavities can be identified.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when photographing in the ice making room, the shutter is opened and linked in synchronization with the timing of illuminating and taking an image. In addition to ensuring the image quality, the CCD image pickup device and the lighting device are exposed to the ice making chamber only when shooting, so that water scale and dirt do not adhere to the shooting lens.
It is possible to shoot clear images for many years.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when photographing the interior of the ice making room with the CCD image pickup device and the lighting device, the fountain hole is closed by the shutter and only the fountain in the ice making room to be photographed is stopped. There is an advantage that ice making can be continued without stopping, and the control circuit is also simplified.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the water tray is made of a transparent resin, it is possible to arrange the illuminating device and the CCD image pickup device through the transparent resin,
Since the water droplets do not hit directly, the lens and the like are not stained with water scale, there is no possibility of freezing, and a simple structure can be achieved without a means for securing an optical path such as a shutter.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice making mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the ice making chamber showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an ice making process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a CCD image according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
Indicates a state in which a small amount of ice has been formed in the ice making room, (b) indicates a state in which ice has been formed in the ice making room, (c) indicates a state in which ice has been formed in the ice making room, D) 90% ice in the ice making room
This shows a completed state.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an ice making chamber during ice making, showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an ice making room during photographing according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an ice making process according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a CCD image according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A)
Shows a state in which a small amount of ice has been formed in the ice making room, (B) shows a state in which ice has been formed in the ice making room, (C) shows a state in which ice has been formed in the ice making room, D) 90% ice in the ice making room
This shows a completed state. is there.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of an ice making chamber during ice making, showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a conventional ice making process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ice-making apparatus 2 Ice-making room 5 Refrigerant pipe 6 Water tray 8 Fountain port 9 Return hole 13 Circulation pump 15 Water tank 16 CCD imaging device 17 Lighting device 18 Waterproof small camera 19 Ice formation 30 Cooler

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cooling device which is formed so as to open a large number of ice making chambers downward, a water tray which closes the cooling device while reciprocating the cooling device from below, and the water tray faces each of the ice making chambers. A circulating pump that forms a return hole and a fountain port at a position where the water is supplied from the water tank to the fountain port as circulating water, a CCD image sensor that captures an ice shape generated inside the ice making chamber, A control circuit for processing the video signal from the CCD image pickup device to determine the completion of ice making. 2. The operation control device according to claim 1, wherein an illumination device including an infrared light source is provided for photographing the ice making shape by the CCD image pickup device, and the inside of the ice making room is illuminated. 3. The operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the circulating pump is temporarily stopped at the time of photographing by the CCD image pickup device, and the jetting of water into the ice making chamber is stopped. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shutter is provided in the CCD image pickup device and the illumination device, and the shutter is opened when taking an image of the inside of the ice making chamber, and the shutter, the imaging and the illumination are linked. The operation control device according to any one of claims 2 and 3. 5. The operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the fountain hole is closed by the shutter when photographing the ice making room with the CCD image pickup device and the lighting device. 6. The operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the water tray is made of a transparent resin.