JP2015163825A - automatic ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an ice intervening phenomenon by a movement of water tray.SOLUTION: In an ice removal operation, while a water tray 24 is moving upward from an ice removal position to an ice making position, a timer starts counting time as soon as an ice storage detection switch 40 confirms that an ice storage room is filled with ice pieces. When the timer counts up a preset time T1, the water tray 24 is stopped and held in the middle of the upward movement. That is, when the timer counts up, the water tray 24 in the upward movement is neither lowered to the ice removal position nor moved upward to the ice making position.

Description

  The present invention includes an ice making operation in which ice making water is supplied from a water tray with a lower surface of the ice making chamber closed to generate ice blocks, and an ice removing operation in which the water tray is released from the ice making chamber and the ice blocks are discharged to the ice storage chamber. In an automatic ice maker that repeats, an automatic ice maker that can reliably prevent so-called ice biting from occurring when the water pan is opened by the deicing operation, or when the ice mass transferred to the drain pan is raised or lowered again. It is about.

  The automatic ice maker automatically generates ice blocks by the flow-down method in which ice-making water is allowed to flow on a vertically arranged ice-making plate and freezes, or a water pan that can be tilted below the ice-making chamber is freezing. Can be classified into an auger type that blocks water from below and injects water, an auger type that rotates the auger in a freezing cylinder and scrapes ice. Since the present invention relates to an injection type ice making machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1), an outline of the injection type ice making machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

  FIG. 5 is a vertical side view of a jet type automatic ice making machine according to the prior art, showing a state during an ice making operation in which a water tray closes an ice making unit from below. FIG. 6 shows a state during the deicing operation in which the water tray 24 opens obliquely downward from the ice making unit 20 and discharges the generated ice mass M to the ice storage chamber 16 in the automatic ice making machine 10 shown in FIG. . In the automatic ice making machine 10 of FIG. 5, the inside of the housing 12 is divided into an upper part and a lower part into an ice making mechanism section 14 and an ice storage chamber 16 that stores the ice mass M discharged from the ice making mechanism section 14. The ice making mechanism section 14 is provided with an ice making section 20 in which a large number of ice making chambers 18 opening downward are defined in a grid pattern, and an upper surface of the ice making section 20 is connected to a refrigeration system (not shown). The evaporating tube 22 is closely arranged in a meandering manner.

  Each ice making chamber 18 of the ice making section 20 is closed from below by a water tray 24 having a large number of injection holes (not shown) corresponding to the respective ice making chambers 18, and ice making from the injection holes to each ice making chamber 18 is performed. Water is jetted. An ice making water tank 26 for storing ice making water supplied from an external water system is disposed below the water tray 24, and a circulation pump 28 provided on the side of the ice making water tank 26 hoses the ice making water. The water tray 24 is circulated and supplied through 30. The water tray 24 and the ice making water tank 26 are pivotally supported by a shaft 34 on the side of a support 32 that supports the ice making chamber 18. Then, an ice making posture (FIG. 5) that is driven forward and reverse by an actuator (not shown) to close the ice making unit 20 with the water dish 24, and a removal that opens the water dish 24 from the ice making part 20 by tilting obliquely downward. It moves to the ice posture (Fig. 6).

  A drain pan 36 is horizontally disposed immediately below the ice making water tank 26 with a required space, and receives the ice making water discharged from the ice making water tank 26 tilted by the deicing operation. The water is discharged from the drain pipe 38 to the outside. The ice storage chamber 16 is provided with, for example, an ice storage detection switch 40 as ice storage detection means, and detects that the ice mass M discharged from the ice making chamber 18 and stored in the ice storage chamber 16 has reached a predetermined level. Thus, a signal is sent to a control circuit (not shown). Further, the ice making unit 20 is provided with a temperature sensor 42 such as a thermistor to monitor the temperature of the ice making unit 20, detecting the ice making completion temperature during the ice making operation, and sending an ice making operation end signal to the control circuit, During the deicing operation, the ice storage completion temperature is detected and an end signal for the deicing operation is sent to the control circuit.

