JP2022122474A - Ice making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a practical ice making machine which can effectively sterilize water.SOLUTION: An ice making machine 10 comprises an ice making part 11 for creating ice by freezing water which is supplied from a tank 13, a pump 15 for supplying the water to the ice making part 11, a sterilizer 90 for sterilizing the water, and a control part 6. The ice making part 11 comprises an ice making plate 12 for creating ice by freezing water which flows down, and the control part 6 comprises an ice making control part 64 for controlling at least the pump 15 so as to repeat a creation operation for making water circulate by driving the pump 15, and creating ice on the ice making plate 12, and an ice removal operation for removing the created ice from the ice making plate 12, and a sterilization control part 65 for turning on the sterilizer 90 during the adhesion of ice to the ice making plate 12 at the creation operation, and turning off the sterilizer 90 after the adhesion of ice to the ice making plate 12 in the creation operation, and during the ice removal operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an ice maker.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an ice maker, one described in Patent Document 1 is known. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, an ice-making machine (ice-making machine) includes a reservoir that holds water, a transport conduit that transports water from the reservoir, and an evaporator plate that receives water from the transport conduit and forms ice. and a treatment device for sterilizing water flowing through the transport conduit. Water flowing from the evaporator plate accumulates in the reservoir as recirculating water.

Special table 2002-541420

However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, if ice starts to form on the evaporator plate before the water supplied and circulated in the ice making machine is sufficiently sterilized, ice containing bacteria, viruses, etc. is produced. There is a risk that it will be done. Therefore, it is conceivable to keep the sterilization device (treatment device) in constant operation so that the water in the ice-making machine is completely sterilized, but in that case, the life of the sterilization device may be shortened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a practical ice making machine capable of effectively sterilizing water.

The present invention is an ice making machine comprising a tank capable of storing water therein, an ice making section for freezing the water supplied from the tank to produce ice, a pump for supplying water to the ice making section, A sterilization device that sterilizes at least water; The sterilization device is provided at a position where the circulating water can be sterilized, and the control unit drives the pump to circulate the water to the ice making plate. an ice making control unit for controlling at least the pump to repeat a production operation for producing ice and a deicing operation for removing the produced ice from the ice making plate; and ice adhering to the ice making plate during the production operation. a sterilization control unit that turns on the sterilization device until ice is generated, and turns off the sterilization device after ice adheres to the ice making plate in the generation operation and during the deicing operation. have

According to such an ice-making machine, water is circulated between the tank and the ice-making unit in the production operation, and by turning on the sterilization device until the ice adheres to the ice-making plate, water is supplied to the tank and circulated. can be adequately sterilized. In addition, by turning off the sterilizer after ice adheres to the ice making plate in the production operation and during the deicing operation, the operation of the sterilizer can be minimized and the life of the sterilizer can be extended.

Further, the ice making machine is provided with a water level detection section for detecting the water level of the water stored inside the tank, and the sterilization control section detects that the water level detected by the water level detection section in the generation operation is a predetermined water level. If the water level detected by the water level detection unit in the generating operation is lower than or equal to a predetermined water level, the ice making plate It may be determined that it is after ice has adhered to.

According to such an ice making machine, it becomes easy to determine whether ice is before or after ice adheres to the ice making plate in the production operation. In addition, even if the time it takes for ice to form varies for each cycle in which the ice forming operation and the deicing operation are repeated due to the influence of the outside temperature, etc. It can be sterilized according to the situation.

Further, in the above configuration, the sterilization device may be an ultraviolet irradiation device for irradiating ultraviolet rays, and may be provided at a position capable of irradiating the water stored inside the tank with ultraviolet rays. According to such an ice maker, a relatively large amount of water supplied to and circulating in the tank can be sterilized inside the tank, which is effective.

