JP2023133046A - ice maker - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ice maker capable of making an ice shaped like Pearl Fuji, which contains a spherical portion with high transparency and inside which a cloudy portion is arranged.SOLUTION: Around a silicon cup 110, which has a shape that is an inverted Pearl Fuji shape by having a full moon part 111, a mountain top part 112a, and a mountain foot part 121b, an elastic insulation material 120 made of foamed plastic and an air layer 170 are arranged, and at an outer periphery of the full moon part 111 and an opening of the mountain foot part 121b, a first anti-expansion cover 130 and a second anti-expansion cover 140, each made of a hard material, are arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an ice maker that can produce ice shaped like Pearl Fuji, which includes a highly transparent spherical part and has a cloudy part inside.

Conventionally, when making ice, water that does not contain air or impurities freezes first and becomes transparent, and the water that contains air or impurities freezes later and becomes cloudy. Taking advantage of this property, we control the way cold air travels through insulation and other materials. As a result, ice makers are used that require the aesthetic appearance of transparent ice and spherical ice. Such an ice maker includes, for example, a cup part 2, a lower frame part 31 that is in a fixed position and comes into contact with the inner surface 211 of the side part 21 of the cup part 2 so as to be able to move upward from the said position. A lower ice making section 3 including a bottom wall section 32 extending downward from the lower frame section 31; The upper ice-making section 4 includes an upper frame section 41 that contacts movably upward from the above position, and a ceiling wall section 42 that extends upward from the upper frame section 41; The outer peripheral surface 311 of the lower frame part 31 in the lower ice making part 3 and the part facing the outer peripheral surface 311 of the inner surface 211 of the side part 21 in the cup part 2 both expand upward. An ice maker with a tapered surface has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-3133 Publication

The ice maker of Patent Document 1 is excellent in that it can produce transparent, spherical ice, but it is designed to make spherical ice by combining two hemispherical members, the lower ice making section 3 and the upper ice making section 4. However, when the water freezes, the expansion causes the two members to separate, resulting in the resulting spherical ice having a distorted shape. Furthermore, there was also the problem that water shortage occurred in the spherical portion formed by the combination of the lower ice making section 3 and the upper ice making section 4, resulting in a portion of the finished spherical ice chipping. Further, no ice maker has been proposed in which cloudy ice is placed inside transparent ice, and the position where the cloudy ice is placed can be arbitrarily set.

On the other hand, when the full moon is positioned at the top of Mt. Fuji, it is known as ``Pearl Fuji,'' and its beautiful scenery is widely known.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker capable of solving the above-mentioned disadvantages and producing ice that includes a spherical portion with excellent transparency and no chipping, and that expresses the beautiful shape of Pearl Fuji. It is something to do.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a flexible structure that includes a full moon part in which a spherical cavity is formed inside, and a peak part that is integrally molded above the full moon part and has an opening in a plane. a first anti-expansion cover that covers the outer peripheral surface of the full moon portion, and a liquid surface of the water received inside the mountain portion, and is arranged in the opening such that a gap is created between the cup portion having the same properties as the cup portion; The second expansion prevention cover includes a second expansion prevention cover and an elastic heat insulating member that covers the outer periphery of the peak, and the second expansion prevention cover is formed with an air vent hole for discharging air in the gap to the outside. The ice maker is characterized in that the volume of the void is greater than or equal to the expansion volume when the water freezes, and the thickness of the heat insulating member gradually increases from the full moon side to the opening side.

The inventors of the present invention came up with the present invention as a result of intensive study on expressing the beautiful scenery of Pearl Fuji with ice. That is, the ice maker according to the present invention includes a cup portion having a shape in which the full moon portion and the mountain portion of the Pearl Fuji type are reversed, and a heat insulating member is combined with this cup portion to control the conduction of cold air from a home freezer. As a result, first the water in the full moon freezes and becomes a transparent spherical ice, then the water at the foot of the mountain freezes, and finally the water at the top of the mountain freezes, and the remaining air bubbles and impurities make it cloudy. This makes it possible to create ice with a beautiful exterior that resembles Pearl Fuji, giving the appearance that the mountaintop is covered with snow.

The cup part is made of a flexible material such as silicone, and is designed to allow the ice that freezes at the full moon to form into a clean, flawless sphere. Additionally, a constriction is formed at the boundary between the full moon and the peak of frozen ice, but the flexibility of the cup allows the ice to be taken out without getting caught in the constriction.

Furthermore, by using an elastic heat insulating member, even if the expanded volume of water due to freezing cannot be contained within the gap between the second expansion prevention cover and the liquid level of the water received in the cup part, the Pressure can be released not toward the expansion prevention cover side but toward the heat insulating member (toward the outer circumference of the cup portion). Note that the ridgeline of the ice created in this way is slightly deformed, but this deformation allows the ridgeline shape of the mountain portion to be made into a natural shape.

Further, the first anti-expansion cover and the second anti-expansion cover may be made of a hard and low heat insulating material.

