JP2005180825A - Automatic ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve stable protection of a supply passage of defrosting water and a heat exchanger. <P>SOLUTION: A water heater 35 is disposed in a water pipe 29 through which defrosting water is supplied to the water collecting part 27 of a second ice-making chamber 12. A second refrigerant circulation passage 49 connected to a compressor CM is in communication with the water heater 35. An inlet valve WHV<SB>1</SB>is disposed on the hot-gas entrance side of the water heater 35 and an outlet valve WHV<SB>2</SB>is disposed on the exit side thereof. When the second ice-making chamber 12 is operated for defrosting, the inlet valve WHV<SB>1</SB>and the outlet valve WHV<SB>2</SB>open to allow a hot gas discharged from the compressor CM to be supplied to the water heater 35 so as to cause heat exchange between the hot gas and the defrosting water circulating in the water heater 35 and heat the defrosting water. A pressure switch 47 is disposed on the hot-gas exit side of the second refrigerant circulation passage 49 where the hot gas exits the water heater 35. When the switch 47 detects abnormal pressure, it is recognized as the stop of water and the operation of the automatic ice maker stops. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice making machine capable of manufacturing a large amount of ice blocks in a spherical shape or a polyhedron shape, for example.

  As the automatic ice maker, there is a “deicing control method of an automatic ice maker” according to Patent Document 1. This automatic ice making machine defines a large number of first ice making chambers that open downward, and a large number of first ice making chambers that have an evaporator led out from the refrigeration system on the back and a second ice making chamber that opens upwards. The ice making water is supplied to a space that forms an ice lump such as a sphere defined inside by correspondingly closing both ice making chambers during ice making operation. Configured to generate spherical ice in space. In the automatic ice making machine according to this structure, during the deicing operation, room temperature deicing water is stored in a water reservoir defined around the second ice making chamber and heated to freeze the second ice making chamber and the spherical ice. Is released, the second ice making chamber is tilted and opened with respect to the first ice making chamber, and then the first ice making chamber is heated to release the freezing of the first ice making chamber and the spherical ice. The spherical ice group generated in the ice making chamber 2 is peeled and dropped.

  When deicing water is used for deicing the second ice making chamber, the temperature of the deicing water is affected by the ambient temperature. Therefore, when the temperature of the deicing water is low as in winter, the time required for deicing becomes longer. There is a problem that the ice making capacity is lowered. Further, the deicing water is continuously supplied to the water reservoir until the freezing of the second ice making chamber and the spherical ice is released, and the deicing water flows in the water reservoir to cause the second ice making chamber and the spherical ice to flow. Promotes freezing. And the deicing water overflowed from the water reservoir is discharged out of the machine. Accordingly, there is a problem that the amount of deicing water consumed increases and the running cost increases as the deicing time increases. In addition, water saving is possible if the supply amount per unit time of deicing water is reduced, but in reality, the deicing time becomes longer when deicing water is at a low temperature, so that it cannot be carried out.

Therefore, the inventor of the present application has applied for an invention “automatic ice making machine and operation method” (Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-241084) as an apparatus capable of coping with the above-mentioned problems. In this automatic ice maker, a hot water (heat exchanger) is provided in a water supply pipe (supply path) for supplying deiced water to the water reservoir of the second ice making chamber, and hot gas discharged from a compressor constituting the refrigeration system. (High-temperature refrigerant) is supplied to the water heater, heat exchange is performed between the hot gas and the deicing water flowing through the water heater, and the deicing water is heated, thereby reducing the time required for deicing and making the Nissan ice making capacity It is comprised so that it can improve.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-154963

  In the automatic ice making machine using the water heater, when the deicing water is not supplied to the water heater and the water supply pipe due to water interruption during the deicing operation, the water supply pipe is heated by the air heated by the hot gas supplied to the water heater. As a result, there is a risk of causing a problem such as deformation or breakage of resin parts. In view of this, a temperature detection means is disposed downstream of the water heater in the water supply pipe, and the automatic ice maker is stopped when the detection means detects a preset abnormal temperature. ing.

  In the configuration described above, when the water supply pipe reaches an abnormal temperature, the water supply pipe and the water heater on the upstream side of the position where the temperature detecting means is disposed are at a higher temperature, and the durability of the water supply pipe and the water heater is increased. May decrease due to heat effects. In addition, although a bimetal thermo is used as the temperature detecting means, the detecting operation of the thermo is slow and it is difficult to stably protect. For example, if the heat resistance temperature of the resin parts is 60 ° C, it is necessary to stop the operation of the automatic ice maker when the internal temperature of the water supply pipe is 60 ° C or less. In that case, as the abnormal temperature set for the bimetal thermostat, It had to be about 40 ° C., and there was a risk that a temperature rise other than water break would be erroneously detected. Further, it is pointed out that the temperature detected by the thermometer varies depending on the arrangement state of the bimetal thermometer and the water supply pipe, and this makes it difficult to achieve stable protection.

