JPH02195170A - Automatic ice making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To generate ice having high transparency and high purity by providing a drip tray having a bottomless compartment opposed to small compartments when an ice making tray is inverted and superposed, protrusions provided at the partition frame of the drip tray and driver for rotating the ice making tray and the drip tray. CONSTITUTION:When chilled gas cooled by a cooler 8 is forcibly ventilated on the water surface of an ice making tray 33 though a ventilation passage 59 by a blower 9 to start cooling action, freezing action is advanced from above the ice making tray 33 toward a downward direction, and ice having high transparency and purity in upper parts in small compartments 34 and unfrozen water having lower purity in lower parts coexist. When a driver 40 applies a rotary force to the ice making tray 33 in this state, the ice making tray 33 is deformed, ices in the small compartments 34 are separated, and dropped on the drip tray 37. In this case, the ices are in a point contact state with protrusions 37b formed on the drip tray 37, and simultaneously unfrozen water remaining in the small compartments 34 is fed and dropped, but since there is a bottomless compartment 37a of the drip tray 37, it is dropped into a drain tray 46 as it is. Thus, the ices are separated from the water, and only the ices having high transparency and high purity remain on the drip tray 37.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic ice making device that is installed in a refrigerator or the like and is particularly capable of automatically producing transparent ice.

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic ice making device that has been conventionally employed in some household refrigerators will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

1 is the refrigerator itself, and 2 is the outer box. It is composed of an inner box 3 and a heat insulating material 4 filled between the outer box 2 and the inner box 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a wall that divides the inside of the refrigerator main body 1 into upper and lower sections, and a freezer compartment 6. A refrigerating chamber 7 is defined in the lower part.

8 is a refrigeration cycle cooler provided on the back side of the freezer compartment 6, and 9 is a blower for forcing the cold air cooled by the cooler 8 into the freezer compartment 6 and the refrigerator compartment 7.

Next, 10 is an automatic ice maker provided in the freezer compartment e,
A drive device 11 containing a motor, a group of reduction gears (not shown), etc. An ice tray 13 with a support shaft 12 connected and fixed in the center.
It is composed of a frame 14 and the like for pivotally supporting the ice tray 12 on the drive device 11. Note that 16 is a stopper provided on a part of the outer shell of the drive device 11 in order to distort and deform the ice tray 13 to remove ice.
is a backing plate attached to the ice tray 13 so as to come into contact with the stopper 15. Further, 17 is the automatic ice making machine 1
This is an ice storage box provided below the o.

18 is a water tank for storing water for ice making;
It is detachably provided in one section of the refrigerator compartment 7. Also 19
is a water supply port of the water supply tank 18, which is opened and closed by a valve 2o. 21 is a water storage tray provided below the water supply port 19 of the water supply tank 18, and when the water supply tank 18 is set with the water supply port 19 facing downward, the valve 2o is pushed up and the water supply port 19 is opened. It is configured so that Further, 22 is a water supply pump for pumping water received in the water storage tray 21, and 23 is a water supply pump 2.
This is a water supply pipe that is connected to the ice making machine 2 and is arranged so that its outlet faces the ice making tray 13 of the automatic ice making machine 1o.

In this configuration, when the water supply tank 18 filled with water is set at a predetermined position by the user, the valve 2o is pushed up, the water supply port 19 is opened, and the water storage tray 21 is filled with water. After that, the filled water is transferred to the water supply pump 22
The water is pumped up and poured into the ice tray 13 via the water supply pipe 23.

The water thus formed in a predetermined groove in the ice cube tray 13 is stored in the freezer compartment 6.
The cooling effect within the container causes it to freeze, producing ice. When the ice making is completed, the ice making tray 13 is rotated and reversed around the support shaft 12 by the rotating action of the driving device 110, and as the backing plate 16 comes into contact with the stopper 16, the ice making tray 13 is distorted and deformed. The ice inside is released. Further, the ice that has been released falls into the ice storage box 17 and is stored, and the ice tray 13 whose ice removal action has been completed is returned to the drive device 11.
It returns to its original state by the reverse rotation action.

