JP3810427B1 - Ice making device and refrigerator equipped with ice making device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ice making device capable of storing ice made by flowing water type for a long period of time.
In an ice making device for making ice by repeatedly flowing water from above on an ice making plate 2 cooled to below the freezing point temperature, a stand for partitioning ice on the ice making plate 2 in the same direction as the flowing water. The ribs 3a are provided, and at least every other of these ribs can be rotated with the upper end or the lower end as a rotation shaft fulcrum. Allow ice removal from the ice making plate. Even if the ice 6 thus deiced is flowing water type ice making, since the ice surface is not wet, it can be stored below the freezing temperature, and ice can be stored for a long time. .
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a flowing water type ice making device and a refrigerator including the same.

  As a method of generating ice, a so-called water tray type ice making method in which an ice tray in which water is stored in a freezer compartment of a domestic refrigerator shown in Patent Document 1 is left to make ice, or Patent Documents 2 and 3 A so-called reverse cell type or flowing water type ice making method in which water is sprinkled or sprayed on the surface of an ice making plate cooled to a temperature below the freezing point temperature and ice is accumulated and grown is known as a well-known technique.

  Among these ice making methods, the so-called reverse cell type or flowing water type ice making method described above has a short ice making time of usually 20 to 30 minutes, and the continuous operation of ice making in batch processing. Because it is possible, it is widely used as a commercial ice making device. Moreover, when ice making is performed by these methods, transparent and pure ice without bubbles or impurities remaining inside can be formed.

  FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing a conventional commercial ice making device. A conventional flowing water ice making technique will be described with reference to this figure. The conventional ice making device includes an ice making unit 60, an ice storage unit 66, a refrigeration cycle unit 62, an operation unit 63, a front door 64, a housing 65, and the like. Ice is made by the ice making unit 60 and stored in the ice storage unit 66. Operation is performed by the operation unit 63. The ice stored in the ice storage section 66 is taken out by opening and closing the front door 64.

  The refrigeration cycle unit 62 includes a compressor 67, a condenser 68, an ice making capillary tube (not shown), an ice making evaporator 69, and the like. The gaseous refrigerant compressed to high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 67 is liquefied while dissipating heat in the condenser 68 to become a refrigerant liquid. The refrigerant liquid is depressurized through an ice making capillary tube (not shown) and then vaporized while taking heat from the ice making plate 70 by the ice making evaporator 69. As a result, the ice making plate 70 is cooled below the freezing point by this endothermic action.

  The water to be frozen is temporarily stored in the water tray 71 and then pumped up by the circulation pump 72 and sprinkled from the water sprinkler 73 toward the ice making plate 70. Part of the water sprayed at this time is cooled below freezing point and freezes on the surface of the ice making plate 70. The water that has not been frozen flows directly downstream and is collected in the water tray 71. Thereafter, the water is pumped up again by the circulation pump 72, and the above flowing water is repeated. As this series of running water cycles is repeated, the ice grows gradually.

  Next, a method for deicing the generated ice will be described. In the case of a so-called water tray type ice making method used for a refrigerator for home use, a method of twisting the ice tray to deiculate the ice is generally used. However, the above-described reverse cell type or flowing water type ice making apparatus is usually used for freezing. The ice making plate 70 is joined to the cycle evaporator 69, and the ice making part has a complicated shape. I could not do it.

  So far, in the case of a so-called flowing water type or reverse cell type ice making apparatus, a method called a so-called hot gas method as shown in Patent Document 4 has been used exclusively. This is a method of performing ice removal by heating the ice making plate by switching the refrigerant flow path so that the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant sent out from the compressor flows directly to the evaporator during the ice removal stage. With this method, even if the structure of the ice making device is complicated, the ice can be removed without any problem.

By the way, since the ice deiced by the so-called hot gas method is melted and deiced, the surface is wet. For this reason, when it preserve | saved in the ice storage below the freezing point temperature, when the wet surface re-freezes, there existed a problem that the ice which connected with adjacent ices will become a big lump. Therefore, it could not be stored below the freezing point temperature, and the ice was stored at a freezing point temperature or a slightly higher temperature. Specifically, a method of preserving ice in an airtight container with high heat insulation has been exclusively employed.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-85169 No. 5-8428 JP-A-60-82765 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-28371

This storage method can store ice without much inconvenience in a commercial ice maker that consumes a lot of ice, but it is problematic when used for applications that consume relatively little ice, such as household refrigerators. There was sometimes. Because, in the storage method described above, ice is gradually melted, but when the amount of ice consumption is small, the ratio of the amount that melts relative to the amount of ice used is relatively large, As a result, it becomes a system against energy saving.
In addition, since the ice storage is always wet, there is a problem that it is easy for bacteria and fungi to grow and it becomes unsanitary.

