JP2009222379A - Automatic ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively use energy by utilizing cold of a liquid refrigerant which becomes excess in a later phase of ice making process. <P>SOLUTION: In a refrigerating device 12, a bypass tube 52 diverging from a discharging pipe 30 between a drier 34 and a heat exchanging part 46 is connected to a return tube 38 between the heat exchanging part 46 and a compressor 28. The bypass tube 52 is arranged with a heat exchanging pipe 54 arranged in a water supply tank 24 and an adjustment valve 56. An ice-making part 10 is arranged with a temperature sensor 50, and when the temperature sensor 50 detects set temperature, a control means operates the adjustment valve 56. When the adjustment valve 56 is operated, a part of the liquid refrigerant which has passed the drier 34 diverges to the bypass tube 52 and heat-exchanges with ice-making water in the heat exchanging pipe 54 to cool the ice-making water. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice making machine that supplies ice making water to an ice making section that is cooled by circulatingly supplying a refrigerant to an evaporator to produce ice blocks.

  A jet automatic ice making machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1) that freezes ice-making water in a number of ice-making chambers opened downward and continuously produces a large number of ice blocks (for example, ice cubes) is disclosed in a coffee shop. It is preferably used in restaurants, other kitchen facilities. In this automatic ice maker, the evaporator that constitutes the refrigeration system is closely and meanderingly arranged on the upper surface of the ice making section where a number of ice making chambers that open downward are defined, and the evaporator vaporizes the refrigerant during the ice making process. Thus, the ice making unit is cooled, and the ice making unit is heated by supplying hot gas to the evaporator during the deicing process.

  In the automatic ice making machine, ice making water stored in an ice making water tank disposed below the ice making unit in the ice making process is supplied to each ice making chamber, and uniced water that does not freeze in the ice making chamber is made into ice. The circulation in which the water is collected in the water tank and sprayed to each ice making chamber is repeated. When the ice making completion detecting means detects that a predetermined ice block has been generated in the ice making chamber, the ice making water injection supply to the ice making chamber is stopped, and hot gas is circulated to the evaporator by switching the valve of the refrigeration apparatus. Shift to the deicing process to be supplied. In the deicing process, when the ice making part is heated by hot gas and the temperature rises, and the icing part with the inner wall surface of the ice making chamber in the ice block is melted, the ice block falls by its own weight and is stored in the ice storage chamber. The Then, when the deicing completion detecting means detects the detachment of the ice block from the ice making unit, the ice making process is shifted to the ice making process, and ice making is started again.

  In the ice making process described above, the amount of ice making per unit time in which ice making water freezes in the ice making chamber decreases as it becomes late compared to the initial stage. On the other hand, the output of the compressor constituting the refrigeration apparatus is always constant, and the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is also constant in the ice making process. In other words, the amount of heat supplied to the evaporator gradually decreases as the ice grows in the ice making process. The liquefied refrigerant that flows out of the evaporator without being generated is generated.

  When the liquefied refrigerant is sucked into the compressor, it causes a failure. Therefore, in the refrigeration apparatus of the automatic ice maker, between the evaporator and the compressor, the vaporized refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator and the non-evaporated liquefied refrigerant An accumulator for separating the liquefied refrigerant is provided, and the refrigerant is sucked into the compressor and the liquefied refrigerant is stored in the accumulator to prevent the liquefied refrigerant from being sucked into the compressor. The liquefied refrigerant stored in the accumulator is heated and evaporated by hot gas flowing into the accumulator from the evaporator in the deicing process, and is sucked into the compressor as a vaporized refrigerant.

JP-A-2005-164100

  In the refrigeration apparatus, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is condensed and liquefied by the condenser to be used for cooling the evaporator, but the liquefied refrigerant stored in the accumulator is the ice making unit (ice making unit) in the evaporator. It is a waste of energy to return the liquefied refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator without any work (heat exchange) in this way to the gas using hot gas. Met.

