JP2548459Y2 - Door structure of automatic ice machine for block ice - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

The present invention relates to an automatic ice making machine that produces block-shaped ice blocks (hereinafter referred to as "block ice") using an upper ice making mechanism, and stacks and stores the obtained block ice in a lower ice storage room. Related to a door structure that can reliably close an inner door that is freely openable and closable at an opening of an ice storage room, and can prevent block ice from being released and dropped outside when taking out block ice from the ice storage room. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In coffee shops, restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments, square ice blocks (corn ice) produced by an automatic ice machine are floated in beverages or used as cooling beds for various foodstuffs. However, since the ice blocks are of a fixed shape, they give an impression of poor visual interest when used for the above-mentioned applications. Therefore, block ice of a required size is broken with an ice pick to obtain an irregular ice block, thereby giving a visual uniqueness to give the customer a sense of quality and enhance the commercial value.

[0003] An automatic ice maker for block ice has been proposed for consumers to easily manufacture the block ice. This automatic ice making machine has a basic configuration in which a single block ice is manufactured by an ice making mechanism provided above the inside of the housing and the obtained ice is released and stored in an ice storage room defined below the inside of the housing. ing.

The size and weight of block ice manufactured by this automatic ice maker are, for example, 50 mm × 80 mm × 2.
The weight is about 800 g at 00 mm. Compared to conventional ice cubes, which are as small as about 36 mm cubic and light, block ice has a much greater weight. For this reason, in the case of the ice cubes described above, even if the ice cubes were discharged into the ice storage room and dropped, no problems such as an impact noise and cracking of ice occurred. However, since the block ice has a considerable weight and bulk size as described above, when the ice is discharged from the ice making mechanism toward the ice storage chamber, the ice may be discharged from the ice storage chamber depending on the discharge head. There is a disadvantage that it breaks when it hits the bottom.

[0005] In addition, the loud impact sound generated when the block ice collides with the bottom of the ice storage chamber causes environmental noise, and also points out that the ice storage chamber may be damaged due to frequent falling of heavy objects. . In addition, in order to store the block ice in the ice storage room to the maximum with space efficiency, it is effective to stack the ices in an aligned manner. However, if bulky block ice is randomly discharged into the ice storage chamber, there is a disadvantage that the effective stock amount is reduced.

Therefore, one proposal for addressing the various problems described above has been filed by the present applicant as an invention "automatic ice maker for block ice". In the automatic ice making machine according to the earlier application, a lifter device provided with a transfer body capable of reciprocating up and down between an ice making mechanism and an ice storage room is provided on the inner rear side of the housing. According to the automatic ice maker according to this configuration, the block ice manufactured by the ice making mechanism is transferred to and released from the ice block release position of the ice storage room via the transfer body, so that the block ice can be dropped from a high position. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the block ice from breaking or generating a loud impact sound. In addition, since the block ice transferred by the transfer body can be discharged so as to be sequentially stacked from below the ice storage chamber, the block ice can be efficiently stored in the ice storage chamber.

[0007]

[Problems to be solved by the invention] In the automatic ice making machine,
In order to smoothly discharge the block ice from the lifter device to the ice storage room, the inner bottom surface of the ice storage room is set to be inclined downward toward the front side. That is, the block ice discharged from the lifter device is stacked and stored in a state where it slides down the bottom surface of the ice storage room and its tip abuts on the front wall of the ice storage room and is inclined downward toward the front side. In this case, on the front side of the ice storage compartment, an opening that functions as a block ice take-out port and a door that opens and closes the opening are arranged, so that the block ice stacked to the level of the opening is The stacking is performed in a state where the leading end of the door abuts against the inner surface of the door and sliding is prevented.

Therefore, when removing the block ice from the ice storage compartment, if the door is opened, there is a risk that the block ice, which has come into contact with the inner surface of the door and has been prevented from sliding down, may be released to the outside and fall. As described above, since the block ice has a considerable weight, there is a danger that the block ice collides with the floor and breaks, or the worker hits the worker and is injured.