  For this reason, the present invention can be stored in a sub-freezing environment so that even ice made with a flowing water type ice making device can be stored in a sub-freezing environment so that the ice melts and hygienic ice storage that does not generate germs and mold is possible. The purpose is to realize ice removal means to obtain ice.

In order to solve the above problems, an ice making device of the present invention comprises an ice making member, a cooling means capable of cooling the ice making member to a freezing point temperature or less, and a water sprinkling means for sprinkling water on the surface of the ice making member. And an ice making device comprising: a water receiving part for collecting water that has not been frozen by the ice making member; and a water supply means for sending water from the water receiving part to the water sprinkling means, wherein the ice making member comprises: A movable standing rib for performing ice removal without melting the ice is provided .
In this way, even ice made with flowing water can be deiced without melting, so even if the deiced ice is stored in an environment lower than the freezing point, the ices are connected. Can now be prevented. In addition, it has become possible to solve the problem that molds and bacteria propagate on the surface of ice.

In addition, if this is done, the standing ribs can move after ice making, so that it is possible to give a peeling force to deicing the ice without melting it.

Preferably, the sectional shape of the movable standing rib may be triangular or trapezoidal.
In this case, when the standing rib moves away from the ice making member, the ice acts on the taper of the movable standing rib, so that the peeling force is improved.

  Preferably, the movable standing rib may be pivotally supported at one end thereof. In this way, since the peeling force for ice can be gradually applied from one side, the peeling can be performed smoothly.

  Preferably, the angle formed between the side wall surface of the movable standing rib and the bottom surface of the rib may be an acute angle. In this case, when the standing rib moves away from the ice making member, the ice acts on the taper of the movable standing rib, so that the peeling force is improved.

  Preferably, a protrusion may be provided on the standing surface of the movable standing rib. If it does in this way, when a rib moves, ice can be peeled from an ice-making member with the protrusion with which the rib was equipped.

  Preferably, the adjacent standing ribs may be rotated at different angles. If it does in this way, since the rib can give a twisting action to the ice sandwiched between the adjacent ribs, it becomes possible to generate a peeling force between the rib and the ice.

  Preferably, one of the adjacent standing ribs may be fixed and the other may be movable. If it does in this way, since the rib can give a twisting action to the ice sandwiched between the adjacent ribs, it becomes possible to generate a peeling force between the rib and the ice.

  Preferably, the standing rib may incorporate a strength reinforcing material. In this way, the strength of the ribs is increased, so that the product life of the ice making device can be extended.

Further, the present invention is an ice making member, a cooling means capable of cooling the ice making member to below the freezing point temperature, a water sprinkling means for spraying water on the surface of the ice making member, and the ice making member did not freeze. An ice making device comprising a water receiving portion from which water is collected and a water feeding means for sending water from the water receiving portion to the water sprinkling means, wherein the ice making device pushes the ice away from the surface of the ice making member. It has a deicing means for deicing without melting the ice by pressing against the surface or pressing the surface so as to bend the surface. Preferably, the ice removing means may be configured such that the surface of the ice making member has a recess or an opening, and a movable ice pressing member is provided in the recess or the opening . In this way, the ice can be removed without melting the ice.

Preferably, the ice removing means may be configured such that the ice making member has a movable pressing member, and the surface of the ice making member is bent by moving the pressing member. . If it does in this way, it will become possible to make it act like extruding ice .

Further, the ice making device of the present invention includes an ice making member having a water flow surface installed substantially vertically, a water spray nozzle at the top of the water flow surface for spraying water to the water flow surface, and a lower portion of the water flow surface. A water tray that receives water sprayed by the water nozzle, a circulation pump that pumps water from the water tray to the water nozzle, and a cooling means that can cool the ice-making member to below the freezing point temperature. In the ice making device, the water surface is provided with standing ribs at a plurality of locations along the flowing direction, and the water flowing by the standing ribs is divided into a plurality of strips. The standing rib is pivotally supported with one end of the rib as a fulcrum, and the ice is deiced by moving the movable rib without heating when the ice is made. It is characterized by doing. The movable rib may have a side wall surface having a forward tapered shape with respect to the flowing water surface.

Preferably, the ice making device of the present invention may further include ice storage means for storing ice deiced from the ice making member at a temperature lower than the freezing point temperature. In this way, ice that has been deiced without being melted can be stored as it is in the ice storage means, so that it is possible to store the ice while maintaining the quality of the ice. Also, preferably, it may be subjected to water-repellent treatment to the ice making member. If it does in this way, it will become possible to make small the force required for peeling of ice. The ice making device is preferably provided in a refrigerator.

