JP2012215337A - Ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress manufacturing costs by reducing the number of arrangements of a refrigerant detection means.SOLUTION: An ice storage chamber 11 and a machine chamber 12 communicates with each other spatially through a piping space 45 accommodating the third connection pipe 35C and the fourth connection pipe 35D of a freezing mechanism E. A refrigerant detection sensor S, which can detect the refrigerant leaking out of the freezing mechanism E, is arranged below a portion communicating with the piping space 45 in the machine chamber 12. Thus the refrigerant leaked out of the freezing mechanism E in the machine chamber 12 can be detected with the refrigerant detection sensor S, and the refrigerant leaked out of the freezing mechanism E in the ice storage chamber 11 flows into the machine chamber 12 through the piping space 45, which can be detected with the refrigerant detection sensor S to property detect the leak out of the refrigerant from the freezing mechanism E with one refrigerant detection sensor S.

Description

  The present invention provides a refrigeration mechanism that circulates a refrigerant composed of a combustible gas and enables ice making operation and deicing operation of the ice making mechanism, and refrigerant detecting means that can detect the refrigerant leaking from the closed circuit of the refrigeration mechanism It is related with the ice maker provided with.

  FIG. 8 is a side view, partially broken away, showing an injection-type ice making machine M1 that continuously generates block-shaped ice blocks. The ice making machine M1 is configured such that the interior of a substantially box-shaped housing 10 is divided into upper and lower parts, the upper part being an ice storage room 11 and the lower part being a machine room 12. An ice making mechanism D having an ice making unit 20 that generates ice blocks is disposed above the ice storage chamber 11, and the ice making unit 20 of the ice making mechanism D is cooled by a refrigeration mechanism E 1 disposed in the machine chamber 12. Thus, ice blocks I are generated in each ice making chamber 20A in the ice making unit 20 (see FIG. 9), and the ice blocks generated by heating the ice making unit 20 by the freezing mechanism E1 are dropped into the ice storage chamber 11. Are stored. The ice making mechanism D of the ice making machine M1 shown in FIG. 8 includes, as shown in FIG. 9, the ice making unit 20 formed by a large number of ice making chambers 20A opened downward, a water dish 21, and a lower part of the water dish 21. And the water tray opening / closing mechanism 23 for tilting the water tray 21 and the ice making water tank 22 integrally.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the refrigeration mechanism E1 includes a compressor 60, a forced air-cooled condenser 61, an expansion valve 62, an evaporator 63, and the like connected to a connecting pipe 65 (first connecting pipe 65A, second connecting pipe 65B, The refrigerant is circulated in a closed circuit connecting the third connecting pipe 65C and the fourth connecting pipe 65D). As shown in FIG. 8, the compressor 60, the condenser 61, and the expansion valve 62 are provided in the machine room. The evaporator 63 is disposed on the upper surface of the ice making unit 20 in the ice storage chamber 11. The refrigeration mechanism E1 uses the compressor 60 to convert the refrigerant into a high-pressure gas, the condenser 61 to cool the refrigerant to high-pressure liquid, the expansion valve 62 to adiabatically expand the liquid, and the evaporator 63 to The evaporator 63 is cooled by the heat of vaporization by evaporating the refrigerant. The refrigeration mechanism E1 includes a fifth connecting pipe 65E that connects the compressor 60 and the evaporator 63, and supplies the refrigerant (hot gas) heated from the compressor 60 at a high temperature and high pressure to the evaporator 63. Thus, the evaporator 63 can be heated. Therefore, the refrigeration mechanism E1 allows the ice making mechanism D to perform an ice making operation by cooling the evaporator 63 and heats the evaporator 63 to enable the ice making mechanism D to perform an ice removing operation.

