JP2002350019A - Method for making transparent ice - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an ice having high transparency using an ice making pan. SOLUTION: While keeping the temperature on the upper surface side of an ice making pan 13 higher than that on the bottom side, water supplied into the ice making pan 13 is frozen while oscillating the ice making pan 13. After the water in the ice making pan 13 is frozen, water is supplied additionally into the ice making pan 13 and frozen while oscillating the ice making pan 13 thus forming ice sequentially from the bottom side of the ice making pan 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing transparent ice using an ice tray.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in home refrigerators and the like,
The water supplied from the water supply device is stored in an ice tray to make ice,
2. Description of the Related Art An automatic ice making device that rotates and reverses an ice tray by a driving device after ice making to separate ice is widely used.

Hereinafter, a method for producing transparent ice using the above-described conventional automatic ice making apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0004] Reference numeral 1 denotes a refrigerator body, which includes an outer box 2 and an inner box 3.
And a heat insulating material 4 filled between the outer box 2 and the inner box 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a partition wall for partitioning the inside of the refrigerator main body 1 into upper and lower parts.
Are formed. Reference numeral 8 denotes a refrigerating cycle cooler provided on the back of the freezing room 6, and reference numeral 9 denotes a blower for forcibly blowing cool air cooled by the cooler into the freezing room 6 and the refrigerating room 7.

[0005] Next, reference numeral 10 denotes an automatic ice maker provided in the freezing room 6, a driving device 11 having a motor and a reduction gear group (not shown) built therein, and an ice tray having a support shaft 12 connected and fixed to the center thereof. 13, a frame 14 for supporting the ice tray 13 on the drive unit 11 and the like.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a stopper provided on a part of the frame 14 for distorting the ice tray 13 to separate ice by distorting the ice tray 13, and 16 is mounted on the ice tray 13 so as to contact the stopper 15. It is a backing plate.

Reference numeral 17 denotes an ice storage box provided below the automatic ice maker 10. Reference numeral 18 denotes a water supply tank for storing water for ice making, which is detachably provided in a part of the refrigerator compartment 7.
Reference numeral 19 denotes a water supply port of the water supply tank 18, which is opened and closed by a valve 20. Reference numeral 21 denotes a water receiving tray provided below the water supply port 19 of the water supply tank 18. When the water supply tank 18 is set with the water supply port 19 facing downward, the valve 20 is pushed up to open the water supply port 19. ing.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a water supply pump for pumping water received in the water receiving tray 21. Reference numeral 23 denotes a water supply pump connected to the water supply pump 22, the outlet of which is arranged to face the ice tray 13 of the automatic ice maker 10. It is a water pipe installed.

The operation of the conventional automatic ice making apparatus 10 will be described.

When the water tank 18 filled with water is set at a predetermined position by the user, the valve 20 is pushed up, the water supply port 19 is opened, and the water receiving tray 21 is filled with water. Thereafter, the filled water is pumped up by a water supply pump 22 and injected into the ice tray 13 through a water supply pipe 23.

The water filled in the ice tray 13 in a predetermined amount in this manner is frozen by the cooling action in the freezing compartment 6, and ice is generated.

When the ice making is completed, the ice tray 13 is rotated around the support shaft 12 by the rotation of the driving device 11, and the stopper plate 15 comes into contact with the stopper plate 16, whereby the ice tray 13 is twisted and deformed. And the ice in the ice tray 13 is separated.

The ice that has been separated from the ice falls into the ice storage box 17 and is stored. The ice tray 13 after the ice removal operation is returned to the original state by the reverse rotation of the drive unit 11 again.

Thereafter, this operation is repeated until the water in the water supply tank 18 is used up to automatically perform ice making and ice storage.

In the above-mentioned automatic ice making machine, the ice tray is cooled from the lower side and the upper side by cold air, so that the water stored in the ice tray freezes almost uniformly from the entire surface.

As a result, gas components in the water cannot escape, and the odor of the refrigerator is trapped in the air bubbles, resulting in opaque ice with a strange taste or smell at the center where it becomes cloudy.

Therefore, the ice is not sensuously suitable for use in drinking whiskey or for drinking such as juice.

