JP2002228311A - Automatic ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the maintenance and inspection of the inside of an ice making section and prevent ice blocks from remaining on an ice chute by mounting a separator detachably provided at the opening of the case of ice making section. SOLUTION: Ice blocks are made by injecting ice making water against ice making cells 52 in an ice making chamber 50 provided at the upper part of the inside of the case B of the ice making section, while manufactured ice blocks C are dropped on the slanted ice chute 60 at the middle of the case to slip forward them whereby the ice blocks are sent out by pushing and opening the separator 25 provided at the opening Ba. The separator is divided into a plurality of pieces while engaging parts 25b having a C-shape sectional configuration are formed integrally on respective upper rims, and the engaging parts are engaged pivotally with a round bar type pivotal rod 18 provided horizontally on the lower rim of fore wall 17 provided in the upper part of fore side of the case for ice making section whereby the separators are hung and supported swingably. Respective engaging parts are hung and supported so that the opened parts 25c of the C-shape sectional configuration are faced toward the outside of the case for the ice making section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice making mechanism for an automatic ice making machine, and more particularly to an improvement in a separator provided at an opening for sending out ice blocks in an ice making unit case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an automatic ice maker of this type, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-89659, an ice making mechanism provided at an upper portion of an ice maker body 8 is cooled during an ice making operation. The ice making cup 4 cooled by the pipe 5 receives the ice making water spouted from the lower water sprinkler 16 and freezes the ice. When the freezing is completed, the ice making operation is stopped and the cooling pipe 5 is stopped.
The ice mass generated in the ice making cup 4 is supplied to the ice making cup 4 so as to fall on the inclined slope 13 and drop into the lower ice storage 10 through the opening on the front side of the ice making mechanism. A water shielding plate 21 made of a flexible sheet or the like hanging down by gravity is provided at the opening on the front side of the ice making mechanism, and ice blocks sliding down the slope 13 push the water shielding plate 21 open and fall into the ice storage 10. The ice making water spouted from the water sprinkler 16 is blocked by the water shield plate 21 and does not enter the ice storage 10, so that the ice blocks in the ice storage 10 are melted or the ice making water is discharged during the ice making operation. There is no shortage.

The water shield plate 21 of the prior art is made of a flexible sheet. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-86876, the upper part of a plurality of strip-shaped curtains 4 is supported by a support shaft 4a.
What is supported so that it can tilt freely is disclosed as a water shielding plate.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned first prior art, since the water shielding plate 21 is integrally formed as a whole, if a small number of ice blocks remain on the slope 13, the water alone is used only by its weight. There is a problem that the shielding plate 21 cannot be pushed open and remains on the slope and is melted by the ice making water sprinkled from the water sprinkler 16 to wastefully consume the ice or hinder the sprinkling of the ice making water. The problem is that the water shield plate is divided into a plurality of curtains 4 as in the second prior art, and each upper part is separately supported so as to be freely tilted, and one ice block pushes only one curtain 4 open. For example, the problem can be solved by dropping into the ice storage 10. However, this type of ice making mechanism is provided with a water shielding plate (separator) provided at an opening on the front side of the ice making mechanism for maintenance and inspection of a water sprinkler (water sprinkling nozzle) and a slope (ice chute) provided inside. It is necessary to remove the water shield plate, but it is not easy to remove the water shield plate, so that there is a problem that the maintenance and inspection inside the ice making mechanism is troublesome.

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention divides each separator into a plurality of parts and makes each separator detachable.
It is another object of the present invention to lighten the operation so that each of the plurality of divided separators can be opened even with a small amount of ice, and to prevent a problem caused by an incorrect mounting of each separator.

[0006]

For this purpose, an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention comprises a box-shaped ice making case having an opening formed on the lower side of a front wall, and an ice making device attached to a lower portion of the ice making case. A sprinkling nozzle having a spout for spouting water upward, and an ice making cell attached to the upper part in the ice making unit case and opened downward to receive ice making water spouted upward from the spout are cooled by a cooling pipe. An ice-making chamber, an ice chute that is attached to the middle part of the ice-making part case at an angle in the vertical direction, receives an ice block falling from the ice-making cell, slides it diagonally forward and downward, and sends it out of the ice-making part case through the opening; When an automatic ice maker is provided with an ice making mechanism comprising a separator which is swingably supported and is capable of freely opening an opening, the separator is divided into a plurality of parts. Each separator has been divided into even is characterized in that the upper is locked detachably in the ice making unit case.