  The refrigeration mechanism E1 employs a combustible gas such as propane or butane as the refrigerant. Therefore, in the ice making machine M1, one refrigerant detection sensor S1 capable of detecting the refrigerant is provided in each of the machine chamber 12 and the ice storage chamber 11, and the refrigerant leaking from the refrigeration mechanism E1 can be detected. It is like that. Accordingly, in the ice making machine M1, when the refrigerant detection sensor S1 detects the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism E1, the ice making operation in the ice making mechanism D is stopped and the cooling fan 64 provided in the condenser 61 is stopped. Is controlled so as to prevent the refrigerant from staying in the machine room 12, and the concentration of the refrigerant is increased in the machine room 12 in which electrical devices, high-temperature devices and parts are accommodated. It comes to prevent. In addition, the refrigerator provided with the refrigerant | coolant detection sensor is disclosed by patent document 1. FIG.

JP 2001-336869 A

  In the conventional ice making machine M1, since the ice storage chamber 11 and the machine chamber 12 are completely partitioned, as described above, the compressor 60 of the refrigeration mechanism E1, the air-cooled condenser 61, the expansion valve 62, and the vicinity thereof. A refrigerant detection sensor S1 that detects refrigerant leaked from the inside of the machine room 12 to the machine room 12 is provided in the machine room 12, and another refrigerant detection sensor that detects refrigerant leaked from the evaporator 63 and the vicinity thereof into the ice storage room 11 It was necessary to arrange S1 in the ice storage chamber 11. For this reason, since at least two refrigerant | coolant detection sensors S1 are required, since the component cost and assembly man-hour of this refrigerant | coolant detection sensor S1 increase, it is the cause that the manufacturing cost of the ice making machine M1 increases.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the problems inherent in the above-described conventional technology, it has been proposed to suitably solve this problem, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced by reducing the number of refrigerant detection means. The purpose is to provide an ice machine.

In order to solve the problem and achieve the intended purpose, the invention according to claim 1
A refrigeration mechanism that circulates a refrigerant of a combustible gas having a specific gravity greater than that of air, and an evaporator that constitutes the refrigeration mechanism is mounted on an ice making mechanism disposed in an ice storage chamber, and a compressor that constitutes the refrigeration mechanism An ice making machine provided with a condenser and an expansion valve in a machine room defined below the ice storage room,
A communication space that spatially communicates the ice storage chamber and the machine room is provided,
The gist of the invention is that refrigerant detection means capable of detecting the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism is disposed below a portion communicating with the communication space in the machine room.

  Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism into the ice storage chamber moves to the machine room through the communication space, not only the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism into the machine chamber but also the ice storage from the refrigeration mechanism. The refrigerant leaking into the room can also be reliably detected by the one refrigerant detecting means provided in the machine room. That is, since it is not necessary to dispose the refrigerant detecting means in the ice storage chamber, the number of parts is reduced and the number of assembling steps is reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the ice making machine can be suppressed.

The invention described in claim 2
In the communication space, a connecting pipe that connects the evaporator and the expansion valve in the refrigeration mechanism and a connecting pipe that connects the evaporator and the compressor are accommodated in a state where a gap is formed. Is the gist.
Therefore, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the refrigerant | coolant which leaked from the connecting pipe which connects the evaporator and expansion valve in a refrigeration mechanism, and the refrigerant | coolant which leaked from the connecting pipe which connects an evaporator and a compressor are connected. Since the gap in the space is moved and appropriately moved into the machine room, the refrigerant can be appropriately detected by the refrigerant detection means disposed in the machine room. In addition, the refrigerant leaking into the ice storage chamber can be appropriately moved to the machine room through the gap in the communication space.

The invention according to claim 3
The communication space is characterized in that the communication space communicates with the ice storage chamber at a wall portion close to the position where the evaporator is disposed in the ice storage chamber.
Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant leaked from the evaporator flows into the communication space and quickly moves to the machine room, so that it can be difficult to stop in the ice storage room.

