JPH034825B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (a) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auger-type ice maker, and in particular, the present invention relates to an auger-type ice maker, and in particular, the drain valve is opened to drain impurities such as calcium and magnesium deposited in the lower part of the cooling cylinder from the drain pipe. This invention relates to an improvement of an auger-type ice maker that cleans the inside of a cooling cylinder by displacing water.

(b) Prior art and its problems In general, when this type of ice maker is operated for a long period of time, impurities such as calcium and magnesium contained in the water appropriately supplied to the cooling cylinder gradually move to the lower part of the cooling cylinder. It is known that it is precipitated in

Conventionally, to deal with this, a cleaning operation was performed in which the water in the cooling cylinder was drained by opening the drain valve and replaced with new water in the water storage tank, but the drainage speed (amount) was extremely high. Or, during a water outage when the water supply to the water storage tank is stopped during drainage, the water level in the water storage tank decreases and eventually becomes empty, allowing air to flow into the cooling cylinder.

In this state, when the water drain is finished or the water cut-off is canceled and the ice-making operation is resumed, an air pocket is generated in the cooling cylinder, resulting in supercooling, which causes a serious drawback that normal ice-making operation cannot be continued.

(c) Purpose of the Invention The present invention periodically and automatically opens the drain valve to clean the inside of the cooling cylinder and drain air into the cooling cylinder in order to prevent impurities from depositing in the lower part of the cooling cylinder. To provide an auger type ice maker which can always perform normal ice making operation while preventing intrusion.

(d) Embodiments of the invention FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an outline of an auger ice maker embodying the present invention, and 1 is an electric compressor 2.
It is a cooling cylinder with a refrigerant pipe 5 wound around its outer surface, which forms a refrigerant circuit together with a condenser 4 and the like that are forcedly air-cooled by an electric blower 3. Inside the cylinder 1, an ice-shaving auger 6 is mounted on an upper bearing. 7 and lower bearing 8
is rotatably supported by. Auger 6
is connected to an auger motor 10 via a speed reducer 9, and the ice formed on the inner wall of the cooling cylinder 1 is scraped off by the auger 6 and then transferred to the compression passages 11 formed in plurality on the outer periphery of the upper bearing 7. The compressed ice is sent to the ice storage 13 via a discharge pipe 12 connected to the upper part of the cooling cylinder 1. Reference numeral 14 denotes an ice storage amount detection device for detecting a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage 13, which is of a temperature type. A water storage tank 15 determines the water supply level of the cooling cylinder 1, and the bottom of the tank 15 and the lower part of the cooling cylinder 1 are connected by a water supply pipe 16. 17 is an external water supply pipe that supplies water to the water storage tank 15, and is connected to a water supply valve 19 that is controlled by a water level detection device 18 that detects the water level of the water storage tank 15. The water level detection device 18 adopts a float type in which a reed switch in the pipe is opened and closed by a float 18A with a built-in magnet that rises and falls depending on changes in the water level, and the upper reed switch 18B controls the water supply valve 19, and the lower reed switch 18C is used for detecting water outage. 20 is a cleaning drain pipe inside the cooling cylinder 1, which is connected to the lower part of the cooling cylinder 1 and has a drain valve 21.
By opening the cooling cylinder 1, the water inside the cooling cylinder 1 is drained.

Next, the electric circuit of the present invention will be explained based on FIG. 22 is a power switch, and 23 is a first relay connected in series with the upper reed switch 18B, which is normally closed and has first relay contacts 23A and 23B. A second relay 24 is connected in series with the lower reed switch 18C, and has a normally closed second relay contact 24A and a normally closed second relay contact 24B. 19 is the water supply valve connected in series with the normally closed first relay contact 23B; 14A is the ice storage switch which opens the contact when the ice storage amount detection device 14 detects a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage 13; 14
In series with A, a third relay 25 with a normally open third relay contact 25A, and periodically with a timer contact 26A.
A cam-type timer 26 that closes the circuit for a predetermined period of time, and the drain valve 21 are connected. Also,
The auger motor 10, the blower 3, and the electric compressor 2 are connected in series with the normally open third relay contact 25A.

Next, the cleaning operation of the present invention including the ice making operation will be explained. When the power switch 22 is turned on, if the water storage tank 15 is empty, the first relay 23 is not energized, so the water supply valve 19, which is energized via the normally closed first relay contact 23B, is opened to supply water to the water storage tank 15. At this time, since the lower reed switch 18C is closed, the second relay 24 is energized, the normally closed second relay contact 24B is opened, the third relay 25 is in the de-energized state, and the normally open third relay 24 is energized. Contact 2
Since 5A is open, auger motor 1
0, blower 3 and compressor 2 do not operate.

