JP6917297B2 - Ice dispenser - Google Patents

Description

This specification discloses a technique relating to an ice dispenser.

Conventionally, there is known a technique for keeping the amount of ice stored in ice made within a predetermined range. Patent Document 1 discloses an ice maker that calculates the amount of ice stored in the ice storage from the ice making operation status to make ice, and the amount of ice stored in the ice storage is obtained by subtracting the "water discharge amount per unit time". It is calculated by adding the "ice making amount per unit time". Then, the ice making operation is stopped when the calculated ice storage amount increases to the upper operating value, and the ice making operation is started when the calculated ice storage amount decreases to a threshold value which is a predetermined intermediate ice amount value further decreased from the lower operating value. ..

Japanese Patent No. 4460658

By the way, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, regardless of whether it is a busy period in which the demand for ice increases or a quiet period in which the demand for ice decreases, the "water discharge amount per unit time" and " Since the amount of ice stored is kept within a predetermined range based on "the amount of ice made per unit time", ice making may not be in time due to insufficient ice storage during the busy season when there are many user ice making operations, or during the off-season when there are few user ice making operations. There is concern that the amount of ice stored will be too large and wasteful ice making will increase.

The techniques described herein have been completed on the basis of the above circumstances.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ice dispenser capable of suppressing excess or deficiency of the amount of ice stored in both the busy season and the off-season.

The ice dispenser described in the present specification includes an ice making section for making ice, an ice storage tank for storing ice made in the ice making section, a discharge port for discharging ice stored in the ice storage tank, and the release port. A user-operable operation unit for discharging ice from the outlet and a control unit for controlling ice making by the ice making unit are provided, and the control unit determines the amount of ice released from the discharge port within a predetermined time. A mode switching means for switching between a busy mode and a quiet mode is provided accordingly, and in the quiet mode, ice making by the ice making unit is controlled so that the amount of ice stored in the ice storage tank is smaller than that in the busy mode.
According to this configuration, the control unit switches between the busy mode and the off-peak mode according to the demand for ice by the user, so that it is possible to suppress the shortage of ice in the busy season and the wasteful ice making in the off-season. Therefore, it is possible to suppress excess or deficiency of the amount of ice stored in both the busy season and the off-season.

The following embodiments are preferred as embodiments of the techniques described herein.
The operation unit discharges an amount of ice from the discharge port according to the number of operations, and the control unit switches between the off-peak mode and the busy mode according to the number of operations of the operation unit.
In this way, the amount of ice released can be detected according to the number of operations of the operation unit, so that the process of switching between the off-peak mode and the busy mode can be easily performed.

The control unit includes a detection unit that detects that the ice storage tank is full of ice, the amount of ice released from the discharge port within the predetermined time is equal to or less than a threshold value, and the detection unit is full of ice. When it is detected that the mode is, the busy mode is switched to the off mode.
In this way, since the ice storage tank is in the off-season mode after the ice storage tank is full, it is possible to suppress the shortage of ice in the off-ice mode.

When the flowing water freezes, the plate-shaped connecting ice in the shape in which the block-shaped ice is connected in a plate shape adheres to the ice making surface, and the ice making plate having a through hole and the ice plate inserted through the through hole are inserted into the through hole to make the ice. The extruding unit that pushes out the plate-shaped connecting ice in the direction in which the plate-shaped connecting ice separates from the plate, the movement detection unit that detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice, and the ice stored in the ice storage tank are stirred. The control unit includes an agitator that operates in the above mode and a setting means that allows the user to switch between the first setting and the second setting in which less ice is stored in the ice storage tank than the first setting. In the state set to 1 setting, the agitator is operated after the movement detection unit detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice during the pushing operation of the extrusion unit, and the state is set to the second setting. Then, the agitator is operated before the movement detecting unit detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice during the pushing operation of the pushing unit.
In this way, the timing at which the agitator agitates the ice stored in the ice storage tank can be changed according to the user's settings, so that the amount of ice stored in the ice storage tank can be adjusted according to the user's settings. Can be done.

When the busy mode is set in the state of being set to the second setting, the control unit operates the agitator before the movement detecting unit detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice, and sets the second setting. When the off-season mode is set in the set state, the control unit does not operate the agitator.
In this way, it is possible to suppress the excess or deficiency of the amount of ice stored in the state set in the second setting.

