JP2003329348A - Deicing completion detector of automatic ice-making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably detect completion of deicing without being affected by any change of an ambient temperature. <P>SOLUTION: A deicing completion detector 58 is disposed on a water tray bracket 29 and an ice-making chamber bracket 14. The deicing completion detector 58 is disposed on a fitting plate 59 disposed on the water tray bracket 29 so that a detection member 60 abutted on a front side of ice cubes S on the surface side in a water tray 12 is turnable. The detection member 60 is turned and urged by a torsional spring 62 in a direction so that a detection piece 60a is always abutted on ice cubes. A detection switch 55 is disposed on a portion facing a front side of the water tray 12 of a guide bar 63 disposed on the ice-making chamber bracket 14. When ice cubes are separated and dropped from the water tray 12, and the detection member 60 is turned by the elasticity of the torsional spring 62, a working piece 60b is abutted on a detection lever 55a to detect deicing completion by the detection switch 55. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a deicing completion detecting device for an automatic ice making machine, and more particularly to an ice making water supply means for opening and closing an ice block formed in an ice making small chamber opening in a predetermined direction. The present invention relates to a deicing completion detecting device for an automatic ice making machine, which is configured to be taken out from an ice making chamber while being frozen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many types of ice making machines have been proposed as automatic ice making machines for continuously producing ice blocks of a required shape, and an appropriate method is adopted depending on the application. As one of the methods, ice making water is supplied from an ice making water supply means positioned at an ice making position that closes the ice making small chamber during ice making operation to the ice making small chamber defined in the ice making part and opening in a predetermined direction. An ice block is generated in the small chamber, and the ice block is taken out from the ice making small chamber by moving the ice block to the open position while the ice making water supply unit is being frozen in the deicing operation, and the ice block is peeled off from the ice making water supply unit at this open position. Some are configured to

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above-mentioned automatic ice making machine, there is provided an ice removing completion detecting device for detecting that an ice block has separated and dropped from the ice making water supply means by the ice removing operation and switching from the ice removing operation to the ice making operation. Will be needed. As the deicing completion detection device, a temperature detection device that detects a temperature change of the ice making water supply means when an ice block is peeled off from the ice making water supply means, by a temperature sensitive element such as a thermostat or a thermistor,
A timer device or the like that measures the time required from the start to the end of deicing is used.

Here, when the ambient temperature changes, the temperature change of the ice making water supply means is also affected, and the time required for the ice blocks to peel off from the ice making water supply means also changes.
That is, in the case of any of the above deicing completion detection devices,
It is necessary to frequently adjust the operating setpoint (temperature and time) in response to changes in ambient temperature. Moreover, if the adjustment is neglected or the value is set to an incorrect value, the ice lump may be shifted to the ice making operation even though the ice lump is not completely separated, and the ice lump may be caught. Therefore, if a correction device that automatically corrects the operation set value in response to changes in ambient temperature is attached, it is possible to save labor and prevent human error, but in this case maintenance management It is pointed out that not only is it complicated, but also the manufacturing cost increases. Further, in the temperature detection device and the timer device, the operation set value is set in consideration of safety so as not to shift from the deicing operation to the ice making operation before the ice blocks peel off and fall, so the deicing operation becomes longer than necessary. There is also a drawback that the ice-making ability is reduced.

Although a device for directly detecting the presence or absence of ice blocks by a photoelectric sensor is also proposed, it is expensive and may cause false detection depending on the state of the ice blocks.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and it is an automatic method capable of reliably detecting the completion of deicing without being affected by changes in ambient temperature. It is an object of the present invention to provide a deicing completion detection device for an ice making machine.

[0007]

In order to overcome the above problems and preferably achieve the intended purpose, the deicing completion detecting device for an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention has an ice making compartment opened in a predetermined direction. An ice making unit, a cooling pipe that is disposed in close contact with the ice making unit, in which a refrigerant is circulated during an ice making operation, and a high temperature refrigerant gas is circulated during an ice removing operation, and an ice making unit that closes the ice making compartment during an ice making operation And an ice accreting member which is positioned at a position to generate an ice block between the ice making small chamber and which is moved to an open position for opening the ice making small chamber by the opening / closing means during the deicing operation. In the automatic ice maker configured to remove the ice block from the ice making chamber by moving the ice block to the open position while the ice block is frozen on the ice member, and peeling and dropping the ice block from the ice forming member at the open position, A detection member disposed on the ice member and urged by the elastic means in the direction of abutting against the ice lump frozen on the icing member at the open position; And a detection unit that detects that the detection member that is no longer in contact with the ice block has moved due to the urging force of the elastic unit.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, a deicing completion detecting device for an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to preferred embodiments.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a main ice making mechanism of an automatic ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention in an ice making state. In the figure, an ice making mechanism for producing a large number of ice cubes (ice blocks) S having a required size is shown by a plurality of ice making small chambers 10 that are opened in the lateral direction.
a and a pair of ice making chambers (ice making parts) 10 and 10 arranged substantially vertically so that the back side (the side opposite to the opening side of the ice making small chamber 10a) faces each other, and the back sides of both ice making chambers 10 and 10. As a plurality of (two in the embodiment) cooling pipes 11, 11 arranged between them, and as an icing member that can approach and separate from the surface side of each ice making chamber 10 (opening side of the ice making small chamber 10a) It is basically composed of a water tray 12.

(Ice-making chamber) A pair of ice-making chamber brackets 14 and 14 are arranged on the body frame 13 of the automatic ice-making machine so as to be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. The ice making chambers 10, 10 are supported in a posture in which the width direction parallel to the opening side surface of the ice making small chamber 10a is aligned in the front-rear direction. Each ice making chamber 10 has a rectangular box shape made of a metal (for example, copper) having a good thermal conductivity as a material, and a plurality of ice making chambers 10a are provided by arranging a plurality of partition plates 56 and 57 in the vertical and horizontal directions. The side walls 10b located at the front and the rear in the width direction of the ice making chamber 10 extend upward and downward by a predetermined length, and the extending portions 10c, 10c are defined.
However, the ice making chamber 10 is arranged substantially vertically by being arranged on the corresponding ice making chamber bracket 14 via a heat insulating material (not shown).

