JP2014005945A - Automatic ice-making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic ice-making machine that can properly determine occurrence of abnormality without labor.SOLUTION: An automatic ice-making machine 10 starts measurement with a timer at the same time as the start of movement of a water tray 24 from a release position to a closed position, and compares a difference between a first measurement time measured with the timer and a first abnormality determination time stored in a storage unit to a preset threshold value, to determine whether any abnormality occurs. When it is determined that no abnormality occurs, the first abnormality determination time is updated to a mean value of the measured first measurement time and the first abnormality determination time. The first abnormality determination time is thus continuously updated to a value depending on the actual state of the automatic ice-making machine 10, so that occurrence of abnormality can be properly determined.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic ice making machine equipped with an ice making chamber opened on one side and a water tray capable of opening and closing the ice making chamber.

  2. Description of the Related Art A spray-type automatic ice making machine that produces ice blocks by spraying and supplying ice making water from below to a large number of ice making chambers that open downward is suitably used in facilities such as coffee shops and restaurants, and other kitchens. Describing the schematic configuration of this automatic ice making machine, an ice making room horizontally arranged in the ice making machine has a large number of ice making chambers opened downward, and the upper surface of the ice making room communicates with a refrigeration system. The evaporator is closely arranged in a meandering manner. In addition, a water tray is pivotally supported via a support shaft directly below the ice making chamber, and an ice making water tank for storing a predetermined amount of ice making water is integrally provided below the water tray. ing.

  In the automatic ice making machine, in the state of holding the water tray in the closed position that closes the ice making chamber from below in ice making operation, the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the evaporator to forcibly cool the ice making chamber, The ice making water in the ice making water tank is jetted and supplied to the ice making chamber through the water tray, thereby generating ice blocks in the ice making chamber. When the ice making completion detecting means detects the formation of ice blocks, the ice making operation is shifted to the deicing operation, the hot gas is circulated and supplied to the evaporator to heat the ice making chamber, and the water tray is supported by the opening / closing mechanism. The ice making chamber is opened by tilting to an open position obliquely downward with respect to the center. In this deicing operation, the ice supply part of the ice making chamber melts due to the circulating supply of hot gas, and the ice block separates and falls from the ice making chamber due to its own weight, slides down on the water tray in the open position, and is stored in the stocker. The When the deicing completion detecting means detects the detachment of the ice block from the ice making chamber, the water tray is returned to the closed position by the opening / closing mechanism, and the deicing operation is shifted to the ice making operation. The automatic ice making machine can automatically produce a large amount of ice blocks by performing an ice making cycle in which the ice making operation and the deicing operation are alternately repeated until the stocker is full.

  The automatic ice maker is provided with detection means for detecting the open position and the closed position of the water dish, and the normal time during which the water dish moves from the open position to the closed position under normal conditions, or the open position from the closed position. Set the abnormality judgment time longer than the normal opening time to move until the water pan starts moving from the open position or the closed position, and the detection means is in the closed position or open position of the water tray even if the abnormality judgment time has elapsed Is not detected, it is determined that an abnormality such as a failure of the opening / closing mechanism or an ice bite with an ice block between the ice making chamber and the water pan has occurred, and a protective operation is performed (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP-A-4-3869

  In the automatic ice maker, the water pan is placed between the open position and the closed position due to variations in the assembly state of various parts constituting the open / close mechanism or voltage fluctuations supplied to the drive source of the open / close mechanism. The normal time of moving may vary. For this reason, the abnormality determination time for determining the abnormality is set to be longer in consideration of variations in the movement time of the water pan, but if it is too long, the time until the abnormality is determined becomes longer after the abnormality occurs. Therefore, when an abnormality such as ice biting occurs, the time during which a load is applied to the opening / closing mechanism or the like also becomes relatively long, which may cause a failure of the opening / closing mechanism or the like. In addition, since the normal time also changes due to aging of various parts that make up the switchgear, if the abnormality judgment time is set short, if the normal time becomes longer due to aging of various parts, it is normal In spite of this, there is a risk of being determined to be abnormal. Therefore, in order to properly determine the abnormality, it is necessary to periodically review and change the abnormality determination time, and it is pointed out that it takes time and effort.

  That is, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described problems inherent in the conventional technology, and is an automatic ice maker that can appropriately determine the occurrence of an abnormality without taking time and effort. The purpose is to provide a machine.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended purpose, an automatic ice making machine according to the invention of claim 1 is provided:
An ice making chamber provided with an ice making chamber opened on one side; a water tray moved between a closed position for closing the ice making chamber and an open position for opening the ice making chamber by an opening and closing mechanism; Ice making operation in which ice blocks are generated in the ice making chamber while being held in the closed position, and the water pan is moved from the closed position to the open position by the opening and closing mechanism to disengage the ice blocks from the ice making chamber, and the ice blocks In the automatic ice making machine that repeats the deicing operation to move the water tray from the open position to the closed position by the opening and closing mechanism after the release of
Time measuring means for measuring the time from when the water pan starts moving from the closed position or the open position;
Determination means for determining whether normal or abnormal based on the measurement time and abnormality determination time by the time measuring means,
The gist of the invention is that it includes an updating unit that updates the abnormality determination time based on the measurement time when the determination unit determines normal.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the determination means determines that the abnormality is normal, the abnormality determination time is updated based on the actually measured time, so that it takes time to review the abnormality determination time. The occurrence of abnormality can always be determined appropriately according to the actual state of the automatic ice maker. That is, the occurrence of abnormality can be detected at an early stage, and the opening / closing mechanism can be prevented from being damaged.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the said determination means is the 1st measurement time and the 1st abnormality determination time which the said time measuring means measures, when the said water tray moves toward the closed position from an open position. Based on the second measurement time and the second abnormality determination time measured by the time measuring means when the water pan moves from the closed position toward the open position based on whether the water dish moves from the closed position to the open position. The gist is that it is configured to determine whether it is normal or abnormal.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, generation | occurrence | production of abnormality in the closing operation | movement of a water tray and during a closing operation | movement can be determined appropriately.