According to the technique described in the present specification, it is possible to suppress excess or deficiency of the amount of ice stored in both the busy season and the off-season.

Front view showing the ice dispenser of the first embodiment Cross-sectional perspective view showing the inside of FIG. AA cross-sectional view of FIG. A plan sectional view showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the ice making section. A vertical cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the ice making part in an enlarged manner. The figure which shows the refrigerating circuit and the ice making water circuit Diagram showing the electrical configuration of the ice dispenser Timing chart showing the mode change according to the amount of ice released Flowchart showing the processing of the control unit Flowchart showing ice making process in busy mode Flowchart showing ice making process in off-peak mode Timing chart showing the operation of the agitator when the settings and modes are different A timing chart showing a mode change according to the amount of ice released in the second embodiment. Flowchart showing the processing of the control unit

The ice dispenser 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice dispenser 10 includes a substantially rectangular housing 11, an ice making mechanism 20 for making ice, an ice storage tank 70 for storing ice made by the ice making mechanism 20, and an ice storage tank. It is provided with a discharge mechanism 90 for discharging the ice stored in the 70 into a container such as a cup placed on the container base 66, and an operation unit 99 in which the user can operate the discharge of the ice from the discharge port 92.

The ice making mechanism 20 is arranged on the upper side of the housing 11 and includes an ice making section 22 for making ice ice and a tank 45 arranged on the lower side of the ice making section 22 for storing ice making water. The ice-making unit 22 has a shallow box-shaped ice-making plate 23 that stands vertically and has an ice-making surface 24 on the front surface, and a grid-like partition member 26 that forms a large number of ice-making chambers on the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23. I have. A copper plate or an aluminum plate having good thermal conductivity is used for the ice making plate 23 and the partition member 26. The ice-making water flowing down the ice-making surface 24 is frozen, and ice is made into a large number of blocks in each ice-making chamber. Since the block-shaped ice in each ice-making chamber is partially connected to the block-shaped ice in the adjacent ice-making chambers, the block-shaped ice is connected to the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23 as a whole. A plate-shaped connecting ice in the shape of a shape is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, a through hole 18 is formed through the ice making plate 23, and a slide pin 51 (an example of an “extruded portion”) of the ice release device 50 can be inserted into the through hole 18. There is. The through hole 18 is an intermediate portion in the left-right direction of the ice plate 23, and is formed slightly above the intermediate portion in the vertical direction. As a result, the slide pin 51 is an intermediate portion in the left-right direction with respect to the plate-shaped connecting ice, and abuts slightly above the intermediate portion in the vertical direction to separate the plate-shaped connecting ice from the ice-making plate 23. It is said that it can be extruded to. A guide member 19 that guides the slide direction of the slide pin 51 is fixed behind the through hole 18. The guide member 19 is formed through an insertion hole 19A through which the slide pin 51 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 6, the evaporation pipe 34 and the temperature sensor 38 in the refrigerating apparatus 30 as the ice making portion 22 are fixed to the side of the ice making plate 23 opposite to the ice making surface 24.

The refrigerating device 30 includes a compressor 31 that compresses the refrigerant, a condenser 32 that cools and liquefies the compressed refrigerant gas by blowing air from the fan 42, an expansion valve 33 that expands the liquefied refrigerant, and the expanded liquefied refrigerant. It includes an evaporation pipe 34 that vaporizes and cools the ice plate 23, and these are connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigerating circuit (refrigerant circuit) in which the refrigerant circulates. Further, the refrigerating apparatus 30 includes a dryer 35 for removing water mixed in the refrigerating circuit and a bypass pipe 36 connecting between the compressor 31 and the evaporation pipe 34, and the bypass pipe 36 has a hot gas valve. 37 is intervened. A temperature sensor 39 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant is fixed between the inlet and outlet portions of the evaporation pipe 34 and between the dryer 35 and the condenser 32 in the refrigerant pipe. When the compressor 31 is operated with the hot gas valve 37 of the refrigerating apparatus 30 closed during the ice making operation by the ice making mechanism 20, the liquefied refrigerant is vaporized by the evaporation pipe 34, and the ice making plate 23 and the partition member 26 are moved. Be cooled. The ice-making water flowing down the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23 is cooled by the cooled ice-making plate 23 and the partition member 26, and the ice-making water freezes on the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23 to become ice.

