JP2003042614A - Method and device for ice making and refrigerator- freezer equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain transparent ice being uniform in a shape. SOLUTION: In an ice making device, a blowing mechanism which supplies warm air at a prescribed blowing angle to the surface of the water held in ice making blocks is provided so as to agitate the water. A temperature difference is formed between the upper and lower parts of an ice making tray so that freeze may start from the lower part of the tray. When most of the water in the ice making blocks is frozen to such a degree that unfrozen water is left a little in the upper part, the ice making tray is inverted to remove the unfrozen water, then water is filled again to a prescribed level, and the water in the ice making blocks is made into the ice. By controlling the device in this way, a cloudy portion is very small and inconspicuous even when it is formed and the ice mostly transparent and uniform in the shape is obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ice making device used for a freezer-refrigerator in a general household, and an ice making method capable of making high quality transparent ice in a short time.
The present invention relates to an ice making device and a freezer-refrigerator equipped with this device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today's home refrigerators and refrigerators are equipped with an ice making device for storing water in an ice making tray as a standard equipment. Some of them are automatically equipped with a predetermined amount of ice from a water tank. Ice-making devices that supply water to make ice are provided on the market.

However, it is known that if an ice tray is simply cooled to make ice, it becomes cloudy, and even if such cloudy ice is used for watering whiskey, the atmosphere does not rise and it is transparent. Ice is demanded and ice making devices of various configurations have been proposed.

Generally, an ice tray is divided into a plurality of ice making blocks, and water is stored in each ice making block. If such an ice tray is simply cooled, freezing will start around each ice making block and the water inside will finally freeze.

At this time, air or the like dissolved in water comes out as bubbles in the unfrozen ice water, and when the bubbles are trapped in the ice, it becomes cloudy ice.

Therefore, in order to obtain transparent ice, for example, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-70543, ice is blown from the bottom side of the ice making tray to make ice, so that bubbles are not trapped in the ice. A configuration is disclosed in which a heater is embedded in a lid of a plate so that the water surface does not freeze before the inside.

As a result, the ice gradually becomes frozen from the bottom of each ice making block, and finally the water surface freezes, so that the degassing path of bubbles is secured until the ice making is completed, and transparent ice can be made. .

[0008]

However, in the above structure, although the degassing path is secured, sufficient degassing cannot be performed for the following reasons, and it becomes difficult to produce high-quality transparent ice with high transparency. There was a problem.

That is, in order for the bubbles generated on the bottom side of each ice making block to be degassed, the bubbles must naturally float to the water surface.

However, since the bubbles are very small, their buoyancy is also small, and it is difficult to float to the water surface only by this buoyancy, and sometimes they adhere to the freezing surface and are trapped in the ice, and are removed. I feel unwell.

Of course, since the surface is heated by the heater, a temperature gradient is generated in the unfrozen water, which causes convection, so that the bubbles generated on the bottom side of each ice making block are carried to the water surface by this convection. May be

However, in the above heater heating method, the water stored in the ice making block is stationary (no forced agitation etc.) and its temperature gradient is small, so that it adheres to the icing surface. It was very difficult to move the generated bubbles by convection to degas them.

Therefore, in order to perform sufficient deaeration, the freezing speed must be reduced, which causes a problem that the ice making time becomes long.

Therefore, the applicant of the present invention is equipped with an ice tray having a plurality of ice making blocks and a blow mechanism for blowing warm air to the water surface of the ice tray, and the bottom of the ice making block is cooled by cold air from the back side of the ice tray. A patent application has been filed for an ice making device that gradually makes ice from the side and obtains transparent ice from the bottom.

In the ice making apparatus applied for this application, a control method as shown in FIG. 14 can be considered. This control is carried out by the blow mechanism into the water of the ice making block 24 of the ice making tray, and is cooled from the back side of the ice making tray until the water depth of the unfrozen water 61 becomes about 2 mm (see (a)). . The unfrozen water contains mineral components such as silica and gas components that have not been deaerated, and becomes cloudy when frozen, so this water is drained by rotating the ice tray (see (a)). )), Ice making was completed. For this reason, although relatively transparent ice 62 was obtained, as shown in FIG. 14C, the depression 63 was formed on the upper surface of the ice, and the shapes were irregular. If the shapes are not uniform, it looks bad,
Many people tend to feel that the taste is not good. Moreover, since the unfrozen water is drained, the ice itself becomes smaller.