According to the invention of the preceding paragraph, a round support rod extending in the lateral direction is integrally connected to the lower edge of the front wall, and the plurality of separators are integrally formed on the flat plate portion and the upper edge thereof. Each of the separators has a C-shaped cross-section having a circular arc-shaped inner surface rotatably engaged with the support rod and extending in the lateral direction. Each separator is swung by engaging the engagement portion with the pivot rod. It is preferable to movably suspend and support.

In the invention of the preceding aspect, the width of the open portion between both ends of the arcuate inner surface of each engaging portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the pivot rod,
It is preferable that each of the engaging portions is elastically deformed to enlarge the width of the opening portion so as to be rotatably engaged with the pivot rod.

Preferably, each of the engaging portions according to the second aspect of the present invention is engaged with and supported by a pivot rod such that an open portion faces the outside of the ice making portion case in a state where each separator is naturally hung. .

According to the invention of the preceding paragraph, the lower edge of the front wall is formed with a slit for inserting the engaging portion at a position corresponding to each separator between the pivot rod and the separator. It is preferable that a fan-shaped protrusion extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface at a position off the center in the direction, and a recess is formed in the slit at a position corresponding to the fan-shaped protrusion so that the fan-shaped protrusion can be inserted.

Further, in the invention of the preceding four aspects, it is preferable that at least one projection is provided on at least one of the side edges adjacent to each other of the plate portions of the separators adjacent to each other.

[0012] In the invention of the preceding fifth aspect, it is preferable to reduce the thickness of at least one end of the adjacent side edge of each flat plate portion of each adjacent separator.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the automatic ice maker of this embodiment comprises an automatic ice maker main body 70 and an ice making mechanism A provided at an upper portion inside the main body. The automatic ice making machine 70 includes a front plate 71 a and a rear plate 71.
b, left and right side plates 71c and a bottom plate 71d
1 and an ice storage box 7 which is formed of a thick heat insulating peripheral wall and has an open upper surface and an upper front half portion, and is supported above the machine room 71 in a box shape.
2, a heat-insulating ceiling plate 73 and an upper front plate 75 that respectively cover the upper surface and the upper front surface of the ice storage 72, and a machine room 7
1 and a lower front plate 74 covering the lower front surface of the ice storage 72.
And a heat-insulating door 76 whose lower edge is attached to the upper edge of the lower front plate 74 via a hinge 76a to open and close an opening formed between the lower front plate 74 and the upper front plate 75. A handle 76 is provided on the upper edge of the
b and packing 76c are attached. A compressor, a condenser, a refrigerator including a cooling fan, etc. (not shown) for supplying the cooled refrigerant to the ice making mechanism A are provided in the machine room 71, and are provided at the bottom of the ice storage 72. A drain hose (not shown) connected to the drain port 72a is led out through the inside of the machine room 71.