  In the automatic ice making machine 10 described above, when the ice making operation and the deicing operation are repeated and a large number of ice blocks M are stored in the ice storage chamber 16 and reach a certain level, the ice storage detection switch 40 detects that the ice blocks M are full. To turn on. However, even if the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned on, the ice-free operation is not completed immediately by the control circuit as full ice, but the full-ice detection is performed after a predetermined time by the timer. . That is, after the ice making operation is switched to the deicing operation, the water tray 24 tilts obliquely downward to open the ice making chamber 18, and then the ice storage detection switch 40 detects that the ice block M is full in the ice storage chamber 16 and is turned ON. When operating, a timer in the control circuit starts counting a predetermined set time (for example, 10 seconds). When the timer finishes the predetermined count and the time is up, it is determined that the ice storage detection switch 40 is not erroneously detected (confirmation of full ice in the ice storage chamber 16), and the deicing operation is stopped. The reason for confirming the complete lowering of the water dish 24 in this way is that if the water dish 24 stops for some reason, for example, if it stops in the middle of lowering, the ice mass M may remain in the water dish 24. . In addition, the rotational position of the actuator motor is detected by a sensor (not shown), thereby detecting the position of the water dish 24 indirectly, thereby detecting that the water dish 24 has been completely lowered.

  When the temperature sensor 42 provided in the ice making unit 20 detects the deicing completion temperature while the timer counts a predetermined time by turning on the ice storage detection switch 40, the water tray 24 is moved toward the ice making operation. Begins to rise. Here, when the timer expires, the water tray 24 that has been rising is switched to lowering again, and the deicing operation is stopped while the water tray 24 is fully opened downward.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-60361

  The timer in the conventional spray type automatic ice maker starts counting for a predetermined time when the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned on. However, depending on various situations, the temperature sensor 42 detects the deicing completion temperature of the ice making unit 20 before the timer expires in a state where the water tray 24 is lowered, and the water tray 24 24 may begin to rise. In this case, the deicing operation is stopped after the water tray 24 is lowered again when the timer expires a predetermined time.

  However, when the water tray 24 that has been lowered during the deicing operation starts to rise, a part of the ice mass M accumulated in the ice storage chamber 16 is placed on the water tray 24, or the drain pan 36 It may collapse to the side and rest on the drain pan 36. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the water tray 24 tilts obliquely downward to open the ice making chamber 18 and the ice blocks M in the ice making chamber 18 are unevenly deposited in the ice storage chamber 16, what happens? For this reason, the water tray 24 may start to rise as shown in FIG. In this case, the water tray 24 that has started to rise may come into contact with the ice block M accumulated in the ice storage chamber 16, and a part of the ice block M may be transferred to the water tray 24. When the water dish 24 moves up with a part of the ice block M placed in this manner, the ice block M is sandwiched between the water tray 24 and the ice making unit 20 (ice biting), and the actuator is overloaded, The ice making unit 20 and the water tray 24 are damaged. That is, if the ice block M moves up while being transferred to the water tray 24, the detection of the deicing temperature of the ice storage detection switch 40 is canceled before the timer counts up, the water tray 24 does not move down. There is a risk that it will rise and cause ice biting with the ice making unit 20 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the water tray 24 suddenly rises with a large amount of ice mass M accumulated in the ice storage chamber 16, the water tray 24 comes into contact with the ice mass M as shown in FIG. Some ice blocks M may be transferred onto the drain pan 36. When the water dish 24 is lowered again in a state where a part of the ice mass M is placed on the drain pan 36 in this way, the back surface of the ice making water tank 26 provided at the lower part of the water dish 24 is scattered on the drain pan 36. As a result, the drain pan 36 is cracked or crushed.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to suitably solve these problems inherent in the automatic ice making machine according to the prior art, and is an automatic ice making machine capable of preventing the ice biting phenomenon due to the movement of the water dish. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the problem and achieve the intended purpose, the invention according to claim 1
An ice making section having a large number of ice making chambers that open downward; a water tray that opens and closes each of the ice making chambers from below; an ice making water tank that is attached below the water tray and stores ice making water; A drain pan that is located below the ice making water tank and collects ice making water that is released when the water dish is opened; an ice storage chamber that stores ice blocks that are released from the ice making unit; and an ice storage chamber that stores the ice making water. Ice storage detecting means for detecting the fullness of the ice block, and the water tray is maintained in an ice-making posture that closes the ice making chamber during ice making operation for generating ice blocks in the ice making chamber. In the deicing operation after the completion of generation, in the automatic ice making machine that tilts downward and opens the ice making chamber,
A timer that starts timing when the ice storage detection means confirms that the ice block in the ice storage chamber is full,
In the deicing operation, when the water plate is rising from the deicing posture to the ice making posture, when the timer counts up a predetermined set time, the water plate is stopped and held in the middle of rising. The gist.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the deicing operation, when the water tray moves from the deicing position to the ice making position, the ice block in the ice storage chamber becomes full and the timer times the set time. In order to stop and hold the water dish at a position in the middle of movement, an ice bite sandwiching the ice block placed on the drain pan between the drain pan and the ice-making water tank, and an ice block placed on the water pan are connected to the water plate and the ice making unit. It can prevent the biting of ice between the two. Therefore, since ice biting does not occur, it is possible to avoid damage to the mechanism for operating the water dish, the ice making unit, the water dish, or the drain pan.

