JP2019113217A - Ice making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To shorten a drive time of a compressor by making ice excellently in an ice making part.SOLUTION: An ice making apparatus 1 comprises an ice making refrigeration circuit 50 in which ice is made in an ice making part 30 incorporating an evaporator by circulating refrigerant in a compressor 51, a condenser 52, an electronic expansion valve 53 and the evaporator in this order. The ice making part 30 has an ice making body 31 in which a plurality of cylindrical bodies 31a are arranged side by side so as to be continuous to each other, and the evaporator has a flat refrigerant pipe part 32 in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 321 are arranged side by side. The refrigerant pipe part 32 is bent and provided around the ice making body 31 so that the inner face is thermally connected to the front face and rear face of the ice making body 31, and is incorporated in the ice making part 30. The ice making refrigeration circuit 50 includes changeover means to make changing over by every prescribed time between a first delivery state of delivering refrigerant decompressed with the electronic expansion valve 53 to one end part of the refrigerant pipe part 32 and a second delivery state of delivering to the other end part of the refrigerant pipe part 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice making device.

  Conventionally, this type of ice making apparatus is provided with a freezing circuit for ice making which comprises a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism and an evaporator. The compressor sucks and compresses the refrigerant. The condenser dissipates and condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor. The expansion mechanism depressurizes and adiabatically expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser. The evaporator is for evaporating the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism, and is incorporated in the ice making unit.

  In such an ice making apparatus, when the compressor is driven, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor passes through the condenser, the expansion mechanism, and the evaporator in this order and circulates in the freezing circuit, whereby ice in the ice making unit The generation is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2010-169304, A

  However, in the above-described ice making apparatus, the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is evaporated while passing through the evaporator, and ice is less likely to be generated near the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator. There was a variation. Therefore, in order to generate a certain amount of ice in the ice making unit, the driving time of the compressor has been required more than necessary.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ice making device capable of generating ice well in an ice making unit and shortening a driving time of a compressor in view of the above situation.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ice making apparatus according to the present invention generates ice in an ice making unit having a built-in evaporator by circulating a refrigerant in order of a compressor, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve and an evaporator. An ice making apparatus provided with an ice making freezing circuit, wherein the ice making unit comprises an ice making main body in which a plurality of cylindrical bodies are juxtaposed in a continuous manner, and the evaporator includes a plurality of refrigerant passages It has a flat-shaped refrigerant | coolant tube part arranged in parallel, and this refrigerant | coolant pipe | tube part is curved and provided in the circumference | surroundings of this ice making main body in the aspect which an inner surface thermally connects to the front and back of said ice making main body. The ice making unit is incorporated in the ice making unit, and the ice making refrigeration circuit is in a first delivery state where the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve is delivered to one end of the refrigerant pipe, and the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve Every second predetermined time between the second sending state and the other end of the refrigerant pipe portion. Characterized by comprising a switching means for switching.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the ice making apparatus, the ice making main body and the refrigerant pipe portion are formed of aluminum.

  In the ice making apparatus according to the present invention, an ice forming refrigeration unit that produces ice in an ice making unit incorporating the evaporator by circulating a refrigerant in order of a compressor, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve, and an evaporator. The ice making unit includes an ice making main body in which a plurality of cylindrical bodies are juxtaposed in a continuous manner, and the evaporator is a flat shape in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are juxtaposed. The first refrigerant pipe portion and the flat second refrigerant pipe portion in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are juxtaposed, and the inner surface of the first refrigerant pipe portion is on the front surface and the rear surface of the ice making body. The second refrigerant pipe portion is provided so as to be curved around the ice making main body in a thermally connecting mode, and the refrigerant whose passage through the refrigerant passage is opposed to the refrigerant which passes through the refrigerant passage of the first refrigerant tube portion Are thermally connected to the first refrigerant pipe portion in a manner to be incorporated and incorporated in the ice making portion. And wherein the door.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the ice making apparatus, the second refrigerant pipe portion is provided so as to overlap the first refrigerant pipe portion in a mode in which the inner surface is thermally connected to the outer surface of the first refrigerant pipe portion. It is characterized by

  Further, according to the present invention, in the ice making apparatus, the second refrigerant pipe portion is provided so as to be curved around the ice making main body in a mode in which the inner surface is thermally connected to the front surface and the rear surface of the ice making main body. It is characterized by

  The present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned ice making apparatus, the ice making main body, the first refrigerant pipe and the second refrigerant pipe are formed of aluminum.

  According to the present invention, the switching means sends the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve to the first end of the refrigerant pipe and the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve to the other end of the refrigerant pipe. Switching between the second delivery state and the second delivery state every predetermined time, so it is possible to minimize the degree of superheat which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and Can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to produce ice well in the ice making section and to shorten the driving time of the compressor.