Thereafter, this action is repeated until the water in the water supply tank 18 is used up, thereby automatically making ice and storing water.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with such an ice making method, the freezing of the water in the ice tray 13 when ice is generated is caused by the contact surface between the ice tray 13 and the water and the contact between the cold air and the water. As it progresses from the contact surface to the center, gaseous components, soluble salts, and insoluble impurities dissolved in the water are trapped in the center of the ice, resulting in a cloudy, opaque center. Furthermore, there is a problem in that the ice is low in purity and does not have a good taste, and is not sensually suitable for use in beverages such as whisky.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an automatic ice making device that can produce highly transparent and highly pure ice.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, an automatic ice making device such as a refrigerator according to the present invention is provided in a heat insulating tank provided in one section of the cooling chamber, the top surface of which is open, and a heater provided at the bottom of the interior. An ice tray consisting of a plurality of small sections is polymerized, and a draining tray is provided in parallel with the ice tray and has a bottomless section that faces the small sections when the ice tray is inverted and stacked, and a draining tray is provided in a partition frame of the draining tray. A driving device is provided for rotating the protrusion, the ice making tray, and the draining tray about their respective support shafts. There is a water drain plate and a drain pipe connected to it below the cut surface, and a water tank outside the cooling room.
A water storage tray and a water supply pump are provided to receive this water, and a water supply pipe is guided to the top surface of the ice tray.

According to the above-described structure, when a predetermined amount of water in the water tank is supplied into the ice tray via the water storage tray and the water supply pipe, the water is heated by the heat insulating effect of the heat insulating tank and the heating effect of the heater from the bottom. The cold air in the cooling chamber causes a unidirectional freezing effect from the ice surface downwards, and ice crystals are formed while gaseous components and impurities in the water are discharged into the water below. Next, when the drive device is activated when the water reaches the appropriate thickness, the ice tray rotates and reverses to release the ice, and the ice falls onto the waterside tray and faces the small section of the ice tray. Point contact with the protrusion on the bottomless section of the water cut. In addition, unfrozen water with a high concentration of gaseous components and impurities is separated and drained, and drained through the drain tray and drain pipe below. Next, when the draining tray loaded with ice is rotated and reversed by the driving device, highly transparent and pure ice falls into the ice storage box and is stored.

Embodiment An automatic ice making apparatus such as a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

Incidentally, the same components as those in the prior art are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

24 is a partition wall containing a heat insulating material 26 inside, and a freezer compartment 26. A refrigerating chamber 27 is defined in the lower part. 2
Reference numeral 8 denotes a concave-shaped heat insulating tank with an open top surface, which is placed on the partition wall 24, and includes an outer frame 29 made of resin, a metal plate 30 (for example, an aluminum plate) placed on the bottom of the concave portion, and the outer frame 2.
9. A heat insulating material 31 surrounded by a metal plate 30 and the metal plate 3
It is composed of a heater 32 that is thermally conductively fixed to the back surface of the o. 33 is an ice tray having a plurality of small compartments 34 formed in an outer shape so as to overlap with the inner surface of the heat insulating tank 28;
It is composed of a small section 34, a partition frame 36 that partitions the small section 34, and a communication groove 36 formed in the partition frame to communicate between the small sections 34. 37 is arranged in parallel with the ice tray 33, and when the ice tray 33 is reversed and stacked, the small section 3
It has a bottomless compartment 37a facing 4. 37b is a protrusion provided on the partition frame 37c of the bottomless compartment. A first support shaft 38 is connected and fixed to one end of the ice tray 33, and a second support shaft 39 is connected and fixed to one end of the draining tray 3T. 4o is a drive device that rotates the first support shaft 38 degrees and the second support shaft 39 to rotate the ice making tray 33 and draining tray 37, and includes a motor, reduction gear group, etc. (not shown). is built-in. 41 connects the ice making tray 33 and the draining tray 37 to the first support shaft 38. to the driving device 4o.
This is a frame for pivotal support via a second support shaft 39. 42.43 is a stopper provided on a part of the outer shell of the driving device 40, and 44.45 is a stopper provided on a part of the outer shell of the driving device 40, and 44.45 is a stopper that is arranged so that the ice tray 33 and draining tray 37 come into contact with the stopper 42.43 when the ice tray 33 and the draining tray 37 are reversed. 33 and draining plate 37, respectively. Next, reference numeral 46 denotes a drain plate provided below the drain plate 37, 47 a drain pipe connected to the drain plate 46, and heaters 48 and 49 are respectively disposed for thermal conduction. Further, 5o is an ice storage box provided adjacent to the drain tray 46 below the drain tray 37 when it is in an inverted position. Furthermore, the drain pipe 47 is connected to the heat insulating material 25 of the partition wall 24.
It passes through the heat insulating material 4 of the main body 1 and communicates with the machine room 61 provided at the bottom of the main body 1. Reference numeral 62 denotes an evaporator, which is composed of a heating plate 56 to which a high-temperature, high-pressure heating tube 64 connected from a compressor 63 of the refrigeration cycle is closely attached, and an evaporating plate 5e placed on the heating plate 55. There is. Further, 67 is a water conduit pipe connected to the outlet of the drain pipe 47 for guiding water into the evaporating dish 56.

