JPH02161271A - Ice making structure of automatic ice machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To smoothly perform supply and discharge of ice making water to always make possible the production of a solid lump of ice without hollowness in its center part in an ice formed space until the solid lump of ice is formed in the ice forming space by composing the pictured position of holes for supplying and discharging the ice making water drilled on the bottom part of a second ice making chamber of a bad heat conductor. CONSTITUTION:When a first ice making chamber 11 is cooled at the time of ice making operation since a supply and discharge member 71 is composed of a bad heat conductor, a second ice making chamber 12 composed of a good heat conductor has approximately the same temperature as the first ice making chamber 11, but the temperature of the supply and discharge member 71 is a little higher than both the ice making chambers 11, 12 because the supply and discharge member 71 has bad heat conduction. Accordingly, a time for making an ice layer on the upper face of the supply and discharge member 71, a supply hole 71a and a discharge hole 71 is longer than that for making the ice layer in both ice making small chambers 13, 15. Thereby, the supply hole 71a is blocked by the ice layer not to stop the supply of ice making water although a solid globular body is not nearly formed in both the ice making small chambers 13, 15.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is applicable to a group of ice blocks having, for example, a spherical shape or a polyhedral shape.
This invention relates to an ice-making structure of an automatic ice-making machine that can produce ice in large quantities fully automatically.

BACKGROUND ART In various industrial fields, automatic ice making machines that continuously produce large quantities of dice-shaped ice cubes, sheet ice of a required thickness, and flake-shaped ice pieces are suitably used depending on the application.
For example, as an ice maker that produces the aforementioned ice cubes.

■ A large number of cube-shaped ice-making compartments are defined downward in the ice-making compartment, which can be opened and closed by a water tray from below, and ice-making water is injected from the water tray to each ice-making compartment to fill the ice-making compartments. The so-called closed-cell method, which gradually forms ice cubes in the process, and ice-making water is directly supplied to a number of cube-shaped ice-making chambers that open downward, and ice cubes are formed in the ice-making chambers. A so-called open cell system is known. In addition, ice makers that continuously produce sheet ice or fine crushed ice, and auger-type ice makers that continuously produce ice flakes are also in use.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As mentioned above, most of the ice produced by various conventional ice making machines are cube-shaped ice cubes, sheet ice, other flaky ice pieces, and crushed ice. Only the above-mentioned ice cubes have the required shape and can be floated on drinks or used as a cooling bed for various foodstuffs (sheet ice also has a shape, but (Usually cannot be used with the same dimensions.)

However, in recent years, coffee shops, restaurants, and other food and beverage establishments have been making strenuous efforts to differentiate themselves from other companies in order to gain an advantage over similar businesses in various ways and attract customers. As the ring, for example, a ball-shaped (spherical) block of ice can be used instead of the ice cubes that have been widely used in the past.
As a result, there is a tendency to try to provide immediate new changes to customers.

However, since this spherical ice is widely used for eating and drinking, its commercial value will decrease unless it is a clear, transparent block of ice that does not become cloudy due to aeration. In addition, it is necessary to be able to produce large quantities of ice, but no automatic ice-making machine for producing spherical ice has hitherto existed that meets this type of requirement. Therefore, the inventor of the present application engaged in the development of an ice making machine capable of producing a large amount of transparent and clear spherical ice, and having obtained a mechanism that fully satisfies the above requirements, the inventor developed the basic concept in January 1988. On the 29th, he filed a patent application for his invention, an "automatic ice maker."

The ice-making machine according to the previous application includes: ■ a first ice-making compartment that defines a number of first ice-making compartments that open upwardly and is equipped with an evaporator on the back;
■Basically equipped with a second ice-making compartment that defines a number of second ice-making compartments that open upward, and during ice-making operation, both ice-making compartments close correspondingly to form irregularly shaped ice such as spheres inside. It defines the space where In the ice making machine according to this basic structure, a supply hole and a discharge hole for ice making water are provided at the bottom of the second ice making chamber, and during ice making operation, ice making water is supplied into the space through the supply hole and freezes. The remaining ice-making water is configured to be discharged through a discharge hole.