Further, in the above configuration, the sterilization device is an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet rays, is provided at a position capable of irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the ice making plate, and the ice making unit faces the ice making plate. A reflecting portion may be provided at a position to reflect ultraviolet rays. According to such an ice making machine, the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation device toward the ice making plate and reflected by the ice making plate can be reflected again to the ice making plate side by the reflecting portion provided at a position facing the ice making plate. can. As a result, it is possible to efficiently irradiate the ultraviolet rays over a wide area of the ice making plate, and to more effectively sterilize the water flowing down the ice making plate and the ice produced by the ice making plate.

Further, in the above configuration, the sterilization device may be provided at a position contacting the pump. According to such an ice maker, the heat generated by the pump can be conducted to the sterilizer, and the occurrence of dew condensation in the sterilizer can be suppressed.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the practical ice-making machine which can disinfect water effectively.

Schematic diagram of an ice-making machine according to Embodiment 1 Cross section of ice machine Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the ice maker Flowchart showing flow of generating operation and deicing operation Timing chart showing the irradiation timing etc. of the ultraviolet irradiation device Cross-sectional view of an ice-making machine according to Embodiment 2 Schematic diagram of an ice-making machine according to Embodiment 3

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. In this embodiment, a flow-down type ice making machine 10 is exemplified as the ice making machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the ice making machine 10 includes an ice making section 11 that produces ice I by freezing water, and a cooling device for cooling the ice making section 11 (more specifically, each ice making plate 12 provided in the ice making section 11). a cooling device 40, a tank 13 for internally storing water supplied to the ice making unit 11, an ice storage 14 for internally storing the ice produced by the ice making unit 11, and the water stored in the tank 13 and a pump 15 for supplying water to the ice making unit 11 . The ice making machine 10 also includes a first water pipe 18 that connects the ice making section 11 and the pump 15, and a drain pipe 20 drawn from the middle of the first water pipe 18 for draining the water in the tank 13 to the outside. , a drain valve 21 that opens and closes the drain pipe 20, a water supply pipe 29 that is connected to the water pipe 31, a water supply valve 30 that opens and closes the water supply pipe 29, and a second passage that connects the drain pipe 20 and the water supply pipe 29. A water pipe 32 and a water flow valve 34 for opening and closing the second water pipe 32 are provided.

The cooling device 40 includes a compressor 41, a condenser 42, an expansion valve (capillary tube) 43, and an evaporator pipe 44, which are connected by a refrigerant pipe 45 to form a known vapor compression refrigeration circuit ( refrigeration cycle). The cooling device 40 also includes a condenser fan 46 for air-cooling the condenser 42 and a dryer 47 for removing moisture mixed in the refrigeration circuit. The evaporator pipe 44 is brazed in a meandering manner between the two ice making plates 12 , and cools the ice making plates 12 by evaporating the liquid refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 43 . An ice making section temperature sensor (such as a thermistor) 16 for detecting the temperature of the ice making plate 12 is provided near the outlet of the evaporating tube 44 in the refrigerant pipe 45 .

The cooling device 40 includes a bypass pipe 49 for supplying refrigerant gas (hot gas) compressed by the compressor 41 to the evaporating pipe 44, and a hot gas valve 50, which is an electromagnetic valve provided in the bypass pipe 49. Prepare. By opening the hot gas valve 50 , the refrigerant gas (hot gas) is supplied from the compressor 41 to the evaporating pipe 44 to heat the evaporating pipe 44 .

The ice-making unit 11 includes an ice-making plate 12, a first watering pipe 24 and a watering guide 25 for spraying ice-making water on the ice-making plate 12, a second watering pipe 23 capable of watering ice-melting water, Prepare. A plurality of ice making plates 12 (for example, two in the present embodiment) are provided in such a posture that the plate surface hangs down. The two ice-making plates 12 are arranged to face each other, and the non-opposing outer surface is an ice-making surface 12A. The ice making surface 12A is partitioned by a vertically extending partition (not shown). The water supplied from the tank 13 to the ice making unit 11 by driving the pump 15 is uniformly sprinkled on the ice making surfaces 12A by the first watering pipes 24 and the watering guides 25 provided on the ice making plate 12, It flows down the ice making surface 12A. As shown in FIG. 2, a plate-shaped cover 37 is provided outside the two ice making plates 12 so as to face the ice making surface 12A. The covers 37 are arranged one by one on the front side and the rear side of the two ice making plates 12, and the lower part thereof is bent so as to approach the cube guide 28.例文帳に追加