  According to the ice making machine of the present invention, the number of refrigerant detection means is reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of the ice making mechanism and freezing mechanism in the ice making machine of an Example. It is side sectional drawing which shows schematically the structure of the ice making machine of an Example. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the ice making machine of an Example partially broken, and is shown schematically. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure which the refrigerant | coolant leaked into the ice making chamber can move to a machine room via piping space. It is a block diagram of the control system relevant to this invention in the ice making machine of an Example. 4 is a timing chart in a normal mode in which normal ice making operation and deicing operation are performed in the ice making machine of the embodiment. In the ice making machine of an Example, it is a timing chart in the safe mode performed at the time of failure of a refrigerant | coolant detection sensor. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of the conventional ice making machine roughly. It is a schematic block diagram of the ice making mechanism and refrigeration mechanism in the conventional ice making machine.

  Next, a preferred embodiment of the ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment, an ice making machine basically having the same overall configuration as the conventional ice making machine M1 shown in FIG. 8 is illustrated. Accordingly, the same components as those of the ice making machine M1 shown in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In the embodiment, the side (left side in FIG. 1) on which the door 18 is disposed is the front side of the ice making machine M1, the left-right direction viewed from the front side is the left-right direction of the ice making machine M1, and the vertical direction is the upper and lower sides of the ice making machine M1. The direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ice making machine M according to the embodiment has an approximately box-shaped housing 10 that is partitioned into upper and lower parts, and an ice storage chamber 11 having a heat insulating structure is defined upward, and the ice storage chamber. A machine room 12 is defined below 11. The ice storage chamber 11 is provided with an evaporator 33 of an ice making mechanism D and a refrigeration mechanism E above the interior, and the machine chamber 12 includes a compressor 30, a condenser 31, an expansion valve 32, and the like that constitute the refrigeration mechanism E. Various other devices and parts are arranged. The machine chamber 12 is provided with a refrigerant detection sensor S as refrigerant detection means described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ice making mechanism D includes the ice making unit 20 in which a large number of ice making chambers 20 </ b> A opened downward, and water that opens and closes each ice making chamber 20 </ b> A of the ice making unit 20 from below. The tray 21 is composed of an ice making water tank 22 disposed below the water tray 21, a water tray opening / closing mechanism 23 that tilts the water tray 21 and the ice making water tank 22 together, and the like. The ice making mechanism D is arranged in a state of being suspended on an attachment member 13 installed on the housing 10 so as to be horizontal in the left-right direction at the upper part of the ice making unit 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The ice making unit 20 is fixed to the mounting member 13 in a horizontal state with the ice making chambers 20A facing downward. A support arm 24 attached to the left end portion of the water tray 21 is pivotally supported on the bracket 14 of the attachment member 13 via a support shaft 15, and the vicinity of the right end portion of the water tray 21 is A coil arm 26 is connected to a cam arm 25 constituting a water tray opening / closing mechanism 23 disposed on the attachment member 13. Accordingly, the water tray 21 is tilted downward from the ice making unit 20 by horizontally rotating the cam arm 25 forward and backward by the opening / closing motor 27 so that the ice making unit 20 is closed (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1). The posture can be changed to the opened state (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ice making water tank 22 is a bucket-shaped member that opens upward, and is fixed to the water tray 21 by an appropriate fixing member. It is comprised so that it may incline with. The ice making water tank 22 can store a predetermined amount of ice making water when the water tray 21 faces the closed position, and discharges the stored ice making water to the drain pan 16 when the water tray 21 faces the open position. It is configured to In addition, ice making water stored in the ice making water tank 22 is placed on the left front wall, which is the deepest part of the ice making water tank 22, in each ice making chamber 20 of the ice making unit 20 through an injection hole provided in the water tray 21. An ice making water pump 28 is provided for injecting and supplying to 20A.