Therefore, it is conceivable to set the opening position of the opening at a position higher than the uppermost stacking level of the block ice in a full state. However, when the stacking level is reduced due to the consumption of the block ice, the height difference between the opening and the stacking level of the block ice becomes large, and it is pointed out that there is a drawback that the removal of the block ice becomes an extremely complicated operation.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks inherent in the automatic ice making machine according to the earlier application, the applicant of the present invention has made further developments to prevent the block ice from being discharged to the outside when the door is opened. And an application for an automatic ice maker that can realize both easy and easy removal when the stacking level changes due to block ice consumption. Done. This ice maker is provided with a plurality of inner doors vertically openable and closable on the inside of an outer door that completely closes an opening of an ice storage room, and each inner door is closed by a locking means. It is configured to be lockable. Therefore, if only the inner door where the block ice is not in contact with the inner surface is opened according to the stacking level of the block ice, the discharge and drop of the block ice from the ice storage chamber can be prevented. Further, the height difference between the opening portion defined by the opening of the inner door and the uppermost block ice can be reduced, so that the block ice can be easily taken out.

In such an automatic ice making machine having a plurality of upper and lower inner doors, the operator forgets to lock the inner doors after opening one or more inner doors for taking out block ice. Sometimes only the outer door is closed. In addition, when the block ice is frequently taken out, since the work of opening the inner door by operating the locking means is complicated, the outer door may be closed without intentionally closing the inner door. Can be At this time, the newly manufactured block ice comes into contact with the inner surface of the inner door that is not closed, and the next time the outer door is opened, the inner door is pressed by the block ice and opened, and the block ice is opened. There is a danger of ice being released outside the aircraft and injuring workers. For this reason, there is a new solution to how to lock the inner door in a closed state easily and surely when busy or when frequently removing block ice.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been proposed in order to solve the problem suitably. The inner door is easily and securely locked in a closed state, and the outer door is opened. It is an object of the present invention to provide a door structure that prevents block ice from being released and dropped from an ice storage room at the same time, and that can easily take out block ice even when the stacking level is lowered.

[0013]

[Means for solving the problems] To overcome the above-mentioned problems,
In order to suitably achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides an ice making mechanism at the upper part of the housing, and sequentially discharges block-shaped ice blocks produced by the ice making mechanism into an ice storage compartment defined below the ice making mechanism. In an automatic ice making machine for block ice, which is configured to store in a stacked manner, a plurality of plates are disposed in an opening formed on the front side of the ice storage chamber so as to be vertically arranged in plural stages, and the opening is closed stepwise. The door, the inner edge of the opening and the inner door are disposed corresponding to each other, and when each inner door is moved from the open position to the closed position, the inner door is locked to close. A lock means, disposed on the front side of the housing, and in a state where all the inner doors are closed, a required gap is maintained between the inner doors and the opening is completely closed. When closing the outer door and the inner door and the outer door, the outer door is interposed in the gap between the two doors, and the facing portion of the two doors The regulating member comprises a regulating member that regulates each other, and by closing the outer door, the regulating member forcibly moves the inner door in the open state in the closing direction, and the locking means locks the inner door. It is characterized in that it is configured to face the operating closed position.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A door structure of an automatic ice maker for block ice according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing preferred embodiments. Although the purpose of the present application is the door structure, in order to contribute to the overall understanding,
First, a schematic configuration of the automatic ice making machine shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

(Overall Configuration of Automatic Ice Making Machine) FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of an automatic ice making machine for block ice according to an embodiment. An ice making mechanism 12 for producing ice is arranged, and below the ice making mechanism 12, a block ice 1 is provided.
An ice storage chamber 13 that can store 1 in a stacked state is defined. A refrigeration mechanism 16 including a compressor 14, a condenser, and the like is disposed below the ice storage chamber 13, and a refrigerant is supplied from the refrigeration mechanism 16 to an evaporator 17 (described later) of the ice making mechanism 12. I have. Further, on the inner rear side of the housing 10,
A lifter device 20 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate up and down between the ice making mechanism 12 and the ice storage chamber 13. This lifter device 2
Numeral 0 functions to transfer the block ice 11 produced by the ice making mechanism 12 to a position near the bottom of the ice storage chamber 13 and to gently discharge the block ice 11 into the ice storage chamber 13 as described later.

(Regarding the Ice Making Mechanism) As shown in FIG. 2, the front upper storage space 22 and the rear storage space 23 are formed above the inside of the housing 10 by an L-shaped picture wall 21.
The rear storage space 23 communicates with the ice storage chamber 13 below. Rear storage space 23
, A rectangular cylindrical ice making chamber 24 made of a metal having a good thermal conductivity is vertically disposed and fixed. Inside the ice making chamber 24, a plurality of ice making chambers (none shown) are defined in parallel by a partition plate, and a plurality of ice making chambers (all not shown)
) Block ice 11 can be manufactured. Further, an evaporator 17 derived from the refrigeration mechanism 16 is tightly fixed to the opposing outer surface of the ice making chamber 24 in a meandering manner, and the operation of the refrigeration mechanism 16 promotes heat exchange of the vaporized refrigerant in the evaporator 17. The ice making chamber 24 is cooled to below freezing. Hot gas is supplied to the evaporator 17 by switching a refrigeration system valve during deicing operation, so as to promote melting of icing between the inner wall of the ice making chamber and the block ice 11.