Therefore, a method of producing relatively transparent ice by heating the upper surface of an ice tray, cooling it from the lower surface and freezing it, and applying vibrations to the ice tray so as to make air bubbles in the liquid easier to escape is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 9-86,086. It has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-158668.

[0019]

However, in the conventional method for producing transparent ice, even if air bubbles escape, minerals and silicon ions contained in the supplied water become oxides and precipitate on the upper surface of the ice, and the drinking liquid Oxide is turned into white powder when it is put into a container or the like, and is discharged as insoluble matter from ice.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing transparent ice capable of producing ice having relatively high transparency.

[0021]

In order to achieve this object, the invention of the method for producing transparent ice according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
In such a manner that the temperature on the upper side of the ice tray is higher than the bottom side, while rocking the ice tray, the water supplied into the ice tray is frozen, and after the water in the ice tray is frozen, Water is additionally supplied into the ice tray, and while the ice tray is rocked, the water additionally supplied into the ice tray is frozen to form ice sequentially from the bottom of the ice tray.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to generate ice having relatively high transparency in an ice tray, ice is sequentially formed from the bottom side of the ice tray. As a method for sequentially forming ice, a first method in which the temperature on the upper surface side of the ice tray is higher than that on the bottom side, and a second method in which additional water is supplied into the ice tray after the water in the ice tray freezes. By adopting the second method and all the third methods of swaying the ice tray during ice making to delay the formation of ice on the water surface, it is possible to achieve a better result than when only one of the above three methods is employed. It is possible to reliably generate ice with high transparency sequentially from the bottom of the ice tray, and it is possible to make ice in a shorter time than when only one of the above three methods is employed.

In particular, the method of rocking the ice tray during ice making is adopted because the formation of ice on the water surface in the ice tray is delayed by the rocking, and ice with high transparency is generated sequentially from the bottom side of the ice tray. The bubbles are released into the atmosphere from the surface of the water without being trapped in the ice, which greatly contributes to the production of transparent ice free of cloudiness in a relatively short time.

In the case where ice is formed while the ice tray is rocking, foreign substances deposited on the surface of the ice are dispersed on a plane and finer and relatively easier to melt than conventional vibrating ones. The foreign substances deposited on the ice surface in the ice tray before the additional water supply can be removed from the ice surface in the ice tray before the additional water supply by moving the water by rocking the ice tray after the additional water supply. Can be made inconspicuous.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing transparent ice according to the first aspect, wherein the interior is partitioned into a plurality of small chambers by a partition having an open upper surface and a cutout groove. A water tray is used to supply water to the ice tray through a single water supply pipe. The ice tray has an open upper surface and is partitioned into a plurality of small compartments by a partition. Even if water is supplied through a single water supply pipe, if a notch groove is provided in the partition, the amount of water supplied into the ice tray before the additional water supply is relatively small However, swinging the ice tray during ice making makes it easier for water to flow through the notched groove of the partition portion, and can reduce variations in the amount of water in the plurality of small rooms of the ice tray.

In addition to the movement of the water caused by the rocking, the rocking causes a water flow to flow from the notch groove, thereby increasing the effect of delaying the formation of ice on the water surface and the effect of discharging bubbles from the water surface to the atmosphere, thereby increasing the transparency. Ice making time can be reduced. Further, foreign matters can be made less noticeable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing transparent ice according to the first or second aspect, wherein the rocking of the ice tray is stopped during the final ice making of water supply. In order to cover the foreign matter on the ice with additional water and freeze it, the foreign matter is sealed with thin ice, and the foreign matter is not generated immediately at the time of use. Then, precipitation of foreign matter is reduced.

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The structure for mounting the automatic ice making device to the refrigerator is the same as that of the conventional example, and the drawings and detailed description thereof are omitted.

First, the configuration of the automatic ice making device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a driving device, which is provided with a U-shaped frame 14 on which an ice tray 13 is mounted. A motor 24, a reduction gear mechanism 25, and a support shaft 12 for the ice tray 13 are provided inside the drive device 11, and the rotation of the motor 24 is reduced by the reduction gear mechanism 25 and transmitted to the support shaft 12. It has become.

