JPH0124536Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] a. Field of industrial application The present invention relates to an automatic ice making machine, and in particular, to a novel improvement for dropping ice formed in each ice making compartment of an ice making compartment without connecting them. be.

b. Prior Art There are various types of ice-making chambers in this type of automatic ice-making machine that have been used in the past, and the configuration shown in FIG. 6 has been used as a typical one. That is, as shown in A and B of FIG. 6, a large number of partition plates 11 made of copper are fixed to an ice making chamber 10 made of copper by welding to form each small ice making chamber 12, and the ice making compartments 12 are formed from below. Ice was formed in each ice making compartment 12 by spraying water.

Further, in the configuration disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-135668, a means is proposed in which an ice-making cup is arranged independently and ice-melting water is heated in order to melt the ice that has grown on the heat insulating member.

Furthermore, a configuration has also been proposed in which a cutting frame is used to melt and cut the connecting portion of ice that has grown below the partition plate forming the ice-making compartment of the ice-making compartment when the ice falls.

c. Problems to be solved by the present invention The conventional structure described above includes various problems. In the structure of the first conventional example, both the ice making chamber 10 and the partition plate 11 have good heat conduction. Since the material is made of a material, the opening edges of each partition plate 11 are cooled to a temperature at which ice grows, and it takes time for the water to return to this area and fall down. Because the edge 11a is shared with the adjacent ice-making compartment 12, the return water that has fallen along the partition plate 11 joins at this part, and ice is formed on the opening edge 11a of each partition plate 11. It was growing thickly. Therefore, when the above-mentioned phenomenon occurs, when the ice making chamber 10 is switched to the deicing state and the ice cubes are taken out, the ice cubes 12a are connected to each other by the connecting portion 12b.
As a result, the ice becomes connected and hangs down like an icicle, making it extremely difficult to obtain ice cubes with a uniform shape, and the commercial value of the ice cubes drops dramatically. Become. Furthermore, if the ice cubes 12a that are connected to each other in this way fall into the ice storage, the impact of the fall alone will not separate them into individual pieces, which is a practical problem, and the ice cubes in the ice storage may not be supplied in a fixed quantity. When incorporated into an ice vending machine, it became a fatal flaw.

Furthermore, as a means to separate such connected ice, a configuration in which a cord heater is fixed with a heat insulating frame or the like (not shown) and melted and cut is widely used. There were many problems in terms of complexity, service, and hygiene, and furthermore, the loss of electric energy was extremely large.

In addition, as in the conventional example (not shown), the structure of the device itself is complicated in the means for heating ice-melting water.
The disadvantage was that the amount of water consumed was also large. Furthermore, in the configuration of the third conventional example (not shown), if a large number of ice-making compartments are required, for example, 10 rows x 10
For ice-making compartments with a total of 100 ice-making compartments in rows,
There is a serious drawback that the ice near the hot gas pipe fixed to the cut frame starts to fall first, and it takes a long time for the ice in the center to fall, resulting in a decrease in the amount of ice produced per day.

d Means for solving the problems The present invention aims to provide extremely effective means for quickly eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks. an ice-making compartment having ice-making compartments and each ice-making compartment configured to open downward; an evaporation pipe provided in the ice-making compartment; a partition plate mounted on a lower surface of the ice-making compartment; and a shape of each ice-making compartment; A heat insulating frame body made of a heat insulating material and having heat insulating partition plates formed correspondingly, and a heating partition plate attached to the lower surface of the heat insulating frame body and formed to correspond to the shape of each of the partition plates and each ice making compartment. and an ice-making mechanism for growing ice in the ice-making compartment. It's an ice machine.

e Effect: When each of the ice-making compartments is cooled and ice grows in each of the ice-making compartments, a thin layer of ice grows on the surface of each of the heat-insulating partition plates, but due to the heat-insulating effect, the partition plates and heating partition plates that form the ice-making compartment The ice does not grow to the extent that the ice stretches thickly between the two, and when the heating frame is heated in this state, each heat insulating partition plate is heated by the heat of the heating frame, and the ice is heated almost uniformly throughout. When the ice begins to melt, the ice falls smoothly without the large difference in ice melting depending on the location of each ice making compartment as in the past. Even if the outside temperature is low and the ice between the ice making compartments is connected to each other, the connection will be less than that shown in Figure 6B due to the insulating partition plate, and furthermore, the heating frame will correspond to the connecting part when deicing. Because it is located at a certain point, the ice at the connecting part can be easily melted and the ice can fall smoothly.

f. Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Note that the same parts as in the conventional example will be described using the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, what is indicated by the reference numeral 10 is
The ice-making compartment is generally box-shaped and has a large number of ice-making compartments 12 separated by partition plates 11, and an evaporator 14 is installed on the outer surface 13 of the ice-making compartment 10. A detection section 16 is provided. A heat insulating frame body 17 made of a heat insulating material is provided on the lower surface of the ice making compartment 10 and has a shape corresponding to each ice making compartment 12, each partition plate 11, and flange 10a of this ice making compartment 10, and is made of a heat insulating material. 1
As shown in FIG. 4, 7 has each surface 17a, a through chamber 17c corresponding to the ice making compartment 10, and a heat insulating partition plate 1 corresponding to the partition plate 11.
7b and a flange 17d corresponding to the flange 10a are formed. Further, a heating frame 20 as shown in FIG. 2 is bonded to the lower surface of the heat insulating frame 17, and this heating frame 20 includes a through chamber 20a corresponding to the ice making compartment 12, a through chamber 20a corresponding to the ice making compartment 12, Heating partition plate 21 corresponding to plate 11 and the collar portion 1
A flange portion 18 corresponding to 0a is formed, and the flange portions 10a, 17d, and 18 are integrally joined by bolts 19. Reference numeral D shown in the drawings indicates the thickness of the heat insulating frame 17, and the thickness D matches the thickness of the heat insulating partition plate 17b.

Therefore, each of the ice-making small chambers 12 and each through-hole chamber 17c
The shapes of the through chambers 20a are stacked in substantially the same shape, and when the bolts 19 are not used, the partition plate 11 and the heat insulating partition plate 1
7b and the heating partition plate 21 are not shown,
It is also possible to integrate them with adhesive. A deicing thermostat 22 is installed outside the ice making chamber 10.
A detection section 22a is provided.

Next, a water fountain pipe 24 having a large number of water fountain holes 23 is fixedly installed in the lower part of the ice making chamber 10, and each of the water jet holes 23 is configured to spray water toward approximately the center of the ice making chamber 12. . An ice-making water pump 27 provided in an ice-making water tank 26 is provided in a branching chamber 25 formed at one end of this fountain pipe 24.
The ice-making water supplied by the ice-making chamber 10 is supplied through a pipe (not shown) in the state shown by the two-dot chain arrow, and the ice-making water falling from the ice-making compartment 10 passes through the ice guide plate 28 to the ice-making water tank 26. will be reduced to Furthermore, this ice-making water tank 26 is provided with a water supply pipe 30 controlled by a water supply valve 29 to supply water for ice-making, and the ice cubes 12a made in the ice-making chamber 10 are transferred to the ice storage section 32. This is a stored configuration.

Furthermore, what is shown in FIG. 3 is a refrigeration circuit, in which a discharge pipe 33a from a compressor 33 is connected to a condenser 35, and refrigerant gas from this condenser 35 is passed through a dryer 36 and a capillary tube 37.
The refrigerant gas that has passed through the evaporator 14 is returned to the compressor 33 via an accumulator 39 and a suction pipe 40. Hot gas from a hot gas valve 34 provided in a hot gas pipe 41 branched from the discharge pipe 33a is sent to a hot gas pipe 41 as a heating element mounted on the peripheral side of the heating frame 20, and this hot gas pipe 41 It is connected to the evaporator 14.

In the above configuration, when the automatic ice maker of this invention is operated to make ice, the refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 33 is condensed in the condenser 35 via the discharge pipe 33a, and is then condensed in the capillary tube 37. The refrigerant gas is depressurized and enters the evaporator 14, absorbs heat from the ice-making compartment 10, is separated into gas and liquid by the accumulator 39, and is returned to the compressor 33 via the suction pipe 40. By repeating this operation, the ice-making compartment 10 is cooled. Furthermore, the ice-making water is sprayed from the fountain hole 23 of the fountain pipe 24 into each ice-making compartment 12 by the ice-making water pump 27 of the ice-making water tank 26, and some of the ice-making water is frozen by heat exchange with the refrigerant, and other ice-making water is falls and is guided by the ice guide plate 28 and returns to the ice making water tank 26. In this way, ice begins to grow within the ice making compartment 12.

Furthermore, as the ice making process progresses, the heat insulating frame 17
Ice grows on each of the heat insulating partition plates 17b, and a small amount of thin ice begins to grow on each of the heat insulating partition plates 21 of the heating frame 20 even though the heat insulating frame 17 is present just before ice making is completed.

In this state, the ice-making thermo 15 detects the completion of ice-making, stops the ice-making water pump 27, and opens the hot gas valve 34 to send high-temperature gas to the evaporator through the hot gas pipe 41 to begin the deicing process.
At this point, the water supply valve 29 is also opened and the ice making water tank 26 is opened.
Water for ice making will be supplied. The heating frame 2
0 is made of a material with good thermal conductivity, and the ice making compartment 10
Since it is thermally insulated by the heat insulating frame 17, the temperature is not lowered like in the ice making room 10, but is heated by the high temperature gas from the hot gas pipe 41, and the temperature rises in a short time. When the deicing process begins, the ice making chamber 10 is also gradually heated by the hot gas and the temperature rises, so that the ice 12a is melted and deicing is started. The thin ice that has grown on the heating frame 20 is melted in a short time by the high-temperature gas, and the ice blocks stuck to the surface 17a of the heat insulating frame 17 and the heat insulating partition plate 17b are also absorbed by the heat of the heating frame 20 heated by the hot gas pipe 41. Therefore, it melts easily and quickly.