When water is supplied to a predetermined water level in the water storage tank 15, the upper reed switch 18B is closed, the first relay 23 is energized, and the normally closed first relay contact 23A is closed.
and 23B are opened. As a result, the water supply valve 19
closes to stop the water supply, while the second relay 24
The second relay contact 24B is de-energized and is normally closed.
Since the third relay 25 is energized, the normally open third relay contact 25A is closed and the auger motor 10, blower 3, and compressor 2 are operated to start ice-making operation. At the same time, timer 26 is started. Note that the water supply level in the cooling cylinder 1 increases as the water level of the water storage tank 15 rises, and is eventually controlled to a predetermined level of the water storage tank 15.

As described above, when the ice-making operation starts, the ice generated on the inner wall of the cooling cylinder 1 is scraped off by the rotation of the auger 6 and transferred to the compression passage 11, where the compressed ice passes through the outlet pipe 12. The ice is continuously sent to the ice storage 13.

When a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of the timer 26, the timer contact 26A closes, energizes the drain valve 21, opens the drain valve 21, and drains the ice-making water with high impurity concentration in the lower part of the cooling cylinder 1. By supplying new water from the water storage tank 15 to the cooling cylinder 1 through the water supply pipe 16 while draining water to the outside from the pipe 20, the ice-making water is replaced and the inside of the cooling cylinder 1 is cleaned.

In this way, when the cleaning operation is started, the water level in the water storage tank 15 decreases and the upper reed switch 18
A starts, the excitation of the first relay 23 is released, and the normally closed first relay contacts 23A and 23B are closed, so the water supply valve 19 opens and water is replenished from the external water supply pipe 17 to the water storage tank 15, and the water is stored. An attempt is made to maintain the water level in the tank 15 at a predetermined upper level.

However, if the amount of water discharged from the drain pipe 20 is greater than the amount of water supplied to the water storage tank 15 at this time, the water level of the water storage tank 15 will continue to decrease, eventually dropping to a lower level. The water level detection device 18 detects this lower level and switches the lower reed switch 18C.
is closed, and at this time, since the normally closed first relay contact 23A is closed, the second relay 24 is energized, causing the normally closed second relay contact 24B to open. As a result, the power supply to the timer 26 is cut off, and even if the timer contact 26A is closed, the drain valve 21 is closed and cleaning is stopped.

Furthermore, even if the amount of water discharged is smaller than the amount of water supplied to the water storage tank 15 and the water level of the water storage tank 15 can be maintained at a predetermined upper level, for example, if water is cut off during cleaning, the water storage tank 15
The water level quickly drops to the lower level and cleaning is stopped in the same way as before.

On the other hand, at the same time that the water level in the water storage tank 15 drops to a lower level and cleaning is stopped, the third relay 25 is de-energized and the third relay contact 2 is kept open.
5A is opened, power to the auger motor 10, electric blower 3, and electric compressor 2 is cut off.
Ice making operation will also be stopped.

Then, when the water level in the water storage tank 15 rises again to the predetermined upper level and the upper reed switch 18B is closed, the ice making operation is resumed.

(E) Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention uses a timer to periodically open the drain valve for a predetermined period of time to drain the water in the cooling cylinder from the drain pipe and replace it with fresh water in the water storage tank. As a result, the inside of the cooling cylinder can be effectively cleaned, thereby preventing the precipitation of impurities in the lower part of the cooling cylinder, and moreover, the water level in the water storage tank can be kept at a predetermined lower limit during cleaning, that is, during draining operation. When the temperature drops to this level, the drain valve is closed to prevent air from entering the cooling cylinder, so normal ice-making operation can be carried out at all times without overcooling occurring when ice-making operation is restarted.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an auger ice maker according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram thereof. 1... Cooling cylinder, 15... Water storage tank, 18 ...
...Water level detection device, 18C...Lower reed switch, 20...Drain pipe, 21...Drain valve, 26 ...
Timer, 26A...Timer contact.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cooling cylinder having a refrigerant passage for a refrigeration system on its outer surface, and a water supply pipe for supplying water appropriately supplied to a water storage tank into the cooling cylinder, and a drain pipe with a drain valve interposed in communication with the lower part of the cylinder, In an auger-type ice making machine comprising a rotatably disposed auger in a cooling cylinder that scrapes off ice formed on the inner wall of the cylinder and transports it upward, there is provided a timer device that periodically operates the drain valve for a predetermined period of time. , when the water level in the water storage tank drops to a lower limit level while the drain valve is operating;
An auger-type ice maker characterized by being provided with a water level detection device that detects this and stops the operation of the drain valve.