When the ice making mechanism 20 performs the water removal operation, when the compressor 31 is operated with the hot gas valve 37 of the refrigerating device 30 open, when the hot gas sent from the compressor 31 passes through the evaporation pipe 34. The ice making plate 23 and the partition member 26 are heated, and the ice made on the ice making surface 24 side of the ice making plate 23 is melted at the contact surface between the heated ice making plate 23 and the partition member 26.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, on the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23, a guide plate 40 that prevents the ice-making water flowing down the ice-making surface 24 side from scattering to the surroundings is rotated by a predetermined angle about the upper end side. It is provided so that it can be moved. At least one of the guide plate 40 and the housing 11 has a proximity sensor or the like for detecting that the ice made on the ice making surface 24 side is separated from the ice making plate 23 or that the inside of the ice storage tank 70 is full. A detection unit 41 (see FIG. 6) including the same is fixed. When the plate-shaped connecting ice made by the ice making plate 23 comes into contact with the guide plate 40, the guide plate 40 changes from the hanging posture to the inclined posture. Therefore, the detection unit 41 detects the position of the guide plate 40 to make ice. It is possible to detect the detachment of the ice from the ice plate 23. Further, when the plate-shaped connecting ice that has fallen into the ice storage tank 70 is piled up in the ice storage tank 70, the guide plate 40 comes into contact with the piled up top plate-shaped connecting ice and maintains an inclined posture without returning to the hanging posture. Therefore, the detection unit 41 can detect that the ice storage tank 70 is in a full ice state by detecting the position of the guide plate 40.

The ice-making water flowing down the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23 flows down to the tank 45. As shown in FIG. 6, the tank 45 is connected to a water supply pipe 48 connected to a water supply source such as a water supply, and the water supply pipe 48 is provided with a water supply valve 49. By opening the water supply valve 49, the water of the water supply source is supplied to the tank 45 through the water supply pipe 48. The ice-making water in the tank 45 is circulated by the ice-making water circuit 60. The ice making water circuit 60 includes a water supply pump 61 provided in the tank 45, a water pipe 62 connected to the water supply pump 61, a float switch 47B that fluctuates up and down according to the water level by buoyancy, and a float switch 47B that turns water supply on and off, and inside the tank 45. It is provided with a water temperature sensor 47A for detecting the water temperature of the ice making plate 23 and a sprinkler 63 arranged on the upper side of the ice making plate 23 and connected to the water pipe 62. Further, a water pipe 64 for guiding ice-making water to the container base 66 is connected to the middle portion of the water pipe 62, and the water pipe 64 is provided with a drain valve 65. During the ice making operation, the ice making water in the tank 45 is sent to the sprinkler 63 through the water supply pipe 62 by the drive of the water feeding pump 61, and flows down from the sprinkler 63 on the ice making surface 24 side of the ice making plate 23 to the tank. Returning to 45, the ice-making water in the tank 45 circulates between the tank 45 and the ice-making surface 24 side of the ice-making plate 23 by the ice-making water circuit 60. The ice-making water in the tank 45 is gradually frozen on the ice-making surface 24 to become ice in the partition member 26. The ice-making water in the tank 45 remaining after the ice-making operation is sent from the water pipe 64 to the container stand 66 by opening the drain valve 65.

