JP2010060165A - Falling type ice-making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a falling type ice-making machine capable of controlling connection of ice cubes adjacent to each other at low costs. <P>SOLUTION: This falling type ice-making machine 10 comprises a separator 44 disposed at an opening side of ice-making small chambers 40 in an ice-making section 18 and oscillatably journaled at its upper section through a supporting section 48, and a sub-tank 46 disposed on the separator 44 in a state of extending to a side separating from the ice-making section 18 through the supporting section 48, and oscillating the separator 44 toward the ice-making section 18 by the stored ice-making water. The separator 44 comprises frame members 50 extending corresponding to edge sections 40c of wall sections 41 defining the ice-making small chambers 40, and through hole sections 50a respectively formed between the frame members 50 to guide the ice-making water to the ice-making chambers 40. The sub-tank 46 comprises a water hole 66 for guiding the stored ice-making water to the ice-making small chamber 40 of an uppermost stage through the through hole section 50a. Bottom surfaces 40d of the ice-making small chambers 40 are formed in a state of being inclined downward toward the opening side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow-down type ice maker, and more particularly to a flow-down type ice maker that manufactures ice blocks by letting ice-making water flow down into an ice-making unit having a plurality of ice-making chambers.

  As an automatic ice maker that continuously manufactures ice, a flow-down type ice maker is known in which ice making water is caused to flow down to an ice making unit installed in a vertical direction to produce ice blocks in the ice making unit. In such a flow-down type ice maker, a cell-type flow-down type ice maker is provided in which an ice-making unit is configured by arranging a plurality of ice-making chambers opening laterally in a lattice shape (see Patent Document 1). The ice making chamber is configured by arranging a plurality of partition members in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the inside of each ice making chamber is configured to produce a square ice lump. Further, an evaporation pipe connected to the refrigeration system is fixed in contact with the outer surface of the ice making unit opposite to the opening. Below the ice making unit, an ice storage for storing ice blocks dropped from the ice making unit is disposed with the upper surface open.

During the ice making operation, ice making water is supplied from an ice making water supply pipe provided above the ice making unit, and the ice making water flows down from the upper side to the lower ice making chamber. Further, a refrigerant is circulated and supplied from the refrigeration system to the evaporation pipe, and the ice making unit is cooled by this refrigerant. Then, the ice making water is gradually cooled while flowing down the ice making part, and ice blocks begin to form in the ice making chamber. When ice blocks of a certain size are produced in the ice making chamber, the ice making operation is shifted to the deicing operation, and water at normal temperature (deicing water) is supplied from the deicing water supply pipe to the outer surface of the ice making part (surface on the evaporation pipe side). The At the same time, hot gas is supplied from the refrigeration system to the evaporation pipe, and the ice making unit is heated by both deicing water and hot gas. Then, the ice blocks in the ice making chamber are gradually melted and the ice formation with the ice making unit is broken, and eventually the ice blocks are separated from the ice making unit. Ice blocks that have fallen from the ice making unit are stored and stored in the ice storage below.
JP 59-49475

  By the way, since the ice making chambers of the ice making unit are always open during the ice making operation, the ice blocks of the adjacent ice making chambers freeze with a predetermined thickness and are firmly connected, and one huge ice making unit is formed throughout the ice making unit. Ice blocks may be produced. The ice blocks connected in this way are difficult to peel off from the ice making unit during the deicing operation, which causes deicing failure. In addition, the connected ice blocks vary to some extent due to the impact when they fall to the ice storage during the deicing operation, but there is a problem that the connected state of some ice blocks is maintained. Therefore, in order to completely separate all the ice blocks, it is conceivable to increase the shock at the time of dropping by separating the ice storage from the ice making part greatly downward, but this causes damage to the ice block itself. There is a harmful effect that high quality ice blocks cannot be provided.