By making the first anti-expansion cover and the second anti-expansion cover hard, it is possible to prevent the spherical portion and the bottom of the mountain portion from losing their shape due to the expansion of the ice, and it is possible to more reliably express the beautiful shape of Pearl Fuji. In addition, by providing low thermal insulation, the base of the mountain can be frozen earlier than the top of the mountain, making it possible to form transparent ice.

Moreover, the internal cross-sectional shape of the mountain top part of the mountain part may be a regular octagon, and gradually change to a perfect circle as it approaches the foot of the mountain.

The device may further include a cylindrical outer box made of a material with low heat insulation and having a fence shape below the height of the lower end of the mountain top.

By providing a cylindrical outer box, not only can it be placed stably in the freezer, but also the cold air from the freezer can be efficiently transferred to the water received in the full moon area, so the water inside the full moon area can be It will be possible to freeze ice quickly and turn it into transparent ice.

Further, the cylindrical outer box may be formed to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the heat insulating member disposed on the outer periphery of the mountain top.

This stabilizes the ice maker from shaking when the freezer is opened and closed during freezing, thereby preventing the received water from tipping or spilling.

According to the ice maker according to the present invention, there is provided a flexible cup part shaped like Pearl Fuji and turned upside down, a heat insulating member disposed around the cup part, and a first anti-expansion cover. and a second anti-expansion cover, it is possible to produce ice with a beautiful appearance in the shape of Pearl Fuji, with no missing parts in the spherical part representing the full moon, and with a cloudy part imitating the snow cap on the mountaintop. can.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an ice maker according to an example. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a silicone cup according to an example. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a first anti-expansion cover and a heat insulating member according to an example. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of ice produced by the ice maker according to the example.

The present invention is an ice maker capable of producing ice having a beautiful appearance in the shape of Pearl Fuji, which has a spherical body with no missing parts and is locally cloudy. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. Note that directions in the following description are expressed based on the illustrated directions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ice maker 100 according to the present invention includes a Pearl Fuji-shaped silicone cup 110, a heat insulating member 120, a first anti-expansion cover 130, a second anti-expansion cover 140, a cylindrical outer box 150, and a main body lid. 160, and all of these components have a shape based on a rotating body around the same axis.

The silicone cup 110 functions as a mold for receiving water and forming ice into a spherical shape resembling Pearl Fuji. The silicone cup 110 is made of a flexible and thin material, such as silicone rubber or natural rubber. The silicone cup 110 includes a full moon part 111 and a peak part 112. The full moon part 111 and the mountain part 112 are integrally formed, and have a shape that is an inverted version of the Pearl Fuji shape. This can prevent the ice frozen in the full moon part 111 from chipping due to lack of water, so the shape of the full moon part, which can be said to be the main character of Pearl Fuji, can be made into a beautiful spherical shape without chipping.

Further, at the boundary between the full moon portion 111 and the peak portion 112a of the mountain portion 112, there is a constricted portion that is narrower than the maximum diameter of the full moon portion 111. The fact that the full moon part 111 and the peak part 112 of the silicone cup 110 are integrally molded from a flexible and thin material is also effective in making it easier to take out ice having this shape.

A filling line 112c is formed in the peak portion 112. The filling line 112c is located above the foot of the mountain 112b, so that the amount of water to be filled can be confirmed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner cross section of the mountain top portion 112a has a regular octagonal shape on the mountaintop side, and a shape that gradually changes to a circular shape toward the opening. This allows the shape of the Mt. Fuji portion of the completed ice to be modeled more precisely.

The first anti-expansion cover 130 is made of a hard material with low heat insulation, and is located around the full moon portion 111, as shown in FIG. This prevents the soft silicone cup 110 from becoming distorted from a perfect sphere due to the expansion of water during freezing, thereby preventing the ice from losing its shape. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, since it is divided into two left and right members that are joined to a heat insulating member 120, which will be described later, it is possible to set the silicone cup 110 so as to sandwich it from the left and right sides.

The heat insulating material portion 120 is made of a resilient material such as foamed plastic, and is disposed around the outer periphery of the peak portion 112 of the silicone cup 110. Further, the heat insulating member 120 is formed so that the thickness gradually increases from the mountain foot portion 112b side where the opening is located toward the mountain top portion 112a side where the full moon portion 111 is located. By doing so, the cold air from the freezer can be conducted to the water filled in the silicone cup 110 in stages. This takes advantage of the property that when water freezes, the water that is free of air and impurities freezes transparent first, and the remaining water that contains air and impurities becomes cloudy and freezes. Ice having transparent parts and cloudy parts can be produced.

As described above, the thickness of the heat insulating member 120 varies greatly between the peak 112a and the base 112b, and by gradually increasing the thickness from the base 112b to the peak 112a, the thickness of the heat insulating member 120 is increased. The water in the full moon part 111 that is not warmed first begins to freeze and becomes transparent, then the water in the mountain foot part 112b covered with the thin heat insulating member 120 freezes and becomes transparent, and finally the mountain top part covered with the hot heat insulating member 120. The water in 112a freezes, and this part becomes cloudy ice due to the remaining air bubbles and impurities.