However, as the ice-making operation progresses and an ice layer is generated in the space, ice layers are also generated in the supply hole and the discharge hole, and the inner diameter of the hole gradually becomes smaller. When the ice layer grows further, the supply hole and the discharge hole are blocked by the ice layer, and ice-making water is no longer supplied into the space. For this reason, an ice block having an unfrozen cavity inside is formed in the space, and it is pointed out that it becomes impossible to form a solid ice block.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems to suitably solve the problems, and provides an eleventh ice chamber including a large number of first ice-making compartments that open downward.

The 21st with many ice chambers that open upward! An object of the present invention is to provide a new ice-making structure that can always form a solid block of ice in a space defined by both ice-making compartments.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and suitably achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides a method for injecting ice-making water into an ice-making chamber to form ice blocks in the ice-making chamber and freezing. In an automatic ice maker that recirculates unused ice making water, the ice maker is equipped with an evaporator on the back, is fixedly placed inside the machine, and has a number of ice chambers of the desired shape that open downward. A first ice-making compartment, and a plurality of second ice-making compartments each having a desired shape and arranged so as to be movable toward and away from the first ice-making compartment, and capable of correspondingly closing each of the first ice-making compartments from below. The second ice making compartment is characterized in that a portion defining a through hole for supplying and discharging ice making water formed in the bottom of the second ice making compartment is made of a thermally poor conductor.

Embodiment Next, the ice-making structure of an automatic ice-making machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the main parts of the ice making structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the main parts showing the second ice making chamber and the water tray, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the main ice-making structure of the ice-making machine in an ice-making state. In the embodiment of the present invention, an automatic ice making machine that continuously produces spherical water 1 shown in FIG. 13(a) will be described.

Simply change the internal shape of the ice-making compartment, which will be described later.

Diamond-cut polyhedral water 2 as shown in FIG. 13(b)
6 (Regarding the 1st and 21 ft. ice chambers) As schematically shown in FIG. a first ice-making compartment 11, and a second ice-making compartment 11 that can be freely opened and closed from below.
It basically consists of an ice making compartment 12. That is, a rectangular first R ice chamber 11 made of a metal with good thermal conductivity is arranged and fixed horizontally in the upper part of the inside of the ice making machine housing (not shown), and the first ice making machine is arranged and fixed in a predetermined alignment pattern. A large number of small chambers 13 are recessed downward in this first N ice chamber 11. Each 111th ice chamber 13 is formed as a hemispherical recess, and has a diameter of 3 cm and a depth of 1.5 cm, for example.

On the top surface of the first ice making compartment 11, there is a guide j41. l, the evaporator 14 is closely fixed in a meandering manner;
By operating the refrigeration system, heat exchange of the vaporized refrigerant in the evaporator 14 is promoted, and the first ice making chamber 11 is cooled to below freezing point.

Immediately below the first ice making chamber 11, a second ice making chamber 12 made of a metal with good thermal conductivity such as copper is provided so as to be tiltable as will be described later. The first ice making chamber 11 can be closed from below and opened during deicing operation. That is, the second
1! The ice compartment 12 includes a first ice compartment recessed in the first ice compartment 11.
Corresponding to the ice chambers 111, a large number of second ice-making chambers 15, also made of hemispherical recesses, are recessed upward in a desired alignment pattern. This 21st! The diameter of the ice chamber 15 is also
- 3C11 as an example, and the depth of the recess is set to 1.51. Therefore, when the second ice-making compartment 12 is closed from below with respect to the first ice-making compartment 11, the two ice-making compartments 13, 15 correspond to each other, and a spherical space having a diameter of 33 is defined within each compartment. The bottom of each second ice-making compartment 15 in the 2111th ice compartment 12 is provided with a through hole 12a into which a supply/discharge member 71 (described later) is inserted.