As shown in FIG. 1 , the second sprinkler pipe 23 is provided above the two ice making plates 12 and is connected to the water pipe 31 via the water supply pipe 29 and the water supply valve 30 . By opening the water supply valve 30, water is sprayed from the second water spray pipe 23, and the sprayed water flows down the back surface of the ice making plate 12 (the facing inner surface, the surface opposite to the ice making surface 12A). , flows down into the tank 13 . The second water spray pipe 23 has a function of warming the ice making plate 12 with tap water and a water supply function of supplying tap water to the tank 13 .

The tank 13 is arranged below the ice making plate 12, and of the water that has flowed down the ice making plate 12, the water that has not frozen flows down to the tank 13 and is stored. Thus, by driving the pump 15, water can be circulated between the tank 13 and the ice making section 11. As shown in FIG. The tank 13 and the ice making unit 11 are included on two water flow paths (first water flow path, second water flow path), and the pump 15 can circulate water in each water flow path. The first water flow route is a route from the tank 13 through the pump 15, the first water pipe 18, the first water spray pipe 24, and the ice making surface 12A of the ice making plate 12 in order, and returns to the tank 13. 13 , the pump 15 , the first water pipe 18 , the drain pipe 20 , the second water pipe 32 , the water supply pipe 29 , the second water pipe 23 , and the back surface of the ice making plate 12 in this order, and return to the tank 13 . The first water flow path and the second water flow path can be switched by opening and closing the water flow valve 34 .

The tank 13 includes a box-shaped tank main body 26 having an upper opening, and a lid 27 partially covering the upper opening of the tank main body 26 . A portion of the tank main body 26 not covered with the lid 27 is arranged at a position where the water from the ice making plate 12 drops, and a cube guide 28 is interposed between this portion and the ice making plate 12. is doing. The cube guide 28 is a slatted member having a plurality of passage holes formed therein. On the other hand, the ice dropped from the ice making plate 12 slides down on the cube guide 28 and is thrown into the ice storage 14. - 特許庁

The pump 15 has a motor with a variable rotation speed as a power source, and circulates water by driving the motor, and can change the amount of water circulation according to the rotation speed of the motor. A float switch (water level detector) 17 for detecting the water level of the water stored inside the tank body 26 is fixed to the lid 27 . The float switch 17 has a float (a float 17A), and when the float 17A is displaced vertically according to the water level of the tank main body 26 due to buoyancy, the reed switch included in the main body of the float switch 17 is turned on by the displacement. , to turn off. The float switch 17 can detect two predetermined water levels (lower reference water level L1, upper reference water level L2) by means of two reed switches.

The tank main body 26 is configured to be able to drain water exceeding the overflow water level L3 to the outside of the tank 13 when the water in the tank main body 26 exceeds a predetermined overflow water level L3. The tank main body 26 is provided with a vertical wall 36 provided as an overflow barrier that defines an overflow water level L3. , water is discharged to the outside of the ice maker 10 . The upper reference water level (predetermined water level in the present invention) L2 that can be detected by the float switch 17 is set to a value smaller than the overflow water level L3, and has a relationship of L3>L2>L1.

Further, the lid body 27 is provided with an ultraviolet irradiation device 90 as a sterilization device for sterilizing water and ice. The ultraviolet irradiation device 90 is provided on the upper surface of the lid body 27 at a position where it abuts against the pump 15 at the central portion thereof, and is fastened to the lid body 27 together with the pump 15 . The ultraviolet irradiation device 90 includes an LED (not shown) as a light source that is provided therein and generates ultraviolet rays, and an ultraviolet irradiation surface 90A that emits (irradiates) the generated ultraviolet rays downward. The water stored in the body part 26 and circulating between the ice making part 11 can be sterilized by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays. Although the wavelength of the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 is not particularly limited, for example, a wavelength near 253.7 nm, which has a remarkable bactericidal action, may be irradiated at a relatively high intensity. Further, the irradiation range of the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 may be a relatively wide range that can irradiate the bottom surface and side surfaces of the tank main body 26, for example.