  In addition, as in a so-called jet ice making machine, it is possible to provide a separator (water tray) that is actuated by an actuator, and to block the ice blocks by closing the ice making chamber with the separator during ice making operation. However, in this configuration, an actuator, a controller for controlling the operation of the actuator, and the like are separately required, and there is a problem that the mechanism is complicated, the product cost is increased, and maintenance is required.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed in order to suitably solve this problem in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the prior art, and is a flow-down type ice maker capable of controlling the connection state of adjacent ice blocks at a low cost. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the desired purpose suitably, the flow-down type ice making machine according to the present invention is:
In a flow-down ice making machine having a plurality of ice making chambers opened sideways and having an ice making part cooled or heated by an evaporator,
A separator provided on the opening side of the ice making chamber in the ice making unit, the upper side of which is pivotally supported via a support part;
Provided in the separator so as to extend to the side away from the ice making part across the support part, and includes a sub tank that swings the separator toward the ice making part by the stored ice making water,
The separator is
A frame member extending corresponding to an edge of the wall portion defining the ice making chamber, and a through hole portion defined between the frame members for guiding ice making water to the ice making chamber;
The sub tank includes a water passage hole that guides the ice making water stored in the tank to the uppermost ice making chamber through the hole portion.
The ice making chamber is characterized in that a bottom surface is inclined downward toward the opening side.
According to the invention of claim 1, since the frame member of the separator extends corresponding to the edge portion of the wall portion in each ice making chamber, it is possible to control the connected body of adjacent ice blocks. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ice blocks in the ice making chamber from being firmly connected, and to provide a separate ice block. Moreover, since the separator swings due to the weight of ice making water in the sub-tank and the ice block peeled off from the ice making chamber, it is not necessary to separately provide an actuator for operating the separator, and the product cost and maintenance cost do not increase. .

In the flow down type ice making machine according to claim 2, a deicing water channel through which the deicing water can flow is formed inside the frame member.
According to the invention of claim 2, since the deicing water channel in which the deicing water circulates inside the frame member, deicing of the ice block can be promoted. Further, since the deicing water does not scatter due to the deicing water flowing through the deicing water channel, the deicing water can be used without waste and the amount of use can be suppressed.

In the flow-down type ice making machine according to claim 3, the frame member is provided with a contact portion that contacts an edge portion of a wall portion defining an upper portion of the uppermost ice making chamber, and the water passage hole and the through hole portion are provided. The ice-making water that circulates is sent to the uppermost ice-making chamber through the corresponding contact.
According to the invention of claim 3, it becomes possible to send the ice making water to the uppermost ice making chamber through the contact portion.

In the flow-down type ice making machine according to claim 4, the abutting portion is formed so as to protrude toward the ice making portion, and the corresponding contact portion abuts on the ice making portion, whereby the frame member and the wall portion of the ice making chamber are separated from each other. Thus, a flow path through which ice-making water can flow is formed.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the abutment portion protrudes toward the ice making portion side to form the flow path, the ice making water travels through the separator and detours in a direction different from the flow-down direction. The ice making water can be smoothly supplied to the lower ice making chamber. Further, since the ice blocks in the adjacent ice making chambers are connected in the flow path, all the ice blocks are dropped simultaneously when deicing. Therefore, the deicing efficiency can be improved and the running cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the ice blocks are connected with a dimension substantially equal to the thickness of the contact portion, the connecting force is weak and can be surely separated when dropped from the ice making portion.

In the flow-down type ice making machine according to a fifth aspect, the support portion is located above the sub tank.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the support portion is located above the sub tank, it is difficult for ice making water to adhere to the support portion, and it is possible to suppress the support portion from being fixed by impurities in the ice making water.

  According to the flow-down type ice making machine according to the present invention, it is possible to control the connection state of adjacent ice blocks at low cost.

  Next, the flow-down type ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by giving a preferred embodiment. In the following description, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, and “lower” refer to the case where the flow-down type ice maker is viewed as shown in FIGS. It shall be designated as a reference.

  1 and 2 are longitudinal sectional views showing an ice making mechanism 12 of a flow-down ice making machine 10 according to an embodiment. The ice making mechanism 12 of the flow-down type ice making machine 10 is a separator mechanism comprising an ice making unit 18 installed vertically (up and down) in a casing 16 that defines an ice making chamber 14, a separator 44, and a sub tank 46. 20 basically. An ice making water tank 22 for storing ice making water therein is provided below the ice making unit 18 so as to open upward. Further, an ice guide plate 24 is provided between the ice making unit 18 and the ice making water tank 22 to guide ice blocks falling from the ice making unit 18 to an ice storage (not shown) disposed below the ice making mechanism 12. The ice guide plate 24 is provided with a slit 24a through which ice-making water (non-freezing water) that has been supplied to the ice-making unit 18 and has not been frozen, passes through the slit 24a. 22 is collected.