The picture wall 2 defining the front side storage space 22
An ice making water tank 26 is provided on the bottom of
Ice making water supply pipe 2 drawn out from the pump 6 through the circulation pump 27
8 is communicatively connected to an ice making water sprinkler 29 which is detachably disposed above the ice making chamber 24. The ice making water pumped from the ice making water tank 26 to the ice making water sprinkler 29 is uniformly scattered and supplied to each of the ice making chambers. As shown in FIG. 2, a guide passage 26 a communicating vertically is formed inside the ice making water tank 26 so as to guide cool air blown out from a cool air passage 35 to be described later to the ice storage chamber 13. I have.

Above the ice making water sprinkler 29, there is provided a deicing water sprinkler 31 to which a deicing water supply pipe 32 connected to an external water supply system is connected. Room temperature deicing water supplied to the ice making water sprinkler 2
It is configured to be scattered and supplied to the outside of the ice making chamber 9 and the ice making chamber 24 to flow down. Thus, the ice making chamber 24 is heated to promote the melting of the freezing between the inner wall surface of each ice making chamber and the block ice 11. The deicing water flowing down the outside of the ice making chamber 24 is collected in the ice making water tank 26 via a water collecting plate 34 described later and used as ice making water.

(About the blower fan) As shown in FIG.
3 and an ice making water tank 26
A cold air passage 35 is formed above the guide passage 26a. In this cool air passage 35,
The blower fan 36 is removably fitted therein, and the blower fan 3
6 is set so that the cool air sucked from the rear storage space 23 is blown out to the ice storage chamber 13 through the guide passage 26a by operating the sixth storage 6.

The blower fan 36 operates during the ice making operation, and cools air drawn into the cool air passage 35 from the rear storage space 23 to the guide passage 2 formed in the ice making water tank 26.
The ice is blown out to the ice storage chamber 13 through the 6a and is controlled to stop when the operation is switched from the ice making operation to the deicing operation. That is, when the blower fan 36 operates during the ice making operation, the air introduced from the ice storage chamber 13 into the back side storage space 23 comes into contact with the ice making chamber 24 and the evaporator 17 to perform heat exchange to become cool air. Is blown out and circulated into the ice storage chamber 13 through the cool air passage 35 and the guide passage 26a, whereby the ice storage chamber 13 is cooled. In addition, since the blowing fan 36 is stopped during the deicing operation, the heated air is not circulated to the ice storage chamber 13 to raise the room temperature, and the ice storage chamber 13 can always be kept at a low temperature. it can.

(Regarding the water collecting plate) Immediately below the ice making chamber 24 in the ice making mechanism 12, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the water collecting plate 34 pivotally supported on the fixed portion 38 in the housing faces. The water collecting plate 34 is urged by an elastic member (not shown) so as to always incline downward toward the ice making water tank 26 facing the lower right (in FIG. 2). The ice making water that did not freeze in the ice making chamber 24 during the ice making operation and the deicing water that flowed outside the ice making chamber 24 during the deicing operation are collected in the ice making water tank 26 through the water collecting plate 34. Is done.

The water collecting plate 34 also has a function of guiding the block ice 11 falling from the ice making chamber 24 by the deicing operation to a transfer body 40 (described later) of the lifter device 20. In other words, the block ice 11 dropped from the ice making chamber 24 slides down the bottom surface of the water collecting plate 34 while tilting the water collecting plate 34 and is smoothly accommodated in the transfer body 40.

(Regarding the Lifter Apparatus) As shown in FIG. 2, a block ice 11 manufactured by the ice making mechanism 12 is mounted on the inner rear side of the housing 10.
A lifter device 20 for transferring and discharging to an ice block discharging position of the ice storage compartment 13 defined below the inside of the storage unit 13 is provided.
The lifter device 20 is slidably disposed on guide rods 42, 42 (only one of which is shown) that stands vertically on the left and right sides of the housing 10, and slides down the water collecting plate 34.
A transfer body 40 capable of receiving the block ices 11 in parallel and in an upright state is provided. Further, the transfer body 40 is suspended and supported by a pair of wires 46, 46 (only one of which is shown) which is wound and unwound by forward / reverse biasing of a brake motor 44 disposed in the front side storage space 22. I have. When the motor 44 is biased forward and backward, the transfer body 40 is moved from the ice making chamber 24 to the block ice 11.
And the block ice 11 in the ice storage room 1
3 between the guide rods 42, 42
Move up and down along.