The present invention provides an ice making method, an ice making device, and a freezer-refrigerator using the ice making device, in which transparent ice having a uniform shape can be obtained.

[0017]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, cold air is blown to the bottom surface of an ice tray that is divided into a plurality of ice making blocks and stores water, and the water stored in the ice tray is frozen. Then, in the ice making method in which the ice making tray is rotated to remove ice, a warm air having a temperature higher than the cold air and having a temperature of 0 ° C. or more higher than the cold air at a predetermined blowing angle with respect to the water surface of the ice making block poured to a predetermined water level is applied. The water is supplied and stirred, and a temperature difference is formed between the upper part and the lower part of the ice tray to freeze the water from the lower side of the ice tray, so that the unfrozen water slightly remains on the upper portion of the ice tray. When most of the water in the block is frozen, the ice tray is rotated to drain the unfrozen water, and then water is poured to the predetermined water level again to make water in the ice making block. Is.

Further, after the water is again poured to the predetermined water level, the blowing of the warm air is stopped so that the water in the ice making block is made into ice.

When most of the water in the ice making block is frozen, about 80 to 90% of the predetermined amount in the ice making block is frozen, or the water depth of the unfrozen water is about 2 mm.
The water in the ice making block is made to be ice-making, for example, when the thickness is 4 mm.

Further, cold air is blown to the back surface of the ice tray which is divided into a plurality of ice making blocks and stores the water, the water stored in the ice tray is frozen, and then the ice tray is rotated to remove the ice. In an ice making device provided with an ice removing mechanism, warm air having a temperature higher than that of the cold air and having a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher is supplied to a water surface of water stored in the ice making block at a predetermined spray angle to stir the water. A blow mechanism is provided, and a temperature difference is formed between the upper part and the lower part of the ice making plate to freeze from the lower part of the ice making plate, and most of the water in the ice making block is left so that unfrozen water slightly remains on the upper part. When frozen, the ice tray is rotated to drain the unfrozen water, water is poured again to the predetermined water level, and the water in the ice making block is controlled to make ice. .

Further, cold air is blown to the back surface of the ice tray which is divided into a plurality of ice making blocks to store water, the water stored in the ice tray is frozen, and then the ice tray is rotated to remove the ice. In an ice making device provided with an ice removing mechanism, warm air having a temperature higher than that of the cold air and having a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher is supplied to a water surface of water stored in the ice making block at a predetermined spray angle to stir the water. A blow mechanism is provided, and a temperature difference is formed between the upper part and the lower part of the ice making plate to freeze from the lower part of the ice making plate, and most of the water in the ice making block is left so that unfrozen water slightly remains on the upper part. When frozen, the ice tray is rotated to drain unfrozen water, water is again poured to a predetermined water level, and the hot air is stopped to control the water in the ice making block to make ice. It is composed.

Further, when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen, about 80 to 90% of a predetermined amount in the ice making block is frozen, or the water depth of the unfrozen water is about 2 mm to 4 m.
It is set as m.

Further, the ice-making device having these configurations is provided in a refrigerator-freezer.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a refrigerator-freezer 2 having an ice making device 20 according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 4 are configuration diagrams of the ice making device 20, FIG. 2 is a side view, FIG. 3 is a top view,
FIG. 4 is a front view. It should be noted that, in these drawings, some parts are omitted or simplified as appropriate so that the configuration can be easily understood.

The refrigerator-freezer 2 is an insulating structure having an outer box 3 and an inner box 4, and a heat insulating material is filled between the outer box 3 and the inner box 4. Inside the inner box 4, a plurality of heat insulating partition plates 6 are provided. As a result, a refrigerating room 7, a freezing room 8, a vegetable room 9 and the like are formed.

A water supply tank 11 for storing water for making ice is provided at the lower end of the refrigerating compartment 7, and a freezing compartment 8 is also provided.
An ice making device 20 and an ice storage box 12 are provided in the. The ice storage box 12 is provided below the ice making device 20, and receives the ice from the ice making device 20 to store the ice.

A compressor for compressing the refrigerant, a capillary tube for squeezing the refrigerant, a condenser for radiating and condensing the heat of the refrigerant, and a condenser for evaporating the refrigerant inside to store the air inside the refrigerator in the lower part of the refrigerator / freezer 2. A refrigerating device including a cooler 13 for cooling is stored, and the inside of the refrigerator is cooled while the fan 14 forcedly circulates the inside air.