As described above, the second ice-making chamber 12 is configured as a block body made of a metal with good thermal conductivity such as copper, and each of the second ice-making chambers 15
A water tray 38 for spraying and supplying ice-making water to the ice-making chamber 12 is integrally fixed to the outer bottom of the second ice-making chamber 12 via bolts 60. The rear end of the water tray 38 stands up at a right angle to form a rear portion 64, and the open end of the rear portion 64 is pivoted to a fixed portion of the ice maker housing (not shown) by a pivot 16 so as to be tiltable and rotatable. It is supported and rotated together with the second Wi ice chamber 12 by an actuator motor AM, which will be described later. That is, if it is rotated clockwise as shown in Fig. 8,
The second ice compartment 12 integrally fixed to the water tray 38 opens the 111th ice compartment 13, and by rotating counterclockwise, the second ice compartment 12 opens the first ice compartment 13 as shown in FIG. Close.

On the back side of the water tray 38, fountain holes 25 communicating with each of the second ice-making chambers 15 are correspondingly bored, and distribution pipes 24 for supplying ice-making water to these fountain holes 25 are also formed on the back side of the water tray 38. It is arranged in a meandering manner. Further, below the water tray 38, an ice-making water tank 19 for supplying ice-making water to the distribution pipe 24 is integrally provided.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, each 21st! A through hole L2a of the required diameter is bored in the bottom of the I ice chamber 15 as described above, and a disk-shaped supply/discharge hole made of resin or the like with low thermal conductivity (poor thermal conductor) is inserted into this through hole 12a. A member 71 is inserted. In addition, the supply/discharge member 71
The h side facing into the 211th ice chamber 15 in
It is formed into an arc shape that matches the inner surface shape of 5.

The supply/discharge member 71 has a supply hole 71a that communicates with the water fountain hole 25 formed in the water tray 38, and the distribution pipe 24 and the ice forming space communicate with each other through the supply hole 71a. .

Further, a discharge hole 7 is provided adjacent to the supply hole 71a of the supply/discharge member 71.
1b is bored, and this discharge hole 71b communicates with the return hole 26 bored in the water tray 38. Therefore, during the ice-making operation to be described later, ice-making water is supplied to the ice-forming space defined in both the ice-making chambers 13 and 15 through the water fountain hole 25 and the supply hole 71a, and ice-making water reaches the ice-forming space in the space. Unfrozen ice-making water (hereinafter referred to as "unfrozen water") is drained from the drain hole 71b.
The water is then returned to the ice making water tank 19 via the return hole 26.

Here, since the supply/discharge member 71 is made of a poor heat conductor, heat conduction from the first ice making compartment 11 and the second ice making compartment 12 is not performed well. In other words, during ice making operation, the first WI ice compartment 11 When cooled, the second ice-making compartment 12 made of a good thermal conductor reaches the same temperature as the first ice-making compartment 11, but since heat conduction is not good in the supply/discharge member 71, the temperature remains the same. The temperature is slightly higher than the temperature in both ice making compartments 11 and 12. Therefore, the upper surface of the supply/discharge member 71 and the supply hole 7
It takes longer for an ice layer to form inside the holes 1a and 71b. As a result, even though solid spherical ice has not yet been formed in the single-car ice-making compartment 13.15, the supply hole 71a will not be blocked by the ice layer and the supply of ice-making water will not be stopped.

(Regarding the water tray f1 movement mechanism and water circulation system) The actuator motor AM for tilting the water tray 38 is equipped with a speed reducer, and the cam lever 17 and the lever piece 37 are fixed to the rotating shaft thereof so as to extend in the radial direction. A coil spring 18 is elastically engaged between the tip 17a of the water tray 17 and the front end of the water tray 38. The cam lever 17
The cam surface 17b formed at the base of the water tray 38
The dimensions are set so that the cam can be engaged with the upper surface of the. Also the first
A changeover switch S2 is disposed at a fixed portion that supports the ice making chamber 11. When the lever piece 37 rotates due to rotation of the motor AM during deicing operation, the changeover switch S2 is changed over to switch the motor AM. Then, the water tray 38 is stopped in a tilted state. It also functions to switch the refrigeration system valve and circulate hot gas to the evaporator 14.