  As described above, according to the ice making device of the present invention, in the ice making device capable of producing transparent ice that does not become cloudy inside, the method of deicing without melting the ice was conceived, so that the temperature of the ice is lower than the freezing point temperature. It can be saved with. For this reason, even when the ice is not used for a relatively long period of time, the ice can be stored well without the ice melting and mold and germs breeding. Became.

[First embodiment]
In this embodiment, the ice making device of the present invention is applied to a domestic refrigerator-freezer. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an ice making device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a refrigerator (freezer refrigerator) 20 to which the ice making device of the present invention is applied. The overall outline of the refrigerator 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to this figure. The refrigerator 20 is a so-called three-door type refrigerator-freezer including a refrigerator compartment 31, a freezer compartment 32, and a vegetable compartment 33. In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the refrigerator 20 to apply.

The refrigerator compartment 31 includes at least a refrigerator compartment door 21, an ice making unit 10, and a water supply tank 24. The water supply tank 24 may be a system that can be attached or detached, or a system that is directly connected from a water supply or the like. The ice making unit 10 includes at least an ice making evaporator 1, an ice making plate 2, a sprinkler (watering nozzle) 9, a water tray 5, a circulation pump 12, and the like. The ice making unit 10 is an ice making method called a so-called flow-down method, and is a method for growing ice by repeatedly running water on the ice making plate 2 cooled to below the freezing point.

  Water used for ice making is temporarily supplied from the water supply tank 24 to the water receiving tray 5. This water is pumped up by the circulation pump 12 and sprayed from the sprinkler 9 to the surface of the ice making plate 2. At this time, since the ice making plate 2 is cooled to below the freezing point temperature by the ice making evaporator 1, a part of the water freezes on the surface of the ice making plate 2 in the course of flowing water. The water that has not been frozen flows down as it is and is collected in the water tray 5. The collected water is again pumped up by the circulation pump 12, and the above series of flowing water cycles is repeated. When ice is grown while flowing water in this way, transparent and pure ice free from bubbles and impurities can be obtained.

  The so-called water tray type ice making device used in conventional refrigerators is provided in an environment below the freezing point temperature, such as a freezing room, because of the method of freezing with ambient cold air. However, since the ice making device of this embodiment directly cools the ice making plate 2 by the ice making evaporator 1, it is not necessary to install it in an environment below the freezing point temperature as described above. Rather, in order to prevent the water circulation system from freezing, it is indispensable to install it in an environment higher than the freezing point temperature such as a refrigerator.

  The freezer compartment 32 includes at least a freezer compartment door 22 and an ice storage unit 26. The ice 6 made by the ice making unit 10 is stored in the ice storage unit 26 through the ice discharge port 14. The vegetable room 33 is controlled at a temperature of about 5 ° C. suitable for storing vegetables.

  Among the main components constituting the refrigeration cycle, the compressor 19 and the condenser 40 are provided at the bottom of the refrigerator 20, the main evaporator 18 is provided in the freezer compartment 32, and the ice making evaporator 1 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 31. . The operation principle of the refrigeration cycle will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 shows a refrigeration cycle circuit diagram of the present embodiment. The refrigerant (for example, chlorofluorocarbon and isobutane) is compressed at a high temperature and a high pressure in the compressor 19, and then condensed and liquefied while performing heat dissipation through the condenser 40. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows to the three-way valve 43, and the refrigerant flow path branches into a flow path toward the main capillary tube 42 and a flow path toward the ice making capillary tube 44 with this point as a base point. In this case, the direction of the direction is switched by the three-way valve 43. The refrigerant that has passed through the ice making capillary tube 44 is reduced in pressure to become a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant liquid, flows into the ice making evaporator 1 of the ice making unit 10, takes the heat of the ice making plate 2, evaporates and gasifies, and then again It is sent to the compressor 19.

  On the other hand, the refrigerant that has passed through the main capillary tube 42 is decompressed to become a low-temperature / low-pressure refrigerant liquid, and then flows to the main evaporator 18 of the refrigerator 20. During ice making, the three-way valve 43 is switched so that the refrigerant flows into the ice making capillary tube 44, and when ice making is not performed, the refrigerant is switched so as to flow into the main capillary tube. The three-way valve 43 may be controlled so that only a part of the refrigerant flows into the ice making capillary tube 44 during ice making.