The plurality of vertical partition plates 56 and horizontal partition plates 57 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other, and the ice making small chamber 10a defined by these partition plates 56, 57 is set in a cubic shape. . That is, the vertical partition plates 56, 56 facing in the front-rear direction and the horizontal partition plates 57, 56 facing in the up-down direction.
57 are all facing in parallel. Further, the end portions on the front surface side of both the partition plates 56 and 57 are provided in the ice making chamber 10
Each ice making chamber 1 is located inside by a specified length from the surface edge of
The ice cubes S generated in 0a are set to be interconnected by the ice layer generated on the surface side.

(Cooling Pipe) As shown in FIG. 3, two cooling pipes 11, 11 forming a part of a refrigerating apparatus (not shown) are closely fixed between the back surfaces of the ice making chambers 10, 10 to make ice. During operation, a refrigerant is circulated in both cooling pipes 11, 11 to forcibly cool the ice making chambers 10, 10, and at the time of deicing operation, a high temperature refrigerant gas (hereinafter referred to as “hot gas”) is circulated to make the ice making chambers 10. , 10 is configured to be heated. Each cooling pipe 11 is formed in a meandering shape in which a straight portion 11a and a bend portion 11b bent in a U shape are repeated, and the cooling pipe 11 is provided on the back surface side of the ice making chamber 10 so that the bend portion 11b is positioned vertically. Will be placed. Both cooling pipes 11, 11 are connected to the ice making chamber 1
The inlets for the refrigerant and the hot gas supplied from the refrigerating apparatus are set in parallel in the width direction of 0, and are set at the front or rear end side of the ice making chamber 10 in the width direction. That is, the inlet of the cooling pipe 11 located on the front side is located on the front side of the ice making chamber 10, and the inlet of the cooling pipe 11 located on the rear side is located on the rear side of the ice making chamber 10. The refrigerant and hot gas supplied to the ice-making chambers 11 and 11 flow from the front and rear end portions of the ice making chamber 10 toward the central portion in the width direction.

The upper and lower bend portions 11b, 11b of each cooling pipe 11 are set so as to extend outward from the upper and lower end portions of the ice making chamber 10, as shown in FIG.
It is configured to define a gap between b and the end of the ice making chamber. The gap defined between the lower bend portion 11b and the lower end of the ice making chamber is the ice making small chamber 10a during the ice making operation.
The ice making water supplied to the inside and the deicing water supplied to the back surface of the ice making chamber at the time of the deicing operation function to flow downward without accumulating in the bend portion 11b. Further, the gap defined between the upper bend portion 11b and the upper end of the ice making chamber functions to allow the deicing water to flow down to the entire back surface of the ice making chamber 10.

(Water Dish) On the surface sides of the ice making chambers 10 and 10, water trays 12 supported by an opening / closing device 15 which will be described later and capable of moving horizontally in parallel are respectively exposed. Each of the water trays 12 is made of a material (for example, synthetic resin) that is unlikely to freeze ice, and is made of ice.
It is formed in a flat plate shape having a size capable of covering all the ice making small chambers 10a in 0, and the surface (the ice icing surface) that closes the ice making small chambers 10a is set flat. The water tray 12 has an ice making position (FIG. 6) that is close to the surface side of the ice making chamber 10 and an open position that is separated from the surface side by the opening / closing device 15.
(Fig. 7) is moved back and forth in parallel while maintaining a vertical posture. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper and lower ends of the water tray 12 extend outward from the ice making chamber 10 and are separated from the ice making chamber 10 toward the open end thereof by a predetermined angle (for example, 30 to 45). It is bent to incline at (°) and is configured to improve the strength of the water tray itself. Further, the lower bent portion 12c is unfrozen water (described later) that is supplied to the ice making compartment 10a during ice making operation and flows down without freezing, and deicing water that flows down on the back side of the water tray 12 during deicing operation. The ice-making water tank 16 described later
It functions as a guide means for guiding to.

A through hole 12a is formed in the water tray 12 at a position corresponding to the center of each ice making chamber 10a, and
A projection 19 projecting from a distribution pipe 18 described later is concentrically inserted into the through hole 12a to define a return hole 20 around the projection 19 (see FIG. 5). .

As shown in FIG. 1, an ice making water tank 16 is disposed below the ice making mechanism, and a required amount of ice making water stored in the tank is supplied to each water tray via a circulation pump P. It is arranged so as to be supplied to the central portion of a supply pipe 17 which is arranged at the lower part of the back surface of 12 and extends in the width direction. The connection between the ice making water tank 16 and the circulation pump P is the tank 16
The bottom of the tank is set to incline downward toward the connecting portion, and the amount of ice-making water remaining in the tank without being used is set to be small.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of distribution pipes 18 are led out from the supply pipe 17 in parallel, and each distribution pipe 18 extends upward along a group of through holes in the water tray 12 arranged in series. There is. As shown in FIG. 5, a projection 19 having a smaller diameter than the through hole 12a is provided at a position corresponding to each through hole 12a in each distribution pipe 18, and the projection 19 is concentric with the through hole 12a. Has been inserted. The projection 19 has a small diameter (for example, 1.
4 mm) fountain holes 19a are formed, and the ice making water pumped from the ice making water tank 16 to the distribution pipe 18 via the circulation pump P is in the corresponding ice making small chambers 10a via the respective fountain holes 19a. It is possible to inject. That is, in the embodiment, the water tray 12, the supply pipe 17, and the distribution pipe 18 constitute an ice making water supply means, and the supply means is constructed so as to integrally move toward and away from the ice making chamber 10 in parallel. .