In order to solve the problem and achieve the intended purpose, the invention according to claim 2
An ice making section having a large number of ice making chambers that open downward; a water tray that opens and closes each of the ice making chambers from below; an ice making water tank that is attached below the water tray and stores ice making water; A plurality of ice making mechanism parts arranged below and above the ice making water tank and provided with drain pans for collecting ice making water discharged during the opening operation of the water tray; and the ice making part An ice storage chamber for storing ice blocks discharged from the ice storage unit, and ice storage detection means for detecting the fullness of the ice blocks stored in the ice storage chamber, and the water tray of each ice making mechanism generates ice blocks in the ice making chamber In an automatic ice making machine that is held in an ice making posture that closes the ice making chamber during ice making operation, and in an ice removing posture that tilts downward and opens the ice making chamber during deicing operation after the completion of ice block generation in the ice making chamber,
A timer that starts timing when the ice storage detection means confirms that the ice block in the ice storage chamber is full,
In the ice making mechanism section, when the timer counts up a predetermined set time while the water tray is rising from the deicing posture to the ice making posture in the deicing operation, the water tray is stopped and held while being raised. The gist is to make it.
According to the invention according to claim 2, while the water tray in any one of the ice making mechanisms rises from the deicing posture toward the ice making posture, the ice making portion of another ice making mechanism portion reaches the deicing completion temperature. At the same time, when the ice storage detection means confirms that the ice block is full by the ice block released from the ice making part of the other ice making mechanism, and the timer counts up the set time, it moves from the deicing position to the ice making position. The water pan is stopped and held on the way up. As a result, in the ice making mechanism disposed at the bottom, an ice bite sandwiching the ice block placed on the drain pan between the drain pan and the ice making water tank, or an ice block placed on the water pan is placed on the ice plate and the ice making unit. It is possible to prevent the biting of ice between the parts. Therefore, since ice biting does not occur, it is possible to avoid damage to the mechanism for operating the water dish, the ice making unit, the water dish, or the drain pan.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the water dish is removed when a predetermined determination time elapses after the ice storage detecting means stops detecting ice blocks in the ice storage chamber after the water dish stops in the middle of ascent. The gist is to resume the ice making operation by moving to an ice posture and lowering.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the ice block stored in the ice storage chamber is reduced after the water pan is stopped in the middle of movement, the water is stored after the determination time has elapsed since the ice storage detection means is turned off. Move the dish to the deicing position. For this reason, the ice block placed on the drain pan melts appropriately during the specified time, so even if the water pan moves to the deicing position, the ice block becomes difficult to be pinched by the ice-making water tank and the drain pan, and Can be suppressed.