  That is, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described problems inherent in the above-described conventional technology, and has been proposed to suitably solve this problem, and achieves stable protection of the deicing water supply path and the heat exchanger. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic ice making machine.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the desired purpose suitably, the automatic ice making machine according to the present invention is:
A first ice making chamber that opens downward is provided, a first ice making chamber that is provided with an evaporator constituting a refrigeration system, and a second ice making chamber that opens upward is provided, and the first ice making chamber is closed from below. An automatic ice maker configured to supply deicing water around the second ice making chamber and heat the second ice making chamber in a deicing operation.
A second refrigerant circulation path that is provided in the supply path of the deicing water and is branched from the first refrigerant circulation path that circulates the refrigerant is connected to an evaporator in the refrigeration system, and is discharged from a compressor constituting the refrigeration system. A heat exchanger that heats the deiced water with a high-temperature refrigerant supplied through the second refrigerant circulation path;
An inlet valve and an outlet valve which are disposed on the inlet side and the outlet side of the high-temperature refrigerant with respect to the heat exchanger in the second refrigerant circulation path and are controlled to be opened and closed;
It is provided in the 2nd refrigerant | coolant circulation path from the exit of the high temperature refrigerant | coolant in the said heat exchanger to the said outlet valve, It comprised from the water-stop detection means which detects the pressure or temperature of a high temperature refrigerant | coolant.

  According to the automatic ice maker according to the present invention, the second refrigerant circulation path connected to the outlet side of the high-temperature refrigerant in the heat exchanger is provided with the water-break detection means for detecting the pressure or temperature of the high-temperature refrigerant. By stopping the operation of the automatic ice making machine, it is possible to suppress the durability of the heat exchanger and the downstream deicing water supply path from being deteriorated due to the thermal effect. In addition, when detecting the pressure of the high-temperature refrigerant, the response is quick and more accurate, and stable protection of the heat exchanger and the deicing water supply path can be achieved.

  Next, the automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiments. The automatic ice making machine of the embodiment will be described with a configuration for manufacturing spherical ice, but the shape of the ice block to be manufactured is not limited to the spherical shape, but the shape of the space defined in the ice making chamber is changed. Thus, for example, ice blocks of various shapes such as diamond-cut polyhedral ice can be manufactured.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an ice making mechanism and a refrigeration system of an automatic ice making machine according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the ice making mechanism. In the ice making mechanism in the illustrated automatic ice making machine, an ice making chamber 10 for producing a plurality of spherical ice pieces having a required diameter can be opened horizontally from a first ice making chamber 11 and the first ice making chamber 11 opened from below. This is basically composed of a second ice making chamber 12 that is closed. That is, a rectangular first ice making chamber 11 made of a metal having a good thermal conductivity is vertically suspended in a horizontal posture on a mounting frame 16 disposed in an upper part of an ice making machine casing (not shown). A plurality of first ice making chambers 13 as hemispherical recesses are provided in the first ice making chamber 11 in a required alignment pattern in a downward direction. Further, an evaporator 14 constituting a refrigeration system together with the compressor CM and the condenser CN is fixed in a meandering manner on the upper surface of the first ice making chamber 11, and the vaporized refrigerant in the evaporator 14 is operated by the operation of the compressor CM. Heat exchange is promoted so that the first ice making chamber 11 is cooled to below freezing point.

  Immediately below the first ice making chamber 11, a second ice making chamber 12 made of a heat-conductive metal such as copper is disposed so as to be tiltable as will be described later. During the ice making operation, the first ice making chamber 11 is arranged. The first ice making chamber 11 can be opened during the deicing operation. Corresponding to the first ice making chamber 13 recessed in the first ice making chamber 11, the second ice making chamber 12 has a plurality of second ice making chambers 15 which are also formed of hemispherical recesses in a desired alignment pattern. It is installed. Therefore, when the second ice making chamber 12 is closed from the lower side with respect to the first ice making chamber 11 as shown in FIG. 2, the two ice making chambers 13 and 15 correspond to each other so that a spherical space having a required diameter is defined in each of the small chambers. Made.

  The second ice making chamber 12 is configured as a block body made of a heat-conductive metal such as copper as described above, and a water pan 17 for spraying and supplying ice making water to each second ice making chamber 15 includes the second ice making chamber 12. 2 It is integrally fixed to the outer bottom of the ice making chamber 12. A groove 18 is formed between the second ice making chambers 15 adjacent to each other on the surface opposite to the surface where the second ice making chamber 15 is formed in the second ice making chamber 12 (the surface facing the water dish 17). It is. That is, each of the second ice making chambers 15 is surrounded by a groove 18 on the bottom surface, and tap water (deiced water) supplied through a water supply valve WV serving as a throttle means is supplied to the groove 18 and the water during the deicing operation described later. It is configured to fill the space between the dish surface and promote the heating of the second ice making chamber 15. The water supply valve WV has a flow rate control function (throttle function) and is configured to be able to adjust the supply amount (flow rate) per unit time of the deicing water to be supplied.