On the other hand, the ice making device 20 includes an ice tray 21 for storing water from the water supply tank 11, and a blow mechanism 22 for blowing air (for example, warm air at about 5 ° C.) to the water stored in the ice tray 21. Inverting the ice tray 21
It has a deicing mechanism 23 and the like for moving the ice of the above to the ice storage box 12.

In FIG. 1, at least a part of the ice making device 20 is embedded in the heat insulating partition plate 6. The reason for having such a configuration is to increase the volume of the space used in the freezer compartment 8, so it is clear that it may not be embedded in the heat insulating partition plate 6 depending on the situation.

The ice tray 21 as described above is made of a synthetic resin having an open upper surface and is divided into a plurality of ice-making blocks 24 each having a concave shape on the inner side thereof. 2, the rotary shaft 25 is provided in the left-right direction, and the water supply port 26 for supplying water from the water supply tank 11 is provided at the left end.

The cool air (for example, about -20 ° C.) sent from the cooling device to the freezer compartment 8 on the back side of the ice tray 21.
Is blown, and the ice tray 21 is cooled from the bottom side to perform ice making.

The deicing mechanism 23 is a drive unit 27 provided on one end side (left side in FIG. 2) of the ice tray 21 and an ice detecting device for detecting whether or not a predetermined amount or more of ice is stored in the ice storage box 12. The drive unit 27 includes a lever 29 and the like, and the drive unit 27 includes a pulse motor, a gear, an output shaft, and the like, which are not shown.

Then, the power of the drive unit 27 is transmitted to the ice tray 21 through one of the rotating shafts 25 of the ice tray 21, so that the ice tray 21 is turned upside down and the ice made is stored in the ice storage box 12. It falls and is stored in ice. In this way, the ice tray 21
The ice may be transferred not by reversing by rotating 180 degrees to transfer the ice to the ice storage box 12, but by using a method of rotating back and forth by 120 degrees.

In order to determine whether or not a predetermined amount of ice is stored in the ice storage box 12, the ice detecting lever 29 first rotates toward the ice storage box 12 when the ice is removed.

At this time, if the ice detecting lever 29 is rotated by a predetermined amount to the state shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2 and does not receive a force by contacting the ice, it is judged that the ice storage box 12 is out of ice. The de-icing operation starts.

When the ice is removed, the ice tray 21 is turned upside down to remove the ice. At this time, the ice may stick to the ice tray 21 and cannot be easily removed.

In such a case, the deicing heater 37 is attached to the side surface or the bottom surface of the ice tray 21 shown in FIG. 5, and the deicing heater 37 is energized at the time of deicing so that the surface of the ice in contact with the ice tray 21. You may make it melt a little.

Although deicing is facilitated by slightly melting the surface of the ice with the deicing heater 37, the melted portion is frozen again almost at the same time as the deicing, so the surface of the ice becomes very smooth and There is an advantage that it is less likely to be broken by a shock when dropped in the box 12 or a heat shock when ice is put in whiskey or the like.

Further, since the ice surface is prevented from cracking during deicing, the appearance as transparent ice is improved.

The blow mechanism 22 includes a pump 31 for blowing air and the air blown by the pump 31 for the ice tray 2
1, a blower duct 32 that guides the upper part of 1, and this blower duct 32
The air heater 33 for heating the air guided by the air heater 33, the nozzle 34 for blowing the air heated by the air heater 33 into the warm air to the water stored in each ice making block 24, and the nozzle 34 for blowing the air. Gathered air,
Return duct 35 to circulate to pump 31 again, ice tray 2
1 has a temperature detector 36 for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the upper surface.

The pump 31 is composed of a sirocco fan or the like, and is formed so as to take in air from the central portion and discharge it from the surroundings, and the pump 31, the air duct 32, and the nozzle 34.
The air path formed by the return duct 35 is formed in a closed circuit, and the air from the pump 31 circulates through the blower duct 32, the nozzle 34, and the return duct 35 according to the arrow shown in FIG.

A plurality of nozzles 34 are provided corresponding to the ice making block 24, and are attached so as to rectify the air and blow it against the water stored in the ice tray 21 at a predetermined blowing angle.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the shape of the nozzle 34, and FIG. 6A shows a case of a cylindrical type.
(B) shows a case of a rib type, a perspective view is shown on the upper side of the drawing, and a sectional view thereof is shown on the lower side.