  The ice making water tank 22 is connected to one end of a supply pipe 26 that sends ice making water to the ice making unit 18. As shown in FIG. 1, the other end of the supply pipe 26 is connected to an ice making water supply pipe 32 that faces the ice making chamber 14 through a first recess 28 provided in the upper part of the housing 16. Further, a circulation pump 34 is inserted in the middle of the supply pipe 26, and the circulation pump 34 is operated during the ice making operation to suck up ice making water in the ice making water tank 22. Furthermore, a deicing water supply pipe 36 that supplies water at normal temperature (deicing water) during the deicing operation faces the inside of the ice making chamber 14 through the second recess 30 provided in the housing 16. The deicing water supply pipe 36 is connected in communication with an external water source (not shown) so that deicing water is supplied from the water source to the deicing water supply pipe 36.

  The ice making section 18 includes a plurality of ice making chambers 40 formed by bending a metal plate (wall portion 41) having a high thermal conductivity. The ice making chambers 40 are vertically and horizontally (vertical and longitudinal directions in FIG. 1). Are arranged in a lattice pattern. Each ice making chamber 40 includes a rectangular opening 40a that opens sideways (to the left). In the embodiment, three ice making chambers 40 are provided on the top and bottom and six on the front and back (FIG. 1 shows only three ice making chambers 40 on the top and bottom). An evaporation pipe (evaporator) 42 led out from a refrigeration system (not shown) is fixed in close contact with the outer surface of the ice making chamber 40, and the ice making unit 18 is cooled or heated by a refrigerant or hot gas supplied to the evaporation pipe 42. It has come to be. As shown in FIG. 1, each ice making chamber 40 is formed in a trapezoidal shape with a bottom surface 40 d inclined downward toward the separator mechanism 20. The ice making chambers 40, 40 adjacent to each other are connected to each other so that ice making water can flow down from the upper ice making chamber 40 to the lower ice making chamber 40 sequentially.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the separator mechanism 20 is provided on the opening side of the ice making chamber 40 in the ice making unit 18, and the separator 44 is pivotally supported via a support unit 48 so that the upper side is swingable. The separator 44 is provided so as to extend to the side away from the ice making unit 18 with the support 48 interposed therebetween, and includes a sub tank 46 that swings the separator 44 toward the ice making unit 18 by the stored ice making water. As described later, the separator mechanism 20 (separator 44) can swing from the alignment position shown in FIG. 1 to the non-alignment position shown in FIG.

  The separator 44 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the ice making section 18, and a plurality of frame members 50 extending corresponding to the edge 40 c of the wall 41 defining the ice making chamber 40. Consists of That is, each frame member 50 is assembled vertically and horizontally along the edge 40c of the ice making chamber 40. Between the frame members 50, rectangular through holes 50a penetrating left and right are arranged in a lattice pattern. A plurality are formed. When the separator 44 is in the alignment position, the surface (right end surface 50b) of each frame member 50 facing the ice making section 18 faces the side edge 40c of the wall 41 in each ice making chamber 40. The connection state between adjacent ice blocks is controlled (the thickness dimension of the connection is controlled). The through holes 50a are formed in substantially the same size so as to be aligned with the openings 40a of the ice making chamber 40 when the separator 44 is in the alignment position, and the ice making water passing through the separator 44 is passed through the through holes 50a. To the ice making chamber 40 side. As in the ice making chamber 40, a total of 18 through-hole portions 50a of the separator 44 are formed in the top and bottom, and six in the front and rear (see FIG. 5). The opening size of each through hole 50a is set so as to gradually narrow toward the left (in the direction away from the ice making unit 18), and the ice blocks formed in the ice making chamber 40 are separated through the through hole 50a. It does not fall from the left side.