Next, the circulation of cool air in the refrigerator 20 will be described. The cool air generated by the main evaporator 18 is sent to the freezing chamber 32 by a blower 30 to cool the refrigerator 20. At this time, a part of the cold air is also sent into the refrigerator compartment 31 through the damper 28 provided between the freezer compartment 32 and the refrigerator compartment 31. The degree of opening and closing of the damper 28 is controlled so as to approach the target temperature of the refrigerator compartment. Note that the flow of cold air is not limited to this method, and other methods may be used.

  FIG. 3 shows a front view of the ice making unit 10 according to the ice making device of the present invention. The ice making unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. (a) shows only the ice making evaporator 1 and the ice making plate 2 among the components constituting the ice making unit 10, and (b) shows the ice separating unit 3b, the standing rib 3a, It is the front view which showed the watering device 9 and the water receiving tray 5. FIG.

The refrigerant that has been reduced in pressure through the ice-making capillary tube 44 shown in FIG. 2 and has become low-temperature and low-pressure flows into the ice-making evaporator 1 in FIG. 3 (a) and heats the ice-making plate 2 when it is vaporized. The ice making plate 2 is cooled below the freezing point temperature. The ice making evaporator 1 and the ice making plate 2 may be formed separately and then joined, or may be integrally formed by extrusion molding or the like.

  Next, a method for supplying water used for ice making and a method for circulating the water will be described. A predetermined amount of water used for ice making is drawn from the water supply tank 24 shown in FIG. 1 to the water tray 5 and pumped up to the sprinkler 9 by the circulation pump 12, and then directed from the sprinkler 9 to the surface of the ice making plate 2. Watered. The sprinkled water flows downward while being diverted by the standing rib 3a. At this time, a part of the flowing water freezes on the surface of the ice making plate 2 that is cooled below the freezing point temperature. In addition, since the area | region with the ice separation part 3b is comprised with the material with low heat conductivity, the supply efficiency of cold heat is bad. For this reason, freezing does not occur in this area.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the flowing water surface where water flows is comprised by the dissimilar material from which heat conductivity differs, you may comprise by a single material as an alternative method. In this case, it is necessary to optimize the thermal conductivity of the material, the interval between the ice making evaporators 1 and the like so that the entire water surface is not frozen and ice is generated only in the vicinity of the cooling pipe.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. (A) of this figure is a sectional view of the overall view of the main part of the ice making device , and (b) shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the standing rib 3a. As shown in these drawings, the ice 6 is frozen along the side wall surface of the standing rib 3a. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the standing rib 3a is an element that determines the shape of the ice 6.

On the other hand, this cross-sectional shape affects the performance of ice icing described later. This point will be described below.
1) Taper angles θ1, θ2 of the standing rib 3a (angle formed by the side wall surface of the standing rib 3a and the bottom surface of the rib)... The standing rib 3a moves away from the ice making plate 2 after ice making, The taper angles θ1 and θ2 of the standing rib 3a are deiced by acting so as to catch the ice 6, so the value of the taper angle is important. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the taper angle performed better as the angle became sharper. At least the taper angle needs to be acute than 80 degrees.
2) Standing rib height H1... The height of the standing rib 3a is determined by the thickness of the generated ice. It is necessary to make it higher than the thickness of the ice produced.
3) Width standing rib width W1... When the taper angles .theta.1 and .theta.2 are increased, the width standing rib width W1 inevitably increases. If this value becomes too large, the volume of ice 6 will become small.
4) Top shape α1... Round shape as shown in the figure or flat shape.

Further, FIG. 4 (c), reinforcement member 37 of the upright ribs 3a, an enlarged view of the upstanding rib 3a of the case of providing the projection 36. Usually, the standing rib 3a is formed of resin or the like, but in order to perform ice removal, it is necessary to transmit a mechanical peeling force more than the adhesive force between the ice making plate 2 and the ice 6 to the ice 6 by the standing rib 3a. For this reason, a large burden is applied to the standing rib 3a every time the ice is removed. For this reason, the material is fatigued after long-term use, and in the worst case, it may be damaged. To prevent this trouble, the upright rib 3a of the present invention may be provided with reinforcement material 37 as shown in FIG. 4 (c) to enhance the strength. The strength reinforcing material 37 is desirably a high strength material such as a metal material. Further, the protrusion 36 is provided with a protrusion as shown on the side wall of the standing rib 3a in order to make it easy to peel off the ice. As the protruding portion 36 is made longer, the peeling force is improved. However, if the protruding portion 36 is too large, the ice 6 is fixed to the protruding portion 36.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the ice making unit 10. The ice making operation and the ice removing operation will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, the state where the standing rib 3a is in contact with the ice making plate 2 is expressed as a normal state 3a- A, and the state where the standing rib 3a is separated from the ice making plate 2 is expressed as an ice removing state 3a- B . The standing rib 3a is pivotally supported by a rotating shaft 8a. Further, the standing rib 3a is connected to the sector gear 8c. The sector gear 8 c is meshed with the drive gear 7 . Therefore, by driving the drive gear 7 , the standing rib 3a rotates about the rotation shaft 8a. During ice making, the drive gear 7 is driven counterclockwise to engage the fan-shaped gear 8c and the standing rib 3a clockwise so that the standing rib 3a is pressed against the ice making plate 2. (State 3a- A ).