A return hole 20 is defined around the outer periphery of the projection 19 concentrically inserted into the through hole 12a of the water tray 12, and during the ice making operation described later, the ice making chamber 10 did not freeze. Ice making water (hereinafter referred to as “non-freezing water”) can be returned to the ice making water tank 16 from the return hole 20. In addition, as shown in FIG.
It is set so as not to protrude from the surface of 2 (the surface facing the ice making chamber 10), and is configured so that the ice cubes frozen on the water tray 12 do not get caught when peeling and dropping.

The upper ends of all the distribution pipes 18 are connected to the connecting pipe 2.
1 and is connected to the supply pipe 17 so that ice making water can flow endlessly. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the supply pipe 17 and the connection pipe 21 are configured to be openably and closably closed by lids 22 and 23 (see FIG. 4).
By removing the lids 22 and 23, the inside of the pipe can be cleaned.

A first deicing water sprinkling pipe 24 connected to an external water supply system via a water supply pipe (not shown) extends in the width direction at an upper position between the two ice making chambers 10, 10, and Branch pipes 24a are connected to the sprinkler pipes 24 at positions corresponding to the groups of ice making chambers aligned in the vertical direction. Then, by opening the first water supply valve WV ₁ (see FIG. 13) inserted in the water supply pipe, normal-temperature tap water (de-icing water) is supplied to the first de-icing water sprinkling pipe 24. It is supplied to the ice making water tank 16 by flowing down the back side of the ice making chambers 10 via the branch pipe 24a, and this is used as ice making water at the next ice making operation. In addition, as described above, the bend portions 11b of the cooling pipes 11 are arranged in the ice making chamber 1
Since it extends outward from the upper and lower ends of 0 and 10, the deicing water flows smoothly.

Side plates 12b are provided on the front and rear sides of each water tray 12,
A second deicing water sprinkling pipe 2 as deicing means for connecting to an external water supply system via a water supply pipe (not shown) is provided at an upper part of the rear surface of the water tray 12 between which the side plates 12b and 12b are arranged.
5 is arranged in parallel with the connecting pipe 21 (see FIG. 4), and the second water supply valve WV ₂ (see FIG. 13) inserted in the water supply pipe is opened to allow tap water (de-icing water) at room temperature to reach the first position. 2 Deicing water sprinkler pipe 25
Is configured to be supplied to. The second deicing water sprinkling pipe 2
A plurality of water spray holes (not shown) are formed in the
The deicing water supplied to the deicing water sprinkling pipe 25 flows down the back surface side of the water tray 12 through the sprinkling holes and is supplied to the ice making water tank 16, which is also used as the ice making water at the next ice making operation. It is like this. As shown in FIG. 5, a weir member 26 surrounding each of the through holes 12a is arranged on the back surface of the water tray 12, and deicing water flowing down on the back surface of the water tray is passed through the through holes 12a to the front surface side. It is configured to prevent the ice cube S from flowing out and melting. Further, the dam member 26 is adapted to allow outflow of the ice making water from the return hole 20 to the back side.

Below the bent portion 12c of the water tray 12, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a gutter member 27 as a cover means for moving integrally with the water tray 12 is provided. Bent portion 12c by flowing down the front side or the back side of the plate 12
The ice making water and the deicing water guided by the above are collected by the gutter member 27 and guided to the ice making water tank 16.

In the state where the water tray 12 is moved to the open position by the opening / closing device 15, the ice passage 16 is formed in the ice making water tank 16 which faces the ice cubes on the surface side of the water tray 12. The ice cubes that are formed and peel off from the water tray 12 by the deicing operation are discharged to the ice storage chamber (not shown) through the ice passage port 28. At the ice making position of the water tray 12, the ice passing port 28 is closed by being covered with the gutter member 27 (see FIG. 1), and the ice making water flows into the ice storage chamber through the ice passing port 28. Are prevented. Further, the end of the gutter member 27 facing the ice making chamber 10 has the water tray 1
It is set so as not to project to the ice making chamber side from the surface of 2, and is configured to achieve a smooth drop of the ice cubes separated from the water tray 12.

(Opening / Closing device) Front and rear side plates 1 of each water tray 12
Water tray brackets 29, 29 are arranged on 2b, 12b (see FIG. 4), and at the upper and lower ends of each bracket 29,
As shown in FIG. 8, the left-right direction (proximity to the ice making chamber 10,
A pair of guide rollers 30, 30 spaced apart in the separating direction) are rotatably arranged. Further, a pair of elongated holes 14a, 14a extending in the left-right direction are formed in the two ice making chamber brackets 14, 14 at positions corresponding to the respective water trays 12 so as to be vertically separated from each other and to be parallel to each other. Upper and lower guide rollers 30, 30 corresponding to the holes 14a, 14a are movably arranged. That is, each water tray 12 has the upper and lower elongated holes 14
It is configured so as to be movable in parallel to the left and right along a and 14a.

Opening / closing device (opening / closing means) for the water trays 12, 12
Reference numeral 15 denotes a pair of link mechanisms 31 and 31 arranged on the two ice making chamber brackets 14 and 14, and both link mechanisms 31 and 3.
And an actuating mechanism 32 for actuating 1 and actuating both link mechanisms 31, 31 by the actuating mechanism 32.
Two water trays 12, 12 are configured to move between an ice making position and an open position.

(Operating Mechanism) As shown in FIG. 2, the operating mechanism 32 is provided with a rotating shaft 33 rotatably installed between the upper ends of the two ice making chamber brackets 14, 14, and the rotating shaft 33.
The cams 34 are respectively rotatably integrated with the shaft ends projecting outward from the ice making chamber brackets 14 in FIG. Further, a driven gear 35 is integrally rotatably disposed inside the pivot shaft 33 near the front ice making chamber bracket 14. Further, a drive gear 37 is integrally rotatably disposed on an output shaft of a motor 36 disposed in the main body frame 13, and the drive gear 37 meshes with the driven gear 35. That is, by rotating the motor 36 in a predetermined direction, the cams 34, 34 are rotated in the opposite direction (clockwise in FIG. 8 in the embodiment) together with the rotating shaft 33.