In the invention according to claim 3, the update means is the first when the water tray is measured by the time measuring means when the water pan moves from the open position toward the closed position, and the determination means determines that the determination is normal. The average value of the measurement time and the second measurement time when the water tray moves from the closed position toward the open position is measured by the time measuring means and the determination means determines normal. Updated as the abnormality judgment time of
The gist of the present invention is that the determination means is configured to determine whether it is normal or abnormal based on the first measurement time and the second measurement time and the common abnormality determination time.
According to the invention of claim 3, since the abnormality determination time for determining whether the measurement is normal or abnormal in relation to the first measurement time and the second measurement time is made common, the control load on the updating means is reduced. can do.

The gist of the invention according to claim 4 is that the updating means is configured to update the average value of the measurement time and the abnormality determination time when the determination means determines normal as the abnormality determination time.
According to the invention of claim 4, the abnormality determination time can be set to a more appropriate value.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 5, the said opening-and-closing mechanism is provided with the motor driven by alternating current power,
A storage unit that stores an abnormality determination time according to a power supply frequency of the AC power as an initial value,
The determination means includes a measurement time measured by the timing means when the water tray first moves from the closed position to the open position after activation, and when the water tray first moves from the open position to the closed position. In the determination based on the measurement time measured by the time measuring means, it is configured to determine whether it is normal or abnormal based on each measurement time and the abnormality determination time stored in the storage unit as an initial value. To do.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, the presence or absence of abnormality can be determined from the starting initial stage of an automatic ice making machine.

  According to the automatic ice making machine of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately determine an abnormality without taking time and effort.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic ice making machine according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the ice making mechanism of 1st Example partially broken, (a) has a water tray in a closed position, (b) has a water tray in an open position. It is a control block diagram of the automatic ice making machine of the first embodiment. It is a timing chart figure which shows the ice making cycle in the automatic ice making machine of 1st Example. It is a flowchart figure which shows the initial value setting process of the abnormality determination time in the automatic ice making machine of 1st Example. It is a flowchart figure which shows the abnormality determination process in the automatic ice maker of 1st Example. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process at the time of abnormality in the automatic ice making machine of 1st Example. It is a flowchart figure which shows the initial value setting process of the common abnormality determination time in the automatic ice maker of 3rd Example. It is a flowchart figure which shows the abnormality determination process in the automatic ice maker of 3rd Example.

  Next, an automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiments.

(About the first embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic ice making machine 10 according to a first embodiment includes a so-called closed cell type ice making mechanism 12, a vapor compression refrigerator (simply referred to as a refrigerator) 14, an ice making mechanism 12 and a refrigerator 14. Control means C (refer to FIG. 3) such as a microcomputer for controlling the equipment to be configured is provided. Further, the automatic ice making machine 10 includes an operation means 16 for performing various settings, and a display means 18 such as a liquid crystal display or a 7-segment display for displaying the state and setting contents of the automatic ice making machine 10. 18 is electrically connected to the control means C. The automatic ice making machine 10 alternately repeats an ice making operation for generating ice blocks by the ice making mechanism 12 by heat exchange with the refrigerator 14 and an ice removing operation for removing ice blocks from the ice making mechanism 12 by heat exchange with the refrigerator 14. Configured to perform an ice making cycle. Further, the automatic ice maker 10 is provided with an ice storage 20 having an ice storage chamber 20 a that receives and stores ice blocks separated from the ice making mechanism 12 in the deicing operation, and is provided in the ice storage 20. An ice block stored in the ice storage chamber 20a can be taken out by opening an open / close door (not shown). The automatic ice making machine 10 is configured to start an initial startup operation in which each device is operated in the same order as the deicing operation when the power is turned on (see FIG. 4).

  The ice making mechanism 12 includes an ice making chamber (ice making unit) 22 in which a large number of ice making chambers 22a that are open downward are formed, and a water dish that is disposed below the ice making chamber 22 and that can open and close the lower opening of the ice making chamber 22a. 24 and a water tray opening / closing mechanism (opening / closing mechanism) 28 for moving and displacing the water tray 24 with respect to the ice making chamber 22. In the ice making mechanism 12, an ice making water tank 26 for storing ice making water supplied from the water supply means 38 is provided integrally with the water tray 24 below the water tray 24. The ice making chamber 22 of the first embodiment is a rectangular box-shaped ice making chamber 22a that is formed of a metal material having good thermal conductivity and arranged in a grid pattern. It has come to be able to do. An evaporator EP constituting the refrigerator 14 is meanderingly disposed on the upper surface of the ice making chamber 22, and the ice making chamber 22 is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant or hot gas flowing through the evaporator EP by the operation of the refrigerator 14. Or heated.

  At a required position of the ice making chamber 22, temperature measuring means (ice making completion detecting means, deicing completion detecting means) TH for measuring the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 is disposed. The temperature measurement results of the ice making chamber 22 by the temperature measuring means TH are all determined for the ice making operation end timing described later, and for determining the timing of raising the water dish in the deicing operation (determining completion of deicing from the ice making chamber 22). It is used for indicators. As the temperature measuring means TH, for example, a thermistor, a platinum resistance temperature detector, a thermocouple, or the like that is already in practical use can be suitably implemented, and the measurement result is output to the control means C.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water tray 24 is supported such that one side end portion thereof is rotatable with respect to the ice making machine body via a support shaft 24 a and the other side end portion is a water tray opening / closing mechanism 28. Is supported via a coil spring 30. The water dish 24 has a closed position (see FIG. 2A) in a horizontal position close to the ice making chamber 22 so that the upper surface closes the lower opening of the ice making chamber 22a, and the lower opening of the ice making chamber 22a is opened. It is possible to move and displace between an open position (see FIG. 2 (b)) in an inclined posture separated from the ice making chamber 22 so as to allow the ice lump to be detached from the ice making chamber 22a. In addition, the water tray 24 is provided with an injection hole (not shown) at a position corresponding to each ice making chamber 22a, and is held from the ice making water tank 26 to the circulation pump while being held in the closed position by the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28. (Circulating means) The ice making water pumped by PM can be supplied by injection from the injection hole toward the ice making chamber 22a. Further, a return hole (not shown) is formed in the water dish 24 so as to communicate from the upper surface of the water dish 24 to an ice making water tank 26 disposed below the water dish 24. The received ice making water is configured to flow down to the ice making water tank 26 through the return hole.