As shown in FIG. 3, a water level sensor 46 is provided in the tank 45. The water level sensor 46 detects the first water level of the ice-making water in the tank 45 and the second water level higher than the first water level. The first water level detected by the water level sensor 46 is the water level in the tank 45 when the ice making is completed on the ice making plate 23, and the second water level is the ice making of the plate-shaped connected ice on the ice making surface 24 side of the ice making plate 23. It is the water level in the tank 45 required for this. The ice-making water in the tank 45, which was the second water level, decreases to the first water level when the plate-shaped connecting ice is formed on the ice-making plate 23. Therefore, the water level sensor 46 detects the change in the water level, so that the plate It is detected that the shape connecting ice has been formed. When it is detected that the plate-shaped connecting ice is formed, the drive of the water supply pump 61 is stopped, and the hot gas sent from the compressor 31 is sent to the evaporation pipe 34. The plate-shaped connecting ice is slightly melted at the contact surface with the ice-making plate 23 and the partition member 26 so that it can be separated from the ice-making plate 23, and the plate-shaped connecting ice is separated from the ice-making plate 23 by the ice release device 50. Drop it inside the ice storage tank 70.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ice release device 50 is provided on the rear side of the ice plate 23, and includes a slide pin 51 inserted into the through hole 18 of the ice plate 23. The slide pin 51 can be slidably moved in a direction penetrating the through hole 18 by a cam that is rotated by driving the motor 52. The motor 52 is provided with an angle detection sensor that detects the rotation angle of the rotation shaft, and the angle detection sensor detects the rotation angle of the rotation shaft by an encoder attached to the rotation shaft, and the slide pin is detected by the angle detection sensor. The extrusion position of 51 can be detected. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 51A is attached to the slide pin 51 in a state where the slide pin 51 has advanced to an extruded position where the plate-shaped connecting ice is separated from the ice making plate 23, and a state in which the slide pin 51 is retracted to a retracted position where the plate-shaped connecting ice is not pressed. 51B is attached.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ice storage tank 70 stores ice produced by the ice making mechanism 20, and is arranged in the housing 11 according to the rules of the ice making mechanism 20. The transport mechanism 75 transports the ice in the ice storage tank 70 to the discharge mechanism 90, and supports the motor 77 that rotates the transport blades 76, the motor 78 provided on the lower side of the cylinder, and the inside of the cylinder so as to be rotatable. It is equipped with an auger screw 80. An agitator 79 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 77. The agitator 79 includes a stirring shaft 79A and a plurality of stirring rods 79B extending in a direction intersecting the stirring shaft 79A. When the stirring shaft 79A rotates together with the transport blade 76 by driving the motor 77, the stirring rod 79B rotates in the ice storage tank 70 to crush the plate-shaped connected ice made by the ice making mechanism 20 into block-shaped ice and store ice. The ice is prevented from accumulating locally in the tank 70.

The discharge mechanism 90 quantifies the ice transported by the transport mechanism 75 and discharges it into a container such as a cup, and includes a cylindrical metering chamber 91 provided in the upper part of the housing 11. On the bottom side of the metering chamber 91, a discharge port 92 for discharging ice and an ice meter 91A for partitioning a predetermined amount of ice into a plurality of chambers are provided. The ice meter 91A rotates the ice by the driving force of the motor 93, and as shown in FIG. 3, from the central shaft portion 94A rotatably supported by the metering chamber 91 and the central shaft portion 94A. It is equipped with a separate overnight section 94B that extends radially and forms six fan-shaped quantitative spaces at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Further, on the upper side of the ice meter 91A, a removing device 71 for removing ice protruding from the upper side of the fan-shaped metering space is provided. When the ice meter 91A is rotated by, for example, 60 °, the ice in one fan-shaped metering space is arranged above the discharge port 92 and discharged from the discharge port 92 to the container of the container base 66. Further, when the ice quantifier 91A is rotated by, for example, 180 °, the ice quantified in the three fan-shaped quantification spaces of the ice quantifier 91A moves to the upper side of the discharge port 92, and the quantified ice moves to the upper side of the discharge port 92. Is discharged into the container of the container base 66. The ice is discharged from the discharge port 92 in response to the operation of the operation unit 99. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 99 includes a plurality of (three in this embodiment) operation buttons, and different amounts of ice are released from each. In the present embodiment, each operation button rotates, for example, one, two, or three fan-shaped quantitative spaces, and the emission amount of each operation button is, for example, 100 g, 200 g, or 300 g. It is said that.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container base 66 is for placing a container that receives ice discharged from the discharge mechanism 90, and is provided at the upper part of the housing 11 below the discharge port 92 of the discharge mechanism 90. , Equipped with a drainage channel. The ice and water spilled from the container are received by the drain pan of the drainage channel, and the ice and water received by the drain pan are discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the drain pipe 97.

The electrical configuration of the ice dispenser 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the ice dispenser 10 includes a control unit 100 including a microcomputer or the like, and the control unit 100 has a busy mode and a busy mode in which the timer 101 and the ice making unit 22 control the ice making to increase. It has a mode switching means 102 for switching from a quiet mode in which ice making by the ice making unit 22 is controlled to be less than the mode. Further, the control unit 100 includes an operation unit 99, a setting means 104, a current sensor 106 (an example of a “movement detection unit”), a water level sensor 46, a detection unit 41, a temperature sensor 38, a compressor 31, a hot gas valve 37, and the like. A water supply pump 61, a water supply valve 49, motors 52, 77, 93, an ice meter 91A, and the like are connected.