  1-3, the refrigeration mechanism E includes a compressor 30 disposed in the machine room 12, an air-cooled condenser 31 equipped with a cooling fan 34, an expansion valve 32, The ice storage chamber 11 includes an evaporator 33 arranged in a meandering manner on the upper surface of the ice making unit 20 of the ice making mechanism D. The compressor 30, the condenser 31, the expansion valve 32, and the evaporator 33 are connected by a connecting pipe 35. A refrigeration circuit connected in series to circulate a refrigerant made of a combustible gas is configured. That is, the outlet part of the compressor 30 and the inlet part of the condenser 31 are connected by the first connecting pipe 35A, and the outlet part of the condenser 31 and the inlet part of the expansion valve 32 are connected by the second connecting pipe 35B. The outlet part of the expansion valve 32 and the inlet part of the evaporator 33 are connected by a third connecting pipe 35C, and the outlet part of the evaporator 33 and the inlet part of the compressor 30 are connected by a fourth connecting pipe 35D. . Further, a fifth connecting pipe 35E connected in the middle of the first connecting pipe 35A and in the middle of the third connecting pipe 35C is provided, and the hot gas disposed in the middle of the fifth connecting pipe 35E. By controlling the valve 36 to be open, the heated refrigerant (hot gas) compressed by the compressor 30 can be directly supplied to the evaporator 33 via the fifth connecting pipe 35E. .

  The refrigerant is an HC (hydrocarbon) refrigerant that is widely used in refrigerators and ice makers, and is made of a combustible gas such as propane (R290) or isobutane (R600a). This refrigerant has a specific gravity greater than that of air, and by any chance, the compressor 30, the condenser 31, the expansion valve 32, the evaporator 33, and the connecting pipe 35 (first connecting pipe 35A to fifth connecting pipe) constituting the refrigeration mechanism E. When leaking out from the pipe 35E), or a connecting portion between each of these devices and the connecting pipe 35, it moves downward in the ice making machine M. Note that description of various physical properties of the refrigerant is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the expansion valve 32 in the refrigeration mechanism E of the embodiment is disposed at the outlet portion of the evaporator 33 in the fourth connection pipe 35 </ b> D, and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet portion of the evaporator 33 is set. A temperature sensing cylinder (temperature sensing means) 40 that detects and generates pressure and an operation unit 41 that switches the expansion valve 32 to a closed state are provided, and pressure (maximum operating pressure ( MOP: Maximum Operating Pressure)). The temperature sensing tube 40 is filled with an enclosure whose volume expands as the temperature rises, and the operating portion 41 is provided with a diaphragm valve 43 as a pressure valve, and the temperature sensing tube 40 and the operating portion 41 are provided. Are connected by a capillary tube 42. And the enclosure in the said temperature sensing cylinder 40 will supply the temperature of the exit part of this evaporator 33 accompanying this, when the refrigerant | coolant of the heating state from the compressor 30 is supplied to the evaporator 33 in the deicing operation of the ice making mechanism D. The volume is set so as to expand by raising and pressure is generated, and the diaphragm valve 41 is operated by the pressure generated by the expansion of the enclosure. That is, the expansion valve 32 is held in an open state when the heated refrigerant from the compressor 30 is not supplied to the evaporator 33, and the refrigerant sent from the condenser 31 can be injected toward the evaporator 33. When the heated refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 30 to the evaporator 33, the diaphragm valve 41 is switched to a closed state by the operation of the diaphragm valve 41 to restrict the refrigerant from the condenser 31.

  A third connecting pipe 35C for connecting the expansion valve 32 provided in the machine chamber 12 and the evaporator 33 provided in the ice storage chamber 11, and the evaporator 33 and the machine chamber 12 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the fourth connecting pipe 35 </ b> D that connects the compressor 30 is disposed along a pipe space (communication space) 45 defined on the back surface of the housing 10. . As shown in FIG. 3, the pipe space 45 is attached to the rear surface of the housing 10 by attaching a semi-cylindrical cover member 46 that is vertically long and opened to the housing 10 side to the rear surface of the housing 10. It is defined vertically. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the piping space 45 is in spatial communication with the inside of the ice storage chamber 11 via a first communication portion 47 formed in the upper portion of the casing 10 (upper rear wall of the ice storage chamber 11). In addition, the inside of the machine room 12 is spatially communicated via a second insertion portion 48 formed downward from the center in the vertical direction of the housing 10. The first communication portion 47, the piping space 45, and the second insertion portion 48 are allowed to circulate refrigerant between the third connecting pipe 35C and the heat insulating material 37 wound around the fourth connecting pipe 35D. The gap G is defined in a shape and size.