  The cam arm 29 is connected to an open / close motor (motor) AM that is normally / reversely driven under the control of the control means C (see FIG. 1), and is rotated in the forward / reverse direction in accordance with the forward / reverse drive of the open / close motor AM. As the opening / closing motor AM, an AC motor driven by AC power is preferably used. The water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 holds the water tray 24 in the closed position by positioning the extending end of the cam arm 29 connected to the coil spring 30 upward, and the cam arm 29 extends by the positive drive of the opening / closing motor AM. By rotating the end downward from the upper position, the water tray 24 is moved and displaced from the closed position to the open position. The water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 moves and displaces the water tray 24 from the open position to the closed position by rotating the extending end of the cam arm 29 upward from the lower position by reverse driving of the opening / closing motor AM. The water pan opening / closing mechanism 28 is based on the detection means 33, 34 detecting the detection body 32 arranged to rotate together with the cam arm 29 that rotates in accordance with the forward / reverse driving of the opening / closing motor AM. Thus, the opening / closing motor AM is driven and controlled. The detection sensor is disposed at a position corresponding to the rotation locus of the detection body 32 accompanying the rotation of the cam arm 29 corresponding to the open position and the closed position, and may be detection means by contact with the detection body 32. Non-contact detection means such as a magnetic sensor such as an element or a photoelectric sensor such as a photosensor is employed in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the closing sensor 33 disposed corresponding to the closed position in which the extended end of the cam arm 29 is in the upper position, and the open position in which the extended end of the cam arm 29 is in the lower position. And an open sensor 34 disposed as a detection sensor. That is, when the water tray 24 is moved from the closed position to the open position, the control means C controls to stop the positive drive of the opening / closing motor AM by detecting the detection body 32 by the open sensor 34 ( (See FIG. 2 (b)). Further, when the water dish 24 is moved from the open position to the closed position, the control means C is controlled to stop the reverse drive of the opening / closing motor AM by detecting the detection body 32 by the closing sensor 33. (See FIG. 2 (a)).

  The opening / closing motor AM of the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 is driven and controlled by the control means C at a predetermined timing and a predetermined rotation direction (see FIG. 4). Here, when the start-up initial operation and the deicing operation are started, the opening / closing motor AM is drive-controlled by the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 to lower the water tray 24 (opening operation with respect to the ice making chamber 22). Further, in the initial startup operation and the deicing operation, the opening / closing motor AM detects that the ice block has detached from the ice making chamber 22 after the water tray 24 is completely opened (in the first embodiment, detection of the deicing completion temperature). ) And the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 is driven to control the water tray 24 to rise (close operation with respect to the ice making chamber 22). In the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28, when the detection body 32 that rotates together with the cam arm 29 that operates to lower the water tray 24 is detected by the opening sensor 34, the opening / closing motor AM is stopped, and the water tray 24 is moved to the open position. When the detection sensor 32 that rotates together with the cam arm 29 that operates to raise the water tray 24 is detected by the closing sensor 33, the opening / closing motor AM is stopped and the water tray 24 is held in the closed position. Configured to do.

  The ice-making water tank 26 is a box-like body that is formed to be slightly larger than the water tray 24 and opens upward. The ice-making water tank 26 is fixed to the water tray 24 in a state in which the water tray 24 is accommodated inside the water tray 24. The position is displaced with the displacement of the position. The ice making water tank 26 is formed so that the region on the side of the support shaft 24a of the water tray 24 becomes deeper at the closed position where the lower part of the ice making chamber 22a is closed (see FIG. 2 (a)). The suction port of the circulation pump PM is connected to the bottom of the part. Further, the ice making water tank 26 is provided with a drain outlet 27 on the open end side of the water tray 24 (see FIG. 2A), and the inside of the ice making water tank 26 in the closed position up to the drain outlet 27 position. It is possible to store ice making water. That is, the ice making water tank 26 stores a necessary amount of ice making water sufficient for ice making for one ice making operation between the bottom portion and the drain outlet 27 in the closed position, and surplus ice making water is discharged outward from the drain outlet 27. Configured to overflow. The ice making water tank 26 is configured such that the drain outlet 27 is at the bottom of the ice making water tank 26 at the open position, and the entire amount of ice making water can be discharged to the outside at the open position. A drain tray 36 is disposed below the ice making water tank 26 (see FIG. 1), and the ice making water discharged from the drain port 27 of the ice making water tank 26 is received and discharged outside the apparatus. ing.

  The ice making mechanism 12 includes a circulation pump PM that pumps ice making water from an ice making water tank 26 to a water tray 24 via a pipe (not shown), and the ice making water pumped by the circulation pump PM is water in a closed position. The ice making water is sprayed and supplied from the injection hole of the tray 24 to the ice making chamber 22a, and the ice making water flowing down from the ice making chamber 22a is collected in the ice making water tank 26 through the return hole of the water tray 24. In the ice making mechanism 12, the ice making water collected in the ice making water tank 26 is supplied again to the ice making chamber 22a by the circulation pump PM.

  The water supply means 38 is provided at a water supply pipe 38a connected to a water source such as a water supply tank or a water storage tank that primarily stores water supplied from the water supply, and a support shaft of the water tray 24. The water supply part 38b provided in 24a side and the water supply adjustment part WV which adjusts the water supply amount which consists of on-off valves, such as a solenoid valve, and a pump are provided. In the first embodiment, a water supply valve WV serving as a water supply adjusting unit is provided in the middle of a water supply pipe 38a connected to the water supply, and the water supply valve WV is opened and closed at a predetermined timing under the control of the control means C to produce ice-making water. Is supplied to the upper surface of the water tray 24 from the water supply part 38b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 14 includes a compressor CM, a condenser CD, a cooling fan FM that cools the condenser CD, an expansion valve EV, and an evaporator EP. The compressor CM, the condenser CD, The expansion valve EV and the evaporator EP are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe 14a to constitute a refrigeration circuit. In addition to the refrigeration circuit, the refrigerator 14 includes a bypass pipe 15 that directly supplies high-temperature refrigerant (hot gas) from the compressor CM to the evaporator EP without passing through the condenser CD and the expansion valve EV, in the deicing operation. I have. The bypass pipe 15 is provided so as to connect the discharge side of the compressor CM and the suction side of the evaporator EP, and a hot gas valve HV is disposed in the middle of the bypass pipe 15. In the refrigerator 14, the compressor CM, the cooling fan FM, and the hot gas valve HV are controlled by the control means C, and the compressor CM and the cooling fan FM are driven while the hot gas valve HV is closed in the ice making operation. Thus, the refrigerant circulates through the refrigeration circuit, and the ice making chamber 22 is cooled by the evaporator EP. Further, the refrigerator 14 drives the compressor CM with the hot gas valve HV opened in the deicing operation, stops the cooling fan FM, and supplies the hot gas to the evaporator EP via the bypass pipe 15. Then, the ice making chamber 22 is heated by the evaporator EP.