  The rear end of the water pan 17 rises at a right angle to form a rear portion 17a. At the open end of the rear portion 17a, the water pan 17 is pivotally supported by a pivot 19 at a predetermined portion of the mounting frame 16 to be described later. It is tilted together with the second ice making chamber 12 by the motor AM. Then, if the water pan 17 is tilted clockwise in FIG. 2 with the pivot 19 as a fulcrum, the second ice making chamber 12 integrally fixed to the water pan 17 opens the first ice making chamber 13 as shown in FIG. When tilted counterclockwise with the pivot 19 as a fulcrum, the second ice making chamber 12 is configured to close the first ice making chamber 13 as shown in FIG. The water tray 17 has correspondingly formed fountain holes 20 communicating with the second ice making chambers 15, and distribution pipes 21 for supplying ice making water to the fountain holes 20 meander on the back surface of the water dish 17. Yes. An ice making water tank 22 for storing a predetermined amount of ice making water is integrally provided below the water pan 17, and the ice making water is supplied to the distribution pipe 21 through a water supply pump PM attached to the tank 22. It is comprised so that it may be supplied to. That is, the ice making water pumped from the ice making water tank 22 through the water supply pump PM during the ice making operation passes through the fountain holes 20 drilled in the water dish 17 to each of the first ice making chamber 13 and the second ice making chamber. 15 is sprayed and supplied into the ice forming space. Then, ice making water that has not been frozen in the ice forming space (hereinafter referred to as “non-freezing water”) communicates with each second ice making chamber 15 adjacent to each fountain hole 20 of the water dish 17. It is configured to return to the ice making water tank 22 through the drilled return hole 23.

The opening / closing motor AM that can be rotated forward and backward together with the second ice making chamber 12 is provided with a speed reducer, and a drive arm 25 as a rotating body is fixed to an output shaft 24 so as to extend in a radial direction. A coil spring 26 as a connecting member is elastically engaged between the tip of the drive arm 25 and the front end of the water dish 17 (end opposite to the pivotal support). In the ice making operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the water pan 17 is placed in a horizontal closed position where the second ice making chamber 12 closes the first ice making chamber 11 from below. It is comprised so that it may be hold | maintained. Further, the drive arm 25 is provided with a lever piece 25 a extending in the radial direction with respect to the output shaft 24 at a position away from the engagement position of the coil spring 26. Changeover switch SW ₁ is disposed on the movement locus of the drive arm 25 and the lever piece 25a in the attachment frame 16, a direction as to allow the movement to the open position of the forward direction (second ice compartment 12 with the deicing operation ) rotated by operation of the opening and closing motor AM that rotates (when the lever piece 25a for forward rotation) in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 is switched to the changeover switch SW ₁ on the reverse side, stops the motor AM, The water pan 17 and the second ice making chamber 12 are set to stop and hold at an inclined open position that is spaced downward from the first ice making chamber 11. In the embodiment, the change-over switch SW ₁ is in a state in which deicing of the second ice making chamber 12 is completed (spherical ice that has moved to the open position and peeled off from the first ice making chamber 11 can be guided to an ice storage (not shown). It is configured to function as a second detection means for detecting (when).

  Sides 17b rising at right angles are formed on both sides in the left-right direction intersecting with the front-rear direction of the water dish 17, respectively, and the front of the water dish 17 is set lower than the side part 17b by a predetermined dimension. A damming portion 17c is disposed, and both left and right ends of the damming portion 17c are in close contact with both side portions 17b and 17b. Thus, a water reservoir 27 surrounded by both side portions 17b and 17b, a damming portion 17c and the rear portion 17a is formed on the inner surface of the water dish 17. The deicing water, which will be described later, stored in the water reservoir 27 is filled in the groove 18 defined around the second ice making chamber 12, and each second ice making chamber 15 is heated. The water pan 17 has a drain hole 28 formed at a predetermined position in the water reservoir 27, and a part of the deicing water stored in the water reservoir 27 flows down from the drain hole 28 to the ice making water tank 22. The other deicing water overflows from the upper end of the damming portion 17 c and flows into the tank 22 from the front side of the water tray 17. In addition, the water supply to the ice making water tank 22 is performed by opening the water supply valve WV of the water supply pipe 29 as a supply path of the deicing water connected to the external water system. The ice making water tank 22 is provided with an overflow pipe 34 so that the deicing water flowing into the tank 22 from the water reservoir 27 and exceeding the predetermined water level during the deicing operation is discharged out of the machine through the pipe 34. It is.

  In the water supply pipe 29, a water heater 35 as a heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the position where the water supply valve WV is disposed. The water heater 35 has a double pipe structure including an inner pipe 36 that is connected to the water supply pipe 29 and an outer pipe 37 that covers the inner pipe 36 with a predetermined space therebetween. In the deicing operation, a high-temperature refrigerant (hot gas) is circulated in the space between the inner tube 36 and the outer tube 37, so that deicing water flowing in the inner tube 36 is heated. In addition, fins 38 are continuously projected over substantially the entire length in the longitudinal direction on the inner side where the deicing water flows in the inner pipe 36 and on the outer side where the hot gas flows. The heat exchange efficiency is improved. Furthermore, the water heater 35 and the water supply pipe 29 facing the water supply valve WV from the water heater 35 are covered with a heat insulating hose 39 as a heat insulating material made of foamed polyethylene or the like, and heat from the water heater 35 and the water supply pipe 29 is covered. Configured to suppress the escape of In addition, a heat insulating material is not limited to a hose-like thing, What is necessary is just the thing which can coat | cover the water heater 35 and the water supply pipe | tube 29, The material is not limited to a polyethylene foam.