The ice storage 14 is provided below the tank 13, and the ice that has slid down on the cube guide 28 falls and is stored in the ice storage. The ice that has fallen into the ice storage 14 is stored so as to pile up from the bottom 14A of the ice storage 14.例文帳に追加An ice storage sensor 33 for detecting the amount of ice stored in the ice storage 14 is provided at the top of the ice storage 14 . The ice storage sensor 33 is an ice storage switch equipped with a flap plate 33A. detected.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ice making machine 10 viewed from the side, with the front side of the ice making machine 10 on the left side of the paper (door 2 side) and the rear side of the ice making machine 10 on the right side of the paper. The ice making machine 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a downward-opening door 2 for opening and closing an ice storage 14 to take out ice is provided on the upper front side. An inner surface 2A1 of the door 2 (surface on the ice storage 14 side) is provided with a scoop holder 3 for inserting and accommodating a scoop (not shown) used when taking out ice. A machine room 8 in which a compressor 41, a condenser 42, and the like are arranged is provided below the ice maker 10. As shown in FIG. A piping chamber 9 in which piping such as a refrigerant pipe 45 is provided is provided on the upper rear side of the ice maker 10 .

The ice making machine 10 also includes an operation panel 5 provided below the door 2 . By operating the operation panel 5, the user can instruct the start of the generation operation, etc., which will be described later. The operation panel 5 displays the current operating state (generating operation or deicing operation) and various messages. Behind the operation panel 5, a control section (control board) 6 electrically connected to each section of the ice making machine 10 is arranged in a form housed in an electric equipment box 7 (control box).

The figure shows the electrical configuration of the ice maker 10 . The control unit 6 is electrically connected to the float switch 17 , the ice making unit temperature sensor 16 , the ice storage sensor 33 and the operation panel 5 . The controller 6 is also electrically connected to the compressor 41 , the dryer 47 , the hot gas valve 50 , the pump 15 , the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 , the water supply valve 30 , the water discharge valve 21 and the water flow valve 34 . The control unit 6 includes a storage unit 62 that stores a control program and each set value related to the operation of the ice making machine 10, a timer unit 63 that counts the passage of time, etc., and repeats generation operation, deicing operation, etc., which will be described later. and an ice-making control unit 64 for controlling the compressor 41, the pump 15, etc., and a sterilization control unit 65 for controlling ON/OFF of the ultraviolet irradiation by the ultraviolet irradiation device 90. As shown in FIG.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 and the like, a manner in which the control section 6 controls each section will be described. In FIG. 5, the ice production rate is a value indicating the size of the ice produced on the ice making plate 12 in percentage. When the ice production rate is 0%, no ice is produced on the ice making plate 12 . On the other hand, when the ice production rate is 100%, ice of a predetermined size is produced on the ice making plate 12, and when the float switch 17 (to be described later) detects the lower reference water level L1 (S7 in FIG. 4). YES).

As shown in FIG. 4, when a production operation (sometimes called an ice-making operation) is instructed on the operation panel 5 and the ice storage sensor 33 does not detect that the ice storage 14 is full, the production operation starts (S1 ). When the generation operation is started, the sterilization control unit 65 turns on the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 to irradiate the water stored in the tank body 26 with ultraviolet rays (S2).

Further, the ice making control unit 64 opens the water supply valve 30 to supply water to the tank 13 and operates the cooling device 40 to cool the ice making plate 12 (S3). Regarding water supply, the ice-making control unit 64 supplies water for a predetermined time after the float switch 17 detects the upper reference water level L2 until the water in the tank 13 overflows the vertical wall 36 (until the overflow water level L3 is exceeded). Water is supplied to the tank 13 . After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the ice-making control unit 64 closes the water supply valve 30 to stop supplying water to the tank 13 . Then, the ice-making control unit 64 drives the pump 15 to circulate the water, causing the water to flow down from the tank 13 to the ice-making surface 12A of the ice-making plate 12 (S4).

