JP4333202B2 - Ice making equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to an ice making device that produces relatively transparent ice in a household refrigerator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, there has been a demand for an ice making device that produces high-quality transparent ice in home refrigerators, and when ice making is performed by supplying water to the ice making container, the ice making container is vibrated or an opening on the upper side of the ice making container An ice making device has been devised that prevents air bubbles that are spouted from the ice accompanying freezing of the water from being mixed into the ice by blowing warm air from the section toward the water surface (for example, patent document) 1).
[0003]
The conventional ice making device will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0004]
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional refrigerator, and FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an ice making device.
[0005]
8 and 9, the refrigerator 14 has an outer box 15 and an inner box 16, and is a heat insulating structure in which a heat insulating material is filled therebetween. The inner box 16 has a plurality of heat insulating partition plates 17. A refrigerator compartment 18, a freezer compartment 19, a vegetable compartment 20 and the like are provided.
[0006]
The refrigerator compartment 18 is provided with a water supply tank 21 for storing water for making ice, and the freezer compartment 19 is provided with an ice making device 22 and an ice storage box 23. The ice storage box 23 is arranged below the ice making device 22 so as to receive and store ice produced by the ice making device 22.
[0007]
A refrigerator 14 is housed in the refrigerator 14, and the inside of the refrigerator is cooled while being forcedly circulated by the fan 25 through the cooler 24.
[0008]
On the other hand, the ice making device 22 inverts the ice making container 26 for storing the water from the water supply tank 21, the blow mechanism 27 for blowing air to the water stored in the ice making container 26, and the ice making container 26 to invert the ice in the ice making container 26. For example, a deicing mechanism 28 for transferring the ice to the ice storage box 23.
[0009]
The ice making container 26 is made of a synthetic resin having an open top surface, and cool air sent from the cooler 24 to the freezing chamber 19 by the fan 25 is blown to the back side of the ice making container 26 so that the ice making container 26 is placed at the bottom. Ice is made by cooling from the side.
[0010]
The blow mechanism 27 includes a pump 29 that blows air, a blower duct 30 that leads the air blown by the pump 29 to the upper side of the ice making container 26, an air heater 31 that heats the air guided by the blower duct 30, and air heating The nozzle 32 is configured to blow air that has been heated by the heater 31 into hot air against water stored in the ice making container 26.
[0011]
The operation of the conventional ice making device configured as described above will be described.
[0012]
The water supplied and stored from the water supply tank 21 to the ice making container 26 is frozen by the cool air cooled by the cooler 24 being blown by the fan 25 to the back side of the ice making container 26. Hot air heated by the air heater 31 from the mechanism 27 is blown onto the upper surface of the ice making container 26.
[0013]
For this reason, the ice grows from the bottom surface side of the ice making container 26, and the upper surface side to which the hot air on the upper surface side of the ice making container 26 is blown finally freezes. Therefore, when the water freezes and becomes ice, it is unfrozen. An escape port for the air exhaled into the water to escape is secured until the ice making is completed.
[0014]
Further, the water stored in the ice making container 26 is agitated by the hot air, and the water moves on the interface between the ice and the water. From the water surface into the freezer compartment 19.
[0015]
For this reason, high-quality transparent ice with a small amount of bubbles contained in the ice to be made can be obtained.
[0016]
In the conventional ice making apparatus, as shown in FIG. 10, since the ice grows from the side surface side as well as from the bottom surface side, the ice grows in a concave shape, and the ice in the unfrozen water remaining inside the concave ice shape. The concentration of minerals and air gradually increases.
[0017]
Therefore, white turbidity concentrates from the approximate center part to the upper part of the ice that freezes at the end, gathering up to a size that can see minerals and bubbles with minerals as the core, and the transparency of ice deteriorates .
[0018]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-355946 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional configuration, cooling is performed by blowing cool air to the back side of the ice making container, so that freezing from the side of the ice making container occurs at the same time as freezing from the bottom of the ice making container, and further, near the center of the water surface When the ice making container is viewed in a vertical section, the ice grows in a concave shape where the ice height near the center is lower than the ice height near the side of the ice making container. To go.
[0020]
Here, minerals and air such as calcium and magnesium that were originally dissolved in the water are expelled from the ice into the unfrozen water when the water freezes, so the unfrozen water in the ice that has grown in a concave shape The concentration of air and minerals inside gradually increases.
[0021]
Air is diffused to some extent from the unfrozen water surface to the surrounding space, but minerals cannot escape to the outside of the ice making container. The cloudiness concentrates when bubbles that have minerals as the core are visible, and the transparency of the ice deteriorates.