  Here, the rate of heat transfer from the ice surface to the protective film covering the ice making chamber when ice grows during the ice making process depends on the thermal conductivity of the ice. While the thermal conductivity of ice is 2.2 W / (m · K), the thermal conductivity of copper, which is the material for forming the ice making part, is 403 W / (m · K), which is the material for forming the protective film, tin. The thermal conductivity of the ice is 68 W / (m · K), and the thermal conductivity of ice is one digit or more lower than that of the ice making part or the protective film. For this reason, in the ice making process, the amount of heat transferred from the ice making water supplied to the ice making chamber to the ice formed in the ice making chamber is larger than the amount of heat moving from the ice to the protective film and the ice making section, and the difference is the difference in ice making. Used to cool the frozen ice itself. Therefore, as the ice making is completed, the ice near the protective film tends to be supercooled. Further, in the situation where liquefied refrigerant that does not vaporize in the evaporator is generated, that is, in the situation where the liquefied refrigerant supplied to the evaporator becomes excessive, the above-described supercooling may further progress. In addition, excessively cooled ice requires a large amount of heat to be detached, which causes a problem that the time required for the deicing process becomes long.

  That is, the present invention has been proposed to solve this problem in view of the above-described problems inherent in the automatic ice making machine according to the prior art, and is excessive in accordance with the progress of ice making. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ice making machine capable of effectively utilizing the cold heat of the refrigerant and suppressing the overcooling of ice.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem and to achieve the intended purpose suitably, an automatic ice maker according to the invention of claim 1
An ice making unit to which ice making water is supplied in the ice making process, and a refrigeration device for cooling the ice making unit, the refrigeration device includes a compressor, a condenser for condensing vaporized refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and An automatic ice maker arranged in an ice making unit and having an evaporator for evaporating the liquefied refrigerant liquefied by the condenser, wherein the refrigerant returns from the evaporator to the compressor;
State detection means for detecting the progress of ice making in the ice making unit;
A bypass path that branches from the refrigerant path on the discharge side connecting the condenser and the evaporator and is connected to the refrigerant path on the suction side that connects the evaporator and the compressor, and through which the refrigerant can flow;
Adjusting means that operates according to the detection state of the state detection means and adjusts the amount of liquefied refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant path on the discharge side into the bypass path;
It is provided with the heat exchange means which is provided in the said bypass path | route, and a liquefied refrigerant flows in, evaporates the liquefied refrigerant which flowed in, and heat-exchanges between heat exchangers.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the amount of liquefied refrigerant flowing from the discharge-side refrigerant path into the bypass path is adjusted by the adjusting means, so that the liquefied refrigerant in excess due to the progress of ice making is heated. By flowing into the exchange means, the heat exchange means can exchange heat with the heat exchanger, and waste of energy can be reduced. In addition, by adjusting the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator according to the progress of ice making in the ice making process, it is possible to suppress excessive cooling of ice due to an excessive amount of liquefied refrigerant being supplied to the evaporator. This can shorten the deicing process and improve the ice making capacity.

The invention according to claim 2 includes an ice making water tank in which ice making water supplied to the ice making unit is stored in the ice making process, and a water supply tank in which ice making water supplied to the ice making water tank is stored,
The gist of the invention is that the heat exchanging means is configured to be immersed in ice making water stored in the water supply tank and to exchange heat with the ice making water in the water supply tank.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to cool the ice making water for the next ice making by exchanging heat between the liquefied refrigerant in excess due to the progress of ice making and the ice making water stored in the water supply tank. In other words, since ice making water is supplied to the ice making water tank, the ice making water supplied to the ice making unit in the ice making process can be cooled to the freezing temperature (0 ° C) in a short time, and the ice making process can be shortened to produce ice making capacity. Can be improved.

In the invention according to claim 3, the state detection means is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the ice making unit, and is supplied to the evaporator with respect to the amount of heat required for ice making in the ice making unit during the ice making process. The adjustment means operates when the temperature sensor detects a set temperature at which the amount of the liquefied refrigerant to be excessive is detected, and the liquefied refrigerant flows from the refrigerant path on the discharge side into the bypass path. And
According to the invention of claim 3, by using a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ice making part as the state detecting means, the temperature sensor can be used as detecting means for completion of ice making and deicing, and the number of parts can be reduced. It can be reduced.