  According to the automatic ice making machine of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the ice biting phenomenon due to the movement of the water dish.

It is a flowchart which shows the operating method of the automatic ice maker which concerns on an Example. It is an example of the timing chart of the automatic ice maker which concerns on an Example. It is a vertical side view which shows the ice making part in the stack-on-type automatic ice making machine provided with the ice making mechanism part in two steps. 4 is an example of a timing chart of the stack-on type automatic ice maker shown in FIG. 3. It is a vertical side view which shows the state which the water tray is in the ice making attitude | position in the ice making operation | movement of the conventional jet type automatic ice making machine. It is a vertical side view which shows the conventional spray type automatic ice making machine in the state where the water tray is in the deicing posture in the deicing operation. When the water dish returns to the ice making position, ice biting occurs between the water dish and the ice making unit, or when the water dish returns to the deicing position, ice biting occurs between the water dish and the drain pan. It is explanatory sectional drawing which shows that occurs.

  The automatic ice making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiments. The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker, and in the embodiment, an automatic ice maker having basically the same configuration as the automatic ice maker exemplified in FIGS. 5 and 6 is exemplified, and an injection to which the embodiment is applied. With respect to the configuration of the automatic ice making machine 10 of the type, the above description referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is used.

  The operation method of the automatic ice making machine 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1 and the timing chart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, when the automatic ice making machine 10 is activated (step S1), the ice making operation in the ice making mechanism unit 14 is started (step S2). Thereby, in the automatic ice making machine 10, the cycle of the ice making operation and the deicing operation is repeated as described above, and the ice blocks M generated in each ice making chamber 18 of the ice making unit 20 in the ice making operation are stored in the ice storage chamber in the deicing operation. The ice mass M is gradually stored in the ice storage chamber 16.

  As described above, the temperature sensor 42 provided in the ice making unit 20 monitors the temperature of the ice making unit 20, and when the temperature sensor 42 confirms that the temperature of the ice making chamber 18 has reached the ice making completion temperature (step S3). ) The control circuit ends the ice making operation (step S4) and starts the deicing operation (step S5). When the deicing operation is started, the water tray 24 that has closed the ice making chambers 18 starts to descend from the ice making posture toward the deicing posture and opens the ice making chamber 18.

  When the deicing operation is started, the ice making chamber 18 is heated by hot gas through the evaporation tube 22 to promote melting with the ice block M, and the heat load is lost due to the discharge of the ice block M and the temperature rises. To do. As a result, a large number of ice blocks M formed in the ice making chamber 18 fall on the water tray 24, slide down on the water tray 24, and discharged to the ice storage chamber 16. When the temperature sensor 42 that detects the temperature rise of the ice making chamber 18 confirms that the deicing completion temperature has been reached by the release of all the ice blocks M (step S6), the first signal as the first condition is sent to the control circuit. Output (step S7). Further, in step S6, when it is confirmed that the temperature sensor 42 has reached the deicing completion temperature, the control circuit starts control to reversely drive the actuator, and the water tray 24 in the deicing posture is made into the ice making posture. Move up towards.

(Second signal)
On the other hand, when the start of the deicing operation is confirmed in step S5, the flowchart running in parallel with steps S6 and S7 starts functioning, and whether the ice storage detection switch 40 in the ice storage chamber 16 is turned on (detects the ice block M). Whether or not) is confirmed (step S8). When the ON operation of the ice storage detection switch 40 is confirmed in step S8, the timer Tm built in or connected to the control circuit starts measuring time (step S9). The timer Tm is set with a time limit of a predetermined set time (for example, 10 seconds in the embodiment) T1, and it is checked whether or not the timer Tm has counted up the predetermined time T1 in the next step S10. When the determination result in step S10 is affirmative (when the timer Tm has counted the predetermined time T1) and the ice storage detection switch 40 is in the ON state (step S11), the second condition is determined from the ice storage detection switch 40. Is input to the control circuit (step S12).