[0022]
In addition, concentrated minerals are discharged from the ice when it is placed in a beverage such as water and float in the drinking liquid without melting immediately, but are concentrated to a size that can be easily seen in the ice making process. In some cases, it is observed that it floats in the beverage and does not become a sensory preferred ice.
[0023]
The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is a highly transparent ice that does not stand out due to solidification of ice, and it does not stand out that minerals float even if ice is added to the beverage. It is an object of the present invention to provide high-quality ice that is preferable to the above.
[0024]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The ice making device according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with an ice making container at the upper part of the cooling plate, and ice making water is intermittently supplied to the ice making container at a predetermined interval corresponding to the progress of freezing from the lower surface. In the apparatus, water is supplied so that the unfrozen water at the time of intermittent water supply has a substantially constant thickness each time, and the thickness of the unfrozen water in the ice making container is reduced to a substantially constant thickness. Freezing progresses while diffusing air, which is a white turbidity factor, and diffusing minerals on the side of the ice making container, so that ice having high transparency can be obtained.
[0025]
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the predetermined interval of water supply is short near the start of water supply and long near the end of water supply, and the thickness of unfrozen water in the ice making container is substantially constant thin. It has the effect | action that it can supply water so that it may become.
[0026]
In addition, rapid ice formation can be suppressed by supplying water continuously in the initial stage of ice making when the ice making container is not cooled in the ice making container and the ice making container is in an overcooled state. It has the effect of avoiding bias (water droplets) and forming a uniform water film.
[0027]
The invention of the ice making device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the invention of the ice making device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of water supply is large near the start of water supply and decreases near the end of water supply, It has the effect | action that water can be supplied so that the thickness of the unfrozen water in an ice-making container may become substantially constant thinness.
[0028]
In addition, rapid ice formation can be suppressed by supplying a large amount of water at the initial stage of ice making when the ice making container is not cooled in the ice making container and the ice making container is in an overcooled state. It has the effect of avoiding (water droplets) and forming a uniform water film.
[0029]
The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the ice making device invention according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising cooling plate temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the cooling plate, wherein the temperature of the cooling plate is initially set during ice making. Is controlled so as to be low in the late stage of ice making, and has the effect that the thickness of unfrozen water in the ice making container becomes substantially constant.
[0030]
Further, when the ice is thin and the heat resistance of the ice is small, the ice making time is shortened by increasing the freezing speed.
[0031]
The invention according to claim 4 of the present invention is the ice making device invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the cooling plate, the ice making container and the water supply device are held in a space of zero degrees or more. Thus, the directional temperature difference is inevitably taken in the direction of ice growth without freezing from the side or upper part of the ice making container.
[0032]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, about the part of the same structure, in order to avoid duplication, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0033]
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an ice making device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top view of the main part of the ice making device of the same embodiment, and FIG. 3 is the main portion side of the ice making device of the same embodiment. It is sectional drawing.
[0034]
In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the ice making device 1 includes a water supply device 2, a cooling plate 3, and an ice making container 4 installed on the cooling plate 3 and formed of polypropylene, and the water supply device 2 is disposed. The space and the space in which the cooling plate 3 and the ice making container 4 are arranged are partitioned by a partition wall 5, and each space is held at about 3 degrees.
[0035]
The water supply device 2 has a water supply tank 6 for temporarily storing water for making ice, a water supply pump 7 for sending out a predetermined amount of water in the water supply tank 6, and water supplied from the water supply pump 7 in a predetermined manner. It is comprised from the water supply path | route 8 for guide | inducing to a position.
[0036]
The cooling plate 3 is formed of aluminum, and one surface of the Peltier 9 is fixed so as to be in close contact with the surface of the cooling plate 3 that is in contact with the ice making container 4, and the other surface of the Peltier 9 is The heat sink 10 is fixed so as to be in close contact, and the air blown from the fan 11 is blown onto the heat sink 10. Further, the temperature of the cooling plate 3 can be controlled to a predetermined temperature by controlling the energization to the Peltier 9.
[0037]
Further, the ice making container 4 fixed on the cooling plate 3 is disposed so as to be positioned below the water supply path 8, and the ice making container 4 is in close contact with the cooling plate 3 at a substantially central portion of the bottom surface.
[0038]
Further, the ice making container 4, the cooling plate 3, the Peltier 9, and the heat sink 10 are coupled to the ice removing mechanism 13 by the drive shaft 12, and are inverted by rotating the drive shaft 12 by the ice removing mechanism 13.
[0039]
Next, the operation of the ice making device configured as described above will be described.