In the invention according to claim 4, after the temperature sensor detects the set temperature, the amount of liquefied refrigerant flowing into the bypass path from the refrigerant path on the discharge side in response to a change in temperature detected by the temperature sensor. The gist of the invention is that the adjusting means is operated so as to change.
According to the invention of claim 4, ice making and heat exchanging means in the ice making section are made by changing the amount of liquefied refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant path on the discharge side to the bypass path in response to a change in temperature detected by the temperature sensor. It is possible to efficiently perform both the heat exchange and the heat exchange.

  According to the automatic ice making machine of the present invention, the cold heat of the liquefied refrigerant that becomes excessive according to the progress of ice making can be used for cooling the heat exchanger, and waste of energy can be suppressed. . In addition, since the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator can be adjusted according to the progress of ice making in the ice making process, excessive cooling of the ice formed in the ice making part is suppressed, and the ice removing process is shortened to make ice making. Improve ability.

It is a schematic block diagram of the automatic ice making machine which concerns on an Example. It is a main control block diagram of the automatic ice making machine according to the embodiment. It is a graph which shows each temperature of refrigerant | coolant piping from the start to completion of an ice making process, an ice making part, and ice making water, and the ice making ratio in each time.

  Next, a preferred embodiment of the automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic ice making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic ice making machine is located above an ice storage chamber (not shown) defined in a housing (not shown). An ice making section 10 is provided which defines a large number of ice making chambers 10a opened downward. Further, on the upper surface of the ice making unit 10, an evaporator 14 constituting the refrigeration apparatus 12 is arranged in a meandering manner so as to be positioned above each ice making chamber 10a, and vaporizes the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 14 during the ice making process. Thus, each ice making chamber 10a is configured to be forcibly cooled.

  Below the ice making unit 10 is disposed an ice making water tank 16 in which a predetermined amount of ice making water is stored at a predetermined interval. Above the ice making water tank 16, an injection member 18 having nozzles 18a projecting at positions corresponding to the ice making chambers 10a of the ice making unit 10 is disposed. The ice making water tank 16 is connected with a circulation pump 20 for circulating the ice making water in the ice making process via a suction pipe 20a, and a discharge pipe 20b connected to the circulation pump 20 is connected to the injection member 18. It is connected to the. In the ice making process, ice making water supplied to the spray member 18 by the circulation pump 20 is jetted and supplied from the nozzles 18a into the corresponding ice making chambers 10a to form ice blocks in the ice making chambers 10a. ing. The injection member 18 is formed with a large number of return holes (not shown) that open up and down, and the freezing water that has fallen on the upper surface of the injection member 18 without icing in the ice making unit 10 is returned to the return hole. It is made to collect | recover in the said ice making water tank 16 via.

  An ice guide plate (not shown) is disposed between the ice making unit 10 and the injection member 18 to guide the ice blocks separated from the ice making unit 10 through the deicing process to the ice storage chamber. The ice guide plate has an opening that allows ice-making water sprayed and supplied from each nozzle 18a of the spray member 18 to be supplied to the ice making chamber 10a through the opening. In addition, unfrozen water that has fallen without freezing in the ice making chamber 10a passes through the opening and is collected in the ice making water tank 16 through the return hole.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic ice making machine includes a water supply tank 24 connected to a water supply pipe 22 connected to an external water system (external water source), and opens a water supply valve WV disposed in the water supply pipe 22. The tap water from the external water system is configured to be supplied to the water supply tank 24. In addition, a suction pipe 26 a of a water supply pump 26 is connected to the water supply tank 24, and a discharge pipe 26 b of the water supply pump 26 is opened above the ice making water tank 16. Then, the tap water stored in the water supply tank 24 (the ice making water for the next ice making) is supplied to the ice making water tank 16 by the water supply pump 26 in the deicing process so as to be used as the ice making water in the next ice making process. Composed. In the following description, tap water supplied to the water supply tank 24 is also referred to as ice making water.