An ice making section B of the ice making mechanism A has left and right brackets 10L and 10R.
Overhang 10 protruding from the lower part of 0L, 10R to both left and right sides
a is projected rearward, the projection of the overhang 10a is placed on a support member 77 fixed slightly above the inner surface of the rear wall of the ice storage 72, and the left and right brackets 10L and 10R are bolted to the ceiling plate 73. By stopping, the ice making mechanism A
Are supported at the upper part in the ice storage 72. Overhang 10a
There is a considerable gap between the rear surface of the ice making mechanism A above and the rear wall of the ice storage 72, and an accumulator 78, water supply and refrigerant piping, electric wiring, and the like are provided in this portion.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice making mechanism A includes an ice making case B, an ice making water tank 30 provided at a lower end thereof, a lower part, an upper part, and an intermediate part in the ice making part case B. , An ice making chamber 50 and an ice chute 60 provided respectively. The ice making case B has a box shape as a whole, and mainly includes a pair of left and right brackets 10L and 10R and a front wall 1 connecting front and rear edges thereof.
7 and the rear wall 20. Since the vertical width of the front wall 17 is considerably smaller than the rear wall 20, an opening Ba is formed in the lower half of the front side of the ice making case B, and the opening Ba is closed by an openable and closable separator 25 as described later. I have.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the left and right brackets 10L and 10R has an inverted L-shape whose upper part is outwardly bent as a whole when viewed from the front side. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 14a extending in the vertical direction,
14b and 14c are formed. Each bracket 1
In the lower part of 0L and 10R, there is formed an overhanging portion 10a having an inward U-shaped cross-section and protruding outward and extending horizontally in the front-rear direction. And a support projection 13b are formed. The overhang 10a protrudes rearward from the rear wall 20, and the tank support groove 11 formed between the lower flange 13a and the support protrusion 13b also extends rearward from the rear wall 20. Support projection 13b
The upper surface of each bracket 10L, 10L is inclined so that the rear portion thereof rises, and extends in parallel with the upper surface.
The nozzle support groove 12 formed between the protruding plate 13 c formed to protrude inward at R stops before the rear wall 20. The circular support protrusions 14e formed on the front and rear portions of the inner surfaces of the brackets 10L and 10R above the protruding plate 13c are positioned lower on the front side than on the rear side. The lower portion of the left bracket 10L is integrally formed with an extension portion 16 for attaching a drain pan 37 and a watering pump 45, which will be described later. An insertion hole 15 through which a water supply hose 47 for sending water to the watering nozzle 40 is formed.

The front wall 17 is a rectangular synthetic resin plate whose upper and lower widths are considerably narrower than those of the brackets 10L and 10R.
a, 17b. On the lower edge of the front wall 17, a rod-shaped pivot rod 18 extending in the lateral direction is integrally formed, and as shown in detail in FIGS. A slit 19 is formed at a position corresponding to 25. This slit 19 is for inserting the engaging portion 25b of the separator 25,
A concave portion 19a through which the fan-shaped projection 26 can be inserted is formed at a position corresponding to the fan-shaped projection 26 formed on the engaging portion 25b.

The opening Ba formed in the lower front half of the ice making case B has a separator 25 divided into six equal to the number of rows of the spouting nozzles 43 of the water spray nozzle 40 and the ice making cells 52 of the ice making chamber 50 to be described later. Is openably closed.
As shown mainly in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a vertically long rectangular flat plate portion 25a and a laterally extending engaging portion 25b having a C-shaped cross section and one base edge on the base end side integrally connected to an upper edge of the flat plate portion 25a. is there. The inner surface of the engaging portion 25b has an arcuate shape rotatably engaged with the pivot rod 18, and the width of a portion other than the base end side connected to the flat plate portion 25a is smaller than the horizontal width of the flat plate portion 25a and the slit. 19, the width of the opening 25c between both ends of the arcuate inner surface of the engaging portion 25b is
8 is smaller than the outer diameter. On the outer peripheral surface of the engaging portion 25b, a fan-shaped protrusion 26 extending in the circumferential direction over a range of about 90 degrees from the tip of the engaging portion 25b is formed at a position off the center in the lateral width direction.

In order to attach the separator 25 to the front wall 17, as shown in FIG. 8, the engaging portion 25b is inserted into the ice making case B from the outside, and the opening 25c is applied to the pivot rod 18 from below. The flat plate portion 25a outside the ice making case B
Is sandwiched between fingers and pulled as shown by an arrow P. As a result, the engaging portion 25b is elastically deformed, the opening portion 25c is temporarily opened, and the distal end side of the engaging portion 25b and the fan-shaped projection 26 enter the slit 19 and the concave portion 19a, and engage as shown in FIG. The arc-shaped inner surface of the portion 25 b is rotatably engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the pivot rod 18, and each separator 25 is opened.
c is positioned so as to face the outside of the ice making unit case B, is swingably supported by the pivot rod 18, and hangs down by gravity to close the front side of the ice making unit case B. As mentioned above,
Since the formation position of the fan-shaped projection 26 with respect to the engaging portion 25b is off the center in the lateral width direction, the separator 25 cannot be attached to the front wall 17 in the opposite direction (see FIGS. 10 and 11). . Each of the separators 25 can be removed from the front wall 17 by opening the flat plate portion 25a almost horizontally and pushing the tip of the engagement portion 25b backward.