  Further, according to the present invention, the flat first refrigerant pipe portion in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are juxtaposed is curved around the ice making main body in a mode in which the inner surface is thermally connected to the front and back surfaces of the ice making main body. And a flat second refrigerant pipe portion in which a plurality of refrigerant paths are juxtaposed, the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant path being opposed to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant path of the first refrigerant pipe portion. (1) Since it is provided thermally connected to the refrigerant pipe, it is possible to minimize the degree of superheat which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature in the whole of the first refrigerant pipe and the second refrigerant pipe. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in ice formation time. Therefore, it is possible to produce ice well in the ice making section and to shorten the driving time of the compressor.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing an ice making apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main part of the ice making apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ice making unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the flow of the refrigerant in the ice making refrigeration circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the flow of the refrigerant in the ice making refrigeration circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the flow of the refrigerant in the ice making refrigeration circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic view schematically showing an ice making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ice making unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic view schematically showing an ice making apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ice making unit shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an ice making apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing an ice making apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The ice making apparatus 1 illustrated here is configured to include a water storage unit 20 and an ice making unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the water storage portion 20 is placed on the base 11, and a plurality (eight) of upper wall openings are arranged side by side in the upper wall portion 21 although not explicitly shown in the figure. It is in the form of a rectangular shape. An inlet 22a is formed in the right wall 22 of the water storage portion 20, and is connected to the water supply line 40 through the inlet 22a.

  The water supply line 40 is a path for supplying water to the water storage unit 20, and a water supply pump 41 is provided in the middle thereof. The water supply pump 41 constitutes a water supply means for supplying water to the water storage unit 20 through the water supply line 40 when driven. The water storage unit 20 is provided with a cooling means (not shown) for cooling the stored water, and the water stored by the cooling means is cooled to, for example, about 4 ° C.

  The ice making unit 30 includes an ice making main body 31 and a refrigerant pipe 32. The ice making body 31 is formed of aluminum. The ice making main body 31 is configured to be continuous with each other such that a plurality of (eight) cylindrical bodies 31 a having hollow portions 311 extending vertically are aligned in the left and right direction. The ice making main body 31 is placed on the upper wall portion 21 in such a manner that the lower surface openings 311a (see FIG. 3) of the hollow portions 311 communicate with the corresponding upper wall openings. Here, the longitudinal width and the lateral width of the hollow portion 311 are substantially equal to the longitudinal width and the lateral width of the upper wall opening.

  The refrigerant pipe portion 32 is formed of aluminum in the same manner as the ice making main body 31 described above. As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant pipe portion 32 is a flat multi-hole pipe in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 321 are arranged in parallel. Such a refrigerant pipe portion 32 is provided around the ice making body 31 in a state where its inner surface is thermally connected to the front and back surfaces of the ice making body 31. The refrigerant pipe portion 32 is provided with the first header 32a at one end in communication with each refrigerant passage 321, while the second header 32b is provided at the other end in communication with each refrigerant passage 321. It is done.

  The refrigerant pipe portion 32 constitutes an ice making refrigeration circuit 50 together with a compressor 51, a condenser 52 and an electronic expansion valve 53 as an evaporator. The ice making refrigeration circuit 50 is configured by sequentially connecting the compressor 51, the condenser 52, the electronic expansion valve 53, and the refrigerant pipe portion (evaporator) 32 by the refrigerant pipe 54, and the refrigerant is enclosed inside. ing. In addition, the refrigerant | coolant pipeline 54 is comprised by connecting a single refrigerant | coolant piping, or several refrigerant | coolant piping.

  The suction unit of the compressor 51 is connected to the second header 32b through the refrigerant pipe 54, and is driven when a drive command is given from the control unit 50a that is a control unit. When driven, the compressor 51 sucks and compresses the refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe portion 32, and discharges the refrigerant through the discharge portion.

  Here, the control unit 50a centrally controls the operation of each unit of the ice making refrigeration circuit 50. The control unit 50a may be realized, for example, by causing a processing device such as a central processing unit (CPU) to execute a program, that is, realized by software, or realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (IC). It may be realized using software and hardware together.

  The condenser 52 has an inlet connected to the discharge portion of the compressor 51 through the refrigerant pipe 54. The condenser 52 exchanges heat with the ambient air to condense the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51. A first valve 55 is provided in the middle of the refrigerant pipe 54 connecting the compressor 51 and the condenser 52.

  The first valve 55 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 50a, and in the open state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51 passes toward the condenser 52. On the other hand, when it is in the closed state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51 is restricted from passing toward the condenser 52.

  The electronic expansion valve 53 has an inlet side connected to the outlet of the condenser 52 through the refrigerant pipe 54, and an outlet side connected to the refrigerant pipe 32 through the refrigerant pipe 54. The electronic expansion valve 53 has its opening adjusted in accordance with a command given from the control unit 50a, and decompresses the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 52 to adiabatically expand.

  Incidentally, in the above-described ice making refrigeration circuit 50, a bypass pipeline 56 and a switching unit 60 are provided.

  The bypass pipeline 56 branches from the upstream side of the first valve 55 in the refrigerant pipeline 54 connecting the compressor 51 and the condenser 52, and connects the electronic expansion valve 53 and the refrigerant pipeline 32 to the refrigerant pipeline It is provided in the form of joining in the middle of 54. A second valve 57 is provided in the middle of the bypass line 56.

  The second valve 57 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 50 a, and in the open state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51 passes through the bypass pipe 56 to the refrigerant pipe portion 32. While allowing the passage of the air, while it is in the closed state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51 is restricted from passing through the bypass pipeline 56.

  The switching unit 60 is configured to include a three-way valve 61, a communication conduit 62, a first switching valve 63, and a second switching valve 64.