When the transfer body 40 faces the receiving position, the transfer body 40 supports the block ice 11 in an upright state, and when the transfer body 40 descends to reach the discharge position, the block ice 11 is moved downward. An ice block release mechanism 48 for releasing the block ice 11 received in the ice storage chamber 13 is provided. The ice block discharging mechanism 48 is activated when the lowering of the discharging mechanism 48 is stopped by the bottom portion 13a of the ice storage chamber 13 or the already stored block ice 11 when the transporter 40 is lowered. It is configured to release the block ice 11 received by 40. Thereby, the block ice 11 can be sequentially stacked in the ice storage chamber 13.

(Regarding Ice Storage Room) An ice storage room 13 defined below the ice making mechanism 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the size is set such that the block ice 11 discharged from the transfer body 40 of the lifter device 20 can be stored in two rows in the front-rear direction. In addition, the bottom 1 of the ice storage room 13
3a is set so as to be inclined downward toward the front side, and a drainboard 50 is disposed on the bottom 13a. That is, the block ice 11 discharged from the transfer body 40 slides down on the inclined saw 50 and is stored in order from the front side of the ice storage chamber 13. Also the bottom 13a
A drain pipe 52 extending outside the room is disposed at the lower end of the slope.
Melting water generated when the block ice 11 stacked and stored in the ice storage chamber 13 is melted is discharged to the outside of the machine via a drain pipe 52.

(Regarding Outer Door and Inner Door) FIG. 1 shows a housing wall located on the front side of the ice storage chamber 13.
As shown in the figure, an opening 10a of a required size functioning as an outlet for the block ice 11 is opened, and the opening 10a is completely opened and closed by an outer door 18 pivotally supported on the front surface of the housing. It is supposed to be. This outside door 1
A packing 54 is disposed on the back surface (the side facing the ice storage chamber 13) of the housing 8 so as to surround the opening 10a, and the outer door 18 is closed with respect to the housing 10 by a magnet built in the packing 54. Adsorbed and held in the state.

The rectangular plate-shaped main body 1 is provided in the opening 10a.
A plurality of inner doors 19 formed in a tray shape with a frame body 19b provided at an end portion of the opening 9a are provided in a plurality of stages vertically, and each inner door 19 is provided with a hinge 56 at one inner edge of the opening 10a. It is mounted to be openable and closable via. And the inner door 19 is the outer door 1
With the opening 8 open, the opening 10a can be opened stepwise. Therefore, the inner doors 19 arranged vertically according to the stacking level of the block ice 11 stacked and stored in the ice storage chamber 13 are selectively used, so that the ice storage chamber 1 can be used.
The removal of the block ice 11 from 3 can always be easily performed. In addition, the block ice 11 has an opening 10
In the case where the block ice 11 is stacked above the lower edge (a state where the tip of the block ice 11 is in contact with the inner surface of the inner door 19), the block ice 11 is discharged and dropped by using the inner door 19 properly. Can be effectively prevented. In a state where both doors 18 and 19 are closed, a required gap is defined between them, and a regulating member 70 described later intervenes in this gap, and the inner door 19 is forcibly closed by closing the outer door 18. It is configured to be closed.

(Regarding the Locking Means of the Inner Door) As shown in FIG. 3, the end of the inner door 19 opposite to the end where the hinge 56 is provided, and the opening 1 facing this end.
Locking means 58 for the inner door 19 is arranged on the inner edge of Oa, and the inner door 19 can be locked in a closed state with respect to the opening 10a by the locking means 58. The locking means 58 is provided with a slide 64 disposed on the inner door 19.
And a stopper 68 disposed on the inner edge of the opening 10a.
, The inner door 19 is locked at a position where the opening 10a is closed.