Water supply pipe 2 led out from the bottom side of the ice-making water tank 19
1 communicates with a pressure chamber 23 provided on the side of the tank via a water supply pump 22, and further communicates from the pressure chamber 23 with the distribution pipe 24. Therefore, from the ice making water tank 19 to the pump 2
2, the ice-making water is injected into each of the 211th ice compartments 15 through the water fountain holes 25 formed in the distribution pipe 24 and the supply holes 71a formed in the supply/discharge member 71. It is something that will be done. In addition, during the ice-making operation to be described later, unfrozen water that has not frozen in both ice-making chambers 13 and 15 is discharged through a discharge hole 71b drilled adjacent to the supply hole 71a and a drain hole 71b drilled in the water tray 38. The water can be returned to the ice making water tank 19 through the return hole 26.

Further, in front of the water tray 38, a dam part 62 is provided which is set to be lower than the side part 61 by a predetermined dimension, and both ends of this dam part 62 are in close contact with both side parts 61. . Further, a drainage hole 63 of a required diameter is bored in the water tray 38 between the front end of the second ice making chamber 12 and the damming part 62. As a result, the inner surface of the water tray 38 has one side portion 61.
,61. A water reservoir portion 65 surrounded by the dam portion 62 and the rear portion 64 is formed. A part of the water stored in the water reservoir section 65 is drained from the drainage hole 63 to the ice making water tank 19.
Other water overflows from the upper end of the dam 62 and flows into the tank 19 from the front side of the water tray 38. In addition, the water supply to the ice making water tank 19 is as follows.
This is done by opening the water supply valve W2 of the water supply pipe 27 connected to the external water supply system.

(About the temperature-sensing mechanism) A temperature-sensing section (
A temperature sensing section of a de-icing detection thermometer Th, which functions as a de-icing completion detecting means, is disposed at a different position on the top surface of the first ice-making chamber. Furthermore, the second ice making room 1
A temperature-sensing part of a thermometer Th is disposed on a required side of the thermometer Th, and the main body of the thermometer Th that emits an electric signal is a water tray 3.
8.

(About the water guide plate) A drain tray 69 is provided below the ice-making water tank 19 to receive ice-making residual water and discharge it to the outside of the machine.
A water guide plate 67 fixed to a shaft 68 faces above. During the ice-making operation, the water guide plate 67 is positioned in contact with a positioning member 70 that extends and hangs down from the fixed part of the housing, and is positioned close to the open end of the tank 19 as shown in FIG. It has stopped at In this state, if the ice-making water in the tank 19 overflows, the
As shown in the figure, this water flows down along the back surface of the water guide plate 67 and is then discharged from the drain tray 69 to the outside of the machine. Further, during deicing operation, as shown in FIG. 8, if the shaft 68 to which the water guide plate 67 is fixed is driven counterclockwise by a driving means (not shown), the water guide plate 67 can be tilted. It collapses onto the upper surface of the second ice making compartment 12 in the state (described later) and blocks each of the second fRI ice compartments 15. and the ninth
As shown in the figure, the free ice falling from the first ice-making compartment 11 is caused to slide down on this water guide plate 67 to form a water storage (not shown).
Guide you smoothly.

Note that when the water tray 38 (the 21st ice making compartment) returns to its original position, the water guide plate 67 is pressed by the water tray 38 returning to the horizontal state and rotates clockwise, as shown in FIG. , comes into contact with the positioning member 70 and stops. This water guide plate 67 is tilted by moving the center of gravity using the shaft 68 as a fulcrum.

(Regarding a modification of the supply/discharge member) Next, FIG. 12 shows a modification of the supply/discharge member 71 shown in FIG. A large-diameter through hole 71c that commonly communicates with the return hole 26 is bored.

That is, this through hole 71c functions to supply ice-making water into both ice-making chambers 13.15 during ice-making operation, and to discharge unfrozen water that has not frozen in both ice-making chambers 13.15. Since this supply/discharge member 71 is made of a thermally poor conductor, the first and second
Until a solid block of ice is formed in the ice forming space defined by the ice making chamber 13.15, the first hole 71c is not blocked by the ice layer, and smooth supply of ice making water is achieved. .

