JP2022099967A - Ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ice maker which can generate transparent ice with good efficiency.SOLUTION: An ice maker 2 arranged in a chamber of a refrigerator includes: a cooling duct 40 in which the air which has passed an evaporator of the refrigerator flows; a cooling part 10 having a metal plate 14, a plurality of metal cooling fins 12 extending upward from an upper surface of the metal plate 14, and a metal rod-like member 16 extending downward from a lower surface of the metal plate 14; and a liquid container 60 capable of storing a liquid. In the ice maker 2, the air which has flowed in the cooling duct 40 flows between the cooling fins 12, and in a state where a predetermined region from a tip part of the rod-like member 16 is immersed in the liquid stored in the liquid container 60, the temperature of the rod-like member 16 cooled by the cooling fins 12 becomes equal to or greater than -10°C and equal to or lower than -1°C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an ice maker that freezes a liquid to produce ice, particularly an ice maker placed in a refrigerator.

Some ice makers that freeze liquid to produce ice have been proposed to make ice by cooling the cooling protrusions immersed in the liquid in the tray with the refrigerant of the cooling system of the refrigerator (). For example, see Patent Document 1). In the invention described in Patent Document 1, since ice is generated around the cooling protrusions immersed in the liquid in the ice making water groove of the tray, ice making can be efficiently performed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-150785

However, in the ice maker described in Patent Document 1, since the cooling projection is cooled by connecting to the cooling system of the refrigerator using a refrigerant, the liquid in the ice making water groove is rapidly cooled, and the generated ice becomes cloudy. Occurs. Since transparent ice is produced, if ice is produced over a long period of time at a relatively high temperature close to 0 ° C while being heated with a heater or the like, transparent ice can be produced, but it takes time to generate ice. Cannot produce ice efficiently.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an ice maker capable of efficiently producing transparent ice.

The ice machine of the present invention
It is an ice machine that is placed inside the refrigerator.
A cooling duct through which gas passes through the evaporator of the refrigerator and
A cooling unit having a metal plate, a plurality of metal cooling fins extending upward from the upper surface of the metal plate, and a metal rod-shaped member extending downward from the lower surface of the metal plate.
A liquid container that can store liquids and
Equipped with
The gas flowing in the cooling duct flows between the cooling fins,
The temperature of the rod-shaped member cooled by the cooling fins becomes −10 ° C. or higher and -1 ° C. or lower in a state where a predetermined region from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container. It is a feature.

According to the present invention, the temperature of the rod-shaped member cooled by the cooling fins becomes −10 ° C. or higher and -1 ° C. or lower in a state where a predetermined region from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container. ing. By keeping the rod-shaped member at an appropriate temperature, it is possible to generate ice while pushing impurities from the inside to the outside around the rod-shaped member, and efficiently generate transparent ice containing no impurities in a short time.

Further, the ice machine of the present invention is
A heater for deicing is attached to the root of the rod-shaped member connected to the metal plate.

According to the present invention, since the deicing heater is attached to the root of the rod-shaped member, the deicing heater 20 can directly heat the rod-shaped member 16. Therefore, after ice is generated around the rod-shaped member 16, the rod-shaped member 16 can be quickly heated to separate the generated ice from the rod-shaped member 16.

Further, the ice machine of the present invention is
At the root of the rod-shaped member, the lower surface of the metal plate and the deicing heater are covered with a heat insulating material.

According to the present invention, at the root of the rod-shaped member, the lower surface of the metal plate and the deicing heater are covered with a heat insulating material. The heat insulating material also cools the liquid container with the cooled metal plate, and can prevent the liquid other than the periphery of the rod-shaped member in the liquid container from freezing. Further, since the generated ice is separated from the rod-shaped member, it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the ice maker from rising when the deicing heater is operated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ice making efficiency from being lowered in the subsequent ice making process.

Further, the ice machine of the present invention is
A part of the gas flowing into the cooling duct flows along the side of one end of the cooling duct along the inner wall of the cooling duct in a direction tolerant to the extending direction of the cooling fin. Inflow between the cooling fins and out of the other end of the cooling fins.
Let A1 be the cross-sectional area of the flow path in the direction of tolerance with the stretching direction of the cooling fins.
Assuming that the total cross-sectional area of the flow path between the cooling fins is A2,
A1 ≧ A2
It is characterized by having a relationship of.

According to the present invention, since the cross-sectional area A1 of the flow path in the direction in which the cooling fins are stretched and the direction of tolerance is equal to or larger than the total cross-sectional area A2 of the flow paths between the cooling fins, the cold air between the cooling fins in the larger flow path. Can be supplied. As a result, the flow path for supplying cold air to the cooling fins functions like a header, so that the flow rate of the cold air supplied to each cooling fin can be made constant. As a result, cooling efficiency can be improved and uniform cooling can be expected in each rod-shaped member.

Further, the ice machine of the present invention is
It is characterized by comprising a gas guide that guides the gas flowing out from the other end of the cooling fin away from the liquid container.

According to the present invention, the gas guide guides the gas that has passed through the cooling fins away from the liquid container, so that the liquid container is not exposed to cold air and the liquid in the liquid container freezes except around the rod-shaped member. Can be prevented.