  In step S13, the control circuit checks whether or not the first signal input in step S7 and the second signal input in step S12 are input. In step S13, there are two types of patterns: (a) both the first signal and the second signal are input, and (b) only the first signal is input (the second signal is not input). Either one is true. Here, in step S13, the control circuit determines whether or not the first signal and the second signal are input at a time when the first signal and the second signal can be input during the deicing operation. It has become.

(When both the first signal and the second signal are input)
In step S13, when it is determined that the pattern is (a), that is, when the first condition and the AND condition of the second condition by the input of the first signal and the input of the second signal are satisfied, the control circuit Control is performed to stop the actuator 24, and the water tray 10 is stopped and held at a position in the middle of movement (step S14). That is, when the ice making unit 20 reaches the deicing completion temperature and the first signal is input, when the timer Tm counts up the set time T1 with an appropriate time difference and the second signal is input, When the second signal is input, the water tray 24 has already started to rise from the deicing posture to the ice making posture by driving the actuator. Therefore, the control circuit performs control to stop the driving of the actuator, and stops the water tray 24 in the middle of ascent. Then, after the water tray 24 is stopped, the operation of the automatic ice maker 10 is stopped.

  The automatic ice maker 10 stopped in the middle of rising in step S14 is held in a stopped state until the ice storage is released (step S15). Here, “ice storage release” means that the ice storage M in the ice storage chamber 16 is reduced from the full state, and the ice storage detection switch 40 no longer detects the ice block M and is turned off for a predetermined determination time (for example, implementation). (In the example, 80 seconds) This means a state in which the ice storage detection switch 40 continues to be turned off even when T2 has elapsed. In other words, the automatic ice making machine 10 according to the embodiment determines that the ice storage chamber 16 is not full of the ice blocks M because the ice storage detection switch 40 is continuously OFF for the determination time T2. .

  In step S15, when it is confirmed that the ice storage is released, the control circuit performs control to drive the actuator of the water tray 24, and lowers the water tray 24 from the position where it has been stopped to the deicing posture. (Step S16). Then, the control circuit raises the water tray 24 from the deicing posture toward the ice making posture on the condition that the water tray 24 is in the deicing posture and the ice making unit 20 is at the deicing completion temperature. At the same time, the process returns to step S2 to restart the ice making operation.

(When only the first signal is input)
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the pattern is (b), that is, if the AND condition of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied by inputting only the first signal, the ice making unit 20 has completed deicing. Even if the deicing is completed by raising the temperature, the ice storage chamber 16 is not full. Therefore, when the water tray 24 is rising toward the ice making posture, the control circuit continues driving the actuator as it is to raise the water tray 24 to the ice making posture (step S17), and returns to step S2. Start ice making operation.

  Next, a series of operation methods in the automatic ice making machine 10 are confirmed by the timing chart of FIG. When the temperature sensor 42 that monitors the temperature of the ice making chamber 18 detects the ice making completion temperature, the ice making operation is finished, and the water tray 24 that has closed the ice making chamber 18 starts to descend from the ice making posture toward the deicing posture. To do. Then, by lowering the water tray 24 to the deicing posture and heating the ice making chamber 18, the ice mass M generated in each ice making chamber 18 is discharged from the ice making chamber 18 and slides down on the water tray 24. Fall into the ice storage chamber 16. When the release of the ice block M from the ice making chamber 18 is completed and the temperature sensor 42 detects the deicing completion temperature, the deicing operation is shifted to the ice making operation. Further, when the temperature sensor 42 detects the deicing completion temperature, the water tray 24 starts to rise from the deicing posture to the ice making posture. Then, the first signal is input from the temperature sensor 42 toward the control circuit.