The current sensor 106 detects the supply current to the motor 52 that moves the slide pin 51 of the ice release device 50, and the plate-shaped connecting ice starts to move due to the decrease in the supply current to the motor 52, and the load on the motor 52 is applied. It is possible to detect that the decrease has occurred.

The setting means 104 is a switch that can be operated by the user, and the user can switch between the first setting and the second setting in which less ice is stored in the ice storage tank 70 than the first setting. .. In the first setting, the control unit 100 controls the ice making unit 22 so that the ice storage tank 70 is always full of ice in both the busy mode and the off-peak mode. Then, in the state set to the first setting, the agitator 79 agitates the inside of the ice storage tank 70 after the plate-shaped connecting ice starts to move in both the busy mode and the off-peak mode. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, when the plate-shaped connecting ice starts to move during the pushing operation of the slide pin 51, the load on the slide pin 51 becomes small and the current of the motor 52 that moves the slide pin 51 decreases. do. Therefore, in the first setting, for example, when the current of the motor 52 detected by the current sensor 106 drops, the control unit 100 detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice, and the agitator 79 keeps the inside of the ice storage tank 70 for a predetermined time ( In this embodiment, the mixture is stirred for 16 seconds). Further, in the state of being set to the second setting in the busy mode, the control unit 100 sets the agitator 79 for a predetermined time (in the present embodiment) at the start of extrusion (or at the start of oxing) during the extrusion operation of the slide pin 51. Then 16 seconds) Stir. On the other hand, in the state of being set to the second setting in the off-peak mode, the control unit 100 does not stir by the agitator 79.

Next, the processing of the control unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.
As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 100 measures the time by the timer 101 (S1). When it is detected that the operation button of the operation unit 99 is pressed by the user (“YES” in S2), the control unit 100 drives the motor 93 and quantifies ice at an angle according to the type of the operation button and the number of times the operation button is pressed. The vessel 91A is rotated to discharge ice from the discharge port 92 formed at the bottom of the metering chamber 91, and the amount of ice released is calculated based on the type and number of operation buttons (S3). Further, the control unit 100 conveys the ice in the ice storage tank 70 to the release mechanism 90 according to the amount of ice released, and adds the ice in the quantitative chamber 91.

Next, based on the elapsed time of the timer 101 and the amount released, it is determined whether or not the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is equal to or greater than the threshold value (600 g) (S4). As shown in FIG. 8, when the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is equal to or greater than the threshold value (600 g) (“YES” in S4), the control unit 100 sets the busy mode and performs the ice making process in the busy mode. (S5). The amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes can be detected at all times (every minute time), for example.

In the ice making process in the busy mode, as shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 100 operates the ice making mechanism 20 to make ice (S11), and unless the mode is switched to the off-season mode according to the operation of the operation button (S12). (“NO” in S13), ice making is continued until the detection unit 41 detects full ice (“NO” in S13, S11). Then, when the mode is switched to the off-peak mode according to the number of times the operation buttons are operated (“YES” in S12), the ice making process in the busy mode is terminated.

In S4, if the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is not equal to or greater than the threshold value (600 g) (“NO” in S4), it is determined whether or not the detection unit 41 has detected full ice (S7), and the detection is performed. When the unit 41 detects full ice (“YES” in S7), as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 100 sets the off-peak mode and performs the ice-making process in the off-season mode (S8).

In the ice making process in the off-season mode, as shown in FIG. 11, if there is no switching to the busy mode according to the operation of the operation button (“NO” in S21), a predetermined time (8 hours) elapses after the full ice is detected. Ice is not made until (“NO” in S22). Then, when it is determined that a predetermined time (8 hours) has passed after the detection of full ice (“YES” in S22), the ice making mechanism 20 is operated until the detection unit 41 detects full ice to make ice (S23, S24). When the detection unit 41 detects full ice (“YES” in S24), if there is no switch to the busy mode (“NO” in S21), a predetermined time (8 hours) after the full ice is detected. Ice making is not performed until the lapse of time (“NO” in S22). On the other hand, when the mode is switched to the busy mode according to the number of times the operation buttons are operated (“YES” in S21), the ice making process in the off-season mode is terminated.
In addition, in the first setting, ice making is always continued until the ice is full regardless of whether it is in the busy mode or the off-peak mode. Therefore, in the case of the first setting even in the off-peak mode, the ice making operation in the busy mode is performed. Similarly, ice making will continue until the detection unit 41 detects full ice. On the other hand, in the case of the second setting in the busy mode, the ice making is temporarily stopped after the detection unit 41 detects the full ice.