  The frame member 50 constituting the separator 44 has a smooth outer surface so that ice making water can flow down through the frame member 50 during ice making operation. A deicing water channel 52 through which deicing water can flow is formed inside the separator 44, and the deicing water channels 52 communicate with each other at the intersections of the frame members 50 that intersect vertically and horizontally (up and down, front and rear). . That is, the deicing water supplied from the deicing water supply pipe 36 during the deicing operation is configured to circulate through the separator 44 through the deicing water channel 52. A discharge port 54 is provided on the lower surface of the frame member 50 located at the lowermost stage, and the deicing water flowing through the deicing water channel 52 is discharged downward (ice making water tank 22) through the discharge port 54 ( (See FIG. 2).

  A receiving portion 56 that receives the deicing water supplied from the deicing water supply pipe 36 is provided in an upper part of the separator 44 with the upper part opened. The receiving part 56 is provided on the opposite side (ice making part 18 side) with the sub tank 46 and the support part 48 interposed therebetween. The receiving portion 56 communicates with the deicing water channel 52 of the frame member 50, and the deicing water supplied to the receiving unit 56 flows into the deicing water channel 52 by its own weight. The separator 44 swings like a seesaw in a direction away from the ice making unit 18 with the support portion 48 as a swing shaft by the weight of the deicing water supplied during deicing and flowing through the deicing water channel 52. It has become. The discharge port of the deicing water supply pipe 36 faces the receiving portion 56 with the separator 44 in the aligned position (see FIG. 1), and is exposed from the receiving portion 56 in the non-aligned position. The deicing water supply pipe 36 is designed not to interfere with the swinging separator 44.

  The frame member 50 is provided with an abutting portion 58 that abuts so as to surround the region where the ice making chamber 40 is formed in the ice making portion 18 when the separator 44 is in the alignment position (see FIG. 5). . As shown in FIG. 1, the contact portion 58 slightly protrudes from the right end surface 50 b of the frame member 50 toward the ice making portion 18, and when the separator 44 is in the alignment position, the contact portion 58 is outside. (See FIGS. 1 and 2 only the upper and lower contacted portions 40b and 40b are shown). When the abutting portion 58 abuts against the abutted portions 40b and 40b, the right end surface 50b on the ice making portion 18 side of the frame member 50 where the abutting portion 58 is not provided and the corresponding ice making chamber 40 The edge part 40c of the wall part 41 is spaced apart slightly, and the flow path 60 in which ice-making water can distribute | circulate is defined.

  The sub tank 46 is integrally formed on the side opposite to the ice making unit 18 with the support portion 48 in the separator 44 interposed therebetween, and the upper portion thereof is opened upward. The ice-making water supply pipe 32 faces the sub-tank 46 through the upper opening of the sub-tank 46, and stores ice-making water during the ice making operation. The separator 44 is swung like a seesaw in the direction approaching the ice making unit 18 with the support portion 48 as an axis by the ice making water stored in the sub tank 46. As shown in FIG. 3, the sub-tank 46 is provided with a partition wall 62 that partitions the interior left and right, and the interior of the sub-tank 46 is divided into a storage part 62 a and a rectifying part 62 b with the partition wall 62 interposed therebetween. . The volume of the storage portion 62a is set to a size that can swing the separator 44 by the weight of the stored ice making water. The partition wall 62 is provided with a plurality of through holes 62 c near the bottom of the sub tank 46. The flow rate of the ice making water supplied to the ice making unit 18 is suppressed by sending the ice making water in the storage unit 62a to the rectifying unit 62b through the through hole 62c.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rectifying unit 62 b is provided with a plurality (three in the embodiment) of reinforcing pieces 64 that connect the partition wall 62 and the upper portion of the separator 44. Further, the bottom surface of the rectifying unit 62b is inclined downward toward the separator 44, and a water passage hole 66 through which ice-making water can flow is opened at a boundary portion between the bottom surface and the separator 44. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the water passage hole 66 opens toward the lower end surface of the uppermost frame member 50, and the ice making water stored in the sub tank 46 flows through the water passage hole 66. It is sent to the separator 44 and further supplied to the uppermost ice making chamber 40 through the through hole 50a.

  A pair of extending pieces 68, 68 extending upward are provided on the front and rear wall surfaces of the sub tank 46, and the support portion 48 is provided so as to protrude outward from each extending piece 68. And by supporting both the support parts 48 and 48 on the bearing part which is not shown provided in the wall surface before and behind the housing | casing 16, the upper side of the separator 44 is supported so that rocking | fluctuation is possible. As shown in FIG. 1, the support portions 48, 48 are located above the sub tank 46 and the receiving portion 56, and ice making water / deicing water supplied from the ice making water supply pipe 32 or the deicing water supply pipe 36. Is difficult to adhere to the support portion 48.