That is, the support member 60 is disposed and fixed to the main body 19a of the inner door 19, and the slide body 64 is moved in the left-right direction (FIG. 3) by the guide 62 disposed on the inner surface of the support member 60.
). Slide 6
The left end of 4 is configured to be able to extend from the left end of the inner door 19, and an engaging portion 64a is formed at the end.
Further, a tapered portion 64b is formed on the inner surface of the engaging portion 64a (a surface facing the ice storage chamber 13) so as to be inclined toward the ice storage chamber from the open end thereof toward the inner door 19, and the tapered portion 64b is formed as a stopper. The slide body 64 is configured to slide when pressed against a ridge 68a (described later) at 68 (see FIG. 4). At the other end of the slide body 64, a projecting piece 64c protruding inward is provided, and a tension spring 66 is stretched between the projecting piece 64c and an appropriate position of the support member 60. And the direction in which the engaging portion 64a is brought to a lock position where the engaging portion 64a can be engaged with the stopper 68 (the inner door 19).
(In the direction extending from).

A support member 6 is provided at a portion of the slide body 64 facing the surface of the inner door 19 (the side facing the outer door 18).
A knob 64d is provided to protrude outward from an opening 60a opened corresponding to the position 0. And the tension spring 6
The engaging portion 64a facing the lock position under the elasticity of 6 is configured to be moved to a release position (see FIG. 5) separated from the stopper 68 by operating the knob 64d.

The inner edge of the opening 10a facing the end where the slide 64 of the inner door 19 is disposed is provided with
As shown in the figure, a pair of ridges 68a, 68b spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the depth direction and formed in parallel with each other are provided with stoppers 68 having a U-shaped cross section in the vertical direction over which the three inner doors 19 face. Has been established. The outer protruding strip 68a of the stopper 68 allows the inner door 19 to be opened and closed in a state where the engaging portion 64a of the slide body 64 faces the release position (see FIG. 5), but the engaging portion 64a is locked. State facing the position
The dimensions of the opening of the inner door 19 in FIG. That is, the engaging portion 64 of the slide body 64
When the engaging portion 64a moves from the release position to the lock position in a state in which a faces the both protruding strips 68a, 68b, the engaging portion 64a abuts on the outer protruding strip 68a from the inside. The inner door 19 is locked in the closed position. As a result, the block ice 11 discharged from the transfer body 40
Is slid down on the already stacked block ice 11 and collides with the inner surface of the inner door 19, the inner door 19
Can be prevented from being opened.

Here, when closing the inner door 19, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the tapered portion 64b of the engaging portion 64a is
By pressing against the outer side 8a, the slide body 64 moves toward the release position (right side in the figure) against the elastic force of the tension spring 66 under the action of engagement between the tapered portion 64b and the ridge 68a. Then, when the engaging portion 64a gets over the ridge 68a, the slide body 64 is again pulled by the tension spring 66a.
The engagement portion 64a returns to the locked position due to the resilience of. When the inner door 19 is opened, as shown in FIG. 5, the knob 64d disposed on the slide body 64 is moved to the right side in the drawing to bring the engaging portion 64a to the release position. The door 19 can be opened by rotating the door 19 forward. Note that the inner protruding strip 68b of the stopper 68 is set to a size that the engaging portion 64a facing the release position comes into contact with, and when the opening 10a is closed by the inner door 19, the inner door 19 closes the stopper 68. It is configured to prevent it from pivoting inward beyond.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the front side of the support member 60, a regulating member 70 protruding toward the front side of the inner door 19 is provided. When the inner door 19 is closed and the engaging portion 64a comes into contact with the protruding strip 68a from the inside, the protruding end of the restricting member 70 It is set so as to contact the back surface of the closed outer door 18. That is, as shown in FIG.
When the outer door 18 is closed in a state where the inner door 19 is not closed (a state in which the engaging portion 64a faces the outside of the ridge 68a), the packing 54 of the outer door 18 is Before the contact, the protruding end of the regulating member 70 contacts the rear surface thereof. When the door 18 is further rotated to close the outer door 18, FIG.
As shown in (b), the inner door 19 is pressed inward via the regulating member 70, the tapered portion 64b climbs over the ridge 68a, and the inner door 19 is locked in the closed state. At this time, the outer door 18 is also held in the closed state by the packing 54 abutting on the housing 10.

The regulating member 70 is, as shown in FIG.
In addition to functioning as a support when the operator moves the slide body 64 from the lock position to the release position via the knob 64d, the function also serves as a handle when the inner door 19 is opened. In addition, the arrangement position of the regulating member 70 is not limited to the support member 60, and the inner door 1
9 may be disposed on the main body 19a or the frame body 19b. However, even in this case, with both doors 18 and 19 closed,
It is necessary to set the length dimension such that the protruding end of the regulating member 70 abuts on the back surface of the outer door 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the main body 19a of the inner door 19 has three windows 72 extending in a predetermined length in the vertical direction. Drilled at three locations corresponding to the block ice 11. The window 72 is placed in the ice storage room 13 with the inner door 19 closed.
It functions to check the stacking level of the block ice 11 stored in the tank.