  The three-way valve 61 is provided midway in the refrigerant pipe 54 connecting the electronic expansion valve 53 and the refrigerant pipe 32 and is provided closer to the refrigerant pipe 32 than the junction of the bypass pipe 56. The three-way valve 61 has an inlet 611 and two outlets 612 and 613. The inlet portion 611 is connected to a refrigerant pipe 54 connected to the outlet side of the electronic expansion valve 53. The first outlet 612 of the two outlets 612 and 613 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 32, and the second outlet 613 is connected to the switching pipeline 615. One end of the switching pipe 615 is connected to the second outlet 613, and the other end is connected to a midway point of the refrigerant pipe 54 connecting the refrigerant pipe 32 and the compressor 51.

  Such a three-way valve 61 communicates the inlet 611 and the first outlet 612, and sends the refrigerant depressurized by the electronic expansion valve 53 toward the refrigerant pipe 32, and the inlet 611 And the second outlet portion 613 to selectively switch the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 53 to the switching conduit 615 in the second communication state. The switching operation of the three-way valve 61 is performed according to the command given from the control unit 50a.

  The connecting pipe 62 branches from the downstream side of the three-way valve 61 in the refrigerant pipe 54 connecting the three-way valve 61 and the refrigerant pipe 32, and connects the refrigerant pipe 32 and the compressor 51. In the present embodiment, it is provided in such a manner as to join the compressor 51 side more than the connection point of the switching pipeline 615.

  The first switching valve 63 is provided in the middle of the communication conduit 62. The first switching valve 63 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 50a, and allows the refrigerant to pass through the communication conduit 62 when it is in the open state, while closing it. In this case, the passage of the refrigerant is restricted.

  The second switching valve 64 is provided between the connection point of the switching line 615 and the junction point of the communication line 62 in the refrigerant line 54 connecting the refrigerant pipe 32 and the compressor 51. The second switching valve 64 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 50a, and when it is in an open state, allows the refrigerant to pass through the location where it is provided, while closing it. When it becomes a state, it controls that a refrigerant passes through the arrangement point.

  In the ice making apparatus 1 having the above configuration, ice is generated as follows. The water stored in the water storage unit 20 is cooled to about 4 ° C., and the water in the water storage unit 20 has reached the upper limit water level and enters the hollow portion 311 as ice making ice.

  When the ice making command is given, the control unit 50a closes the second valve 57 while opening the first valve 55, and sets the electronic expansion valve 53 to a predetermined opening degree, and then the compressor 51 is opened. Drive. In addition, the control unit 50a causes the first switching valve 63 to close while the three-way valve 61 is in the first communication state, and causes the second switching valve 64 to open in the switching unit 60, thereby causing the first delivery state. Make it

  Thereby, in the ice making refrigeration circuit 50, as shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 51 is condensed by the condenser 52 and adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 53, and then the first header of the refrigerant pipe portion 32 It reaches 32a. That is, by setting the switching unit 60 in the first delivery state, the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 53 is delivered to the first header 32 a (one end portion) of the refrigerant pipe portion 32.

  In the refrigerant pipe portion 32, the refrigerant flowing in through the first header 32a passes through the refrigerant passages 321, thereby cooling the thermally connected ice making main body 31. That is, when the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 53 passes through each refrigerant passage 321, the refrigerant pipe portion 32 evaporates the refrigerant and cools the ice making body 31. The refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant passages 321 reaches the second header 32 b, is discharged from the second header 32 b, and is sucked by the compressor 51.

  After a predetermined time determined in advance since the switching unit 60 is brought into the first delivery state, the control unit 50a causes the first switching valve 63 to be in the second communication state with the three-way valve 61 for the switching unit 60. Is opened and the second switching valve 64 is closed, thereby bringing the second delivery state.

  Thus, in the ice making refrigeration circuit 50, as shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 51 is condensed by the condenser 52 and adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 53, and then the three-way valve 61 and the switching pipeline 615 Leading to the second header 32 b of the refrigerant pipe 32. That is, by setting the switching unit 60 in the second delivery state, the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 53 is delivered to the second header 32 b (the other end) of the refrigerant pipe portion 32.

  In the refrigerant pipe portion 32, the refrigerant flowing in through the second header 32b passes through the refrigerant passages 321, thereby cooling the thermally connected ice making main body 31. That is, when the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 53 passes through each refrigerant passage 321, the refrigerant pipe portion 32 evaporates the refrigerant and cools the ice making main body 31 below the freezing point. The refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant passages 321 reaches the first header 32 a, is discharged from the first header 32 a, passes through the communication pipe 62 from the middle of the refrigerant pipe 54, and is drawn to the compressor 51.

  The control unit 50a causes the switching unit 60 to be in the first delivery state after a predetermined time that has been determined in advance has passed since the switching unit 60 was in the second delivery state, and continues for a predetermined time until the ice making stop command is given thereafter. The switching unit 60 is alternately switched between the first delivery state and the second delivery state each time the time t1. Thereby, ice-making water can be cooled to 0 degrees C or less by cooling the whole refrigerant | coolant tube part 32 to 0 degrees C or less.

  In this way, by switching the switching unit 60 between the first delivery state and the second delivery state each time a predetermined time elapses, in the refrigerant pipe portion 32 which is an evaporator, the inlet and the outlet of the refrigerant alternate. Replace. As a result, the sufficiently cooled refrigerant can uniformly pass through each refrigerant passage 321 of the refrigerant pipe portion 32, and the degree of superheat which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature can be minimized, that is, approach zero. it can.