According to this embodiment, the following actions and effects are exhibited.
The ice dispenser 10 is provided by an ice making section 22 for making ice, an ice storage tank 70 for storing ice made in the ice making section 22, a discharge port 92 for discharging the ice stored in the ice storage tank 70, and a discharge port 92. A user-operable operation unit 99 for operating ice release and a control unit 100 for controlling ice making by the ice making unit 22 are provided, and the control unit 100 responds to the amount of ice released from the discharge port 92 within a predetermined time. The mode switching means 102 for switching between the busy mode and the off-peak mode is provided, and in the off-peak mode, the ice making by the ice making unit 22 is controlled so that the amount of ice stored in the ice storage tank 70 is smaller than that in the busy mode.

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 100 switches between the busy mode and the off-peak mode according to the demand for ice by the user, so that it is possible to suppress a shortage of ice in the busy season and wasteful ice making in the off-season. Further, since the control unit 100 may switch between the off-peak mode and the busy mode based on the amount of ice released from the discharge port 92 at a predetermined time, the amount of ice stored in both the busy season and the off-season can be determined by a simple configuration. It is possible to suppress excess and deficiency.

The operation unit 99 discharges an amount of ice from the discharge port 92 according to the number of operations, and the control unit 100 switches between a quiet mode and a busy mode according to the number of operations of the operation unit 99.
In this way, the amount of ice released can be detected according to the number of operations of the operation unit 99, so that the process of switching between the off-peak mode and the busy mode can be easily performed.

Further, the control unit 100 includes a detection unit 41 for detecting that the ice storage tank 70 is full of ice, and the control unit 100 has a detection unit 41 in which the amount of ice released from the discharge port 92 within a predetermined time is equal to or less than a threshold value. When it detects that the ice is full, it switches from busy mode to quiet mode.
In this way, since the ice storage tank 70 is in the off-season mode after the ice storage tank 70 is full, it is possible to suppress the shortage of ice in the off-ice mode.

Further, when the flowing water freezes, the plate-shaped connecting ice having a shape in which the block-shaped ice is connected in a plate shape adheres to the ice making surface 24, and the ice making plate 23 in which the through hole 18 is formed and the through hole 18 have a through hole 18. A slide pin 51 (extruded portion) that is inserted and pushes out the plate-shaped connecting ice in the direction in which the plate-shaped connecting ice is separated from the ice-making plate 23, a current sensor 106 (movement detection unit) that detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice, and the like. A setting means that allows the user to switch between the agitator 79, which operates to stir the ice stored in the ice storage tank 70, and the second setting, which has less ice stored in the ice storage tank 70 than the first setting and the first setting. In the state of being set to the first setting, the control unit 100 operates the agitator 79 after the current sensor 106 detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice during the pushing operation of the slide pin 51. In the state set to the second setting, the agitator 79 is operated before the current sensor 106 detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice during the pushing operation of the slide pin 51.
In this way, the timing at which the agitator 79 stirs the ice stored in the ice storage tank 70 can be changed according to the user's setting, so that the amount of ice stored in the ice storage tank 70 can be adjusted according to the user's setting. Can be adjusted. Further, in the case of the second setting, the agitator 79 is stirred before the plate-shaped connecting ice falls, and the plate-shaped connecting ice is not crushed as much as possible. By doing so, it becomes easier to detect full ice and the amount of ice stored decreases.

Further, in the busy mode in the state of being set to the second setting, the control unit 100 operates the agitator 79 before the current sensor 106 detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice, and is set to the second setting. In the off-peak mode, the control unit 100 does not operate the agitator 79.
In this way, it is possible to further suppress the excess or deficiency of the amount of ice stored.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. In the first embodiment, when the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is not equal to or more than the threshold value (600 g), the control unit 100 determines whether or not the detection unit 41 has detected full ice, and when the ice is full, the mode is off. However, in the second embodiment, when the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is not equal to or more than the threshold value (600 g), the processing in the off-season mode is performed regardless of whether the ice is full or not. be. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 100 measures the time with the timer 101 (S31). When it is detected that the operation button of the operation unit 99 is pressed by the user (“YES” in S32), the amount of ice released is calculated based on the type and number of operation buttons (S33). Next, when the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is equal to or greater than the threshold value (600 g) based on the elapsed time and the amount of release of the timer 101 (“YES” in S34), the control unit 100 is shown in FIG. As shown, the busy mode is set, and the ice making process in the busy mode described above is performed (S35).