Further, the ice machine of the present invention is
A liquid storage tank arranged at a position higher than the liquid container, a liquid supply / drainage pump, a flow path on the liquid storage tank side connecting the liquid storage tank and the liquid supply / removal pump, the liquid supply / removal pump, and the liquid. Equipped with a liquid container side flow path that connects the containers,
The liquid supply / removal pump supplies the liquid in the liquid storage tank to the liquid container, and returns the liquid in the liquid container to the liquid storage tank.
It is characterized in that an air hole is provided in the upper part of the flow path on the liquid storage tank side.

According to the present invention, in a liquid supply / drainage system in which a liquid supply / removal pump supplies a liquid in a liquid storage tank arranged at a position higher than the liquid container to the liquid container, and returns the liquid in the liquid container to the liquid storage tank. , An air hole is provided in the upper part of the flow path on the liquid storage tank side. Therefore, when the liquid in the liquid storage tank is supplied to the liquid container and the liquid supply / removal pump is stopped, outside air flows from the air holes into the flow path on the liquid storage tank side to enter the flow path on the liquid storage tank side. The liquid drops due to gravity and returns to the liquid storage tank. This makes it possible to prevent the liquid in the liquid storage tank from flowing into the liquid container due to the siphon phenomenon. When the liquid supply / removal pump is reversed and the liquid in the liquid container is returned to the liquid storage tank, the liquid is filled in the liquid container side flow path on the suction side of the liquid supply / removal pump, so the liquid is supplied without any problem. The liquid removal pump 70 can be reversed to return the liquid to the liquid storage tank.

As described above, in the present invention, it is possible to provide an ice maker capable of efficiently producing transparent ice.

It is a perspective view which shows the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 2A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, which is a side sectional view schematically showing an arrangement of a flow path in a cooling unit, a liquid container, and a cooling duct. It is a BB arrow view of FIG. 2, and in particular, is a side view schematically showing a cooling fin and a rod-shaped member. It is a figure which shows typically the water supply / drainage system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control composition of the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing an example of the refrigerator equipped with the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing the liquid supply process carried out by the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing the ice making process carried out by the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing the liquid removing process carried out in the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing the evasion process carried out in the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing the ice removal process carried out by the ice making machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control of the ice making process of this invention. It is a figure (photograph) which shows the ice produced by the prototype ice maker.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The ice maker and the refrigerator described below are for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following unless otherwise specified. In each drawing, members having the same function may be designated by the same reference numeral. The size and positional relationship of the members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for the sake of clarity. In the following description and drawings, the vertical direction is shown assuming that the ice maker and the refrigerator are installed on a horizontal surface.

(Ice maker according to one embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ice maker 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an ice maker 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and is a side sectional view schematically showing an arrangement of a flow path 42 in a cooling unit 10, a liquid container 60, and a cooling duct 40. FIG. 4 is a view taken along the arrow BB of FIG. 2, and is a side view schematically showing a cooling fin 12 and a rod-shaped member 16. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a water supply / drainage system 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the ice maker 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view schematically showing an example of a refrigerator 100 provided with an ice maker 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
First, the outline of the ice maker 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

The ice maker 2 uses a cooling unit 10 capable of freezing the liquid to generate ice, a liquid container 60 capable of storing the liquid, a moving mechanism 80 for rotating the liquid container 60, and the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72. A liquid supply / removal system 50 for supplying to the liquid container 60 and returning the liquid in the liquid container 60 to the liquid storage tank 72 is provided. 1 to 3 and 5 show a supply / drain pipe 52 that supplies a liquid to the liquid container 60 and removes the liquid from the liquid container 60. The liquid supply / removal pipe 52, together with the pipe 54, constitutes a liquid container side flow path 56 (see FIG. 5), and is a member that fulfills both a function of supplying a liquid to the liquid container 60 and a function of removing the liquid.
As shown in FIG. 7, the ice maker 2 according to the present embodiment is arranged in the refrigerator 100, and the cold air generated by the cooling system 150 of the refrigerator 100 is supplied. The ice maker 2 further includes a control unit 90 that controls the constituent devices of the ice maker 2 (see FIG. 6). Any liquid such as drinking water can be used as the liquid that is frozen to produce ice.

<Cooling unit>
The cooling unit 10 includes a cooling fin 12, a metal plate 14, and a rod-shaped member 16 from the upper side to the lower side. Further, a cooling unit 10 is arranged inside, and a cooling duct 40 for cooling the cooling unit 10 by the cold air flowing through the cooling unit 10 is provided.
The cooling unit 10 has a structure in which a plurality of cooling fins 12 are erected on a metal plate 14, and the plurality of cooling fins 12 are arranged substantially parallel to each other with a predetermined interval. Further, a plurality of rod-shaped members 16 are attached to the lower surface of the plate-shaped metal plate 14.

The cold air generated by the cooling system 150 of the refrigerator 100 flows in the cooling duct 40 and flows between the cooling fins 12 of the cooling units 10 arranged in the cooling duct 40 to cool the cooling unit 10. The metal plate 14 is cooled from the cooling fins 12 by heat conduction, and the rod-shaped member 16 attached to the metal plate 14 is further cooled to a temperature below the freezing point. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the temperature of the rod-shaped member 16 cooled by the cooling fins 12 is −10 ° C. or higher and -1 ° C. or lower in a state of being immersed in the liquid in the liquid liquid container 60. As a result, the liquid around the rod-shaped member 16 freezes, and transparent ice can be generated around the rod-shaped member 16.