  According to this, it is possible to generate ice substantially simultaneously from all the ice making water of the ice making unit 30, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in ice generation time.

  By the way, when an ice block is formed in the hollow portion 311 of the ice making body 31 in this manner, the control unit 50a causes the switching unit 60 to be in the first delivery state and then causes the first valve 55 to be in the closed state. The second valve 57 is opened. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 51 passes through the bypass pipeline 56 and passes through the respective refrigerant passages 321 of the refrigerant pipe portion 32 as hot gas. As a result, the ice making body 31 is heated, and the boundary portion of the ice block in contact with the inner wall surface of the hollow portion 311 is melted. Thereafter, by driving the ice unloading means (not shown), the ice lump of the hollow portion 311 can be unloaded to a predetermined portion through the upper surface opening of the hollow portion 311. After the ice block is carried out, the driving of the compressor 51 is stopped to complete the generation of ice.

  In the first embodiment, the control unit 50 a and the switching unit 60 send the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 53 to the first header 32 a which is one end of the refrigerant pipe portion 32, and the electronic expansion The switching means is configured to switch at predetermined time intervals between the second delivery state in which the refrigerant whose pressure is reduced by the valve 53 is delivered to the second header 32 b which is the other end of the refrigerant pipe 32.

  As described above, according to the ice making device 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 50a and the switching unit 60 are the one end portion of the refrigerant pipe portion 32 and the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 53 Between the first delivery state for delivery to the first header 32a and the second delivery state for delivery of the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 53 to the second header 32b which is the other end of the refrigerant pipe portion 32 every predetermined time Since switching is performed, it is possible to minimize the degree of superheat which is a temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature in the refrigerant pipe portion 32, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in ice generation time. Therefore, ice can be generated well in the ice making unit 30, and the driving time of the compressor 51 can be shortened.

  According to the above-described ice making apparatus 1, since the ice making main body 31 and the refrigerant pipe portion 32 constituting the ice making unit 30 are formed of aluminum, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the heat transfer performance is improved. be able to. Moreover, since the ice making body 31 and the refrigerant pipe portion 32 are joined by the same kind of metal, there is no possibility that the galvanic corrosion or the like, which is a problem in the conventional joining of dissimilar metals of copper and stainless steel, occurs.

  According to the above-described ice making apparatus 1, the ice making main body 31 is formed in a form in which the plurality of cylindrical bodies 31a are continuous with one another, and the refrigerant pipe portion 32 forms a flat shape in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 321 are juxtaposed. Because of this, the thermal connection between the ice making main body 31 and the refrigerant pipe portion 32 can be made by surface contact, and the heat transfer area can be increased to improve the heat transfer efficiency.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a schematic view schematically showing an ice making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the component same as Embodiment 1 mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the duplicate description is abbreviate | omitted suitably. The ice making apparatus 2 illustrated here is configured to include a water storage unit 20 and an ice making unit 30a.

  The ice making unit 30 a includes an ice making main body 31, a first refrigerant pipe 33, and a second refrigerant pipe 34. The ice making body 31 is formed of aluminum. The ice making main body 31 is configured to be continuous with each other such that a plurality of (eight) cylindrical bodies 31 a having hollow portions 311 extending vertically are aligned in the left and right direction. The ice making main body 31 is placed on the upper wall portion 21 in such a manner that the lower surface openings 311a (see FIG. 8) of the hollow portions 311 communicate with the corresponding upper wall openings. Here, the longitudinal width and the lateral width of the hollow portion 311 are substantially equal to the longitudinal width and the lateral width of the upper wall opening.

  The first refrigerant pipe portion 33 is formed of aluminum in the same manner as the ice making main body 31 described above. As shown in FIG. 8, the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 is a flat multi-hole pipe in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 331 are arranged in parallel. Such a first refrigerant pipe portion 33 is provided around the ice making body 31 in a state where its inner surface is thermally connected to the front and back surfaces of the ice making body 31. The first refrigerant pipe portion 33 is provided with the first inlet header 33a at one end in communication with each refrigerant passage 331, while the other outlet is in communication with each refrigerant passage 331 at the first outlet. A header 33b is provided.

  The second refrigerant pipe portion 34 is formed of aluminum in the same manner as the ice making main body 31 and the first refrigerant pipe portion 33. As shown in FIG. 8, the second refrigerant pipe portion 34 is a flat multi-hole pipe in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 341 are arranged in parallel. The second refrigerant pipe portion 34 is provided so as to overlap the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 in a state where the inner surface thereof is thermally connected to the outer surface of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33. The second refrigerant pipe portion 34 is provided with a second inlet header 34a at one end in communication with each refrigerant passage 341, while the other outlet is in communication with each refrigerant passage 341 at a second outlet. A header 34b is provided.