When taking out the block ice 11 which is prevented from being discharged outward by the inner door 19, if the inner door 19 is opened, there is a possibility that the three block ices 11 will slide outward. In this case, while the inner door 19 is closed, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, an ice pick 74 is inserted from the outside into the corresponding window 72, and the block ice 11 is lifted upward, so that an arbitrary block ice 11 Only can be easily taken out. Further, when the three block ices 11 arranged side by side freeze each other, each of the block ices 11 is separated by the ice pick 74 inserted from the window 72 to prevent the ice pieces from scattering outside. Can be prevented.

The frame 19b of the inner door 19, which is located above and below the main body 19a, has through holes 76 communicating vertically.
Are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. When the inner door 19 is closed, the through hole 76
When the molten water generated from the block ice 11 stored in the container is dropped on the surface side from the window 72, the molten water is dropped on the ice storage chamber bottom portion 13a through the space A defined by the snowboard 50. (See FIG. 2). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the molten water of the block ice 11 from dropping outside the machine and wet the surroundings.

As shown in FIG. 2, a machine room 78 is defined below the ice storage room 13 in the housing 10, and the machine room 78 is defined.
A refrigeration mechanism 16 composed of a compressor 14, a condenser, and the like is disposed. Evaporator 17 derived from refrigeration mechanism 16
As described above, the ice making chamber 2 in the ice making mechanism 12
The cooling and heating of the ice making chamber 24 is performed by a refrigerant and a hot gas circulated and supplied to the outer surface of the evaporator 17. As described above, by disposing the refrigeration mechanism 16 below the housing 10, the ice storage chamber 13 and the opening 10 a are provided above the installation surface by a required height without increasing the height of the housing 10. be able to. Thereby, when taking out the block ice 11 from the vicinity of the bottom of the ice storage room 13, the worker does not need to bend down and can take out in a comfortable posture. Further, by disposing the heavy refrigeration mechanism 16 below the housing 10, there is an advantage that the ice maker itself is stabilized.

[0039]

Next, the operation of the door structure of the automatic ice maker for block ice according to the embodiment will be described. It is assumed that the inner door 19 and the outer door 18 are both closed.

When the ice making operation of the automatic ice making machine is started in this state, the refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the evaporator 17 provided in the ice making room 24, and the ice making room 24 is cooled. FIG. 2
Is started to operate, and cool air having undergone heat exchange between the ice making chamber 24 and the evaporator 17 is circulated and supplied to the ice storage chamber 13 to cool the ice storage chamber 13. .

The ice making water in the ice making water tank 26 is pumped to the ice making water sprinkler 29 through the ice making water supply pipe 28 by the driving of the circulating pump 27, and is sprayed from the water sprinkler 29 to the inner surface of each ice making chamber. Supplied. The supplied ice making water flows down while being cooled while contacting the inner wall surface of each ice making small chamber, is returned to the ice making water tank 26 through the water collecting plate 34, and is again subjected to circulation. Then, while the circulation of the ice making water is repeated, the ice making water freezes on the inner wall surface of each ice making chamber, and an ice layer is formed. Then, when the ice making operation proceeds and complete block ice 11 has grown in the ice making compartment by appropriate detection means, the circulating supply of ice making water is stopped to complete the ice making operation.

Next, hot gas is supplied to the evaporator 17 by switching the valve of the refrigeration system to heat the ice making chamber 24 and to supply deicing water to the deicing water sprinkler 31 through the deicing water supply pipe 32. Supplied. This deicing water is supplied to the ice making room 2
4, the melting of the frozen surface between the inner wall surface of each ice making chamber and the block ice 11 is promoted. Ice making room 24
The deicing water flowing down the outside is dropped and stored in the ice making water tank 26 via the water collecting plate 34. Further, when the mode is switched to the deicing operation, the blower fan 36 is controlled to stop, so that the air heated by the deicing operation is prevented from being circulated and supplied to the ice storage chamber 13 and the ice storage chamber 13 is kept at a low temperature. Has become.

When the deicing operation proceeds and the frozen surface between the inner wall surface of each ice making compartment and the block ice 11 melts, the block ice 11 is separated from the ice making compartment by its own weight and passes through the water collecting plate 34. Transfer body 40 of the lifter device 20
Is received in an upright position. When this is detected by an appropriate detecting means, the motor 44 with a brake is urged in the normal rotation direction, and the transfer body 40 receiving the block ice 11 starts to descend.