  A lower limit float switch FSL and an upper limit float switch FSH (see FIG. 2) are disposed in the water supply tank 24. When ice making water is supplied to the ice making water tank 16 by the water supply pump 26, the lower limit float switch FSL is set to detect that the water level of the ice making water in the water supply tank 24 has dropped to the lower limit water level. Further, when tap water is supplied to the water supply tank 24 by opening the water supply valve WV, the upper limit float switch FSH is set to detect that the water level of the ice making water in the water supply tank 24 has risen to the upper limit water level. Then, the water supply valve WV is opened by the control means 48 (see FIG. 2) so that it opens when the lower limit float switch FSL detects the lower limit water level and closes when the upper limit float switch FSH detects the upper limit water level. Open / close controlled. The water supply pump 26 is controlled by the control means 48 so that it operates when the ice making process is shifted to the deicing process and stops when the lower limit float switch FSL detects the lower limit water level. It should be noted that the amount of ice making water supplied to the ice making water tank 16 until the time when the water supply pump 26 is activated and the ice making water level in the water supplying tank 24 drops from the upper limit water level to the lower limit water level is one ice making. The internal volume of the water supply tank 24, the lengths of the conduits of the suction pipe 26a and the discharge pipe 26b, and the like are set so as to be an amount necessary and sufficient for the process.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the refrigeration apparatus 12, a condenser 32, a dryer 34, and a first capillary tube (decompression means) 36 are sequentially connected to a refrigerant discharge side of a compressor 28 through a discharge pipe 30. The first capillary tube 36 and the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 14 are connected by a discharge pipe 30. Further, the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator 14 is connected to the first accumulator 40 via the return pipe 38, and the first accumulator 40 is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the compressor 28 via the return pipe 38. That is, the compressor 28, the condenser 32, the dryer 34, the first capillary tube 36, the evaporator 14 and the first accumulator 40 connected by the discharge pipe 30 and the return pipe 38 constitute a refrigerant circulation circuit. The vaporized refrigerant compressed by the compressor 28 is supplied to the condenser 32 to be condensed and liquefied, and the liquefied refrigerant dehumidified by the dryer 34 is decompressed by the first capillary tube 36 and then flows into the evaporator 14. Here, it expands all at once and evaporates, and heat exchange is performed with the ice making unit 10 to cool the ice making unit 10 to below the freezing point. The vaporized refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 14 and the non-evaporated liquefied refrigerant flow into the first accumulator 40 in a gas-liquid mixed phase state, where gas-liquid separation is performed. The vaporized refrigerant separated by the first accumulator 40 is sucked into the compressor 28, and the liquefied refrigerant is stored in the first accumulator 40. The discharge pipe 30 is a generic term for a refrigerant path on the discharge side from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 28 to the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 14, and the return pipe 38 is a refrigerant outlet of the compressor 28 from the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator 14. The refrigerant path on the suction side to the refrigerant inlet is generically named.

  A hot gas pipe 42 is branched and connected to a discharge pipe 30 connecting the compressor 28 and the condenser 32, and the hot gas pipe 42 passes through a hot gas valve HV, and then the evaporator 14 and the first capillary tube 36. Are connected to a discharge pipe 30. The hot gas valve HV is opened / closed by the control means 48 so that it is opened only during the deicing process and closed during the ice making process. That is, the hot gas valve HV is opened during the deicing process, and the hot gas discharged from the compressor 28 is bypassed to the evaporator 14 via the hot gas pipe 42 to heat the ice making unit 10. The ice formation surface of the ice block generated in the ice making chamber 10a is melted and the ice block is dropped by its own weight. The hot gas flowing out of the evaporator 14 flows into the first accumulator 40, heats and evaporates the liquefied refrigerant stored in the first accumulator 40, and sucks it into the compressor 28 as a vaporized refrigerant. It is. In addition, the code | symbol FM in a figure shows the fan motor which air-cools the condenser 32, and the code | symbol 44 is arrange | positioned upstream from the hot gas valve HV in the hot gas pipe 42, and a foreign material exists in this hot gas valve HV. A strainer is shown to prevent inflow. The discharge pipe 30 connecting the dryer 34 and the first capillary tube 36 and the return pipe 38 connecting the first accumulator 40 and the compressor 28 are arranged so as to contact each other over a predetermined length. In the heat exchanging section 46 in which the tubes 30 and 38 are in contact, the refrigerant flowing through the discharge pipe 30 and the refrigerant flowing through the return pipe 38 can be heat-exchanged.