Any type of nozzle 34 may be used, and the present invention is not restricted by the shape of the nozzle 34, but as will be described later, at least the nozzle 3 is used.
It is necessary that the air from the blowout port 38 of No. 4 is blown against the water stored in the ice tray 21 at a predetermined angle.

FIG. 7 shows the nozzle 3 for the ice making block 24.
7 (a) and FIG. 7 are diagrams schematically showing the spraying angle θ (angle formed with the normal line) of No. 4 (illustrating the case of the cylindrical type nozzle shown in FIG. 6A). (B) is a side sectional view,
FIG. 7C shows a top view. 7 (a) is a side sectional view at the start of ice making, and FIG. 7 (b) is a schematic side sectional view during ice making.

Spray angle θ of nozzle 34 and spray position P
Is the size of the ice making block 24 (size of the spray surface), the speed of the warm air blown from the nozzle 34, the ice making block 24.
It is designed according to the amount of water stored in the.

Therefore, the spray angle θ and the spray position P are generally determined.
However, in the ice trays 21 on the market today, a spray angle θ = 20 to 70 degrees is preferable, and a spray angle θ = 45 ± 1 degrees is more preferable.

The spraying position P is preferably at least on the windward side (right side of the center line K in FIG. 7) with respect to the horizontal plane center position of the ice making block 24.

The warm air blown from the nozzle 34 having the spraying position P and the spraying angle θ thus set hits the water of the ice tray 21 and stirs the water. The dotted arrow shown in FIG. 7 indicates the movement of water stirred by the blowing of such warm air.

The spray angle θ of the nozzle 34 is at least θ.
Since> 0, the hot air causes the water to rotate in a vertical cross section as shown in FIG. In particular, since the spray position P is on the windward side of the center line K, the water can be efficiently rotated and stirred.

The nozzle 34 is provided on the center line L. As a result, the water rotates symmetrically with respect to the center line L, so that stirring can be efficiently performed.

The rotation of the water in the ice making block 24 in this way means that this water is agitated, so that the bubbles that have come into the unfrozen water during the ice making process also move with the agitated water, It can be easily degassed because it can be carried near the water surface.

Since the air to be blown is warm air, the temperature of the water that is blown by the warm air and rotates also increases accordingly, so that the water surface does not freeze earlier than the inside and ice making is completed. It goes without saying that it is possible to secure a degassing path.

As a result, the amount of air contained in the ice made can be made extremely small, and very high quality transparent ice can be obtained.

The air blown on the ice tray 21 returns to the pump 31 via the return duct 35, but at this time, the air flowing in the return duct 35 may be condensed.

That is, since the ice making device 20 is arranged in the freezer compartment 8, the outside of the return duct 35 is exposed to the cold air in the freezer compartment 8.

Of course, since the return duct 35 and the like are formed of a heat insulating material as described above and have high heat insulating properties, they are not directly affected by the freezer compartment 8, but a complete heat insulating effect is not obtained. It goes without saying that you cannot expect in principle.

Therefore, the temperature of the air blown on the ice tray 21 and flowing through the return duct 35 is determined by the return duct 3
When flowing through No. 5, dew condensation may occur.

If the condensed water drips into the freezer compartment 8 and adheres to foods or the like, the foods or the like may stick to each other.

Therefore, in the present invention, the return duct 35 is provided with a slope as shown in FIG.
I am trying to return to.

The air heater 33 is composed of a heating element such as a nichrome wire, and the heating element is the ventilation duct 32.
It is designed to heat the flowing air.

Next, a detailed description of the above configuration will be given with respect to the ice making device 2.
A description will be given together with the ice making process and control method of transparent ice in No. 0.

First, the temperature of the air in the ice making block 24 is detected by the temperature detector 36, and the operation of the pump 31 is started.

As a result of the temperature detection, when the air in the ice making block 24 is below the freezing point, the air heating heater 33 is operated to heat the air and blow it out from the nozzle 34 to warm the air above the ice making plate 21 around the sensor 36. .

After that, the water supply tank 1 is placed in the ice making block 24.
Water is supplied from 1 to start ice making.