If the water level in the tank 13 detected by the float switch 17 is higher than the upper reference water level L2 (NO in S5), the sterilization control unit 65 determines that the time is until ice adheres to the ice making plate 12, and continues. The ultraviolet irradiation device 90 is maintained in the ON state. When the temperature of the ice making plate 12 is sufficiently lowered, ice nuclei (seed ice) start to adhere to the ice making surface 12A centering on the portion of the ice making surface 12A that is in contact with the evaporator tube 44 on the back surface, and the seed ice expands and grows. Ice I of a predetermined size is generated at . As the ice I is produced, the water level of the water stored in the tank 13 is lowered. When the water level of the tank 13 detected by the float switch 17 is lower than the upper reference water level L2 (the water level of the tank 13 is lower than the upper reference water level L2) (YES in S5), It is determined that it is after the ice I has adhered to the ice making plate 12, and the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 is turned off (S6).

When the ice production rate increases (see FIG. 5) and the water level in the tank 13 further decreases, the float switch 17 detects the lower reference water level L1 (YES in S7). stops the generation operation (S8) and starts the deicing operation (S9).

In the deicing operation, the sterilization control unit 65 keeps the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 off. The ice making control unit 64 opens the hot gas valve 50 and the water supply valve 30 (S 10 ) to flow water from the second water spray pipe 23 to the back surface of the ice making plate 12 . As a result, the ice making plate 12 is warmed, and the portion of the ice I in contact with the ice making surface 12A melts.

When it is detected that the temperature of the ice making plate detected by the ice making unit temperature sensor 16 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 9° C.) (YES in S11), the ice making control unit 64 controls all the ice making surfaces on the ice making surface 12A. Determine that the ice has been deiced. After that, the ice making control unit 64 closes the hot gas valve 50 (S12) and stops the deicing operation (S13). The ice-making control unit 64 may perform a washing operation for washing the inside of the tank 13 and the like with a washing device (not shown) after the deicing operation.

In this way, after executing a series of operations, the ice making control unit 64 returns to S1 and starts the ice producing operation, thereby repeating the ice producing operation and the ice removing operation. The control unit 6 restarts the generating operation, counts the number of cycles of the series of operations (generating operation and deicing operation) executed, and stores the accumulated number of cycles in the storage unit 62. remember as

As shown in FIG. 5, the sterilization control unit 65 may perform correction control to advance the timing of turning off the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 by T hours after the second cycle of the series of operations. Such correction control is performed, for example, by the sterilization control unit 65 in the first cycle of a series of operations, the time from ON to OFF of the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 measured by the timer 63 (initial irradiation duration time ) is stored in the storage unit 62, and the ultraviolet irradiation device 90 is turned off at a timing that is T hours earlier than the initial duration in the second and subsequent cycles of the series of operations.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the ice making machine 10 includes a tank 13 capable of storing water therein, an ice making section 11 that freezes the water supplied from the tank 13 to produce ice, and water is supplied to the ice making section 11. a sterilizer 90 for sterilizing at least water; The pump 15 is driven to circulate water through the tank 13 and the ice-making unit 11. The sterilizer 90 is provided at a position where the circulating water can be sterilized, and the controller 6 drives the pump 15. An ice-making control unit 64 for controlling at least the pump 15 to repeat a production operation for circulating water to produce ice on the ice-making plate 12 and a de-icing operation for de-icing the produced ice from the ice-making plate 12; The sterilization control unit 65 turns on the sterilization device 90 until ice adheres to the ice making plate 12, and turns off the sterilization device 90 after ice adheres to the ice making plate 12 in the generating operation and during the deicing operation. and an ice maker 10 is shown.