  In the separator mechanism 20 configured as described above, the ice making water is stored in the sub tank 46 during the ice making operation, so that the separator 44 swings toward the ice making unit 18 and the separator 44 is moved during the ice making operation. Held in the aligned position. In this alignment position, the frame member 50 of the separator 44 faces in a state close to the edge 40c of the wall 41 in the corresponding ice making chamber 40, and the ice blocks of the adjacent ice making chambers 40, 40 are prevented from freezing. . On the other hand, during the deicing operation, the separator mechanism 20 is swung in a direction in which the separator 44 is separated from the ice making unit 18 by the ice block separated from the ice making chamber 40, and the separator 44 opens the ice making unit 18. (See FIG. 2).

(Operation of Example)
Next, the operation of the flow-down ice making machine 10 according to the embodiment will be described. When the ice making operation is started, the circulation pump 34 is operated to suck up ice making water from the ice making water tank 22 and supply the refrigerant to the evaporation pipe 42. The ice making water sucked up by the circulation pump 34 is sent to the ice making water supply pipe 32 through the supply pipe 26, and is supplied from the discharge port of the ice making water supply pipe 32 into the storage portion 62 a of the sub tank 46. Here, the ice making water supplied from the ice making water supply pipe 32 to the sub tank 46 is larger than the ice making water sent from the through hole 62c, and a predetermined amount of ice making water is stored in the sub tank 46. Then, the separator 44 swings toward the ice making unit 18 by the ice making water stored in the sub tank 46 and is held at the alignment position. At this time, the contact portion 58 is in contact with the contacted portions 40b, 40b with a predetermined pressure, and the end portions of the corresponding wall portions 41 are separated from each other by the flow path 60. It is located on the side of the edge 40c (see FIG. 1).

  The ice making water supplied into the sub tank 46 is sent from the storage part 62a to the rectifying part 62b through the through hole 62c, and further sent out to the separator 44 side through the water hole 66. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the ice making water is sent to the ice making chamber 40 through the uppermost through hole 50 a and flows along the upper inner surface of the ice making chamber 40. At this time, since the contact portion 58 and the contacted portion 40b of the ice making chamber 40 at the uppermost stage are in contact, the ice making water can smoothly flow into the ice making chamber 40. The ice making water flows down through the ice making chamber 40 and then is guided to the separator 44 side by the bottom surface 40 d of the ice making chamber 40. Here, since ice blocks are not formed in the initial stage of the ice making operation, the flow path 60 is open, and the ice making water flows directly into the ice making chamber 40 below through the flow path 60 (see FIG. 6). .

  Similarly, the ice making water flows down into the middle ice making chamber 40 and then flows into the lowermost ice making chamber 40 through the flow path 60. Then, the ice making water flowing down the lowermost ice making chamber 40 flows out of the ice making chamber 40 through the contact portion 58 and the through hole portion 50a contacting the contacted portion 40b of the ice making chamber 40, and the lowermost step. It falls from the frame member 50 as unfreezing water (see FIG. 1). Thus, in the initial stage of the ice making operation, the ice making water flows down through the flow path 60 defined between the separator 44 and the ice making unit 18, so that the ice making water travels around the frame member 50 in the front-rear direction and detours. It is possible to efficiently supply the ice making chamber 40 without doing so. Therefore, the ice making efficiency can be improved and the ice making time can be shortened. The uniced water passes through the slit 24a of the ice guide plate 24 and is collected in the ice making water tank 22 below, and the ice making water collected in the tank 22 is used for recirculation.