  In the second refrigerant pipe portion 34, the second inlet header 34a is disposed outside the first outlet header 33b, and the second outlet header 34b is disposed outside the first inlet header 33a. Thus, the second refrigerant pipe portion 34 thermally contacts the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 in a mode in which the refrigerant passing through each refrigerant passage 341 faces the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant path 331 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33. Connected to

  The first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 34 together with the compressor 71, the condenser 72, and the electronic expansion valve 73 constitute an ice making refrigeration circuit 70 as an evaporator. The ice making refrigeration circuit 70 is configured by sequentially connecting a compressor 71, a condenser 72, an electronic expansion valve 73, and a first refrigerant pipe 33 and a second refrigerant pipe 34 with a refrigerant pipe 74, A refrigerant is sealed inside. In addition, the refrigerant | coolant pipeline 74 is comprised by a single refrigerant | coolant piping, or a some refrigerant | coolant piping is connected and comprised.

  The compressor 71 has a suction portion connected to the first outlet header 33b and the second outlet header 34b through the refrigerant pipe 74, and is driven when a drive command is given from the control unit 70a which is control means. is there. When driven, the compressor 71 sucks and compresses a refrigerant from the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 34, and discharges the refrigerant through the discharge portion.

  Here, the control unit 70 a controls the operation of each part of the ice making refrigeration circuit 70 in a centralized manner. The control unit 70a may be realized, for example, by causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, realized by software, or realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). It may be realized using software and hardware together.

  An inlet of the condenser 72 is connected to the discharge portion of the compressor 71 through a refrigerant pipe 74. The condenser 72 exchanges heat with the ambient air to condense the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 71. A first valve 75 is provided in the middle of a refrigerant pipe 74 connecting the compressor 71 and the condenser 72.

  The first valve 75 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 70a, and in the open state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 71 passes toward the condenser 72. On the other hand, when it is in the closed state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 71 is restricted from passing toward the condenser 72.

  The electronic expansion valve 73 has an inlet side connected to the outlet of the condenser 72 through the refrigerant pipe 74, and an outlet side connected to the first inlet header 33a and the second inlet header 34a through the refrigerant pipe 74. The electronic expansion valve 73 has its opening adjusted in accordance with a command given from the control unit 70a, decompresses the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 72, and adiabatically expands it. (2) The refrigerant is supplied to the refrigerant pipe portion 34.

  By the way, in the freezing circuit for ice making 70, the refrigerant pipe 74 connecting the compressor 71 and the condenser 72 is branched from the upstream side of the first valve 75, and the electronic expansion valve 73, the first inlet header 33a and A bypass line 76 is provided in such a manner as to join in the middle of the refrigerant line 74 connecting the second inlet header 34a. A second valve 77 is provided in the middle of the bypass line 76.

  The second valve 77 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 70a. When the second valve 77 is in the open state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 71 passes through the bypass conduit 76 to the first inlet header 33a. And allows the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 71 to pass through the bypass conduit 76 when it is closed.

  In the evaporator (the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 34), the refrigerant flowing in through the first inlet header 33a passes through the refrigerant passage 331, and the refrigerant flowing in through the second inlet header 34a flows through the refrigerant passage 341 To cool or heat the thermally connected ice making main body 31. That is, when the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 73 passes through the refrigerant passages 331 and 341, the evaporator cools the ice making main body 31 to below the freezing point while the refrigerant evaporates, while the compressor 71 compresses the refrigerant. When the discharged and discharged refrigerant flows in through the bypass line 76 and passes through the refrigerant passages 331 and 341, the ice making body 31 is heated.

  In the ice making apparatus 2 having the above configuration, ice is generated as follows. The water stored in the water storage unit 20 is cooled to about 4 ° C., and the water in the water storage unit 20 has reached the upper limit water level and enters the hollow portion 311 as ice making ice.

  When the ice making command is given, the control unit 70a closes the second valve 77 while opening the first valve 75, and sets the electronic expansion valve 73 to a predetermined opening degree, and then the compressor 71 is operated. Drive.

  Thereby, in the freezing circuit for ice making 70, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 71 is condensed by the condenser 72 and adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 73, and then each of the first refrigerant pipe 33 and the second refrigerant pipe 34 The refrigerant passes through the refrigerant passages 331 and 341. Thus, the ice making main body 31 thermally connected to the first refrigerant pipe 33 and the second refrigerant pipe 34 is cooled. The refrigerant having passed through the refrigerant passages 331 and 341 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 34 reaches the first outlet header 33b and the second outlet header 34b, and these first outlet header 33b and the second outlet It is discharged from the header 34 b and sucked by the compressor 71. Thus, by circulating the refrigerant in the ice making refrigeration circuit 70, the entire first refrigerant pipe 33 and the second refrigerant pipe 34 are cooled to 0 ° C. or less, whereby the ice making water is cooled to 0 ° C. or less. can do.

  In this manner, by causing the refrigerant to pass through the refrigerant passages 331 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the refrigerant passages 341 of the second refrigerant pipe portion 34, the refrigerant passing through the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the second refrigerant The refrigerant passing through the pipe portion 34 flows opposite to each other. As a result, the sufficiently cooled refrigerant can uniformly pass through the respective refrigerant passages 331 and 341 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 34 thermally connected to each other. It is possible to minimize the degree of superheat which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 and the entire second refrigerant pipe portion 34, that is, to approach zero.

  According to this, it is possible to generate ice substantially simultaneously from all the ice making water of the ice making unit 30a, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in ice generation time.