  The ice making unit 10 is provided with a temperature sensor 50 that detects the temperature of the ice making unit 10. The detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor 50 is input to the control means 48. The temperature of the ice making unit 10 in the ice making process varies depending on the degree of growth of the ice generated in the ice making chamber 10a (the amount of ice generated in the ice making chamber 10a). It functions as a state detection means for detecting the progress state of ice making.

  The control means 48 is set to operate a control valve 56 described later when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 50 reaches a preset temperature. Further, when the temperature sensor 50 detects a preset ice making completion temperature, the control means 48 shifts from the ice making process to the deicing process, and the temperature sensor 50 detects the preset deicing completion temperature. Sometimes, it is set to control each device to shift from the deicing process to the ice making process. Note that the set temperature is such that a predetermined amount of ice is generated in the ice making chamber 10a, and the liquefied refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 14 is excessive with respect to the amount of heat required for ice making, thereby generating refrigerant that does not evaporate. Is set to the temperature to be

  A bypass pipe (bypass path) 52 branched from the discharge pipe 30 between the dryer 34 and the heat exchange section 46 is connected to a return pipe 38 between the heat exchange section 46 and the compressor 28. The bypass pipe 52 is connected to a heat exchange pipe 54 as heat exchange means disposed in the water supply tank 24. In addition, a second capillary tube (decompression unit) 60 is disposed between the heat exchange pipe 54 and the discharge pipe 30 in the bypass pipe 52, and the heat exchange pipe 54 and the return pipe 38 in the bypass pipe 52 are connected to each other. An adjusting valve 56 as an adjusting means is disposed therebetween. The control valve 56 always supplies all the liquefied refrigerant that has closed the conduit and passed through the dryer 34 to the first capillary tube 36, whereas the control valve 56 operates based on the control of the control means 48. In this case, a part of the liquefied refrigerant that has passed through the dryer 34 is branched to the bypass pipe 52 by opening the pipe, and flows into the heat exchange pipe 54 via the second capillary tube 60. In other words, a part of the liquefied refrigerant supplied from the dryer 34 to the first capillary tube 36 during the ice making process is decompressed by the second capillary tube 60 and then flows into the heat exchange pipe 54 and evaporates to the water supply tank 24. Heat is exchanged with the ice-making water as a stored heat exchanger, and the ice-making water is cooled. Note that the amount of the liquefied refrigerant branched to the bypass pipe 52 when the control valve 56 is operated is set to a value corresponding to an excess amount when the ice making unit 10 reaches a set temperature.

  A second accumulator 58 is disposed between the heat exchange pipe 54 and the regulating valve 56 in the bypass pipe 52, and the vaporized refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 14 and the non-evaporated liquefied refrigerant are in a gas-liquid mixed phase state. It flows into the 2nd accumulator 58, and gas-liquid separation is made here. The vaporized refrigerant separated by the second accumulator 58 is sucked into the compressor 28, and the liquefied refrigerant is stored in the second accumulator 58.

  FIG. 3 is a graph showing the temperatures of the refrigerant piping, ice making section and ice making water (water temperature in the ice making water tank) from the start to the completion of the ice making process, and the ice making ratio (ice making amount) at each time point. While the temperature of the water is approximately 0 ° C., ice is actually generated. The time (set temperature) at which the liquefied refrigerant branches to the bypass pipe 52 may be set between any time after the ice-making water temperature reaches approximately 0 ° C. and the completion of ice-making. However, from the graph of FIG. 3, after the ice making ratio becomes approximately 50%, the slope of the ice making ratio (increase in ice making amount) becomes gentle, and the ratio of excess liquefied refrigerant increases from this point. Therefore, it is preferable to set the set temperature between −3 to −5 ° C., which is the temperature of the ice making part when the ice making ratio becomes approximately 50%. However, since the relationship between the temperature of the ice making unit 10 and the ice making ratio varies depending on the size of the ice making unit 10 and the capacity of the compressor, the set temperature is appropriately set according to the capacity.

(Operation of Example)
Next, the operation of the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment will be described below. It is assumed that ice-making water is stored in the water supply tank 24 up to the upper limit water level.