On the other hand, 58 is a water supply pipe for supplying the water temporarily stored in the water tank 18 and the water storage tray 21 to the ice making tray 33 using the water supply pump 22. One end is connected to the water supply pump 22 and the other end is connected to the water supply pump 22. It is closed so as to face the top surface of the ice tray 33. Further, 69 is a ventilation passage located in the freezer compartment 26 for guiding cold air to the upper surface of the ice tray 33;
detects the temperature inside the freezer compartment 26 and operates the blower 9. This is a temperature control device that controls operation and stop of the compressor 63.

In this configuration, when the water supply tank 18 filled with water is set at a predetermined position by the user, the valve 20 is pushed up, the water supply port 19 is opened, and the water storage tray 21 is filled with water. After that, the filled water is transferred to the water supply pump 22
The water is pumped up and water starts to be supplied to the ice tray 33 via the water supply pipe 68. When water is supplied to one of the small compartments 34 of the ice tray 33, a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the other non-compartments 34 through communication (FIG.A.S. etc.) This state is shown in FIG. 3, where the draining tray 37 is in an inverted position away from the draining tray 46.

In this state, the blower 9 forces the cold air cooled by the cooler 8 through the ventilation path 69 onto the ice surface of the ice tray 33, thereby starting the cooling action. At the same time, the heating action of the heater 32 disposed on the bottom of the heat insulating tank 28 is started, and the metal plate 30 on the bottom is heated. Also, ice tray 33
Since the outer periphery of the ice tray 33 is surrounded by a heat insulating material 31 in the heat insulating tank 28, the cooling effect from the outer periphery is also suppressed, and the freezing effect is suppressed by the ice tray 33.
It progresses in one direction from above to below.

For this reason, if the freezing speed is appropriately slowed down (for example, 5m
/h) As ice formation progresses, gaseous components dissolved in the water and various impurities contained are precipitated outside the ice crystals and discharged into the unfrozen water below. In this way, the ice that is produced sequentially over time has extremely high transparency and is highly pure ice with few impurities. Then, as a predetermined cooling time elapses, ice of a required appropriate thickness (for example, 25 mm) is generated. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the state diagram shows a state in which highly transparent and pure ice coexists in the upper part of each small section 34 of the ice tray 33, and unfrozen water with reduced purity coexists in the lower part. It has become.

In this state, the drive device 40 operates to move the first support shaft 38. The second support shaft 39 starts rotating, and first the draining tray 37 is reversed and set above the draining tray 46, then the ice making tray 33 rotates and leaves the insulation tank 28, and is set first. It is inverted to a close position so as to overlap and include above the draining plate 37. At the same time, the heater 3 in the insulation tank 28
The heating action of 2 is stopped. Then, the backing plate 44 fixed to the ice tray 33 comes into contact with the stopper 42 provided on the drive device 4o, and the drive device 40 then applies rotational force to the ice tray 33, causing the ice cube Q33 to be distorted and deformed in each small section. The ice in 34 is released and falls onto a draining tray 37 set below. At this time, the ice is in point contact with the protrusion 37b provided on the draining tray 37, as shown in FIG. At the same time, unfrozen water with a high concentration of gaseous impurities remaining in each small compartment 34 also flows out and falls, but because there is a bottomless compartment 37a of the draining plate 37, it does not accumulate on the draining plate 37 and remains as it is. The ice falls into the drain tray 46 and the ice and water are separated. That is, only ice with high transparency and purity is left on the draining tray 37. This state is shown in FIG. At this time, the ice rests on the protrusion of the bottomless section 37a, and since there is point contact, there is no possibility that much unfrozen water will adhere. On the other hand, drain plate 4
The unfrozen water that has fallen into the water pipe 5 flows through the drain pipe 47.
7, the water is drained into the evaporating pan 66 of the evaporator 62 in the machine room 61. Thereafter, the water drained into the evaporating dish 66 is evaporated by the heating action of the heating plate 56 in close contact with the heating tube 64 through which the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas from the compressor 63 flows.