Through the above steps, the heating of the ice making chamber 10 progresses, all the contact surfaces of the ice 12a with the small ice making chamber 12 melt, and the ice 12a starts to fall under its own weight.

When the ice 12a finishes falling from the ice making compartment 10,
Since the temperature in the ice making chamber 10 rises rapidly, the deicing thermometer 22 is activated to close the hot gas valve 34, and the ice making water pump 27 is operated to start the ice making process again.

In this embodiment, a case has been described in which hot gas is used as the heating element of the heating frame, but the same effect can be obtained by using an electric heater. Also, the ice making room is not limited to this example.
When applied to a so-called open-cell type ice maker, in which each ice-making chamber is formed into a cup shape by an individual member and the ice-making chamber is open at the bottom and incorporated into an ice tray, it is also possible to make ice with the ice-making chamber open at both the top and bottom. The same effect can be achieved when applied to an ice maker that sprays water from above the small chamber.

Also, although we have described the case where a temperature-sensing unit is installed in the ice-making compartment to detect the completion of ice-making, it is also possible to attach it to the heating frame and detect the temperature when thin ice begins to grow, thereby indicating that ice-making is complete. be.

Furthermore, the relationship between the thicknesses of the partition plate 11, the heat insulation partition plate 17b, and the heating partition plate 21 in this embodiment is as follows:
As shown in FIG. 5, partition plate 11>insulation partition plate 1
It has been confirmed that when the relationship is set such that 7b>heating partition plate 21, the ice 12a falls from the ice making compartment 12 extremely smoothly.

g. Effects of the invention Since the automatic ice maker according to the invention has the above-mentioned structure and function, each ice making compartment is separated by an insulating frame at the opening edge and is independent, and the ice connecting part is However, it has the following effects.

(1) Ice stuck to the insulating frame can be melted quickly, reducing deicing time and increasing daily ice production.

(2) Since hot gas is used as the heating source for the insulating frame, no ice melting water is required, resulting in water savings. Moreover, since the structure is simple, it can be manufactured at low cost.

(3) Even if the number of ice-making compartments increases, there is no need to melt and cut the ice connections, so the ice falls smoothly and quickly from the ice-making compartments, and therefore the ice-making capacity can be increased. Not only can a wide range of improvements be obtained, but also a large ice making machine having a large ice making chamber can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 are configurations for explaining the automatic ice maker according to the present invention. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration with heat insulation, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the heating frame, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the automatic ice maker according to the present invention. The figure is a circuit diagram showing a refrigeration system circuit, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a heat insulating frame, Fig. 5 is a sectional view of main parts showing another embodiment, and A and B in Fig. 6 show a conventional example. They are a partial cross-sectional view of an ice making room and a cross-sectional view of ice. 10 is an ice making compartment, 11 is a partition plate, 12 is an ice making compartment, 12a is ice, 13 is an external part, 14 is an evaporator,
15 is an ice making thermo, 16 is a detection unit, 17 is a heat insulating frame, 17a is a surface, 17b is a heat insulating partition plate, 17c
17d is a through chamber, 17d is a flange, 18 is a flange, 19 is a bolt, 20 is a heating frame, 20a is a through chamber, 21 is a heating partition plate, 22 is a deicing thermostat, 22a
is the detection part, 23 is the fountain hole, 24 is the fountain pipe, 2
5 is a branch room, 26 is an ice-making water tank, 27 is an ice-making water pump, 28 is an ice guide plate, 29 is a water supply valve, 30 is a water supply pipe, 32 is an ice storage section, 33 is a compressor, 35 is a condenser, and 36 is a dryer. , 37 is a capillary reach tube, and 39 is an accumulation radar.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) An ice-making compartment 10 having a large number of ice-making compartments 12 divided by a number of partition plates 11, each of which is configured to open downward; A heat insulating frame body made of a heat insulating material and having an evaporation pipe 14 provided therein and a heat insulating partition plate 17b attached to the lower surface of the ice making compartment 10 and formed corresponding to the shape of each of the partition plates 11 and each ice making compartment 12. 17, a heating frame 20 made of a thermal conductor and having a heating partition plate 21 attached to the lower surface of the heat insulating frame 17 and formed to correspond to the shape of each partition plate 11 and each ice making compartment 12; a heating body 41 provided on the heating frame 20 for heating the heating frame 20; and the ice making chamber 10.
and an ice-making mechanism for growing ice, the heat-insulating partition plates 17b of the heat-insulating frame 17 prevent the ice formed in the ice-making compartments 12 from being connected to each other, and the heating frame 2
An automatic ice making machine characterized in that the ice in each ice making compartment 12 can be dropped individually by heating at zero temperature. (2) The thicknesses of the partition plate 11, the heat insulation partition plate 17b, and the heating partition plate 21 are configured such that the relationship of the partition plate 11>the heat insulation partition plate 17b>the heating partition plate 21 prevents ice from falling from the ice making compartment 12. 1. The automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, which is characterized in that the automatic ice making machine is easy to operate.