  When the ice making process of the automatic ice making machine is started, in the refrigeration apparatus 12, the vaporized refrigerant compressed by the compressor 28 is supplied to the condenser 32 through the discharge pipe 30 to be condensed and liquefied, and dehydrated by the dryer 34. After being wetted, the pressure is reduced by the first capillary tube 36, flows into the evaporator 14 and expands and evaporates all at once, heat exchanges with the ice making unit 10, and the ice making unit 10 is cooled to below freezing point. Is done. The vaporized refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 14 flows into the first accumulator 40 and is sucked into the compressor 28 through the return pipe 38. At the start of the ice making process, the temperature sensor 50 does not detect the set temperature, the control valve 56 is closed, and all the liquefied refrigerant that has passed through the dryer 34 is contained in the first capillary tube. 36 to the evaporator 14. Further, at the initial stage of the ice making process, since a large amount of heat is required to cool the ice making unit 10, almost all the liquefied refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 14, and the liquefied refrigerant is not stored in the first accumulator 40. The liquefied refrigerant flowing from the dryer 34 toward the first capillary tube 36 is cooled by exchanging heat with the low-temperature vaporized refrigerant flowing from the first accumulator 40 toward the compressor 28 in the heat exchange unit 46. Thus, the cooling efficiency in the evaporator 14 is improved.

  The ice making water stored in the ice making water tank 16 is supplied to the injection member 18 through the circulation pump 20, and the ice making water injected from each nozzle 18a corresponds through the opening of the ice guide plate. To the ice making chamber 10a. Since the ice making chamber 10a is cooled by the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 14 of the refrigeration apparatus 12, the ice making water comes into contact with the inner wall of the ice making chamber 10a and gradually cools, and the ice making chamber 10a is frozen in the ice making chamber 10a. The non-iced water that is not returned returns to the ice making water tank 16 through the opening of the ice guide plate and the return hole of the injection member 18.

  As the ice making process proceeds, a part of the ice making water starts to freeze on the inner wall surface of the ice making chamber 10a, and ice gradually grows in the ice making chamber 10a. Further, the temperature of the ice making unit 10 gradually decreases according to the degree of ice growth in the ice making chamber 10a. When the temperature sensor 50 detects a preset temperature that is set in advance, the control means 48 operates the control valve 56. As a result, part of the liquefied refrigerant that has passed through the dryer 34 branches to the bypass pipe 52, and the remaining liquefied refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator 14 via the first capillary tube 36. Since the amount of the liquefied refrigerant branched to the bypass pipe 52 is set to an amount that is excessive with respect to the amount of heat required for ice making in the ice making chamber 10a, the liquefied refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 14 is Almost everything evaporates. That is, in the latter stage of the ice making process, ice overcooling due to excessive supply of liquefied refrigerant to the amount of heat required for ice making in the ice making chamber 10a is suppressed.

  The liquefied refrigerant branched into the bypass pipe 52 is decompressed by the second capillary tube 60, flows into the heat exchange pipe 54, expands and evaporates all at once, and is stored in the water supply tank 24. The ice making water is cooled by heat exchange with water. That is, the energy can be effectively used by cooling the ice making water using an excessive amount of liquefied refrigerant in the latter stage of the ice making process.

  The vaporized refrigerant evaporated in the heat exchange pipe 54 flows into the second accumulator 58 and is sucked into the compressor 28 through the return pipe 38. Since the amount of the liquefied refrigerant supplied to the heat exchange pipe 54 is small with respect to the ice making water stored in the water supply tank 24, almost all of the liquefied refrigerant supplied to the heat exchange pipe 54 evaporates. Even if there is liquefied refrigerant that does not evaporate in the heat exchange pipe 54, the liquefied refrigerant is separated by the second accumulator 58, so that only the vaporized refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 28, and the liquefied refrigerant is sent to the compressor 28. Occurrence of failures due to inhalation is prevented.