(Link Mechanism) Both cams 34, 34 have
Actuating lever 3 constituting the corresponding link mechanism 31, 31
8 and 38 are connected to each other, and the operation levers 38 and 38 are operated by rotation of both cams 34 and 34. In addition,
Since the configurations of both link mechanisms 31, 31 are symmetrical, only the configuration of the link mechanism 31 disposed on the front side will be described, and the same members of the link mechanism 31 on the rear side will be denoted by the same reference numerals. To do.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the cam 3
An operating lever 38, one end of which is rotatably pivoted through a first fulcrum pin 39 at a portion deviated from the rotation center of 4, hangs down by a predetermined length, and a lower end of the lever 38 has a long length. A long hole 38a extending in the direction (vertical direction) is formed. Further, a guide pin 40 is provided so as to project from the center of rotation of the cam 34 in the ice making chamber bracket 14 at a position separated by a predetermined length, and the guide pin 40 is slidably inserted into the long hole 38a of the operating lever 38. ing. That is, when the cam 34 rotates, the actuating lever 38 has the elongated hole 38a.
Is vertically guided while being guided by the guide pin 40 (see FIGS. 8, 9, and 10).

The actuating levers 38 have left and right water trays 1
A pair of levers 41, 41 for moving the members 2, 12 are provided in series, but the configuration is symmetrical with respect to the lever 38, so only the configuration of the lever set 41 arranged on the right side in FIG. 8 will be described. However, the same members of the left lever set 41 are designated by the same reference numerals. In the following description, the water tray 12 is positioned at the ice making position.

(Lever Set) A second fulcrum pin 42 is provided at a substantially intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 38 so as to project in the front-rear direction, and one end of a right intermediate lever 43 is rotatable at the front end thereof. Is pivoted to. It should be noted that one end of the left intermediate lever 43 is rotatably supported by the end portion of the second fulcrum pin 42 protruding rearward from the operating lever 38. Further, at the position on the right side of the operating lever 38 in the ice making chamber bracket 14, an arm 44 for the right, which is bent and formed in a substantially L-shape, is rotated at the bent portion via a third fulcrum pin 45. Be pivoted as possible. Then, the first support shaft 46 projecting from the first arm portion 44a extending from the pivotal support portion of the arm 44 toward the actuating lever 38 is provided at the other end portion separated from the pivotal support point of the intermediate lever 43. It is slidably inserted into the formed long hole 43a. Furthermore, arm 4
A second support shaft 47 is projectingly provided on a second arm portion 44b that extends obliquely downward from the pivotal support portion 4 below the first arm portion 44a toward the operating lever 38.

A first spring shaft 48 is disposed at a position substantially above the third fulcrum pin 45 in the ice making chamber bracket 14, and a first tension spring 49 having one end hooked on the spring shaft 48 is provided. The end portion is hooked on the second support shaft 47 of the arm 44. Further, the second spring shaft 50 is disposed below the position where the third fulcrum pin 45 is disposed in the water tray bracket 29, and at a position deviated from the fulcrum pin 45 to the operating lever side. The other end of the second tension spring 51, which is an elastic member whose one end is hooked on 50, is hooked on the second support shaft 47 of the arm 44. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, while the water tray 12 is positioned at the ice making position, the lever set 41 on the right side moves to the second arm 44 of the arm 44.
The second support shaft 47 of the arm portion 44b is on the left side of the bottom dead center just below the third support pin 45 (close side close to the operating lever 38).
At this time, the first tension spring 49 urges the arm 44 clockwise about the third fulcrum pin 45 (counterclockwise in the left lever set 41), and thereby the second spring shaft. The tension of the second tension spring 51, which is stretched between the 50 and the second support shaft 47, is set so as to act in a direction in which the water tray 12 approaches toward the ice making chamber 10.

In the deicing operation described later, the arm 44
When the second support shaft 47 of the second arm portion 44b reaches the right side of the bottom dead center of the third fulcrum pin 45 (open side away from the operating lever 38) (see FIG. 9), 1
The tension spring 49 rotates the arm 44 counterclockwise about the third fulcrum pin 45 (clockwise in the left lever set 41).
The tension of the second tension spring 51 stretched between the second spring shaft 50 and the second support shaft 47 acts on the water tray 12 away from the ice making chamber 10. Is set.

(Limit Switch) A concave portion 34a is formed on the outer circumference of the one cam 34, and two limit switches 52 and 53 capable of detecting the concave portion 34a are provided on the corresponding ice making chamber bracket 14. Has been done. Figure 8
The first limit switch 52 located on the left side of
When the first fulcrum pin 39 reaches the top dead center directly above the rotary shaft 33, the recess 34a is detected, and at this time, the motor 36 functions to stop and control. Then, in this state, the water tray 12 is set to face the ice making position. Further, the second limit switch 53 located on the right side of the arm 4 is rotated by the operating lever 38 and the intermediate lever 43.
When the second support shaft 47 of No. 4 reaches a position facing the open side from the bottom dead center, the recess 34a is detected (see FIG. 9), and at this time, it functions to stop and control the motor 36.

(Ice Making Completion Thermo) The one ice making chamber 10 is provided with an ice making completion thermo Th (see FIG. 13) as an ice making completion detecting means, and a substantially complete ice cube S is formed in the ice making chamber 10. When the thermo Th detects that the temperature of the ice making chamber has decreased to the ice making completion temperature as a result, it is set to complete the ice making operation and shift to the deicing operation. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the circulation pump P
Then, the hot gas valve HV of the refrigeration system is opened to supply the hot gas to the two cooling pipes 11 and 11, the motor 36 is rotated, and the first water supply valve WV ₁ is turned on. It is configured to open and start the supply of deicing water to the back side of both ice making chambers 10, 10. The hot gas valve HV is closed when detection switches 55, 55 described later detect the completion of deicing.