  When the ice making operation progresses and a thin ice block begins to form on the inner surface of the ice making chamber 40, the flow path 60 is blocked by the ice block and the ice making water cannot pass as shown in FIG. Then, the ice making water once flows out from the ice making chamber 40, circulates around the outer surface of the frame member 50, and then flows into the lower ice making chamber 40. At this time, since thin ice is formed on the inner surface of the ice making chamber 40, the ice making water that has flowed out toward the frame member 50 is guided to the ice making chamber 40 by the surface tension of the thin ice, and the entire ice making chamber 40 is entirely made of ice making water. Go around. That is, even if ice making water moves from the ice making unit 18 to the separator 44 side, it can be guided again to the ice making chamber 40, and the ice making efficiency is not lowered. Moreover, since the flow path 60 freezes, there is no gap between the separator 44 and the edge 40c of the ice making chamber 40, and almost all ice making water can be sent to the ice making chamber 40. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the abnormality that the ice making water leaks to the outside of the ice making unit 18 and the ice block is manufactured at a place other than the ice making unit 18.

  When the ice making operation is completed, the ice blocks produced in the ice making chamber 40 freeze with the frame member 50 and adhere to the separator 44. Further, since the adjacent ice blocks are connected by freezing in the flow path 60, one connected ice block is formed in the entire ice making unit 18. However, the connection state of the ice blocks is controlled by the frame member 50 of the separator 44 at the alignment position. That is, the ice blocks only connect with a small thickness (thickness approximately equal to the protruding dimension of the contact portion 58) compared to the size of the ice blocks themselves, and the connection force is very weak. In the deicing operation, the circulation pump 34 is stopped, the supply of ice-making water to the sub tank 46 is stopped, and the deicing water is supplied from the deicing water supply pipe 36 to the receiving unit 56. Further, hot gas is supplied to the evaporation pipe 42, and the ice making unit 18 is heated by the hot gas.

  The deicing water supplied to the receiving portion 56 flows through the deicing water channel 52 of the frame member 50, so that the deicing water flows throughout the separator 44. Thereby, the ice block of the separator 44 and the ice block is melted. At this time, the separator 44 is urged to swing in a direction away from the ice making unit 18 by the weight of the deicing water supplied to the receiving unit 56 and flowing through the deicing water channel 52. The deicing water that has flowed through the deicing water channel 52 is discharged through the discharge port 54 of the frame member 50 and is collected in the ice making water tank 22 below (see FIG. 2). In this way, by passing the deicing water through the deicing water channel 52, the deicing water does not scatter in the ice making machine, and the amount of deicing water can be prevented and the amount of use can be suppressed. Furthermore, almost all of the deicing water flowing through the deicing water channel 52 can be collected by the ice making water tank 22 and used as ice making water for the next ice making operation, and the deicing water can be used effectively.

  Here, since the separator 44 is formed of a resin having a low thermal conductivity, the ice block begins to melt on the ice making chamber 40 side having a high thermal conductivity. When freezing with the ice making chamber 40 disappears, the ice block begins to slide down obliquely downward along the bottom surface 40 d of the ice making chamber 40 while adhering to the separator 44. On the other hand, in the flow path 60 at a position away from the evaporation pipe 42, the ice is not completely melted at this stage, and the ice blocks remain connected. Then, since the connected ice blocks try to be separated from the ice making chamber 40 all at once, even if the ice blocks are not completely melted in some ice making chambers 40, the ice blocks are forcibly deiced, and the ice removing efficiency is reduced. Can improve. The separator 44 is urged in a direction away from the ice making unit 18 by the ice block sliding down from the ice making unit 18 to the separator 44 side, and the separator mechanism 20 swings around the support unit 48. Accordingly, the separator 44 swings from the alignment position to the non-alignment position, and the ice making unit 18 is opened in a state where the ice block is attached to the separator 44 (see FIG. 2).

  When the deicing operation further proceeds in a state where the separator 44 is in the non-aligned position, the ice formation between the ice block and the separator 44 is melted. Then, the ice blocks fall simultaneously from the separator 44 while being connected to each other, and are received by the ice guide plate 24. Then, ice blocks slide on the ice guide plate 24 and are stored in the ice storage below. At this time, the connection between the ice blocks is broken by the impact when the ice guide plate 24 or the ice storage is dropped, and the ice blocks are stored in the ice store in a state of being disassembled apart.