The cooling fins 12, the metal plate 14, and the rod-shaped member 16 constituting the cooling unit 10 are all made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum and copper. The cooling fin 12 is a thin plate-shaped member having a substantially rectangular planar shape. The metal plate 14 is a plate-shaped member having a substantially rectangular planar shape. Each cooling fin 12 stands substantially perpendicular to the metal plate 14 and is arranged substantially parallel to each other. The cooling fins 12 can be attached to the metal plate 14 by welding or brazing, or the cooling fins 12 and the metal plate 14 can be integrally formed by forging or the like. The plurality of rod-shaped members 16 are attached to the lower surface of the metal plate 14 so as to extend downward from the base end portion to the tip end portion.
Since the rod-shaped member 16 is mounted on the metal plate 14 having the cooling fins 12, the cooling efficiency to the rod-shaped member 16 can be increased without variation, and stable cooling becomes possible.

FIG. 4 shows a case where six rod-shaped members 16 are attached to a metal plate 14 side by side in a row. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rod-shaped members 16 can be arranged in a plurality of rows. The rod-shaped member 16 has a circular cross-sectional shape, and an outer diameter of about 5 to 20 mm and a length of about 30 to 80 mm can be exemplified. The planar shape of the metal plate 14 is determined by the size of the rod-shaped member 16 and the number of rod-shaped members 16 to be attached. As the plane dimension of the metal plate 14, the vertical and horizontal dimensions can be exemplified by about 40 to 400 mm. The thickness of the metal plate 14 can be exemplified by about 2 to 10 mm.

The metal plate 14 according to the present embodiment is provided with a male screw on the base end side of the rod-shaped member 16 so as to be screwed with a female screw formed in a hole provided in the metal plate 14. With such a structure, the rod-shaped member 16 can be easily replaced and attached. The rod-shaped member 16 according to the present embodiment has a circular cross-sectional shape, but is not limited to this, and may be replaced with a rod-shaped member having an arbitrary cross-sectional shape such as a polygon, a star shape, and a heart shape. can.

A plurality of rod-shaped members 16 can be combined to form one ice cube. Only small ice can be produced with one rod-shaped member 16, but for example, by making the rod-shaped members 16 into triplets, large ice can be generated, and by setting the shape like edamame or by solidifying the three, the trefoil can be formed. It can also produce ice like clover.
Further, not only when the rod-shaped member 16 is attached to the metal plate 14 with screws, but also the rod-shaped member 16 can be joined to the metal plate 14 by welding or brazing. Considering the cooling effect of the rod-shaped member 16, a solid rod-shaped member 16 is preferable, but a hollow rod-shaped member 16 can also be adopted in consideration of workability and the like.

Further, it is preferable that the cooling fin 12, the metal plate 14, and the rod-shaped member 16 are integrally provided with rust prevention. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rust from dripping into the liquid by any chance that the metal such as the aluminum material rusts.

[Heater for deicing]
In the present embodiment, the deicing heater 20 is attached to the root of the rod-shaped member 16 connected to the metal plate 14. As the deicing heater 20, a silicon or vinyl chloride cord heater is used in the present embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a PTC heater, a ceramic heater, a Pelche element, or the like can be used.
The rod-shaped member 16 can be directly heated by the deicing heater 20. Therefore, after ice is generated around the rod-shaped member 16, the rod-shaped member 16 can be quickly heated to separate the generated ice from the rod-shaped member 16.

[Insulation material]
Further, in the present embodiment, the lower surface of the metal plate 14 and the deicing heater 20 are covered with the heat insulating material 30 at the root portion of the rod-shaped member 16. As the heat insulating material 30, any heat insulating material such as a foaming material can be adopted. The heat insulating material 30 can effectively prevent the liquid container 60 from being cooled by the cooled metal plate 14 and freezing the liquid other than the periphery of the rod-shaped member 16 in the liquid container 60.

Further, although the temperature rises directly under the deicing heater 20, the rise in the ambient temperature is suppressed, and the temperature rise in the ice making machine 2 when the heater is energized can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ice making efficiency from being lowered in the subsequent ice making process.
For example, it is conceivable to surround the deicing heater 20 of the rod-shaped member 16 with a heat insulating material or a case containing the heat insulating material. Such a heat insulating case can be replaced with a foam material such as foamed PE, or a heat insulating material such as urethane foam material or styrofoam can be filled in the resin case and attached.

In particular, the heat insulating material 30 around the deicing heater 20 is formed to have a size larger than the area of the metal plate 14. As a result, the metal plate 14 is cooled, the liquid in the liquid container 60 stored under the metal plate 14 is prevented from being cooled, and ice can be effectively prevented from being formed in a portion other than the rod-shaped member 16.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the deicing heater 20 is attached to the root of the rod-shaped member 16, the ice generated immediately after the ice is generated around the rod-shaped member 16. Can be detached from the rod-shaped member 16. Further, since the lower surface of the metal plate 14 and the deicing heater 20 are covered with the heat insulating material 30 at the root of the rod-shaped member 16, the liquid container 60 is also cooled by the cooled metal plate 14, and the liquid container 60 is also cooled. It is possible to prevent the liquid other than the surroundings of the rod-shaped member 14 inside from freezing, and when the deicing heater 20 is operated, the temperature inside the ice making machine 2 rises, and the ice making efficiency decreases in the subsequent ice making process. You can prevent it from happening.