The ice tray 13 is made of resin, has a rectangular container shape with an open upper surface, and is internally partitioned into a plurality of small chambers. The ice tray 13 has a front central portion connected and fitted to the support shaft 12, a rear central portion fitted to be rotatable with the support shaft 26, and is rotated by the drive device 11 about the support shafts 12 and 26. Be moved.

Numeral 15 denotes a stopper A provided on a part of the frame 14 for causing the ice tray 13 to be twisted and deformed at the time of normal rotation to release ice, and 27 denotes a stopper for deforming the ice tray 13 at the time of reverse rotation. The ice tray 13 is provided with a contact portion 16 so that the stopper B comes into contact with the stopper A15 and the stopper B27.

The driving device 11 has a horizontal position detection switch 4 for detecting the horizontal position of the ice tray 13 near the support shaft 12.
0, an inversion position detection switch 41 for detecting the inversion position of the ice tray 13 is provided. A temperature sensor 42 is fixed to the bottom of the ice tray 13 with a heat insulating material 43 and detects the temperature of the water in the ice tray 13.

Reference numeral 44 denotes a heating portion A of a side wall heater for heating the upper surface and the side wall portion of the ice tray 13, and 46 denotes a partition heater for heating the vicinity of the cutout groove 48 of the central partition portion 47 of the ice tray 13 in the swing axis direction. It is.

Next, the electric circuit shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

Reference numeral 49 denotes a power outlet, to which the water supply pump 22 is connected via the normally open contact 51 of the first relay 50, and to the ice tray 13 through the normally open contact 53 of the second relay 52.
Heating section A44 of the side wall heater and heating section B of the partition heater
A primary side of a power transformer 55 in a control device (ice making control means) 54 for performing a series of ice making controls is connected. A power supply circuit 56 is provided on the secondary side of the power supply transformer 55.
Is connected. The controller 54 has, as inputs, a horizontal position detection switch 40 and an inversion position detection switch 41 of the ice tray 13, and a temperature sensor 42 provided on the ice tray 13.

One end of the horizontal position detection switch 40 is connected to the DC power supply Vcc, and the other end is grounded via the resistor R1 and the input terminal a of the microcomputer 57.
It is connected to the. One end of the inversion position detection switch 41 is connected to the DC power supply Vcc, and the other end is connected to the resistor R.
2 and the microcomputer 57
Is connected to the input terminal b.

The temperature sensor 42 is an NTC thermistor and has a negative temperature characteristic in which the electric resistance decreases as the temperature of the object to be detected increases, and the electric resistance increases as the temperature decreases. One end of the temperature sensor 42 is connected to the DC power supply Vcc, and the other end is grounded via the resistor R3 and connected to the input terminal f of the microcomputer 57.

The junction between the resistors R4 and R5 is connected to the input terminal g of the microcomputer 57, the other end of the resistor R4 is connected to the DC power supply Vcc, and the other end of the resistor R5 is grounded. The junction of the resistors R6 and R7 is
The other end of the resistor R6 is connected to the DC power supply Vcc, and the other end of the resistor R7 is grounded.

The junction between the resistors R8 and R9 is connected to the input terminal J of the microcomputer 57, the other end of the resistor R8 is connected to the DC power supply Vcc, and the other end of the resistor R9 is grounded. . The resistors R4 and R5 create a first reference voltage corresponding to the ice making start temperature (for example, -10.0 ° C), and the resistors R6 and R7 make the initial ice making completion temperature (for example, -1).
The resistors R8 and R9 create a third reference voltage corresponding to the additional water ice completion temperature (e.g., -15.0 ° C).

The output terminals c and d of the microcomputer 57 are connected to the motor 24 in the drive unit 11 via the motor drive circuit 58. The output terminal e is connected to a first relay 50 having a normally open contact 51 via a buffer 59, and the output terminal i is connected to a second relay 52 having a normally open contact 53 via a buffer 60. I have.

The automatic ice making apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in the water supply step, when the water supply tank 18 filled with water is set at a predetermined position by the user, the valve 20 is pushed up, the water supply port 19 is opened, and the water receiving tray 21 is filled with water. . Then, at step 71, H is output to the output terminal e of the microcomputer 57 for a certain time, the water supply pump 22 is operated for a certain time, and a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the ice tray 13 through the water supply pipe 23.