According to the ice making machine 10 as described above, water circulates between the tank 13 and the ice making section 11 in the production operation, and by turning on the sterilization device 90 until the ice adheres to the ice making plate 12, the tank 13 can sufficiently sterilize the water supplied to and circulating in the In addition, after ice adheres to the ice making plate 12 in the production operation and during the deicing operation, the sterilization device 90 is turned off to minimize the operation of the sterilization device 90 and improve its life. can be done.

The ice making machine 10 is also equipped with a float switch 17 for detecting the water level of the water stored inside the tank 13, and the sterilization control unit 65 controls the water level detected by the float switch 17 in the production operation to be higher than the upper reference water level L2. If the water level detected by the float switch 17 is lower than the upper reference water level L2 during the generation operation, it is determined that the water level detected by the float switch 17 is lower than the upper reference water level L2. is attached.

According to the ice making machine 10 of this kind, it becomes easy to determine whether ice is before or after ice adheres to the ice making plate 12 in the production operation. In addition, even if the time required for ice to form varies for each cycle in which the forming operation and the deicing operation are repeated due to the influence of the outside air temperature, etc., or for each operation date and time, the water supplied to the tank 13 and circulating is changed for each cycle. It can be sterilized according to the situation.

Also, the sterilization device 90 is an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet rays, and is provided at a position that can irradiate the water stored inside the tank 13 with ultraviolet rays. According to the ice making machine 10, a relatively large amount of water supplied and circulating in the tank 13 can be sterilized inside the tank 13, which is effective.

Moreover, in the above configuration, the sterilizer 90 is provided at a position that abuts against the pump 15 . According to the ice making machine 10 configured as above, the heat generated by the pump 15 can be conducted to the sterilization device 90, and the occurrence of dew condensation in the sterilization device 90 can be suppressed.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the above-described embodiment, and overlapping descriptions of structures, controls, actions and effects are omitted.

An ice-making unit 211 of the ice-making machine 210 is provided with a pair of ice-making plates 12 that freeze flowing water to form ice, and is also provided with the cover 37 (see FIG. 2) shown in the first embodiment. do not have. Therefore, inside the ice making machine 210, the ice making surface 12A of the ice making plate 12 is exposed. Of the pair of ice making plates 12, the one provided on the front side (door 2 side) is called a front side ice making plate 12F, and the one provided on the rear side of the front side ice making plate 12F is called a rear side ice making plate 12B.

The ice maker 210 includes an ultraviolet irradiation device 290 embedded in the front wall portion 9F of the piping chamber 9, and a reflecting portion 280 formed so as to cover the portion of the wall portion 9F other than the ultraviolet irradiation device 290. , is provided. The ultraviolet irradiation device 290 is mounted in the central portion of the wall portion 9F at a position where an ultraviolet irradiation surface 290A that emits (irradiates) ultraviolet rays faces the ice making surface 12A side (front side) of the rear ice making plate 12B. The ultraviolet rays can be directed toward the ice making surface 12A of the rear ice making plate 12B. Reflecting portion 280 is provided on the rear side of ice making surface 12A of rear ice making plate 12B at a position facing ice making surface 12A of rear ice making plate 12B. The pair of ice making plates 12 and the reflecting portion 280 are made of metal such as aluminum and the like, and are made of a material that reflects ultraviolet rays.

According to such an ice making machine 210, the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiation device 290 toward the rear ice making plate 12B and reflected by the rear ice making plate 12B are reflected by the reflection provided at the position facing the rear ice making plate 12B. The light can be reflected again to the rear ice making plate 12B side by the portion 280 . As a result, the rear ice making plate 12B can be efficiently irradiated with ultraviolet rays over a wide range, and the water flowing down the rear ice making plate 12B and the ice generated by the rear ice making plate 12B can be more effectively sterilized. .

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the above-described embodiment, and overlapping descriptions of structures, controls, actions and effects are omitted.