<Cooling duct>
The cooling duct 40 is formed of, for example, a resin material. The cooling duct 40 has a bottom surface portion and three side wall portions erected so as to surround the bottom surface portion, and one side surface is open. Further, an inflow port 40A into which cold air flows is opened in one side wall portion. The inflow port 40A has an inflow path that extends outward. The bottom surface of the cooling duct 40 has a slit-shaped opening, through which the rod-shaped member 16 extending downward from the metal plate 14 projects downward from the cooling duct 40. The cooling fins 12 and the metal plate 14 are arranged inside the cooling duct 40 surrounded by the three side wall portions.

The cooling duct 40 is further formed with four round holes in the bottom surface portion, and a pin 46 having a head portion is inserted into these holes from below, and the tip portion of the pin 46 is attached to the refrigerator 100 side. As a result, the entire cooling unit 10 can be mounted inside the refrigerator 100. Since the cooling unit 10 is not connected to the refrigerator 100 side by a pipe or the like, the cooling unit 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the refrigerator 100 by attaching / detaching the pin 46.

Next, the flow of cold air in the cooling duct 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the gas flow is schematically shown by a dotted arrow. The cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 of the cooling system 150 of the refrigerator 100 flows into the cooling duct 40 from the inflow port 40A. A certain distance is provided between one end 12A of the cooling fin 12 and the inner wall 44 of the cooling duct 40, and a flow path 42 through which cold air flows is provided. The cross-sectional area of this flow path 42 is A1 (see the frame of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3). The flow path 42 extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the stretching direction of the cooling fins 12. Further, the other end portion 12B of the cooling fin 12 is arranged on the open side surface of the cooling duct 40. That is, the other end 12B of the cooling fin 12 is open in the refrigerator 100.

The cold air flowing into the cooling duct 40 flows sideways of one end 12A of the cooling fins along the inner wall 44 of the cooling duct 40 in the flow path 42 substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the cooling fins 12. A part of it flows in between each cooling fin 12. The cold air flowing between the cooling fins 12 flows out from the other end 12B of the cooling fins 12 into the refrigerator 100.
In this way, the cooling duct 40 is used to guide the direction of each cooling fin 12 so that the cooling air is uniformly applied to the cooling fins 12, and the cold air is discharged away from the liquid container 60. The extending direction of the flow path 42 may extend not only substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the cooling fins 12 but also diagonally with respect to the extending direction of the cooling fins 12.

Let A1 be the cross-sectional area of the flow path 42 in the direction in which the cooling fins 12 are stretched and the direction of the junction (see the frame of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3), and the total area (total area) of the cross-sectional areas of the flow paths between the cooling fins 12. Let A2 (see the dotted line portion in FIG. 4), and in this embodiment, there is a relationship of A1 ≧ A2.

According to the present embodiment, since the cross-sectional area A1 of the flow path 42 in the direction in which the cooling fins are stretched and the direction in which the cooling fins extend is equal to or larger than the total cross-sectional area A2 of the flow path between the cooling fins, the cold air is formed in the larger flow path 42. After that, cold air can be supplied between the cooling fins 12. As a result, the flow path 42 for supplying cold air to the cooling fins 12 functions like a header, so that the flow rate of the cold air supplied to each cooling fin 12 can be made constant.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the flow path 42 that supplies cold air between the cooling fins 12 in the larger flow path functions like a header, the flow rate of the cold air supplied to each cooling fin 12 is constant. can do. As a result, the cooling efficiency can be improved, and uniform cooling of each rod-shaped member 16 can be expected.

[Guide for gas]
The present embodiment includes a gas guide 48 that guides the gas flowing out from the other end 12B of the cooling fin 12 away from the liquid container 60. When the gas that has passed through the cooling fins 12 is discharged into the ice making machine 2 in which the liquid container 60 is arranged, the periphery of the liquid container 60 becomes too cold and the liquid in the liquid container freezes except around the rod-shaped member 16. There is a risk of Therefore, the gas guide 48 guides the gas that has passed through the cooling fins 12 away from the liquid container 60 and discharges the gas to the outside of the ice maker 2, so that the liquid in the liquid container 60 is discharged from other than the periphery of the rod-shaped member 16. It can be prevented from freezing.

<Liquid container>
The liquid container 60 is formed of, for example, an elastic resin material. The liquid container 60 has a liquid storage area R surrounded by a bottom surface portion and a side wall portion erected from the bottom surface portion. The upper part of the liquid storage area R is open. The rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 is inserted into the liquid storage region R through this opening, and a predetermined region from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member 16 is arranged in the liquid storage region R.
In the present embodiment, the six rod-shaped members 16 are arranged in a substantially straight line, and the liquid storage region R also extends along the elongated rod-shaped member 16. As shown in FIG. 3, which shows a cross section substantially orthogonal to the extending direction of the liquid storage region R, the bottom surface portion forming the bottom surface and the side wall portion forming the side surface of the liquid storage region R are connected via a smooth curved portion. The upper part is open.