The control means C includes a timer (timer means) 40 capable of measuring the time for the water dish 24 to move between the closed position and the open position, and measurement times t ₁ and t ₂ measured by the timer 40. Is compared with the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred, and the measurement time t ₁ and t ₂ when the determination unit 42 determines normal as will be described later. Update means 43 for updating the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ based on the above and a storage unit 44 for storing the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ in an updatable manner. The timer 40 is configured to start measurement (count) at the same time as the water tray 24 starts moving from the open position, and to end measurement (count) when the detection body 32 is detected by the closing sensor 33. . The timer 40 is configured to start measurement (count) at the same time as the water tray 24 starts moving from the closed position, and to end measurement (count) when the detection body 32 is detected by the open sensor 34. Is done. Thereafter, when the water tray 24 moves from the open position toward the closed position, the time measured by the timer 40 is the first measurement time t ₁ , and the water tray 24 is moved from the closed position toward the open position. The time measured by the timer 40 when moving is sometimes referred to as a _second measurement time t2. The control means C includes a counter 46 that counts every time the determination means 42 makes an affirmative determination (abnormal determination) as will be described later.

In the automatic ice making machine 10, the time during which the water tray 24 moves from the open position to the closed position in the initial startup operation is measured by the timer 40, and this initial measurement time (initial closed measurement time) is determined by the control means C. Is stored in the storage unit 44 as the first abnormality determination time e ₁ , and the time during which the water tray 24 moves from the closed position to the open position in the deicing operation immediately after the ice making operation performed subsequently is set to the timer 40. And the initial measurement time (initial open measurement time) is stored in the storage unit 44 of the control means C as the second abnormality determination time e ₂ . That is, in the automatic ice making machine 10 of the first embodiment, the actual time and the closed position required for the water tray 24 to be executed first after the power is turned on (started up) to move from the open position to the closed position. The actual time required to move from the position to the opening position is used to determine whether there is an abnormality associated with the closing operation and the opening operation of the water dish 24 from the next time.

In the determination means 42, the difference between the measurement times t ₁ and t ₂ and the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ is set to a preset threshold value α (for example, set to 5 seconds, but can be set to any numerical value). When larger, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred (abnormality determination), and when it is less than or equal to the threshold value α, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred (normal determination). In the first embodiment, the difference between the measurement times t ₁ and t _{2 of} the timer 40 that starts measurement at the same time when the water tray 24 starts moving from the open position or the closed position is the difference between the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e _2. When it becomes larger than the threshold value α (before the closing sensor 33 or the open sensor 34 detects the detection body 32, the difference between the measurement times t ₁ and t ₂ and the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ becomes larger than the threshold value α. The determination means 42 determines that an abnormality has occurred (abnormal determination), and the difference between the measurement times t ₁ and t _{2 of the} timer 40 and the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ is less than or equal to the threshold value α. When the closing sensor 33 or the opening sensor 34 detects the detection body 32 in the state, the determination means 42 is configured to determine that no abnormality has occurred, that is, normal (normal determination). The control means C is configured to control various devices so that the deicing operation is performed from the beginning when the determination result of the determination means 42 is an abnormality determination. In addition, when the determination result by the determination unit 42 performed based on the deicing operation at the time of abnormality performed in the abnormality determination of the determination unit 42 is determined to be normal (when it returns to normal), the ice making operation is directly performed. It is configured to transition and perform an ice making cycle. On the other hand, when the determination result by the determination unit 42 performed based on the deicing operation at the time of abnormality performed in the abnormality determination of the determination unit 42 is the abnormality determination again (when the abnormality is not resolved). Controls various mechanisms to perform deicing operation again from the beginning. When the abnormality determination in the determination means 42 continues for a preset number of abnormalities (for example, it is set to 3 but can be set to an arbitrary numerical value), the control means C operates the automatic ice making machine 10. While controlling to stop, it is comprised so that abnormality notification may be performed using the said display means 18 grade | etc.,. The threshold value α and the number of abnormalities are stored in the storage unit 44 and can be changed by the operation means 16.

[Operation of the first embodiment]
Next, the operation of the automatic ice maker 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

(Regarding the initial value setting process of the abnormality judgment time)
First, the initial value setting process of the abnormality determination time executed when the automatic ice making machine 10 is started will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the automatic ice making machine 10 is turned on (step S10), the startup initial operation is started as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (step S11). In the initial startup operation, each device is operated in the same order as in the deicing operation. That is, when starting initial operation is started, the compressor CM is driven and the hot gas valve HV is opened to heat the ice making chamber 22, and the opening / closing motor AM is positively driven to open the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28. The water tray 24 is lowered (step S12). When the open sensor 34 detects that the water tray 24 has moved to the open position (step S13), the automatic ice making machine 10 reverses the open / close motor AM on the condition that the ice making chamber 22 has reached the deicing completion temperature. The water tray 24 is driven to rise (step S14), and simultaneously the hot gas valve HV is closed and the cooling fan FM is driven to start cooling the ice making chamber 22. The timer 40 starts measurement simultaneously with the rising of the water dish 24 (step S15). When the closing sensor 33 detects that the water tray 24 has closed the ice making chamber 22 and is in a horizontal state (closed position) (step S16), the timer 40 ends the measurement. Then, the initial closing measurement time measured by the timer 40 is stored in the storage unit 44 as the first abnormality determination time e ₁ (step S17). Further, when the closing sensor 33 detects the closing position of the water tray 24, the control means C controls the various mechanisms so as to stop the opening / closing motor AM and shift from the starting initial operation to the ice making operation (step S18). . Water is supplied from the water supply means 38 onto the water tray 24 at the appropriate time when the water tray 24 descends and rises, and the water tray 24 is washed with the water, and the water is made as the next ice making water. It is stored in the water tank 26.