[0040]
The cooling plate 3 is maintained at a predetermined temperature of zero degrees or less by supplying a direct current in a predetermined direction in which the surface in contact with the cooling plate 3 is cooled to the Peltier 9 and further controlling the supply to the Peltier 9. . At that time, the surface of the Peltier 9 on the heat sink 10 side is dissipated by blowing air from the fan 11 onto the heat sink 10.
[0041]
At this time, by driving the water supply pump 7 for a predetermined time, a predetermined amount of water in the water supply tank 6 is supplied into the ice making container 4 from the water supply path 8 and is made by cooling from the cooling plate 3.
[0042]
When a temperature sensor (not shown) installed on the outer surface of the ice making container 4 detects that the temperature has dropped below a predetermined temperature after a certain period of time has passed since the water supply, it is determined that ice making has been completed and is driven by the ice removing mechanism 13. By rotating the shaft 12, the ice making container 4 is reversed together with the cooling plate 3, the Peltier 9 and the heat sink 10, and at the same time, the cooling plate 3 is superheated by energizing the Peltier 9 in the opposite direction to that during ice making. The ice on the contact surface between the ice and the ice making container 4 is melted, and the ice is dropped by its own weight, thereby storing the ice in an ice storage box (not shown) installed below the ice making device 1.
[0043]
Hereinafter, a method of growing ice during ice making in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0044]
FIG. 4 shows a state in the ice making container 4 as viewed in a vertical section after a predetermined time has elapsed from the water supply, and FIG. 5 shows a state in the ice making container 4 after a predetermined time has elapsed from FIG.
[0045]
On the other hand, in the ice making device of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the water 4 a stored in the ice making container 4 is cooled by the cooling plate 3 at the bottom surface of the ice making container 4 and the upper surface is at least zero degrees. The ice 4b grows from the bottom to the top.
[0046]
When water freezes, the air that was originally dissolved in the water and minerals such as calcium and magnesium are expelled from the ice into the unfrozen water if the freezing rate is slow enough, and the dissolved air in the water is water. Since the thickness of the ice making container 4 is thin, it is easily diffused from the opening on the upper side of the ice making container 4 to the surrounding space. As shown in FIG. 5, when the side surface temperature of the ice making container 4 is higher than the bottom surface temperature, the mineral content is Since it diffuses widely in the direction of the side surface 4, it is confined in the ice in a state of being diffused in a size that cannot be seen even if it contains minerals, so that apparently transparent ice can be formed.
[0047]
On the other hand, as the ice grows, the distance between the cooling plate 3 and the interface between ice and water increases, so the influence of the cooling plate 3 on freezing gradually decreases, and the growth rate of ice becomes slower. The water / ice interface position becomes proportional to the square root of time by the Neumann solution.
[0048]
Therefore, in order to keep the water film thickness on ice substantially constant, the water / air interface position 4c and the ice / water interface position 4d are controlled by time as shown in FIG.
[0049]
When the ice growth rate is high near the start of water supply, that is, at the beginning of ice making, the water supply time interval is shortened, and the amount of water supplied per hour is increased.When the ice growth rate is low near the end of water supply, that is, at the late ice making stage, the water supply time interval is increased. By increasing the length and reducing the amount of water supply per hour, the water film thickness on ice can be kept substantially constant.
[0050]
As described above, the ice making device of the present embodiment grows the water stored in the ice making container from the bottom to the top and supplies water so that the water film thickness on the ice is kept substantially constant. By diffusing air, which is the cause of the above, and further freezing while diffusing the mineral content on the side of the ice making container, the mineral content floats even when melted in drinking liquid with high-quality transparent ice that looks visually It is possible to provide sensually suitable ice that is not noticeable.
[0051]
In this embodiment, when the ice growth rate is high, the water supply time interval is shortened and the water supply amount per hour is increased, but when the ice growth rate is slow, the water supply amount per hour is increased. However, by directly reducing the water supply amount, the water film thickness on ice can be kept substantially constant.
[0052]
Also, by controlling the temperature of the cooling plate to increase the temperature of the cooling plate at the initial stage of ice making to slow the ice growth rate, and to lower the temperature of the cooling plate at the late stage of ice making to increase the growth rate of ice. As shown in FIG. 7, even when the ice growth rate is made substantially constant and the water supply amount and the water supply interval are constant, the water film thickness on ice can be kept substantially constant.
[0053]
Further, in the present embodiment, by using a Peltier to control the temperature of the cooling plate, by applying a current in the opposite direction to the cooling to the Peltier in order to deice the ice in the ice making container, Ice was melted by melting the ice on the contact surface between the ice and the ice making container, but the temperature control of the cooling plate is not limited to Peltier, and the method of deicing is limited to melting using Peltier. Is not to be done.