  When the temperature sensor 50 detects an ice making completion temperature, which is a temperature at which a predetermined amount of ice blocks are generated in the ice making unit 10, the control means 48 controls the hog gas valve HV to open and controls the adjustment. The valve 56 is controlled to be closed, and the process proceeds from the ice making process to the deicing process. That is, in the deicing step, the ice making unit 10 is heated by bypassing the hot gas discharged from the compressor 28 to the evaporator 14 via the hot gas pipe 42. The hot gas flowing out of the evaporator 14 flows into the first accumulator 40 and is sucked into the compressor 28 through the return pipe 38. When the deicing process is continued and the icing surface of the ice block with the ice making chamber 10a is melted, the ice block peels off from the ice making chamber 10a due to its own weight. The ice block slides down on the ice guide plate and is released into the ice storage chamber for storage. In addition, since the temperature of the ice making unit 10 heated by the hot gas during the deicing process becomes higher than the set temperature, when the temperature sensor 50 no longer detects the set temperature, the control means 48 adjusts the control valve 56. Is controlled to close.

  Since the overcooling of the ice blocks generated in the ice making chamber 10a in the latter stage of the ice making process is suppressed, the ice surface of the ice blocks can be melted in a short time in the deicing process. That is, since the deicing process can be shortened, the ice making capacity can be improved.

  When the ice making process is shifted to the deicing process, the water supply pump 26 is operated by the control means 48, and the ice making water stored in the water supply tank 24 is supplied to the ice making water tank 16. When the lower limit float switch FSL detects that the ice making water in the water supply tank 24 has decreased to the lower limit water level, the control unit 48 controls to stop the water supply pump 26 and the ice making water supply to the ice making water tank 16 stops. . Further, when the lower limit float switch FSL detects the lower limit water level, the control means 48 controls to open the water supply valve WV, and new tap water is supplied to the water supply tank 24 as ice making water for the next ice making from the external water system. Is done. Then, when the upper limit float switch FSH detects that the ice making water supplied to the water supply tank 24 has been stored up to the upper limit water level, the control means 48 controls to close the water supply valve WV. As a result, a sufficient amount of ice making water required to be used in one ice making process is stored in the water supply tank 24.

  Here, in the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment, an excessive amount of liquefied refrigerant is branched before being supplied to the evaporator 14 in the later stage of the ice making process, and therefore the first ice without being vaporized by the evaporator 14. Little or very little liquefied refrigerant flows into the accumulator 40. Therefore, all the liquefied refrigerant can be evaporated by the hot gas flowing into the first accumulator 40 during the deicing process and returned to the compressor 28 as a vaporized refrigerant. That is, it is possible to prevent the liquefied refrigerant from staying in the first accumulator 40 and prevent the next ice making process from proceeding, and to secure a sufficient amount of the liquefied refrigerant to be supplied to the evaporator 14 during the ice making process. Efficient cooling can be achieved.

  When the temperature sensor 50 detects the deicing completion temperature, which is the temperature when all the ice blocks have detached from the ice making unit 10, the control means 48 controls to close the hot gas valve HV, and the ice making process described above. Is resumed. The ice making water stored in the ice making water tank 16 during the ice making process is cooled by heat exchange with the liquefied refrigerant flowing through the heat exchange pipe 54 while being stored in the water supply tank 24. In the process, the ice making water can be lowered to a temperature that freezes in a short time, and the ice making ability can be improved. It should be noted that when the transition from the deicing process to the ice making process is performed, the control valve 56 is in a state of closing the pipe, so that all the liquefied refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 32 is transferred to the evaporator 14. The cooling capacity in the evaporator 14 is not lowered.

  Further, in the automatic ice making machine of the embodiment, the transition from the ice making process to the deicing process and the deicing process to the ice making process are performed using the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 50 that detects the progress of ice making in the ice making unit 10. Since the shift is performed by the control means 48, it is not necessary to separately provide means for detecting completion of ice making or means for detecting completion of deicing, and the number of parts can be reduced.