Function of the embodiment Next, the function of the ice making structure according to the embodiment will be explained. During ice-making operation, the second ice-making chamber 12 closes the first ice-making chamber 11 from below, as shown in FIG.

Each of the first ice-making compartments 13 and each of the second ice-making compartments 15 are associated with each other to define an ice-forming space inside. If you turn on the power to the automatic ice maker in this state, ice making operation will start and the first
Refrigerant is circulated and supplied to the evaporator 14 provided in the ice-making compartment 11,
The first ice making chamber 11 is cooled. In addition, ice-making water from the ice-making water tank 19 is pumped to the distribution pipe 24, and is defined into both ice-making chambers 13.15 via each water fountain 25 of the distribution pipe 24 and the supply hole 71a of the supply/discharge member 71. It is injected into a spherical space.

The injected ice-making water comes into contact with the inner surface of the first ice-making chamber 13 and is cooled, moistening the second ice-making chamber 15 below, and then is discharged from the spherical space through the plurality of discharge holes 71b. This unfrozen water flows through the return hole 2 formed in the water tray 38.
1 through 6! It is returned to the ice water tank 19 and subjected to circulation again. As the circulation of the ice-making water is repeated, the temperature of the entire ice-making water stored in the tank 19 gradually decreases, and the temperature of the second ice-making chamber 15 also gradually decreases.

First, the first ice-making compartment 13 and the second ice-making compartment 15
A part of the ice-making water freezes on the inner wall surface of the tank 19 and an ice layer begins to form (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 11(a)), and the unfrozen water returns to the tank 19 through the discharge hole 71b and the return hole 26. During repeated operations, the growth of the ice layer further progresses. Then, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 11(c), spherical ice 1 is finally generated in the spherical spaces formed in both ice-making chambers 13.15. Note that the ice-making operation is ended at the timing when the ice-making state shown in FIG. 11(a) is reached.

It is also possible to intentionally produce hollow spherical ice 1 as shown in FIG. 13(Q). The hollow ice obtained in this manner can stimulate new demand for ice by filling the interior space with food such as cherries, drinks such as juice, and ornamental materials such as flower petals. Furthermore, by placing the perforated part of the hollow ice (the part corresponding to the supply hole 71a and the discharge hole 71b) against the lower lip and blowing, it can be used as a whistle (ice layer), giving a unique taste. .

To explain the progress of ice making in more detail, the second ice making chamber 12
As mentioned above, since it is made of a good thermal conductor made of metal such as copper, the heat conduction from the 111I ice compartment 11 is good, and the appropriate cooling temperature between the first ice compartment 11 and the lane can be quickly reached. becomes. For this reason.

At the same time that an ice layer is formed in the first R ice compartment 11, an ice layer is also formed in the second ice making compartment 12, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 11(a). Here, since the supply/discharge member 71 is made of a poor thermal conductor, heat conduction from the second ice making compartment 12 is not good. 71 is high, and even if the ice making operation progresses, no ice layer will grow on the upper surface of the supply/discharge member 71 or inside the supply hole 71a and the discharge hole 71b, as shown in FIG. 11(b). Even though the supply hole 71a and the discharge hole 71b are covered with a layer of ice and there is an unfrozen cavity in the center of the spherical ice, the supply of ice making water is not stopped, and finally, the ice making water supply is not stopped. As shown in FIG. 11(c), solid spherical ice 1 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the production of spherical ice is completed and the temperature of the first ice making chamber 11 drops to a required temperature range, the ice making detection thermo Th1 detects this temperature drop.

The circulating supply of ice-making water is stopped, and the supply of refrigerant to the evaporator 14 is continued. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the water supply valve Wv is opened to start supplying water to the water reservoir 65 defined on the surface of the water tray 38.

Since the amount of tap water supplied via the water supply valve WV is large compared to the amount flowing down from the drain hole 63 to the tank 19, the water level in the water reservoir 65 gradually rises and finally reaches the dam part of the water tray 38. 62, resulting in an overflow. The water surface level of the water reservoir section 65 when overflowing is the same as that of the second ice making chamber 12.
By setting the signal to arrive near one end of the
Tap water at normal temperature can be mainly heated in the second ice making chamber 12.