The warm air is blown before the water is supplied for the following reason. That is, since it takes time for the heater 33 to warm up, the air heating heater 33 is operated earlier by this time so that the warm air of about 5 ° C. is blown out at the time of water supply. In addition, by blowing warm air to warm the ice tray to 0 ° C. or higher, it is possible to prevent the supplied water from immediately freezing and turning into cloudy ice before being deaerated.

Therefore, in the present invention, the temperature of the air in the ice making block 24 is detected by the temperature detector 36 prior to the water supply, and when the temperature of this air (that is, the temperature of the ice making block 24) is below the freezing point, the air heater is used. The air heated in 33 is blown out from the nozzle 34 so that the air temperature in the upper part of the ice tray 21 becomes higher than the freezing point.

Incidentally, in the method of raising the temperature of the ice tray 21, the deicing heater 37 can be driven. That is, when the ice tray 21 is below freezing, the above-mentioned inconvenience can be avoided by operating the deicing heater 37 for a predetermined time to warm the ice tray 21.

Air heater 33 and pump 3 during ice making
As the control method No. 1, for example, control as shown in FIG. 9 is possible. FIG. 9 shows the power of the air heater 33 (FIG. 9A) for the time from the start of water supply to the completion of ice making.
It is the figure which showed the ventilation volume (FIG.9 (b)) of the pump 31.

Needless to say, other controls are possible, for example, the air may be heated for a certain period of time, or the power of the air heater 33 and the air flow rate of the pump 31 may be controlled simultaneously.

The power of the air heater 33 is changed in this way because the freezing speed of the bottom portion of the ice making block 24 is high. Cold air directly hits the bottom, and since it is far from the air heater 33, the freezing speed is high and the bottom is likely to become cloudy.

Further, the temperature and the amount of air have an appropriate temperature and an appropriate amount depending on the amount of unfrozen water, but if ice making is performed under conditions deviating from the conditions of the appropriate temperature and appropriate amount, sufficient deaeration cannot be performed, Unfrozen water may be blown off.

Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in the above-mentioned example, control is performed so that the air can be always sprayed at an appropriate temperature and air volume.

As a result, the water in the ice making block 24 is rotated and agitated by the air from the nozzle 34 in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, and the bubbles appearing in the unfrozen water are agitated and move with the flowing water to move to the water surface. And it reaches near the water surface and is degassed.

Since the air blown from the nozzle 34 is warm air, the water containing mineral components and gas components on the upper water surface remains to the end, so that it is possible to produce high-quality transparent ice from the lower side. It will be possible.

Depending on the situation, white turbid ice may be used, so it is considered that there is a case where the user wants the ice immediately or when a large amount of the ice is urgently needed.

In such a case, as shown in FIG. 10, the intake air switching damper 39 is provided at the base of the return duct 35 and the pump 31, and the discharge damper 40 is provided at least in the middle of the return duct 35. , Configure a blast air selector.

In FIG. 10, the blower duct 32 and the return duct 3 are shown.
A discharge damper 40 is provided at the joint portion with 5.

In the case of making high-quality transparent ice with such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 10A, the intake air switching damper 39 and the discharge damper 40 are operated to form a closed air circuit. Then, the air to be blown is circulated.

On the other hand, in the case of rapid ice making, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the intake air switching damper 39 and the discharge damper 40 are operated to form an open circuit so that the air in the freezer compartment 8 is sucked in and the air blown on the ice tray is discharged from the discharge damper 40. It is discharged to the freezer compartment 8.

By doing so, high-quality transparent ice or a large amount of ice with low transparency can be produced in a short time, and it becomes possible for the user to select these, which is extremely convenient. improves.

Needless to say, it is not necessary to operate the air heater 33 in the case of rapid ice making.

A series of movements of the ice making device 20 thus configured will be described mainly with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, it is judged from the ice detecting lever 29 whether or not it is possible to make ice (S1). If ice making is possible (Y in S1
In the case of ES), a predetermined amount of water is poured into the ice tray 21 to make ice (S2). When water injection ends, ice making starts (S
3). At this time, hot air is being blown from the nozzle 34. Next, it is determined whether most of the ice making block 24 is frozen (S4). Whether or not most are frozen,
Judgment is made based on the predetermined ice making time and temperature. At this time,
The water depth of the unfrozen water is about 2 to 4 mm, and this amount of water corresponds to about 10 to 20% of the predetermined amount of water.