(Water tray opening completion switch) The ice making chamber bracket 14 has an opening completion switch 54 for detecting that one (right side in the embodiment) water tray 12 has moved to the open position.
When the switch 54 detects the completion of opening the water tray 12, the first water supply valve WV ₁ is closed to stop the supply of deicing water to the back side of the ice making chambers 10, 10. At the same time, the second water supply valve WV ₂ is opened to start the supply of deicing water to the back surface of the water tray.

(De-icing Completion Detection Device) The above-mentioned one (front side in the embodiment) water tray bracket 29 and the ice making chamber bracket 14 corresponding thereto are provided with the water trays 12 in the open position. Deicing completion detection devices 58 capable of detecting whether or not ice cubes are present on the surface side of the water tray 12 are respectively arranged, and the detection device indicates that the ice cubes have peeled off from each water tray 12. When it is detected by 58, the second water supply valve WV ₂ is closed to shift from the deicing operation to the ice making operation. Since the deicing completion detecting devices 58, 58 for detecting completion of deicing in the left and right water trays 12, 12 are symmetrical, the deicing completion detecting device 5 arranged on the right side in FIG.
Only the configuration of No. 8 will be described, and the same members of the deicing completion detection device 58 on the left side are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, the deicing completion detecting device 58 is mounted on the water tray bracket 29 and moves integrally with the mounting plate 59. A detection member 60 that can come into contact with the front surface side of the ice cubes S is rotatably arranged via a support shaft 61. The detection member 60 is always supported by the torsion spring 62 as an elastic means wound around the support shaft 61.
From one side in the radial direction (downward in the embodiment)
0a is urged to rotate in the direction of coming into contact with the ice cube S. In addition, when the water tray 12 is moved to the open position with respect to the ice making compartment 10, the front surface of the ice cube S that is frozen on the surface side of the water tray 12 has a front surface as shown in FIG. It is set so that it is exposed from the bracket 14 and the detection piece 60a abuts on this portion.

A guide rod 63 as a holding means extending in the left-right direction above the support shaft 61 is provided in the ice making chamber bracket 14, and a portion of the guide rod 63 facing the front side of the water tray 12 is provided. A detection switch 55 such as a micro switch as a detection means is provided. The detection lever 55a of the detection switch 55 extends to the side opposite to the detection piece 60a (upper side in the embodiment) with the support shaft 61 of the detection member 60 interposed therebetween in a state where the water tray 12 faces the open position. The operating piece 60b is positioned at a position where it can abut. However, when the detection piece 60a of the detection member 60 is in contact with the ice cube S, the operating piece 60b is positioned so as not to contact the detection lever 55a.
Is separated from the ice cube S and the detection member 60 is rotated (moved) by the elastic force (biasing force) of the torsion spring 62, the operating piece 60b abuts the detection lever 55a, and the detection is performed by this. The switch 55 is configured to detect the completion of deicing (ON state). In the embodiment, the left and right detection switches 55,
55 is electrically wired in series, and both detection switches 5
It is set to shift from the deicing operation to the ice-making operation only when all of 5, 55 are turned on.

The guide bar 63 is positioned so as to face the front side of the operating piece 60b of the detecting member 60,
When the water tray 12 faces the ice making position, the operating piece 60
b is abuttable with the regulating portion 63a and the operating piece 60b in a state in which the water tray 12 faces the open position by being bent forward at a predetermined angle from the end of the regulating portion 63a facing the corresponding water tray 12. And a guide portion 63a facing the front side of the. Then, when the actuating piece 60b comes into contact with this portion, the restricting portion 63a of the guide rod 63 does not cause the detecting piece 60a of the detecting member 60 to project to the formation area of the ice cube S (the surface side of the water tray 12). The detection member 60 is configured to be held in a standby position (see the solid line in FIG. 12), and when the water tray 12 approaches the ice making chamber 10, the detection member 60 is sandwiched between the water tray 12 and the ice making chamber 10. Function to prevent this. Further, the guide portion 63b of the guide rod 63 is separated from the front side by an interval that allows the operating piece 60b to abut the detection lever 55a in the open position, and the operating piece 60b abuts the detection lever 55a. When the detection member 60 of the detected detection posture moves close to the ice tray 10 together with the water tray 12, the operation piece 60b is moved.
Is abutted and guided by the guide portion 63b so that the detection member 60 is rotated to return to the standby posture. In the embodiment, the left and right guide bars 63, 63 are composed of one member, but they may be separate members.

In the embodiment, after the deicing operation is shifted to the ice making operation and the water tray 12 is positioned at the ice making position, a predetermined time (for example, 15 seconds) set by a timer not shown.
However, the second water supply valve WV ₂ is opened only so that deicing water (ice making water) is additionally supplied to the ice making water tank 16.

[0041]

Next, the operation of the deicing completion detecting device of the automatic ice making machine according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 13 in relation to the operation of the entire automatic ice making machine. At the time of ice making operation, as shown in FIG.
Faces the ice making position close to the surface side of the ice making chambers 10, 10 and each ice making small chamber 10a is closed by the water trays 12, 12. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the first fulcrum pin 39 of the operating lever 38 of each link mechanism 31 in the opening / closing device 15 is located at the top dead center, and each lever group 4
The second support shaft 47 of the arm 44 in 1 is located closer to the closing side than the bottom dead center, and the tension of the second tension spring 51 urges the water trays 12 toward the ice making positions. Also,
The detection member 60 of each deicing completion detecting device 58 is shown in FIG.
As indicated by the solid line, the operating piece 60b is held in the standby position in which it is in contact with the regulating portion 63a of the guide rod 63.

