JP2005221100A - Ice dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ice dispenser, increasing the quantity of ice stored during the ice making operation while preventing arching during the stop of ice making operation. <P>SOLUTION: This ice dispenser 1 includes: a control part 21; an ice making mechanism part 2; an ice storage 5; and agitators 7a, 7b. The control part 21 stops the agitators 7a, 7b, and after that, restarts the rotation of the agitators 7a, 7b in the lapse of shorter time interval during the ice making operation than that in the stop of ice making operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice dispenser.

  The ice dispenser includes an ice making mechanism, an ice making water tank, an ice storage, and the like. In the ice storage, an ice storage detector for detecting that the ice is full, an agitator for stirring the stored ice, and an ice discharge auger for discharging the ice to the outside are provided. It also includes motors for driving each mechanism, switches and levers for control, a control board, and the like.

The above-mentioned ice dispenser has a problem that it is difficult to achieve both prevention of arching due to powdered ice and effective utilization of the ice storage volume.
In other words, by rotating the agitator for stirring the ice in the ice storage frequently or over a long period of time, the ice pile formed near the ice discharge port in the ice storage can be made sufficient, and the ice storage detector The ice-making operation can be continued in the non-operating state, and ice can be stored near the limit of the ice storage capacity, while powdered ice is often generated by the rotation of the agitator, and the ice gap is filled with powdered ice to form a hard arching. , Ice release becomes difficult.
Conversely, if the rotation of the agitator is infrequent or short, the occurrence of powdered ice is reduced and arching can be prevented, while the ice piles formed near the ice discharge port are not sufficient, and the ice storage Even if there is a space, the ice storage detector is activated and the ice making operation is stopped.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method of achieving both prevention of arching and effective use of ice storage volume by using a plurality of timers and time reference values for rotation control of an agitator. Hereinafter, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described.
The agitator starts rotating by an ice discharge signal generated along with the rotation of the ice discharge auger, and stops after continuing for a first time t1 (for example, 0.5 to 1 second). The time during which the ice discharge signal is on is integrated, and the next rotation of the agitator is suppressed until the integrated value reaches a second time t2 (for example, 10 to 20 seconds). By this control, the generation of powdered ice is suppressed as compared with continuing to rotate the agitator during the ice discharging operation.

  In addition, if the above integrated value does not reach the second time t2 even after a third time t3 (for example, 20 minutes) has elapsed since the last rotation of the agitator, the rotation suppression of the agitator is canceled. As a result, the agitator rotates simultaneously with the generation of the next ice discharge signal, and the situation where the ice discharge operation is hindered due to too little rotation of the agitator is avoided.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the agitator rotation control described above.
When the dispenser is turned on (step S101), the timers TM2 and TM3 are reset (step S102), and the integration of the timer TM3 starts (step S103). The timer TM3 and the third time t3 are compared (step S105). If the timer TM3 is larger, the process proceeds to step S110, and if not, the process proceeds to step S107. If the comparison result is equal or the timer TM3 is smaller in step S105, it is determined whether or not the ice discharge auger is operating (whether or not ice is being discharged) (step S107). If not, the process returns to step S105. .

  When the ice discharge auger is operating (ice discharge), the integration of the ice discharge time is set to the timer TM2 (step S108), and the timer TM2 and the second time t2 are compared (step S109). If the comparison results are equal or the timer TM2 is smaller, the process returns to step S105. If the timer TM2 is larger, the integration of the timer TM1 is started (step S110) and then the agitator is rotated (step S111). This is continued until it becomes larger than time (step S112). Thereafter, the agitator is stopped (step S113), the timer TM1 is reset (step S114), and the process returns to step S102.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-73069

However, in Patent Document 1 described above, the third time t3 is set to the same value during the ice making operation and during the ice making operation stop. That is, when the agitator remains stopped for a long time, the time until the agitator is forcibly rotated again is the same regardless of whether or not the ice making operation is being performed.
For this reason, if the third time t3 is set short in order to increase the ice storage amount during the ice making operation and the ice mountain in the ice storage is to be made frequent, the ice making operation is stopped because the rotation frequency of the agitator increases. There was a problem that the powdered ice increased and arching occurred. Conversely, if the third time t3 is set to be long in order to prevent arching during the ice making operation stop, the number of times the agitator is driven decreases, so that the leveling of the ice in the ice storage is insufficient, and the ice making operation is not performed. There was a problem that the amount of ice storage decreased.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an ice dispenser that increases the amount of ice stored during ice making operation while preventing arching during ice making operation stop. .