When the transfer body 40 reaches the ice block release position of the ice storage chamber 13 (a position where the ice block discharge mechanism 48 is prevented from descending), the ice block discharge mechanism 48 disposed on the transfer body 40 is operated, and the block ice is released. 11 is discharged toward the ice storage room 13. The block ice 11 is stored at a position where the block ice 11 slides down on the snowboard 50 and comes into contact with the front wall of the ice storage chamber 13 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). The transfer body 40 that has released the block ice 11 moves upward to the receiving position by the reverse rotation of the motor with brake 44 and stops there.
The operation of releasing the block ice 11 is completed.

It should be noted that the block ice 11 is
When the stack ice is stored above the lower edge of the block ice 11, the block ice 11 discharged from the transfer body 40 is discharged onto the uppermost block ice 11 already stacked, and It slides down and is stored at a position where its tip abuts against the inner surface of the inner door 19 (see FIG. 3). At this time, since the inner door 19 is locked in the closed state by the locking means 58 so as not to be opened, the inner door 19 is not accidentally opened by the impact of the block ice 11 abutting.

When the ice making operation and the deicing operation described above are repeated and a predetermined amount of block ice 11 is stored in the ice storage chamber 13, this is detected by an appropriate ice storage completion detection switch.
The ice making operation is stopped.

Next, when taking out the block ice 11 from the ice storage chamber 13, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer door 18 is opened and the inner door at the appropriate position is set in accordance with the stacking level of the block ice 11, as shown in FIG. 19 by opening. For example, when the block ice 11 is stacked and stored up to the arrangement position of the inner door 19 of the middle stage, the inner door 19 of the upper stage is stored.
, The uppermost block ice 11 is taken out. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the knob 64d provided on the slide body 64 is operated by the operator's finger to move the slide body 64, thereby releasing the engagement portion 64a from the stopper 68. Face to position. Next, the inner door 19 is opened by rotating the inner door 19 to the front side with the regulating member 70.
At this time, even if the inner door 19 is opened, the block ice 11 stored in the ice storage chamber 13 is not released from the opening 10a to the outside and falls. Further, since the level difference between the open level of the upper inner door 19 and the uppermost block ice 11 is small, the operator can easily take out the block ice 11.

In addition, three block ice 1
When the ices 1 are mutually frozen, an ice pick 74 can be inserted and separated from the window 72 formed in the inner door 19, and the individual block ices 11 can be raised as shown in FIG. In addition, it is possible to facilitate taking out.
Furthermore, since the stacking level of the block ice 11 can be confirmed through the window 72 with the inner door 19 closed, the inner door 19 in contact with the block ice 11 on the inner surface is accidentally opened, and The release and fall of the ice 11 can be stopped beforehand.

When the stacking level is lowered to the position where the lower inner door 19 is disposed due to the consumption of the block ice 11, it is inconvenient to take out the block ice 11 only by opening the upper inner door 19 alone. So the inner door 19 in the middle
Also open. Thereby, the height difference between the opening level of the opening 10a and the uppermost block ice 11 is reduced, and the block ice 11 can be taken out extremely easily.

Next, when the inner door 19 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4A, the tapered portion 64 of the slide body 64 facing the lock position under the elasticity of the tension spring 66.
b in contact with the outer ridge 68a, the inner door 19
Press inward. As the inner door 19 is pressed inward, under the action of engagement between the tapered portion 64b and the ridge 68a,
The slide 64 moves toward the release position. And
As the engaging portion 64a gets over the ridge 68a,
The slide body 64 returns to the locked position by the elasticity of the tension spring 66. As a result, the inner door 19 is locked at the closed position with the engaging portion 64a facing between the projecting strips 68a, 68b of the stopper 68.

Here, when the block ice 11 is frequently taken out from the ice storage chamber 13, it is necessary to forget to lock the inner doors 19 through the lock means 58 or to close the inner doors 19 without intentionally closing them. The door 18 may be closed. However, since the inner door 19 according to the embodiment is provided with the regulating member 70 protruding from the front side thereof, closing the outer door 18 automatically locks the inner door 19 to the closed position. Is done. That is, when the outer door 18 is closed in a state where the inner door 19 is not closed, as shown in FIG. 4A, the packing 54 of the outer door 18 is moved before the packing 54 comes into contact with the housing 10. The protruding end of the regulating member 70 contacts the rear surface. In this state, if the outer door 18 is further rotated to close it, FIG.
As shown in (b), the inner door 19 is pressed inward via the regulating member 70, and the tapered portion 64b rides over the ridge 68a and is locked in the closed state. At this time, the outer door 18 is also held in the closed state by the packing 54 abutting on the housing 10.