In the above-mentioned state, the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the two cooling pipes 11 and 11 arranged on the back side of both ice making chambers 10 and 10 by the operation of the refrigerating apparatus (compressor ON), Both ice making chambers 10, 10 are cooled. In this case, since the plurality of cooling pipes 11 and 11 are provided, the length of each cooling pipe 11 can be shortened, which reduces the conduit resistance and improves the cooling capacity. Further, by operating the circulation pump P, the ice-making water from the ice-making water tank 16 is pump-pumped to each distribution pipe 18, and each ice-making small chamber 10a of each ice-making chamber 10 through each fountain hole 19a of the distribution pipe 18.
It is injected and supplied toward the inside.

The sprayed ice making water contacts the inner wall surface of the ice making small chamber 10a and is cooled, and the unfrozen water flowing out from the opening without freezing in the ice making small chamber 10a is the water tray 12 described above.
From the respective return holes 20 to the back side of the water tray 12 to flow down, are returned to the ice making water tank 16 via the bent portion 12c and the gutter member 27, and are again used for circulation. In the ice making operation, the ice passage port 28 corresponds to the gutter member 27.
Since it is closed (see FIG. 1), the ice making water flowing down the back surface of the water tray is prevented from entering the ice storage chamber from the ice passage port 28. That is, it is possible to prevent ice making water from adhering to the ice cubes S stored in the ice storage chamber and re-freezing. Then, while the circulation of the ice making water is repeated, a part of the ice making water is frozen to form an ice layer in the ice making small chamber 10a, and finally the ice cube S corresponding to the internal shape of the ice making small chamber 10a is formed. Is generated.
As described above, the partition plate 56 that defines the ice making chamber 10a,
Since the end portion on the front surface side of 57 is located inside the surface end of the ice making chamber 10 by a predetermined length, each ice making small chamber 10
The ice cubes S formed in a are mutually connected by the ice layer formed on the surface side, and are frozen and attached to the surface of the water tray.

When the production of the ice cube S is completed and the temperature of the ice making chamber 10 reaches the ice making completion temperature, the ice making completion thermo Th
When it is detected, the circulation pump P is stopped and the circulation supply of ice-making water is stopped. Further, the hot gas valve HV is opened to supply the hot gas to both the cooling pipes 11 and 11 to heat the ice making chambers 10 and 10 so that the inner wall surfaces of the ice making small chambers 10a and the ice cubes S are frozen. Start thawing. At this time, since the hot gas inlets of the respective cooling pipes 11 are set at both ends of the ice making chamber 10 in the width direction, all the ice cubes S in the ice making chamber 10 are melted evenly and partially iced. The ice S is prevented from becoming thin and uneven. Further, the first water supply valve WV ₁ is opened to start water supply to the first deicing water sprinkling pipe 24 connected to the external water supply system. First deicing water sprinkler pipe 24
The deicing water (tap water at room temperature) supplied to each branch pipe 24a
Water is sprinkled on the back surface side of the ice making chambers 10, 10 through this, and the ice making chambers 10, 10 are thereby heated, and the icing force between the ice making small chambers 10a and the ice cubes S is reduced. In this case, since the lower bend part 11b of the cooling pipes 11 and 11 extends outward from the lower end of the ice making chambers 10 and 10, the deicing water flows smoothly, and the ice making water tank Collected in 16.

Upon detection of the completion of ice making described above, the motor 36 of the opening / closing device 15 is rotationally driven, and the cams 34, 34 of the motor 36 are rotated.
Starts to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8, whereby the pair of link mechanisms 31, 31 are operated. That is, in each link mechanism 31, the first fulcrum pin 3 is attached to the cam 34.
The actuating lever 38 pivotally supported via
It moves downward while being guided by the guide pin 40 engaged with a. By the downward movement of this operating lever 38, both intermediate levers 4
3, 43 are pushed downward, and the arm 44 engaged with the upper end edge of the elongated hole 43a of each intermediate lever 43 via the first support shaft 46 has the second arm portion about the third support pin 45. 44b respectively rotate in the direction away from the operating lever 38. Then, when the second limit switch 53 detects the concave portion 34a of the cam 34, the motor 36 is temporarily stopped. At this time, the second support shaft 4 of each arm 44 is
Since No. 7 is located on the open side from the bottom dead center as shown in FIG. 9, the tension of the second tension spring 51 acts in the direction of separating the corresponding water tray 12 from the ice making chamber 10. Become.

Each of the ice making chambers 1 is supplied by supplying hot gas to the cooling pipes 11 and 11 and supplying de-icing water to the back surface of the ice making chamber.
When 0 is heated and the adhesion force of the ice cube S to each ice making small chamber 10a is reduced, the first and second tension springs 49,
The ice cubes S are taken out from each ice making sub-chamber 10a by separating the ice cubes from the ice making chamber 10 while the ice cubes are frozen on the water tray 12 which is urged in the direction away from the ice making chamber 10 by the tension of 51. As shown, the water tray 12 reaches the open position. That is, since the ice cube S is taken out after the adhesion force between the ice making small chamber 10a and the ice cube S is reduced, it is possible to set the strength of the ice making chamber 10 and the mechanical portion supporting the ice cube to be low, and the manufacturing cost is low. Can be suppressed to Further, the sound when the ice cube S is taken out from the ice making compartment 10a is also reduced.

As described above, both tension springs 49, 51
Since it is configured to assist deicing with the tension of,
The deicing time can be shortened. Further, it is not necessary to detect that the ice cube group can be separated from the ice making chamber 10 by a temperature, a timer or the like, and the control system can be simplified. Further, the load applied to the link mechanism 31 is applied to the tension spring 49,
Since it can be reduced by the change in the elongation of 51, the durability of the opening / closing device 15 can also be improved. Further, since the deicing of the ice making chamber 10 is performed by using both hot gas and deicing water, the time required for deicing can be shortened also by this. The detection member 60 of the deicing completion detection device 58 moves integrally with the water tray 12, and at this time, the operating piece 60b moves from the restricting portion 63a of the guide rod 63 along the guide portion 63b. Since the detection piece 60a comes into contact with the ice cube S that is frozen on the surface side of the water tray 12 and the rotation of the detection member 60 is restricted, the operation is performed when the water tray 12 reaches the open position. The piece 60b is the detection switch 5
The position 5 does not contact the detection lever 55a.