[0054]
For example, the heater may be attached to the cooling plate, and after the completion of freezing, the heater may be energized to perform ice removal. Alternatively, the ice making container may be deformed when it is inverted to perform ice removal.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with an ice making container in the upper part of the cooling plate, and ice making water is intermittently supplied to the ice making container at predetermined intervals in accordance with the freezing progress from the lower surface. In this case, by supplying water so that the unfrozen water at the time of intermittent water supply has a substantially constant thickness, the dissolved air in the water can be easily diffused from the opening on the upper side of the ice making container to the surrounding space, and The mineral content can be dispersed on the side surface of the container, and it is possible to provide functionally preferable ice that has a relatively high transparency and does not float even when dissolved in water.
[0056]
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the predetermined interval of water supply is short near the start of water supply and long near the end of water supply, and the thickness of the unfrozen water in the ice making container is substantially constant. In addition, rapid ice formation can be suppressed by supplying water continuously in the initial stage of ice making when the ice making container is not cooled in the ice making container and is in an overcooled state.
[0057]
Furthermore, by avoiding unevenness of water film (water droplets) due to surface tension during initial water supply and making it a uniform water film, dissolved air in water can be easily diffused from the opening on the top of the ice making container to the surrounding space. It is possible to provide functionally preferable ice having a mineral content dispersed on the side surface and having relatively high transparency and no mineral content floating even when dissolved in water.
[0058]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of water supply is large near the start of water supply and small near the end of water supply, and the thickness of unfrozen water in the ice making container Water can be supplied so that the thickness of the ice is almost constant, and rapid ice formation is suppressed by supplying a large amount of water at the beginning of ice making when the ice making container is not cooled in the ice making container and the ice making container is in an overcooled state. In addition, by avoiding unevenness of the water film (water droplets) due to surface tension during initial water supply and making it a uniform water film, the dissolved air in the water can be easily diffused from the opening above the ice making container to the surrounding space. Also, it is possible to provide functionally preferable ice having a mineral content dispersed on the side surface of the ice making container and having a relatively high transparency, and the mineral content does not float even when dissolved in water.
[0059]
The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the temperature of the cooling plate is controlled to be high in the initial stage of ice making and low in the late stage of ice making. When the water thickness is almost constant and the ice is thin and the heat resistance of the ice is low, the ice-making time can be shortened by increasing the freezing speed, so that the dissolved air in the water can be discharged from the opening on the upper side of the ice-making vessel. It can be easily diffused into the surrounding space.
[0060]
In addition, minerals can be dispersed on the side of the ice making container, and it is possible to provide functionally preferable ice that has a relatively high transparency and does not float even when dissolved in water.
[0061]
The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the cooling plate, the ice making container, and the water supply device are held in a space of zero degrees or more. By being able to inevitably take a directed temperature difference in the direction of ice growth without freezing, dissolved air in the water can be easily diffused from the opening on the top of the ice making container to the surrounding space, and minerals can be found on the side of the ice making container. It is possible to provide functionally preferable ice that disperses the component, has a relatively high transparency, and does not float the mineral component even when dissolved in water.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an ice making device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of essential parts of the ice making device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the ice making container after a predetermined time has elapsed in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the ice making container after the predetermined time has elapsed in the same embodiment. -Time variation diagram of the ice interface position [Fig. 7] Fig. 8 is a time variation diagram of the water-ice interface position when the cooling plate temperature of the first embodiment of the present invention changes. [Fig. FIG. 9 is a sectional side view of a conventional ice making apparatus. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of ice making in an ice making container of a conventional ice making apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ice making apparatus 2 Water supply apparatus 3 Cooling plate 4 Ice making container 4a Water 4b Ice 4c Water / air interface 4d Ice / water interface 5 Partition wall 6 Water supply tank 7 Water supply pump 8 Water supply path 9 Peltier 10 Heat sink 11 Fan 12 Drive shaft 13 Ice removal Mecha

Claims (4)

In an ice making apparatus that includes an ice making container at the top of the cooling plate and intermittently supplies ice making water to the ice making container at predetermined intervals in response to the progress of freezing from the lower surface, unfrozen water at the time of intermittent water supply is An ice making device characterized in that water is supplied so as to have a substantially constant thickness, and intermittent water supply has a water supply interval that is short at the start of water supply and long at the end of water supply . The ice making device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of water supply is large at the start of water supply and small at the end of water supply. The ice making device according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a cooling plate temperature control means for controlling a temperature of the cooling plate, wherein the temperature is controlled so that the temperature of the cooling plate is high in the early stage of ice making and low in the late stage of ice making. . The ice making device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the cooling plate, the ice making container, and the water supply device are held in a space of 0 degrees or more.

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