The overflow water from the dam 62 is transferred to the water tray 38.
The water flows down into the tank 19 from the tip. The water level in the tank 19 gradually rises due to the water flowing in from the tip of the water dish and the water flowing down from the drain hole 63, and the water overflows from the tip of the tank in a short time, causing the water guide plate 67 to be in the standby position. It is discharged from the drain tray 69 to the outside of the machine along the same direction.

The second ice-making chamber 12 is heated by the tap water flowing into the water reservoir 65 and its temperature rises, and the wall surface of the second ice-making chamber 15 and the spherical ice 1
Freezing power decreases. Furthermore, the adhesion force of the ice formed on the surface adjacent to the first ice making chamber 11 is also weakened. When the temperature of the second ice making chamber 12 rises in this way, the temperature of the second ice making chamber 12 increases.
is detected and closes the water supply valve W2, and at the same time, the actuator AM is energized and starts rotating counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the cam lever 17 rotates as shown in FIG. 8, and the cam surface 17 formed at its base rotates.
b forcibly presses the side upper surface of the water tray 38 downward. As already mentioned, the 21st! Since the ice compartment 12 is heated by tap water and the adhesion between the 111th ice compartment 11 and the spherical ice 1 is reduced, the water tray 38 and the second ice compartment 12 are forcibly separated from the ice compartment 11. It begins to tilt diagonally downward. By tilting the water tray 38 and the tank 19, the ice-making water in the tank 19 and the water in the water reservoir are disposed of to the outside.

During the tilting of the water pan 38, by pushing a reversing lever (not shown) integrally provided on the shaft 68 with a part of the water pan assembly, the water guide plate 67 is reversed, and the water guide plate 67 is moved toward the water 111138. It tilts in the suspended state. At the timing when the water tray 38 is tilted to the maximum, the lever piece 37 presses and biases the changeover switch S2.

As a result, the motor AM stops its rotation and the tilting of the water tray 38 is stopped. As mentioned above, the water guide plate 67 is
The upper surface of the second ice making chamber 12 is covered to provide a smooth surface for sliding ice cubes down.

Further, by switching the switch S2, the condenser fan motor (not shown) is stopped, the hot gas valve (not shown) is opened, hot gas is supplied to the evaporator 14, and the ice compartment 11 is heated. As the temperature is increased, the frozen surface between the inner surface of the first ice-making chamber 13 and the spherical ice 1 starts to melt. Note that the first
As described above, since the ice making chamber 11 continues to cool until the water tray 38 is tilted open, the freezing force (adhesion force) between the first spherical ice 1 and the inner surface of the first ice making chamber 13 is strong, and the second ice making chamber 11 continues to cool. Room 1
When the ice cube 2 is opened, the spherical water 1 is fixed in the first ice making chamber 13, as shown in FIG. However, since hot gas is circulating in the evaporator 14 from earlier, the 11th! The temperature of the ice chamber 11 is rising. When the first ice-making chamber 13 is heated to an extent that the spherical water is unfrozen from the chamber wall, the water guide plate 6 falls under its own weight and is on standby.
7 and is collected by sliding into a water storage (not shown) (see FIG. 9).

In this way, when all the spherical water 1 leaves the first ice-making chamber 13 (see FIG. 10), the first fM ice chamber 11 moves to the evaporator 1.
The temperature rises all at once due to the hot gas circulating in step 4. When the deicing detection thermo Th2 detects this temperature rise,
At the same time as the deicing operation is completed, the motor AM reversely rotates to drive the cam lever 17. Therefore, the coil spring 1 is elastically engaged between the lever 17 and the water tray 38.
8, the water tray 38 and the ice-making water tank 19 are rotated counterclockwise and returned to the horizontal state.
11th! The ice chamber 11 is closed again from below.

Next, the cam lever 17 is rotated by the reverse rotation of the motor AM.
The evaporator 14 also rotates in the reverse direction, presses and energizes the eight changeover switches to change over the valves of the refrigeration system, and stops supplying hot gas to the evaporator 14. Furthermore, the water supply valve Wv is opened to supply new ice-making water to the tank 19 whose water level has decreased. Then, the ice making operation is restarted and the above-described operation is repeated.