  A temperature sensor Th that functions as an ice making completion detection means and a deicing completion detection means for the first ice making chamber 11 is disposed at a predetermined position in the first ice making chamber 11. When this temperature sensor Th detects the preset ice making temperature, the ice making operation is shifted to the deicing operation, and the temperature sensor Th is set in advance. Is set to shift from the deicing operation to the ice making operation.

The attachment frame 16 is provided with a deicing water start switch SW ₂ as a first detecting means for detecting the deicing start of the second ice making chamber 12 at a position facing the rotation trajectory of the drive arm 25. In the forward rotation direction in which the drive arm 25 loosens the coil spring 26 by the operation of the opening / closing motor AM accompanying the deicing operation (direction in which the holding of the closed position of the second ice making chamber 12 by the coil spring 26 is released). The deicing water start switch SW ₂ is configured to be turned on by the arm 25 when rotated by a predetermined angle. By ON operation of the deicing water start switch SW _2, to stop the said opening and closing motor AM, and opens the water supply valve WV is set so as to start supplying the deicing water to the water reservoir 27 .

A deicing water end switch SW ₃ is disposed at a position near the pivot side of the water tray 17 in the mounting frame 16, and the switch SW ₃ is an operating piece projecting from the side portion 17 b of the water tray 17. 30 is operated ON-OFF. That is, in the state where the water pan 17 is held in the closed position during the ice making operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the operating piece 30 is brought into contact with the deicing water end switch SW ₃ and is turned on, as will be described later. By releasing the freezing between the second ice making chambers 15 and the spherical ice in the second ice making chamber 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the water pan 17, the second ice making chamber 12 and the like are placed under the open weight (open position). in towards upon tilting configured to the operating piece 30 is OFF operated at a distance from the deicing water end switch SW _3. Then, when the deicing water end switch SW ₃ is OFF operation, the with water supply valve and closes the WV to stop supplying the deicing water to the water reservoir 27, and restarts the operation of the opening and closing motor AM Thus, the water pan 17 is set to tilt toward the open position.

  Below the ice making water tank 22, a drain pan 31 for receiving ice making residual water or the like and discharging it to the outside of the machine is disposed, and an ice guide plate 33 fixed to the shaft 32 is disposed above the drain pan 31. I'm here. During the ice making operation, the ice guide plate 33 is positioned at a retracted position so as not to interfere with the water tray 17 and the ice making water tank 22 as shown in FIG. Further, during the deicing operation, the pushing piece 22a protruding from the ice making water tank 22 tilting toward the open position pushes the reversing lever 33a provided on the ice guiding plate 33 so that the ice guiding plate 33 is pivoted. The ice guide plate 33 is rotated counterclockwise about 32, and falls down onto the upper surface of the second ice making chamber 12 in an inclined state (open position), thereby closing each second ice making chamber 15 ( (See FIG. 6). That is, the spherical ice falling from the first ice making chamber 11 is slid down on the ice guide plate 33 and smoothly guided to an ice storage (not shown).

  When the water tray 17 returns to the closed position, the ice guide plate 33 is pushed by the water tray 17 tilting toward the closed position and pivots clockwise, and the retracted position shown in FIG. Configured to return to

  In the refrigeration system in the automatic ice making machine, as shown in FIG. 1, the vaporized refrigerant compressed by the compressor CM is condensed and liquefied by the condenser CN via the discharge pipe 40, dehumidified by the dryer 41, and then the expansion valve 42. The pressure is reduced and flows into the evaporator 14 where it expands and evaporates at once. The first ice making chamber 13 is cooled to below the freezing point by exchanging heat with the first ice making chamber 11. The vaporized refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 14 returns to the compressor CM through the suction pipe 43 and is recirculated. In the embodiment, a path for circulating and supplying the refrigerant discharged from the compressor CM to the evaporator 14 is the first refrigerant circulation path 48.

Further, a hot gas pipe 44 is branched from a discharge pipe 40 which is a high pressure side pipe body of the compressor CM constituting the first refrigerant circulation path 48, and this hot gas pipe 44 passes through a hot gas valve HV, and is connected to an evaporator. 14 is connected to the inlet side. During the deicing operation, the hot gas valve HV opens when the changeover switch SW ₁ detects the completion of deicing of the second ice making chamber 12 (in the reverse rotation state), and the switch SW ₁ is rotated forward. It is controlled to be closed when switched to the side. That is, the hot gas valve HV is opened during the deicing operation, and the high-temperature refrigerant (hot gas) discharged from the compressor CM is bypassed to the evaporator 14 via the hot gas pipe 44, so that each first ice making chamber is bypassed. By heating 13, the peripheral surface of the spherical ice generated in the small chamber is melted, and each spherical ice is dropped by its own weight. In addition, the code | symbol FM in FIG. 1 shows the fan motor for condenser CN.