In the ice making process, at step 72, a voltage signal based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is compared with a first reference voltage corresponding to an ice making start temperature (for example, -10.0 ° C.). To determine if the water has reached 0 ° C. If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is lower than the ice making start temperature, in step 73, the side wall heater 44 and the partition heater 46 are turned on.

In step 74, H and L are output to the output terminals c and d of the microcomputer 57 for a fixed time A, respectively, and the driving device 1 is output via the motor driving circuit 58.
The motor 24 in 1 is normally rotated for a predetermined time A. Ice tray 1
3 rotates counterclockwise and reaches a position rotated a predetermined angle (for example, +20 degrees) from the horizontal position.

Subsequently, at step 75, L and H are applied to the output terminals c and d of the microcomputer 57, respectively.
Is output for 2 A for a fixed time, and the motor 24 is output for 2 A for a fixed time.
Only reverse. The ice tray 13 swings clockwise and reaches a position rotated a predetermined angle (for example, -20 degrees) from a horizontal position.

Then, in step 76, the motor 24 is rotated forward again. When the ice tray 13 returns to the horizontal position in step 77 and the horizontal position detection switch 40 is turned on, the motor 24 is stopped in step 78. And step 7
After a lapse of a predetermined time B in step 9, at step 80, a voltage signal based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is compared with a second reference voltage corresponding to an initial ice making completion temperature (for example, -13.0 ° C.). The water in the dish 13 is completely frozen and
It is determined whether the following has occurred.

If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is higher than the ice making completion temperature, the process returns to step 74 again. By the series of operations from step 74 to step 79, FIG.
The ice tray 13 swings around the support shaft 12 as shown in FIGS.

In this ice making step, the cool air cooled by the cooler 8 by the blower 9 passes through the ventilation passage below the ice tray 13 to cool the ice tray 13 from the bottom. Since the upper surface of the ice tray 13 is covered with a heat insulating material 29 and heated by the heating unit A44 of the side wall heater and the heating unit B46 of the partition heater, the water surface side hardly comes into contact with cold air and the temperature becomes high. The water flows from the notch groove 48 of the center partition 47 of the ice tray 13 in the direction of the rocking axis in the direction of the rocking, so that the water flow becomes a wave flow and delays the formation of ice on the water surface. Therefore, ice is formed sequentially from the bottom side of the ice tray, and the water surface side is formed last.

However, if the cooling from the lower part is carried out vigorously in order to freeze in a short time, the gas components dissolved in the water are trapped on the frozen surface and trapped in the ice before rising as buoyancy as bubbles. And easily become opaque ice.

In this regard, in the case of the present embodiment, the movement of water on the frozen surface due to rocking and the center of the ice tray 13 in the direction of the rocking axis 4
The air bubbles efficiently generated by the strong wave current due to the water flow flowing from the notch groove 48 of FIG. 7 are separated from the frozen surface, lifted by buoyancy, and confined inside the ice to be released to the atmosphere from the water surface which is not frozen. There is no.

After the ice making progresses, at step 80, a voltage signal based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is compared with a second reference voltage corresponding to the ice making completion temperature (for example, -13.0 ° C.), and the ice making tray is made. It is determined whether or not the water in 13 is completely frozen to 0 ° C. or less.

If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is lower than the ice-making completion temperature, in a step 81, a predetermined time I is output to the output terminal e of the microcomputer 57, the water supply pump 22 is operated for a predetermined time, and A predetermined amount of additional water is supplied into the ice tray 13.

After the ice making further proceeds, at step 82, the voltage signal based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is compared with a third reference voltage corresponding to the ice making completion temperature (for example, -15.0 ° C.). It is determined whether or not the added water in the dish 13 has been completely frozen to 0 ° C. or less.

If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 is lower than the ice-making completion temperature, in step 83, the heater A44 of the side wall heater and the heater B46 of the partition heater are turned off. At this point, since the temperature of the ice is still high, the ice making is continued for a sufficient time (time D) for the ice to cool to the freezer set temperature, and then the ice making process is terminated.