The rear wall 20 is a rectangular synthetic resin plate having a vertical width that substantially closes the rear side of the ice making case B,
Its upper edge is reinforced by a laterally extending rib 20a,
A cover 21 that extends rearward and covers most of the upper part of the rear part of the ice making water tank 30, which will be described later, is formed integrally with the lower edge. The cover 21 has a cutout (not shown) for passing a supply hose for supplying ice-making water to the ice-making water tank 30.

The brackets 10L and 10R, the front wall 17 and the rear wall 20 are all integrally formed of synthetic resin. In this embodiment, each of the left and right brackets 10L and 10R inserts both ends of the chute support tube 24 into each support protrusion 14e, and inserts both ends of the front wall 17 and the rear wall 20 into grooves formed on the front and rear edges. Although they are mechanically stopped and connected, they may be connected by adhesion.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice making water tank 30 has a substantially triangular shape in which the left side of the central portion is recessed downward as viewed from the front, and a box shape in which the upper side is opened. The shallow support portion 30a is detachably supported by being inserted into the tank support groove 11 of the ice making section case B from the front side. The deepest part of the ice making water tank 30 is located on the left bracket 10L side, and a water supply port 33 projecting toward the left bracket 10L is provided at the front of this part.
Are formed. Also, an overflow hole 34 is formed in the middle portion in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 6) on the bottom surface of the shallow portion approaching the support portion 30a on the left bracket 10L side.
The rising wall 30b formed at the front portion of the ice making water tank 30 is extended upward to a position close to the lower edge of each separator 25, and the left and right side walls 30c are tank support except for the front portion having the same height as the rising wall 30b. It is a height that can be inserted into the groove 11 (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, below the left bracket 10L, the rear side of the middle part in the front-rear direction and the left side of the part where the water supply port 33 of the ice making water tank 30 is provided. , A drain pan 37 is provided.
The drain pan 37 is screwed and fixed to a protrusion 16 a (see FIG. 1) formed below the extension 16 below the left bracket 10 </ b> L, and the discharge port 3 provided at the bottom of the drain pan 37 is provided.
A drain pipe 39 is connected to 8. The tip of the drain pipe 39 is connected to a drain port 72 provided at the bottom of the ice storage 72.
a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the watering pump 45 fixed to the lower surface of the extension 16 of the left bracket 10L by bolts is located inside the drain pan 37,
The suction port 45b of the pump section 45a of the watering pump 45 projects forward from the drain pan 37 and is connected to a suction pipe 46.
The other end of the suction pipe 46 is connected to the water supply port 33 of the ice making water tank 30 through a pipe joint 46a that is easily detachable. The water supply hose 47 having one end connected to the discharge port 45c of the pump section 45a is provided between the two reinforcing ribs 14a formed on the left bracket 10L and through the insertion hole 15 to form the ice making section B.
And the other end is connected to a watering nozzle 40 described below. The overflow hole 34 of the ice making water tank 30 is formed in a part of the inside of the drain pan 37 by a partition passage 3 formed vertically.
7a.