  When the ice making operation is started, the automatic ice making machine 10 drives the compressor CM and the cooling fan FM under the condition that the ice making chamber 22 is closed by the water tray 24 and the hot gas valve HV is closed. Thus, the ice making chamber 22 is cooled by the evaporator EP by circulating the refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit. In addition, the water supply valve WV is opened, and a predetermined amount of ice making water is supplied from the water supply means 38 to the ice making water tank 26 through the water tray 24. In addition, by driving the circulation pump PM, the ice making water in the ice making water tank 26 is jetted and supplied from the water tray 24 to each ice making small chamber 22a. When the ice making operation proceeds and the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 measured by the temperature measuring means TH reaches the ice making completion temperature, the control means C ends the ice making operation (step S19) and performs the deicing operation. Various mechanisms are controlled to shift to.

In the automatic ice making machine 10, when the deicing operation is started, the hot gas HV is opened to heat the ice making chamber 22, and the opening / closing motor AM is driven forward so that the water tray 24 is moved by the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28. Is lowered (opening operation) (step S20). The timer 40 starts measurement simultaneously with the lowering of the water tray 24 (step S21). Then, when the opening sensor 34 detects that the water tray 24 has opened the ice making chamber 22 and is in an inclined state (open position) (step S22), the timer 40 ends the measurement, and the control means C ends the measurement. the initial opening measured time measured by the timer 40, and stored in the storage unit 44 as the second abnormality determination time e ₂ (step S23), and terminates the initial value setting processing of the abnormality determination time.

  In the automatic ice making machine 10, when the opening sensor 34 detects the opening position of the water tray 24, the opening / closing motor AM is stopped, so that the water tray 24 is held at an opening position inclined away from the ice making chamber 22. The temperature measuring means TH determines whether or not the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 has reached the deicing completion temperature.

  In the automatic ice making machine 10, the ice block is detached from the ice making chamber 22 at the timing when the water tray 24 is held in the open position, and is guided to the inclination of the upper surface of the water tray 24 to be stored in the ice storage 20. . The temperature measuring means TH measures the deicing completion temperature at the timing when all the ice blocks are removed from the ice making chamber 22, and the water tray 24 is raised by the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 by reversely driving the opening / closing motor AM. By cooling the gas valve HV and driving the cooling fan FM, cooling of the ice making chamber 22 is started. When the closing sensor 33 detects that the water tray 24 has reached the horizontal closing position, the automatic ice making machine 10 stops the opening / closing motor AM, ends the deicing operation, and shifts to the ice making operation.

(About abnormality judgment processing)
Next, the abnormality determination process executed in the ice making cycle after the initial startup operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the first (first) deicing operation after the startup initial operation, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 measured by the temperature measuring means TH has reached the deicing completion temperature (step H10). When step H10 is affirmed, the control means C reversely drives the opening / closing motor AM to raise the water tray 24 by the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28 and start measurement by the timer 40 (steps H11, H12). . Then, the determination means 42 compares the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ measured by the timer 40 and the first abnormality determination time e ₁ stored in the storage unit 44 with the threshold α (step H13) If the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ and the first abnormality determination time e ₁ is equal to or less than the threshold value α, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred (No in Step H13, normal determination). When the determination means 42 determines that no abnormality has occurred, the control means C proceeds to step H14 and checks whether or not the closing sensor 33 has detected the detection body 32. If step H14 is negative, the process returns to step H13, and steps H13 and H14 are repeated until either step H13 or step H14 is positive.

Before the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ and the first abnormality determination time e ₁ becomes larger than the threshold value α (before step H13 is affirmed), the closing sensor 33 detects the detection body 32 ( When step H14 is affirmative, the control means C ends the measurement by the timer 40 (step H15) and resets the timer 40. Further, the updating means 43 uses the average value ((t ₁ + e ₁ ) / 2) of the first measurement time t ₁ and the first abnormality determination time e ₁ at the end of the measurement of the timer 40 as a new first time. The first abnormality determination time e ₁ stored in the storage unit 44 is updated so as to be the abnormality determination time e ₁ (step H16). In addition, before step H14 is affirmed, step H13 is affirmed, that is, the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ and the first abnormality determination time e ₁ before the water tray 24 reaches the closed position. Is greater than the threshold value α, the determination means 42 determines that an abnormality has occurred, and the control means C controls various mechanisms to perform processing in the event of an abnormality, which will be described later.

When the closing sensor 33 detects the detection body 32, the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to shift to the ice making operation in a state where the opening / closing motor AM is stopped and the water tray 24 is held at the closing position ( Step H17). During the ice making operation, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 measured by the temperature measuring means TH has reached the ice making completion temperature (step H18). When step H18 is affirmed, the control means C controls various mechanisms to shift to the deicing operation. That is, the cooling fan FM is stopped, the hot gas valve HV is opened, and the water pan 24 is lowered by the positive drive of the opening / closing motor AM, and measurement by the timer 40 is started (steps H19 and H20). The determination means 42 compares the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ measured by the timer 40 and the second abnormality determination time e ₂ stored in the storage unit 44 with the threshold value α (step H21), if the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ and the second abnormality determination time e ₂ is equal to or less than the threshold value α, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred (No in Step H21, normal determination). When the determination means 42 determines that no abnormality has occurred, the control means C moves to step H22 and confirms whether or not the open sensor 34 has detected the detection body 32. If step H22 is negative, the process returns to step H21, and steps H21 and H22 are repeated until either step H21 or step H22 is positive.

Before the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ and the second abnormality determination time e ₂ becomes larger than the threshold value α (before step H21 is affirmed), the open sensor 34 detects the detection body 32 (step When H22 is affirmed, the control means C ends the measurement by the timer 40 (step H23) and resets the timer 40. In addition, the updating means 43 calculates the average value ((t ₂ + e ₂ ) / 2) of the second measurement time t ₂ and the second abnormality determination time e ₂ at the end of the measurement of the timer 40 as the new second The _second abnormality determination time e ₂ stored in the storage unit 44 is updated so as to be the abnormality determination time e ₂ (step H24). Before the step H22 is affirmative, step H21 is affirmative, i.e., before the water tray 24 reaches the open position, the difference between the second measuring time t ₂ and e ₂ second abnormality determination time When it becomes larger than the threshold value α, the determination means 42 determines that an abnormality has occurred, and the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to perform processing at the time of abnormality described later.