  In addition, since the ice storage chamber 11 is not provided with a fan, almost no convection of cold air is generated in the ice storage chamber 11, so that the refrigerant leaking into the ice storage chamber 11 can easily move below the ice storage chamber 11. Nevertheless, the reason why the first communication portion 47 is provided on the upper rear wall of the ice storage chamber 11 is as follows. First, as reason 1, as shown in FIG. 1, when the ice block I generated by the ice making mechanism D is fully stored in the ice storage chamber 11, the first communication portion 47 is provided at the bottom of the ice storage chamber 11. In this case, the ice block I may block the first communication portion 47, and the refrigerant may not be discharged properly. Also, as reason 2, since the ice storage chamber 11 always generates melt water, when the first communication portion 47 is provided at the bottom of the ice storage chamber 11, the melt water flows into the first communication portion 47. There is a fear. Further, as a reason 3, the refrigeration mechanism E disposed in the ice making machine M has a larger amount of refrigerant as compared with a domestic refrigerator, air conditioner, etc., so the refrigerant from the evaporator 33 or the like is sealed in the sealed ice storage chamber 11. The amount of leakage is large, and the internal volume of the ice storage chamber 11 is smaller than that of a domestic refrigerator, air conditioner, etc., so that the leaked refrigerant is contained in the ice storage chamber 11 for a relatively short time. Therefore, the leaked refrigerant can be sufficiently discharged also from the first communication portion 47 provided on the upper rear wall of the ice storage chamber 11. In particular, since the upper part of the rear wall of the ice storage chamber 11 is close to the evaporator 33, there is an advantage that the refrigerant leaked from the evaporator 33 easily flows into the first communication part 47 provided on the upper part of the rear wall. Therefore, considering the reasons 1 to 3, it is reasonable that the first communication portion 47 is provided at an upper portion in the ice storage chamber 11 in which the evaporator 33 is disposed.

  That is, in the ice making machine M according to the embodiment, for example, when a crack or a hole is formed in the middle of the third connection pipe 35C or the fourth connection pipe 35D and the refrigerant leaks from the crack or hole, the refrigerant flows into the pipe space. It is configured to be able to move downward in 45 and move into the machine chamber 12 via the second insertion portion 48. Further, the ice making machine M of the embodiment has a case where a crack or hole is formed in the middle of the evaporator 33 and the refrigerant leaks into the ice storage chamber 11 from the crack or hole, or between the evaporator 33 and the third connecting pipe 35C. When the refrigerant leaks into the ice storage chamber 11 from the connection portion or the connection portion between the evaporator 33 and the fourth connection pipe 35D, the refrigerant is supplied to the first communication portion 47, the piping space 45, and the second insertion portion 48. It is comprised so that it can move in in the machine room 12 via.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ice making machine M according to the embodiment includes a single refrigerant detection sensor (refrigerant detection means) that can detect the refrigerant in the machine room 12 substantially directly below the second insertion portion 48. ) S is provided. This refrigerant detection sensor S is, for example, a tin oxide semiconductor type in which a heater coil and an electrode lead wire are embedded in a material mainly composed of stannic oxide (SnO ₂ ) as a gas sensitive element, and is a refrigerant made of propane or isobutane. Can be detected appropriately. And the refrigerant | coolant detection sensor S is electrically connected to the control means C (refer FIG. 5) which controls the said ice making machine M, and can send a detection signal to this control means C at the time of the detection of a refrigerant | coolant. . Therefore, the refrigerant detection sensor S can appropriately detect the refrigerant leaked directly into the machine chamber 12 from the compressor 30, the condenser 31, the expansion valve 32, the first connection pipe 35A, and the second connection pipe 35B. As described above, the refrigerant that has leaked from the condenser 31, the third connection pipe 35C, and the fourth connection pipe 35D and has moved to the machine chamber 12 can be appropriately detected.