Next, the process proceeds to the ice removing step. In step 85, L and H are output to the output terminals c and d of the microcomputer 57 for a predetermined time E, respectively, and the motor 24 in the drive device 11 is rotated in the reverse direction through the motor drive circuit 58 for E time, so that the reduction gear mechanism 25 The ice tray 13 is supported by the support shaft 12
Is rotated in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

When the support shaft 12 has a swing angle (for example, 20 degrees)
With the rotation, the ice tray 13 is twisted due to the contact of the abutting portion 16 with the stopper B27, causing distortion, and the ice in the ice tray 13 is incomplete but released (see FIG. 7).

Next, at step 86, H and L are output to the output terminals c and d of the microcomputer 57, respectively, and the motor 24 in the drive unit 11 is rotated forward through the motor drive circuit 58, so that the reduction gear mechanism 25 Ice tray 13
Starts rotating about the support shaft 12 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

Then, in step 87, the ice storage box 17
It is determined whether or not the ice stored in the motor drive circuit 5 is full. If not, H and L are output to the output terminals c and d of the microcomputer 57 in step 88, respectively.
8, the motor 24 in the drive device 11 continues to rotate forward,
The reduction gear mechanism 25 causes the ice tray 13 to rotate about the support shaft 12 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

Then, the support shaft 12 is moved at a swing angle (for example, 2 degrees).
0 °) or more, the stopper 16
The ice tray 13 is twisted again on the opposite side due to the contact, and distortion is generated, and the ice in the ice tray 13 is completely separated, and the separated ice falls into the ice storage box 17 and is stored. .

When the ice making tray 13 reaches the reversing position in step 89 and the reversing position detecting switch 41 is turned on, in step 90, L and H are output to the output terminals c and d of the macro computer 56 to reverse the motor 24. I do. Then, the ice tray 13 after the ice-removing action is going to return to the original state again. When the ice tray 13 returns to the horizontal position in step 91 and turns on the horizontal position detection switch 40, the motor 24 is stopped in step 92.

In step 87, it is determined whether or not the ice stored in the ice storage box 17 is full.
3, the output terminal c of the microcomputer 56;
L and H are output to d, respectively, and the motor 24 in the driving device 11 is reversed through the motor driving circuit 58. At step 94, the ice tray 13 returns to the horizontal position, and at step 95, it waits for the time F.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the heater is energized, the heating section is heated, so that the water surface side hardly comes into contact with cold air, and the formation of ice is delayed, and the ice is formed on the bottom side of the ice tray. And the water surface side is formed last.

Then, the movement of the water on the frozen surface due to the swing and the notch groove 4 of the center partition 47 of the ice tray 13 in the swing axis direction.
Bubbles efficiently generated by a strong wave flow due to the water flow flowing from 8 are separated from the frozen surface, lifted by buoyancy and released to the atmosphere from the water surface which is not frozen, so that they are not trapped in the ice. Therefore, transparent ice without turbidity can be produced in a relatively short time.

Further, tap water and the like contain oxides such as silica in addition to calcium and magnesium, and when frozen from the lower surface, the ice crystals do not contain impurities. Impurities begin to precipitate in the water. Eventually, it becomes a white powdery foreign substance and adheres to the surface of the ice.

This foreign substance was originally contained in drinking water and was not harmful. However, when this water was used, a white powder was generated, which was unpleasant and unsuitable for drinking. Become.

In this regard, in the embodiment of the present invention, the foreign matter on the ice is covered with the additional water in order to perform additional water supply, and the ice is frozen to cover the foreign matter, and the foreign matter is not immediately generated at the time of use. Further, the foreign matter on the surface of the ice formed by the rocking method is dispersed more finely on a plane than the foreign matter formed by the conventional vibration method, so that it is fine and relatively easy to melt. For this reason, the generation of foreign matter is completely invisible by gradually melting out from the surface.

In the method for producing transparent ice according to the present embodiment, the ice tray 13 is supplied into the ice tray 13 while the ice tray 13 is oscillated such that the temperature on the upper side is higher than that on the bottom side. After the water is frozen and the water in the ice tray 13 is frozen, additional water is supplied into the ice tray 13 and the water additionally supplied into the ice tray 13 is frozen while the ice tray 13 is rocked, The ice is formed sequentially from the bottom of the ice tray 13.