When the opening completion switch 54 detects that the water tray 12 has reached the open position, the first water supply valve WV ₁ is closed to supply deicing water to the back side of the ice making chambers 10, 10. After stopping the operation, the second water supply valve WV ₂ is opened, and water supply to each second deicing water sprinkler pipe 25 connected to the external water supply system is started. The deicing water (tap water at room temperature) supplied to the second deicing water sprinkling pipe 25 is sprinkled on the back surface side of the water tray 12 through each sprinkling hole, whereby the water tray 12 is heated to the front surface side. The icing power with the frozen ice cubes is reduced. The deicing water flowing down the back surface of the water tray is blocked by the dam member 26 from flowing out to the front surface side through the through hole 12a,
Deicing water prevents the ice cubes from melting. The deicing water flowing down the back surface of the water tray is guided to the ice making water tank 16 through the bent portion 12c and the gutter member 27, and the deicing water does not enter the ice storage chamber from the ice passage port 28.

When the freezing force between each water tray 12 and the ice cube group is released to some extent, the ice cube group falls by its own weight and is dropped and stored in the ice storage chamber through the ice passage port 28. As described above, the water tray 12 is heated by the deicing water, the adhesion force between the water tray 12 and the ice cubes is reduced, and the water tray itself is made of a material which is unlikely to freeze ice. The ice cubes are separated and dropped from the plate 12 in a short time. Moreover, since the surface of the ice cubes in the water tray 12 that is frozen is flat, the amount of heat required to remove the ice cubes is small, and the second deicing water spray pipe 25 is used as in the embodiment. Deicing can be performed only with deicing water supplied to the back surface of the water tray through. Moreover, since the water tray 12 is in the vertical posture, the deicing water supplied to the vertical back surface of the water tray 12 can flow down uniformly over the entire back surface and can be heated evenly, and deicing can be performed more easily. .

When the ice cubes are peeled off from the surface of the water tray 12, the detection member 60 of the deicing completion detection device 58 is
By rotating the torsion spring 62 under the elastic force, the operating piece 60b abuts the detection lever 55a of the detection switch 55 (see the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 12) to complete the deicing. It is detected (the detection switch 55 is turned on). In the embodiment, when both of the left and right deicing completion detecting devices 58, 58 are set to proceed to the step of shifting from deicing operation to ice making operation, one of the water trays is set. The ice cube S on 12 does not shift to the ice making operation while being frozen. Further, since the presence or absence of the ice cube S is directly detected mechanically, the completion of deicing can be accurately detected, and the ice-making operation can be immediately started after the ice cubes are separated and dropped. That is, unlike the conventional temperature detecting device and timer device, by setting the operation set value in consideration of safety, the deicing operation does not become longer than necessary, and the ice making capacity can be improved.

When both deicing completion detecting devices 58, 58 detect the completion of deicing, the second water supply valve WV ₂ and the hot gas valve HV are closed and the rotation of the motor 36 is restarted. The tip of the projection 19 inserted into the through hole 12a of the water tray 12 does not project from the surface of the water tray 12 as shown in FIG. The fall is not obstructed, and it falls smoothly. Similarly, since the end portion of the gutter member 27 does not project from the surface of the water tray 12, it does not hinder the fall of ice cubes.

As described above, in the embodiment, the water tray 12 for opening and closing the small ice making chamber 10a is moved in parallel to the vertically arranged ice making chamber 10 while the ice cubes are frozen. Since it is configured so that the movement amount of the water tray 12 may be slightly larger than the lateral dimension of the ice cube group, the ice making mechanism itself can be downsized, and a large amount of ice making can be earned in a small installation space. . Moreover, since the two ice making plates 10, 10 are arranged so as to face each other with the cooling pipe 11 interposed therebetween, more ice cubes S can be efficiently manufactured in a small space. Further, since the water tray 12 is moved in parallel, the shape of the ice making chamber 10a can be made into a cube, and the ice cube S having a regular shape can be manufactured. Further, since the ice cubes frozen on the water tray 12 are dropped right below, the opening size of the ice passage port 28 can be set small, which allows the ice making water tank 16 to be made smaller.
Can be miniaturized.

The rotation of the motor 36 causes the cams 34, 34 to start rotating clockwise in FIG. As a result, the operating lever 38 pivotally supported by each cam 34 via the first fulcrum pin 39 moves upward while being guided by the guide pin 40. Both the intermediate levers 43, 43 are pulled up by the upward movement of the operating lever 38, and the arm 44 engaged with the lower end edge of the elongated hole 43a in each intermediate lever 43 via the first support shaft 46 is
The second arm portion 44b rotates about the third fulcrum pin 45 in the direction of approaching the operating lever 38. And
When the first limit switch 52 detects the recess 34a of the cam 34, the motor 36 is stopped. At this time, since the second support shaft 47 of each arm 44 is located on the closing side from the bottom dead center, the tension of the second tension spring 51 causes the water tray 12 to approach the ice making chamber 10. As a result, the water tray 12 moves from the open position and is held at the ice making position that closes the opening of the ice making chamber 10. Since the water tray 12 is configured to be moved via the tension springs 49 and 51 as described above, even if ice cubes or the like are bitten between the water tray 12 and the ice making chamber 10, It is possible to prevent a large load from being applied to the switchgear 15 due to the change in the amount of extension of the tension springs 49 and 51, and to prevent the switchgear 15 from malfunctioning. Further, the dimensional accuracy of each component constituting the switchgear 15 and the assembling error can be absorbed by the tension springs 49 and 51, so that the assembling becomes easy.