As described in detail, the ice-making structure according to the present invention has a first ice-making compartment including a first ice-making compartment that opens downward, and a second ice-making compartment that defines a second ice-making compartment that opens upward. The second ice-making machine basically includes an ice-making compartment and generates ice blocks in an ice-forming space defined internally by closing both ice-making compartments.
Since the defining portion of the hole drilled in the ice-making compartment for supplying and discharging ice-making water is made of a thermally poor conductor, the ice-making water does not flow until a solid block of ice is formed in the ice-forming space. supply and discharge are carried out smoothly. Therefore, a solid block of ice without a cavity in the center can always be produced in the ice forming space.

Further, since the second ice making chamber itself is made of a good thermal conductor, the time required for ice making and ice removal can be shortened, and energy saving can be effectively achieved. Although the explanation has been made regarding the production of spherical water, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that it can also be implemented to produce polyhedral water having other shapes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an ice making structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of the ice making structure according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a second ice making chamber and a water tray. 3 to 10 are vertical cross-sectional views showing the schematic structure of the ice making structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Figure 4 shows the initial state when the ice making chambers 2 and 2 are closed and ice making operation has started, Figure 4 shows the state in which hollow spherical water has been formed in both ice chambers as ice making progresses, and Figure 5 shows the state where hollow spherical water has been formed in both ice chambers. Figure 6 shows a state where almost solid spherical water is formed in both ice-making chambers and the water level of the ice-making water in the tank is decreasing as the ice-making process approaches completion. Figure 7 shows a state in which solid spherical water is formed in both ice-making chambers. Figure 7 shows the state in which ice-making is completed and the water supply valve is opened, and the water that overflows from the dam due to the rise in the water level in the water reservoir is Fig. 8 shows a state where the ice flows down along the back surface of the guide plate and is discharged from the drain tray to the outside of the machine. In Fig. 8, the actuator motor is energized and the second ice making compartment is tilted clockwise to open.
Figure 9 shows a state in which the water guide plate is collapsed onto the ``-'' side of the second ice-making compartment to block each of the second ice-making compartments. Figure 10 shows the state in which the water guide plate slides down, and Figure 10 shows the state in which the second ice-making chamber begins to rotate counterclockwise and the water guide plate is returned to its original position after deicing is completed. 11(a). (b) and (Q) are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which ice blocks are generated in the first ice-making chamber and the second ice-making chamber over time, and FIG. 12 is an illustration of the supply/discharge member adopted in the ice-making structure according to the present invention. 13(a) is an explanatory diagram showing spherical water; FIG. 13(b) is an explanatory diagram showing polyhedral water; FIG. 13(c) is a hollow spherical water sectional view. FIG. 11... First ice making chamber 12a... Through hole 14... Evaporator 71a... Supply hole 71c... Through hole 2... Second ice making chamber 3... First ice making small chamber 5. ...Second ice making chamber 1b...Discharge hole

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] [1] An automatic ice-making machine in which ice-making water is injected into an ice-making chamber to form ice cubes in the ice-making chamber, and ice-making water that has not yet frozen is recirculated, Evaporator (1
4), which is fixedly arranged inside the machine and has a number of first ice-making compartments (13) of a desired shape that open downward; are arranged freely,
a second ice-making compartment (12) formed with a large number of second ice-making compartments (15) each having a desired shape that can correspondingly close each of the first ice-making compartments (13) from below; (12) Through holes (71a, 71b, 71c) for supplying and discharging ice-making water drilled at the bottom
An ice-making structure of an automatic ice-making machine characterized in that a defining part of the ice-making machine is made of a thermally poor conductor. [2] Ice making water supply hole (71a) and discharge hole (71b
) A supply/discharge member (71) made of a thermally poor conductor with holes drilled therein.
However, through holes (1) drilled at the bottom of each second ice making compartment (15)
2a) The ice making structure of the automatic ice making machine according to claim 1, which is fitted into the ice making structure.