In the ice maker 2 according to the present embodiment, the temperature of the metal rod-shaped member 16 becomes below the freezing point due to the cooling from the cooling unit 10 cooled by the cold air. Since a predetermined region from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member 16 is arranged in the liquid storage region R of the liquid container 60, ice can be generated around the portion of the rod-shaped member 16 immersed in the liquid. .. As a predetermined region, about 8 to 40 mm from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member 16 can be exemplified.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the temperature of the rod-shaped member 16 after water supply is set in the range of −10 ° C. or higher and -1 ° C. or lower. It is known that if ice is made at a low temperature of less than -10 ° C, air and cracks will occur during the growth of ice, and the transparency will decrease. On the contrary, in order to generate transparent ice, when ice is produced slowly at a relatively high temperature close to 0 ° C. while being heated by a heater or the like, the ice generation time becomes very long.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by adjusting the temperature of the rod-shaped member 16 after water supply, the ice is generated first from the pure ice by direct cooling by the metal (rod-shaped member 16), and impurities are pushed out from the inside to the outside. However, ice can be generated, and transparent ice containing no impurities can be produced in a short time.
This makes it possible to provide an ice maker 2 capable of efficiently producing transparent ice.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the region on the lateral side of the liquid storage region R, a shaft portion 62 extending along the extending direction of the liquid storage region R is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, one end of the shaft portion 62 of the liquid container 60 is connected to a drive shaft of a moving mechanism 80 described later. On the other hand, the other end of the shaft portion 62 of the liquid container 60 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 82 provided in the frame portion 84 of the ice maker 2. With such a configuration, the liquid container 60 can rotate with the point C at the center of the shaft portion 62 as the center of rotation. That is, the driving force of the moving mechanism 80 can rotate the liquid container 60 around the point C located in the end region of the liquid container 60 as the center of rotation.

[Anti-freezing heater]
As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the antifreeze heater 22 is attached to the liquid container 60. As the anti-freezing heater 22, a silicon or vinyl chloride cord heater is used as in the above-mentioned deicing heater 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a PTC heater, a ceramic heater, a Pelche element, or the like can be used.
As described above, the heat insulating material 30 prevents the liquid container 60 from being cooled by the metal plate 14, but by operating the antifreezing heater 22, the liquid in the liquid container 60 is made of the rod-shaped member 16. It is possible to more reliably prevent freezing outside the surrounding area.

<Movement mechanism>
The moving mechanism 80 is configured to rotate and move the liquid container 60. When the drive motor of the moving mechanism 80 is activated and the drive shaft is rotated, the liquid container 60 rotates with the point C as the center of rotation. The moving mechanism 80 can rotate the liquid container 60 clockwise and counterclockwise by, for example, the driving force of the driving motor.

The position of the liquid container 60 as shown in FIG. 3 is referred to as an ice making position. When the liquid container 60 is in the ice making position, the opening of the liquid container 60 faces upward and the liquid can be stored in the liquid storage area R, and the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 passes through this opening. A predetermined area from the tip is arranged in the liquid storage area R.
The moving mechanism 80 can rotate the liquid container 60 from the ice making position around the point C as the center of rotation until the liquid container 60 does not exist under the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 (FIG. 8D, FIG. See 8E). The position of the liquid container 60 is referred to as a refuge position. The rotation angle of the liquid container 60 between the ice making position and the retreat position mainly depends on the positional relationship between the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 and the liquid container 60, and the position of the point C which is the center of rotation, but from 70 degrees. A range of 120 degrees is considered appropriate.

<Liquid supply / removal system>
The ice making machine 2 according to the present embodiment includes a liquid supply / removal system 50 that supplies the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 to the liquid container 60 and returns the liquid in the liquid container 60 to the liquid storage tank 72. As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid supply / removal system 50 mainly includes a liquid storage tank 72 for storing liquid, a liquid supply / removal pump 70 capable of reversing the suction direction and the discharge direction, and a liquid storage tank 72 and supply / discharge. A liquid storage tank side flow path 74 connecting the liquid pump 70 and a liquid container side flow path 56 connecting the liquid supply / removal pump 70 and the liquid container 60 are provided. The liquid container side flow path 56 is composed of a supply / removal pipe 52 inserted into the liquid container 60, and a pipe 54 connecting between the supply / removal pipe 52 and the supply / removal pump 70.

By reversing the water supply / removal pump 70 in the forward and reverse directions, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 can be supplied into the liquid container 60, and the liquid in the liquid container 60 can be returned to the liquid storage tank 72. The liquid storage tank 72 is arranged at a position higher than the liquid container 60 so that the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 can be easily supplied into the liquid container 60.
Since only one liquid supply / removal pipe 52 is inserted into the liquid container 60, space can be saved around the liquid container 60. Further, the liquid supply / removal pipe 52 is arranged outside the cooling duct 40 to prevent the liquid flowing in the liquid supply / removal pipe 52 from freezing.

When the liquid supply / removal pump is driven to the liquid supply side by the control of the control unit 90 described later, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 flows through the flow path 74 on the liquid storage tank side and reaches the liquid supply / removal pump 70. The liquid flows from the liquid supply / removal pump 70 into the flow path 56 on the liquid container side, and flows into the liquid container 60 from the tip opening 52A of the liquid supply / removal pipe 52 which is a part of the flow path 56 on the liquid container side.