As described above, by closing the outer door 18, the inner door 19 can be locked in the closed state. Therefore, when the outer door 18 is opened next time, the blocks stored in the ice storage chamber 13 are closed. The ice 11 does not fall off. Further, even in a state where the plurality of inner doors 19 are opened, all the inner doors 19 can be closed by closing the outer doors 18, so that the trouble of individually closing each inner door 19 is saved. Can be omitted.

(Modification) FIG. 7 shows a modification of the door structure according to the present invention, in which the regulating member 70 is disposed on the outer door 18. That is, on the back surface of the outer door 18, the regulating member 70 is protrudingly provided at a position where the three inner doors 19 provided in the opening 10 a can contact the support member 60. In this case, by closing the outer door 18, each regulating member 7 is closed.
0 contacts the support member 60 of the inner door 19 in the open state, and presses this inward to operate the locking means 58 so that the inner door 19 can be closed. Note that the protruding end of the regulating member 70 may be brought into contact with the main body 19a or the frame 19b of the inner door 19, and the inner door 19 may be rotated to the closed position.

[0054]

As described above, according to the door structure of the automatic ice maker for block ice according to the present invention, the opening opened in the housing is made up of a plurality of inner doors arranged in a plurality of stages vertically. Since it is configured to be openable and closable, the inner door can be used properly according to the stacking level of the block ice stored in the ice storage chamber, so that the block ice can be effectively prevented from being released and dropped outside. In addition, by opening the inner door according to the stacking level, the operator can take out the block ice in a comfortable posture, and there is an advantage that heavier block ice can be taken out easily. Furthermore,
Even if the inner door is not locked in the closed state, by closing the outer door, the inner door can be locked in the closed state via the regulating member. The door can be reliably prevented from opening and releasing the block ice.

By forming a window in the inner door, it is possible to check the stacking level of the block ice in a state where the inner door is closed, and to insert an ice pick or the like from the outside of the window to insert the block ice. It is possible to separate the block ice that freezes on the ice, or easily take out only the desired block ice.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an automatic ice maker for block ice employing a door structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical side view of the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of a main part of the ice making machine in a state where an inner door and an outer door are closed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a process in which a locking means is operated by closing an outer door and an inner door is locked in a closed state.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a lock means of an inner door is released.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which block ice has been started up by an ice pick inserted through a window formed in an inner door.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a modified example of the door structure according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Case 10a Opening 11 Block ice 12 Ice making mechanism 13 Ice storage room 18 Outer door 19 Inner door 58 Lock means 70 Restriction member 72 Window

Claims (4)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An ice making mechanism (12) is provided at an upper portion of a housing (10),
Automatic ice making for block ice, in which the block-shaped ice blocks (11) produced by the ice making mechanism (12) are sequentially discharged to an ice storage chamber (13) defined below the ice making mechanism (12) and are stacked and stored. In the machine, a plurality of inner doors (19) are disposed in a plurality of stages vertically in an opening (10a) opened on the front side of the ice storage room (13), and the opening (10a) is closed stepwise. ), Are disposed corresponding to the inner edge of the opening (10a) and each inner door (19), cooperate when moving each inner door (19) from the open position to the closed position, A lock means (58) for locking the closing of the inner door (19), and a lock means (58) disposed on the front side of the housing (10),
In a state where is closed, an outer door that completely closes the opening (10a) while maintaining a required gap between the inner door (19) and the inner door (19).
(18), when the inner door (19) and the outer door (18) are closed, both doors (18, 1
9) a regulating member (70) interposed in the gap in (9) and mutually regulating the opposing portions of both doors (18, 19), and by closing the outer door (18), the regulating member (70)
Is configured to forcibly move the inner door (19) in the open state in the closing direction so that the inner door (19) faces the closed position where the locking means (58) operates. Door structure of automatic ice maker for block ice. 2. The door structure of an automatic ice maker for block ice according to claim 1, wherein said regulating member (70) is disposed on a surface side of each inner door (19). 3. The automatic ice maker for block ice according to claim 1, wherein said regulating member (70) is disposed on the back side of said outer door (19) in correspondence with each inner door (19). Door structure. 4. The block ice automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, wherein the inner door (19) is formed with a window (72) through which the inside of the ice storage chamber (13) can be visually recognized when the inner door is closed. Door structure.