The second anti-expansion cover 140 is made of the same hard material with low heat insulation as the first anti-expansion cover 130, and is designed to prevent the silicon cup 110 and the heat insulating member from shifting due to expansion due to freezing of the water received in the silicon cup 110. 120 is fixed to the upper edge. The void 140b is formed between the second anti-expansion cover 140 and the water surface located at the height of the filling line 112c, and its volume is equal to the expansion volume calculated from the expansion coefficient of water. are doing. Since the air in the void is allowed to escape to the outside through the air vent hole 140a, the expansion of the water due to freezing causes the ice to have a swollen shape at the bottom, making it unstable when placed in a glass, for example. can be prevented.

In addition, if the expansion volume of water cannot be contained only by the gap between the second expansion prevention cover 140 and the water surface located at the height of the filling line 112c, the heat insulating member 120 around the peak portion 112 has elasticity. , it is possible to promote the expansion of the peak portion 112 in the outward direction without applying pressure to the second expansion prevention cover 140. Note that the deformation of the peak portion 112 that occurs at this time is slight and falls within a range that can be considered as a natural ridgeline shape.

The cylindrical outer box 150 is made of a material with low heat insulation, and has a fence shape in the lower part from the peak part 112b. Thereby, the cold air from the freezer can be firmly transmitted to the water in the full moon section 111. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner diameter of the cylindrical outer box 150 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the heat insulating member 120 located on the outer periphery of the mountain top portion 112a. Even if the freezer is opened and closed during freezing, the water in the silicone cup 110 can be prevented from shaking and spilling.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air layer 170 is an air layer formed between the cylindrical outer box 150 and the heat insulating member 120, and thereby prevents the transmission of cold air to the water received at the foot of the mountain 112b. Can be adjusted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the air layer 180 is an air layer formed between the main body lid 160 and the second anti-expansion cover 140, and, like the air layer 170, is received in the foot portion 112b. The transmission of cold air to the water can be adjusted.

FIG. 4 shows ice 200 produced by the ice maker 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the ice 200 is formed of a full moon part 210 shaped like a full moon and a mountain part 220 shaped like Mt. Fuji, and has an overall shape shaped like Pearl Fuji. . The full moon portion 210 is formed into a clean sphere with no chips. Further, the full moon part 210 and the mountain foot part 220b of the mountain part 220 are formed transparently, and the mountain top part 220a located between the full moon part 210 and the mountain foot part 220b is formed to be cloudy, as if snow had piled up on the mountain top. Its body resembles that of Mt. Fuji, covered by a full moon.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims and embodiments, and these modifications and combinations are also possible. It is included in the scope of rights.

100 Ice maker 110 Silicone cup (cup part)
111 Full moon part 112 Peak part 120 Heat insulating member 130 First expansion prevention cover 140 Second expansion prevention cover 150 Cylindrical outer box

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a flexible structure that includes a full moon part in which a spherical cavity is formed inside, and a peak part that is integrally molded above the full moon part and has an opening in a plane. a first anti-expansion cover that covers the outer peripheral surface of the full moon portion, and a liquid surface of the water received inside the mountain portion, and is arranged in the opening such that a gap is created between the cup portion having the same properties as the cup portion; The second expansion prevention cover includes a second expansion prevention cover and an elastic heat insulating member that covers the outer periphery of the peak, and the second expansion prevention cover is formed with an air vent hole for discharging air in the gap to the outside. The ice maker is characterized in that the volume of the void is greater than or equal to the expansion volume when the water freezes, and the thickness of the heat insulating member gradually increases from the opening side to the full moon side .

Claims (5)

a flexible cup portion including a full moon portion having a spherical cavity formed therein; a peak portion integrally molded above the full moon portion and having an opening in a plane; a second expansion prevention cover disposed in the opening so as to create a gap between the first expansion prevention cover and the liquid surface of the water received inside the mountain part; and a second expansion prevention cover that covers the outer periphery of the mountain part and is elastic. A heat insulating member having
The second expansion prevention cover is formed with an air vent hole for discharging the air in the void to the outside, and the volume of the void is greater than or equal to the expansion volume when the water freezes;
The ice maker is characterized in that the thickness of the heat insulating member gradually increases from the full moon side to the opening side. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the first anti-expansion cover and the second anti-expansion cover are made of a hard and low heat insulating material. 3. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the mountain part has an internal cross-sectional shape of a regular octagon at the top of the mountain, and gradually changes to a perfect circle toward the foot of the mountain. The ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cylindrical outer box made of a low-insulation material and having a fence shape below the height of the lower end of the mountain top. vessel. 5. The ice maker according to claim 4, wherein the cylindrical outer box is formed to have an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the heat insulating member disposed on the outer periphery of the mountain top.

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