When the opening sensor 34 detects the detection body 32, the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to continue the deicing operation in a state where the opening / closing motor AM is stopped and the water tray 24 is held at the open position. Then, in the ice making cycle in which the subsequent deicing operation-ice making operation is repeated, the determination means 42 includes the first abnormality determination time e ₁ and the second abnormality determination time e ₂ updated in the previous ice making cycle, and the current time. The difference between the corresponding first measurement time t ₁ and second measurement time t ₂ measured by the timer 40 in the ice making cycle is compared with the threshold value α to determine whether there is an abnormality. That is, Step H10 to Step H24 are repeated.

(About processing in case of abnormality)
Next, an abnormality process executed when the determination unit 42 determines that an abnormality has occurred (in the case of an affirmative (abnormal determination) in steps H13 and H21) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do.

If the determination in step H13 or step H21 is affirmative, the count value of the counter 46 is set to “1”, and the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to perform the deicing operation from the beginning (steps K10, K11). ). That is, as described above, the hot gas valve HV is opened and the open / close motor AM is positively driven to lower the water dish 24, and when the opening sensor 34 detects that the water dish 24 has moved to the open position, On the condition that the ice making chamber 22 is at the deicing completion temperature, the open / close motor AM is reversely driven to raise the water tray 24. Then, execute the above-described abnormality determination processing (step H12~ step H14), closing sensor 33 before the difference between the first measuring time t ₁ and e ₁ first abnormality determination time is greater than the threshold value α is When the detection body 32 is detected, the control means C determines that the abnormality has been resolved (Yes in Step K12), proceeds to Step K13, clears the counter 46, and ends the process.

  If the result in Step K12 is negative, the process proceeds to Step K14, and the count value of the counter 46 is incremented by 1 (if it is “1”, it is set to “2”). Confirm whether or not. If the count value of the counter 46 is less than the number of abnormal times, the result is negative in step K15, the process proceeds to step K11, and the deicing operation is performed again from the beginning. If the abnormality is eliminated by the deicing operation (Yes in Step K12), the counter 46 is cleared in Step K13 and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the steps K11 to K15 are repeated and the result in step K15 is affirmative, that is, if the count value of the counter 46 becomes an abnormal number, the control means C moves to step K16 and operates the automatic ice making machine 10. Is stopped, and the display means 18 notifies the abnormality.

According to the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, if the normal state continues, the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ are actually used for the water tray 24 to move between the open position and the closed position. Since the time is automatically updated based on the measurement times t ₁ and t ₂ , the actual time (measurement time t ₁ , t ₂ ) that the water tray 24 moves between the closed position and the open position due to aging is obtained. Even if there is a change, it is possible to properly determine whether there is an abnormality without manually changing the settings of the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ . That is, it is not necessary to set the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ in consideration of variations in the movement time of the water tray 24 due to fluctuations in the voltage supplied to the machine and the open / close motor AM, and when an abnormality occurs Can be detected at an early stage, and a state in which a load is applied to various devices can be prevented from continuing for a long time.

Further, the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e _{2 that} are updated when the determination unit 42 determines normality are the measurement times t ₁ and t ₂ and the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ compared with the normal determination. Since the average value is used, the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ can be set to a value more suitable for the current state of the automatic ice making machine 10, and the abnormality can be determined more appropriately.

Here, when an AC motor driven by AC power is used as the opening / closing motor AM, the moving time of the water tray 24 varies depending on the frequency of AC power, but the first abnormality determination is performed at the initial stage of operation as in the first embodiment. Since the times e ₁ and e ₂ are set and stored by actual measurement and the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ are sequentially updated during operation, it is not necessary to set the abnormality determination time according to the difference in frequency in advance. There is no need for complicated work such as an operator changing the abnormality determination time depending on the area where the automatic ice making machine 10 is used.

  Further, in the automatic ice making machine 10 of the first embodiment, when the determination means 42 performs the first abnormality determination, the determination means 42 continuously performs abnormality determination without immediately stopping the automatic ice making machine 10. When it is performed a plurality of times, the automatic ice making machine 10 is stopped. In other words, if there is a minor abnormality such as an ice bite or poor contact with the parts constituting the water tray opening / closing mechanism 28, it may be resolved by repeating the deicing operation. It is possible to prevent the ice making efficiency from being lowered by stopping the automatic ice making machine 10 more than necessary by setting the automatic ice making machine 10 to stop.

(About the second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the actual time (first measurement time t ₁ ) required for the water dish 24 to be executed first after the automatic ice making machine 10 is turned on to move from the open position to the closed position. The actual time required to move from the closed position to the open position (second measurement time t ₂ ) is stored in the storage unit 44 as the first abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ . In the second embodiment, the first abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ are stored in the storage unit 44 in advance. Since the basic configuration of the automatic ice maker 10 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, only different parts will be described.

That is, in the automatic ice maker 10 of the second embodiment, the operating means 16 inputs initial values of the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ corresponding to the power frequency of the AC power supplied to the opening / closing motor AM. The setting is stored in the storage unit 44. Therefore, in the case of the automatic ice maker 10 of the second embodiment, in the initial startup operation that is executed by turning on the power, the timer 40 measures when the water tray 24 moves from the open position to the closed position. The difference between the first measurement time t ₁ to be set and the first abnormality determination time e ₁ of the initial value set in advance can be compared with the threshold value α to determine whether there is an abnormality. In addition, when the water tray 24 moves from the closed position to the open position during the first deicing operation after the initial startup operation, the second measurement time t ₂ measured by the timer 40 is input and set in advance. The difference between the initial value and the second abnormality determination time e ₂ can be compared with the threshold value α to determine whether there is an abnormality. If the automatic ice making machine 10 is normal, the average value of the first measurement time t ₁ and the initial first abnormality determination time e ₁ and the second measurement time t 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. ₂ and the initial value of the second abnormality determination time e ₂ are sequentially updated as new abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ .

As described above, in the automatic ice maker 10 of the second embodiment, the initial values of the abnormality determination times e ₁ and e ₂ are stored in the storage unit 44 in advance, so that the automatic ice maker 10 is turned on for the first time. It is possible to determine whether or not there is an abnormality even during the closing operation and the opening operation of the water tray 24 that are executed during the operation. That is, even when an abnormality has already occurred when the automatic ice making machine 10 is started, the abnormality can be detected.