A supply pipe 45 is branched from the upstream side (compressor CM side) of the hot gas pipe 44 at the position where the hot gas valve HV is disposed, and the supply pipe 45 passes through the inlet valve WHV ₁ for the water heater and passes through the water heater 35. Is communicated with the inlet side of the outer tube 37. A return pipe 46 connected to the outlet side of the outer pipe 37 in the water heater 35 is connected to the suction pipe 43 via an outlet valve WHV ₂ for the water heater. Thus the outer tube 37 (water heaters 35) the inlet valve disposed in the inlet side and the outlet side of the high-temperature refrigerant for WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ is opened by the ON operation of the deicing water start switch SW ₂ , control for closing when the the deicing water end switch SW ₃ is OFF operation is performed. That is, by opening the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ during the deicing operation, hot gas discharged from the compressor CM is bypassed to the outer pipe 37 of the water heater 35 through the supply pipe 45, The deicing water can be heated by exchanging heat between the hot gas and the deicing water flowing through the inner pipe 36 of the water heater 35. The hot gas flowing outside the inner pipe 36 and the deicing water flowing inside the inner pipe 36 are set so that their flow directions are opposite to each other. Heat exchange can be performed. In the embodiment, the supply pipe 45 and the return pipe 46 constitute a second refrigerant circulation path 49.

A high-pressure stop valve HPV is disposed downstream of the branch portion of the hot gas pipe 44 in the discharge pipe 40 (downstream side of the branch portion of the second refrigerant circulation path 49, that is, the condenser CN side). The high-pressure stop valve HPV, said closed by the ON operation of the deicing water start switch SW _2, wherein the deicing water end switch SW ₃ is controlled to open when it is OFF operated is made. That is, when the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ are opened, the high pressure stop valve HPV is controlled to close. When the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ are open, the hot gas valve HV is closed, so that the deicing of the second ice making chamber 12 is discharged from the compressor CM. All the hot gas is supplied to the water heater 35 side without flowing to the evaporator 14 side, and is used only for heating deiced water.

As shown in FIG. 1, the return pipe 46 connected to the outlet side of the outer pipe 37 in the water heater 35 is provided between the outlet of the hot gas in the outer pipe 37 and the outlet valve WHV _2. A pressure switch (pressure detection means) 47 is provided as a water breakage detection means for detecting the pressure of hot gas flowing through 46. The pressure switch 47 is set to stop the operation of the automatic ice maker when it detects a preset abnormal pressure (OFF set value). That is, in the deicing operation, when deicing water is not supplied to the inner pipe 36 or the water supply pipe 29 of the water heater 35 due to water interruption, the hot gas supplied to the water heater 35 does not exchange heat with the deicing water (no load state). ) When the pressure of the hot gas flowing through the return pipe 46 rises and the value reaches the OFF set value (abnormal pressure) of the pressure switch 47, the pressure switch 47 is turned OFF and the operation of the automatic ice making machine is stopped. . As a result, the air in the inner pipe 36 is heated by the hot gas to a high temperature, and the problem caused by the heating of the water supply pipe 29 is prevented in advance. For example, when the water supply pipe 29 is formed of a pipe body made of a metal material on the upstream side of the water supply valve WV and a pipe body made of a resin material on the downstream side of the water supply valve WV, the high temperature as described above. It is possible to prevent the pipe body from being deformed or the like by flowing the air through the resin pipe body. Further, the water supply valve WV can be protected from high-temperature air, and the high-temperature air in the water supply pipe 29 can be prevented from being discharged into the ice storage as much as possible by early detection.

  In the automatic ice maker of the embodiment, when the operation stops, the pressure of the hot gas in the return pipe 46 decreases, and when the value reaches the ON set value of the pressure switch 47, the switch 47 is turned ON. The automatic ice maker is set to resume operation. The pressure detection means as the water break detection means is not limited to the pressure switch, and may be a pressure sensor or the like.

Here, when the pressure switch 47 is provided between the outlet valve WHV ₂ and the connection portion with the suction pipe 43 in the return pipe 46, there are the following difficulties. That is, in the embodiment, the deicing completion of the first ice making chamber 11 is performed by the temperature sensor Th detecting the deicing completion temperature. Therefore, after all the spherical ice has fallen from the first ice making chamber 11. However, the hot gas is supplied to the evaporator 14 until the temperature sensor Th detects the deicing completion temperature. At this time, since the hot gas is in a state in which heat exchange with the spherical ice is not performed (no-load state), the gas pressure in the suction pipe 43 rises and the outlet from the connection portion with the suction pipe 43 The pressure in the return pipe 46 up to the valve WHV ₂ also increases, and the pressure switch 47 may malfunction. Therefore, when the pressure switch 47 is disposed in the return pipe 46 on the downstream side from the position where the outlet valve WHV ₂ is disposed, the pressure rise when the deicing of the first ice making chamber 11 is completed is considered. The operating pressure (ON-OFF set value) of the switch 47 must be set. However, when the pressure switch 47 is disposed in the return pipe 46 upstream of the position where the outlet valve WHV ₂ is disposed, it is not necessary to consider the above-described pressure increase, and only corresponds to the hot gas pressure increase due to water shutoff. It is only necessary to set the operating pressure so as to obtain a simple and accurate detection.