When it is determined that most of the water is frozen (YES in S4), the ice tray 21 is rotated to drain water containing a large amount of unfrozen mineral components and gas components (S).
5). This drained unfrozen water is concentrated and contains many impurities, so it takes time to freeze due to the freezing point depression,
Also, when this water freezes, it becomes cloudy ice, so this water is drained.

In order to prevent this drained water from entering the ice storage box 12, a guide for draining water is provided on the side of the ice tray 21 (not shown), and a drainage guide is provided on the side of the ice storage box 12. It may be configured to do so. In this case, it is advisable to provide a drainage channel (not shown) that receives water from the guide for draining water and guides the water to the evaporation tray outside the refrigerator. Furthermore, in order to prevent the water in the drainage channel from freezing, the warm air in the blower duct 32 may be guided to the drainage channel.

Then, water is poured again to a predetermined water level (S
6, (see (d) of FIG. 11) and ice making are started (S7, see (e) of FIG. 11). Then, it is determined whether or not the ice making is completed (S8). If ice making is completed (S8: Y
In the case of ES), deicing processing is performed (S9), and then it is determined whether or not to end (S10).

Thus, about 80% of the water in the ice making block
When 90% is frozen, this frozen part becomes almost transparent ice, and when about 10 to 20% of unfrozen water is drained,
The top surface of the ice is slightly dented. And ice tray 2
When water is poured into 1 again to a predetermined water level and ice-making is performed, most of the ice having almost the same shape with no depression is obtained.
Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a part of the portion 64 of about 10 to 20% may become cloudy ice, but about 1 to
Since it is a part of 20%, the amount is very small. For this reason, the cloudy part is inconspicuous, and at first glance it looks almost transparent, and ice with a uniform shape is obtained.

If it is determined in S1 that ice making is not possible (NO in S1), for example, if the ice storage box 12 is full of ice or if there is no water in the water supply tank 11. Then, it is determined whether or not it is finished (S10), and if it is finished (YES in S10), the process is finished.

Further, as a modification of the control shown in this flowchart, the control may be performed as the step of S17 shown in FIG. 13 instead of the step of S7. In step S17, the blowing of warm air from the nozzle 34 is stopped to make ice.

By controlling in this way, the ice making time can be shortened and the energy required for warm air can be reduced.

[0092]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, warm air having a temperature higher than that of the cold air and having a temperature of 0 ° C. or more is warmed at a predetermined spray angle with respect to the surface of the water stored in the ice making block. The water in the ice-making block is supplied so that the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the ice-making tray forms a temperature difference and the water is frozen from the bottom of the ice-making tray. When most of the frozen, the ice tray was rotated to drain the unfrozen water, and the ice making method was used to make water in the ice making block by pouring water to a predetermined water level again. Water that contains many impurities that could not be frozen until the end and becomes cloudy ice when frozen can be drained. Therefore, the ice can be made transparent. Moreover, since the water is re-injected after the drainage to make the ice, it is possible to make the ice making blocks have almost the same shape.

Further, in the invention described in claim 2, since the ice making method of making the water in the ice making block to make ice by stopping the blowing of warm air after injecting water to the predetermined water level again, The ice making time can be shortened and the energy required for warm air can be reduced.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, since the ice making method in which about 80 to 90% of the predetermined amount in the ice making block is frozen is used, the amount of water to be drained is reduced and the water is drained. It is possible to reduce the amount of wasted water and obtain almost transparent ice, which is mostly transparent.

Further, in the invention described in claim 4, since the ice making method is used in which most of the water in the ice making block is frozen, the depth of the unfrozen water is about 2 mm to 4 mm. It is possible to reduce the amount of water to be drained to reduce wasted water to be drained, and it is possible to obtain almost transparent ice having a large number of transparent portions.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the ice making device is provided with a blow mechanism for supplying warm air at a predetermined blowing angle to the water surface of the water stored in the ice making block to stir the water. When a temperature difference is formed between the upper part and the lower part of the ice making tray to freeze from the lower part of the ice making tray, and most of the water in the ice making block is frozen so that slightly unfrozen water remains at the upper portion, Since the ice tray is rotated to drain the unfrozen water, and the water in the ice making block is controlled by pouring water to the prescribed water level again, many impurities that could not be frozen until the end were removed. Water that becomes cloudy ice upon freezing can be drained. Therefore, the ice can be made transparent. Moreover, since the water is re-injected after the drainage to make ice, it is possible to make the ice shapes of the ice making block almost uniform.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, after the water is poured to the predetermined water level again, the blowing of warm air is stopped and the water in the ice making block is controlled to make ice, so that the ice making time is shortened. It is possible to reduce the energy required for warm air.