(About the third embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ measured when the water tray 24 moves from the open position to the closed position and the corresponding first abnormality determination time e ₁ , and the water tray 24. In the third embodiment, the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ measured when moving from the closed position to the open position and the corresponding second abnormality determination time e ₂ is compared with the threshold value α. In the example, the first measurement time t ₁ that is measured when the water tray 24 moves from the open position to the closed position and the determination means 42 determines normal, and the water tray 24 moves from the closed position to the open position. The average value with the _second measurement time t ₂ measured at this time and judged normal by the determination means 42 is stored in the storage unit 44 as a common abnormality determination time (common abnormality determination time) e ₃ and is sequentially updated. It is configured as follows. Since the basic configuration of the automatic ice maker 10 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, only different parts will be described.

(Regarding the initial value setting process for common abnormality judgment time)
The initial value setting process of the common abnormality determination time that is executed when the automatic ice making machine 10 according to the third embodiment is started will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the automatic ice maker 10 of the third embodiment, when the power is turned on and the start-up initial operation is started (steps N10 and N11), the open / close motor AM is driven forward and the water tray 24 is lowered (step N12). . When the open sensor 34 detects that the water pan 24 has moved to the open position (step N13), the open / close motor AM is reversely driven on the condition that the ice making chamber 22 is at the deicing completion temperature. The plate 24 is raised (step N14). The timer 40 starts measurement simultaneously with the rising of the water dish 24 (step N15). When the closing sensor 33 detects that the water tray 24 has closed the ice making chamber 22 and has reached the horizontal state (closed position) (step N16), the timer 40 ends the measurement. Then, the initial closing measurement time t ₁ measured by the timer 40 is stored in the storage unit 44 (step N17). When the closing sensor 33 detects the closing position of the water tray 24, the control means C controls the various mechanisms so as to stop the opening / closing motor AM and shift from the initial startup operation to the ice making operation (step N18). .

If the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 measured by the temperature measuring means TH during the ice making operation reaches the ice making completion temperature (Yes in step N19), the control means C ends the ice making operation and shifts to the deicing operation. Various mechanisms are controlled as possible. When the deicing operation is started, the opening / closing motor AM is positively driven and the water tray 24 is lowered (opening operation) (step N20). The timer 40 starts measurement simultaneously with the lowering of the water tray 24 (step N21). Then, when the opening sensor 34 detects that the water tray 24 has reached the open position (Yes at Step N22), the control means C ends the measurement and the initial opening measurement measured by the timer 40. The time t ₂ is stored in the storage unit 44 (step N23). Further, the control means C stores the average value ((t ₁ + t ₂ ) / 2) of the initial closing measurement time t ₁ and the initial opening measurement time t ₂ in the storage unit 44 as the common abnormality determination time e _3. In step S24, the common abnormality determination time initial value setting process is terminated.

(About abnormality judgment processing)
Next, an abnormality determination process executed in the ice making cycle after the initial startup operation in the automatic ice making machine 10 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the first (first) deicing operation after the initial startup operation, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 measured by the temperature measuring means TH has reached the deicing completion temperature (step R10). When step R10 is affirmed, the control means C reversely drives the opening / closing motor AM to raise the water dish 24 and start measurement by the timer 40 (steps R11, R12). Then, the determination means 42 compares the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ measured by the timer 40 and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ stored in the storage unit 44 with the threshold value α (step R13). If the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ is equal to or less than the threshold value α, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred (No in step R13, normal determination). When the determination means 42 determines that no abnormality has occurred, the control means C moves to step R14 and checks whether or not the closing sensor 33 has detected the detection body 32. If step R14 is negative, the process returns to step R13, and steps R13 and R14 are repeated until either step R13 or step R14 is positive.

Before the difference between the first measurement time t ₁ and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ becomes larger than the threshold value α (before step R13 is affirmed), the closed sensor 33 detects the detection body 32 (step R14). If yes, the control means C ends the measurement by the timer 40 and stores the first measurement time t ₁ at the end of the measurement in the storage unit 44 (step R15). In addition, the timer 40 is reset. Before the step R14 is affirmative, step R13 is affirmative, i.e., before the water tray 24 reaches the closed position, the difference between the first measuring time t ₁ and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ is the threshold When it becomes larger than α, the determination means 42 determines that an abnormality has occurred, and the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to perform the same abnormal process as described with reference to FIG.

When the closing sensor 33 detects the detection body 32, the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to shift to the ice making operation in a state where the opening / closing motor AM is stopped and the water tray 24 is held at the closing position ( Step R16). During the ice making operation, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the ice making chamber 22 measured by the temperature measuring means TH has reached the ice making completion temperature (step R17). When step R17 is affirmed, the control means C controls various mechanisms so as to shift to the deicing operation. That is, the water pan 24 is lowered by the positive drive of the opening / closing motor AM, and the measurement by the timer 40 is started (steps R18, R19). Then, the determination means 42 compares the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ measured by the timer 40 and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ stored in the storage unit 44 with the threshold value α (step R20). If the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ is equal to or less than the threshold value α, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred (No in step R20, normal determination). If the determination means 42 determines that no abnormality has occurred, the control means C moves to step R21 and checks whether or not the open sensor 34 has detected the detection body 32. If step R21 is negative, the process returns to step R20, and steps R20 and H21 are repeated until either step R20 or step R21 is affirmed.

Before the difference between the second measurement time t ₂ and the common abnormality determination time e ₃ becomes larger than the threshold value α (before step R20 is affirmed), the open sensor 34 detects the detection body 32 (step R21). Yes), the said control means C, the control section 10 ends the measurement of the timer 40, and stores the second measuring time at the end of measurement t ₂ in the storage unit 44 (step R22). In addition, the timer 40 is reset. Further, the updating unit 43 stores the average value of the first measurement time t ₁ and the second measurement time t ₂ stored in the storage unit 44 as a new common abnormality determination time e _3. The common abnormality determination time e ₃ stored in is updated (step R23). Before the step R21 is affirmative, step R20 is affirmative, i.e., before the water tray 24 reaches the open position, the difference between the common abnormality determination time e ₃ and the second measuring time t ₂ is the threshold value α When it becomes larger, the determination means 42 determines that an abnormality has occurred, and the control means C controls various mechanisms to perform the same abnormal process as described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, a common abnormality determination time e ₃ used for determining whether abnormal or not in the processing of abnormality is common determination unit 42 is used when the first abnormality determination by the abnormality determination time e ₃ (Common abnormality determination time e ₃ updated at normal time) is used.