In the present embodiment, in order to generate ice having relatively high transparency in the ice tray 13, ice is sequentially formed from the bottom side of the ice tray 13.
As a method for forming ice sequentially from the bottom side of the ice making tray, a first method in which the temperature on the upper surface side of the ice tray 13 becomes higher than the bottom side, and an ice tray 13 after the water in the ice tray 13 is frozen. One of the above three methods is adopted by adopting a second method of additionally supplying water into the inside and a third method of swinging the ice tray 13 during ice making to delay the formation of ice on the water surface. Ice tray 1 is more reliable than when only the method is adopted.
Ice having a high degree of transparency can be sequentially generated from the bottom side of 3, and ice can be produced in a shorter time than when only one of the above three methods is employed.

In particular, the method of rocking the ice tray 13 during ice making is to delay the formation of ice on the water surface in the ice tray 13 by the rocking, and to generate ice with high transparency sequentially from the bottom side of the ice tray 13. Without trapping air bubbles in the ice,
By releasing it from the surface of the water to the atmosphere, it makes a significant contribution to making clear ice without cloudiness in a relatively short time.

In the case where ice is formed while the ice tray 13 is rocking, foreign substances deposited on the surface of the ice are dispersed on a flat surface and finer and relatively easier to melt than the conventional vibration type. In addition, foreign matters deposited on the surface of the ice in the ice tray 13 before the additional water supply are removed from the surface of the ice in the ice tray 13 before the additional water supply by the movement of the water by the swing of the ice tray 13 after the additional water supply. As a result, foreign matter can be made inconspicuous.

Further, the ice tray 13 is used in which the ice tray 13 is opened via the water supply pipe 23 by using the ice tray 13 whose upper surface is opened and the inside is partitioned into a plurality of small chambers by the partition part 47. Also, if the notch groove 48 is provided in the partition portion 47,
Even when the amount of water supplied into the ice tray 13 before the additional water supply is relatively small, the water easily flows through the notch groove 48 of the partition portion 47 by swinging the ice tray 13 during ice making. The variation in the amount of water in the plurality of small rooms of the ice tray 13 can be reduced.

In addition to the movement of the water caused by the rocking, a water flow flowing from the notch 48 is generated due to the rocking, so that the effect of delaying the formation of ice on the water surface and the effect of discharging bubbles from the water surface to the atmosphere are increased, and the transparency is increased. Ice making time can be reduced.
Further, foreign matters can be made less noticeable.

In the present embodiment, two water injection steps are described. However, dividing the additional water supply into a plurality of times at three or four times is not limited at all, and the swing is stopped after the last water injection. In this case, the deposition of foreign substances is not required.

The heating section A44 of the side wall heater and the partition heater heating section B46 of the ice tray 13 not only heat the upper surface to suppress freezing of the upper surface and release gas in water to the atmosphere, but also have the following effects.

The heating section A44 of the side wall heater particularly heats the side wall which is immersed only at the time of swinging, thereby preventing freezing on the side wall, preventing the end from becoming sharp ice, and adjusting the shape of the ice as well as at the time of ice release. To prevent the lack of water.

The partition heater heating section B46 serves to prevent the freezing of water coming and going each time it swings, particularly in the notch groove 48 of the center partition section 47 of the ice tray 13 in the direction of the swing axis. In addition to improving the shape of the ice, it also improves ice release.

Further, the twisting process in the reverse rotation can be reversed at any position at the time exceeding the swing angle. However, in order to detect the fullness of ice, it is sufficient to roughly separate the ice in the reverse rotation as in the present embodiment.