  When the ice storage chamber 16 is filled with ice blocks M by the deicing operation, the ice storage detection switch 40 detects the ice blocks M and is turned on. FIG. 2 shows a state where the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned on at a timing before the temperature sensor 42 detects the deicing completion temperature. That is, the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned on while the water tray 24 is stopped in the deicing posture.

  In synchronization with the ON operation of the ice storage detection switch 40, a timer Tm preset to 10 seconds as the set time T1 starts timing. When the timer Tm counts up 10 seconds, the second signal is input from the timer Tm to the control circuit. The first signal from the temperature sensor 42 and the second signal from the timer Tm are input to the control circuit, and the AND condition of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied. Here, in FIG. 2, since the ice making unit 20 reaches the deicing completion temperature before the timer Tm counts up the set time T1, the water tray 24 has already deiced when the timer Tm counts up to 10 seconds. Starting to rise from posture to ice making posture. Therefore, the control circuit performs control to stop the driving of the actuator at the same time as the timer Tm counts up the set time T1, and stops and holds the water tray 24 in the middle of ascent. When the water tray 24 is stopped and held, the operation of the automatic ice maker 10 is stopped.

  When the ice block M is taken out from the ice storage chamber 16 while the operation of the automatic ice making machine 10 is stopped and the ice storage amount of the ice block M in the ice storage amount 16 is reduced, the ice storage detection is detected when the ice block M moves away from the ice storage detection switch 40. The switch 40 is turned off. When the ice storage detection switch 40 is maintained in the OFF state until the specified time T2 elapses after the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned OFF, the automatic ice making machine 10 is restarted. When the automatic ice making machine 10 is restarted, the control circuit controls to drive the actuator of the water tray 24, and the water tray 24 that has stopped between the deicing posture and the ice making posture is deiced from the stop position. Move down toward posture. When the water tray 24 is in the deicing posture, the control circuit performs control to reversely drive the actuator, moves the water tray 24 upward from the deicing posture to the ice making posture, and restarts the ice making operation.

  Therefore, according to the automatic ice making machine 10 of the embodiment, the first condition that the ice making unit 20 has reached the deicing completion temperature by discharging the ice block M from the ice making unit 20 by the deicing operation, and the ice storage chamber When the AND condition with the second condition in which the set time T1 has elapsed after the 16 ice storage detection switches 40 are turned ON is established, the ice making unit 20 reaches the deicing completion temperature so that the deicing posture is changed to the ice making posture. The water tray 24 that had started to rise was stopped immediately during the rise. That is, when the AND condition of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied, the water tray 24 positioned between the deicing attitude and the ice making attitude is lowered again to the deicing attitude or is not stopped and stopped. Do not raise to. Accordingly, since the water tray 24 does not descend toward the deicing posture, even if a part of the ice block M stored in the ice storage chamber 16 in a full state is placed on the drain pan 36, the ice making water tank 26 and the drain pan 36 Thus, it is possible to prevent the biting of the ice that sandwiches the ice block M placed on the drain pan 36, avoiding overloading the actuator and damaging the ice making unit 20, the water tray 24, or the drain pan 36. obtain. Further, since the water tray 24 does not rise toward the ice making posture, even if the ice block M is stored in the ice storage chamber 16 in a full state and a part of the ice block M remains on the water tray 24, It is possible to prevent the biting of the ice mass M sandwiched between the water tray 24 and the ice making section 20 between the water tray 24 and the actuator, resulting in overloading the actuator or damage to the ice making section 20 or the water tray 24. You can avoid doing that.