(Effects of Example)
Next, the operation of the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment will be described below. During the ice making operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the second ice making chamber 12 closes the first ice making chamber 11 from below, associates each first ice making chamber 13 with each second ice making chamber 15, and creates ice inside. A space for formation is defined. When the ice making operation is started in this state, the refrigeration compressor CM and the fan motor FM are activated, and the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the evaporator 14 provided in the first ice making chamber 11 through the first refrigerant circulation path 48. Then, the first ice making chamber 11 is cooled, and ice making water from the ice making water tank 22 is pumped to the distribution pipe 21, and both ice making chambers 13, 15 is injected into a spherical space defined by 15.

  The sprayed ice making water comes into contact with the inner surface of the first ice making chamber 13 and is cooled to wet the second ice making chamber 15 below, and then this uniced water forms the return hole 23 formed in the water dish 17. And then returned to the ice making water tank 22 for recirculation. While the circulation of the ice making water is repeated, the temperature of the entire ice making water stored in the tank 22 gradually decreases, and the temperature of the second ice making chamber 12 also gradually decreases. First, a part of the ice making water freezes on the inner wall surface of the first ice making chamber 13 and an ice layer starts to be formed. During the operation of returning the uniced water from the return hole 23 to the tank 22, Further progresses, and spherical ice is finally generated in the spherical space formed in both ice making chambers 13 and 15.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the temperature sensor Th detects that the production of spherical ice has been completed (ice-making completed) and the temperature of the first ice-making chamber 11 has reached the ice-making completion temperature, the feed water pump PM is controlled to stop. Then, the circulation of ice-making water is stopped. Note that only the fan motor FM is controlled to stop while energization to the compressor CM constituting the refrigeration system is continued. Also, the operation of the opening and closing motor AM is started, the driving arm 25 is rotated in the forward direction, when the arm 25 is turned ON operating the deicing water start switch SW _2, the operation of the opening and closing motor AM is stopped (See FIG. 4). At this time, the water supply valve WV is opened, whereby supply of deicing water is started from the water supply pipe 29 connected to the external water system to the water reservoir 27 defined on the surface of the water tray 17. Further, the coil spring 26 is loosened by the rotation of the drive arm 25, and the force for holding the water pan 17 and the second ice making chamber 12 in the closed position by the spring 26 is released. However, at this time, the second ice making chamber 15 and the spherical ice are kept frozen, so that the water tray 17 remains facing the closed position.

When the deicing water start switch SW ₂ is turned on, the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ are opened, and the high-pressure stop valve HPV is closed. At this time, the changeover switch SW ₁ is because they become forward side, the hot gas valve HV is closed. Therefore, the hot gas discharged from the compressor CM is bypassed to the outer pipe 37 of the water heater 35 through the supply pipe 45 and is heated between the deicing water flowing in the inner pipe 36 of the water heater 35. Exchange and warm the deiced water. The heated deicing water is supplied to the water reservoir 27.

  The amount of warmed deicing water supplied to the water reservoir 27 via the water supply valve WV is larger than the amount flowing down from the drain hole 28 to the ice making water tank 22, so the water level at the water reservoir 27 is It gradually rises and eventually overflows from the weir 17c of the water tray 17. By setting the water surface level of the water reservoir 27 when it overflows so as to arrive near the upper end of the second ice making chamber 12, the deiced water can mainly heat the second ice making chamber 12. The overflow water from the damming portion 17 c flows down from the tip of the water dish 17 into the ice making water tank 22. The water level in the tank 22 gradually rises due to the water flowing in from the tip of the water pan and the water flowing down from the drain hole 28, and excess water flows down from the overflow pipe 34 to the drain pan 31 and then goes out of the machine. Discharged.

  The second ice making chamber 12 is heated by deicing water stored in the water reservoir 27 and the temperature rises, and the freezing force between the wall surface of the second ice making chamber 15 and the spherical ice gradually decreases. The heat of the deicing water is also transmitted to the first ice making chamber 11 that is in contact with the second ice making chamber 12, but this heat is slight, and the freezing force between the wall surface of the first ice making chamber 13 and the spherical ice does not decrease.

When the freezing force between the wall surface of the second ice making chamber 15 and the spherical ice is lowered to the point where the weight of the water tray set including the second ice making chamber 12, the water tray 17, the ice making water tank 22, etc. cannot be supported, the water tray The pair tilts downward by its own weight to a position that balances with the elasticity of the coil spring 26 that has been loosened. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the operating piece 30 is separated from the deicing water end switch SW ₃ and turned off, and the detachment of the spherical ice from the second ice making chamber 12 is detected. At this time, the water supply valve WV is closed, the operation of the opening / closing motor AM is restarted, and the water tray 17 and the second ice making chamber 12 are brought into the open position by rotating the drive arm 25 in the forward rotation direction. Start tilting towards. Further, the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ are closed, and the high-pressure stop valve HPV is opened.