The ice maker 310 includes an ultraviolet irradiation device 390 attached to the bottom surface of the tank body 326 in the tank 313 . The ultraviolet irradiation device 390 is arranged on the lower side between the lower portion of the pump 15 and the float 17A of the float switch 17, and the ultraviolet irradiation surface 390A for emitting (irradiating) ultraviolet rays is on the lid 27 side of the tank 313. It is attached to the tank main body 326 so as to face (upper side). The ultraviolet irradiation device 390 is submerged in the water stored in the tank 313, and can irradiate the water with ultraviolet rays from below. In addition, the light source of the ultraviolet irradiation device 390 is not limited to the LED, and a light source capable of generating ultraviolet rays having a wavelength that is reflected on the surface of water, such as an ultraviolet fluorescent lamp, can be adopted.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. can be implemented with various changes.

(1) In the above embodiment, the sterilization device is an ultraviolet irradiation device, but it is not limited to this. For example, the sterilization device may be an ozone generator that generates ozone for sterilization.

(2) In the above embodiment, the pump and the sterilizer are provided side by side, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sterilizer may be placed under the pump and secured to the tank together with the pump.

(3) In the above embodiment, the water level of the water stored in the tank is detected by the float switch, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, such a water level may be detected by measuring the distance to the water surface with a distance sensor provided on the lid of the tank.

(4) In the above embodiment, the condition for the sterilization control unit to determine that it is after ice has adhered to the ice making plate is that the water level stored in the tank has fallen below a predetermined level. do not have. As such a condition, for example, when the temperature of the ice-making plate detected by the ice-making unit temperature sensor falls below a predetermined temperature (for example, 1° C.), the ice-making plate is imaged by a camera, and the obtained image is sent to the control unit. When ice adhesion is confirmed by an analysis unit provided, or when the ice adhesion time is set in advance in the storage unit and the time measured by the timer exceeds the ice adhesion time after the generation operation is started If so, it may be

(5) In the above embodiment, the reflector is provided on the wall on the front side of the piping chamber, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a cover whose lower portion is bent so as to be close to the cube guide, or a front wall portion of the piping room itself may be a reflecting portion using a material that reflects ultraviolet rays, such as aluminum.

6 control section 10 ice making machine 11 ice making section 12 ice making plate 13 tank 15 pump 17 float switch (water level detection section) 43 expansion valve 43 expansion valve (capillary tube ), 64... Ice-making control section, 65... Sterilization control section, 90... Ultraviolet irradiation device (sterilization device), L2... Upper reference water level (predetermined water level), 280... Reflecting section

Claims (5)

an ice machine,
a tank capable of storing water therein;
an ice making unit that freezes the water supplied from the tank to produce ice;
a pump that supplies water to the ice making unit;
a sterilization device for sterilizing at least water;
a control unit;
The ice-making unit comprises an ice-making plate that freezes flowing water to produce ice,
The ice making machine is configured such that water circulates between the tank and the ice making section by driving the pump,
The sterilization device is provided at a position where the circulating water can be sterilized,
The control unit
Ice-making control for controlling at least the pump to repeat a production operation of driving the pump to circulate water to produce ice on the ice-making plate and a de-icing operation of removing the produced ice from the ice-making plate. Department and
The sterilization device is turned on until ice adheres to the ice making plate in the generation operation, and the sterilization device is turned off after ice adheres to the ice making plate in the generation operation and during the deicing operation. and a sterilization control unit that controls the ice making machine. The ice making machine includes a water level detection unit that detects the water level of water stored inside the tank,
When the water level detected by the water level detection unit in the generation operation is higher than a predetermined water level, the sterilization control unit determines that it is before ice adheres to the ice making plate, and 2. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein when the water level detected by the water level detection unit is lower than a predetermined water level, it is determined that ice has adhered to the ice making plate. 3. The sterilization device is an ultraviolet irradiation device for irradiating ultraviolet rays, and is provided at a position capable of irradiating the water stored inside the tank with ultraviolet rays. The ice machine described in . The sterilization device is an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet rays, and is provided at a position that can irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the ice making plate,
3. The ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the ice making section is provided at a position facing the ice making plate and includes a reflecting section for reflecting ultraviolet rays. The ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sterilization device is provided at a position that abuts on the pump.

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