The sprinkling nozzle 40 is a liquid-tight combination of a pair of upper and lower synthetic resin molded articles formed by ultrasonic welding so as to form a flat shape as a whole. Means 24 spouts 43 with 4 rows and 6
Are formed in rows. On one side of the watering nozzle 40, two openings for cleaning each of the lateral tubular passages are formed,
Each opening is liquid-tightly closed by a cap 42 made of silicone rubber. The water sprinkling nozzle 40 has both left and right ends inserted and attached from the front side into the nozzle support groove 12 of the ice making case B, and the other end of the water supply hose 47 is connected to a water supply port formed at the upper center part thereof. I have.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ice making chamber 50, which is located at the upper part in the ice making part case B, has an ice making board 51 whose both ends are supported on the upper parts of the left and right brackets 10L, 10R, and the lower side is opened. 24 short and round cylindrical ice-making cells 52
Are aligned with and fixed to the respective ejection ports 43 of the watering nozzle 40. Each of the ice making cells 52 and the ice making substrate 51 are made of metal such as copper or aluminum having good thermal conductivity, and a cooling pipe 53 meanders closely above the ice making substrate 51 so as to pass through the center of each ice making cell 52. Refrigerant from a refrigerator in the machine room 71 is circulated and supplied to the cooling pipe 53 to cool the ice making cell 52.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice chute 60 has a number of elongated slide plates 7 arranged in a vertical direction.
1 are connected to the connecting members 62a, 62b, 62
c, and the lower surfaces of the front and rear portions are connected by a pair of lateral support leg pieces 63, and the whole is integrally formed of synthetic resin. This ice shoot 6
0 is a pair of support leg pieces 63 for each of the two chute support cylinders 24.
By elastically engaging with the outer peripheral surface of the
It is supported in the ice making case B so as to incline forward and downward just above 0, and the gap between each slide member 61 is aligned with each jet port 43 of the watering nozzle 40 and is jetted from each jet port 43. The ice making water is not obstructed by the ice chute 60.

In the ice making operation, the ice making cell 52 is cooled by operating the refrigerator, and the ice making water in the ice making water tank 30 previously filled to the level of the overflow hole 34 is sucked by the watering pump 45, and the water supply hose is provided. The water is supplied to the watering nozzle 40 through the nozzles 47 and the respective ice making cells 52
Spouts upward toward. The jetted ice making water passes between the respective slide members 61 of the ice chute 60 and is applied to the inner surface of each ice making cell 52 that has been cooled, a part of the ice making cell 52 is frozen on the inner surface, and the rest is placed in the ice making water tank 30 by gravity. Is returned to the watering nozzle 40 again by the watering pump 45, and is repeatedly jetted toward the inner surface of the ice making cell 52, so that the ice frozen in each ice making cell 52 gradually increases over time, The level of the ice making water in the ice making water tank 30 gradually decreases. When the inside of the ice making cell 52 is almost filled with ice, the ice making operation is stopped and hot gas is introduced into the cooling pipe 53, so that the ice making chamber 50 is heated and each ice making cell 52 and the ice generated inside the ice making cell 52 are heated. Is melted, the ice in each ice making cell 52 becomes a short columnar ice block C, falls on the ice chute 60, and slides obliquely forward and downward toward the separator 25. Then, the separator 25 which is hung down and closed by gravity is automatically pushed open and dropped from the ice making unit case B into the ice storage 72.

Then, a predetermined amount of ice making water is supplied into the ice making water tank 30 by a supply hose (not shown), and the refrigerator is again operated to cool the ice making chamber 50 and the ice making operation is repeated. If the level of the ice making water in the ice making water tank 30 becomes higher than the overflow hole 34 when supplying the ice making water, the excess ice making water is discharged from the overflow hole 34 into the drain pan 37 and passed through the drain pipe 39 to the outside. Is discharged.
Also, during the ice making operation, since each separator 25 hangs down due to gravity and the opening Ba of the ice making unit case B is closed, the ice making water scattered in the ice making unit case B does not enter the ice storage 72. There is no melting of the ice blocks C accumulated therein, no sticking of the ice blocks C due to re-freezing, or a shortage of ice making water during the ice making operation.

According to this embodiment, each of the plurality of divided separators 25 is connected to the front wall 1 by the upper engaging portion 25b.
Since each of the separators 25 can be easily detached from the ice making case B and can be attached thereto because it is detachably locked to the pivotal support rod 18 at the lower edge portion 7. Therefore, maintenance and inspection of the watering nozzle 40 or the ice chute 60 provided in the ice making unit case B can be easily performed.

Note that the maintenance of the watering nozzle 40 or the ice chute 60 is not necessarily performed by all the separators 2.
It is not necessary to remove 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, only one separator 25 is removed, and as shown in FIG. 9, the fan-shaped projection 26 is disengaged from the concave portion 19a and the front wall 17 between the slits 19 is separated from the open portion 25 of the engaging portion 25b.
c, and the other separator 25 is laterally moved to the removed separator 25 side so that the front end of the engaging portion 25b contacts the front wall 17, so that the separator 25 resists gravity. What is necessary is just to hold at that angle. As a result, since each separator 25 is maintained in a largely open state, it is possible to perform maintenance and inspection inside the ice making mechanism A, such as the state of water spray from the water spray nozzle 40 and the cleaning of the ice chute 60 and the like, without removing the separator. .