In the detection member 60 that moves integrally with the water tray 12, the operation piece 60b contacts the guide portion 63b of the guide rod 63 from the detection posture in which the detection piece 60a faces the formation area of the ice cube S. When it is guided to rotate, it rotates toward the original standby posture, and when the operating piece 60b contacts the regulating portion 63a, it is held in the standby posture.
8, 58 are non-detection states of completion of deicing (detection switch 55 O
FF). This prevents the detection member 60 from being sandwiched between the water tray 12 and the ice making chamber 10.

After the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the two cooling pipes 11 and 11 by closing the hot gas valve HV, the circulation pump P is operated to circulate and supply ice-making water to the ice-making small chambers 10a. The ice making operation is restarted by starting the operation. When the ice making operation is restarted, the second water supply valve WV ₂ is opened for a few seconds set by the timer,
The tap water flowing down the back side of the water tray 12 is additionally supplied to the ice making water tank 16.

In the automatic ice making machine of the embodiment, the plurality of ice cubes S produced in each ice making compartment 10a of the ice making chamber 10 during the deicing operation are produced in the gap between the partition plate and the water tray 12. The ice cubes are connected to each other by an ice layer, and are peeled off and dropped on the water tray 12 in a frozen state, so that the ice cubes S do not fall apart. That is, when the ice cubes S fall apart, the ice cubes S remain stuck to a part of the water tray 12, and the ice removal completion detection device 58 detects the ice removal completion, and the ice making chamber 10 The ice cube S is prevented from being caught between the water tray 12 and the water tray 12.

[0057]

[Modification] In the embodiment, each of the ice making chamber and the water tray has two
Although the description has been given of the case where the ice making mechanism is provided for each group, one ice making chamber and one water tray may be provided. Further, the ice making chamber is not limited to the vertically arranged one, but the ice making small chamber is horizontally arranged so as to open downward, and the water tray for jetting ice making water is rotated to the ice making position. The deicing completion detecting device of the present invention can be adopted even in an automatic ice making machine configured to be positioned at the open position and the open position. Further, the ice making chamber is horizontally arranged so as to open the ice making small chamber upward, and the ice making water is stored in this ice making chamber, and the ice making projections that project from the lower surface of the ice forming member provided with the cooling pipe are provided. The deicing completion detecting device of the present invention can be adopted even in an automatic ice-making machine of a type in which ice blocks are formed around the ice-making projections by immersing the ice-making water in the ice-making water. Note that the number of ice blocks generated in the ice making chamber is not limited to a plurality, and may be one, and the shape thereof is not limited to the rectangular shape, and a cylindrical shape or another shape may be adopted. .

[0058]

As described above, since the deicing completion detecting device for the automatic ice making machine according to the present invention is configured to mechanically detect that an ice block has separated and dropped from the ice accreting member, The completion of deicing can be reliably detected without being affected by the temperature. Moreover, it is not necessary to attach a correction device or the like for automatically adjusting the operation set value in accordance with the ambient temperature, and maintenance can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be kept low. Further, at the ice making position, since the detecting member is held by the holding means at a position where it does not come into contact with the lump of ice, the holding means is not sandwiched between the ice making section and the ice accreting member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a schematic configuration of an automatic ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention in an ice making state.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an ice making mechanism in the automatic ice making machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an ice making chamber according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a water tray according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of the water tray according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional front view showing a state in which the water tray is positioned at the ice making position with respect to the ice making chamber according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional front view showing a state in which the water tray is positioned at the open position with respect to the ice making chamber according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the opening / closing device according to the embodiment in a state where the water tray is positioned at the ice making position.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the opening / closing device according to the embodiment in a state in which the water tray at the ice making position is biased in a direction of separating from the ice making chamber.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing the opening / closing device according to the embodiment with the water tray moved to the open position.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing one link mechanism in the opening / closing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing the deicing completion detecting device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a timing chart of the ice making-deicing operation of the automatic ice making machine according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ice making chamber (ice making unit), 10a ice making small chamber, 11 cooling pipe 12 water tray (ice forming member), 15 opening / closing device (opening / closing means) 55 detecting means (detecting switch), 60 detecting member 62 torsion spring (elastic means) ), 63 guide bar (holding means), S ice cube (ice block)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ice making section (10) having an ice making small chamber (10a) opening in a predetermined direction, and an ice making section (10) disposed in close contact with the ice making section (10) to circulate a refrigerant during ice making operation and deicing operation. At that time, the cooling pipe (11) in which the high-temperature refrigerant gas is circulated, and the ice making block (10a) positioned at the ice making position for closing the ice making small chamber (10a) at the time of ice making operation, the ice block (S)
And an icing member (12) that is moved to an open position to open the ice making compartment (10a) by the opening / closing means (15) during the deicing operation, and the icing member (12) during the deicing operation. By moving the ice block (S) to the open position with the ice block (S) frozen, the ice making chamber (10a)
Remove the ice block (S) from the
In an automatic ice making machine configured to peel off and drop ice blocks (S) from the ice block, the ice blocks are disposed on the ice-fixing member (12), and at the open position, the ice-fixing member (12) is frozen by elastic means (62). Ice cubes
By a detection member (60) that is biased in the direction of contacting (S), the ice lump (S) peels off from the icing member (12),
An automatic ice maker removal device characterized by comprising detection means (55) for detecting that the detection member (60) that has stopped contacting the ice block (S) has moved due to the urging force of the elastic means (62). Ice completion detector. 2. At the ice making position of the ice accreting member (12),
An ice block in which the detection member (60) is frozen on the icing member (12)
The deicing completion detecting device for an automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, further comprising a holding means (63) for holding the (S) at a position where it does not abut.