[0079]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the top surface of the ice tray is higher than that of the bottom portion,
While rocking the ice tray, the water supplied into the ice tray is frozen, and after the water in the ice tray is frozen, additional water is supplied into the ice tray, and the ice tray is rocked. While freezing the water additionally supplied in the ice tray,
The ice is formed sequentially from the bottom of the ice tray.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to generate ice having relatively high transparency in an ice tray, ice is sequentially formed from the bottom side of the ice tray. As a method for sequentially forming ice, a first method in which the temperature on the upper surface side of the ice tray is higher than that on the bottom side, and a second method in which additional water is supplied into the ice tray after the water in the ice tray freezes. By adopting the second method and all the third methods of swaying the ice tray during ice making to delay the formation of ice on the water surface, it is possible to achieve a better result than when only one of the above three methods is employed. It is possible to reliably generate ice with high transparency sequentially from the bottom of the ice tray, and it is possible to make ice in a shorter time than when only one of the above three methods is employed.

In particular, the method of rocking the ice tray during ice making is adopted because the formation of ice on the surface of the water in the ice tray is delayed by the rocking, and ice with high transparency is generated sequentially from the bottom side of the ice tray. By releasing air bubbles from the surface of the water into the atmosphere without trapping them in the ice, it greatly contributes to making clear ice without cloudiness in a relatively short time.

In the case where ice is formed while rocking the ice tray, foreign substances deposited on the surface of the ice are dispersed on a flat surface and finer and relatively easier to melt than the conventional vibration type. The foreign substances deposited on the ice surface in the ice tray before the additional water supply can be removed from the ice surface in the ice tray before the additional water supply by moving the water by rocking the ice tray after the additional water supply. Can be made less noticeable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing transparent ice according to the first aspect, wherein the interior is divided into a plurality of small chambers by a partition having an open upper surface and a cutout groove. A water tray is used to supply water to the ice tray through a single water supply pipe. The ice tray has an open upper surface and is partitioned into a plurality of small compartments by a partition. Even if water is supplied through a single water supply pipe, if a notch groove is provided in the partition, the amount of water supplied into the ice tray before the additional water supply is relatively small However, swinging the ice tray during ice making makes it easier for water to flow through the notched groove of the partition portion, and can reduce variations in the amount of water in the plurality of small rooms of the ice tray.

In addition to the movement of the water caused by the rocking, the rocking causes a water flow to flow from the notch groove, so that the effect of delaying the formation of ice on the water surface and the effect of discharging bubbles from the water surface to the atmosphere are increased. Ice making time can be reduced. Further, foreign matters can be made less noticeable.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing transparent ice according to the first or second aspect, wherein the rocking of the ice tray is stopped during the final ice making of water supply. In order to cover the foreign matter on the ice with additional water and freeze it, the foreign matter is sealed with thin ice, and the foreign matter is not generated immediately at the time of use. Then, precipitation of foreign matter is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an automatic ice making device used in a method for producing transparent ice according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is cut along a plane perpendicular to a rotation axis.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automatic ice making device as viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view when the automatic ice making device is cut right and left on a plane parallel to a rotation axis.

FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram of the automatic ice making device.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of the automatic ice making device.

6 (a) is a cross-sectional view showing a stationary state of the ice tray, FIG. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ice tray is turned counterclockwise (forward rotation), and FIG. 6 (c) is a clockwise turn in the figure. Sectional view when returning to the original state (d) is a sectional view showing a state further rotated clockwise (reverse rotation)

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a main part showing a twisting state of the automatic ice making device at the time of reverse rotation.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a main part showing a twisting state of the automatic ice making device at the time of ice release.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making device when the refrigerator is cut right and left.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a conventional automatic ice making device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic ice-making apparatus 11 Drive device 13 Ice tray 22 Water supply pump 23 Water supply pipe 29 Insulation material 44 Heating part A 46 Heating part B 47 Partition part 48 Notch groove

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ice tray, wherein the water supplied to the ice tray is frozen while the ice tray is rocked so that the temperature on the upper surface side of the ice tray becomes higher than the bottom side. After the ice is frozen, additional water is supplied into the ice tray, and the water additionally supplied into the ice tray is frozen while rocking the ice tray, and ice is sequentially formed from the bottom side of the ice tray. A method for producing transparent ice. 2. A method of using an ice tray whose inside is divided into a plurality of small chambers by a partition having an open upper surface and a notch groove, and supplying water to the ice tray via a single water supply pipe. The method for producing transparent ice according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The method for producing transparent ice according to claim 1, wherein the rocking of the ice tray is stopped during the last ice making of the water supply.