  Further, in the automatic ice making machine 10 of the embodiment, after the water tray 24 is stopped due to the establishment of the AND condition based on the first condition and the second condition, the ice storage detection switch 40 is set for the determination time (80 seconds in the embodiment). The automatic ice making machine 10 is restarted and the water tray 24 is lowered to the deicing posture under the condition that the ice storage is maintained in the OFF state. That is, even when the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned off immediately after the water tray 24 is stopped, the water tray 24 is lowered toward the deicing posture after the determination time T2 has elapsed. Here, since the water dropped from the water tray 24 or the water discharged from the ice making water tank 26 remains on the drain pan 36, the determination time T2 has passed for the ice block M placed on the drain pan 36. It melts moderately until it becomes a rounded shape with rounded corners. Accordingly, since the water tray 24 is moved toward the deicing posture on the condition that the ice storage is canceled after the determination time T2 has elapsed, the ice block M placed on the drain pan 36 is pushed by the water tray 24. As a result, the water slides toward the back side of the drain pan 36, and ice biting by the water pan 24 and the drain pan 36 hardly occurs.

(About stack-on type automatic ice maker)
FIG. 3 shows an ice making unit 20 having a large number of ice making chambers 18 that open downward, a water tray 24 that opens and closes each of the ice making chambers 20 from below, and an ice making water attached below the water tray 24. The ice making mechanism section 14, in which an ice making water tank 26 for storing ice and a drain pan 36 for collecting ice making water that is discharged when the water tray 24 is opened, are disposed below the ice making water tank 26. A plurality of (two in the embodiment) stack-on type automatic ice making machines 10 are illustrated. In this stack-on type automatic ice making machine 10, the ice making operation and the deicing operation in each ice making mechanism section 14 are performed at individual timings. In each ice making mechanism 14, the ice storage detection switch 40 confirms the ice mass M in the ice storage chamber 16 while the water tray 24 is rising from the ice removing posture to the ice making posture in the deicing operation, and the timer Tm is set for the set time. When counting up T1, the water tray 24 is stopped and held in the middle of ascent.

  In the stack-on type automatic ice making machine 10, the ice making / deicing operation of the upper ice making mechanism unit 14 and the ice making / deicing operation of the lower ice making mechanism unit 14 are performed independently, as shown in FIG. In addition, the lower ice making mechanism 14 may complete the deicing operation before the upper ice making mechanism 14. That is, while the ice making unit 20 of the lower ice making mechanism unit 14 reaches the deicing completion temperature and the water tray 24 is rising from the deicing posture toward the ice making posture, the ice making unit 20 of the upper ice making mechanism unit 14 is deiced. When the temperature reaches the completion temperature, the ice storage detection switch 40 may be turned on by the ice block M released from the upper ice making unit 20 and the timer Tm may start to measure time. Here, the time required for the water tray 24 of the lower ice making mechanism section 14 to rise from the deicing posture to the ice making posture is longer than the set time T1, and a timer is set before the water tray 24 rises to the ice making posture. It is possible that Tm counts up the set time T1. In such a case, when the timer Tm counts up the set time T1, the water tray 24 in the lower ice making mechanism unit 14 is stopped and held in the middle of ascent.

  Therefore, in the stack-on type automatic ice maker 10, when the ice storage chamber 16 is filled with the ice blocks M during the deicing operation and the set time T1 elapses, the water tray 24 does not descend toward the deicing posture. Therefore, even if a part of the ice block M stored in the ice storage chamber 16 in a full state is placed on the drain pan 36, the ice block M placed on the drain pan 36 is sandwiched between the ice making water tank 26 and the drain pan 36. It is possible to prevent the biting of the ice and prevent the actuator from being overloaded and the ice making unit 20, the water tray 24 or the drain pan 36 from being damaged. In addition, since the water tray 24 does not rise toward the ice making posture, even if a part of the ice block M remains on the water tray 24, the water tray 24 and the ice making unit 20 can be used for the water tray 24. It is possible to prevent the biting of the ice that sandwiches the ice block M placed on the head, and it is possible to avoid overloading the actuator and damaging the ice making unit 20 or the water tray 24. Furthermore, even if the ice block M is placed on the drain pan 36 by moving the water tray 24 toward the deicing posture on condition that the ice storage is canceled after the determination time T2 has passed, the water tray 24, the ice mass M slides toward the back side of the drain pan 36, and ice biting by the water pan 24 and the drain pan 36 hardly occurs.