Next, the ice making operation will be described. When the ice making process starts, the three-way valve 43 shown in FIG. 2 is switched, and the refrigerant flows into the ice making evaporator 1. When the refrigerant flows in, the refrigerant evaporates to generate cold heat, and the ice making plate 2 that is in contact with the ice making evaporator 1 is cooled below the freezing point temperature. Rotation of the circulation pump 12 in this state, the water stored in the water receiving tray 5 is pumped up to the sprinkler 9. Sprinkler 9 water pumped up, the then watering is performed downward, while flowing the surface of the ice making plates 2, and is collected again in the water receiving tray 5 provided below . At this time, part of the water freezes in layers on the surface of the ice making plate 2. If this series of operations is continued repeatedly for a certain period of time, ice can be grown to a volume having the required thickness. When the necessary volume of ice is obtained, the rotation of the circulation pump 12 is stopped and the watering is terminated. This completes the ice making process.

When the ice making process is finished, the ice 6 is removed. Next, this ice removal operation will be described. First, the deicing causes the drive gear 7 to rotate clockwise and the standing rib 3a to rotate counterclockwise via the meshing fan-shaped gear 8c. Thus, by rotating the drive gear 7 clockwise, the standing rib 3a is separated from the ice making plate 2 (state 3a- B ).

The ice 6 generated on the surface of the ice making plate 2 looks like the ice making plate 2 is hooked on the standing rib 3a when the standing rib 3a moves from the 3a- A state to the 3a- B state. Is deiced. This will be described from another angle with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are views in which the ice making unit 10 is looked down from above. (a) shows the state immediately after the completion of ice making, (b) shows the state immediately after the start of ice removal, and (c) shows the state where the ice removal process has proceeded.
In the present embodiment, the standing rib is composed of five pieces, 3a-1 to 3a-5. The standing ribs 3a with the symbols 3a-2 and 3a-4 are pivotally supported with the lower end of the rib as the center of the rotation axis so that they can rotate. On the other hand, the ribs with the symbols 3a-1, 3a-3, 3a-5 are fixed ribs that cannot be rotated. Conversely, the ribs 3a-1, 3 and 5 may be movable ribs, and 3a-2 and 4 may be fixed ribs.

  As shown in (b), the deicing is performed by moving the movable standing ribs 3a-2, 3a-4 away from the ice making plate 2. Thus, when the standing rib 3a is moved away from the ice making plate 2, a force is applied so that the ice is caught by the rib and peeled off from the ice making plate 2. Therefore, the ice 6 can be detached from the ice making plate 2 when the rib is moved by a predetermined amount.

The reason why all the ribs are not movable is that the twisting effect works on the ice by alternately changing the movement of the ribs. Note that all ribs may be movable so that adjacent ribs rotate at different angles.
In addition, in this embodiment, although the system which a rib rotates is employ | adopted, it is not limited to a rotary system, For example, you may move in parallel.

When the rib moves away from the ice making plate 2 to the state (c), the ice 6 is completely separated from the ice making plate 2. In this state, the ice 6 falls to the ice storage section 26 (FIG. 1 ) provided below due to its own weight.

In addition, the method of pivotally supporting the standing rib 3a is not limited to this embodiment, and may be the upper end side of the standing rib 3a. Also, the driving method does not have to use the sector gear 8c as in this embodiment. Further, the taper angles θ1 and θ2 of the movable standing rib 3a may be smaller than that of the non-movable standing rib 3a. Further, in the present embodiment, ice is caught by giving a taper angle to the movable standing rib 3a. Alternatively, a protrusion is provided on a part of the standing rib 3a. You may make it catch ice.
In addition, if the surface of the ice making plate 2 or the surface of the standing rib 3a is coated with a material having high water repellency such as a fluororesin, the force required for deicing can be kept small. Good.