When the liquid supply / removal pump 70 is driven to the liquid removal side under the control of the control unit 90, the liquid in the liquid container 60 is sucked from the tip opening 52A of the liquid supply / removal pipe 52 and flows through the flow path 56 on the liquid container side. , Reaching the liquid supply / removal pump 70. The liquid flows from the liquid supply / removal pump 70 through the flow path 74 on the liquid storage tank side and returns to the inside of the liquid storage tank 72.
As described above, the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 72 is supplied by dropping a certain amount of the liquid in the liquid supply / removal pump 70 for a certain period of time, and after ice making, the same liquid supply / removal pump 70 is rotated in the reverse direction. The liquid is returned to the liquid storage tank 72. By making ice while replacing water in this way, it is possible to generate transparent ice from which impurities have been removed.

The liquid container 60 can store a liquid at the ice making position and is open at the top. Therefore, since the tip region of the liquid supply / removal pipe 52 is simply inserted into the liquid container 60 from the upper opening, interference between the members can be easily prevented when the liquid container 60 is rotationally moved. If the liquid supply / removal port is provided at the bottom of the liquid container 60, there is a problem that when the liquid container 60 is rotated and moved, interference with other members increases and the handling of the liquid supply / removal hose becomes complicated. Occurs.

As is clear from FIG. 3, since the tip opening 52A of the liquid supply / removal pipe 52 is arranged at a height H1 from the bottom surface of the liquid container 60, the liquid supply / removal pump 70 is driven to the liquid removal side. However, the liquid will remain in the region from the bottom surface to the height H1. The height H1 can be exemplified by about 1 cm to 2 cm. As a result, even if the liquid stored in the liquid container 60 after forming ice contains impurities, the liquid containing impurities such as scallops of the liquid in the liquid container 60 is prevented from being sucked up. be able to. This makes it possible to keep the transparency of the ice produced unchanged until the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 is replaced.

Further, when the liquid is returned from the liquid container 60 to the liquid storage tank 72, it is preferable to pass the liquid through a filter before flowing into the liquid storage tank 72. The filtering function of the filter suppresses an increase in the concentration of a soluble or insoluble liquid in the liquid storage tank 72, and can realize the production of transparent and high-quality ice.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid stored in the liquid container 60 after the ice is generated is collected in the liquid storage tank 72. Conventionally, in order to remove impurities, it has been necessary to shake the liquid container 60 to allow air to escape, or to discard the liquid in the liquid container 60 in which impurities remain after ice formation. In the present embodiment, when ice is formed around the rod-shaped member 16, the remaining liquid is collected in the original liquid storage tank 72 by the reverse rotation of the supply / removal pump 70, except for the liquid containing impurities at the bottom. , I was able to solve this problem.

[Air holes]
As shown in FIG. 5, since the liquid storage tank 72 is arranged at a position higher than the liquid container 60, the liquid storage tank side flow path 74, the liquid supply / removal pump 70, and the liquid container side flow path 56 are filled with liquid. In this state, even if the liquid supply / removal pump 70 is not operating, a problem occurs in which the liquid flows from the liquid storage tank 72 to the liquid container 60 by the principle of siphon. In order to deal with this, in the present embodiment, an air hole 76 is provided in the upper part of the liquid storage tank side flow path 74. As the inner diameter of the air hole, about 1 mm can be exemplified.

When the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 is supplied to the liquid container 60 and the liquid supply / removal pump 70 is stopped, outside air flows from the air hole 76 into the flow path 74 on the liquid storage tank side to the liquid storage tank side. The liquid in the flow path 74 falls due to gravity and returns to the liquid storage tank. As a result, it is possible to prevent the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 from flowing into the liquid container 60 due to the siphon phenomenon. When the liquid supply / removal pump 70 is reversed and the liquid in the liquid container 60 is returned to the liquid storage tank 72, the liquid is filled in the liquid container side flow path 56 on the suction side of the liquid supply / removal pump 70. Therefore, the liquid supply / removal pump 70 can be reversed and the liquid can be returned to the liquid storage tank 72 without any problem.

Further, the air hole 76 is preferably arranged on the upper side of the liquid storage tank 72. As a result, even if the liquid in the liquid storage tank side flow path 74 leaks out from the air hole 76, it can be recovered in the liquid storage tank 72 (see the dotted line arrow in FIG. 5).

(Control unit)
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the control configuration of the ice maker 2 according to the present embodiment including the control unit 90 will be described.
By controlling the power supply of the deicing heater 20, the control unit 90 can operate (heat) the deicing heater 20 and stop the operation. Similarly, the control unit 90 can operate (heat) the antifreeze heater 22 and stop the operation by controlling the power supply of the antifreeze heater 22.
The control unit 90 can rotate the liquid container 60 to rotate and move it between the ice making position and the shelter position by the drive control of the motor of the moving mechanism 80.
The control unit 90 can supply the liquid from the liquid storage tank 72 to the liquid container 60 by controlling the water supply / removal pump 70 of the liquid supply / removal system 50 and driving it to the liquid supply side. Similarly, the control unit 90 can return the liquid from the liquid container 60 to the liquid storage tank 72 by controlling the supply / removal pump 70 of the supply / removal system 50 and driving it to the liquid removal side.

(Refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention)
Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the refrigerator 100 in which the ice maker 2 according to the present embodiment is arranged in the refrigerator 100 will be described. In FIG. 7, the gas flow is indicated by the dotted arrow, and the refrigerant flow is indicated by the alternate long and short dash arrow.
The refrigerator 100 includes a freezing chamber 102A and a refrigerating chamber 102B. On the back side of the freezing chamber 102A and the refrigerating chamber 102B, inlet-side flow paths 104A and B partitioned by a partition plate 106 are provided. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the case where the ice maker 2 is arranged in the freezer chamber 102A is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ice maker 2 may be arranged in the refrigerating chamber 102B.