In the automatic ice maker 10 of the third embodiment, the average value of the measurement time t ₁ when the water tray 24 is closed and the measurement time t ₂ when the water tray 24 is opened is the common abnormality determination time e ₃ . In addition to the effects exhibited by the automatic ice maker 10 of the first embodiment, the common abnormality determination time can be updated once for each ice making cycle, and the control load on the updating means 43 can be reduced.

(Example of change)
For example, the following modifications may be made.
(1) In the first embodiment, when the normality is determined by the determination means, the abnormality determination time is always updated. However, the abnormality determination time is updated every time a preset number of ice making cycles are performed. A configuration may be employed. For example, a counter that counts the number of ice making cycles is provided, and the abnormality determination time is updated when the determination means normally determines in the ice making cycle when the counter has counted a set number (for example, several hundred). Also good. Also, the abnormality determination time may be updated once a month using a daily timer.
(2) In the first embodiment, when it is judged normal by the judging means, the measurement time of one opening operation or closing operation of the water tray is updated as the abnormality judgment time, but a preset number of ice making When adopting a configuration that updates the abnormality determination time every time a cycle is performed, the average value of the measurement time measured during the opening operation or closing operation for the number of ice making cycles is updated as the abnormality determination time. Also good.
(3) In the third embodiment, the configuration of the second embodiment may be adopted. That is, by storing the common abnormality determination time in the storage unit, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality during the water dish closing and opening operations that are performed first after the automatic ice maker is turned on (started up) It can be performed.
(4) In the third embodiment, the average value of the first measurement time and the second measurement time is updated as the common abnormality determination time. However, the common abnormality determination time before the update and the first measurement are updated. An average value ((e ₃ + t ₁ + t ₂ ) / 3) of the three times of the time and the second measurement time may be updated as the common abnormality determination time.
(5) In each embodiment, an ice making mechanism is described in which the ice making chamber opened downward is opened and closed by a water dish from below, but the ice making chamber is arranged vertically so as to open the ice making chamber to the side. The ice making chamber may be configured to open and close from the side by a water dish.
(6) In each embodiment, as the ice making completion detecting means and the deicing completion detecting means, the temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the ice making chamber is mentioned, but the end timing of the ice making operation and the timing of raising the water dish in the deicing operation Various other means can be used as long as they can be detected.

22 ice making chamber, 22a ice making chamber, 24 water tray 28 water tray opening / closing mechanism (opening / closing mechanism), 40 timer (time measuring means), 42 determining means 43 updating means, 44 storage unit, AM opening / closing motor (motor)
t ₁ first measurement time, t ₂ second measurement time e ₁ first abnormality determination time, e ₂ second abnormality determination time e ₃ common abnormality determination time (common abnormality determination time)

Claims (5)

An ice making chamber (22) having an ice making chamber (22a) opened on one side, a closed position for closing the ice making chamber (22a) by an opening / closing mechanism (28), and an open position for opening the ice making chamber (22a) An ice making operation for generating ice blocks in the ice making chamber (22a) with the water tray (24) held in a closed position, and the opening / closing mechanism (28 ) To move the water tray (24) from the closed position to the open position to remove the ice block from the ice making chamber (22a), and after the ice block is released, the water tray (24) is opened by the opening / closing mechanism (28). In an automatic ice maker that repeats the deicing operation to move from the to the closed position,
Time measuring means (40) for measuring the time from when the water tray (24) starts moving from the closed position or the open position;
Wherein the timing means (40) measuring time by (t _1, t ₂₎ and the abnormality determination time _{(e 1, e 2, e} 3) and determination means for normal or abnormal based on the (42),
Update means (43) for updating the abnormality determination time (e ₁ , e ₂ , e ₃ ) based on the measurement time (t ₁ , t ₂ ) when the determination means (42) determines normal. Automatic ice maker characterized by that. The determination means (42) includes a first measurement time (t ₁ ) measured by the time measuring means (40) when the water pan (24) moves from the open position toward the closed position, and a first measurement time (t ₁ ). Based on the abnormality determination time (e ₁ ), it is determined whether it is normal or abnormal, and the time measuring means (40) measures when the water pan (24) moves from the closed position toward the open position. 2. The automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the automatic ice making machine is configured to determine whether it is normal or abnormal based on a measurement time (t ₂ ) of ₂ and a second abnormality determination time (e ₂ ). The update means (43) is measured by the time measuring means (40) when the water pan (24) moves from the open position toward the closed position, and when the determination means (42) determines that it is normal. The first measuring time (t ₁ ), and when the water pan (24) moves from the closed position toward the open position, the time measuring means (40) is used to measure the determination means (42). The average value with the second measurement time (t ₂ ) is determined as the common abnormality determination time (e ₃ ),
The determination means (42) determines whether the measurement is normal or abnormal based on the first measurement time (t ₁ ) and the second measurement time (t ₂ ) and the common abnormality determination time (e ₃ ). The automatic ice making machine according to claim 1 configured as described above. The updating means (43) abnormally calculates an average value of the measurement time (t ₁ , t ₂ ) and the abnormality determination time (e ₁ , e ₂ , e ₃ ) when the determination means (42) determines normal. The automatic ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the automatic ice maker is configured to be updated as a determination time (e ₁ , e ₂ , e ₃ ). The opening / closing mechanism (28) includes a motor (AM) driven by AC power,
A storage unit (44) in which an abnormality determination time (e ₁ , e ₂ , e ₃ ) corresponding to the power frequency of the AC power is stored as an initial value,
The determination means (42) includes a measurement time (t ₁ ) measured by the time measuring means (40) when the water dish (24) first moves from the closed position to the open position after activation, and the water dish. At the time of determination based on the measurement time (t ₂ ) measured by the time measuring means (40) when (24) first moves from the open position to the closed position, each measurement time (t ₁ , t ₂ ) and initial The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein it is configured to determine whether it is normal or abnormal based on an abnormality determination time (e ₁ , e ₂ , e ₃ ) stored in the storage unit (44) as a value. Automatic ice machine as described.

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