  According to this embodiment, the ice can be de-iced without melting the ice.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a front view of main parts of the ice making device according to the present embodiment. The structure is the ice making evaporator 1, the ice making plate 2 fixed to the ice making plate 2, the ice separating portion 3 b filling the space between the ice making plate 2 and the ice making plate 2, and the ice separating portion 3 b fixed in the same direction as the flowing water direction. It is comprised by the standing standing rib 3a. A plurality of concave grooves are provided on the surface of the ice making plate 2 in a direction perpendicular to the flowing water direction, and the above-described ice separating portion 3b is fitted in the concave grooves. The ice separation part 3b is made of a material having a low heat transfer coefficient such as a resin. Ice separation portion 3b is formed in the upright rib 3a integrally, moreover, not fixed to the ice making plate 2, more drive units (not shown) and so can be performed driving operation in the vertical direction of the ice making plates 2 Yes.

  As in the first embodiment, when water is poured from above onto the surface of the ice making plate 2 cooled to below the freezing point temperature, ice is basically generated on the surface of the ice making plate 2, and conversely, the surface of the ice separating unit 3b. Is not generated. However, when water freezes, it freezes while growing slightly in the vertical direction. In fact, as shown in FIG. 8, the ice freezes up to the area of the ice separation portion 3b. FIG. 9 is a view of the present embodiment as viewed from above. The ice 6 is generated in this way.

  Next, the ice removal operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b). (a) shows the point in time when the ice growth process is completed, and (b) shows the point of ice removal.

The drive force of the drive gear 54 is transmitted to the ice separating unit 3b through the pushing member 55, and the ice is separated by applying a force so that the ice separating unit 3b can move in the surface direction of the ice making plate 2. ing. At this time, as described above, the ice is generated not only in the ice making plate 2 but also in a part of the ice separating portion 3b, so that the ice separating portion 3b is movable in the surface direction of the ice making plate 2. When a force is applied, the ice separation unit 3b acts to extrude a portion that protrudes from the ice separation unit 3b.
Accordingly, the ice is peeled off when a force greater than the amount of the ice fixed to the ice making plate 2 is applied.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ice can be removed from the ice making plate 2 without melting the ice.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Also in this embodiment, it demonstrates centering on difference with 1st Embodiment.
FIG. 11 illustrates the main part of the ice making device of this embodiment from the side. As shown in the figure, the ice making plate 2 of the present embodiment is provided with a rotating shaft 40, and the rotating shaft 40 is fixed to a support portion (not shown) of the ice making apparatus main body. Therefore, the ice making plate 2 can be rotated about the rotation shaft 40 as a rotation center. Further, a weight 52 is attached to the upper position of the ice making plate 2.

The deicing is performed by vigorously rotating the rotating ice making plate 2 so that the upper portion of the ice making plate 2 to which the weight 52 is attached collides with the colliding member 13 facing the ice making member, and by the impact generated by the collision. The ice 6 is peeled off from the ice making plate 2.
Since the impact generated by the impact increases as the strength increases, the peeling effect increases. (1) The weight of the rotating ice making plate 2 is increased. (2) The position where the weight 52 is attached is separated from the rotating shaft as much as possible. 3) Increase the rotation angle of the ice making plate 2 to 90 degrees or more, (4) Provide a biasing means on the rotating shaft 40 , (5) The weight 52 at the top of the ice making plate 2, and the impacted member 13 facing the ice making member In order to improve the deicing performance, it is effective to take measures such as forming a hard material with a hard material. Further, this rotation operation may be performed manually or by power (not shown) connected to the rotation shaft 40 .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ice can be removed without melting the ice.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Note that this embodiment will also be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.
FIG. 12 shows a front view of the ice making unit 10 according to the present embodiment. The structure includes an ice making evaporator 1, an ice making plate 2 that is connected and separated in an island shape, an extrusion member 55 that is provided so as to be inserted into an opening of the ice making plate 2, and the extrusion member 55. The sealing material 8b that fills the gap between the ice making plate 2, the ice separating portion 3b that fills the space between the ice making plates 2, and the standing rib 3a that is provided on the ice separating portion 3b and is parallel to the flowing water direction. Has been. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 12, wherein (a) shows a front view and (b) a side view.

FIG. 14 shows a side view of the ice making device according to the present embodiment. (a) shows a state immediately before starting the deicing operation, and (b) shows a state during the deicing operation.
The extruding member 55 is adapted to engage with the rotating gear 54 of the extruding drive unit . The pushing member 55 penetrates the opening of the ice making plate 2.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Since the process of making ice is the same as that of the embodiment shown so far, description is abbreviate | omitted. Therefore, the explanation will be focused on the deicing operation.
The deicing operation is first performed by rotating the rotary gear 54. When the rotary gear 54 is rotated counterclockwise, the push-out member 55 is engaged, so that the rotary gear 54 rotates and moves to the right in the drawing. When the pushing member 55 moves in this manner, the ice 6 fixed to the surface of the ice making plate 2 is pushed and peeled from the ice making plate 2.