In this embodiment, the separator 25 is divided into six equal to the number of rows of the ice-making cells 52 of the ice-making substrate 51, and the engaging portions 25b of the respective separators 25 are formed by a round rod-shaped pivot rod 18. Since it is supported and its swing is light, even a single ice block C is surely opened, and the ice chute 60
No ice blocks remain on top. Therefore, the ice blocks C remaining on the ice chute 60 are melted and wasted by the ice making water spouted from the water spray nozzle 40 during the ice making operation, or the spout of the ice making water is hindered by the ice blocks C to hinder the ice making operation. Does not occur.

The width of the open portion 25c of the engaging portion 25b of each separator 25 is smaller than the outer diameter of the pivot rod 18 in the form of a round bar.
Is temporarily opened so that the arc-shaped inner surface of the engaging portion 25b is rotatably engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the pivot rod 18, so that the force is applied until the engaging portions 25b are elastically deformed again. Unless added, the separator 25 will not come off the pivot rod 18. This makes it difficult for the separators 25 suspended and supported by the pivot rod 18 to come off from the pivot rod 18, so that the reliability of the operation of each separator 25 is high.

The fan-shaped protrusion 26 as in the embodiment described above.
If the concave portion 19a through which the engaging portion 1a is not provided is provided, the engaging portion 1a is turned in the opposite direction to the above-described embodiment, that is, the opening portion of the engaging portion 1a, as in the separator 1 shown in FIGS. It is also possible to attach so that 2b faces the inside of the ice making case B. In this case, the impact force in the direction of arrow F1 applied to the separator 1 by the ice block C sliding on the slide member 61 as shown by arrow E1 acts to open the separator 1 as shown by arrow E2, An impact force as shown by an arrow F3 is applied to the portion 1a. Since the impact force F3 acts to open the opening 2b and remove the engaging portion 1a from the pivot rod 18, the separator 1 may be detached from the pivot rod 18 due to ice blocks C sliding down the slide member 61 in some cases. is there. In addition, there is a possibility that the separator 1 may be mistakenly attached as shown in FIG. 11. In this case, the ice block C sliding down the slide member 61 rides on the separator 1 and does not fall into the ice storage 72 from the opening Ba. , The separator 1 must be removed and re-attached.

However, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG.
c is swingably supported by the pivot rod 18 so as to be positioned outside the ice making case B, and is attached to the front wall 17 in the opposite direction as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Absent. In this state, the impact force in the direction of arrow F1 applied to the separator 25 by the ice block C sliding on the slide member 61 as shown by the arrow E1 acts to open the separator 25 as shown by the arrow E2, and at the same time, the engaging portion An impact force as shown by an arrow F2 is exerted on 25b. The impact force F2 is applied to the open portion 25 of the engaging portion 25b having the C-shaped cross section.
Since the side opposite to “c” acts so as to press against the pivot rod 18, there is no possibility that the opening 25 c is opened by such a force and the separator 25 comes off from the pivot rod 18.
Therefore, the reliability of the operation of each separator 25 is further enhanced.

In the above embodiment, each separator 2
As shown by the solid lines in FIGS. 3 and 5, the gap between the adjacent side edges 27 of the flat plate portion 25a has a narrow constant width in both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction. In such a separator 25, the adjacent separators 25 stick to each other due to the surface tension of the ice making water that has entered the gaps between the side edges 27, and the movement of the individual separators 25 becomes heavy. 60
There is a risk of remaining on the top.

In order to solve such a problem, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
A small number (two in the illustrated example) of protrusions 29a, 29b are provided on at least one of the side edges 27 adjacent to each other of the flat plate portion 25a.
It is sufficient to provide notches 28a, 28b, 28c having a constant width M in portions other than the protrusions 29a, 29b so as to increase the gap between the adjacent side edges 27.
Alternatively, as shown by a two-dot chain line 27a in FIG.
7 may be reduced in thickness. Alternatively, at least one of the side edges 27 adjacent to each other has a small number of protrusions 29a,
29b may be provided to reduce the thickness of the tip.