In order to achieve the above-described object, an ice dispenser according to the present invention includes an ice making mechanism, an ice storage that stores ice made by the ice making mechanism, an agitator that is attached to the inside of the ice storage, and stirs ice. An ice making mechanism and a control unit for controlling the agitator. After the agitator is stopped, the control unit rotates the agitator during the ice making operation at a shorter time interval than during the ice making operation stop. It is characterized by restarting.
The time interval during the ice making operation may be variably set.

  According to the present invention, the ice dispenser controls the agitator rotation during the ice making operation and the agitator rotation during the ice making operation at different timings, so that the amount of ice stored during the ice making operation is prevented while preventing arching during the ice making operation stop. Can be increased.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
First, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the structure of the ice dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the ice dispenser 1, an ice making mechanism 2 and an ice storage 5 are installed through an ice discharge port 3. An ice storage detector 6 for detecting that the ice is full is mounted on the upper part of the ice storage 5. The ice storage detector 6 includes an ice storage detection switch 6a and a detection plate 6b. The ice storage 5 is provided with agitators 7a and 7b for stirring the stored ice.
Although not shown, there is an ice discharge lever for ice discharge operation outside, and an ice discharge auger 9 that performs an ice discharge operation to the outside based on the operation of the ice discharge lever is provided at the bottom of the ice storage 5. .

A control board 21 that controls the entire ice dispenser 1 is also provided.
As shown in FIG. 2, an ice discharge auger drive geared motor 23, an agitator geared motor 24, an ice discharge shutter 25, and an ice discharge switch 26 provided in the ice making mechanism 2 are connected to the control board 21. Yes. Further, an ice storage detection switch 6 a is connected to the control board 21.
The control board 21 includes timers TM1, TM2, and TM3. The control board 21 is set with a first time t1, a second time t2, a third time t3, and a fourth time t4, which are time reference values.
When the detection plate 6b of the ice storage detector 6 rotates and the ice storage detection switch 6a is activated, the control board 21 stops the ice making operation after a certain time.

Next, a flowchart when the control board 21 controls the rotation of the agitator in the ice dispenser 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
When the power of the ice dispenser 1 is turned on (step S1), the timers TM2 and TM3 are reset (step S2). Here, the timer TM2 is a timer for accumulating the ice discharge time, and the timer TM3 is an elapsed time timer for accumulating the elapsed time from the last rotation of the agitators 7a and 7b. Thereafter, the integration of the timer TM3 starts (step S3).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the ice making operation is being performed (step S4). When the ice making operation is stopped, the timer TM3 is compared with the third time t3 (step S5). On the other hand, when the ice making operation is being performed, the timer TM3 is compared with the fourth time t4 (step S6). Here, as described above, the timer TM3 is an elapsed time timer that accumulates the elapsed time from the time when the agitators 7a and 7b are rotated last, and t3 and t4 are the elapsed time from the time when the agitators 7a and 7b are rotated last. Is a reference value for releasing the rotation inhibition of the agitators 7a and 7b. Note that t3 is a reference value during the ice making operation stop, t4 is a reference value during the ice making operation, and t4 is smaller than t3. t3 is, for example, 30 minutes, and t4 is, for example, 10 minutes. As a result of the comparison, if the timer TM3 is larger, the process proceeds to step S10, and if not, the process proceeds to step S7.