  By the way, when an ice block is thus formed in the hollow portion 311 of the ice making body 31, the control unit 70a causes the second valve 77 to be in the open state while causing the first valve 75 to be in the closed state. Thus, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 71 passes through the bypass pipeline 76 and passes as the hot gas through the refrigerant passages 331 and 341 of the first refrigerant pipe 33 and the second refrigerant pipe 34. As a result, the ice making body 31 is heated, and the boundary portion of the ice block in contact with the inner wall surface of the hollow portion 311 is melted. Thereafter, by driving the ice unloading means (not shown), the ice lump of the hollow portion 311 can be unloaded to a predetermined portion through the upper surface opening of the hollow portion 311. After the ice block is carried out, the driving of the compressor 71 is stopped to complete the generation of ice.

  As described above, according to the ice making device 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention, the flat first refrigerant pipe portion 33 in which the plurality of refrigerant passages 331 are juxtaposed is the front and rear surfaces of the ice making body 31. The inner surface of the flat second refrigerant pipe portion 34 which is curvedly provided around the ice making main body 31 and in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 341 are juxtaposed is formed as a first refrigerant pipe. While overlapping the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 in a state of being thermally connected to the outer surface of the portion 33, the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage 341 is opposed to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant path 331 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 Since it is provided, it is possible to minimize the degree of superheat which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature in the whole of the first refrigerant pipe 33 and the second refrigerant pipe 34, and the generation time of ice varies. It can be suppressed to occur. Therefore, ice can be generated well in the ice making unit 30a, and the driving time of the compressor 71 can be shortened.

  According to the above-described ice making apparatus 2, the ice making main body 31 constituting the ice making unit 30a, and the first refrigerant pipe 33 and the second refrigerant pipe 34 are formed of aluminum, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The heat transfer performance can be improved. In addition, since the ice making main body 31 and the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 are joined by the same kind of metal, there is no possibility that the galvanic corrosion and the like, which has become a problem in joining dissimilar metals of conventional copper and stainless steel.

  According to the ice making apparatus 2 described above, the ice making main body 31 is formed such that the plurality of cylindrical bodies 31a are continuous with each other, and the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 forms a flat shape in which the plurality of refrigerant passages 331 are juxtaposed. Because of this, the thermal connection between the ice making main body 31 and the first refrigerant pipe portion 33 can be made by surface contact, and the heat transfer area can be increased to improve the heat transfer efficiency.

Embodiment 3
FIG. 9 is a schematic view schematically showing an ice making apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the component same as Embodiment 1 mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the duplicate description is abbreviate | omitted suitably. The ice making apparatus 3 illustrated here is configured to include a water storage unit 20 and an ice making unit 30 b.

  The ice making unit 30 b includes an ice making body 31, a first refrigerant pipe 35, and a second refrigerant pipe 36. The ice making body 31 is formed of aluminum. The ice making main body 31 is configured to be continuous with each other such that a plurality of (eight) cylindrical bodies 31 a having hollow portions 311 extending vertically are aligned in the left and right direction. The ice making main body 31 is placed on the upper wall portion 21 in such a manner that the lower surface openings 311a (see FIG. 10) of the hollow portions 311 communicate with the corresponding upper wall openings. Here, the longitudinal width and the lateral width of the hollow portion 311 are substantially equal to the longitudinal width and the lateral width of the upper wall opening.

  The first refrigerant pipe 35 is formed of aluminum in the same manner as the ice making body 31. As shown in FIG. 10, the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 is a flat multi-hole pipe in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 351 are arranged in parallel. Such a first refrigerant pipe portion 35 is provided around the ice making body 31 in a state where its inner surface is thermally connected to the front and back surfaces of the ice making body 31. The first refrigerant pipe portion 35 is provided with a first inlet header 35a at one end in communication with each refrigerant passage 351 while the other end is in communication with each refrigerant passage 351 at a first outlet. A header 35b is provided.

  The second refrigerant pipe portion 36 is formed of aluminum in the same manner as the ice making main body 31 and the first refrigerant pipe portion 35. As shown in FIG. 10, the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 is a flat multi-hole pipe in which a plurality of refrigerant passages 361 are arranged in parallel. In the state where the lower surface of such a second refrigerant pipe portion 36 is thermally connected to the upper portion of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35, and the inner surface of the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 is thermally connected to the front and back surfaces of the ice making body 31. It is provided around the ice making body 31. The second refrigerant pipe portion 36 is provided with a second inlet header 36a at one end in communication with each refrigerant passage 361, while the other outlet is in communication with each refrigerant passage 361 at a second outlet. A header 36b is provided.

  In the second refrigerant pipe portion 36, the second inlet header 36a is disposed at the upper portion of the first outlet header 35b, and the second outlet header 36b is disposed at the upper portion of the first inlet header 35a. Thus, the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 thermally contacts the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 in a mode in which the refrigerant passing through each refrigerant passage 361 opposes the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant path 351 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35. Connected to

  The first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 constitute an ice making refrigeration circuit 80 together with a compressor 81, a condenser 82, and an electronic expansion valve 83 as an evaporator. The ice making refrigeration circuit 80 is configured by sequentially connecting a compressor 81, a condenser 82, an electronic expansion valve 83, and a first refrigerant pipe 35 and a second refrigerant pipe 36 by a refrigerant pipe 84, A refrigerant is sealed inside. In addition, the refrigerant | coolant pipeline 84 is comprised by a single refrigerant | coolant piping, or a some refrigerant | coolant piping is connected and comprised.