The protrusions 29a, 2a are formed on the side edges 27 of the flat plate 25a.
According to the one provided with the 9b, the ice making water that enters between the adjacent side edges 27 due to surface tension is reduced only to the projections 29a and 29b, and the amount is reduced. Since the sticking force between them is reduced, the movement of the individual separators 25 is not excessively heavy, and each of the separators 25 is opened even with only one ice block C. Therefore, there is no possibility that ice blocks remain on the ice chute 60. Each projection 29a, 2
9b length N1, N2 and each notch 28a, 28
The lengths L1, L2, L3 and width M of b, 28c are determined by the sticking force between the respective separators 25 due to the surface tension and the leakage of the ice making water to the ice storage 72 by providing the notches 28a, 28b, 28c. It may be determined in consideration of the increase.

A chamfer 27 is formed on the side edge 27 of the flat plate portion 25a.
a, the amount of ice making water that enters between adjacent side edges 27 due to surface tension is reduced by the reduced thickness of the front edge. Since the sticking force between the adjacent separators 25 due to the tension is reduced, the movement of the individual separators 25 does not become excessively heavy, and the ice chunks 60
There is no danger of remaining on top.

In FIG. 3, the protrusions 29a and 29b and the chamfer 27a are indicated by two-dot chain lines only in one pair of the adjacent side edges 27 of the flat plate portion 25a of the separator 25 adjacent to each other. Are provided on all the side edges 27 adjacent to each other.

[0041]

According to the present invention, the upper part of each of the plurality of divided separators is detachably locked to the ice making case, so that each separator can be easily removed from the ice making case and attached. it can. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform maintenance and inspection inside the ice making unit case provided with a watering nozzle or an ice chute.

A round rod-shaped pivot rod is integrally connected to the lower edge of the front wall, and a slit is formed. Each of the plurality of separators is swingably supported by an engaging portion having an arcuate inner surface. According to this, since the engaging portion of the separator is supported by a round rod-shaped pivot rod, its swing becomes light, and the division into a plurality of parts reduces the weight of one separator, so that even a small amount of ice When opened, no ice blocks remain on the ice chute.

The width of the open portion between both ends of the arc-shaped inner surface of each engaging portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the round support rod, and each engaging portion is elastically deformed to reduce the width of the open portion. According to the one that is rotatably engaged with the pivot rod by enlarging, each separator suspended and supported by the pivot rod is unlikely to come off from the pivot rod, so that the operation reliability of each separator is high. It will be.

Further, according to the engagement portion, the opening portion c is engaged with and supported by the pivot rod so that the opening portion c faces the outside of the ice making portion case in a state where each separator is naturally suspended. The impact force when the ice block that slides down collides with the inside of the separator acts to press the opposite side of the opening of the engaging portion having the C-shaped cross section against the pivot rod. There is no danger of the separator opening and the separator coming off the pivot rod. Therefore, the reliability of operation of each separator is further enhanced.

Each of the separators has a fan-shaped projection on the outer peripheral surface at a position deviated from the center in the width direction of the engaging portion, and the slit for inserting the engaging portion has the fan-shaped projection at a position corresponding to the fan-shaped projection. According to the recessed portion that can be inserted, the engaging portion of the separator is erroneously engaged with the pivot rod in the opposite direction, and the engaging portion is supported by the pivot rod so that the open portion faces the inside of the ice making unit case. Therefore, the effects described in the preceding section are always reliably achieved.

According to the separator provided with at least one protrusion on at least one of the side edges adjacent to each other of the plate portions of the separators adjacent to each other, the portion excluding this protrusion is in contact with the adjacent plate portion. Since the gap between them is increased, the amount of ice making water that enters due to surface tension between adjacent side edges is reduced. This reduces the sticking force between adjacent separators due to the surface tension of the ice making water that has entered, so that the movement of each separator does not become excessively heavy, and there is no risk that ice blocks remain on the ice chute.