  The refrigerant detection sensor S has a self-diagnosis function so that it can always determine its own failure. For example, when a failure occurs due to deterioration or damage due to long-term use, the control means C A failure signal is sent to the device. Therefore, the control means C of the ice making machine M can immediately recognize the failure of the refrigerant detection sensor S even during the ice making operation or the deicing operation of the ice making mechanism D. Note that the refrigerant detection sensor S can automatically return when the failure is temporary and returns to normal, and can automatically stop sending the failure signal to the control means C.

  The ice making machine M of the embodiment employs the expansion valve 32 having a function of setting the maximum operating pressure, and as shown in Table 1 below, as an operating mode during startup, “normal mode”, “Safe hold mode” and “safe mode” are set, and the operation mode is automatically switched according to the state of the ice making machine M.

  The “normal mode” is an operation mode that is executed when the ice making machine M is operating normally on the assumption that the refrigerant detection sensor S is operating normally, and normal ice making operation and deicing operation are executed. . In this normal mode, as shown in FIG. 6, the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is controlled to be ON during the ice making operation, and the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is OFF controlled during the deicing operation. Stop. Therefore, in the deicing operation, the refrigerant is not condensed in the condenser 31, so that the condensed refrigerant is not supplied to the evaporator 33 even when the expansion valve 32 is open.

  The “safe hold mode” is an operation that is executed when an abnormality occurs when the refrigerant detection sensor S detects the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism E and the detection signal from the refrigerant detection sensor S is sent to the control means C. Mode. In the safe hold mode, the ice making operation of the ice making mechanism D is stopped, and the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is continuously ON-controlled and continuously operated. Accordingly, the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is continuously operated to stir the air in the machine room 12 to diffuse the refrigerant flowing into the machine room 12 and through the vent hole 17 provided in the housing 10. Therefore, the refrigerant is prevented from being filled in the machine room 12 and increasing its concentration.

  The “safe mode” is an operation mode that is executed when an abnormality occurs when the refrigerant detection sensor S fails and a failure signal from the refrigerant detection sensor S is sent to the control means C. In this safe mode, as shown in FIG. 7, the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is continuously turned on and continuously operated, and the ice making operation and the deicing operation of the ice making mechanism D are continued. As a result, even if the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigeration mechanism E and the refrigerant flows into the machine chamber 12 during the failure of the refrigerant detection sensor S, the cooling fan 34 continuously operates to Air is agitated and the refrigerant flowing into the machine room 12 is diffused and discharged out of the machine through the vent hole 17 provided in the housing 10, so that the machine room 12 is filled with the refrigerant. Prevents the concentration from rising. That is, in the ice making machine M of the embodiment, since the refrigeration mechanism E is normal even if the refrigerant detection sensor S fails, the ice making efficiency of the ice blocks can be reduced by continuing the ice making operation and the deicing operation of the ice making mechanism D. It can be suppressed as much as possible.

  In the ice making machine M of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a leakage warning lamp 50 for notifying the occurrence of the refrigerant leakage and a failure notification lamp (notification means) 51 for notifying the occurrence of the failure of the refrigerant detection sensor S are provided. The controller C can promptly notify when the refrigerant leaks and the refrigerant detection sensor S fails. The leakage warning lamp 50 and the failure notification lamp 51 are disposed on the front surface of the housing 10 of the ice making machine M or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control means C comprehensively controls the ice making machine M. A detection signal and a failure signal are input from the refrigerant detection sensor S, and each part of the ice making machine M is controlled. Various signals such as a detection signal and a detection signal are input from various measurement means such as a temperature measurement means, a detection means, and the like arranged in FIG. Further, the control means C is based on various input signals and various settings input from a control panel (not shown), etc., each device of the refrigeration mechanism E, each device of the ice making mechanism D, the leakage warning lamp 50, the failure notification lamp 51, the water supply unit Etc. are comprehensively controlled. In FIG. 5, only the structural members and structural devices related to the present invention are shown.