(Change example)
The heat insulation container of the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the embodiments, and various modifications can be made.
(1) The set time T1 counted by the timer Tm is not limited to 10 seconds exemplified in the embodiment, and can be set to a time suitable for each automatic ice making machine.
(2) The specified time T2 from when the ice storage detection switch 40 is turned off to release the ice storage is not limited to the 80 seconds exemplified in the embodiment, and can be set to a time suitable for each automatic ice making machine.
(3) The configuration for determining the completion of ice making and the completion of ice removal is not limited to the determination based on the temperature of the ice making unit by the temperature sensor exemplified in the embodiment, but may be the determination based on the time measurement by the time measuring means. .
(4) The ice storage detection means is not limited to the switch of the embodiment, and may be a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like.

14 ice making mechanism part, 16 ice storage room, 18 ice making room, 20 ice making part, 24 water pan 36 drain pan, 40 ice storage detection means (ice storage detection switch), M ice block, T1 set time T2 judgment time, Tm timer

Claims (3)

An ice making section (20) having a large number of ice making chambers (18) opening downward, a water tray (24) for opening and closing each of the ice making chambers (18) from below, and the water tray (24) The ice-making water tank (26) that is attached below the ice-making water, and is located below the ice-making water tank (26), and collects the ice-making water that is released when the water tray (24) is opened. A drain pan (36), an ice storage chamber (16) for storing ice blocks (M) discharged from the ice making section (20), and an ice storage detection means for detecting a fullness of the ice blocks stored in the ice storage chamber (16) (40), and the water dish (24) is maintained in an ice making posture that closes the ice making chamber (18) during an ice making operation in which the ice making chamber (18) generates ice blocks (M), and the ice making chamber In the automatic ice making machine that is in a deicing posture that tilts downward and opens the ice making chamber (18) during the deicing operation after the generation of the ice block (M) in (18) is completed,
The ice storage detection means (40) includes a timer (Tm) that starts timing when the ice storage chamber (16) is confirmed to be full of ice blocks (M),
While the water tray (24) is rising from the deicing posture to the ice making posture in the deicing operation, when the timer (Tm) counts up a predetermined set time (T1), the water tray (24) An automatic ice making machine characterized in that the machine is stopped and held during ascent. An ice making section (20) having a large number of ice making chambers (18) opening downward, a water tray (24) for opening and closing each of the ice making chambers (18) from below, and the water tray (24) The ice-making water tank (26) that is attached below the ice-making water, and is located below the ice-making water tank (26), and collects the ice-making water that is released when the water tray (24) is opened. A plurality of ice making mechanisms (14) provided with a drain pan (36), and an ice storage chamber (16) for storing ice blocks (M) discharged from the ice making unit (20). An ice storage detection means (40) for detecting the fullness of ice blocks stored in the ice storage chamber (16), and the water tray (24) of each ice making mechanism (14) is the ice making chamber (18). During ice making operation to generate ice blocks (M), the ice making chamber (18) is held in an ice-making posture, and during ice removal operation after completion of ice block (M) generation in the ice making chamber (18), it tilts downward. Deicing figure that opened the ice making chamber (18) In the automatic ice maker to be,
The ice storage detection means (40) includes a timer (Tm) that starts timing when the ice storage chamber (16) is confirmed to be full of ice blocks (M),
In the ice making mechanism (14), the timer (Tm) counts up a predetermined set time (T1) while the water pan (24) is rising from the deicing posture to the ice making posture in the deicing operation. In this case, the automatic ice making machine is characterized in that the water tray (24) is stopped and held while being raised.   When the predetermined determination time (T2) has elapsed since the ice storage detection means (40) no longer detects the ice block (M) in the ice storage chamber (16) after the water pan (24) has stopped in the middle of ascent. The automatic ice maker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ice tray is restarted by moving the water tray (24) to a deicing posture and lowering the water tray (24).

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