Also, the ice making water that enters between the adjacent side edges due to surface tension can be formed by reducing the thickness of at least one end of the adjacent side edge of each flat plate portion of each adjacent separator. The amount is reduced by the reduced thickness of the side edges. Therefore, the sticking force between the adjacent separators due to the surface tension of the ice making water is reduced, so that the movement of each separator does not become excessively heavy, and there is no possibility that ice blocks remain on the ice chute.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall front view showing a part of an ice making mechanism of an automatic ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a part cut away.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG. 1 excluding the vicinity of a right bracket.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged front view showing a part of the separator of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the vicinity thereof;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a left side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the entire structure of an automatic ice maker provided with an ice making mechanism.

8 is a side sectional view showing a state where the separator of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is attached.

9 is a side sectional view showing a state where the separator of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is held in an open state.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where the separator is attached so that an open portion is on the inside.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a state where a separator is incorrectly attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

10L, 10R: bracket, 17: front wall, 18: pivot rod, 19: slit, 19a: concave portion, 25: separator, 25a: flat plate portion, 25b: engaging portion, 25c: open portion, 26: fan-shaped projection, 27 ... side edge, 29a, 29b ... projection, 40 ... watering nozzle, 43 ... spout, 50 ... ice making room,
52: ice making cell, 53: cooling pipe, 60: ice chute, A: ice making mechanism, B: ice making case, Ba: opening, C: ice block.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Kotani 3-16 Hoshizaki Electric Co., Ltd., Sakaemachi Minamikan, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture (72) Inventor Chimi Toritani 16-16 Hoshizaki Electric Co., Ltd., Sakaemachi Minamikan, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture In company

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A box-shaped ice making unit case having an opening formed on the lower side of a front wall, a water spray nozzle attached to a lower portion of the ice making unit case and having a jet port for jetting out ice making water upward,
An ice-making chamber which is provided at an upper portion in the ice-making unit case, is provided with a plurality of ice-making cells, is opened downward, and receives ice-making water ejected upward from the jet port, and is cooled by a cooling pipe; An ice chute that is attached to the middle part in the vertical direction of the vertical and receives an ice block falling from the ice making cell, slides diagonally forward and downward, and sends it out of the ice making part case through the opening, and swings freely to the ice making part case. In an automatic ice making machine comprising an ice-making mechanism comprising a separator suspended and supported to open and close the opening freely, the separator is divided into a plurality of parts, and each of the divided separators can be detached from the upper part to the ice-making part case. Automatic ice making machine, characterized in that it is locked to. 2. A lower end of the front wall is integrally connected with a round rod-shaped pivot rod extending in a lateral direction, and the plurality of separators are integrally formed on a flat plate portion and an upper edge thereof. The separator comprises a laterally extending engaging portion having a C-shaped cross-sectional shape having an arc-shaped inner surface rotatably engaged with the supporting rod. Each of the separators engages the engaging portion with the pivoting rod. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is supported by swinging.
The automatic ice maker according to 1. 3. A width of an open portion between both ends of the arc-shaped inner surface of each of the engaging portions is smaller than an outer diameter of the pivot rod, and each of the engaging portions is elastically deformed to form the open portion. 3. The automatic ice maker according to claim 2, wherein the width is increased so as to be rotatably engaged with the pivot rod. 4. Each of the engaging portions is engaged and supported by the pivot rod such that the open portion faces the outside of the ice making portion case in a state where each of the separators is naturally suspended. The automatic ice making machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein 5. A lower edge of the front wall is formed with a slit for inserting the engaging portion at a position corresponding to each of the separators with the pivot rod, and the engaging portion is formed on the separator. A fan-shaped protrusion extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface at a position off the center in the lateral width direction, and a recess is formed in the slit at a position corresponding to the fan-shaped protrusion so that the fan-shaped protrusion can be inserted. The automatic ice making machine according to claim 4, wherein 6. The device according to claim 2, wherein at least one protrusion is provided on at least one of the adjacent side edges of each flat plate portion of each of the separators adjacent to each other. Automatic ice making machine according to the item. 7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of at least one end of the adjacent side edge of each of the plate portions of each of the separators adjacent to each other is reduced. The automatic ice maker according to 1.