(Operation of Example)
As shown in FIG. 6, when the ice making machine M according to the embodiment is started by turning on the main power, the ice making mechanism D and the refrigeration mechanism E are subjected to predetermined initial operations by first performing an initial starting operation. When the startup initial operation is completed, the normal mode is executed, the ice making mechanism D and the refrigeration mechanism E are normally operated, and the ice making operation and the deicing operation are continuously repeated.

  When the refrigerant leaks from the third connecting pipe 35C or the fourth connecting pipe 35D, for example, in the refrigeration mechanism E during operation in the normal mode, the refrigerant passes through the pipe space 45 and the second insertion portion 48. Then, the refrigerant flows into the machine room 12 and then flows down to the bottom of the machine room 12, so that the refrigerant detection sensor S appropriately detects it. Further, when the refrigerant leaks from the evaporator 33, the connection part between the evaporator 33 and the third connection pipe 35C, or the connection part between the evaporator 33 and the fourth connection pipe 35D, the refrigerant is stored in the ice storage chamber. 11, the refrigerant detection sensor S moves to the machine chamber 12 through the first communication portion 47, the piping space 45, and the second insertion portion 48 and flows down to the bottom of the machine chamber 12. Is properly detected. Further, when the refrigerant leaks from the compressor 30, the condenser 31, the expansion valve 32, the first connection pipe 35A or the second connection pipe 35B, the refrigerant is appropriately detected by the refrigerant detection sensor S. When the refrigerant detection sensor S detects the leaked refrigerant, a detection signal is sent from the refrigerant detection sensor S to the control means C, so that the control means C changes the operation mode from the normal mode to the safe hold mode. . As a result, the ice making operation in the ice making mechanism D is stopped, and the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is continuously operated to diffuse the refrigerant in the machine room 12 and discharge it outside the apparatus. Further, the control means C turns on the leakage warning lamp 50 to notify the ice making machine M that the refrigerant has leaked.

  Therefore, in the ice making machine M according to the embodiment, not only the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism E into the machine chamber 12 but also the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism E into the ice storage chamber 11 is disposed in the machine chamber 12. The refrigerant detection sensor S can reliably detect it. In particular, a first communicating portion 47 is provided in the vicinity of the evaporator 33 in the wall portion of the ice storage chamber 11, and the refrigerant leaked from the evaporator 33 is stored in the piping space 45 before stopping in the ice storage chamber 11. The refrigerant detection sensor S is surely detected. That is, since it is not necessary to arrange the refrigerant detection sensor S in the ice storage chamber 11, the number of parts is reduced and the number of assembling steps is reduced, so that the manufacturing cost can be suppressed. Further, even if the refrigerant leaks from the refrigeration mechanism E, the refrigerant is diffused in the machine room 12 and discharged to the outside of the machine. Therefore, the refrigerant fills the machine room 12 and does not increase to a dangerous concentration. Can be appropriately prevented, and the ice making machine M can be kept in a safe state. In addition, since the leakage warning lamp 50 is turned on, the manager of the ice making machine M can quickly confirm that the refrigerant has leaked to the ice making machine M, and can quickly repair or replace the refrigeration mechanism E. Can be performed.