  Further, the pushing member 55 may be moved so as to protrude from the ice making plate 2 and then move so as to be recessed from the ice making plate 2. In this way, even if the tip portion of the pushing member 55 remains fixed to the ice, the pushing member 55 can be detached by being recessed from the ice making plate 2. Further, when this operation is repeated a plurality of times, the deicing property is improved.

  The pushing member 55 may have a circular cross section instead of the structure shown in the present embodiment, or may be a plurality of pushing portions. Further, the method of driving the pushing member 55 is merely an example, and other methods may be used as long as the pushing member 55 can be driven as in this example even if the structure described in this embodiment is not used. .

  According to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to deice the transparently generated ice without heating.

[Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Similar to the previous embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  FIG. 15 is a side view of the ice making unit showing the ice removing operation of the present embodiment. In the figure, (a) shows the state until ice making is completed, and (b) shows the deicing operation after ice formation.

  The ice making plate 2 of the present embodiment has a structure having the plurality of independent ice making plates 2 shown in the fourth embodiment, but does not have an opening. Instead, an extrusion member 55 is provided on the back surface of the ice making plate 2.

The ice making device of the present embodiment is configured to bend the ice making plate 2 by pushing the ice making plate 2 from the back surface of the ice making plate 2 with the pushing member 55 and peel off the ice 6 frozen on the surface of the ice making plate 2. .
Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately design the material and thickness so that the ice making plate 2 can be curved. For example, when titanium metal is used as the material for the ice making plate, the thickness is preferably 0.3 to 0.5 mm. Note that one end of the ice making plate 2 is fixed to the ice making evaporator 1 and the other end is not fixed, and can be freely moved.

Next, the deicing process will be described with reference to FIG. The deicing causes the rotary gear 54 to rotate counterclockwise and move the pushing member 55 to the right in the drawing. When the pushing member 55 is moved in this manner, the ice making plate 2 acts so as to push and push from behind, so that the ice making plate 2 is curved. Then, the ice 6 frozen on the surface of the ice making plate 2 can be peeled off from the ice making plate 2 and dropped downward.

  As in the other embodiments, the surface of the ice making plate 2 can be easily peeled off by coating the surface with a material having high water repellency such as fluorine.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ice formed transparently can be deiced without heating.

[Sixth Embodiment]
A sixth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The present embodiment is characterized in that the ice making plate 2 and the pushing member 55 are in a fitted state. 16 and 17 are side views of the main part of the ice making device for a refrigerator according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a state where the ice making is completed, and FIGS. This shows the state of deicing.

Also in this embodiment, the ice making operation is omitted, and only the ice removing operation will be described.
In the deicing operation, the rotating gear 54 is rotated counterclockwise. Thereby, the pushing member 55 fitted with the rotation gear 54 moves rightward on the paper surface. When the pushing member 55 pushes and pushes the ice making plate 2, the ice making plate 2 is curved as shown in FIG. By being curved in this way, the ice 6 has a peeling action.
Next, the rotating gear 54 is rotated in the clockwise direction. If it does in this way, conversely, the extrusion member 55 will move to the paper surface left direction on the contrary. Thus, when the pushing member 55 moves in the left direction of the drawing, the ice making plate 2 is curved in the opposite direction. In this way, the ice removing performance is improved by reversing the direction of bending the ice making plate 2. If this series of operations is repeated a plurality of times, the ice removal performance is further improved.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to peel the ice 6 from the ice making plate 2 even if the ice is firmly fixed to the ice making plate 2.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, ice can be removed from the ice making plate 2 without heating the ice. For this reason, even a flowing water type ice making device that has a complicated structure and cannot be deiced by twisting can be deiced without melting the ice. The ice can be stored below the freezing point temperature without causing any trouble.

  In addition, the embodiment using the method of applying a mechanical force as a method of deicing without melting the ice has been described so far, but the present invention is limited only to the mechanical method. Rather, it may be anything that can be deiced without melting the ice. For example, an ultrasonic vibration element may be provided on the back surface of the ice making plate 2 and the ice may be peeled off from the ice making plate 2 using this vibration energy at the time of deicing, or vibration used in a mobile phone. A method may be used in which the element is attached to the ice making plate 2 and vibrated, thereby causing the peeling force to act between the ice and the ice making plate 2 to release the ice.