An evaporator 140 is arranged in the inlet side flow path 104A on the freezing chamber 102A side, and a fan 170 is arranged above the evaporator 140. A compressor 110 communicating with the evaporator 140 is arranged in an external machine room on the back side of the freezer chamber 102A. The refrigerant (gas) compressed by the compressor 110 is liquefied by the condenser 120, is depressurized while passing through the capillary tube, the boiling point is lowered, and flows into the evaporator 140 via the dryer 130. Then, the refrigerant flows into the evaporator 140. The cycle in which the heat of the gas in the refrigerator is taken away and vaporized, and the vaporized refrigerant is compressed again by the compressor 110 is repeated. As described above, the refrigerator cooling system 150 in which the compressor 110, the condenser 120, the dryer 130 and the evaporator 140 are connected is constructed.

When the compressor 110 and the fan 170 are driven, the gas flows, and the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 flows into the inflow port 40A of the cooling duct 40 of the ice maker 2 through the opening 106A provided in the partition plate 106. The partition plate 106 is also provided with an outlet for allowing the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 to directly flow into the freezing chamber 102A together with the opening 106A.

The cold air that has flowed into the cooling duct 40 passes between the cooling fins 12 and flows out of the ice maker 2. The cold air flowing out of the ice maker 2 circulates in the freezer chamber 102A and returns to the lower side of the evaporator 140 in the inlet side flow path 104A again. By flowing into such a gas, it is possible to cool the stored items such as food stored in the freezer chamber 102A as well as the cooling for ice making in the ice making machine 2.

(Control processing)
FIG. 8A is a side sectional view schematically showing a liquid supply process carried out by the ice maker according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a side sectional view schematically showing the ice making process. 8C is a side sectional view schematically showing a liquid removing process, FIG. 8D is a side sectional view schematically showing a retreat process, and FIG. 8E is a side sectional view schematically showing an ice removal process. Is. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of control of the ice making process of the present invention.
Next, the control process for the ice making process by the control unit 90 shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8E.

(Ice making process)
<Liquid supply process (see Fig. 8A)>,
The control unit 90 drives the drive motor of the supply / removal pump 70 of the supply / removal system 50 in the liquid supply direction (step S2). As a result, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 72 is supplied into the liquid container 60. Then, the control unit 90 determines whether or not the liquid level of the liquid container 60 has reached the height H2 by the signal from the liquid level sensor or the timing of the timer (step S4). The control unit 90 continues the operation of the liquid supply / removal pump 70 until the liquid level reaches the height H2, and when it is determined that the liquid level has reached the height H2 (YES), the liquid supply / removal pump The drive motor of 70 is stopped (step S6). By this liquid supply step, a predetermined region L is immersed in the liquid in the liquid container 60 from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10.

<Refer to Figure 8B of the ice making process)>
After the above liquid supply step, the control unit 90 determines whether or not the time T corresponding to the ice formation time has elapsed by the timekeeping of the timer (step S8). The cooling unit 10 is cooled by the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 140 of the refrigerator 100, and the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 has a temperature of −10 ° C. or higher and -1 ° C. or lower. As a result, transparent ice can be generated in a short time around the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10.
Then, when the control unit 90 determines that the time T has elapsed (YES) by the timekeeping by the timer, the ice making process is terminated. As shown in FIG. 8B, ice G can be generated from the tip of the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 so as to cover the periphery of the predetermined region L. With an appropriate cooling temperature, highly transparent ice with less cloudiness can be produced in a short time.

<Liquid removal process (see Fig. 8C)>
After the ice making step, the control unit 90 drives the drive motor of the liquid supply / removal pump 70 of the liquid supply / removal system 50 in the liquid removal direction (step S10). As a result, the liquid in the liquid container 60 is returned to the liquid storage tank 72. Then, the control unit 90 determines whether or not the liquid level of the liquid container 60 has reached the height H1 + α by the signal from the liquid level sensor or the timing of the timer (step S12). The control unit 90 continues the operation of the liquid supply / removal pump 70 until the liquid level reaches the height H1 + α, and when it is determined that the liquid level has reached the height H1 + α (YES), the liquid supply / removal pump The drive motor of 70 is stopped (step S14). The height H1 + α α is used to protect the supply / removal pump 70 because the supply / removal pump 70 may suck in outside air and be damaged when the liquid level drops to the position of the lower end of the supply / removal pipe 52. It is a margin of money.
As described above, the liquid remains in the region from the bottom surface to the height H1 + α, but since the position of the height H1 + α is sufficiently lower than the position of the lower end of the rod-shaped member 16, it is generated around the rod-shaped member 16. A state in which no liquid exists around the ice can be formed.

<Rescue process (see Fig. 8D)>
After the above liquid removing step, the control unit 90 drives the drive motor of the moving mechanism 80 to move the liquid container 60 from the ice making position to the retreat position where the liquid container 60 does not exist under the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10. Rotate and move to (step S16). For example, the liquid container 60 is rotated in the range of 70 to 120 degrees from the ice making position to the shelter position. Due to such a moving rotation angle, even if the ice G generated from the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 is dropped in the ice removal step described later, there is no possibility of interfering with the liquid container 60.