  The compressor 81 has a suction portion connected to the first outlet header 35b and the second outlet header 36b through the refrigerant pipeline 84, and is driven when a drive command is given from the controller 80a which is a control means. is there. When driven, the compressor 81 sucks and compresses a refrigerant from the first refrigerant pipe 35 and the second refrigerant pipe 36, and discharges the refrigerant through the discharger.

  Here, the control unit 80a controls the operation of each part of the ice making refrigeration circuit 80 in a centralized manner. The control unit 80a may be realized, for example, by causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, realized by software, or realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). It may be realized using software and hardware together.

  An inlet of the condenser 82 is connected to the discharge portion of the compressor 81 through a refrigerant line 84. The condenser 82 exchanges heat with the ambient air to condense the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 81. A first valve 85 is provided in the middle of the refrigerant pipeline 84 connecting the compressor 81 and the condenser 82.

  The first valve 85 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 80a, and in the open state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 81 passes to the condenser 82. On the other hand, when it is in the closed state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 81 is restricted from passing toward the condenser 82.

  The electronic expansion valve 83 has an inlet side connected to the outlet of the condenser 82 through the refrigerant pipe 84, and an outlet side connected to the first inlet header 35a and the second inlet header 36a through the refrigerant pipe 84. The electronic expansion valve 83 has its opening adjusted in accordance with a command given from the control unit 80a, decompresses the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 82, and adiabatically expands it. 2) The refrigerant is supplied to the refrigerant pipe portion 36.

  By the way, in the freezing circuit for ice making 80, the refrigerant pipe 84 connecting the compressor 81 and the condenser 82 is branched from the upstream side of the first valve 85, and the electronic expansion valve 83, the first inlet header 35a and A bypass line 86 is provided in such a manner as to join in the middle of the refrigerant line 84 connecting the second inlet header 36a. A second valve 87 is provided in the middle of the bypass line 86.

  The second valve 87 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 80a, and when it is in the open state, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 81 passes through the bypass pipeline 86 to the first inlet header 35a. And allows the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 81 to pass through the bypass line 86 when it is in the closed state.

  In the evaporator (the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36), the refrigerant flowing in through the first inlet header 35a passes through the refrigerant passage 351, and the refrigerant flowing in through the second inlet header 36a flows through the refrigerant passage 361 To cool or heat the thermally connected ice making main body 31. That is, when the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 83 passes through the refrigerant passages 351, 361, the evaporator cools the ice making main body 31 to below the freezing point while the refrigerant evaporates, while the compressor 81 compresses the refrigerant. When the discharged and discharged refrigerant flows in through the bypass line 86 and passes through the refrigerant passages 351 and 361, the ice making body 31 is heated.

  In the ice making device 3 having the above configuration, ice is generated as follows. The water stored in the water storage unit 20 is cooled to about 4 ° C., and the water in the water storage unit 20 has reached the upper limit water level and enters the hollow portion 311 as ice making ice.

  When the ice making command is given, the control unit 80a closes the second valve 87 while opening the first valve 85, and sets the electronic expansion valve 83 to a predetermined opening degree, and then the compressor 81 is opened. Drive.

  As a result, in the ice making refrigeration circuit 80, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 81 is condensed by the condenser 82, adiabatically expanded by the electronic expansion valve 83, and then each of the first refrigerant pipe 35 and the second refrigerant pipe 36 It passes through the refrigerant passages 351, 361. Thereby, the ice making body 31 thermally connected to the first refrigerant pipe 35 and the second refrigerant pipe 36 is cooled. The refrigerant having passed through the refrigerant passages 351, 361 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 reaches the first outlet header 35b and the second outlet header 36b, and these first outlet header 35b and the second outlet It is discharged from the header 36 b and sucked into the compressor 81. The ice making water is cooled to 0 ° C. or less by cooling the whole of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 to 0 ° C. or less by circulating the refrigerant in the ice making refrigeration circuit 80 as described above. can do.

  In this manner, the refrigerant is allowed to pass through the refrigerant passages 351 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the refrigerant passages 361 of the second refrigerant pipe portion 36, whereby the refrigerant and the second refrigerant that pass through the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 The refrigerant passing through the pipe portion 36 flows opposite to each other. As a result, the sufficiently cooled refrigerant can uniformly pass through the respective refrigerant passages 351 and 361 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 thermally connected to each other. It is possible to minimize the degree of superheat which is the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the one refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the entire second refrigerant pipe portion 36, that is, to approach zero.

  According to this, it is possible to generate ice substantially simultaneously from all the ice making water of the ice making unit 30b, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in ice generation time.

  By the way, when an ice block is thus formed in the hollow portion 311 of the ice making body 31, the control unit 80a causes the second valve 87 to be in the open state while causing the first valve 85 to be in the closed state. As a result, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 81 passes through the bypass pipeline 86 and passes through the refrigerant passages 351 and 361 of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 as hot gas. As a result, the ice making body 31 is heated, and the boundary portion of the ice block in contact with the inner wall surface of the hollow portion 311 is melted. Thereafter, by driving the ice unloading means (not shown), the ice lump of the hollow portion 311 can be unloaded to a predetermined portion through the upper surface opening of the hollow portion 311. After the ice block is carried out, the driving of the compressor 81 is stopped to complete the generation of ice.