  As described above, according to the flow-down ice making machine 10 according to the embodiment, the frame member 50 faces the edge 40c of the wall 41 in the corresponding ice making chamber 40 when the separator 44 is in the alignment position. Therefore, it becomes possible to control the connection state of adjacent ice blocks. Accordingly, the ice blocks are prevented from being strongly connected, and the ice pieces are provided and selected. Further, since the separator 44 can be swung by the weight of ice making water or ice blocks, it is not necessary to provide an actuator for operating the separator 44, and an increase in product cost and maintenance cost can be avoided. Further, since the support portion 48 that supports the separator mechanism 20 is located above the sub tank 46, the ice making water is difficult to adhere to the support portion 48, and the support portion 48 is fixed due to impurities in the ice making water. Can be suppressed.

  In the embodiment, the separator 44 and the sub tank 46 are integrally configured, but each may be configured separately. In the embodiment, the abutting portion 58 is formed in a frame shape and abuts so as to surround the region where the ice making chamber 40 is formed in the ice making portion 18. However, if the flow path 60 can be formed, for example, a linear contact portion extending in the front-rear direction (horizontal direction) of the separator 44 is provided, and the contact portion is provided in the uppermost ice making chamber 40. It is good also as a structure which contacts only.

  In the embodiment, the flow path 60 is defined between the separator 44 and the ice making unit 18, but the flow path 60 is not necessarily provided. That is, the frame member 50 may be configured to abut against the wall portions 41 of all the ice making chambers 40 so that the ice blocks are completely prevented from being connected. The ice making unit 18 is not necessarily installed vertically, and may be installed in a slightly inclined state.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ice making mechanism of the flow-down type ice making machine based on an Example, Comprising: The case where a separator exists in an alignment position is shown. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ice making mechanism of the flow-down type ice making machine based on an Example, Comprising: The case where a separator exists in a non-alignment position is shown. It is a perspective view which partially fractures and shows the separator mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is a schematic plan view of a separator mechanism. It is the schematic side view which looked at the separator from the ice-making part side. It is an expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ice making mechanism of the initial stage of ice making operation. It is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing an ice making mechanism in a state where ice blocks are started to be produced in the ice making chamber and the flow path is frozen.

Explanation of symbols

18 ice making part, 40 ice making chamber 40 opening part, 40b contact part (edge part)
40c Edge (ice chamber), 40d bottom, 41 wall, 42 Evaporator (evaporator)
44 Separator, 46 Subtank, 48 Supporting part, 50 Frame member 50a Through hole, 52 Deicing water channel, 58 Abutting part, 60 Flow channel, 66 Water through hole

Claims (5)

In a flow-down type ice maker having an ice making chamber (40) having a plurality of ice making chambers (40) opened sideways and having an ice making part (18) cooled or heated by an evaporator (42),
A separator (44) provided on the opening side of the ice making chamber (40) in the ice making part (18), and supported on the upper side by a support part (48) so as to be swingable;
The separator (44) is provided so as to extend to the side away from the ice making part (18) across the support part (48), and the separator (44) is directed toward the ice making part (18) by the stored ice making water. A swinging sub tank (46),
The separator (44)
A frame member (50) extending corresponding to the edge (40c) of the wall portion (41) defining the ice making chamber (40), and defined between the frame member (50), A through hole (50a) for guiding the ice making water to the ice making chamber (40),
The sub tank (46) includes a water passage hole (66) for guiding the ice making water stored in the tank (46) to the uppermost ice making chamber (40) through the hole portion (50a),
The ice making chamber (40) is a flow-down type ice making machine characterized in that the bottom surface (40d) is formed to be inclined downward toward the opening side.   The flow-down type ice maker according to claim 1, wherein a deicing water channel (52) through which the deicing water can flow is formed in the frame member (50).   The frame member (50) is provided with an abutting portion (58) that abuts an end edge portion (40b) of a wall portion (41) that defines an upper portion of the uppermost ice making chamber (40), and the water passage hole The falling ice maker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein ice making water flowing through the through hole (50a) is sent to the uppermost ice making chamber (40) through the corresponding contact portion (58).   The contact part (58) is formed so as to protrude toward the ice making part (18), and the corresponding contact part (58) contacts the ice making part (18), so that the frame member (50) and the ice making chamber (40) are formed. The flow-down type ice maker according to claim 3, wherein a flow path (60) through which ice-making water can flow is formed by being spaced apart from the wall portion (41).   The flow-down type ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support portion (48) is positioned above the sub tank (46).

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