Further, according to the invention as set forth in claim 7, since it is set that about 80 to 90% of the predetermined amount in the ice making block is frozen, the amount of water to be drained is reduced to prevent wasteful draining. Water can be reduced, and almost transparent ice can be obtained with most of the transparent portion.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen, the unfrozen water has a depth of about 2 mm to 4 mm. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of wasted water that is drained, and it is possible to obtain almost transparent ice having a large number of transparent portions.

Further, in the invention described in claim 9, since the ice making device according to any one of claims 5 to 8 is provided,
You can easily obtain almost transparent and uniform ice.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a refrigerator-freezer applied to the description of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of an ice making device.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the ice making device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an ice making device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an ice tray provided with a deicing heater.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the shape of a nozzle.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a blown state of air.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a gradient of a return duct.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of control of an air heater and the like.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the blown air selector.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a control method of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the control of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional control method.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 freezer refrigerator 20 Ice maker 21 Ice tray 22 Blow mechanism 23 Deicing mechanism 24 Ice Block 25 rotation axis 61 Unfrozen water

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Junichi Kubota             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideaki Kamiya             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hitoshi Hoshino             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaya Matsuoka             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Naoki Otsuka             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3L110 AA07 AB00

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. Cooling air is blown to the bottom of an ice tray that stores water divided into a plurality of ice blocks to freeze the water stored in the ice tray and then rotate the ice tray to remove the ice. In the ice making method of ice-cooling, the hot water having a temperature higher than the cold air and having a temperature of 0 ° C. or higher is supplied to the water surface of the ice making block poured to a predetermined water level at a predetermined blowing angle to stir the water, When a temperature difference is formed between the upper part and the lower part of the plate to freeze the water from the lower side of the ice making plate, and most of the water in the ice making block is frozen so that a little unfrozen water remains on the upper part. An ice making method, wherein the ice tray is rotated to drain unfrozen water, and then water is poured to the predetermined water level again to make water in the ice making block. 2. After pouring water to the predetermined water level again,
The ice making method according to claim 1, wherein the blowing of the warm air is stopped so that the water in the ice making block is made into ice. 3. The water in the ice making block is made to be ice when the majority of the water in the ice making block is frozen when about 80 to 90% of a predetermined amount in the ice making block is frozen. The ice making method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein. 4. The water in the ice making block is made to be iced when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen when the water depth of the unfrozen water is about 2 mm to 4 mm. The method for making ice according to claim 1 or 2. 5. The cool air is blown to the back surface of the ice tray that stores water by being divided into a plurality of ice making blocks, freezes the water stored in the ice tray, and then rotates the ice tray to remove the ice. In an ice making device equipped with an ice removing mechanism,
An upper and lower parts of the ice tray are provided with a blow mechanism for supplying hot air having a temperature higher than that of the cold air of 0 ° C. or more to the water surface of the water stored in the ice making block at a predetermined spray angle to stir the water. The ice tray is rotated when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen so that there is a temperature difference between The ice making device is characterized in that unfrozen water is drained, water is poured again to the predetermined water level, and the water in the ice making block is made to make ice. 6. Cold air is blown to the back surface of an ice tray which is divided into a plurality of ice making blocks to store water, the water stored in the ice tray is frozen, and then the ice tray is rotated to remove the ice. In an ice making device equipped with an ice removing mechanism,
An upper and lower parts of the ice tray are provided with a blow mechanism for supplying hot air having a temperature higher than that of the cold air of 0 ° C. or more to the water surface of the water stored in the ice making block at a predetermined spray angle to stir the water. The ice tray is rotated when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen so that there is a temperature difference between The ice making device is characterized in that unfrozen water is drained, water is again poured to a predetermined water level, and the hot air is stopped to control the water in the ice making block to make ice. 7. The method according to claim 5, wherein when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen, about 80 to 90% of a predetermined amount in the ice making block is frozen. Ice making equipment. 8. The ice making device according to claim 5, wherein the time when most of the water in the ice making block is frozen is the time when the water depth of the unfrozen water is about 2 mm to 4 mm. . 9. A freezer-refrigerator using the ice-making device according to claim 5.