  As described above, according to the ice making device 3 of the third embodiment of the present invention, the flat first refrigerant pipe portion 35 in which the plurality of refrigerant passages 351 are juxtaposed is the front and rear surfaces of the ice making body 31. The flat second refrigerant pipe 36, which is curved around the ice making body 31 and has a plurality of refrigerant passages 361 arranged in parallel, is connected to the bottom of the first refrigerant pipe 31 in a manner that the inner surface is thermally connected to each other. While being thermally connected to the upper part of 35, the inner surface is thermally connected to the front and back faces of the ice making main body 31 while being curved around the ice making main body 31, and the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage 361 is Since the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 is provided in such a manner as to face the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage 351, the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature in the entire first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 Can minimize the degree of superheat, and when ice is generated It is possible to suppress a variation occurs in. Therefore, ice can be favorably generated in the ice making unit 30b, and the driving time of the compressor 81 can be shortened.

  According to the above-described ice making apparatus 3, the ice making main body 31, which constitutes the ice making unit 30b, and the first refrigerant pipe 35 and the second refrigerant pipe 36 are made of aluminum, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The heat transfer performance can be improved. In addition, since the ice making body 31, the first refrigerant pipe 35 and the second refrigerant pipe 36 are joined by the same kind of metal, the galvanic corrosion which has become a problem in the conventional joining of dissimilar metals of copper and stainless steel There is no possibility that etc. will occur.

  According to the ice making device 3 described above, the ice making main body 31 is formed such that the plurality of cylindrical bodies 31a are continuous with each other, and the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 are the plurality of refrigerant passages 351, 361 Can form a thermal contact between the ice making body 31 and the first refrigerant pipe portion 35 and the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 by surface contact. The area can be increased to improve the heat transfer efficiency.

  The preferred embodiments 1 to 3 of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made.

  In Embodiment 1 described above, the switching unit 60 includes the three-way valve 61. However, in the present invention, the first delivery state in which the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve is delivered to one end of the refrigerant pipe portion As long as it can switch at predetermined time intervals between the second delivery state in which the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve is delivered to the other end of the refrigerant pipe, various configurations can be adopted.

  In the second and third embodiments described above, the second refrigerant pipe portion 34 overlaps the outer surface of the first refrigerant pipe portion 33, or the second refrigerant pipe portion 36 is in contact with the upper portion of the first refrigerant pipe portion 35. In the present invention, the second refrigerant pipe portion is thermally coupled to the first refrigerant pipe portion in a mode in which the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage of the second refrigerant pipe portion faces the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage of the first refrigerant pipe portion. If connected, various configurations can be adopted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ice making apparatus 20 water storage part 30 ice making part 31 ice making main body 31a cylindrical body 311 hollow part 32 refrigerant pipe part 32a 1st header 32b 2nd header 321 refrigerant passage 40 water supply line 50 ice freezing circuit 50a control part 51 compressor 52 condensation 53 Electronic expansion valve 54 Refrigerant pipeline 60 Switching unit 61 Three-way valve 62 Communication pipeline 63 1st switching valve 64 2nd switching valve 65 Switching pipeline

Claims (6)

An ice making apparatus comprising: an ice making refrigeration circuit that generates ice in an ice making unit having a built-in evaporator by circulating a refrigerant in the order of a compressor, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve, and an evaporator;
The ice making unit includes an ice making main body juxtaposed in a manner that a plurality of cylindrical bodies are continuous with each other,
The evaporator has a flat refrigerant pipe portion in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are juxtaposed, and the refrigerant pipe portion thermally connects the inner surface to the front surface and the rear surface of the ice making body. Curved around the ice making body and built into the ice making unit,
The ice making refrigeration circuit includes a first delivery state in which the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve is delivered to one end of the refrigerant pipe, and the refrigerant decompressed by the electronic expansion valve into the other end of the refrigerant tube An ice making apparatus comprising switching means for switching at predetermined time intervals between a second sending state and a second sending state.   The ice making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ice making main body and the refrigerant pipe portion are formed of aluminum. An ice making apparatus comprising: an ice making refrigeration circuit that generates ice in an ice making unit having a built-in evaporator by circulating a refrigerant in the order of a compressor, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve, and an evaporator;
The ice making unit includes an ice making main body juxtaposed in a manner that a plurality of cylindrical bodies are continuous with each other,
The evaporator has a flat first refrigerant pipe portion in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are arranged in parallel, and a flat second refrigerant pipe portion in which a plurality of refrigerant passages are arranged in parallel; [1] A refrigerant pipe portion is provided by being curved around the ice making body in a mode in which the inner surface is thermally connected to the front and back surfaces of the ice making body, and the second refrigerant pipe portion is a refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage An ice making apparatus, provided in the ice making unit, being thermally connected to the first refrigerant pipe in a manner to face the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage of the first refrigerant pipe.   The second refrigerant pipe portion is provided so as to overlap the first refrigerant pipe portion in such a manner that the inner surface thereof is thermally connected to the outer surface of the first refrigerant pipe portion. Ice maker.   The said 2nd refrigerant | coolant tube part was curved and provided in the circumference | surroundings of this ice making main body in the aspect which the inner surface thermally connects with the front surface and back surface of the said ice making main body, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Ice maker.   The ice making apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the ice making main body, the first refrigerant pipe and the second refrigerant pipe are made of aluminum.

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