  On the other hand, when the refrigerant detection sensor S fails during operation in the normal mode, a failure signal is sent from the refrigerant detection sensor S to the control means C, so that the control means C changes the operation mode to the normal mode. Change from safe mode to safe mode. Thereby, the ice making operation and the deicing operation in the ice making mechanism D are continued, and the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is continuously operated to stir the air in the machine room 12. Even if the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 is continuously operated, the refrigerant is condensed because the expansion valve 32 is closed when the heated refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 30 to the condenser 31 during the deicing operation. Thus, the ice block I is prevented from being supplied to the evaporator 33, and the ice lump I generated in each ice making chamber 20A of the ice making unit 20 in the ice making mechanism D can be appropriately discharged and dropped by appropriately performing the deicing operation.

  Therefore, the ice making machine M of the embodiment can continue the ice making operation and the deicing operation in the ice making mechanism D while continuously operating the cooling fan 34 of the condenser 31 even if the refrigerant detection sensor S fails. In addition, it is possible to suppress a decrease in ice making efficiency of ice blocks and to obtain high safety and reliability required for commercial equipment. During the failure of the refrigerant detection sensor S, the cooling fan 34 is continuously operating during the ice making operation and the deicing operation of the ice making mechanism D. Therefore, the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism E during the ice making operation and the deicing operation. However, since the refrigerant can be appropriately diffused in the machine room 12 and discharged outside the machine, the ice making machine M can be kept in a safe state. Further, the failure notification lamp 51 is turned on, so that the manager of the ice making machine M can confirm at an early stage that a failure of the refrigerant detection sensor S has occurred in the ice making machine M. Repair or replacement can be performed quickly.

(Example of change)
(1) In the embodiment, the piping space 45 in which the third connection pipe 35C and the fourth connection pipe 35D of the refrigeration mechanism E are disposed is illustrated as the communication space that communicates the ice storage chamber 11 and the machine room 12. The communication space is not limited to this, and may be an electric pipe formed around the ice storage chamber 11, a gap space between the opening / closing door 18 and the housing 10, or the like.
(2) The refrigerant detection means is not limited to the tin oxide semiconductor type exemplified in the embodiment, and may be any one that can appropriately detect the combustible gas used as the refrigerant.
(3) The leakage warning lamp 50 and the failure notification lamp 51 can be shared by a single lamp if the lighting mode and display color are different.
(4) The notification means for notifying the failure of the refrigerant detection sensor S is not limited to the lamp of the embodiment, and may be a buzzer, an alarm, an e-mail transmitted to a personal computer, a portable terminal, or the like.
(5) Although the flow down type ice maker was illustrated in the examples, the ice maker targeted by the present invention is all ice maker having a refrigeration mechanism using a refrigerant made of combustible gas.

11 ice storage rooms, 12 machine rooms, 30 compressors, 31 condensers, 32 expansion valves, 33 evaporators,
35C 3rd connecting pipe (connecting pipe), 35D 4th connecting pipe (connecting pipe), 45 piping space (communication space)
D ice making mechanism, E refrigeration mechanism, G gap, S refrigerant detection means

Claims (3)

An ice making mechanism (E) equipped with a refrigeration mechanism (E) that circulates a combustible gas refrigerant having a specific gravity greater than that of air, and an evaporator (33) that constitutes the refrigeration mechanism (E) disposed in the ice storage chamber (11) ( D) and a machine room in which a compressor (30), a condenser (31) and an expansion valve (32) constituting the refrigeration mechanism (E) are defined below the ice storage room (11). (12) In the ice maker arranged in
A communication space (45) for spatially communicating the ice storage room (11) and the machine room (12) is provided,
Refrigerant detection means (S) capable of detecting the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism (E) is disposed below the portion communicating with the communication space (45) in the machine room (12). A featured ice machine.   In the communication space (45), the connection pipe (35C) connecting the evaporator (33) and the expansion valve (32) in the refrigeration mechanism (E), the evaporator (33), and the compressor ( 30. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the connecting pipe (35D) for connecting to (30) is accommodated in a state in which a gap (G) is formed.   The ice making space according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication space (45) communicates with the ice storage chamber (11) at a wall portion of the ice storage chamber (11) close to a position where the evaporator (33) is disposed. Machine.

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