In the case shown in FIG. 8D, the liquid remaining in the liquid container 60 can be discharged by the drain means 64. As a result, the liquid containing impurities can be discharged without returning to the liquid storage tank 72. However, it is also conceivable to reuse the discharged liquid as the liquid to be supplied into the liquid container 60 by allowing it to pass through a filter or the like.

<Ice removal process (see Fig. 8E)>
After the evasion step, the control of the control unit 90 supplies electric power to the deicing heater 20 arranged at the base of the rod-shaped member 16 of the cooling unit 10 to heat it (step S18). As a result, the temperature of the rod-shaped member 16 rises, the region of the ice G generated around the rod-shaped member 16 in contact with the rod-shaped member 16 melts, and the ice G falls from the rod-shaped member 16. The fallen ice G is stored in the ice storage container 66 arranged below.

By the timing of the timer, the control unit 90 continues to supply electric power to the deicing heater 20 until a predetermined time sufficient for the ice G to fall from the rod-shaped member 16 has elapsed (step S20). Then, when the control unit 90 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (YES), the control unit 90 stops the power supply to the deicing heater 20 (S22).
Then, the control unit 90 drives the drive motor of the moving mechanism 80 in the opposite direction to rotate and move the liquid container 60 from the shelter position to the ice making position (step S24). This completes a series of ice making processes.

By the ice making process as described above, transparent ice can be produced in about 30 minutes. Since the size of ice is proportional to time, for example, the standard ice making time can be 30 minutes, and if a small quantity is desired, the ice making time can be 15 minutes. Further, if a large amount of ice is required even if it takes a long time, the ice making time can be set to 45 minutes. By taking more time, it is possible to create transparent ice that is formed into a single plate by connecting all the ice generated around the rod-shaped member 16.

(Test results)
By actually making a prototype ice machine 2 and performing the above ice making process, it was possible to produce ice as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b). It was demonstrated that clear ice can be produced in a total time of 30 minutes.

Although the embodiments and embodiments of the present invention have been described, the disclosed contents may be changed in the details of the configuration, and the present invention is requested to change the combinations and orders of the elements in the embodiments and embodiments. It can be realized without deviating from the scope and idea of.

2 Ice machine 10 Cooling part 12 Cooling fin 12A One end 12B Another end 14 Metal plate 16 Rod-shaped member 20 Deicing heater 22 Anti-freezing heater 30 Insulation part 40 Cooling duct 40A Inflow port 42 Flow path 44 Inner wall 46 Pin 48 Guide for gas 50 Liquid supply / removal system 52 Liquid supply / removal pipe 52A Tip opening 54 Piping 56 Liquid container side flow path 60 Liquid container 62 Shaft part 64 Drain means 66 Ice storage container 70 Ice storage container 70 Liquid supply / removal pump 72 Liquid storage tank 74 Liquid storage Tank side flow path 76 Air hole 80 Movement mechanism 82 Bearing part 84 Frame part 90 Control part 100 Refrigerator 102A Freezing room 102B Refrigerating room 104A, B Entering side flow path 106 Partition plate 106A Opening 110 Compressor 120 Condenser 130 Dryer 140 Evaporation Instrument 150 Cooling system 170 Fan

Claims (6)

It is an ice machine that is placed inside the refrigerator.
A cooling duct through which gas passes through the evaporator of the refrigerator and
A cooling unit having a metal plate, a plurality of metal cooling fins extending upward from the upper surface of the metal plate, and a metal rod-shaped member extending downward from the lower surface of the metal plate.
A liquid container that can store liquids and
Equipped with
The gas flowing in the cooling duct flows between the cooling fins,
The temperature of the rod-shaped member cooled by the cooling fins becomes −10 ° C. or higher and -1 ° C. or lower in a state where a predetermined region from the tip end portion of the rod-shaped member is immersed in the liquid contained in the liquid container. A featured ice machine.
The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein a heater for deicing is attached to a root portion of the rod-shaped member connected to the metal plate.
The ice maker according to claim 2, wherein the lower surface of the metal plate and the deicing heater are covered with a heat insulating material at the root of the rod-shaped member.
A part of the gas flowing into the cooling duct flows along the side of one end of the cooling duct along the inner wall of the cooling duct in a direction tolerant to the extending direction of the cooling fin. Inflow between the cooling fins and out of the other end of the cooling fins.
Let A1 be the cross-sectional area of the flow path in the direction of tolerance with the stretching direction of the cooling fins.
Assuming that the total cross-sectional area of the flow path between the cooling fins is A2,
A1 ≧ A2
The ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ice machine has the above-mentioned relationship.
The ice maker according to claim 4, further comprising a gas guide that guides the gas flowing out from the other end of the cooling fin away from the liquid container.
A liquid storage tank arranged at a position higher than the liquid container, a liquid supply / drainage pump, a flow path on the liquid storage tank side connecting the liquid storage tank and the liquid supply / removal pump, the liquid supply / removal pump, and the liquid. Equipped with a liquid container side flow path that connects the containers,
The liquid supply / removal pump supplies the liquid in the liquid storage tank to the liquid container, and returns the liquid in the liquid container to the liquid storage tank.
The ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an air hole is provided in the upper part of the liquid storage tank side flow path.

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