It is the schematic of the freezer refrigerator to which the ice making apparatus of this invention is applied. It is a refrigerant circuit figure of the freezer refrigerator to which the ice making device of the present invention is applied. It is the principal part front view of the ice making apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the figure which showed only the ice making board and the evaporator, (b) is the figure which showed the principal part of the ice making apparatus whole. is there. It is a principal part top view of the ice making apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a general view, (b) is an enlarged view. (c) is an enlarged view when an additional function is provided. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a top view of the main part of the ice making device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is immediately after completion of ice making, (b) is after the start of ice removal, and (c) is the latter half stage of ice removal. It is a principal part front view of the ice making apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part top view of the ice making apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a figure which shows the time of the completion | finish of production | generation of ice, (b) is a figure which shows the time of peeling the ice from an ice-making board. It is. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the ice making apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part front view of the ice making apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a principal part enlarged view, (b) is a principal part side view. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the time of completion of ice making, (b) is a figure which shows ice removal operation | movement. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side view of the ice making apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the time of ice making completion, (b) is a figure which shows ice removal operation | movement. It is the schematic of the conventional ice making apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ice making evaporator 2 Ice making plate 3a Standing rib 3b Ice separation part 4 Ice making water circulation path 5 Water receiving tray 6 Ice 7 Drive gear 8a Rotating shaft 8b Seal material 8c Fan type gear 9 Sprinkler (spray nozzle)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ice making part 12 Circulation pump 13 Collision member facing ice making member 14 Ice discharge port 18 Main evaporator 19 Compressor 20 Refrigerator ( refrigeration refrigerator )
24 water supply tank 26 the ice storage part 36 protruding portion 37 reinforcement member
40 the rotating shaft 52 primarily Ri
5 4 rotary gear 55 extruded member

Claims (16)

An ice making member, a cooling means capable of cooling the ice making member to below the freezing point temperature, a water sprinkling means for spraying water on the surface of the ice making member, and water that has not been frozen by the ice making member are recovered. An ice making device comprising a water receiving part and a water supply means for sending water from the water receiving part to the watering means,
The ice making device is provided with a movable standing rib for deicing without melting ice. The ice making device according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the movable standing rib is a triangle shape or a trapezoidal shape . The ice making device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable standing rib is pivotally supported at one end thereof . The ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein an angle formed between a side wall surface of the movable standing rib and a bottom surface of the rib is an acute angle . Ice making device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a protrusions on the side wall surface of the upright ribs of said movable up claims 4. Ice making device according to any one of the adjacent upright ribs claims 1, characterized in that the pivot at different angles to claim 5. 6. The ice making device according to claim 1, wherein one of the adjacent standing ribs is fixed and the other is movable . The standing ribs ice making device according to claim 1, characterized in that a built-in reinforcement member to claim 7. An ice making member, a cooling means capable of cooling the ice making member to below the freezing point temperature, a water sprinkling means for spraying water on the surface of the ice making member, and water that has not been frozen by the ice making member are recovered. An ice making device comprising a water receiving part and a water supply means for sending water from the water receiving part to the watering means,
Deicing means for pressing against the ice so as to push the ice away from the surface of the ice making member, or pressing the surface so as to bend the surface, and performing deicing without melting the ice An ice making device comprising: The said ice removing means has a configuration in which the surface of the ice making member has a recess or an opening, and a movable ice pressing member is provided in the recess or the opening. ice-making device. In the ice removing means, the ice making member has a movable pressing member, and the ice removing member is configured to perform ice removal by curving the surface of the ice making member by moving the pressing member. The ice making device according to claim 9 . An ice-making member having a water surface installed substantially vertically, a water spray nozzle at the top of the water surface for spraying water to the water surface, and water sprayed by the water nozzle at the bottom of the water surface. An ice making device comprising: a water receiving tray for receiving water; a circulation pump for pumping water from the water receiving tray to the watering nozzle; and a cooling means capable of cooling the ice making member to a freezing point temperature or less. The surface is provided with standing ribs at a plurality of locations along the direction of flowing water, and the water flowing by the standing ribs is divided into a plurality of strips. An ice making device characterized in that it is pivotally supported with one end as a fulcrum, and the ice is deiced by moving the movable rib without heating when deicing the produced ice. The ice making device according to claim 12, wherein the movable rib has a side wall surface having a forward taper shape with respect to the flowing water surface . The ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , further comprising ice storage means for storing ice deiced from the ice making member at a temperature lower than a freezing point temperature .   The ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the ice making member is subjected to water repellent treatment.   A refrigerator comprising the ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

Images