At the time of deicing the second ice making chamber 12, the deiced water stored in the water reservoir 27 is heated by heat exchange with the hot gas, so that the second temperature can be maintained even when the ambient temperature is low, such as in winter. The time required for deicing the ice making chamber 12 (deicing time) can be shortened, and the Nissan ice making capacity of the automatic ice maker can be improved. Further, by reducing the deicing time, the amount of deicing water used can be reduced, and the running cost can be kept low. Furthermore, since the deicing water in the second ice making chamber 12 is deiced using the deicing water having a high temperature, even if the supply amount per unit time of the deicing water to be supplied is set small by the flow rate control function of the water supply valve WV. The deicing time does not become long, and this also makes it possible to reduce the running cost. Furthermore, by closing the high pressure stop valve HPV when deicing the second ice making chamber 12, all hot gas discharged from the compressor CM can be used for heating the deicing water. Can be efficiently heated. In the ice making operation, the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ are closed, so that the refrigerant from the compressor CM does not flow into the water heater 35 and the refrigeration capacity does not decrease.

  In the heat exchange in the water heater 35, since the flow direction of the deicing water and the hot gas is set in the opposite direction, the heat exchange between the two is efficiently performed, and the temperature of the deicing water can be increased. Contributes to shortening of deicing time. Moreover, since the inner pipe 36 of the water heater 35 is provided with fins 38 projecting inward and outward, the surface area for heat exchange between the hot gas and the deicing water increases, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency. High temperature deicing water can be obtained. Furthermore, since the water supply pipe 29 to the water heater 35 and the water supply valve WV is covered with the heat insulating hose 39, the temperature of the deicing water heated by the water heater 35 decreases while being supplied to the water reservoir 27. And energy loss can be suppressed.

  Here, when deicing the second ice making chamber 12, when deicing water is not supplied to the inner pipe 36 or the water supply pipe 29 of the water heater 35 due to water interruption, the hot gas supplied to the water heater 35 causes the inside of the inner pipe to The air is heated to a high temperature, and accordingly, the water supply pipe 29 is also heated, and there is a possibility that the resin portion or the like constituting the water supply pipe 29 is deformed. However, in the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment, the pressure switch 47 disposed in the return pipe 46 is set to stop the operation of the automatic ice maker when detecting a preset abnormal pressure (OFF set value). Therefore, the hot water 35 or the water supply pipe generated due to the hot gas being overheated by circulating in the water heater 35 in an unloaded state or the high temperature air circulating in the water supply pipe 29 is generated. Various abnormal situations such as a decrease in durability 29 can be prevented in advance. Further, the pressure switch 47 can detect water breakage at an early stage, and stable protection of the water heater 35 and the water supply pipe 29 is achieved. Note that the pressure detection by the pressure switch 47 has less variation due to the arrangement state, etc., compared to the conventional temperature detection using a bimetal thermo, and can accurately detect water failure.

In the middle of the tilting of the water tray 17, the ice guide plate 33 is reversed by pushing the reversing lever 33 a integrally disposed on the shaft 32 by the pressing piece 22 a of the ice making water tank 22. Tilt in the applied state. As shown in FIG. 6, when the lever piece 25 a switches the changeover switch SW ₁ to the reverse side at the timing when the water pan 17 tilts to the maximum extent, the opening / closing motor AM stops and the water pan 17 tilts. Stop. At this time, the ice guide plate 33 covers the upper surface of the second ice making chamber 12 and provides a smooth surface for sliding ice blocks as described above.

When the change-over switch SW ₁ is switched, the hot gas valve HV is opened and hot gas is supplied to the evaporator 14, the first ice making chamber 11 is heated, and the inner surface of the first ice making chamber 13 is Start melting ice surface with spherical ice. At this time, since both the inlet valve WHV ₁ and the outlet valve WHV ₂ are closed, almost all the hot gas discharged from the compressor CM is supplied to the evaporator 14 and is supplied to the first ice making chamber 11. Efficient deicing is achieved.

  When the first ice making chamber 13 is heated to some extent by the start of deicing of the first ice making chamber 11, as shown in FIG. 6, the freezing of the wall surface of the chamber and the spherical ice is released, and it falls by its own weight, waiting for tilting. It settles on the surface of the ice guide plate 33, and is slid down and collected in an ice storage.

As described above, when all the spherical ice is separated from the first ice making chamber 13, the temperature of the first ice making chamber 11 is increased at once by the hot gas circulating in the evaporator 14. When the temperature sensor Th detects the deicing completion temperature, the opening / closing motor AM is operated in the reverse direction, and the drive arm 25 is rotated in the reverse direction (clockwise in FIG. 7). Therefore, the water tray assembly is tilted counterclockwise by the coil spring 26 elastically engaged between the drive arm 25 and the water tray 17. The water supply valve WV is opened upon detection of the completion of deicing in the first ice making chamber 11, and the tap water supplied onto the water tray 17 and stored in the water reservoir 27 is stored in the ice making water tank through the drain hole 28. 22 is supplied as new ice-making water to the tank 22 whose water level has dropped. At this time, since hot gas is not supplied to the water heater 35, tap water supplied as ice making water is not heated. Since the pressure switch 47 is provided in the return pipe 46 on the water heater 35 side from the closed outlet valve WHV ₂ , the pressure rise of the hot gas flowing through the suction pipe 43 in an unloaded state is It does not extend to the return pipe 46 where the switch 47 is disposed, and the automatic ice maker is prevented from being shut down due to a malfunction of the pressure switch 47.