  As a result of the comparison in step S5 or S6 described above, if they are equal or the timer TM3 is smaller, it is determined whether or not the ice discharge auger 9 is operating (whether ice discharge is in progress) (step S7). If the ice discharge auger 9 is not operating (if it is not discharging ice), the process returns to step S4, and the agitators 7a and 7b do not rotate.

  On the other hand, when the ice discharge auger 9 is operating (when the ice discharge is in progress), the ice discharge time is integrated by the timer TM2 (step S8). Next, the timer TM2 and the second time t2 are compared (step S9). Here, the timer TM2 is a timer for accumulating the ice discharge time as described above, and the second time t2, which is a reference value thereof, is set in order to cancel the rotation suppression of the agitators 7a and 7b by the integrated value of the ice discharge time. ing. The second time t2 is, for example, 10 seconds to 20 seconds. As a result of these comparisons, if the timer TM2 and the second time t2 are equal or the timer TM2 is smaller, the process returns to step S4, and the agitators 7a and 7b do not rotate.

On the other hand, if the timer TM2 is larger, the agitators 7a and 7b rotate. First, the integration of the timer TM1 is started (step S10), then the agitators 7a and 7b are rotated (step S11), and this is continued until the timer TM1 becomes larger than the first time (step S12). Here, the timer TM1 is a timer for accumulating the rotation duration times of the agitators 7a and 7b, and the first time t1 that is a reference value of the duration time is, for example, 0.5 to 1 second.
Thereafter, the agitators 7a and 7b are stopped (step S13), the timer TM1 is reset (step S14), and the process returns to step S2.

  As described above, according to the above-described first embodiment, after the control unit (control board 21) of the ice dispenser 1 stops the agitator, the ice making operation has a shorter time interval than the ice making operation stopped. Since the rotation of the agitator is resumed, the third time t3 is set long (for example, 30 minutes) to prevent arching while the ice making operation is stopped, and the number of rotations of the agitators 7a and 7b is reduced to reduce the powder ice. The fourth time t4 is set short (for example, 10 minutes) in order to increase the amount of ice storage during ice making operation while keeping it to a minimum, and the ice storage in the ice storage 5 is frequently adjusted to keep the ice storage. The volume can be used effectively and the amount of ice storage can be increased.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, a display substrate 27 may be connected to the control substrate 21. The display board 27 includes input / output means such as a numeric keypad, which is not particularly shown, but is necessary for changing the setting of the fourth time t4, and is held in the control board by being appropriately operated. 4 may have a function of changing the setting of the time t4.

  In general, ice quality during ice making operation is affected by changes in water quality and the like, and the ease with which arching occurs varies with changes in water quality. According to the second embodiment described above, the ice dispenser 1 can freely change the fourth time t4. For example, arching is more likely to occur in areas with poor water quality, so the fourth time t4 is set longer. Thus, arching is more reliably prevented, and arching is less likely to occur in areas with good water quality. Therefore, the amount of ice storage can be increased by shortening the fourth time t4.

  Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the present invention is applied to an ice dispenser using a pair of agitators has been described. However, the number of agitators is not limited to a pair, and one or three or more agitators are used. You may apply to the ice dispenser using an agitator.

It is a side view including the partial cross section of the ice dispenser regarding Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the electrical connection relationship of the control board in the ice dispenser regarding Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the agitator rotation control flowchart of the ice dispenser regarding Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the electrical connection relation of the control board in the ice dispenser regarding Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the agitator rotation control flowchart of the ice dispenser in a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

  1 ice dispenser, 2 ice making mechanism part, 5 ice storage, 7a and 7b agitator, 21 control board (control part).

Claims (2)

An ice making mechanism,
An ice storage for storing the ice made by the ice making mechanism,
An agitator attached to the inside of the ice storage and stirring the ice;
In an ice dispenser comprising the ice making mechanism and a controller for controlling the agitator,
The ice dispenser characterized in that the controller restarts the rotation of the agitator at a shorter time interval during the ice making operation than after the ice making operation is stopped after stopping the agitator.   The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the time interval during the ice making operation is variably set.

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