(Example of change)
The present application is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and other configurations can be appropriately employed.
1. In the embodiment, the case where an open cell type ice making mechanism is adopted as an automatic ice making machine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the so-called ice making chamber has a water tray that can be opened and closed from below. Various mechanisms such as a closed cell type ice making mechanism or a flow down type ice making mechanism for supplying ice making water to the ice making surface of the ice making plate can be adopted.
2. In the embodiment, the heat exchange pipe is faced in the water supply tank to cool the ice making water for the next ice making. However, the heat exchanger to be heat exchanged by the heat exchanging means is not limited to ice making water. . For example, a cooler as heat exchange means may be arranged in the ice storage chamber, and the air in the ice storage chamber as the heat exchanger may be cooled by evaporation of the liquefied refrigerant supplied to the cooler.
3. In the embodiment, the bypass pipe branched from the discharge pipe between the dryer and the heat exchanging section is connected to the return pipe between the heat exchanging section and the compressor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to pipe | tube a bypass pipe by the path | route which can return the liquefied refrigerant | coolant which flowed out out of the evaporator to a compressor bypassing an evaporator.
4). In the embodiment, the control valve is configured to operate when the temperature sensor detects one preset temperature set in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a control valve that can change the opening of the pipe is adopted, and a plurality of set temperatures are set, and each time each set temperature is detected by a temperature sensor, the amount of liquefied refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is A configuration in which the opening of the control valve is changed so as to decrease stepwise may be employed. In addition, the amount of liquefied refrigerant supplied to the evaporator continuously decreases (changes the amount of liquefied refrigerant flowing from the discharge-side refrigerant path into the bypass path) in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. It is also possible to employ a configuration that operates the control valve.
5. In the embodiment, the temperature sensor is used as the state detection means for detecting the progress of the ice making in the ice making unit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and detects the thickness of ice generated in the ice making chamber. Other means may be employed.
6). In the embodiment, the case where a capillary tube is used as the pressure reducing means has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other means such as an expansion valve can be adopted.

10 ice making parts, 12 refrigeration equipment, 14 evaporators, 16 ice making water tanks,
24 water supply tank, 28 compressor, 30 discharge pipe (discharge side refrigerant path),
32 Condenser 38 Return pipe (suction side refrigerant path), 50 Temperature sensor (state detection means)
52 Bypass pipe (bypass path), 54 Heat exchange pipe (heat exchange means)
56 Control valve (control means)

Claims (4)

An ice making unit (10) to which ice making water is supplied in the ice making process, and a freezing device (12) for cooling the ice making unit (10), the freezing device (12) includes a compressor (28), a compression unit A condenser (32) for condensing the vaporized refrigerant discharged from the machine (28), and an evaporator (14) disposed in the ice making section (10) and evaporating the liquefied refrigerant liquefied by the condenser (32). An automatic ice making machine configured to return the refrigerant from the evaporator (14) to the compressor (28),
State detection means (50) for detecting the progress of ice making in the ice making section (10),
Branching from the discharge side refrigerant path (30) connecting the condenser (32) and the evaporator (14) to the refrigerant path (38) on the suction side connecting the evaporator (14) and the compressor (28). A bypass path (52) that is connected and allows refrigerant to flow; and
Adjusting means (56) that operates according to the detection state of the state detection means (50) and adjusts the amount of liquefied refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant path (30) on the discharge side into the bypass path (52);
A heat exchange means (54) provided in the bypass path (52) for injecting liquefied refrigerant, evaporating the liquefied refrigerant that has flowed in, and exchanging heat with the heat exchanger is provided. Automatic ice machine. An ice making water tank (16) for storing ice making water to be supplied to the ice making unit (10) during the ice making process, and a water supply tank (24) for storing ice making water to be supplied to the ice making water tank (16),
The heat exchange means (54) is configured to be immersed in ice making water stored in the water supply tank (24) to exchange heat with ice making water in the water supply tank (24). The automatic ice maker according to 1.   The state detection means is a temperature sensor (50) for detecting the temperature of the ice making unit (10), and the evaporator (14) with respect to the amount of heat required for ice making in the ice making unit (10) during the ice making process. ) When the temperature sensor (50) detects a set temperature at which the amount of the liquefied refrigerant to be supplied becomes excessive, the adjusting means (56) is activated, and the bypass side path from the refrigerant path (30) on the discharge side The automatic ice maker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the liquefied refrigerant flows into (52).   After the temperature sensor (50) detects the set temperature, it flows from the refrigerant path (30) on the discharge side into the bypass path (52) in response to a change in the temperature detected by the temperature sensor (50). The automatic ice making machine according to claim 3, wherein the adjusting means (56) is operated so as to change the amount of the liquefied refrigerant.

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