The first ice making chamber 11 is again closed from below by the second ice making chamber 12 by returning the water tray assembly tilted counterclockwise by the drive arm 25 rotating in the reverse direction to the closed position. (See FIG. 8). When the changeover switch SW ₁ is switched to the forward rotation side by the drive arm 25, the opening / closing motor AM is stopped, and the water supply valve WV and the hot gas valve HV are closed to supply tap water and hot gas. Supply is stopped. And it returns to an initial state, ice making operation is restarted, and the operation | movement mentioned above is repeated. Incidentally, in the middle turn in the reverse direction of the drive arm 25, the deicing water start switch SW ₂ is is ON-OFF operation by the arm 25, the signal at this time is canceled, the water supply valve WV is opened Never happen. Further, the deicing water end switch SW ₃ is also turned ON by the operating piece 30 and enters a standby state for the next cycle.

[Example of change]
In the automatic ice maker of the embodiment, when controlling the stop / restart of the automatic ice maker, that is, the start / stop of the compressor by ON / OFF of the pressure switch, if the start / stop time is short, a load is applied to the compressor. The start / stop time may be appropriately adjusted by using a timer that starts counting when the pressure switch is OFF (detects an abnormal pressure). Further, when the pressure switch detects an abnormal pressure, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which an alarm means such as a lamp or a buzzer is activated to make the user aware of the occurrence of the abnormality.

  In the embodiments, the pressure switch (pressure detection means) for detecting the pressure of hot gas is used as the water cutoff detection means. However, a temperature detection sensor (temperature detection means) for detecting the temperature of the hot gas can be employed. Even in this configuration, by detecting the temperature of the hot gas flowing out of the water heater, it is possible to detect a water break at an early stage and prevent an abnormality from occurring.

  In addition, various changes such as omitting the high-pressure stop valve arranged in the discharge pipe of the refrigeration system, or the configuration in which the flow direction of the deicing water and hot gas in the heat exchanger (water heater) is the same direction Is possible.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an ice making mechanism and a refrigeration system of an automatic ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which closed the 2nd ice making chamber with respect to the 1st ice making chamber, and started the ice making operation | movement about the principal part of the automatic ice making machine which concerns on an Example. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state by which ice making was completed and the substantially solid spherical ice was produced | generated in both ice-making small chambers about the principal part of the automatic ice maker of an Example. The main part of the automatic ice making machine of the embodiment is schematically shown in a state where ice making is completed and the deicing water start switch is turned ON by turning the drive arm, the water supply valve is opened, and deicing water is stored in the water reservoir. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the 2nd ice making chamber open | releases from the 1st ice making chamber by releasing the freezing of a 2nd ice making chamber and spherical ice about the principal part of the automatic ice making machine of an Example. The main part of the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment is separated from the first ice making chamber in the state where the second ice making chamber is closed by letting the ice guide plate fall down on the upper surface of the second ice making chamber stopped at the open position. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which falls. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the 2nd ice making chamber starts tilting in the direction which completes deicing and the 1st ice making chamber is closed about the principal part of the automatic ice making machine of an Example. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state by which the 2nd ice making chamber was hold | maintained in the closed position about the principal part of the automatic ice making machine of an Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 1st ice making room, 12 2nd ice making room, 13 1st ice making room, 14 Evaporator 15 2nd ice making room, 29 Water supply pipe (supply path of deicing water), 35 Water heater (heat exchanger)
47 pressure switch (water cutoff detection means), 48 first refrigerant circulation path 49 second refrigerant circulation path, CM compressor, WHV ₁ inlet valve, WHV ₂ outlet valve

Claims (1)

A first ice making chamber (13) opened downward is provided, and a first ice making chamber (11) provided with an evaporator (14) constituting a refrigeration system and a second ice making chamber (15) opened upward are provided. And a second ice making chamber (12) disposed so that the first ice making chamber (11) can be closed from below. Deicing water is provided around the second ice making chamber (12) during the deicing operation. An automatic ice making machine configured to supply and heat the second ice making chamber (12);
A second refrigerant circulation path (49) branched from the first refrigerant circulation path (48) for circulating the refrigerant to the evaporator (14) in the refrigeration system is connected to the deicing water supply path (29). A heat exchanger (35) for heating deiced water with a high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor (CM) constituting the refrigeration system and supplied via the second refrigerant circulation path (49);
An inlet valve (WHV ₁ ) and an outlet valve (WHV ₂ ) which are disposed on the inlet side and the outlet side of the high-temperature refrigerant with respect to the heat exchanger (35) in the second refrigerant circulation path (49) and are controlled to open and close;
A water breakage detection means (47) provided in the second refrigerant circulation path (49) between the outlet of the high-temperature refrigerant and the outlet valve (WHV ₂ ) in the heat exchanger (35) and detects the pressure or temperature of the high-temperature refrigerant. ) And an automatic ice making machine.

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