In addition, the drain plate 46. In order to prevent the flowing water from freezing in the drain pipe 47, heaters 48 and 49 are appropriately heated.

On the other hand, since the ice thus left has moisture attached to a portion of its surface, it is cooled and dried as it is for a suitable period of time. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the drive device 4o operates again to move the first support shaft 38. The second support shaft 39 rotates, and first the ice tray 33 is rotated and set in the insulation tank 28, while the drain tray 37 is flipped from the top of the drain tray 46 and placed 5 degrees above the ice storage box. A backing plate 46 fixed to the draining plate 37 comes into contact with a stopper 43 provided on the drive device 4o.

Then, as the drive device 40 continues to apply rotational force to the draining plate 37, the draining plate 37 is distorted and deformed, and since the ice placed on the draining plate 37 is in a point contact state, it is easily removed. The ice falls and is stored in an ice storage box 60 provided below. This state is shown in FIG.

In this way, after the water supply tank 18 is set by the user, these series of steps are automatically repeated until the water in the water supply tank 18 is used up.

As a result, only a large amount of highly transparent and highly pure ice is stored in the ice storage box 60, and the user can produce extremely sensually excellent ice for eating and drinking with almost no effort. It can be used at any time.

Effect of the invention As described above, the following effects can be obtained by applying the present invention.

(1) Since the ice that falls from the ice cube tray comes into point contact with the protrusions of the draining tray, the amount of unfrozen water adhering to it is small, resulting in well-shaped ice. Also, since the contact area is small, ice can be easily and reliably removed from the draining tray.

(2) By separating unfrozen water containing gaseous components and impurities discharged as ice continues to form, a large amount of highly transparent and pure ice is automatically stored in the ice storage box. Therefore, the user can use ice, which is extremely sensually superior, for drinking and drinking at any time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of essential parts of an automatic ice-making device such as a refrigerator showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator equipped with the automatic ice-making device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. A cross-sectional view showing the state in which water is supplied to the automatic ice making device shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the automatic ice making device shown in Fig.
A cross-sectional view showing a state in which ice making has progressed from the state shown in the figure. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which ice has been released and water has separated from the state in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ice storage box is more advanced than the state shown in Figure 5. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing ice falling from an ice tray to a draining tray; Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a refrigerator equipped with an automatic ice making device showing a conventional example; FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the main parts of the automatic ice making device shown in FIG. 8. 18... Water supply tank, 21... Water storage tray, 22... Water supply pump, 26... Freezer room (cooling room), 28...・Insulation tank, 32...
... Heater, 33 ... Ice tray, 34 ...
・Small section, 37...Draining plate, 37a...
・Bottomless compartment, 37b...protrusion, 38...
...First support shaft, 39...Second support shaft, 4
o... Drive device, 46... Drain pan, 4
7...Drain pipe, 50-...Ice storage box, 68
・・・・・・Water pipe. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and 1 other famous painter.
Inner> Skin diagram Ω 13 Figure 5 δ Figure δ --- Section N, Layer diagram Figure 28- Section # Skin cause diagram J'7 --- Water skill plate

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ice making device comprising: an insulating tank with an open top surface provided in one section of the cooling chamber; a heater disposed around the bottom of the inner surface of the insulating tank; and a plurality of small sections that overlap on the inner surface from the opening of the insulating tank. a tray, a first support shaft connected and fixed to one end of the ice tray, and a draining tray provided in parallel with the ice tray and having a bottomless section that faces the small section when the ice tray is inverted and stacked; The ice making tray is rotated about a projection provided on a partition frame of a bottomless section of the draining tray, a second support shaft connected and fixed to one end of the draining tray, and the first support shaft, a drive device that rotates the draining plate about a second support shaft; a draining plate provided below the draining plate; a drain pipe connected to the draining plate; and a drain pipe provided adjacent to the draining plate. an ice storage box, a water supply tank provided outside the cooling room, a water storage tray for storing water from the water tank, a water supply pump for pumping water in the water storage tray, and a water supply pump connected to the water supply pump and the ice making tray. An automatic ice-making device consisting of a water supply pipe leading to the top.