In S34, when the amount of ice released in the last 30 minutes is not equal to or more than the threshold value (600 g) (“NO” in S34), the control unit 100 is set to the off-peak mode as shown in FIG. Ice making treatment is performed (S36).

<Other Embodiments>
The techniques described herein are not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the techniques described herein.

(1) The threshold value of the amount of ice released is not limited to 600 g of the above embodiment, and can be changed to various values. Further, the amount released by each operation button of the operation unit 99 can be changed to a different amount. Further, the predetermined time of the amount of ice released is not limited to 30 minutes and can be changed to various times.

(2) The configuration is such that the off-peak mode and the busy mode are switched according to the number of operations of the operation unit 99, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be configured to switch between. Further, the configuration may not include the setting means 104 for switching between the first setting and the second setting.

(3) In the off-season mode, ice making is started after a predetermined time has elapsed after the detection of full ice, but the time is not limited to this, and the time until ice making after full ice detection may be changed to a different time. good. Further, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the time (standby time) until ice making is performed after the detection of full ice is provided. For example, in the off-season mode, the ice making speed by the ice making section 22 is slower than that in the busy mode. The ice making by 22 may be reduced.

(4) The detection of full ice in the ice storage tank 70 is not limited to the detection unit having the above configuration, and various known detection units having different detection principles may be used. For example, full ice may be detected by transmission or reflection of a photoelectric sensor.

10: Ice dispenser, 11: Housing, 18: Through hole, 20: Ice making mechanism, 22: Ice making part, 23: Ice plate, 30: Refrigerator, 31: Compressor, 32: Condenser, 34: Evaporation tube, 37 : Hot gas valve, 40: Guide plate, 41: Detection unit, 45: Tank, 46: Water level sensor, 50: Ice release device, 51A, 51B (51): Slide pin (extrusion unit), 52, 77, 93: Motor, 70: ice storage tank, 79: agitator, 90: release mechanism, 91: metering chamber, 91A: ice meter, 92: discharge port, 99: operation unit, 100: control unit, 101: timer, 102: switching means , 104: Setting means, 106: Current sensor (movement detection unit)

Claims (4)

The ice making department that makes ice and
An ice storage tank that stores ice made in the ice making section,
An outlet that discharges the ice stored in the ice storage tank, and
An operation unit that allows the user to operate the release of ice from the discharge port,
A control unit that controls ice making by the ice making unit,
A detection unit for detecting that the ice storage tank is full of ice is provided.
The control unit has a mode switching means for switching between a busy mode and a quiet mode according to the amount of ice released from the discharge port within a predetermined time.
In the off-peak mode, ice making by the ice making section is controlled so that the amount of ice stored in the ice storage tank is smaller than that in the busy mode .
An ice dispenser that switches from a busy mode to a quiet mode when the amount of ice released from the discharge port within the predetermined time is equal to or less than a threshold value and the detection unit detects that the ice is full. The operation unit discharges an amount of ice according to the number of operations from the discharge port.
The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches between the off-peak mode and the busy mode according to the number of operations of the operation unit. When the water that has flowed down freezes, the block-shaped ice is connected in a plate shape, and the plate-shaped connecting ice adheres to the ice-making surface to form a through hole.
An extruded portion that is inserted through the through hole and moves in a direction in which the plate-shaped connecting ice is separated from the ice making plate.
A movement detection unit that detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice,
An agitator that operates to stir the ice stored in the ice storage tank,
A setting means capable of switching between the first setting and the second setting in which less ice is stored in the ice storage tank than the first setting is provided by the user.
In the state of being set to the first setting, the control unit operates the agitator after the movement detection unit detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice during the extrusion operation of the extrusion unit, and the second The ice according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein in the state set to the setting, the agitator is operated before the movement detection unit detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice during the extrusion operation of the extrusion unit. Dispenser. When the busy mode is set in the state of being set to the second setting, the control unit operates the agitator before the movement detection unit detects the movement of the plate-shaped connecting ice, and sets the second setting. The ice dispenser according to claim 3 , wherein when the off-season mode is set in the set state, the control unit does not operate the agitator.

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